Sunday 13th March, 2016                                      1800

When will spring actually arrive? Aside from a couple of days past, I am still having to wear a fleece and a coat over the top of it, gloves to boot. The temperature readout on the bus to town was telling me ambient temperature was 17C but if it was then I am a Dutchman.

Having stayed up late naturally I slept late. Well, woke early and tried to doze until midday and then as always, just when you are ready for another couple of hours the alarm goes off. Were it not for Kevin I would simply have cancelled the alarm and carried on trying to sleep.

However, despite visiting me to sort something on my laptop yesterday, he forgot to ask me for his credit card statement that I had collected for him from the office. I also forgot to give it to him. So we made arrangements to meet today after he checked out of the Dong Rong at 1400.

On the way to the bus I had a first. I went to the cash point and checked my balance before withdrawing money. When I checked on Friday (pay date fell on Saturday) we hadn’t been paid early so I assumed as always we would have to wait until Monday. We have never been paid on a weekend in 6 years that I know of. We have this month.

Then I had another first when I went to the terminus to catch the bus. All the 29 drivers know me ever since I stopped using the bike to go to town. Today I got the only one who never, ever smiles, a woman. I have been determined to get a smile by way of acknowledgement from her before I leave here if it’s the last thing I do. There’s nothing worse than saying ni hao as you board, give a smile and get blanked. Today her face cracked! Thinking back I am wondering if she was the driver on her break ages ago when it was freezing up by the Yangtse and I pressed the button to open the doors so we could shelter from the biting wind. But then she never smiles for anyone.

I met up with Kevin, did a quick shop and then we parted company because he was going to pick Vivi up. Being Sunday my return involved the double run. Now Kevin had eaten lunch in KFC and complained about the beggars harassing him while he ate (management never discouraged them and I was quite prepared to do something about it but by the time I got there they had gone) but I experienced something similar.

When I got on the bus to the Yangtze a broth of a boy also got on and it became apparent quite early on that he had some mental health problems. He didn’t bother with me at first, presumably because he never spotted me but he rode all the way to the end, as I did. Stone me if he didn’t then come and queue for the bus back, the same as me. Where they came from I have no idea as it is an isolated spot, but eventually there were a dozen other people waiting for the bus. Matey boy kept trying to chat with me, I kept telling him I couldn’t understand and then a woman told me he was asking where I came from. I told him and he insisted on giving me 1y for my bus fare.

We all boarded the bus, I took a geriatric seat and boyo stood right beside me even though there were spare seats, trying to have a conversation with me, to which I could only keep repeating timbudong (I don’t understand). Undeterred, he persisted. I wondered why he was emulating my little cheat to get a seat but finally reached the conclusion that perhaps he spends his days simply riding around on  buses.

When we got back to RT Mart he got off, I said bye bye and waved at him from the window. He was harmless (just as well given his size) and it seemed rude not to. But all he did was got off the back and then go and queue at the front to get back on again! Now I started to worry about how I would deal with him were he to stay on the bus until the college terminus! Thankfully he got off at the train station, possibly to take another bus going in the opposite direction and at least he wasn’t like the other character I have seen a few times who goes up and down the bus asking for money. The Chinese tend to simply ignore these types but I find it difficult, I either treat them politely as I did today or I give them short shrift. Body language usually works a treat with the latter.

On my way home after a quick trip to the office I encountered Joan and her boyfriend. She told me he was such even though I already knew, having seen them together the other day. I did what I always have done with my female students and told her he was really ugly. I think she was a trifle upset by that so when I got home I sent her a text explaining that I have always done that. Actually my first impression is that he is a pleasant young chap and I hope that maybe they can be very happy together one day.

I on the other hand will be happy when it gets warmer!