Monday 25th July, 2016                   0200

I have now had an offer from Lanzhou university which is also up near the arctic circle and which I rejected because of the pay. I don’t wish to emulate Kevin by moving and taking less money than I was on when I arrived six years ago, even though Beijing‘s answer apparently didn‘t matter in respect of my getting the requisite papers for that school. I suspect for his second year he will be on more and I must remember to ask him when I see him on the 3rd August for dinner. He will be back briefly to collect the lovely Vivi and jet her off to his house in the Philippines for a holiday. Reminds me of taking Joan on her first flight because Vivi is a virgin in that respect as well.

Saturday morning was the usual round of chats and games with both kids and teachers and by God it was boiling even halfway up a mountain. I had to take a small towel to mop my brow occasionally and at one point thought I was going to collapse - and not from dehydration because they kept me supplied with amber nectar throughout. I saw a snippet from one of the “teachers” (Prof Wu’s volunteer students) who had written on their website about her student - they post about their ten day experience ands their assigned pupil. It starts “We had a visit from our plump foreign friend”!!! I think I would prefer fat bastard…………

That surely WAS my last visit unless they ask again while I am in the hotel although it would be nice to think that I will end up somewhere handy to visit Chizhou in the summer in the future and maybe do a few swansongs there. The “lasts” are piling up thick and fast with exactly a week today remaining until I leave my home.

Since then little has happened, Joan and I have eaten simple meals of steak and onion French stick and last night a salad. When it is 37 degrees with a “feel” of 47 outside somehow a roast chicken dinner doesn’t seem appropriate.

Mind you, the aircon in the flat is playing a blinder. We leave all the internal doors open at night bar the kitchen and bathroom and set at 26 it really keeps the place cool. Walking out of the door into 97F (or “feel” of 120F) does tend to smack you in the chops though.

Yesterday afternoon after Joan came back from work we went to express some of her stuff back home. She had spent days using my washing machine to clean it all (why she couldn’t have done it steadily rather than intensively is beyond me) and we took the bike because - unbelievably - a laowei knows where the express despatch places are and a Chinese doesn’t. Her case was 12kg and cost 60y after discount to send to the far north of the province, which I consider reasonable. I may get away with 200-300y for my stuff when (and if) the time comes. That was probably another “last” - the last time I will ride a bike around Pingtian lake.

It was boiling but of course on the bike we generated wind and so I tanned a little, wearing nothing more than the sunglasses I bought on Saturday night to replace the ones I forgot to retrieve from the mountain school, other than clothes of course. Joan on the other hand brought an umbrella (utterly futile to even try to deploy it at 30mph) and a baseball cap and she spent the entire time crouching in my shadow on the bike because of course Chinese girls have to keep their skin just two shades whiter than anaemic. Heaven forbid they get a slight tan. She thinks I can’t see what she is doing behind me but I even know when she is texting.

This afternoon we are going to the police to check the papers I have for my visa extension are in order, that gives me just enough time to correct course if necessary. Then off to buy a bigger suitcase after my 120/160cm error (Joan is now the proud owner of the one I bought the other day!), bit of shopping and then maybe a cottage pie.

Tuesday however the plan is to go and investigate the Indian restaurant in Tongling. Only just found out about it so no idea  although I will get Joan to phone to check it exists and that they do in fact serve Indian food.