Monday 17th October, 2016                 1845

Nothing quite like the internet going pop and you have 90 minutes of stored BBC programmes to watch with six hours of the evening left  I could have read a book last night I suppose but the mood wasn’t upon me so I watched Master and Commander yet again.

Of course, that kept me up far longer than was good for me, resulting in just five hours sleep. I knew all about it this morning when the alarm went off. I cut it a bit fine when leaving, a mere ten minutes before the bus time, and I had walked fifty yards when I suddenly remembered the bread pudding. Bugger it, the damned bus has only ever been on time once, I took a chance.

Even so I still had a fifteen minute wait, during which time my core body temperature dropped. I was wearing my “lucky” jacket, having decided against donning one of my two more wintry ones on the basis that by the time I left school at noon the temperature was forecast to be 21C. Which of course it was, so on the return trip I even had to take the lightweight one off.

The class was back to normal after last weeks meal, they had nothing by way of a topic and of course I was scratching around in my brain seeing as I had been unable to access any news sites, as is my wont before leaving for school.

Throughout the lessons Suzy kept having to absent herself as various of my Taobao orders arrived. Unlike Chizhou where online shopping arrived at a communal point where the different firms had areas manned by students and you could collect any time during opening hours, here from what I can gather the small e-carts turn up at the school gate for a short while and it’s “grab it while you can”. Well I could hardly prevent her from getting my own shopping now could I??

My cheese even turned up about five minutes before the return bus was leaving. I was having a smoke waiting with her, Sheila and David when suddenly Suzy disappeared. No sooner had she returned than the white cat I chatted to last week turned up, looking considerably less ill than before. Being in good humour I treated the cat to a piece of cheddar and also invited David (who had told me the Chinese don’t eat cheese) to try some. I think it took all his willpower not to retch as he swallowed it.

So I had two bloody heavy bags to take home, 5kgs of new potatoes having arrived with canned goods, a kilo of cheese and some sauces. No way could I simply get off the school bus and take the BRT to the supermarket, I had to go home first. I didn’t feel like going shopping but I had no choice, I was out of wine, cigars and more or less, food. As I don’t get back until 1800 on Tuesdays at the very least I needed food so I wasn’t forced to have noodles yet again tomorrow.

So I wandered slowly down to the overbridge. As I neared it a woman on a bicycle (I am having cause to resent pedallers just lately) came hurtling towards me and a boy walking in the opposite direction. She starting tinkling her handlebar bell furiously for us both to get out of the way. The boy of course never saw nor heard, being engrossed in whatever his earphones were belting into his membranes but I bristled as she aimed for the space between us.

I hate anyone on  a form of transport who is using a pavement intended for pedestrians who sounds a warning for those on foot to get out of their way. I maintained course and speed and so did she. Her left handlebar caught my left forearm. There was no pain involved and so I carried on as if nothing had happened. Then I rotated 170 degrees to ascend the stairs to the bridge. The woman (complete with those doctors masks they wear) was off her bike (presumably it was that or fall off it) and giving me daggers. I was a pedestrian on a pavement, she a cyclist with a road a couple of yards away. I was hardly going to apologise. She received the benefit of my best death stare and shaking head.

When I returned with yet more heavy bags of shopping, I found that I wasn’t losing my mind after all. The barbers I thought was there but wasn’t? It was there again. Must have closed for a few days just when I wanted them. What a relief to be robbed of all bar 5mm of my headfur. Double the price I would have paid in Chizhou but it felt good.

On my return the internet worked once again, yet again the workmen kept knocking on my door to come in and fiddle with central heating pipes and such and I settled down to marking playing cards - about 140 of them - with letters for tomorrow’s activity, Countdown.