Sunday 26th March, 2017                    1730

I never realised it had been that long since my last entry!

Thursday I did my weekly food and wine shop and rather than eat up in Anning Town (sounds as if it should be in London!) I made something at home for dinner. It must have been great because for the life of me I can’t remember what it was.

Friday was a teaching day and I took a lunch of a tortilla wrap with ham salad and cream cheese with me. I now know not to wrap such things in cling film overnight, for it became decidedly damp by the time I opened it up. It was however enough to see me not needing a dinner, not that I had the energy after a full day anyway.

On Saturday I sent a report to Janet on the absentees from my classes. Not because I particularly want students who don’t want to come to be forced to attend but more because if they don’t come then at the end of term I will refuse to test them. That will cause grief for both them and me. This way the ball is with the school. It is notable though that the majority of absconders are boys.

I was going to make an apple pie today but decided against, instead I am having roast pork (I would love to be able to get hold of a nice joint of beef). I also composed a letter to the MNOPF regarding my pension options and took the USB stick to a little computer place to have it printed out, signed by me, scanned and put back on my stick. The email will be there waiting for them first thing tomorrow when they open the office.

Shenyang Steve texted to say he would be visiting during Dragon Boat festival and also Jens and Shauna (the couple we met when Joan and I visited Shenyang two summers ago) may also come. Something to look forward to for sure. The festival (if they come on the day) is 30th May which is a Tuesday. I get an awful feeling that I won’t actually get a holiday because if they give 3 days they will be the days I don’t teach anyway. If they do what I hope they won’t and give the students a complete week then I shall have to make up the Monday and Friday and I really don’t fancy two weekends of full days Friday, Saturday and Monday - or worse, one Fri/Sat/Sun/Mon. I think the latter would do for me!

As a temporary measure I have re-potted (badly) the mint seedlings into an empty Choclair container. There weren’t many casualties and hopefully with a greater surface area they will thicken and become stronger because it seems to me that they are taking a long time to grow considering they started off so fast.

Oh well, it must be dinnertime now. The roast spuds MUST be browner than Nanny HMG stipulates by now!