Today was always going to be a do nothing or go shopping day. Tired of waking at sunup, I stayed up until almost midnight, hoping to sleep until nine. Try 0730.
Inertia though won the day. Probably because I actually don’t need to go supermarket shopping until Monday and then only because the wine lake will be empty.
So I decided to defrost a Bolognese for dinner and go and buy a replacement tube for my study light. The former took no effort, the latter considerably more.
Moving the desk to stand on presents no problem. Getting up on it more so and actually maintaining balance and unscrewing and removing the cover and offending tube considerably even more so. My sense of balance has been poor for some years now and since 1982 heights frighten me - I would rather face a crazed Doberman than scale a ladder. But of course if I were to summon a school handyman for every little job I would soon garner a reputation.
I confess I was worried about falling the yard to the deck. Lately my falls have resulted in broken bones and/or hospital stays, do I really need that in the summer holiday?
However I did remove the offending tube with blackened end (well, I have no idea what to order so it is best to take the old one) which went ZZZ-bang the other night. I duly went to the underground market to buy a replacement. Whilst there I also bought some sweets (always seems to be 10y per bag regardless of what I pick in the Woollies pick’n’mix affair) along with some small nail scissors.
Ok this may seem distasteful for some so if you are faint of heart, look away now. I guess everyone has two sets of nail snips, little and large and for most they are ample. Indeed but for one rogue they are for me. My right big toenail is oversized and the big clippers can’t accommodate it. I have been looking for scissors without buying a complete pedicure kit for months. Well I found some. I think I need wire-cutters instead. The scissors had hardly any effect. In fact for next year I am seriously considering finding out where I can get a pedicure, have them crunch off the offending nail and then buying whatever they use if it’s successful.
Then of course it was time to replace the light tube. I am steadier on the table after a few jars after all.
It didn’t work.
I think the fizz-bang was more than just the tube giving up the ghost. Why do problems ALWAYS manifest immediately before or during the holidays? I have fired off an SOS and also included the tube in the bedroom - no way can I get to that and I am certainly not going to stand on a chair on the mattress to attempt it. They can send someone. I don’t mind doing it myself if I can but killing myself through stupidity is something I try to avoid.
I am still hovering on the flight site awaiting sensible prices. I really hate the Chinese system where if you buy too early you pay too much, buy too late you do likewise. You never know exactly when prices have bottomed out and looking today I saw that just one week ahead was best but 6 days in advance saw them go up. I wonder if they will ever realise that by offering cheaper tickets for the early birds they will fill their seats faster?
I sent another email to Hefei Holiday Inn. I booked an executive room (I love exec rooms because breakfast is included and more importantly you get free snacks and drinks in the evening) and I know when I booked via the IHG site I was asked to pay but I am sure I haven’t. My UK card says no and I am pretty sure my Bank Of China one will say no when I go to the cash point tomorrow. I only want to know if I need to include it in my calculations.
If I was solo the only food I consume would be the breakfast and the snacks. For me, the value of booking executive is the free booze. Gin and tonic beyond measure that in China in a bar would cost a fortune but for the hotel still makes them a tidy profit. I wonder if someone would give me a corporate credit card……….
Still. Two weeks Monday I shall embark on probably the most foolhardy trip of my life, retracing George Hogg and Rewi Alley. The closer it gets the more concerned I become. Sleeping on a train. I did that once when I was 13 from Brisbane to Sydney to catch the ship back home. Woke up in the morning dying of thirst (and half a century ago Australian trains stopped everywhere and were bloody noisy so sleep was at a premium), needing a pee and found myself locked in the carriage. The guard had locked me in for my own safety and looking back I am grateful but it did give me a moment of angst at the time.
This time I shall be with 3 strangers if the school splurges on soft bunks or 5 if they opt for hard ones. I just KNOW that when we travel I will arrive to find a middle or top bunk empty! Yeah, right, as if I can climb up. Sorry guys, not going to happen. Anyway, at least for the first leg (Oh God, more than a day to get to Shanghai!) I will ensure I have a decent supply of liquids, ergo I shall need the loo periodically. And I can’t watch films on my phone.
I am looking forward to the adventure but I am not looking forward to the actual travelling.
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