Sunday 2nd July, 2017                                        1440

Bit of a warm one today. The laptop says 27C and I reckon that’s about right. I went out earlier and with all the toing and froing I had to do I worked up a bit of a sweat.

I decided to make a roast today as I haven’t had one for a while. First things first, I took a USB stick to the little shop that prints for you and takes photos. Brenda had emailed me the new regulations regarding the e-photos required to apply for the new foreigners’ registration documents. I had saved the file in the multi-purpose format (windows/.doc etc) but they couldn’t open it. Rather miffed because I had donned my yellow shirt for the occasion, I bought my liquid supplies and went to get chicken and vegetables. Normally at the market stall I buy a solitary chicken breast (and that’s always too much) but today I decided to try and buy a whole bird. That way I can use the rest tomorrow in a salad.

Making the chap understand I wanted the whole bird and not legs, breasts or a bag of feet was easier said than done but finally he twigged. Somehow I suspect he isn’t often asked for an entire chicken (probably because you can have a live one killed and plucked next door) because he had to go to a freezer in the back and nigh on empty it to drag one out from the bottom. It was a whopper too, cost me 33y - fridge burn at no extra cost. When I got back I couldn’t believe my eyes - no head and no feet! Just like the UK but I sincerely hope not exactly like the UK. If the giblets are in a bag inside then I am in trouble because it has gone into the oven frozen! Before anyone castigates me for cooking from frozen, I assure you it is fine provided you cook it long enough. Bugger putting it in a sink of water for hours.

Back home I changed the format of my document to text and returned to the computer shop. They still couldn’t open it. Asking what format they COULD open it in got me nowhere so in exasperation I asked for an email address. I returned home and emailed, then went back to the shop yet again. After all that, the chap put one of the computers on translate and told me the criteria were too strict and he couldn’t do it, he had printed the email out and I was to take it to a photo gallery shop! Well that will have to wait. I will try and find somewhere tomorrow when I go to BHG.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention that taking a taxi to BHG has been easier for the past few weeks. Normally when I say BHG, I get blank looks and must simply point the way for the driver to go. I don’t understand why they can’t get it, the shop has BHG in large lettering outside it. However I have now learnt to say Beijing Hua Lian and I have no problem!

Brenda wants me to sign my new contract next week. Mr Wei, who organised my initial contract, is not here. All rather bizarre, by all accounts he disappeared last year and hasn’t been heard of since! I got Brenda to send me the contract so I could check it, bearing in mind the nasty shocks and intransigence of the finance department who relied on a Chinese version which bore little resemblance to the English one.

Although I still lose August’s pay each year at least I know about it. She has amended the Chinese version so it corresponds with the English one. I translated it online and it now clearly tells Finance that there is a return flight reimbursement or 3,500y in lieu AND a further 3.500y which in the Chinese version is stated as being a Tourism Allowance. Precisely what I have said all along, so I am quietly confident that come payday should see the extra cash deposited in my account.