Monday 26^th March, 2018 1700

So much for tonight's dinner!

Stephanie has something on with her assistant this evening so asked could it be tomorrow instead. I hadn't even shopped let alone done anything so I said fine, have you spoken to Annie? Apparently Annie said Tuesday was better this week for her too so I sent a text to Alice advising.

Next thing, I get am email from Annie. She has a scheduled dinner with her freshmen followed by a planned campus film night. How on earth she could forget that and say yes to tomorrow is beyond me but worse, she asked if I could have the meal on Wednesday!

Sure, I'll get up at 0500, teach all day, get home at 1800 and then knock up satay and peanut sauce, boil and bake a ham and vegetables from scratch and then if we are lucky the first of the food will be served at 2200! A professional might get it done in 2 hours but not me. Aside from the fact Alice's dormitory would have locked her out before we even started, I still have to get up at 0700 the following day. Tomorrow it is and Annie will be elsewhere.

Pity, if my satay is anything like the last time I made it she will kick herself.

I did go shopping though, funnily enough Tuesday also suited me better, I have been lethargic since Friday. Bumped into Nordine the Algerian French teacher, first time I had seen him this term. He seemed to think Annie had also done a runner in spring festival because he hasn't seen her so I put him right. He also said a Chinese teacher had told his students that he himself was leaving in summer. Experience of China can sometimes be a blessing as I was able to tell him that the only people who would know are the dean and the foreign affairs department. He has obviously never gotten wind of any of the rumours that normally circulate about laowei on campus!

Anyway, this time we exchanged numbers. I will make a point of inviting him to one of our dinners – at least he will bring some wine! Plus, he told me twice or thrice a year he cooks Algerian food and hosts a night with some of his students. That will get us an invite to the next soiree although my limited knowledge of Algerian cuisine is confined to goat and couscous. I may not in the event eat much but I can make up in liquids!

And do you know, I only bought one box of wine this week and STILL my bill was over 300\! At least I have food for my personal consumption though, in fact tonight I have made sausage rolls (with pork mince and herbs) for my dinner and plenty left over to keep for lunch at school on Wednesday. They might even turn out well seeing as the new scales swung into action! I was rather chuffed when it came to measuring 100g of butter, I guessed and it was 97g! Maybe my guesstimations aren't far wide of the mark.

By Wednesday I am hoping to change to my lighter summer trousers. I am sure the students think I wear the same ones every week because I have two black winter pairs. Unfortunately my summer togs are the same, three pairs either very light grey or off-white. No doubt they will think the same all through summer.