Wednesday 7^th March, 2018 1845

I was rather pleased to find that at 0500 when the alarm went, although I felt tired I easily resisted the urge to hit “snooze”, that hasn't happened for a while.

As the early mornings are no longer bitterly cold and the days are pleasant enough to merely need a light fleece, that's what I have been wearing lately. Anything warmer for the morning soon becomes a pain, being too warm.

As there was a bit of a breeze first thing, I stood waiting for the school bus in the lee of a hotel wall which abuts my barbers. It is also where the electronic motor factory workers wait for their coach so unless you are looking for me I blend in in the dark. The bus arrived, I picked up my bags and made my way over. The deputy party secretary slid the door back and, with me right behind him by then, promptly slammed the door shut in my face! Charming. I did wonder if it was going to be one of those days, more so when halfway into the journey we performed a full-scale, four wheels locked emergency stop, avoiding going up the backside of the car in front by a whisker.

We did though arrive intact and I was a few steps from my office door when my shoulder bag plummeted to the floor. The shoulder strap had torn off from the bag and the only way to repair it would have been to sew it back on. I shouldn't complain, it has lasted about five years with daily usage and was showing its age anyway. I decided it was time for a new one, I had been considering it for a while, although I had wanted to be able to take my time to find one. Now it had to be on my lunch break.

On my way to McDonald's I happened to notice someone going underground on an escalator. As I normally walk on the opposite side I had never noticed it before but I was on that side today keeping an eye out for likely shops to buy a bag from, the other side is all appliances. Wondering what was down there, I went. Loads of appliance shops one side and clothes shops the other, not cheap either. Neither was the bag I bought for 148\.

I also found a supermarket so investigated. Nothing special in there other than they had tinned tuna and salmon which are unavailable in BHG – no use this term because I can't buy baguettes the day before the Peili classes but I did find something of interest. Remember the “lazy hotpot” that I just poured water onto a pad and it boiled and cooked? Well they had a few similar things in there, not hotpots though. One is beef in sauce with rice and the other I bought is either chicken or pork with veg and presumably rice too. Not cheap at 18\ a pop but if all I have to do is cart one up to the 6^th floor and at lunchtime pour water and wait, if they taste ok then that's my Thursday lunches sorted this term! If they are good I may get a store of them for those nights when I can't be bothered to cook. I'm probably hoping for too much though. Watch this space.