Tuesday 12^th June, 2018 1615

Although to me life seems to be a continual battle with problems of varying magnitude, occasionally, just occasionally, something goes right. That happened on Saturday when I decided to make the normally fruitless three hour round trip to China Tobacco. To my delight, they actually had some of my cigars! My only question was, “How many do you have?” They showed me. Nine hundred. “I'll take the lot and please order some more!” Enough to last me until I leave these parts on August, so another six hundred before then would see me through until term starts again.

My innate laziness manifested on Sunday when I decided I couldn't bother going shopping, despite having woken at 0500.The sweet pork shop is still closed (whether for refurbishment or permanently only time will tell), I am not keen on the noodle shop (portions too large and embarrassing to waste three-quarters of it) and I didn't want to cook. Instead, I bought a fruit loaf thing, hardly healthy but it was actually quite nice, after all, I was making the Monday meal the following day.

Having finally found whipping cream (at a whopping 75\ for a litre carton!) I then discovered strawberries were suddenly out of season! That didn't please me and I went to the market in search of something else to have with cream. I bought six peaches with the intention of peeling and slicing them. The events that unfolded over the coming hours gave me at least some comfort because even now, said peaches are still too hard.

At midnight Sunday, Stephanie texted to say she had “accidentally” scheduled dinner with a student for Monday. How do you “accidentally”do that when you come here every single Monday???

Now I was thanking my stars that I hadn't gone shopping – I was doing salmon steaks, which at 40\ a pop are not cheap. One less to buy.

On Monday morning Alice texted to say her brother had just turned up to visit her so she couldn't come either. I suggested she could bring him but she said he wouldn't feel comfortable, not speaking English. So I cancelled the dinner completely with Annie, who also said “oh good” because she was busy preparing exams.

So I never went shopping yesterday either and the day's intake consisted of nibbles.

Today I had to go, the wine locker was dry and anyway I needed to eat some proper food. Normally when we've had the Monday meal, on Tuesdays I have half a baguette for dinner and the other half I take to school for lunch but I decided to make sausage rolls instead. Four jumbo specimens are currently baking as I type.

I realised today that the World Cup starts soon. Not that I am a particular fan of football but I do tend to watch the WC (not Euro or the FA cup), probably because I only discovered England actually won it in '66 some years later. It wasn't big news down under when it happened! To be honest, I have been more interested in the build-up up to the Trumpkim Affair, which, fingers crossed, will end up producing something far more important than the Jules Rimet trophy.

I did though just look at the group England drew. As long as they don't emulate Scotland in 1978 we should as usual get through the group stage. Doubtless we will be going home some time between then and the end of the quarter-finals!

Oh well, my exams start tomorrow, and I will shut up shop next Friday for the academic year. Still no news from our embassy and still no decision on whether I will receive any travel money from the school. Yet more annoyances.