Monday 6^th January, 2019 1845

All change, ergo situation normal for my life!

With Alice having contacted the Xining hotel, yes we were confirmed for one night but they couldn't let us stay for another. Cue the cancellation button! To be fair, when I cancelled I had a nice email from someone called Nancy apologising and telling me to come back in the future and she will arrange a free upgrade, so I will be sure to take her up on that – book a superior room and get a two-bedroomed suite.

Escaping without any pangs of guilt (I hate cancelling bookings, it seems so un-British) seeing as they couldn't accommodate my requirements, I got Alice to cancel our train tickets and book others to Tianshui instead. Once done I booked two nights in the Holiday Inn Express. I love Holiday Inn in China but not Express, usually all they have going for them is an inclusive breakfast. However, it is only about a mile from the train station, I/we can relax the first day (I hope) and then she can go and climb that dreadful mountain whilst I remain firmly at the bottom drinking jing jo. It flaming near killed me two years ago so I shall not even attempt or contemplate it now! Bloody annoying though that admission to the park costs the same whether you climb or not. Maybe I could find a bar nearby........

So, she arrives on Friday and we go gallivanting next Monday. In the meantime, it's 99% certain Joanna is headed for Kuala Lumpur in March. With such a major upheaval and with someone who thus far has taken short breaks only in Thailand and Bali, it is perhaps understandable she is not enthused about going to the UK a few short months after restarting her career in a foreign land and with new colleagues.

I resolved that whatever happens I would at least go to see her in Malaysia but to my delight, she has agreed (circumstances permitting) to come with me to Sri Lanka – the place I originally wanted to take her! So with luck I get a three-country holiday this summer if you include Shanghai. And in the end I may just get what I wanted in the first place.

I never knew Colombo was so popular. Hotels are filling up. Tuk tuk tours are plentiful though and a private day tour to a national park to see hephalumps, monkeys, cheetahs etc, whilst pricey, are still to be had. I am not however booking anything until she sends me her passport details, she knows once she does that the only way back is my money down the drain.

Dare I start looking forward to summer again?

I had good intentions of cooking myself a roast pork dinner today. Not of course a UK type, just a small bit of pig (even if I wanted I have yet to find a proper joint tied with string and perfect for crackling) with spuds and veg. What with everything going on with Wuhu Alice and Joanna, before I knew it I had to forget it. Seeing as I awoke to a blanket of snow (Lanzhou style, about an inch) which has persisted outside my home all day and the expense of doing what I really fancied (taxi downtown for a BK Whopper), I ended up popping down the road for beef noodles. I bloody hate beef noodles! They are not “delicious” as my students assert, they are B O R I N G! But at 8¥ (90p) for a bowl four times the size I can eat, it filled a hole. Maybe tomorrow I shall make myself some “proper” food.

It makes me laugh. All the students are starting to drift off home to Mum's cooking because they miss it so much and all I want to do is find western fodder!