Friday 6^th March, 2020 2230

I am drowning in marking.

Today I started working within an hour of getting up. I took one hour out to shower and pop to the jing jo shop and started again. I finished two classes finally at 1930. No time to cook or change my bed, nothing, and it looks as if I will be marking all weekend, still at least a whole day's worth sitting in my “To be done” Gmail folder. Bugger this, it's at least double the work of actually working!

Thankfully Jody (who returned really late from helping students with their theses on campus when she could have easily done it from here online) brought back some sushi. I eat little and she bought enough for four. Of all people, she knows only too well how little I actually eat, she has spent over a month here with me. She knows I don't have a secret stash in my office drawers so as to pretend a lack of appetite.

Anyway, she told me 28 Chinese nationals diagnosed with Covid-19 were flown here to Lanzhou from Iran in the last two days. Presumably to treat and quarantine and thankfully they have been billeted near the airport out in the desert. I didn't know we had a hospital out there. But maybe the really sick are now in hospitals near here.

But I had to laugh. We are one of the regions least affected so they decided to give us a couple of dozen more – cheers Beijing!

Earlier it looked like a couple more market stalls were open. I also forgot my mask again today but no shouting.

My main source (but not only) of news is the UK media and it seems to me that the tabloids in the UK are intent on creating panic and panic buying and they are succeeding in certain areas. All this to get a bloody story?

Ever watched the animation film “Ratatouille” when Anton Ego orders his meal to critique from Gusteau's restaurant after Linguine inherits it? “Very well, seeing as nobody else in this bloody town has it, you provide the food and I'll provide the perspective!”

Everyone needs perspective. I have two and a half toilet rolls between two people. I will buy more in three or four weeks. I have no supplies of potatoes, veg, rice etc, I will buy them as I need them. I do not use hand sanitiser, I use soap. The world isn't ending.

I just can't get my cigars. That IS a calamity.