Sunday 1^st March, 2020 1140

Goodness me, yesterday I received a call from Mr Zhang (foreign affairs Director and ultimately the one who wields the axe on foreign teachers) telling me he had now got a couple more masks which he would bring to me. Given that I was told last year he wanted to fire me this was somewhat surprising – it now seems likely that was not the case and comments he made were misinterpreted before being passed on to me. That or the fact I am the only laowei left!! Anyway I thanked him and declined the kind offer, I now have four, the jing jo shop has supplies.

My minestrone was so good for Jody that she refused to allow me to cook dinner for her last night, she just wanted yet more of it! I contented myself with a jacket spud. Tonight I will throw together a ginger-soy pork & pepper stir-fry.

After all the vitriol I have been reading from Americans on Facebook about “disgusting Chinese” eating bats etc this morning Annie emailed me. They've just had their first fatality and she tells me TV reporters are actually advising people to stockpile food because an epidemic is coming! Telling people to empty supermarkets!?? And Jody showed me pictures from Kiwi showing supermarkets laid waste after they got their first and only diagnosed case. “I'm all right Jack” is not a nice trait.

And that leads me on to plagues of locusts.

I am sure many will have read there is a plan afoot for China to despatch 100,000 ducks to Pakistan to assist with their problem. It sounded bizarre to me but reading further I was surprised to learn that chickens also eat locusts but ducks eat many more per capita, per diem. I don't know why I never realised either fowl ate them before. Perhaps because I've only ever seen hens being thrown grain and ducks gobbling bread on the Thames! And do you know that a locust is not a species, it's the name given to any grasshoppers which swarm.

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Been out to get supplies and still none of the stalls are open but then today is Sunday. Tomorrow I am officially back at work (from home anyway) so just maybe.......