Monday 11^th January 2021 1100

And the cold spell continues. The forecast says today's high will be a positively roasting -1ºC and allegedly tomorrow and Wednesday will actually get above freezing with lows at night only going to -8 or -10. It is rather a deterrent to going out!

We have some small flare-ups of Covid, notably in Hebei where 11m are now back in lockdown and I read today in China Daily that they are urging migrant workers (for those unfamiliar, they are people who go to find construction work and the like in big cities because they are from small, poor places. They send money home to their families and generally only get back to see them at spring festival) to stay put, employers to pay overtime and bonuses and postpone the holidays until later in the year. It does somewhat sow the seeds of doubt over mine and Alice's planned jolly.

Even if there are no restrictions in Yunnan, I will worry about a lockdown being declared there while we are visiting and then I will be stuck!

A few days ago Jody told me she wouldn't be home last night. Her parents were going to be in town so after meeting them she would go to her own place. After the problems she had with her family before, I expressed doubt. She assured me her parents would be fine. I joked I would still see her last night.

Well I didn't but only because I was tired and went to bed at nine but before that she had sent a text saying it hadn't gone well and she would be home later. I will wager once again the issue of her being still unmarried reared its ugly head yet again. She is very strong-willed and thankfully has her own income, so doesn't need to kowtow to them as my students have to. All they are doing is driving her away – as far as central America if all goes to plan.

This morning I asked her that now she won't be visiting her folks for new year, what was she going to do while I am away? She said she would just stay here alone and study. So now I feel guilty! She could of course come with us and I will suggest it but I know she won't, she never came to Shanghai. I hope she does that Chinese thing of spring cleaning before new year though! To be fair, she did have a good go at the kitchen yesterday (after the ice on the inside of the windows melted).

I wanted to go to Lanzhou Center with her tomorrow for me to try and get some comfy footwear, top up in Metro and have a BK Whopper but that's off now as they have declared three afternoons of meetings starting today.

Apart from my not working, this doesn't feel like a holiday at all.