Thursday 13^th May, 2021 1300

I got up this morning at 0650. the Devil Bird hadn't started its racket at that time but I had gone to bed early.

I peed in an empty cracker barrel (I have four of them) which is something that I occasionally have to do when I find that Jody is in the shower when I rise. I find at my age when I gotta go, I gotta GO!

When she finished I asked her what time the opening ceremony was starting. 0830. I was going to BHG anyway and then I thought it would be a shame to break my unbroken record so I would go to it. Once she had left I showered. She had gone early because the Chinese teachers have to sign in to say they are there and then stand around waiting for ages, I on the other hand was obliged to do nothing.

A taxi which was occupied stopped, looking for additional revenue so I showed the written address and the driver told me to get in. The passenger in the rear had to be dropped off first of course so that delayed me a little and I arrived ten minutes late, just in time for the national anthem.

I never took my camera, no point as not only would the pictures have been no good but they would have been no different to previous years. It's always the same routine. Anyway, I wasn't going to walk miles for a good vantage point, I simply wanted to show my face. What I did was commandeer a seat and drag it to the perimeter fence to watch from there.

I wore a bright orange shirt in order to stand out but quickly realised that regardless of what colour I had worn, there would have been an army of students wearing the same! Every department had their own colour combination (one major comprising solely of girls looked like a forest of gold Christmas trees) and the only colour not represented was purple. I don't have that in my wardrobe.

Quite a few of my students saw me though so my presence was noted even though I never saw any faculty from my departments. They were probably nobbing up in the stand, which was a sea of umbrellas in the sunshine with nary a seat spare even if I'd had the energy to get there and mount the steps. My idea of a classroom chair was much better. All that was missing was a hot dog and burger stall, for once I was famished.

There were naturally the ubiquitous drones, two of them, but some bright spark had decided to tie banners to them. I did think it somewhat unwise at the time and sure enough, after about ten minutes of flying time, one of them came to grief and plummeted in a freefall to earth. This disabled one of the four propellers and rendered it rather skittish for the lad who was piloting it (and doubtless will cost him a few bob to fix). The banners were ditched.

I was there for seventy minutes and then the ceremony was over. Then it was time for a taxi to BHG and something to eat. It there was a McDonald's there I was in time for a McMuffin but there isn't so ended up eating something indeterminate inside a puff pastry “bun” that wasn't very appetising so I ate half and did my shopping. I was home before eleven. Duty done.