I asked Cassy what we’d done this weekend and she gave me precious little! Don’t get me wrong; it’s been a really great weekend, one of those in which you can luxuriate in doing not a lot at all. We did the “usual” things, which are to get up relatively late (at least later than our 6 am weekday getup!) and eat a nice breakfast of raison toast or pancakes with real coffee. To accompany these taste sensations we always linger long over some Herald clippings which Mum continues to send with regularity; a wonderful distraction for us. Mum selects just the right mix of things that interest both of us and it has really become an essential way to keep up with the “Newcastle” world, as opposed to the Australian world which is serviced quite adequately by various online newspapers.
The surf provided not even the slightest distraction this weekend, which is rare, as it was flatter than flat. Carl went for a drive over just in case, but reported a gathering of sleek skinned “otters” lolling around in a six-inch swell at Jinshan. The fact that the waves were pathetically small was not the most surprising aspect of his journey: the boys all had full suits on in a 30-degree heat and were 47 in number! I took the opportunity to visit the weight room at school on both Saturday and Sunday to do some weights and skip, all part of the continuing boxing training I started when I was back home in June (see photos). I also go nearly every day after classes at 2.30 for an hour or so and the room is deserted then as it is in these photos! You can see that the room is fully equipped: we’re really very lucky.
Cass and I had another pizza night on Friday and also wallowed in a little Aussie televisual nostalgia. When is the last time you saw some “Kingswood Country”? If you answered, “This weekend”, then you’re just like us! I bought a box set on DVD online and it has just arrived. The show is so politically incorrect it’s hard to imagine how it was ever considered acceptable, but we were rolling around laughing, partly through the boom boom one liners from Ted Bullpit and partly at the shockingly bad production, settings, acting etc. It’s fantastic!
We went for a little walk today after watching the Australian/ Great Britain test on TV and wandered down the Shi Dong Rd, where we haven’t been for ages. Ostensibly to go and put a CD in for some photo prints, it seems we can never return home without some sort of purchase (usually food!) We eventually made it to Jason’s in the Takashimaya Department store and bought a few little extras. We were stoked to find that the Villi’s pies and pasties have made their long-awaited return (see photo) and we’ll do a run mid-week to get a few (we were walking today and thought they might de-frost before we got home).
The “girls” were at their lazy, luxuriating best this weekend, no doubt taking their cue from our equally lazy mood. Mary “meows” at the camera as Virg looks on nonchalantly in the other photo. I’ve managed to avoid doing even a skerrick of work on my study pile, which I’m quite proud of (!) and Cass has not had any grading to do either. We’ve got a couple of weeks left before I do an all weekend course (eight hours on both Saturday and Sunday) as a precursor to some more online work and a final project. Joy of joys, just more work in the quest for extra credit points. The rather shocking realization for my colleagues will be when this seemingly insatiable search for knowledge comes to an abrupt screeching halt the day the magical 40 credit point mark is reached!