Jenny Leatherland

Cousin Itt

I've worked constantly since I left college and now I'm 40 its time for some fun.I've just given up a well paid job I loved and a life that was safe and easy. Oh well, here goes nothing! And the Itt thing....its the only impression I can do and it makes Russ laugh....could come in handy!



Travel Blog Posts


New Year in China - Western Style

Published: January 1st 2008Asia » China » Anhui
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Cousin Itt
January 1st 2008

Ok, so it's been a while In my defense we have been working really hard. Things are beginning to quiet down now as we head for the end of term. Unfortunately, the last week is "promotion week" a polite way of saying....we can send you to any school, anywhere, any age and you'll teach a lesson that'll make Aston Language Centre look good!! So I came to China with the Grinch thinking that this year he'd have nothing to complain about. China - non religious country - right. Ignores Christmas - WRONG!! At least the tat only arrived in December not right after the kids go back to school in September (like the UK) And trust me when I say tat, I mean garish, tacky, toxic and likely to break before you get it home. The ... read more



Wuhu waffle

Published: October 15th 2007Asia » China » Anhui
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Cousin Itt
October 15th 2007

So, the school holiday is over and we are back to the teaching treadmill! We really didn't do a lot over the holiday other than write lesson plans and hide from the unseasonal weather. It's supposed th be dropping in temperature here now but Golden week was so hot we kept the curtains closed all day and hid out indoors. The break did us good and I finally feel that I'm enjoying teaching. I did a lesson in Medical College last week and as an answer to a question one group said: "If we had 1,000000 Yuan to spend we'd buy a dead body to experiment on." I'm happy to report that I only paused for a second before writing "cadaver" on the board and using it as a jumping off point for a story about ... read more



Hello UK

Published: September 29th 2007Asia » China » Anhui
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Cousin Itt
September 29th 2007

So, for all of you who think I fell off the world somewhere East of Riga here I am safe and sound in Wuhu, China. Whilst I was in Moscow at the beginning of August trying to catch up on the blog for St. Petersburg the blog site I use suffered a main server attack and the whole database crashed. I lost most of my blogs and still haven't been able to find them in a cache. Since then internet access has been very unreliable and slow when available at all, so I haven't attempted to write anything else. We have now been in Wuhu for a month and are settling into our new home. This week we have some time off for National week and I feel I have time to get back to writing. ... read more



Less than a month to go.

Published: June 20th 2007Europe » United Kingdom » England » Berkshire » Reading
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Cousin Itt
June 20th 2007

Well, things are finally coming together. I think we are both really ready to go, its just the last minute stuff left to do. The house looks like a mess with packing boxes all over but by the end of next week everything will be in storage and we'll be living off takeaways and kindness! Spent last night at the village festival wine tasting.......yes, last night. Thunder, lightning, torrential rain and we were in a marquee under a big tree. England at its finest! It was great to catch up with people and grab their emails so we can keep in touch. Though enough alcohol was drunk that I'm not sure how well I copied down details. There's a parade on Saturday and a fete so I'll be down there taking photos to show people what ... read more



Give a girl a break

Published: May 23rd 2007Europe » United Kingdom » England » Berkshire » Reading
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Cousin Itt
May 23rd 2007

Ok so this whole blog thing is new to me. Got the text sorted, got a photo of me up at the beginning, now I just gotta sort out the rest of them....watch this space ... read more



Not gone yet

Published: May 23rd 2007Europe » United Kingdom » England » Berkshire » Reading
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Cousin Itt
May 23rd 2007

Well I've been unemployed for three and a half weeks now and in that time I've acquired: Walking boots that are so chunky they make even my legs look spindly. Jabs for diseases I didn't know existed (and now I wish I didnt) Gadgets that might come in useful..... sometime. Lots of pretty visas. And a lot less money in our bank accounts. Russ and I are off on our odyssey on July 14th. Before that time we want to get round as many of our friends and relations as possible and to that end I went up to my home town of Blackpool last week to see my sister. No Blackpool jokes, I've heard 'em all. Can reccomend the hotel I stayed in: The Granville. Bed AND breakfast for £15. Perfectly clean and friendly and ... read more






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