Dave tries frantically and hilariously to make sense, of his increasingly bizarre life as a teacher, "helped" by some very eccentric friends.
Marking Time follows a fortnight in the lives of: two young teachers; two Taoist monks, who also fit bathrooms (prices available on request); an otter addicted to Chinese food; an educational advisor with a penchant for really very sharp pencils; two arch manipulators, thoroughly enjoying their chaotic ride towards retirement, and Elvis.
Elvis is a dog.
In their search for peace and tranquillity, they encounter: an educationally subnormal dolphin; the increasingly bizarre behaviour of several school Heads (including interior gardening, sock puppetry and kangaroo chic, in no particular order); a self-help bazaar with a strict resuscitation policy (it’s frowned upon), and rabbits falling (possibly) from the sky.
The majority of this occurs around the preparation for, and implementation of a school inspection. During this, a man, known only as Staggering Bob, observes, assists (in a manner of speaking) then obliterates the main culprits of a fifteen year scam.
The resulting freedom this brings to the characters involved leads to: two resignations; the successful farewell to a blissfully challenged dolphin; the equally successful installation of a stolen bidet (using the ‘persuading hammer’), and the creation of a revolutionary lemon jam chicken burger.
And Elvis makes friends with the otter.