Not much news but thought I'd update the blog at least to explain why I put on the recent photos! I am just so amazed at how quickly we went through the monsoon from rice seedlings in June to the harvest at the end of October and now everything is back like a dust bowl. We have had no rain since October and it shows! Apparently we won't get any until next May and we are sittling outside in T shirts during the day, though inside in coats and scarves as the offices are freezing so don't be too jealous!

I'm off on my first field trip next week though I nearly wasn't due to the fantastic level of Nepali planning. We have know for months we intended to do this but would they agree nto talk about it before Wednesday of this past week? No of course not that would have been far too early!. They told me that you can't plan anything in Nepal too early as everything changes but in my book - as a planner of course - that's a bloody good reason for having a plan, and contingency plans as well! Anyway, by the time they finally decided we were going we couln't get flights to the closest airport so now we have to do a 6 hour bus journey as well as the flight. Ho hum. At least it is all organised now as I found it all very stressful not knowing what was happening. Now I can just relax and go with the flow! And also on the plus side, it should be a lot hotter down there!

Well not much more news for now but some more things you don't hear in Nepal:

"Pedestrian only". If they can fit they'll drive along it, and motorbikes will often by pass traffic jams by driving down the pavement, and having the cheek to hoot at pedestrians!

"Don't make too much noise. We might disturb the neighbours" Consideration like this does not exist and nor does the concept of lie ins at the weekend. Drilling and hammering will start from 0600 and my boss phoned me to ask about something at 0730 this morning, a Sunday!

"Is this the queue?". here they follow the mediterranean style of queuing i.e. rush to the front mowing down anyone who might be in your way!