Day 107 - 109 I love Dashain. It is just like a Western Christmas with its simmering inter-familial hostilities and huge overblown and resentful gestures of generosity and consumerism. But generally these things appear to be put aside and it is joviality and good will all the way while they receive their blessings and partake in the feasting and merry making. I have obviously done nothing as I don't really understand what they are all on about in this weird, ...

Day 106 Rufus arrived safely! And ridiculously thrilled with himself, having got there by private helicopter across the world's most amazing mountain range. He was nearly in tears when he called, having landed precariously on the lower side of Everest with his two startled and equally insecure new best friends, who he fully intends to ditch later this evening. Of course I listened intently for 5 minutes before ruining his story by telling him how I had spent ...

Day 105 After two days of false starts, returning home meekly each day after a 5 hour wait of being told that Lukla airport is closed due to bad weather but MAY reopen, Rufus eventually found a determined way out of Kathmandu airport - by chartering a private helicopter! The cheek of him. £250 of our miniscule budget just so he can pretend he is Bear Grylls for 20 minutes. The good news is that he made friends with equally stranded slightly mad and frustrate...

Day 101-104 Hair is not highlighted. It is streaky beige/grey and not in a good way. It took 3 Nepali women 4 hours of staring at my head whilst prodding colour on it and then making expressive faces at each other. Am very disappointed with the end result, but like all women in hairdressing salons round the world I pronounced it was 'fantastic, thank you very much', parted with my fiver without bitterness and resigned myself to having to live with muddy brown...

Day 100 Have got over my homesickness. Scotland who? We had a great night out at Kilroy's again where I explained to the two waiters (Hari and Sankar) the convuluted, complicated and illegal plan of adopting them, employing them, marrying them... in order to secure them a UK visa and an opportunity. They earn nothing and are desperate to get out. When I suggested they tried the civil partnership route and marry each other, I have never seen such panic-strick...