Em and Mike, have just read your latest blog with your Mum, also viewed photos of Verkala. Great pictures and we loved your latest baggy trousers Em. Sounds as though you could do with some real good teaching aids for the children. We are off to Austria in the morning and hoping for some decent snow. Nannie sends her love but whilst we are in the snow she will be in Lanzarote enjoying the sunshine. Lots of love from Mum and Grandad.

Sounds perfect for you M, Blag & Waffle have always been your specialist subjects and now you get to teach them, how cool is that, have the kids managed to get a word in yet? Haha x

Great blog Em, You've painted a very vivid picture! Keep Mike in the cage i say. Can we assume that you will both come back speaking fluent Sri Lankan? Like to know what part you played in the cricket as well! As for a emailing squirrels...

Loved your blog Em, the place sounds real rural but great. You really have been dropped in at the deepend with the teaching, but it sounds like you are both doing just fine. I'm sure the kids will love whatever you teach so just enjoy it. It all sounds totally awesome. Look forward to your next blog.xxx

Perhaps i've invented a new word. A bouncer is something that is head height or above where as a Boncer actually hits the batsman on the head. Or maybe i can't spell!!!!! As regards Tanner ....................

What are 'boncers'

Bouncers are fair game to any person holding a bat

What does Tanner know?

Glad to see that you managed to blag the use of a computer. That really does sound like a baptism of fire. Glad to hear that cricket is on the agenda. I must have a word with the clubs head coach to check about boncers to 8 year olds. Perhaps it was due to an uneven wicket (Call to Tanner for advise !!) What about the teaching them the yard game we played with the Church's in France. Shaved ball included. No night time strolls into the jungle then!!! Can't wait for the blog. Don't forget to let me have the address. Assume chalks are still required???

Just a quick update one and all. We have just done our first days teaching and fair to say we are knackered! Thrown in at the deepend this morning, 'heres your kids, you have one hour!'. With no planning we blagged beautifuly and managed 2 lessons. We had an after school club this afternoon where it was us 2 and about 15 kids in an empty school! I did play my first cricket of the tour and its fair to say i gave a fair account of myself, hitting one kid in the head with a vicious bouncer and i spanked a wonderful straight 6 off some 8 year old. We joked about it but they really can spin a tennis ball!

Oh and spare a thought for two of our chickens who were torn apart by a leopard last night. Thats how wild we are!! More detailed info soon as Ems making her blog debut.

Bye.

Oh and no, there wont be a Great Auntie Rachel for many many years, alot more travelling to do first.

Hi Mike and Emma

wow - the photos are amazing and it all sounds very exciting.. gotta beat a foggy Hampshire in Febuary when the sun barely breaks the surface.. nothing to to missed here! Emma - my girls want to know if you have coloured your hair while there.. looks rather vibrant, but lovely .. how have you managed to do that ??? Mike the picture of you and the young girls is lovely ... very paternal ... do i hear Great Auntie Rachel in the near future ????

enjoy, keep safe and look forward to the next up date xx

Hope you are enjoying the teaching and srilanka. Em, Chels lost to Liverpool on sunday. Torres was playing his debut match but was pretty useless - we paid £50million for that! (Hope Torres reads this as I see he messaged you! haha) At least David Luis, who we also signed, showed real promise when he came on. You aren't missing too much football wise. Enjoy yourselves, take care.xx

Glad to hear you have arrive ok in Sri Lanka. 6+ hour transfer to the school sounds like a hot an bumpy ride. Be a good chance to see Sri Lanka frpom close up. Saints managed a 4-4 draw with Peterborough. 2 nil up and 4-2 up was not good enough. 4 penalties. I'm sure you will be able to bribe the managers. Perhaps they might want some bike repairs carried out as payment for time on their laptops. Safe trip and hope the teacing goes ok.

Hey one and all.

Today is our last day in India and tomorrow we start the Sri Lankan leg of gthe tour. Hard to believe we've already been gone 5 weeks!

We will try and update the blog when we can but are not sure as to whether we will get the internet so easily, it seems we will have to bribe the managers in the teaching house for two minutes on their laptops.

Talk to you all soon.