Harvest time

All the women are now busy harvesting the rice.   Most of it is very high quality Basmati rice in this region, and it is only here that the schools are closed for a week for children to help their families gather in the crop.  It is very hard work for them without western machinery and all the threshing is done by hand.

  

 My internet connection has not been working for a couple of days so I went to Pokhara this morning  to get it sorted.  This was not easy.  The first internet shop  didn’t understand the 'dongle'  I have which connects to an internet telephone line so I  had to move on to another shop – and then another!   To cut a long story short, after about an hour’s discussion with lots of Nepalis in pigeon English I am now online again!

Then I went to the amazing www.seeinghandsnepal.org.   This uk registered charity was set up to provide training and employment for young blind Nepalis as massage therapists.  Rangi, a 21 year old masseur, found a knot in my shoulder that has been there for a few years.   He said it felt like a stone and would do some extra work on it.   Everyone working there was totally blind and very trusting.   Clients put money in the till and fill out their own receipts and appointments cards.   A very special place and I will return next week if I can.

Yesterday I used the video mode on my camera for the first time and wanted to put up a short clip of a 5 year old dancing.  Her hand movements are so beautiful.  Unfortunately I haven't yet worked out how to download the clip to this page.

I am not teaching now for 6 days.  On Tuesday I shall take a long bus ride to the lowlands to see some wildlife.   There was a beautiful pine marten looking in my window this morning when I opened my blind.   It had a face similar to  a bush baby and a beautiful chestnut coat and tail.   It was about the size of a large cat. Unfortunately it disappeared far too quickly for me to photograph.