Getting ready.....

Losing track of days....

Not sure what's going on in the world; kids see films, but we have neither TV or radio, except for intermittant and scratchy World Service, which always fades away before we can get the gist. Mind you, it sprang to life for a few minutes to give us the cricket score! Very Raj!

Today the weather has been like the very best of a British summer; very warm but with a nice breeze. I had my left hand (palm) henna painted by Dana Silvi, a lovely giirl who is in her first year of an engineering degree. She also helps with the girls' hostel while there is no 'lady warden'. Another girl brought me a rose which is now in my hair - no-one seems to find it unusual!

During the 'siesta hour' while the kids watch television, we went for a walk. We passed lots of people on foot and bikes, who all greeted us. We went to 'the bend in the road' passing coconut groves, rice fields and little banana gardens. We also saw egrets, ibis and huge storks (we think).O, and goats and also oxen with painted horns for Pongal. Bit 'mad dogs and Englishmen' but we enjoyed it. Life is so simple here - hard, basic, but wonderfully simple at best. Impossible at worst - the older people are stick-thin and have obviously lived hard lives. Things are improving a bit, but this is such a huge country with a massive population that it takes so l-o-n-g for things to change, even with the best will in the world.

We have ordered cakes for everyone tonight - from Llanfaelog - well, not literally. These will be distributed after prayers. Yesterday we gave letters from the childlren of Pencarnisiog, and gave everyone a Bic pen, so some are busy on replies. Turns out the pens write purple, which they seem to love. Some of the kids had the boxes the pens came in and seemed quite delighted. They were so pleased with such simple things. We would have bought cakes on arrival, but there was a full programme for Pongal, and chunks of sugar cane are tradtional 'sweets' for, that.

John seems more comfortable today too; we just called for a few minutes. I'm never sure of the etiquette of non=clergy visiting - what my Grandma called 'Coming to look at you.' I confess I wouldn't want to be 'looked at'!