Nostalgia and Pottys

So, a year ago it was that a group of us had a little jolly up a mountain. A hell of a lot seems to have happened since then, and I do sometimes wonder how on earth we managed it. Still, we did and it's always rather nice to look back with pride on something you did and it leaves me feeling rather misty-eyed when I think back to the day itself, how thoroughly crap a lot of us felt, and how we all grabbed a couple of beers afterwards and celebrated. Frankly, I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

So here I am, back in Nepal, albeit several thousand metres lower than where the match took place, and I seem to finally be settling into some vague sort of routine. It generally involves a fitful nights sleep thanks to various animals, cars and more recently heavy rainfall and winds, getting up around 8am, having twice as much food as I require forced into me before heading to Thamel and sitting in Nir's office for the day.

The last few days I've been here nine hours a day re-writing all the content for his website, which I had no idea would take so long. I'm barely halfway through! Of course the numerous power cuts are not much help, but that's something we have to put up with over here. I have had a pretty hefty setback however, my to favourite dining spots in Thamel seem to have closed down, so I am currently mourning Helena's and the phenomenal Rum Doodle (am still waiting on clarification on the latter and am hoping it's being refurbished or something...optimistic I fear).

After that it's back home to the family and after much confusion I have finally worked out who everyone I am living with actually is. Nir and his wife I already knew of course, and I had met their 22-month-old boy too. I was convinced this was their only kid, but on the day I flew out here Kirt told chastised me for being so ill-informed and that he actually had three children. So when I arrived and found two girls in the flat I of course assumed they were his daughters. WRONG! The younger one disappeared the next day and has not been seen since, I think she's gone back to the village to go to school there, while the other looks far too old to be Nir's kid, and she is. In fact she is his sister and the other girl is his niece. So thank you for that stitch-up Kirtley, it was either a half-decent gag or you're simply an idiot. I'm settling on the latter.

For the first few days I was eyed with deep suspicion by the youngest member of the Lama clan, but it seems that now there is some acceptance, not just by him but by all in fact. The breast-feeding threw me at first, but I've kind of got used to that now (a lot of staring at the ceiling and remarking how wonderfully white the paint is), but when the little lad had his trousers removed and the potty was brought into the living room last night I was a little taken aback, especially as I was just eating my dinner. Still, all a sign of being one of the family I suppose. I am also being called Uncle on a regular basis and have learned the Nepali word for nephew (bhatija for those interested!) so think it is all going swimmingly.

Nothing more on the cricket projects, but did manage to get the beach cricket article published on Cricinfo, which was something of a relief.

That's all for now, any further news will be posted I can assure you, for now it's back to the grindstone.