Happy New Year

Well it's that time again, in the words of the song "Another year over and what have you done?". We are five years from the millenium also so a good time to reflect on what we want out of this decade. I'm pleased and proud that we are doing the thing we planned to do for years - but inevitably I feel that we aren't using the time productively enough, not making the most of the opportunities etc. Also whilst we are travelling around the developing world, especially Africa, there's plenty of chance to feel guilty and greedy, by the disparity in life opportunities and by the amount that we are spending on travelling! Despite all of these horrible feelings I am enjoying myself and am glad to be doing this. I think that we are all learning A LOT.

Yesterday we had to have a school conversation, how horrid - but the girls have got to choose their options for next year soon and also Melissa had to think about whether or not to return to Stringer. It seemed a shame to have to put our minds to school with nine months still to go before the inevitable return but it had to be done. Also inevitiably Mark and I have been thinking about earning money when we get home and how we want our lives to be. My old dilemma of how to combine small scale farming with living around working class/black/Asian people is back in full view, as the more time that I spend around farms/animals/land and around black and Asian people the more I know that I really want both in my life. The only solution seems to be to move to India! Although the question of earning money then becomes another problem.

We now are the very proud and delighted custodian of two delicious (not in chinese terms I hasten to add!) puppies. We have called them Sunny and Jessie and they live in a large hutch type affair outside. I am charged with training them and training Paulo how to continue their training after we have gone. I've never had to train guard dogs before and it's a little daunting but they are so much fun and so cute, we just love having them.

Of course the news of the Tsunami was very shocking especially as some of the places hit are places that we have either visited recently or planned to do so soon. We were discussing this morning whether there may be any way that we can assist in the Aid effort whilst we are in Thailand - we'll explore the possiblities and practicalities over the next few weeks. My immediate impulse was to return to India to help out there, where I feel at home and connected but we have arranged to meet Diane and Jo in Thailand and obviously don't want to miss that.

Hope you all have a good New Year and a happy, exciting and inspirational 2005

- Heather