It's sunny and fresh, the season here in Nepal is moving into autumn. The ground is dry, people busy harvesting, most have blisters of some sort.
Tara is slow to rise and hangs in the bedroom with her crafty stuff while Luke is fully amongst the kitchen action carrying each uncooked chapatti to the outdoor fire to be cooked individually. He energetically carrys each one with 2 hands on the plate across the stones trying his best not to trip.
We have pur one egg on chapati then feast on porridge with anything and everything. Honey, banana, sugar, peanut butter and tomatoes etc
The team of volunteers gathers together including Rissa, today that's 10 to work in the quarry carrying stones up to the school land.
Tara, Luke and I head off to get our daily supply of Gruffalo milk 1/2 litre for 50 NPRS. It's a lovely short walk through stone walled pathways, the kids know the way and I follow, the sun is warm and everything under foot a little dusty. They jump from stone step to the next. Everwhere is steps. We are in the Himalayas.
The people we pass all know us and call out to Tara and Luke using thier name. They wave back.
We have been away a few weeks and are greeted at our first stop with a cup of fresh milk to drink in the sun while our container is topped up with milk to take home.
We continue our walk through the stone walled pathways and come across some baby goats, Luke instantly goes in to pat them while ignoring their mum tired to a stick in the ground not to sure nor happy about this blond haired thing chasing it's young. Tara more cautious follows asking questions as to why the mum goat is do agitated.
The goats are 1 week old jet black. The owner comes out surprised but honored by our intrusion, speaks no English but can see our reason for the visit, quickly picks a goat up and places it in Luke's arms. Luke for once is suddenly quiet and stands still arms wrapped around the goat looking at me with a concerned look. I smile wishing I had a camera and reassure him it's OK. He starts to smile and carefully puts the goat down.
We point at the buffalo proud we know the Nepali name and the Nepali word for milk. In half English and a little charades we discover the buffalo calf also beside us is just 3 days old.
We smile with excitement and do not notice the grandma disappear whom returns with a cup of fresh buffalo milk.
We leave grateful as milk is scarce.
We again carry on our walk and only 3 doors down we pass the guy whom I fixed his computer, we are invited in and given a glass of fresh buffalo milk. His English is rough but we talk OK. The rest of the family (8) sit in the sun watching our every move. Luke needs a wee wee, they all watch as he urinates off their retaining wall into the compost heap. I hope this is a good place?
We chat more about buffalo milk and find they have 2 buffalo, ones gives half a litre and the other one and a half litre of milk each day!
I feel more privaledged now for the milk we are given. Knowing these buffalo don't walk and feed themselves but someone's every day fetches hand cut grass to feed them both.
It feels wrong that the buffalo are tied 24 /7 to a post under their house but that's the way they do it here in Nepal.
They show us how they make the milk into curd and then into cheese. I wish I had a camera again!
As we leave we are gifted with many oranges and a couple of freshly picked guavas from the trees in their front yard.
Luke is gone! I call out, an old lady who speaks no English carrying a huge load of hay points towards the river. I run. Still no Lukey. Another lady in front yard points onwards. Its obvious, I am the only person looking for a blond child in the village.
I find Luke trying to find his way across the stream with the stepping stones, happy and unaware of my panic to find him.
We all carry on up stream to a spot we used to swim in on hot days, the season is cooling down now, the streams are getting smaller.
We sit in the sun and gorge ourselves on oranges and chat about the river changing and the stone water slide that is now bare and dry we used to slide down 4 weeks ago.
We finally head home to meet Mum for lunch, the whole morning exploring all within 600 meters of home.
What will tomorrow bring ?
