Saturday 1st February 2025

It is great to be staying in the same, lovely 2-bedroomed apartment that Val and I stayed in last October and November. When I arrived late yesterday afternoon it felt like coming home, as I guess it's only actually a couple of months since we left it. I sorted out all my stuff, then later on had dinner next door with Razeena, and she had also invited Tharika and Evinka to join me, which was a lovely surprise, so we had a good catch-up over a delicious dinner.

I was extremely tired last night, and went to be very early, but I woke up feeling so refreshed this morning, with the most obvious immediate difference here being the climate. Having experienced an unusually cold, wet January in Nuwara Eliya, it felt amazing to actually be struggling a little with the heat! People are going round with umbrellas here, but with the intention of protecting themselves from the scorching sun, not from the pouring rain in Nuwara Eliya.

Having slept so well, I caught up on a few emails, then went shopping to buy in a bit of food, noticing on the way that the school pool (just a one-minute walk from the apartment) was completely empty, and looking incredibly tempting, so as soon as I returned from my shopping, I put my swimming shorts on and went for a dip. It was a bit more than a dip really, as I swam 20 lengths in a bid to become a lot fitter whilst I am here in Kurunegala.

Sandra came round this evening with her granddaughter Maya, and Tharika and Evinka joined us. We had a good catch-up - mainly school-related, as Sandra was keen to fill me in on a few things that had been happening, although she has been more focused recently on supporting her daughter Selyna with the family textiles business, Selyn. I am busy in school on Monday, but it is Independence Day (so no school) on Tuesday, and Sandra has invited me to go with her to Colombo.

Today's photos are a reminder of what the lovely apartment here looks like, with a view of the beautiful school swimming pool, which I was very much looking forward to.








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