Sunday 22nd February 2026

I had breakfast at 09:00 again. The weather has been very unpredictable, although it is looking far more likely that you can predict rain, so I decided to head back this morning.  It suited both Nilanga and me to drive back to Kurunegala at 10:30, and we got back at almost exactly 12:00. It had been lovely to see Nilanga and Radha again, and I was very touched that Radha had been up during the night producing some beautiful hand-made flowers and a lovely poem for me.

I decided to go into Kurunegala for a final shop - mainly to buy a couple of gifts for people, so I took a tuk-tuk to one of the major stores - Thilakawardhana - where I found a few T-shirts for my granddaughters and other friends, then I decided to see if Selyn was open, so I messaged Sandra, before making my way back into the centre of the city to shop at Sriyani, where I purchased another couple of items before Sandra drove out to meet me.

Sandra was visiting a close Buddhist monk friend who is in his 90s and has recently broken his hip, so she dropped me off at Selyn on the way to the hospital. Selyn is an absolutely beautiful shop, so I happily spent time choosing a few items for people. Seemanthi, who is married to Hilary, Sandra's youngest brother, took me back for tea at their lovely home behind the Selyn shop, and by the time we arrived Sandra was back from the hospital.

It was a lovely relaxing time at Hilary and Seemanthi's beautiful home, and it has been particularly lovely on this trip to meet their daughter, Daneka (who was at the barbecue at Sandra's the other evening). There are so many bright, articulate, well-educated women in Sandra's family, and they make a formidable team. Sandra, Daneka and I went for a coffee at Barista on the way back, where we had a very interesting discussion about life in Kurunegala.

Today's photos are all ones I took at Selyn, apart from the last one which shows the beautiful entrance to Hilary and Seemanthi's home.







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