Alli Hi Sue, nice to hear from you and I hope that you and your daughter are well. Pete & I are now living back in Australia, in fact I start a new job on Monday, so it will be some time before we get back to Orchha. We are still in contact with Eeva and others from Orchha, so we can keep up to date on what is happening with the kids and school etc. Alli & Pete

sue everett Hi Alison & Peter My daughter Tess & I met you last December in Orcha while we were there for a couple of days. We spoke in the street and you obviously gave us your contact details. Tess is currently in the U.S but I am back in Melbourne Australia and wondered if you were still her after the Commonwealth Games (sorry if this contact has come a little late). I was wondering if you were planning to go back to Orcha. Hope you enjoyed the Games Best wishes Sue Everett

Nina Hey Ali & Pete, How are things, it looks like you had a great Xmas from the photos, how about new year? Ali you look so great in your saris, bright colours suit you so well, I love them. You are still beeming with smiles so i can only assume you are still having a wonderful time! Are you enjoying it so far back in Aus??? What are your plans next, a return to England on the cards is it??? Our Christmas over here was rather mild, no more manic snow storms i'm afraid. I was rather poorly over xmas so was not much of a break sadly. Spent most of the time cleaning and cooking amongst coughing and sneezing all over everyone he he!! Back to the grind stone now and awaiting exams results, then back to college and off we go again! I will get there one day soon, like you qualified accountant travelling the world yeah! Hope you are keeping well, no more nasty Indian illnesses and I will log on again soon to find out when you are comin home hehe!!! Love you xxx Nina xxxxx

Alli For those of you not caught up yet, actually back in Australia at the moment ... planning to return to India, but home to see the folks for awhile first. Photos to be on the site soon.

Alli Thanks to all at SBC that sent me nice wishes for Xmas etc, it was fantastic reading them and knowing you all still remember me ! Hope the changes aren't affecting you too much, at least you all stuck around long enough to put up with it, sorry but I would rather travel !!! Having a fabulous time here, totally in love with India and don't really want to leave here at all. Just back from trip to Rajasthan lastnight, was great to see friends in Orchha again, will go up to the colony this morning and see all of them too. Updating site today with more photos, maybe a postcard too, the rest will now have to wait until after New Year. Take care, love you all. xxx

Shirley ashton Alli and Pete, sorry for not writing sooner, busy time of year, well its Claires last day and our lunch at Blunsdon House, we will all be thinking of you, have a wonderful christmas and a very happy new year lots of love Shirleyxx. We are all missing you. Have a wonderful Christmas - Dave XX. Hi Ali You will be pleased to know we are back in our own house so hopefully this will be a good Christmas! Hope you and Pete really enjoy your Christmas and have a really good New Year. I still really miss you and believe me everything is so different now. Make sure you take good care of yourself.Lots of love Jean xxxx. Good Day to you both and a very HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND EVEN BETTER NEW YEAR. I sadly lost my lovely dog a few weeks ago when she died, miss her like mad . The good new is that my son flies home today from Washington DC so looking forward to seeing him again . We had a wonderful time when we went to visit him in the autumn, but it looks like he may end up living out there as he has been offered a job. Life is different at Swindon BC since you left, miss the banter and chats. Take care and carry on enjoying your life. Ann Hi Alison - Just wanted to wish you a very Happy Christmas and New Year. This afternoon we are going to Blunsdon House for our Xmas lunch - we will miss having you there and especially your dancing. My only news since you left is that we had a car accident, thankfully we are both O.K. but did £3000 damage to our car. All now repaired. I am going to Lanzarote on the 8th January - so looking forward to that. Take care and best wishes from Joan XX. Hi Ali, Holly here, hope everthing is going well, im of to oz on boxing day,cant wait!! have fun Holly X

Alli Thanks to Nina for reminding me, just wanted to wish you all a merry christmas & happy new year ... we are still off touring around Rajasthan at the moment, will update the next postcard when we return to Orchha. xxx

Nina Hey Alli, Can't beleieve how much you have been up to, it is hard work just trying to read all of your postcards as I catch up on your expeditions. It all sounds amazing and I am still in awe of the work you are doing and the time and money you are spending for the good of the people. I had to have a little chuckle when you mentioned budgetting for the kids, you are a laugh, you just can't get away from that accountancy can you!!! he he!!! Will keep on reading to find out where you are and where you are going next. I have been speading you news to various others too as they ask if I here from you and what you have been up to, Lorraine (audit) thinks you are positively heroic doing what you are! I do hope you and Pete are feeling better now, I don't like to here that you are poorly!! Take care of yourselves and those kids! Hope you all have a lovely Xmas if I don't speak to you before, I will be thinking of you xxxxx Nina xxxxxx

Dad Hi Alli & Pete After speaking to you I tried again and it is working? I dont know what was wrong but as it now works I thought I had better send a message , How is the trip around Rajastan going I hope you are both getting a suntan ha ha, talk to you soon Love Mum & Dad

Alli Hi, I have added more photos again, please check out the photos of the kids that Pete & I have decided to arrange extra tuition classes for (currently 8 but will increase to 10 kids tomorrow) by sponsoring them ourselves and also with the help of donations I have received from four tourists in the past couple of days, plus what my relatives have sent over from Australia for the kids. I have also added photos from more sightseeing trips that my friend Indu has taken us on. Pete has started cooking classes, I have started Hindi language lessons, I am also continuing to do my TEFL (Teaching English) course, so we are keeping busy all the time ! Pete bought a Hindi basic language book and we have been laughing over some of the phrases that appear under the heading 'General Sentences for Every Day Use' ... see if you think the following are phrases we should be practising on our travels : ·The pen is in the box ·Your shoe is under the table ·The green stripe is below the white one ·Lift the ball from the ground ·Can she iron this shirt well ? ·The dictionary is above the magazine ·There is a banyan tree beside the mosque ·Will this telephonic talk do ? ·No, the red one behind the orange one ·Tell him to keep his fingers off the piece

Alli I have finally written another Postcard, it covers the past two weeks, so it might take some time to read. I have also just posted some more photos on the website ... please take care if you decide to look at the Khajuraho photos, I don't want too many people to be either offended or aroused unnecessarily !

Alli Hi again, well another week and a half has just disappeared so quickly, it's amazing how time flies here when we haven't got to be anywhere in particular but end up all over the place ! A couple of days of sightseeing this week, with lots more to come with our friend Indu over the next few weeks too. Continuing to teach at the school and loving it. Also had to visit the doctors yesterday, five hours and lots of tablets later, back in Orchha ! SHIRLEY & NINA : Glad to hear you have that freezing cold weather in England, saves me having to put up with it, I just get the hot weather here which I love ! EV : Great to hear from you too, we will still be in India for New Year, but hope to catch up with you & Mick sometime next Feb. xxx

Nina Hey Ali, how are things? Where are you now and what have you been up to? I am all excited to hear about you and Pete. I am lunching with the ladies today (aka Claire and Shirley) and they are going to up date me with your escapades. Can't believe you sat and took all those photos of the kids, they are great. I have not managed to organise anything yet as I have been at home poorly and now I am studying for my exams but I will get on the case. How long will you be in India for? When do you go back to Oz? We are preparing for a family Christmas in our new house this year, Shirley is right it is freezin here! Just awaiting the snow! I hope you are having a wonderful time on your train journey with Pete, seeing the delights of India. Can't wait for the next diary installment. Take care and travel safe, Love Nina xxx

Ev Hi Al...you are amazing. Just got your text and went straight to the website...it's fantastic. Making my feet itch aleady and we're not long back after seeing you in UK. You certainly are living life to the fullest. Our holiday plans are nowhere near as exciting as yours....we are thinking of sailing the Whitsundays again next July with my Scottish cousins who are coming out again. Then scuba diving in Palau the following Feb....something to look forward to. I expect we will catah up before then when you are back in Oz.....New Years Eve is at our place in Docklands if you are back by then! Cheers Ev. xx

shirley ashton Alli, wonderful news about you and Pete,congratulations to you both, more details please. When you phoned me on Friday, I had just left work and was Christmas shopping, winter has started with a vengence, minus 5 degees at night and very cold in the day, no snow yet though, expect you are both missing an english winter, yeh right. The pictures of the children are wonderful, impossible to pick any one of them, they are all so deserving,I will let everyone in the office have a look. Is Pete able to help you in the village?I hope you had a great time in Bombay, you deserved a break after all your hard work.Life in the annexe is changing fast, we are all moving around to accomodate 9 staff from Clarence House including Tina and Julie.I was hoping to use the space for Santas Grotto but will now have to think again.Take care of each other, keep well, love Shirley