Day 94 -96

We have now progressed to actually buying Pedigree Chum for Black Dog even though it is way out of our budget and inconvenient to procure. Clover feeds him in the morning and he often vomits with excitement when she appears at the door. I hope she always has this effect on men. Black Dog is now so loyal to us that he insists on accompanying us down the street in the mornings, even though he has to run the gauntlet of the savage neighbouring dogs. Territory is tight around here and every block is heavily guarded by a teeth-baring pack of local strays. Black Dog likes to see the girls off to school despite limping home bitten and wounded. We try and tell him not to come with us but he won't listen, or maybe it is the language barrier.

I braved the local hairdresser - 'Easy Cuts', seduced by its flashy mirrors, sullen staff and jaunty monochrome floor tiles. Most hairdressers here are one chair in the middle of the street, usually accompanied by a gloomy man with glaucoma clutching a rusty cutthroat razor. Am not sure he can do a choppy yet blunt fringe with height on the top and caramel highlights and more importantly, I don't want to try. Think Sweeney Todd and you're about right. I haven't had my hair cut the whole time we've been away, over 3 months now, although periodically I do hack at the ends with kitchen scissors after I've had a couple of beers. I've also been dying it s***ty green brown out a supermarket home kit so I fear I'm not looking my best and have got fed up with it. Easy Cuts looked particularly attractive for all these reasons so I went in. For £1.60 they offered a cut & blow dry and I kindly accepted. The hairdresser looked confident with a pair of scissors and I was only mildly put off by the group of Nepali women who crowded around to watch her nervously cut my frizzy Western hair; I think they were marvelling at my bright grey roots. The hair cut was a success and although it is more Bonnie Tyler than I would have liked, it is a layered cut in a reasonable style. I panicked slightly when she got out a giant old-fashioned hairdryer AND a curling brush and started to curl my hair under - but the end result was ok. And the fringe does cover the wrinkles and spots that have gathered on my forehead in the last few weeks - surely a side affect of pollution, constant sun and poor diet. Am going to go back for those highlights - see part on s***ty green brown with bright grey roots. It is so hot now the rain has stopped. Our local shopkeeper told us now that the monsoon is over (where was it? we can get more in Scotland on a Saturday) it is 'going to get very hot'. I nearly burst into tears. It is already 30 degrees every day and the dust and smells are awful.

Fern and Clover can now sing the Nepal national anthem off by heart (and it is about a million verses) and they can bring tears to the eyes of any local taxi driver who never seem to tire hearing it. It is kind of cute and I am proud they can know something so complicated and so loooooong.

Am reading (AGAIN) and re-reading Moab is my Washpot until someone loves me enough to send me the next installment, The Fry Chronicles I think they are called. Unfortunately only out on hardback at the moment in the UK so I imagine postage is not economical. Will make my sister buy a copy at Hong Kong airport - hopefully only 2 weeks till she visits! With all the power cuts in the evening there is little else to do but read. Am craving some different company.

Some s***ty news from home and I am totally and utterly heartbroken for my friend, the most wonderful person I know.