morrisfamilyblog

2009-09-25T02:01:00.006+05:45

This has been a big week for us. We've committed to leasing our own house with mixed feelings - it will be great to have a place of our own, but we've been really spoiled by Pamela's (the friend we have been staying with) kindness (and swimming pool!).

Work is going well, getting budgets done and plans for the coming year completed.

Here are some pics from the last week.

Jude looking very grown up

Evie pulling some big moves on the rope swing

Pizza's on the beach.

Portrait by Evie

Jude developing some good habits.

2009-09-25T01:57:00.004+05:45

We had an outing to the zoo last week

Evie and Jude narrowly escaped from a fierce koala...

A 10 week old Asian elephant

.

2009-08-30T17:12:00.004+05:45

We are coming to the end of our third week here, but it seems a lot longer. People have been very friendly, the weather is still great (but people keep warning us that winter is going to make a come back) and we are not getting lost quite so often. Here are a few recent pics:

Jude's hair is still refusing to lie down.

Evie doing some rock climbing

Evie, Elle and Jude making their way to church along Manly beach this morning. Evie is very proud of her new bike which Elle got from a charity shop - knocked down to $6 because the tyres needed pumping up!

Elle and Jude on Shelly beach near Manly. Beautiful spot, but still quite chilly for swimming

Evie on Shelly beach, in full sun protection gear.

2009-08-30T17:07:00.002+05:45

We had INF's annual conference yesterday. About 100 people came from all over the state and it was great to meet a lot of faithful supporters. Elle and I spoke to introduce ourselves, and I also gave a short talk about the organisation's vision: a bit presumptious having only been there two weeks, but had some ood feedback. These pictures show the conference hall, and a couple of Nepali dancers who performed there.

2009-08-12T06:51:00.003+05:45

Nealy a year and half a world away from our last post, Phil, Elle, Evie and Jude find themselves in Sydney, Australia, where Phil is due to take up a new role as Development Director with the International Nepal Fellowship (INF Australia).

We have recieved a great welcome and here are a few pics of our first outing.

Phil and Jude coming into the harbour on the ferry.

Elle, Evie and our host, Pamela walking in the botanical gardens.

Enjoying great views over the harbour despite the very English weather.

2008-12-19T19:55:00.006+05:45

'Interesting' times for us. Firstly, great encouragement from the Doctors during a recent hospital check up for Jude. They are very happy with his progress, and although we still need to be careful about infections, they are confident that he can develop normally. That leaves us slightly confused about our future - Phil is looking for work and we are trying hard to use this time together productively.

The following is a copy of our Christmas newsletter:

Dear friends and family

It has been quite a year for us, with our plans and fears rarely keeping up with events. Our verse for the year is probably Proverbs 16.9: 'In his heart, a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps'. Here are a few of our steps from the last year...

We came back to the UK in June, and Jude arrived five weeks early on 18^th July 2008. We were so grateful for the excellent NHS care and for so many people from around the world praying for us. This picture shows Evie meeting her little brother and realising that life will never be quite the same again!

What a change four months make – Jude is now three times the size and just starting on solid food. He has a problem with his bladder that prevented us from going back to Nepal, but he is otherwise developing brilliantly. He will continue to have regular scans to keep an eye on the condition.

Evie is growing into a fantastic daughter and a loving big sister, learning new things every day. One of our favourite Evie sayings is 'I am the best me in the world'!

We have really enjoyed this summer, settling back into life in the UK and spending time with family and friends while continuing to support INF. Jude had his first foreign holiday in September, when we drove over to the Netherlands for a family wedding.

Phil went back to Nepal in early November to hand over work and sort out our house. The picture on the left is the sign that greets visitors toKathmandu airport. It was a hectic couple of weeks and saying goodbye to friends was hard, but reinforced our decision to stay in the UK.

The chickens we were keeping in Nepal had been eaten by time Phil went back. Apparently they were ekdum meeto (very tasty) so at least the 4.00am alarm calls the rooster used to give us weren't in vain!!

Nepal is an incredibly beautiful country: this view of the Annapurna Himalayas towering over Pokhara and INF's Greenpastures hospital will always stay with us. We have a lot of friends there and would love to return.

Our future is still uncertain – Phil is looking for work and job applications have so far been mailed to Glasgow, Sydney and many places in between – but we are so grateful for what we have: family, friends and the knowledge that God has a plan for us!

Thank you so much for coming on this journey with us. Your prayers and support continue to mean a huge amount and the last two years have been a real blessing for us.

We hope that you have a peaceful Christmas and an exciting new year.

Love from us

peej

2008-11-29T03:20:00.006+05:45

We are experiencing our first proper UK winter in three years (and Evie's first ever...!), and I am convinced that we are losing not just daylight. It seems that there are just not enough hours in the day any more, or maybe we are missing the slightly slower pace of life in Nepal.

So, not much text, but here are few a pics we have taken recently...

We are all well. Phil is job hunting and still doing some INF work

Jude is developing brilliantly - he has even slept thought the night a couple of times recently. We go back to the hospital in a couple of weeks for more scans, but right now all is well - PTL!

This is Evie's staged 'angry face'. They do get on really...

As well mastering the potty, Evie's great leap forward has been the ability to lie down in the bath, making hairwashing much less of a battle!

2008-10-27T01:06:00.004+05:45

The Morris' family plans have gone through a rapid re-think over the past month, and the header at the top of this blog will have to be changed...

We are all well and Jude seems to be developing brilliantly, but he has a bladder condition that the doctors want to keep a close eye on, so for the moment we are UK residents once again. This has come as a shock and a disappointment to us, but we are confident that He has a plan fo us, and are now looking forward to settling down for a while.

Here are some recent pics...

Jude is the star of every show - very laid back and contented most of the time. Now able to hold his head up, look around and enjoy spending time with his big sister.

We have been having some fantastic weather, and have really enjoyed being close to the sea.

This was a walk along the beechfront last week - some bright sunshine and probably the last swim of the year...

Evie is great fun as always, although often testing our parenting skills. Her comment today: 'you're not a real daddy, you're a monster'....

Monsters in Petwork park...

...and a picnic near Arundel.

2008-08-19T18:31:00.004+05:45

A day of celebration and thanksgiving in the Morris household today as Jude reached his O'st birthday - the day he was supposed to arrive! He is now 4 1/2 weeks old and doing brilliantly, putting on weight and staring to take note of what is going on around him.

Evie is also on good form: now speaking in long and complicated sentences, and very keen to help look after her little brother. We also managed to get her first bike at a car boot sale. To date, she is mostly a passenger, but bunnyhops and wheelies are not far off!

His health seems excellent - we go back to see a specialist next month to get his kidneys checked, but all seems to be well.

Here are few recent pics.

We don't have a TV, bu Evie has discovered DVD's and Bob the Builder!

Jude with Grandad and Great Granny

Evie helping to feed her brother

2008-07-28T23:42:00.004+05:45

It has been a rollercoaster week, but with a great ending. Our little man was released from hospital last Friday and the Morris family are now coming to terms with being a foursome.

His name is Jude and he doing brilliantly: feeding, and most importantly peeing, regularly.

He will need regular check ups to make sure his kidneys are working, but the worries raised by previous scans have not materialised - a real answer to prayer.

Many thanks to all who prayed and have been in touch.

These are some pics from the last week:

Elle, Evie and Jude at Southampton Hospital where we went for some tests.

Evie checking up on her little brother while he gets a sun tan...

We were able to go for a picnic on the downs with both sets of Grandparents, plus uncle, aunt and cousin.

Back home!

2008-07-19T02:26:00.005+05:45

What a week!

As it says in Proverbs 16.9, In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. Or as someone else put it, if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans!

After planning the next month in some detail, there was no keeping the little chap in and he arrived 5 weeks early after Elle had a c-section this morning. She and he are both doing really well, with early tests suggesting he is much healthier than feared.

We are so grateful to God and to so many around the world who prayed for us.

More details to follow...

2008-07-02T02:23:00.008+05:45

It was a shock to see that just a month had passed since we last updated this page - it seems like a lot longer!!

There are some complications with Elle's pregnancy. We left Pokhara slightly early after scans showed a potential blockage in Bod's waterworks. We are very grateful for people praying all around the world and, ahead of further scans later this week, are quite relaxed, confident that He has a plan.

We are now back in the UK, staying with family and just loving being at 'home'. Although we have missed friends in Nepal, we are not missing the monsoon, and are getting very used to cool weather, blue skies, cars, the sea and cheese made not made from yaks milk!

Here are a few photos of what we have been up to.

Evie is keen to learn to drive

Seagulls and sunsets

Watermelon is available in England, but has probably travelled a bit further than the ones in Nepal

Elle and Evie near Tintagel in Cornwall

Family meal out in Port Isaac, Cornwall

Evie and Esther

A family portrait taken just before we left

Gwynver beach in Cornwall

2008-05-16T21:39:00.007+05:45

Paragliding is popular for the tourists here in Pokhara, and this is a picture of Evie practicing her freefall a while back.

Actually this is a photoshop special....

Quite convincing though.....

2008-05-16T21:25:00.005+05:45

Evie's Birthday

Greetings from a hot and sticky Pokhara. It has been a while since we posted anything here, but today is Evie's birthday so it would be rude not to. Many thanks to all who sent things for her - very generous.

Elle took a cake down to the school where Evie enjoyed even more attention than usual. She is on great form - very loving and affectionate most of the time, but also developing a good line in scowls, tuts and 'chaina's' (Nepali for No) - definitely two going on 16!

2008-04-24T07:41:00.007+05:45

Summer has well and truely arrived here in Pokhara and the temperatures are starting to get a bit uncomfortable. The seasons here are marked by the fruit that is available and one of the most eagerly awaited events in the morris household came a couple of weeks ago - the start of mango season. They are expensive and not very tasty to start with, but they soon become dirt cheap and very tasty and are served with almost every meal! Watermelons are also brought up from India and are one of Evie's favorites.

It was great to have Dave and Susie Kretchmer to stay last week as they take a month off from their work in South India to do some travelling. We had hoped to go trekking with them, but Bod is starting to make his presence felt and we decided to have a relaxing weekend instead.

Elle and Evie have both been a bit unwell recently, but right now we are all well and happy. Evie's potty training is making progress, but still a bit sporadic. She is learning to count, but struggling the confusion of two languages at once.... 1 to 5 usually goes something like this: one, dui (Nepali for 2), twee, four, nine. She also loves singing, with her favorite song being a mixture of Baa baa black sheep, twinkle twinkle little star and Aajaako din (this is the day that the lord has made in Nepali).

2008-04-24T07:26:00.004+05:45

You may have heard the news about the canyoning disaster in New Zealand recently: six children and their teacher died when the river they were in flooded suddenly.

It was shocking news for us because the teacher who died, Tony McClean, had recently spent five months with us here in Pokhara. He was a great guy and in the short time we knew him he was a running partner, guitar teacher and good friend.

It is so hard to know why this happened and what good can possibly come from it, but we have to trust that somehow God will be able to work through this.

2008-04-10T22:01:00.005+05:45

Today is election day here in Nepal and has been a holiday, with all roads and most shops
closed. All has been very peaceful here in Pokhara which we are grateful for. These are a few pics from the polling booths...

This is Pokhara's main shopping street normally crammed full of buses, motorbikes and street sellers. Today even the stray cows seemed to have stayed away.

A happy voter: nost people seemed excited to have the chance to vote and were optimistic about positive change coming from the process.

Polling started at 7.00 in the morning and this was the scene by 8.00 - quite different from the ghostly quiet village halls I remember from voting in the UK!!

Many people queued for three hours in hot sun to cast their first vote in nine years. One quote I heard was 'we are not worried about the election process - that is fine. It is the results that will cause trouble'!!

People were keen to cast their votes and then get away from the crowds just in case there was any trouble, and by mid afternoon all the polling stations I saw were empty. Just as well that the roads were closed - this station was in the middle of a normally busy junction.

There were plenty of bystanders, including armed police....

... and 'independent observers' - apparently there were over 100,000 of them around the country.

Evie doing her own election monitoring with finger paints....

2008-04-08T22:58:00.006+05:45

While the UK has had late season snow, we have had some fantastic bright sunny weather in the last couple of days, with incredible views of the mountains. These are a few of the photos we took this morning.

Evie is on good form, learning new words every day. She has also started singing a mixture of Nepali and English songs. Elle is growing fast, but keeping well. We borrowed a little scanner last night and managed to track down the baby's heartbeat - very exciting, but I guess you had to be there!!

2008-04-08T22:40:00.003+05:45

All well here in Pokhara. Election fever has been building over the last couple of weeks as it finally dawned on people that the planned polls were not going to be cancelled yet again. There has been little trouble in this part of the country, but not much peace - taxis have been driving up and down the roads tossing leaflets out of the windows and urging people over a loudspeaker. There have been a series of rallies held by each of the main parties with crowds of people bussed in from the surrounding villages to show their support. This photo is of a Maoist rally near our office. Other parts of the country have not been so lucky with many outbreaks of violence between supporters of different parties.

It seems that monitoring elections is big business. The election commission have licensed 28 international organisations and around 150 national organisations to monitor the poll. 700 international observers and 100,000 from national organisations will be deployed to make sure the polls are fair.

What they actually hope to achieve is not clear. The Maoists have stated openly that they will win the election, and that if they fail to do so it will be because of fraud. If they claim to have been cheated out of a fair result, there are fears that serious violence will return to the country. Even people who do not support the party hope that they will win just enough seats to keep them in peaceful dialogue. All roads will be closed on election day and there have been bans on the sale of alcohol and carrying of knives, and there have been rumours that the phone network will be shut down all in an attempt to prevent trouble breaking out.

Election posters

2008-03-26T16:40:00.007+05:45

All is well here in Pokhara, and we are feeling refreshed after a long Easter break. The weekend included around eight hours over three services in church, a lunch and a swim at a local hotel to celebrate a friends birthday, and a trek up Sarangkot hill to see the sunrise over the mountains.

The seasons have changed markedly over the last couple of weeks. While the UK has had a dump of snow, temperatures here are rising rapidly and the number of insects in the kitchen seeming to double every night. I also had my first leech bite of the year - much earlier than expected and meaning that some of the best running trails are virtually off limits until October...

Pokhara is a popular place for paragliding, and while walking the other evening we saw some kids who had made their own gliders from sacking material. Their technique was excellent and they were having a great time running with their chutes behind them and leaping off a wall...

2008-03-26T16:15:00.006+05:45

Yak-Attack 2008

First of all – thank you! Through your generosity, INF's Greenpastures Hospital in Pokhara now has an extra £1,200 that will make a big difference to people suffering from leprosy, spinal cord injury and other forms of disability in Western Nepal. Nepal is one of the few countries where leprosy has still not been 'eliminated' and people come to Greenpastures from all over the western half of Nepal to get treatment and for rehabilitation from the disability that leprosy so often causes.

In Nepal, many people are injured in accidents, especially falling out of trees while cutting fodder for animals, and also from burns. Greenpastures is one of the few places in Nepal where reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation treatment are available.

I have been back home in Pokhara for just a week, but already it seems like months ago that Ed Lewis and I set off to Besi Sahar to meet the other competitors at the start of Yak-attack 2008. Ed had been very tired and quite unwell when he first arrived in Nepal and was not looking forward to the start. Apart from the two of us, there were only two other westerners involved: Matt, a fitness trainer and one of the main sponsors of the event, and Phil, founder of Extreme World Challenges and one of the organisers. The other 20 participants were Nepali, most of them Sherpas from the Everest region. They were a great bunch – very relaxed, friendly and encouraging.

After a fanfare from a local band, we set off in bright sunshine along the Marshyangdi river valley that we would follow for the next four days. On jeep tracks initially, the bikes scorched into an early lead while us runners did our best to limit our losses. We soon started to criss-cross the river on narrow suspension bridges, and as the track narrowed and turned uphill, we started to overtake some of the bikers. After a steep final climb one other runner, Phudorje, and I popped out into Bahundada and to our surprise, discovered we were the first to arrive.

This became the pattern for the next week. Get up early and pack bags; send the porters off at 7.00; grab some breakfast; race start at 9.00; run hard for two or three hours; spend the rest of the day eating, drinking and trying to recover. We would eat together most evenings, swapping stories and getting the results of the stage.

Day two was supposed to be just 7km, and I set off hard thinking it would be all over in half an hour. After 5km, the path turned uphill, and assuming that the finish was almost in sight, I emptied my water bottle and upped the pace. It turned out that a '1' had been missed off the distance, and that 17km was one of the hardest two hours I have run – constantly up and down over very rough ground. The only consolation was that the cyclists would have had to carry their bikes almost the whole way, and they started to turn up looking rather the worse for wear over an hour after the runners had arrived.

The porters arrived a further three hours later and brought bad news. Ed had twisted his knee and was pulling out. He had stopped in a village an hour back down the trail and I walked back to meet him and see if he could be persuaded to carry on. The knee had already started to stiffen up so it looked like he had made the right decision to stop, and I walked back up the hill feeling very lonely.

Day three was when it started to feel like we were among the mountains, swapping rice paddies and fields for prayer flags, cliffs and forests. For a while we left the river and climbed high up the side of the valley. I found that I could keep with the Sherpas while the going was gentle, but as the altitude got higher, they left me standing as soon as the trail went up. I miss-judged the amount of water I should carry on this stage and although I caught Phudorje with about 5km to go, I knew I was running out of energy. Those last few km seemed to go for ever and in the end I had to stop and get some water, eventually finishing around 1 minute after the winner and second overall. We were building up a good lead over the bikers though and were confident we could hold them off for another few days at least.

Phil the organiser was doing a great job – usually setting off before the racers to catch photos of them on route. He was armed with an amazing array of technology and as soon as the bags arrived, he would unpack his laptop, plug in camera and video camera to download pics of the day, and then set up a satellite link to beam reports back to civilisation.

At 30km, day four to Manang was the longest so far, and as we got over 3000m, the altitude combined with my tired legs meant that every climb reduced me to a stumbling march, and even running on the flat was hard work. The scenery was fantastic, with huge cliffs towering over the valley to start with, before it widened out to reveal amazing snow capped peaks behind. In last years event they had been running through snow at this point, but the trail were clean and dry for us. This was the first day that the cyclists were able really ride their bikes, and they raced off into the distance. I wasn't able to keep up with the other runners either and spent most of the stage alone, fighting my way past the many donkey trains and trying to force my legs to go quicker, wishing I had more time to enjoy the scenery.

I was using a Garmin GPS and heart rate monitor throughout the event. It is a great tool for training, but there were times during stages when, after slogging up hill for what seemed like hours it told me that I had traveled only a handful of metres, I was very tempted to throw it over the nearest cliff!

Manang at 3,500m was a very welcome site. I had lost a lot of time to the bikers, but was pleased to be only 15mins down on the first runner, and still second overall. Manang is a town with a split personality: the old half is a maze of narrow cobbled streets that probably hasn't changed in two hundred years, while on the lower side of town, hotels have been built and there are bakeries and internet cafes to cater for the 10,000 trekkers who pass through here each year. We stayed two nights in Manang to try and acclimatise to the altitude. It is in the rain shadow of the mountains and is very dry and barren – a complete contrast to the green meadows and forests of yesterday. It was a good opportunity to explore a little bit, and I would love to spend more time there.

On Thursday morning we had to move again. As the race started, I tried to take a 'short-cut' through the twisting streets of the old town, but took a wrong turn and had to scramble down a couple of 10 foot terraces, rejoining the main path in last place. It didn't get much better, as although the path was not steep, I just could not get my legs working and it felt like I was getting no-where. After a steep initial climb, the smooth path snaked gradually up the side of the valley – a beautiful trail that would normally be great for running or biking, but as we climbed above 4000m, the altitude was starting to bite and running was only possible on the short downhill sections. The final 2km followed a narrow path balanced precariously on a steep scree slope. Keeping your balance and moving forward was hard enough without trying to scramble past trekkers and porters, most of whom were very supportive and gave a cheer as we inched past gasping for breath.

The Thorong phedi lodge at the foot of the pass was a very welcome sight, and despite the altitude, we sat outside in the warm sun drinking tea and enjoying the scenery. As evening approached however, clouds rolled in and it started to snow! By 9.00, six inches of fresh snow had fallen, and the path leading up to the pass had disappeared. I had a headache from the altitude, and having set my alarm for 3.30, was not in the best of moods when I went to bed.

I woke feeling much better, and although it was still snowing lightly, felt positive about the route ahead: probably the toughest day of the race with a 1000m climb followed by a 2800m descent down to the comforts of Jomsom. As the start time approached, I was just finishing my breakfast when I heard a whistle blowing outside, and they were off! I grabbed my bag and set off into the darkness, following the chain of headtorches up the hill. To start with following the footprints was straightforward, and although I was gasping for breath, my legs felt good. As I slowly worked my way past the groups in front, ducking under bikes and around backpacks, the trail got less and less clear, and an hour after starting (about half way up the climb), I caught up with the leaders who were breaking the trail. By now the sun should have risen, but a slightly lighter shade of grey was the only evidence that new day had dawned. Visibility was around 50m, but in the fresh snow it was difficult just to see whether the ground under your feet was sloping up or down. There were occasional marker poles showing where the path should have been, but they were often out of sight and we stumbled along,taking turns to lead the way and sometimes having to re-trace our steps. I was just wearing trainers which were soaked through and very cold by this stage. Worried about frostbike, I was constantly wriggling my toes to keep the blood flowing.

Near the top there were several cruel false summits and when we finally reached the pass it was hard to believe that we had made it – 2 hours 45 minutes to travel just 3km!! We had worked well together and it was a great feeling, but after a brief photo stop we saw a cyclist, marching along with bike on shoulder, emerging out of the gloom and realised it would be hard to stay ahead of the bikes today - the race was on again.

The path down the other side was much clearer – still covered in snow, but visibility was improving and the route was easy to follow. The four of us stuck together and just an hour and a half later we emerged beneath the snow line to reach Muktinath at around 3,200m. There are rough roads here and after a week away from internal combustion engines, it was quite a shock to see, hear and smell motorbikes and tractors on the trail. We stopped briefly for biscuits and a cup of tea (not quite as civilised as it sounds) and took off our cold weather gear. Now that the route was clear it was every man for himself, and Phudorje raced into the distance, quickly descending to the valley floor to meet the Kali Gandaki river that we would follow south to the finish in two days time. The final 5km were into a headwind along the flat river bed, and my legs were starting to complain. To make matters worse, the first two bikers came effortlessly flying past on the smooth roads, and I started to question the wisdom of running this event rather than riding it!

Jomson was a very welcome sight and seemed amazingly civilised (my hotel room even had a TV!!) and the afternoon was spent drinking proper coffee and eating apple cake – not the best recovery foods, but definitely what I wanted!

With two stages totalling 70km to go, the race situation was finely balanced. Phudorje was first, and I was about an hour behind him in second. A bit further back was Kaji, the first cyclist, with Pasang (also on a bike) not far behind in fourth. The cyclists were going to fly for the next two days, and it would be tough for Phudorje to keep his lead, while the best I could hope for was to hold off Pasang for third. We were well ahead of last years schedule, and it looked like the bonus for the first person to finish in under 24 hours would be taken.

At over 40km, the stage from Jomsom was the longest of the race and although it descended over 1,500m, there were enough little climbs to remind your legs of what you had been doing for the last week. At the start it was dispiriting to see the cyclists blast off into the distance, but I settled down into a comfortable pace and was soon running alongside Dipak and Sonam, and we jogged together for the next hour or so – I was a bit quicker than them on the flat, but they could easily out-pace me on the climbs. We were able to follow donkey tracks along the wide river bed for much of the way, avoiding some of the twists and turns of the road above us. This is reported to be the deepest valley in the world, and there were stunning views of 8,000m peaks on each side.

Much of this area is being developed and tracks for vehicles are rapidly being blasted up into the valleys. I was glad to have been able to visit this area now, as in a couple of years, you will probably be able to drive most of the way around the circuit. The sections under construction are still open to foot traffic and as I scrambled through the rubble and machinery, workers above were dislodging boulders while those below were hammering dynamite into cracks in the rock – Health and Safety is not a well understood concept here, and gave me fresh energy to get off the building site as quickly as possible!

Elle, Evie and a friend had come up to meet me. I sometimes get quite emotional during long races, and when I caught site of them across the valley, I burst into tears! It was great to see them, but poor Evie was a bit concerned to see me dirty, sweaty and bearded!

By this stage I was on my own. I had walked this route last year and knew the finish wasn’t far, so swallowed the last of my drink and upped the pace. About 2km from the finish I saw Phudorje ahead, but despite sprinting through the narrow cobbled streets of Tatopani, I couldn’t quite catch him. Back to an altitude that he was was used to and able to actually ride his bike, Matt to a stage win. Phudorje was still in the lead but only by 15 mins, while I had dropped to third, with a 28 minute cushion on the fourth placed rider. After a wash and some food I walked back up the trail to meet Elle, and we had a very relaxing afternoon in the hot springs that Tatopani is named after.

The ‘short’ final day was still a half marathon. A rocky downhill start meant that the runners could stay in touch for a couple of minutes at least, before the cyclists took off again. I was also feeling much more comfortable at these lower altitudes, and ran with Phudorje for most of the stage before edging him out at the end. By now the cyclists had been finished for some time and were relaxing in the sun when I came sprinting into the finish, where I was told I had missed out on third place by 2 minutes!!

It was a good feeling as we sat and chatted in the sun waiting for porters to bring our bags down, the snow of two days ago seeming like a different world. After packing up the bikes, it was a 4 ½ hour bus journey back to Pokhara, during which my legs started to seize up and by the time we got home, I knew I had been in a race!

That evening there was a presentation ceremony at a local hotel and I arrived just as the speeches were starting. In true Nepali style, the speeches went on for ages, and it wasn’t until the results were actually announced, that I realised that there had been a mistake in the timings, and I was promoted to 3rd! Over the last week I have been absolutely knackered and spent most of the time eating or sleeping. After a good break (and lots of chocolate) over Easter I am starting to get my energy back and thinking of going out for a run. My kit held up brilliantly over the 200+km, and the only damage physical damage I suffered was the loss of a couple of toenails.

All in all, a great event and an amazing experience. Thanks again for your support!

2008-03-12T08:38:00.003+05:45

Good morning from Manang, a beautiful village behind the annapurna mountains where the yak attack race caravan pulled in yesterday and rests today. There are incredible views of mountains looming on all sides and the trails on from here - always uphill - look daunting.

Manang is an amazing contrast of old and new - subsistence farmers doing backbreaking work to scratch a living from the dry soil versus internet cafes and bakeries that serve he 14,000 tourists that trek through here every year.

The last four days have been hard work but great fun. I was gutted to lose Ed after two days when he had to pull out with a bad knee, but otherwise all has been going well. The last words of my fitness guru Jon Key were 'go out hard and hang on'. I have managed the first part, but the second will be more difficult! The first three days over very broken trails definitely suited the runners, and I just about managed to keep in touch with the Nepalis - almost of them Sherpas. On some beautiful rolling trails, yesterday was the turn of the bikers and the next couple of days should be pretty even. Altitude is starting to have an effect - we are 3,500m here and I get quite out of breath at anything above walking pace!

That's all for now - I'll try and log in again from Jomsom in a couple of days. Thanks
for all the support!

2008-03-11T20:28:00.003+05:45

Hi
news from Manang is good. Phil is well and safe and still going strong! Apparently it was a cyclist's day today with the lead being taken by one of the mountain bikers. Phil said he came somewhere mid-field.
Tomorrow is his rest day (so I'm sure he'll find something energetic to do) before heading up to Thorung Phedi and then the snowy Thorung Pass.
Many people at work are now following his progress with interest on the Yak Attack website - ahem! in their break times of course...

The picture shows some of the Annapurna he's running around with Dhaulagiri (8167m) in the centre.

Bye for now.

2008-03-10T20:27:00.005+05:45

Hi all

well day three of Yak-Attack saw another miscommunication of actual distance. They said it was going to be 17km but it turned out to be 24km. Phil 'blew up' in the last few km but once again did a phenomenal time and again came in second - just one minute behind the leader. The race report is below.
Ed is now here with me back in Pokhara feeling a little the worse for wear but doing ok and is planning to head home soon.
Well once again - no photos of Phil in race mode so you get another Evie snap. This was her this morning in her current favourite activity of digging and wriggling her toes in the dirt... bath day came early this week!

Race report from Yak Attack website:

Day 3 Taal to Chame / 22km / 1677m to 2691m

A 1014m gain in overall altitude awaited the participants of Yak Attack on Day 3.

The trail followed the banks of the Marshangdi river as it left Taal, a route that would be virtually impossible in the wet season, and then climbed rapidly up to and past Danaqu.

Due to the rapid rise in altitude, the advantage was once again with the runners and, as on the previous days, the lead was fought out between Peregrines Phudorjee and Uk runner Philip Morris.

The latter part of the course was much more suited to biking and Kaji Sherpa and Chandra Chhetri worked hard to try and catch the elite front runners but all to no avail as Phudorjee arrived in Chame some 31 mins ahead of the closest rider. Again Philip Morris put in a great effort and stuck with Phudorjee for most of the race, but stopping to to up his water cost him valuable time and he finished exactly 1 minute later.

Yangdi Sherpa (Darrin Crosby Builders) was once again the fastest female runner finishing in 3:10:48. Nirjala Tamrakar (Fluidforce) the only female rider found the going tough during the carry sections but did well to finish in 5 hours and 1 minute.

UK rider Matt Hart (Torq) finished midway down the order. “Carrying my bike on my shoulder, past trains of donkeys loaded with bags, is not something Im used to, and needs working on!! But at least I got to ride my bike today, which is always a bonus” said the former elite rider.

Results for Day 3

1. Phudorjee Lama Sherpa( Peregrine +First Ascent) 2:22:14

2 Philip Morris 2:23:14

3 Dipak Raj Rai (HeatmaxUK) 2:30:00

2008-03-09T19:57:00.006+05:45

Hi again

it's day two of the round Annapurna race - no news yet from the Yak Attack website but I've spoken to Phil twice today which is great! When I spoke to him first thing he was saying that they were both doing well and how today should be quite easy as it's only 7 km but that it was a fair climb.
When I spoke to him this afternoon he had thrown his remaining energy drink away at 5 km thinking he wouldn't need it for the remaining 2km and then found out that the race today was actually 17 km!!
What can I say - he still came in second place just behind the man he drew with yesterday - the race is on!

Ed has been suffering with a 'welcoming' Nepali bug or two since being here and has now found the terrain too much for his knee so sadly is coming back down tomorrow. Hopefully some rest and relaxation can see him back on his feet.

The photos show the Annapurnas around which they've been running - mind blowing. (Sorry they're so small - anything bigger won't upload.)

Myself and Evie have in contrast have spent a very relaxed day trying to find something to fit around my ever expanding waistline - they don't really do maternity clothes here but fortunately the customary long top and baggy trousers seem to be able to fit round most things!

Don't really know what to say about the 6 nations results :-( Although I'm sure the Scots among you have plenty to say .... and undoubtedly Gatland is pretty vocal about the Welsh successes too.
Oh well - there's always the cricket ..........

Hopefully more news about the men as I find it out.

Bye for now - Elle & Evie