But yesterday when I headed off to Bishkek it was cold and miserable so I am really glad that it better for me and the tourists today. On Friday night my computer completely died so that and continuing problems with my new glasses meant definitely a trip to Bishkek and time to meet up with my old colleague to try and really fix our friendship in the process. I needed him a) to explain the problem with the glasses, they are great for distance viewing but not for on the computer and b) to suggest how I might fix the power problems with the computer. Luckily the English speaking Turk who runs the opticians was there and he explained I need to give the glasses 10 days to settle. So I have in priniple agreed to try and do that, but immediately returned to my old glasses to use the computer as the new ones are just so out of focus, and I got my old glasses reframed. So all that was sort of settled but in the end not resolved. Then off to Zum which are lots of little shops within one big sort of department store. My former colleague had quite rightly said that a good shop could test my power source to work out the problem and very quickly he found somewhere that did the business found me a new battery and hey presto weeks of struggling on with a cable that works sometimes stops sometimes all sorted within minutes and for a very good price. So after that we had to go to Beta Stores and have a nice Turkish meal. I am definitely enjoying being here again.
After which we parted and visited the latest art exhibition of work from Talas and Shabdan. I find it absolutely fascinating watching how these pictures are progressing several artists sometimes capturing each other in the shot interrpreting all angles of the landscape around them at different times of the year. Some seem too bucolic some look like they were painted 200 years ago, some are just absolutely the Shabdan I know and sometimes love.
Friday was Subodnik at school - more tidying up so with this in mind I rescued as much wood as I could and put it in the ditches where the apples have been planted and I gave the head strict instructions to ensure that all the children gave any wood they found to me. What I had not anticipated when I turned up nice and early - 9.15 - was that half a dozen of them would be in a truck and the other half a dozen kids would be passing up to them the remaining leaves with all the precious top soil to dump somewhere, while the staff were spreading the new earth that they had paid good money for ready for the spring planting. NOOOOOO I shouted as I saw another bag head for the trunk, NOOOOO I shouted as a wheelbarrow full headed in the same direction, so I grabbed it and to the horror of all, who had already looked horrified as I had arrived Lynch like with a wodge of sticks in my arms, I headed across the field to dump this best earth and leaves over my wood. Several kids joined me, and when we returned I insisted that they leave the wheelbarrow where it was ready for me to continue when after my lesson. Another teacher insisted that they bring it to her who I knew was going to fill it and dump its contents, NNOOOO I shouted, but I had to teach so she won and several loads of precious earth were put in truck whilst I taught. So when I came out I hoicked myself up into the trunk and chucked out the little dead pine trees and started filling bags with earth and leaves to take out of the truck. I then jumped down and wrestled another wheelbarrow load heading in the direction of the truck, from my colleague who in defeat wheeled it over to my sticks of wood. Fantastic covering for them. During lunch we had some visitors from the Ashu so that was a very nice distraction. Several Vietnamese taking lots of pictures. Vietnam is now a very developed country as far as I can see from the people who I know have visited which at one point I could not imagine after the destruction and economic policy post the war. Who knows in years to come our children will be tourists taking pictures of the children they find around the developing world.
After their departure I ran back to my desk found the stuff I had printed out about carrying for apple trees and read out the relevant bits to my head and after that the children were only allowed to pick up the stones. I have realised with all this digging that not one worm was to be found in any of the earth, not in the ditches or in the soil the children had removed. So that is my next mission to find some worms. Who knew teaching English could be so physical, to think I gave up my garden as I did not think I could manage it any more! Luckily no sooner than all the work for the day was finished than the wind whipped up and the rains came to green this valley.
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