Peacocks

Two collages today. The thumbnail is the tea stall man making my 'parcel tea' on the way back from school. As I described yesterday it comes in a small poly bag fastened with a rubber band.
The picture before shows the terrace by my room. You can see that the weather has broken. Unusually for this time of year it's raining and will continue to do so off and on until Monday when I fly out. I leave here on Friday to go back by car to Kovalam and was looking forward to relaxing by the pool and wandering through some of the shops. It's easier to cope with rain there than here though and not likely to be constant rain. There are likely to be thunderstorms too - Joy!
The next picture is of the senior young women's vocational class. They are all over 21 and some other 30. They spend their days mainly doing handicraft work. It's not a great way to spend their lives, but few have families and they seem to enjoy being together. They are very supportive of each other and take great pride showing me what they've been doing. A couple of the girls have been there since 2007 and know and remember me well. The rest recognise me, but these two are always pleased to see me and call me Sally Auntie! The fourth picture really belongs with the extra. You can't have too many peacock images!
I finally made it to see the Bishop today, you can see him in his office. He kindly invited me to visit before his day started and welcomed me in like a friend. I've known him since 2007 when he was an ordinary parish priest and have seen him most years I've been here, in his various churches. He had just been consecrated last time I was here. The peacocks all live in the grounds of the Bishops compound. You are not allowed to keep them as pets as they are national birds and as such protected. However you can encourage them and provide a safe environment. The male with the long tail (none were displaying) was enormous, his tail was over 6 feet long. The blur was my attempt at capturing one as it took off. They are so big! They should not be able to fly!