20 July
Sonid - no special occassion - but am a bit out of contact this week.
The weather is generally hot - in the 30's with some short sharp electrial storms passing through with heavy rain showers, that remind me of other times in the arctic. After all it is the wet season up here and every drop seems to make the steppes greener by the day - the sheep herders will be loving it. Say these are weird fat tailed sheeps and i will catch you one one day.

Work has become a routine with not much scope for variation - i am itching to walk about with my nikon and the day will come - i have been testing the waters by walking after dinner at dusk and see new insights every time. Passing people on the streets gives them a huge source of amusement but no agro, and everyone is polite and i feel quite relaxed about it all. I will figure this town out soon - there are reported to be about 200,000 in the district but this includes the "old" town 10km away although this is quite small - there is evidence of new building construction on every street - of course it has to be maximised during the summer as i imagine it all just closes down in the winter. It is just a slight worry as to what all the new facilities are for.

Photo right residential housing. Photo left the supermarket.

Nothing that stands out except the red brick sameness. Except everyone looks happy - and caring with all the one-family kids together as if they are all one big happy family - but then they are - they have no choice and amazingly they are accepting of it.

hey i am going to miss another big sport weekend

take it easy out there on the other side
al