8 months on - Progress report

Having visited 8 months on, the renovation is almost complete. So without further ado, here are some 'before and after' shots to bring you all up to speed with what has happened since my original visit.

The change is quite astonishing when you stand back and look. Before (on the left) the water tank was quite an eyesore and took up a lot of the space in the quadrangle. Now that it is gone, it looks a lot more spacious and it's just good to see it all painted up.

It took lots of string, a plumb line, a right angle and long-forgotten schoolboy geometry to

get these supports positioned correctly. But on the after photo (right) you can see... they work!

Once again, we have opened up the space where, previously, the Warden's area was separated off the by a wall and small garden (left). Now everything flows together and there is much more of a 'family' feel.

There will be another update post coming shortly, but for now I hope you can be pleased along with me at just what a transformation has occurred. There are still a lot of little jobs to finish and solve but we will get there in the end.

Trains, Cars & Bullock Carts

I have had some technical hitches getting this blog up. Its not easy when you have frequent power cuts and infrequent internet access!

Helen has visited. She spent some time seeing some of the work going on at Diptipur and met some of the people involved. Whilst she was here we also did some travelling! So here are some pictures showing more of the average travelling experience.

A Progress Update (Part 2)

The Toilet Block

The second stage of the renovation is the construction of a new toilet block. This began with the digging of 6 foundation holes for the pillars which will hold a concrete roof. The holes were 4 feet x 4 feet x 4 feet, it took two men two days to complete this task (sounds like the answer to a Maths question!). Quite amazing!