The view from our window....

Instead of starting with Paul's mouse statistics I thought I'd begin with a photo of Paul holding the closest thing you'd find to a mouse trap in Bhutan. It's a sticky pad that the mouse gets stuck on, enabling you to resettle the mouse outside. We found it in a supermarket in the capital.

The view from our living room window is of a road leading to a monastery up on the hill behind our place. As we sit eating breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea, there is always someone walking up the hill. They usually have a look in while we look out and give them a wave. 

Sometimes it's like living in a fish bowl, when the younger students choose to stand on the hill's great vantage point and call out Sir, Madam, Thomas, Amelie, Lois, repeatedly until someone goes out onto the balcony!

We see some wonderful sights such as a boy in Paul's class running down the hill the other day with his friend, leading a pack of horses. They were taking them to a village up another hill 30 minutes walk away. It's amazing to think these boys are only eight years old with such a responsibility. A sight that sticks in my mind is little Pema Choki from Class 2 leading her goat up the hill in her high heels. This is the same little girl we often see walking around with her little baby sister strapped to her back. The baby is half the size of Pema Choki but she will walk around with her for hours, looking after her with such care.

A friendly wave

These little monks stopped for a drink

There was much fun to be had between these little monks and our kids

Some monks walking along the road at the front of our place. This is the main road across the country!

The workers (mainly women), carrying rocks to pave the driveway in front of our place

The kids have fun with the prehistoric trolley for carting rocks and the smasher

Take me for a ride!

The cutest little monk off to visit his Grandma.