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The Blog will continue again but is now under new editorial management……………

Since we left tashi Delek in Bundaberg in November we have been in UK where we rented a penthouse apartment in the centre of Chester as an initial  base for Carol to use while working for Nuffield Hospitals.  Cleaned up after seven years afloat she was presented to the organisation and the medical community through the nursing press online as;  The new Chief Nurse for Nuffield Hospitals.

The first three months have been very busy for her travelling around the country to attend induction briefings, board meetings and getting to see some of the 32 hospitals for which she is responsible.  Luckily Mike was able to act as chauffeur and bag carrier so we were able to spend the time together. 

In March we were able to take a break to attend the celebrations in Kathmandu and Dharan for the 200 year anniversary of Gurkha service.  It began with a huge gathering of British, Indian and Nepalese serving and ex-servicemen and families on the Nepal Army Officers Club grounds, followed by an excellent lunch run with amazing efficiency and speed in their Officers Mess.

The main event of the day was to be a Tattoo provided by combined Gurkha bands form the British, Indian and Nepalese Army.  Unfortunately as the opening speeches got underway so did the rain and within minutes we were in the eye of the storm with thunder, lightning and finally hail driving into the stands.  The Tattoo was cancelled, a huge pity as the bands had been practicing together for three weeks to produce what was to be a spectacular display of unity and pride from three armies who share a special history together.

The main event for us was a trip to Dharan in east Nepal for our own regiments gathering or Durbar.  7^th Gurkha Rifles traditionally recruited only from the east so it was right that we should gather in the old British Gurkha Depot in Dharan.  Despite now being a Nepalese teaching hospital run by India they made us very welcome and our organising committee did an amazing job gathering, feeding and providing enough beer for 2600 7GR ex-servicemen, widows and their families

Following a few days seeing friends in Kathmandu Mike is off to see Will, Annie, Josh, Dan and Isla in Singapore for a couple of days then finally back to Bundaberg to begin work on preparing Tashi Delek to go back in to the water.  While for Carol it is back to Nuffield Hospitals until she joins Tashi Delek in the Whitsunday Islands in June.