News
![RETURN VISIT TO THE UK!]()
08 Jun, 2025RETURN VISIT TO THE UK!
After much planning and anticipation, I spent a wonderful 8 weeks--from mid April to early June--in the UK. It was my first time back in my homeland for almost 12 years and people had warned me that that I might be disenchanted by the many changes that had taken place in the interim. On the contrary, I loved every moment I spent there, revelling in all that remained unchanged. My favourite haunts were much as they had been in the past and friends were as welcoming and generous with their time and hospitality as ever. Although I am a Mancunian born and bred, I spent very little time in the city itself and visited many other places that held memories for me--York, Lancaster, the Isle of Man, Buxton and the Peak District; new destinations like Edinburgh and Oxford; while others, like London, simply could not be omitted from my itinerary. I had looked upon this as probably my final visit to the UK--but now I am not so sure about that. There was something so soothing and yet energising about being being back there, whether among friends or wandering on my own. I fell in love alll over again with the British countryside in Spring. I rejoiced in the fellowship of friends, with whom I share so many memories. And yes, there was an indefinable joy in my heart, the feeling of being in my 'home of homes'.
![NEPAL PEACE WALK & FESTIVAL BOARD MEMBER]()
24 Mar, 2025NEPAL PEACE WALK & FESTIVAL BOARD MEMBER
In September 2024, I took part in the Nepal Peace Walk, proudly carrying a lamp of peace as, over the course of three blisteringly hot days, I made my way alongside all the other participants on foot and by bus from one holy site--Swayambunath--to another--Namo Buddha. It was an unforgettable experience and, in spite of the inevitable glitches, I had nothing but praise for the organisers. It was therefore an honour to be asked if I would be a board member for the 2025 event: of course I accepted! It has been decided to divide this year's event into 2 sections: a celebration to mark World Peace Day itself, 21 September, in the historic city of Patan; and the 3-day Peace Walk, with a concurrent Peace Festival, in early November, when the temperatures will have dropped and the Monsoon season well and truly gone. Looking forward immensely to both components!
![VOLUNTEERING AGAIN!]()
10 Mar, 2025VOLUNTEERING AGAIN!
After a gap which spanned from Autumn 2023 over to the New Year 2025 and a locational transition from Kagbeni in Upper Mustang to Dulegauda in Shuklagandaki, about an hour's drive east of Pokhara, I was finally back teaching at the Mustang Buddhist College again. I had missed doing so in the previous year as there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding the college's move from its temporary location in a Kagbeni hotel to 'somewhere else' while its permanent premises had finally started to be built. That 'somewhere else' turned out to be in the so-called Mustang Camp, Dulegauda, a very low-lying and hot region alongside the Seti River. Only during a few months in Winter did the temperature drop and so it was finally agreed that I should volunteer there for about a month, from early February to early March. In spite of the new surroundings which were neither as attractive nor as amenable as Kagbeni, it was wonderful to be back with the student monks again, with lots of familiar faces and a new in-take as well. It was a bonus that Lhosar, or Tibetan New Year, fell during my time there, allowing me to witness and participate in various rituals and ceremonies.
![KONNICHIWA, JAPAN!]()
30 Nov, 2024KONNICHIWA, JAPAN!
It is always a joy for me to return to Kagoshima, Japan, where I lived and taught for eleven happy years (1989 - 2000). Seldom visited by tourists, Kagoshima Prefecture is located in the far south of Kyushu, the most southerly of Japan's four main islands, with Kanoya, the small town in which I used to live, being situated in the prefecture's Osumi Peninsula. Here, far away from the hustle and bustle of mega cities like Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka, one can experience the 'real Japan', traditional and yet modern, in the shadow of one of the country's most active volcanoes, Sakurajima. It was my first time to return to Japan in Autumn for many, many years, having favoured Spring, the time for cherry blossom, for my three or four previous visits. As always, I was welcomed with open arms, as a sister by my dearest friends and as an erstwhile teacher by my former students, and my days past in an indulgent mix of eating Japanese cuisine, drinking coffee and, of course, green tea, talking and, yes, visiting many of my favourite places in the region. The only disappointment was the weather, with temperatures remaining unseasonably high for November throughout my stay. One friend, my beloved Aunty Masako, was sadly no longer there, having passed away just a few months previously. Perhaps it was this loss, combined with the seasonal yellowing and falling of the leaves, that made me resolute to return within eighteen months or so. Nothing lasts for ever, so best to seize the moment and have no regrets!
![Nepal_Day_Manchester]()
26 Jun, 2024NEPAL DAY IN MANCHESTER
Louisa is happy and proud that some of her images will be included in the audio visual displays that will accopany the Nepal Day event to be held in in the South Asia Gallery of the Manchester Museum, part of the University of Manchester complex. Of course, being a native of Manchester and an alumni of the university made her all the more determined to participate. She was provided with details of the expo very much at the last minute and had only 24 hours to select the 15 photos and arrange them as a PowerPoint as requested. She succeeded, and the organisers were happy with her work, so that made it worthwhile! The event will be held from 11am to 4pm, Saturday, 24 July; it is family-friendly; admission is free; and it will include cultural performances, displays of artefacts, and open-mic sessions. Do spread the word if you have friends in the Manchester area who might be interested in attending!
