FarmerHouseNepal.com

Autumn Fundraising and Various Trips to Farmer House

2011-10-18T13:56:00.010+01:00

Your support and donations are gratefully received!!

Michelle's daughter Lucy, and Dave are partcipating in a couple of half marathons with the aim of raising a bit of money for Farmer House.

Lucy (#7233, on the left of the picture) has just completed the Royal Parks Half Marathon, which took place on Sunday 9th October, in a very respectable time, and raisied more than a hundred quid for the cause to boot. Great stuff!

On Sunday 13th November, Dave is due to run the Grand Union Canal Half Marathon, from Uxbridge to Watford. To sponsor Dave using your PayPal account, you can use the Donate button on the right of the page.

The fundraising is timed to coincide with trips to Farmer House by Michelle, Mandy and Dave during October, November and December. And any money raised will be used to pay school fees, to buy books and school uniforms, and to pay for some of the other necessities that we take for granted (dentists, medicine, cycle repairs, etc.).

Michelle has just arrived in Pokhara with a party of school teachers from Malaysia on their first trip to Nepal, and she plans to stay at Farmer House for two months or so. Dave and Mandy will be meeting up with her in Pokhara at the end of November, and will be staying in Nepal for just a couple of weeks.

Michelle's Farmer House Update - December 2010

2011-02-05T17:53:00.007Z

Farmer House Newsletter - December 2010

It was lovely to reconnect with the children, the house and Nepal after a 2 year break due to my illness. Nothing really seemed to have changed and I felt right at home again straight away.

Of course there was the inevitable round of cleaning, fixing and replacing which I have come to expect, but on the whole it was a pleasant surprise. The children (or young people!) were still as lovely and I very much enjoyed my two weeks with them.

I did my usual shopping for saleable items to take back to Malaysia and this time I also learned to make jewellery myself, and bought the tools and beads etc. to bring back with me. I have been busy making necklaces, bracelets and earrings and have also found a source of semi-precious stones and crystals here in KL which will keep me going until I return next summer. I have two Christmas sales coming up in the next couple of weeks, and the proceeds will continue to supplement the sponsorship money. It seems that the prices in Nepal might be catching up a bit with the rest of the world.

Well, that’s about all for now, except to thank Dave and Mandy for updating the website and waiting so long for me to do my bit towards it.

Wishing all friends and sponsors a very Happy and Peaceful 2011.

Much love,

Michelle

The FarmerHouseNepal.com website has moved!

2010-08-10T09:26:00.005+01:00

Many thanks for your patience during the last couple of months, whilst the site has been updated.

(Please note that we are still in the process of updating the childrens' individual pages, and also transferring the news archive from the old site.)

The main reason for moving was (of course) cost! It is now hosted on a free blogging site (www.blogger.com), and, with a bit of technical wizardry, the blog can be made to look like a conventional website. I have tried to retain the look-and-feel of the old site, but you will notice a few differences.

The main improvement (with the exception of cost) is that the blogging platform gives you the ability to leave your own messages. For those of you who are not familiar with blogging, by clicking on the title of the news article (or "post"), you will see the "POST A COMMENT" box, in which you can leave your own messages.

Please feel free to contact me at drdavidtaylor@yahoo.co.uk if you have any questions or comments about the new site. Web sites can sometimes display differently on different web browsers (I tend to use Internet Explorer), and I would be grateful if you could let me know if you have problems viewing it, and on what browser.

All the best,Dave.

Spring is Sprung at Farmer House!

2009-05-01T13:11:00.014+01:00

Farmer House Newsletter April 2009

Dear Friends and sponsors,

Firstly my sincere apologies for not having written or updated the website sooner.

As you know, I was in Pokhara for three weeks last summer and did my usual paying of fees, buying of clothes, cutting of hair and jobs on the house, and buying of jewellery for my fundraising. I was amazed to see when I arrived, that Farmer House appeared to be a lot bigger than it was the previous Christmas and I felt distinctly disorientated as no one had forewarned me. Apparently, a visitor who had stayed at the house for several months helping Laxman with the horses had raised money back in his country, Italy, sufficient for Laxman to add on 2 extra guestrooms!

Once I recovered from the shock I realized what a great gesture it had been and what a wonderful addition to the Farm providing them with extra means of income through renting out the rooms. My only disappointment was that Laxman had installed exactly the same showers which have never properly worked in any of the other rooms! Oh well, I guess we can live with that!

The place was looking great when I left it and I trust it is still now a year later. I did not go to Nepal this Christmas, (the first time in 6 years) partly because I was not feeling on top form, but mainly because my 2 daughters and new grandson, Leo wanted to spend Christmas in Malaysia with me. This was the first time I have spent Christmas with both my daughters in well over 10 years so it was a big deal. We might have all met in Nepal but felt that Leo was too young (only 5 months) I found it very difficult to break the news to the Farmer House children, and although they were disappointed, they were very understanding. I sent money for a Christmas party and a parcel of goodies, but of course it’s not the same...

I'm happy to say that two friends from my school recently visited the house during the last school break and reported that all the kids seemed well and happy and as delightful as ever. They sent photos and letters back for me which were also reassuring. They have all now just finished the
school year and have a month’s holiday. Apparently, for the first time all passed everything and Anju and Ranjit both in the first division!! Ranjit has finally got serious apparently and I am delighted! Ranjana has been boarding at the Fewa School and recently finished her SLC exams. She
now has to wait until June for the results but is confident she has done well. Anjana is finishing her first year of university, reading humanities and business I believe, in Pokhara. The latest news is that she has a serious boyfriend and is staying with his family in town, returning to the farm from time to time. She is 21 so I suppose it is to be expected. Sadly they talk about the couple as being "married". It is a shame as it puts such a stigma on what should be a healthy first love/relationship should it not work out (as we all know it’s quite a rare occurrence when it does, especially at that age!). Fortunately the boy is also studying and Anjana is looking forward to introducing him to me in summer (God willing). I say that as I have been struggling with health problems in the lower pelvis since before Christmas. I’ve been in hospital several times for tests and am currently there now having just had a PET scan. In some ways I am relieved that no major problem has been found, but on the other hand, I would like to know what is causing this problem, or at least how I can relieve the pain which keeps me awake and is even stopping me working. I just hope and pray that something will be found soon or the darn thing will just disappear as mysteriously as it came!

Anyway, enough of me and back to the kids. The time has come for me to pay the end of year fees for the kids who are now on a one month’s holiday before they start the next grade. I will also need to kit them out in new uniforms and buy new school books and supplies, so I would be grateful if you could transfer the usual sponsorship money in the near future. Although the fees have increased, with the exchange rates, the 400 US $ should still cover the necessities. I enclose the bank details for either
my German account or Malaysian account.

	Michelle Bliss Taunussparkasse Camp King, Oberursel, GERMANY Account number: DE 94 51250000 0010435064 Swift code: HELADEF1TSK
	Michelle Bliss Alliance Bank, Unit A-OG-02, Block A Plaza Mont KIara, No.2,Jalan Kiara, Mont Kiara, 50480 Kuala Lumpur(12-14194), MALAYSIA Account no. 14194-0-02-004051-0 SWIFT code: MFBBMYKL

On a final positive note, Kim, the girlfriend of Roderik who has been helping with Anusha’s sponsorship is coming to Farmer House for the month of June and Roderik will join her for a week at the end of her stay. I’m delighted they will get to meet the children and enjoy the "Farmer House Experience"!! I hope I will be finally able to meet them both.

As always, I thank you all for your continued interest and sponsorship and wish you all the very best. My special thanks to Dave and Mandy who keep the website going and hold the fort when the going gets tough!

Michelle

Mandy, Moya & Dave's visit to Farmer House

2008-06-30T16:53:00.011+01:00

Apologies for the delay in posting some photos from our trip last year. We spent a total of two-and-a-half weeks in Nepal; two weeks at Farmer House. We did the usual mix of chilling out, paying school fees, hanging out in Lakeside and horse trekking up to Sarangkot. Moya and Dave did a short trek (4 days) up to Poon Hill and back via Gandruk, guided by Lila and Ranjit. I think they had more fun than we did! In the mountains the rhododendrons were in full bloom - beautiful. Meanwhile, Mandy manned the fort back at Farmer House.

To round of the holiday, we took a two-day rafting trip down the Seti River, between Pokhara and Kathmandu - a brilliant trip, and highly recommended.

A little overdue, but here are the photos at last!

+ Click thumbnail images to enlarge +

Farmer House Newsletter Christmas and New Year 2007/8

2008-02-05T13:49:00.000Z

Dear friends and sponsors,

A Belated Happy New Year to all of you!

I returned to KL after the New Year, having spent two and a half action-packed weeks in Nepal for my usual Christmas visit. Several friends and my daughter Charlotte also spent the festive season at Farmer House which was great, but the time went by way too quickly, as I endeavored to pay school fees, buy multiple pairs of school shoes, wrap up presents, fix the jeep, buy jewellery and wall hangings to sell, visit old friends in Pokhara, generally act as tour guide AND spend quality time with the kids. My summer visit is always longer and calmer.

However it was a successful trip and I was happy to find the family all doing well, and the house miraculously still standing after the close miss with the landslide in Sedi Bagar last October when many houses were either destroyed or badly damaged, and four people were killed. We were veryfortunate indeed I realised as I surveyed the rubble and mud so very close to the house…

The political situation in Nepal is relatively stable at the moment and a democratic election is even on the cards in the near future. Consequently the tourists are returning in numbers and the high season last year was a very good one for those in the tourism business, including Laxman whose horses are bringing in a steady income which supports the family.

It was very encouraging to see the children still in school and doing well, and Laxman fully occupied and motivated to build up his business. Optimism was in the air in Pokhara, unlike the many times I have visited before.

Anjana is in her final year at the Pashimanchal College and is doing very well. She would like to pursue a career in hotel management when she finishes.

Ranjana is finishing year 9 at the Fewa English Boarding School. Next year is exam year and she will have to stay in the school hostel, as Anjana did for her final year. This will mean additional sponsorship will need to be found for her apart from her one current sponsor as it will be considerably more expensive.

Ranjit is not doing as well as the others at the moment, as it seems adolesence has now hit, and he is neglecting his studies, prefering to spend more time with his friends and social life. It is disappointing but maybe just a normal part of growing up and hopefully will pass very quickly and he will remember how lucky he is to have such opportunities. His father asked if he could go into the hostel temporarily in order to impose some discipline and get him back on track, so he is now in theHimanchal hostel along with Lila who is about to take his final year 10 exams.

Lila is doing very well and has made great progress since he moved into the hostel. His relationship with the family has also improved considerably and he looks forward to returning at weekends andduring the holidays to help on the farm.

The younger children, Anju, Manju, Prakash and Anusha are doing very well and it is noticeable how much the visit to Malaysia helped improve their English (the older three).

The animals are thriving too: there are currently nine horses/ponies, a cow, several goats, chickens, two dogs and a cat.

With the tourist influx, there is the opportunity now to rent out one of the rooms on a regular basis which would be a good extra source of income for the family. However, the accommodation really needs upgrading to attract the average tourist. I am hoping with my jewellery sales I might eventually be able to improve the bathrooms and perhaps reroof the main building, so that there are no leaks, no holes for mice to enter and it’s warmer in the cold season.

Well that’s about all the news for now. I thank you all for your interest and support. The children are lovely and still appreciative (in spite of the teenage years!) and it’s a pleasure so see them growing up with education, security and hope for the future.

I thank you all for making this possible.

Michelle

5th February 2008