As near improbable as it seemed because of all the incognitos that life brings, we have made it back to sunny exciting joyful Goa. Our aim last year was achieved after an incredible commitment from all the students who had to jump through hoops leaving their full time jobs temporarily to be there every day and concentrating twenty four hours a day. After we had left last year, in March 2016 the students were asked to surface clean the rest of the collection of portraits of the archbishops at the Archbishop’s Palace. Entrusting this work to the students who had finished their first year of studies was a leap of faith by Father Loiola, but also a testament to the quality of work that he had already seen them produce. The task was executed to a very high standard. The paintings are in a desperate state and we very rarely come across such problems all at once. Through Skype and WhatsApp we have been able to communicate regularly between Goa and London, and were able to discuss the progress and particular challenges that they came across. It was wonderful today to hear the students talk about what they had done and why they had approached the treatments in certain ways. What was clear looking at the finished work was that they had learned and understood so much, but most of all when to stop. Elizabeth, Sebastian, Christopher and I landed yesterday not knowing for sure how many would be there ready to continue with the programme. To our great joy, everybody was there except Wynzel who is in London and Caetano who has family commitments today. Father Loiola had rightly expressed in an email that it was like a family reunion, and indeed today it was like that, catching up on news and rekindling old friendships. Half way through the day Ana Eliza (Manu) arrived hot foot from Moscow (she has been living in Crimea, Belarus and Moscow since we last saw her). Her arrival prompted whoops of joy and huge hugs all round! While we were away the students had organised the disinfestation of a statue and started the cleaning of St. Joseph and Mary with baby Jesus. As expected one of the statues has been very heavily repainted in oil colour. We are definitely back here working as a great team solving problems, and together as well as helping one another. After the first day of school we leave exhausted, still jet lagged, and armed with a bucket and cleaning products we go back to the flat that will be our home for the next 7 weeks.