We were in bed around midnight, so that a 4:30 am start meant we did not have much sleep! We loaded the car with all the equipment needed for Rachol and headed off in the dark. Luckily at that hour there is not too much on the road, as the locals don’t seem to like the idea of dipping their headlamps, so it is very difficult to see the road verge. Nevertheless we made it to Rachol pretty much on time (the Rector had asked us to be there by 6:00). The team tasked with bringing down the painting arrived after 7:00, and there was much shouting and voicing of opinions in Konkani (the local Goan language) as to which was the best way to deal with the problem Two bamboo ladders were set up either side of the painting, and hemp ropes fed through the rings at the top of the paintings and fed over the hooks that had kept it on the wall. Very gently, and with hearts in mouths, the painting was lowered down – it is a considerable weight, and the men on the ropes were shaking with the strain. By 8:30 the painting was out of the frame, and we were able to see the real state of it – which looked worse close up than it had on the wall. Where the canvas had sagged there are patches of bloom, and the large tear has been stitched with the same stitch that the locals use to patch their fishing boats! There is a lot to do, but for today after an excellent breakfast with the teaching staff of the seminary in their senior common room we returned to Panjim to see what progress was being made in the Archbishop’s House.   King Sebastian descendsAll being well and good progress taking place on the gilding of the frames and on the cleaning of the statues, we left them to it and headed off to have a very late lunch at Coconut Creek and prepare for the arrival of Piero and family the following day. There we were joined there by Joanna and her husband William, and had an excellent evening meal on the beach.