As we leave our sleeping arrangements (which change on a 5 day cycle), everyone greets you with a smile, be it the weather or  the temperament of the Goans. It is uplifting and you cannot but start your day feeling positive and enjoying the chirping of the birds especially the huge number of parakeets at the Archbishop's House. The fans go on as we set foot in our temporary,  spacious and mostly ventilated workshop with windows and french doors leading onto an inner courtyard on one side and the well tendered colourful garden on the other. The students seem to work now outside on both sides of the studio depending on the heat and sun. The humidity level is going up and so is the temperature, the not so local ones (us) are melting . Every couple of hours someone will produce goodies to cool us down (Joanna and her refreshing lassi), Milena with some pomegranate, Eveny with some toffee coated with sesame, and all this is our respite from exhausting treatments we are now undertaking. We have this week removed two previous and old face repaints which had left very little of the original, a difficult decision but satisfying as they had become dark blue with the ageing of poor oil and pigment used by the previous restorers. We believe that the consolidation of the painting that was stuck on plywood board is now completed and we will breathe a sight of relief when the painting is finally relined (massive undertaking and very challenging as the paint is so powdery). With its past history there is always an unknown element, but we feel confident this is the right approach. I do not remember when I had so many and such challenging projects all at once. Everyone is feeling the pressure but still with the most beautiful smiles.