We seemed to be hitting quite a few hurdles today. Joanna and Anna are not in top form thanks to a tummy bug, but as true Brits they come and start work before the others. It’s the last day for Sheila  – she has been incredibly efficient, precise and reliable with the difficult treatments, but

It’s Monday morning and we are half way through our programme, and yet there is still so far to go. We arrive early at the Palace and I sneak into the garden to look at the birds that are happily eating the Archbishop’s papaya. One red whiskered bulbul, a white-cheeked barbet and a few others

Early this morning we had a wonderful Mass for Juliet Burnand, one of Christopher’s sisters, who died peacefully in her sleep on Friday morning. The Mass was celebrated by the Rector, the Very Reverend Aleixo Menezes and all the seminarians were in attendance in the Seminary Church. It was very moving to have so many

I am trying desperately to impress Sebastian (Elizabeth’s husband rather than the King in the painting) with my bird watching skills. On our way to Rachol Seminary, I beg C. to stop mainly on very busy roads, to admire my latest ‘I don’t know what it is but it looks amazing’. With that C. would

We have reached the end of the week again, time just seems to fly; we reflect back on the week with mixed feelings. Happy and relieved for what we have achieved as a group, with one portrait relined, one portrait strip lined, two portraits patched, and three portraits have had their varnish partially removed together

We are all back in Panjim. Piero and his wife and business partner Cristina, who is also a restorer, came to see what we are doing and was very impressed with the work done by all. He saw at first hand, first in Rachol and then in the Archbishop’s Palace, the difficulties we are facing

Joanna is today in charge of the group in the Archbishop’s Palace. They are going to be very busy between the core unit (painting a still life with cool and then warm colours) and continuing the removal of the PVA used as binder by previous restorers in the relining of 2 portraits. I am so

Coming back to Panjim, it felt as if we had left town not just for a week but for a month. The work achieved by all the volunteers, the Fathers and seminarians last week was nothing short of a miracle; it was all done in such harmony that we all left energized with an inner

When I wrote to Caterina in November last year, enquiring about what she was up to, little did I know that it would lead to a tropical adventure in the South Indies on the ‘Restorers without Frontiers’ conservation project. Her reply came promptly with “Can you come to Goa?” What could I do other than

We expect up to 14 volunteers today to help to iron the painting and prepare to put it back on the temporary metal stretcher, which has already inflicted do bites on numerous victims!. Piero, Elizabeth, Caecilie and I meet up for breakfast in the Father’s refectory looking bleary eyed. I don’t think anyone is really