Here I am back in Kota Kinabalu for at least four months. If I look out of my window, I can see Pink-necked Pigeons in the line of fruiting of fig trees outside. They mutter and grumble and whine like a line of school-entrapped teens.

And I am having problems with language. The accent is different, and I find myself straining to make sense of Malay that has a strong Indonesian twang to it. And then there’s culture-shock. I ordered teh O kosong yesterday (literally “tea nothing empty”) and, guess what, there was half an inch of sugar in the bottom of the glass. Guess I’ll have to learn to add “Gula tak nak!” (sugar don’t want!).

I am going to get back to Song of the Shiver Barrens today, even though my editor tells me there is no need to have it in at the end of July as she is off to UK for the whole of August. (She is going to meet my agent for the first time while there). I am expecting the copy edit for Shadow of Tyr back any minute, too.

On another front, I have embarked on a new project for the Malaysian Nature Society who are in turn working with the Ministry of Tourism on the promotion of bird tourism. Or maybe that should read birder tourism. I’m glad to have some “real” work again (huh!)- the first this year. In the meantime I am delighted to see that the last project I worked on – the push towards the gazettement of NW Langkawi as a national or state park – seems to be moving things along. Occasionally we do have small victories. Just hope it is not too late…

So a busy few months coming up.