In many ways it was such an everyday scene.  An end-of-the-day evening routine. Both the farmers and the cows knew the ropes and within minutes their journey from the fields to the barn was over.  But I happened to be standing there with my camera, and happily snapped away for a few minutes enjoying just how idyllic it seemed.

The farmer led his cows down off the path and across a small muddy stream. The cows knew where they were going.

His wife followed behind. Her cow’s red tika matching her dress. Unbelievably a seagull swooped down and arrived in my shot with perfect timing. (Seagull? In Nepal? Well, maybe not, but do you know what it is?)

Ooo…look at that face!

Home was a traditional mud brick home in Sankhu. The animal entrance is on the left.

The big guy goes in, heading for bed….

…And a few minutes later, along comes the next family carrying their day’s work in the field on their backs

Of course, their life is less than idyllic. My host showed me around his mud house and the upstairs bedroom with only a straw mat and a badly caving roof. There is no bathroom or kitchen, and the downstairs space is used for storage and animals. In fact my mind flashed back to just a few week ago in Devon, staying in a home that was originally designed to house humans and animals together. Life in Devon and Nepal seemed oddly connected.