Back In The Saddle

I've had a long break from the blog and my apologies. I decided to take my annual visit to my children in the US early this year in order to be back in Egypt before the elections and the verdict on Mubarak. I was concerned that if there was going to be problems here and I would be in the US, my staff would have a hard time. So I traveled in May rather than June and arrived back the day before the first round of elections. They  were a huge surprise to everyone, so being totally jetlagged actually made it a bit easier to  absorb. Then came the verdict on Mubarak which wasn't completely unexpected since no one had any illusions that it was a real trial. For three nights now, Tahrir has had people protesting in it. The elections abroad are currently taking place and the initial estimates show that the turnout is much higher than expected based on the first round figures. The elections in Egypt will be on the 16th. Everything is unsure, the population is very divided on who to vote for...especially since neither of the two choices is wildly popular. I make sure that I go out every day for a ride in the countryside to remind myself of the certainties of life, of planting, weeding, harvesting. Everyone needs to touch ground every so often to remain connected to the realities of life.