A literary festival sounds grand, I'm sorry to miss it. Will there be any services offered to the illiterate? I must profess to never being fond of reading for pleasure, but the ability to read is one I feel ought to be granted to all. Perhaps some sort of free introductory class? You would have to find someone to run it, of course, but surely you must know someone. Your sister, perhaps? I never did ask how she felt about children now that I'm thinking of it...

We've thus far avoided the worst of what Mr. Petrie described, albeit narrowly at times. It helps to have a trained cursebreaker nearby, and in our case we have two! Maybe the Egyptian Ministry finally saw the dangers of our work and insisted upon the extra staff. Whatever the case may be, I'm relieved not to be alone all the same, as I was forced to dismantle a curse on my own in Venezuela on more than one occasion.

Greece isn't terribly far at all! If I have proper warning I might be able to arrange for a day off to visit with you there. Have you been to Greece before? The temples are marvelous, as are some of the views at sunset.

I'm settled in well enough now. The dry heat took some getting used to, and I daresay I'm far tanner now than the righteous English sort would find acceptable. We're making progress in finding the base of the tombs, though, so I really oughtn't complain. Arabic is far more complex than I previously believed, too. They've taught me some phrases, but all texts I must use a translation charm on. I miss the ease of Spanish.

I hope you're well. Do let me know if there are any texts you're in need of here. I'd be happy to send them along.