Dear Analis,

The wonders of Autumn have arrived.  I assume that is what it is called on New London for lack of a new designation.  I apologize for the long gap between correspondence  but I became ill after exposure to the prolonged storm and have just recovered enough for cognizant thought to be possible.  The village physician assured me that it is a common occurrence for newcomers to become ill after first exposure to the rainy season here. The lungs must adjust to the new microbes present in the soil of this region and they only become airborne when the humidity rises above the fifty percent level. They are not deadly for the most part but I have spent a very agonizing three weeks switching between high fever and delirium,  to a strength sapping cough and lung infection.  It is similar to the adjustment all young children experience when first exposed to the wonders of school and all the new viral and bacterial carrying occupants they meet there. Addison himself was not subject to this experience but several of his imported crew were so he knew exactly what was happening to me and contacted the doctor at once. I now have been given a clean bill of health and can resume my normal activities.  I wish I had been forewarned about the possibility of this exposure but since it is not usually as severe as was my case nobody deemed it necessary. Understandably my work has suffered and my workshop has stood dark and unoccupied for the duration of my illness.  I also have lost part of the window for my mountain excursion and will have to limit my plan to one trip to study and gather the afore mentioned materials.  All I can do now is pick up where I left off and see what damage has been done to the project timeline. I will have to restart the delicate sustainability tests as I was in no state to continue with the required process when the unit completed its run two weeks ago. The numbers were contaminated by the materials prolonged time spent in the test units and all will need to be recalibrated and returned to basic settings before I can begin anew. I could try and save the initial test run but I fear this will only add more delay if the data proves false. I made the decision to cut the time loses and start with fresh samples.  It seems a terrible waste of time but there is no room for error this early in the process.

The heavy rains lasted for six days and have transformed the land around the studio into a tropical jungle.  After the water had receded, plant seeds long dormant in the soil sprang to life and seemed to grow meters overnight, The ground is now covered in thick yellow vines snaking every direction with brilliant chartreuse blooms every few centimeters. I vaguely remember glancing out the window in my delirium convinced I had been transported to a fantasy land.  The crew says they will only have a brief lifetime and after a few more weeks will retreat once again into the ground to await the next deluge.  This will not likely occur again until the spring so I am taking in the site of so much plant life while I can.  Once the vines have gone this marks the unofficial start of the cold season here.  After that only the hard frozen ground will be visible for the duration of the cold cycle.  Nova Britannia has a longer orbit around its star than Earth so the seasons durations are slightly longer.  The planet has a five hundred and fifty day cycle around Proximus with a slightly longer day of twenty seven hours.  Since my studio is located in the equatorial zone the seasonal changes are not as extreme as in the northern and southern hemispheres of New London but it still means the season’s last several weeks longer than on Earth.

Unfortunately Katryna made her appearance during my illness and  although Addison assured me she was here I cannot for the life of me remember a thing about it.  She even remained a few days to help during the height of my delirium and promised to return after the illness had run its course.  I sent a message today to inform her that I have recovered and hoped to hear from her soon.  Although I know now it is not related to her visit a strange thing has occurred during my illness and I am trying to sort out the particulars.  A piece of my research has gone missing. When I first fell sick I realized it was the perfect opportunity to study the response of the unconscious mind to the Equine presence. I remembered you once lectured on the changes that occur to the neurological signals of the brain when the body temperature rises during short term illness. The resultant delirium increased the internal conversations the person had in their mind as recorded by the elevated brain activity on the attached neural scanner.  This memory triggered an idea in me to record what was occurring in my brain during the depths of my malaise. If it had been practical I would have connected the scanner to my addled head, but as I was in no state to run this sophisticated piece of equipment I placed a journal next to my bed as my only alternative.  For the duration of the next three weeks I was not always lucid about what I recorded in the book but I do know that I did write in it frequently.  There were vague memories of conversations with the Equine and also with you that I scrambled to record before the echo was gone. Some of the entries were illegible but I recall close to the end of the delirium, as I was once again aware of at least what planet I was on, that the journal was nearly full and that I would have to find another. The next time I was again awake in my room the journal was not on the side table. Addison swore to me that other than the normal crew no one else has been on site but the doctor and Katryna.  Since her visit was before I was conscious then it was not possible for her to have taken it as I saw it when I awoke the first time. I can only suspect the physician moved it on his last visit or accidently picked it up with his own equipment.  He will be here tomorrow for my final assessment so I will discuss it with him then.  It is nowhere in the house or workshop and I can think of no other explanation. Since it is only the scribbling of a delirious artist I can see no value for someone to take it, but for me it is a heartbreaking loss. I remember none of the Equine experiences when I was incapacitated but I am left with the same impression as occurs when I have a beautiful dream. There still remains that residue of extreme happiness and excitement I experience  when something amazing occurs during my sleep. As if the answer to a long sought after question has now been revealed and I realize my true purpose in life and why I exist. Sadly the echo of this revelation is still with me but what it was does not remain.  If I wrote these thoughts down in the missing journal what a loss that will be if I cannot recover it. Since your conversations are also supposedly recorded there I will put energy into this search,  Addison did confirm that the journal exists as he saw a book lying on my bed table throughout most of my illness,  At least I know it is not a figment of my idled mind.

I am aching to begin work again and so in order for me to start fresh tomorrow I will close for now. I hope I can write tomorrow with good news over the journal.

Love always,

Victoria