It is here, over the tops of the inevitable ducks, that Gokyo Ri first comes into view, its brown rounded form a contrast to the snow-covered, sharp-tipped lines of Cho Oyu beyond.

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The black and brown fragments have been fairly easy to spot because they stand out against the snow.

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Keith Brown took over from Stewart Stevenson after he resigned in the wake of heavy snow which hit Scotland.

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Brown and sturdy, their antlers silhouetted against the white, the reindeer clear away the snow to reach the food they rely on in winter: lichen.

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The first rain of the year, which fell last week, turned the Kukcha river, a snow-fed torrent that rushes through the town, from its normal milky jade to a muddy brown.

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