Author: SF

A YIndian, Yorkshire by birth and Indian by marriage. Originally from the UK, I've now lived in Mysore, South India for over ten years with my beautiful wife Manjula. MeandMycycle is about the ups, downs and ups of our life in Mysore and our creations: Mysore Bed and Breakfast and MyCycle Tours.

South West England

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Leaving behind the cloudy dismal weather I’m now exploring English history and beautiful countryside.

All with friends who have visited Mysore Bed and Breakfast over the years.

Ruth
The Brits love gardening
Jony’s beautiful cottage
Bath
Sue and Chris were the first of these friends to visit Mysore BnB
They also love their cats
Jony followed up with a visit
As did Ruth
Stephen our coms expert (and not only with bees) always finds interesting places to visit when I’m in Kingsclere.
Decanting the honey.

I’m back in Mysore

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To meet my queens (both sets)

What’s one of the first things they want to do on my return?

Go for a walk

After a lovely time in Italy with Maria

With plenty of lovely food …

They want pizza….

And presents

and to watch the movies…

I’m so lucky to have them in my life…

Mama Maria

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“Don’t forget your sun screen and water!”

Maria checks that I’m properly equipped for the day ahead.

Maria first visited Mysore five years ago, a few months after I lost MAnjula.

I’m on my annual trip to the U.K. but Maria had noticed I was coming and sent an invite for me to visit her in Italy

This wonder puts me up at her house, ferries me around, provides simple sophisticated food, takes me on day trips, guides me on walks, introduces me to her fab friends, provides happy insights into her own life and Italianeeeeez.

Maria is a good example of the lovely people that visit Mysore Bed and Breakfast but she’s even more special.

I’m trying to emphasise BK with Kaveri who can quickly tell me what it means: Be Kind.

Well Maria is overflowing with kindness.

Not just in hosting me…

That’s nothing by comparison with the total package …

…. she goes way beyond the stereotypical caring mama … to be a caring precious friend.

She has a social conscience reflected in the life she leads and her work in helping others to flourish through the organisations she sets up and the services they provide. She lives and breaths this throughout her living.

She’ll be revisiting Mysore again in August to undertake training as a yoga teacher and look forward to her becoming Kaveri’s Italian auntie.

I’m honoured to count Maria as an important person in my life, a cherished friend.

Footnote

She claims I photograph her as much as her dad (I think mine capture her essence as I’m certain her dad does) but she’s tolerant and I love that she’s my friend.

….

Thank you Maria for a happy time and the closeness we’ve established. I look forward to more to come.

Love from Stephen.

From Bees to Birds

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I’m now in Firenze visiting the incomparable Maria, more later but first to the birds ….

… sharing my second breakfast

It didn’t take too long to attract many new friends

I’ve discovered a riverside cafe: great location, bargain breakfast. It’s a low cost place where the community of all ages (and some foreigners), and especially older people meet, chat, draw, paint, work, support.

The view

Dancing with the Bees

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Pheromone lure to attract
Ballet
Capturing in the net
Drones (seeking a queen to mate)
Being marked

No bees were harmed. It was ‘citizen’ research on Greenham Common in south England.

Capturing Drones (male bees no sting) who are looking for queens to mate. We hope to track which hives they are from.

It’s one of many places where Drones congregate, as part of their life’s purpose, to find a queen to mate.

Most are unsuccessful and disappointed.

Of course the odds are stacked against them.

Footnote

Initiated by Stephen Fleming with the help of the Newbury and District Beekeepers’ Association on Greenham Common in South England.

Stephen and Richard, from our team, are editors of the leading U.K. magazine BeeCraft.

Follow the link for more info on beekeeping in the U.K.

Travels in U.K.

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I’m visiting friends and family.

Typical English countryside walking.
Liz, the mum of my boys.
Elodie my brother’s granddaughter and already into books.
Brother Andy building a giant playroom. He’s missing renovating houses.
Skalextric!!! At one end with soft toys and computer games. All for his three grandchildren, obviously.
Creative Poppy my granddaughter following in the footsteps of her mum Alice.
My eldest son Ben and Poppy’s Dad
Gina one of three good friends from University. She introduced me to Liz.
Piccadilly Circus. London
Nelson’s column London.
Brian my first supervisor when qualifying as a social worker. He deserves a medal as I’ve known him forty years.
London double decker.
Poppy, my granddaughter, with her mum Alice who kindly put me up when in London.
Like it? Japanese style.
Poppy modelling a dressing gown from India.
The new household cat at Alice’s is actually friendly.
A picture to share with Kaveri and Radhika. We’ll fly in a plane like this on our trip to the U.K. in two years.

The travels in the U.K. have so far included: London, Derbyshire, Yorkshire … next Bath and Trowbridge before a big leap to Italy.

My house in Hebden Bridge.

Doing our LEVEL BEST

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Jill and I, top row and left, led our team of managers of the Kirklees government section that provided services to disabled people, in the 1990s.

Disability Services included day and residential centres, equipment and adaptations to their homes, WORKLINK to get integrated employment, daily meals, care at home, social work and housing.

I have very fond memories of our time together and the dynamic team we created that made a difference in so many people’s lives.

We were fortunate and known for a programme of work (LEVEL BEST) to be able to involve disabled people in telling us what they wanted from the services leading to a series of innovations, including ….

– information service

– advocates to help people understand and get the services they needed

– community based daytime activities

– integrated housing

– disabled people’s electronic village hall providing access and training to computers

– a shop selling equipment

– accessible transport service to the wider disability community.

…and a conference to pass on our learning to other organisations.

We were a wonderful team, at a special time who found ways to do things differently .

Thanks guys.

Footnote

LEVEL BEST was a campaign of different methods such as: a reference group, market research panels, public meetings, interviews, to involve disabled people in telling us what they wanted from a reorganised public service. It led to a business plan and fundamental reorganisation of the overall service.

After footnote

That was thirty years ago. Unfortunately the money available to provide such services is reduced and demand has increased. Political priorities change. People are however continuing to provide essential services in difficult circumstances.

Phew

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Todays team gather for an important job
It’s a long way and tight tight tight.

Left a bit, straight, right a bit, wiggle it in and out….

Home at last.

You wouldn’t believe I’ve experience of reversing up narrow Yorkshire streets, often between parked cars.

This was so stressful.

I’ve got the Ambassador into the garage before, but not just after I’d spent a small fortune on having the car re-sprayed and renovated.

Makes one nervous.

Well it’s done and now I can go on holiday.

Our beautiful tree

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Years ago I returned from a trip to the U.K. to find the tree outside was decimated. That’s maybe an exaggeration but I was shocked. As the taxi pulled up I could now see most of the front of the house.

A branch had broken and MAnjula had had the tree trimmed. Not quite pollarding but a shock nevertheless. It was like a no 1 haircut.

What had happened to our tree!?

It’s now recovered and dominates.

It’s a beautiful tree that we both loved. The Indian way is however to hack them back. Its a process that needs managing.

Today

A couple of branches had come loose in a recent storm and so it needed a trim—— carefully supervised to ensure they didn’t go too far.

I didn’t want the same hacking so both SB and I supervised and approved each branch to be cut.

Micro-management in action.

The security guy from the local school doubles as a tree chopper. He did the duty. Later we’ll have someone do a more precision job with a circular saw.

There was a keystone cops element to it.

Thankfully we didn’t pull down any of the wires

Manjula once declared her wish to be reincarnated as a tree as it supported, protected and sheltered people. That’s just like her

I think our strong beautiful tree was in her mind.

We now have symbolic trees in our life, in the house, the car and our real beauty outside.

Here’s another one … Just inside our main door.