SB came to do Ayudha puja to ask the goddess to look after our tools and help them perform for the next year
Next day is the final event of the annual celebration of the goddess killing the demon, after which our fair city is named!
That’s a stay home and avoid the crowds day.
… Leave for two nights with Kaveri’s mum.
It’s been the usual joy having them here for the week.
There’s one more before they return to school and college.
The T-shirt was left as a gift by a recent guest but nicely sums up the impact Manjula’s Mysore wants from our support to them
Footnote
Chandrika has re-utilised the money I’d given them for the auto ride. No surprise there then.
The shopper (yes me) bought two Ganesh’s from the local pot shop. One will join the family and the other will go for a swim in the Kaveri river.
Well that was a journey and a half. Carrying this ‘Bobby Dazzler’ home, just round the corner but he was so heavy. So regular rests were called for.
No idea why I decided to head butt him, I can’t remember it guv. Honest.
Now we’ve got the less dressed Ganesh and his mum Gowrie (Gaurie) at home for this years festivities.
After a spell at home, in the puja room and lots to eat, we’ll take him for a swim in the Kaveri river.
The flag.. a gift from Bylakuppe
More from out visit to Bylakuppe
The monastery where Ani used to live, the workshops making ornate metal for the Temples and Tibetan incense sticks.
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
I’m so lucky to have them in my life…
Left a bit, straight, right a bit, wiggle it in and out….
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.
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.
Nothing is straightforward, it’s India.
Sowbaghya aka SB gave it to the paper collection man as scrap.
Next …
… job is to clear the garage and obstacles (plants, furniture, two wheelers) from outside, to make the drive drivable.
I’ve accumulated so much stuff.
In my defence, I have lived here the longest in my whole life. That’s fifteen years.
One step closer.
I leave for the U.K. in two weeks and plan for radical to live there. Given the regular downpours we’ve had she should have moved in previously
I’m well suited to India.
I’m expert at putting jobs off.
No not (just) the car.
It’s important to recognise and realise how much my adopted family here in India as helped me survive the most difficult years in my life.
Sowbaghya is so critical to my life here in Mysore
She’s project managed and coordinated the rejuvenation of the radical red, that is now attention seeking in and around Mysore and Srirangaptnam
That’s the tip of the mountain of help she has been.
Sowbaghya is important to me and has kept me and the business going.
Thank you Sowbaghya for all your help.
I firmly believe that grief is always with us but becomes more manageable as we fill the space around it with important valued people and ‘things’ we do.
The next member of the family, everyone knows, the irrepressible Kaveri. Grief manager extraordinaire.
I can’t begin to list what she does for me.
She makes me smile (and cry.)
She’s cool.
Our mini team is complete with Kaveri’s ‘sister’ Radhika, a wonderful young woman.
I look forward to witnessing her develop and we growing together through the years.
Oh ….. Trishalla and Eregowda, have been a great support through difficult and remembering times, you’ll have to wait to see where that leads.
A special mention for: Sarvesh, Vasanth, Satish, Tanuja and their families.
We’ve all worked together to cherish and continue Manjula’s radiance through our projects: events, school, community meals, creativity days, supporting Kaveri, and making Manjula’s garden in the park.
Not to forget our guests who have become family and my very own DNA family folks in the U.K. and Canada
There’s not only humans in my family…
Me and MYCycle 