Ganesh

September 18, 2026September 18, 2026 SFLeave a comment

Ganesh the remover of obstacles is an important part of our life in Mysore.

Each year at Ganesh Chaturthi we bring Ganesh into our home for Puja and after a few days take him to the Kaveri river by Srirangapatnam

Thank you to Satish and Naveen for accompanying Ganesh to the river today, as we have every year after setting up home in Mysore

Ganesh is also known to create opportunities which on the surface seem to be obstacles for us to meet, learn, develop and grow.

I’m learning…

We hope he’ll help me return to my home in January.

Thank you Sowbhagya for organising.

…

Internet info

paschimavahini

Is where we take him. It’s also featured on our cycle tour.

Paschimavahini is a sacred site near Srirangapatna in Karnataka, India, where the Cauvery River briefly flows westward.

I immersed Manjula’s ashes here.

Significance and Sacred Rituals

Geography: A westward-flowing stretch of a major river is considered rare and highly auspicious in Hindu tradition.

Ancestral Rites: It is a major pilgrimage destination where families gather to perform final rites and immerse the ashes (shraddha) of deceased loved ones into the holy waters.

Mythology: Puranas mention the site as holy, noting that taking a ritual dip here helps wash away sins and grants spiritual liberation (moksha).

Hit the road.

September 6, 2026 SF3 Comments

I’ve cycled for sixty years and encouraged my sons to be considerate cyclists to other road users and especially pedestrians.

At times I’ve joked that the first task to learn (for all forms of transport) is how to stop.

I worry that the many inexperienced cyclists who rent electric cycles haven’t discovered that basic skill.

I’m familiar with people (in India) no knowing or following the basic rules. Here in the UK, because it’s such a contrast to what came before —- its a shock.

Mayhem on the roads and it’s incredibly dangerous.

Were the politicians and police asleep or comatose when they failed to anticipate this chaos.

The majority … of the Inexperienced cyclists on rented electric cycles ignore the signals, travel on payments, weave in and your, come close to mowing down people who are on a crossing

I’ve no idea of the accident rates but I’m scared

It’s a real danger and all at relatively high speed.

They generally don’t wear helmets, aren’t focussed and sometimes on phones.

Then they block pavements when discarding the cycles.

It’s got out-of-hand.

Thinking back

September 6, 2026 SFLeave a comment

On this trip I’ve visited places I used to live.

Now I’m also visiting family, here my sister Claire and brother Jason, who live between Sheffield and Rotherham in South Yorkshire

They live next door to each other! Really?

She’s got out the family photos.

Oh no!

It’s also been an opportunity to revisit my Sunday School Chapel, second home and school in Sheffield.

Reflections

I first tasted honey at Sunday School and was taken aback. It was amazing. Why had I never had this before? I was maybe age eight and it was probably too exotic and costly for my family.

Compare and contrast.

It’s useful to return to my home city and country. I’m initially shocked by the price differences with India.

I expect the U.K. to be a little better organised but it disappoints.

More later ..

I’m both …

August 28, 2026 SFLeave a comment

Happy and sad.

I have lovely memories — of visiting Bath with Manjula eight and nine years ago.

We went in this church (Abbey) and on this bus for a tour.

Imagine a two thousand year old Roman Baths

Well there is one here.

Sorry but I didn’t pay to go in this time, it’s expensive.

So I can’t show the actual bath.

Lots of tourists from U.K., USA, Europe, Japan, India, have paid.

A visited with Manjula and now those times together trigger a waterfall of memories, sometimes felt in tears.

Factoid

It’s so expensive here in England in London’s famous Covent garden it costs £1.50 (150 Rupees) to go to toilet (washroom).

Bath is a beautiful city and very middle class.

Grief is always with us. It diminishes (relatively)by other parts of life surrounding it.

Memories remind us and we’re both happy and sad.

That loss sends our life Ourselves and our worlds in different directions.

It’s hard at times.

In the park

August 23, 2026September 15, 2026 SF2 Comments

Watching people run…

and cycle

play football —- in a cage. 🤭

Climb trees

Pedal their ‘cars’ (semi -incumbents)

Walk their dogs

What a fun day, but there’s one or two problems.

BB— ball bearings help solve a complex worldwide problem — friction but it’s another BB namely Bad Behaviour, that helps create friction between the people.

An example of this is not following the rules.

I’m not talking of these rules

But these…

…. the people who rent electric cycles, often break the rules.

Cyclists are typically considerate of others — pedestrians and cyclists, obey the rules of the road, including stopping at red lights but in the last few years there’s been a big change.

The inexperienced cyclists who rent electric cycles are often reckless and unsafe —- ignoring the traffic lights and the general rules of the road, riding fast, weaving in and out at high speed,

It can be very risky …

But for now

Peacefully

There’s even a zoo and FREE toilets.

I was visiting Battersea Park and stumbled across a festival …

more later

I’ve just said good bye to my guys..

August 11, 2026 SFLeave a comment

Tearfully

Last few days.

August 10, 2026August 10, 2026 SFLeave a comment

A few friends got together to say farewell to Farrell.

I’ll be away for a few months so we arranged an early birthday gathering.

Thank you so much to my wonderful friends and yes it’s the young ones I’ll miss the most.

The Directors of Manjula’s Mysore who as part of being a responsible business organised ways to support young people in memory of Manjula

Radhika and Kaveri who’ve been my main family here for over three years.

Plus the new addition Kush

And another new friend …

We have a lion at our gate.

Friends from Bangalore also came to say bye.

Footnote

I plan to be back in January when we’ll share important news. In the meantime I’ll use my exile to explore more countries and myself.

Clutter has meaning

July 22, 2026 SFLeave a comment

Slowly we settle into the new home where new and old memories reveal themselves through the art.

…

Finding this was an adventure in itself

Our art grows

What’s the first classroom of the day?

July 22, 2026July 22, 2026 SFLeave a comment

After leaving home the first space they enter for many students is the ubiquitous van.

As we know our children (aka future adults) are constantly learning

Through observation, sounds sights, our behaviours show them ways to be —- not always thought through or the best examples.

Imagine for a moment what they pick up from that first space in the morning after leaving home.

Is it calm, kindness, helpfulness?

Maybe but most likely in that van —- they’re recklessly sped around, constant horn, regular screeching, aggressive insensitive behaviour of a seemingly uncaring driver.