Love

SFLeave a comment
One of the first pictures Kaveri (aged eight) created after she came to the house and felt MAnjula’s love

Marginalian

Comes up trumps again with great literary, political and philosophical connections.

I like her quote from Simone de Beauvoir

What then is love? Not much, not much; I come back to this idea. Sensitivity, imagination, fatigue, and this effort to depend on another; the taste for the mystery of the other and the need to admire… What is worthwhile, is friendship… this profound mutual confidence between [two people], and this joy of knowing that the other exists.

“The ancient Greeks, in their pioneering effort to order the chaos of the cosmos, neatly taxonomized them into filial love (the kind we feel for siblings, children, parents, and friends), eros (the love of lovers), and agape(the deepest, purest, most impersonal and spiritual love).”

I decided that we would continue Manjula’s sunshine goodness, sharing her love, through events and activities for young people.

The most obvious example is our continuing support for Kaveri.

Kaveri’s most recent art from this weeks summer camp
She also leaves me little messages.

Hanging around

SFLeave a comment

As kids we were all embarrassed by the lounge wall used to feature family members through the ages.

Now I’ve created a family corner here in Mysore

How embarrassing!?

My sister Claire used to tease me — that the main picture was saved for me …

No thanks …

I’ll manage without it.

The great escape, Kittens blog

SFLeave a comment

Billet Doux, it’s hard, there’s no respite. Squeaking Kits, half the time biting instead of sucking, I keep nipping out for a break.

I’ve explained how it happened and to ensure it’ll not happen again she needs to stay home until the kittens are weaned and she can then have the op.

She’s managed wonderfully looking after the six

Instinct and what she learned from mum has worked. But she’s not got how it happened and how to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

Am I expecting too much? My English not clear?

I’ve started restricting her so she can’t get out of the yard. Or so I thought. Today, second day running she’s legged it again. It must have taken her a nano second when my back was turned.

This is not good.

So new tack

Less of a prison ….

Next I’m going to change garage into a Palace for a Queen (within reason) and as the kits get older, only allow supervised access to the yard. Makes it sound like a prison?

Queer Eye

SFLeave a comment

Watching queer eye is helpful.

Step Father and teenage son are having a conversation. They’ve recently come together as the guy married his mum.

They’re bonding. Talking about how the father tries to manage challenges himself and not let them in to help.

He doesn’t want to feel a burden to them but it has the opposite effect as they then worry about him.

That’s a trigger for me.

That rings bells.

I’m too independent and realise I could have shared more with MAnjula, that in turn that helped me miss that she did want to be a burden through her illness and all it entailed.

I’m sorry MAnjula. You were never a burden. I love you and would manage anything for you.

I freaked out at you for not taking your tablets. That was about my worries, stress feeling powerless to not be able to help you from deterioration.

There’s so much I would and should have done differently.

Snow fall, not really.

SFLeave a comment

Ruth is a poet from the U.K.

A guest of Mysore Bed and Breakfast who has become a good friend.

Not only that she’s actually published books of poetry and some of her poems are about India and her early years living here.

Outside our house

Check Ruth’s latest poem, you’ll realise why I show this image.

Here
Manjula with Lucie and her tree.

Precious permanent memories

SFLeave a comment

Maïlis has been with us now for almost two months. She’s really got into Mysore, become part of our little community and created a wide range of exciting experiences for herself.

I was invited by her wonderful new friends Pravallika and Cade to visit and find out where they’re learning to carve.

At this family workshop they’re famous for carving significant statues and especially Rama for the new Ayodya Temple

But there was a great big surprise waiting for me.

Maïlis as her very first project had carved our Lucie in stone

How wonderful is that?

Just one month ago Lucie gave up, she’d had too much after managing so well with a painful hip and difficulties with her kidneys. She was strong and brave and her gentle friendly nature had helped her connect with thousands of our guests.

… and a cat

A fantastic image of our precious family member which now has pride of place in our upstairs lounge.

We’re all impressed.

Doge

SFLeave a comment

I’ve been wondering about Doge… why we have it? What does it mean? I realise now it’s not actually a spoof, it is unfortunately real but it’s also a means of checking that we’re properly concentrating.

That we’re awake

.. and hopefully not complete idiots.

It’s actually a joke, in the most serious sense

So have you worked out how to pronounce it? Don’t lose this opportunity for a knowing smirk.

I was thinking on the lines of doggy.



But no there’s something better.

More on the dodgy dog. Sorry to our canine friends….

Footnote

So what is Doge.

Some might say it’s one of the initiatives to fulfil the coup currently happening in the US

Officially it’s…



…

The head honchos is a certain Musk.