Hanging out Srirangapatnam

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Here to prep the cycles for a student tour in two days.

I’m now sitting on the most unusual steps by the bathing ghats, which are featured on our Srirangaptnam tour.

With various characters walking by

I was previously innocently sitting at the bottom of the tree.

A wanderer asked where I was from and then … am I a bachelor. No reward for guessing what that means. I’m married whilst pointing to manjula’s tattoo.

Useful.

I’m appreciating wonderful views, whilst trying to ignore, in both locations, the wafting aroma of the evidence of defecating in the outdoors.

The juxtaposition of India.

We had a great tour last week, Brits, birds (they’re twitchers) and not especially smelly

Getting addicted

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There’s most definitely withdrawal

But it’s pleasurable

The evidence is …. In my Hanging out with Kaveri and her ‘sister’ Radikha.

I’d collected Kaveri from school to go to a Mysore Storytellers event but rain put a stop to that.

So we had movie night instead, with all the girls.
Chess lesson after receiving a new book to learn in ten minutes. I ask you. Ten minutes ….. I began learning chess at Kaveri’s age and still picking it up.
The girls out walking
A final Ice cream at Polar Bear

The wonderful people that provided the ice cream for this year’s event on Manjula’s Birthday in August, promoting creativity at Kaveri’s school

Then back to school

I only get 24 hours but it’s wonderful.

Tipping point (and disconnection).

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I’m rereading this book.

“Transactive memory is part of what intimacy means….. it is the loss of this kind of joint memory that helps to make divorce so painful. .. They once were able to discuss their experiences to reach a shared understanding…. The loss of transactive memory feels like losing a part of one’s own mind.” Page 189

I can vouch for that and more, having ‘lost’ the two women Liz and MAnjula—Manjula and Liz, that were so critically important to me in my life.

There’s much in this book to recommend it.

Now in Manjula’s library

Guests become friends

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We would often say how lucky we are to have found each other and shared our home with a constant stream of new friends arriving at our door.

We had visitors yesterday.

A lovely family who first came to stay with us ten years ago with their young daughters.

What a lovely surprise.


B C Shetty and Mamatha
Dhrithi and Diya

Dhrithi and Diya have now grown to be strong clever young women, a real credit to their parents and themselves. At ages 15 and 17 they’ve been home schooled.

Fantastic and a great example how the women in India are seriously getting their act together.

Wonderful positive shared memories of MAnjula and our friends

The family are from Karkala and work full time for their NGO Kadike Trust and promote udupisaree

In August 2013

Blah blah blah

Two more Godfather cards were given out.

Guests’ wishes and memories of MAnjula

Butchers 2

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Another tree bites the dust without any heavy rain or wind but it’s the one next to it they were proposing to cut down

Part one here.

Here’s evidence, if we needed it:

1 the current team failed to spot which tree would fall next, their approach is random

2 in any case, it’s difficult to predict which trees will fall but it’s impossible without some expertise

3 we need some expert knowledge, supervision and accountability to target which trees are fundamentally weak and stop the unnecessary felling of trees

I have no idea where the railing is there. It’s not managed.

Back from our weekend away

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SB was all prepared for todays big puja.

Today!
I’m uncertain my T shirt was appropriate wear.

After our ‘family’ weekend, that’s Me with the girls…. Kaveri, her mum Chandrika, sister (aka auntie) Radikha together with Lucie at Chera Rocks in Kannur,

We introduced body boards to the beach, work and play. A fun weekend together.

Meet an important person

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Please say hello to Kaveri

Over two years ago I asked friends to keep an eye out for a young girl who I might support in Manjula’s name.

There’s no shortage of children experiencing challenging circumstances here in India. I wanted to find someone with a similar background to MAnjula but no one came forward.

Then one day in the park opposite our house I heard a helloooooo.

My first introduction to Kaveri

Shortly after that first meeting I was using Manjula’s ‘flash cards’ to discover how much English she knew.

This video shows how she responded by turning the tables on me

I was impressed with her confident assertiveness with a foreigner she’d only just met.

Yesterday Sowbaghya who has become indispensable at Mysore Bed and Breakfast and Radikha Kaveri’s aunty who’s more like a sister and I were reflecting with kaveri on how she’d changed over this last year or so.

I’d clearly spotted a smart cookie, confident and assertive a good communicator. She’s carried along that same track

Yesterday reading a pictorial version of the Little Prince she was confidently tackling unfamiliar words switching to phonetic pronunciation where necessary.

She’s important in my life for many reasons not least for helping me manage my grief. Growing to help me fill the space around it.

I look forward to our continuing time together and helping her continue to grow her beautiful character.