Anjali gets married.

September 4, 2023September 4, 2023 SFLeave a comment

Since Punith introduced us I’ve realised how much Anjali is a real star

She got married today. Every wedding is same but different, down to caste, experience, attitude and get-on-ableness of the generations, so it’s not unlike absolutely everything else in consistently inconsistent India.

Even in the midst of planning a wedding and balancing the interests/preferences of in and out laws Anjali was instrumental in making our creativity day for the children at Kaliyuvamane.

There was a great mix of people and more recently found great friends.

They were obviously also having fun

Guess which twit forgot to put his kurta on?

Congratulations to Anjali Sakleshpur and Veethahavya Kootanoor Sheshadrivasan

Any ideas why we share our home?

September 3, 2023September 3, 2023 SFLeave a comment

You’d be correct in assuming it’s to celebrate MAnjula and help more people meet her.

It’s also ..

.. because it’s life affirming and fun.

… meeting new lovely lively people,

what’s not to like?

Thank you to our latest new friends from near Barcelona (one of my favourite cities) for spending time here and we getting to know you….

… that’s Martina, Jana, Marta and Angel

Jana created a lovely image and wrote a beautiful message, for me. Fab!

I’ll need to learn Spanish. Those who know me, realise I’m ace at languages! 🤪

My Indian sister.

August 30, 2023 SF1 Comment

It’s a special day (Raksha Bandhan) when sisters give a bracelet known as a Rakhi

It symbolises brotherly love and a promise of protection, bringing good fortune.

Radhika is Kaveri’s auntie but they’re really like sisters.

I’ve got to know Radhika quite well over the past year, especially during the school holiday when she came with Kaveri and I for swimming, skating and often stayed at the BnB.

We’ve all been on holiday together to Kerala. Twelve of us, the first time and we’ll return in October with Kaveri, her mum Chandrika and Radhika. .

Radhika’s real brother gave her a giant pink teddy that’s now moved in here.

Radhika passed her exam this year, got a high-scorer award and is now at PUC- Pre-University College.

I’ve also promised to help and protect as her ‘godfather’.

Bringing MAnjula home

August 29, 2023August 29, 2023 SFLeave a comment

Manjula appeared behind my cycle as well as in our hearts on what would have been her 50th birthday.

We celebrated with 100 children at Kaliyuvamane

Today I brought her home.

We cycled through the countryside, along the national highway, through the suburbs and on my cycle route around Chamundi Hill.

Stopping to chat as people wondered what it was all about.

It’s about our love and her kindness

… and now we’re back home at Manjula’s Garden

Meet a friend — Ina

August 28, 2023August 28, 2023 SFLeave a comment

Ina was already at our house as I returned from the U.K.

The lunatics had taken over the asylum. We have a similar sense of humour but that doesn’t necessarily travel well. 🤔🤭 sorry to Charles, the Canadian giant. He gets it.

Ina was an early guest who returned to visit every year bar the coronavirus blot on our landscape. She quickly became a close friend of Manjula helping us celebrate our engagement in 2015. They would mostly hang out together and she’s the guest who’s stayed the most and longest.

We’ve also become good friends. She’s also lost her loving partner and been a great support to me.

Ina has seen Kaveri two years running and appreciates how she’s progressed.

Ina has a strong Scottish accent even though she’s lived in Australia for almost seventy years, having escaped Britain, on a ship, to settle there as a young girl with her family.

Bonding over chai and a phone on Manjula’s birthday.

The second celebration of what would have been Manjula’s 50th birthday. Satish is photographer

Ina, is most definitely one of Manjula’s kind. Thoughtfully helping, all around her, emanating a positive energy, appearing to be decades younger than she is but we don’t mention age.

Her initial visit was to meet a Tibetan monk, for the very first time, that she’d sponsored since he was a child.

She regales with stories of her family and her great times looking after her grand kids.

We keep remembering celebrating Manjula’s last birthday.

Fun together, Ina with Kaveri and Radhika. Aroma Bakery after swimming.

As she says herself

I couldn’t agree more. I’m still learning

Demonstrating the new balancing pod thing, whilst worrying Paul from France

Visiting Chandrika and Mani, Kaveri’s mum and dad.

Ina leaves at some ungodly hour for the flybus to Bangalore airport for a week in Singapore en route to home in Australia after our last meal together at Olive Garden

She’s supposed to have gone but I thought I heard her calling out downstairs. Now that’s worrying.

I look forward to her return next year

It grows and grows

August 27, 2023August 27, 2023 SFLeave a comment

Manjula’s Library is growing fast.

Contact us to arrange a stay or to visit the library

There’s more here. About this wonderful book

We’ve an expanding section on trees

More writings about trees.

Grumpy old man

August 26, 2023August 26, 2023 SFLeave a comment

One of my first clients as a student social worker was an old man.

He was seriously grumpy

We would joke about where grumpiness came from.

Was it inherent in the person? Was it learned through experience? Did it arrive with old age?

I now know the answer.

It’s all three

The key factor though is we can choose to be grumpy or not.

I was more grumpy, especially over the past few years, now I’m a bit less.

and I’ve not got the T shirt.

Footnote

As I can’t stop talking, writing, wording….

One flavour of grumpy is anger and I realise it’s derived from being sad. Another is post trauma and the impact it has.

Visit Manjula’s library there’s lots to discover that might help.

Me, I’m still working on it.

Now in Manjula’s Library

August 26, 2023August 26, 2023 SFLeave a comment

‘Nothing makes living people feel more powerless than Death’

Moist eyes.

Our quiet relaxing park

August 26, 2023August 26, 2023 SFLeave a comment

I have an uneasy feeling.

Conflict could happen.

Locals have made an addition, it’s becoming a lounge.

Billet-Doux decides to wind up the crows.

But it’s not with those species that problems arise.

As a fracas begins and grows and grows as more self important neighbours choose to bully one side.

I’ll find out later what it’s about

Sounds like they’re resolving it physically now. Good job the do-gooders got involved to calm things down, not.

No different from Britain. Except caste and community might have an influence.

We’ll find out.

It’s not often I notice such happenings but things quickly flare up and get-out-of-hand.

Later

I’m (un)reliably informed that the police do pick up the phone, as they appeared , presumably to bang heads together.

Meanwhile the birds, dog and cat co-exist.

Except

Comes to wind up Lucie

wonderful images from Manjula’s Birthday event

August 25, 2023 SF2 Comments

on what would have been Manjula’s 50th birthday we held a creativity day for the 100 students at Kaliyuva Mane School

Why do we do it?

To remember and celebrate Manjula by continuing her good kindness.

…

Please check the wonderful photographs of our latest event

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Faizan is the official photographer and film maker of Manjula’s Mysore. A great friend of both Manjula and Stephen

He often presents us with a problem. His still shots are too good — we want to see them all.

So here they are — of the day we worked with the team at Kaliyuva Mane on the 21st August, on what would have been Manjula’s 50th birthday — to help support their work with these wonderful children.

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