New friends, which name?

October 17, 2025October 19, 2025 SF3 Comments

People for Animals appealed for people to adopt their rescue dogs

We know PFA from when Lucie was a pup. They spayed her and made the tell tale notch in her ear so she wouldn’t be picked up in the street and operated on again.

We chose two new friends

and appeared in the ‘Star of Mysore’

But what should we call them?

….

We’ve had the following suggestions. (Some more than once)

Ging (Ginj)

Luce (Luca)

Edwina (teddy bear)

Kappu

Shunti

Ginger (Rogers)

Fred (Astaire)

Inji (ginger)

Kari (black)

Tom

Hebden and Bridget ( a play on Hebden Bridge, where I’m from in the UK)

Amy and Vince (amor vincit omnia)

Blackie and Cinnamon

Black and Decker

Karrupa or Karuppan

Inji —- Together becoming …. Karrupinji

Pepper and Paprika.

Black and Tan

Ranelot and Bufolet

(french children’s book names for Frog and Toad)

Marquise de Merteuil and Vicomte de Valmont

(from Dangerous Liaisons to match Billet-Doux, our cat’s name)

Paddington

Spike

Summer

Shadow

Biscuit

Cheech and Chong

Luca

Lucia

Babu and Bibi

Ping and Pong

Jean-Philippe and Marie-Chantal .

ginger

Venus and Pluto

Bingo

Tofo

Coco

Tango

Momo

Milti

Millu

Broono

Blacky

Browny

Pancho

Jasmine

…

Thanks for your thoughtful suggestions

If there’s any strong favourites, let me know.

I’ll discuss with Captain Kaveri, ably assisted by General SB

Update on names

Luca (Lucka)

Tom

….

Jasmine (jas)

Gingee, Shingee or a variation.

Precious permanent memories

February 25, 2025February 25, 2025 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.

Happy Birthday

February 18, 2025 SFLeave a comment

or what does it say on the cake?

For our other member of the family

And again two days later.

Lucie

February 5, 2025 SFLeave a comment

Lucie departed on Sunday 26th January

That afternoon we buried her in a lovely field

Today we returned to do 11th day puja to help her spirit find its new home

Then lunch back at home

It’s very sad to lose such a wonderful friend, I miss her—-

—-being at home when I return, going on walks together and just being in my life.

Billet-Doux also misses Lucie

She’s such a famous dog with everyone asking about her.

Our special friend

January 29, 2025 SF2 Comments

My dear Lucie.

We met when someone had dumped you, your brother and sister at the end of our street.

We’ve had so much fun together. Almost from the very first moment I came to live in Mysore.

It didn’t take long for you to realise where the kindly Firangi, — who fixed your skin problems and regularly fed you — came from, so you all followed.

The man who lived downstairs was less keen on the black — India street dog and her siblings— setting up home under our tree. This was… Exactly where you came to rest on Saturday when you were feeling ill and went back to that same tree.

We’d chase and roll around in the park, with Vis another street dog becoming a friend.

In time I found homes for your brother and sister. You had the op at People for Animals, with a neat ‘bite’ taken out of your ear so you wouldn’t be re-captured and spayed again. (When I first visited India I wondered why many street dogs had a bite taken out of an ear. — it wasn’t another dog! ) 🤭

You became part of our wonderful family

Whenever neighbours saw me without you, they’d want know where you were. I even went to a hotel miles away on the other side of the city where a waiter asked where you were! He also lived in Siddarthanagar

It’s not surprising that you were so well known as we walked through the layout four times every day.

Now I have to go to the bakery, cafe and chai shop on my own.

When Manjula’s spirit moved on we had a lovely portrait painted of you both

I miss you both so much, hope you find each other, in your new lives. I’ll catch up with you eventually but in the meantime, I’ll now introduce you and share you both with even more people.

Friends from around the world are sending their love and sharing their memories.

Billet-Doux is still looking for you here and expects our walk last thing at night with the owl flitting above us

Missing you. Our life was ….

What a Wonderful family and friends we had. .

Until the next time

love

from us all and especially Sowbaghya, Billet-Doux, Kaveri, and Stephen.

Farewell Lucie

January 29, 2025 SF3 Comments

Last Sunday was already busy.

The BnB was full.

Two sets of guests leaving and two more arriving. Four of us visiting Kaveri’s school for the republic day celebrations.

Kaveri was superb as the narrator of the skit.. surely a coincidence that it had a demo against the English, demanding they leave the country.

🤪🤔🤭

Of course it was.

It was not to be a quiet day.

Mailis kindly agreed to go with our driver Akram to take Lucie to the vet hospital, whilst I fulfilled my Kaveri duty.

…

Lucie has attended daily for the past week to be put on a drip (clean out her kidneys?) and be pumped full of drugs. It was worth a try but it’s not made much difference and then on the Saturday evening she seemed far far worse. She had difficulty standing or walking or did endless turns to lower herself and sit down. She even slipped out of the house and through the gate, which has not been allowed for some time now.

I looked all over to for her. Eventually finding her at the front of the house, beneath our lovely tree on a pile of leaves.

Exactly the sort of tree that MAnjula imagined being reincarnated as, because it sheltered and supported people.

She was always — attentive, present and above all — kind

I expect it was looking for the comfort that attracted Lucie but I imagine her collapsing as she’d lost the energy to do much else. She knew and had gone to ground.

And … Manjula continues to support us all.

…

I thought I just heard Lucie clicking as she dragged herself up the stairs.

Not to be.

I explained to Kaveri that her good friend was finding life too much. I left her in tears — but comforted by each other —-at the end of her star performance

We grow closer with every shared experience

I leave for Leela the animal hospital. Madan, the founder reveals that we could continue to wash out her kidney (or liver? I’m already in a daze) but that seems pointless. He’s being kind.

It’s time.

She’s even had a couple of fits.

I sign the document. I continue to hold and comfort her. I want to be with her as it’s best. She relaxes and her eyes glaze.

Goodbye my precious friend.

It’s been a year since she’s found the stairs a little challenging. I would joke about installing a stair-lift! — we’d worked it out, but for no longer.

…

We all have to adjust, again

Slow realisation

January 29, 2025 SF7 Comments

Sun 26 Jan

I get home to less.

An abnormal day, amongst the multitude of such days.

But today another family member departed

As I returned home I slowly realised Lucie would not be here to greet me.

Sowbaghya had earlier invited our team to pay their respects and fill the house with love, as Lucie began to reach her last legs. This was, while I was being an attentive ‘parent’ to Kaveri at her school.

That’s two.

I’m missing too much …

… there’s a gap which far exceeds their size. Their imprint is ginormous

a man, his dog a girl and a tree

December 1, 2024December 1, 2024 SFLeave a comment

Yesterday evening as I was waiting outside a shop selling dots for one’s forehead —

—Manjula used to give them as gifts as we travelled through England—

A woman asked where she was.

I pointed to, inside the shop and after a perplexed reaction, realised she wasn’t asking about the little girl (Kaveri) or Manjula, for that matter, but the dog (Lucie).

The girl was stocking up for the return to school.

I’m well known in my area and in Mysore generally but usually because of my appendage.

I am nothing, not even a number.

…

I once walked into a hotel (restaurant) right on the other side of the city, for the waiter to ask me where’s the dog. He also lived in Siddarthanagar.

So I’m well known for who I’m with …

As of this morning, as I realise, I stick out like a sore thumb as generally there’s rarely other firangis (foreigners) here. There’s a new appendage.

A tree

As I was tossing and turning in the midst of my AWOL, nightly sleep I realised there was only this morning for me to be able to decorate the tree for Christmas.

Kaveri will be going back to school.

Kaveri is here for less than 24 hours and we’ve decorated it together for the past three years since we met. I’ll not see her again until a few days after Christmas Day when we’ll belatedly celebrate Christmas.

A bit too late to do the tree

Plus our usual totem is now too big and heavy for the hall aka lounge.

What to do?

Easy

Get up before the girls and after walking as man and dog, I go out again, to the nearest ‘nursery’. It’s run by guys from UP on the roadside. I haggle with them from the Firangi-Gora (white) — tax – price, to something resembling the price a local would pay. About half.

Then as I’m trudging home— convincing myself that I’m exercising my muscle diminishing 60+ years arms —- with very regular rests. I realised I’m another spectacle of the foreigner ‘variety’ who is entertaining the locals, especially the men at the chai shop and the women sweeping the streets. They’re interested as no one can possibly work out why the rich foreigner is carrying a tree and not using an auto rickshaw.

A wonderful young man, rescues me from the ordeal of the last stretch, stops for me to balance precariously on the back of his bike and gets me home.