Tag: Mysore

Happy Sankranti!

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It’s a crisp winters morning but with a nice bright Sun. Breakfast is prepared and ready to serve the guests in an hour, so I now fetch curd and walk Lucie.

What a lovely morning, I praise a young neighbour’s Rangoli designs for Sankranti, while noticing other houses are already decorated with banana leaves with yellow painted cows passing by.


Declaring “Chennai-ge-day” (phonetical ‘good’) tea and getting a smile from the Chaiiwala. I’m reminded that …


Life’s good.


I’m happily reflecting on last night’s interesting dinner with great guests— teachers from Germany— with Sarvesh and of course preciousness herself Kaveri, Cauvery….

I’m forever told I don’t pronounce her name properly.

Her new festival outfit from Fab India


It’s lovely to have Kaveri here.


Kaveri continued her star performance. Entertained us over breakfast, helped install more Tibetan prayer flags

and become tutor showing how to draw rangoli.

Even Billet-Doux comes to look


A happy day.

Kaveri is now home with her mum.

Farrell Factoid

K k k kaveri is kicking.

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In the past week Kaveri has attended a market with children selling their artistic creations, meeting the rich mix of Mysore Bed and Breakfast guests, attended a classical (grand) piano concert, and today visited three child focused alternative schools we’re considering for next year.

She left people impressed with her articulate English, and friendly confidence.

What a star.

Mary Christmas

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Knock knock

Who’s there?

Mary?

Mary who?

Mary Christmas.

Ho Ho Ho it’s really Father Christmas the bringer of gifts.

Kaveri thought she knew Father Christmas after recognising his bangles SAPA video

Mysore Storytellers Network together with SAPA organised a Carol singing event.

Earlier rehearsals

Stop it

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Oy, stop eating me.

I’ve just got back from walking Lucie and couldn’t find the kits anywhere.

I’d left the garage door open so they had access to the yard.

Eventually I found one of the whiteys and slowly they began to appear from their hiding place under the washing machine.

I think something scared them and mum wasn’t here.

Now they’re relaxed and we’re bonding through biting.

They haven’t worked out eating their soft solids (meat or fish) without sticking their nose in it. …. hence the dirty nostrils.

Mum returns from her freedom holiday.

We’re all ok now.

Manjula’s Mysore News : October 2022

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STOP PRESS CHECK THE VIDEO

Manjula’s Mysore is now the name of the new business. and we’ve already done a few things…

A fun day of activities for forty young visually impaired women on what would have been Manjula’s 49th birthday. Please Check the video created by Faizan.

We’ll always do something on her birthday

Created a garden in the park opposite.

A holiday in Kannur for our extended team

Reopened mysore bed and breakfast and mycycle tours. This month the MCC : Mysore City Corporation issued a business licence and so we’ve officially welcomed our first guests.

The new business has allowed Stephen to get a business visa, to continue to stay in India. So far he’s not been able to get an OCI (overseas citizen of india) and most importantly it’s another way to celebrate MAnjula

Manjula’s Mysore is a three year project to do good as MAnjula would have wanted

It’s that day of the year …

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… when the warriors ask the gods to bless their weapons

In our case the scooter, Enfield and Ambassador

Carefully washed beforehand, so that’s at least once a year.

Sb came in to work so we had a professional on the job.
Lucie couldn’t see what all the fuss was about.
Lovely guests left, to return to Bangalore

In the midst of the puja, horned beasts invaded, we have no weapons and in any case they are goddesses . So we peacefully asked them to move along.

On completing the puja, my role was to ride each vehicle to squash the limes, the goddesses returned to eat the offerings.

All the local traders (Hindus anyway) and neighbours got in on the act.

All under the watchful eye of Manjula’s representative.
And a wonky Ganesha

Near calamity

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This morning

My brain was missing again

I let Lucie out the front door

There was the bag of kittens on legs waiting for me

Poor billet-doux was in shock. Ran away but was stuck

Trying to get through the gate to escape the black monster.

The bag of kittens squeezed through. I only hope there’s no long term damage.

She’s due within days.

Feeding her spirit

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On Manjula’s death anniversary in March and at this time of year we especially remember MAnjula and feed her spirit. Others will remember their own relatives.

It’s the equivalent of All Hallows’ or the Mexican Day of the Dead. Here’s a bit about the Hindu version.

Close friends who could fit it in amongst their own rituals helped by preparing food and joining the puja.

Vasanth and his family and Satish together with Sowbaghya made all the preparations: the food and puja.

We were also entertained by Manjula’s videos.

Then waited outside to give her time and space to enter the house and feed.

Making plenty of noise as we re-entered so she could quietly retreat.

Only then could we eat with our Special guests Ina, Rhadika and Kaveri.

Then it was time to relax and remember, sharing Manjula’s trademark happiness.

Manjula’s Library

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Somewhere to stop, read, reflect and remember.

The opportunities are not only in the library itself, but every space in and around our house offers a place for quiet reflection or when it’s not so quiet, meeting old and making new friends.

Join our family, including the birds attracted to the greenery bursting from our house, our pets… Lucie, billet-doux and

…. our garden.

Originally in pots on our roof, it’s now shifted to the park opposite with granite benches or hammocks available from the house.

Please come and enjoy.

Have we got it right? As in this article on how to nurture a personal library, “according to Cicero, if you have a library and a garden, you have everything you need.”