After watching Ina’s family’s celebration of her life, (funeral).
I’m reminded to try and always leave meeting someone with warmth and care as it might be the last time we see them. I did with Ina but still need reminding to always be attentive, kind and share compassion.
There’s more about Ina here
Each year we will do Puja for MAnjula and Ina to help their spirits ‘on the way’ to their new lives.
After that first visit she would field questions from our guests who came to share our home — Mysore Bed and Breakfast– were we a couple?
Ina acknowledged before us that we’d fallen in love.
Ina came every year (except during the pandemic) from that first visit, for a total of ten years. She became a very close friend of my wife Manjula and a great support to me helping me grieve Manjula. She was our favourite and most regular guest, here Ina is promoting us with the new mug and proving she became an essential part of the team (furniture!).
The photos are from our last year with Manjula visiting the local Tibetan settlement and Somnathpur Temple. Ina, Manjula, Willan (our workawayer in 2018) and myself, Stephen
I was their sometime chauffeur
Together, celebrating Manjula’s last birthday in 2018
There’s more here including Ina’s visit a month ago
We will miss Ina, a wonderful caring character, who has become part of our life, here in Mysore. After Manjula died she often referred to her as a Lotus who had survived and thrived through the mud. They both radiated their goodness as sisters and had a wicked sense of humour
Ina lit a candle for her and what we’ll do each year is a Puja for both Manjula and Ina to help their spirits find their new home.
Just as we recently did for Manjula
We look forward to meeting again
Stephen
The flower would appear each year at this time, carefully nurtured by MAnjula.
Eagerly anticipated, she’d predict what night it would blossom only to fold in on itself by the morning.
A short intense appearance not unlike MAnjula who dramatically changed my life.
It’s all no accident as she radiated the sun herself, through her smile, her presence every inch of her being. Two queens together.
To meet my queens (both sets)
What’s one of the first things they want to do on my return?
Go for a walk
After a lovely time in Italy with Maria
With plenty of lovely food …
They want pizza….
And presents
I’m so lucky to have them in my life…
Left a bit, straight, right a bit, wiggle it in and out….
You wouldn’t believe I’ve experience of reversing up narrow Yorkshire streets, often between parked cars.
This was so stressful.
I’ve got the Ambassador into the garage before, but not just after I’d spent a small fortune on having the car re-sprayed and renovated.
Makes one nervous.
Well it’s done and now I can go on holiday.
Years ago I returned from a trip to the U.K. to find the tree outside was decimated. That’s maybe an exaggeration but I was shocked. As the taxi pulled up I could now see most of the front of the house.
A branch had broken and MAnjula had had the tree trimmed. Not quite pollarding but a shock nevertheless. It was like a no 1 haircut.
What had happened to our tree!?
It’s now recovered and dominates.
It’s a beautiful tree that we both loved. The Indian way is however to hack them back. Its a process that needs managing.
Today
A couple of branches had come loose in a recent storm and so it needed a trim—— carefully supervised to ensure they didn’t go too far.
I didn’t want the same hacking so both SB and I supervised and approved each branch to be cut.
Micro-management in action.
The security guy from the local school doubles as a tree chopper. He did the duty. Later we’ll have someone do a more precision job with a circular saw.
There was a keystone cops element to it.
Thankfully we didn’t pull down any of the wires
Manjula once declared her wish to be reincarnated as a tree as it supported, protected and sheltered people. That’s just like her
I think our strong beautiful tree was in her mind.
We now have symbolic trees in our life, in the house, the car and our real beauty outside.
Nothing is straightforward, it’s India.
Sowbaghya aka SB gave it to the paper collection man as scrap.
Next …
… job is to clear the garage and obstacles (plants, furniture, two wheelers) from outside, to make the drive drivable.
I’ve accumulated so much stuff.
In my defence, I have lived here the longest in my whole life. That’s fifteen years.
One step closer.
I leave for the U.K. in two weeks and plan for radical to live there. Given the regular downpours we’ve had she should have moved in previously
I’m well suited to India.
I’m expert at putting jobs off.
Just to ensure you got it….. the following activities have formed this year’s camp for Kaveri …
Swimming, skating, trying out new things…
and dropping into the summer camp organised by Manjesh of Chirayu Dance Institute here in Siddarthalayout.
That’s not to mention, watching movies, walking Lucie, visitors to Aroma for treats, pestering for one thing or another, especially screen time.
Predominantly staying at Mysore Bed and Breakfast with auntie — sorry sister — Radhika, but what is the old git doing?
Apparently traditionally thanking the guests for joining the final celebration of Chirayu’s Summer Camp.
Visiting Leela vet hospital as Lucie, the old dear has developed a limp. Dodgy Joints? not to mention it’s too hot for her!!
Tomorrow is someone’s tenth birthday.
There’s already too much screen time
Who knows what ….. if it wasn’t restricted!!
Me and MYCycle 