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!!
Our fun activities since returning to Mysore include:
Skating
Kaveri has progressed to new skates and uniform, again with the Elite Roller Skating Academy
…
Swimming
classes again at our local pool.
and a local dance centre has organised their very own summer camp.
With a day out
The beauty arrives
Manjula’s Car rises again.
I bought it for her ten years ago.
Satish and I had searched Karnataka and eventually found it in Mandya District (near Srirangapatnam).
We needed it, as due to her health Manjula couldn’t safely and comfortably continue to ride pillion on my two wheelers.
We joked that not unlike the Bollywood movie — ‘Driving Miss Daisy” there was a chauffeur ( in our case a white old, not a black guy) and not an aged white woman as passenger but a brown ageless Indian beauty — my MAnjula.
It’s arrived at our house now….
Let’s not talk about when it was supposed to be finished.
The cost is greater than expected but then I did add more to the list of jobs.
Still waiting
Me and MYCycle 