tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58533246540907392672024-03-11T08:03:00.798+00:00Cherrie's BlogsAmritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06075910411728252444noreply@blogger.comBlogger586125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5853324654090739267.post-76344838669311383402024-03-06T21:55:00.004+00:002024-03-06T21:55:22.626+00:00Days of the week<p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"> <span style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">What's your favourite day of the week? I know the popular answer is Friday. Even mine was that for a very long time. But if you ask me now it's Wednesday! </span></span></b></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">Well, the reason behind this is Pumpki. She calls Wednesday Hump Day, a term she learned from the show Teen Titans! She loves the day because it's packed choc a bloc. She has physical education, music lesson on the recorder, music lesson on trombone which are from school, then her private piano class. After this hectic day at school she has swimming. And she loves this packed-ness of the day. Cos it's the middle of the week the girls are allowed TV time which is fun fun fun! Seeing her enthusiasm for a day which is called hump day because it's so unassuming and mundane really makes me look at the day with a child like fun. It is really a fun day. Monday is too far from the next weekend. So Pumpki hates this weekday the most. The other weekday she detests is Thursday which in her words is a big fat day sitting between her fav day and Friday when the weekend starts. Tuesday is a step closer to Wednesday hence the second best week day. So her order for weekdays is Wednesday, Friday, Tuesday, Thursday and Monday. The weekend days are more or less tied with Saturday winning by a teeny margin π She and her logical answers just amaze and cheer me up.</span></b></div>Amritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06075910411728252444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5853324654090739267.post-29058053455893199282024-02-29T10:57:00.002+00:002024-03-11T08:02:29.093+00:00The best half term ever<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b> I remember writing <a href="https://cherriesblogs.blogspot.com/2016/11/first-ever-term-holiday.html?m=1" target="_blank">this</a> ages ago! It was my very first term break with Chiyaa and tiny Pumpki. Now both are in school, Chiyaa in high school! And I just enjoyed my February half term with them. I must confess it was my best half term everrrrrrr!! </b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>With Chiyaa in high school, our wake up times have moved to an earlier time since she needs to be out of the door somewhere around 740. Pumpki still has an 40 more mins before her school start. So while I need to wake up around 0630 on a school day, with the school holidays I could wake up at 0800. It was full 90 minutes of extra sleep! OMG that itself is enough to close the case as the best half term ever ever ever. </b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>I let the girls be by themselves for the first 3 days. Since they are at an age where they have similar interests, they get along well - well most of the time. Their plan was lego for this time. So though the living room was an utter mess, there was some solid play time invested there. It was wonderful to see them creatively weave their way around the different creations of theirs. After some lunch it was time for another shared interest of theirs - video games. Pumpki doesnt quite have the dexterity to play some of the tougher games, but she does a swell job watching Chiyaa play and cheering her on. It was amazing to see them enjoy those sessions as well. I mandated some time for reading and practicing their musical instruments. Those boxes ticked, with an intermittent reminder to drink water and have some fruits - that was pretty much my job done for taking care of them π</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>3 days flew and the next 2 days I was on leave. Thursday we went to the city centre. The idea was to meet K and have a quick meal some where. But we chanced to meet a family friend as well and she joined us! More the merrier! We had some amazing pizza and then said our good byes. We went to shop for some mats for the girl's new room and a couple of plant pots as well. That done, we trekked to visit my sister who lives in city centre. The idea was to surprise her, but it ended up being a flop since she was not at home and we had to ring to find where she was and how long she might take π The kids love visiting their aunty anytime and they had a good time stretching their legs. My sis had to get on with her work and we bid our second set of good byes before making our way back home π It was a lovely day but the next day our plans were even bigger.</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>As a treat for Chiyaa's birthday I had booked in a nails pamper session with the girls. We had some manicure and pedicure done and our nails painted as well. It was the first for the girls and they hugely enjoyed it! By the time we were out, we were starving and rushed to the nearest cafe to get some food. We got some flowers and some grocery cos why not and marched home. The girls just loved showing off their newly painted nails. </b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>On Sunday I had to visit another town to see off a friend. She was my room mate in Hyderabad in India. She had been in the UK for the past 5 years. And if one stays in a place for 5 years, one tends to accumulate stuff. Some stuff one doesn't feel like throwing away. She had tried to get rid of most of her belongings that she couldn't carry, sell or donate locally. But some she wanted me to take for safe keeping. Either she would make a trip back and collect them God willing, or she rather I use it instead of someone else. Since she has a 16 months old baby, my kids really enjoy going to her place. It was an amazing day with her kids and helping her wrap up stuff. It was an emotional experience saying that good bye for sure because one has no idea where life will take us and where we might meet again. We have somehow managed to meet once every 5-6 years by the twists and turns of fate which is not true for so many lovely people who have come through in my life π It also made me nostalgic of all the house moves we had done in the UK. Approximately 5 in 7. years before we finally settled in this house. I remembered us leaving Ipswich where we were quite unplanned and had to leave a ton of stuff with a family friend. It has been 7 years since we saw them *sigh* One day ours paths will cross again, till then we have Whatsapp π</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Since we had this trip on Sunday, and the next day was the start of the new school session, we were more or less sorted ahead of schedule. Chiyaa and Pumpki took their time in the evening for some more uninhibited telly time before hitting the bed for the next school session on Monday. I must say it was the most amazing half term I have ever had. It was full of so much activity, so many emotions and so many experiences that it was the most whole some block of days. Touchwood, heres to many more π</b></span></p>Amritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06075910411728252444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5853324654090739267.post-3374789647404987462024-02-22T15:51:00.001+00:002024-02-22T15:51:00.130+00:00And then came the New Year<p> <b style="color: #990000; text-align: justify;">On our penultimate day which was the New Year we ticked off the Secret Garden which was historically rich along with being a beautiful garden. The evening was spent riding camels in a palm oasis near Marrakech. This was a bit of an underwhelming experience because the oasis wasn't very well maintained. The trees seemed to be lacking the love and attention that the gardens in the city were getting. But the kids had a lot of fun and that was very satisfying. That was one good New Year spent.</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>That evening marked packing up. Packing up lovely memories. Packing up being pampered by the facilities in the hotel. Packing up the experience of the most wide variety of breakfast every single day which ranged from European fares to traditional Moroccon ones which included the freshest cheeses, dips and breads. Packing up a really wonderful holiday at the end of year which was quite tied down and sedate. <i>Shoukran Marrakech!</i></b></span></p>Amritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06075910411728252444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5853324654090739267.post-38978703213711230982024-02-21T16:39:00.000+00:002024-02-21T16:39:03.899+00:00The tours and the trips and bye to a year<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b> The second day in Marrakech was a trip to the high Atlas mountains. It is populated by the native Berber people who still keep a lot of their traditional lifestyle. It was a very interesting trip with lot of beautiful places to stop by. We were taken through a lot of traditions that people still follow such as the importance of the village elder and how they determine a lot of the happenings in the 11 or so villages, the tradition of many generations living under the same roof and so on. It was a very nice tour and the cherry on the cake was a camel ride through the outskirts of Agafay desert. We got dressed in traditional Berber clothes and rode the camels. It wasn't a real desert and more like the outskirts of it. So the adults felt a bit duped. But the kids just lovedddddd it! Once the ride was over, they spent some time petting the camels and taking pictures. The girls kept clamouring for more camel rides and I booked in the last day to spend one evening riding camels π</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>The second day we went to the Le Jardin Majorelle or Majorelle Garden. It is a beautiful garden by French artist Jacques Majorelle which was revived by Yves Saint Laurent. It was a beautiful garden in the most vibrant blue and yellow colors and the most majestic cactii. The blue and yellow colors are trademarked and hence for sale in the gift shop. But since we did not have any check in luggage we were not sure if we would be allowed to bring the color cans in our hand bags. We had to give them a miss but one day we intend to go back and get those out of the world colors. </b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Once back, the kids and K took to the swimming pool. Once they had burnt some calories doing that, we went to ingest some. π We made our next attempt to reach the historic quarters of the Medina. It was to be a nearly 30 mins walk in a straight line. But we got side tracked, got lost, asked a bunch of people and finally landed in the hustle and bustle that is the Medina. The Medina is not for the faint hearted. I am from India and have seen crowds. But they dont have crowds here. Its a <i>bee hive</i> as has been quoted in many sites. There is utter order in the comings and goings but the busy-ness is something one has to see to believe. There are <i>souks </i>which are the traditional shops which sell a variety of stuff from carpets to bags to spices and garments. We had food in a small shop and made our way to the main square called Jama-el-Fna. This place was an assault on the senses. There was just so much going on from street vendors to street performers to post hotels. There were all sorts of aromas and it was being in a live museum. We went to have some refreshments in a roof top hotel and enjoy the sights from there. As dusk fell and the lights got switched on, the atmosphere turned electric. There was music, dancing, hawkers asking to try their wares. We bought a few souvenirs and took a few pictures and tried to capture this novel experience. We took a horse drawn carriage to our hotel. It felt like home being in the modern part of the town to be honest. The Medina was a bit over whelming for our mild senses π</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>The next day was spent mostly sight seeing in the Medina. It was amazing to see the architecture in Bahia palace, be wide eyed at the beauty of Badi palace and savour the work in Madrasa Ben Yousouf. It was a tiring day. So much so we still had Le Jardin Secret or the Secret Garden remaining for the last day. It was also New Year's Eve. I have never been away from home on 31st December. It was a novel and unique experience for me at least. I loved to see how a different city decked up for New Year. There were people walking with little children around 2230 which is not a sight I get to see in the UK. I did not see any fireworks etc either which is more of the UK tradition. It was amazing to do nothing but stroll around an unknown city, discovering little bits of it, unmindful of a man made construct such as a New Year.</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>It has made me think if going away and doing something non New Yearly for New Year. Takes the pressure of doing something <i>special. </i>But then its a bit of a landmark to celebrate as well. The calendar itself is changed and not just a page turned. I am not sure which is better. But I certainly enjoyed ignoring it last year. </b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>The next day was to be our last day of tours in Marrakech.</b></span></p>Amritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06075910411728252444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5853324654090739267.post-63324447880619043122024-02-17T21:59:00.007+00:002024-02-17T22:02:22.048+00:00Land and reset<p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"> <span style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">The day we took off to Marrakech was also a Pumpki's birthday. It was an amazing experience for her to get to travel on her birthday. The flight took off and since we had spent a rather sleepless night, we did nothing but drift off to sleep. 4 hours later we woke to the views of sunny Marrakech. We had booked a cab from the hotel. So our transfer was very seamless. The hotel was real posh! We had porters to carry our luggage, very friendly staff welcoming us and we were given a lot of love and attention. This sort of service is not present in the UK and we enjoyed it a lot! </span></span></b></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">After we had admired our lovely room and marvelled at how beautiful and spacious it was, we ventured out to get some food. Since the hotel was in the modern part of the city we had lot of restaurants within easy access. We stopped at a place called Vert Midi. We were famished. But the food was delectable too! We had a scrumptious lunch and then proceeded towards the historic quarters of the city. </span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">The place was wondrous and I just marvelled at the cactii growing to ridiculous heights! They were just magnificent. But while we were nearly at our destination the dead birthday girl needed the toilet and we had rush back π</span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">In the hotel room the girls wanted some well deserved rest. They drifted off to sleep while we adults caught up with family and took showers etc. Around 7 in the evening we decided to walk the girls up and grab some dinner. We had it at a place called Pasta Kech. As the name suggests the pasta there was amahzingggg! The girls had no idea about time and thought they had been woken up the next day. They were shocked to learn that they had just slept for a few hours and not the night. We had one helova hearty laugh at the silliness of the kids πAll stuffed we made our way back to call it a day since our actual touring was to kick off the next day π</span></b></div>Amritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06075910411728252444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5853324654090739267.post-42138793020490716812024-02-14T12:39:00.002+00:002024-02-14T12:39:25.768+00:00No start without a hiccup<p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"> As I said in my last post, we were making our first trip to the airport in our car to catch the flight to Marrakech. The flight was at 630 in the morning, which meant a 0300 check in. Which meant at least a 0130 start from home to reach airport within the time. Which in turn meant a funny night of trying to sleep but not sleeping actually. π</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">We had an early dinner. Around 1830 in the evening everything was wrapped up, kitchen cleaned up, dishwasher loaded and run. 1900 I asked the girls to brush their teeth and get into bed to get some 4ish hours of sleep atleast. They did so with amazing enthusiasm. There were no complains. They wrapped up like little kittens and tried to sleep earnestly instead of fooling around with art and craft or books as they generally tend to do. I still had some chores in and around with packing food for the flight etc. I went up to have a look at them an hour later and they were really asleep! That was something indeed! </span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">I tried to get some rest as well. There was a raging storm outside. As Storm Gerrit raged, K and I worried about our travel. The rain was relentless. When it reduced a teeny tiny bit, we rushed with all the luggage and packed the car so that we didn't get drenched at the last moment. </span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">We tried to get some rest. But there was nagging thought or other at the back of our heads. Finally it was 0100 and we could rouse the girls to make our way. It was very exciting and novel for them to scamper around the house in the middle of the night. More than the real thing it is these small experiences I feel that make up life π0130 and like thieves we got into our car and off we went!</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">The rain was pure madness. Visibility was poor and it was tremendous effort to drive. But the lack of traffic post Christmas made for some solace. We finally made it at 0245ish to the airport. It was just as quiet at the airport. The staff were immensely helpful. Our checkins were done fluidly and off we went to wait :) </span></b></p>Amritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06075910411728252444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5853324654090739267.post-23404746164633873792024-02-13T11:42:00.001+00:002024-02-13T11:43:04.328+00:00Pending Post<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b> In the mayhem of all the refurb work that was going on in our house I did not mention the holiday we had in December last year. After our <a href="https://cherriesblogs.blogspot.com/search/label/Iceland" target="_blank">Iceland</a> trip in 2022, we were keen on some place warm for our next holiday. K had seen the ice and now was in for some desert. Somehow Morocco in general and Marrakech in particular dawned upon us. In late 2022 itself we started thinking about it( Yes we are avid mad planners, especially me π) We would go sparse most of the year and then undertake the holiday to Marrakech God willing in December. 2023 mid year was filled with concerted effort towards looking at ticket and hotel prices, zeroing in on things to do, places to see. We soon realised that it was a big country and Marrakech itself would take up a good 5 days. Also since it wasn't a European country, we couldn't be sure of some of the amenities. It would be a good idea to be cautious and keep our touring plans a bit conservative. This was an a excellent cry from the madness of break neck planning for Iceland. Some where in the month of June we booked our flight tickets and the hotel. There was a good 6 months to our upcoming vacation and we weren't even excited about it. It was just something we had talked about and just went ahead and did it. Something like buying a packed of butter biscuits π</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>We did not want to hype the kids too much either. Hence it was quite late in the game around a month later that we divulged the upcoming plan to them. The months rolled by with the usual house work, work to earn the salary and school stuff. Finally around December when the holiday stood like a reality, we put our foot on the gas. The locations and tours we wanted to go on were booked. We decided clothes and things to pack. We had also decided to drive to the airport instead of taking a cab. That would be a first for us after nearly 13 years of existence in the UK. A thing to be excited about. <br /></b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Christmas holidays started and the trip to Marrakech was upon us!</b></span></p>Amritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06075910411728252444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5853324654090739267.post-31322289892926735522024-02-01T09:19:00.003+00:002024-02-01T09:19:35.902+00:00Curtains drawn<p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"> <span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;">Finally itβs February and finally a few things are falling into place. As I had said in my last post, this year is going to be a supremely unplanned year for me. The construction work is finally drawing to an end. Our driveway is cleared and we can finally park both our cars instead of scouting for and stealing places on the road. We started moving stuff in to the new room which is to be the βgirlsβ room going forward. Things were a bit unclean with still some smell of plaster and paint remaining. We cleaned to the best possible extent and after a couple of days it was more habitable. The girls were ecstatic to be in their new room. As part of regular maintenance work we got the fuse box of the house upgraded. It wasnβt of aesthetic value and not a visible change. But we added in some changes to the electrical fixture which gave the feel-good effect. We have to get the carpets done all over the house as well. At the moment it is done in three rooms and we are loving the feel of the new carpets. We have some more work in the living room and the stairways before we can jump on it. The</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;">curtains are also going to be redone all over the house which will again add to the overall overhaul of the house :)</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span></span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">Its will be 6 years in this little place we call home on 26th of this month. Doing these small changes feels like giving some tlc to this home which has given us so much.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> As the tasks slowly draw to a close we hope for another 6 years of pleasant moments. </span></span></b></p>Amritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06075910411728252444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5853324654090739267.post-9574019319124134382023-12-31T06:20:00.005+00:002023-12-31T06:20:20.321+00:00It's a wrap <p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"> <span style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">New year's eve again. That time of the year when 12 months seem to have zipped past and it seems like yesterday that it was last year.</span></span></b></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">This year has been one of certain uncertainties for me. Sitting in 2022 I was sure of the things that were going to happen. There was a trip to India, there was renovation work for our house, there was Chiyaa starting secondary school, my parents visiting UK, my sis moving to her own place and then a holiday. That was a bit long list but we were uncertain of how things would pan out.</span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">First up my parents arrived in February which coincided with my sis moving from our house to a rented house of her own. It was a different experience for her getting everything sorted independently. It was also a tug of war of emotions. There was a desire and longing for all of us to stay together. But then mummy and papa were keen on supporting my sister as well who was setting her own place. It was a bit of a roller coaster of emotions the meeting and parting every week. But eventually we started getting used to it.</span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">April we made the trip to India. It was an epic trip with us managing to stay at Bengaluru for the major chunk of our holiday. It enabled me to meet up so many of my friends! It was an amazing and utterly soul soothing experience.</span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">We came back from the trip to have Chiyaa face her Standard Assessment Tests which is like a public exam. She did quite well and it was milestone for her. With that over we had to look at her starting secondary school in September and a whole bunch of changes to our routine. The two kids would goto two schools which would start and finish at different times. It would throw our work patterns a bit out of whack. We used to brainstorm literally every day how we would go about the whole thing. But when September started it just wham! naturally fell into place!!! K would drop her and I Pumpki. On good weather days they walked and K would await mid way and we would drop Pumpki together. Else it was a car drop for Chiyaa. Most days she walked back by herself which for me was a major letting go. Pumpki had her first year in school without her elder sister in the playground. I saw her strengthening her friendships with her peers and seniors. Since we were ending up starting work a bit later cos of the 2 drops we started after school club for Pumpki so that we could stretch our working day. It also added to her set of experiences. Chiyaa settled down perfectly in her new school and it was so nice to see her forming the social connections which she missed in primary. By God's grace the kids were finally settling.β€οΈ</span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">All this while we had quite a bit of renovation planned for the summer. The summer became late summer and that became early autumn. That turned the whole house to pay turvy. K and I used to get into arguments about this or that regarding the builders or the cost or the layout or some random stuff. The season has changed to winter and the work is well and truly underway. But there is still so much more to do in the new year. </span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">Which makes the coming year a year of uncertain uncertainties. We have to make some financial recoveries since the renovation has run a bit over budget. How needs to be figured out πAlso we have no idea when all the tasks will get over and the house will be fully usable. My parents might be making a trip again. But we aren't sure when, for how long and what we plan to do together in terms of trips etc. My Mil is coming over and it will be a different experience for her coming over first time since the pandemic. We have no certainty about any trips or holidays we might be undertaking. I will be changing teams at work with new people, new systems and new tech stack. There are just too many things up in the air and I would love to see my thoughts on 31.12.2024 π</span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">But here's wishing anyone who chances on this post a very happy new year. May your uncertainties result in pleasant outcomes. May you have the strength to live through them and the results. May things forge ahead and be enriching. Wishing everyone a new year full of pleasant surprises!</span></b></div>Amritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06075910411728252444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5853324654090739267.post-25466115539101644452023-12-25T19:25:00.001+00:002023-12-25T19:25:20.299+00:00Getting used to the mess <p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"> <span style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">I might have said in a previous post that we are undertaking some renovation work in our house. It is a simple room extension which we thought would throw one room out of function. But the work has seemed to grow arms and legs! First the room under the room to be extended got impacted! The builders had to put scaffolding on it and make the base stronger etc. Now this room was our 'office' room. So working from home was thrown out of gear. We had to shift everything from that room. Once we started the process we realised just how much the room housed. There was the usual office stuff of laptops, monitors, printer, shredder. But then there was a huge book shelf. Little one's keyboard. A small heater fan. Plants. The list goes on. All these stuff and the people who used them had to be rehabilitated to the living and dining room. </span></span></b></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">I set shop in the kitchen and K in the living room. The living room ended up having a very ragged look with all the plants and the office set up. It was a throw back to the covid lockdown period when we did not have a proper office setup and things were a bit ramshackle. </span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">Anyways the work started. There was a big skip in front of our house to accumulate the debris of construction. The parking spots for the cars were gone and we had to have a daily chase of picking a spot on our street. Initially it started with being annoying. But then it turned into was fun and games and there was a certain thrill in getting a certain parking spot. K would come and shout woo hoo! I got the space under the tree. Other times I would be like hoorah I got the one near the wall. </span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">Things went a bit too our of whack when our bedroom was impacted too. Since the window in our bedroom was to be cut and shortened, they had to access it. But the delivery of the smaller window was delayed. So they boarded the gaping window space, but the room was super cold. So it was a call back to the floor of the living room for K and I. First few days it was a bit inconvenient to set up the sleeping area on the floor of the living room. But then the silver linings emerged. The living room was way tidier during the day since we made sure to keep it cleaner for the nights. The cosiness of the living room with all the plants had a charm of its own. </span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">When finally our bedroom was in operation again, we changed all the covers and vaccumed it like there's no tomorrow. It was so clean and sparkling that all the inconvenience seemed worth it when we finally hit the bed!</span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">The work is going at a decent pace. Hopefully sometime by February next year things will be a bit more settled. The journey unsettling at first is something I have definitely gotten used to.</span></b></div>Amritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06075910411728252444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5853324654090739267.post-51284635187611022962023-11-27T10:51:00.004+00:002023-11-27T10:51:28.908+00:00Speechless<p> <span style="color: #660000;"><b>The other day little Pumpki asked me, "what do you do when we goto school". I said, "I do work". She asked, "But do you miss us". Then I said, "I do, but work keeps me busy. But I definitely wait for you and <i>didi</i> to be back". She had me speechless for a moment.</b></span></p>Amritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06075910411728252444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5853324654090739267.post-44066455755774367182023-11-07T09:13:00.001+00:002023-11-07T09:13:49.797+00:00Some serious shit <p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"> <span style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">We are undertaking some house construction work. Because of it the entire year was on standby for us since the builders were not committing on a date. Finally it started on the last week of October.</span></span></b></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">There was much glee in our family when they put the scaffoldings up and started work. We noticed the day's progress with the curiosity of kids. I went to pick the girls up from school in the evening wondering how they would respond to the changes. We parked near our house and I saw some muddy water coming down our driveway. I though the builders had cleaned something with cement and left the water on. We carefully came in and then once we were near the back yard of our house, we saw the manhole was bursting open. We immediately called the builders. They said it was nothing to do with the work they had done during the day but anyways came to inspect. </span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">We learnt a lot about the way the sewerage system works that day! It so happens that all the toilets across the street join up and flush down through common pipes. Our house happens to be on the top of a hill. There seemed to be some sort of blockage which was causing the water to hold up. And somehow it had chosen our manhole to burst open. So all the fecal matter that was pent up on the drainage was bursting out from the manhole in our backyard. Also any time anyone flushed, the drains were being impacted and and there was an outburst of poo and everything people were flushing. It was going through like rivers around the house and flowing onto the street forming poo ponds where ever it could find the crevices. </span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">The stench was horrible especially once we realised that it was poo. We needed to call the central company that deals with such issues. We were constantly on their customer service. Our case was registered but we were informed that it could take upto 3 days for it to get sorted. K and I were quite nervous about the whole scenario. We initially refrained from using the toilets etc. But then we were advised that it would be OK. We somehow manage to go through the river of poo and drop the kids at school the next day. We had a lot of options thank God like going to my sisters house or taking a room in a hotel. But we decided it would be OK to just live it out. </span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">K and I wore some water proof boots and plastic bags in our hands and approached the manhole. Since the lid of the manhole was being pushed open everytime anyone was flushing the sewerage was coming out every single time. We decided to brave it, make it to the middle of the pool of poo, close the lid and put something heavy on it. First we had to clean the area the best we could so that we could put our four feet. The sludge of shit was dangerous to stand on. After that we dragged the lid and closed the manhole. Last year in one of the storms a portion of our wall had broken. We had kept all the heavy slabs from the broken wall. We dragged 2 of them and put it on top of the lid of the manhole. That prevented any further flushes from pushing the lid open.</span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">The next day was a super rainy one and we did not have much hope of the issue getting sorted. We rang up customer service again to highlight the severity of the issue. Thankfully we had some people come over around 9:28. I know the exact precise time because that is how keenly I was following the events π
They had the expression on the face of shit having actually hit the fan. They started investigating from the house next to ours. There were people staring at what was happening. It was a proper scene! Then they came to our back yard and started their clean up..gawd the stench. They then went over to the manholes in the street and cleaned up and found a big mass of clog. People had been flushing wet wipes down the toilets which had caused such a massacre. </span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">K was supremely humbled the entire experience. He went and got boxes of biscuits for all of them. We had to get some new hose pipes and the weekend there was a round of super deep cleaning. </span></b></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" />Amritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06075910411728252444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5853324654090739267.post-57693937075542668402023-09-29T17:23:00.002+01:002023-09-29T17:23:49.731+01:00Second chances <p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"> <span style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">I am a firm believer in second chances. I had sat my engineering entrance exam after my year 12. I did not get the branch of my choice and decided to sit the exam again. This time as I was preparing, everything made much more sense to me. The organic chemistry lessons which seemed like voodoo the first time I was studying them became my favourite sections. I had always enjoyed physics and I enjoyed it a bit more this time around. It was all making so much more sense that I felt how dumb was I a few months ago to not be able to understand all this! </span></span></b></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">I hated my first job. Everything was super hard, I didn't feel I was treated well. So much so I made up my mind that I was not designed for a career in IT. I still wish at times I had a different career, but my second job onwards I discovered the thrill of coding and loved it. I have been doing it for the past nearly 18 years and will keep doing it for another 18 I guess. </span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">My previous job was a radical shift in the way of working I was used and in the technology stack. I was working on some very cool and new stuff with quite modern ways of implementing. I felt quite daunted and suffered a lot from imposter syndrome. I was full of self doubt. But then my current job where I kind of do similar things, it is way easier for me. </span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">I don't know what happens with second chances? Are we armed with more information that we fail to see in our nervousness with the first attempt? Are we more relaxed because of our attitude that 'what's the worse that could happen ' and that lack of pressure makes us perform better. Are we more resilient after what we think was a failure the first time around. I am not sure what the reasons are, but second chances are really a deal breaker. They are our chance to get it right the second time around. Here's to second chances!</span></b></div>Amritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06075910411728252444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5853324654090739267.post-52168069030444780612023-09-07T14:13:00.005+01:002023-09-07T14:13:58.521+01:00The changes<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b> The summer holidays have drawn to a close. I had my last week off to spend with the girls, and it was the best week I had :) We managed to do a bit of trekking one day. It was part of the 3 peaks which make the Yorkshire 3 Peaks challenge. The climb was quite hard and strenuous. Especially for the kids. But it was an immensely exhilarating experience. We loved every bit of it and really enjoyed the beautiful scenery from the top. The downhill journey was ironically as hard as the uphill π After what seemed like forever we did manage to come down and treated ourselves to some gorgeous ice cream! With the high of having done a bit of trekking, we were eyeing the next peak. We planned it for the coming weekend when were to have wonderful weather. </b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>The week was a very sunny one and we had local trips and walks to keep us going. We did spend quite some time recovering from the long hill walking. We were definitely waiting for and raring to go for the next peak. Now this was way more challenging and steep than the first one! We had a bit of scrambling to do on our hands and legs. I was stuck at a certain point. Then thankfully I was advised by another hiker coming behind me to take an alternative route. It was quite sheer and steep and very very windy. I was scared out of my brains. But then there is no backsies π I was amazed at my daughters for climbing up with all the confidence. After that exhilarating climb, it was time for downhill again. This time it seemed more painful because it was just plain old walking. The girls in fact found it <i>boring</i>.</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>This peak brought a close to the official holiday week for me. The climbing of two hills was exhilarating, but what lay ahead of us was the new hill of 2 different school drops, 2 kids going and coming back at different times and a whole lot of logistics with it. I was very very anxious about it and am really thankful that I managed a remote job where I could work from home. The girls had one more day to go for school and they used the time finishing some painting they had taken up during the holidays. Tuesday Pumpki started school. It was her very first day without elder sis. Chiyaa and K made a dry run to her secondary school. Chiyaa will be walking to secondary school which is 3 kms away. We are seasoned walkers and we did not think it would be a big deal. K and she managed a dry run with no hiccups at all. It would be a 07:40 ish start for her to make reach school at time around 0815. Dry run done, we missed little Pumpki all day and waited for her to return from her first day at school by herself without <i>didi. </i>She had had a wonderful time and was quite fine by herself. </b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>The next day was the main deal with Chiyaa starting her first day at high school!! Pumpki hates waking in the morning. She was the most difficult person to rouse out of bed. But she was ironically up with her elder sister. I managed to get her sorted ahead of time. We had set a routine for K to do the pick ups for Chiyaa and me for Pumpki. But since it was the first day for her, I wanted to drop Chiyaa. So K and I swapped places π It was amazing walking with Chiyaa. She seemed so grown up doing so much all by herself. She was very excited for the walks. She was looking forward to her alone time with an audio book while returning. But I was concerned about her walking alone. She did not have many friends in primary school. We have seen most of the children walk back with some sort of company or friends. I was very reluctant to let her be alone. I did nt think in a span of the summer holidays she would be mature enough to walk all alone. But seeing her being so confident about managing, I did not want to dampen her spirits. It was more of a letting go for me. Only if I let her be, I would be ok with her taking ownership of stuff. So quite reluctantly I agreed to her walking back alone. </b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>As soon as her school was done, she messaged us and K and I got busy tracking her location. She is a fast walker! I was tempted to meet her half way. But given it was a very bright sunny day where there was amazing visibility, I did not want to ruin her maiden walk home. Eventually she came 35 minutes later and boy we greeted her with a big welcome! I asked her if she wanted to Mummy or Daddy at any point? And she said " No offence but I was fine by myself". My precious lil girl who used to cry to high heavens to be dropped off at day care and who had such a tough time at primary school in forming friendships was confident of taking on stuff! Whole evening we kept pestering her with questions. It was a very new experience for us as well. </b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>The first day went well enough Touchwood. Here's fingers crossed for the whole year to be relatively smooth. </b></span></p>Amritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06075910411728252444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5853324654090739267.post-72799417306719636272023-08-24T08:19:00.000+01:002023-08-24T08:19:18.754+01:00The summer update<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>The days have been going at unique pace this year. There is a lot that is happening but it is all happening in a languorous pace that makes it seem all manageable. Papa Mummy moved back to India on 2nd August. It was a horrible rainy day. We didnt step outside anywhere. My sis and I had taken the day off and sat chatting. We never run out of conversations in my family. It just keeps on coming π And there is honestly so much we discuss at the drop of a hat. We kept chatting while making preps and packing. And then the clock timed for us to bid our adiues. We said our tearful goodbyes. The pain of it was definitely lessened by the fact that I had my sis with me, a part of my parents. They made the long journey back with an overnight layover in Delhi. They really enjoyed staying in the hotel and the one night there refreshed them. We were so happy to have them in the UK for a little over 5 months. Finally seeing them back at our home in Bhubaneswar brought the full closure. The weekend following my parents return, my sis returned to her rented apartment.</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>My kids just love being at my sister's place. We make it quite the norm to stay there during weekends and bank holidays. It is a cute unique routine. And once the kids are in bed, my sis and I spend the time chatting. There was one night where we were up till 0130 at night talking about this and that. I did mention we dont run out of conversations didnt I π There was work the next day, but we just went on with out discussions and debates </b></span><b style="color: #990000;">π</b><b style="color: #990000;"> The kids love the sensation of being at a different place and sleeping there. They are of course pampered silly by my sis which is super endearing. The city centre location gives them a lot of places for entertainment and also food. The hustle bustle of the city centre is something that can pep anyone up! During the summer holidays our trips to her place have been a bit more often which has definitely made the days more enjoyable.</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>In the midst of the summer holidays K and I decided to take a certification. In this ripe old age we took upon ourselves to prepare and sit a test. There was no need to do it, but we thought we should. It would help us in calibrating ourselves. There were days of intense preparation and we both passed. It was an amazing feeling and has ironically made us think of the next one π Along with work and studies, we have been enjoying some real long walks with the girls. After clocking off work, we take the girls on a nice long walk which sometimes stretches to 8 kms. It does tire their little legs. But it is the time again for some silly family conversation, some arguments, some teasing and end of the day a good night's sleep π</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>There is one more week left for the summer holidays to get over. It will be a unique experience next term when Chiyaa starts high school. There is the aspect of this bigger school with kids from all over the place. And she has to take to walking nearly 3 kms one way! Pumpki will be in her old primary school and will definitely be missing the comforting presence of her elder sister during the times they used to be together in school for instance during the travel and lunch breaks. Both girls have very different and unique situations to deal with. But I am sure when I give my summer update next year, it would all be routine π</b></span></div>Amritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06075910411728252444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5853324654090739267.post-27634770261773859102023-07-13T08:56:00.006+01:002023-07-17T16:37:07.600+01:00The planets align again!<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><b> <span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" >I didn't think it would ever happen again. For the <a href="https://cherriesblogs.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-planets-had-aligned.html" target="_blank">planets align only once</a> in a lifetime isn't it? But they did again! And we ended up celebrating papa and K's birthday in person together again! </span></b></span></p><div style=" text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style=" text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><b>The birthday week kick started with mummy 's on the 4th of July. It was a busy day. Chiyaa had an open evening at her to be secondary school. The evening was packed. But we managed to get some cake and chicken for mummy in the afternoon since we expected a busy evening. It was a lovely sunny day. Mummy enjoyed a nice little walk with my sister. Papa mowed the lawn and did some cleaning activities around the house. It was the proper countdown to their return as papa kept saying. They are slated to go back to India on 2nd August and we could feel the pangs of separation as the birthday week approached. But then life goes on and we take pleasure in the small things that are bestowed upon us. I was happy that again mummy was with the people she literally dotes the most. She is also a very closed person with a small social circle which mostly entails family. She is closest to her daughters and loves being with her grand-daughters. So, I was pretty sure that, with no gifts, no big celebrations, she was still at her most satisfied.</b></span></div><div style=" text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style=" text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><b>3 days later it was K and Papa's birthday. By the stroke of luck it was a school holiday for the kids for teacher training. It was just pure coincidence and again something that had never happened before!! We took the day off and planned a day trip to York. Pumpki had gone there to a chocolate museum and she was keen that we all go there and experience what she had. And here Wham! came another brilliant coincidence. It was World Chocolate Day! It was all getting tied in a neat little parcel by some divinity. The trip at York's Chocolate Story was quite good. We stopped by for some lunch and then walked over one of the parts of the Roman walls that were built to protect the city of York. It was quite an experience. But by this time, the sun was getting on everyone's nerves. It was becoming a bit too hot and tiring especially for the kids and Papa. There were a lot more sights to see, but we decided to take the train back home. We quite enjoyed the trip and it was a wrap to a good day spent together. </b></span></div><div style=" text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style=" text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><b>The days together might be drawing to an end, but we are so loving all the sweet moments that we can capture. I could not thank God enough for these days. </b></span></div>Amritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06075910411728252444noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5853324654090739267.post-89785393530393027822023-07-08T00:00:00.008+01:002023-07-08T00:00:36.171+01:00Fingers crossed dear Chiyaa <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b> <span style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">Chiyaa has been the most emotional component of our lives. When she was born, K and I could not have our parents near us to support us. We had to go through the entire ride of being new parents in a country which was not our native. It was a big learning experience but also a very handson and emotional one. We have many emotions and gone through many experiences for the </span><i style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">very first time </i><span style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">with her. </span></b></span></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Sending her to daycare was another monumental time for us. She took ages to settle down and it ripped out hearts dropping her every day. She used to cry and squirm in the pram even when we neared her day care. I had to literally tear myself from her and goto work. But then eventually after what seemed like eternity, she settled down and started loving her nursery. </b></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>For most kids, nursery naturally leads to a local school. But we had to leave Leeds. She had to say her goodbyes to her nursery before the designated time. It felt like a relationship cut short, abruptly, untimely and painfully. She was given such glorious praise and good wishes by her nursery mates and her carers and even mummy and I who went to pick her up on her last day had tears in our eyes. </b></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>But life is moving on. In a new town she started a new life in a new school. She didn't have the usual settling in sessions that the local kids might have had. She was thrust into the school. She took a few weeks to settle down and a new friend was instrumental in that. Her friend, her friend's brother and Chiyaa used to greet each other with the loudest hugs and shouts when they greeted each other. It was finally falling into place.</b></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>But then, life hit her and us again. K got a job in Leeds and we had to move back. We got her placed in a local school. She had a very very tough time forging new friendships all over again. Her teacher was phenomenal in settling her. She formed some friendships with some older kids, but they left school, she formed some friendships with her after school clubs but they came and went. She never had a good solid friend. There was shuffling in her class in the middle of school which landed her in a group very unlike herself. She struggled through the next 4 years. K and I kept ruing, that a good level headed kid like her just needed <i>one friend </i>to make school life just a bit easier. But for some reason that was being denied to her.</b></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>She starts high school in September. On 6th July they had a trial day at her new school. She was in a group where she knew no one. She said she was fine with it. ' It will be a fresh start' is what the mature lil girl said. I dropped her at school hoping and praying she found a bunch of people to hang out with. We saw the some known faces and I asked her why didnt she just say hi. She went ahead and one of the people hugged her and they all started talking. I had tears in my eyes. As she went into the big school building, I stood hoping she would cope and survive.</b></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>When I went to pick her up, she came with a smile and my eyes watered again. She had some one from her school in her group. She chatted with a group of known people during lunch. She did not feel alone or left out during the day. My hope and prayer, May this be true for the next 5 years. All she needs is <i>one friend. </i></b></span></div>Amritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06075910411728252444noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5853324654090739267.post-2243532428611219362023-06-28T08:59:00.004+01:002023-06-28T08:59:35.067+01:00Planned unplanned day<p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"> I am a sucker for planning. Anything impromptu makes me uneasy. But then last Monday to finish off one of my annual leaves, I joined K and took a day off. It was to be a day where we would go with the flow and do things <i>impromptu</i>. I mostly envisioned it a day wasted. ;) If it came to it, I intended to do the ironing and deep clean the house - there should be something to show at the end of the day :) We had nebulous plans of going for a long walk, enjoying a peaceful coffee and other sweet things, which I was pretty sure we were never going to accomplish. All those things need PLANNING!!!</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">First thing first, we dropped the kids off at school. As we came to the car, we noticed that one of the tyres looked a bit flat. The first spanner in the works. First the car was off to the garage. That seemd to be the end of the day - so much for impromptu days! It took some time for the technician to assess the car. It was given a thumbs up. So only an hour of the available time gone. We still had 5 remaining hours. The world was our oyster. </span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">The weekend we had been to my sister's place. Mummy had made the most delicious chick peas and soya chunks curry. She had intended to pack some for me but while exiting I missed getting it. She was super guilty for not having managed to send some over to me (Moms right *rolls eyes*) So, I proposed why don't we walk to my sister's place and get the curries and come home! We would have a long 10km walk (back and forth) and dinner would be sorted too. There is always food where Mummy is, so lunch would be sorted as well. K jumped on the plan and we started our trek to surprise Mummy, Papa and my sis. That was a plan that came out of nowhere. </span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">At her place we chatted for some time. K was in the mood for some Mexican, so we thought of checking some of the vendors that put up stalls near the area. Since my sister lives in the city centre, she has all the hustle bustle. We took a stroll and instead of the Mexican place we ended up being convinced by a Cypriotic food stall. We ordered gyros and marched to her house with the goodies. The food was just divine!! We were totally knocked over by the flavours and totally high fived ourselves on having chosen to go with the dishes we did. Amazing. On the spur decisions are not so bad after all ;) </span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">After lunch and a little rest, we started our walk back home. Then off to the task of picking the kids and the rest was routine. This was a rare occassion of taking one step at a time and going with the flow and it was worth it :) Sometimes I can do impromptu :D</span></b></p>Amritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06075910411728252444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5853324654090739267.post-72408431043876702222023-06-09T21:17:00.007+01:002023-06-09T21:22:27.004+01:00A tough time but a time together <p style="text-align: justify;"> <b><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">The week before last was half term break for the girls. I had my sister and parents at home for the duration. It was full IPL knockout matches time and it was brilliant fun watching the nail biting matches with Papa. We were looking forward to the oh so important match on the Sunday. </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">On Saturday evening</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"> we decided to make some rice at night to make the </span><i style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">Odia </i><span style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">delicacy of </span><i style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><a href="https://cherriesblogs.blogspot.com/search?q=Pakhala&m=1" target="_blank">pakhala</a> </i><span style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">since it was to be a hot day on Sunday. Mummy put the rice in the pressure cooker and it was getting cooked. My sister Lichie was making her dinner. All of a sudden there was an ear splitting noise. We all rushed to the kitchen and realised that the pressure cooker had somehow burst. There was rice all over. The whistle was no where to be found. The over hob extractor had been badly dented. But the lid had managed to hit Lichie on her shoulder. She was bleeding from near her eye brow and her lips. One of her tooth seemed to have been knocked off. There was blood and we had no idea of the extent of damage. The shock was terrible for Lichie and she was hysterical. The kids were afraid and papa mummy were very very worried and upset. We immediately rang the emergency services. We were given an estimated time of 90 minutes for their arrival. In the interim we kept giving cold compress to her.</span></span></b></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">It had been such a warm and joyful Saturday. We all had enjoyed a lovely spat of gardening. We were watching Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone since Pumpki had also finished reading the book. Now we could all enjoy the movie without any spoilers. We were so looking forward to the relaxed movie experience. And we were hit by this bad accident. To distract Lichie we thought it might be good to resume watching the movie after the kitchen had been cleaned up. </span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">Around 2140 we had the emergency responders. They made an assessment of her and deemed her ok from a health perspective. Her teeth needed attention from the emergency dental services which we were to get in touch with via another channel. We did so and managed to get an appointment for the next day. With the preliminary assessment and the recommended approach to reduce pain we were a bit at ease. She had steam burns and was in terrible pain, but there was nothing but waiting for things to settle down. The appointment with the dentist the next day went ok too and he was able to do a good job of patching up the knocked up tooth. Luckily there was only one tooth that had been impacted. It had broken in the middle and there was a laceration in the gum. It would take time to settle down and it was all a waiting game now. </span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">With this accident, we had to put on hold some of the travel plans during the half term holiday. By Thursday when she was a bit settled, we made a trip to a nearby heritage house. It was amazing day spent outside and a welcome break from the tension of recent events. The kids and I mean while were being bothered by a nasty cough over the past 2 weeks. This week it was particularly aggravated. Mummy was rushing and tending to all of us giving us her utmost care to make us better. </span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">The kids started school last Monday and this week thankfully we are all together getting back in the routine. It was a very tough time and we sort of have a phobia of pressure cookers now. K and I were feeling a bit guilty that this happened in our house with our equipment. But we also dread the situation that it would have happened to the kids or mummy. That is a big nightmare scenario. Thankfully God is taking us to a healing place. Thankfully we were all together during this testing time to support each other. This too shall pass. π</span></b></div>Amritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06075910411728252444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5853324654090739267.post-53413947879232176612023-05-26T17:52:00.000+01:002023-05-26T17:52:52.036+01:00Step 8: final moments with family <p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"> We were to start back from Bangalore on Sunday afternoon. The morning one of K's cousin had plans to visit us. It was amazing to have the cousins meet up and our kids play along. It is splendid to watch how kids shed all barriers and get going with other kids, even if meeting them for the first time. As the afternoon drew to a close, we had to bid each other tearful goodbyes and board the train to return to Chennai.</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">At Chennai we had a couple of days before it was the end of the lovely time. The Monday was spent in a lot of bureaucratic tasks. Thankfully a lot was getting done at a quick and easy pace. It was really a sign of the new times that there was so much efficiency in so many government departments. Tuesday was spent visiting some more of K's side of the family. The kids were slathered with love and pampered to the hilt. I am sure they could not have asked for more. </span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">We had to start realigning for the return. It was amazing to have spent all the time with people who valued us. K and I were very happy with our friends doing so well in their lives. The chats I had with them ranging from college to kids to menopause was brilliant. There was just so much over arching affection. I dont have a lot of friends and still this bunch of people made so much effort over the past days, it was enough for me. It was one of the most amazing time this year and I will be ever thankful to God for it :) </span></b></p>Amritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06075910411728252444noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5853324654090739267.post-49849061200070313172023-05-12T15:46:00.006+01:002023-05-12T15:50:38.727+01:00Step 7: another weekend<p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">A long weekend awaited us after the whirlwind week. Sam had met me over the madness of the weekend. We didn't get a chance to have a proper chat. She decided to avail her optional holiday on Friday and come over. There was a ton of food that we had ordered that morning, from close to 8 different places :) Sam could sample all the food when she came in around lunch time. Then it was time for us to get chatting! We spoke about myriad things and time flew till Sam had to call it a day and go back home. </span></b></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">The Saturday was planned for my friend B's house. Since her place was quite far, we were habouring the idea of going over on Friday night itself. We would save ourselves from the mental traffic which seems to materialise out of nowhere in Bangalore. Her house was an eternity away. But it was an oasis once we entered. It was brilliant being in the huge bungalow. Kids went along to play, adults got chatting as we got a tour of her massive house :) Post dinner, around 2230, her hubby suggested a drive to get some tea from a nearby vendor. I have never done such a thing in my life. To be honest, I am extremely boring. I plan to outings to start at a certain time and I expect myself and all I know to be back by 2000. Impromptu trips, middle of the night plans are something I have never done. But it was super exciting to be part of such a plan. 7 of us fitted ourselves into the car and off we went for tea and ice cream. We made it around 2300 when the tea shop was closed. The ice cream place was wrapping up as well and we somehow managed to get one ice cream to go from the very reluctant staff who just wanted to go home. </span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">Back home, the kids had ice cream around mid night and finally hit the bed. B and I then sat down in the living room for a good old chat. We spoke about a gazillion things under the sun, till around 2 in the morning, when she felt hungry and we decided that we should goto bed :D </span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">In the middle of the night, I had a nightmare. Not the dreams kind, but a real one. I woke to use the toilet and in the middle of my business, I saw a lizard on the door. I shrieked! The lizard shrieked ( I hope) and plopped onto the floor. I screamed again and the lizard ran out from under the gap in the door. I somehow summoned my courage and ran out chanting the names of all the Gods I know. Took some time for my heart beat to return to normal, but then all was well :) </span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">B was somehow up at 7 in the morning preparing a delicious egg sandwiches and <i>dosa</i>s. (My family is still in love with the sandwiches and asks for it every now and then) And she did mention hearing a scream at night and asked if everything was ok ;) She had planned get together with R's family and another college mate. Once everyone was assembled, there was gorgeous food and again wholesome conversations. Kids got along like wildfire and adults were having a lovely time till it was the call to wrap up. It was awful telling the goodbyes, but I couldnt be thankful enough to dearest B for being the wonderful hostess that she was. </span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">We came back home around 1800 in the evening and were still reeling from the wonderful time we had had. </span></b></div>Amritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06075910411728252444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5853324654090739267.post-29405610298313539382023-05-02T08:00:00.005+01:002023-05-02T08:00:50.232+01:00Step 6: get the work week on<p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"> <span style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">Monday there were absolutely no plans. The idea was to rest and relax at home. I was still feeling unwell with the fever and decided to sleep it out. My friends started texting that they were feeling unwell with fever as well. </span></span></b></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">After lunch I decided to take a nap. After some time I had K waking me up for a trip to the mall. Since my niece did not have any extra curricular that day, the plan was to go and do some shopping for each other in the mall. The cousins and the adults started in full enthusiasm with shoes, proceeded to toys and makeup. Finally it was some scrumptious food at a place called Punjab Grill. </span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">That was a wrap on Monday. On Tuesday I visisted my school friend P. It was so amazing to meet her one on one after the somewhat loud get together over the weekend. Her two rescue beagles kept the children super entertained. Her hubby is a gem of a person. Down to earth, calm and composed, he was amazing with the kids. Even after they ended up smashing two glass artefacts in her house. π©</span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">Wednesday was a day which was again reserved for shopping! And the best kind of shopping. Books! My sis in law had planned to take us to Blossoms at M G Road. It was an interesting journey in the Bangalore metro. The trains ran on schedule and were a welcome change from the maddening traffic. We reached Blossoms and spent close to 90 minutes shopping. We had a huge load of books for everyone. It was simple amazing to spend time in the old shop and look at the various books. We came out with close to 30 books for all of us. Shopping is tiring and what came next was - of course! - food. This time some delectable pizza from The Pizza Bakery. </span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">Thursday was literally doing nothing at all at home. We slept, read the books we had bought the previous day, watched TV and the IPL matches, took walks around the lovely apartment complex and got ready for the long weekend π</span></b></div>Amritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06075910411728252444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5853324654090739267.post-9339107937418650672023-04-28T08:56:00.001+01:002023-04-28T08:56:16.123+01:00Step 5: foot off the accelerator<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b> <span style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">After the adrenaline subsided, </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">on Sunday morning</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"> the body was hit by reality. I had a high fever. I would have loved to lie in, but then there is nothing a hot beverage can't fix π So armed with a cup of coffee I got on with getting ready for the day. Sam had planned a lunch with a bunch of friends who were congregating from different parts of Bangalore. Evening a quick trip to her mom's and then the night was still up in the air. Since my girls had been bored out of their brains with majority of adult interactions the previous day, they voted to stay at my sis-in-laws house. My niece was also around so there would be some good cousin time. </span></b></span></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>I whipped something up for the kids, since the measurement of spices they were used to was quite hard to fathom by others. And off we went. I had given K the option to stay back as well. Since I was 'phoneless' and Bangalore was new and different, he opted to come in. We met up at a Thai restaurant and had a blast chatting. We were getting stares from other patrons who were probably getting disturbed by us. But do little girls care πAfter lunch we rested at Sam's house and got on with some more chatting. K was a gem just minding himself. I love that guy π</b></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>We visisted Sam's mom in the evening. It was surreal meeting them after 26 years. It is easy to be triggered by people from the past. Aunty was emotional to see us all. She had made some amazing food. It took me back to the years in Rourkela where having aunty's food was a norm. Sam used to bring the tastiest lunch boxes. And along with it, I had many sleep overs at hers. Her birthday parties were a hoot too. Having the food at Bangalore took me back to the school days and and especially her out of the world <i>katori chaat</i>. </b></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>A trip down memory lane done, it was time to navigate the absolutely horrendous traffic of the city to get home. I would have loved to stay over at Sam 's a true homage to school days, but I was feeling a bit under the weather and was also a bit worried for the kids. So good byes done, it was a wrap over the weekend. </b></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b><br /></b></span></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" />Amritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06075910411728252444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5853324654090739267.post-369325833683746832023-04-21T17:13:00.002+01:002023-04-24T07:57:09.902+01:00Step 4: reset and restart<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b> Bengaluru was a new destination within the span of 2 days. We were putting up at my sister in law's place. The girls loved exploring their new set up. Since my sis in law has a teenage daughter, her home was filled with things that my kids loved - books, art equipments, board games. They had too many choices to begin with. They went away and busied themselves while K and Amma managed a nap and I chatted with my sis in law. It was very nice to see everyone drift off and be comfortable. Once my niece was back from school, it was time for the cousins to have some fun.The girls were meeting up after a long time and they do not have a lot in common. But it was endearing to see them bond over food, school, TV shows and complaints about their moms! </b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>In the evening my sis-in-law and my niece sat down to watch the IPL match. I have never watched a single IPL match in my life. But their enthusiasm was contagious for sure. K and I and to some extent the kids got down to watching the match. We have truly been bitten by the bug, so much so, we continue to follow the matches back here in the UK :)</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>The weekend was to be a roller coaster. We started off in the morning to meet my two besties, Ashu and Sam. Ashu had made the effort to come all the way from Pune to Bengaluru. It was a horrendous ride full of traffic, but we eventually made it. It was amazing to meet them. There is something about people outside your family who have known you over decades! It an unmissable feeling of being loved, by people who just walked into your life by pure coincidence! We all had lunch together and then chatted away. I could feel some of the contextual conversations were beyond my understanding. I did not get the real estate market, the financial market, the job situations and a few others since those are different in the UK. It was interesting to listen and lovely to see how well people are doing. </b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>The evening was a trip to another college friends house. R was hosting B who had made a trip from Odisha to see us - just for one day. Again, seeing these amazing bunch of people - that is what <i>nirvana </i>must feel like. Just utter peace - no questions asked. We chatted along, K and R's hubby also had no seeming awkwardness for folks meeting for the first time. While the best part was R's kids and mine. Being more or less the same age group, they just made their own little group and started playing as if they had known each other from before! </b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>We made a trip to a restaurant to have dinner. The purported aim which was having some good food was futile. But the entire duration was definitely filled with lots and lots of laughter and giggles, as if we were school girls :D </b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>All good things come to an end, and we had to bid good night and good bye to dearest B. As I hugged her, someone remarked that this was like us leaving our hostel for the last and final time back in college. And as B hugged me, she just whispered <i>take care.</i> And till date I miss her. Next time, I am making a trip just for her! </b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>That was one hellova Saturday. It was just the beginning! </b></span></p>Amritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06075910411728252444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5853324654090739267.post-59806559323764105172023-04-17T19:09:00.001+01:002023-04-17T19:10:12.039+01:00Step 3: maiden train journey in India <p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"> <span style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">We had expected that there would be some trouble with the kids having an early </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">start at 5</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"> for Bangalore. Surprisingly the girls were quite well managed and got ready on time. There was a quick ride to the train station. It was around 5 in the morning, but there were so many people running. There was the usual hustle and bustle of activities that is integral to India. That itself was caffeine for me π</span></span></b></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">At the station it was a cacophony of noises. There were poeple on the floor sleeping while waiting for the next train. There were mad rushes and anxious runs. Pumpki was quite intrigued by it all. She asked if people sleep in the station. I clarified that no, perhaps it was a long wait and finding no other way to rest, people have taken to the floor. </span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">In the midst of all this, Miss Pumpki needed a wee. We ventured to the paid toilets. They were quite ok and being used by all sorts of people. But there was only an Indian toilet there, which scared poor Pumpki π I found it all too hilarious to be honest π A kind lady offered that we could use to a/c waiting room for some western toilets. Off we went! Toilet used, we went to patiently wait for our train.</span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">Since we had a lot of luggage, we had to resort to hiring a porter. This was again something that was a new experience for the girls. Once seated in the coach, we were inundated with IRCTC catering personnel screaming <i>Chai, vada, puri subzi, samosa, </i>various biscuits and cakes. It was annoying. At the same time, it evoked nostalgia. Back in the day train journeys were a part and parcel of holidays. The journey could be anything from 12 to 22 hours long. I remember having the smell of iron on my hands when I stepped out of the destination and feeling the sensation of motion many hours after deboarding. The journeys used to be tiring. But they had a weird charm. Buying from the various vendors, sleeping on the berths, chatting and bonding with co-passengers. Every journey was unique. This journey wasn't unique like the ones I have made in the past. But it was unique taking the girls through this special experience. They are quite composed in themselves and do not react profusely at anything. I am not sure if it was an indelible journey. I hope they enjoyed it and will talk about it once they are older as I fondly remember my train journeys π</span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">5.5 hours later we arrived in garden city Bengaluru!</span></b></div>Amritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06075910411728252444noreply@blogger.com0