No one else but Him

 While I still reminisce about my holiday and count the blessing of these wonderful people in my life, there is a major architect who looks after all this seamlessly. God. He enables me to have just so many wonderful things that I cant thank him enough. 

During this trip, on the last day we had a tour booked. It was a tour of the UN offices. It is quite a privilege to be get inside the offices where so much ground breaking work happens. It was not an expensive tour, but it was a very rare one. So we were quite excited for it. We took the public transport. There was to be one change. While making the change, we ended up going in the opposite direction! We realised quite a while later and were away from our destination by a major distance. We were definitely not going to make it on time. On top of that there was a requirement to get to the meeting point 30 minutes before the start of the tour. We got down at one of the stops and started walking to catch the nearest bus to the our destination. By this time, we had definitely missed the deadline for arriving at the venue. But I was praying fervently. For if someone can perform miracles its Him! So I prayed and prayed and prayed.

We reached our tour destination. We were late. K who is quite laid back when it comes to such activities, asked me to show the email of the booking. I showed him and he found a phone number. He asked me to call the number. I did and no one picked up. K then took it over and tried one last call. They picked up! He informed that we had missed our prior booking and if we could come in some time later. It was our last day and we were returning home the next day and that day was our only one. The person on the other side agreed and asked us to come over at 2 in the afternoon.

God had indeed performed His miracle. I had prayed and He answered. He made the impossible possible. It was nothing else but absolute divine intervention. Thank you God.

2 lucky charms

 Reminiscing about my recent holiday I am also grateful to how my lil babies have turned out. They decide and pack their own stuff once I have given them the expectation of the kind of clothes that will be needed. They take care of themselves.  I have to give them a time and they wake up once called to, do their chores and get ready when they are expected to. They take care to be mindful of others in public transport. They don't mess about and are always careful of their belongings. I also love the fact how when boarding or alighting from a transport, they look out for others and ensure that everyone has gotten in or disembarked. It is such a far cry from the days when I was responsible for packing everything, getting them ready and between K and I to get them from one place to another. I really enjoy travelling with my little ladies. Like my mother has with us, I have a lovely bond with them and it is a pleasure and a privilege to be around the budding young minds by the grace of God. Touchwood 🤞

A treasure

 Now for the other side of the bargain. While I had my mom cocooning me on my way out on the holiday, I had my sister receiving me with the warmest hug. The day before we were slated to return, she called and said to come by her house. She would have made some food for us. Well there is nothing that feels better than home cooked food after surviving on shop meals for 4 days. We landed and texted that we were on our way. She stood in front of her apartment, big parcel of food in hand. But the best part wasn't the food. She had a thermos full of tea. Delicious, strong, ginger tea! Could I have asked for anything more!! I felt so blessed to have her around. She really takes the blunt of my day to day vagaries. She also made the transition from holiday to home much easier :)

A mother like no other

Last week was the school term holiday. And we had a trip planned.I spend quite a bit of time before going on holiday to keeping things in order. I clean the rooms, change the bedsheets, do as much ironing as possible. Essentially reset everything to 0 before we go. Sometimes I wonder why do I have this weird habit on top of all the busy-ness of packing and other admin tasks to be done before going away on holiday. I used to presume it is my 'nature'. 

Everyday my sis and my mom and I have a call in the evening where we update each other of our day. Last Sunday my mom said, "oh you look so tired from all the arranging and cleaning". And I was like, "how do you know I have been arranging and cleaning all day". And she said, "Its better to come back to a clean house. And its better to get everything done, what you may leave pending for later, since you will not have the patience for it once you come back". My mom really is one piece, she is the all knowing lovely angel who is so in touch with me every moment. I was really touched by what she said and felt a bit more saner since I was not the only one who gets sucked in the madness of cleaning before going on holiday 🙂

One of a kind experience

 So I did something I had never done before. K and I left the girls and went away! 

Now for the details...

K and I work for the same company. Every year we have an away weekend, where the employees are taken to a fancy spa resort or a retreat to have the Friday afternoon and Saturday to chill with fellow colleagues. And also there are the usual company updates. But there is also unlimited bar, a total of six free meals, and the scintillating opportunity to wine and dine with fellow comrades of the workforce.

None of this is my jam AT ALL. I hate company updates when I am listening to them remotely; imagine listening to them in a big hall, live! I would not hang out with my colleagues if my life depended on it. They are colleagues, they are to troubleshoot bugs, to approve my code, and to say good morning and bye in meetings. I have zero interest in wining and dining with them. Speaking of wining and dining, I don't drink alcohol. And there are only so many cups of coke and coffee one can consume! In fact, food is not my motivator ever. I can happily live on tea and toast with butter till the end of days.

But…all of this is K’s jam, totally. He is not a social butterfly, but he likes the company of others. He likes hanging out with people and finding out what's up! He has been in the company for five years and has met a fair share of folks. He likes the general catch-ups. He likes food. He likes drinks! Beer in particular. There are a few boxes ticked there, but then despite it, there are moments when he's left alone. When the catch-up dries out, when the beer has been drunk. And to fill this emptiness, this time he had me! He did cajole me to come last year as well. But I set a firm no since I was relatively new to the company. This time around, love won. Yeah, the man wanted my company for the away weekend, and I was being pushed to say yes. My sister came in as the biggest enabler. She was like, “Go once, you may like it and would regret missing it. You may not like it and would be happy to have tried. Either way, the win is yours!”  OK, that is very sound logic. On the emotional side, I know my kids love her and gel really well with her. She adores them, and I was certain she would ensure they would be spoilt sick. So I acquiesced.

The Friday for the travel came up. We had opted for a car ride since we did not want to be tied in with company transport. The car would give us the flexibility to drive back under some unforeseen condition. My sis came in in the morning of Friday. She had the meals planned. There was salmon and pasta for Friday dinner followed by boba tea. Saturday, they had plans to go over to the city centre, have some yummy burgers at a new chicken place, shop for some craft materials, have some Japanese pancakes, and make their way home. It sounded such a swell plan that I was jealous. 

While they had this weekend lined up, K and I made our way to the venue. It was not far from our place, but the road works and speed restrictions made the journey longer than it needed to be. We reached just in time for the all-hands meet.  Since it is a low-hierarchy company, we were sitting with our co-owner. He was a real chill guy with whom we had some lovely conversations. He was the one who had interviewed me eight years ago when I had first tried for this company. I had not cleared it then, but the company and his ethos had left a mark on me. I would have loved to state this to him, but then shyness and the inclination to remain quiet took over.

Once the all-hands meet was over, we went to our room. Boy, it was fancy!  We had some time to chill before the evening event of some award ceremony and dinner. I caught up with the girls who were enjoying their boba! Once ready for the evening, we made our way to the hall again. The food was horrible to say the least. But I bounced with some people whom I had worked with when I started. We had some quick catch-ups. After that, I was ready to call it quits. I made my way to our room while K socialised for a bit longer. 

The next day we had the sauna booked. People could opt for various activities and we were lucky enough to get the sauna. It was a bit daunting to strut around in swimwear in front of coworkers but after a point the body shame went away. And K and I concentrated on having a relaxing session. After that we worked up the appetite for lunch. K was keen for a walk after lunch but all I could think of was a nap. It was super refreshing to take a nap after the sauna and the food. I slept guilt-free for God knows how long. 

Once I woke, I was quite refreshed. K and I decided to take a walk through the sprawling grounds. We ended up taking a longer than intended walk since we got lost! Seven kilometres under our belt, we made our way home 😂 We came across some cute cats and had a hell of a time petting them. Detox done, it was time for the last supper with colleagues, with some karaoke and other entertainment I was least interested in!

Wrapping up dinner, I was looking forward to heading back home. My girls had had an amazing weekend, pampered by their aunty and having all the freedom (within reason). I had a different experience. It was an all-expenses-paid luxury stay, which was one of a kind. But it was not entirely my cup of tea and perhaps not something I would do again. But I was happy to have done it once!

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The first fortnight of the ber months

 Done with a fortnight of the "ber" months. It was only recently that the months from September to December are called the ber  months. It seems obvious but when I found there is an official term for it, I was quite impressed. So I am going to use it where I can :)

The kids went on to school in the first week of September leaving a much quieter house. It was a nice short week which allowed us to settle into the routine. The Friday of the first week, K and I undertook some volunteering work at the Leeds Docks. There is a charity which maintains the area around the docks. There was some lime mortar repointing to be done. Though it sounds like a hugely technical activity, it was quite idiot proof. It was satisfying getting down on our hands and knees and getting the lime mortar within the pavements. It was tiring on hindsight :) though while doing it we did not feel any fatigue. The weekend promised good weather and we made a trip to the nearby city of York. York has been made hugely popular as a result of Instagram. It has blossomed into a foodie's hub. By itself it is quite a clean and quaint place. We undertook the journey to York mostly to savour the viral food places. And must say none of them disappointed us. They were viral for all the right reasons which is nt the case with most places that go berserk on the internet. It was quite a refreshing weekend leaving us recharged to get on with the rest of manic week.

The first full week post summer holidays seemed daunting. But it somehow had things flowing nicely. By God's grace the rains did not cause much mayhem. The pick ups and drops went swimmingly. At the end of which we felt invigorated to take on another weekend activity. As I had mentioned the girls have become quite used to long walks. So we decided to undertake the longish walk to the city centre. My sister hosted us for lunch after which we went shopping for some craft supplies. Inevitably we got distracted and ended up shopping for clothes first :) Craft shopping went meh cos we didn't find what we were looking up. To make up, we decided on cakes and coffee. Which was great call!

We made our way home and it was an amazing Saturday and were looking forward to the Sunday which would bring in the preparations for Ganesh Puja on Monday. This time around my sister was also with us, and we put in a united front to prepare for the Big One's birthday. We decided the menu, added in the decorations and happily waited for the Monday. The food came out amazing, the girls were enthusiastically involved. It  was a truly lovely Ganesh Puja.

The first fortnight of the ber months have gone well by the grace of God. Looking forward to the rest.

Summer again

 This summer holiday has been unique in so many ways. Touchwood, it has been easy. It started off looking quite boring and uneventful. But in due course, I was able to savour this stage of the kids where they are way more independent. They would wake up, grab some breakfast, and get on with some activity. Be it reading, playing a video game, or doing some craft work. They found the treasure trove of Netflix games this summer. And it was a full-on family activity playing a bunch of those games. K, to be honest, is very competitive when it comes to these games. 

Since the girls have built some stamina, we were able to go on way longer walks. So instead of short walks every evening to keep them engaged, we could enjoy really long walks. Be it in the area of a trip to the city centre via walk or be it a trek. It was quite wonderful to have the company of these young girls and walk around. There were days we would chat about random things. Other times, they would listen to their choice of music. Again, a huge advantage of having them in this stage is that they are quite independent to have their own taste of music so that they are not dragged to listen to someone else's playlist. We also use this opportunity to swap music titles of each other’s favourite artists. 

Since Chiyaa is nearly 15, my sis and I spoilt her by watching Squid Games. It was a really thrilling and enjoyable watch. Again, reaping the benefit of having a bit older kids is that we can enjoy a lot of shows together. We have been regularly watching an anime called The Way of the Househusband. This, in turn, inculcated a desire to cook, and we have been trying to dish out a few of the items. A huge success was cheese croquettes :) Talking of dishes, the girls have been keeping super busy cooking, baking, and Chiyaa has become a pro in making ice creams. They are really thriving in making different dishes and enjoy feeding people around them. They have also tried to keep up with their instrument practice, though it has been the toughest habit to push this summer.

I have seen such a progression from the days when I used to dread the holidays and keeping kids entertained. We have come to a point where we thoroughly enjoy them. Apart from our plans we have been graced with celestial events such as the solar eclipse and the Perseid meteor shower. We love the raucousness in the house, the mess in the kitchen and bedroom, the absolute anarchy in the living room, and the total fun in spending time together. As the lovely six weeks of switched-off alarms, lie-ins in the morning, playdates, walks, shopping, lots of cooking, and lots of eating draw to an end, all I can do is wait for the next one next year :)