Done and dusted

 I have started my new job. It has been a bit of a whizz. The settling in process has been really smooth touchwood. The people are nice and I feel at home. The office is quite high tech and located in an ultra central place which I love. 

Today, its exactly been a week since I left my last job and it does seem such a change, so long ago. Last Monday was to be my final day in work while I took the Tuesday off to unwind before joining. When I went in to work on the Monday, I realised that my credentials were not working any more. I waited for IT to come in. And they figured out at once, that my credentials had been removed from the organisation over the weekend. It was like a blessing I did not ask for. I did not have a lot of work to do, but my manager was kind of one who surreptitiously noted people's working hours. So I did not expect her to be benevolent and let me have an early finish. But then the Gods of Fate decided for me to have an early finish by making the IT department action my account early. I had to bid farewell to my team through another colleagues chat and that was it. It was a bit unceremonious. I did not have any last email drafted nor did I want to make a big deal, but I was definitely not prepared for what happened :) I gave my i-card at the reception where a kind, elderly gentleman sits. He in his usual calm voice asked "Oh you are leaving? Bye and good luck!" That was me done at my previous place!

It was the first day of the heat wave in the UK. And coincidentally, Pumpki was under the weather since she had had her Covid vaccine booster shot the previous day. She was at home. It seemed as if the stars had aligned for me to be at home with my sickly kid on one of the hottest days in the UK of the year. It was an amazing feeling to drive back home on the motorway for one last time. I strangely did not feel nostalgic. I just felt amazing. I felt awesome at having an extra day off. When I came back home, the curtains were drawn to keep the sun out. It felt like a hot day in India and gave proper summer vacation vibes. I was over the moon to just sit with Pumpki and do Lego. Since I was home, K was alleviated of his child care duties. I chatted with Mummy over Facetime and played and watched TV with Pumpki. Once Chiyaa was back from school, it was more or less the same relaxed day and a preparation for the next hot day :) 

Though next day was blazing, I got some exercise in. And then post cooking did a bit of studying for my new job. It was just to give me a sense of security. A false sense of security to be honest :) The day was super relaxed, but sadly the night was so hot and humid we all had difficulty sleeping. The houses in this country are not helpful if the weather turns too warm. I was also anxious about joining the new place which added to the turbulence. Somehow the raat's subah (morning in plain speak :D ) came and I was ready for my new job!

Morning shows the day?

This is my last week at my current work place. The time has flown so swiftly. There is never a dull moment when it comes to work here. The days are packed choc-o-block with something or other to do. Along with it, I have an impending holiday to plan as well. I join in the next job and within a week I am off for a week. So there is technically speaking no room to breathe. So in the midst of break neck work, there is all the juggling and planning of the holiday too.

My notice period has been quite eventful. I have done a lot of work, it has been crazy busy. But with some portions of work, I have deliberately taken it relaxed as well. I have not immersed myself in a lot of critical tasks. I had plans to study a lot and do minimal work 😉 but that did not happen around here. As I have a week to join the new place, I intend to catch up on some studying! I will be coming in to work one more day. So rather than procrastinating the pack up, I tidied up my desk today. I packed up all the accumulated debris over the past 3.5 years. There were documents, pens, post it notes and some weird and wonderful things like a tub of salt and shoes! I have packed them all and kept them ready to go! And I reminisce that when I joined this place, my biggest qualm was with coming in to work every day. I was more attuned to the culture of working from home. And that has been the last nail in the coffin which prompted me to quit the job! Morning shows the day indeed.

Butterflies

 

My family would love a pet. A cat, a dog, a bird, anything would do. The kids wouldn’t even mind a gecko! There was a stroke of luck when my elder daughter started learning about metamorphosis in school. To depict it practically, their teacher had a setup of caterpillars. The caterpillars were in a container, and they slowly grew into chrysalis and became butterflies. She was very keen on having a set up at home too. We  were fine with it since we thought the kids could see the process first hand.

Little did we realise this was their attempt at having a pet. Even if for a short time. They looked at the caterpillars with the diligence of a scientist but with the love of a parent. They made notes, kept count of the number of days to the next phase and even gave them names. The chrysalis hatched and the butterflies remained in the station for a few days being fed sugar water, flowers and juicy fruits. After 4-5 days we released them. And it was such a pleasure to see the kids enjoy the experience. We thought they might be sad at seeing the butterflies go, but kids always see the happy picture. My daughter said, “Now the butterfly can have fresh nectar”. Seeing the brighter side, such an amazing but simple skill 😊

 

 

Pakhala

 For people from the state of Odissa in the eastern part of India, Pakhala is a sacred dish. It smells of summer, of gatherings, of lip smacking delicacies to go with it and a much deserved afternoon siesta to be the crowning glory. Close to the tropics and beside the mighty Bay of Bengal, Odissa has very hot and humid summers. Pakhala is the best recourse. It is cooked rice which is left in water overnight which increases its cooling properties. The light fermentation that comes through in the rice leaves the eater refreshed. Something what an ice cold bottle of beer does in modern times. It is accompanied by a variety  of sauteed vegetables like potato, bitter gourd, okra, aubergine. Mashed potatoes, tomato chutney and badi chura which is something akin to crushed papads are worthy accompaniments. An assortment of grilled and fried sea food grace the plates of the non vegeterians. It is a divine fusion of tastes and texture. The Pakhala Diwas was started by the Odia community to relive this connection with the past.

 

But for me, Pakhala is my Maa. My paternal grandma. She was a simple village woman who was astoundingly ahead of her times. She had to come to help my dad raise my sister and me while my mom was posted in another location because of her job. She was with us for a summer. And every single day it was Pakhala for lunch with a wide and wild array of dishes. She used to lay a paper on the floor (she preferred sitting on the floor and eating as is tradition in rural India) and lay our bowls and plates. We used to eat in reverent silence. Every single day eating Pakhala was a sacred ritual.

 

In the UK, it is rare that we get those enervating hot days. But even a temperature of late teens calls for this dish, to celebrate Maa.

  This is my simple plate with mashed potatoes, grilled sea bass, sauteed kale, savoury tomato chutney and papad.