Monday, April 22, 2013

Home....

Home. I have lived in my city for over 50 years. A long long time. So, I should not have any hesitation in calling it my home. But off late I have been asking myself where exactly is home? Where do I want to be?

Eight years ago, our two daughters left home within a span of a week . Both got into courses away from home and that was the first time the house seemed empty !( yes the home suddenly seemed just four walls ) It took us a while to get used to the emptiness but there were times to look forward to. Weekends, festivals, term holidays. Then the elder one got married and after a while their careers took them abroad, the younger one took a job in another city. 

But she often flew down. That lasted three years, till she went to the US for her masters last year. 

Now the two of us are like gypsies. While we closed our small office that we had for about 20 years, we have nothing to hold us down. We are content as of now, doing something at our pace so that we can pack our bags whenever the kids need us. We spent time with the elder one in London, when she had a baby last year. While I did miss the familiar faces and places, I felt quite at home. That surprised me !

The younger one graduates in a couple of months. After completion of the course she will return to India for a short period again, till she goes back to take on her new assignment. And this morning, her tickets were booked, and she called to say – Yay ! I am coming home soon.

That was the answer. I know even though the children have their separate lives, they need to return to their roots time and again, even though the visits are not that frequent and for shorter stays. It is after all their home. And ours.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Out of Order

Out of Order is a sculpture by artist David Mach that is on the Old London Road in Kingston upon Thames. It is a series of tumbling telephone boxes that has over the years become an iconic landmark of the place.


Those little red phone booths in the UK are still around, maybe in fewer numbers but still being used.  Just like the red postboxes.  I was pleased to see people posting letters, postmen going on their shifts as early as 8 in the morning.  Little sights that are missing back home.

Kingston upon Thames is a quaint place.  And at their Ancient Market Place one can spend some time browsing, sitting on the stone benches looking at the old buildings and taking in the architecture.

I did a post for Indian Bazaars here about the Market Place.  Do go and explore Kiran's blog for insights about the market places in India and elsewhere. 

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Lasting first times....


There is always a first time.  Just too many to recall and relate. And as you grow older, the first times and the other times that follow, make these the experiences one falls back on. 

The first time I started teaching, I was very nervous.  I asked my father, who had begun his career as a lecturer, for some tips.  He said  “Remember, you definitely know more than the student sitting in front of you, but that does not mean you can fool them”.  “Go prepared and if you are unable to answer any of the questions, do not try to dodge the query or even pull a fast one”.  “There is no harm admitting that you do not know.  But go back the next day, with the answer.  A student will respect you for that”.   That advice held me in good stead in both teaching and non-teaching life

Getting on in years, some tasks are no longer done with ease.  Can be more trying than the first time. I was rather pleased the other day,  when I threaded a slender silk thread through a very fine eye of the needle in dim light.

  Perhaps it was the new pair of glasses!  But to me it did feel like an achievement of sorts.   Like a first time without depending on others.

There will continue to be some firsts.  Like the first time I made a snowman with my daughter a couple of months ago.  


So very enjoyable.  All those Enid Blyton books, the Dennis the Menace and Archie comics that we read as kids conjuring different images all took life on a cold bleak wintry day.  And then coming back to a hot cup of tea with some cupcakes.  I was a ten year old all over again.

There will be other firsts… until there is a last.  Amen. 

PS - This was for the SRA group - the subject being - The First Time

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Trying my hand at verse...

As I was blog hopping I happily landed at SRA's blog.  SRA and friends have started a group on facebook that has a common objective of writing on a particular theme each week.  That was just what I needed to get back to blogging.  I was also exposed to different styles of thinking and writing.  It got me trying my hand at a bit of poetry.  Something I had not done for a very long time.  An edited version ....


What Nonsense !

I cannot do with all this fuss
I went to meet  the Octopus
Extra arms I need to borrow
To multi-task from ‘morrow

And so I return with four more pairs
Slowly climbing up the stairs

This will make my work so easy
The kitchen top will ne’er be greasy
Cut, braid and pack  in one go
The arms will glide in graceful flow

Alas, co-ordination was such a strain
The cheese sandwich went down the drain
The wiping mop went into the box
And lass’ braids were tied with socks

The Creator watched this with disdain
To think I equipped them with better brain !

So much thought in their design
Yet,  all they do is cry and whine
 And, what a waste of the effort  I took
For them to while away time on facebook ?

Monday, January 14, 2013

Back to regular blogging... hopefully in 2013

The last posting here was seven months ago.   But then that was 2012.  The new year is upon us.  I have not made new year resolutions for a very long time.  I remember as a kid ( and now I am a new grand-mother, so that seems ages ago ) I would get a diary at the beginning of the year and resolve to write each day.  I think it hardly lasted a week.  Either it was just an ordinary day, or something too personal to write about.  And I think that is exactly what happened to my blog.  Too much happened last year !  Too much to share.

It is not that I stayed away from the virtual world.  Far from it.  And funnily I was more active on my food blog.  Strange.. since I am not really fond of cooking !  But finding so many food blogs and like-minded people sharing recipes made what might otherwise have been another boring chore a lot more interesting.

There were many decisions we had to make in 2012  the impact of which, we will know in 2013.  We shut our small sized enterprise, our younger one went abroad to do her LLM, and the elder one had a baby !  Right now away from home, we return to India in March and move to our own apartment.  It is not the dream home I always wanted, but I am wiser and understand I can make it make it my own little space.

As of now,  I cannot think too far ahead.  Our lives are focused now around this little being who came into our lives 10 weeks ago.  And I am content.

More resolutions (apart from regular blogging ) I shall make as the year progresses.  I find the mid-year ones are more realistic.  And achievable.

Cheers ! 
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