How do we get rid of grocery at the last minute? We bake, we make all sorts of exotic things.. yes, can’t blame you guys if you think, I’ve lost my marbles.
Anybody joining me for some cornbread?
Just because..
21
Monthly Archives: June 2012
I can never be happy..
I certainly come to conclude.
Until yesterday I was worrying about selling my car in time. When the car for sold off, here I am, feeling a little sad, a little desolate that my trusty companion has found a new home. A trader bought it, so I do hope that the next owner loves her just as much as I did. We realized that it was one of our oldest big possessions in this country, having used it for five years. Now every time we turn into the driveway, the empty space makes me a little sad. Although we are really glad that it went so soon. I had left it too late, and was worried that the two weeks that we had here might not be enough. Thankfully it all turned out fine.
Our packers came in today. All that had to be sent off had been packed off. All that is left is to pack the rest of our belongings, get rid off everything else- which by the way, is turning out tougher than everything else. We have just too much stuff. Plus all the boxes we had saved from our previous moves, now need to be discarded. The next few days will go off throwing away stuff and if I am unlucky enough to not get hold of a cleaner, cleaning as well. Fingers crossed:)
The most exciting thing is the countdown to landing in India. Can’t wait! I’m so excited I’m already researching everything possible, from home decor to cars:)
You know you are in dire straits..
…when
- one day before the packers are supposed to arrive, every thing still seems to be a total mess.
- more and more things that need doing comes up.
- I feel so guilty about ignoring daughter during all the chaos, that I end up promising(rather rashly) that I would play monopoly after school:)
- I don’t even have the energy to read- now that is dire, in my book. I did read a few great books recommended by TGND – Under the Tuscan Sun, and am now midway through The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Both wonderful reads! I am not going to be have any time to do reviews in the near future to write more about them.
- I get so stressed out that I get terrible migraines that force me to leave dinner parties hosted by my wonderful friends. I’m going to miss my friends here so much.. It’s been such a wonderful time in this place.
- The loads of clothes, knick-knacks that we have given away – I could have held a car boot sale and made good money 
I threw away a 10 year old yoga pants – it was so comfy that I held on to it all these years:) But I think it has to go now We’ve got three boxes of books already, and still have more to pack – how much have we accumulated over the years! And this after giving away a lot of older books that daughter has out grown of. I was so hard-hearted with clothes disposal that I stopped myself from keeping clothes, that I hoarded all this while, in the vain hope that one day, I would lose weight to fit into them:)
I hear of people who lose their appetite with stress. I can only wish I were in that category. I eat more, and at a time like this, it ends up being more junk – so not what I need. I will need to go on a proper diet once I am back in India. High hopes, I know, dieting in India But then, one needs hopes to survive, doesn’t one?
The one thing I am genuinely thankful about is that we did not invest in a property in this country. Selling off a car is giving me nightmares, I actually have dreams involving selling my car. And funnily, Pixie came in my dream as a consultant telling me what to do to sell my car:) I know, I have certainly gone mad:)
Wordless Wednesday – 33
Randomness..
You know those weekends where you whiz through stuff and Monday leaves you gasping for breath? Well, we had one of those.
Monday is a holiday for daughter as it is a training day, and both of us just wanted to laze around, doing nothing. We did that and some more. We went to the City Centre and shopped(not as much as I wanted to), and ate (pigged out – way more than I wanted to). We had planned to go to the City museum. It used to be our regular haunt a couple of years ago. We hadn’t been there in a while, and thought it would be fun to revisit the places we loved once before we bid adieu to the city that has become home for us, for the last 4 years. Unfortunately, for us, it was closed. I hadn’t bothered checking the opening timings before we started.
Now we that we wasted the day effectively, I spent the rest of the time on FB and daughter did Mental Maths for ‘fun’! We had picked up a book today and daughter enjoyed the first ‘test’ so much that she sat and did 12 tests in a sitting. No, I am not complaining at all Am just happy I don’t have to fight with her to do work. Although how long this phase will last is something I am not too optimistic about. Did I mention that we’ve been having marathon sessions of Monopoly in which she has been beating me hollow 
Yes, I don’t play like a mercenary, the way I play with husband We’ve had so much fun with Monopoly that I’ve decided to take it in my luggage back to India, rather than shipping it. I’m sure I’ll need it to keep her occupied. And after today, I’m stocking up on mental maths workbooks as well
I had plans to pack and plan my packing, but nothing concrete seems to be happening. Although I have to say, I have done considerable research on all the makes of refrigerators and dishwashers in India. And scoured pictures of Model homes that we had hoarded up, all those years ago when we dreamt of moving into our own house. All those had been kept aside when we realized that we weren’t going back anytime soon. Now of course, it is back to those days, when I spent hours staring at my floor plan trying to figure out where I could do what. Daughter and I have been pouring over colour schemes and room decor. She, of course, has already planned out her room After years of living in rental homes, I can’t wait, and neither can she. Husband, unfortunately has to wait a bit more before he can join us, and he is already feeling bad. Fingers crossed, it shouldn’t be too long.
As I said, I just can’t wait to be back in Bangalore! Every passing day brings more excitement now Wish me luck, and do drop me all the info you can – tips for getting the furniture, appliances and the like. I’m going to be setting up home from scratch and totally excited about it
Catching Babies by Sheena Byrom
A book that caught my eye, and as I have found out, I’ve ended up reading some books that I’ve enjoyed thoroughly when I pick books on impulse.
Catching Babies: The true story of a dedicated midwife is exactly what it says on the cover. Sheena Byrom’s story from the day she signed up to be a nurse, to the dedicated midwife she retired as.
From a close-knit family of five sisters, Sheena had a very loving childhood. Sheena had to give up her studies after her A levels, when both her parents fell ill. Her parents needed her support financially and emotionally. While she was disappointed about leaving her studies, she understood that it was the need of the hour. Later her mother encouraged her to think about nursing as a profession. The idea of a job in a caring profession really appealed to her. About to turn eighteen, she went in for her nursing interview and got selected, much to her great joy.
She started off as a nurse, but soon got attracted to midwifery after getting a chance to be at a birth. She recalls how she could still remember the thrill and pleasure that she felt while assisting with the birth. It was the first in many, many more to come.
After qualifying as a nurse, she decided to apply to be a pupil midwife, as that seemed to be what fascinated her the most. Then on, it’s about her journey as a midwife. As she says, ‘I was to learn that the job satisfaction in midwifery came from doing less to individuals and doing more with them’.
The narrative of her life as a midwife also charts the way the profession has changed over the decades and how so many dedicated midwives have helped change the childbirth experience to what it is today in Britain. From the days where a pregnant woman was treated as a ‘patient’ to the time when it is an experience of a lifetime for a woman, and the understanding that she needs to be the one to make the decisions for herself and her baby.
Along with her narrative about her professional life, we get to see Sheena’s personal life, getting married to her boyfriend Paul, losing her father, her sister, giving birth to her babies, looking after her mother. The close bond between her and her family, the friends she makes along the way, the difficulties and trials they face as a family. It is a wonderful, positive read.
Her passion for her vocation shines through. Her joy knows no bounds when her oldest daughter decides to become a midwife too. All was not rosy for her though. She found herself in the middle of a litigation case, where she knew that she had done nothing wrong, and yet, she gets defamed, and she and her family had a hard time while the case was ongoing. Despite her trials, she continues to be positive and even understand the family which decided to litigate. She understood their limitations and only wished she could do more to help them.
As she recounts the stories, her passion and respect for a mother giving birth to a baby comes across so strongly, and also how having a dedicated midwife support you through a pregnancy can make a real difference to a woman’s experience of giving birth. She talks of dedicated midwives, nurses and consultants who put the women first, who listened to the pregnant women, and made all the difference. Sheena herself has worked in different areas,in close knit maternity units, as a community midwife, communicating, supporting women in all sorts of situations, some living in extreme poverty, farmers wives who are on their feet the very next day, women from immigrant families, teenage mothers. The basic need for all pregnant women is after all the same. One of the stories she recounts of a lady who had been so let down by the system, that she was extremely hostile to all the midwives, until she was listened to. All she wanted was for someone to actually listen to her worries and fears.
The book gives a great insight into the lives of midwives in this country. The first time I encountered midwives was when I was pregnant with daughter. In India, I think the concept of a midwife is almost non-existent, atleast in urban cities. In the NHS, if the pregnancy is low risk and normal, the midwives are the ones who provide the care throughout the pregnancy. Reading this book, gave me a real perspective to life on the other side.
It was a beautiful, warm read, which gives one a true insight into the lives of midwives, their struggles, triumphs and struggles. An absolutely recommended read. It is a hard-to-put-down book.
Relocating..
.. is fraught with all sorts of unexpected trouble and is becoming a complete roller-coaster of emotions for me.
Heartbreak
- Finding hardly worn skinny jeans in your wardrobe, that you had kept away, in the vain hope that one day, you would fit into them. And now coming to the realization that its not going to happen in a hurry, not with the amount I’ve been eating Those skinny jeans will have to find another home.
- Finally giving away gorgeous hardly worn clothes of daughter – because she grows out of them so quickly!
- Throwing away winter coats that stood you through 8 cold winters, I don’t know why, but it makes me cry. Who would have thought that I could get all sentimental over clothing!
Physical Labour
- It is no less that hard physical labour to haul bags after bags to the charity shop. There is no decent place to park close by, which means I have a long trek with bin bags full of clothes to be given away.
Discovery
- When you find buried in the storage cupboards things you had completely forgotten about. A cake decorating set, for instance. And it makes you want to bake and decorate right away:)
Frustration
- Toys packed away for giving away to charity, toys which have been ignored for years, all of a sudden, become, ‘My favourite ones!’. And I, of course, am the evil one giving away all her things!
- When daughter finds it very funny to pop the bubbles on the bubble wrap that the packing company brought for me to pack. We have taken a complete pack and move package, but for some reason I thought that it would be good if I could do some of it myself. So I got them to drop off some packing supplies. I now realize that I had not thought things through. Someone is now spending her term break bursting bubbles on the bubble wrap!!!! I can only hope that they bring more supplies when they come around to pack.
Seriously, how do people manage when they have to ship everything across. I am not taking any furniture, and it is still driving me crazy. Moving houses in the same city or even in the same country was much easier. Atleast I did not have to make decisions on throwing away stuff, which I think I find the most tough.
While I might be oscillating between what to take, and what to leave behind, one thing I have certainly decided is that Daughter goes to school until the very last day. Having her underfoot while trying to wrap up things will certainly drive me mad
Day out - Yorkshire Dales
One of the best things about where we live is how easily we can escape into the peace and quiet of the countryside. Five minutes drive from where we are, we could be gazing at sheep grazing away, and green fields which seem to go on and on.
And when we have more than 5 minutes, or half a day, for instance, we can drive off to Yorkshire Dales.
Venice Day 2 Part 2 Streets of Venice..
After half a day of walking around in the Murano and Burano, we decided to head back to Venice. Do read the previous parts of the travelogue here and here if you haven't read them yet.
We had a day trip planned to the hill towns of Veneto for the whole of the third and last day, so wanted to experience as much of Venice as we could that evening.
With my media space running out here, I was forced to think of other ways of doing my travel posts - which have the most pictures. After a lot of thought, I decided to section it off into a separate travel blog. Hoping though that I do end up traveling enough to justify the new blog :)
The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson & Richard DiLallo
When I hear James Patterson, I think ‘crime thriller’, so I was pleasantly surprised to read a James Patterson book, some time back, which was not a crime thriller- and yet, just as captivating – Sundays at Tiffany’s. Mark of a great writer, I suppose. So when I came across The Christmas Wedding, I just had to pick it up.
Gaby Summerhill is getting married on Christmas day – and nobody knows who to. Actually one person does know, Gaby herself, and she is keeping it to herself.
Gaby has sent video invitations to all her children. Gaby and her children have not spent Christmas together since her husband died four years ago, and there is nothing Gaby wants more than having her whole family together at Christmas, and she suspects that getting married will ensure that all her children will be with her at Christmas. Gaby has been proposed to by three men. All of them wonderful people, her close friends, and she will reveal which one would be her bridegroom on Christmas day. All three men, being her close friends agreed to go along with it, because they cared so much about her.
Gaby’s children are facing issues and worries of their own and bring it all to the wedding. A violent, irresponsible husband, young adolescent children in trouble, another very ill husband, a very successful daughter, who is forced to question her own success, and her son who is trying very hard to get published.
The story is a nice and easy read. I was a little disappointed when I realized that the there was no real twists, and everything just fit in well together – just as I expected, rather than the unexpected twist that I was hoping for. I could even guess who her mysterious bridegroom would be.
As I said, it was a nice and easy read, with not too much mystery or twists that I would have expected from the author. I was a little disappointed because I expected more. Perhaps the same book from some other author would have been less disappointing.
