Sunday - Monday 24 -25 Jan

Sunday is a little unusual in that it is a Jubilee (25 yrs) celebration for Sr. Muriel from the ICM congregation. She has asked a good friend, a Malankara Catholic bishop to celebrate the Mass for us - notice his interesting head garb. Fascinating to see how easily this event is accepted by all. The bishop is urbane and articulate and obviously a thoughtful and inspirational cleric. The Mass is conducted entirely in English.

A great lunch follows and I get to meet some interesting folk - relatives and other guests.

The rest of the day is quiet and uneventful.

Monday starts off completely on the wrong foot.

I try to flag down an auto for half an hour and fail miserably.

I couldn't help a secret wish for the scooter I never did buy.

So I set off to work on foot. I meet lots of children walking towards me on their way to school and they smile and call out: What is your name? and Where are you coming from? We chat and keep moving. I am smiling and enjoying all of this. The day is not so bad after all.

I am inspired to take a load of pictures of things I see along my route.

One of the local Hindu temples is celebrating a festival and devotees have built a bamboo structure over the road and swathed it in cloth and parasols.

It is particularly fetching this morning. Notice the reflection

in the puddle!

A bit further on, another Hindu temple is getting ready for its festival and folk are repairing the sculpted cement work on the external wall. I catch the workers having an early morning chat before starting work.

January - February is the festival season for Hindus and all temples seem to be gearing up for this by spring cleaning, repairing or repainting their property.

They also want the whole world to know they are celebrating their special day so they post large banks of speakers along the roads leading to the temple so they can play ear splittingly loud music all day long. I don't know how the neighbours put up with it.

Still further on, is the coconut plantation where the children play cricket after school. I'll leave that to your imagination!

I cannot resist the decorated truck.

So typical of these large cargo lorries.

Makes me think of the overly decorated jeepneys in the Philippines all emblazoned with the girlfriend's name.

A bit further on, a none-too-clean canal bordering another coco plantation under development looks charming in the morning light.

I eventually reach the National Highway and a service station where I do pick up an auto. I get to work an hour late but that's Kerala time for you!

A pleasant morning's work slips by: I draft some letters, review a report and draft a j0b description. Then it's time for lunch. Sr. Mercy and I always have that together at about 2 pm. We sit and chat about all manner of things staring out at the back garden. It is most companionable and our friendship is growing by the day.

Soon it's time for me to slip away to the Ayurvedic clinic and relax under the tender care of Ambi and Rajani. I often drop off to sleep, especially when I am having SHIRODHARA.

This is the classic Ayurvedic treatment everyone has seen a picture of, with oil dripping from a bowl suspended above onto your forehead.

This picture is not the slick advertising kind of shot but is actually ME with Ambi doing the honours.

The day ends on a slightly less positive note as I collect my churidars from the tailor and they are not fixed. I had a hunch this would be the case, but thought I would give her another chance. Enough frustration, already! I say they are fine just to get the hell out of there and sever the relationship.

I come home and start unpicking them - she's cut the tops all wrong and there is no spare material to make good! Uggh! I'll have to find someone to help me make them alright or I'll ditch them - I haven't got any of my sewing kit with me. So much for that grand idea!

Oh well!