London Diaries - Time for a Cuppa - Farm Girl

So..Amma's here and I don't have a clue how the days are running past me. If there's anyone in this world who enjoys strolling through markets tirelessly and can do it over and over again and not complain or get bored, it has to be her. Well, I do know of a few others, but amma's enthusiasm is something else. 

We had reserved one afternoon for a lazy but thorough stroll around Portobello Market in Notting Hill, she remembered the little details of this place from her previous visit but we just had to go there again. 

We left home after lunch as amma still doesn't prefer eating out here as the options offered on the table just don't live up to her taste buds, so a post lunch getaway is what we settled for. 

We walked the entire length of Portobello road all the way from Notting Hill Station, stopping at most shops - Alice was a must, the map shop & the photo prints shop was ticked off too. We did a quick mandatory 'Cake stop' at the hummingbird bakery for the sweet tooth. After about 4 hours of wandering we headed back to Notting hill and was craving for a quiet little place where we could sit down, may be warm ourselves up and reflect on what we did. Yeah... I know that sounds too profound for a random walk in the market, but    such places so unique calls for a bit of that.

We stumbled upon Farm Girl for 2 specific things - the Wisteria creeper that grew on it's doorway (which is my new found love this season)  and the writing on the wall. A bit of a weirdo here, but yes, this is exactly what made me walk in. 

It was a quirky little cafe at first sight, a bit hippieish and spoke healthy, fresh, calm, colourful, everything goes the day you make it kinda place.  The green tiled decor gave the place a garden feel which is most welcome.

The options at the bar were not too many but we just wanted some a warm drink so I picked the afternoon blend for my tea and amma choose a latte - oh yes! we love our coffee with lots of milk.  We settled down at a corner table and were greeted to a big pitcher of water with lemon. Any place which offers generous amounts of water without asking scores immediately with me. We really needed that. 

Just as we settled in I had to get us an almond croissant which won over the banana & coconut cake. No regrets! It was probably one of the best Almond croissant I had in a very long time.  The tea & coffee with the friendly smiley staff all went down a treat. We felt rejuvenated from this little stop. All the cutlery were colourful stoneware which was  earthly and yet very stylish. 

I looked through the menu & it offers dairy free options , including ice creams for the lactose intolerant. I had to tell my friend about this place as she would really appreciate places that cater to those who need dairy free. 

It was an expensive place, so on those terms it makes me think I should explore an alternative, but for which it ticks the box for what you'd look for in a coffee shop and given that it's such a quaint one on an otherwise busy street. 

 

Emotionally Bound

Relationships are so fragile. In this day when more often than not families are getting smaller, friends are getting farther and staying in touch is mainly on a social networking site, my heart still yearns for that contact, for the togetherness which is becoming such a rarity.

Many relationships don't stay, don't sustain the test of time. It is so easy in the current lifestyle to see the most simple way of not staying in touch - 'out of sight is out of mind'. It is quite saddening to see that 'we have moved on in our lives so much and there isn't a lot in common that one may have with that old friend. So caught up are we in the routine that it's too hard to remember that someone....it makes me remember what a relative of mine living in the US once told me, 'I always remember to call people in India, now that you live in the UK I forget it.' Probably shows how important I am to that person.

Circumstances takes the better of you. Not in the right place, at the right time, being drowned in work or just that phase of life when something else takes over our time and mind that there isn't a lot one can do about staying in touch and keeping the relationship.

Mis-understandings, perhaps the other beast to ruin the harmony. A relationship that's shared by two individuals can only be understood by those two people. Whether its that of a husband-wife, mother-daughter, two friends, two colleagues, teacher-student, uncle-niece, it's definitely not possible for a third person to know what the relationship holds. 

Sometimes, I can't help but show my worst side to the person I like the most. I'd do anything to know why I go through such mood swings or a low feeling (for the lack of a better word) that I bring it on on someone I shouldn't. This in particular does not help sustain a relationship....there is only so much the other individual can take.

Expectations are deadly. You expect a certain something when you meet that old friend after many years. That not going your way calls for alarm bells to say it ain't worth it. Pre conceived notions on what to say, what to hear can only lead to the feeling a bit more.

For someone who values relationships and would not want to lose people in my life...family, cousins, friends who I meet during the course of life the reality is far from it. 

Whether its due to circumstances or my own fault, I don't have all the people I'd love to have with me. I often think that I should forget it and let go and carry on, easier said than done. It's an emotional bonding...staying & holding onto it becomes as painful as letting go and forgetting about it.

Daddy Dearest

Dad and Mom, Appa and Amma are two people I have always wanted to write about but have never managed to. Today I try to pen a few thoughts about my dad, my dear appa, about what I think about him, what he means to me and show my affection for him. I often find it hard to express this to him, many a times I have sat in the same room as he is in thinking I should say it all but kept silent talking about every other thing. This is going to be a very feeble attempt to convey my thoughts, feelings in words. I wanted to make use of the day, Fathers day to remember him a little more than I always do. ( I do have had my issues with named days, will talk about that another day)

I resemble my dad and many people say so. Most people also say that the similarities end there and my personality goes completely by my mom. I silently agreed to it.

In the past few years that I have lived away from my parents and I have started thinking a lot more about them I reflect on how many things are common between dad and me, how similar I am to him. Now, this is not going to be about me, but about him, about those things in him that I would probably never tell him or anyone personally, like in a conversation.

Dad is one of the most caring people I have seen (apart from my grandfather). This trait in him does not come across to many as he remains aloof seeming a bit cut off or uninterested about anything happening. However, in time of need, when someone needs to stand, he is there. When the work is done and when all is well he silently disappears from the scene without leaving a trace that he was there.

He values his family more than many other things. I mean the extended family too. He never had any siblings but being brought up with cousins under one roof makes him think about them as one. He misses them, he misses the good old times he had with them through their childhood and cherishes the memories. Things have moved on and people have moved on, dad too has carried on with his, but somehow when he meets this bunch, he wants time to stand still and stay young again. This is how I feel when he talks about them, refers to them and does get a little disheartned about what relationships have come to when he meets them.

Dad's been heading a factory unit for years now. Though it's real hard work which strains him mentally and physically day after day, I think he is perfectly cut out for it. He is completely in his element when at work and I am sure it's one of the best jobs he could have had for his personality. A bank job, an office desk job would have bored him to death.

Dad finds it extremely hard to ask something of someone. He finds it really hard to take something, demand for something that is actually his own.... A lending hand that he is. Many mistake this as being really well off. Others take it for granted, some others also conclude that he should do it...after all let him pay, let him give.... Dad would never tell anyone about his hard times whether things are good, ok or bad....no one would ever know.

He has a few friends from college and childhood and not many more. He is in touch with most of them if not all...a typical man thing - wont try hard to stay in touch, when they do, it's great times.

In-spite of all, I somehow think that he is lonely in some way.

He loves me a lot, he misses me a lot and even though we speak for just a couple of mins when I call, I can sense the pride and joy he's had that his daughter had called him. I wish I never let him down in any way and would like to see him happy no matter what. I also hope he learns how to relax and take it easy....he's stubborn to even listen to it.

Most people think about their parents this way. I am no differrent. I love them, respect them and owe whatever I am today to them.

If there is someone who has stood by me and believed in my dreams and have fulfilled my little wishes ....it is Appa & Amma. My mom at least says a few words, expresses it...but dad....is silently there, watching me as I walk, as I grow and as I move on with my life.

Cousins

I read this quote somewhere 'Cousins are your very first friends.... They are like childhood friends. Nobody will understand the craziness of your family better than your cousins'. As soon as I read it, I was nodding away.

I think one is very lucky to have had a childhood with Cousins. It's like having a ready friend who is around any time you need them, who can bring fun to summer holidays, give a whole new context to family functions and other small family gatherings which otherwise can be quite boring. Festival celebrations and shopping for these occasions are exciting. I have this cousin who is just a few years younger and we used to get dresses and clothes which were similar and very often exchanged it.

We have numerous stories about various topics and this does not run out! About the movies we have watched together, the trips we have been on, we have had joint crushes on movie stars or cricket stars. Saving up the little pocket money or mainly the money we get as a gift during festivals to eat street food or
ice creams. The nights we have spent talking away while doing the many stay over’s at each other’s places. I have never tired talking about these stories over and over again. Of course talking about these to the people in context is never a bore, though others not in the loop might give you a 'I have heard this before...'

On the flip side it can also take a reverse turn, especially when it comes to studies, sports, competition at school or just about being good at 'something'. The first comparison is made with the immediate cousin which is absolutely not the nicest thing to go through. It's all about, oh! She’s done well in her class, he's topped his class, he won something, she is the school leader and whether you are good yourself or not, this Like vs Like comparison has no end.

We have also had times when you talk every now and then, don't talk much for ages, talk a lot- all the time... having been through all these phases I can now say for sure that connecting with cousins always has made me happy. There are some things with cousins you cannot share with friends or anyone else and I
thank God for the lovely cousins I have had.

Miles for Missing People

Well.... This is an old story and I dont want to sound like I'm braggin! I write this because for someone like me, it is a huge thing to be able to do a 'Run'. This one was a Charity Run called 'Miles for Missing People' - a 10Km run in Hyde Park. Yeah Yeah...I know it's 10Km and not a Marathon, but it's still a big one for me as I suppose Marathon is something I would never attempt to do!

Now, why did I do this? Every now and then I have this Fitness Bug (like many other people in Life) and just to feed the habit I needed a goal of some kind. The other slightly more important urge was to do something good for the charity and I saw this idea of doing a run to raise some money for a cause a great option. The most important thing why I choose to do it was the name - Miles for missing people! Lemme explain. This Charity works for finding those people who go missing, either by being kidnapped, or lost or they are depressed and they go away and leave family and friends missing them.


Thank you God! I don't have an incident like that and would never want to have one like that. However, the fact that I do live so far away from my known world, my people, family and friends make me miss them more than I can put in down in words and hence I did this run for all the people I Miss.....all the time.

To all of you lovely people in my life ...some in touch, some not....I remember you and miss you as I go by....

And.. for the not so important fact, I finished the race in just over an hour, Slow but Happy.

Dada....This is for you...

This is for the person whom i can't forget, a person who was a constant source of inspiration for me. This is for you... Dada...we used to call him that...my Mom's dad. School days are the best days of your life.. who says 'no'? Yes indeed they were the best days of our lives.


Come summer holidays( two full months of April and May) after the final exams, we packed our bags to go to Grandma's house. Grandma-Pa stayed at Bangalore itself, so it was just a change of area for some days.. All cousins used to gather, lots of fun activities, lots of things to do... to look forward to.

Grandpa's house was nice, two mango trees, jackfruit tree, mulberry tree..lots of place to play. It used to be fun. we used to play all day, quarrel also in between, but overall used to have a lot of fun. In the evening dada used to take all of us out either to Lalbagh, bugle rock (very close to Basavanagudi) or to Gandhi bazaar or any other place. It was amazing to see him handle all of us with so much patience. i dont remember him getting angry on anyone of us for any reason. He used to patiently show us the place around, buy us something to eat..usually ice cream/peanuts... not more than that because our granny would have actually packed us some nice stuff for our picnic (as we called it!). We roamed around till it was dark and returned home back to our indoor games room.

When it came to academics, I was generally an above average student... but had lots of problems with maths. It usually happened that all my cousins scored 90+ on 100 or some of them a 100/100 but I was the one who had always lagged behind. Those few days used to be bad....I used to feel so low...everyone said 'Maths is where you can score full marks!' .. but how??? why didnt that happen with me?? I was down and out!

There came my grandpa.. he was one person who lifted my spirits up that one day even I can get maximum marks in it and that 'What you put into anything is all that matters and not what you get from it'. He had been confident that I would get it someday.All this said and done.. every year the same thing repeated and he was there for me...

Then there came an year.. I was in the 5th Standard.. the usual process..but there was something great.. i had a full 100 on 100 in Maths.. the fear of Maths was gone,There was some kind of satisfaction, excitement of achieving something (small or big!) ....the first thing I wanted to do was to show my report card to my grandpa.... but .....it was over...he was no more.

It's such an incomplete feeling...but now I know, that what was learnt by him would always remain.. nothing changes.. he's not amongst us, but his views, his support is always there and that makes me happy...

With Fond Memories...This is for you..Dada...

3-day Weekend

A 3-day weekend after a long time. the 13th, 14th, 15th of August
is a fairly long weekend for most of us. Anyone planning for
something nice.. maybe a weekend Getaway, a relaxing time at home,
with friends or finishing up work???

It's been really long since we got a 3-day weekend,the last was
Good Friday sometime in April. I was just planning out something nice
with parents, cousins & friends. It's tuesday today and I am already
talking of the weekend... one can imagine how badly I need it.

The Monday paper had a beautiful picture of the 'Sivanasamudra'
waterfall... (a.k.a...bluff, gaganachukki,bharachukki)...what about a
weekend getaway? this place is just 122kms from Bangalore on the
Mysore-Bangalore highway, the waterfalls look full... thanks to the
good rains. It would be a beauty to see it... though playing in the
waters would be risky.

Apart from that, the flower show opens today at Lalbagh, entry
fee just at Rs.15 per head. Thought this would make a perfect half
day outing if wanting to stay at Bangalore. We Bangaloreans often
forget that we have a nice Botanical garden at the heart of the city
and always tend to talk about whatz there in the rest of the world.

The only con is that any place you go would be very crowded and
you might end up watching more heads than anything else....

On this side, it's hoping for the best and looking forward to
having a nice time!