Going home

Tomorrow I’m heading to India. A 12 day trip, all of it planned to be spent in Karnal. No plans, yet, of travelling, meeting friends, or spending any nights away from home.
Feeling a bit weird. It’s been a while since I did this, since I spent time there.

In 6 years since we moved to the UK, I’ve made a total of 5 visits home – once when grand dad passed away, then one to see F&F, next after our wedding, then for my sister’s wedding, and last for R’s sister’s wedding.

It’s almost 5 years since I visited to meet family outside of an occasion.
It’s been way longer since I stayed in Karnal for anything over a week.1

Continue reading Going home

My boy’s growing up!

Took the boy along when I went to get my dinner in town. It was his first visit to that part of town, the street with loads of eateries. Specially the one where we were headed – Meat the Greek – with meat scents floating out of its open windows.

I placed my order from the window, then made him sit, and stay, as I went in to pay.

Didn’t tie him to anything. Didn’t make anyone hold him. Just him sitting there with his lead on the floor next to him.

And he, except for 2 momentary lapses where he tried to sniff the dropped food behind him, sat there till I came back after paying and collecting the food.

I’m so proud today 😅

Busy afternoon.

Walk. Lunch. Work.
H+H for quick coffee, followed by short grocery trip in Tesco.
Heavy duty shopping in B&Q.
Drive home in peak hour traffic.
Clean pee on front door and back door carpets, while he does even more pee in the backyard.
Put dishes in dishwasher, and start it.
Clean rest of the dishes by hand.
Make Kong.
Write update to boss.
Send.

Mild, sunny & beautiful – is it really British spring?

Today was one of those beautiful spring days that makes living through the winter worthwhile.

It was sunny, but not hot.
There was a cool wind, but neither a gale, nor freezing.
And there was plenty of beautiful walking and riding done.

Met Charlie again on the walk today. Chewie & Charlie had a few mins of fun running around, again. At the end of an already beautiful walk.

Bike had a flat front tyre – a pinch flat, probably from the last ride. Quickly changed tubes, got a few mins of rest (while catching the Giro), and off we went – Raghi & I – on another beautiful Sunday’s ride in the shire.

We’d considered a few new routes for this weekend. But R wasn’t feeling too great before we headed out, so ended up riding the usual route out to Shere & back. With a couple new easy, beautiful climbs thrown in.

Despite starting off tired – in head more than body – and needing a gel after just 11K on the flat, R surprised us both on today’s ride. She comfortably managed to climb both the new climbs without stopping. She even managed our backyard climb, Down’s lane, without a single stop or slowdown. But what was most surprising, was that she let me eat ice cream at our turnaround point in Shere. She must have been in a really good mood! ;)

Post-ride plan was to not eat anything than a bowl of cottage cheese after the ride. A cold shower later, it quickly went for a toss. Ended up eating a bucket load of cashews and peanuts, some mini carrots with hummus, and that bowl of cottage cheese. And that was apart from the dinner & dessert. So much for control!

Yesterday’s stupid (and lovely) evening run meant that my step target jumped by almost 500 steps (as predicted) to over 10,200 steps. A morning walk and playing with Chewie in the backyard wasn’t going to meet this. So, went for another post dinner walk.
A lap to the crossroads with music. Then, dropped Jyoti at the station.
And another lap to the crossroads with Chewie!

This boy wants to come along on my walks no matter how tired or sleepy he is. I wouldn’t be surprised if, a decade from now, he gets up from his deathbed because dada seems to be going for a walk.

:) :( :)

The cows are back

Cows

Cows on the mount are back. A different herd this year, and fewer too – 6-7 against 18 last year.

Don’t mind the cows themselves, but their presence means that there’ll be cowdung mounds all over the place soon, and that we (Chewie & Me) won’t be able to play at our favourite much longer.

On the other hand, we’ve recently discovered a load of beautiful routes around our area, and this might just be incentive to insert more variety into our daily walks.


Pilates

Didn’t think that I’d get to chat and be friend(ly) with more people in a 4-7 person pilates class, than in a 300+ park run that I’ve volunteered at 7 times in last few months. But it is so. Funny world :)

It’s 2 minutes past midnight, and everyone has already been asleep for a while. Except me.

I had a productive day. Say down to work after breakfast, and except for a late lunch, and to pick up lil R from the station, didn’t move till dinner.

Gorda and Chewie had a good day though. They went for what looked like a happy walk in the sunshine. He got to play with his neighbourhood friend, Soham, in the evening. She got to do stuff she likes to do -clean and arrange stuff, and then chat with lil R.

I was in front of a monitor almost all this time.

Now all three are deep asleep, while I plot tomorrow’s actions. Tail runner at the Guildford parkrun in the morning. Hopefully, some Eggs Benedict for breakfast later, then a few hours of work, and maybe another run in the evening.

Given that Gorda let me work in peace all day today, it seems quite likely that I’ll get none of the above tomorrow, other than the park run. Wouldn’t be a bad day either way ☺


P.S.: just about a week remaining to Brighton Marathon, for which I’m woefully under prepared. Trying to drown myself in work, love, fights and TV to keep my mind off it 😦

The little smiles #3

We’re waiting outside the station to pick up Raghs. Suddenly, the boy’s tail starts beating rapidly. There’s a girl walking towards us. I know it’s not her, but he doesn’t. She crosses the road over to the other side. He follows her all the way across, then the tail stops. Eyes back at the gate.

Tail starts wagging again. Loudly this time. Really loud. He knows it before I do. She’s here.

Dogs have fantastic hearing!

Sister’s visiting. Having commuted from Coventry to Kingston for last 2 days, she’s quite tired, and was snoring quite audibly in the guest bedroom.

I’m sitting, working, in the living room, and could hear her occasionally despite her closed door.

Chewie was sleeping in our bedroom with Raghs.

He just came into the living room, walked straight past me, knocked on her door twice. Don’t know if she opened it, or he pushed it open, but next thing I know, they’re both hugging and sleeping on her bed 1.

Neither’s snoring anymore.


  1. Acc. to Raghs’ rules, he isn’t allowed on the guest bedroom bed, so I’m supposed to get him out of there. I may be ignoring that rule, for the moment, to make my two kids a little happier :)