Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Billy turns 10
Today, Billy celebrated his 10th Birthday.
Double digits!
After school we had his friends from school over and had a party at the house. There was a treasure hunt, pizza, ice-cream and swimming. All in all a lovely day. Billy's review of the day was "Best day ever!"
A few photos of today;
All three opening Billy's cards and presents (love the way they are so excited for each other on the birthdays)
Figuring out one of the clues to the treasure hunt
Friends on the treasure hunt
Double digits!
After school we had his friends from school over and had a party at the house. There was a treasure hunt, pizza, ice-cream and swimming. All in all a lovely day. Billy's review of the day was "Best day ever!"
A few photos of today;
All three opening Billy's cards and presents (love the way they are so excited for each other on the birthdays)
Figuring out one of the clues to the treasure hunt
Friends on the treasure hunt
Thursday, September 25, 2008
The poem I wrote, by William Webb
Hi, all you blog readers, and welcome back to the Blogger's boy's blog. A few days ago I wrote a poem that my parents said was very good. Let's have your say about the poem:
Sirens sound,
The Wind calls,
For the myths,
From the Forgotten Halls,
The Clock of Time,
Heads back,
From the pain,
It did wrack,
Facing the End for now,
Turning away,
I do not know how,
In the Dungeons of War,
It brought Peace,
That is when the battles will cease,
To the centre of Famine,
It brought Plenty,
But more to do,
So it sent Thee,
To the green sides of Pestilence,
To bring the Box of Health,
To heal,
The horrible self,
To the heart of Death,
Bringing Life in tow,
So that is the End,
Waiting for Nature to grow,
Remember this now as you lie in Peace,
You cannot avoid the idea,
That your Life must cease.
Thank you for reading my poem. I hope I see you next time.
Sirens sound,
The Wind calls,
For the myths,
From the Forgotten Halls,
The Clock of Time,
Heads back,
From the pain,
It did wrack,
Facing the End for now,
Turning away,
I do not know how,
In the Dungeons of War,
It brought Peace,
That is when the battles will cease,
To the centre of Famine,
It brought Plenty,
But more to do,
So it sent Thee,
To the green sides of Pestilence,
To bring the Box of Health,
To heal,
The horrible self,
To the heart of Death,
Bringing Life in tow,
So that is the End,
Waiting for Nature to grow,
Remember this now as you lie in Peace,
You cannot avoid the idea,
That your Life must cease.
Thank you for reading my poem. I hope I see you next time.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Sign of the day - Police Outpost
In February we visited a place called Hampi, which was a national heritage site. Lots of old 'things'. Loved the Police Station.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Summer in Swansea
We have now been back in Hyderabad for five weeks, and our long summer holiday in Swansea feels like it was a lifetime ago.
Apart from a few days in Plymouth with the Hartley's, the remainder of our 8 week holiday was spent in Swansea. Lots of visitors; The Axes from France, The Burtons from South Africa, The Webbs from Birmingham, The Hartleys from Plymouth and of course, John from India.
The weather was unpredictable and mostly wet, but we decided that we would get out whatever the weather and make the most of what Swansea has to offer, the walks, the cycling, the sea etc, all of which we do not have access to in India. Full wet suits were purchased so that the kids could enjoy themselves in the sea without any limbs becoming so numb amputation may be a possibility. Boogie boarding and skim boarding were favourite activities, and if it rained it didn't really matter when you were wet anyway.
Being able to walk to the beach from the house is something that I love being able to do, even if it does mean being like a pack horse carrying the picnic, toys, chairs, and other paraphernalia required. John's view is that you only take the minimum amount of stuff and that everyone has to be responsible for carrying their own things, so when he takes the kids, they take a towel each, and wear anything else they may need. I like this idea but I also like my chair, my tea, my food, my book, and spades to keep the kids busy with digging (so we can stay for longer).
We love being in Swansea, seeing the immediate family and all the others like Aunties, Uncles and cousins. Now there are so many kids and everyone has such busy lives we do not get to see each other very often. So, when we were home in April I set a date in July when we would have a family gathering and not sit back to wait for the next wedding before everyone was in the same venue together. It was great to have everyone together. Bill, Joan, Ian and Trish were down from Birmingham to join in the festivities. Of course, the weather was terrible and we were all inside but it didn't seem to matter. There was about 60 people including loads of kids. Will definitely have to make this an annual event.
Apart from a few days in Plymouth with the Hartley's, the remainder of our 8 week holiday was spent in Swansea. Lots of visitors; The Axes from France, The Burtons from South Africa, The Webbs from Birmingham, The Hartleys from Plymouth and of course, John from India.
The weather was unpredictable and mostly wet, but we decided that we would get out whatever the weather and make the most of what Swansea has to offer, the walks, the cycling, the sea etc, all of which we do not have access to in India. Full wet suits were purchased so that the kids could enjoy themselves in the sea without any limbs becoming so numb amputation may be a possibility. Boogie boarding and skim boarding were favourite activities, and if it rained it didn't really matter when you were wet anyway.
Being able to walk to the beach from the house is something that I love being able to do, even if it does mean being like a pack horse carrying the picnic, toys, chairs, and other paraphernalia required. John's view is that you only take the minimum amount of stuff and that everyone has to be responsible for carrying their own things, so when he takes the kids, they take a towel each, and wear anything else they may need. I like this idea but I also like my chair, my tea, my food, my book, and spades to keep the kids busy with digging (so we can stay for longer).
We love being in Swansea, seeing the immediate family and all the others like Aunties, Uncles and cousins. Now there are so many kids and everyone has such busy lives we do not get to see each other very often. So, when we were home in April I set a date in July when we would have a family gathering and not sit back to wait for the next wedding before everyone was in the same venue together. It was great to have everyone together. Bill, Joan, Ian and Trish were down from Birmingham to join in the festivities. Of course, the weather was terrible and we were all inside but it didn't seem to matter. There was about 60 people including loads of kids. Will definitely have to make this an annual event.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Sign of the Day
There are many amusing signs to be found in India. I will post some on a regular basis. The words are often not funny, but the manner in which the signs are often displayed, or some other quirky thing about them, sums up India.
This sign was found in the Charminar tower. The fact that it is broken, hung by an old wire, and strung to some electricity cable makes me laugh.
This sign was found in the Charminar tower. The fact that it is broken, hung by an old wire, and strung to some electricity cable makes me laugh.
About school(shock!horror!) in a Positive enough way
Hello, blog readers, and welcome back to the blogger's boy's blog.
Now I will tell you about my school (dread! Horror!) in a more POSITIVE way (yay!Woohoo!) that positive enough? then let's start!
My school is called ISH (short for International School of Hyderabad *whistle*) Long eh? Well I am in 5th Grade and there are about 14 or 15 people (including me) in my class. Here are a few names. There is.......
Varun (one of the brains behind the class)
Siddarth (at my table)
Kailash (also at my table)
Chahat ( part of the mixed table)
Lukman (another member of my table)
Maya ( the girl brain of the class. From my point of view she is the arch-nemesis of Varun) Maya (another one at Maya number 1's table.)
Daniel ( part of the mixed table)
And many more......
There are three castes at Grade 5. There is the boys caste, girls caste and mixed caste. The boys caste is filled with only boys, who are Lukman, Varun, Kailash, Siddarth and ME. The mixed caste is Chahat, Mario (You'll learn about him later), Daniel and someone else (hmmmmm.......) The girls caste is, obviously, only girls. There is Maya no 1, Maya no 2 and then 2 others who i forget (another hmmmmmm......). The teacher of my class is Mrs/Miss Chandi (i forget which is which) the students, (all of them) claim she is the kindest teacher in the school. I also think that.
And thats it for now folks, and I'll see u tomorrow!
Now I will tell you about my school (dread! Horror!) in a more POSITIVE way (yay!Woohoo!) that positive enough? then let's start!
My school is called ISH (short for International School of Hyderabad *whistle*) Long eh? Well I am in 5th Grade and there are about 14 or 15 people (including me) in my class. Here are a few names. There is.......
Varun (one of the brains behind the class)
Siddarth (at my table)
Kailash (also at my table)
Chahat ( part of the mixed table)
Lukman (another member of my table)
Maya ( the girl brain of the class. From my point of view she is the arch-nemesis of Varun) Maya (another one at Maya number 1's table.)
Daniel ( part of the mixed table)
And many more......
There are three castes at Grade 5. There is the boys caste, girls caste and mixed caste. The boys caste is filled with only boys, who are Lukman, Varun, Kailash, Siddarth and ME. The mixed caste is Chahat, Mario (You'll learn about him later), Daniel and someone else (hmmmmm.......) The girls caste is, obviously, only girls. There is Maya no 1, Maya no 2 and then 2 others who i forget (another hmmmmmm......). The teacher of my class is Mrs/Miss Chandi (i forget which is which) the students, (all of them) claim she is the kindest teacher in the school. I also think that.
And thats it for now folks, and I'll see u tomorrow!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Where we live
Since our arrival in India we have lived on a small estate (commonly referred to as a 'colony' here). There are about 80 houses, a club house, restaurant, swimming pool, badminton court & tennis court. The residents are made up of local Indian families, NRI's (non-resident Indians, those who have American/ Canadian passports) and people like ourselves, so there is a sense that while we do live in a nice community we are not isolating ourselves and living in a Western bubble. The children in the community play together and if a game of cricket, baseball or whatever is started up on the green opposite our house we find that there are many people eager to participate, including drivers.
When we first chose this estate the relocation company were reluctant to promote the estate, telling us it was too far out from the school, airport etc but Hyderabad is developing at such a pace we now find that we are located central to most venues that we frequent. A new airport has recently opened on our side of town, and much to John's delight, a new golf course has opened 10 minutes from the house. John has 10 minute drive to work, and the school is 15 minutes from the house.
The houses on are old in comparison (approx. 10 years old) to the brand new estates that are popping up everywhere, but it's one advantage is it's maturity and of course, lack of ongoing building work. The roads within the estate (all four of them) are tree lined and the gardens lush with foliage, which is a stark contrast to some of the areas you see on a daily basis living in India. Another plus, is the fact that there are no building works (hence no squatter camps) adjacent to the estate and hence the noise levels are about as peaceful as you can get living in a built up area.
Over the past month or so a few families, who are close friends of ours, have moved onto the estate, much to the delight of our children who now have a constant supply of friends to call on. This arrangement works as well for the adults as it does for the kids. An impromptu game of scrabble with G& T's is becoming a regular habit and if achieving nothing else, we are at least improving our knowledge of accepted 2 letter words. lol
Given it's maturity, the estate is geared up to celebrate most festivals that locals celebrate (and there are a lot of them). Last week was the festival of Ganesh, which involved the offerings to Ganesh for a 9 day period and then the immersion of the idol into local lake. Not one of these events seems to be a quiet occasion. There are lots of rituals that are beyond our comprehension but it is nice to see the community celebrate together.
Photos:
1. Ganesh idol on display at for 9 days
2. The procession that proceeded the immersion of the Ganesh
3. Friends who had joined in (ie. got caught up in) local street celebrations of Ganesh festival
4. Children waiting for school bus in morning
When we first chose this estate the relocation company were reluctant to promote the estate, telling us it was too far out from the school, airport etc but Hyderabad is developing at such a pace we now find that we are located central to most venues that we frequent. A new airport has recently opened on our side of town, and much to John's delight, a new golf course has opened 10 minutes from the house. John has 10 minute drive to work, and the school is 15 minutes from the house.
The houses on are old in comparison (approx. 10 years old) to the brand new estates that are popping up everywhere, but it's one advantage is it's maturity and of course, lack of ongoing building work. The roads within the estate (all four of them) are tree lined and the gardens lush with foliage, which is a stark contrast to some of the areas you see on a daily basis living in India. Another plus, is the fact that there are no building works (hence no squatter camps) adjacent to the estate and hence the noise levels are about as peaceful as you can get living in a built up area.
Over the past month or so a few families, who are close friends of ours, have moved onto the estate, much to the delight of our children who now have a constant supply of friends to call on. This arrangement works as well for the adults as it does for the kids. An impromptu game of scrabble with G& T's is becoming a regular habit and if achieving nothing else, we are at least improving our knowledge of accepted 2 letter words. lol
Given it's maturity, the estate is geared up to celebrate most festivals that locals celebrate (and there are a lot of them). Last week was the festival of Ganesh, which involved the offerings to Ganesh for a 9 day period and then the immersion of the idol into local lake. Not one of these events seems to be a quiet occasion. There are lots of rituals that are beyond our comprehension but it is nice to see the community celebrate together.
Photos:
1. Ganesh idol on display at for 9 days
2. The procession that proceeded the immersion of the Ganesh
3. Friends who had joined in (ie. got caught up in) local street celebrations of Ganesh festival
4. Children waiting for school bus in morning
My house (my refuge from school, dread!horror!)
Ello, blog readers, I'm back with some new news, ready to put down some food for thought(or food for blogs, hmm.....)
Today is about my holy house, a point of light in a sea of darkened schools. This is where I relax,play with Pete, read a few chapters and then set down my upgrade to the blog.
This may be a daily routine through my average day.
6:45-wake up and have breakfast
7:30- go to school(hasn't started luckily.)
8:00- school starts (Shock!Horror!)
2:30- school ends (Sigh!Relief!)
3:30-After-school ends(More sigh!Relief!)
3:00-we get back to our house(Yay!)
3'ish to 3:16-Qualility time with Pete(unless he bites.)
3:17-Race to the computer!
4:16-computer time finishes.
4:16-Random activities.
8:30 or 9:00- Bedtime
Ok. I think I'll have to end this for now, and I'll see ya (not really) tomorrow!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Pete, The New Addition
After many years of saying "No" to having a dog, a summer of walks in Swansea made me change my mind. Why, I am not so sure..... Maybe it is seeing how a dog makes you get out of the house in all weathers, or was it seeing the lone man and his dog walking across Underhill Park as I looked out from the house (at all times of day)? Whatever the reason, the main one was that I thought a dog would be great for the kids.
John and the kids had already done the research on what breed we should have if we were ever to get one; short haired, medium build, average amount of exercise. Of the breeds that fell into that category, they decided that a Beagle would be the dog of choice. So, on our return to India and me finally saying my thoughts out loud, John sprang into action and given that he works for the ideal company to help source such a request, a Beagle breeder in Delhi was recommended. A vet was sent to check them out, and yes, they had a dog that would be ready to leave it's mother in about 10 days.
So, Friday 29th August arrived and the dog was flown from Delhi accompanied by one of John's colleagues. Apparently he has never received so many calls in one day, and all to check on the dog. The problem was we had arranged to go away on this weekend and did not want to cancel because of the dog, so another colleague of John's had arranged to look after it until we could collect him on the Sunday. After popping into the office to see him (locked away in his own meeting room) John and I could not resist bringing him home for the night. At this point the plan was still a complete surprise to the childen.
The three of them arrived home from school, shortly followed by John and the 'surprise'. "We've got a dog " yelled Bethan. Lots of oohs and aahs etc etc. What shall we call him? A unanimous "Pete" was the answer, as this what the Webb family call their dogs.
So Pete it is. Born 10th July 2008.
Three weeks later, I am not so sure it was such a good idea. Lots of training. Too much fuss. But yes, he is lovely, and he is cute and does funny things. Bit like when you have your kids small.
Here he is.....
John and the kids had already done the research on what breed we should have if we were ever to get one; short haired, medium build, average amount of exercise. Of the breeds that fell into that category, they decided that a Beagle would be the dog of choice. So, on our return to India and me finally saying my thoughts out loud, John sprang into action and given that he works for the ideal company to help source such a request, a Beagle breeder in Delhi was recommended. A vet was sent to check them out, and yes, they had a dog that would be ready to leave it's mother in about 10 days.
So, Friday 29th August arrived and the dog was flown from Delhi accompanied by one of John's colleagues. Apparently he has never received so many calls in one day, and all to check on the dog. The problem was we had arranged to go away on this weekend and did not want to cancel because of the dog, so another colleague of John's had arranged to look after it until we could collect him on the Sunday. After popping into the office to see him (locked away in his own meeting room) John and I could not resist bringing him home for the night. At this point the plan was still a complete surprise to the childen.
The three of them arrived home from school, shortly followed by John and the 'surprise'. "We've got a dog " yelled Bethan. Lots of oohs and aahs etc etc. What shall we call him? A unanimous "Pete" was the answer, as this what the Webb family call their dogs.
So Pete it is. Born 10th July 2008.
Three weeks later, I am not so sure it was such a good idea. Lots of training. Too much fuss. But yes, he is lovely, and he is cute and does funny things. Bit like when you have your kids small.
Here he is.....
Friday, September 12, 2008
Blogger's boy (the very first!)
Hello all you blog readers out there,
I'm the first son of the Webb family and I am a literature-addict. Here are a few main points about me.
Favourite drink: Tea(very important to me,i'm not kidding (even though I am a Kid, (even though i think you cant put a bracket in a bracket, we'll make an exception)).
Favourite food: I'll give you two guesses. Can't get it? all right, I'll tell ye. It is Marmite sandwiches(i think you hate it, everybody seems 2).
Favourite Pastime: Reading.
Favourite Outdoor hobby: Hiking.
All right, I'll have to stop now, my mom says im boring her and you. bye, blog readers. See u next time.
India at its best
To start on a positive note, let me tell you about my experience at the local hospital today.
After suffering from a blocked and painful ear for the best part of two weeks, I decided today it was time to address the issue as I was fed up of saying "Pardon?" to everyone who spoke to me. So, after picking the kids up from school and returning home I called the hospital at 15:05 and asked to speak to the ENT specialist. Immediately I am put through to the correct department where I request if it would be possible to see the consultant today. Yes, I am told. The consultant will be available until 16:00 hrs and I can see him at 15:30. Great! I leave the house and reach the ENT's front desk at 15:30 where upon the consultant is just slipping off somewhere. Being the only Western person in the hospital you stand out and you usually get seen straight away, as I was on this occasion. Yes, I did feel some slight guilt for the other 20 people sitting outside his room, but not enough to sit there and wait. I did have an appointment for 15:30 after all.
I tell him I will be quick, so off we go to his room and I explain the problem. Within 5 minutes I am out of his room after having the necessary stuff removed from my ear, collected my prescription from the pharmacy and sitting on a wall at 15:40 waiting for Shivar, the driver, to come back from his chai (tea) break.
For the pleasure of this amazing service which took 35 minutes from making an appointment to waiting for the driver to collect me I am charged INR 300 for the consultants fee and INR 150 for the necessary medicines. Why would you bother submitting this to PPP (Health Insurance) for the small amount you'd be reimbursed?
This is not the first time we have received such service there, but if it was something serious I would be on a flight to Singapore asap. Experiences of friends when something goes seriously wrong suggests you get out as soon as you realise the problem is serious.
After suffering from a blocked and painful ear for the best part of two weeks, I decided today it was time to address the issue as I was fed up of saying "Pardon?" to everyone who spoke to me. So, after picking the kids up from school and returning home I called the hospital at 15:05 and asked to speak to the ENT specialist. Immediately I am put through to the correct department where I request if it would be possible to see the consultant today. Yes, I am told. The consultant will be available until 16:00 hrs and I can see him at 15:30. Great! I leave the house and reach the ENT's front desk at 15:30 where upon the consultant is just slipping off somewhere. Being the only Western person in the hospital you stand out and you usually get seen straight away, as I was on this occasion. Yes, I did feel some slight guilt for the other 20 people sitting outside his room, but not enough to sit there and wait. I did have an appointment for 15:30 after all.
I tell him I will be quick, so off we go to his room and I explain the problem. Within 5 minutes I am out of his room after having the necessary stuff removed from my ear, collected my prescription from the pharmacy and sitting on a wall at 15:40 waiting for Shivar, the driver, to come back from his chai (tea) break.
For the pleasure of this amazing service which took 35 minutes from making an appointment to waiting for the driver to collect me I am charged INR 300 for the consultants fee and INR 150 for the necessary medicines. Why would you bother submitting this to PPP (Health Insurance) for the small amount you'd be reimbursed?
This is not the first time we have received such service there, but if it was something serious I would be on a flight to Singapore asap. Experiences of friends when something goes seriously wrong suggests you get out as soon as you realise the problem is serious.
1 year, 4 months, 3 weeks in Hyderabad!
.....Not that I'm counting.
Many times throughout the past year I have contemplated keeping a blog on our experiences in India. If I had started the blog this time last year, I would have moaned non-stop. The transitional period of arriving and adjusting to life in India took longer than I would have expected. But now, one year later, my outlook is much improved. No, the transitional period did not last the whole time, it is only now I am getting round to implement my desire to keep a blog.
So, here we are. The five of us quite settled, a new addition to our family, Pete (more about him later), and a very pleasant social life.
As I have not noted any of our experiences from the past year the blog will be a mix of experiences from our first year and others that happen from here on in.
Many times throughout the past year I have contemplated keeping a blog on our experiences in India. If I had started the blog this time last year, I would have moaned non-stop. The transitional period of arriving and adjusting to life in India took longer than I would have expected. But now, one year later, my outlook is much improved. No, the transitional period did not last the whole time, it is only now I am getting round to implement my desire to keep a blog.
So, here we are. The five of us quite settled, a new addition to our family, Pete (more about him later), and a very pleasant social life.
As I have not noted any of our experiences from the past year the blog will be a mix of experiences from our first year and others that happen from here on in.
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