Beep, Beep!! Bring out the dead!

Please excuse the lack of updates of late, after a very relaxing holiday in Phuket, and saying to people it is the kind of holiday that you don't need a holiday after, Beth and I made a trip to the UK for 9 days.  John and the boys stayed in India.

It is rare for us to visit the UK in the winter months, but a trip last October and again this week, where the weather is dry, crisp and sunny is just beautiful.  I love the freshness and the visible change of seasons, plus I like wrapping up in winter clothes, something that is a rarity.  Anyway, a busy but productive week.  Love being in Swansea but so nice to be back with my three boys who all survived extremely well minus the women of the house.

There is a constant source of noise in India even throughout the night.  Last night a pack of wild dogs were in situ in the empty plot behind the house.  Their constant howling and barking is a pain, I thought that Pete would be joining in but thankfully it all seemed to bypass him.   Another disturbing way of being woken up is the next door neighbour beeping his horn in order to get one of his staff to open the gate.  The gardens and outdoor space in Whisper Valley are not spacious, there is just enough room to park 1 car in the drive, so to open the gate is not a big deal and does not take too much time and effort, but our neighbour who is very polite and friendly to us is above opening his gate, instead he sits in the car and beeps, beeps, beeps, beeps, until the gate is opened.  Our bedroom window faces onto his drive and this is too much for me first thing in the morning.  Next time this happens I plan (if I have the energy) to jump out of bed (remembering to put some clothes on first! lol) and run downstairs, and open the gate for him.

I think one gets used to seeing what goes on in India and it all begins to seem 'normal', which it is in this society, but sometimes I remind myself that we are witness to a culture that most of our friends and family will only read about.  After picking the children up from school on Friday afternoon we begin our drive home to pass a funeral procession.  The body is being carried on a stretcher, covered by a white cloth and flowers.  This is the real India, which however much you read can only truly be experienced in the flesh.