On A Routine Saturday, A Mason Comes Calling

Saturday, June 22, 2019
Bombay

On A Routine Saturday, A Mason Comes Calling

     Namaste from Bombay!
     A few days after heavy showers hit the city (a remnant, apparently, of a cyclone that hit the Gujarati coast), the city has returned to its sweltering best--it is hot and humid and the air-conditioning in my studio is working overtime. Officially the monsoon will begin on June 25--so we have just a few days more, if you are a fan of sultry summers, to bask in this unmitigated heat. As I am mostly indoors all day now, I have to say frankly that it does not bother me too much. In fact, as we deal with brutal winters on the East coast of the USA (during which time we remain, for the most part, closeted in heated houses or offices), I simply perceive this heat as the tropical equivalent--and get on with it.
    I awoke at 7.45 am (as I only fell asleep at 3. 15 am)--only when I heard the bread man's bicycle bell outside. But I was simply too lethargic to stir and decided to have muesli with coffee for breakfast. So I had a slow start to the morning as I read my Twitter feed, blogged for a bit and had my breakfast while watching the rest of Still Life (a Three Pines Mystery) that is set in Canada (Quebec State, Montreal) and stars Nathaniel Parker (yes, a British gentleman playing a Canadian transplant). I downloaded it on my Ipad through the Hoopla app which permits me to watch five (yes, just a measly five) films/TV shows per month!. It was very interesting as it concerned a murdered victim who was also an artist.
     That done, I washed up my breakfast things and sat down to transcribe yet another interview--I am still trying to finish up the backlog from the Documents I lost during my computer crisis. As it was a longish interview, it took me all the way until lunchtime to finish it. Then I made a list of the ten other people I still would like to interview. Tomorrow I shall try to contact them by phone. I also called one of my contacts to talk about obtaining pictures as a good part of June and July was intended by me to be spend on sourcing pictures (to go with the books I am planning to write as an outcome of all my research here). As it has turned out, so much of June has passed with me traveling and dealing with Russel's hospitalization that I am now lagging behind. Hopefully, I will be able to play catch up soon. 
     Lunch was mince and chole with a chappati and a mango for dessert. Quite the most delicious thing about the Indian summer is the mangoes and I am feasting on them after thirty years! Nothing...not the mangoes from anywhere in Mexico or South America that are available to us in American supermarkets--come anywhere close (in flavor or texture) to these Indian topaz beauties. I could live on them.   
     A quick 20 minute nap later, I went in for a shower and then walked to Dad's where I was supposed to be at 3. 30 pm as Nafisa, my interior designer friend, was sending her mason to take a look at Dad's bathroom so that we can reconfigure its floor and make it more accessible for the walker of a handicapped person--Russel will probably be using a walker for a long time to come and we need to make the flat handicapped-friendly. I am supervising this venture and am very grateful that Nafisa is working with me to make this happen.
     Mukesh, her mason, came along, took a look, and answered a few of Dad's questions. He is daunted by the prospect as we now discover that changing the flooring will involve changing the commode and the wash basin too--you know the drill: you go to do one thing and you end up doing a dozen more! Oh well! We must simply take it in our stride and move on. Mukesh told us that the job will take 4 days and he will give his estimated price to Nafisa who will then discuss the project in greater detail with me. We want to keep it simple and financially economical--let's hope I haven't bitten off more than I can chew. But I have Dad and Russel's interests at heart. Hopefully, my concerns are not displaced.
     When Mukesh left, as Dad was deep into the cricket match (India was playing Afghanistan), I sat inside and chatted with Russel. In fact, I decided to spend almost the entire evening with him as Dad too decided not to go for the Saturday evening Mass (he was too deeply involved in the cricket) and to go to church tomorrow morning with me instead.
     After chatting with me for a bit, Russel had a chance to videochat with Llew who called up while I was at Dad's. After an hour or so, Russel and I began to watch the match on the TV set in his room. And the two of us then got right into it. When India finished batting, there was a 45 minute break during which time Dad decided to say the family rosary and I decided to join them in it. It was only after rosary ended at 7.15 that I finally left and went home.
     On the way back home, I stopped at the grocery store for a few items I needed: Coffeemate, cheese (I bought Amul cheese slices with green chutney--a tad too spicy for me). Amul garlic and herb butter which is simply amazing, Havmor's Chocolate ice-cream (which is very good), two cans Schwepps tonic water).
     Back home, I made myself a gin cocktail with pomegranate juice, lemon juice and topped off with tonic water and sat down to watch an episode of Inspector Morse (The Way Through the Woods) while nibbling on nuts and eating cheese and crackers. A little later, I stopped for dinner (mince and chole with a chappati) and later still, I paused to have chocolate ice-cream with nuts. The Morse episode was fabulous and I felt as if I was back at home in Southport, on the couch with Llew, savoring the joys of togetherness on a Saturday evening with drinks and nibbles in hand and a supreme sense of well-being. Soon...soon...
    At 10.00 pm, began I was seriously sleep-deprived and after my near-insomnia of the previous night, I feel asleep.
     Until tomorrow... 
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