Welcome Home to Maria and Celebrating Fr. Austin's Birthday

Wednesday, June 19, 2019
Bombay

Welcome Home to Maria and Celebrating Fr. Austin's Birthday

     Namaste from Bombay!
     It was great to get back into the swing of routine today and finally I feel as if my life has returned to normal. Bombay's monsoon has begun with a bang and I was returned to my childhood and teenagehood in this enthralling city as I worked at my laptop with the steady patter of raindrops in my ears. Nothing in the world sounds, smells or feels like Bombay Rain! 'Tis magical!
    Awake at 5.30 am, I stayed in bed looking at my Twitterfeed--this takes me into The New York Times and the Times of London, not to mention the Times of India and, occasionally, The Guardian. What a great way to read the globe's newspapers each morning! Plus I get sports news and keep abreast of what is happening with World Cup cricket. Then, a longish call with Llew followed and close on its heels came a long whatsapp phone chat with my friend Leslie in Connecticut. Hard to believe that soon I shall be talking to all these folks in person again. I am close to starting the count down to my return...
     Breakfast followed: muesli and coffee. And quite by chance, I decided to see if You Tube had any episodes of one of my favorite shows of all time--Britain's Outnumbered.  I have two DVDs of it at home in Southport, but I am missing the last two seasons. As it turned out, they have loads of tiny clips from countless episodes but only two full episodes from the later series. I ended up watching so many little clips and feeling so endeared towards the show all over again. I then watched a clip of the three kids, all grown up and mature, appearing on a British morning TV show as they talked about a Boxing Day Special.  Gosh! How different they looked! Especially Ramona Marquez who plays Karen. That gal was so lovable as a kid in that show that you could simply have eaten her up! Ben irritated me in the series and he irritated me on the morning show during the interview as he completely hogged the limelight and left the oldest fellow (Jake?) out in the cold.
     Well, anyway...that bit of morning's entertainment done, I was ready to face my day.

Back to Work in Earnest While Making Believe I Am In Oxford Again:
     I began by transcribing an interview I had done way back when (lost during my computer crisis) and since it was a long one, it took me more than two hours. Meanwhile, of course, I was fielding email, responding to questions from my publisher, making a call to Russel's orthopedist to fix up an appointment for his staple removal--that sort of thing.
     Throughout the time I had my Oxford Webcam on as I watched the city wake up to a new day--it is amazing to see that in the UK, it now gets bright by 4.00 am (maybe earlier). By 6.00 am, the cleaning crews arrive to clean up the Broad. There are still parking spots available (although a few of the cars remain there overnight) and energetic cyclists start taking their wheels out for a spin. By 8.30am, a new day begins as the number of people swells. It is lovely to see that color has returned to clothing as winter garb has been shed and although it is nearly impossible to wear a T-shirt and shorts even in July in England, I am pleased to see that in June, visitors are wearing lighter spring jackets in pink and red. For the first time, I actually saw a student walk by in a black gown while another had his gown flapping furiously as he pedalled home at dusk. I suspect this is Examinations Week. Crowds on walking tours now pause opposite the Sheldonian Theater to take in the magnificence of Sir Christopher Wren's work, led oftentimes by a guide holding aloft a round red placard. The Oxford Hop-on Hop-Off sight seeing tour buses begin their rounds right after 9.00 am and there are far more people in them now than there were two months ago when I first became so attached to this webcam. On the weekend, the upper deck is full now (which makes sense as summer brings maximum visitors to the "city of dreaming spires"). I have spent memorable Junes myself in Oxford...so I keep imagining that I am there as I work hard hammering at my keyboard in Bombay.     
     When the interview was transcribed, proof-read and saved in Google Drive (I have learned my lessons well!), I needed to stretch and I did. It was a good time to take a shower and I did just that.
     Lunch then beckoned and I had one of Valerie's meals: curried chole with mince and a chappati (and remembered to tell her not to send me a meal tomorrow as I have my Monday's tiffin almost intact in my fridge!). I continued watching my Outnumbered episode and was really delighted to be transported, once again to Southport, where I had watched so many of the episodes of my (almost) boxed set. It is funny but I become acquainted with a lot of these British TV shows while watching in-flight entertainment on international flights--that's how I have gotten to know shows like Mrs. Brown's Boys, Outnumbered, Friday Night Dinner, etc. Then, when I scour the racks at British charity shops, I pick up the discarded DVDs--one person's trash is another's treasure, eh?
     I took a 20-minute nap after reading a bit more of my novel (Origins by Dan Brown), then awoke at 2.45pm just in time to start transcribing yet another interview.  This one too was very long and it took me until 5.00 pm. when I stopped for a quick cuppa and a slice of cake.
     I called Dad to tell him that I would not be at his place this evening as I had other plans, but that I would see him in church at 6.45 pm for the novena. I got dressed in slightly better clothing than I usually wear to daily Mass as I had a birthday gathering to attend in the evening. And then I was off to meet my friend Maria at her gate at Sand Pebbles building where we made plans to meet at 5.30 pm.

Welcoming Maria Back to Bombay:
     My friend Maria has returned to live in Bombay after a seven year stint at one of the subsidiaries of the World Bank in Washington DC. As a returning expat, her flat is still filled with unopened boxes and she suggested a walk instead of a coffee at her place. I was game. Except that since I had a busy evening (Novena and Mass followed by birthday visit), I was not suitably attired for a walk and suggested we sit on one of the benches at the Carter Road Promenade facing the Arabian Sea. Maria was game!
     But just after we'd hugged and kissed, we bumped into her friend Rita who was also clad in walking shoes and was just about to set out for her own constitutional. After Maria introduced us, I invited her to join us on our walk and she readily agreed. So off went the three of us to the water front. When we arrived there, however, we found that the sun was still pretty high in the evening sky and would take at least another hour to set. Rita suggested we stroll over to the Otter's Club and get a coffee instead. It seemed like a far better idea than sitting and squinting in the rays of the setting sun--so off we went along Carter Road to the Club.

Coffee at Otter's:
     Once Rita had signed us in, we found ourselves a neat corner in an air-conditioned spot of the Club overlooking the swimming pool in which I (and Chriselle) had learned to swim so many aeons ago and watched the sun sink further in the west. I opted for a cold lemon soda (as did the other two) with nothing to eat as I had just had tea. During our chat, I got to know Rita a little bit and found out about Maria's relocation to Bombay and the fact that she will be starting on another job in July. It will be so good to have Maria around close by even though she will be busy during the week.
     I am very proud of the fact that Maria was influenced by my monthly newsletters (she is on my mailing list) which, she says, are directly responsible for the completely positive spirit with which she has returned to live in Bombay. She says that although I will only be here for a short time longer, she is looking forward to going to plays, opera shows, concerts and weekend lectures with me. As for me, since my regular companion Shahnaz, is going to be traveling for a good part of the next few weeks, I am more than happy to welcome Maria's company and welcome her back to Aamchi Mumbai! 
     At 6.25 pm, we got up to leave and the ladies walked with me to the church door where they said Bye and carried on. I spotted Dad walking a few paces ahead of me as he and I attended the novena and Mass together. God knows we have a lot to thank Our Blessed Mother for and a lot to implore her for as well. In other minor news, I have developed a sty on the lower lid of my eye that is pretty painful. I am hoping it will subside in intensity with a lick of choloromycitin ointment--although now I cannot remember where I had put the little phials I had bought last week.

Off to Wish Fr. Austin on his Birthday:
     I happen to be in Bombay after many years for the birthday of Fr. Austin who is a long-time family friend and who married Llew and myself so many years ago in St. Anne's Church at Pali Hill. He is a very close friend of Russel and for years my parents and Russel would make their way to wish Fr. Austin personally at his brother Kenneth's home where he always spends the evenings of his birthdays. Dad and I got a lift from our friend Fiona whom we met outside church with her mother Selda--I was seeing Fiona after ages and was very pleased to be able to visit with her for a little while. It was very kind of her to offer us a ride and I was very pleased to accept it.
     Fr. Austin was in his element and since not many of his guests had arrived when we reached there. we had him to ourselves for about a half hour. This allowed us to catch up with him at leisure as he offered us a delicious slice of date and walnut cake and chicken sandwiches since we told him that we would not be staying for dinner.   
     Most of his crowd arrived after the 7.30 Mass at St. Andrew's Church and that was when the rosary to the Sacred Heart began--another birthday tradition that Fr. Austin follows. This rosary is slightly different from the one that is said at my parents' home. It has to do with the fact that Fr. Austin's parents' home was dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through a ceremony called the Enthronement. Llew had mentioned to me that his childhood home was also dedicated to the Sacred Heart and that they celebrated January 1 as the Feast of the Enthronement with a big party to which all his neighbors used to be invited. During the rosary, Fr. Austin especially dedicated one decade "to my friend Russel who cannot be here this evening". It was so nice of him to do so and I actually teared up when I heard it and prayed for my beloved brother and for his complete healing. So many people are praying for Russel--we can only hope that the Lord will not remain deaf to our prayers. He is already hearing our prayers and answering them in little ways--by leading us to the right doctors and hospitals, by continuing to keep Russel in good spirits and in a healthy state of mind, by keeping Dad fit despite all these trials and tribulations, etc. And we are deeply grateful.
     Dad and I hailed a rickshaw outside St. Andrew's Church. I jumped off at my lane while he carried on to his place and then I had the rest of the evening off to unwind after what had been a full and very busy day of work after a very long while.
     I put a small portion of Valerie's noodles on a plate, douzed it with HP sauce, made myself a cup of Tomato and Basil Soup (as the rain hammers on my roof, soup feels and tastes great!) and watched a really fun movie, Love Punch--a British film with some really good actors--Emma Thompson, Pierce Brosnan, Celia Imrie, Timothy Spall, Tuppence Middleton (don't you just love her name?), etc. Coincidentally, this also involved a heist and was set on the Cote d'Azur in the South of France (this time in Cap d'Antibes). Two nights ago, I watched the lame Murder Mystery that was set in Cannes. I really did enjoy the film and look forward to more such rollicking entertainment as the monsoon picks up momentum here in Bombay and the rains are well and truly with us.
     Until tomorrow...