Mind the Gap!

The nursery Rhyme, "London bridge is falling down” is probably my first encounter with London.  I must have repeated it just like a Parrot without even figuring out what and where London  is. 
 

From there I moved on to Enid Blyton series of Famous five,  during my high school days, I guess. Arthur Conan Doyle through  Sherlock Holmes, Charles Dickens stories influenced my fantasy those days quite a bit.  The Boarding schools, Crisp Whites, the large red and black checked clothing, cobbled stone walkways, pretty flowers that are bright and colourful, serene settings, picture postcard set row houses, fire places, birds, cats, dogs, cattles, horses, green fields, Castles, Guards, trains, boots, large umbrellas and much more that I conjured up in my mind to get the settings of these stories that I read.  
 

Ahh how did I miss River Thames.  I remember sitting in my English class and Miss. Pearly explaining about Thames. And not to mention the poems and poets that I have been through with the help of Sr.Concordia, yet another English teacher. Shakespeare, thou art not forgotten too,
 

It didn’t end there.  I continued my tryst with my fantasizing in college too with Emily Bronte’s, character Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights.  I remember getting good scores in my essays about Wuthering heights and my English Lecturer, Sheela Mathai praising me in front of the class for some great analysis. Barbara Cartlands fiction took me to the days of yore - the kings, queens, Lords and ladies and what not.  I dont remember any title of BC, but I remember i read the entire collection of 24 novels that was available in my college library then adn waited dreamily for my Knight in Shining armor.  How silly could I have been? ( Though I found one later, just that he happened to come on an Ind-Suzuki, and called it, his first wife :-) )
 

Today in the Queens realm, okay pretty close there. next to Windsor Castle,  as I write this post, humbled looking at all those fantasies for real.  My girlhood comes back to me - fully blown :-)
 

I am in love with this place.
 

 

Oh the term “Mind the Gap“ assaults me with its complete meaning.

An ultimate Compliment

This weekend the only angel amongst the 3 musketeers of grandchildren of my family was celebrating her second birthday. 

Nidhi is my niece and the boys in the family, ( read my son and my twin nephews) adore her like all the elders in the family. She is the youngest, the most cuddled, hugged and pampered little one at present in the family and has the sweetest voice in this whole world.  So we there in Bangalore to celebrate her 2^nd  birthday.  

Amidst all the fun and frolic, there were so many pictures being taken in everyones mobile so J and I were posing for pictures and pulled our son Dennu in.  Since it was late evening and the light was not adequate, our cameras were not doing justice to our looks and we asked Dennu to pass on his mobile, as he has a better camera on his mobile than both of us. 

And there he went..

Please don’t take our picture together in my mobile pleaaaaasssssssssseeee….. he begged to the one to whom his mobile went.  

So this person asks him, Why Dennu?  

And he says, you know what, an idiot in my college looks at my mom’s picture and asked me if it was my sister and that blind guy is looking at all three of us and says is that your sisters’ husband?  I have a lot of dumb folks with me in college and I cannot stand  such stupid comments.  

J and I went awestruck and smiled at each other in utter disbelief:-)  

Isn’t that an ultimate compliment that slipped through Dennu?

With age comes wisdom. Or does it?

1st March - This day has become a special day in my life after marriage – J graced mother earth on this day some 4 and a half decades back.  I  am being very tactful in not revealing his age here – see I am a good wife,  but you guys can be sure he is older than me ** wicked grin**.  Isn’t it the Indian norm in arranged marriages?  Have no doubt and read on.

Anyways, he is not the one to go gaga on his birthdays, like me.  Its just another day for him. In fact, he says he started celebrating his birthdays at home only after our marriage.  I have this great inability to keep my cool on such special days and would have prepared for surprises and would be totally overexcited.

This being a Sunday, the mass was at 9.00 so we do not have to miss our morning walk.  Oh, have I told you that he never allows me to go alone for the morning walk after that accident, if he is in town? I was being extra nice to him since it was his birthday, and truly wanted him to feel special.

So we were walking and we crossed the lily pond, which is my favorite spot in the walking track.  I have many times mentioned to J, that this pond looks lovely and the lilies are so cute and explicitly told him a couple of times that I wanted a lily from the pond.  The first time he gave me that look which said “Are you crazy?”, the second time my pragmatic hubby told me very openly, I should be insane to jump and do all the stuff that you ask me to L.  With the dreams of holding a lily shattering right there, I had moved on long ago. I know my man means business and a No is a No.

That Sunday, we took a U turn at our regular spot and walked back  along the pathway, crossing the lily pond again,  me still talking, I do not remember about what.

Out of the blue, J stopped and said “ I think I should try it today”and did something that totally took me by surprise.

Certain emotions needs no words, and will get the pictures do the talking from here on...

The diamonds that he has bought me fades in front of this water lily. I feel like a new bride on honeymoon :-) :-) My eyes refuse to stop shining and I am over the moon.  


I guess these random acts of love are what makes successful marriages :-)