Author: Tulika

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Angel Day

Today has officially been declared as an ‘Angel Day’ by the kids. In case you’re wondering .. it’s a day when everyone tries their hardest to bring out the angel in them. Put simply, everyone has to be good. Remember the Angel Devil concept?The rules (made by them) are as follows:-for me..
I can’t shout at them.for the Husband
He must get back early from office
He must get sweets for them (detailed instructions regarding their choices have been given)And for them…
They can’t get cranky
They can’t fight
They’ll eat their food fast
They won’t do naughty thingsThe maid is also included in this ‘angel family’. H tried to explain the concept to her saying, “Didi you have to be happy today’. When my Maharastrian maid gave him a smile that said ‘I didn’t understand anything’ and a totally blank look he explained… ‘aaj aap happy rahiyega, okay?’.It’s been an hour since the declaration and already.. N’s spilled milk while H tried to ‘help’ the maid with the dusting trying to get her to hand over the bottle of Colin (an obsession of his because it works like a pichkari).God help me. Waiting to see how the day turns out.Edited to add: We did have a good day. We needed to remind each other over and over, though.. ‘Bhai.. Angel Day’, N would say and H would stop getting naughty. Each time I thought they were getting too boisterous all I had to say was.. ‘Okay so does Angel Day end now?’ and they would quieten. It was fun except The Husband came unusually late but since he got the stuff he’d promised he was promptly forgiven. I must remember to do it again.
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In the boatyard

This week’s theme for the Thursday Challenge :
WOODEN (Ship, House, Furniture, Carpentry Tools, Trees,…)

Fished out these pictures of boats. On our way back from the Somnath Temple we crossed this ‘boatyard’ (for want of a better word) where huge boats were under construction. The place I think was Valsad, Gujarat.



Love the tiny cabin like thing on the deck.




The men were using lanterns during the day





Got the chintus to stand here to get an idea of the size of the boats.
Aren’t they just huge?.. the boats of course.



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Pride comes before a fall

Another birthday invitation…
Another round of excitement (for the kids)
another round of worries (for me)… followed by
another round of brainwashing..  don’t poke your fingers in the cake, don’t fight over balloons, DON’T ASK FOR RETURN GIFTS… and
another round of bribery.. you get a star if you behave.. you get a gift if you do not ask for the return gift.

For once this time round N forgot about chaniya cholis (Maybe she really IS growing up) and dressing them up was fun.. no arguments, no fights, no tears. We were done in ten minutes flat and the kids were duly deposited with the gift and a handmade card for the birthday girl.

I’m still not used to the whole idea of letting them be and so sat expecting a call from the hostess, which never came. (They are certainly growing up) When the call finally came it was only to ask me to pick them up.

When I went there the hostess handed me a gift saying, “Please take this, H is refusing to accept the return gift.” Just as I was begining to puff up with pride H piped up, “Mama I didn’t take the gift, now can you get me one like you promised?”

Time to shush them and go home!

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The boy who made me cry

I’m not really good with reviews but sometimes along comes a book that makes me want to talk about it, read about it and so.. write about it, which is why The Boy in Striped Pajamas by John Boyne found it’s way here.

Set during the WW II the book came out in 2006 and apparently was also made into a film. It tells the story of eight-year-old Bruno, son of a ‘commandant’ in Hitler’s regime. When his family moves from Berlin to Auschwitz Bruno’s world falls apart. Involved in his own life Bruno has no idea what ‘Out-With’ actually is. He is however intrigued by the tall wire fence that surrounds his new home and the people in identical striped pajamas, who live across it and who he can see from his window. The friendless Bruno finally befriends another boy from across the fence. Their friendship grows till one day the boy invites him to explore his world. That’s when the book takes a horrific and sad turn.
The book is written from the perspective of Bruno and you can’t but smile at his innocence. He leaves you to deduce who The Fury (Fuhrer) is and what Out-With is. He has no idea what ‘Jews’ are or even of his own father’s role.
He offers no cruel descriptions of soldier atrocities nor gory tales of Gas chambers. Yet the horror and desperation of the War comes across palpably through the rare instances he witnesses or is part of. And the end is heart-rending.

Phew… that was some book… right up there with my favourites like ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time’. And now I’m moving onto something really light and fluffy… The Twilight Series… definitely teenage stuff, pretty juvenile but what the heck.. I need a break.

Talking of my juvenile side .. what’s up with pottermore.com ? Come 23rd June and JK Rowling has an announcement to make. Here’s hoping she comes out with some more HP books.

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