Rocky

Yesterday we had a visitor for the day. Margaret has a new puppy, Rocky, and he came to meet us yesterday. Oh, he is adorable and so good. He just slept all day, waking up to have a little play and something to eat then back to sleep. We can't wait to see him grow up and come and play again one day.

LOVE

Funny Photo

The girls and I had a trip up to the Muslim part of Chennai on Monday to hunt out some costumes for our school ball this weekend.

We came across this sign and had a giggle.

Since when can goats read?

Perhaps goats in India are very clever.

Jaipur, Shop Till You Drop!

My lovely colorful shopping guide told my his view of Jaipur.

"Madame, you come to Jaipur to shop till you drop"

So we did our bit to support the local economy. And how could you not shop. All those superb cotton fabrics, block printed quilts and table clothes, summer sheets, carpets, blur pottery etc etc.

Bought that, that and that....

Umbrella's on the side of the road, so bright and lovely but what would I do with them?

Colour everywhere

Sam getting on the right side of the owner.

Bordom setting in.

What do you think Sam?

Nope not that one, blue, I like blue!!! He was a very patient salesman, he must have ben getting good commission.

The Palmist, Astrologer and The Ruby Ring

Sounds like the title to a best seller, well it's not. This is the tale of a western woman having some fun in exotic North India.

Sensing the need for some adventure and fun, Eliza and I thought it would be a hoot to go and see a Astrologer and Palmist. You know, when in India, do as the Indians do. Every evening at the hotel there was a Astrologer available to tell the fortunes of the hotel guests. We sat down with the guy and he asked me to write down my name, date, time and place of birth. Next he pulls out his handy dandy little laptop and enters my details. Whammo, we have lift off. He starts scribbling down numbers, dates and planets into a grid he had drawn on a piece of paper.

He then looks me in the eye and says,

• I have a very dominant personality, (Ha! Me, really?)
• Sacrificing nature
• Wealth and prosperity
• My children are in good positions
• Energetic
• Luck is NOT supportive
• My work capacity is very good
• Good prosperity
• I enjoy life
• Good expenditure

Then he examines my palm with a magnifying glass, more details written on the page along with some Oh's and Ah's and Mmm's I was getting worried.

• Life line is good
• Strong Willpower
• Very Spiritual nature
• Wisdom and decision making is good
• Intuitive nature
• Strong marriage and relationship.
• Diplomacy is good

Then he tells me again that Mars is one of my ruling planets and this means Luck does not come my way. I need to bring my own luck into my life.

Yep, I am with him on that point. I think I have always known that, the only thing I have ever won was a marshmallow rabbit at an Easter market when I was young and I ate the whole thing and made myself ill.

He tells me I need to wear a Ruby ring set in gold on my right hand, and that will help to bring me luck. ( Eliza was also told this)

He also said that as Jupiter was one of my planets and that was why I was overweight. Ha, That's why! It's not just because I love good food. (wink)

The next bit of info that had Eliza and I giggling, was that in the next year I would have some problem below my waist. To which Eliza says, "Mum maybe you will break your ankle again."

And his last piece of advice was that I needed to respect my elders.

We got back to our room and told Andrew of our fortunes and that we need to wear Rubies on our left hand to bring us luck. His reply was that it was all a load of rubbish.

The next we had been out and about exploring Jaipur when we met a driver that wanted to take me to see his friends shops. He was very colorful. (had to be gay) He had the best Aussie accent, saying to me, "G'day mate, how are ya? Wanna through a Shrimp on the Barbie?"

How could I refuse his wonderful personality and his offer to take me to his friends shops, so I sent Andrew and the kids home and off we went shopping. I think he must have been in cahoots with the Astrologer as the first place he took me to was a Gem shop. Did he know I needed to buy an Ruby ring??

I tried a few on and decided they just didn't look great on my fair skin, then I spotted an adorable 2 crt Aqua Marine and had to have it. The price was great and they would make the ring up for me in 2 hours. Good bye to any sort of good luck coming my way.

Of course, as luck would have it, two days later I fall down the front step of the hospital and badly sprain my left ankle.

And the moral of the story?

I SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT THAT RUBY RING!!!!!

Yet Another Day In India.

Yesterday was one of those days!

It all started when I took poor little Mac to the Doctors with a Urinary Infection. When I arrived at the clinic I was told that the Dr we were to see had been called out in an emergency, so we were to see another Dr, "A more senior Dr" I was told. Well this fellow looked like an aging Bollywood actor with his pencil thin mustache and shiny synthetic shirt. His bedside manor left a lot to be desired. I told him of the problems Mac was having and he then started to listen to Mac's chest. Since when was someones penis in their chest? Then he tells me Mac has a chest infection. WHAT? I informed him again that Mac was having "Much pain when passing urine" trying to explain this in my best Indian lingo. So he prescribes medicine for the chest infection and something for Mac to drink to help him "pass his waters". Ok, I am starting to get cross.
We get to the desk to pay the Rs300 charge and the inform me they have no change for my Rs1000 note, which was all the ATM had spat out at me. Now I see red! With this I let loose. How incompetent the DR was, how they need to keep change for their paying customers, how every time I go there we have the same problem, how they should have phoned me to inform me that the Dr I was to see was not available, but she could not do this as she had not taken my details when I had called to make the appointment. So with Mac under my wing we storm out.
Feeling the need to get a second opinion we head to a clinic just down the street. We get straight in to see the pediatrician and she very compassionately examines Mac and makes her diagnosis. Yep just what I thought, a urinary infection, but we need to get a sample for testing to make sure. OK this is going to be fun. Trying to get my screaming child to pee in a container in a hospital toilet was not fun, so we decide to take the 2 containers home and hope we will have more luck in the comfort of our own toilet.
This is where the story gets interesting....
Making our way out the front door of the clinic I trip over a 2inch gap in pavers that was covered by a thin rubber mat. Over I go, Mac going one way, my handbag another way and I land with a thud, my left ankle (the ankle I broke 2 years ago) crunching and immediately in pain I sit there with people all around standing there staring at me. No one came to my aid, poor little Mac started to cry when he saw how much pain I was in. I manage to get myself up and hobble to the car where Victor is waiting and wondering why Madame is crying. I manage to tell him "Straight home Victor"
We get home and ice it straight away and try to cope with a screaming Mac in pain, needing to pee but it is hurting too much. I make the inevitable call to Andrew and he tells me he will come straight home. My night in shinning armour. Mac and I fall asleep on the couch till he gets home. I then proceed to tell him the whole story and he is furious. He calls our Dr to explain what has happened who immediately sends his staff to our house to do a bedside xray, only in India. Then we wait.
5pm, Mac finally does enough pee to take the sample back to the clinic for the test, so off Andrew goes to deliver that and while he is there he asks to see the person in charge of the hospital. Oh we do create quite a stir, who insists I come straight back to the hospital to see an orthopedic surgeon. Andrew comes back home to take me to the hospital, we leave the big kids at home and take Mac with us as he is still screaming every time he has the urge to pee. At the hospital I see the emergency Dr while waiting for the Ortho guy to arrive, he tells me he doesn't think it is broken and straps it for my while I wait. Mac then starts screaming again needing to pee. Emergency Dr assesses the situation and calls the pediatrician who orders medication for him to start. Mac and Andrew head home and Andrew needs to stop at the bank, while he was waiting in the que. Mac starts screaming in pain and jumps out of the car and wets his pants on the side of the road. People come running from everywhere on hearing his blood curdling scream. They get home and send Victor back to fetch me. I have seen the ortho guy and he says that I have just pulled the tendons and I need to rest it for a week and if it is no better then he will put it in a cast. He prescribes me 4 different medications and off home I go.

So here I sit resting my ankle and dealing with Mac. Stay tuned for the post about my visit to the palmist and astrologer and why I should have bought a Ruby to wear on my right hand...

The Amber Fort and Jaipur

Mac's Amazing Auto Ride

We spent the Easter weekend in Jaipur, North India exploring all of the local tourist attractions and of course, the shops. Wow what an amazing place to go to. So colorful and historic. We toured around by auto so we got to be really up close to the sights, sounds and smells. Air-conditioned cars are great but when you really want to experience a place there is nothing like a ride in an auto with the wind rushing all round you and the locals having a good old belly laugh at our expense. We saw camels, elephants, and cows everywhere, what a hoot to see these unforgettable sights walking down the main road of town as they have probably been doing for the last few hundred years.

Our two auto drivers for the few days must have thought all their christmases (or Diwali's) had come at once when we paid them handsomely for their days work. They had much delight showing us their town and wanting to take us to their home and their cousins shops..... how good that feels to know that we can do the right thing by these people and support their families in doing so.

Mac of course stole the show and was the main attraction for the locals. They all love him and would take him home in the blink of an eye. That meant that our auto drive felt the need to let Mac be the driver for the day, much to my horror. Yes I saw DANGER. He had a hoot, tooting the horn thinking he was master for the day.