Twenty- five Seven

Night watch from my balcony #WordlessWednesday

January 14, 2020

I often indulge in night watching from my balcony especially after dinner.

The other night, I was busy shutting doors and windows after a particularly satisfying dinner. I looked out of the balcony and saw a glow in the dark. Staring out, I saw this ghostly looking column leaping out of the darkness. It looked mysterious, magical and slightly spooky.

It was a bungalow that once belonged to the Petits (whose daughter married M.A. Jinnah).

With the towering Kanchenjunga almost eclipsing this bungalow from the road, this remains one of the last traces of an era past – when Peddar Road was dotted with palatial residential bungalows.

Glad to share this rather grainy picture with Esha and Natasha, hosts of #WordlessWednesday.

Ciao,
Laundry Woes#MondayMusings

January 14, 2020

Laundry woes

Life is a learning process. Every day I learn something new. For instance, last week Ms. Papaya taught me that people in heaven don’t need to eat because they’ve eaten more than enough when they were on earth.

But I don’t seem to have the wisdom of a four-year-old. Else I wouldn’t be in the situation I am in today. I wouldn’t be worried about my broken down washing machine.

Sunday morning began like any other day. But unlike the regular load of washing, this one consisted of a mixed load of heavy and light clothes. The bulkiest though not the heaviest, was a comforter. This uneven mix of laundry obviously made the machine uncomfortable.

First it groaned as it slowly sped up and achieved only half its speed . Then it rattled and shook and actually jumped and landed 45 away from its actual spot. Finally it came to a screeching halt accompanied by some strange sounds that vaguely resembled a rattlesnake.

Lesson No 1. not learnt: Never wash a mixed load of clothes that make the machine unstable.

The washing machine and I

Till Anna Shetty was born, all the washing at home was done by hand. The inner garments were personally hand-washed while the big sheets went to the dhobi. Some clothes were washed at home by the washerwoman who came in daily while the expensive clothes were sent to the laundry.

But when Anna Shetty was born, my mother thought that a washing machine would come in handy. Anna Shetty was born in the early part of July and it did come handy with the dozens of cloth diapers that needed washing daily. Not only was it more convenient during the Mumbai monsoon but also more hygienic.

Since then, I’ve almost forgotten to hand wash garments. And I loved this simply operated twin tub machine even though I didn’t enjoy delving deep into the tubs to transfer the laundry from the wet to the dry.

Lesson No 2 not learnt : Always handwash some clothes daily so that you don’t get out of touch with handwashing.

One machine led to another

Since the first machine was gifted, I used it without much thought as to model and make. But as I delved deep into the wash tub to pull the laundry out of the dryer tub, I looked longingly at the advertisements for a single, front-loading machine. 11 years later, I decided to upgrade to a front-loading IFB. For the next 15 years, this machine washed all the laundry – often times, twice daily.

But once again, I kept looking at the other brands and models wondering if my choice was correct.

Since German machines are supposed to be the best in terms of function and after sales service, I opted for a Siemens’, when the IFB service agent suggested I go in for a new one.

But it turns out that it wasn’t a good choice after all.

Lesson No3. not learnt: Never change a brand for the sake of change especially when you are happy with its product.

Waiting for Mr. Siemens

So in 2012, I bought a Siemens which gave me major trouble within 2 years. Of course the trouble began the day after the warranty was over and took a month for the part to be replaced.

I only hope the current problem is minor and more importantly, the service engineer comes soon enough to repair it.

Airing my thoughts on #MondayMusings hosted by Corinne.

Ciao

p.s. I’ve just realised that my #WOTY is DETACH, so I’m not going to worry about the clothes piling up. After all, they just may wash themselves :)
Upside and Downside: The Year that was

January 7, 2020
It’s the first Monday of 2020 and I wonder what it will bring for Mumbai On A High. I also wonder what it will bring for me. And as the world burns around us, I wonder what it will bring to the world.

2019 has been a mixed bag Life is a series of ups and downs isn’t it? Each one of us has happy days, sad days, disappointing days and delightful days. But most importantly, each day with its new set of experiences marks another notch in our learning journey.

I have found that the WOTY invariably sets the tone for the year. It may be serendipitious or subliminal messaging but it happens for sure. My WOTY for 2019 was REFRESH. I must say that to a large extent, my life was refreshed, though unwittingly.

The Downside

It was a fall from a ladder in the last days of September that actually forced me to ‘refresh’ my life.

As you can imagine this is not what I had in mind when I wanted to ‘refresh’ my life.

Daily routine

My regular early morning wake up routine was now dependent on Sushama whom I had employed to give me a bath. She is a masseuse with a clientele of highly temperamental women. Since she very kindly squeezed me into her packed schedule . Hence bath time varied every day and, horror of horrors, once or twice I had to even go without a bath!

Wardrobe refresh

With a broken arm, I had to refresh my wardrobe. This was quite a challenge as no one seems to cater to the wardrobe requirements of oversized women recovering from surgery.

I also had to plan my clothes according to my ‘schedule’. For instance, if I was going to visit the doctor, I had to wear a loose, baggy T rather than my tie-up nightdress which had replaced my regular clothes! This restrictive wardrobe also restricted my going out.

A new look me

I couldn’t comb my flyaway hair nor keep it off my face so I went for a short bob. Unfortunately, this made me look like a cross between the unflattering version of Mrs. Munion, the housekeeper in ‘Yours, Mine and Ours’. and our ex-President Dr. Abdul Kalam. The fact that I couldn’t put on lipstick, perfume and eyeliner didn’t help my look nor my spirits.

Oh No! No holidays

The worst disappointments of the year were my cancelled trips overseas and in India. I was planning to meet my friends in Europe and accompany Ms. Papaya and her mom to Pench. Unfortunately, my friends and the tigers will also have to wait till my arm is strong enough to lug bags and withstand bumpy safari rides.

The Upside

But 2019 had its upsides too.

Celebrations

The year began with our college reunion where it was fun to meet alumni and teachers spread over four decades. How different we all were from those carefree college days. Grey hair was a given. Some of us had achieved our dreams, some hadn’t but all of us had an air of contentment.

Throughout the year there were impromptu meetings with friends and family, planned dinners and lunches and birthday celebrations of the members of my four-generation family.

Circle of Life

With the Little Ones going to big school, life completed a full circle as I reconnected with mums I used to meet at the pick-up time of our children. Now as 60-year-olds we looked more relaxed and happy than we did in the old days.

Every cloud does have a silver lining.

My broken arm was a life-defining moment.
- Delegate, train and supervise
For one, I learned to let go and delegate. It came as a shock to me when I realised that I don’t always have to do everything myself. Proper instructions and supervision is key to getting things done exactly the way you want.
- More time to explore and learn
With more work done by others, I had more time to think and more time to do new tasks. I was forced to use my left hand more.

I discovered how to write and type with my left hand.

I explored my computer and iPhone and discovered the joy of dictating to my iPhone. This made emails and WhatsApps a breeze!
- Catching up with reading
Being housebound, I caught up with my reading and actually fulfilled my Goodreads Reading Challenge 2019.

Since I actually read more, I participated in the #DecemberBookLove, an Instagram challenge sponsored by Shalz and Soumya.

This challenge forced me to explore Canva and discover other bloggers and the books they read.

Gratitude for 2019

As the new year begins I can only express gratitude for the good things that happened in 2019. Because there were many good things that happened despite the not so good ones.

I am actually grateful for my fall because it gave me a fresh perspective of life.

Thanks to my daughters Anna Shetty and Daughter No1. who helped me with my surgery and post-recovery.

I am lucky to have Dr. D around to help me with my fracture and surgery.

And of course I am grateful to all my family and friends ( both real and virtual) who cheered me up with visits, calls, and messages during my lying-in-bed days.

So with my ordeal slowly coming to an end, I can only say that I am glad 2019 is over

Welcome 2020

20/20 vision indicates the sharpness or clarity of vision at a distance. Distancing oneself can give you a better perspective as you are on the outside looking in.

There! I’ve got my #WordForTheYear 2020 – It’s DETACH.

Before I sign off, I’d like to ask you if you are one of those readers who have been lurking around my blog. Please, do me a favour and leave a comment so that I know who you are. This is part of #International De-Lurking Week hosted by Parul.

Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you soon.

Ciao

Linking up with VidyaSury’s #Gratitude Circle and Corinne’s #MondayMusings