Back to Bombay!

Well well well, here I am once again…….

Flawless trip from all the way from Surrenden Close to Regency Gardens, not one single issue (this is, I think, a first). Woke to a warm (30C) and sunny Saturday morning and could not suppress the feeling of being, somehow, on holiday. In fact, so strong was this feeling that I was transported back forty five years to walking down to the newsagents in Cromer with my dad to collect the morning paper and buy some bacon, even the smell of that shop came back to me, a unique and redolent combination of suncream and short chain monomers from the cheap post war plastics used in the buckets, ( not spades though because they were still made of metal) beach balls and rubber rings that festooned the walls of the shop. I can see it all now so clearly and can feel that excitement at being on holiday and the prospect of a long day on the beach, rockpooling, building sandcastles and sea defences.
But I am alas, most definitely not on holiday and Navi Mumbai is so not like Cromer that it is difficult to conceive of both places actually being on the same planet…… And of course, the Cromer of my childhood is indeed on another planet, one called ‘the past’.

Whatever, I’m ‘Back in Bomb’ as Salman Rushdie says, until 11th Dec, five weeks of work punctuated thankfully by four weekends of fun ( if all goes according to plan). The apartment is full, with John from Leeds and Roman from Wiesbaden both in residence. Spent Sunday morning birding with friends ( Hen Harrier, Wryneck, Bluethroat) and Sunday afto exploring some of the back streets of Khargar with Roman and ( as if you didn’t already know) putting some of the photos from the weekend up on my Flickr page:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeaunse23/

I’m such a shameless self promoter and the most troubling thing is – I don’t even care! Get me huh?

Anyway, have just about readjusted my internal clock by the liberal internal application of ethanol in the form of the really excellent Sula Vinyards Sauvignon Blanc and now feel ready to take on the world ( god, what a transparent lie).

I have been questioning some of you during my recent visit to the UK regarding the personal email sent to your inbox versus the Blog approach to staying in contact and , perhaps not surprisingly, many of you have come down firmly on the side of the personal mail and therefore I plan to take a duplex approach and to send you individually and yes, lovingly, hand crafted emails, as well as using a generic version of the text on my Blog,

http://jeaunsetalk.blogspot.com/

I’m hoping that this will please all of the people all of the time (who said it couldn’t be done eh?).

I’m really loving the weather here at the mo’, its hot at midday but mornings and evenings are cool at around 20C, the sky is a clear blue and any wind very light. The winter migrants are back and the countryside is now simply vibrating with avian life, I reckon the number of species of birds easily doubles in the winter which is another bonus of the Indian climate. This trip I have bought a big bag of Tagliatelli, two large tubs of Parmesan cheese, Lady Grey teabags and Dorset cereals Muesli. I am intending to add to my Indian diet with an Italian one following last trips successful manufacture of a passable Tagliatelli a la Pomordoro. Forgot to bring dried yeast however and so will have to wait until next trip to start making my own bread…..



Nostrovia!