The Good

My list of complaints has been fairly long of late. And it has taken me this long to (semi) sort through them and find the positive side of things.

* Fresh@ is a semi-supermarket in the area. It is literally walking distance from my place, except that the sun is too fierce to attempt it so I usually drive. I have been very disappointed with it because the veggies are not fresh. Especially the spinach & other leafy veggies that I need in bulk every week. Plus they have that ugly roll of plastic in which you fill the veggies and the kind lady weighs it and attaches a small sticker for you. You know. The grocery items are sufficient; there is a reasonable selection of everything, good enough for us. But the veggies thing was irritating me immensely. Thankfully, this past weekend, on Sunday when we went there, the veggies were really, all things considered, reasonable. I had carried my freezer bags - the netted ones - and the lady did not mind at all, was in fact happy, to weigh my veggies in them, and when the stickers did not stick, she did not crib her head off, just gave it in our hand and trusted that we would give it to the cashier (which we did, of course). So yeah. Nice veggies, no plastic.

* The monster is in a dance class. I am keeping it low key, knowing that if I let the family get all over her about it, she will refuse to go. But I did track down 'Ramakrishna Textiles' in Tiruvanmiyur to get uniform cloth and 'Lakshmi Tailors' on Canal Bank Rd for stitching it, and she looks awesomely cute in it. Since its kept completely low key, she is fine so far. I my mind it goes in the category of 'Good Exercise'

* Everytime we enter the campus, we need to fill in some slip of paper with all nature of things and when we get out, hand it back to Out Gate Security. I have been most most annoyed because the security (In Gate ones) speak some hybrid language - possibly Cat or Dog, but most likely a mix of Tamizh and Hindi. They also refuse to acknowledge the existence of the Play School, and one time, when I said 'Creche' the supervisor came out from his little cabin and said 'Oh Cre-ccchhh' which made me think of retch. Anyway finally I sorted this out by a glib lie. I give them my driver's name, and the name of a school (whose existence they don't doubt) that is right next to the dance class place. I switch furiously between Hindi and Tamizh so they now like me. Most importantly, they love the monster peering out of the window and always have a smile and a wave for her. Now I don't hate those boys either, so the mutual feeling of love pervades.

* Most of the repairs round the house are done. I mean, I really hope that all of it is done. We have a reasonably system in place for drinking water. The help is all set, and though their timings are still not formalised as mum is here, I can see a trajectory. The floor has lost most of its stickiness. Curtains are in place. All except one box (consisting of things from the Skoda which is, clearly, not my responsibility) are done away with. Wait, there are couple of boxes that the monster insists on playing with - calls them her boats, but that does not count of course. I find my bookshelves, which used to loom in our Mumbai households, dwarfed in that room. I don't visit them too often because I have hidden away the Tintins and the Calvins there from prying eyes. But, its all good.

* The compost pit is doing well. The garden is a bit bare, I am still waiting on some resolution on my water situation and at least a bit of cooling in the weather, but so far, so good. Yesterday we were visited by a most spirited Chameleon. It was outside the window and trying to climb the glass (it could not, finally). Yellow in colour, with its angry crest, I was on the inside, with glass and the netlon between us and I still jumped back when it bared its teeth at me, the crazy little creature (him, not me). I also have a small garden lizard that is half red half brown. And its cousin which is fully brown. Very young and slim so that I was sure it was a small snake till I saw the legs. A greyish brown bird family visited last week, I took pictures and later saw them in the jungle inside the campus as well, but I cannot identify it yet. A crow has its nest in the tree just outside the house. Mynas abound but for some strange reason I have not found sparrows here.

So all in all, the list of complaints seems to be shrinking. And about time too.