Life in the times of Coronavirus continued

We are in week 4 of lockdown.

Schools are on their Easter holiday break. Next week, when schooling resumes, we shall see the new online education system and how it works out.

Things we are doing/would want to do:

We have a huge park nearby. It’s our favourite place to go for walks. We haven’t gone there for a month and I desperately wish to see the cherry blossoms. – Hopefully some day soon.

Keeping in touch with family and friends – We are constantly messaging and calling each other to find out how everyone is managing in these days. It’s hard to accept that we may not see our family back in India anytime soon. Zoom and whatsapp calls are frequent and lengthy.

Reading – Loads of books. Kindle has been a life saver. With no access to libraries, I am back to reading books on the Kindle.

Binging on TV – Netflix, Amazon Prime, Thop TV you name it, I got it. At one time I thought I had watched everything there was, but now digging deep to search for more series and movies to watch.

Cooking – Back to the basics of survival instincts. Cooking food is a coping mechanism especially when you have a child to look after. I find myself cooking more comfort foods. Having more time on hands helps too. We are allowed to go out for grocery shopping but then here’s a thought. If you are going to buy milk, might as well buy ten other things you need. I have never been a meal planner, however, now I plan and schedule and stock up.

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I recently read in an article that “One of the ways to interrupt anxiety is to let other senses take over. Touching things, smelling something, listening. When you are cooking, you are doing all these things, immersing yourself in the world of senses. Otherwise you would be trapped in your mind which is not a comfortable place right now.”

Everyone is doing their best to cope in these difficult times. Immersing yourself in an activity, any activity seems to be the best way to cope.

Life in the times of the coronavirus

The weather is beautiful. It is bright and sunny. Spring has sprung. I am feeling better as I am on two weeks of annual leave. Not in isolation; I had to take the leave or let it go waste.

So here I am at home cooking meals twice a day, putting up freshly cooked food on the table, for the husband and son who are also at home.

Last week has seen me go out every day for a walk. My 60 minutes of exercise. The benefits of this exercise as clear. It has lifted the fog off my mind. Walking outdoors is so much better. After the first few minutes of getting adjusted to the cold air, breeze, I can feel the freshness of the air. I can feel the muscles in my leg working, my breath deepening.

I notice things along the canal. The daffodils have bloomed. The ducks have braved their way out of the water and are relaxing on the pathway. The crocuses – oh the lovely crocuses all vibrant in their violets, yellows and whites!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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In my mind, am singing songs. The first one, although a beautiful song, is a sad old tune. By the time I am on my way back home, I have this bouncy uplifting tune in my head. I haven’t thought about this one in a long time. It brings back memories of when I first heard it, when my grandmother explained it to me meaning and tune all. There’s a spring in my step and a smile on my lips.

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My son is alright through this whole things, I hope. He watches the news, is concerned. I try to create a routine for him but nothing sticks. I wish he would come out with me on the walk but he prefers playing at home. On the second day of homeschooling, he tells me he want to go back to school. He has taken an active interest in cooking.

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Social media has been the source of relief and agony. There is everything from fake news to lists of activities to do at home. Loads of resources to try at home – learning, art, crafts, cooking, exercising. Information overload. It is an exercise in itself.

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When I wake up in the morning, the day is open with possibilities. I can go for a walk, I can cook, I can spend a few hours reading the new book. I can write my letters, binge watch TV, do the things I always wanted to do. I have the time to do the extra things.

I have spoken to friends I wasn’t in touch with for long. I have texted and called and emailed. I have written letters.

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The future is uncertain, uncharted. Now is the time to reflect. It is time to think, how big we are as a human race, what our actions have been and the impact we have had on this planet. Nature has put us in this spot now. We didn’t ask for it, we didn’t volunteer, we just had to stop. In the coming months, we shall establish a new way of life, a new normal which shall make us think before acting. When we get on the other side of it, we will hopefully emerge stronger and more reflective of our actions.

In Scarlett O Hara’s words, I won’t think about it today. I will think about it tomorrow. After all tomorrow is another day.

Still alive

Hello!

Random thoughts:

My son turns 10 this month. Double digits. A decade old! Where has the time gone? I can almost have an adult conversation with him. At each stage in his life so far, I have thought it was the best one until he grew another year and surprised me. He is his own person and cannot be influenced by the opinions of others.

I suppose that’s an excuse to write something on the blog. Give it a sense of survival.

I have completed a year at my job! That’s a sentence I never thought I would be able to say if you asked me a few years ago.

I am still skeptical about driving. Although I can drive my husband’s car (a gigantic metal tin) I am worried about the geometry of it. With the narrow roads of Edinburgh, one can bump into anything if one is not careful.

Gone are the days of me sitting down for a couple of hours and reading. I can’t remember the last book I read. Here’s something else I noticed. I tend to forget the books and the plots of those books that I read on the Kindle. Is it because they all feel the same? No texture no uniqueness.

Hopefully this won’t be the only post this year!

Nostalgia

And so it begins. The much awaited and anticipated trip of the year. Next week am off to Mumbai with S. Hubby will come later in the month. We shall be in Mumbai the entire summer. I have been planning this trip for quite some time now. By planning I mean micro-detailing, breaking it down into weeks and days and making a list of things I need to do on those days. This method has hardly been a success in the past, but then one can always hope.

The highlight of the trip is going to be spending some quality time with my grandma. When was the last time I had a sit-down with her? The last I remember is 2009, right after S was born and she was with us. A year after that I had travelled to Edinburgh and even though I have been going to India on holidays, time with her had been short.

Now that she is at my dad’s place, I hope to rekindle and perhaps create some more memorable moments with her. The time she spent in the nursing home, I was engulfed with the most distressing nostalgia and helplessness. ‘Missing her’ wouldn’t cover it. There was this deep emptiness inside me and the thought that I wouldn’t get to spend a relaxed time with her whenever I visited India. It felt like I had to let go of a deep part of me. Time spent with her at the nursing home was limited to an hour. And when you know you have only a fixed time to spend, you can’t really think of all the things you want to say. There was no time to lie down idly and listen to songs and ghazals, there was no time to listen to her little nuggets of wisdom, there was no time to be lazy and be in each other’s company and just be. There was no time to discuss the subtle differences between the urdu ghazal words. There was no time to discuss Lata or Christie or Hardy. Most of the happy memories from my childhood have revolved around her. The summer vacations were spent partly in her home. Being in her company was enough. We didn’t have to do anything special to feel happy.

It has been predicted that this year will have a lot of rain. This looks like the perfect setup to have lots of chai and gupshup with aaji.

2015 – the year that was…

…all about travel! After coming to Edinburgh I think 2015 was the most we traveled in UK. It’s partly due to having a car that gives you more freedom and roam around the countryside. Also, having parents over during the Summer holidays is another excuse to travel. 🙂 So here am trying to make a list of all the places we visited last year – day trips, holidays, weekend getaways all included.

Early January last year, we went on a long long drive around five lakes. Most of the mountains were snow-capped, it was chilly and there was a stillness in the air. But nothing could stop our enthusiasm to go out and about.

An impromptu week’s holiday was planned to Dubai during the school break. A family get together – my sister-in-law lives there – sun, sand and beach and an excuse to get away from the cold in UK.

M&Ds theme park in Motherwell – an hour’s drive from Edinburgh. It was a nice sunny day in April – quite warm for Spring. Perhaps the first time we took off our jackets that year.

This is perhaps the hardest to summarize. Swiss trip! The highlight of the year. I think the reason I never wrote about this trip is that I am still trying to assimilate all the experiences and internalize the sensation that was Switzerland. Here’s a blurb: Family trip, train journey, heat wave, exploring the central belt of Switzerland, locating Yashraj filming locations, Zurich, Lucerne, Interlaken, Bern, Montreux, Geneva, Mt. Titlis, Jungfrau. Cheese factory, chocolate factory, chocolate train (yes, that’s the name of the train!), Gstaad, Saanen, Lauterbrunnen!

There is something Zen about going to Cragies and picking berries. Nothing else matches the amazing experience of picking freshly grown strawberries and cherries in this lovely farm. Note to self: this year pick a small quantity that can fit into the tiny freezer at home.

Holy Island, Lindisfarne and Alnwick Castle.

Another day trip to Loch Lomond and Loch Luss – castles and lakes that’s what Scotland is all about and I have no complains.

Mid August saw us trying to climb up to the Arthur seat – a feat we did not achieve. This is at the top of another hill next to Arthur seat.

A weekend trip to Bedford in September – we visited my husband’s cousin and his family. A visit to Cambridge ensued.

Culross trip

Loch Leven in October – another day trip to another Loch.

When the Dinosaurs came to Edinburgh Zoo!

And the Panda who wouldn’t show us his face… Pandas and monkeys – the funniest animals they make you laugh without moving a muscle.

A thing off my bucket list – staying in a self catering cottage. October end saw us travelling to Aviemore Cairngorms National Park.

Autumn colours and foliage

 

 

Culross – The Royal Burgh

The Royal Burgh of Culross village is around 12 miles west of the Forth Road Bridge. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Royal Burghs were generally sea ports with a thriving community and flourishing trade. I wasn’t expecting much out of this coastal town with an industrial landscape but it was a pleasant surprise.

It is the best preserved example of a 17th and 18th century Scottish town. The old buildings and cobbled streets of this Royal Burgh transported us into the domestic lives of the 17th century Scottish town.

There is even a 17th century model garden recreated behind the Culross Palace displaying a range of plants including vegetables, culinary and medicinal herbs, fruits and shrubs. There is an unmistakable aroma of herbs in the air around the palace gardens.

The village looks across the River Forth to oil refineries. The village is the closest thing to a 16th century village all due to the efforts of the National Trust of Scotland that has been working with Culross to conserve its historical past.

The Culross Palace restored to its original mustard yellow render and wooden shuttered condition

The Mercat (Market) Cross has a unicorn on top. (Did you know Scotland’s national animal is Unicorn?)

What sets Culross apart is its stunning buildings and narrow wynds (A typical Scottish word ‘wynd’ referring to a ‘winding’ street)

The Palace Garden

Another example of the stunning buildings

View of river Forth

The Holiday Pic

Now guess the place?

Woohoo!

going on a holiday somewhere far….

any guesses??

It will be warm, it will be busy in the city of cities!

Hopefully the blog won’t be neglected as it has been for the past couple of weeks since the blogathon ended.

S talks

A weeks ago, the Son and dad had a discussion about old age and death. I thought he was too small to have this conversation but his dad went ahead and told him that people die after they are too old.

A few days after this S comes to me as asks:

S: Will you die before me?

Me: :trying to be evasive: Why do you ask? Don’t worry about it.

S: You are older. So you would die before me.

Me: Maybe.

S: What happens after we die?

Me: trying to be cheerful: Well, you are reborn again as a brand new baby.

S thinks for some time and I am sure that he will cry or get sad about his mommy dying before him.

S: whispering: Can you please tell Ganpatibappa not to make me into a baby girl after I die?

Me: What? Why? Why are you thinking about that?

S: Please can you tell him that? (still whispering)

I then turn my head up in the general direction where Ganpatibaappa is supposed to be and say: Please Ganpati, don’t make Shantanu a baby girl in his next life.

Me: Why don’t you want to be a baby girl in your next life?

S: I don’t want to be a girl because girls have babies and the doctor has to cut open the tummy to get the baby out. I don’t want my tummy cut. It would hurt a lot!

Me: !!!

And here I was worried about him being sad thinking about his mommy dying !

Day 20: Wise words

So it was a normal Monday morning. There was the normal rush for getting to school on time, pack the lunch boxes, get the breakfast done etc. We were well within time when I asked Son to change into the uniform.

Me: Come on S, let’s get ready, where’s your uniform?

S: It’s okay, we have time. Please help me with the clothes.

Me: a bit flustered, … Okay come on hurry up now!

S: Okay okay don’t get angry.

Me: more flustered – Am not angry!

S: Yes you are. You are always angry.

Me: (Angry but hiding it.) Am not angry, maybe I am. That’s my thing – being angry! Like your thing is to watch the iPad all the time and dad’s thing is to….. (wondering what to mention here)

S: (in a very quiet voice) Dad’s thing is to calm you down.

Me: !!!

Hubby smirking in the background having heard all this talk!