Double Deckers

Last weekend I took the kids to the British Deputy High Commission for a meeting of the Double Deckers Club. A once monthly meeting for British children living in Chennai to enable them to keep in touch with some of our national traditions, customs and events. This months topics were HRH The Queen & William Shakespeare's birthdays and St Georges Day. The kids had a great time and Ellie's highlight was making a birthday card for The Queen. The afternoon was rounded off with a 'Street Party' (inside with A/C and a good job too!) with all sorts of yummy British delights which the adults got to polish off!

Some Recent Photos

Escaping the Heat


Keeping Cool at School


Helping in the Kitchen


Flying A Kite on Marina Beach

Slimed Again

Inevitably Luke caught Chicken Pox from Ellie, thankfully though they both had relatively mild cases and apart from the spots were remarkably well throughout.

The staff diligently prepared their Neem leaf concoction and he was ceremoniously slimed. I don't know if it really helped but neither of them itched as I remember itching when I had it.

Common Sense Prevails...sort of

The word from school was that no child would be re-admitted after chickenpox without a doctors certificate confirming they were no longer contagious.

To be on the safe side, I admitted defeat and left it until Friday to take Ellie to the doctor (A UK trained Peadiatrician) She ummed and aahhed, poked and prodded, admitted that her eczema hot spot (right inner elbow) was not helping her non-contagious look, but at least she knew/agreed that that was what it was. She said she was absolutely fine, it was just a mild case, sympathised with Ellie and me...BUT -- In India it HAS to be 21 days from the first spot, "I will write a certificate next Friday, send someone to collect it."

On the advice of the same Peadiatrician we returned en famille on Saturday morning so that Luke could get the Varicella vaccination. Her logic and advice was that ...although he may be incubating the virus, having the vaccine will ensure it is far less severe, and, if he's not incubating it he'll be covered in the future.

Luke had his injection and in the meantime the Doctor decided to have another hard look at Ellie. "You know what? On second thoughts she's fine, I can't see any reason for her not to return to school, here's her note, give it to the school nurse on Monday." Oh Thank you!

At 8.15am on Monday we paid a cursory visit to the nurse and presented the certificate. In no time at all, she had Ellie half stripped and twirling around to double check her spots, and, she agreed. All fine, nothing to worry about.

So, a very happy Miss Ellie returned to school to take part in 'India Week'.

Back at the ranch, Master Luke began popping out Chickenpox spots yesterday evening! We can only hope that he's 'spotless' before we fly to the Maldives in a little over two weeks.

Chickenpox in Da House

As we were getting dressed for school yesterday I thought a rogue mosquito had got into Ellie's room and had a feast on her little body but upon closer inspection with 'bites' in places where even a bionic mosquito couldn't reach it dawned on me she has Chickenpox.

Ellie's reaction...delight!  "I've always wanted Chickenpox Mummy, all my friends have had it and now I have it", she called as she skipped off to the playroom preparing herself for a 'duvet day'.  We're on day 2 now and thankfully it looks like just a mild case, however she didn't quite feel so happy about it at 3am this morning and ended up in our bed and poor Ian had to trudge off to her bed to try and get some more sleep before his early start.

This solves my dilemma...whether to vaccinate or not, UK doctors saying no on the grounds that it is a mild childhood disease and those who are vaccinated are more likely to have severe Shingles in adulthood, Indian doctors saying yes on the basis that cases here can be more severe but mainly for those who are undernourished and in generally poorer health.  I had heard such conflicting advice that I was still pondering on whether to do it or not so now the decision is taken out of my hands.

Deck The Halls

We spent Saturday morning 'getting festive'!

DS was very intrigued by our 'naff' dancing tree and thought it was hilarious as did Maid #2








DS was napping when DD and I decorated this one thank goodness.





And, when we did this one funnily enough!







And after all that hard work, what better way to chill out than down at the beach with a bucket and spade and an ice-cream to cool off!

Happy Diwali! Festival of Light

AKA Firework War Zone!!

If you thought the UK run up to November 5th was noisy...come to India to celebrate Diwali! (Click on title for full info on this noisy festival)

The firework and firecracker build up began in spits and spats about a week ago and every night since then in the vicinity of our house the volume of fireworks has increased. To begin with we oo'ed and ahh'ed just like us Brits do at anything sparkly in the sky. But as time went on we became a bit blase about them, hardly even noticing...until last night that is.

There have now been fireworks going off around us solidly for the last 36 hours, there was a short interlude between midnight and 3am but otherwise they just keep on coming...and coming. They are being let off in gardens, in the middle of roads, off roofs, out of trees, with confetti, without confetti. Colour and without. Loud, louder and loudest. I heard shattering glass earlier somewhere nearby, hope we won't discover it's one of our windows when a million mosi's seek solice from the party going on outside.

Party!

DS's playschool held a Diwali Party on Friday, Indian dress compulsory. DD's school had a day's holiday so she was able to come too. Firecrackers and sweets galore!

Lovely white trousers, before he found the sand pit that is!

As per anything to do with 'dressing up' DD has embraced Indian dress with gusto, Bindi's are especially valued, we had to visit 3 shops before the party to ensure her outfit was complete with a complementary Bindi!

ஹாப்பி தீவாளி எவேர்யோனே!
Happy Diwali Everyone!

Custody Battle

We are certainly extremely lucky to have two beautiful and engaging children but I'm finding that fact a little bit of a double edged sword at the moment. The Indians LOVE children full stop. They particularly LOVE blonde, blue eyed children and they therefore love ours.

Wherever we go we are practically besieged by people and everyone wants a little piece of them, sometimes it has its advantages...faster attention and service when you're holding a cute kid, more often it can be a hassle and DD is becoming a bit self concious and wary, which in turn is making her clingy, something she has never really been.

Our caretaker/housekeeper/maid in the apartment is a point in case and I feel I'm in the midst of a custody battle! He is a lovely man, (those of you who have Skyped with us have probably seen him as he is very curious and hovers in the background!) his wife and year old daughter live 2 hours away and he won't see them for another two months. He misses them. He lives here day and night and I realised the other day that he actually sleeps on the kitchen floor, so for these things I can actually forgive him, BUT sometimes, just sometimes I wish he would leave DS alone just for a minute. He actually takes over and interferes with meals, gets him out of his cot in the mornings when he doesn't have to, want to or needs to. He has even taken him from me when we are having a cuddle or a play! His English is minimal so I can't reason with him and I don't want to get upset with him...so, just for the timebeing, because we are not going to be here forever I will try to stay calm and put up with it. On the plus side it does mean DS is always occupied and busy!

Last night I nearly lost it. We took the kids to a hotel that does the best fish n chips that DD has ever had, even better than England apparently. At the next table was probably the most annoying man I have ever met, he was probably even more annoying for the pitcher or three of beer that he and his companion were drinking. He began quite politely by offering his compliments on the children and then quite literally began circling the table "Cootchy Cooing" the children. Constantly. Touching them...errr smelling their hair, all while we are trying to give them their meal. I was tired, emotions got the better of me and tears of pure frustration poured out of me...and do you know what he did?

HE KEPT COOTCHY BLOODY COOING THEM, all the while telling me how BLOODY cute they were, and I'm crying my eyes out and he doesn't even seem to notice!!

We got the bill and left, no dinner for us, and the last thing I heard as we took our leave and the door was closing was a final Cootchy. Cootchy. Coo.
So, that's my rant over! If I'd posted last night it wouldn't have been quite so polite!