Saturday, December 25, 2010

The Stitching Ladies are go!!

24 December, 2010.
 This is such a big and happy day for us....7 years ago we met and our whole worlds turned upside down. From that first moment there has never been anyone else and we have been journeying through highs and so many lows to create a life together.
Both of us came with a lot of baggage, as it is put....I had come from rather vicious wargrounds of family life, Praveen has completely supported his family since he was 12 years old [same age as the middle chap Monish]. It shocked me when I looked at the photo and thought of Praveen at that age spending 12 to 16 hours a day on a cycle rickshaw trying to earn enough ruppes to feed a Mum, 3 siblings and support an alcoholic father.
Many things to get through and then the fact we lived on different continents, came from completely different cultures, had difficult ex's still around in varying ways, blah, blah, blah- get out the violins!
Yesterday exactly 7 years later almost to the minute he stepped off the train from Delhi with his 3 boys come for a school holidays visit, and I think our world has been stood on its head yet again but think at the next installment will be much easier to ride.
Happy, happy day.
 Lousie, a lovely lady from NZ has been staying, we were joking yesterday, she is our first studio [non] residential. She has been staying at our hotel in town but utilizing our house and studio each day to tinker, when I have had textily things to do, or just little jaunts that seemed appealing she has tagged on long, it is really pleasant.
She is on holidays from work, so there is that initial period of relaxing, she is somewhere very new and as she said she would not have dared to come here alone, it was simply she had met me last year in NZ, when I was teaching a Summer School and so felt she had a point of contact.
 In the last few days she has started to potter....
I think our concept of a home base away from home in India is going to work very well for people. India is a great place, it is very safe and friendly...it is also overwhelming, confusing and sometimes daunting....having somewhere to feel settled and develop your 'India' legs will give a lot of people a good base to appreciate this wonderful world.

I was busy yesterday so Mukesh and Baba brought her back into town...excellent!! Louise said it was fun.


 Been spotting al types of amazing birds in opur garden....I do need a birdbook. Think this guy would be a Treecreeper, that is certainly what he does....creeps up the tree looking for ants.

 In the kitchen I have been using fresh tumeric for cooking, it is in season and is the most amazing shade of tumeric yellow, I want clothes in that colour- silk for a lovely wafty top???
 Finally my Stitching Ladies seem to be getting going again...with me being away and Diwali and a million other things it all seemed to unravel....but we are developing a routine...Praveen and I am home of Friday [strictly 10 to 12] to meet ladies, same time Saturday we are in Pushkar....seems we can get some momnetum going again- I have people waiting for stitching so yeh!! Lots more pictures on this link- I love the colours of the ladies clothes

1 comment:

Art Adventures Leader said...

Hi Fiona
Are these my stitching ladies too? If so, its great to see actual people!
Stacey