Goa is a part of my heart

                             The power line had snapped

Mums St Anthonys blooms in Pilerne

We are always quite happy to be back in Goa. Its hot but its oh so worth it. This is the time when the ghats are literally scented and blooming as we drive through them. The Laburnum drips gold, which remind me of my Grandpa Mick who had a gorgeous specimen in his garden along the side of the house. The Gulmohur or Mayflower were also in bloom, making scarlet patches against the blue sky as we drove through Anmod. But the St Anthonys flowers blooming profusely in the garden as I fed it a lot of prawn waste last visit reminded me of Mum with their pristine white flowers. I dont have anything to remind me of her in Hayes rd so this is a lovely welcome to drive into!

The white gardenia gifted by Lillia Pinto of Pintovaddo Candolim

Then I was thrilled to see the single white gardenia blooming for the first time in the garden, given by my friend Lillia. I had carried graft chickoos for her from Lalbagh so she kept a whole live plant for me. The plants flourish in Goa cause the caretaker loves them as much as I do.

Flooring done in the kitchen

On our last visit we tiles the whole kitchen- dining area as I hated the crumbling floor while I cooked and cleaned fish. I hated the crumbling floor where the roots of Edgar's Mango crept into the house and lifted the floor. I hated the mess even though I had seen the floor of cow-dung before that. I like the kitchen and the dining areas anywhere spotless and finally though expensive we got it done. I'm sure Mum will be pleased as she hated the red oxide floors.

Then I sat outside and enjoyed the village and  the birds in the trees which we don't have in Bangalore anymore like we did as kids. We were there for Holy Week and what an experience to enjoy the beauty of the Maundy Thursday and Good Friday  and finally the Easter Vigil service. No one can do it like the Portuguese who taught us well and we carry on to this day.

I need to go back as often as I can as I age. Its wonderful to live in a house in which my ancestors walked and lived too. Maybe its age that does this to us but Goa has become  important for me and Greg and anyway what holds us here in Bangalore? 

 in Baroda. So it  

A quick in and out of the hospital

                     A quick in and out of the hospital

Prepped and ready for the OT

Its been a long time coming and finally Greg decided to go in for a quick procedure. 

Earlier we had gone to St Philomena's when my brother Mark was ill. But this time -- a friend is a doctor in St Martha's and he suggested doing the procedure there. I have never regretted the decision and the Doctor- Sunil Gowda was a star. WE went in one morning with a packed suitcase for 4 days and after explaining the procedure to me, even down to drawing it on a page, I was sent off to admit him. I strategically mentioned that Greg was Dr Silgardo -- an older admin of St Martha's godson and that smoothed the way forward.

That took a little time with all the paper work, but I was warned by a friend to take a shared room and we did. "People keep coming and going in a shared room, not in a single so its better that way."

The next morning on the dot of 8 am Greg was prepped and wheeled away. Just matter-of-fact, put onto a gurney and rolled away by a posse of nurses. "Wait till you are called to the OT,"said Sister Vinayaka with a smile and so Steve and I just waited patiently till he was wheeled out.

Dr Gowda came out smiling in his scrubs and said -- "All went well, he will be in the ICU for a day." ICU I thought really scared by the words -- thinking of my brother Mark being in the ICU for almost a month in St Philomena's where it was touch and go. "No Mum, they probably cannot irrigate him in the room, so here there is constant care fr the first 24 hours,"said Andy my doc son on the phone.

The doc came out with this ghastly botlle with pieces floating and smiling ly raised it saying -- "All done," I felt sick looking at it and realised the procedure was over and Greg would feel much more comfortable going forward especially when we traveled. It was a non-invasive procedure and instead of running to the loo all the time, he was back to being a normal person.

One thing about Greg is he never loses his appetite, no matter how sick he is and never gives trouble to eat any kind of food. Such a big relief, cause I ordered hospital food right away for him. There was no moaning and groaning and no trouble at all, while in the other bed I could hear a dreadful man harass his wife and daughter, complaining about everything, till they amputated his leg and he was silent after that.  The catheter was put in, the drip fixed and for four days he remained in the hospital with Steve spending the night with him and me getting in my exercise by jogging to and from the hospital.

The Jacaranda in the hospital premises was in its full glory. I remember the Jacaranda in California when I used to go there to Edit Tom Bates books. 

And the perfumed carpets of Honge flowers as I jogged on Nrupathunga rd,  before the sweepers came and swept them up . It was so much easier running to the hospital and back on a straight road, rather than get an Uber and miss all the beauty of a Bangalore at dawn.