As always snap decisions are made by us, to drive down to Goa. Whenever we get a string of days, approx a week, that’s plenty to work on the house. We can never take a ‘holiday’ in the complete sense of the word in Goa, though I plan to do that sometime in my life. A promise made to my Dad and a sense of responsibility keeps us going.And anyway, Covid made sure we could not even visit the beach.
When we drive down, it’s to repair something in the house that needs to be done, as the house is over 300 years old and can fall if not looked after. So twice a year we go, Bonny and myself and sometimes with Steve and manage doing something substantial with the money generated between three siblings. The fourth wants a share by sitting on her hands and doing nothing but we are used to her behaviour. The fifth with the greediest spouse, thankfully Dad cut out and I registered in court.
This time we had to repair the last three rooms and bathroom in the house. Bhujang had told us that it HAD to be done BEFORE the annual rains. So, at the beginning of April we got our stuff together overnight and drove down, alerting him of our arrival and to get the roofer ready.
Bonny’s brother who lives in Goa now, told us about a much shorter route via Ponda and it cut our travel tie by 2 ½ hours which is amazing. Ofcourse there are awful stretches of no road in our beloved Karnataka jungles. Quite frightening really, but we navigate and somehow get over them, struggling along with massive trucks.
We did try air travel a couple of times but the cars for hire are the pits and work out crazily expensive. If one leaves at 5am and one is sure to reach Goa by lunch time, with one pit stop.
The jungle in the Karnataka side was dry and pretty lifeless. We humans have probably siphoned out all the groundwater in Karnataka. BUT on the Goa side is lovely and green and we reach the homestead in record time. That same evening, Jagganath arrives and goes around the house with us. Like us he has aged and so manages a team, rather than climb on the roof himself. He, like the other workers we employ, have been with us since the time we took over looking after the house. But for all his talk, I saw him climb right up and supervise the work so well.
They began at 8am before the heat of the day hit them. Working on the roof in Goa is a killer. I like working with our local Pilernekars, not the Biharis. He tells Bonny how much wood to buy and gets me to record his number on my phone. The next day Bonny goes off and buys the wood in Verem and it is stacked in the garden. I marvel at Bonny’s genuine love for the house, which he has inherited from my Dad like me.
The wood is offloaded into the garden and we go off to have lunch with my Pilernekar friend Julia Jones who lives in her flat in Porvorim. No more outings after that, with Covid everywhere except in the village. The shack we go to on Candolim beach is off the beaten track and we enjoy rechardo prawns and fish fingers, while Bonny his prawn curry rice, all washed down with watermelon juice.
The next day the wood is lathered down with a liquid called Wood Guard. Before we used Cashew deek and last time spent engine oil! I cant stand the strong smell of cashew deek and so we plump for the modern Wood Guard. Living in the house and repairing it is a nightmare. But our flat in Pilerne is not ready and so beggars can't be choosers.
“ Two days it will take to repair three rooms and the bathroom,” says Jagganath. But he arrives with his team by 8 am and by 6 pm he was done. What a grand job, every tile removed, every reaper checked and our caretaker worked hard alongside him.
“ I need 50 tiles,” he said to Bonny as they break as he works. About 20 tiles remain in the house to be used if others break. Bonny drives to Verem and buys the 50 tiles in his car to save on the transport. We have a very slim budget to work with as only three of us pay in 25 k each year.
That has to include Bhujangs wage and the electric and water bill. So it's pretty obvious who is really paying for a lot. I go to make cups of chai for them all and send it up with a poi. They take a well earned rest, sitting on the roof and sipping the chai.
Bonny is smart. He makes them check every single room before they leave. Every single tile in every room and every reaper so I feel safe. Later this year, we will return to do the main roof which had been done 10 or more years ago when we took over. That is a massive job and will take time and I definitely cannot live in the house when that is opened.
