Halloween catches up in the UK

 

Pumpkin carving for Halloween

On my way back from Andy's in the US I stopped again for a few days before heading home. It was fun to see the kids and Rashme carve pumpkins getting set for Halloween. Strange to see Halloween an American  festival become big in the UK too! 

Nice size to carve unlike the massive US ones!

So Rashme took the kids and got them these beautiful , decent sized pumpkins unlike the US ones which were so HUGE, we couldn't even lift them at COSTCO!! Rather than mess the dining table they took the fruit out to the garden and I got to collect the seeds for my Hoskote.

Seeds were washed and dried to carry home to Hoskote

I collected the seeds, but they had some pulp sticking to them so needed to be soaked and washed. Have no idea of they will grow but I have  to give them a try now in the  unseasonal rain. Last time I grew them I took the pumpkins to the Only Place restaurant who made wonderful pumpkin pie. I got a free pie while they sold the rest!

Arthur poses with his perfect one!

Then when Halloween came round Dave and I bought bags of sweets as they're called in the UK.  Not candy as they are called in the US. The kids who came around trick or treating were so British and well behaved. No wild grabbing and being greedy - instead each child just took a small pkt of M&Ms or Haribos each! I think its a cultural thing, good manners. They are brought up with the correct attitude and parents are quite particular that the kids are not loud and wild when they are outside. 

The pumpkins lit up at night!

I've seen it in Wales where the Brits in the bus will be quiet and polite while our Indian kids who have come to study in the Unie,  are wild and loud. No wonder they are fed up and killing off young Indians who go there to work. We were always taught to gell with the locals. Blend in, don't stick out. But today's generation want to go to their countries and be loud and dirty in typical fashion and so -- get into trouble.

Apple picking in the fall!

Apple picking in the fall!

The road to Jetta Farms

 Its such an amazing trip every single time I visit S Carolina or London! The boys make sure their mother is taken out to visit places she can write about for her magazines. So this time since it was Fall, Annika booked our visit to our favourite Jetta Farms. One can go apple picking for 35$ a basket and you can eat as much as you like while picking! Been told to do it for my farm  by the boys -- open it up for chickoo and mango picking but I'm reluctant as its a massive undertaking. Plus Jetta makes money on Cider donuts and all sorts of produce  including warm Cider and pies. You can make a whole days outing like we do -- buying food and enjoying the day out. I ant do that in Hoskote unless I am present to oversee it.

Annika was busy picking so is out of the pic

Its a fun trip and of course I got a great story for my mags. The apples had been damaged when young by a freak hail storm. To heal themselves, they grew a bump around eat hit!

The Depot where we took our harvest.

 Looked a bit like chicken pox and not very appealing, but we were educated on the issue once we were taken to the orchard. I was curious and so bit off the lump to see it was exactly that! a growth by the fruit to heal the 'wound'!

The lumps and bumps on the fruit

Reading up on the phenomenon, I wanted to be sure before I wrote a story for any magazine. Yes! Nature is wonderful in helping to heal the fruit rather than leave it open to attack from a virus or fungus. The apples were perfect to crunch into. Fresh and juicy unlike the powdery ones we get in India. I bought a huge bottle of apple cider vinegar as I love it in all meat dishes and ofcourse the hot and sweet Brinjal pickle which Mum used to make and I do now.

Hammered by sharp hail stones

We walked around picking a whole variety of apples and took the basket home. I had brought some apples from Davids tree which Alaina and me made an apple pie with but she insisted we make one with Stevia so we made the first one with Stevia and I scoffed the whole thing alone!

Alaina is 11 and a fine chef already!

It was Alaina who quickly found the shell of the pie in Aldis and said it saves tons of time. Then I sliced the apples and quickly sauteed them with cinnamon and Stevia. Oooh! the smell of cinnamon is enough to make me salivate. A squeeze of lemon"!:  said Alaina will give the final flavour and it did!

Then we pushed it into the oven for a few minutes and then I could enjoy apple pie after years. Being diabetic means a lot of food I do not touch, but this one time sorted my cravings till the next time Alaina makes me something with Stevia! Its so very sad that Mum and Dad cannot enjoy these kids like I do. I know they would have loved them like they did my David and Andrew! There is so much the boys remember of their years with them and I am truly grateful.

 The tractor what took us around the farm

The joy of being a grandmother

The joy of being a grandmother

 Alaina at yesterdays interschool Cross Country race

I was there when she was born. A premie at 7 months and it scared me initially carrying such an itty bitty girl. I remember when the social worker came home in Omaha to check her progress. I had to learn to look after a baby all over again and she was an easy baby, though delicate.

   After her race 

This is the US and one would think what chance would this skinny girl have against such tall and big made girls? Then I remember the tiny African Marathon runners and how they trash their opponents and prove their superiority!

She comes around the curve

I was never a long distance runner. I was a sprinter so double my awe of her prowess. Standing and watching her on the side lines I scream and whistle for her like I did for my boys. Her grit and determination zaps me. That she gets from her Dad and Great Grandpa. 

I watch her Dad Andrew rush across the field to give her some Gatorade. Both parents have finished their clinics in the hospital and rushed out to be present to cheer her on. Annika has even volunteered to be a race guide. 

I'll come as long as I can. This is the highlight of my life now. Seeing the grand children do well. And my boys pass the baton onwards and upwards.

The Ironman in Augusta my grandmums name!

 

"Come for my Ironman Mum!" -- said Andy. I know you love our races and you have a few good years left -- just travel and  enjoy your time.

Andy finished well

So David my older boy said, " Ill book your tickets on Virgin and not BA who always loses your luggage. And you have to stopover both ways in London. Better to break journey with us rather than do the long long trip to the US at one go."

 I'm glad I listened as it made the trip really easy to handle and I got to spend a few days in London.

So whats an Ironman for the uninitiated reading this. An IRONMAN is a long-distance triathlon consisting of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile marathon run, totaling 140.6 miles. The distance, originating from a 1978 Hawaii race to determine the fittest athlete, is considered one of the most demanding one-day sporting events in the world and is a branded race series by the IRONMAN Group.

Andrews Ironman was in Augusta, Georgia and I was excited to go and witness it and scream for him. Augusta too was my grandmothers name and his great grand mother and --great great grandmother of the kids! A really beautiful woman from a Goan family from Mombasa.

 

So I flew into London, spent time with my eldest David and family for a few days and then took the Delta flight to Atlanta and then another Delta flight into Greenville -- Spartanburg. All American flights are always delayed and I came in an hour late. Lucky the airport in both London and Greenville are not crazily far away for the boys to drop and pick me.

That boy of mine is a fighter from the time he was a child. And he has inherited Dads and my genes in athletics. What a joy to watch him compete and it reminded me of how he won the Asians and bought his motorbike with the prize money. For Andrew there's no such word as can't -- Dad was tough and brought us up like that and I have passed it down to the boys. So needed in their new countries where they live now.

 Its such a joy to visit the boys. They love us coming and so as long as I can, I will visit both homes. Lucky for me they love India too so they visit once a year as well. And thankfully our girls are Bangalorean too so that pull is forever there!

Alaina was born a premie

                             Alaina was born a premie
 

I cant find the photo but it terrified me to see how tiny Alaina was when she was born and MOST of all the fear on my son Andrews face. Andrews a cardiologist and does procedures and saves lives everyday. Can you imagine what I felt when I saw him in his scrubs with a fragile Alaina on his bare cheat. Its called Kangaroo care and helps the baby who's born prematurely.

Alaina had to learn to grasp toys

Mum we need help. Yes I knew they needed help as they wee in the midst of their certification course in Omaha. I just dumped all I was doing and left staying there for 6 months and helping to look after Alaina while they handled their exams. Thats what a parent is there for. I realised only then that a parents role never stops. They ask and we have to be there.

As a mini mouse at 2 months.

She grew steadily as I visited every year and the bond between us is unbreakable. She may not remember anything but I love my visits, watching her grow into a fine, confident young woman -- topping in her studies and  sports. Both my sons want only the best education for their kids as we gave them the best that we could afford. I have made it very clear that without education a person can never succeed. Its so good to see that the boys reiterate  my words with their kids. Words which my parents said to me.

She was born with no hair and no eyelashes and eyebrows. Today shes lovely with waist length hair and a smile to match. If I dont visit I get calls which are accusing -- you promised to come! You are wasting your 10 year visa.

Ok Alaina -- my times up this year and I have to book my ticket to come. Come and cheer for your races and cheer for your Dads as well!

A parents job is NEVER done -- and anyway why should it be done?

Your great grandfather Wg Cdr Anthony Michael Furtado would be so proud that you have inherited his genes from me and your Dad. We have done the family proud. Dad represented Mysore State, I New Delhi, Andy Karnataka and you Greenville, S Carolina.

What a girl and what joy you bring to us all.
 

God works in mysterious ways

 God works in mysterious ways

Red passion flowers

Once we got rid of the caretaker we had for 20 years, we found the amount of fruit we were harvesting in Hoskote was phenomenal. Just way, way too much for us to consume and give to all our friends. It started with the chickoos and it was then I decided to start an Organic and Farm Fresh,  whatssapp group on which to sell my fruit. 

One of 25 trees!

The chickoos flew off the balcony where we kept them after harvesting, faster than we could bring them. They are both Cricket ball and Oval and people would order 5 kg at a time as they were delicious.  It was an exciting time for us. All our fruit was getting sold, albeit cheap, but it was better than giving away for free.

Yes! those are Dragon fruit flowers!

Then other growers like me asked if they could sell their stuff off my group. Ofcourse I said, most welcome. However I did a quality check before they came onto my group. Breadfruit and Egg fruit, Ramphal and Star fruit, sour Gooseberries and Amla and ofcourse Passion fruit and Jackfruit. They flew home to buyers via Dunzo or Porter.

Then suddenly a lady named G ---- contacted me and said she wanted to sell her 91 yr old FIL avocados on my group. As she came into my house I was so surprised when she began to pray along with her Coorgi, Hindu friend. "Lord Jesus Christ, bless this home that has welcomed me in and may they see the light shine off your face into their hearts --- etc etc. The shock must have shown on my face and she said she was a born again Christian. A Muslim who was so genuinely standing in my home and praying with all her heart.

 

Mallikas in Hoskote

Then lists were being drawn up of buyers and one lady named Rama asked for 10 Kgs of my mangoes! She lived on MG Rd she said and her driver would come in a few minutes. Gpay makes everything so easy and in seconds she had paid my Gpay.  The next day when her order came for Papayas she said she was going to church and would send her driver only after service. "Rama"?? "Church"?? I was again surprised. Yes! you thought right -- here was another born again Christian and her son had his grand home next door to our home. What a small world.

One of the 5 Jackfruit trees!

A professor called asking if he could sell his papayas. Cheap! For 20 rupees a kg!! I could get a list of 30 buyers in the blink of an eye. He has raised his price to Rs 35 now but even then that's a great price. I help him -- a professor of Computer Sc who has a farm in Mysore brings his papayas when I am in Bangalore and sells them through me.  We have a happy give and take relationship and the security who is on duty, gets fruit from all the sellers. 

A builder with a farm -- Edgar Britto- two - no three ladies with coffee estates - widows before their time -- their fruit is sold off my group. Its a good feeling to help women, ghee makers, butter makers, pickle makers -- we are a great little fraternity.

Christ is everywhere -- that's why I wrote this. A benign, gentle Christ who is looking out for me, as I help other farmers sell their produce and my fruit too gets sold for the very first time!! 

I love passion fruit

 The passion fruit vine in Hoskote has taken off with the chicken waste I have fed all the plants with. Its amazing now combined with the rains, the vine is loaded with flowers and fruit.
Popularly known as 'Krishna phal' in India, passion fruit originates from the Passiflora vine and finds its native roots in Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina.

These are the sour passion fruit which makes a wonderful drink. The flowers are absolutely exquisite and the fruit take to about 3 weeks to grow and turn yellow and ready to harvest.

Buying passion fruit is crazy expensive and since I am so fond of it and its great for diabetics with Stevia as the sweetener, I got a small vine from Alfie of Alphatech whos been our family optometrist  for decades and an avid gardener like me.

The vine flourishes on a pendal built by Kiran our caretaker and now in the rain seems to be happily lowering and fruiting. I scoop out the pulp and bottle it in glass for the kids and me to indulge. 

I dont play games.

 Original in court

POA registered

Rose-apples after 35 years!

 Rose - apples 

   They are delicious 

Thirty five years ago when David our oldest boy was doing his French tuition with a Miss Davenport, she announced to the boys that she had a piece of farmland for sale. Promptly David told her to call me as he knew I was saving up to buy agricultural land. 

"Mrs de Nazareth!" said the voice down the phone which I immediately recognised. Oh no I thought, what had David done now to incur her wrath? 

"Now now! Davids  been a good boy Marianne! I am calling to tell you about 2 acres that we have in Hoskote and David so sweetly said, "My mum is looking for a farm."

"Oh Yes! Miss Davenport if its in my price range, I'll buy it," I said, my voice sounding hopeful.

The price was definitely in my budget and so impulsive me said - "I'll buy it,"without even seeing it.

And then, the rest is 35 year old history.

The first trees to go down were from the Hayes Road garden. Dad was a great one sprouting seeds in any old bucket and one of them was the seed of the Rose-apple which grew in the next door house. At the time it was loaned to the army and I had a friend  -- Monica Mehra living there. I jumped the wall into her house and we sat on her Rose-apple tree and ate our fill of ripe rose-apples.

Steve picking rose-apples off the tree.

Dad planted one of the seeds in an old tin bucket which germinated and grew. That was one of the first trees we put down on  the land. We did get to eat a few fruit the first year it fruited and the care-taker was not familiar with the fruit. Seeds from those fruit I germinated and made four more trees. However we never got to eat a single rose-apple after that for 20 years. The caretaker we had realised he could sell our fruit to all the surrounding homes and apartments and so we were told the birds had eaten them up.. 

Bonny picks them too

Then we had to eject him from the land as he decided to build himself a big house around the room we gave him. Happened in Goa to my ancestors, I was not having it happen here. To our luck he said he would leave in a week if we did not double his wages. That was our chance to evict him. Anyway we had educated his boys so they were earning well and there was no need of our largesse.

It's a year since he left and we cannot fathmon the quantum of fruit the land is giving us. Bags and bags of chickoos, star fruit, gooseberries, amlas, ramphal, custard apples, and now is the mango season! The 30 trees are loaded with Raspuris and mallikas! 

Kgs of Rose-apples!

Instead of selling them I am giving 1/2 kg away to each old Bangalorean who knows what a rose-apple is and who has never tasted one for decades. There's joy all around and its a good feeling to be able to let the fruit bring back old memories of our days as kids where we shared fruit off our trees and never had to buy a single one as there was so much!

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.