In a paddy field with Sarah...
... and with Lu. I'm in a ditch in both of these pics as Sarah and Lu are both very short!
If the crown fits... Queen Julie holds court
... which I guess makes Sue, Marlene and me her courtiers!
Manju and her big sister, my two favourite 'shop keepers', aged 13 and 15.
Ethelina, the Abba cat
Wearing my favourite saree in Varkala last weekend
Every weekend I think I should be doing something more adventurous, but I always seem to end up in Varkala. It’s become my second home, with its western food choices, café society, sea views and the people I’ve met here. Jodi the beautician, Ozzy the jeweller, Mr Ali the shop-keeper and the two little girls who run the bag and bead shop all greet me like an old friend now. It gives me a real lift every time I come back.
Julie came for a day trip last Sunday with her friends Marlene and Sue. They’re on holiday in Kovalam, less than an hour away by train. I’d just recovered from 10 days’ of food poisoning, so felt really well, and so happy to see a familiar face from home. We did all the girlie things: tea and cake, shopping, lots of chat - and the promise of an emergency appointment to deal with the ridiculous mane of hair I’m now sporting. Both hair and nails grow so much faster in the sun.
I was on my own when I arrived yesterday, but you’re never alone for long in Varkala. Over dinner at Trattorias (papaya juice, fish sizzler with vegetables), I met Anders and Magdalena, a Swedish couple. Sharing a couple of bottles of Kingfisher, we exchanged views on immigration, Islam, women in India, travel experiences and the recession. My opinion that they were thoroughly decent people was confirmed when Anders insisted on paying for my meal!
Lu and Sarah joined me today from Thiruvalla, a larger town about 40 minutes away from Mavelikara where the other Kerala Link project is based. They work with women who have been abused or have mental health problems. There’s a school for the children, a half-way house for the women and a centre for elderly women.
We met in Abba Café and were entertained by Ethelina, the café cat, whose new favourite thing is licking butter off my fingers.
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