Well 2018 has passed and 2019 has arrived. If this year is as good to us as last year I will have no major complaints.
I have always tried to stay non political in these blogs but now I must express my deep concern for the state of the world, in particular Europe and the UK.
People are starting to raise their voices in protest throughout Europe. They see their standard of living falling, homelessness increasing, the rich getting richer.
The inequality has always been there, remember Thatcher said we needed a good pool of unemployed to keep wages down. Well now the result of the latest planned austerity is becoming obvious to all.
Homelessness has never been higher, for a lot of people just to survive food banks have become a necessity. Please understand this includes many people who have jobs but still cant afford rent, rates, food, electricity and taxes. Crime is rising day by day, lawless gangs rule some parts of our cities.
Now unchecked immigration is straining both the system and society to its limits. Why is it that an illegal immigrant can get help when our own people cant. Look at the number of ex servicemen on the street.....why? Recently one remarked that he had lost more mates to suicide than to combat. How can that be tolerated?
I have never been so concerned by the rise of the extreme left as I am now. Nationalism is now a dirty word, free speech is being cut away piece by piece. You are now racist if you don't agree with the everyone welcome policy of the left. Immigration into this country is a good thing, illegal immigration is not. Free speech must include the freedom to criticize anything even if it offends.
Now the Muslim issue. I an not going to argue this point, just a few facts. If you are a Non Muslim in most Muslim countries that abide by sharia law you are libel to be executed or imprisoned. To have any other faith is a crime. In most western countries your faith is your own business, as it should be.
Now we are being told that to criticize the way a faith treats our laws and our people is 'hate speech' this will soon be a crime. Goodbye free speech. Why can a people be allowed to disregard our law and way of life and impose their on on us in our own countries?
I truly worry when the most reasonable vote is for the far right in an election, all the others are simply lying to gain power as usual. They will promise everything. We are poor sheep following the sheep ahead of us, some dissent from this and try to turn away but are controlled by the established power base be it left or centre right.
Labour's socialism or Conservative capitalism is as one in that it cares nothing for individual rights only for their view of what a society will be when they control us all. They both lie to us and we elect them on those lies that are quickly abandoned once elected.
When oh when will we hold our politicians to what they promise before they get elected. Why do we tolerate this situation? Why do we remain sheep.
I believe the day is coming when a Europe wide movement of discontent will rise up if we don't act to give people back a decent living and free speech in a free country where ALL citizens obey the law..
If we don't we will have civil wars and chaos. History teaches us a suppressed people will eventually rise up to destroy their oppressors. The only questions are 'have we learned from our history'? and 'will we act in time'? It has happen before in the 1640's, will it happen again?
2019 will probably give us the answers. Oh, and if this piece offends you, simple, disregard it, ignore it, that is your choice in a free society as well.
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| The beast.....huge jeep, restored by us 1989 model. |
Warm Aid has been in action again you can see from the photos
Chris has put in the blog. Please look at our Facebook page for more details. We
have distributed blankets to two remote tribal areas, very poor areas where
there was great need, Amba, Dloo, Narayan and Geeta all helped as did our
volunteers. On Dec 23rd late evening to early morning on 24th
we distributed blankets to those sleeping rough in Udaipur, we were like a
convoy three cars and the jeep, all with our Santa hats so we could be easily
identified if mobbed. Yes we have been mobbed before. We are so grateful for
the donations to buy blankets and for our volunteers giving freely of their
time. As Chris says we do not pay wages or expenses all money received goes
towards buying blankets. We plan to go out into another tribal village which is
also very poor and in dire need of blankets. We are amazed at the success of
this initiative, fortunately we did not find dead bodies this time, but its
sooo cold at night I know there will be some deaths this winter our aim is to
try and prevent that happening. We could not believe how many people were
huddled up together under a thin cover to try and stay warm, not just families.
Men huddled with other men and the same with the women. Wherever you live be it
India, the UK or some other part of the world consider how the poor and needy
are coping in the cold winter nights. People always assume that India is hot
all the time, not so and in Rajasthan a desert state the temperature
fluctuation between night and day is large. As I write this I’m sitting in our
living room my feet are a bit chilly on the marble floor but the room is warm
with a wood burning stove keeping us snug and cosy, I think what more can we
do. The answer is raise more awareness and money to buy blankets for those who
don’t even have a roof over their heads. There is so much apathy here where
it’s hard to get those with money to give anything to those that have little or
nothing. Their answer is generally that it is their fate.
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| Volunteers distributing blankets |
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We gave out a total of 126 blankets this year in the city. A
lot of families this year.
This year we have also visited two tribal villages about 70Km from here. The level of poverty shocked even us and we have seen similar before.
Long drive between villages
While we were in the area we went and visited Amber and Deloo's mother
In all we have given 251 blankets so far. We are now collecting for the next visit to a local village. We have now got another 100 blankets. We try not to go to villages with less than this to save problems if we run out.
Christmas
Christmas day we had Amba and the family over along with
Dloo and Geeta and various friends called in. Geeta’s father joined us just
after lunch on Christmas day just in time for our buffet and stayed overnight
then home to feed the animals on boxing day. One friend said she was popping in
for twenty minutes, many hours later in fact the early hours of the next day
they left having had a great time, lots of food (buffet of English and Indian
food) I had even made sausage rolls which I might say tasted great after not
having one for 7 years. It was lovely to share Christmas with 6 children, 3
dogs and numerous adults. Boxing day our
friends returned to join us in a traditional English Turkey Christmas meal, in
fact Sam said she hadn’t had turkey for about twenty years and the last one had
been dry and unspectacular. I confess I really enjoyed my Roast Turkey with as
many of the trimmings and veg we could get here.
I don’t think Chris had ever experienced such a manic
Christmas before, lots of fun, dancing, food and good company. I even spoke to
my youngest brother when he rang from the UK, the kids sounded very happy. I
thought my Christmas’s with lots of children around had gone but they were back
in full style, the kids didn’t want to go home but they were all tired and worn
out.
Geeta and Kris decorating our tree. Geeta chose where the balls went Kris put them on.
Before Christmas Geeta and I put up the Christmas tree and
decorated it I am normally so particular about placing the baubles I told Chris
it would be just as Geeta wanted, and do you know I didn’t get stressed. Geeta
is still fascinated with the decorations and lights and said she loves Christmas.
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| Alas not a successful selfie pick Shanti lal should have been in the photo |
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| Cutting of my birthday cake, I'm like the Queen I have 2 birthdays |
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| Family pic of us with Amba, Shanti lals mother and his niece |
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| Yes you have to have your photo taken Shanti lal |
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| A quiet chat to catch up with each other |
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| Bleu' and Geeta playing together, Bleu' is so gentle with her they're becoming firm friends |
Bleu' and Geeta mmmmmmm kitchen smells
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| No Geeta they're not all yours |
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| Narian's (Amber's husband) second wife Jumna |
\i want to grow peppers so i need
high germination temperatures.
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| Buffet lunch for all the family and friends calling in. |
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| Geeta and Papa |
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| New coffee mug |
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| Now that is a present...........pork scratching, not available in India |
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| Amba's three boys opening their stockings |
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| Rahul up to mischief |
Geeta helped Kris make the snowman.
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| Sorting and opening presents, boy was it noisy. |
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| Peter home for Christmas, nice to see him again. |
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| I got a present!! |
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| Winter coat for on her scooter, a warm Amber |
A few photos below of everyone opening their pressies
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| Major excitement its Science Experiments |
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| I got one as well |
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| Dloo a little less shy, she has a mischievous sense of humour |
Yep, that's a hit.
Boxing day.
Dinner with friends on 26th. WE HAD A TURKEY!!!!!!!!!!
After dinner get together around the fire.
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| Taken just after suturing, You can't see here but its a deep wound I'm lucky I didn't lose the finger or damage the nerves. |
Now perhaps you will wear your bike gloves!
Geeta
We continue to treat Geeta’s burn and she takes an active
part in her own treatment, you may be surprised at this as she’s only five. I
believe firmly that this creates self-awareness of her condition and
improvement. We both check the outer dressing and decide if it needs changing,
Geeta knows exactly when it should be done and tells me if the putty (bandage)
needs changing. We don’t get the high drama or tantrums she knows which part of
the process hurts but she is overjoyed at the improvement. Her mother wanted to
shield her from looking but as I said it’s her arm and she points to the places
where we have new skin growth. Don’t misunderstand I make the final decisions
and realise she is still experiencing a lot of pain which we try to manage
without sedating her. She is such a joy most of the time but like all children
she has her moments but she is learning with Chris and I she can’t get away
with everything but she still wraps her mother around her little finger.
She is now chatting in English, Mewari (local language) and
Hindi although still extremely suspicious and shy of strangers. Any new visitor
she used to ask if it’s a doctor (she’s terrified of them) but this is getting
less frequent.
She told her Aunty Amba, mother and I two days before
Christmas that she wanted a motorbike like Amba, Bharbi (that’s me) and Bihar
(Chris). She had no idea we had got her a ride along bike with steering wheel
so she can manage one handed. She even said her mother could go home by bus and
she would come herself on the bike. She loves all her toys, especially her
trinkets, and bears which she tucks up to sleep every day. It’s a real joy
having a child around, even if we don’t get any privacy although she
understands not to bother us if were praying in another room.
She is such a sensitive, bright child we trust in God’s care
and provision for her. This month it will be further consultations with the
relevant doctors to see where we go from here. I still feel personally and
professionally that we can get more healing done and more new skin growth which
will minimize if not prevent her from needing skin grafts. But she will
definitely need surgery in the future.
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| Latest photo of Geeta's burn look at the massive improvement in new skin growth. Its still got a long way to go |
Well that’s all for this month from a very happy lively home
in Udaipur we all hope you had a marvellous Christmas and wish you all the best
for the coming year.
Chris, Kris, Dloo, Geeta, Bleu’, Chilly, Moti and the hens…………
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