Updates from India 74

 Hello again from India.

This month we continue with our story of Geeta; one of our dogs is ill, and the sidecar saga continues, some chickens leave us and we had a weekend away with the bike club.. 

Kris broke her toe. .......again!

Oh yeah, and IBS sucks.

Comment

This is from January's blog. Worth repeating I think. As things are at present in the UK with the rape gangs and the racial tension, dissent over Brexit and rising homelessness perhaps we should change the title to;

What happens when you take God out of your life.

 (What Happens When You Take God Out Of Schools)

I still think this is a very powerful piece of writing from the internet. It is based on American society but reflects on all of us. 
Please read and forward if you believe we should all look closely at what our faithless society is becoming. It is our society and our responsibility. Why do we allow corruption to tear us apart? 

Let's see, I think it started when Madeline Murray O'Hare complained(In the USA) she didn't want any prayer in our schools, 

and we said OK.

Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school.... the Bible that says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbour as yourself. 

And we said OK.

Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem. And we said an expert should know what he's talking about so 

we said OK, we won't spank them anymore.

Then someone said teachers and principals better not discipline our children when they misbehave. And the school administrators said no faculty member in this school better touch a student when they misbehave because we don't want any bad publicity, and we surely don't want to be sued. (There's a big difference between disciplining and touching, beating, smacking, humiliating, kicking, etc.) 

And we accepted their reasoning and said OK.

Then someone said, let's let our daughters have abortions if they want, and they won't even have to tell their parents.

 And we said that's a grand idea. OK

Then some wise school board member said, since boys will be boys and they're going to do it anyway, let's give our sons all the condoms they want so they can have all the fun they desire, and we won't have to tell their parents they got them at school. And we said OK

Then some of our top elected officials said it doesn't matter what we do in private as long as we do our jobs. And agreeing with them, we said it doesn't matter to me what anyone, including the President, does in private as long as I have a job and the economy is good. 

We said fine, sounds OK.

 And the entertainment industry said, let's make TV shows and movies that promote profanity, violence, and illicit sex. We said OK

 We gave politicians the right to lie to us without censure, make promises they will never keep just to get your vote. To behave as we, the ordinary people dare not. 
To be above the law of our land. To pay themselves huge salaries when the people are starving and homeless. They say that's OK as long as it isn't us.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves. Why they have no social values. Why the police can no longer maintain law and order, why the courts no longer serve justice to all, why has this happened? This is NOT OK.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."

Only we with God as our beacon can save our society. We don't have long, do not delay, society is breaking down but so many close their eyes to it because it isn't affecting them personally YET.  
Get your head out of the sand and see how you can help our people, all of them before you look about and ask 'How could this have happened'.

And this;

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell.

Funny how we believe what the newspapers  (and the internet) say, but question what the Bible says.

Funny how everyone wants to go to heaven provided they do not have to believe, think, say, or do anything the Bible says.

Funny how someone can say "I believe in God" but still follow Satan who, by the way, also "believes" in God.

Funny how we are quick to judge but not to be judged.

Funny how you can send a thousand 'jokes' through e-mail (and the internet) they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing.

Funny how the lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but the public discussion of Jesus is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Funny how someone can be so fired up for Christ on Sunday, but be an invisible Christian the rest of the week.

Funny how when you go to forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it to them.

Funny how I can be more worried about what other people think of me than what God thinks of me.

Are you thinking?

Pass it on if you think it has merit! If not then just discard it....no one will ever know what you did, for sure. But, if you discard this thought process, then don't sit back and complain about what a bad shape the world is in.....

Geeta

I know Kris will tell you all about Geeta so all I am going to do personally is this simple statement.

Mornings, a time of coffee and quiet, a gentle slide into the day. Perhaps the paper to read or a wander around the garden.

ALL GONE. Now we have a lunatic who runs around going ‘tickle tickle’ and wanting to talk to me. Yes TALK, how am I ever going to cope.

Well she continues to come out of her shell and is very chatty and energetic these days. She still gets distressed at dressing her arm time but that’s to be expected after all it must be mega painful, but she copes well and we have seen definite improvement with some new skin growth but there is still a long way to go yet, so your prayers are most welcome.

Chris and I play games with her and she is very bright, we will introduce lessons soon at the moment we’ve been encouraging her to play, draw and paint, even Dloo has been copying us and now plays with her.

New word is Kerching where that came from I do not know, neither Chris nor I use it.

Geeta was carrying her precious blocks, and alphabet around in a bag, making sure they were safe so I felt a project coming on make a toy box. I tried to get her to help paint it but she was reluctant when I tried to put a protective t shirt on her before touching the artist’s acrylic paint. But she watched with fascination and had no idea it was to be hers.

Geeta has a toy box, made by Kris.

 New toy box is an old cardboard box painted and attached lid made to fit she loves it clearly knows its hers no one else’s she lets Chris and I go in it but wouldn’t let our friend Harshit go into it. Getting more confident walking and going up and down stairs.

Yes it was me who taught her tickle tickle sorry Chris but you taught her hi fives and other things.

She still loves her teddy and a neighbour and friend gave her a small teddy which she calls teddy’s baby. People have been so accepting of her it’s nice to see it is giving her mother confidence that she will not be shunned when she’s older because of her burns especially on her face.

Some of my humanities students met Geeta today when they had their lecture at our home; it was good for them to meet her personally as I used Geeta as a case study to depict Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs a while ago. Geeta clung to me and her mother and was a little shy with the student’s but next time she’ll be chatty.

The plan is to get her blood tests, swabs and digital x ray repeated this week then off to the plastic surgeon for a review of her condition. I am expecting some improvement in her blood work as she’s eating more fruit and veg. Interesting fact we buy a minimum of 10 (yes Ten) kg of bananas a week and that’s just Geeta’s consumption, she is eating apples now where previously she didn’t like them and pomegranate’s and Papaya  from the garden. She still loves Roti and milk, so we have upped our milk order to 2 litres a day, that way Chris gets a chance of a drink.

Her arm as I said is improving but we still have a couple of areas of concern which are black, I keep checking to make sure it doesn’t turn necrotic. There is still an infection of her wound but that will take some time to clear as it was well established and she’s already had oral and topical antibiotics for it. At present we are doing daily dressings and Geeta is coping better. She’s a very brave little girl and has a wonderful little personality. We must protect her from damaging the arm when she falls which she will do she’s an active little girl, so I’m putting more padding on the vulnerable areas. I have a new assistant when I’m dressing the burn, Chris he holds Geeta’s hand and also distracts her sometimes with a blown up medical glove which she thinks is very funny and has put it in her toy box.

Yesterday Amber told us that Dloos husband would be visiting arriving around 7pm and staying overnight. Yes Rupesh arrived still a little nervous of us, we sat him down with a lager as Chris and our friend were drinking one too. He relaxed quickly joined us for dinner, and then retired to bed. Geeta enjoyed sitting on the sofa with him watching tv, but she found it hard when he left this morning.

What to say about Geeta well without a shadow of doubt she has certainly captured our hearts.

WARNING Graphic image.

This shows Geeta’s arm and hand after two months of intensive care here by Kris. This is great news as you can see new skin is forming even over the elbow where bone was exposed. Healing is taking place.

We have deliberately not posted pictures of the original condition because they are very upsetting and it serves no purpose.

Just found someone selling these, for Amba.

Fireplace

The fireplace is progressing. The brickwork is finished and I have completed the steel surround. Work is on hold at the moment as it is THAT TIME OF YEAR.

  

Next job is wall lights and decorate

Peter vandalising our wall

Don't want to talk about it.

October again, seems to come around awfully quickly. Yes is visa time again this year its £845 so it has gone up since last year. Needless to say all projects are on hold. We are lucky to have such a good relationship with the FRO here. They approve of us and the work we do for the community.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Well I knew IBS was going to affect me but it really is a pain. Ok, I’ve got some meds that help as a preventative measure but not always.

What does it really mean to have IBS? Well your best friend becomes the bathroom during an attack that can last for days. Forget a night’s sleep you are up five or six times at least to go visit the bath room. You feel completely exhausted and everything becomes an effort. Then there’s the continual back ache, really wears you down after a while.

We are at the moment doing a ‘what food triggers it’ So far we have found one only………..Kentucky fried chicken…..had to be just about my favourite way to eat chicken! There will be other things that we will discover as time goes on.

I’m ok with spice, we are both surprised by that but even the really hot foods don’t seem to bother it. Garlic and Pizza are also ok.

Going out becomes a question of ‘how do I feel,……is it safe.? Jeep rides are definitely carefully considered, the bouncing can be a problem!

Today I was supposed to go shopping for wall lamps but woke up with that tummy in trouble feeling so had to cancel. It’s perishing annoying!

I have one med that stops it stone cold, problem is it stops everything for 24hrs and guarantees a bad next day. Use only in emergency.

What causes it is open to debate as is how long it can last. Some people have this for a lifetime so I am very fortunate that it has occurred later in my life. It only seems to occur every few weeks so things could be a lot worse.

I will learn to live with it and cope, many other do. One thing it won’t do, it won’t stop me and Kris living our lives to the full.

Update; add peanuts to the list.

Chilly

Poor Chilly has epilepsy, mild at the moment but she is fitting almost every day. We have had the vet here and she is now on medication to try and help her. Our major problem is Bleu’ has become very aggressive towards her and wants to fight her at every opportunity. Consequently we now have to keep them separate. We have bought muzzles and hope that with patience we can get them to stop this behaviour as Chilly improves. The problem according to the vet is that Bleu’ knows Chilly is not well and has fits. These are one step from wild dogs and still have all the instincts of the pack animal. Bleu’ is trying to drive her from the pack because she senses Chilli isn’t herself and she must not be allowed to breed in the pack. This makes sense in the wild and all Bleu’ is doing is following her instinct so we can’t be hard on her.

We hope in time this behaviour will pass as Chilli improves, if it doesn’t then we have a major problem. Keeping them apart is at best a temporary solution, so we are trying to help them tolerate each other but it is very difficult. There is no chance of rehoming, even the pups can’t be found homes so what chance Chilly. There are two solutions open to us. Have her put down or take her to an area she doesn’t know and leave her with the street dogs there. We will never have her put down, and abandoning her is abhorrent to us. Please pray for them both.
From Kris

There has been a little jealousy especially since Geeta arrived but whilst we were away they started to get snarly towards one another and becoming aggressive with each other, strange behaviour for them. They had been pining for us and both had lost weight.  We have since seen the vet and Chilli has epilepsy just petit mal seizures but they need controlling.  We are now keeping them apart the best we can as Chilli is unwell and Bleu doesn’t understand. They are reluctant to start anticonvulsants and at the moment she’s on vitamin and omega supplements to try and strengthen her brain, she will be reviewed in a week. It’s very worrying and once she starts anticonvulsants she’ll be on them for life. It’s quite stressful for both dogs and Chilli gets panicky and disorientated following a fit and then very sleepy. We intend to do our best for both dogs so please pray that we find an acceptable way for them to live together and become friends again. Update from the vet she is to start trial of anticonvulsants for a month so watch this space.

Poor little Chilli, she is so confused
by all that is happening to her.

The sidecar

Kris and me are both looking forward to being able to ride together again.

Made by an Indian company Inder Exports Plot No. 2, Focal Point, Industrial Area, Naya, ndustrial Area, Naya, Nangal-140126, Punjab, India. 

In its box almost ready for shipping.

Out for delivery from the factory. We estimate three to four days shipping to get here so you never know maybe by the time this is due to be published it may be here. I will update.

At the factory prior to packing ready to ship.

They make a selection of different sidecars but we thought that the Desert Storm bike we have would go well with their ‘Classic’ model.

 As a young man I had ridden many miles solo and enjoyed the solitude and freedom to go where the road took me. On one occasion I told a current girlfriend I was going out for a ride, I telephone 8hrs later to tell her ‘I will see you tomorrow’ from Scotland. Solo riding was nothing new to me but there was a major snag. Kris and I have been riding together now for 7yrs, the sheer fun we have had on that bike is incredible, from exploring the far south of India to falling off cross country riding in 18” of mud. We have many stories to tell. I can’t ride solo, it doesn’t feel right not having my riding partner with me, where’s the fun of exploring alone and sending photographs home?

It may take a few months to fit as we have to buy some parts and fit a role cage as well as alter the bikes front suspension and money is very tight just now.

No matter how long before we ride again it will be worth it.

Riding with Chris

We’ve certainly covered a few miles on the bike since we came to India, I felt guilty I couldn’t ride pillion anymore but the pain in my joints just wouldn’t permit it. I definitely encouraged Chris to modify his bike to go solo, after all he’s been riding for over 50years. I didn’t want to be the reason he stopped riding. Although Chris started the rebuild with a lot of enthusiasm, some had rubbed off by the time it was complete. Chris went out once or twice but only short rides and didn’t seem excited to go on organised rides alone. I felt he was unsure if he wanted to ride anymore as he talked more about going out and about in the jeep. I actually missed riding and getting out and about but kept this to myself as any decision he made had to be his alone.

Then he told me he regretted not being able to share the biking experience with me and had a suggestion. Yes it was the sidecar, and without a doubt I thought fabulous, I get my own comfy seat and a better view of where were going and we’d still be sharing our experiences. So for me Sidecar Project is a Win Win situation.  

I’m really excited yet nervous about getting into the sidecar but looking forward to visiting places like Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Jaipur. I think I’m nervous in case I have to lean out the other side of the sidecar to the bike if it lifts off the ground, I’m not as quick as I used to be or agile for that matter. Mind you if it becomes necessary I will do my best. I am expecting to fall out of it at some point so at least I’m prepared for that. I still want a water pistol and water supply to fire at people but will have to settle on only doing it at Holi when its fairly common practise.

(Chris, I have told Kris she has to lean out over the wheel on left handers the further the better.........he he. This is a revenge joke from her playing them on me!)

Chennai, this years venue for the IBRMC party and national meet

We flew to Chennai as we couldn’t take time off work for a longer break, it was a direct flight so no hassle there, we travelled with other guys from Udaipur who are part of IBRMC. When we got there we had a minibus to take us to the resort.

The resort was nice but heavy rain was expected but apart from a few showers when we arrived it stayed nice. Our room was great and we found the restaurant served burgers and tenderloin steak so we decided to eat in the restaurant rather than the food that was provided for our group. We don’t regret that decision at all and the food was fabulous and yummy, alas they didn’t serve alcohol so no bottle of wine with our meal. It was nice to catch up with old friends and make new ones along the way; we definitely needed the break away.

A couple of them

old biker dudes.

Just off the plane at Chennai for
the annual club meet

I'm tired

Off road race at the annual meet, Kris's rakhi brother was second.

Nima  Soman from
Bengaluru been riding one
year only and the only
lady to compete in the off road
competition. Well done Nima
looking forward to catching up
with you soon.

We had a great weekend catching up with lots of friends and just being silly. It did us both good to get away for a break. Kris found out that the restaurant listed ‘beef burger’ on its menu. It also listed tenderloin steak. Guess where we ate all weekend!

Next year it is in Mumbai, we will be riding with the new sidecar. The only one in the club. We are also the only members of the Federation of Side Car Clubs in India. Registered in the UK.

We have never seen a sidecar in India, there are probably some but this one is sure to turn a few heads. 

 Casting class

                            If this is a hand whats this?

Baby lizard in the garden

Broken toe...........again Kris

We knew it was broken, 
it wobbled about

My broken toe

Well after stubbing my toe on furniture and the marble stairs it was a little sore, so what did I do next. Obviously I stubbed it and this time I broke the toe so Chris strapped it up and I set about getting the swelling to go down. Yes very painful but no doubt about the break.  Chris laughed! No point in going to the hospital they would have just done the same as we did. I feel fated I keep stubbing and knocking my broken toe, so it’s taking a little longer to heal, bruising is still coming out. At least I can get my trainers on so I have protection when I’m walking outside. You can still feel the actual break in the toe ugh

Chickens

………………Today all our cocks have gone (8) they are off to Amber’s to

fatten, then sell, and we split 50/50 with Amber. This pays for all the costs of buying and rearing them as well as the 12 hens that came from this batch. 

We will now wait until they start to lay, probably in about a month. 

Good result this time, it’s usually 60% males in a flock we buy. Only as they grow can you tell what sex they are. 

We only buy the registered endangered species of the Rajasthan native bird from the agricultural college. So many people have abandoned them for the big white broiler as it is cheap, lays well (white eggs) and makes a good eating bird at two years old. However in the market the Pratik Dan eggs bring a premium for their rich taste. Each hen lays two eggs in three days. 

The broiler lays every day in a cage where it lives until two years old then it is killed and sold as meat.

We have happy, well fed free range hens that lay well into year 3 or 4 so they get a better and longer life. We are also helping to preserve a breed that has existed here for centuries. When they stop laying and their time comes they are killed quickly and without distress.

 Kris got me cooking again.

Mediterranean chicken.,
Baked onion (in foil) Onion, Garlic, Red and Green peppers,
Spring Onion, three bulbs Garlic roasted,Tomatoes, Olive oil, 
good spoon of Dijon mustard. A good handful of  Coriander
crushed. And of course chicken caramelised in butter
Cover tightly and bake for one hour at 180C.

Chris’s Mediterranean chicken was mega yummy, If this is the way to eat chicken and vegetables more regularly I say more, more, more Chris.  I just can’t wait to see what he concocts next, I’m a happy guinea pig so long as it doesn’t contain milk and cheese or seafood.

Well that's all for this month take care and God Bless from Chris, Kris, Dloo and Geeta in Jeevan Tara Colony, Udaipur, Rajasthan.

 

Updates from India 73

Welcome.

This Month Geeta joins us, we start with a winter project, and a decision is made about my Royal Enfield. Kris is attacked by a viscous caterpillar, and I stab my foot.


Geeta
This account covers the first three weeks of Geeta coming to live with us

Very poorly, high temperature
infected wound, not eating. Under
weight and in pain.

Geeta is five years old now. She comes from a tribal family, has no schooling, speaks only the tribal language, and is an only child.

When she was three her dress caught fire, her father who was supposed to be watching her wasn’t. With nobody about Geeta burned as she ran around. How she even survived that seems like a miracle. She was burned all her right side from leg to head. She lost her ear and has extensive scarring over 40% of her body. Her right arm has never healed. She has contractures of her elbow and wrist with an unusable puffy and swollen hand. Advice was to amputate at the time but the mother wouldn’t do that. For nearly a year Geta has endured the pain as her arm became infected and was cleaned in the village by washing and removing dead flesh at intervals. This has continued for nearly a year.

My Indian sister Amber mentioned to Kris that she wanted advice on how to treat a burn and explained about Geeta’s injury. Kris suggested that Amber bring her so she could have a look at it. At the time we were expecting a bad burn, not the almost total destruction of the arm. The flesh had begun to rot in places, bone was visible and it was infected. She was running a high temperature and was very unwell. The burn extends from mid upper arm to wrist and is one open infected wound. We have deliberatly not posted the most graphic photographs.

Infection in burn stopped
still very undernourished

We took her to our local hospital for urgent treatment as we have known the doctor there for a few years now.

Good man who cares for his patients properly. It’s a small very well equipped six bed hospital. The nurses are all well trained and cleanliness is enforced strictly. It is where Kris trained all the nurses to be able to teach their patients to identify Breast cancer at its earliest stage when it is over 90% treatable. (She will be doing a refresher there soon as she does one every year).

After examination the burn was treated. Antibiotics for the fever and an antiseptic hydrocolloid jelly on the burn area then a dressing. The prognosis at this time was 50/50 to live, but only if the infection could be stopped or the arm amputated before she succumbed to blood poisoning. It was that serious. Kris nursed her continually through the worst danger period.

Geeta and her mother Dloo.

We have taken her there daily for dressings and treatment. Since she and her mother live far off the beaten track in the jungle it was not practicable to bring them every day so we have opened our home to them for as long as it takes. Our guest room has become theirs. It’s private with a lock and its own bathroom so it is not improper for a married woman to stay in alone.

Indian family is complex, real brothers and sisters cousins aunts uncles etc. then there are Rakhi brothers and sisters who have been invited to join the family (a family decision is taken and the person who is being asked is adopted as a brother). This is not the tourist Rakhi; this is for real with all the status and the responsibilities of an elder brother and is taken very seriously by Indians who don’t differentiate between Rakhi and real, you are family.

Dloo is the sister of my Rakhi sister.

One of the biggest problems is the lack of faith in medicine; if it doesn’t work at once then it isn’t working.  Old wives tales rule! We have already had some problems with diet. Dloo has been told no eggs, milk or chicken as it will be bad for the burn, in other words no calcium or protein.

We are well known and accepted as part of Amber’s family. Christine is known as Barbi (wife of eldest brother) and is treated with great respect by the women of the village. Kris sits and shares food with them or just chats if it is a social occasion. We have often when visiting Amber’s village been asked to stay but we mostly don’t because we like our nice soft bed!

We have had good news today after the hospital visit, the infection is under control and the fever has almost gone. The chances for her to survive have just leapt up to about 80% so we are thrilled and so thankful to our Lord for answering our prayers.

How long she will now stay with us is in God’s hands now. There will be a long period of dressings and burn treatment and almost certainly surgery after that

Geeta has been responding well to treatment and the infection in her elbow is getting better.

We have been to see a burns specialist and had a full range of blood tests done results of which show severe anaemia and malnutrition, she has the development of a 3yr old and is in fact just 5yr. This is due to her diet and neglect over the past year since (and probably before) the accident. She is now on a high protein diet as opposed to the low protein diet the mother was giving prior to her living with us. We are awaiting swab results from the burn to see if current antibiotics are working or need to be changed, we will see the burns specialist  with all the test results then an assessment as to whether skin grafts are possible will be made. Kris is now giving all medication and dressing the wound so that we know it’s being done. This is still traumatic for Geeta poor thing. As yet there is no skin growth at the wound.

In the meantime Geeta seems happier every day and her pain level now the major infection is stopped must be less. She’s a happy little soul bless her.

She has now seen the specialist who wants to start the treatment to prepare her for surgery. She is so malnourished and severely anaemic and could not stand the surgery at the moment.

Poor little soul, lot of pain to come. Friday she starts on a course of transfusions of 5 or 6 sessions of an Iron supplement. Each session means at least 4/5 hours in the hospital. This next week is going to be so rough on her, one session every day.

Please pray for her relief from this deep pain she must endure.  ##

Her father came to visit for a day; we asked him to come and stay over with us so that he could see Geeta and know she was safe He was very nervous but settled down by the time I poured two beers into him! He ate with us all and left the next day a much happier man.

He gave his permission for the care to continue (Indian husband in theory decides these things) as long as there is no amputation.

We explained that we didn’t want any money and that God had placed her in our path to help. We were simply following His word.

He was surprised that there was no tit for tat, we didn’t want anything from him.

She is brighter and far more alert now, the diet is really helping. Her only English word so far….omelette, she loves then done with our own free range eggs and has one nearly every day for lunch. The veg man who calls sells all locally produced veggies so that is great for her. The milk is from a local farmer rich and pure. Tonight it is Chicken Masala with chicken fried rice and roti’s.

Three weeks of a high proteen diet
and lots of fruit 

Breakfast usually includes a banana; we are going through them like crazy! Huge bunch on the table now, let’s see how long this lasts. The only relief is when she moves onto apple or pomegranate. Fruit is such a treat her little eyes light up when Kris comes in with the veggies.

The dogs are getting used to her, Chilli follows her about, it used to worry Geeta but Chilli has persisted and now they are becoming friends. The latest is chase me, she runs up to Chilli then runs away. She needs a friend so this is lovely to see.

Thursday.

Geeta is full of life today, for the first time since she came to live with us she is moving her right hand fingers a little,  she is in far less pain and happy. Today when Kris changed Geeta’s dressing there was some new skin growth, the first for nearly a year….this is HUGE, it shows she is recovering.

She went missing this morning from our main room, where was she? In Kris’s studio painting with some water colours Kris bought her! Wonderful. Dloo has started to play with her, something she didn’t know how to do before. We got Geeta a football, that is a big hit. We are trying to give her things that she can use one handed. She has a new word TV, she loves the cartoons so we let her watch TV in the evening before bed.

A different little girl to the poor sick little
one who God put in our path.

I was watching cartoons.......then ZZZZZZZZZ

Dloo is settling in now, trying to convince her she is not here as a servant has been hard, now I think she knows her help is appreciated around the house but only because she is a sister living with us.

The neighbours have realise we have house guests now, they are too polite to ask all the whys and wherefores but word about Geeta is spreading on the colony. Indians boast about what they do to help others….’look at me’ so they are probably wondering why we don’t advertise the facts about what we are doing.



Update. 

Kris took Geeta to the hospital for the first of the transfusions. They tried her hand and arm but it was causing so much pain that when they couldn’t find a vein in her arm Kris stopped it. Her veins are so thin due to malnutrition that they can’t accept even a small needle. Kris has insisted that she now be prescribed an oral course. It will take longer to get into her system but Kris was not allowing Geeta to suffer any more just for a faster process.

We will update you all with progress next month.

A decision made, then remade!

Since the day we married we have known that the day would come when the pain Kris has (especially in Winter) would gradually get worse as she got older.

We have done all we can to delay that process (Installing a bath and hot water to soak in has helped a lot) but she has now reached the point where she cannot ride any long distances on the Royal Enfield.

We have discussed this over the years and decided that I would like to keep riding as I have all my life so the bike would be modified to a solo.

A friend, Peter Joseph and me spent three months making a nice job of it. Begged and made as much as we could and produced this. Solo, very tidy bike.

In two up mode with super soft seat for Kris. We have ridden many thousands of kilometers on her
exploring India.

New solo mode. Plus one or two tweeks to improve power.

Peter, a very good friend. He's a DJ.

There was one thing we had overlooked. As a young man I had ridden many miles solo and enjoyed the solitude and freedom to go where the road took me. On one occasion I told a current girlfriend I was going out for a ride, I telephone 8hrs later to tell her ‘I will see you tomorrow’ from Scotland. Solo riding was nothing new to me but there was a major snag. Kris and I have been riding together now for 7yrs, the sheer fun we have had on that bike is incredible, from exploring the far south of India to falling off cross country riding in 18” of mud. We have many stories to tell. I can’t ride solo, it doesn’t feel right not having my riding partner with me, where’s the fun of exploring alone and sending photographs home?

So, we unmade the decision so that Kris could ride with me again.

This isn’t my bike but the sidecar is the one we are getting so we can be together again when we go away. We are both very happy with the decision.

It is quite an adventure to be back on an ‘outfit’, I rode several many years ago but I have now got to relearn all I have forgotten. I have had several changes made to the sidecar, a softer seat and a bump stop around the front of the SC to protect the passenger, bit like a bumper, and no spotlight, we have better.

There are some definite advantages to this new riding combination.

We have a ‘boot’ in the sidecar and a rear rack for storage; with the bike now being solo we have the rack on the bike and throw over bags where the passenger would sit. Kris can relax more and actually see more of what’s going on than she used to be able to from the pillion seat.

As ever nothing here is a direct fit. A few mods to the brakes have to be made so that the foot brake operates both the bike and chair brakes (bike rear).

Lighting has to be moved onto the sidecar as do the left indicators. I also want to fit a ’map light’ in the sidecar for Kris at night in case she has to find something.

I also have to change the final gear ratio to that of the Royal Enfield 350cc to give me more pulling power from my 5oocc engine without straining it. This will result in a slight loss of top speed but will make the outfit much nicer to ride around Rajasthan’s roads.

Cold Winter coming.

When we first came to India we arrived in November, lovely and warm, sunny days cool nights, T shirts.

Seven years on we have acclimatised, 45/50degC summers make what was a warm winter for us now jumpers and coats!

Temperatures in winter drop to about 20degC in the daytime and  9/11degC at night. It sounds lovely but after getting acclimatised it feels so cold. That’s over a 20/25degC drop in temp. The human body can’t cope with that much difference so we have adapted to the heat. Today, coming to the end of the monsoon it is 29degC and 85% humidity. to us this is getting cooler but the high humidity just makes it unpleasant. Although winter will be cold it is a relief after the months of clammy heat.

While we were in our last place before we moved to here with a long lease we built a wood burner. The house was so damp and cold we could never get warm. The wood burner solved that. Kris had far less pain and we enjoyed the sheer pleasure of watching a log fire again.

We have a lot of financial commitments here beyond the normal rent electricity etc. We have social and community projects we support as well as helping some children with school costs. And of course now we have Geeta. Education is vital for future development of this society. All that having been said i cannot watch Kris go through another winter suffering with joint pain.

We had planned our annual holiday around the bike clubs annual meet as we always do. We take two weeks and tour the area of the meet (it changes every year) this year it is in Chennai in the south east of India, a part we have never visited. This can be costly as we have to stay at hotels wherever we go, but once a year we treat ourselves.

This year we have decided with all the other costs we have that we cannot afford it. One thing I won’t compromise on is Kris's pain levels.

After much research we have purchased a wood burning stove made here in India, it is perfect for our needs, maximum output is 7Kw. now all we have to do is install it.

Our landlord is very happy with us as long term tenants and has allowed us to do various other jobs and changes in the house.

The car port to protect the bikes in monsoon and of course the solar water heating so Kris can have a bath, out with the shower in our bedroom and in with her tub.

As he says if we are happy here we will stay, then he will be happy getting assured income every month from the house. He has no other use for the house and has had several bad short term lets that have cost him a lot in redecorating and repair costs. Very pragmatic gentleman.

I have to admit that I was a little concerned ……can I bang a hole through the wall? No problem as long as we fill it again should we ever leave. He seemed pleased that we were planning long term.

So, project Winter Warmth was born.

The box arrived carried by three gasping men 85kg, not counting packing.

Project winter warmth was under way!

The back and base are of
local stone

The hole

Inside

Outside

 

In all its 26' and fits on top of
the bends section we have 
 already fitted

Chimney top

Our winter fuel arrived.

All stacked under cover in the car port.

It didn't take Moti long to find a warm dry spot

The girls

Garden

Our orchard seems to be growing well. We lost one, don’t know why. We also have two grape vines. Nothing much happening in the Garden yet, by next month we will be sowing again.

 

How do you stop monkeys raiding your fruit trees?
Wrap them in a bag, if they cant see the fruit on the tree
 they dont bother

This was my morning cigarette 36 days ago,
None since.

Chicken and Veg pizza omelette.

My laptop getting some surgery, overheating and drive not working. 
Nine years and I already have to fit a new drive! And I only use it every day!
Settled on an SSD so it was quicker starting. Now ok again

Comments by Kris

This month has definitely seen some major changes the biggest has been Geeta and Dloo, moving in so Geeta is near the hospital and able to continue her treatment and dressings. It’s an adjustment for us all, I think Geeta has adjusted the best to be honest, she seems to be thriving and much happier in herself, although a long way from healed at this point. It’s lovely to hear her giggle and chatter away mainly in Mewari but there is some Hindi and English in there too.

When our friend Chirag came to fix Chris’s laptop she got really upset she thought he was a doctor, she doesn’t like doctors or hospitals and who can blame her.

The biggest difficulty we have is deciding what to eat especially if I just fancy a bit of English non spicy food for a change but were managing and Dloo makes great roti’s.

I am doing Geeta’s dressings of her arm myself now at the request of the plastic surgeon and we do seem to be making some improvement albeit slow. She still gets very distressed but we give her analgesia and topical anaesthesia to help the pain. She is so trusting of me and as Chris says she knows I am trying to help her.

Chris’s painful foot

I have been dressing Chris’s foot daily and that is slowly improving what is nice is that Geeta often comes and holds Chris’s hand during the change of dressing as he often does the same to Geeta or tries to distract her from an unpleasant experience she has when her dressings are changed. (I use jelonet which stops the gauze swabs from sticking to the burn, so more comfortable to remove leaving the skin intact.

(Chris: I stepped on a large piece of swarf that dug deep into my foot. Because it was deep and curved Kris had to dig deep to get it out. It went yuk so Kris has also lanced it to help drain it. Anti biotics and all will be well again. No more bare foot in the workshop for me)!

Yes, thats my foot. managed to stab myself with
 a piece of metal. It might have been my habit
of going bare foot that may have contributed a little.

My allergic reaction

And just so I don’t miss out from the attention I accidentally without realising it touched an Indian caterpillar which was very spiky, yes it looks innocent here but 

believe me stay clear.

I immediately felt itching and pain in my thumb, so I washed the area, scrubbed it with a nail brush to get the spikes out and took an antihistamine. It remained very itchy, red

 and swollen and very painful for four days. 

However today when I rode into the old city I got no pins and needles or numbness in that hand whereas I normally get it in both hands, partly due to problems in my neck and carpel tunnel syndrome. As we figured it gave me a neuro toxin which caused all the symptoms but maybe it was worth it if I get relief when riding, we’ll wait and see. Not sure if I want to experience this again but I’m not ruling anything out at this point.

Getting excited about our trip to Chennai for the weekend, we’ll cover that in next month’s blog.

Well that’s it for this month,

God bless you all,

Chris and Kris

Udaipur, 

Rajasthan.