What a hunk!

The view is not bad either!
















In Himachal last year on the way from Chail back to Delhi, we came to this thela-walla facing the glorious view above. He made us some chalu omlettes bread toasted on the tawa and chai. Heaven! Not another shop or building within kilometres of this guy- don't know how he get enough clients to run his business.

Exploring the neighbourhood

Tucked away behind some commercial and industrial buildings is the entrance to a small reserve which we stumbled on to by accident. Saira and I went there with our bikes one day and came to a large water weir sort of thing. It was empty then but is a key part of the floodwater management measures taken by the the Upper Parramatta River Catchment Trust after the flooding that took place in the area 1990 and 1999. The picture above is of interest as it shows that someone actually designed the small sign you see over the graffiti! Did not have much effect!

They tell us that

this project involved the construction of a 30 metre high flood retarding basin wall and in an environmentally - sensitive bushland reserve within 100 metres of several homes. The project also included several ancillary environmental measures to reduce major flooding to North Rocks, Northmead, parts of North Parramatta and Rosehill overcome degradation of bushland and reduce stormwater pollution of the creek. It is the largest basin in NSW and successfully integrated flood mitigation and environmental objectives.

Another photo below and some more from the trust are here.

Kids sprouting from the rocks!

There's a quality about the poses of the kids that makes it look like a kids clothing catlogue photo- dont' you think? Clockwise from bottom left are: Jordan, Cody, Saira, Indi and Joshua.

Lunch at Terrigal

The food was OK though M loved the risotto. The company was good and the atmosphere relaxed. This was October when the SIL's were in town.

Chest Out Tummy In

That was the instruction for this snap. Both the girls got it but the boy...I guess boys have to be boys!

Taken at the newly rejuvenated Lake Parramatta Reserve nearby.

Friday dose... just in time

Guys,

It's holiday (aka silly) season here. And that means: traffic jams on the highways out of Sydney, hot days and double demerit points. I've found ways around two of them and I'll share these with you:

Oh to be able to fly over the traffic, unfettered by congestion and traffic lights! One needs to find a telephone booth and change into....Desi Superman! Not only can he do all that the guy from Smallville could do, he can also do a bum-chik-bum-chika in mid air! Must have skills to retain your sanity in the silly season. So, enjoy:



And for the temperature problem? No worries! Good ol' Australian beer. Here's where you go to get a good beer, a big beer...um.. a big beer AD:



For the believers among you- Happy Christmas! For everyone else- keep up the chatter and have a healthy and fulfilling 2007!

Friday Frivolity

Many of us do not know of the fascination Germany had with India in the early half of the the 20th century- apart from some stuff about Max Mueller.

Here's a clip from a film 'Das Indische Grabmal' by Fritz Lang (of Metropolis fame) with a snake dance by the charming Debra Paget.

And here's something on an attitude William probably comes across often:

In tribute to Carlos, who I am missing as he travels and who would respond to these messages:

Shambho!

Bhuira

I've been a fan of the Bhuira range of marmalades for some years now. Now available around India via stores such as FabIndia, it used to be available only in the small Giant (heh, heh) supermarket at Noida where I stay when in India.

Their marmalades are out of this world, especially the bitter orange marmalade and the 3-fruit marmalade that has the local kinoo fruit too. Very old-fashioned taste and old-fashioned presentation too: I was intrigued by the the thick plug of wax at the top of the jam in each bottle that is used to seal it off.


I find out now that they are made by a small enterprise started by Linnet Mushram. She is British born, married to a Kashmiri and has settled in Bhuira village in Himachal. Starting off by making these jams for herself because that's the way her mum did it, she was coaxed into making the operation more commercial. Now it seems, the business runs mainly as a way to help the women of the area be economically independent. Perhaps the next time I go to Himachal I might drop in on her and express my appreciation.

If any of you are coming to Sydney from India, be sure to pick up a couple of bottles of Bhuira Bitter Orange Marmalade for me.

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Goodness

As an amused observer of the buzzword filled world of marketing types, I love the word 'goodness' that is used to describe most anything, especially breakfast cereals and things for kids. The only thing that's better than goodness is 'wholesome goodness'.

Well, I have finally found out that the meaning of 'goodness'- it is the smell and taste of my favourite muesli- Carman's Muesli.



It is by far the best muesli I have ever had and I have been looking for over 20 years.

They also have muesli bars that are moist and chewy and in the same flavours as the muesli. I like the red muesli bars but the green (untoasted) muesli as my breakfast cereal (one of the ingredients).

One quirky bit of trivia- when I first started buying them, they came with a big plastic clip inside the box to seal the plastic bag inside, once opened. Then they changed to giving a much smaller but still usable clip. But now, with the grocery chains no doubt squeezing their margins, they have done away with the clip altogether. No matter, it still tastes fantastic.

Just browsing through their website to update myself as I write this, I see that they have a very loyal following with people ordering this from distant USA among other places. It also seems to have become something of an export success story.

Their website is here and if you want to buy it, you can get it at Coles and Woolworths or from here.

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Motorbikes, more on

I always wanted a motorbike when I was growing up in India- just like most urban teenagers. It seemed to be the ultimate in coolth and of course, essential if you wanted to attract the chicks....

Never did get one in college but I did end up buying one in Bombay where I was working for a year or so before moving off to Bangkok. What I really wanted then was a Royal Enfield Bullet 350cc but I think a) it was more expensive and b) there was a longish wait to get one.

So I bought a Yezdi (though I'd have preferred a Jawa). It was great! It reduced my commute from Andheri to Chembur by 30 minutes each way and, I believe, did get me the chick (singular, my first real girlfriend). We used to scoot around town having a drink here and a meal there and generally having fun.


When I moved off to Bangkok in 1981, I presented the bike to my brother. He still has it with him in the tea gardens of Assam where he is based and it still has the MMI 801 number plate (how, I do not know).

As I start on the path to get a motorcycle riders licence here in Sydney, I was surprised to find that Royal Enfield bikes are being imported here and sold here to enthusiasts. There even is a Royal Enfield Club for owners and enthusiasts.

I'm signing up. Maybe I will finally get the Bullet that I lusted for all those years ago!

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Back to the future!

After years of dilly-dallying, I've finally signed up to start the process to get a motorcycle rider licence here. It's a long process involving a compulsory initial 7 hour training course that gets you a learner licence. As a learner you can only ride specific approved bikes, or as they say,

moderately powered motorcycles with an engine capacity up to and
including 660ml and which do not exceed a power to weight ratio of 150
kilowatts per tonne

There seems to be a profusion of tests, including the Driver Qualification Test, the Hazard Perception Test and the Motorcycle Operator Skill Test (MOST).

It seems that you need to hold the 'P' licence for at least 12 months before you can get a full licence. And in this period you are not allowed to ride after drinking (zero blood alcohol) and cannot carry a pillion passenger!

On the bright side, there seem to be some shortcuts for mature-age (over 30!) people who have held a car driving licence for at least 5 years.

My first training course is booked in for January 8 9....

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Friday Unwinder

Since it's close to Christmas you might appreciate this clip from animated pop star Boymongoose- who is still complaining about his totally insufficient dowry:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owK5tHjL0aE

He's an Aussie, by the way.

And those of you eagerly climbing corporate ladders- here is something you already know:

'till next week...

Tagra Raho!