Dear Kate

Hope you are feeling better now.  We are looking forward to Nana coming up on Friday with Robert.  Been discussing what to cook her for evening meals - probably beef caserole the first night and Alison has volunteered to cook it.  (Did you know I have tendonitis in right elbow so Frank and Alison are waiting on me hand and foot!?)  We interviewed a cleaner today and she seems fine so she starts the day Nana comes.  Am paying Neil (Alison's ex) to mow lawn and at work I am just sitting on Reception - no typing or answering phone - pretty boring stuff.  Doing things left handed still not easy after 5 weeks.  Invested in electric toothbrush today.  Alison has been washing my hair for me - and revising for her ASs!  Helen is doing her end of year exams and I ring her at 7am every morning to get her up. 

Enough of all this trivia - best wishes

Jean

Hey kate! got your postcard! like the monkey's very much spesh the babi one- that's you!! all is well in brighton land but its gettin into exam season bet your not missing that!!! me n the jam are good he came down on sun n we went bowling n he beat me! but i maintained it was only coz i was drunk so i demanded a rematch!! we shall have to go drunk bowling when you return -its mucho fun! the nuns sound cool spesh seen as they gave you cookies!! hope you guys continue to have mucho fun - love you guys loads!! xxxxxx

Shame the cake didn't turn up- the idea was you could share it with the children who are now on holiday,.... oh well if it turns up while you are away no doubt the nuns will cope:)

Laura: thanks for doing all the birthday stuff- especially the candles!

Kate: so now we find out what's going on with the nuns- I can't think where you get that don't like authority thing- can't be from your parents surely? :) 

Take care both of you and hope you are enjoying the mountains- what's Ooty like (apart from the bus station toilets and the cooler temp.)?

Love to you both xx 

Laura - if you decide to be a nun start soon it will save us a lot of money - ha ha!!! Forget the hippy lark --- you know what Uncle Glynn says good career if you like the inside of psychiatric wards!!

Kate - Thanks for reminding Laura to take her tablets. You're quite right she's hopless and she wants to be a doctor (hi hi) Hope you've had a good weekend in the mountains, Love to you both xx

P.S. Nana may not understand computers, but I keep printing out bits for her!!

You didn't expect me to remember your birthday on time did you??? Anyway happy belated birthday. We both say thanks for the cards - you are obviously having a grest time. I had an almost meatless diet when I did my elective in St Lucia. The highlight of our week was chicken wings and backs on a Sunday!!

Nana's face is better and I am hobbling less now. I am back at work again but am on leave again next week while Nana visits Warrington. I hope the weather improves - it is cold, wet and windy! Could you send some of your heat over the ether??

Love to you both

Aunty Ruth

Thank you Aunty Bel for keeping in touch think the bed would look fab in your next hotel room!

The child is being moved today fo an orphanage in Pondicherry he's only 5 kilos in wait and his head is too light and slightly deformed they think he has fluid on the brain which might have to be removed so only time will tell is there is brain damage, but he looks so much brighter its incredible the change.

Aunty Ol and Sister Leo would be a fantastic fight Sister Leo is only about 55/60 so has the youth but if Aunty Ol had her stick it would be anyones game.

We havn't needed to use sun block because its too hot to even go into the sun during the day, but I still have some lovely tan lines (although fainter) from Goa.

To the boys in North India thanks for your message keep up the  Chandramukhi its good to hear from you

Bye Bye

I would just like to say hi from Ooty and that, if you ever go to Ooty don't use the toilets at the Bus stand, because its not only the most disgusting place in the world but while I was going to the loo and Kate was holding the bags she had to have a kinda conversation with a women peeing in a toilet (hole in the floor) with no door.

I would also like to clarify that I am still the Nuns favourite golden child but it is true that Kate is moving up in their esteem.

 Yesterday had an interesting conversation with Sister Leo about why she became a nun and about the life of a nun in India, she's an old traditionist and "things aren't the way they were" apparently. Also she told us that she basically became a nun because she didn't want to marry and people (her father) were taking bets to see whether she would last as a nun so she did just to prove them wrong. But she said its a hard life and if you don't feel the call of God its difficult to continue.

don't worry mum I don't want to become a nun, but its interesting to understand why people lead the life they choose .

Any way bye bye for now otherwise i'll start contemplating the meaning of life and hold a full length discussion on "I think therefore I am".

Slightly worried that all this traveling and experiencing another culture is turning me into a bit of a hippy.

Peace out

Laura

xxx 

Aunty Ruth and Nana - thanks very much for your lovely message, I hope your ankle is better now and Nana is looking less like a hamster! Lots f love to you both

Laura's Aunty Bell - Thanks v much for your bday wishes! It was interesting but not so tasty apart from the massive amount of cookies I consumed. About the baby, by yesterday he had perked up a lot and was also taken to the hospital for a check up. He is being sent to Pondicherry today to a baby orphanage there where they try to get them legally adopted because th local family who said they might take him didn't want him as he's so sickly. Enjoy the rain! We miss rain!

Hayley- I miss you so much!!!! Yes, it's a good job my Nan doesn't understand computers or she would have a fit at your language! Sorry no pics of nuns, we are trying but having a lot of trouble uploading pics, my camera is b*****ed and L's isn't recognised when she plugs it in.  I have put Brighthelm as my 1st choice, think the new ones are my 3rd or 4th - sorry! Have you got my PC? I didn't have your uni address, so it should be at your house. Nuns are getting to like me more I think, I am spending more time with them and have become used to their ways. You know how I don't like authority, that didn't help for a while but I have learned to obey! Gradually I am chipping away my reputation for being a "bad girl" and the other day Laura was accused of not eating and I wasn't HA HA HA HA.

Glad I'm not missing much but would have liked to see TB resign!! Will be in Australia when he goes though so plan to get wasted and make up for severe lack of alcohol in India! bad Halig do some work! Have been reading DD it's good and Lolita was too but I fear I have forgotten how to write essays!!

Lotsa love and hugs, I will miss seeing you this summer too but hey we will both be at Sussex come Sept :) x x x x x P.S. happy bday in advance just in case I don't get to the net again

Aunty Jean- Thank you! it's nice to know I can make them happy from the other side of the world! x x x

Janine- Thank you for the message, hopefully didn't have chicken stock. Don't worry, I am keeping Laura in check and making sure she remembers her malaria pills - she is hopeless! x x x

Janig- I miss you mucho and yes am having a fabulous time but atm feel like getting on a plane home to see you all!! Hope everything is good with you my dear, take care x x x x

Janie- thank you v much, please come round when I get back home and we can have some of my Mum's cake! Which I am hoping she will kindly make me.....

Think that is everyone, if not please don't hate me for missing you out!!

Hannah - a v belated response to your earlier msgs - I miss you like mad and have been putting more sun screen I promise! Msg me more!

Take care, Kate xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

Hello all from Ooty! (Still Tamil Nadu) Thanks v much for all the bday messages, I've only got them today coz didn't get to an internet cafe yesterday but its really good to hear from you! We have run to the hills for a mini break to escape the heat (and nuns) - up some mountain in the Southern Ghats. Its really good only bout mid 20s celsius. 

My birthday was certainly memorable that's for sure! Pretty strange, not having one of Mum's cakes or seeing my family and friends but Laura did light me 19 candles and burn her hand off while I blew them out bless her! And my Mum tried to send me a cake - but no joy, think it might show up next wk.

Also Laura bought me 2 saris, one of which I was instructed to wear ("no  wearing birthday dress Aunty?") and sweat like a man in all day - so much so it died my ass purple from the in-skirt. Plus she made me a card which she got everybody to sign, inc. our orientation week ppl, nuns (who wished me a v prayerful bday) and the kids who drew some pics/ scribbled and wrote "Laura is the best" with a bit of help from someone...

So she did a really good job at making my bday a good one even though we were sober and went to bed at 9pm in order to get up at 5am today!

Everyone at the project was really sweet and decorated us in Jasmine flowers and did our hair Indian style and made me bouquets of flowers. Also, one of the girls who brought me a gold-looking chain (lol goldie looking chain) coz "sari is not nice without gold chain Aunty", which was v sweet f her. Mum, your earings got her seal of approval by the way which is high praise! And the nuns gave me choc chip cookies! Soooo good.

On the meat front, they did feed us an oxo cube soup at dinner, which one of the sisters said was chicken and the superior said it wasn't so kinda worried about that! We both threw most of it down the sink as soon as possible! 

It was also the last day with the kids before they break up for a week hol (so we are on hol now too) so double celebrations. Blew up 70 balloons which all instantly disappeared and tried to teach them some stuff  but not much success.  All in all, I had a good day!

Lots and lots of love, thank you so much for your messages, they've made me v happy but I now also really miss everyone!!

Kate x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x 

Dear Kate  Just thought would let you know what a pleasure it was to see the joy on both your parents faces when you rang while they were on the boat with us at the bank hol weekend.  I was enjoying seeing their smiley faces so much forgot to tell Lynda to pass on our love, but she being a very thoughful person did so anyway!

Dear Kate  Happy Birthday (sorry its late) Hope you survived the meat feast.  Love from all the Warrington Smiths.