I have achieved the impossible!! - I have almost successfully completed all eight, yes, eight errands here in Bangalore today. Normally I only aim for two or three. But it's Monday and if I get them all done today the week is off to an excellent start!
Firstly, wearing my OWC hat, I need a check signed by two trustees and then to deliver it to the accountants. As our year end was 31 March and we need audited accounts to present at our AGM in a couple of weeks my OWC treasurer hat has been getting a lot of wear!! However, I have successfully (I think) batted the queries/questions/requests for further information from the auditors back on target and I now have draft accounts to review (later!) Anyway the two trustees homes live in opposite directions, our house in the middle, so we depart with all the rest of Bangers' morning traffic. Altho' Simon regularly leaves for work, early if not bright, the rest of Bangalore does not and is still in transit when the second shift of traffic (errand runners, shoppers etc.etc.) are taking to the roads. Luckily, as always, there is plenty to see out of the window. As my geography of all but my immediate neighborhood and usual routes is pretty shaky I am now vaguely trying to follow a map to get my bearings calibrated onto a larger scale. However, Shankar gets a bit defensive as he seems to think I am doubting his capabilities to take the most efficient route. An hour and a half later - mission achieved, first and most important errands completed with no drama!!
Next stop - picture framers. My Dad gave Adam his old army beret which he wore for his couple of years military service. To get this framed has been on my to do list for far too long but not any longer. My communication skills have increased without any Hindi, Tamil or Kannada and errands where I previously would have enlisted Shubha for support I can now do solo. So they are now, as I write, (hopefully) building a box frame with off-white backing, army green mount and a selected frame to house said beret. We bought a large wall hanging in Rajasthan in the traditional sort of patchwork style, which is pretty big. As we can never wash it - so many different fabrics rather precariously attached to each other. I know others who have tried and failed. I thought we should get it framed. Framing seems to be six times the cost of the wall hanging. But there again - its not as if we will ever be in the position to buy another one. Another check mark on the list.
Next Shankar drops me in Commercial street and heads off to deliver the checks we got signed earlier. I am off to find the tailor Shubha and I used a few blogs earlier. Not as easily said as done as I seem to have a notoriously bad sense of direction or maybe I just can't concentrate when I'm chatting. But this time I find the right cross street, then the right little shopping centre and then the right little tailor stop. I have a problem in India with the ratio of my arm hole measurements - (big) to the rest of me - (not so big), or maybe I'm just not used to be constrained in the shoulder/arm area. Anyway when I buy clothes that enable me to freely move my arms and not feel like I'm in a straight jacket they hang like a sack over the rest of me - so I need a tailor with a sewing machine. Once again no measurements taken and a perfect result which only takes an hour. When I ask how much, he said he'll tell me when I pick up - sounds a tad suspicious - but no surprises. It seems to cost less than when I was here last time and I get offered a cup of chai. Here I do really well - I manage to spend an hour in Commercials without spending any money - obviously I was not with the bad influence or she with the good shopping karma (depends whether you look at it from mine or Simon's angle!!) from across the street!!!!!
We are on a roll although one of the scheduled drops for one of the afore signed checks is shut - no biggie it's not the urgent one and we can courier tomorrow for less than $1.
Quick stop at a grocery shop and then last port of call. I need some glass to put on top of a new Indian sort of cupboard thing we picked up. The top has some art work on so we want to protect it. I measured and remeasured so hopefully his will work out. Anyway we stop at the little glass shop and as we are off the mainstream I have Shankar park up and come with me incase this is beyond me. It seems to go well - I look at sample polished edges and thicknesses of glass and make some decisions. We pay up front but don't get a receipt as the owner feels confident he will remember our (I think he means my) face. Well time will tell!!
So, back home, feeling somewhat impressed with myself but in need of cuppa. Thanks Sweetie!!
Firstly, wearing my OWC hat, I need a check signed by two trustees and then to deliver it to the accountants. As our year end was 31 March and we need audited accounts to present at our AGM in a couple of weeks my OWC treasurer hat has been getting a lot of wear!! However, I have successfully (I think) batted the queries/questions/requests for further information from the auditors back on target and I now have draft accounts to review (later!) Anyway the two trustees homes live in opposite directions, our house in the middle, so we depart with all the rest of Bangers' morning traffic. Altho' Simon regularly leaves for work, early if not bright, the rest of Bangalore does not and is still in transit when the second shift of traffic (errand runners, shoppers etc.etc.) are taking to the roads. Luckily, as always, there is plenty to see out of the window. As my geography of all but my immediate neighborhood and usual routes is pretty shaky I am now vaguely trying to follow a map to get my bearings calibrated onto a larger scale. However, Shankar gets a bit defensive as he seems to think I am doubting his capabilities to take the most efficient route. An hour and a half later - mission achieved, first and most important errands completed with no drama!!
Next stop - picture framers. My Dad gave Adam his old army beret which he wore for his couple of years military service. To get this framed has been on my to do list for far too long but not any longer. My communication skills have increased without any Hindi, Tamil or Kannada and errands where I previously would have enlisted Shubha for support I can now do solo. So they are now, as I write, (hopefully) building a box frame with off-white backing, army green mount and a selected frame to house said beret. We bought a large wall hanging in Rajasthan in the traditional sort of patchwork style, which is pretty big. As we can never wash it - so many different fabrics rather precariously attached to each other. I know others who have tried and failed. I thought we should get it framed. Framing seems to be six times the cost of the wall hanging. But there again - its not as if we will ever be in the position to buy another one. Another check mark on the list.
Next Shankar drops me in Commercial street and heads off to deliver the checks we got signed earlier. I am off to find the tailor Shubha and I used a few blogs earlier. Not as easily said as done as I seem to have a notoriously bad sense of direction or maybe I just can't concentrate when I'm chatting. But this time I find the right cross street, then the right little shopping centre and then the right little tailor stop. I have a problem in India with the ratio of my arm hole measurements - (big) to the rest of me - (not so big), or maybe I'm just not used to be constrained in the shoulder/arm area. Anyway when I buy clothes that enable me to freely move my arms and not feel like I'm in a straight jacket they hang like a sack over the rest of me - so I need a tailor with a sewing machine. Once again no measurements taken and a perfect result which only takes an hour. When I ask how much, he said he'll tell me when I pick up - sounds a tad suspicious - but no surprises. It seems to cost less than when I was here last time and I get offered a cup of chai. Here I do really well - I manage to spend an hour in Commercials without spending any money - obviously I was not with the bad influence or she with the good shopping karma (depends whether you look at it from mine or Simon's angle!!) from across the street!!!!!
We are on a roll although one of the scheduled drops for one of the afore signed checks is shut - no biggie it's not the urgent one and we can courier tomorrow for less than $1.
Quick stop at a grocery shop and then last port of call. I need some glass to put on top of a new Indian sort of cupboard thing we picked up. The top has some art work on so we want to protect it. I measured and remeasured so hopefully his will work out. Anyway we stop at the little glass shop and as we are off the mainstream I have Shankar park up and come with me incase this is beyond me. It seems to go well - I look at sample polished edges and thicknesses of glass and make some decisions. We pay up front but don't get a receipt as the owner feels confident he will remember our (I think he means my) face. Well time will tell!!
So, back home, feeling somewhat impressed with myself but in need of cuppa. Thanks Sweetie!!
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