We’re posting just a few of our images up here on this blog.
There’s a healthy selection of other photos of our adventures in Nashik and India on our Flickr account. Feel free to subscribe to that too.
The security guard let me up onto the roof of the apartment block today. It was clearer than usual, the view stretched across to the Western Ghats, and (for about the 22nd day running) there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
You can also see that we’re quite close to the edge of the city, which makes it easier for Jayne to get to the vineyard. The Gangapur River is also just a couple of blocks away, but we’re not sure it makes for healthy swimming…
Yesterday was Republic Day in India, and a public holiday. We were urged, with our fellow residents, to attend the apartment block’s flag raising at 7:30am, and of course we got the obligatory flags.
(After having bought them, we discovered that these Indian flags have been outlawed this year. The plastic variety are deemed to cheapen the national image).
The kids note it’s a bit like St Patrick’s day: a day off school, green and orange flags, street parades, and national pride. The differences may have been more evident at this parade (although “visibility is not at its best at the moment”). This stable democracy is certainly something to be proud of.
Also shown above: one of India’s many helpful street-side phones for those times when the mobile battery lets you down.
Jex insisted I take this pic of him with a cow. We still haven’t got used to the huge numbers of cows strolling the city. A local colleague told me about the first time he went to Britain and his encounter with a fenced -in field full of Friesian cows feeding off lush green grass. He took a photo too.
This particular dance is about Krishna teasing the milkmaids.
We decided to be tourists for one afternoon and popped down to a ghat on the Godavari, one of India’s holiest rivers. To quote the Lonely Planet guide book – “Nashik is the kind of town where you can’t walk more than a couple of steps without tripping over yet another exotic temple or colourful bathing ghat.”
I’d like to take this oportunity to introduce “Go-Go.” For those of you in the-know will work out that Jex had a say in deciding her name – his Dublin, now Indian toy of choice. But he’s right – it definitely goes, at least for now. I’d been relying on a Sula wines driver to drive me to and from work which was very hassle-free but my own set of wheels rules! Can anyone tell me how I can stop getting static electric shocks from the external body? – as it hurts! Getting in and out of Go-Go takes forever.
(Was Lotus Elise, now Hyundai Santro 
– ed)
Already it feels like we have come a long way since this photo was taken less than two weeks ago. The standard of education at the school is remarkable. Evie has coped really well with the adjustment from the friendly, easy-going nursery environment in Dublin and Jex is completely passionate about all the sports he is sampling. He’s even tried boxing & shooting (much to my surprise) and (totally not surprised) is learning the rules of cricket. It’s a 8.5 hour day so they are completely shattered when they come home. I am so proud of them but I do worry constantly and wonder whether we are asking too much at their age. They seem (relatively) cool about the whole transition though – even the food.
