Sunday, December 23

We woke up about 8:00, happy and relaxed. The sun had woken before us and had decided that we should have the first really hot day since we arrived.

The big Sunday paper arrived and I started reading it before breakfast.

As we all started breakfast Molly arrived for the first time to do the cleaning. Her eyes have healed and she wears glasses now. Arjun arrived with her. They told us that Anib would arrive in thirty minutes or less. We ate as quickly as we could while brushing happened around us.

Anib, Asha, and Paru did indeed arrive, bearing a big Christmas cake from the Bread Factory. We sat and chatted on the ground floor balcony. Paru will graduate in summer and then move to Bangalore where she has a job waiting with KPMG.

Later in the morning Tangaraj drove us to the beer shop and the chemist’s shop for Kofflets, which all we usually use in Helsinki.

We then pick up Naa and drive to the beach where I photograph a typical tangle of overhead cables.

We will walk past the Pink House, where the restaurant opens today. On the way I will order two pairs of fisherman’s trousers from the man who has made them for me in previous years.

We will stop at Spice Village Restaurant, in the little passages behind the beach, for papaya lassi. Irma will sit writing postcards; insisting that I write one to Sunshine. It will say “miaaw”.

We will bump into Hari at The Village. He will show us around the Pink House and we will look inside. We will come away amazed at the effort he has already put in and the scale of his vision.

At home we will dine on gnocchi, with fresh vegetables, spices, and more.

Despite the calendar saying Sunday we will turn on the television and find Arnab Goswami hosting a debate show in which he does ninety per cent of the talking.