Thursday, January 2

This morning Naa went off with Anu on the back of his scooter to have lunch with his family, and then go to a museum. Irma and Auo went to Kovalam Junction to buy flowerpots and milk. I stayed at home while the cleaning lady and her son cleaned and got in the way respectively.

Now we have walked to the beach to give Michael his belated New Year present. He is not at Palm Beach yet and so we have walked to the surf shop which Irma suspects is stocked with t-shirts I would like. It is shut but almost outside we find this mural, apparently intended to warn people away from having an ayurvedic massage.

We will walk back to the restaurant and have a ginger lime soda while waiting for Michael. They have free wifi and I will go online for the second time in two days. I still cannot get through to Arcada but I will catch up on world news, and confirm that my website will be online for another year.

When Michael arrives we will exchange gifts and decide to eat. Auo will start grumpy because they don’t have pizzas available but then brighten up instantly when she tastes her tuna pasta bake. I will have fish masala and naan and Irma will have a chicken avocado salad with raitha and cheese naan.

Anu and Naa will turn up. Auo will join them playing frisbee on the beach, and we will walk home, where we will find Anib installing the extra furniture. Even better, he will have a wifi dongle for us.

When we have rearranged the rearranged furniture into a rearrangement that pleases us more, the girls will arrive home on the back of Anu’s scooter, Indian-style.