The problem of not entrying a blog for two years is

you don't know where to begin. there's so much news from the past that has been hoarded like leftovers in your refrigerator. and if you begin with the beef stew, the shortcrust pastry will complain. anyway, i think to simplify matters, i will begin in medias res like the good old epics just so the pedants who follow my blog (some day, one day) will give it their nods.

so anyway, as i was saying, one morning i found myself sitting in the balcony of my new bangalore home in defence colony and mentally ticking the reasons which justify our relocation.

this is in random order, hence the #s are not numbered.

# a nice neighbourhood. of course, it helps that the neighbourhood has plenty of white houses with red tiles, manicured lawns and gorgeous gardens. so what if i can't see the faces that live inside those pretty houses yet.

# lots and lots of trees or as chang would say, "beeeg trees". and that is my next project, to find out the names of the trees around the house. ok let me see now, there are two coconut trees that are easy to identify, there's a jackfruit tree (and i know this only because you cannot ignore those lumpilicious fruits hanging out of every possible fork in the tree), a mango tree (ok i know this one when i see it), a banana tree (those leaves give it away and remind me of all the weddings in my family) and a beautiful rain tree which nests fetching "birdies' and "quirrels". i apologise for breaking into chang's lingo every now and then.

# the proximity of a veggie market, a fruit basket, a fish market, a delicatessen, plenty of bistros and restaurants and a few all-purpose-grocery stores besides the cornwallas, phuchkawallas, chaatwallas, and other streetfoodwallas that strew the bylanes. i can walk to all these places without giving my bad right heel any trouble and pram chang around when he has the time to get out of the "gur-dden".

# parks and "gurr-ddens". so yes, there is a park for 1-5 year olds just a skip away from the house which has become chang's regular haunt. methinks the park misses chang more than he misses it and sends telepathic signals to him during his afternoon nap. no wonder he wakes up crying, "GUR-DDEN!!" there is also this other park for 1-12 year olds which is nice for a change. i walk around its pebbled path clockwise, 2 rounds, while chang gathers leaves and plays in the mud.

# a tai-chi academy (stop your disclaimers all you cynics!), plenty of yoga and meditation centres, a homoeopathy clinic and a women's place called mother tree. more on this one later.

# a mini calcutta. this is no cr park, but it has some enterprising bengalis who are working hard towards converting the tamil and kannadiga palate to bengali food. there are roll shops and sweet mishti shops and a restaurant that has happily tied up with calcutta's bijoli grill. then there are the regular bengali food chains like 6 ballygunge place and oh calcutta. AND there is this one phuchka guy near mk retail on cmh road who makes authentic calcutta phuchkas, victoria chaats and jhalmuris. all this, just a walk and a pram mile away.

# balconies without grills. yes, we have balconies, 4 of them, and not one of them has grills. yes, it is dangerous for curious toddlers, but what the heck, we grew up in houses with balconies without grills! one needs to be cautious, keep an eye on the toddler when he's anywhere close to a balcony and teach by repetition how to safely use it. i think i'm so in love with these balconies that i'll dedicate one entire post to them.

# living on two floors. not that i am impressed by banisters and stairwells that rise like a  grand zamindar from both sides of your hall. BUT stairs that promise a study upstairs and allow me to say , "let me run downstairs to switch off the gas or the crockpot will burn" bring a smile on my face.

# opportunities for interesting alternative professions. no, i am not going to live my childhood dream of becoming a snake charmer or a fire eater. come to think of it, i haven't seen a circus anywhere close to our house. but yes, there are a variety of institutions close at hand that explore alternate methodologies of teaching/healing. there's a meditation centre that uses drama therapy and a kids' activity centre just waiting for my speech and drama classes for young 'uns. hell! if i am good at it, i can even usurp the post of my tai chi instructress. or....erm....open up a chocolate spa or an embryo room (more about this later) or tea house in a tree house. :-)

# opportunities for learning. i have already mentioned mother tree and the yoga and tai chi centres. did i tell you about these classes that teach you to communicate with animals, held twice a week at a convenient location about 6 roads before ours? heh.

# great coffee. powdered, granular, seeded, aromatic, frothy, watery. i likey!

# loads of carnatic music - to collect, to listen to at concerts, to learn (veena, vridangam or vocals?). and maybe, just maybe, nurture a mini mandolin srinivas in chang.

# own a reva. i know it's ugly and looks like a golf cart, but it's just my size!

# learning a new city. the roads, the lanes, the landmarks, the eateries, the post offices, the governor's house, the museums, the theatres, the aquariums. and the new weekend getaways.

 # because change is always good.