https://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/Writing_and_being/Moving between homes in Australia and Indiahourly12000-01-01T12:00+00:00https://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/Writing_and_being/685556It is with mixed feelings. I have had a really connected time in Delhi and Dharamshala. It was easy to slip back into my circle of kin and friends. Part of it is that I come for a short time and so I don't put down roots. I am sustained by the roots that are already there. It is still great to...https://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/Writing_and_being/685188We sat on rows of matting for the wedding feast, that is the 'dham'.. The silver paper plates came first. Then white hot rice on cane trays to be served deftly along the line. Peas with cottage cheese. Then chick peas cooked in curd. Curried kidney beans. The special wedding dish - pureed spinach...https://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/Writing_and_being/684797I went to get some more roasted wheat cereal from the man with the grinding wheel, His shop is up the hill on the walking path to McLeod Ganj He has been part of the ritual of my life in Dharamshala for the past 15 years. I go there to get fresh ground flour, cereal and spices, soon after I...https://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/Writing_and_being/684499The sun is shining. I have never been so conscious of the elements as in Dharamshala. The only exception was when I was in Sweden many years ago. I then became very aware of the sun rising and setting, or not setting, of the twilight. Here dawn and the sunset are eventful and make you pause for...https://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/Writing_and_being/684197It is a blustery morning. The tin roof next door threatens to come undone. The electricity has just come on after six hours. The sky to the east for a moment or two looks as if it will clear, but then it clouds over. ‘The highest snow covered mountains are no longer visible. I am rugged up,...https://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/Writing_and_being/684093The sun has not shone today. I woke up to cold wind and the snow covered peaks of the mountains blending with the clouds. It was a day to stay in rather than go to McLeod Ganj and Dharamkot as planned. So instead of Tibetan 'momos', the menu changed. I made paranthas stuffed with grated radish,...https://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/Writing_and_being/684092I am in Dharamshala now. It used to be my mother’s summer place for over 20 years. After her death, I make it mine for a month a year. It is a modest unit rented from the Sikh Temple. From my living room, I can see the lower reaches of the Himalayas. The living room also doubles up as my bedroom...