Charlie's Little Angels

Once upon a time there were two occasionally naughty children called Syon and Ayana. They were actually mostly good. But they were also high-spirited and creative; terrific qualities which sometimes led them into mischief, especially when they were together! Then, one day, Charlie, the F2 monkey came to spend the weekend with them. Syon and Ayana remembered when F1 Monkey had come to visit, and how sad they felt when he had returned to school. This time, they were determined to be so well behaved that Charlie would never want to leave.

All weekend, Syon & Ayana said “please” and “thank you”. They didn’t blow raspberries or shout at each other. They ate every last morsel at mealtimes and even tidied their toys away at night. On Saturday, as Ayana was under the weather, Syon took Charlie with him to the supermarket. They bought all the ingredients they needed for the pizza they were making that evening.

 

They were making their pizza from scratch. They helped Daddy mix, knead and shape the dough. When the base was ready, Syon, Ayana & Charlie spread the sauce, sprinkled on the cheese and added all the yummy toppings they had chosen. Syon chose mushrooms, Ayana, salami and Charlie, a banana! Nobody else wanted banana on their pizza, so Charlie was gently coaxed into opting for olives instead. The end result was so delicious that everyone was happy (and very, very full)! It was also so much fun to make, Syon decided to share the recipe (at the end of this story) with everyone in the Orange Group.

Then, it was time to snuggle up in their beds for the night. Last Christmas, Syon and Ayana had asked for bunk beds so they could sleep in the same room, as they liked doing everything together. Now that Charlie was part of the gang, he would join them that night in their very special bunk bed (which was sometimes a spaceship, a cave, a pirate ship and a lots more fun things during the day).

But something strange happened as Syon & Ayana lay sleeping; Charlie slipped away to make a phone call. Syon, a light sleeper, heard the scuttle of little monkey feet and the beep of the telephone, and so crept down to see what was happening. He saw Charlie perched on the counter chattering excitedly into the kitchen phone. He could only catch the tail-end of the conversation, “They are little angels, I’m sure they won’t mind!”

A groggy Syon (and a more rested Ayana) woke the next morning to shrill squeals and happy hoots. Their room was packed to the rafters…with monkeys! Big and small, spotty or stripey, smiling and grumpy- every kind of monkey imaginable! Mommy and Daddy, drawn by the noise, was taken aback to see so many monkeys (on top of the two they already had, plus Charlie) in their home. That’s when Charlie with a beaming smile announced that he had so enjoyed his visit he had decided to stay. And not just him, his entire family would be moving in!

Syon & Ayana loved Charlie but they weren’t sure about having a whole gaggle of monkeys to stay…forever! They looked imploringly at Mommy and Daddy as this was clearly a job for grown-ups. Mommy and Daddy gently drew Charlie aside (what they had to say might, after all, offend the other monkeys). They assured Charlie they loved him and even liked his family, but could not accommodate them all, year-round. The monkeys would always be welcome in their home, especially Charlie, who was such a bundle of fun.

Charlie blushed with pleasure at this compliment. Being a clever monkey, he realised that hosting his family of three dozen, was a tough ask for anyone. So, he happily agreed to visit instead, just by himself (every chance he got)!

And Charlie and the Little Angels parted the best of friends, with special memories of a wonderful weekend together.

Charlie's Pizza
 

Base 500g strong white flour 10g sea salt 5g dried yeast 300ml warm water 30ml olive oil 2 cloves crushed garlic   Topping 1 tube tomato puree ½ small onion finely sliced ½ red pepper sliced Sliced peperoni Sliced mushrooms Green olives Grated cheese 1 banana sliced (optional)

Method 1.          Mix all the base ingredients together and knead for 15 minutes until the dough is elastic and stretchy 2.          Place dough in a bowl, cover and leave to rest for 1 hour 3.          Preheat the oven to 230°C 4.          Roll out the dough onto a sheet of baking paper until it is about 5mm thick.  Cover with cling film and leave to rise for ½ hour 5.          Spread the tomato puree evenly over the pizza base and top with the cheese 6.          Sprinkle the remaining toppings over the top of the pizza 7.          Transfer the pizza to the top shelf of the oven, placing the baking paper/base directly onto the wire shelf (use a flat baking tray to slide the base on and off) 8.          Bake for 12-15 minutes

A big 'sorry' to everyone who's tried to see the slideshow but couldn't, due to the technical difficulties we've been experiencing (and while that's usually IT speak for 'tea break', it really is true in this case:-))! So, while we try to sort this out, please click on the photo below to view our birthday album. It's not as hi-tech as a slideshow but far more reliable (fingers crossed)!

Update:
Now the slideshow (on the right) is up and running too. So, take your pick; you can view our birthday photos two different ways. However you do it, I hope you enjoy it!

Birthdays: Daddy & Syon

The Fabulous Birthday Boys

As promised, but much later than intended, here are the photos (new slideshow on the right) of two very important birthdays in our family- Dada's and mine! We had a great time; hope you enjoy the pics!

I am 4 Today!

Mommy and Daddy can't believe how quickly time's flown and how big a boy I am now! This will be a year of milestones, they say, with pride, pleasure and just a hint of parental concern. But, bring it on, I say, because I've got so much fun lined up for this year!

I'll be starting 'Proper School', visiting exciting new places, getting involved with new activities, making new friends and most of all, just getting better and better at all the things I already do so well. So, drop in when you can because I'll have so much to tell you, starting with an account (and photos) of my birthday party, very very soon!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!! We love you more than words can express (so we won't even try). Hope you have a wonderful day and an even better year! All our love, Ayana, Syon & Mommy

Spring in Our Steps

Spring seemed to have followed us home from India as we enjoyed a wonderfully warm spell just before Easter. For a brief space, we were able to spend all our time outside, playing in the Close and enjoying Dada's barbecues in the garden.

One such sunny day, we celebrated Mother's Day with a big bouquet of beautiful dark pink tulips for Mommy (so huge she had to split it into two vases), and a book she's wanted for a while. She loved our presents but she was particulary thrilled to get our handdrawn cards. Syon made her a patchwork handbag card and I drew a pretty pink flower just for Mommy. And we made dinner for her too! With a little help from Daddy, we made a pizza from scratch, topping our homemade crust with cheese, tomatoes, salami, ham and olives. Mommy said it was the best she'd ever had!

But that lovely sunny spell was over before we knew it, and it was drizzling and grey again, even snowing on a couple of occasions!

Despite that the Easter weekend was delightful, with Daddy at home for four days, meeting 'Sashi Mashi' for the first time (sharing a dosa with her at our favourite South Indian restaurant and then chasing pigeons together in the central square) and then, of course, we spent Easter Sunday with the Handley clan which was as much fun as ever.

We bagged a load of scrummy chocolate Easter eggs on our Egg Hunt with Alex and Eleanor 'round Grandma and Grandad's garden (and that was on top of all the other delicious Easter eggs we received from everybody)! Mommy says we have to pace ourselves and make them last till Christmas like always, but this year we know where they're hidden!

One of the highlights of our Easter weekend was the Easter Bunny's visit on Monday afternoon, and you'd never guess what he brought us- a dolls' house, an absolutely gorgeous dolls' house, bigger than us, and for both of us, because the Easter Bunny doesn't believe in gender stereotyping (it is strange how the Easter Bunny, Santa and the Puja Fairy, all seem to agree with Mommy and Daddy on every issue, but when you're as busy playing as we are, you really don't have the time to dwell on these things)!

We love the dolls' house to bits but as with everything else we have devised our own games 'round it. Not for us conventional tea parties and slumber time for dollies. Our dolls' house has beds that fly, science experiments in the kitchen, dolls who climb out of the balcony rather than use the perfectly serviceable staircase and strangest of all, a horse, that has made iself at home in the bathtub!

The Best Exotic Didou-Dadu Hotel

But our fun in the sun started long before the Easter high jinks, with our trip to Bangalore and Kolkata in February-March.

First, we went to B'lore to see our Baby cousin Mia. Mia is an adorable baby with a beaming smile and big dark eyes. We told Ma-sheep that she had inherited Ma-sheep's big cheeks and big feet, much to Ma-sheep's delight. I think the rumpus we created startled Mia to start with but she soon grew used to the din, and even began to join in (this pleased Ma-sheep no end, clearly:-)). Mia took a shine to Syon especially (as he's bigger and she's not used to small people) and he in turn was very protective of her (which was fine with me, I got to do my own thing for a change, while he was mucking about with Mia)!

Meeting Mia was the best bit but we also enjoyed all the good food Ma-sheep served up. Our favourites were the ones beginning with D- dosa, dal and dalmut...with dollops of ice cream!

Our B'lore sojourn was only slightly spoiled by our synchronised, marathon puking in the taxi to the airport, to catch our flight to Kolkata. It was a long drive through crowded streets, and jet lag and travel sickness got the better of us. Daddy thinks it a pity that it's not a sport at the London Olympics this year, because he's convinced we'd be a shoo-in for the gold medal, if it were!

And then we were on our way to The Best Exotic Dadu-Didou Hotel, where every year we have had the warmest welcome, fantastic fun in the sun and the most mouthwatering dishes.

This year was just as good. There was sunshine everyday and visits from (and to) friends and family (Bilky Mashi who was in Kolkata, came up to play with us regularly, adding to the fun). There were presents aplently (beautiful clothes for the summer and terrific toys to keep us entertained in Kolkata and thereafter). There were many afternoons on the terrace riding our singing tricycle. And, of course, those thoroughly enjoyable trips to the Calcutta Rowing Club where we could run to our hearts content, eat our favourite strawberry-vanilla ice cream (and some spicy chilli chicken for the grown-ups that we really took to), and watch the geckos and birds and bugs enjoying the sunshine as much as us!

We enjoyed our visits to Budida and Pishi Dida downstairs although both were unwell this time, 'Binky Mashi' made up for it with her wholehearted involvement in our madcap games.

We also visited lots of groovy great aunts and uncles and a couple of gatherings called 'funerals' which we thought were quite nice too, with the pretty flowers everywhere and all the friendly attention we received, and they always had lovely songs to dance to (but everytime we did that, Mommy and Daddy seemed to take that as a cue to take us home for some reason)!

Poor Dadu was rushed off his feet this time with all the sickness amongst family and friends and not very well himself but he still found the time to play with us on the terrace, at the mall and at the Rowing Club. He was also the principal babysitter when I wanted someone to play with at the crack of dawn, and Mommy and Daddy opted for that truly rare thing in their lives; a lie-in!

Didou, of course, was the organiser-in-chief of all the fun we had (and the feasting). Alo-di, our longtime cook, was her very able assistant and an absolute wizard in the kitchen.

Every meal is a banquet at Didou's place. Each dish is delectable and rarely repeated. You actually have to put in a special request if you want an encore. In fact, Mommy starts a list of everything she wants to eat in Kolkata, months in advance (because, as every gastronome knows, there's no end to the different, delicious dishes you can dip into in Kolkata). Best of all, we learnt to make the perfect 'chapati' from Alo-di this time!

We have just enough time before dinner to tell you about the highlight of our trip to Kolkata this year and that was playing 'Dol'. The Festival of colours ('Dol' or 'Holi') is celebrated in the Spring in India and this year, we were old enough to participate.

Besides the food, the fashion and the get-togethers that are an intrinsic part of any festival in India, the festival of colours has a very unique and especially enjoyable feature (specially if you're kids who like messin')- the water fights! Masses of people come out of their houses to fling vividly coloured powder and buckets full of coloured water at each other. The colours are not harmful but they do take quite a few showers to wash off, so for days afterwards people go to work and school in exotic shades of pink, blue and green!

Because we are so young, we had to settle for a watered-down (haha) version of the mass waterfight but it was like nothing we'd ever experienced before and a barrel (literally) of laughs!

The whole family trooped to the terrace armed with buckets, pistons and packets of pink powder. And then when everyone was present and accounted for (except Dadu who pretended to have work so he could sneak up after the worst was over), we let loose!

No-one was safe. Everyone, including Dadu who joined us late, was drenched and a very pretty pink when we were done. Syon didn't think he was wet enough, so, kept pouring water over himself or sticking his head under the tap till the grown-ups decided he was begging for a proper dunking, but somehow I got caught up in it too, and we ended up as wet as two half-drowned kittens.

We didn't want it to end, but unfortunately, like all good things, it did, and we had to get washed and dry for lunch, but only after we'd been promised a waterfight on every visit!

So, now, we must say adieu, as we've got to get on with all the wonderful things we've planned for the next few months. And if, sadly, you aren't able to be with us for some of these, then do drop in on our blog where we will (when we get a moment) post reports and photos of the non-stop action that is our lives!:-)

P.S. Check out the films below, and watch this space for our new India-Easter-Etc. slideshow!

A Special Day

Well, we are all down with Writer's Block this week (that's like Flu in our house!), so although we would like to write about the wonderful time (and we did indeed have a fabulous day) we had at the Aunties Michelle's wedding last week, we are struggling to find the snappy sentences that would do it justice.

All we can offer you in these desperate times (after all, WB in our household is a very serious malady, sending us up walls and round the bend, hunting for those elusive magic words) is a cliche- that pictures speak a thousand words (and can sometimes take the load off a worried wordsmith's weary shoulders).

So, we've bunged on a tome of a slideshow (teeming with toddlers:-)), to share with you all the fun we had that day. There are captions though, don't forget to read those (best we could do in the midst of our phonetics famine).

Hope you enjoy the photos, and if you do, please leave a comment because when we are a little bit blue, we like to hear from you...