India calling

Happy Easter!

Since my last posting I have been to Delhi and back on 4 flights, I am really racking up my frequent flier miles! Papa had a meeting in Delhi with the British High Commissioner's wife as Raleigh is hosting a posh party there in July. Whilst Papa was sipping tea with Lady Stagg, Mama and I splished and splashed in the hotel pool which was blissful. I really do love the water and kick my legs away most happily. I can't wait until I can have my first pair of armbands and a rubber ring! We had a wonderful, albeit fleeting, trip to the metropolis and now we are back home. Rupert, one of Daddy's friends from Head Office, is staying with us now. Mama and I are very happy as he has bought me a fresh supply of rice cakes, Humzingers and he has bought Mama some chocolate! I had my first taste of chocolate yesterday, needless to say, I loved it! Nanny tells me I have a few chocolate Easter eggs waiting for me at home too, yummie. As you can see from the video I am now proficient at answering the phone. I am also most proficient at peeling my bananas and, most of the time, eating the right end of it too. My diet is so rich in exotic fruits here, most days I have mango or papaya with my Weetabix, an incredibly messy start to the day, but good fun. Mama, Papa and I have breakfast on the balcony from where I can scream at the cows as they saunter past. We are all so excited about coming back to England in a couple of weeks, Mama tells me that I will have two parties whilst I am there, what a lucky boy. In these photos I am with Tatie Fabienne (Mama's French friend, I love pulling her plaits!) and in the other one it is Raquel (Mama's Spanish friend) with her 2 month old son, Omar, my new friend. Love you all lots and see you very soon xxxx

Bathtime fun

Mysore and me

We are surviving the heat (35 degrees) most days thanks to our AC (thank you Granny and Grandpa!) which is a godsend. I now sleep in Mama and Papa's room as it so cool in there and it helps me to sleep much better, I usually wake up before them so I just throw all my toys at Mama until she opens her eyes - perfect. I'm continuing with my adventures aided by me walking almost by myself now, I totter for a few seconds unaided, otherwise I cruise from tables to chairs like an orangutan swinging through the vines in the jungle! My favourite drawer in the kitchen is the saucepan lid drawer, I am just fascinated by them and love taking them out one by one and them putting them back in again, such a tidy baby(!). I love the mornings as Mama and Papa take me out onto the balcony for breakfast to see Mysore wake up; we watch the cows and oxen tinkle past, the dogs bark, the chicken cockle-doodle-doo, the sheep baa, the vegetable man sings out his wares, the herb man cycles past with his huge bags of herbs balancing precariously from his handlebars, then the milkman pedals past and the ladies hurry out to catch him, the children play and shout in the school garden before classes begin - and all before 8 o'clock. Never a dull moment. Today was a special day as we accompanied Papa to one of the villages where Raleigh has been working to inaugurate their completion of 45 eco-friendly toilets. I was the guest of honour, I was even given my own flower garland, the petals were really quite tasty. I sat up on the podium on Mama's lap whilst Papa delivered, what I assume was, a very important speech, everyone clapped afterwards. We loved our trip to the village as it reminds Mama and Papa of why they came to India and of the incredibly valuable and rewarding work that we do here. Papa took me on a tour of the village on his shoulders whilst I held the umbrella over us to ward off the strong midday sun. Such fun. Mango season has arrived here so I tasted this succulent fruit in my Weetabix this morning, just yummy. Mama has bought some papaya for me to try too, I also love apples as you can see from the photos. A big help with biting into the apples is that I have two more teeth protuding (hence the fitful sleep recently) which means I now have six - all the better for chewing with I say! We are so looking forward to coming back to see you all, only just over a month now. Watch out, I will be into everything! xxxxxxxxxxx