Today's pics all seem to have involved transport in one way or another. It was a glorious sunny morning this morning, and Ignesh was late which he never is! We set off for work stopping en route to buy a chilled bottle of water. It's really nice, I walk into the cafe where I usually buy my water, and one of the staff immediately goes to the fridge and there is a bottle ready for me practically before I reach the counter! Presented with a smile and a 'carry bag'! It's then back to the auto and another grin from Ignesh and we set off again for school. I have been very lucky in the timing of my stay here. There is a railway line on my way,to Tirunelvelli from my home and no way of avoiding a level crossing it whichever route I take. If a train comes across it, you wait almost 20 minutes before being able to get across. The line has been being widened to broad gauge for the entire time I have been here which means that no trains have been using it, it is due to open at the end of this month beginning of next.
When I got to school, I met up with an auto heading out to the post-school provision at Tuckerammalpuram. The auto had 10 kids and a teacher in it, all grinning like Cheshire cats.
I went out from school today to pick up the order of Montessori equipment I had bought for school Poor Raja the auto driver, the package was 35kg, he could barely lift it into the auto, then there was barely room for me to fit in beside it. I offered to drive while he ran alongside but he managed to fit me into the back seat next to the package! Joel was like a kid at Santa's party, unpacking it all and kindly keeping me the bubble wrap to pack things in my suitcase, that's all very well but bubble wrap takes up space and I'm really short of that. At the end of the day, Enoch, Bishop Jason's eldest son bought me a bit more of the book to check for them, this book seems to be as long as a piece of string! I had been going to go shopping on my way home, but the heavens opened again so I called Ignesh who picked me up at the end of school. He was wearing a most becoming rain hat... note teh green rubber band holding it on round the crown of his head. Autos are open on two sides, so they have canvas flaps which roll down to keep out SOME of the rain and spray from the passengers, but the driver's cab is still open and they have to hop out to let people in and out so need weather protection!
I came home then went out again to Lydia's once the rain had stopped and caught this pic of their dog, Timmy, (a female in spite of her name), having 40 winks on Enoch's scooter. I suppose it is up out of the puddles, but made me smile. And for those of you with eagle eyes, Yes, that is Enoch's scooter parked in front of Ignesh's auto at school when he brought me the articles to edit!
