Well walking into Bishop Sargent School was almost as much fun as going to Caroline's last night. The principal knew I was coming but had forgotten the date! none of the rest of the staff knew at all. The first thing I found was the classroom had changed, we now work in a slightly smaller room, which has had a partition erected to allow different activities in each half, makes it more difficult for groups but good for individual sessions. I walked over tot eh classroom and Methilda spotted me through the window and came flying out to greet me, I then heard a shriek from behind and there was Ida, running full pelt across the playground arms outstretched to hug me. It was lovely, one by one other staff members made their way across with a really warm welcome.
The children too were fantastic, many of the older ones, who I had expected to remember me, but also the younger ones. Viki, saw me and just grew a cheesey grin and wouldn't let go of my arm and for the first time, called me by my name and kept telling everyone we met 'Sally Auntie'. The girls in class 1, were really affectionate too and some of the boys although Tamil Selvan has not been in this week so I haven't seen him yet. Joel was pleased to see me too and we spent most of Tuesday and Wednesday sorting out the new classroom, getting rid of rubbish which had been dumped on us and planning the new session.
A speech therapist is coming in on a Friday afternoon starting this week. Blessie came in with her parents she is now 9 months old and has had her head shaved which is a traditional summer event for babies!
Santosh has been coming regularly but is off this week due to a bereavement. Anand's mum has been finding it hard to carry him into school so school are trying to find a way around that. Ramiya is coping at the moment in a playgroup but has left the door open to return if needed which is great. Mariam's mum has found her a full time carer at home which was what she wanted, so that is good and the school is currently putting out feelers to the local child clinics looking for pupils.
I was walking past the paddy field outside the school when I spotted these black ibis which I have never seen before. The bus is just outside the school gate and is one of those from my friend Thinahar's company... you can tell as they all have Praise the Lord on the front, this one is also called The Good Samaritan, as you can see it is rushing past everything in sight to get to someone's aid... Not!

I had to go to the dentist yesterday as the temporary filling which cost me £95 a couple of weeks ago has broken for the second time. The dentist here is going to fit a crown and a bridge over the gap next to it which has been there since I was 13! Fortunately Ruth, my U6 has had root canal treatment, a few years ago, so I have to have not a titanium post but a gold plated steel one fitted tomorrow, going back Monday to have a mould made and it should all be done before I leave on 16th. Hard to believe, don't know the cost yet but it will be less than Ruth's £400 job I hope, probably less than my emergency filling was - which has fallen out twice too!
I'm off to Kerala for the weekend to see what Kovalum is like in the monsoon as we are planning a visit en famille next year, so I'll be leaving straight from the dentist.

Well here I am back in Tirunelvelli for the first of my follow on visits. I know that some folks thought it was rather quick, but I'm glad I came. My instinct that they might need support seems to have been right.
Back to the beginning though
I left Edinburgh on Sunday morning on the 9am flight to London, there I picked up a BA flight to Chennai (Madras) a 10 hour flight and the first timer I have travelled to India in one sitting so to speak, I've always stopped in the gulf somewhere before. All went smoothly and I arrived in Chennai at 3.15am as planned! Yuck! However Seline was there to meet me and take me to her home to put my head down till around 10.00am. We then left at 10.30am - back to the airport to pick up the 1.15pm flight to Tuticorin. It only takes an hour and a half and leaves me only 50km from Tirunelvelli.
The flight went very smoothly again, a tiny plane only around 50 seats. Tuticorin is a seaport and famous for pearls and for salt, it is surrounded by salt pans and produces a huge proportion of the worlds sea salt. In the pics, the white rectangles are salt pans. They are filled with sea water then the water is left to evaporate off leaving the salt behind, simple, natural and effective.

Nancy my landlady was waiting for me at the barrier having come with her new driver Anthony to pick me up, Balagi, who had been working for her for around 20 years had suddenly left last month to get a job driving for the State Bank, I imagine the hours are more regular for him! I am going to be staying in my little house again for the 3 weeks I am here which is just great, I would find it very hard to be in a hotel or back dependent on my friends for accommodation, a draw back to being independent I suppose.
I should add that I have been very secretive so far as my Indian friends are concerned and am looking forward to surprising Carrie and the school staff. Only Nancy; the school principal and the Bishop know of my return.
I came back to the house, unpacked a little then phoned Caroline (in India) via SKYPE to check she was at home,she answered and I said, 'Hallo! Hallo! are you there, I can't hear you.' and hung up. I then rushed around the corner and leapt into a passing auto rickshaw and went round to her house, up the stairs, opened the door, and said, 'sorry could you repeat that, I couldn't hear you!' The look on her face was worth a million dollars! I'm sure she was speechless for a full minute! Last time I saw here was in our house in Edinburgh when she was on her way back to India from Canada and neither my family nor Handel her son who is in the UK and was in on the secret had given her a hint I was coming back.
I picked up the belongings of mine which Carrie had been looking after - after I had picked up her jaw that is! Amongst my bits and pieces, was my phone which means I am on the same number as last time for those who know it.
I went to get a top up voucher for my phone and was strolling back when an auto rickshaw did a U-turn in front of me, screeched to a halt alongside me and the driver threw open the door and said, 'In'! always obedient I did as instructed, this was Ignesh, my morning auto driver who had seen me when passing. He has little English and so was not being rude simply clear! He shook my hand and said 'Welcome, welcome, welcome!' which was rather nice. He arranged to pick me up and take me to school at 9.30 yesterday (Tuesday) morning.
I enjoyed my free lift home, finished unpacking and settled down for a nights sleep in the bed I had used before, the school had not bothered to pick it up as they knew I would be back!
I was very sad to learn from Raja, my english speaking auto driver, that his mother had died on Saturday. He told me she was ill and he had to pick her up from work on Wednesday, but was better, so everything must have been very sudden. She was very kind and friendly to me last time I was here, and can't have been much older than I am. May she rest in peace. Raja was incredibly kind to me last time I was here and is one of four brothers, three of whom lived at home with their mum.
The picture was taken mid-April during my last visit.

We had a good weekend with Bishop Jeyapaul and his wife Violet staying with us, very easy guests and happy to be able to take things at a slower pace than back home in India I think. I think too that they enjoyed being able to relax and be 'ordinary' people - well ordinary but wearing a purple clerical shirt and large Iona Cross. He bought the cross while here in the '70's studying at St John's College in Nottingham. He spent a week on Iona and got the cross then never dreaming it would be worn as a pectoral cross and that he would be a Bishop.
Saturday morning the Moderator came for coffee - after making scones though I abandoned them for the questionable pleasure of forking out £95 to the dentist to put a temporary filling in my tooth where my gold inlay had decided to part company from the rest of my tooth. Admittedly he did come to the surgery especially to treat me but even so! By the way, how come gold inlays cost a fortune but you never get a refund when they break and can't be used again?
We had a quiet day on Saturday afternoon, avoiding the rain, a little shopping but other wise stayed around home and an early night to catch up on their time change a little. Church on Sunday morning when the Bishop preached, followed by  a fellowship lunch - we have one every month but changed the date to suit their visit - simple fare, very sociable and relaxed. Later on in the afternoon, we went to Holyrood Palace, they have a serious problem at their entrance desk, there were only about 20 folks queuing to get in but it took almost 30 minutes to get to the desk to pay, a very slow system and one which will be a real problem once they get summer numbers of tourists in.

On Monday a tour of North and South Queensferry seeing the Bridges and crossing the Road one. Took lots of pics of flowers and plants... reminded me of when I was in India and taking pics. We went to Craigie Farm for coffee and picked some strawberries and raspberries which we then had for lunch at home. Monday evening, our guests moved to the Rectory as planned.

Initially we had intended that I would go up to Aberdeen for my birthday, but we have realised that in fact I needed time at home to pack and organise for the forthcoming holidays.
Yesterday was my birthday, we took a trip down into East Lothian, then had lunch at Craigie again before taking Ali to work in South Queensferry. In the evening, Colin and I had dinner in the Tower.
On our way home we played at tourists in the shops at the top of the Royal Mile to round off a nice day.

So today, after 3 days in school catching up, the holidays start in earnest, I'm off to the hairdressers first thing, well 11.00am! My hair needs a good tidy up, there appear to be some hairs form someone else's head there, can't be mine they are the wrong colour, my hair is brown not grey! After that it's down towards North Berwick to visit a friend and see the extension which was finished a couple of years ago and I still haven't seen.
On the way back I need to pick up some flowers for church and if I leave it any later than today they won't have opened properly by Sunday. Think I'll probably go for some lilies as the main focus as they are so striking just now, we don't go over the top though, a vase not a huge display thank goodness.
Tomorrow I have to finish getting things sorted for the arrival of the Bishop of Tirunelvelli and his wife for their pre-pre-Lambeth week! I've got various things planned but would also like to take them out on the Maid of the Forth to Inchcolm weather permitting. They are with us till Monday when they go to the rectory for a few days. I'm off to look them out some warm jackets for their first couple of days till they become acclimatised!

Still waiting for warm weather so I can sit out in the mornings in comfort having my morning coffee before starting the day... I continue to wait!