Pretty Days

// Dear Diary Series — WEEK 11

23rd November, 2020/ Monday

Might have found my favorite milk. It tastes like liquid Ferrero Rocher!

• Wow, Monday! Or another Formative Assignment Submission day. I think there were 24 hours in the day. It felt much longer and shorter at the same time.
• Ate leftover food from yesterday and wrote about Good Governance/ Ache Din for Governance & State Building Assignment.
• Thank God for Formative Assignments, else wouldn’t be half as prepared for the Summative.

24th November, 2020/ Tuesday

Mixing all veggies with rice & adding some masala has become my standard recipe.

• And yet again the best of the week. Maximum learning, most socializing and what fun & banter!
• Studied Kleptocracy in Governance & State Building with Heather. Such a mesmerizing concept. Ended up watching a bit of Bad Boy Billionaires and the story of The King of Good Times.
• Dr. Matt is hilarious. I know I said it last week, but he actually is. Dry, subtle and on point humor. He is so pessimistic (read realistic) about the whole Environmental Governance. It is sad but funny at the same time.
• I love EDP Social Gatherings after class every Tuesday. The group is growing stronger each week. Emily socializing & giggling with me, Matthew subtly looking at his watch but ever so calm, Alex so relatable & helpful, Kajal keeping it real, Sameed being supportive, and so is everyone else — I love them all!
• This little group of mine even makes the otherwise mundane Tutor Group meetings fun.
• Evening walk to Harborne, and the weather is positively getting chillier.

25th November, 2020/ Wednesday

• Life is what you make of it! Woke up to a cloudy morning, and rain prediction. We had plans to explore outdoors but rain-dampened spirit! I kept at it till noon. And the skies did clear up!
• Experimented with Peas-Corn Rice for the second time (first on Diwali) and it turned out to be good again, or that’s what my friends said! Maybe it’s the love or is it just the Indian spices. (lol!)

• 5 kilometer walk to the Edgbaston Reservoir, a site of importance for Nature Conservation. A 70-acre site with jogging track, and lots of duck, geese and other birds. Pleasant weather and a little picnic.
• On the way, we also found St Augustine’s Church from the 18th Century. It has a tower and spire, 185 feet high and the tallest in Birmingham, were added in 1876. That caught our attention. The Church was empty but the doors were unlocked. We went in and had the whole place for ourselves. My favorite thing about most churches is the window-glass paintings. As light enters through them, they light up and look so stunning!
• Temperature touched a Zero!
• Just a week now for My Special Day! :)

26th November, 2020/ Thursday

• Mad Morning. First sub-zero temperature. As soon as I woke up, I ran down to the garden. The grass was frozen, I did some barefoot grounding. Ice feels like a 1000 needles piercing at the same time (reminder again, but what’s life without a little mad adventure)
• Oh no! What a bloody-red day, literally! I decided to cook beetroot for the first time in my life, and spent half a day doing just that. Everything I touched was becoming red in color. As much as I love the vegetable, I will most likely not attempt cooking it in the near future
• I was reminded of the heavenly Beetroot soup at the Willow Bake Shop, made by Chaitali and the Beetroot pasta that Vishal made happen at Trident. (Note to self: Beetroot takes insanely long to cook, and soup cannot be made without a blender)

27th November, 2020/ Friday

• Jubilant today, as we welcome Baby Vriha. Sleepless night as we waited in anticipation for the good news! Created a Welcome Card and got it ready in Hyderabad.
• To do something for someone, the first and most important thing you need is, a willing heart!

• Had to rush through the seminar, because life felt particularly exciting!
• Pritchatts Reception Team is so thoughtful in their actions. They spoiled me today with a big load of chocolate goodies (including Vegan and cocoa powder) specifically to keep cheering us, during these grey lockdown days. I went around the house distributing it like Santa! (yay to good deed of the day, not that I am counting <insert evil smile>)
• Elenie made Greek Salad for me and we chilled for a bit! Good unwinding after an accelerated week!

28th November, 2020/ Saturday

• Woke up to fog descending on Birmingham. Strangely, I was reminded of Ooty & Araku. White, misty & magical all around.
• Went out for a long walk & enjoyed the Christmas decorations in Harborne!
• I don’t even know what to call my dishes anymore. They are all original, innovative creations, with any & all ingredients I can get my hands on. Made one delicious cashew-cumin fried rice with leftover rice from yesterday!
• Some paranoid online shopping that I did through the week, finally started arriving! SO, it’s not entirely bad! (Okay, its great <grin>)
• This week’s Praana Cafe Episode was based on follower/ listener questions and I managed to do a lot of research for it, and answer questions. Felt productive and enriched with knowledge. Happy!

29th November, 2020/ Sunday

• While it is still foggy, it’s also been a rainy, grey day. I managed to go out for a run. I find running by the canal peaceful.
• Sunday Telugu movie Color Photo and my vegan hummus pizza for a lazy afternoon. Yes, I continue to swing between No Care to Extreme paranoia.
• How difficult is it to get 11K steps in the UK. This is another extreme. If i step out, I manage to cross 10K, but if I am at home, even 2k is a struggle. Earlier, in India I could do walk & talk. Here, I have space constraint and with all the video calling it’s difficult to talk! Also, the cold is not a motivation to stroll out any time during the day. (Reasons 101. I am useless!)
• Bottom line, stepped out late in the evening for one of my frequent night campus walks amidst the chill and the fog. And what do we find (or not find) on campus — Old Joe is missing! The fog has come down so heavily on Birmingham, that we had to strain our eyes to see the clock tower. Lovely no-sight.
• That’s a wrap!