Notes from the week gone by

•  Commenced my New Year by going for a guided walk following City Walks Guide to in and   around  Sloane Square. The pack of 50 interesting walks has been with me for donkey's years  but   never formally followed a walk. So what better way to start New Year's Day !! 
• A & N reluctantly accompanied me but at the end they enjoyed having to be just able to get out of the house. I couldn't follow the walk to the T but nevertheless covered quite a bit. Points of interest for me was Buddhist Temple from Chelsea Embankment / Carlyle House / Cheyne Walk / Chelsea Physic Gardens ( closed )
• Concluded our day with visit to our friend's house for Dinner of Gujrati delicacies / Chilli Paneer / Mix Pulao / Ice Cream
• Watched " My Old School" on BBC I Player. The movie is about Brandon Lee who falsely enrolled himself in a secondary school claiming to be a 16 year old when in reality he was 30
• Kids back to school mid week and ultimately back to reality about getting back to routine
• Picking up listening to Podcasts which got side tracked for months now.. This week I listened to " More or Less Behind the Statistics: Numbers of the Year 2022 and Can China's data on Covid deaths be trusted? 
• Walked to Gidea Park Library.. and both A&N got a book each. N is into learning French so she got one covering that and A got a Step By Step Chemistry book
• Kicked off my Reading Challenge for 2023 by a book from Avni Doshi "Burnt Sugar" which is part of a book club from work
• Made Chole / Rajma Rice / Methi Aloo / Tindora Sabzi / Palak Paneer over the weekend

Great Lives by Karen Farrington

 Excerpts from the book: 

 Captain James Cook ( 1728-1779)

Cook had the skills of a cartographer at his fingertips and did more than anyone previously to chart the coast of New Foundland, New Zealand, eastern Australia, numerous Pacific Islands and both the Artic and Antarctic frontier. He also possessed abundant courage, which enabled him to set off onto the unknown. 

He was a symbol of the Enlightment, treating indigenous tribes that he encountered with respect and understanding in the context of the era. 

Ultimately it was an uncharacteristically heavy handed approach with the Hawaiians that cost him his life.

Unsuited to farm and shop work, young James decided his true calling was at sea. After joining the merchant navy, he ferried coal from Newcastle to London and sometimes to the Baltic in a stout Whitby collier. 

The aspirational Cook spent his spare time studying hydrology, cartography and astronomy. 

Not content with a secure future as a Captain in the mercantile fleet, he enlisted in the Royal Navy in 1755 as an able seaman and spent a dozen years working his way through the ranks. 

In 1767, he was chosen to lead an expedition to the Pacific that would chart the course of the planet Venus across the sun. Its subtext was to find the southern continent that many thought lay undiscovered in the southern oceans. 

From England he sailed around Cape Horn to Tahiti, where he forged an enduring relationships with islanders. Then it was on to New Zealand, which he charted, the unknown Botany Bay in Australia and home via Indonesia. 

Cook’s journals and the work of accompanying scientist Joseph Banks created a major stir on their return. 

Cook today has several personalities. There is the Cook who is one of the great, supreme navigators and that part of his reputation remains. But there is uneasiness among many, particularly among Pacific peoples, about the legacy of Cook. Mist white Australians and New Zealanders would still see Cook as a kind of founding father, almost an iconic figure. But the Maori aborigines and Hawaiians see a very different Cook; a despoiler, a destructive force. By Glyn Williams ( Professor of History).

The List - December 2013

This is the first time i am doing this list inspired by Nupur's Lists of One Hot Stove.I usually write everything in my diary and try to incorporate everyday events in it.

Reading - This month has been the best month in terms of reading books as i read 5 books which is truly amazing by my standards.
I read "Cocoa at Midnight" by Kathleen Clifford;" Apron and Sliver Spoons" by Mollie Brown. These two books were a easy read. They are real life accounts of domestic servants and their hardships in pre war era.
The next book was very romantic novel by Jojo Moyes "The last letter from your lover". The book was hopelessly romantic and spanned two time lines - one from 1960 and other from present day.
Other books were "No time to say Goodbye" by Linwood Barclay - a thriller with a twist.I was so engrossed in reading the book that wanted to finish it soon.
And ended the year with Penny Vincenzi's " Love in the Afternoon and other short stories". I have never read her books before and did not find the book very interesting. The short stories were very predictable and short of any twists.

 Watched " 12 Dates of Christmas " -  a romantic movie where the girl keeps reliving Christmas Eve 12 times and must break the cycle for her blind date.
Another one was " Cast Away" - A Tom Hanks movie - quite a depressing movie where he is stranded on an island for 4 years and comes back to find that her girlfriend is now married and has her own family.
This is the first time i bought Whats on TV - Holiday TV watching guide. I am so deprived of watching any Television or movies that this year i am quite keen to watch some good television.Top on my list to watch is " Downton Abbey" and "The Great British Bake Off."

Had a busy month in terms of Socialising.Attended Christmas Drinks with my ex - colleagues or golden oldies as they say. Also a Birthday Party of a 3 year old and ended the day with tea and some mince pies at a friends place.Christmas Day evening was spent with a family of four serving them  M&S Party food.Invited for lunch by a friend ( N and A ) at Langley.Just before the year ended i invited one of our friends for lunch who were visiting from Glasgow over holidays. I made Amritsari Chole , Delicate Korma with Apricots / Paneer Maalvani / Rice / Paneer and Pineapple Salad / served all with parathas and ended with tea and pistachio ice cream. New Year's Eve was spent with another set of friends and had such a pleasant time serving them Nachos with cheese / Mix Pakoras - Potato / Paneer / Cauliflower and Chillies/ Garlic Bread and Pizzas.

My son had a busy time over the month as well. Started with Christmas Fayre in school where he met Father Christmas and got presents. Took part in Christmas Raffle.We attended his first ever Christmas Concert. I don't think he was really into singing and was just interested in waving us.
His most busiest day was when he had Christmas lunch at school / Christmas party in his class/ School Disco and Christmas Party in his drama class.He also came to my office on Christmas Eve and got Face painting done.

The biggest high this month was that my son learnt to write his name - it was an amazing feeling to know that he is growing up and a first step of sorts for future.

Where and What i have been reading

I came across this post about bloggers sharing their local libraries and also what they are currently reading. I thought this would be interesting as i am also a part of a book club for the past few months and thanks to that     i have been able to read some good literature.The picture below is of my local library " Hornchurch Library". It is a shame that i have not been able to utilise my library as much as i should have.

The books i have read so far :-

• The Help by Kathryn Stockett
• Difficult Daughters by Manju Kapoor
• Home by Manju Kapoor
• Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer.

Hoping to read The To Do List by Mike Gayle,Married Women by Manju Kapoor and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseni.

News Bites

• Organised a lavish lunch for our friends from Wolverhampton. Made Daal Makhani,Baked Matar Paneer,Mix Vegetable Bhopali Syle,Moong Daal Pakoris ,Imli Vaale Aloo,Paneer with Spring Onions,Gobhi Masala, Mix veg Rice and Raita.
• Made a trip to Great Yarmouth - the seaside town over the Easter Weekend.Had lunch in " Prezzo" at Beccles.
• Books read - " The Happiness Project " by Gretchen Rubin, " The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society"
• Joined my local gym at the Hornchurch Sports Center.Attended Group exercise classes like Total Toning,Body Jive, Body Balance and Body Step. Also attended the Personal Training Session from a Personal Trainer for 35 mts.
• Aayush starts attending Georgie Porgy Preschool three days a week. He goes Monday afternoons and Thursday and Friday mornings. This alongside going to Creative Kids nursery Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
• Joined a local Reading Group at my Hornchurch Library.Atttended the first session but not the second one due to childcare issues.
• Nishka has completed all three of her Vaccinations and now atleast she is free for the next 8 months. Her next injections are due after her 1st Bday.
• Movies watched - "Life Express ","Dirty Picture ",Guzarish","Perfect Match","Everything Must Go " and "Ek Main Aur Ek Tu".

Little Things

• Finished reading "My Feudal Lord" by Tehmina Durrani and currently reading " Eat Prey Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert.


• Cooked an elaborate lunch for friends - made Dum Aloo Banarasi , Gobhi Kasoori , Paneer Makhani , Hyderabadi Subz Korma , Oriental Stir Fry and Angoori Raita with Parathas and Naan.


• Aayush started his swimming lessons every Saturday morning at our local leisure center.


• Bought various cookbooks by Tarla Dalal and Nita Mehta on my trip to India.


• Watched " Music & Lyrics " and " Serendipity " on recorded televison. Currently watching "Caroline Quentin - A Passage to India " on ITV.


• Witnessed a historic win for India in the Cricket World Cup.


• Recent meals cooked were "Nawabi Curry" ; Jamie Oliver's Spaghetti ; Rajma, Chocolate Fudge.

Sharm el-Sheikh

To begin with i never even heard that there is a place called Sharm el-Sheikh in this world.We wanted to go to a place for a week and my first choice was "Tenerife" but since we got to know that Tenerife will be much colder as compared to Sharm el-Sheikh we opted for latter.This was a holiday of lots of firsts in our lives... first time to Middle East;first time living in a beach resort;first time as a family with the little one;first time on a holiday with no plans to sight seeing anywhere.Also it was a bonus to go particularly at this time of the year as London was experiencing the worst Winter ever with freezing temperatures almost all of December.

• Aayush was an absolute angel on the flights.He slept most of the time and kept himself busy when he was awake.
• After a very very long time i visited Gym and did running and cycling for a hour everyday.
• We realised very soon that Aayush need a "Push Chair" and so Ashish went to Old Market Town and bought one.
• Again after ages i finished reading a book .."P.S.I love You " by Cecelia Ahern.
• Saw "Fantasia" - a very beautiful place to have dinner and watch belly dancing but of course since being with a kid we just did a quick round and went off.
• Ras Mohamed National Park was amazing.Blue skies and crystal clear water with no soul in sight.Since Snorkeling was banned due to shark attacks there was no one in the waters and that was a bonus.
• Had moreish Mexican Dinner and refreshing mocktail drinks at the hotel Aqua Bar and dinner at Acupulco Joe's.Lunch facing the Red Sea from our Hotel's Restaurant.
• Due to heavy snow in London our flight was cancelled and re-booked next day -Sunday.Apart from few hours delays we reached London Gatwick midnight amidst freezing temperatures of -11c.

Back to Work

After almost one year of maternity leave i am officially back to work!!! Its been a week already and it doesn't feel too bad. I do get exhausted by evening but i have quite a support at home at the moment so it is all right to manage.Aayush has taken the change very nicely and enjoys his time with his grandparents. In the meantime these are some of the few things i did before starting my full time job:-

• A Visit to V&A Museum on a rainy Sunday.
• For the first time i had the chance to Vote and i did exactly just that.
• Bollywood Movies seen -"Rajneeti" and "Housefull".
• Attended a "Real Food Festival " at Earls Court and had lunch at "Masala Zone".We bought some very fresh Mozzarella Cheese;Real Mexican Salsa,Shahi Masala Mix and Kadai Masala Mix.
• Aayush had his Mundan Ceremony and also we conducted a Satya Narayan Katha.Food made was Pooris,Chola,Imli Aloo,Shahi Paneer,Aloo Gobhi,Jeera Pulao,Masala Bhindi and Kheer.
• I passed my Driver Licence Exam in the first attempt.... with only 6 minor mistakes.
• Joined two Baby and Toddler Groups in my local area.I think it was a good decision as Aayush loves the place and also this has become a good ground for Nursery as this gives him exposure to different kids.
• Made two friends out of these Baby Groups - Vaijenta and Jyoti.
• Met my colleague for lunch at O2 and Thai Lunch of Vegetable Spring Rolls /Thai Green Curry with Rice.
• Purchased an I-Phone for myself and downloaded apps such as Pedometer/Use your Handwriting.
• Books finished reading - "The Gift " by Cecilia Ahern;"Motherhood" by Judy Reith;"Love Over Coffee" by Amrit N Shetty;"The Vine of Desire" by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.
• Saw "Merchants of Bollywood " at the Peacock Theatre.
• Tried loads of curries from Tarla Dalal "Desi Khana" - Ceylonese Curry;Cauliflower Curry;Mixed Vegetables-Patiala Style;Green Peas and Mushroom Curry;Tava Mushroom;Mughlai Aloo etc
• Also made Pineapple Cake from Manjula's Kitchen Blog;Kutchi Dabeli from Nupur's One Hot Stove;Spicy Chaat from Tarla Dalal's Desi Khana;Mexican Rice Casserole from Nupur's One Hot Stove;Black Eyed Peas Vadas from Mahanadi Blog;Singapore Noodles from Good Food Magazine;Mix Veg Risotto ;Vegetable Pasta Bake etc etc.
• Saw Shrek 3 D in my local Odeon Cinema and hated it.. The movie is too boring and doesn't capture my interest at all.
• Did some clothes shopping for myself --- a motivator before joining work..Bought Skirts/Tops and Formal Trousers from Marks and Spencer and John Lewis.

Hopefully things will be fine for the coming weeks and i will be able to strike a good balance between my work and home...

Return Home

It has been a month exactly that i came back from India and it feels as if i never went away.Days are filled with eating, going out and finding out ways to keep an 8 month old baby occupied.

• Lunch at Pizza Express with my Sister in Law and Niece.I had Nostrana Salad which had New Potatoes,Avocados,Red Pepper,Green Beans, Mixed Leaves,Parsley and a free range Egg with house dressing.I substituted Chicken with Mushrooms.
• Made a trip to Coram Fields which was on my list ever since i was pregnant and i was waiting for the day when i can take my baby there since the entry to the park is restricted to only people who are accompanied by kids.
• Browsed Bloomsbury area and had coffee and cake in Carluccio's.
• Aayush was due for his second photo session locally and so i took him there. He behaved nicely in the session and some very gorgeous pictures have come out.
• Whenever i see Aayush is getting all cranky being at home i take him out in his buggy and go for long walks in my area.He loves looking out and grasping everything around him and i get some much needed exercise.Sometimes it happens twice a day which really tires me up in the evening.
• I have been doing a lot of cooking in this past month.I made a colourful Mexican Rice Casserole,Cheese and Vegetable Muffins,Semolina and Bottle Gourd Pancakes,Vegetable Fajitas, and Kutchi Dabeli.I also dared to make Strawberries dipped in Chocolate and Fruits with White Chocolate.They didn't turn out the way as i expected them to be.
• I also had our friends Gaurav and Mughda for dinner one Saturday and i made Chana Paalak,Tawa Paneer,Salad,Boondi Raita,Vegetable Pulao and Fruit Cream for dessert.
• Movies watched this past month were :- "Housefull","The Proposal";"35 Shots of Rum" ; "Julie and Julia"and"An Education" from Blockbuster Rental.
• I finished reading Shobha Narayan's "Monsoon Diary"and "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown and "The Immigrant"by Manju Kapoor.
• For the very first time in my life i cast my vote. I never knew that i can vote in UK. I was under the impression that voting is reserved only for citizens but i was wrong.
• On a rainy Sunday we decided to visit V&A Museum.I would like to go there again when the museum will be a bit empty as it was too crowded that day.
• Browsing magazines such as Time Out (London),Prima,Country Walking,Living Etc,BBC Good Food,Good Housekeeping,Cook Vegetarian,Weight Watchers etc.
• On one of the weeknights i went out for Dinner with my Office Colleagues to a French Restaurant "One Lombard Street".We had a 5 Course Dinner Menu of Grilled Marinated Provencal Vegetables Pesto,Tapenade and Saffron Veloute (Starter),Spinach Risotto with Garlic and Nutmeg Nut Brown Butter ( Mains) and Bitter Chocolate Marquise Raspberry Coulis and Creme Chantilly (Dessert).

India Trip

Week 1

• Arrived in New Delhi with a crying 6 month old baby.Had to wait 45 mts just to get hold of my luggage.


• Overwhelmed by the number of people coming to help me right from Security Check at Heathrow to Delhi Airport.Excellent cabin crew of British Airways which i was least expecting them to be.


• Stayed with extended family for 2 days in Delhi.Had excellent Poori-Aloos for breakfast/Kulcha Chola for Lunch and Methi parathas for dinner (1st day).South Indian Lunch the next day followed by Aloo Parathas for dinner.


• Baby was a star on Monday on route to Nagpur. Air Hostess were all going gaga over him and wanted to cuddle him.


• Rested completely for 4 days at a stretch doing nothing except eating/pottering around the house and sleeping and then eating again.


• Baby has never seen and experienced such a crowd in his entire 6 months of life.He got super excited and wants to play all the time even when he is feeling sleepy.


• The only form of exercise i am doing is a 20 minute walk in the evenings.


• Getting myself a body massage every alternate day of the week.

Week 2

• Had the most spicy Vegetable Chowmein at Haldirams.For dessert i had Bengali Sandesh.. Again very yummy and very light.


• Organised family photographs and taking few of my childhood snaps with me to London.


• There are few friends of my mum visiting us to see baby in evenings.


• Eagerly waiting for my sister to come as she will be seeing baby for the first time.


• This week Aayush was introduced to lentils- We made Red Lentil Soup with Onions,Garlic and Carrots,Red Lentil Stew with Potatoes,Carrots and also some Khichdi.Some spices were also added like cumin and coriander powder.


• A very good Chinese Dinner of Vegetable Chow Mein,Fried Rice,Spring Rolls,Gobi and Mix veg Manchurian on a Saturday Night.


• Aayush has been cranky this week due to his teething.But Thankfully he is still sleeping through the night.

Week 3

• Drinking bottles of Neembu Pani.Very refreshing.


• Had Vegetable Cheese Sandwiches along with Sandesh at Haldirams.


• Bought myself four colourful traditional style kurtis from Pantaloons and Westside.


• Reading magazines like Filmfare,Femina,Good Housekeeping and Savvy.


• Dozing off in the hot summer afternoons with air conditioner in full blast.


• Aayush is teething for third tooth of his and therefore being cranky and unsettled.
  

Week 4

• Bought Good Homes and Better Interiors magazines.


• Had a lavish dinner buffet at Hotel Sun and Sand on a Sunday evening.

• Playing mindless game of Farmville with my sister whole day.


• Got myself a haircut in stylish Belezza Parlour.


• Read Chetan Bhagat's Two States in 2 days.


• Bought again some magazines like People,Better Homes and Gardens,Good Housekeeping and a Tarla Dalal Cookery mag.


• Had Chola Bhaturas from Haldiram along with Khandavi,Veg Patties, Pyaz ki Kachoris,Paav Bhaji and Paneer Kathi Roll.

Week 5

• Got myself a relaxing facial.


• Bought again some very nice Anarkali Suits from Westside


• Had dinner at Panchwati Thali with never ending dishes on my plate.

Visited Crossword Bookstore and bought myself "Indian Summer" by Pratima Mitchell,"Dollar Bahu"by Sudha Murty,"Such A Long Journey" by Rohinton Mistry,"P.S I love You" by Cecelia Ahern,"Bye Bye Blackbird" by Anita Desai,"Love Over Coffee" by Amrit Shetty,"Tales from Firozsha Bagh"by Rohinton Mistry.

• Invited over by one of my mom's friend for tea .. had onion pakoras. and chola bhaturas with paneer sabzi followed by Ras Malai.


• Aayush was extremely unsettled during the Indian Airlines flight to Delhi.Cried for half an hour and just made everyone jump from their seats.A gentleman helped me with my hand carry bag as well as waited for my luggage and pulled the trolley as well.Bless him.


• Chinese dinner again ... Tasted Momos,Chow mein and Fried Rice.

• My cousins came over for lunch on my last day in India.We had Chola Bhaturas,Fried Bhindi and Dahi Bharas followed by Vanilla Icecream.


• On the way back home to London Aayush was an angel and enjoyed playing with fellow passengers and air hostess.

Recent Notes

• Reading Biography on AR Rahman by Kamini Mathai.Extremely hard to believe the kind of person Rahman is.I wonder are there any people left in this world with billions in their bank accounts but live with no material desires.Also the kind of environment he works in its hard to imagine that how he survives it.
• Hosted a lavish lunch for our friends Nitin and Manu. I made Baked Matar Paneer/Sabz Paneer/Daal Makhani/Moong Daal Pakoris/Three Bean Salad/Fruit Salad/Mix Veg-Bhopali Style/Fruit Cream.It was a lunch for 6 adults/3 children and 2 babies.
• Visited my office to meet colleagues and to have a informal chat with my manager regarding my return to work and also to get some flexible working arrangement.
• Sorted all documentation and paper work for our residency in UK.It took us the whole of Sunday afternoon sorting bills and bank statements filing them in separate files.
• Made Brocolli and Bottle Gourd parathas for dinner on Friday evenings.
• Had a light hearted evening with Gaurav and Mughda on Valentines Day.Mughda prepared Rajma Curry and Paneer Sabzi along with Cucumber Raita.
• Made Paneer Kathi Roll and Thai Spiced Mushroom Soup inspired by Nupur 's One Hot Stove.
• Attended my first session of Physiotherapy at Holly house Hospital.I have been prescribed some pelvic floor muscles as usual to strengthen my lower stomach muscles which will ease my back pain.The physiotherapist said that my body is too mobile which is how my body is made up of. Due to my traumatic childbirth my pelvic muscles are weak and that needs to be strengthened.
• My subscription to Love Film came to end this week. I watched some very excellent movies which i wanted to watch from a long time.I watched Amelie(French)Maria Full of Grace(Spanish)Tokyo Sonata(Japanese).I also managed to watch Invictus and Its Complicated in cinema leaving baby with Ashish.
• Flipping through Rose Elliot 's cookbooks "Vegetarian Four Seasons" and Vegetarian Fast Food.Already tried Spicy Bean Chilli from the book so far.
• We have finalised for a new house to be completed in July/August this year. It is a 3 bedroom detached house .. all new built.I am not so excited for the house as i love living in my current home and just love this area.But maybe as Aayush is growing up we do need a bigger house than this and then it would all fit in.I am taking my time to warm up to new house so far. I am excited but cautious as this will also slightly longer commute and also now we have to also consider dropping and picking Aayush up before and after work.
• So despite the fact that i am not to keen to move - i am planning the new home already that how it will look and how i will decorate. We will have a modest garden to take care of and so i was thinking of planting some herbs and vegetables and definitely flowers.Off i went to my local library and issued myself some books to get a basic idea of how to start and maintain a garden.I am going through books like "First Time Gardener" By Jonathan Edwards ;"Vegetables for Small Garden" By Lynda Brown;"Harry Dodson's Practical Kitchen Garden"; and the best of all i liked "A Busy Person's Guide to the 20 Minute Garden" by Gill Page.I loved this book as this had step by step pictures on how to grow flowers and vegetables in a container.

Things that kept me going....

• I finally finished my pile of newspapers (London Evening Standard,City AM and Metro) which was pending for a very long time.I like to keep myself updated about what's happening in London therefore Ashish brings me these newspapers everyday.
• After almost 3 years i have started visiting my local library and got myself some cookbooks such as "Jamie's Ministry of Food","Rice and Noodles by Emma Lee","50 Great Sandwiches",and Women's Weekly Great Vegetarian Food".
• I make it a point to go out everyday with baby either to shop locally for grocery or library or for long walks.This helps me to get some fresh air and helps me to loose that extra weight.
• Been doing loads of cooking -Idly Sambhar for Sunday afternoon lunch,Vegan Aloo Dum ( Recipe taken from Nupur 's One Hot Stove),Chocolate Cake with Ganache,Pizzas with unusual toppings like Artichokes,Black olives with pesto sauce.
• Subscribed to Love Film and so watching movies almost everyday.. Seen so far "Mamma Mia","There will be Blood","Six Days Seven Nights","Guess Who's coming to Dinner","Miss Pettigrew Lives for a day".

Things done so far

• Life has been busy and not so busy for the past one month.I don't think so i will be able to write down each and every thing which i have done so far but will try..


• Weather has not been very helpful in London this month.. lots of snow with sub-zero temperatures.It was nice to see everything covered in snow for few days but when it stretched to more than a week it was frustrating to be sitting at home all day and night.So it was decided that as Ashish would come back from work i will be going out for a walk to get some fresh air and also to have some much needed me time.However since weather has improved i have started to take Aayush along with me for a walk around noon everyday.That helps me to get out of the house and do some serious walking for an hour.


• Since i was stuck at home for long periods of time i have done some serious cooking - tried recipes which were bookmarked for so long now.Tried Parsnip and Ginger soup for a very wintry evening .. It is the first time i bought Parsnip.. never tried this vegetable before.Ashish didn't like the soup very much but i think it was not too bad.Made use of Delia Smith book " Delia's how to cheat at cooking"by making two recipes from it. The book was bought long time ago ( maybe 2 yrs ago ) but never tried anything from it. I made Cracked potatoes with melting cheese and spring onions and Very garlicky chili pasta.Both the dishes came out fine and i will definitely try them again.


• This Christmas i bought a very simple and complete vegetarian cookbook by Vidhu Mittal " Pure and Simple -Homemade Indian Vegetarian Cuisine"It is exactly the kind of cookbook i was looking for .. all vegetarian and recipes which you can actually try with ingredients available in my kitchen pantry.I made Mushroom Cheese Toast which Ashish loved,Sago Cutlets,Daal Tarka which was a combination of Chana Daal/ Moong Daal and Laal Masoor,Beans with Baby corn,Baby corn and Capsicum,Mixed vegetables with Cottage Cheese...Phew that is lot of cooking.


• Reading has also been on my agenda all this time however i am unable to do any serious reading. Ashish brings me "Metro", "City AM" and "London Evening Standard " which i aim to read almost everyday but i can still see a huge pile in one corner which i have to finish.I am also reading magazines like "Psychologies","Real Simple","Olive" and "Delicious".


• I have started weaning Aayush for which i bought all his Weaning Bowls/spoons/ Bibs and very special Chico High Chair.He has been given Cow and Gate Pure Baby Rice with his 11 am feed.I am following Gina Ford book of Weaning for him and so far it is working out for me.I am going to introduce him to a variety of fruits and vegetables in the coming days like peers,carrots, apples ,sweet potato,courgette and cauliflower.So far his response has been excellent with it and i am noticing that his reflux has improved.


• Television watched - Loads of Food Network/Good Food and Home channels. Catching up on Indian Winter Season with documentary on Mumbai Slum- Dharavi with Kevin Mc Cloud.Also seeing Gordon's Great Escape with some amazing authentic recipes.


• On fitness front i am doing Wii Fit 30 mts a day almost 5 days a week.I am also trying to keep a tab on what i am eating .. I have a bowl of cereal for breakfast, soup for lunch and a proper Dinner of Chapati/Daal and vegetable along with it. I am trying to snack on raw veggies and fruits when i get those hunger pangs.But sometimes i do loose the motivation to do anything and just gorge on biscuits or namkeens.


• Above all i also managed to see 2 hindi movies past month.. Rocket Singh and 3 Idiots along with the baby.I was not prepared to watch movie with a baby but Ashish convinced me into it.. Aayush was angel in both the movies. I actually didn't feel at all that he was with us.I enjoyed both the movies and wish Hindi Cinema could make more of these substantial movies.

39 Weeks

• My parents arrived this week. This is the first time they have stepped outside India and i think we both were anxious for their trip.Everything went off smoothly.They are loving London and appreciating little things which we used to take it for granted.
• I am now tired of carrying the huge bump and want to get it over with as early as possible.
• Temperatures in London have gone really high touching 29C and that is not helping me either.
• Despite the rising temperatures and my rising bump i have been fairly active this week.Went to Cambridge for a day trip/ had lunch in Tiffin Bites/Took my parents to Westminster to see Houses of Parliament and Big Ben and also running around to finish errands.
• I was reading somewhere that women do experience the sudden spurt of energy before the onset of labour- i think i am experiencing that.
• Started reading the "The contended Little Baby Book " by Gina Ford.

36 Weeks

• I am now officially on Maternity Leave from work.Well officially it starts from 17Th August and before that i am availing my 3 weeks of holidays.
• Have completed my Antenatal Classes at King George. I made some friends in the class and have been in touch with them since then. Quite a few of them are due around the same date as mine.
• I am down with severe cold this week and didn't sleep for two nights in a row.A had taken off from work and has been nursing me and doing all the cooking and house work.
• Reading the controversial book "How Opal Mehta got kissed,got wild and got a life"by Kaavya Viswanathan.
• Packed my Hospital bag and Baby Bag.. still some bits and pieces to be finished.
• Movies watched this week -Ice Age 3D and Love Aaj Kal.
• My parents are coming on 14Th August - so looking forward for it.
  

30 Weeks

• Attended my first Parenting Workshop at the King George Hospital-The midwife discussed about stages of Labour/ Birth Plan/Pain relief available and various other things. I think it was helpful as it really if someone talks about these things in person. I knew quite a lot of stuff but i still learnt few things and was reassured on many topics.


• Baby is kicking extremely hard these days.. and nights. Sometimes i wake up in the middle of night and just cant go back to sleep after that.


• Currently reading "Ask a Midwife" by Catharine Parker-Litter and also while commuting " Interpreter of Maladies " by Jhumpa Lahiri.This is my second time reading this book. The last time the book was borrowed from my College Library.That time i didn't even knew the author name and just picked up the book as those days i was interested in reading short stories.


• These days i need rest after short periods as i can't over strain myself. If i do that i get such a bad body ache which goes out completely out of control.


• I had my 3D scan done last week at a private clinic in Docklands. It was amazing to see the baby's features so clearly on the screen. We got a DVD made of the whole session and bought one color photograph and two B&W images.Baby was not in a mood to be disturbed it seems and was sleeping i suppose..the person who was doing the scan said the baby is very "cheeky".


• Also visited Spitalfields Market and Brick Lane Market- it was interesting to see so many cuisines from all over the world gathered in one place.There was Ethiopian/ Macay/ Mauritian/Brazilian/Thai/Italian/ French/Spanish/Chinese/Japanese.. to name a few.I had vegetarian momos/Chow mien/ mango juice/ homemade lemonade.
  Also walked to Brick Lane market- and tasted the very famous Bagels from Beigel Bakery.The shop was so crowded and small.. We bought Cream Cheese bagels. They were fine .. definitely fresh but were not warm.