New addition

Here is the latest picture on proud granddad's computer table (the place where he spends the max time)

A picture of elder brother with little sister
Haven't taken any new pictures. She has curly hair, which can't really be seen from the pictures.

Trying to roll over

A picture of proud Grandpa's desk now--

A video of Aditi (the latest addition to our fam) taken by her dad

Aditi Listening to Elliott Smith from Rohit Jacob on Vimeo.

Summer's over

Karan was with us for a large part of his holidays--with and without his parents. He came with us with no fuss from Chennai--( we made it there on the day his summer hols started and stayed a couple of days before coming away) and was good as gold on the train ride to Kottayam. But after a couple of days he started getting homesick, especially at night and would insist we call his mother now, even if it was midnight. But basically he had fun I think and bonded really closely with his beloved granddad. Granddad was his absolute slave, K absolutely had him wrapped around his little finger.
After his parents came we went to Kovalam for a short holiday and stayed at the Pappukutty beach Resort, which is a nice place--name notwithstanding--as it's right on the beach and has a swimming pool too. We had fun and K had a blast. Here is a video


and pictures of him in the hotel luggage cart..


and a classic one of him eating while asleep!

Easter Breakfast.

So ended 7 weeks of Lent. We had breakfast here for the family. Of course the standards were there--appam, stew and motta (egg) roast. I refused to have the usual Mt. Wardha fave--ethaca-appams. instead we had old-fashioned aval --like Ammachy used to make and ethacas steamed. I also bought pizza from the pizza place near here (see earlier post) with bacon &chicken salami.
I also made a fudge pie (recipe from my old faithful 'Joy of Cooking') adding a cookie crumb crust and of course there was coffee. At the end of it most people felt like stuffed pythons :-)
Surprisingly, it was last night, while I waited for the stew to cool down before refrigerating it, that the smell made me desperate to be over Lent. But this morning I didn't feel that irresistible urge to stuff myself with meat all that much.
I hope everyone had a good Easter.

appam--leavened rice bread,
ethaca--big Kerala bananas which are usually cooked before eating
ethaca-appams--banana fritters
aval--beaten rice flakes

Short Holiday

The Apps and I had been to Trivandrum yesterday for the 41st day of an aunt. After that we drove to Varkala and stayed where we stayed last visit--at Hindustan Beach Resort. We had a relaxed Sunday and got back today--Monday. On the way back we were directed to take another route back to the NH. That was good--the road was by the sea for quite a while and parts of the drive were really scenic therefore.
Some pictures.....