Stories from Matt.

The Blog Maybe Back

Sincere apologies to one and all. The stories dried up over Christmas and New Year. The main reason was the trip home, busy and exciting it was for all of us.

We’ve been back in India for about six weeks - how time flies - but the procrastinator gene is strong in your correspondent’s breed, and one can always find other, more domestic ways to occupy ones time.

Furniture Shopping is a thing that’s been happening.

We have found a new school for the children, which was an interesting experience.

The Paul George Global School is a very nice new elementary and pre-school, not too far from where we live. Of course it’s a private “international” school, so there was an application / selection process that we had to navigate. Fortunately we passed and the children have been deemed acceptable (perhaps this schools standards are not the highest??)

So we look forward to Ken and Mai going to “proper school” from this April.

Not as Expensive (or Exclusive ?) as it Looks.

I had planned to update every Monday, but already have fallen behind that simple bench mark. My excuse is I don’t want this to become a “What I did on my weekend” type blog (that’s what Fb and Instagram are for).

And very often, I actually don’t do anything of interest on the weekend anyway.

So, last weekend, we went to the “Red Fort” (Lal Quila in Hindi).

Guess how it Got Its Name…..

So named for the red sandstone construction material and the fact that it would have been a virtually impregnable fortress in the days before artillery.

Lal Quila is one of the most famous Indian heritage sites.

Very worth a visit, if you ever get a chance to come to India. We were impressed, despite the fact that, when we were there, about 80% of the structures were either shrouded in scaffolding, or had some other maintenance in progress upon them.

One would-be highlight, The royal bath-house, “Hammam”.

Reportedly adorned with very beautiful tile work on all surfaces of its interior.

Unfortunately the building itself is closed to the public, with no interior lighting and barred, grimy windows. A disappointment for bath lovers wishing to see some history.

My Best Shot of the Hammam Interior.

On a happier note, the three hundred and seventieth anniversary of the completion of the Red Fort construction - during the reign of Mughal Shah Jahan in 1648 - is coming up in May this year.

I suspect that all the current restoration works are taking place to that end, so maybe Lal Quila will be able to be seen in some of its former glory (or at least without the unsightly scaffolding), in months to come.

:)