Thoughts Opinions & Memories | But I Smile Anyway...

Of Brothers and Sisters #RakshaBandhan #HappyRahkri #SundayBlogShare

26 Aug 2018 94 Comments

by Ritu in Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Brother, Family, rakhri

Today is a pretty special day for us Indian sisters, blessed with brothers, and vice versa.
Today is a day brothers and sisters celebrate their special bond.
Initially, a Hindu festival called Raksha Bandhan, it then became more widely celebrated around India, and in the North, the Punjab, where my family hail from, it’s known as Rakhri or Rakhriya.

Rakhri is a word which means to look after, and on this day, sisters tie a special thread on their brother’s wrist, and brothers pledge to always be there and look after their sisters. Something sweet is then the exchanged, and usually, the brother gives his sister a small token to show his love.

Way back when, before all this women’s lib and equal rights, it was a woman’s job to be at home, and basically all her life was dependant on the males, be it her father, or husband, and she didn’t have many rights, so it stood to reason, that she needed someone, her brother, to be there for her, through thick and thin.

Nowadays there are all sorts of different enjoyments, and jokes attached. You see, it’s not only your brother that you tie one on, but your cousin brothers too. And male friends who you consider to be like brothers. So, if you don’t want a certain guy to bother you, then you tie a Rakhi on him and declare him your brother! Also, the brothers of today get bankrupt! Gifts are elaborate, for the real sisters, and add on all those cousins, handing out £10 notes (or more sometimes!), a brothers pocket is soon empty! Kerching!!! For the sisters anyway!
The threads themselves can range from small, plain, tasteful, to great big tinselled lovelies!

I spent a couple of hours last week writing letters to my brother and cousins, and for my Lil Princess, to her cousins, sending rakhis (tasteful ones, obviously!) to the four corners of the world, and for some special people who I consider brother like, there will be messages sent tomorrow. It’s not about the gifts or money for me. It’s keeping the connection alive. Like those who say days like Valentine’s Day are contrived, and that you should love your partner every day, I guess this could be the sibling equivalent. But for me, it’s just a special day to make it known again, that I love my brother, and cousins, and as much as I love and appreciate their protection, I have their backs too, I will be there for them, come rain or shine.
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This year, we may not be together, but our connection is just as strong. I know he will wear his rakhi with pride, and I also know that he is there for me always… Love you, my dear, dear brother!
And Lil Princess is so excited as her Rakhi has already winged its way over to her Finjabi cousin brothers, one who is celebrating his first rakhi too!

I will be tying a Rakhi on my brother-in-law, and Lil Princess will be able to enact the whole ceremony properly with Lil Man. Love days like today, they have to be nice to each other !!!! I know it’s only a few more years then they will really appreciate the sibling bond, but until then, one day of peace will be lovely!!!!!

So, to all those who celebrate, Happy Rakhri! Happy Raksha Bandhan!

And especially to my brother, my cousin brothers, and my special brotherly friends!!!

Have a wonderful day!!!

Spidey’s Serene Sunday – Part 184 – The End… or is it?

26 Aug 2018 38 Comments

by Ritu in #bloggers bash, Audio, Family, Spidey's Serene Sundays, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Ends and Beginnings, Quote, Serene, Spidey

“All good things must come to an end.”

Geoffrey Chaucer

Thanks, Spidey.

Indeed, things are wrapping up for us here now.

I go back to school in teacher mode on Thursday. Where did the holidays go?!

An emergency 10 days in Birmingham with Pops, which was a blessing too, as we had even more bonding time, 2 weeks of keeping the kids occupied, buying school uniforms and discovering the joys of the Wish shopping app (It’s great! Have you tried it?), and then a week away with my family.

And now it’s the last weekend, a long one, as it’s a bank holiday too, (got to name the uniforms!) then two days of tying up loose ends and then back to the grindstone.

But I’m happy.

Because though the holiday will be coming to an end, there will be the challenges of a new academic year, in a newly academised school, new young children and minds to fill with the wonders of the world of learning!

And Lil Man starts his journey to GCSE, whilst Lil Princess will be in her last year of primary too.

It’s a big year, bring it on!

Tell me, what new beginnings are you looking forward to? 😘

Have a peaceful Sunday Peeps ❤ And enjoy your week!

#SoCS August 25/18 – Notice

25 Aug 2018 52 Comments

by Ritu in #SoCS, Poems, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #StreamofConsciousnessSaturday, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, center parcs, Notice, Socs

Linda’s prompt for SoCS this week…

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “notice.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

We’ve just been on a little family break to Center Parcs, Woburn Forest, and it was wonderful!

Did you notice I’d been gone a little?

Plenty of activities (expensive, though!) to keep us all entertained.

It was small enough to not need bikes, but large enough that a good walk around would cause your legs to ache.

But amid all the physical activity and family fun, there was always going to be a need for technology.

Last time we went, to the Sherewood Forest one, the WiFi was noticeably absent, apart from the main activity centres. Though this was a little tough, it was good, as it meant that we were not constantly looking at phones, or on screens back at the lodge.

This time though, Center Parcs has upgraded, and WiFi is available everywhere, so the kids were very pleased, that they could stream things to watch via their phones and tablets, whilst mum ad dad watched boring things on the normal telly!

We arrived back yesterday, and Lil Man hesitantly told me he’d possibly left his glasses there.

Great!

I went through everything we had bought home, checked and rechecked empty bags and the car – no glasses.

And with school starting next week, this was not ideal.

I was so careful to look everywhere for left behind items too. Surely I would have noticed a green Specsavers case?

Called the resort today, and described the glasses and case. “Um, no madame, I was here yesterday and all morning today. Nothing has been handed in. We can do a security check on the lodge, but I can’t promise anything. I’ll call you back.”

Fine.

Great. We were going to have to get to the opticians asap then, to order some more for him.

Then the phone rang.

“It looks like we do have your glasses here, actually. They had been clumped together with another set of items!”

The glasses are pretty distinctive, so I knew they would be his.

Thank God! They are being posted back to us.

One less pre-school expense!

Catch ya later Peeps! Happy Saturday!

https://lindaghill.com/2018/08/24/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-aug-25-18/

August 23- Flash Fiction – Magic

25 Aug 2018 35 Comments

by Ritu in #CarrotRanch, Fiction, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #CarrotRanch, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Charli Mills, Flash Fiction, Magic

Charli’s prompt this week:

August 23, 2018, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that includes magic. It can be a supernatural force, a moment or idea, or use it as a verb. Go where the prompt leads.

Sleight Fright

“Think of a name.”
Deanna held her chosen name tightly in her mind and nodded.
“Think of an object related to that name.”
She self-consciously touched her wrist, where her watch was.
Except it wasn’t there.
Where was it? It was the only thing she had left of him.
“I believe you were thinking of Peter, and his black diver’s watch, am I right?”
The magician held out a watch.
Sleight of hand or magic, she didn’t know, but Deanna didn’t wait to find out. She rushed to the front, snatched the watch and rushed out of the building.

https://carrotranch.com/2018/08/24/august-23-flash-fiction-challenge/

#WritePhoto – Caught

25 Aug 2018 39 Comments

by Ritu in #WritePhoto, Blogging 101, Fiction, Poems, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #WritePhoto, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Caught, Flash Fiction

Sue’s #WritePhoto Prompt this week:

sun caught in trees

“Hello?”
Julie looked up. Where had that voice come from? She was sure no one else was in the forest with her. Settling back down, onto her log seat, she continued to read.
“Helloooo!!”
Again, Julie glanced up.
It would be just typical. She had finally found one place she could come to, to get away from the constant demands of motherhood, a refuge, where she could read in peace, and now she’d been found.
Still, there was no one there.
“Oh dahling, it’s not that easy to miss me! Up here!” The voice beckoned her to look upwards. Shielding her eyes from the sun, she allowed them to come into focus again.
“Oh do hurry up, I don’t have long! I have but a few minutes when the sun shines in the right place, with no clouds, to be able to see, and usually, there isn’t anyone around!”
Julie gasped as she realised what she was seeing.
There was a tree, a rather tall tree, waving at her, it seemed, ‘hip’ pushed to the side in a rather camp fashion, and the sun was blazing through a circular gap, as if caught, creating the illusion of a single eye.
“Oh, wonderful! You can see me!”
“Yo-you can talk?” Julie stammered. Her first instinct was to run away, but the eye was captivating.
“Well, of course I can. So can the others, It’s just I’m the only one who was blessed, or cursed, depending on how you look at it, with the ability to communicate with other species. All seeing eye, and all that, but the damned thing only works for the time the sun is in the right position to shine through my eye, so to speak.”
“Well I never….” This was like something out of the Magic Faraway Tree, her favourite ok as a child. She was half expecting to see a bunch of brownies and goblins appear at the branches.
“I know what you’re thinking, and it’s all a load of nonsense.”
“Pardon?”
“Fairy Folk. I mean come on, as if that could be a real thing! It’s bad enough having the animals constantly climbing up us, do you think we’d really welcome being hollowed out and lived in? Miniature people with wings, dear Lord, that would just be ridic-”
The voice cut off as the sun made it’s way through the sky, leaving the tree’s ‘eye-hole’.
Julie rubbed her eyes and looked up at the tree again. “Er, hello?”
No answer.
Had she imagined it? Who knows, but as she picked up her book and bag, and made to leave, she glanced back at the tree, and she could have sworn it waved at her.