Chai And A Chat #44 #ChaiAndAChat

05 Aug 2019 48 Comments

by Ritu in Chai and a Chat Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Well hello again, Peeps! Monday flies around so fast!

  • If we were sipping chai together I’d say I am sitting at home, enjoying my Monday, for a change!
  • If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that I actually spent every weekday of last week in school! Yes. There was so much to do. Some the kids could help, some I just needed peace to do. But aside from the one piece of furniture I am waiting, for, a cupboard, I think everything has been done. I have some posters at home that I want to put up, and a couple more soft toys for the Reading Area, but I think I’m done! This is my little star chart for the class, which I hope they will enjoy trying to fill for a class treat!
  • If we were sipping chai together I know you would be pestering me for details of the new book corner… well, here it is! My Winnie The Pooh themed reading area! Let me know what you think!
  • If we were sipping chai together I’d say that for the best part of the week, school took over, but I did take the kids out to Bluewater for lunch, and started a bit of uniform shopping for Lil Princess, who starts secondary school soon enough! Eeeek! We had a lovely Nando’s meal, and I took advantage of the Paperchase teachers discount as well, finding some supersize Post It notes for my desk!
  • If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that the weekend was peaceful. Lil Man and I went to pick up his new bike on the Friday, which he has been saving up for, and he wanted to be able to ride it around, so the whole family walked down to the prom, where Hubby Dearest and I had lunch (don’t worry, the kids had eaten at home, I didn’t leave them starving!) while the kids rode their bikes. The children enjoyed a little stone skimming action and then we walked home, and had a very chilled out day, reading and cooking dinner.
  • If we were sipping chai together I’d let you know that Sunday was a cricket day for Lil Man, a whole day of inter-club tournament matches, while I got cleaning done, and the shopping, because, finally, Hubby Dearest can drive!!!!! Lil Princess and I joined them in the afternoon, in time to watch the final match, in which Lil Man’s team were playing. They didn’t win, only lost by 7 runs, but he bowled amazingly, and considering it was a mixed team, from 11 up to adult, he did himself proud. There was lots of back slapping and well dones to him too as he got a wicket. And he got to show his Dhol playing skills there too, as someone brought a drum out, not really being able to play… whereas my boy can PLAY!
  • If we were sipping chai together I’d say that I have actually been pretty good with my #RiNoEdMo personal challenge too. I have edited a good few chapters, reworked my chapters and introduced a little extra twist! The only day I didn’t edit was Sunday, as I ended up with a tiredness induced headache. I hadn’t slept much on Saturday night, because I wasn’t tired, and them morning came too soon!
  • If we were sipping chai together I’d have to mention that Lil Man has discovered Reggae! It is quite funny hearing him listening to Bob Marley, or UB40 (I kid you not) in the shower! But I get to sing along with it, because I do love a bit of Reggae!
  • If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d tell you that today, Hubby Dearest is facing his first long drive in 4 months, with his first day back in the office. I know he’s a little nervous, but I’m sure he’ll be fine!
  • If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies as I mentioned before, I am not planning on going into school again until maybe the end of the holidays, unless a call comes to tell me that the cupboard has arrived, in which case, I’ll be there in a flash, to get that last bit of my room set up!
  • If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d excitedly say that I am going to Brum! It’s only a quick visit, as we have a function there for my cousin’s grandson’s first birthday, but a great excuse to go and see Pops for a couple of days, before he joins Mum in Helsinki! That there might just be my summer holiday!

Let me how your week has been!

The soundtrack to my life…

01 Mar 2015 5 Comments

by Ritu in Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

So true...

So true…

Music…

It’s played a huge role in my life, both growing up, and in my adult years.

Music and dancing.

Music for pleasure, music for prayer, music for learning, music for my soul… music for all times in my life.

Growing up, I was surrounded by music.  Both my parents love to listen to music, and I had a real eclectic mix of old Hindi, Bollywood music, that they both loved, Bhangra music which my Precious Pops loved to sing along, and dance to, and a real mix of 60’s music that my mum had crown up with in her English boarding school, in Kenya, and when she had been in the UK at university.

Couple that with some Kenyan, Swahili tunes, and I was always going to have a true mish mash of genres that I would generally like.  My parents had these old cassette tapes that had been recorded for them before they left Kenya, to come here, with great golden oldies from the Bollywood era.

A beautiful Bollywood love song from the 70’s!

And bhangra bands were fast popping up all over the place, but the Midlands, where I grew up, was a true hotspot! And as my Pops was an avid dancer, he would keep up with all the latest tunes!

A classic Bhangra tune!

Going through school, I grew up with the 80’s and 90’s pop, which all my friends listened to.  I remember some of my friends deciding The Beatles were the best thing since sliced bread then, so I acquainted myself with all their songs, and mum could have a good old bop around to them with me too!

As my cousins got married, the traditional music became fascinating to me too. so as a result, some of my cousins and me, we got together, and learned these songs and dances, and I can proudly say, I could perform at a wedding mehndi ceremony, with a full understanding of the lyrics and the dances that go with the songs too!

That's me, singing!

That’s me, singing!

Going to university, my love of music grew more. I was still as much into Bollywood as before, I pride myself on my knowledge of the old classics, singing them frequently! And the same goes for Bhangra, and Pop music.  I loved the old Cheese that was played at the student nights in the clubs, and I was introduced to R’n’B, Soul, Hip Hop, Swing, Reggae and Ragga.

It was the THING for most Indian students to like this type of music, and most of the club nights with this type of music would be packed to the rafters with Indian students.  I loved it!   I hadn’t even been a clubber before University, but this was great! My 2 loves coming together! Music and dance! Oh I could ‘boggle’, ‘wind’ and ‘butterfly’ with the best, alongside ‘changing the lightbulbs’ to the bhangra, and ‘heaving my chest an wiggling hips suggestively’ to the Bollywood! and of course, jump around like a loon to the pop and cheese too! I forgot to mention, after a college trip to the US, I even got to know a few country songs, and tried my hand at line dancing!

I’ve loved all these music genres for my entertainment, and pleasure, and as I;ve grown older, I’ve also increased my listening of spritual Sikh hymns, finding amazing Raagis, and singers who keep the love of religious music current, so eve my kids sing along, and love it too!

Manika Kaur, simply beautiful.

And as my own children are growing up, I have attempted to introduce each of these genres into their lives.  In Hubby Dearest’s car, there is usually Bhangra blaring out at top volume. In mine you might have the greatest hits of the 60’s one day, a religions CD next and some hip hop after! Eclectic, I told you!  But I want them to have a rounded knowledge of all music, and now, as they are getting older, they decide, be it One Direction, or Will-I-am, or whatever they want, alongside mummy’s cd’s, because they like it!

What music did you grow up with?

My interactive peeps!

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