Public holiday!!!

Today was a holiday and the first time that we have actually taken the day off from the normal things we are doing. I decided to take a walk around our compound and take some shots of the various fruit growing while DC went to experiment making a rocket stove. Some of the dorms here heat their water by lighting a fire indoors and pouring water into a metal basin. They then scoop it into a bucket for a warm wash. The problem has been that in one dorm the fire is not working well and the dorm is filling with smoke. David is working on an energy efficient and lower smoke method. Once this has been perfected he will transfer the idea indoors. It was fun to watch them at work and even more fun to come back later and see many of the children.... ours and from the home... trying to make their own outdoor stoves. Here's some pics from the day but I do not yet have the ones of all the kids making their own stoves. I will post those later. I have just finished my cup of coffee from water boiled on the stove. Fun.
I have also included a couple of random shots and a couple of our girls experimenting with film makeup on the boys.

 
Private song time, lovely.

The rocket stove in action

Frying an egg on top.

Worked really well.

Water for my cuppa.

Some girls helping me pick some lemons, feel the urge for lemon mirangue pie. Mmmm

Lemons

Milk

I love this.... this girls needs a stage, she's a born actress.

Look at that go!!! What can I say.... My hubby is amazing.

Chikku

Banana's newly planted.

The banana plantation. It also goes back past the trees.

Drum stick... a vegetable eaten here.

Mango tree.

Figs.

Guava.

Tamarind.

Custard apple.

The film makeup.

Leisure time.

More film makeup on son 1 leg.

The days go by

I am slowing down in pace as my belly expands but I am still managing to get on and off the scooter. Bubs is growing way too well and seems to think it's athletic season. I am now almost 31 weeks pregnant.
I received a lovely parcel today in the post from some friends in Delhi, it contained some very cute new born baby clothes and a wrap, plus, a bit of money to spend on baby things. I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning opening it up.

The last couple of weeks have been busy with guests visiting the home and school, this equates to lots of tea making and sometimes to two lots of tea being made if there is a mix of Indian and western people. The westerners like their big cups of tea while the Indian guys prefer the small cups of sweet chai made with boiled milk. I think I am now getting it down to a fine art. DC has been involved in many meetings sorting out various things around the home and school in regards to computers, power back ups and numerous other things, not to mention him taking devotions for the older girls a couple of nights a week and then facilitating an informal fellowship in English on Sunday for those that want to join us. We are keeping busy with teaching, keeping the accounts and general maintenance type stuff. Kids come and go throughout the day and staff come to us when payments are needing to be made. We endeavour to encourage and train the staff to their best potential. They are a great bunch of people and we can really see change taking place. It's very peaceful where we are and I do love it. It's kind of a slow busy if that makes any sense what so ever.

DC went with the our girls to Mysore during the week to look at a school that he may help out with a bit and I took the boys to watch some of the girls from the Home play in a volleyball tournament. It was a long hot day for me answering many of the same questions by about a thousand people but it was worth it to see the girls playing. 

Both ours and the homes washing machine had broken down for different reasons and with guests staying this means lots of bedding to wash. We managed though and at least our one is back in action. It's our microwave/convection oven that has now given up on us. Hurray for gas stoves that never fail us even in power cuts.

So every now and then when I think ahead to Feb and us returning to renew our visas, I wonder how it is all going to work out. Things have always worked out and it's great to look back on but there always remains the question of how will it work out this time. We have everything we need here in India to live on and have been very blessed with the house we have been given rent free and we really appreciate our friends back in NZ that have given to help us financially, we could not be doing this with out them, but we do not have any savings for flights to return to NZ and get back again. Once again we rely on God and wait to watch how things unfold before us. I feel at peace about it all and am just focusing on baby arriving first and then being able to share an amazing story in a few months of how God provided.

 30 weeks pregnant

 Weeding day out front of our house

 DC taking the boys out for some masala Chat

 Meeting in Mysore

 Volleyball tournamant

Birthdays

Another birthday rush has now come and gone with four of our kids celebrating another year gone within 2.5 weeks of each other. Things were pretty low key this year, and no parties but we did celebrate as a family and there are enough kids in the family to play a few party games for the little ones. The older girls were amazing at arranging a treasure hunt for Son 1. They made a treasure map burned around the edges and dressed the boys as pirates. They never do anything on a small scale. I also made four chocolate cakes that we could share with the girls from the home. Son 2 got an afternoon of fun games. For Daughter 1 we went to an amusement park called Wonderla, it was really for all the birthday kids. I was a bit restricted in getting on rides but it was great to see the family having fun with their Dad. One of the English volunteers also came with us and was not too keen on the ride so we were able to sit, chat and watch.

So we now have 8 weeks till the next birthday and another 11 weeks until baby is due, although knowing me it will only be another 9 or 10 weeks. I have been picking up little bits and pieces along the way and I feel quite ready for this baby. I think I have all the basic needs apart from a bit more clothing that my mum will bring when she and my Dad come over. It will be so nice to have them here for 3 weeks. I am going to really miss the kicks and prods of pregnancy. There is something that has been comforting and familiar in them. It's funny but it makes me feel like me. After all I have been pregnant for about 6 years of our married life and although we did not expect to be able to have another baby I am so happy we are.

The tears

The beginning of this week has been full of emotion. Happy, sad, mad..... mixed pregnant emotions that are exaggerated by hormones. It's one thing I do not not like about pregnancy. I am usually an even keeled sort of person with a pretty stable emotional balance but when I am getting late in pregnancy I can cry like a baby.

We eat our evening meal four nights a week down with all the kids at the girls home. Three out of the four nights are vegetarian and one night is beef (apparently it is either oxen or buffalo). So tonight we went for our first meal of the week. I help serve up from a bench that is the serving height for someone half my height. I am like a giant here. The meal consisted of ragi ball, rice, ladies finger and two types of daal. I think my baby is growing far to well on this healthy diet.

After serving I sat down to eat my meal.  One of the little 4 year olds who comes to my English class in the afternoons got a phone call from her mother. Little tears began to well in her eyes and then drip down her cheeks. Ah man, don't let a pregnant woman see this.... I had to look away and blink blink blink. It broke my heart to see the bitter sweetness of a small child who was so happy to hear from her mother but also so sad not to be with her. It just makes you want to hold and cuddle them.
Most of the girls here come from poor families that just can't afford to keep their kids or dysfunctional families. Some have only one parent and a few are true orphans. A month or so ago another little 9 year olds father died. The sad thing was that she did not appear to be affected at all by it. Her dad drank too much and beat her mother and perhaps her too. Sadly I think it may have been a relief that her dad was gone. Tragic.

I went to the wedding of a young girl from the home last week. She has grown up in the home and left from the home for marriage. It was an arranged marriage by her mother to a boy from the local church. She was 20 years old and he seems like a nice guy. She looked so scared the poor girl but the wedding went well. Some are sad she did not finish her college training. I see marriage and  being a good wife and raising a family as just as important and not to be belittled. I pray they have a wonderful life together as she is a gem of a girl.

Son number 3 managed to slip in the shower and cut just above his eye. It kind of looked like a boxers split. I am so pleased we have found a hospital we can trust as he did require stitches. Yesterday the stitch came out and he's been a box of birds throughout the whole time.

DC has had some great contacts made with some local guys. It's exciting to see what will come of it. They are keen to see some staff training in IT. One guy is from Mysore and has invited him to come down and see his school. It seems he has a very different school than the norm here and is trying to regain the creative side of things back in the children. Another guy came from Ireland and he and  DCare going to work together to train staff here where we are. We shall wait and see how it all unfolds.

27 weeks and final trimester

Things are still going nicely for my pregnancy. I am about to have a check up next week.
I decided to do a comparative look at my belly at the same stage for the last 3 pregnancies starting with son 2 then son 3 and then the current bubs. This is really for my own curiosity, it's probably not at all interesting to anyone else. Here's week 27.......