DUCK! Diwali is coming

That's right, firecrackers and strings of lights EVERYWHERE in Delhi now. Only 2 days to go before the big night when we shall all no doubt choke on the smoke, if the week leading up to it is any indication. Seriously dodgy looking corrugated tin open fronted shacks are springing up all over town to sell fireworks, and right now in our garden a well dressed young man in very pointy shoes is up a ladder with yet more lights - the trees here are more bloody electric than environment at the moment.
After I last wrote I managed to get food poisoning (not from anything blue) and so spent 2 days existing on lemonade and a piece of toast. So I wasn't much fun. But I did enjoy the 2 good results in the Rugby and well done New Zealand for hanging on against the French - that was one tough match. Last night got a tandoori chicken home delivery (thanks Manish) which I had to stop myself from completely devouring in record time, and now feel much better.
Brave Sir Robin and the girls meanwhile have been testing my patience again. I got the call on Saturday morning that they wanted to have a dessert, and could I please send thru a steamed pudding recipe. None of them can cook, or even have a remote idea about batter etc, so I found the simplest recipe I could and sent it over 5 SMSs to them. Now, BSR is always telling me what a fantastic judge of space and volume he is, whereas I am apparently crap at it. The recipe called for 125g of flour, so I said 250g is one cup, 125g is therefore half a cup. Obvious really. Oh, and I must point out that to call them I usually tried for an hour or so nonstop before getting thru. If I was lucky. Anyway, finally late Saturday I got thru to them just as the pudding was coming out, oh we didn't get the quantities right says Robin because ..... we only had small cups....what a dick. He then engaged in conversation with everyone else for some time while I was shouting down the phone 'if you want to talk to them I will hang up and see you in Nepal next month!'. That got his attention....
Anyhoo, they are now heading via an unexpected route to Srinagar, which they should reach by next weekend all being well, though it is going to be very cold they have been assured that the crew this time around aren't a bunch of panzies. Hopefully. They sure don't make them tough like Nepalis here in India.
And coming up for my last weekend in town we have the inaugural India F1 Grand Prix which will not be as big a palaver as the CWG we hope. It has certainly affected the Delhi-ites driving abilities...
Neal and Rhonda seem to be getting very excited about getting to the 'du next Sunday - it will be great to catch up with them again. And to get some new clothes to replace my dead ones - thanks Iain and Trek & Travel!