Train to Kerala

My inlaws left yesterday night. It had been a great help having them around since m-i-l especially saw to it that the kids were fed and taken care of well. They left worried about how the maid would take care in our absence. The maid does other household chores - cooking and cleaning and stuff - well but she doesnt show much interest in babysitting. She utilises her spare time to read the Malayalam newspaper (I think she is a very slow reader going by the amount of time she spends on it, as if she were preparing for an exam), afternoon siesta, bath, TV and so on.

Mil had given her a tution about how to take care of the kids and keep them out of trouble (their inummerable fights and dangerous play, such as suffocating each other with a pillow) plus a generous tip (hopefully the latter will make her more enthu and sincere about her job).

Ash quickly bid his grandma goodbye at the railway station and clung to his dad for dear life. It was a good thing hence that we didnt try to send him away to Kerala with them or he would have created a big racket. It would have been easier if I had gone along to leave him in Kerala. Anyway the allergy tests and a couple more tests coming up made us decide against sending him in the first place. His face has cleared but I wonder if stopping the oral steroids will make things worse again. The lost hair and weight need to come back too. The itching hasnt stopped - the eyes still itch (he is on FML and Olopat drops for that) and so does some parts of his body.

On the eye doctor's instruction, we had taken him to the dermatologist at SMF before meeting his regular paediatrician last Saturday. She said she will coordinate with the pead and her professor, Dr. Patrick, and do the needful. She also advised light therapy for his skin - since Chennai is so dusty, the sun's ultraviolet rays cannot penetrate the atmosphere and do the needful for people's skin.

Coming back... when Ash saw two nuns in the train he pointed them out to V: "Look Appa, sister!" Then he added in fear: "Appa, sitter cool venda (no sister's school for me)." During his last stay with my parents, he was attending a convent school nearby and his playschool teacher was a pleasant-faced young nun.

The Chandanapally perunnal (our church festival) is on. Mom tells me that the raasa (procession) came towards our area first and so they got to see a really grand procession at 9.30 pm. Usually it come last to our area past midnight and by then most procesionists would have taken the shortcut to reach church and grab a good seat for the drama/musical concert afterwards.

Once upon a time, people from other parts of the district and elsewhere, descended on the homes of their Chandanapallian cousins to take part in the festivities. But now, most churches celebrate St. George's day in May, and people dont need to make the journey to Chandanapally. Still, a few faithful continue to make the journey every year.