Playtime

It is interesting to watch Ash and Mira play their little adult games. Today they were pretending to be at the beach (venue: the kids' bedroom) letting the waves wash their feet. Mira is of course in charge, and tells Ash not to go too near the waters. Then they pretend to be hungry and wanting to snack. It is amazing how much they imitate us.
Much of last week, they were playing playschool/day care since Mira has been spending half a day at the day-care centre nearby while Ash is away at school. So all the soft toys in the cupboard - an elephant, a teddy, 2-3 dogs of different breeds, dolls, a monkey etc - were out and sitting happily on the sofa while their so-called parents and child minders (the roles keep interchanging) dropped them at the creche, fed them, took them to the loo and fetched them back home.
At other times, they are busy singing and dancing in front of the mirror, inspired by Idea Starsinger on Asianet. Mira of course tries some costume enhancements too, with my dupatta as sari or a shawl draped over her head.
For the real adults, life is no great fun of late. The nanny trail had to be terminated, after a week of listening to the agent's promise of sending a maid "tomorrow". The good thing was that V was able to make the Kerala trip just in time, and retrieve part of the advance we paid the Kottayam agency.
Our Naomi Campbell
Since Feb 24, we have a local, part-time nanny for the kids provided by my former landlady. Though the initial babysitting hours was 12-7 p.m., it had to be modified since her daughter and son-in-law didnt want her spending such long hours away from home (which is a kilometre from ours) as they needed her assistance to take care of their infant son. Her name is Nagamma or Naomi (she converted to Christianity some time back) and the quality of her work is very good. She is energetic and cheerful, and seems kind to the kids.
Right now, she is with with us for 2 hours in the morning before the children go to school - this month school works from 2-4.30 pm owing to the public exams for Class 10 and 12 - and two hours in the evening after the kids return from school and until we return home. A shaky arrangement as locals have a tendency not to be punctual or to go on leave at short notice - today she is away as her mother has reportedly met with a fatal accident in Kanchipuram. I dont know when she is going to be back or if she will be back at all. I just hope I can manage for a month till the kids depart to Kerala for their summer vacation a month from now.