Monthly Archives: January 2012

Reviewing The Fleet

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Shipshape

And Bristol fashion.

Pictures of the fishing fleet at Thoppumpady, taken from the “English bridge“.

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*The phrase “shipshape and Bristol fashion” in today’s form has been recorded as early as 1840 (“shipshape” alone being about 200 years older).
The term developed most likely in view of the English port of Bristol which had (before the Floating Harbour was constructed) a very high tidal range of 13 metres (43 ft), the second highest in the world. Ships moored in this area would be aground at low tide and, because of their keels, would fall to one side. If everything was not stowed away tidily, or tied down, the results were chaotic and cargo could be spoiled.

(*From Wiktionary)

Punting With Poise

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Our lazy afternoon drift along the backwaters showcased various schools of punting:

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Power, comedy and effortless grace.
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Pictures of Jaimon, Anu and Robin, punting on the Chellanam backwaters, Kerala.

The Lotus-Eaters

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“Branches they bore of that enchanted stem,
Laden with flower and fruit, whereof they gave
To each, but whoso did receive of them
And taste, to him the gushing of the wave
Far far away did seem to mourn and rave
On alien shores..”

From The Lotos-Eaters, Alfred Lord Tennyson, 1832.

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Picture of edible lotus roots being collected, taken on a visit to the Chellanam backwaters, Kerala.

Factory Acts

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Scenes from a rubber factory in the Koottickal hills, Kerala.

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The pungent tang of latex, combined with dramatic contrasts of light and shade, made our visit strangely powerful.
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Autumnal Variations

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There is, of course, no autumn in the tropics,
nor spring, nor winter too.

Here on the Malabar coast, our temperatures vary very little between January and July.
What marks Kerala’s tropical seasons are the monsoon rains.

But deciduous trees must still drop their leaves.
They may fall individually, while the tree remains dressed in full and lustrous foliage.
Or occasionally, a tree will capriciously display its entire autumn wardrobe,
to stand alone in wistful copper tones, against the sea of vibrant greens.

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Photographs all taken in Kerala: the first two pictures shot in the Koottickal foothills of the Western Ghats; the last, a discarded coconut palm “leaf skeleton”, from the Chellanam backwaters.

Old Spice

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Inside one of the many spice shops of Broadway, Cochin:

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The amazing blends of sweet, tangy aromas were quite intoxicating.
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A Returning

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We have returned:
to workmen refurbishing the doors and wood panelling;
to stained glass windows, mask-taped and newspapered;
to fine coatings of wood-dust on floors and on furniture.

To Dalila and Shaji: their cooking and caring;
to the familiar;
to comfort;
to home.
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Away In The Hills

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I am taking it easy in Koottickal.
Friends from England are visiting and we have taken to the hills.

Anu, my houseboy, accompanies us:
There is much to be said for finding one’s bag unpacked and clothes neatly hanging, just five minutes after arriving at a new destination!

And now I sit looking out across the verandah, while my friends stroll through local rubber plantations.
The musical sounds of gently-spoken, Malayalam chatter trickle down from the tree-house, where Anu and our driver, Solly, relax and enjoy the views.

All is well.
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