Weekend of rain and fun in Pune

Somehow we pulled it off, in a matter of a few days, Sindhu and I booked our tickets and headed to Pune. It was so thrilling to see Teju, Nina and Anika after 2 years. Anika has grown so much and is no longer the quiet preschooler that I remember, it was so cute to see her obsess about the fate of a tiny flower she plucked in the garden. Nina has grown taller but she is as I remember her with her sophisticated vocabulary and all the drama she brings to her conversations. The girls got along famously. When I asked Sindhu what she liked best about the trip, it was getting drenched in the rain. Teju had booked a cottage in Lonavala at the Upper Deck resort which is a hillstation 1.5 hours out of Pune and Mumbai. We spent a relaxing weekend but it rained and rained and rained. The rain brought beauty to the landscape as it was green and lush whereas the hills are brown during the other seasons. The girls spent a couple of hours playing in the rain, something Sindhu had never done before so she was thrilled. Teju and I mostly talked and ate some great food. The best part was the special items they made on the tava in front of us for each meal, dosas and omelets for breakfast, delicious jalebis, and stir fried vegetables. Madhav joined us on Sunday and brought the sun with him so we were able to get in a small hike near the resort. Next weekend, we're off to Goa to experience more of the monsoon weather.

I finished reading Twilight on this trip and I must admit, I'm hooked, I'll probably pick up the next book in the series.

Prasad and Rushil had a ball without us. He took Rushil and his friend to see Ice Age 3, they had breakfast and lunch at my cousin's place and the highlight was that Mithun (my cousin) gave Rushil a ride on his motorcycle, I don't think his weekend could have been more perfect.

My mother had her own plans for the weekend, she went to Puttaparthi with her sister-in-laws and was able to see Sai Baba up close which is apparently quite rare. My Bhagyam athaya (my father's sister) came back with my mother to Bangalore and is spending a few days with us. It's been so nice to catch up with her.