tehmina.org

Following our delayed Spring, I was happy to see bluebells come up in our tiny garden. They all grew tall and handsome and I made a photographic study of some using a diopter (magnifying) lens. This close, the little lilac-blue flowers seemed angelically alive and some of the photos captured their blue haze (something like an aura perhaps). They reminded me of the association of the colour blue with heaven and also dreams. Also the colour of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s cloak and all that that beholds, so it is believed.

This is a map of the countries I have visited, apparently 5% of the world’s countries.

create your own visited countries map

I have been involved for a while, to a lesser or greater degree, in family history research but this is usually facilitating it for others. I have not really explored my own to any great depth. My blood family’s history (the Bhotes, originally from near Poona in India) has been transmitted to me in legend and story rather than through documentary sources. The trail ends up in undergrowth just beyond the boundaries of living memory.

My oldest remembered ancestor was a teacher and we have a portrait of him (not older than the latter quarter of the 19th century). When I reflect on the fragility of memory I feel needled. I need to talk to my grandmothers and remember what they tell me or it will be ‘lost’ - or rather the memories will never be created. I am now married and my adoptive family are the Goskars. There are not many left in the world and there are only two, my husband and his sister, who keep the (more…)

This was my mediocre sandwich for lunch just now. It was made by a catering company the university uses called ‘Daily Bread‘, apparently the Queen’s sandwich maker. Poor woman. While browsing the myriad ingredients that went to make up this sandwich I noticed, in 6 pt print,

Good luck England in the next round!!!

This is stranger than the Believe chocolate. The sandwich is definitely in date (4 July 2006) which warrants two observations. Either the sandwich makers are delluded and will still sit down to watch England in the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup even though the team was knocked out by Portugal on Saturday, or they made the sandwich some time before then.

I’m not sure what’s worse. Please tell me.