Jim Cameron: An artist who surprised me

#Art, Profiles, , ,

At Dalmally on my second trip, I met a few others who were also having a quiet stay at the Lodge. Among them , Jim’s sense of humour was very interesting. In relating a joke, he would appear to be serious.
He was immersed in painting sceneries with an array of water colours .
My curiosity led me to peek into his work .
“Jim your paintings are wonderful. ” said I, thinking it was his hobby . This was more than that.

His talent in art progressed from high school to his work life.
Even though he was in an engineering company he joined night classes in art, 6 days a week.
At this stage, he could draw faces from memory.
He met Jean who worked in the company office and eventually married her.
Their interest in drama and singing, led them to join a drama and dancing club. Soon they participated in public performances.


He later joined the railways .
With the arrival of their son Mark they moved from Glasgow to Arbroath . He honed his skill, specially in drawing profiles and was greatly encouraged by a renowned artist.


Since there was less time for art and drama he moved to Elgin. Here he began painting sceneries.
The time of Covid was a blessing in disguise. He began an art class called
Cant,draw,want to draw .
Currently he has 29 students.


An interesting part of his life is his spiritual life .
“Jim you are a hard wire” said his pastor meaning his closeness to God through knowledge of the bible.
He was a regular church goer. He drew pictures of the children’s Bible when young.
He always thought God was too busy.
But his life changed when he heard the Word from Isaiah 49:13
‘ I have carved you in the palm of my hand’
at a charismatic prayer group on invitation from his catholic wife. He thus became Catholic from being a Protestant.


What brought us to Craig Lodge ?
It is the peace and quiet; a time of prayer and just to have a break from the busy city life.
For Jim , the opportunity to paint sceneries was an added bonus .
At the end I saw him paint the Kilchurn castle, which he had visited during this time.
The biggest surprise was when I was told that
‘Jim is an amazing cartoonist’
Here are some of his past works. You will understand why I liked his sense of humour

‘No Mobile Usage’ Once a Week

Uncategorized, , , ,

Have you noticed people walking past you on the street, looking at their mobiles.

I’ve had the experience of nearly hitting against a pole on the pavement while following the google map.

Even when one is in conversation with friends, the moment there is a tinkle on the phone, the person will actually attend to it.

Young people experience cyber bullying.

This is a new type of addiction which is very difficult to control.

Less time is devoted to things that really matter. But we will not go into the benefits of the use of mobiles here. I only recommend keeping the mobile away for a day in the week.

You’ll be surprised as to the change happening. There is better communication between family members. Discussions happen without being interrupted by the ring of a mobile.

Just try it !

What would you change about modern society?

Fun with my grandson

Profiles, ,

This was a time when I went for babysitting, or should I say , little boy sitting .

Daniel is young boy of 5years waiting to reach 6years. He got me to play a board game , which he did not know the rules. As instructions were lost , neither did I know the game. So we innovated our type of game with it . We had two men on the board and cards on the side. You rolled the dice which was coloured in different sides and you moved the man to the colour shown . Cards were on the side . As each one took a card you had to act it out.

On another occasion , he was in the midst of drawing randomly .

I asked him to draw my face . I was amazed at the result . It seemed to resemble me a bit. On his own he then drew my wife’s face from memory which also looked good . They were like caricatures of us .

He is very fond of us , his grandparents, specially his ‘Avo’ his grandmother.

On his visits to our place , he has literally adopted one of the couches . He loves jumping on it like a trampoline. When his parents and siblings join us , he makes quite a fuss if others sit on this couch .

His favourite snacks are biscuits , homemade chocolate buns and Chappaties. Other than that he gives a lot of trouble to eat anything else.

He is very fond of football and loves to score goals with his left foot. He supports Celtic like his father and Liverpool because of me.

I’ve grown to love him a lot . I often wonder how his relationship will be when he grows up. Surely it will change.

Daniel loves watching ‘Mario’ episodes and star wars on tv

However, I will always treasure these memories of my’ Daniel boy’.

A Dream of Perth

Sight Seeing, Travel, , , ,

What countries do you want to visit?

This is a promise, I had made to my wife rather a dream, before we were married. Till date it has not been fulfilled.

After we married we travelled to many other countries, but I still tease her about Perth.

A Silver wedding has gone by, where we chose to tour Spain and Portugal.

Now I hope before Silver turns to Gold we can visit Gold Coast.

Its Gold beaches stretch a long way. Besides the name being attractive it seems a famous tourist spot.

But what about Perth ?

To match that, in the ensuing years, we had the birth of 4 lovely children who have now grown and have families of their own .

We are now in Glasgow, and can visit London and Dubai, thanks to our children.

So whatabout Perth ?

I just checked to see its attractions. There are beautiful natural parks, wild Dolphins and reefs off the coast. Then wineries and restaurants with gourmet food, and cultural events.

Frankly, I did not know much about Perth until now, when I read a little about it.

I thought of Perth, when planning for our honeymoon only as a wild thought as I teased my beloved, knowing at that point of time it was beyond our means.

Eventually where was our honeymoon?

It was in Mussorie; which is a beautiful hill station in India.

An Encounter

Athletics, Profiles, Sport, Uncategorized, , , ,

Jermaine Shand

Jermaine hails from Jamaica.

He was an athlete until university.

His forte was sprints and he excelled in100m and 200m

In due time he was spotted by his coach who saw a potential talent of coaching in him

So he introduced him to learn coaching.

Then Jermaine moved into coaching a school team and then joined the national coaching team in Jamaica.

A few young athletes from India travelled to Jamaica to improve their style of running their specific event. There they met Jermaine and invited him to continue training them in India.

Subsequently he travelled to India and is now coaching budding athletes.

One of his pupils, Aryana Kadam, is a national gold medalist of India in the 200m

I was watching Aryana Kadam during the training of his athletes

They had multiple excercises for building up their bodies for athletics besides actual running

He says “it’s not only running , but also looking after and development of the bodies . In a week I give them two days only for the excercises, and remaining days for running .”

His athletes have a good style for running . They specialise in the sprints .

I asked him “why do only a few Indian athletes win at the International level ?”

“It’s because they train only to win medals initially without an overall development as I recommend . As a result they fade away when it really matters . It’s not only training to win against other international athletes but to strive to do even better every time, against stronger and faster athletes .

He has been training Aryana from the age of 12 years . He has now grown up to be a strong athletes. He has competed at an international meet in France .

He recommends “ as youngsters being trained for athletics, they need to be nurtured until they grow up and continue to develop.”

Sponsorship for such athletes goes a long way .

Let’s hope there are more coaches like Jermaine to take our young athletes to the next level.

The Sun’s Rise and Fall

#Nature, Poem, Travels in verse, ,

At the break of day
As the sun rises
It gives hope and courage
And as it sets
Can it be the same

Or , is there a difference.
with the sunset you see ;
If sunrise offers renewal
Then sunset offers rest
Both needed for life

The sky with shades of grey
graduates into a range of colours
While it peeps at dawn
and in golden hues
dips at sunset

Oh life , what would you be
If brother sun is absent
Have I counted the
Reveilles and Retreats,
And taps at the end of day

How little I heed
sun’s rise and fall
On travels by train or plane
On holidays by the sea
Or just on a drive

Until I suddenly see your beauty
and try to hold it still in a picture !

Our Coconut Man

Health, Life, ,

Here is our Coconut Man :

At mid morning he will do the rounds of our quaint village as he calls out

‘Nari….i…..Yaaal .( Nariyal which means coconut in Hindi)

If he misses out on his regular customers , another hawker also selling coconuts will take a round . Obviously there is competition between the two of them to get more business.

Our man is very pleasant . He actually posed for these pictures .

He offers you a choice of coconuts; either the ‘malai’ one i.e with more coconut flesh and less water or the ‘pani’ one i.e more of coconut water.

He carries a sharp knife which can even slice off someone’s neck. Ha, ha …

With a swipe or two, he proceeds to cut a small piece at the top of the coconut and with that piece he uses it to scrape off the ‘malai’ (from inside), which is delicious to eat and pours out the coconut water into your vessel . He can pour it out even into a plastic sachet he carries.

This is my favourite mid morning drink

I was away for a long time and wondered whether he would still be on his coconut rounds when I returned .

Yes he was …..and he gave me a huge smile. Instead of giving me a welcome drink , he had increased his price to Rs 70/- ………After reminding him that I was his old and faithful customer, he did reduce his price to Rs 60/-

I will always look forward to our ‘coconut man’ .

Coconut water is a good alternative for those who are lactose intolerant. It is hydrating, low in calories and rich in potassium which is an essential electrolyte .

The flesh of coconut is rich in antioxidants, has powerful antibacterial properties, and may support better blood sugar control.

It is a source of many minerals . Its fibre content helps in gut health .

So coconut is good for heart health , weight loss and digestion . However because it is high in calories and saturated fats , it needs to be eaten in moderation.

So , cheers to you when in India, for the sweet coconut water, and the rich ‘malai’.

Uncategorized, ,

The Postbox

The Out-standing Postbox

The good old postbox .

When was the last letter you posted ?

I remember we had to note the time for clearance so we could ensure that the letter posted would be cleared in time.

There would also be a different postbox for faster delivery of any mail. ( Green in colour).

When one posts a letter you had to ensure a correct value of stamp was stuck onto the envelope .

The postman cleared the postbox at the designated time and then mail was sorted to be sent to the respective destinations.

Most often the local letters were posted in the postbox .

Foreign mail would be weighed at the counter and appropriate stamp stuck and handed over to the clerk .

These were sent by airmail.

To save on the cost of foreign mail , one could send letters by sea .

This is a big difference to the current way of communication. We would send Christmas cards at least over a month before the 25th December. However post by sea mail could take even two months and it’s not surprising that greeting cards would reach even after Christmas.

During the early years , there were inland letters and foreign letters (aerogramme) which had already been stamped for use. Even earlier were the self stamped cards.

Now most people prefer sending greetings by WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram or on the email. This communication is instantaneous. No paper is involved .

Do you prefer the card or a greeting on the internet ? Which is more personalised?

Technology has improved in leaps and bounds

So where is our postbox now ?

It has become an antique, and beautifully coloured in red; a treasure for our memories.

Bun Maska and Irani Chai

Hospitality and Art, , ,

This is a favourite and well known snack at any time of the day. Breakfast could begin with it and the masala omelette .

Today there are very few Irani restaurants in Mumbai or Pune. Many have either sold their businesses as their younger children are not interested in running such restaurants or have moved on to other fields of industry.

I was happy to accompany some dear friends to the famous Irani Cafe for breakfast in Pune.

The Cafe was crowded. It had a sit out with a number of tables available. We got one at a corner. It had the name of the cafe prominently displayed on the wall.

The most interesting part was the menu.

Besides the food items and rates displayed, at the center of the card, there were amusing instructions. You may read some like : no sleeping , no running away, no talking loudly and even more amusing ones as you read the menu card.

Interesting instructions on the menu card

I was keen on having their bun maska , masala omelette and chai out of the full variety of menu items

The bun was soft and well layered inside with butter . The taste was exhilarating and of a quality more than I expected . I would have enjoyed it on its own, but also tried the masala omelette. This combined well with the bun maska.

Finally came the chai . Oh, that chai set it off . I enjoyed it so much that I ordered another cup and it left me quite satisfied .

The chai came in the typical small striped sturdy glass being used in such restaurants.

Our chats became more enjoyable and animated with the hearty breakfast. Some had toast/butter/jam, others bun maska, and cheese omelette

I hope to visit this cafe again.

The traditional Irani restaurants have existed for a long time. They have typical Irani/Parsee dishes. Some even compete with recent popular dishes.

The older restaurants would have marble topped tables and round backed chairs. The waiter would have a serviette or maybe a towel thrown over his shoulder.

Today service has changed and modernised. Some favourites on the menu are still retained .

Let’s hope that these restaurants do not disappear. They bring back some great memories when I step into one.

Why don’t you visit the Irani Cafe in Pune ?

The Sketchers at Matharpacady

hobby, pastime, Hospitality and Art, , , ,

On our return home from the Sunday church service a surprise awaited us.

A group of artists were busy sketching the various homes at Matharpacady .

Here there are quaint homes, which are an artists delight .

Zanabka has been bringing these groups on a regular basis .

I got talking to her and then photographed a few pictures as a memory of this village which may vanish and give way to skyscrapers . She mentined this as a norm and how very few such oarts remain in Mumbai today .

Later there was another surprise for me when I saw a young man doing caricatures . One of them was of me . He drew this while I was busy with my camera .

These few moments made my day .

It left me with a wish that our homes in Matharpacady in some way do not disappear in a few years .

The oratory at the heart of Matharpacady