Planning to plan

Snow World, Charminar, being over-fed by my family, giving drum lessons to my little cousin... my world had started to become extremely normal and relaxed; so much so that yesterday, after working for a little bit on my current writing project I was overcome by the urge to sleep. After all, it was about 1pm and I had been up for at least three hours.

But the servant shook me out of my slumber with a cup of tea and then when my cousin's wife returned from work squealed on what I had done that day. I had - prepare to be shocked/disgusted/appalled - bought a packet of tea! Yes, sob sob sob, I am so sorry. I couldn't help it. I had used up the last of the tea and so went out and bought some more. And to add to my sins, I had bought a loaf of bread too... can I ever be forgiven? Of course going out and buying groceries is not proper guest-like behaviour, so my shopping list became quite an item of news yesterday. But as you all know, I am an addict and I couldn't face the thought of needing a cuppa and being without.

This is the thing about servants in India; they see everything and they report everything. It's a good job I don't have a gentleman caller because that would be reported too.

But this easy-going atmosphere was broken yesterday afternoon with news reports that two policemen had been shot at just down the road. Hyderabad can be something of a touch-point for communal violence, although all religions do generally get on well, but it still shook me to think that there could be trouble here too. It was more a feeling of 'oh bloody hell, not again'. It's very off-putting being holed up in a house or hotel while people riot nearby. I've gone through it a few times in India, and let's just say that the novelty does wear off after the first few seconds.

So I emailed the British Consulate in Chennai for advice - they have not contacted me, thank you very much! And then I contacted the person who would definitely know best - my mum. Mum, of course threw it back at me and said to sleep on it. And so I did.

Last night I had a fairly good night's sleep and only had to show Puppy the cricket bat twice. By the morning people weren't rioting outside but I have still decided that it is time to move on, and I am pretty much decided where, but that is to be confirmed. Of course my lovely cousins are not happy about this, and I know are going to try to persuade me to stay. Last night when I was discussing the police-shooting incident in Hyderabad, Dominic told me not to worry because it hadn't been terrorists. "These are some private people," he said. Ah well, that makes all the difference! Seriously though, I do know what he meant, but it just doesn't help me to want to stay right now.

Time to make a move.