Wow. Hasn’t 2017 flown by fast. Or it just because we’re growing older. Do you remember when we were kids you felt time stood still. We just couldn’t wait to grow up. Now it’s racing ahead and I’m trying hard to savour the moments before they fly past!
Highlights include our awesome trip to Dubai, New Zealand and Sydney and reconnecting with old friends and family and climbing Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis successfully in pretty atrocious conditions. My proudest moments were when the boys decided to go vegan pretty much overnight and of course seeing my nephew Vijay on the BBC 2 series, ‘Astronauts, do you have what it takes.’ You’ll notice there is a recurring vegan theme in this letter – yes I’ve turned into that person. It kind of dominates every conversation now. Sorry!
Unfortunately Britain itself didn’t fare so well in 2017. We all counted our blessings in previous years when terrorists attacked other European cities but Britain was hit with a vengeance in 2017 with 5 incidents and it all brought home how easy it is for these people to destroy life and values. For me it always brings me back to the time when I was in the NW tower (now Tower 42) in 1993 when it was bombed by the IRA and Nikhil then 3 years old, asking why the bombers had done such a terrible thing. Why indeed?
Brexit also continues to dominate the news and the most irritating of all is Trump’s tweets. He is on the news every single day and I’m certain the man is obsessed with publicity, he doesn’t care whether it is positive or negative. How can we ever take the US seriously now? Anyway on to our news before I get rambling on that idiot.
After all the feasting and partying during Christmas, January saw me and Bena sign up for a meditation course. It was free with dinner also thrown in and you only had to commit for 8 days. After the 8 days ended, we were pretty much converted and although we didn’t experience total zen like bliss, we felt that it was worth pursuing and agreed to meditate on a daily basis for 45 days so it becomes part of your daily routine and nature. This worked for pretty much all of January but then we had our long trip in New Zealand and alas the meditation sessions didn’t survive much beyond January although I do it from time to time.
Meanwhile Nikhil had some holidays to use up and decided to go to Vietnam for about 12 days on his own, even hiring a motorbike for a few days and riding from Hue to Hoi An which even he admitted was a little hair raising. The mountains passes near Danang are very steep. It is such a beautiful place and it makes you angry what the Americans did. Watching the BBC series, the Vietnam War reinforced our views.
Arjun went skiing with his work colleagues in January for a long weekend and had a great time as always.
The highlight of the year was our trip in February / March to New Zealand with Dubai and Sydney throw in for good measure. Hitesh and I went with another couple, Kirit and Jayshree for 5 weeks. The first couple of days were spent in Dubai with my cousin’s son Hinesh and his wife Shuchi who had been there for the best part of 2 years and were readying to come back. They had sold one of their beds, but insisted they slept on the airbeds so we could sleep on the bed! The one and only time that we had been to Dubai before was in 2001; so much had changed beyond recognition. Such glitzy malls with an aquarium and another with a ski centre, such giddying high rise buildings, it really is astonishing what they have done with this little piece of desert. Their apartment was on the 39th floor and looking down it was like watching toy cars. It was lovely to spend quality time with them, something we are short of in London, but Dubai itself whilst incredibly impressive felt like it was lacking character or a soul.
After a couple of days in Dubai we flew to Christchurch in New Zealand. We had hired a car from the airport and were touring all over New Zealand for the best part of almost 4 weeks. As I mentioned in my annual letter last year, I had managed to reconnect with Chris who had worked at NW with me and lives in Christchurch. He had insisted that we stay in one his houses that he normally rents out. It was idyllic and we had a splendid view of the Lyttleton harbour from the bedroom. We were there 2 nights and entertained them at home one evening and went out for dinner with them the next day – Valentine’s day. It was so lovely to see him and meet Helen his wife. We had reconnected instantly in London in November of 2016 after a gap of over 20 years and it was like that again. Unfortunately a huge fire started the day that we arrived in Christchurch. It initially looked like a fiery sunset from our house, and then got out of control to the point of a fireman losing his life whilst trying to put it out. Even as we left Christchurch a couple of days later, you could see it.
New Zealand is just so beautiful and with Chris’s help in planning the itinerary, we had packed in as much as we could in 4 weeks but we could easily have spent a few more months. Every place that we went to, we felt we could stay longer; it is a nature lover’s dream and if you haven’t been make sure you go whilst you’re still fit. Highlights of the trip included Lake Tekapo where we spent the night watching the stars , Lake Wanaka and Queenstown the self styled adventure capital of the world, Te Anau where again we spent a couple of nights at Chris’s holiday home, a beautiful idyllic place and went to Milford sound from there. Other main attractions included Franz Joseph glacier, Nelson, Picton, Rotoroua, Able Tasman, Coromandel, Whitianga, Auckland, Bay of Islands but there were so many others that were also breathtaking such as the blue pools, Hoikitika gorge, Waieka gorge, Whakatane to name but a few.
And after New Zealand we had a few days in Sydney where my nephew Sanjay his wife Bindi and their 2 children Jaini and Reyen live. It was wonderful to see them and see Sydney, a wonderful buzzing metropolis, with the world famous Sydney harbour bridge, the Opera house and other sights. Sanjay had taken a couple of days off from work and also took us to the blue mountains – stunning! And of course we walked from Coogie to Bondi beach a stunning cliff walk. It really was a wonderful wonderful holiday and sadly it was coming to an end. We had a long flight back to London with an hour’s stop in Dubai and weren’t looking forward to being on the plane for over 24 hours but actually it wasn’t as bad as anticipated.
Meanwhile at home as per previous years, Nikhil had been playing squash for Barclays against other companies as part of the square mile squash classic – last year they were in the final and I had gone to support but unfortunately they lost. This year, I was not there to support and they won!
As we arrived home in March, Arjun was off skiing again this time with a couple of friends. He celebrated his birthday on the slopes, something that we used to do a lot when he was younger and in fact next year we’re all off skiing on his birthday! We had been back barely a week when Bena fractured her foot, meditating! And she had only recently joined the gym but it was nothing to do with the gym. She had been carrying on with the meditation since our January sessions and was getting on really well, but she had sat cross legged on the floor rather than a chair on that particular day and her leg had gone numb. The doorbell rang and as she suddenly got up, she heard a crack as soon as she put weight on her foot and was in A&E for the next few hours, coming back with a crutch and shoe to avoid putting weight on it. Nikhil remarked to her that maybe meditating was more dangerous than football!
Simon Amstell, the comedian had made a film on a futuristic kinder Britain that was vegan and those who had eaten meat, eggs and dairy previously were in therapy. It was released in March and was a comic look at carnivores, vegetarians and vegans alike with a kind of serious message and I had told the boys about it. If you haven’t seen it, it’s called Carnage and you can still catch it on BBC I Player. I didn’t think it was that powerful but somehow it resonated with them and they decided overnight to become vegan for a month. A couple of weeks later, they decided there was no turning back! I who was practically vegan for the last 25 years but had been dithering about taking that decisive step was both proud that they had made the decision so rapidly on moral and environmental grounds and also ashamed that I hadn’t made the change earlier. So I decided to become vegan too and this at a time when it is actually quite cool and easy to be so especially with so many supermarkets and restaurants joining the bandwagon and offering a plethora of vegan foods. I must say it’s actually been fairly easy for me and now Hitesh is under pressure. He is quite happy to have tea with soya milk so we have stopped buying cow’s milk completely; occasionally he’ll have cheese and the odd croissant.
Since becoming vegan, me and boys have been experimenting a lot with foods, especially desserts and chocolates, to the point of Nikhil making chocolate truffles for work as well as for friends.
In April, Bindi who we had visited in Sydney was over here for a surprise visit and we combined it with my Mum’s 5 year death anniversary to host a dinner with some bhajans for the whole extended family at Bena’s house. All the food was Jain and vegan so everyone could have everything. It just made life so much easier rather than making separate dishes.
Hitesh’s cousin got married in April and we all stayed over near Windsor so it was a great time to bond, especially with Hitesh’s uncle Chandrakantkaka who lives in Germany. It was fascinating for Hitesh to hear his life story.
In May, Hitesh went on his annual golf trip to Turkey, taking 24 golfers this time back to their favourite hotel Voyage and had a wonderful time. Even with all the organising and everything else, he still came out the overall winner!
Meanwhile Bena and Dilip my cousin went to India for Samyak my cousin’s son’s wedding. Bena was still having issues with her foot but the heat in India ( it was really hot being May) probably helped. They had a civil ceremony rather than a grand Indian one but still had quite a few events. Courtesy of one of Hitesh’s golfing friends, Hitesh and I were also given complimentary tickets to the FA cup semi final as well as the final. In the semi final, the most dramatic moments were off the pitch as a couple of people came to blows with each other right next to us. Both were quite drunk and luckily one of them left soon after!
During my book talks the previous year, a girl of 6 had attended with her dad at Gayton library and afterwards she had written a couple of postcards to me telling me how much she was enjoying my book. In May out of the blue I got an invitation to kaka’s birthday lunch. After I recovered from my shock of thinking that Kaka, my dad was somehow talking to me from the grave, I realised it was an invitation to her great grandfather’s birthday or rather a lunch in his memory to celebrate his life and legacy. It was on the same day as the FA cup final so I thought it would be too much of rush, but then I got a letter from Suri the 6 year old girl imploring me to come. Well I couldn’t refuse that could I. I asked Kilu and Bharti to come along as they had been to the library talk and seen her. I was so glad we went, it was really well organised and they really looked after us. One of the people there, a professor who was an expert on the East African Asian community had come all the way from Rotterdam as a speaker at this event and it was an honour to meet him. It was also humbling to meet Sandipbhai, Suri and the rest of the family.
Manjula’s son Vijay had got engaged to Libby the previous year and he was having his wedding in Portugal in early June. Libby’s parents had hired the whole village for friends and family but due to numbers, initially only the cousins were invited so Nikhil and Arjun went for a few days and had hired a car. They really had fun there as it was such a chilled relaxing event.
There was also a wedding reception at Oshwal Centre in late June for Vijay and Libby, where we had a lot of fun teaching English people the raas and garba moves. To be fair a lot of them were actually really good, having googled beforehand. The internet can be wonderful sometimes! The food at Vijay’s wedding reception was Jain vegan including the jalebis and the soya milk tea. A lot of people never realised the change.
Nikhil didn’t attend the reception as he was at Glastonbury having managed to get the tickets the previous year. On their 2nd day they snuck in back stage with some fake passes but then he somehow ended up finding a real pass and was using that everywhere and managed to even get on stage for one of the gigs. He finally did get caught though and luckily was let off with a warning.
Arjun jetted off to Greece for a couple of weeks after Vijay’s wedding and toured around the islands. It was pretty hot but he really enjoyed it.
In June we also went to the Royal Albert Hall for a special father’s day concert in memory of Elmer Bernstein. We had seats very near the front and the concert was fabulous.
We all went to see the play, The Kiterunner in July. Having read the book a couple of times as well as seen the film, I didn’t expect to be so moved by the play. It really was so emotional.
Having fully recovered from the hysterectomy and not being anaemic any more, I had signed up to give blood and was due to do this in July, not having been anywhere dodgy in the past 6 months. I filled out the forms and nowhere was there a question about whether I had ever received a blood transfusion. It was only when they were doing the pre screening that I was told that those who had received a blood transfusion can never give blood due to CJD , the mad cow disease as even today that don’t have an effective screening process to test your blood for this. I tried.
July was the month for get togethers. First was the pizza barbecue which has become an annual event. There was a lot of debate about whether we should just buy the vegan cheese for everyone but felt that it would be a little harsh to inflict veganism through the back door to another 50 people for the sake of the 3 of us. Having said that a lot of people tried the vegan cheese pizzas and enjoyed them and a lot of people had pizzas without cheese! So who knows, next year maybe.
At the end of July, Bena hosted Nemchandkaka’s family as well as our extended family – they had hosted all of us in April 2016 and we had launched my book there. The intention was to hold a pizza barbecue but unfortunately the weather forecast was not good so we changed the menu to falafels. They have a few vegans in their family so everything was made Jain vegan and it was all delicious.
Mina hosted Hitesh’s side of the extended family, about 45 people and it was great to see everyone so soon after his cousin’s wedding. Normally even with the best of intentions, we barely see each other annually.
Hitesh and I had decided to go to Scotland and Lake District and Wales in early August and attempt to climb the 3 peaks over a 10 day period and also do some sightseeing. We hadn’t been to the Lake district for about 15 years and Scotland was more like 30 years (not counting my work related trips). It is so beautiful when the sun is shining or even when it is not raining. Nikhil had climbed Scafell Pike in May and told us to be careful and not attempt to climb in wet weather. Unfortunately the forecast whilst in the Lake district was not great for any of the days but we were well prepared with our wet suits and hiking boots and walking poles. We thought we would take the longer but supposedly easier route up from Seathwaite farm but got lost a few times as the visibility was so poor and there were hardly any people climbing. At one point there were a few different paths none marked and even Hitesh, normally so good with directions had lost it so we decided to head back but just a few minutes later, we met a couple of people going up and they said they were going to Scafell Pike so we decided to turn around and follow them. Of course we couldn’t keep up with them especially as by this point we were then having to clamber on these boulders on all fours; not only were they really high but also so slippery due to the rain. The poles were also a hindrance rather than a help now. But we persevered even though I slipped a couple of times and finally we could see some people at the top. We had managed to get to the top of Scafell Pike but nothing not even a sign to tell us of our feat! Also no view as the visibility was so bad. So a few minutes later we started heading down only to get lost completely and end up on the wrong side of the valley! It was going to be £120 by taxi to our hotel or 5 miles up so we decided to walk up, by this time thoroughly tired cold and wet. We finally got to our car around 8 pm having started at 8 am and had walked about 18 miles instead of 10. Everything was wet, including my shoes and socks! But we had done it so one box could be ticked! I should add we went to some lovely places in the Lake district, Ambleside, Grasmere, Derwent Waters Windermere and Keswick to name but a few. We also had dinner at Fellinis (fine dining) and Zeferellis (pizza), 2 vegetarian restaurants which were both amazing and extremely popular.
Next was Scotland and before we went to Ben Nevis, we went to a place called Glen Devon which was really beautiful. Hitesh was complaining about how far it was until he realised it was very near Glen Eagles! It was lovely to go and see it and take some pictures. He’s resolved to take a golfing group there one day!
To climb Ben Nevis, the easiest place to stay in is the Glen Nevis hostel. Unfortunately I hadn’t been able to get a double room there so were booked in separate dorms. The hostel however was really clean and we met quite a lot of people from all over who had come to visit Scotland or climb Ben Nevis. Again the weather wasn’t great, but the path was well laid out and in comparison to Scafell Pike, Ben Nevis was a doddle.
The forecast for Snowdon was looking to be wet again and Hitesh and I decided that we didn’t fancy walking up in the rain again. We had previously climbed Snowden in any case so 2 out of 3 it was going to have to be. So we cancelled our Wales trip and instead spent a few more in Scotland which were quite dry. We visited Inverness, Lochness and Loch Lomond. The scenery was so beautiful and brought back memories of NZ.
We then had a couple of days in England and stayed in a farm in Haltwhistle near Hadrian’s Wall. Haltwhistle’s claim to fame is that it is the centre of Britain! We also had a fun day in Lincoln, beautiful market town with a stunning cathedral, lots of buzzing restaurants and so many charity shops.
In August, we were suddenly alerted to the fact that Vijay was taking part in an astronaut programme. Apparently the programme was filmed in February/ March (when he should have been helping with the wedding prep!) and not a hint at his reception in June. We were all so proud of him especially when he nailed the bleep test. Did I mention he is vegan!
We were watching every episode with nail biting interest and rooting for him. He fought a good fight, bowing out in the penultimate episode. We were all so proud of him and meeting him recently at a party, it is clear he has become a mini celebrity. Don’t forget we knew you when you were just Vijay!
By comparison September was a little uneventful but I had started going to Ekta art and craft classes on Mondays. Mina and Bijal had been pushing me to come and actually it was quite therapeutic. Going regularly on a weekly basis, I have managed to paint a pot and a slate and Hitesh is proudly displaying it on our shelves, after improving my handiwork! Some of the ladies in their 70s and 80s are much better and neater than me. Ekta has been recently closed for refurbishments so a few of us have been meeting at Mina’s house for watercolour painting.
Hitesh’s uncle became a captain of a golf club and had a captain’s day, where he invited Hitesh and the boys to play. Hitesh had the privilege of playing with Rasikaka as well as the chairman
Nikhil had a weekend in Brussels and Bruges in September and had a lovely time.
Arjun went to Colombia in October with Anjul and they had an amazing time. He keeps telling us to go saying it is so beautiful and so safe. Also being vegan was not an issue although he did lose a few kilos.
We celebrated Diwali and Nikhil’s birthday with a family meal at home. Over the last few months, I had been experimenting with lots of sweets and desserts and managed to make delicious pendas, barfi, googra , truffles and vegan bounty. It was truly a vegan feast. The truffles have become a particular success and even Nikhil made some for his birthday for his work colleagues and he is now regularly making them!
Oshwal centre had hosted a pottery exhibition over the Diwali period and Bena and I had gone to help on the Thursday. Some of the pieces were truly exceptional and wouldn’t look out of place at an art museum. The boys also came on Sunday to see the exhibition but we were a little rushed as we had to go to Hitesh’s uncle’s Golden anniversary celebrations – High Chai! Great to catch up with everyone from his side again. 3rd time this year. That must be a new record!
In early November, Raju my nephew from the US came over for a flying visit and came for dinner. As he works for the US government and doesn’t let on what he does, we speculated he may be here to discuss top level security with the big boys here, but he told us he was here for a conference. Yeah right!
We were invited to a first birthday party to help celebrate Myan’s (Manan and Sapna’s son) birthday. They had entertainers (one of them from Stomp!) who were singing all the favourite nursery rhymes. I think we enjoyed the music more than the kids. They were quite happy playing with the toys.
Nikhil had a wedding in South Africa in November and before that a music festival in Paris. A lot of them went to the wedding and stayed in some beautiful B&Bs and had an amazing time. No bunjee jump for him though thank god!
Mina and I went to a vegan fair in early December. It is amazing just how popular veganism is becoming, especially amongst the young. Yes even the top notch restaurants are now offering vegan menus. Arjun recently went to the Coq D’argent and said their vegan food was amazing. Maybe Simon Amstel’s vision will happen in our lifetime! We can but hope.
Sunday 10 December we woke up to a blanket of snow – Christmas had come early! It all looked so gorgeous and apart from making snowmen or having snow fights, everyone should have been snuggled up at home. It was Sunday after all! Alas Hitesh had a coaching session, only to turn up and find the school closed and coming back encountered an overturned lorry. We were due to celebrate Kirti’s 60th birthday, a surprise her daughter had organised months earlier. Hitesh offered to drop me and Bena and pick us up as the roads were pretty dire. A little snow and the country comes to a halt.
Another final get together from our side was in Northampton to help celebrate Phoolna’s (Raju and Ansuya’s daughter) 21st birthday. It was a Harry Potter themed event with a Harry Potter quiz. Where is Arjun when you need him?
And so we come to the end of another life changing, eventful and memorable year. I continue to go to yoga most mornings – today was the last session of the year (we sang nursery rhymes and Xmas carols!), and have started joining some of Mina’s Pilates classes. Other than that I walk with Kirti most Tuesdays. We have our ladies lunch on a monthly basis. I’ve started trying to do the cryptic crossword in the metro. On a good day, I’ll manage about half.
The boys are busy with their work and then squash or football. Nikhil comes home on Mondays for football but it’s been a little erratic of late. Arjun played golf with Hitesh in the summer but hasn’t played much recently. Hitesh continues to play golf on a regular basis; he also won their Diwali competition. He still coaches badminton at Hertfordshire county as well as privately and as if all that wasn’t enough, has been busy with his curtains and blinds business of late. He also has the task of improving my paintings and drawings and has been teaching me the basics of drawing.
So as I write this, I’m looking forward to the festive season with lots of new and exciting vegan dishes! And of course having the boys back home if only for a few days.
Next year we have a skiing trip to look forward to on Arjun’s birthday – Club Med this time! We are also taking a Norwegian Fjords cruise in July with Hitesh’s siblings and families. Also the plan is to have a loft conversion and finally complete the house refurbishments. Let’s hope we manage to do so in 2018!
I hope you all have a memorable and wonderful Christmas and a peaceful and happy New Year.
Hasmita Shah 