I was recently reminded that I have not written a post showing progress on the house! It has moved along and slowed down, all at the same time, odd thing to write but true! It has progressed, with a completed bathroom and a working kitchen, along with a bedroom that I can stay in. I have been splitting my time between the caravan in Teignmouth and various places in Newlyn, thanks for friends and neighbours along with Airbnb. Feeling like a true nomad and it is losing its’ novelty somewhat.
After the whole builders saga, which is still ongoing mind, I went on a little road trip across to Netherlands, Alsace and Germany. Was a lovely change from building work, with some good food and wine.
Once back, I was able to see the house, the ceilings down to expose the roof structure, which I was hoping to vault. After much discussion with the building inspector and the structural engineer, we managed to settle on a plan, which the team put into place. There was a lot of timber needed to make sure the structure was stable and it took time and effort, but it was really worth it as it made the space much airier.
Those are the very much ‘before’ photo’s! The house was built in 1950, just after the war, and we found some interesting construction methods.
One of the things I was really keen on was to have some bespoke art for the house, and as this is going to be my forever home, I wanted to find an artist who could paint a mural in the dining area. I follow an artist on Instagram – florencesuperart – and I love her work. I sent her a message and she called me straight back! I think what interested her was that I was wanting a mural based on botanicals, rather than the sea or fish. We talked about the look that I wanted and suggested that I paint a dark blue base colour for her to paint on. She spent 3 days in Newlyn, and the result was just beautiful….
That was most of July, and then the whole Devani Family embarked on a once in a lifetime trip to East Africa! There were 12 of us, siblings, husbands, wives and cousins. The plan was to make sure the children (they hate that word!) were able to see where their grandparents lived and worked, and where their own parents were born.
We started off in Nairobi, then on to Uganda, Safari and then Beach! It was two, full on weeks and a whirlwind of family, friends, heritage and animals. I will admit that when we landed in Nairobi, I felt very strange, I felt very out of place and uncomfortable as it felt wrong being there without Mum and Dad. It took a couple of days for me to settle and accept.
Nairobi was a quiet-ish couple of days, so that we could acclimatise and save our energies for the 12 days ahead.
We stayed at Mathaiga Country Club, fed giraffe and had to beware of monkeys!!
After three nights there, we flew to Entebbe, Uganda and then drove to Kampala. Our bags did not make it on to the plane, so a few of us had to stay behind and wait for the next flight for the bags. I had been warned about the traffic but this was unlike anything that I had ever experienced!!!! The traffic is stopped for up to 45 mins going one way, so that the opposite lane of traffic can move, then they are stopped for 45 mins so the other lane can move. Madness!!! Of course there are loads of motorbikes that do what they want. Kampala is a city of hills, very beautiful, bustling.
Our first day saw us go to Lugazi, where my Great Grandfather, Nanji Kalidas Mehta, set up his business. We met my great aunt and uncle who showed us around the house and grounds. We were also taken to the house that was built for my parents when we lived there. I remembered bits of things, the garden and the peacocks mainly. Someone said that it was a pilgrimage, and and that point it felt very much like it. It was a bittersweet moment as I would have liked my parents to be there to show us around, but I am sure they would be pleased to all be together there.
What a fabulous experience that was, I am not sure what the young ones expected, but I am sure it wasn’t that! Because the traffic was so horrendous (Kampala to Lugazi is around 60km and took 3 hours 😦 ), we travelled on to Jinja for the night as we were due to meet an honorary Aunt – Asha, there. I obviously had heard of all these places – Lugazi, Jinja, Kakira, Kasaku etc, but it was very satisfying to actually see them and be there.
Asha was a bit overwhelmed with the whole thing, I think. Her husband Raju, had died about 15 years ago and of course my parents 2 years ago, and she was extremely emotional to see us all. She is the classic feeder, ‘eat, eat – I made this all for you’! After feeding us with bateta vada, pooha and chai, she then took us to lunch!! We went on a boat trip beforehand as Jinja Lake Victoria is the source of the Mighty Nile. They say that there are some springs out in the lake that bubble up and push on down to the Nile. Lots of water and wildlife and very interesting. I have now sailed along the actual Nile and the source – very fortunate.
Family and food, how can you tell you are in an Indian family?! we left Jinja to drive back to Kampala as that was the end of our time in Uganda. Looking back at the pictures now brings back all kinds of emotions, love, pride and sorrow.
The next day brought our flight to Masai Maara, the game park section of the trip. This was going to be great as it was a small plane and we made up most of the passengers!! We were going to be flying directly to a conservancy and landing at the Keekorok airstrip, another great adventure! The pilot and co pilot were both female and apparently were very jolly!!
I hope that gives a flavour of what I have been up to and I think this is a good place to break this up!! There are so many great pictures and videos of our time at Masai Maara, of our early morning game drives and our 4.30am hot air balloon ride, that I want to make sure I record it all correctly. The next installment will be the safari and then 5 days on Diani Beach!
The house has also changed since then so I am going to sift through all the stages and post some real goodies!! I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel now, and it is all getting put back together. I am not going to lie, I am REALLY wanting it all to be done so that I can move in to my dream home !!
In the meantime, stay well and happy .
Adventures of Nisha 
This is all fantastic Nisha. I love your painted wall at home (one day I’ll make it down there to see you, if you can stay still long enough!) and your photos/videos of your African trip are simply wonderful. What memories you will have. Wendy xx
LikeLike
Hello Dear Wendy, you have to come and visit, I am never moving from here, I mean I am at the end of the country, nowhere left for me to go 😉 xx
LikeLike
Love the updates to your home Nisha. Very artistic and showcases your creativity. Can’t wait to visit next Summer. Spectacular African adventure with the family! A poignant reminder of the time that has passed and as you aptly put it, a feeling of “a pilgrimage” to the loving memories of your parents, who we miss very dearly.
LikeLiked by 1 person