To Jillian, on the occasion of the Visit of her Husband and Eldest

Hello to dear Mrs. Freeman, with Laura and Ben, far out in the uncharted backwaters of the remote archipalego of New Zealand

(What am I saying? You are an hour from Aukland in one of the most beautiful spots on earth).

We had the priviledge of having Ross and Jonathan here for supper on Friday evening. We had rice and chapati and then bought some Milai Tikka Chicken from a Tandoor on the street in front of Lal Girja.

We are happy to report that a good time was had by all. Loved the photos, and THANKS FOR THE GIFTS.

Neepa also hosted a tea for Ross on Thursday evening. Again a good time was had by all, although 2 or 3 centimeters of rain fell out of the sky all at once just as the Tea was winding down. Our autorickshaw stalled out in 20 cm of water as we were heading toward Sigra Crossing, and the Autowallah and I ended up pushing the Auto -- well nigh heavy laden it was too -- for about 400 meters till we got to (relatively) higher ground. But the current was with us, and the water was never above my knees.

We have been trying to follow the Rugby World Cup, but are somewhat hindered by the lack of info locally. Be assured that Nora Grace and Miriam are now chanting:

GO ALL BLACKS!!

(We shall also try to get Jonathan to teach them the Hukka (or however you spell that thing you do)) :)

(For the uninitiated, the most civilized sport in the world is Rugby, and one of the best teams is the New Zealand team, whose uniform is entirely black, hence the knickname, "The All Blacks". The All Blacks are fameous for an ancient Maori War Dance and Chant that they perform before each game, which involves much shouting, slapping of the thighs etc and sticking out ones tongue. The current scuttlebutt about the current Rugby World Cup, being played in France, is that it might end up being an Southern Hemisphere Semifinals, with Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and possibly Argentina in an upset going into the final four.)