Home  >> Stories  >> The Tale Spinner #2012-24

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IN THIS ISSUE

• Kate Brookfield writes about travelling in India
• Pat Moore recalls a house exchange with a Parisian family
• Gerrit deLeeuw says men do listen to their wives
• Some people are keepers
• Who would have thought to take cucumbers on a trip?
• Catherine Nesbitt tells of a language barrier
• Here are more thoughts on aging, gracefully or otherwise
• The editor is attempting to grow her own tomatoes
• Sites are suggested by Bruce Galway, Catherine Nesbitt, Pat Moore, and Shirley Conlon

Kate Brookfield remembers travelling while In India in 1984:

KASHMIR AND JAMMU

In early October, we took our first extensive trip from Chandigarh to Srinagar in Kashmir. We went by bus to Delhi, where we boarded a small plane for the one-and-one-half-hour flight to Srinagar. I don´t think I was the only passenger feeling apprehensive when we came into land. The little plane cruised like an eagle between soaring mountains on either side. I could see the goats grazing on the slopes of the mountains as the plane wove its way along the river valley below. It looked as if we were going to land on a large lake, but before we could worry too much, we came to an abrupt halt with a jolt. In no time at all we cleared the quick customs check and were outside in the sunshine. I understand that these days, entering Kashmir takes a lot more time with necessary stringent security checks.

In 1984, Kashmir was a relatively safe place to visit and one of India´s most famous tourist sites. It was often described as paradise on earth. We were fortunate to visit this beautiful part of India at a time when Srinagar was still a bustling tourist centre. The noise and bustle of traders selling many different handicrafts special to Kashmir contrasted with the serenity of the sight of the calm large Dal Lake set against the soaring Himalayan mountains. Dal Lake is known for the large houseboats which served as homes for the British in India. At the time of the Raj, the British were not permitted to build houses in Kashmir, so they lived in large houseboats on the lake. After the British left India, these houseboats were used as hotels for tourists.

At first, Michael took us to a less grand houseboat on the Jammu River where he had stayed on previous visits. It was called the Jubilee, dating it back to the time of Victoria! We could see that it once had been owned by an English family as all the furniture was very English in style. There was a large copy of the famous painting by Victorian painter Lady Elizabeth Butler of the lone survivor of the Retreat of Kabul entering Jalalabad.

This location on the river was peaceful, away from the hubbub of the popular tourist centre, and I did enjoy watching a kingfisher sitting on a branch over the river watching for passing fish. But the houseboat had seen better days. The family who owned it were very happy to see Michael and made us very welcome. There was one servant, Mohammed, who did all the work. He told us that he came from a village but had to come to Srinagar to work as he had four daughters all hoping to get married soon. As he spoke, he kept wringing his hands together, and in English kept repeating, "I am a very poor man." He cooked us a standard meal of rice and channa dal (lentils with potatoes) on a little primus stove on the deck.

When the sun went down it was quite cold, and as it had been a long day, we were all ready to sleep.

We were the only guests so we had three bedrooms, but there was only thin blankets. Before we left Chandigarh, I bought sheets and had them stitched into bags. Usually, this was all we needed, but Kashmir was a lot cooler than Chandigarh. We had finally got to sleep when we were woken by shouts and a commotion from Caroline and Robert. Our door was flung open and Caroline came rushing in carrying a wastepaper basket with a book on top. "This place is filthy!" she raged, and showed us the mouse she had caught and trapped in the bin. She made a great fuss and told us that she refused to stay another night in that place. We were only planning to stay two nights as we were going on to Phalagam, were Michael was to study his rocks.

The next morning, the owner of the Jubilee sent his car and driver to give us a tour of Srinagar. The main point of the tour was to take us to the famous Shalimar Gardens, but also included was a visit to a carpet factory, and to show us his luxury houseboat on Dal Lake. Mike was a bit reluctant to take him up on the offer as he knew a strong sales pitch to buy carpets would follow, and Kashmiri merchants were very persistent, to say the least. But Caroline and I were determined to accept the guided tour, so he had no choice but to give in.

The Shalimar Gardens or Bagh are Persian-style gardens located on the northeast side of Lake Dal, approximately fifteen kilometers away from the centre of Srinagar. Although not on Dal Lake, it is connected to the lake by a long canal, and the formal approach to the garden is by boat through this canal. We did visit the gardens later from the lake, but on this first visit we travelled along the wide road that circumnavigates Lake Dal. These gardens were first established in 1619, when Srinagar was first founded. Over the centuries the gardens have been extended and elaborated with marble buildings. I do have a lot of photos, not the best quality transferring old slides to digital images, so I recommend a Google search for more on this beautiful and historic attraction. Suffice to say that it was an incredible and memorable visit.

After the gardens, we were taken back to Dal Lake, where we got into a shikari and were taken to four large elaborate houseboats moored in the middle of Dal Lake. A shikari is a gondola-type boat, usually with a canopy at one end as protection from the intense sun. Some are moved by poles, but they are also propelled by a couple of men in the centre with small hand paddles. There were many traders in shikari plying their wares. Some were filled with typical Kashmiri handicrafts, but the most colourful were the ones filled with saffron. Kashmir is famous for its saffron fields. Saffron comes from a particular type of crocus stamens.

I liked the silence of the shikari as they skimmed hither and thither across the water. The shops come to the tourists in this terrain. Compared with the noise and smell of motor boats on our Canadian lakes, Lake Dal was indeed a placid peaceful paradise. (I met somebody who had visited Srinagar in the mid 1990s and they said they were woken in the night to hear gunfire and people on the road were shooting at a houseboat behind them!) Again, we visited this place in happier quieter times for Kashmir.

The Houseboat Bulbul (click to enlarge)

As soon as Caroline saw the houseboat called the Bulbul (the name of a common bird in India), there was no question about moving to this sumptuous accommodation, more like a palace than a houseboat. However, we were going on to Pahlgam the next day, but promised that we should stay there on our return.

After seeing the houseboat, our shikari took us to a factory for embroidered goods, and I bought two hand-embroidered bedspreads. Then on to the carpet factory. It was fascinating to see the complete process of making a carpet from start to finish. We were told that the people who worked there came from families who had been making carpets for generations. I was concerned about child labour as only a child can tie the knots in the silk carpets, so I had lots of questions. I was assured that this was a legitimate factory and that all the children attended school. As they grew they were taught different skills in the carpet industry. The patterns they were producing were particular to each family and the designs were "owned" by that family. They told us that the design was in their heads and they did not follow written plans.

We were shown the school and saw some children doing their lessons, but others were sitting at the looms knotting the threads. In the end we bought a small silk carpet plus two sampler wall hangings for Robert and Caroline, and arranged to have them shipped to Canada. Robert chose the tree of life design and Caroline one with many Indian animals. They both have them hanging in their homes today.

On our return to the Jubilee, we met up with a demonstration which was very frightening. We heard a loud noise and saw a long stream of angry Moslems, all men, chanting and beating their breasts. The marchers filled the road and there must have been thousands, as the stream of men was from Dal Lake to the hill on the horizon at least two miles away, and no end in sight. Crowds had gathered on both sides of the road. We had just got off the shikari and were standing on the bridge. I stupidly thought it was a parade, but quickly realized it was no carnival procession. I stood in the middle of the road and was about to take a photo, when Mike dragged me away. Just at that time, Mohammad from our houseboat came running up and quickly led us down side streets and narrow back alleys until we were back on the houseboat.

Mohammed kept telling us they were "not Moslems," but Shias, another branch of Islam. He was obviously a Sunni Moslem and the one sect does not recognize the other. He said they were preparing for the commemoration of the Martyrdom of Ali. Tomorrow, he told us, they will have knives and chains and will be slashing their bodies with "blood everywhere." He kept repeating, "Very bad!"; "They are not Muslims!"; "I am Muslim, I am Sunni." Later, we heard that in the night a policeman killed a demonstrator and a curfew had been called on Srinagar.

Nobody was supposed to be on the streets, but Mohammed led us along back ways and we finally got to Srinagar bus station. After a three- hour delay, we finally boarded a bus out of Srinagar. There was a young woman from London complaining in a loud cockney accent, "Ain´t we goin´ to see the auld citay? ... I wanted to see the auld citay!" So it seems that all foreigners were being forced to move out of Srinagar.

In retrospect, the situation in Srinagar deteriorated rapidly from that time until it was considered unsafe for years for tourists to visit Kashmir. It is slowly opening up again, but as I said earlier, security at airports to and from Srinagar takes hours. We often wondered what happened to Mohammad and some of the merchants we befriended at the time. The Kashmiri craft industry suffered a big blow when tourists stopped coming.

ED. NOTE: For Kate´s pictures of Kashmir, see http://katiebro.shutterfly.com/pictures/

Pat Moore describes an experience with

THE INTERNATIONAL HOME EXCHANGE CLUB

When we lived in Sarnia on Lake Huron, we had several friends who had some good experiences when they belonged to The International Home Exchange Club, and we decided to give it a try as the club had an excellent reputation and references.

There were many interesting photos of homes in different countries to chose from, but the one that caught our eye was an apartment in Paris. We had travelled to France a few years earlier and loved the excitement of Paris, but we could only afford to stay there for 10 days, and we felt very cheated when it was time to leave.

When we posted the photo of our home on the lake, plus a description of the area in south-western Ontario, we hoped that it might tempt someone who was interested in visiting Canada. We included maps and explained that our area was within driving distance of Niagara Falls, Toronto, Stratford, home of the Shakespeare Festival, and Montreal, the province of Quebec, and Detroit, etc. We also included, of course, photographs and a description of the house, property, lake, and the boats and canoes.

We were thrilled with the number of replies from families from different countries, but after thoroughly reading each and every one, we decided on the apartment in Paris that had caught our eye in the first place. The family was very easy to correspond with both by letter and by phone, and we were soon able to agree on a time that suited us both. We started to plan the trip after all the legal matters were settled. The International Club helped a great deal with this paperwork as they have hundreds, if not thousands, of families exchanging homes every year.

Even though we felt very comfortable about the family in Paris, the club advised taking photographs of everything for our own protection and peace of mind. As you can imagine, I was still a little apprehensive about another family living in our home, but the thought of living in Paris was thrilling. I had discussed this with our wonderful neighbours and they all agreed to keep an eye on things and to phone us if they felt anything was wrong. My parents lived only a few blocks away and would also be available to check on things.

The flight from Toronto to Paris was uneventful and it was exciting to arrive at their apartment, which almost felt familiar as we had seen if from all the photographs. On the flight over I could not help but wonder what in the world we were doing?. Once we got our luggage in and started to get settled, I was thrilled and surprised when we went into the kitchen and balcony to find a loaf of freshly-baked bread, a bottle of wine, a great list of all the local shops, and notes on where to shop for fresh vegetables, fruit, and meat, plus full instructions on how to use all the appliances. There was also a wonderful and useful list of all the attractions, museums, and art galleries that were within walking distance of the apartment.

Fortunately, I had left somewhat the same lists re the house, plus all the tourist pamphlets I had gathered from all over Ontario, so they would have lots of reading and travelling information, but I still worried about what could go wrong. I quickly phoned the florist at home and ordered a beautiful welcome bouquet to be delivered with our wishes for a happy holiday in our home. I also phoned our closest neighbour to assure her that everything seemed great, and asked if she would please go to the farmers´ market and get a good selection of fresh treats for the new friends.

The experience of staying in Paris in an apartment rather than a hotel was fabulous, and it gave us the wonderful feeling that we were actually living in Paris and not just visiting - for a short time anyway.

It was a new experience for the family from Paris, and they loved living in the country and on the lake with the beautiful sunrises and sunsets. They rented a car and got a chance to see a great deal of Canada.

We remained friends for years and share a lot of memories. It was interesting to note that The International Home Exchange Club is still active. I wonder how many families have had a similar experience?

Gerrit deLeeuw insists that men do listen to their wives, and sends proof:

MILK AND EGGS

This is a story which is perfectly logical to all males:

A wife asks her husband, "Could you please go shopping for me and buy one carton of milk, and if they have eggs, get six."

A short time later the husband comes back with six cartons of milk.

The wife asks him, "Why did you buy six cartons of milk?"

He replied, "They had eggs."

(I´m sure you´re going back to read it again!)

TO A KEEPER!

One day someone special will be gone.

And on that clear, cold morning,
In the warmth of your bedroom,
you might be struck by
the pain of learning that sometimes
There isn´t any more.

No more hugs,
No more lucky moments to celebrate together,
No more phone calls just to chat,
No more e-mails,
No more, "Just one minute."

Sometimes, what we care about the most goes away,
Never to return, before we can say good-bye,
Or say, "I love you."

So while we have it, it´s best we love it,
And care for it, and fix it when it´s broken.
And take good care of it when it´s sick.

This is true for marriage ... and friendships,
And children with bad report cards;
And dogs with bad hips;
And aging parents and grandparents.
We keep them because they are worth it,
Because we cherish them!

Some things we keep:
Like a best friend who moved away,
Or a classmate we grew up with.
There are just some things that
Make us happy, no matter what.

Life is important,
And so are the people we know,
So we keep them close!

I received this from someone today
Who thought I am a "keeper"!
Now I´m sending it to the people
I think of in the same way!

You are a keeper!

The following "facts" about a multitasking vegetable are unconfirmed:

BE SURE TO PACK SOME CUCUMBERS

It recently came to my attention that my life would be easier and less stressful if I carried a cucumber with me everywhere I go. Cucumbers can provide travelers with a quick fix for a number of common inconveniences, and I´ve compiled a cucumber travel guide below to give you more details. So, the next time you´re working on your travel gear list or thinking about what travel gear you need to buy when you land, don´t write off the cucumber!

1. Feeling tired? Cucumbers offer the perfect combination of B vitamins and carbohydrates to give you a natural afternoon lift that will last way longer than coffee, energy bars, or energy drinks. Plus, they´re way cheaper than a Starbucks latte (perfect for the frugal traveller).

2. Want to look hot in your bathing suit? If you´re going somewhere warm and know that you´ll be lounging by the pool or beach in your suit, rub a few cucumber slices along spots of cellulite on your skin to make the cellulite less visible. Cucumbers have a photochemical makeup that causes collagen in your skin to tighten, so it´s not only good for cellulite, but also for reducing eye puffiness and wrinkles. Forget luxury body creams; cucumbers are where it´s at for travel gear that´s sure to preserve your beauty while you´re on the go.

3. Sunburned? If you or your kids get scorched by the sun, rub some cucumber on the burn. It´s just as good as aloe and essential for any warm-weather traveller.

4. Party animal with a hangover? If that spring-break vacation, business meeting over cocktails, or carefree vacation lifestyle caused you to drink a little more than usual, grab a cucumber. If you eat just a few slices before going to bed, your hangover and headache will be gone in the morning! Why? The balance of sugar, B vitamins, and electrolytes in cucumbers replaces the nutrients your body lost and keeps you feeling good as new.

5. Snack attack? If a snack attack hits you in the afternoon and you´re still kicking yourself for consuming too many "I´m on vacation I can have another" desserts (or if you just want to satisfy your hunger because you´re on the go), cucumbers are the perfect solution. In fact, European trappers, traders, and explorers have used cukes for ages to fight off starvation.

6. Looking shabby on a business trip? Spiff up your shoes with a cucumber. Just rub a fresh slice over your shoe, and the chemicals will have the same effect as shoe polish and even repel water.

7. Bad breath? Fear not. If you place a cucumber slice against the roof of your mouth for thirty seconds, you can eliminate stinky breath instantly. Perfect after a meal on the go (can anyone say garlic?) for overnight travellers who wake up with plane breath. Gross.

8. Kids with crayons? Did your kids decide to decorate the hotel walls with crayon? Good thing you can erase the markings using the outside of a cucumber. Works well on pens and markers, too.

Catherine Nesbitt sends this story:

LANGUAGE BARRIER

Over a remote Scottish island a helicopter lost power and was forced to make an emergency landing. Luckily, there was a small cottage nearby.

The pilot walked over to it and knocked on the door. "Is there a mechanic in the area?" he asked the woman who answered the door.

She scratched her head and thought for a few seconds. "No," she finally said, pointing down the road, "but we do have a McArdle and a McKay."

It´s a good thing we can laugh at ourselves! Here are some more thoughts on

GETTING OLD

* There are three signs of old age. The first is your loss of memory. I forget the other two.

* You´re getting old when you don´t care where your spouse goes, just as long as you don´t have to go along.

* Middle age is when work is a lot less fun - and fun is a lot more work.

* Statistics show that at the age of seventy, there are five women to every man. Now isn´t that a great time for a guy to get those kind of odds?

* You know you´re getting on in years when the girls at the office start confiding in you.

* Middle age is when it takes longer to rest than to get tired.

* By the time a man is wise enough to watch his step, he´s too old to go anywhere.

* Middle age is when you have stopped growing at both ends, and have begun to grow in the middle.

* A man has reached middle age when he is cautioned to slow down by his doctor instead of by the police.

* You know you´re into middle age when you realize that caution is the only thing you care to exercise.

* You´re getting old when you wake up with that morning-after feeling, and you didn´t do anything the night before!

* The cardiologist´s diet: if it tastes good, spit it out.

* It´s hard to be nostalgic when you can´t remember anything.

* When you lean over to pick something up off the floor, you ask yourself if there is anything else you need to do while you are down there.

FROM THE EDITOR´S DESK

I have been known to complain about the tomatoes for sale in grocery stores, comparing them unfavourably with those I remember from my long-ago youth. They are as round and as tough as rubber balls; they have lost their flavour, and inside there is an inedible piece of pith taking up a lot of space. Often they are not even red, because they have been picked green thousands of miles away and shipped by truck to local markets. By the time they are ripe, they are beginning to rot.

Finally, I gave up on finding good-tasting tomatoes and began looking on the net for an indoor greenhouse. I don´t have a balcony, so any setup I got would have to have its own lights. I told my kids what I was doing, and the next thing I knew, they had collaborated to make my search a reality. Jay bought me a greenhouse with fluorescent lights, delivered it, and let me help to set it up; Judith sent seeds and pots and tools and fertilizers.

In a flurry of activity, I got bags of Miracle Grow soil and large pots, and bought six cherry tomato plants. Jay sent me articles and YouTube videos on growing tomatoes in a greenhouse, and I had realized that even though I had bought small plants, they still needed big pots.

(click to enlarge)

I planted the tomatoes and put them under the lights, and they took off! Next thing I knew, they had grown up into the lights. Consulting the net, I snipped off the leading branches, and kept a close eye on their progress every day. They have not quite reached the lights again, but they are certainly reaching for them. One of the plants has tiny yellow flowers, but only a couple.

If they keep on growing at the rate they have been going, I´m going to have to put them on the lower shelf of the greenhouse and lower the lights so they will still get lots of energy but will have room to grow.

I have never tried growing tomatoes before so I am a rank amateur, and this first lot is an experiment. I will let you know how they do. In the meantime, here is a picture of them I took shortly after I got them:

SUGGESTED WEBSITES

Bruce Galway sends this link to a brilliant new collection of aerial photographs giving a spectacular bird´s-eye view of Britain which has been released to mark the Queen´s Jubilee year:

Catherine Nesbitt forwards the URL for an episode from America´s Got Talent from Austin, Texas:

Pat Moore sends the URL for a site showing the 25 most commonly misspelled words in English. Try it for yourself at

Shirley Conlon suggests this site for an example of what happens when a woman engineer has way too much time on her hands - a clever digital or analog clock that actually shows your correct time:

Russell Peters talks about how to become a Canadian:

A video from Japan shows how a new wind turbine design can triple energy production, which is vital in Japan´s search for an alternative to atomic power:

Ellen learns to belly dance on

To check out the features of the "freedictionary", which changes daily, go to