SO tired

Spent the best part of my day getting my visa.  This involved going to various offices and waiting for various bits of paper like the bank draft to pay for it all.  I had to go once in the morning to present all the papers and again in the afternoon to pick it up.

I also went to do the session at Udavi School where the picture comes from.  Despite a slow start we completed our first bed and as the picture shows, the students worked well together to complete the first bed.  I also went to see Auroculture in hospital who is obviously very uncomfortable but seems to be surviving.  I then went and had pizza with friend Appie who is recovering from a bad back caused by trying to pick up her motorbike when it fell down.

No wonder I feel tired.

GOT IT!

Went down to the Police station this morning and finally got the certificate.  Had to go twice because I had forgotten to bring the photos needed for the certificate.

Heard today that the clearance for my Exit Visa has come and I can go and get it tomorrow.  That led to more running around to get letters from various offices and photocopies of everything.  Have decided that if I don’t get the visa tomorrow I will postpone my flight.

Very unfortunate

Another runaround today with only bad feeling to show for it.  Went to the police station and sat around for half an hour or more before I found out I was never going to get the police clearance certificate because there was no electricity to print it.

It exasperates me beyond measure as they only had to say what was going on and it would have saved a lot of time for them and me.  It didn’t help that everyone was very agitated as they were dealing with a suicide case.

Got this lovely picture of Sam and Elsie in Spain.  Seems that the holiday is revolving around the pool, the beach and eating and everyone is enjoying themselves.

Another runaround

Another trip to the police station and then was asked for a huge amount of photocopying of all the relevant papers.  This is the little shop up the road where I got it all done.

Was very lucky to have Mahendran helping me as he is very calm and I am sure smoothed my way with all the officials.  It was his idea to go up the road to get the photocopying done ‘while the right person was in the office’.  I have to go and pick up the clearance certificate tomorrow.

Runaround

Have had a lot of running around today all on behalf of my visa.  Because my visa is so old I have to get an exit visa and then a new 5 year visa when I am in the UK.  Just got home from my first visit to the visa office in Pondicherry in the morning to be told that I needed to go to the office again to get the police clearance certificate for the exit visa.  So I went to the office again this afternoon and then the police station.

Naturally the person I wanted to see at the police station wasn’t there so it will be another trip out tomorrow afternoon to see him.

African mother

Today I installed my sculpture ‘African mother’ into the last ring.  The two plants I got from the Botanical Garden shop are desert roses that need hardly any water and have a lovely flower. 

I’m really pleased with how it looks with the stones.  How it blends in with all the other rings that are planted with various sorts of herbs.

Light

Came back from the Visitors Centre with my food on Saturday evening to see Ganesha with several oil lamps lit up.

It looked gorgeous.