THE TUSCAN DREAM

(dedicated to my dear friend Shibani……who makes life jus’ a li’l bit more non-suck worthy!!!)

The sleepy little town of Montepulciano was buzzing with gossip. The world-famous muralist Marcus Zugno was getting away from it all and finally taking up residence in the plush villa he had acquired over the summer. And accompanying him was his gorgeous and talented wife, the graphic artist know for her edgy and unconventional style…SHIBANI (she preferred to go the Madonna way and ditch the surname!). The couple had travelled the world, seen it all and finally wanted to set down roots in the attractive little hill-town.

The first inkling of their arrival was when the kids sitting around the town square whooped in glee. The ladies peered out of their windows and the men looked up from their afternoon siesta……and all did a double take. A stunning red Alfa Romeo Competizione (**pimped up to stunning perfection and detail**) was purring it’s way up the narrow winding road and at the wheel was a grinning woman, waving excitedly. They didn’t know her from adam’s but already they warmed towards her . She radiated warmth and certain joie de vivre. They could only assume that this charming stranger was the artist, formerly known as Shibani A. But if so, where was her husband?

Hardly had this query passed through their minds that a Citroën C5 ground to a halt. Out jumped a tall, sturdy man. The ladies spluttered and fanned themselves. Although Italy was over-flowing with handsome men, this man could still make their jaded hearts go bippity-boom boom! He was fair, untouched yet by the Tuscan sun…..and his face when it broke into a contented smile revealed a dimple on the left cheek. His sandy-brown hair flopped over one eye and he had an air of solidity and confidence. He stooped to fetch something from the over-loaded Citroën. The villagers craned their necks and one old biddy almost toppled over her stool. She had just been provided with an unhindered view of an extremely fi-ine tushy !!! She cackled gleefully and continued to gawk. The tall stranger plucked out a small oval-faced cherub. She would barely be three years old but already her face was the replica of her mum . The little girl wrapped her arms around her father and they trudged along to the Alpha.

Shibani ( because now it was evident to all and sundry that this was indeed the famous couple ) swung the child from her husband’s arms and dropped a kiss on his travel-weary cheek. He was such a sweetheart, she thought. He knew how she was itching to drive the new Alpha and had decided to let her have a spin while he trudged along with the over-loaded station wagon.

They smiled at the inquisitive passers-by and headed off to their new home. Shibani led out a delighted gasp as she caught her first glimpse of the villa. White-walled with red roofs…….it had little green vines creeping up the entrance-gate . Her eyes flew to the white gazebo tucked into the end of the garden. Already she was imagining the impromtu brunches they would have……. Sparkling wine in tall glasses, delicious earthy cheese from the farm down the road and over-sized loaves of crusty garlic bread waiting to be drenched in golden olive oil. A constant tugging at her jeans snapped her out of her reverie. She looked down to see her daughter pointing delightedly to the right. A glimmer of light caught her eye and she hurried off to investigate. Trudging along on the soft grass, her l’il one’s chubby hand firmly grasped, they stopped short at the edge of a babbling brook (**ok, I couldn’t resist throwing in a cliché!!**). The late setting sun was sending golden ripples along the surface, and the lazy little stream made small gurgling sounds. She sighed with contentment and knew that her nature-loving husband would be spending most of his evenings here. And if luck would have it and Shibz Jr. would have fallen asleep early……..so would she! Before her imagination veered into more risqué territory she turned back….only to bump into her husband. She looked up and caught the same devlish glint in his eyes and knew exactly what he was thinking!!! He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and though she was tempted, she gave him a shove and they headed back home.

The house itself was everything she could have dreamed off……old world charm which neatly incorporated all the modern amenities. Just as Marcus headed off to view his studio, Shibani ran up the staircase and into her new study. It was done up in bright summery shades….with an old antique desk occupying center-stage. And perched on it was her latest acquistion….the super-stylish HP2133 MiNi notebook . What made her gizmo so unique was that the top was embossed with a representation of one of her husband’s most acclaimed murals. Hmmm…… he deserved a very “very special thank-you” for this latest thoughtful gesture. It was almost embarrassing how her thoughts always veered into naughty territory when she thought of her yummy hubby. All it took was one secretive smile from him and she was like a “cat on a hot tin roof”.

As thoughts of Marcus strayed into her head .. she went into the airy kitchen. He was propped on a bar-stool nursing a chilled beer. She stole a sip and knew what she wanted to do next. (**No Shibz, not that!! Get your mind of the gutter!!!! J**) It was time to surprise the neighbours….and a surprise it would be! Pooja and Namratha had know clue who their new neighbours were. With a lot of careful planning and plotting, Shibani had managed to get the entire deal through without revealing her true identity. For all her friends knew, their new neighbour could be a super-snobby, über-bitchy lady who would wreck havoc in their quiet paradise.

Just as she geared up to tackle her friends……she heard the doorbell ring. A spark of intuition told her that it would be Pooja with a bottle of the finest Rosé and Namratha with a dark and dense chocolate cake. The two would be curious as hell and would most probably have dragged their poor hubbies along. With a grin, she flung the door open. And the two outsiders stood gawping……like freshly caught fish. Shibani…..here in Tuscany…their new neighbour ……EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE…. With an ear-splitting scream (so not befitting their supposed-maturity !) they dove in for a big bear hug. The two hubbies shook their heads in mock-despair and headed off with Marcus to grab some beers.

The girls trudged on towards the gazebo….chattering a mile-a-minute  Shibz Jr, had lost her initial shyness and was know sitting comfortably ensconced in Pooja’s lap, her face smeared with chocolate icing .

The bottle of wine was opened and they clinked their glasses gently. To new beginnings…to friendship revisted…to good, solid and enduring love that was just inside the doorstep. A time to rest, relax and indulge in a long-overdue cat-session!

CHEERS Shibz!!!

Where there is a will, there is a way but if the choice is to lose then there is always a lame excuse.

Namz…the high-priestess of the ladle and the wok, the multi-cuisine expert, the sweetheart and the most eligible candidate from most of my friends to be nominated as ‘Annapurna’, the girl with the magical fingers. Her cooking is divine. It’s love and care whisked with ingredients and served to perfection.

We had our picnic this Sunday. As was planned, we’d meet at Namz’s and eat-out on her terrace-like balcony and enjoy the lovely sea-view and the hostess’ fabulous cooking. Unfortunately, one of the picnickers couldn’t make it [and we got to eat her share as well..sorry, Charms..u missed it, really :)]

We had a lovely time, girl-talks galore and the wonderful food. We had mango and coconut milk lassi, followed by pizza that were mouth-watering and yet just a sample of the goodies still in store. The thought of cool cucumber dip that we had with chips is still bringing water to my mouth. I took generous portions of the dip with the cutlet too. I had Kokum sharbat for the first time and found it very refreshing. For the main course, Namz prepared a typical picnic grub of macaroni and cheese and a tasty chana chaat served along with garlic bread. This was followed by dessert - bread pudding topped with raisins. Pooja and I indulged ourselves to our heart’s and tummy’s content..debarring every notion to not call us greedy gluts. I was so full that I gladly skipped dinner.

And to top it all, she gave us take-aways too. My brother is quite fussy about food but after having the stuff that Namz had packed for me, he said that we should call Namz home every week and ask her to cook for us. He was in awe and kept asking how my friend managed to cook so well Mum wants me to learn to cook like my friend.

Thank you, Namaratha for all the trouble…really. God Bless

ps: Tried WASABI PEAS…my friends had a hearty laugh looking at me make lousy ‘wasabi’ faces. If I was feeling exhausted and low, those peas kicked in a good deal of sensory faculty.

Drive Slowly, Don’t kill our Employees… Leave them to us!

Alas!

A few urgent tweaks need to be made and will be done over the weekend…or when the mood strikes…again!

The Song of Life
is such a joyous thing.
A symphony of magic
beckoning,
Inviting me to join
its wandering
And learn to be set free on upward wing
I lift my face to hear
its vibrant cry
And set my pace
to follow the sky.
And each new day
I find a reason why
The melody must soar
and so must I.

Anon

Like last time, I had Ameesh do the magic. Though, unlike last time, I had to go to his place where his wife helped him through my tresses. But, unlike last time, he charged me more than TWICE the amount he did. (There’s a huge hole in my pocket and I was shocked listening to his quote!)

My entire clan gets their hair done from him. My appointment was scheduled in November but with my fickle mind, I canceled it. I had second thoughts and instead took a wrong decision of streaking them from Prerna. I really regret this because I am not happy with what she’s done Finally, fed up of having from bad to worse hair days, and some kind advice from well-wishers, I called Ameesh. Since I work on some Saturdays too, the only day that I could give myself a few hours of pampering is Sunday.

Ameesh’s technique is not re-bonding, its Extensio or simply hair straightening. Its a tad bit of a lengthy process, 6 hours to be precise. Patiently I sat while he and his spouse ironed, lathered and washed my hair with pungent creams and shampoos…and the deed was done

Now the real hardwork starts, taking care so that the exorbitant fee spent seems justified. But for now, I have some respite from bad hair days..for a while