The Next Chapter — Suna & Toast

“There is a kind of magicness about going far away and then coming back all changed”

— Kate Douglas Wiggin, New Chronicles of Rebecca

As one chapter draws to a close in India, a new one is beginning in London. Well, it's been 14 years.....14 very interesting years, living in a country that I never intended staying in for so long. I adjusted to all the cultural differences, the crowds, the smells, tastes, behaviour, clothing, colours, dust, dirt .....extreme sensory overload!
India brought me the love of my life, and many great opportunities that I would never have experienced had I not taken the chance and risk to go into the unknown. People have been kind and generous to me in so many ways; made me feel welcome, appreciated and valued for what I was bringing into the workplace, and eagerly wanted to learn what I had to offer. And so the years started rolling into one another and before you know it, over a decade had passed.

My partner and I then made the decision to leave India and make London our new home. Me, being a true Londoner, had no idea that the decision to return home with my partner was going to become a monumental challenge. Our emotions ran the gamut from emotion to despair! We began planning our future; what we were going to do and where we would travel to -then it all suddenly came to a grinding halt! My partner's visa got held up in bureaucratic crap, and then we had it overturned months later after submitting endless reams of paperwork. When we eventually got the green light to go, the roller coaster started...painting the apartment, carpentry work, plumbing work, finding good tenants and last, but certainly not least, trying to find a good home for our special needs cat Tabby.

Tabby, had been with us for over three years, and was bitten by a street dog which crippled his hind legs. Trying to find a home for him was always going to be a challenge, and it certainly did become one! Tabby sensed something was up because all hell had broken loose in our apartment what with the painters, cleaners and plumbers. Packers had encroached in our space, and there were men everywhere. Our quiet little haven had become like a bustling thoroughfare! Tabby saw the chaos around us and knew something was changing. We eventually found him a loving home after so many people broke their promise to offer him one.
After the work in the apartment had been completed, we then drove to Rajasthan to say our farewells to the family. Little did I know that it was going to be a sweltering 46° that day (we normally travel to Rajasthan for Diwali in the winter months). My partner had a crash course in cooking from his Mother during our visit, where she taught him how to make delicious Punjabi vegetarian dishes which he could make easily in London - which he does!
And so this is where a new chapter begins....It's the first time I have moved from one country and back home again with a partner. I had previously lived for several years in New York, and came back to London alone, but this time it's different; I have my partner, another person, to consider. I had done this so often before - to leave behind everything and everyone you know - but you're ready to start anew and understand how it feels to let go and to be open to new things. This is what keeps life exciting, fresh, inspiring and positive, rather than making you feel static and bitter. Well, this theory works for me, but it may not be for everyone. Returning home is in itself like travelling somewhere new after so many years, you see it all so differently, you appreciate things that you may never have noticed before, giving you a whole new perspective on home.

The decorating and cleaning squad leader Shakti

Last time we see our little Suzuki Swift after 8 years of being together

Triptych of customised crazy Madmax taxi

Beautiful flowers growing in the dry heat

A cook preparing the tandoor ready to make the evening rotis

Suit fabrics with ready emblished necklines

Not so happy grocery man selling his fruits

Zardosi mojaris are handcrafted stunning shoes, each pair takes two to three weeks to make on order. Zardosi metal embroidery originated in Persia and was originally used to embellish the attire of kings & queens for centuries. — Zardosi mojaris are handcrafted stunning shoes, each pair takes two to three weeks to make on order. Zardosi metal embroidery originated in Persia and was originally used to embellish the attire of kings & queens for centuries.

Miniature 3 inches in height, shoes on display

Unfinished quirky house with tree on top

Tom Cruise displayed on mens barber shop in town

Oil paintings of the Princes and prinesess of the time adnoring the walls of the restaurant

Vintage sepia tone photograph of Sikh children adorning the walls of the restaurant

And here we go off to start the new chapter