A licky boom-boom down
Greetings earthlings!

If this is your first time joining me (and this is only my second letter, so welcome new subscribers and welcome also friends opening this for the first time), then just to recap: this is my mostly-weekly round up of stuff I've been reading, writing, thinking and doing. Exciting!
Throwback book of the week: The Family At Red-Roofs by everyone's favourite sometimes racist aunty, Enid Blyton. It's likely that you haven't come across this Blyton gem, but it's on my shelf dedicated to the author's "older" books (also on that shelf: her mystery novels, boarding school series and that other unappreciated set of classics--Five Children At Mulberry Farm Six Cousins At Mistletoe Farm and Five Children Again. Six Cousins Again) The eponymous family at Red Roofs is a rather large one, three kids, two adults, who have just come up in the world, and their dad has managed to rent out a house (Red-Roofs) which is MUCH nicer than the old squalid flat they used to live in. Many exciting things happen with this move--they hire a MAID (an old lady who works like a dog for her room and board, called Miss Wren, but who they call Jenny Wren, har de har), they hire a GARDENER (Jack Daw) and they get a DOG (Bundle the spaniel. I think Blyton had a thing for spaniels, if you remember Secret Seven, their "seventh" was a golden spaniel called Scamper and in the above mentioned Six Cousins, everyone gets a spaniel. ANYHOW, all is not rosy at Red-Roofs for long! The father goes abroad and is in a ship wreck! Their mother has a mysterious illness that makes her collapse and have to be operated on! (Women's troubles, she says wisely) and the kids have to get JOBS to make ends meet. How utterly tragic, dahlink. Of course Maid Jenny Wren and Gardener Jack Daw work for free because the folks is so nice and in the end, everything is back to normal, lalala. The reason this book stuck with me is because some of the situations are Very Adult Indeed: abused kids, having to make do with less money when your peers are rich and smug, actually discussing the salary of the people you employ--very un-Blyton, but themes that pop up in her books for older kids. Discuss! (PS: I'm not sure why it's called Red-HYPHEN-Roofs and not Red SPACE Roofs, but that is a grammatical tangle for another day.)
This week in cats: My Facebook group, Fans of Cats, Delhi (to distinguish it from Fans of Cats who might live Elsewhere) reached one THOUSAND members this week, and we celebrated by sharing photos of our cats, so here's a kitty thread with lots of photos for your delectation.
This week in amazing new tracks: Slybounce by an Indian outfit called Sandunes which I have only JUST discovered, so if this is like something you all already know and you're reading this and thinking, "Like duh, M, EVERYONE knows Sandunes" then forgive me because I never leave my house and the internet is my connection to the outside world. Listen to the song anyway, you'll love it.
This week in MEEEEE: The Indian Express has a lovely list of summer reading for kids, which is mostly (gasp!) Indian authors. Split is on that list, so I'm very pleased. Here's my relationship column and this week it's all about the long-distance relationship being secretly amazing. There's a HARRY POTTER THEMED WRITING WORKSHOP in Delhi and I'm a guest speaker talking about HERMIONE AND WOMEN CHARACTERS. Sign up here.
This week in food and drink: NOTHING. Can you imagine? I have not been anywhere or done anything. Actually, that's not true. I was at Lila in Shahpur Jat this week, and their new summer collection is amazing, and I now have both my new favourite summer dress as well as my new favourite summer pants. After that, I had a cupcake and coffee at the Wishing Chair, so does that count as exciting food and drink? Probably not, right? I was also at the IIC, and their Bloody Mary continues to be outstanding, so there you go.
Recipe of the week: Honestly, this city is an OVEN and I can't bake without dying, but I loved this recipe by the gorgeous Nigella just for this line: "But it’s beautiful to do, the feeling so glorious as the dough comes alive under your hands." (Also mmmm doughnuts.) (I firmly believe there are two types of people in the world: ones who spell it "doughnuts" and ones who donut.) (GET IT GET IT)
Linketies: Pakistani dad aims for 100 children, already has 35. Very interesting guide on how to write teen girl characters (very interesting for those of us aiming to write teen girl characters anyway.) Bad wigs that Alicia Florrick wore. Sarnath and his boxing memories. Gorgeous piece on the word 'saudade' and letting go. One of my favourite Bombay novels gets turned into a webseries. (Now it's time for the A Fine Balance adaptation we're all waiting for.) How to survive a plane crash. DOODH DOODH DOODH DOODH.
Until next week, then!
Love and kisses,
m.