A House in India!!!

Greenlands Beach Resort is a wonderful place not far from Black Beach,

I met Mohamed the owner a few years previous when my friends Andy and Nicole had spent a very happy 2 months there. 

Mohamed is one of the kindest souls you will meet, smiling, helpful, a joy to be around and during Andy and Nicole's stay he had nick named me 'Blue Hair Lady'.

I was even in his phone under that name!!

Just before Peter left for the UK and I moved into Steve's flat but after the hair cut, Peter and I were passing Greenlands on the way to Black beach, when I spotted Mohamed's motorbike parked outside.

When I had met Mohamed he was lamenting the fact that he considered himself to be 'too big'!!

Wonderful cooking from his adorable wife, evening socialising with his guests had added a few pounds to his frame and despite working hard on the garden the weight didn't seem to shift.

When we had last met I consoled him by saying he was not so big.

“Mohamed Ji, my husband is much bigger” I had laughed one day.

“Not possible!” had been his reply and so I promised that when my husband arrived I would introduce them.

Between the garden, the bike rides and all our other projects our paths had not crossed but with only a few more days of Peter being in the country plus the fact that Mohamed was actually at Greenlands, I asked Peter to turn around so we could say hello.

“Mohamed Ji!!” I beamed spotting Mohamed through the large gates at the entrance. 

Peter parked up the bike as I began to chat.

“Blue Hair!”

 Mohamed grinned back and then looked more closely ….

“Where your blue hair??”

I laughed and told him “Husband cut!”

I told him he looked good. He had lost a little weight but was still the cuddly Mohamad of old.

“Too big Ji!” he reciprocated, “Still to big,”

“No Ji,” I laughed as Peter walked through the gate,

“This my husband Peter, he is much bigger!!

Mohamed stands at about my height …. basically up to Peters shoulder. 

As his gaze rose to meet Peters smile, his own smile froze in fascination at Peters huge frame.

He looked back at me and then at Peter once more, his grin broadening.

“This BIG!” he beamed at me, then looking up at Peter once more he announced ...

“Mohamed not so big …. I like this man!!”

Instead of a more formal handshake he embraced Peter around the middle … or rather he tried to! 

Between Peter's girth plus Mohamed's, it was like watching a meeting between two of the sweetest teddy bears imaginable!

The three of us stood on the driveway chatting while catching up on the things that had happened over the past 6 months.

I explained we had been over at South Cliff but I was about to move back to Borneo Mukk while Peter went home for 2 months.

All my friends seemed to have houses now and I was very lucky to be able to stay with them for free.

As we talked an idea came into my head. 

Greenlands consists of two properties....... 

Mohamed's old family home nearest the road

.......... and a block of 4 purpose build rental rooms in the lower garden from which he earned an income.

As Peter and Mohamed continued their mutual admiration of all things with engines, I gazed at the house and its over grown garden.

Steve and Emma had a house, 

Catriona now had a house …

....... could I have a house too?

Broaching the subject as subtly as I could I asked Mohamed what were his plans for the family home.

“Oh big problems Blue Hair, many many big problems.

Too much maintenance … maybe I pull it down and build new place!”

Horrified I looked at the beautiful building. 

Yes the paint was faded and grubby, the garden was overgrown but to pull it down!! 

His father had built this house for his mother. He had grown up here before moving to a fabulous house just up the road once he and his wife had a family.

His parents had since died and the house had fallen into sadness but to pull it down!!!

“Please Ji you can not pull it down, how much maintenance can one house need?”

He led the way to the flat roof covered with tin sheeting and pointed to the upright bars.


Three had rusted right through.

Holes dotted the sheeting and the place was a mess!

A local restaurant had stored their old restaurant tables up there along with the mattresses their staff had used when they had stayed in the house for a season.

Dogs had totally destroyed the area and the entire roof moved!!!

I agreed that this was pretty major but Peter was looking at the place with a trained eye.

“No...” he mused, “Cut here and here, pop a new bar in and weld here and here.” 

He moved around the roof oblivious to the destruction of furniture and bedding.

He checked each upright, examined the supports for the roof. 

“I can fix this.” 

He spoke more to himself than to us but it was all I needed ….

“Mohamed Ji, show me what else is wrong with the house!”

Mohamed had a friend who stayed occasionally in the house.

The friend had agreed to rent it until the end of August so we arranged to come back once Mohamed has spoken to his friend before we went into the rest of the house.

24 hours later we were back!!

The house was used by his friend as just a place to put a bed after a night on the cliff two or three nights a week. 

Furniture was minimal and most of the rooms were not used at all but to me it was perfect.

Peter and Mohamed walked around discussing the electrics, plumbing, walls and tiles while I simply envisioned what it COULD be like.

We sat down on the friends foam and wood sofa to talk.

 

“Ji, you give us good rent and we will fix your house!”

 Peter nodded approvingly.

 Everything that needed doing was within his ability and I knew I could create the most amazing home here.

Mohamed smiled, “Last week I prayed for guidance regarding this house. Today he sends you!”

We embraced as hand shakes were now obsolete. 

As of October 2019 this would be our new house in India.

A dream had just come true for me ….

….....but for now I had to wait!!

PS. While I waited I became fascinated by the colours of Indian houses,

...... and as Mohameds entire house was going to need painting I needed some research on colour ideas.

It is only now that I am writing this that I realise just how many houses I photographed over the next two months!

And this is just a handful of what I found on the camera!!!

So many colours to choose .....

In the end I decided on a colour that I had basically decided the day I saw the house ….....

...... Krsna Blue and white !!