Garden Report 2007 - 3

I got out for the first gardening stint of the year this afternoon. The sun was out and the wind had dropped, so it seemed like a good opportunity to tidy away the worst of the remaining autumn debris up the high bank. Unlike last year, when I didn't get around to clearing the high bank until much later in the year, I want to get the benefit of seeing most of the bulbs this year.

An hour and a half and two sacks of rubbish from the asters, crocosmias, sedum 'Autumn Joy' and general crud later and the bank is looking quite good if somewhat sparse. However, the snowdrops, which are in little clumps all over it, stand out beautifully against the bare soil. Autumn crocuses and daffodils are also pushing through, and where I cut back the stems of the sedums I can already see new buds of growth. Unfortunately I can also see signs of a few nettles and sticky willy, but nowhere near as bad as last year.

It had clouded over and the wind was back up by the time I finished. My legs are already feeling achy, but hopefully, as I was not out there too long, will recover fairly quickly.

On a different note, yesterday was the first anniversary of our adoption of Jen and Poncho. I can hardly believe that a year has gone by. They each had a large chewy treat to celebrate. Jen had only had about a third of hers by the time Poncho finished his.

Garden report 2007 - 2

There were a few snowdrops in flower in the high bank when I got back from Bangalore, but more have been coming through every day. I think they should be at their peak in another couple of weeks. I really need to get back up there to tidy up the remains of the autumn debris so that we can see them at their best, but it is far too cold at the moment.












The hellebore that I inherited is giving a good display. I brought up quite a few seedlings from my garden in Sandhurst. One of the larger ones is getting ready to flower, but the others have not matured enough yet. Hopefully next year...




The heathers I planted in the long bank are also in flower.

The few winter aconites Janet gave me have come through, but it looks as if something has been nibbling them as there is only one flower left. There are a few buds lying forlornly on the ground.

Bangalore Experiences - Post-Tournament

I had asked Radhika at the prize ceremony if she could help me organise a taxi to the airport for early Tuesday morning - my flight back home was at 06.45. She kindly said she would come over to the Bowring on Monday and get me sorted out.

I felt very deflated on the bus back to the Bowring - this is fairly normal at the end of a tourney, but even more so because of my result. I did not feel like going out to eat so just started my next book and ate some of my remaining goodies from the previous evening. There was obviously a party being held somewhere on site - probably around the pool. I could distinctly hear the strong beat of 'Day-Oh Day-ay-ay-oh...' There was no way I would get to sleep before that ended despite feeling shattered so kept reading.

I felt a lot better in the morning and ventured along to breakfast at about 9.30. They remembered my standard order. I was not sure when Radhika was coming so went back to my rooms to pack and continue my book. At midday I decided to phone her as I wanted to go shopping at some point. I had no idea how to get an outside line or even if I could, so went over to reception to inquire. I was told how to get the operator, so went back to give it a go. The number I had obviously included the code as the operator said I could only make local calls. I said it was local and then I think they realised, and I was put through. Radhika said she would be over at 2.00. I had a call from her later saying she would be late - no problem, I was ploughing through the book by now.

Radhika arrived around 3.00 and took me over to an office within the Bowring to sort out my taxi. We decided that a 2 hour check-in allowance should be fine, so I was to be picked up at 4.30 am the next morning. We then went for a coffee and chat. She couldn't stay too long - had to pick up her daughter. I had asked where was the best place to buy local craft, and on departing was given directions to a state crafts outlet. Unfortunately it was a public holiday in Bangalore and when I reached it it was closed. However, most of the other shops were still open. I decided to be adventurous and try some of the smaller shops I had seen on my earlier wanderings.

As Bangalore isn't really a tourist destination yet I wasn't sure how much bartering was expected. In the first shop I tried I was told that the prices were fixed as it was an official outlet. I bought a reasonably priced black silk scarf with some nice gold embroidery, and decided to try some of the other shops. The girl in the next shop also tried to sell me a scarf so I said I had already bought one. She asked to see it to compare the price/quality, and told me I had got a bargain! The next shop showed me pashminas. I decided to look in several shops before deciding which to buy. I went back to the first shop to buy something I had seen for my mother-in-law now I knew they were well priced. In the shop next door I looked at more pashminas, and asked the price. It was about 50% more expensive than a previous shop. I told him so, and he asked about the quality. I said seemed the same to me, but I could go back to the other shop to check. He then said he would match the price and the bargain was struck.

In the evening I decided to splash out again at Koshy's. As I was drinking my coffee at the end of my meal one of the waiters sidled up to me with a big grin to enquire whether I was the British Scrabble champion. Rather than explain that I had been I just said yes :)

I got an early a night as I could, but could not sleep. Knowing I had to get up around 4 am meant that I just tossed and turned. I was up and ready to go by 4.30 am. I could see the taxi outside but no-one had come to get my bags. I shuffled out the door with them, only to see a man knocking on a door in the next block. I don't know if he had woken the occupants up but he came and took my bags to the taxi.

The roads were pretty clear at that time in the morning and I was at the airport by about 4.50. There was already a large queue to get in - hold baggage was being scanned on the way in. The queue moved reasonably quickly, and once inside the queue to check in was quite short. I proceeded through immigration and security only to find there was no currency exchange once through. There was nothing for it but to try to spend as much as I could in the duty free and gift shops inside. I bought Paul's birthday present and with the remaining cash a nice bangle for myself.

On the plane there was an announcement regarding security for on-going passengers as issued in the leaflet you were given at check-in. What leaflet!!! No liquids in bottles over 100ml were allowed in hand baggage. I called a steward for clarification as I had been given no leaflet. He apologised and said he would see if my luggage could be unloaded at Heathrow so that I could re-pack. Unfortunately he returned saying that the request had been denied. This actually was probably a good thing - I would have been held up at Heathrow waiting at baggage reclaim. I decided I would just remove my handbag and laptop from my hand baggage once at T1 and check the rest in. This worked out fine as I had a jacket and jumper to protect the more vulnerable objects, and it is a lot quicker retrieving luggage from a half empty domestic flight than a full international flight.

Paul was waiting for me when I arrived, and we were back home by 6.30 pm - 19.5 hours travelling from door to door.

Bangalore Experiences - Tournament

I had been told the minibus would be at the main gates of the Bowring at 7.30 so that's where I was. There was one other player waiting there, Karthik, but no sign of the minibus. After a few minutes a young American chap, another player called Scott, came and told us the minibus was actually waiting inside and led us back to it. Everyone was there except Gerry and Pakorn. However, they arrived about 5 minutes later - they had been to breakfast...

By the time we were on the road the traffic had begun to build up. Pakorn had brought a set with him and we had a left-versus-right audience participation game on the bus. This made the journey seem shorter, but it was still around 9.00 when we arrived at the venue.

When we signed in we were each given a small rucksack with some scrabble goodies inside and the all important meal vouchers. There was breakfast provided, including sandwiches. I handed over my breakfast voucher and got a cheese sandwich. I then spotted some fruit juice and went to get some. There was a little confusion as the man wanted my breakfast voucher and didn't understand that I had already handed it in.

There was a brief welcoming ceremony and introductions. A part of this included a mention that India had been invited to bid for this years World Scrabble Championships.

I met a very bubbly young lady from Hong Kong, Jocelyn. It transpired that she had never played a tournament before, but had seen the tourney mentioned in one of the papers and had phoned Radhika to see if she could play. I then explained to her the process of playing with a clock. She said she knew the 2s but it transpired her OSW was version 4, the last issue before we switched to SOWPODS.

There were some problems getting the fixtures for the first round out, but eventually we all sat down to play the first game at around 10.30.

I was drawn against another woman, Hema, in round 1. The game was not going well for me, and after 8 moves I had not had a bonus and was slightly behind. However, on move 9 I bingoed for 85 and picked ANXIOU? from the bag. Hema bingoed straight back, but gave me a choice of the triple doubling the X or a double tripling the X. I chose the latter for 124 points and game over for what looked like an easy win but was not.

I drew Tony Sim (Singapore) in the second round. We have played a few times before and I knew he was a tricky player. He was ahead most of the game. Coming to the end I still had hope with one tile unseen. If Tony had had both of the unseen Us on his rack I would win. Unfortunately for me he didn't...

The next couple of games were fairly straight forward, although in one I tried MESOPON muddling it with METOPON, but I was already 100 points up.

Game 5 I played Vannitha (Malaysia I think). This was a tight game. Getting near the end on a very blocked board I played SHiVS onto a triple to ensure victory.

Game 6 was always under control, but I lost game 7 narrowly to Mohan (Ind).

Game 8 was against Suresh (Sri Lanka) who told me before the game that he was the highest unofficially rated UK player (with only 6 games). This spurred me on to record my biggest margin win of 249-555, and his lowest score for about 9 years.

So, end of day 1 with a 6-2 record and lying in 4th place. The minibus journey back to the Bowring seemed to take forever. I think we went out of our way a few times to drop people of at different locations. Gerry, Pakorn and I just went back to our rooms to dump our stuff and then met up again to eat at Koshy's. On the walk there Pakorn rescued me from walking into a large hole in the pavement...

After a reasonable nights sleep we set off again in the morning, slightly later than before as Scott had not turned up. Eventually we decided he must have made his own way there - he was not staying at the Bowring. We thought breakfast had finished when we arrived as there was no sign of it where we had eaten the day before. I was due to play Pakorn in the first game of the day, so we bought a coffee and something to eat at the canteen as there would be no premature starting of our clocks. We then found that breakfast had been moved to around the corner, but I preferred my cappucino. Jocelyn had decided to give up after losing all her games the day before. It had been a bit of a baptism by fire for her, and I hope it hasn't put her off playing for life.

I responded to Pakorn's opening play with a low scoring bonus. Two moves later and another bonus plus the rarity of a 5-point penalty from the challenge. Pakorn came back at me, and by move 8 was slightly ahead. I bonused again on move 9 to take a 57 point lead. Getting to the end Pakorn bonused back to regain a small lead and empty the bag. I played out with ELEGITS for a rare victory. I do not think I have beaten Pakorn in a tournament since the 1999 WSC.

I was then slaughtered by Sherwin in the next game -not quite a combined 1000 pointer. I won the next 5, including a narrow victory against Akshay. I lost game 16 against Lakshan (Sri Lanka) on countback. It could have been a lot worse - he missed a simple 9-timer play out. However, coming to the end game I made a mistake. With 7 in the bag and a slight lead I had a bonus that played in two places. I took the place for a 7, opening the 9-x with L in position 7. Lakshan would need an 8 to win. I had had a 20 point lead, and as Lakshan had just made the 2nd opening I knew he had bonus-like tiles. I should have just passed...

The schedule was slightly changed, and we played a ninth game. The king-of-the-hill format kicked in, and I had Sherwin again. This game started like the previous one - Sherwin was on 253 after 4 moves. I had managed one bonus myself, so was on 160. He then played OAKAGE which I held and then successfully challenged off. The game then switched to my favour and a series of good solid scoring saw me overhaul him and hold on for victory.

End of day 2 and I was 13-4 and in 2nd place. There was to be a dinner at the venue, but I had had enough of cucumber sandwiches and was feeling absolutely shattered. Gerry and I decided to hire a tuk-tuk and head back for an early night.


Although the traffic was bad we got back in just over half an hour. We raided the shop at the Bowring - Gerry needed a toothbrush as he had forgotten his and we had been too late the night before to get one. I just had cravings for chocolate. We also bought some other goodies to take home. I went back to my room and chilled out, finishing my Iain Banks's book and gorging on chocolate biscuits, a Mars bar, cashew nuts and a couple of the Indian sweets I still had. I went to bed about 10.30 and slept quite well compared to other nights. I felt a lot better in the morning, having no idea of the carnage that was ahead...

The traffic on the Sunday morning was very light compared to the other days, and we arrived back at the venue with plenty of time for breakfast. I spotted they had cornflakes - but when I got them they were soaked in warm milk :(( I also had a hard boiled egg and yet another cucumber sandwich. Scott had seen fruit juice and kindly got me a cup.

I had Pakorn for the first game of the day again. This time, however, after a bonus on move 2 I went through a series of non-bonus 1 and 2 pointer racks and was absolutely splattered.

Sherwin again. This game was unlike our others in being a lot closer all the way through, but a couple of good scores at the end by Sherwin was enough to see him win narrowly.

Akshay. I started well with two bonuses in the first two moves. Akshay bonused back on move 3 but I was still 50 up after my go and kept it at that margin until Akshay bonused again on move 8 to draw level. Another bonus on move 10 by him and it had all gone horribly wrong, and my third loss of the day. I suddenly felt very tired - this was confirmed by my lack of concentration in the remaining games. A sure tell-tale sign is that my tile-tracking went awry.

In the next game against Varisht I just had no ammunition at the start. He took a good lead with heavy scoring on a triple with the aid of an S. I made an opening and he immediately bonused on it with another S and blank. The board was very blocked by now and there was no way back.

The next game was no better and I was beginning to lose the plot. This can be a very cruel game at times. Game 23 and I was playing Tony Sim again. Luckily this went a lot better than before and I pulled out a bonus+ lead early on. Tony caught me back up with a bonus on move 6 and a good follow up score. Here we go again I thought. However, I got a bonus on move 8 to get some breathing space, and when Tony made another opening nearer the end I was able to capitalise on it.

Game24, and Lakshan again. This was a dire blocked game and I made a dreadful mistake allowing Lakshan to get away with a phony after holding for a while. I deserved to lose - there was no way I could win if I did not challenge. The only thing I can say is that I was very tired and after having had such a dreadful run I was not thinking straight.

So, I finished nowhere. I needed to be at my best for the last day - with a king-of-the-hill with repeats there were no easy games. A combination of playing off-form and very little luck saw me plummet from 2nd to 14th. I jokingly said to Gerry I would only have been a couple of places lower if I hadn't turned up for the last day.

We had all been given tee-shirts at lunch time and before the prize giving there was a group photo shoot...

I apologise for the quality of the next photos but it was beginning to get dark...


Pakorn had already won the tourney with a round to spare, which is just as well as he lost his last game. Akshay finished 2nd and Suresh 3rd. Gerry crept into the prizes with a run from behind to finish 10th.

Views of Bangalore

I was surprised to come across St. Marks Cathedral fairly close to where I was staying












Sleeping dogs - street dogs are apparently a major problem in Bangalore. The paper said that there is currently a programme to round them up and neuter them...










Like most cities in Asia that I have been to there are motorbikes and scooters everywhere you go















I loved this traffic sign

Bangalore Experiences - Pre-Tournament

So much for an early night. We went to bed at 10.30 p.m., and by 1.30 a.m. I had had enough of the replacement alarm clock that Paul had got out as I was taking my clock with me. I could not sleep with its oh-so-regular electric ticking, and stumbled round to remove it to the bathroom. We already had the radio alarm clock set on my side of the bed.

Paul got up first to take the dogs out, and I got up 10 minutes later at 5.45. We left for the airport at 6.15. It took just over an hour so I had plenty of time. The flight to Heathrow was on time, and it only took me half an hour to get to T4 from T1. I had nearly 3 hours to kill before my flight to Bangalore. I spent some of that time browsing the book shops and finally decided on Iain Banks's debut novel 'The Wasp Factory', 'Song of Kali' by Dan Simmons and a non-Dalziel and Pascoe book by Reginald Hill.

I had a window seat on the flight and the seat next to me was empty so I managed to curl up and doze on and off for a large part of the flight. We got into Bangalore slightly ahead of schedule, but that didn't help me much as my bag was one of the last to come out.

I needed to change some money in order to get a taxi to the Bowring. This was when I found that the exchange wouldn't take Scottish notes. The only English note I had was a fiver and at the exchange rate given just over 400 rupees. The pre-paid taxi was asking for 500 rupees. I said that was too much - I didn't have 500 rupees so the car place said he would exchange a Scottish note.

I eventually got to the Bowring at just gone 6 a.m. but the taxi driver had taken me to the wrong entrance. Luckily there were a couple of staff there and one of them took my bags and me to the reception. It was then that I discovered that none of my 3 cards worked in their ancient looking card swiper. You are supposed to pay in advance. I said I didn't have enough cash so in the end they let me have my key and said to sort it out later. I got into my room at 6.30 a.m. and crashed out on the bed.

I changed and wandered back to reception at around 9.30. There was a different man there, and he also tried my cards to no avail. He said not to worry - pay later. I collected my breakfast voucher. I had been told by Gerry that I could get an omelette and coffee for breakfast.

There was a small queue in front of me of people collecting a plate and then various doughs and sauces being placed on it. I got to the front of the queue. All the serving dishes were covered so I could not see what was on offer. Before I knew it I had several things on my plate. No sign of eggs/omelette. I asked whether there were eggs but was not understood. I then tried 'omelette'. The man in charge understood and said he would bring me one. I sat down at the only empty table and tentatively tried what I had. It was too spicy for me. A young woman came and asked if she could sit at my table - no problem. She spoke a little English. Gradually more people from her family arrived - they were here for a wedding. She asked one of the waiters to get me a coffee. My omelette and coffee arrived and I spotted a table with toast so went and got some. I was hungrier than I thought, but soon discovered that my omelette was filled with chillis but with the aid of the toast I ate about half. The coffee was very sweet - I don't normally take sugar. I still felt a little woozy from the travelling so decided to go back to my cottage and have a nap.

My cottage consisted of a shower room/loo/wash hand basin, good size bedroom with 2 very solid single beds, wardrobe and bedside tables, sitting room with sofa/armchair and a fridge, and a balcony with a small table and chairs. The whole of the inside was tiled which was nice and cool. The bedroom and sitting room had fans which were sufficient, and I did not need to use the air-con in the bedroom.

I had just laid down when there was a knock at the door. A man had come to clean the cottage. I indicated for him to do so around me and crashed back out on of the beds...

I slept till around 3 pm, and then got up to go in search of a bank. There was one close by and I joined the queue for the ATM which was enclosed in its own little room. Once inside I put my card in but nothing happened. I tried again and some options came up. I guessed 'savings account' and waited. Nothing happened. I took my card out and then it asked my to enter my PIN. I quickly put my card back in and continued. I was allowed to take out 15000 rupees which I did. That would cover my accommodation costs.

I then wandered inside the bank to exchange my sterling. The bank was offering a much better rate than the airport - 85.4 against 81. I was ushered to a seat and a woman gave me a form to fill in, which I duly did. I handed over my Scottish notes which were looked at suspiciously. She then handed the form and notes to the man in the next booth. He told her they were okay and I was given a token. He then took me to another woman in a booth to exchange my token for the cash.

I had a little bit of an exploration. I bought some bottled water from a booth - I thought the man said 30 rupees so handed over said amount. He looked surprised and handed me back 17 rupees. Further up the road I invested in the equivalent of a pineapple smoothie - no ice - for the princely sum of 11 rupees. I was feeling tired again so wandered back to the Bowring. I had a cup of coffee (no sugar) where I had had breakfast and the waiter asked if I would like a cheese toastie. Bliss. I then went back to my cottage, read a little, did a little studying and slept...

The next morning I was prepared. I got my breakfast voucher, and asked for 'omelette - no chillis' and 'coffee - no sugar'.

Radhika phoned just after I got back to my rooms. She had arranged for me to be interviewed later in the morning and would then take me out for lunch. At around 11 I got a call to say to go to the pool for the interview. Radhika was a little late arriving but I was made welcome by the interviewer (a young woman), two of the local female players (the state champion and the wife of the president of the Bowring) and a photographer. Radhika arrived a few minutes later. She gave me a beautiful craft bookmark - an etching on two pieces of reed.

After the interview she took me to Koshy's which was nearby. This is an old establishment which serves both Indian and western food. I asked Radhika to enquire what Indian food was not too hot/spicy. I had a very mild chicken dish with a garlic naan and a mutton naan. She had fish and chips!

In the late afternoon I went exploring again. Radhika had pointed out a place for coffee just up from the restaurant so I checked it out with an iced-mocha (ice-cream rather than ice). Then I wandered up to the main road and shops. I was waylaid by a young man who said he wanted to practice his English and discuss Western culture with me... I told him I did not know much about western culture and was just walking about. He asked if I would mind if he walked with me. I did not feel threatened or intimidated so just shrugged. He showed me the park over the road. I then said I was tired and was going back to my hotel. He said goodbye and departed.

I continued my aimless wandering, fascinated by the traffic. It was beginning to get dark so I back-tracked to the main road to get my bearings. I bought some Indian sweets in another shop Radhika had pointed out to me on my way back to the Bowring - I was not very hungry after a large lunch so they would more than tide me over until the next day.

I got up a little later on Thursday morning. When I got my breakfast voucher I went to pay for my accommodation. I asked how much and was told just to pay 5000 rupees for now... The breakfast gang now asked me when I went in 'omelette no chillis, coffee no sugar' :)

I had a lazy day. I did some studying in the morning, then wandered along to a coffee shop for lunch. Radhika phoned to say she had arranged another interview with The Hindu newspaper for around 6 pm. I decided to try out the pool in the afternoon. I changed into my swimming costume under my skirt and blouse and headed for the pool. I asked the man for a towel. He did not speak much English and pointed me to around the corner. I wandered round but there was nothing there so I wandered back. Two more men were then sitting near the pool and asked if they could help. I said I needed a towel and they translated to the man for me. I was told I needed a voucher from reception. So off I went to reception only to be told I needed the other reception. I inquired where that was, and then went and got my voucher - around 50 rupees. Back to the pool with my voucher, and I was given a towel. There was a German lady already in the pool so I asked her about the water temperature. It was not heated so I decided the best thing was to just dive straight in. I did so when the man came running back along with a swimming cap...

I had a phone call nearer 6.30 pm from the journalist from The Hindu, Rakeesh, saying he was at reception. I wandered over, left a note for Gerry and Pakorn re the morning minibus pickup (they were arriving later that night), and then we chatted for about half an hour. Afterwards I decided to treat myself and went back to Koshy's for dinner. French onion soup, pork chops, tiramisu, one small beer and coffee with a good tip rounded up to 600 rupees.

I tried to get an early night - minibus pickup was going to be around 7.30 am the next morning to take us to the tourney venue. However, my room was next to one of the parking areas so it wasn't until around midnight that it quietened down and the lights outside went out...

Off to Bangalore

I am beginning to get excited now.

My friend Radhika has booked me a cottage in the Bowring Institute. This is a 'club' located in downtown Bangalore which also offers accommodation and has a swimming pool. I am not quite sure what my cottage comprises. I am hoping it at least means that I have a sitting room as well as bedroom and bathroom, as it costs about half as much again as a single room - not that it is expensive, I calculate it at about 26 pounds a night. A few other scrabble players will also be staying there, although I don't think they arrive until nearer the tournament. Certainly Gerry and Pakorn from Thailand do not arrive until the night before.

I started packing my clothes yesterday. In the morning I got out what I wanted to take. In the afternoon I decided I had better check that what I wanted to take still fitted. I have put weight on since moving up here, and am currently about half a stone heavy than I was and just under a stone heavier than I would like. Luckily my diet before Christmas meant that I ended up lighter than I started. Anyway, I tell myself it can't be all fat as everything I got out of the cupboards is now packed in my baggage.

In the pocket at one end of my bag is the medical pack. I can be very allergic to insect bites, so two different insect repellents, anti-histamine tablets and two different creams for if I get got. Sticking plasters for any blisters. Paracetamol for any headaches and general pains. Omega-3 fish oil capsules to aid concentration during the tourney. We had nothing in the house for stomach complaints. The pocket at the other end has my scrabble necessities - tile trackers, score pad, rack and red pens.

The next step was the great 'charge up' - camera, phone, walkman and Sony Clie. I have found my electric plug adapter thingummy, so hopefully I will be able to keep them charged whilst I am away. My hand luggage is going to be a mass of wires with all the different chargers. I am also intending to take my laptop so that I can revise some lists in between sight seeing. I have also sorted through all the mini discs for my walkman, getting the right discs into the right boxes and decided which ones to take.

This afternoon I did the on-line check-in for my flights so hopefully all I need to do at the airport is the luggage drop off and security checks. I have got window seats for both the flight down to Heathrow and on to Bangalore.

Just need to get an early night tonight...

Garden report 2007 - 1

Happy New Year to all who read this blog...

I thought I might do a 'what's happening in the garden' regular spot. I hope to have something flowering every day of the year. I managed this in my old garden in Sandhurst, but it is colder and windier here...

Flowers: Mahonia (yellow), Cyclamen (white, red and pink), Pansies (purple/yellow) and Hellebores (white). Osteospermum (pink) are dying back after the severe frosts.
Berries: Berberis (orange) and Cotoneaster (red)
Bulbs: Snowdrops pushing through strongly in the high bank. First signs of the narcissi and crocuses in the long bank. Bulbs in the tubs are all coming through.