Yes… farewell to our most lovely friend Rahila. Wife of Farooq , contemporary of T and other friends of ours at Cambridge – 1963-1967 I think. T and these friends looked after Farouq at university and towed him around on the backof a tandem.
Theirs was an arranged marriage … I think, an enduring and loving one. Farouq was blinded in a shooting accident when he was a young man and he would need a wife who could look after him. Rahila was that person. Some sort of distant relative I think.
She came, in the early 1970s, from a wealthy Pakistan family, with servants etc, to live in cold, miserable UK with few skills of her own apart from love and determination.
She was gritty, wise and elegant. Their children have made very good over here and they have an amazing extended mixed race family.
From never having had to cook, Rahila was largely self taught and taught me simple, but delicious, recipes over a few sessions.
I can hear her voice and feel her wisdom now. No more reunions in Surbiton. Our last one was here, a year ago, when everyone was present. So glad it happened.
Well that news was what greeted me this morning after a massive and deep sleep. I awoke at 07.30. That is seriously late.
I felt little impetus to do anything. So I pottered. And then I pottered a bit more.
H had but a short walk but does not seem too bothered.
I received, from couriers, various items I had ordered… mostly to do with organising the car for its up and coming adventure. UK stickers; headlight beam adapters. French alcohol test kit. All required by law. One item was very disappointing.
As for the headlight beam adapters… my lights do not seem to fit the pictures. It is as clear as mud! I spent ages on the internet researching it and watching youtube vids. Time wasted. P
The day has passed and I’m not really sure what we did with it. We / I made plans and then ignored them! Silly person.
A quick dash to the Rec for H sufficed.
I did little with the day, wasting precious hours. I have bags to pack and items to hunt out for our journey.
I’m cross with myself!
Thought for the Day
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