The Harry Potter version of London! And some!

 

Given the highlight of our trip was this little minx's birthday and her Harry Potter fantasies, we found ourselves on a Harry Potter walking tour of London to catch the sites and get our fill of the Potter madness! I wont be able to give you a lot of the details being I was just a spectator tagging along for the ride! I will leave you with lots of pictures and some trivia here and there!

First stop: Kings cross station! 

Kings cross station has an underground station and a national rail station with trains going all over UK. Additionally across the street is the St Pancras Station that is the International station, with trains that connect to rest of Europe! The movie actually features the St Pancras station. You can tell why. Looks so much better for sure!

St Pancras International

Kings cross station (just across the st)

Another detail. Kings cross station has no wall between platform 9 and 10. The 9 3/4 you see there is outside a shop near platform 9 and 10. Apparently JK Rowling had her stations mixed up when she wrote. She was thinking Euston Rd and wrote Kings cross! However they made do, Kings cross does have a wall near platform 4 and 5 (see below) where a lot of the shooting was done!

Kings cross platforms - this is what 9, 10 looked like as well

Wall near Platform 5 (better view below)

Platform 9 3/4 in the film

From Kings Cross, we took the tube to the Leicester Square station!

 From there we walked to Goodwin's court! We saw 2 inspirations for Diagon Alley here. One at Goodwins' court and from there we headed to a darker looking diagon alley at Cecil court! I have not watched a lot of Harry Potter, but even to me the resemblance was uncanny!

Goodwin Court

I dont think its related to HP, but might as well be!

Cecil Court

Entrance to Diagon Alley (as seen in Harry Potter and Half Blood prince), at Newport St

Here is one of the brat! In her new trendy leather Zara bikers jacket!
Outside a blue door on Diagon alley with a broom propped in front of it!

Our next stop, the Palace Theater which screens the Harry Potter and the cursed child play! We missed that here in the US. Need to go looking for that in the USA!

The Palace Theater

That rare picture of the 4 of us in one frame!

As I upload this picture, my conversations with Tootsie earlier this week plays back! She says “2 people read your blog, you and me! And you go to all this effort to find us blog names and keep our privacy! I say post a picture of me on your blog! About time!”  I figured she was right! And she had me at "I read your blog!" I would do anything for my reader in singular! 😜 Also if you think about it that’s less people on my blog than on my Facebook! So if I can post there, I most certainly can post it in this blog with its +1 readership count !!  (Although I swing back and forth on the wisdom of posting pictures on Facebook! But hey who am I kidding! Privacy is a thing of the past in this new world!) In any case, enjoy the indulgence!

Our next stop on the tour Leicester square with its theaters and sculptures of different characters! As is the case sometimes, I forgot to take pictures! I certainly am not a good travel blogger or tip provider! And it was too crowded anyway! Our favorites were Mary Poppins, the guy from Mary poppins, Mr Bean, and Paddington! They were promoting Thor so we couldn’t get close to Harry Potter! The pity! We did get a good sighting of Wonder Woman and Batman!

A different side of palace theater with the London traffic as we walked away! That big red bus!

Leicester Square with the star studded banners!

Leicester Square   

Wonder Woman

The flying birds of Leicester Square   

Just because!

Our next stop on the tour was Trafalgar square. There were no protests on this day that I could see! I have heard that this is the hot bed of rallies and protests! Tourists were milling around taking in all the splendor and appeal of the square!

    

Trafalgar Square with the giant ice cream that was fascinating

National Gallery on the north across the street from Trafalgar square

The lion was certainly fascinating! Kind of reminiscent of the lion in the Indian emblem!

On the other side of Trafalgar square is the South African Embassy! To the potter heads this was the inspiration for the outside of Gringott's bank! Although the insides was the Australian Embassy and not this!

 The great Scotland yard! In Harry Potter I believe this was the ministry of defense! I believe there was a red telephone booth that is not present on this street that was the entrance to the ministry in the movie! But after watching so many UK based movies and shows this was more about the great scotland yard and at least in my head I had stopped paying attention to the Harry Potter references! Sorry HP fans but here is where I mentally leave you! But I believe they break into the ministry in the Deathly Hallows movie! 

St James Palace! We missed the change of guard by a few minutes! Considering we altogether missed Buckingham palace in our list, this was a distant second!

Onwards on to the famous London Eye! We were very tempted but boy does it move slow! The Thames boat rides are also very tempting, but long lines to get on! They take you from here to Tower of London so would have been a wonderful sight seeing off the water!

Walk further along the river thames and you see the wonderful Big Ben. Turn and walk alongside het tube station and you view the amazing architecture of Westminster Abbey

 

As you can tell, the weather was absolutely fantastic. Warm and sunny but not scalding hot like here! It was just perfect and the British rain that we were prepared for eluded us nicely! Couldnt have asked for better. By this time the kids were done, so we abandoned the HP tour got a nice subway lunch! I love the american fast food restaurants everywhere else in the world! While Subway in London was just the same, Mc D had so many different options including Vegetarian options! I always love exploring these fast food chains outside the US. I wouldnt be caught at a Mc D within! The best by far is of course in India.

We skedaddled out of there taking the tube! The Westminster underground station (which unfortunately I didn't take pictures of) is another HP location. I believe the Lambeth bridge and 

Here is a lovely pic from https://www.visitlondon.com/traveller-information/place/284476-westminster-underground-station

And another from https://www.sceen-it.com/sceen/1546/Harry-Potter-and-the-Order-of-the-Phoenix/Westminster-Tube-Station of the scene where Harry Potter and Arthur Weasley take the tube!

As we headed back to the hotel, M was beginning to feel the fatigue and was complaining about a stuffy nose and sore throat. So I walked across the street to a Boots to get a covid test and some medication. As the lady at the counter patiently translated for me what a Paracetamol with Caffeine can do! While I asked her but what's the equivalent of NyQuil? (Being the American, I expect the world to know about all our medication!) But as I kept talking to the Pharmacist and looked at the Vitamin C chewies, I had a wage of nostalgia hit me! The Calpol, Crocin and the Succee (Vit C) from my childhood memories were remembered fondly! 

The rest as they say is history! I was so sure of this not being Covid! But I forget the new world we live in! M tested and tested positive! I looked at the 2 lines in disbelief! Hell no! This certainly was not the vacation I planned! But we have come far in the covid journey! There is no quarantine requirement, or travel restriction anymore! We were all vaccinated and boostered, so were likely to have mild flu like symptoms! And hey what's life if you don't have a few of these setbacks! Thank God for all our blessings!

I still wasn't ready to wind down yet! And the next day we would leave to Scotland! So I decided to make the most of my evening and equipped with my Oyster card took off to explore Tower of London! M donned a mask, claimed a bed and took a nap! The kids, took to their devices each claiming the other bed and couch / sofa bed in the room - Our version of quarantine!

I took the tube to Monument, thinking I needed to go to London bridge! See the Monument there that is a reminder of the great fire of 1666. The stone column I have heard is worth a climb (up its 311 steps) to take in some sweeping views of the city! But I was a woman with a mission, so off I went to London bridge! 

Huh? That's the London bridge? Remember the london bridge fell down? Not sure if it was the reference to the timber bridge that was replaced by an ineffective Stone arch bridge in 1176 that was then replaced by a series of other London bridges! Fear ye not, do a 360. turn and there she is inn all her glory the Neo Gothic Tower bridge!

The tower bridge

The Tower castle

The walk from London bridge to the tower bridge! A lovely walk lined with food stalls!

The London city line as viewed from the other side of Thames!

Entrance to the Tower castle which houses the crown jewels! Most importantly the Kohinoor

The side profile of the castle! The fortress of London!

That my friends is my long winded tale of our London expedition! I had every intention of going to the Buckingham palace and the Pall Mall the next morning and keeping my appointment with the Queen! (Poor Joke I know)! But I had to spend the morning canceling our rental car, and accomodations around Scotland! It was time to face reality and re-configure our trip to stay put in Edinburgh! Not to mention my Bank's alerting system just went crazy with all my change of plans! In the next 36 hrs my credit card would get locked 4 times and it would take me a few chats and calls to the Bank to set things right, not to mention cancelations, re-bookings as a result! Whoever said going with the flow was fun! But I guess I ought to be thankful to my bank for looking out for me!

The 40s are here and I love it!

I am happy I am in my 40's. When I was in my 20's I looked at the 40 yr olds around me with a little bit of pity! I felt they had passed their prime and were so old! I now look at the 40 yr olds around me with understanding, and recognition. They are all in the same boat as I am. Most have teenage kids that think they are too old and ancient :) Most have suddenly found time! Rediscovered friendships, are snucking out for the night without guilt or a second look! Well I don't know about most, but I am! And I am loving it!

With time I have also found a passion in life! Hiking! I have found like minded friends that share my likes and beliefs! I have learnt not to be pressured by the demands of society! Society does not need to deem me like-able or a good host or cook or even a good parent! I am who I am and who I will be! Too late to change that!

I have rediscovered my joy for reading, and time to actually do it! I love my daily workout and am finally in a place where I am feeling good about my body! And what's more I actually like my family and my kids most of the time! Oh well that is a bit of a stretch :P  And today is a good day! Ask me on a bad day what you think and you will get the less than rosy version of this! But maybe the 40s are the new deal! I have been thinking about this a lot (can you tell I have time on my hands?) Here is why the 40s are the best

You have been accepted!

Your family has given up on you/ accepted you with your flaws! Lets face it, you are too old to change now! Resigned as they maybe (your dad doesn't even bat an eye when he finds out you are not a vegetarian any more!)

The children are grown!

Your kids are not clinging to you anymore, but haven't yet drifted far apart that you are lonely and bored! You look at others younger to you with the "been there done yet" attitude! But know enough to not get sucked into giving parenting advice! You know now that parenting is no fun ride and there is just no science to it! 

Go with the flow is the mantra!

You have faced enough of life, not to be fazed by small setbacks! And you have learnt to go with the flow as much as you can (at least for most of the time)! You know things change, and you know shit happens! But you also know that all's well that ends well!

Expectations are on the decline!

You have learnt to lower your expectations of people and situations. You know you can't please everyone or even be liked by everyone and you are ok with that! And you know it works the same in reverse! So be it! 

Last time I checked this is no reality TV or live competition!

In the same theme as above, you no longer feel the need to please, to step up or bend over backwards! Its no competition, I am fine coming in second or even the last on some things! I am who I am and that pleases me to no end!

Appreciate Life!

You have learnt to appreciate life's little blessings,  You know not to take things for granted and to enjoy every blessing and advantage you have. Menopause hasn't found you yet, your joints are still functioning (for the most part) and you have the enthusiasm for life! What more can you ask for?

You are comfortable in your skin! 

You know it is what it is and you have learnt to accept it! If it's hot, you will wear an ugly hat! If its cold, you will grab the first drab jacket you see! You will rock the Dr Scholls shoes that you like! You have learnt practical is a lot more fun than regret :)

So I think its that adjustment and hard found understanding of the reality that is to blame, but it is a great time of my life for sure! P.S. Full disclosure: The title is a bit of mis-representation. The 40s have been here for a bit now, but I have realised the full potential more recently! As we went off to Vegas to celebrate a friends 40th birthday earlier this summer, it hit me that I really love my life (anti-jinx) and need to thank God for blessings. So a short interruption of my travel diaries to finally complete this monologue that has been brewing in my head for months! I leave you here with a picture of the North Georgia mountains that I enjoy hiking! Lots of anti-jinx applied here!

Oxford you say!

 Day 2: After a fitful nights sleep we wake up to a 10 am on the clock! Oops! We didn’t travel across the ocean to sleep in? Or did we? After all it’s vacation time! Today we take ourselves to Paddington station  and then to Kings Cross to make our way to Oxford! I mention Paddington because today was also the day I found Paddington was a really good movie. In a couple of days as we laid low in Edinburgh Tootsie and I would watch a double feature of Paddington 1 and 2. 

More on that later. For now onwards to the majestic Kings Cross station and Oxford! Kings Cross Station looks majestic and apparently is a splitting image of Calcutta's Howrah Station per M. Its also a really old station built in 1852. The pictures here are from the platforms where the long distance trains take off. More on Kings Cross in the next post as we explore Harry Potter locations. Another claim to fame for Kings Cross.

Travel tip: If you are doing this book ahead. Usually for the long distance trains there are great deals online if you book ahead. We got a reasonable deal when we got to the station (Don’t use the Kiosks, the agents are much better equipped to find you the best deal). The other problem with not booking ahead is you don't get assigned seats and are then going to be going from coach to coach to find seating. But Oxford is not a long ride about 1 hr, so no harm done! And off we go!

It was with a lot of excitement we got to Oxford. M and I the geeks that we are were just excited about going to a stellar university! Tootsie was excited to see Harry Potter locations! Cheeky was just along for the ride! Tip for Oxford: Book yourself on a tour depending on what you want to see. I was so cocky about my ability to navigate on my own which we did reasonably well, however we missed some of the key stops - Christ Church was one I really wanted to go into, but we couldn’t as they were sold out! M was beginning to feel the worse for wear already and we should have been able to tell by his general lack of energy which is not usual! But my excitement at being at such a monumental place clouded everything! Trinity college was closed to public, but we took a peek at Ramanujam’s alma mater and that gave us goose bumps!

Here are some other notable sightings at Oxford

The Bodelian library home of a lot of Harry Potter scenes

The Radcliffe Camera

University Church of St Mary the Virgin (across from the Radcliffe camera)

Museum Of science ( I think! After a few days all buildings blend  into one. This one was near Radcliffe camera)

Bridge of Sighs (Another HP location)

Christ Church buildings and gardens (See the building in the back with the spikes? That’s the Hogwarts great dining hall). Also did you know Albert Einstein taught at Christ Church in 1930's and was the first Jewish- German academic at Oxford?

Another Oxford Alumni is JRR Tolkein of Lord of the Rings fame (Exeter college which we didn't visit). Oxford does have a lot of stores selling the paraphilia with pride - Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. And my kids were like a moth drawn to the stores. Here was Cheeky's attempt at vanishing!

Oxford also has its very own castle most of which is in its ruins! This was towards the end of the day and we were ready to get a snack after all teh walking. You will see the mound at the far end of the second picture. The Castle is behind it and played a vital role in the Anglo-Saxon war apparently.

Overall Oxford was quaint and had so much history breathing through it. It was a lot to take in! Although we were exposed to some rude behavior that I have often heard of. M has recently lost a lot of weight and was having a hard time keeping his pants on (quite literally) so wanted to duck into a store and buy a belt! We stepped into a store and M picked up a belt and took it up to the counter. He wanted another belt hole added to the belt and asked the guy if he would do it! The response was "Who are you asking? Are you asking me? Does it look like I add holes to the belt! It should be obvious!". We were shocked at his behavior, handed him the belt and left the store! Talk about customer service! But all's well that ends well. We found a little mall, M got his belt and Tootsie and I found her a really cute Biker faux leather jacket at Zara for a steal! I was so jealous that later in Edinburgh I went to look for and buy the very same jacket (in a different color.. mom of a teenager now!) at Marks and Spencer for almost twice the price! 

Here are some more pictures from Oxford! As always I kept stopping to click pictures much to the irritation of my kids! But I have now captured the memories in my mind and in my photo library for me to go back look and relive!

At the end of the day, we proved that you can take the South Indian out of India by you can never take the South Indian out of us! We went to Dosa an Indian restaurant that made great promises but fell way short! 

As we returned home that night we were happy and a little exhausted! But pleased for the day we had had with no arguments, happy kids and general sunny dispositions! Little did we know trouble was brewing in the form of a pesky little virus called COVID!

We got off at Paddington and stumbled upon this surprise canal side! It’s beautiful with some floating bars and restaurants on the canal! 

As we walked on towards our Hotel we passed through another surprise location! St Mary’s Hospital! Was Penicillin really discovered here?

With that Oxford is a wrap, we fully intend to come back and fill in the gaps that are a thorough look at all the colleges inside and out, and a game of Punting! That night M and I (as is tradition) snuck out to the bar to catch some adult time while the kids caught up with electronics in the room! As I brought out my glasses sheepishly from my purse to read the menu at the bar, M clicked a pic! We may be growing old and having to take our glasses to the bar! But we are still not past goofing off and having some fun! I think I look good despite the glasses (the lighting in the bar may have had a big role to play!), so will leave you with that image!

London in a blur

When we originally planned our trip we were warned this is too little time! 4 days in London is nothing ! But hey we wanted to do it all! So off we set on a 9 day journey to take it all in! In all of my Europe trips I have been underwhelmed by the cities. So we were prepared for London to be just that and didnt think we needed longer than the three days. But boy were we wrong! I didn’t think much of the history and culture till I saw it with my own eyes! London has a really chill vibe to it! Every corner you turn you take in a piece of history! You recognize something that brings a spark in your eyes! I was reaching out for my phone every other second much to my kids dismay! [To be fair I felt this way about Rome as well, history at every corner just overwhelmed me there!]

As we got off the airplane we decided to do it the London way! We got ourselves the Oyster card and went off to explore the tube system and get to the hotel! In under £10 and a change of train later we were dropped off across our hotel at the Edgeware Rd station. I now felt like a pro at navigating London! I had the tube map pat down!

The hotel though had other plans! I paid through the nose to stay at a Hilton! But they were terribly under staffed, were under going construction and had an old property that was just unclean! And they wouldn’t give us a room till 3 PM. With a day to kill and our new found power in the Oyster cards we set off to explore Notting Hill. [side note: Oyster card is a pay as you go card that you can load up and swipe as you use the underground transit. It costs about £2.25 per trip regardless of where you go in central London. For a short visit the Travel card may work better as it’s about £7 for a 7 day unlimited pass. We did it like the locals do! ]

Notting Hill ! There are plenty of tips across the Internet on what to do and how to visit this quaint l district of London. I made lots of notes and of course followed none! Now you could explore and take it all in as I did or you could explore and declare this is just “Nothing Hill” like Tootise did! As for me after the million times I have watched the movie I half expected Hugh Grant to pop out and say “Hello” in that adorable British  accent! Now our journey.. We got off at Ladbroke Grove and made our way to Portobello market on Portobello street. It’s a street market that sells bespoke stuff! Think more like a thrift market/ antique mall vibe! The food street looked delectable but my family just walked past it as I took in the sights and smells! And ofcourse there are the lovely streets with the colorful homes, Lancaster street in Particular! IMO, looks very much like San Francisco in some parts! Here are some of the pictures from our wanderings! Notice Cheeky with the very London bucket hat, the London telephone booth and post boxes! 

Portobello Market

Lancaster Street

After our walk we made our way back to Edgeware road in South Kensington for lunch. This place is dotted with a lot of Lebanese and Middle Eastern stores and restaurants! Some yummy falafel and shawarma to be had here!

We enjoyed the sightings of the famous Telephone booths and Post boxes. Now I must tell you the telephone boxes are filthy and tragic looking reminders of the past! The post boxes and really a lot of little things in London reminded us of India. It is clear to see that India was once a colony and has a lot of influences from London! Even some of the buildings reminded us of a walk down Old Madras (Mount Road and Paris Corner) or the Central Station in Madras and I am told Howrah station in Calcutta is almost a replica of Kings Cross! Clear to see the influences!

At about this time the jet lag was feeling real! So it was a wrap for our day! We ended up going to an Indian restaurant near Soho for dinner with friends! London continues to amaze and surprise at every turn! That’s the University Hospital of London and Gower St. In a later post we will see other chance viewings when least expected. That was the theme of London :)

 

I was ready to be underwhelmed by London but the surprises at every turn continues to amaze! More to explore tomorrow!

Harry Potter or the Queen? How about neither!

I feel like this trip needs multiple introductory posts! Knowing me that’s all you will probably get, introductory posts! I am soon either going to run out of material or writing skills or time! But we will call it time shall we? Not that it matters/ to the -1 readers I have. I am sure I am the only one that reads my posts! That’s a 10 X degradation from my readership 15 years ago! However I still have the urge to write and this blog does exist (so do the other half a dozen blogs I seem to have created! With 3 posts each! Talk about ambitious!) So anyway, here goes!

Tootsie turns 12 this year! I should have known that night when I started labor pains on July 4th.  Our life was defined by that moment! When Tootsie turned 2 and 3 we thought it was a great idea to take a vacation and celebrate the birthday on the road! In a few years it became more of an expectation! After Eiffel Tower for the 8th birthday there was no turning back! At 12 Tootsie thinks its the right of passage! We have had a birthday trip every year, marred only by the one year that the whole world took a break for COVID (well to be fair rest of the world took a break for 2 years, but we didn’t! Even then!)

So this year as we started planning our annual vacation, Tootsie chimed in! “I know, for my birthday I want to visit the Harry Potter sites in London and Scotland! And the sucker that I am that became the plan! A trip to United Kingdom, so be it!!  No Harry Potter trip is complete without a trip to London, Oxford and Scotland! So that became the base of our itinerary!

Now I must also mention Cheeky! He has grown quite a bit since my last rambling! He is now 17, and quite knowledgeable about all the ways the world has been wronged! Including all the racist references made by JK Rowlings and all the ways the Queen and the Kingdom have wronged the world! So we are no fans of either the Royalty or Harry Potter. With that, I say welcome to London!

That’s the story of the life of every parent with 2 kids! I can so empathise with my parents now! The kids somehow choose to have diametrically opposite tastes, you please one and the other is less than impressed! However my kids have learnt to be reslient as kids often are and stoic as long as you dont exceed the time boundaries! Which I have found to be about half day give or take! At which time its time to abandon the tour and get some food! 

I feel like every trip gives all of us life lessons! Them how to deal with happy mom that wants to click a 1000 pics and just won’t simmer down! Or how to try to tame mom and fall short or just be embarrassed! Me how to curb my enthusiasm and plan lot of down time and learn when to abandon ship and call it a day!! So what if we missed visiting the palace and watching  the Change of guard! As long as no one is killing each other we will call it a win! 

Rearranging best laid plans! Oh well!

It’s been 2 years of being land bound! Almost! If you know us you know we are (or rather I am) bitten by the travel bug! And often my family has no choice but to follow! However I do try even if I say so myself! I try to make the experience as fun/ tolerable for all members of the family! This year it was decided we would take ourselves to the United Kingdom! But I wanted to do more than just London. So it was decided that we would do a few days in London but have a drive through experience of Scotland! Dreaming of the  Scottish Lochs and Moors I planned a packed itinerary with stays in Inns and Bed and Brakfasts! An itinerary that would take us through the Scottish wilderness to explore the unexplored!

 I scoured the internet for months to put together this itinerary! I joined facebook groups to be sure! But overall I just enjoyed the planning journey!

But as it is said God/ luck/ fate whatever you may choose to call it has her own plans! (If there is an omnipresent I really hope its a her, so much  more empathy we will get!) For the first time in 2 years we were ready to travel beyond the borders, and I planned a full itinerary for our 10 day trip! But it involved driving in Scotland and having so much confidence in the Mister’s driving skills I booked us a manual transmission car!

Half way to the flight, we realized someone had forgotten his drivers license! I can’t be trusted with a manual and there is no way I am paying another 1000 Pounds for an automatic! Oh well! But we still held on to hope and arrived in London!

After a couple of packed days in London (More on that later), DH was just not having it! As its usually my kids that are impacted by jet lag, boredom or just not feeling touristy this should have been a bit of a clue! The day we landed he was falling apart as we hit mid day! I booked us into a Hilton and paid through the nose to have a good experience! But we couldn’t get our room till late and by the time we got our room we were all way past done and the jet lag was feeling real! But most importantly DH was not having it! We got through the day, got a little bit of shut eye and met some friends for dinner. Day 2 was better, a day at Oxford. Our luck wasn’t having it though. I had hoped to take my Potter head to Christ Church to see the Hogwart Great Hall and other sights, but when we got there they told us they were all sold out! We made the most of the day, laughed, hung out and made it back in one piece and full of good humor! I will take that!

Day 3 was Harry Potter day! After a HP exploration of London DH was now complaining of a sore throat. I suspected he was just being paranoid and said so to the pharmacist as I picked up a COVID test and rolled my eyes as I picked up a cart load of medication. Bring on the Vitamin C, Strepsils, Paracetamol and whatever you can load on! The climax though was a bit of a let down! He tested positive for COVID! The new world we live in! Well we are all vaccinated, boostered up but still COVID catches you unawares and gives your body a beating while at it! All of the card loading will now come in handy! But the well laid plans wont!

We are taking the day off from the vacation, the Buckingham palace is being given a slip, Scotland will no longer be done by car, we will adjust, regroup and hopefully still have a unique experience we will all enjoy! After all that’s what life is about! I am glad my kids don’t care! In fact I may be the only one that does! But I always do and want to soak in the place as much as I can wherever I go! My family never gets it! But I can live with changing plans, as long as the family is together safe and secure! (Who am I kidding?, my heart is breaking all this beauty and I am not out there exploring! COVID be damned!)

And what’s life if there isn’t a bit or drama! That’s been the mantra of our lives all along! So be it! It gives me a story to tell!

Entrepeneur is my name!

Wednesdays are catch up day for the kids. So they don't have school/ virtual learning on Wednesdays. In our household that of course means vacation. My kids act like summer break all over again. Waking up at Noon and lazing around with devices. A couple weeks back I hear Tootsie going on in the other room and my phone buzzes. I get a video from my sister "Remote learning at its best" She says and sends a video of Tootsie teaching her little 4 yr old Super hero lessons! Lockdown for 4 yr olds can be really trying. So my sister had signed him up for these virtual classes to keep him occupied and Tootsie caught on!

I texted back to my sister "You are in trouble! Did you negotiate the rates? What were you thinking?" Tootsie is the true mercenary entrepreneur! She does nothing for free! She made her Dad and me paintings for our office and sent us a bill. She gives her dad a 5 minute massage and charges him $5. She gives business advice to her friends! Last year her teacher had a marketplace where kids could bring and sell things for fake money! While other kids made 15 and 20$, Ms Entrepeneur made 300$. She had buy one get one free deals, price reductions at the end of the day, had the pulse of the room and was selling Slime and Puppy dog paintings! 

Also last year she started a club with her friends to Save Endangered Animals. STAC they called it. For a while they had been having "meetings", researching animals (the teacher used the opportunity) and  making t-shirts for members (A parent donated blank t-shirts and the little artist painted on the shirts!). Little Miss Business decided they needed to raise money for the animals. So Tootsie planned with her friends to sell goodies at the local park. They had inside information that the water fountains were broken and so the entrepreneur in her decided water bottles, juice boxes, soda and light snacks (aka chips). Parents were recruited to buy goodies and donate to STAC, posters were made and one beautiful Sat afternoon snack stations were setup. 10 minutes go by and no one comes by. Tootsie looks on anxiously. "I think we are too far away from the playground. They don't know we are selling! They must think its a party"

So she rallied the troops. "Lets go tell them we are here". And she starts walking up to random strangers " Hi, we are raising funds to Save endangered animals! All the money we collect will go to the Atlanta zoo endangered species program. Would you like to come buy something to support the animals?"

Or

"Are you thirsty or hungry? We have some yummy snacks and drinks"

"Cash Only!"

Or better yet!

"Oh didn't bring your wallet, we are going to be here for a while. You can go home and bring it we'll wait!"

At every comment I just moved further away until I was sitting at the next table! But that pretty much sums up the little entrepreneur in her. She dolls out business advice to friends. When her friend started selling bracelets in the neighborhood Tootsie had advice on pricing, negotiation and marketing strategies! BOGO and discounts except we first decided the strategy before deciding the price! You get the math!

Enough of the history lesson, lets now fast forward to Covid lockdown a time when mom and dad were being charged for paintings and chores around the house, her aunt told her about outschool. An online site where anyone could register (post background checks) to teach classes on any topic. I could literally see the light shining in her eyes as she had visions of teaching classes online and making money. And the wheels spinning as she decided between art and super hero lessons. But why go online and find new customers when we have one handy in the family! So young 4 yr old cousin was recruited and this fine Wednesday lessons were thought. While the gullible innocent aunt looked on!

True to my prediction later that day I asked Tootsie what had happened and she narrated to me "I taught him 2 classes. I gave him super hero lessons and taught him how to draw a unicorn! So that totals to 26$.” Never mind that the total length of the session was 20 mins long! Still 2 topics were taught! The bill has been sent to the aunt and now she is really on the guard at every conversation. "At this rate" said she "I can’t afford unmonitored conversations with the little minx!"

Meanwhile the minx has been plotting a plan for the money. She plans to buy "vans’ shoes" with the money she earns off the aunt! Because everyone needs a vans’ shoe you know! And mom refused to buy her one since she was now an earning member of the family! 

So finally mom had to step in to cut a deal and talk a language that Tootsie would understand. A flat rate has been negotiated. Vans’ shoes for teaching the cousin to count until 100! We wont count how many classes that takes! Good luck tootsie!! 4 yr old Gattulu is a force to be reckoned with.. you are going to need that luck! Or as they say in Tamil "Sabash seriyana potti!"!!