A Stray Pup

As some people turn older they start doing strange things. I guess everyone does strange things but some don't see them as strange. One reason may be the link between `strange things' and getting old.

Now recently I moved into this category. I started feeding a stray pup. So what's strange about that? Well I started cooking food for the pup. Oh, I've also liked animals - dogs and cats - but I never wanted to make a habit of feeding them on the roadside for a number of reasons. One of those reasons is I didn't want to become (seem) crazy like the Late Marie Doyle and my late aunt-in-law Mavis Gomez or Jackie Joachim. Jackie still cooks for the stray dogs in our colony. Then my late mum and dad also fed roadside dogs. Years ago one stray came home to stay with us. She turned out a good dog and lived several years. I don't want that happening again.

However, this pup was abandoned near a school gate and was surviving on a few morsels thrown by some feeling-hearted children. This is wonderful because people don't have much feelings even for human beings leave alone animals. 

Well, about 10-12 days ago I started cooking meat and rice  with a tomato thrown in for taste for this pup. I even went on Sunday and Republic Day to feed it. And as can be expected this miserable  looking pup is looing so much better and is now very lively. I don't want to keep this up I hope to stop feeding it as soon as it is able to fend for itself. But I afraid of the attachment. Let's see what happens. 

 

13 Lawrence Terrace about 1955

Standing  at the back from left is Gerry Gardner(Sonbun), Ian (Bunny) Carter and Darryl Wilson. Second row there is some doubt maybe Herbert King in the centre is Johnny Cline and at the end Darryl Stears then Keith Shepherd and George Shepherd and a girl who may be Lorraine Vincent then sitting is Allan James and maybe Raju Loomba. Pic circa 1955.

My Aunts Irene and Ivy (sitting) and Mum, Tessy, brother Keith and myself in 1951 in front of Lawrence Terrace, Lucknow.

`Memories of another day'

Uncle Ken (Hourigan)taken outside 13 Lawrence Terrace, Lucknow in the mid 1950s

One never knows..

Over the last three years I'd been frequently passing an old gentleman out on his morning walk. Several times I was tempted to say something to him, even if it was just wishing him the time of the day. However, I didn't till just a few days ago. He greeted me warmly speaking in the usual half-Hindi-half-English as is common in UP. When I learnt that Mr RK Yadav retired from the P&T department my mind went to my uncle and others of his time who served together, but I said nothing. Finally he got around to asking where I lived, and hearing me say Lawrence Terrace, he mentioned a name that took me back fifty years.
As it turned out he had visited a neighbour, Mr Edwards, who lived in the flat below us. The Edwards left for the UK in 1959-60.
But he had first visited 'Old' Lawrence Terrace some time earlier. The Edwards family consisted husband (I can't remember his name), wife, Annette and daughter, about my age, Alison ... The oldman named my uncle Kenneth Hourigan and Mr Melville Wilson. Uncle Ken died in the 1980s whereas Mr Wilson died at 92yrs in 2000. We had been in this Newabi building, that was said to have been an elephant stable and later barracks for British soldiers, since my grandfather shifted to Lucknow at the turn of the last century. He died at no. 13 'old' LT in 1928.

My grandson, Jason

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <+919235313205@mms.tataindicom.com>
Date: Tue, Dec 16, 2008 at 3:06 PM
Subject:
To: georgeshepherdlkw@gmail.com

Jason is the second son of my elder daughter, Fiona and her husband, Warren Hopkins