And just like, after months of preparation and planning, the two odd weeks of holiday have come to an end. The kids had a restless night and we were up a bit later than normal. Bron and Ben have made it back to Sydney and were checked into the hotel by the time we woke. Bron wrote copious amounts of notes about how to transfer in Delhi which will come in handy for us tomorrow.

I spent most of the day packing and it was almost never ending. Everytime I thought I had packed everything from one room, I would discover more. And the kids didn’t help and kept getting things out of suitcases when my back was turned. The best solution was to send them downstairs and spend the day with Dadu and Dida.

The only real newsworthy thing that happened today was the electrical fire that started when I turned on the water heater. It seemed one of the wires had corroded and bought the fuse which resulted in sparks and flames from the central control box. After a quick visit from the electrician it was all fixed and normality returned.

Lunch was a subdued affair and no one was in the mood for eating much. Given we will need to get up early tomorrow, I tried everyone to have some quiet time this afternoon and I failed miserably. Instead everyone curled up in front of a screen.

The evening was taken up by final goodbyes, mainly to the help. Some of them have been with the family for decades and adore the children. And each of the kids in return had a different relationship with them all. Thomas loved to follow them around and help in making the beds everyday, Emily instead helped with the dishes while Matthew asked the driver if he would give him some driving tips.