What does Tony do in India?

 Daily Routine

 

(Please read with posh English accent…)

Well, I sleep till 10am. Then the driver takes me to the Officer’s Mess for brunch. After that I pack up ancient native artefacts to ship back to the British Museum, then it’s off to the Club for polo followed by a G & T sitting in a cane chair under the shade of a banyan tree. After that it’s put on my white jacket dinner suit with bow tie ready for a seven course feast with plenty of port!!

 

Maybe if it was 1923 this might be my routine but in 2023……

(Chuck your Aussie accent back on…)

I get up around 6am (best not to trust a fart in India!!). I get the hot water ready for Victoria’s sort of shower - immersion element in a bucket of water as our water heater for the shower hasn’t arrived yet.

I don’t know how many times they reiterated not to test the water 💦 with the element in for fear of electrocution! 💥

                                    

I then head to the balcony near our room on the third floor of the School for my morning exercises.

                                    

 

I go up and down the stairs 4 times, 4 sets of squats, 4 sets of calf raises, 4 times one minute standing on my right leg (that’s the one with the steel and ceramic hip and knee) and 4 sets of 15 push ups. It’s a really nice spot to start the day from. Here is the view I enjoy from the stairs.

                                    

 

7.15am it’s off to the dining room here at the School for a fantastic cooked Indian breakfast.

 

8.15am it’s meet up with the PE teacher, Srinivas, for weights training. He is very knowledgeable and very happy to help this old white fellow.

                                   

 

9am back to our room for a cold shower.

 

Then it’s sessions of reading, French language lessons, French horn practice, internet research for trips over the next few months and watching Guards Bands on YouTube.  Every Wednesday I teach my grandson Bryson trumpet via zoom.

 

Lunch at 12.45pm, another cooked Indian meal, short nap then repeat the mornings activities minus the exercise.

 

Around 4pm Victoria is back from her day of teaching the teachers. Some days we will walk up to the shops (why does everyone stare at us like we are from another planet??), other days relax with a bit of Netflixing.

 

Dinner at 7.15pm 

Bed at 9.30pm

 

(Have you noticed I like routine)

 

Some of the upcoming trips we have planned/booked:

 

March 19 Australia v India ODI (that’s cricket) at Vishkapatanam. This is the location of the other school that Victoria will be working at. It’s about two hours north from Amalaparum. Tickets are not on sale till early March but we have our local contacts working on it for us.

April 25 We have out tickets booked for the Dawn Service at Villers-Brettoneux.

 

May 23 Concert by the Band of the Republican Guard at the Paris Philharmonic. This is the premier military band in France.

 

June 10 Colonels Review of the Trooping the Colour in London. This is the final dress rehearsal before the actual King’s Birthday Parade the following week. The Reviewing Officer will be Prince William.

 

July 6 Military Music Spectacular. Beat Retreat by the Massed Guards bands on Horse Guards Parade Ground London. We have great seats just next to the Royals marquee.

 

August 17 Edinburgh Military Tattoo with Casey  and Corey. We are doing an 18 day tour of England and Scotland then a couple of days in Amsterdam with them.

 

As you can see I have been keeping busy.