It's a Blog!

Finally I’m up Dear Readers! I tend to be the Queen of the run-on sentence so be patient while I get up to speed and improve my blogging skills.

This Blog is meant to be about fiber crafts ─ my favorites being knitting, spinning, crocheting, wet felting, needle felting, rug hooking and sewing (with beading thrown in). The focus for the moment though is on our 3-month trip to South India and London/Scotland.

Why the title “Dimsphere?” The Dear Husband (DH) gave me the nickname of “Dims” on our first trip overseas together 20 years ago. It came from a creative spelling of my name on a travel visa and has stuck with us ever since.

Why India? DH is self-employed and one of the main companies he contracts with is having him do software development with their group in India. The company headquarters is in the Philippines and they have offices in India, China, the UK and the USA. I was fortunate enough to retire early at age 55 in July of 2005 and am now able to accompany him on business trips.

Just a note for those of you who are not familiar with reading blogs. There is a comments section at the end of each post where you can add your own comments on what I’ve written. Please be aware that any comments you type can be seen by anyone reading the blog. If you’d rather leave me a more private message, please click on the link to my G-mail address on the upper right side of the screen. Just as an added layer of security, I’d prefer that you not use my last name in leaving comments. Dims, El or Linda “K” all work well.

I know I've talked about many things in the emails I sent out but here finally are the pictures. This is an autorickshaw (called "Auto" for short). The engine is 2-stroke and is started in some cases the way you start a lawnmower. The most important item is of course the HORN! Both the horn and the side mirrors are located just inside the open doors. When you pass within inches of other vehicles there's no point having messy parts hanging outside of the auto that will only get lopped off.



These are cycle rickshaws with their drivers on siesta. Siesta time is either 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m. or 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. - it's still confusing. Shops close down for either the first two hours or the second. Then, every one who can go home does. Those who have pushcarts that they brought in for the day, just drop where they are.












Our hotel is new and right across from the ocean. It's called the "Promenade" after the beach road out front where everyone loves to walk. There is a statue of Gandhi-ji a few hundred yards away. There is no actual beach. The water is very deep and there is a 17 foot seawall that protects the road and the town from incoming waves. This saved Pondicherry from the worst of the big tsunami in 2004 while villages north and south were decimated.



All around town are wonderful bits of statuary on buildings and in temples.



More tomorrow Dear Readers!