Family budgets, an earlier Adiga and political feuds

It's a crisp spring morning, the sun is out and its warmth can actually begin to be felt again. I descend into the Underground wondering if it was wise to have agreed to meet this friend in Jermyn Street. On the train, I find myself squeezed up against a family of five- father, mother and three children- two boys and one girl. the girl is the youngest- she is perhaps 8 years old, her blonde pigtails dangling against her mother's shoulder. Her two brother are probably ten and eleven, and as the train pulls into Piccadilly, one of them moans "Daaad, I'm hungry". The father tattoos peeking out from underneath one the biceps barely covered by the short sleeves asks "didn't your mother feed you just now?"

Only a sandwich he replies and his father swings round to fix the mother with a stare, sandwiches for ten quid, he asks and a i walk up the escalator, the mother defending her purchases, I wonder if I have just glimpsed the credit crunch writ live....

Just reading Before the Assasinations by Aravind Adiga,author of the White Tiger. It's been lent to me by an Indian friend and it seems like it was rushed out to take advantage of his new post Booker fame. It's a series of unlinked vignettes set in Kittur in South India and I guess it was an earlier attempt at writing pre-The Whie Tiger. It's interesting to see some of the themes that recur in The White Tiger, just less developed...

The photograph of Atiku and Obasanjo embracing on the website of Thisday yesterday highlighted the old adage " No permanent friends and no permanent foes in politics" Pity those who spent their energy, resources and blood in the feud between the two. It reminded me of IBB's daughters wedding where the Abiolas, the Abachas and Babangidas merrily celebrated together. I still keep those pictures to remind myself....

Thanks to all those who expressed concern, solicitations and felicitations during my long absence. All's well, life happened