Open to Sky

It's time for the triennial opening of the house roof. Mangalore tiles are taken off and battens and rafters are inspected for termite damage. If good care is taken of the roof, this '105 not out' old house will go on to take a stand for many more centuries.



Santolin and his gang at work. They are traditional roof repairers who work with very basic tools but with great skill and speed. Men like this are increasingly harder to find with the younger generation not taking an interest in this kind of hard work. They use very quaint terms for joinery and roof parts, which I suspect have some Portuguese origin.

Noughts and Crosses on a celestial board anybody? Once in a long time we get to see the sky through the roof. And the stars cut out in the false ceiling let in bright sunlight, revelling in their breath of fresh air.