The roof needs repairs like always in our family home in Pilerne, Goa. An endless repair. My husband and I try hard to keep the Goa homestead running on the slim amount we get with us sharing expenses and the only way we can stretch anything is by bringing in the labour and supervising them ourselves.

This time however I was not prepared to live in a house with the roof open to the sky for the duration of a week. The last time -- 5 years ago -- we stayed in the house and everything from scorpions to millipedes rained down on us not to mention the thousands of white ants.

We could afford only patch work but we did it and the roof stood for five years. Ofcourse that's because the house is opened by the caretaker Bhujang who lives in the village caring for another home. Every Sunday, he and his wife have to come and clean the place and before we come down, wash out the lower rooms completely. Then he airs the mattresses and put on fresh sheets besides switching on the mini fridge. Earlier when we had no caretaker, it took two days to clean the house for us to live in. And the previous caretakers, took the money and never showed, letting the white ants eat the doors and windows shut. Took us years to bring the house back to stability.

So Rizwan the man who had worked on the roof earlier arrived and we went from room to room looking at the roof. " Only point to the rafters and beams that are rotten and need replacement," I said as my eyes are not that great. Eight in this room, five in this bedroom, five in the other and the dining room needs an over haul. It was crazy and how could we stretch our budget? So my husband went off to the saw mills in Verem and found out the rates.

" Place the order," I requested as it was a cheaper deal at 25k than the carpenters quote at 40k. After which the wood needed to be loaded onto a large van to transport. The kitchen beams were over 15 feet and so my husband had to go to two saw mills to order the wood.

Then he ordered the medicine to lather the wood with, which repels the white ants for a few years and returned home. It was heavy work for Bhujang, Steve our son and my husband to unload, but the van driver tried to help by shifting the beams downwards to make them easy to carry.

Rizwan was called and told to finish the job with Bhujang supervising. 15k was the deal struck to finish the work and we agreed promising to wire the money as we did not have the funds.

Meanwhile the flush in the lower toilet was leaking and we had just shut it to manage last time. We went all the way to Porvorim and bought a new flush to replace the one put in by Dad over a decade ago. It felt good to see the house taking shape, but in Goa one repairs and the next time you go the monsoons have taken their toll.

Sure enough we leave Goa and land in Bangalore to get a call the next day from Bhujang to say, no nails were bought and we need nails. " Buy them," I say irritatedly and tell me what they cost. " I will need kgs of them." Typical I thought, wait for us to leave to harass long distance. " Just get it done," I instruct, " the money will be sent."

Another call the following day, and I know its another request. " As we take off the tiles, the inner tiles are all spoiled in the hall roof," says Bhujang. Rizwan comes on the line to corroborate. " Ok buy them and let me know the cost," I say. The job has to be done.

Looking after the old homestead on a slim budget is hard but we dont want to give up, as we have promises to keep with my Dad. Once we get older and cant go, I wonder what will happen to the place, I think? For now, I dont want to think about the future. I can see all the fallen down houses in the village and I dont want to see that happen here. BUT, my sons are abroad and the one here is not going to spend his time while in Goa, doing house repairs like his crazy Mum and Dad.

Carrying Great grandpa's picture home from Panjim where it was taken to repair as it fell and smashed, I ask him, please work some magic and keep us healthy for as long as possible so that the house stands. He seems to have a resigned facial expression in response, but for now, we are just fulfilling my Dads will.his is probably the fourth or fifth generation that lived in this house, I have no history and would love to know.


,