I was up at 5 am, getting ready so that we could leave for the hospital by 6.30 am (there’s always that last-minute rush for the hot water!) and at 5.30 am, we get a call from the hospital, saying that many women came into the hospital in a state of advanced labour, so elective procedures like inducement of labour had been postponed…so DnA will probably get a call only this evening or tomorrow morning (more likely). All dressed and nowhere to go…DnA went right back to sleep but me, the insomniac…I went for a nice long walk!

It was neither rain nor even what we call a drizzle in India, but what is called a “fine Scotch mist”….when one can feel the moisture on one’s face, but can’t really feel the raindrops. It was a beautiful walk, and I came back with chilled hands and face (oh, it’s been cloudy and cool here for the past 2 days, back from the HOT weather of Sunday), made myself some HOT coffee (which will not bear any comparison to the Park View baitu coffee) and wanted to have a nap, but meanwhile, I had to update D’s parents, and , too....

So..no nap; but on the walk, I got the New York Times, and the St Louis Dispatch, and learnt from the latter newspaper that there are now five AMUR TIGERS which are exactly one year old today, at the St Louis Zoo …since I seem to have a bonus day today, off I am going!

Here are the details about the Amur Tigers .

Meanwhile, here are a few images of the Gateway Arch , the iconic structure of this city….

And an unusual shot of the Arch, as seen through an alleyway in the downtown area! I may wind up writing about the baby tigers instead of the baby human.....