The magical season is here. Summer. Days of alfresco dining. Sheer white curtains fluttering in the cool gentle breeze. Floral tablecloths, tall glasses of lemonade and fresh flowers. Some summer eye candy for all of you:-)
Images from Petersham Nurseries, Taj Safaris, Fisherman's Lodge, Kerala House Boats, Pinakin Patel, Deodar's Guest House, Villa Balquisse and from some old posts.
One of my favourite flowers is 'Frangipani', okay make it the favourite flower. The intoxicating fragrance floating at the entrance of our home in an earthern 'urli' or the bird's bath in our balcony or ladles in my kitchen or in brass vessels in various corners of my home was a familiar sight in our previous home... I have mentioned in many earlier posts about this huge 'Frangipani' tree down the road from our home that spreads a carpet of fragrant white flowers every morning.My daily routine was incomplete without gathering a handful of these beauties and bringing them home.
When we moved to our new home a couple of months back, I really missed this small routine. I tried to make do with other gorgeous flowers, but nevertheless missed my frangipani flowers.
Today morning along with the sunrise came the oh-too-familiar intoxicating fragrance of Frangipani. We had picked up two small pots of Frangipani trees hoping one day they would flower. That day has arrived:-)
Next time you see a fresh frangipani flower fallen on a sidewalk, do pick it and yes, smell it:-))
Priya Sebastian~ an illustrator, a blogger, a cat-lover, and a Bangalorean shares her beautiful and serene home with all of us today. A home surrounded by the lush greenery of her magical garden.Cindy her cat relaxing on her sofa.
Priya says, "I like clean lines and unfussy rooms. Not only does openness and lack of clutter give me breathing space, it also makes maintenance far easier."
The plants in her various bottles form such lovely design elements.
Warm tones and dark browns are splashed with hints of Priya's favourite colour – deep pink.
Her dining table is a great space where she photographs her Big Fat Brekkie
The rest of the colour comes from books on the shelf and from green plants dotted within the rooms which are an extension of the wild garden just outside.
Priya continues, "Placement of smaller objects and books in my house is ever changing. Adding a new potted plant, or replacing an object with another can change the mood of the rooms in a subtle manner. These changes, rather than being deliberate, reflect my interest and focus at that moment."She has the most lovely collection of seeds *sigh*
The Grand Piano is such a stunning piece against the warm coloured walls.
Priya says,"The room in my apartment that I use the most is my active studio which alternates between chaos and tidy. More often than not, it is strewn with paper, pencils, charcoal dust and a cat."
Whenever I see plants in glass bottles I can think only of Priya. She has used such simple arrangements so effectively in her home, what a grand way to bring nature into your home!
Her space reflects the warmth and the creativity that she is endowed with.
Thanks Priya for sharing your gorgeous home with all of us!
I have been reading this book called 'Like the Flowing River' by Paulo Coelho. It's a compilation of his thoughts and reflections in the form of small stories.
Beautiful thought-provoking insights about everyday life. I like it.
A small excerpt from on of the chapters about books... " ...I used to say that I needed my books in case I ever wanted to look something up in them. now, however, when I want to find something, I turn on my computer, type in the key word or words, and everything I need to know appears on the screen- courtesy of the internet, the biggest library on the planet."
"Of course, I continue to buy books - there's no electronic substitute for them; but as soon as I've finished a book, I let it go; I give it to someone else, or to the public library..."
" Let's leave our books free to travel, then, to be touched by other hands, and enjoyed by other eyes. As I'm writing this, I have a vague memory of a poem by Jorge Luis Borges, which speaks of books that will never again be opened.
There is a line from Verlaine I'll never now recall, There is a street nearby from which my footsteps are barred, There is a mirror that has looked it's last on my face, There is a door I have closed for the final time. Amongst the books in my library ( I can see them now) There are some I will never open again.
Have a great day!
( P.S.~ The summer mini- series of photographs is over for now, will try and do another series soon:-)
Summer afternoons- summer afternoons; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language. ~Henry James
This is my 282th post. Yay! ...but then I thought to myself, what have I been posting about? My everyday life musings? Well, that sure forms a large chunk of my posts;-) I realized I have posted about various other things too, so I have decided to categorize the posts under various topics.
I tried the 'label' tagging feature, but I have 101 labels so that might be too tedious for you lovely readers:-) So now I am manually categorizing them, so do look for new topics on the right-side panel in the coming weeks:-)
The first topic is 'Our Vacations'- do have a peak at the posts:-)
( P.S. Anyone who is aware of a software/code that can make my categorizing job easier, would love to hear from you!)
The lovely morning sun bathing our old home in warm light...*sigh*
Was hit by a strong wave of nostalgia, while I was deleting some old photographs from last summer. Here are some outtakes from the photos I posted on Flickr last year...Tuesdays with Morrie~ The book I read for a whole month and features in many of my photographs...Dessert tea by Brooke Bond Taj Mahal and books from Crossword bookstoreJuicy red pears... Enjoy your day!
A cold windy morning with bright sunlight today in Bangalore... Don't you think the chopping board makes an amazing backdrop? Some more of my 'chopping board' photographs...
The magical season is here. Summer.
Images from Petersham Nurseries, Taj Safaris, Fisherman's Lodge, Kerala House Boats, Pinakin Patel, Deodar's Guest House, Villa Balquisse and from some old posts.
One of my favourite flowers is 'Frangipani', okay make it the favourite flower.
The intoxicating fragrance floating at the entrance of our home in an earthern 'urli' or the bird's bath in our balcony or ladles in my kitchen or in brass vessels in various corners of my home was a familiar sight in our previous home...
I have mentioned in many earlier posts about this huge 'Frangipani' tree down the road from our home that spreads a carpet of fragrant white flowers every morning.
My daily routine was incomplete without gathering a handful of these beauties and bringing them home.
That day has arrived:-)
Cindy her cat relaxing on her sofa.
Priya says, "I like clean lines and unfussy rooms. Not only does openness and lack of clutter give me breathing space, it also makes maintenance far easier." 
Warm tones and dark browns are splashed with hints of Priya's favourite colour – deep pink.
Her dining table is a great space where she photographs her Big Fat Brekkie
The rest of the colour comes from books on the shelf and from green plants dotted within the rooms which are an extension of the wild garden just outside.
Priya continues, "Placement of smaller objects and books in my house is ever changing. Adding a new potted plant, or replacing an object with another can change the mood of the rooms in a subtle manner. These changes, rather than being deliberate, reflect my interest and focus at that moment."
She has the most lovely collection of seeds *sigh*
The Grand Piano is such a stunning piece against the warm coloured walls.
Priya says,"The room in my apartment that I use the most is my active studio which alternates between chaos and tidy. More often than not, it is strewn with paper, pencils, charcoal dust and a cat."
Whenever I see plants in glass bottles I can think only of Priya. She has used such simple arrangements so effectively in her home, what a grand way to bring nature into your home!
I have been reading this book called 'Like the Flowing River' by Paulo Coelho. It's a compilation of his thoughts and reflections in the form of small stories.
Summer afternoons- summer afternoons;
The lovely morning sun bathing our old home in warm light...*sigh*
Tuesdays with Morrie~ The book I read for a whole month and features in many of my photographs...
Dessert tea by Brooke Bond Taj Mahal and books from Crossword bookstore
Juicy red pears...
Wishing all of you a very Happy Holi~ The spring festival of colours!!! 
May your lives be ever filled with loads of vibrant colours:-)
Don't you think the chopping board makes an amazing backdrop?
Some more of my 'chopping board' photographs...
