right now...

van halen's 'right now' plays softly in the background...

Nice article about being a Locavore.

...another one here.

Eat local. Eat Seasonal.

...and then they bloomed.

One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it provides.

~W.E. Johns

We have mostly perennials in our terrace, but this year we decided we would have few pots aside for seasonal flowers that would paint our little terrace garden with their vibrant colours every season.

We picked up some Zinnia seeds from the Lalbagh Flower Show in August this year and were thrilled with the prospect of having bright Zinnias blooming as the first of the seasonal flowers...

Every morning, with a chai mug in my hand, I would step out to inspect the pots for some activity and would be super excited to find a new leaf or a new bud.

We didn't have a clue what colour palette the Zinnias had in store for us...

Seems like they read my mind....:-)

a blushing palette of pinks, magentas, purples, mauves and peach.

I wish you life...

"Observe the wonders as they occur around you.

Don't claim them.

Feel the artistry moving through and be silent."

~ Rumi

I discovered Rumi a few years ago and ever since my heart hasn't been the same...

yes, the artistry....

the mynas' have returned. I can hear their oh-so-uplifting chirps.

i offer them my balcony to build their nests again.

i see my aloe vera plants multiplying and i help them propagate.

the satisfying joy of trying something new~ Granola

patience is not a great word when the zinnias are just a few days away from blooming.

a haunting tune that is playing on repeat in my mind.

a jug of water with whole lemons submerged in it.

dreaming of baking artisan breads everyday. (yeah dreaming;-)

life is sublime.

i wish you all life today.

Appreciation

“Life becomes precious and more special to us when we look for the little everyday miracles and get excited about the privileges of simply being human”

~Tim Hansel

I agree:-)

As...

...the magical dust settles down on another summer vacation, I move the memories of beautiful days spent in the lap of nature in Ladakh to that little corner of my heart, where I will return again and again to take a peek.

Meanwhile the slow rhythm of everyday life picks up. The daily routine, the mundane(ness) infuses me with a certain calm.

Trying to see beauty in everyday life brings a certain sense of gratitude towards the One.

live today.

12 March, 2009

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!

Happy things.

Just close your eyes. Now.
What do you hear? What do you see? What do you feel?

* Mango trees are sprouting blooms.
* Big fat barbets are singing again.
* Some more Malai Kulfis.
* Memories of last summer come flooding back.
* The heady fragrance of ripe juicy Mangoes.
* Corner House's 'Fig and Honey' or maybe 'Vanilla Choco Chip' ice cream.
* Glasses of Nimboo Pani with Kala namak are guzzled in litres.
* Time for my special smoothies.
* Dreaming of summer vacations, hey wait, I am not in school anymore.
* Flip Flops.
* Fresh flowers on the dining table.
* Change those bedspreads to pastels or floral prints.
* Fruit custard and jelly!(Childhood memories)
* Sunrays are brightening different corners.
* The roads seemed empty yesterday afternoon.
* Love green signals.
* The purple of the jacaranda trees dot the lanes.

What do you hear? What do you see? What do you feel?

February.

* Bravely attempted this.
* Listening to this and this. Melody at it's best.
* The era of Shammi Kapoor.
* Picked up GQ magazine out of sheer curiosity. Farhan Akhtar on the cover helped quite a bit;-)
* Raintrees shower us with their yellow dry leaves.
* Tried out this masala chai recipe and have been drinking pots of this chai.
* I see some purple Jacaranda.
* Mallika's Valentine's day illustrations.
* Weather is warming up.
* Fresh pink roses in a stainless steel jug.Have a great Tuesday:-)

Megha barso...

* monsoons here in India is a dream, a memory, a fragrance, a taste...
* paper boats sail away in narrow flowing streams.
* shubha mudgals voice singing 'Seeko Na' gets stronger in my ears.
* the heart yearns for classical music and out comes all the raagas from cds and cassettes ( do people still listen in that format?)
* hot onion pakoras are fried.
* colourful umbrellas pop-up everywhere.
* slushy puddles.
* flowers enjoy their daily showers and trees sway to the gentle breeze.
* the smell of corn being roasted on charcoal.
* getting drenched to the bones
* cups and cups of Ginger chai...
* sleeping to the sound of the steady rain in the night.Enjoy this moment. Enjoy the Monsoons. Enjoy your weekend.
* Megha Barso...Clouds, rain down:-)

Shine on...

...Indian traditional vessels. I love traditional Indian vessels.
Everytime I visit my mother, I always admire her super shiny kitchen with open shelves lined with stainless steel containers, tumblers and bowls in various sizes. In my kitchen I love having a fusion of traditional Indian vessels as well as ceramic, glass & airtight containers for convenience of microwaving, refrigeration & storing. The aquaguard water ( purified) water is stored in a huge stainless steel 'matka'. The stainless steel plates with rims are ideal for runny gravies:-) I even carry my huge tiffin carrier for picnics... If you want to get a little creative why not use them as decorative pieces?
A lassi tumbler makes a lovely vase for a bunch of roses, float some flowers in a 'Paraat' or plate.
Remember the Diwali Decorating Ideas on Rang Decor about using 'Idli Plates' for decoration?
Some latest international trends in decorating include a lot of Indian traditional vessels....From Tine K HomeFrom Madam Stoltz catalogue
So bring it on...enjoy your simple but lovely stainless steel vessels:-))

brown(ie) remains...

its probably...
* the cloudy afternoons
* lights are turned on in the middle of the day.
* hurried trips to the terrace to scoop up all the freshly washed & dried clothes.
* the huge raindrops dot the dry concrete floors & wet the green grass.
* the body and mind are propelled towards the kitchen.
* brownies are baked.
* steaming cups of chai are sipped while listening to the rain.
Seeing beauty in what remains....
Enjoy the monsoon:-)

sun, sunlight, rain...

* mornings are bright, sunny and beautiful.
* evenings are cloudy, windy, rainy and beautiful.
* watching raindrops slide down leaves.

* hands are curled around mugs of steaming hot chai.

* finding beauty in 'things as they are'

* learning that sunlight, a wooden table and a hot cup of morning chai is a great combination that makes it to the front page of explore.

* I linger around windows, sinks and wash basins.
* completely bowled over by this, this and this.
* hope to own a polaroid and a holga someday.
* I think park weddings are so simple and beautiful
* discovered 'Rumi'

* watching an ice cream melt is lovely.

Enjoy the day and your life.

In appreciation of everyday life...

* the shriek of the alarm clock
* packing of lunch boxes
* chai refuelling my system
* the never ending list of 'to-do's
* traffic get's denser, the waits at signals get longer
* rude autorickshaw drivers

the many facet's of daily life...but there are those moments in between when

* you see the season in transition

* the mango trees sprouting blossoms
* raintree rains dry leaves as you walk under it
* the orange ripe fruiti-ness peeps from behind the 'cape' of the cape gooseberries
* plans are made for 'nutmeg doughnut muffins' for a friday baking
* inspiration comes from 'Tuesday's with Morrie'
* that january sunlight comes streaming in through the windows

To cherish all these moments, I decided to post a photo a day for 366 days from my everyday life.

Hope you'll join me in this journey:-)

inspiring photos on flickr

* let there be light.

* No structure

* Afternoon

* whiterose

I haven't forgotten:-) I still have another post from my winter break, so do visit me again:-))

“Life forms illogical patterns. It is haphazard and full of beauties which I try to catch as they fly by, for who knows whether any of them will ever return?”
~Margot Fonteyn

Have a great weekend friends!

Crescent shadow moon & a blank page...

* I am a mistress of 'To-do' lists, but today my mind draws a blank.
* I hear a faint sound of a diwali firecracker.
* Festivities are over.
* A new day begins. A Monday. The day after Sunday. It is a Sunny day today.
* I see a crescent shadow moon in my teacup.
* I watch the steam originate from the surface of the chai and disappear into the rays of the sun.
* I stare at the curve of my handwriting waiting to continue.
* My mind & hand are conspiring against me.
* I take a sip of my cardamom tea and give in.
* There is beauty in blank unwritten pages of a notebook.
* The blank page remains and my mind follows suit.

Isn't tomorrow another day? (Where have I read that line?)

*Blank*

Touched by kindness...

* I sip my lemon tea, feel the hot liquid warm my body as well as my spirits.
* Contemplative is my mind, you ask me how can tea warm my spirits?
* The tea was incidentaI it was a soul's act of kindness that has given such a beautiful start to my Tuesday morning.
* A little girl waits for a school bus every morning. An elderly sweet lady waits for the little girl every morning.
* To give a bunch of freshly picked flowers from her garden. To speak a few words of kindness.
* The little girl is excited to get lovely flowers and tell the sweet lady about her school.
* What a delicate, un-named relationship they share.
* A thread of kindness & innocence binds them together.
* The little girl being my Mallika, the elderly lady our sweet neighbour & the fresh yellow hibiscus is from her garden:-)
* Touched by this act I thanked her for the flowers and as I turned to leave, she said,"My daughter too was like her...when she was little." reminiscing her daughter's childhood.
* I had a lump in my throat and quickly walked away hiding a teardrop.
* As I placed the flowers in water I realised how beautiful life is and how people touch our lives in different ways.

Update...

One hour maybe is not working, but two hours is definitely working:-) * My creative juices have been flowing, thanks to the internet cut down time.(See this;-)
* Been taking loads of yummy food pictures.
* Finger-painting with Mallika, though I seem to enjoy it more than her.
* Reading The Kite Runner & One Hundred Years of Solitude simultaneously.
* Eating bourbons and drinking spiced apple cider.
* Toast with roasted garlic and olive oil (I love the taste & aroma of roasted garlic)
* Cleaning my cupboard, strangely clears the cobwebs in my mind:-)
* Waiting for Indian Idol finale.
* I wake up with the voice of KK singing 'Ajab Si' echoing in my head.
* Enjoying the changing season, a nip in the air and warm blanket around me.
Happy Weekend!

Life in a 24hr broadband internet age...

I have four blogs, a flickr account and a daughter...

I have been asked many times how I manage to do all this and more.

Well, everyone goes through a phase in their lives when some thing just consumes the whole of them and becomes a integral part of their life. I started blogging a little over a year ago and from then on it's become a way of life.

Blogging become one of the many colours of my life...

As much as I love sharing and getting inspired in the form of blogging & flickring, the amount of time I spend online is enormous and it eats away into my time, that I used to spend enjoying my other colours of life.

Some of my other blogger friends have done it and I plan to do now. No, no I am not taking a break!

I plan to limit my internet time to an hour a day...!

One Hour!

How am I going to blog, flickr and visit all those amazing blogs?

Honestly, I Don't know.

Meanwhile let me leave you all with the aroma of freshly baked Cinnamon Rolls and the dreamy music of 'Om Shanti Om' that I have been listening on re-play lately.

You can watch the trailer of the lovely song- 'Ajab si' here.