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Intruder I was fond of this intruder and always fed him. I am told he lost his life to a road accident. This happens to animals because of irresponsible drivers. He has left behind happy memories specially chasing Peppie who would come running inside and safely sit on the ventilator right above. . 😊
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Nature compensates Nature has a lot of responsibility. It has to feed those insects and so it sent those tiny yellow butterflies to feast on our ficus palms. Then it felt sorry for me and ordered the old dilapidated ficus palm to produce three baby ficus plants at the root. Nature I say is a mystery.
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A peep into Peppie's latest lifestyle Peppie has made our home his and we are happy about it. He reluctantly leaves home in the evening which I want him to else he will wake us up in the night to let him out The moment he see the lights on he is ready to get in even as early as 4 am. He warmly greets me circling my legs until I feed him fish. He sleeps but remembers to eat the other food that awaits him. He has now occupied my favourite corner - taken full advantage of our…
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This is called patience This little one was in our life for a while - a cat that was very comfortable even with Preiti around. Looking at the photo would you believe he was a stray? There he is in the kitchen waiting patiently to be fed. Yes. We always fed strays.
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Everlasting flowers They are known as everlasting flowers as they proliferate once they are introduced in the garden. Easy to grow and maintain. However they cannot withstand heavy rain #yellowWednesday #Rainbowcolorschallenge
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Mother's love Capturing moments with Kittie the mother and her baby Peppie was a wonderful experience. Kittie has nurtured babies seven times and there was never a difference nor partiality shown. She was fair to all here babies. In the second photo she is seen cleaning her little one.
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Silly me!!😅 We get jaggery in square blocks that are hard. We normally scrape the blocks and store the jaggery in the fridge. Scraping takes a lot of time. A brilliant idea struck me. I put a bit of water and melted the jaggery assuming I could then spoon out whatever quantity I wanted. Having studied Chemistry as one of my subjects I should have known that the stuff will get harder if sufficient water is not used. And that is what has happened. The chunk is harder and I may…
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Colourful bougainvillea We have several colours in bougainvillea and although in the last year they failed to show up I see them coming up now. This pink bougainvillea is my favourite. Some call it paper flowers as the petals are thin and delicate.
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Heliconia We have planted Heliconia randomly and I am happy to see them blooming. We get these flowers every year and since the last few days we see they have shown up once again They add glamour to our garden
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Bird bath or cat bath? How can birds be expected to come for frolicking in the bird bath when a cat is relaxing in there?😏😏😏 Surely the cat is not interested in having a bath in there but hoping to grab a bird when it comes there Any hopes for birds to come there when they see a cat?
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There is no part in my garden that is not green. And between that green colour I am expecting other colours to show up. The weather is just right for flowers to bloom. What did not let us down was the Alamanda - the yellow wonder #GreenThursday #Rainbowcolorschallenge
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Our Preiti wanted her bed done - a memory In the photos you can see how when Preiti saw her unkempt bed she is calling out for us to make her bed and then how she comfortably occupies it. That was Preiti for you. She wanted everything prim and proper. We loved her more for that - she was a dignified lady Preiti left behind happy and indelible memories about her. She lived for 12 years
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The child in me showed up this morning, I was eating an orange. I peeled it in such a way that I could slowly close it and it looked like a full orange. I am now waiting for my friend and I will offer it to her. 😁😁😁 Have you been up to any pranks lately?🤣
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Periwinkles are common and they normally show on the plant just one on a stem but here you see these pristine white periwinkles in a group. We rarely see these flowers in a group like this. Happy to share it with you. March is the month when periwinkles are seen in our garden. I already see saplings.
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Our Centre table Our centre table has an oval glass top sitting on a frame made of wood (jackfruit) It is polished chocolate colour to match the other pieces of furniture. Do you have a centre table?
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The blue sky is here to stay It's been blue for several days and that will not change but with some white clouds for company. With rains having wished goodbye there will be no grey clouds for some time to come. I wish it to be so as our fruit trees have now bloomed and it should not rain until fruits show up and they get ready for harvest. Watching the blue sky is a happy experience. What's it like with you? #BlueFriday #Rainbowcolorschallenge
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Yet another social distancing scenario These days I have been noticing birds maintaining distance when they are perched on trees - surely following the pandemic protocol. The second photo shows them clinging together all wet about to do the preening and that was when there was no pandemic. 🤔🤔🤔 What say?
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Should we or should we not? These peafowls were born on our property. I have seen them when they were babies and they looked exactly like how the chicken babies look. They grew in our compound and when I clicked them I felt as though they were discussing something. Probably they were deciding to stay on or leave us and they chose the latter. They left us.
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This colour is showing up We had trimmed this bush and now we see results. A few flowers are showing up and soon we will see what you see in the photo. As they say better late than never. Gardening work is going on in full swing and I hope to give our garden a total make over soon.
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"Please open the door" His meow meant exactly that . Standing near the door he went on with his song 'Open the door" Just when I thought Peppie would spend his time with us, this morning I noticed he wanted to go. The 'cat' was out of the bag as I saw our neighbour back from her holiday and it was her house he used to visit as she ate fish thrice a day😁 He is with us sleeping as I did not open the door😁
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Water Hyacinth I got this plant from my niece and it has had several flowers. The one in the photo is when it gave out its first flower. I just came to know that it is edible although I would not eat it. Here is a fish recipe with water hyacinth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA1ES0J_gdQ #PurpleSaturday #Rainbowcolorschallenge
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Azolla - yet another aquatic fern We had this and water cabbages in a tub. But the Azolla spread so fast that it choked our water cabbages. These are not available in nurseries. I will have to find out if any of my friends have them. They too spread fast. When I get them next, I will put them in a separate tub. This post is written at the request of #Rajon098
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Mistaken for Ixora Although the flowers resemble white Ixora their leaves and their growth pattern is different. They grow from suckers and the suckers produced are prolific in that we have to discard them. I have yet not succeeded it getting its name - still searching. Do you know the name?
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This is what I did while convalescing It was in the year 2006 I met with a road accident that put me out of commission for a few months. I was restless not being able to do anything. But then I thought I could use my brain and get someone else to put my thoughts in action. The building in the photo was designed by me and the architect saw to it that it was built as per my design. It is at the back and now and then those who have worked for us have occupied it
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A neighbours' meet That was their meeting place in front of our gate. They were friends. Wonder what they were discussing? But let me explain when females around here got on heat it was a different story😁
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Pink hibiscus With this tray of pink hibiscus that grew in my garden I wish you all a nice day and a happy Sunday. Growing hibiscus is easy and the only issue is when passers by pluck them as though it is their right to do so. #PinkSunday #Rainbowcolorschallenge
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Redesigning of garden in progress In my earlier posts I have talked about giving our garden a make over and am happy to say work is going on well. The gap you see in the first photo will be filled with white marble pieces and in the other design there will be a plant. The bricks will be painted and so do the paths that are not visible here. Will post a full view of the garden once the entire thing is ready
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"Leave me alone" When this guy- our little Peppie gets back from his jaunts he normally gives me a lusty meow circling round my legs but today he just goes to that spot - my favourite corner - and ignores me. May be his tummy is full - that neighbour who eats fish thrice a day must have given him all the discards and so he has no need for more food that awaits him here. Well. Who am I to interfere!!🙄🙄🙄
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No more rearing chickens as pets Gamma the rooster lived for 12 years. We lost him a few years ago. He was our pet and was a constant source of joy. But old age for him was troublesome as he had the same kind of ailments as human beings go through He could not walk nor eat food normally. We had to lift him and take him around depriving him of the joy of running about. We vouched never more to rear chickens as pets.
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Fruits of the curry leaf tree We have many shrubs of the curry leaf all over the garden and one tree is bigger than our mango trees. This tree produces fruits each year but last year it did not . The tree has now flowered and we hope to see fruits again. These fruits are edible. I have tasted them and even prepared chutney with them. They have the same smell as that of the leaf.
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Tiny tots in our bird bath They always come in groups enjoying each other's company. Some get off the bath take some rest and get back again. Sitting in my favourite corner I get to see all this and praise Almighty for giving me this reward.
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Red tinged mangoes When mangoes get the red tinge they are the sweetest This mango was from our tree and is known as Benett Alphonso. We have four mango trees of different varieties and this mango is the best It is juicy with no fibre. We have still not got mangoes this season as the year 2021 was a bad year for our garden #RedMonday #Rainbowcolorschallenge
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I see tomatoes They say a pot that is watched never boils. I have disproved it by watching my tomatoes right from the time I sowed the seeds, watched the germination, transplanted the saplings, watched the plants growing, the flowers appearing and finally those baby tomatoes showing up. Garden lovers will know the joy one gets to see success such as this. Keeping my fingers crossed as I hope to see red tomatoes soon.
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Early morning shot This was clicked some time ago on my early morning jaunt in the garden. I have made it a point to look up to see if there is anything worth capturing in my camera and there I saw the moon still looking yellow in the blue sky and with trees for company. Grabbed my camera and captured this view.
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Munnie and me Munnie was one cat that always accompanied me on my strolls in the garden and kept pace with me. She would cling to me and show her affection. As is the case with cats here she went roaming around and never returned. We are still at a loss to know what could have happened to her.
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Tiger Claw Also known an Gloriosa Superba - rightly named - is a wild flower that now has a pride of place in our garden It is a creeper and loves the rain. Caterpillars love to eat up the leaves and I need to keep a watch on it. #OrangeTuesday #Rainbowcolorschallenge
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Munni with her uncle and grand mother They were such a warm family. We saw these scenes and more every single day of our life as long as they lived with us. That was Munni the grand child, Kittie the grand mother and Peppie the uncle. Munni was Pinkie's girl. We only have Peppie now. That is life here and we have accepted it.
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View of Solitaire on a cloudy morning. It was a day when the sun was hiding somewhere and nowhere could I see the blue sky. I found this view good enough for a capture. Satisfied with what I saw. Sharing it here for you.
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Peppie as a baby Peppie was still being supervised by his mother and when she was not looking he climbs these steps all alone. Quite an independent cat I see there. Peppie has now grown into a big cat and is the most affectionate, loving pet.
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Not bought a new outfit for years Ever since the pandemic I have not gone in for any new outfit except something to be worn at home. The outfit that you see in the photo was bought in 2019 and I wore the same for an event I had organised for the seniors in an old age home in 2020. When did you buy your last outfit?
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Yellow peacock flowers We have these peacock flowers in orange, pink and yellow. I had collected these seeds from plants that were hanging out. They belonged to a neighbour of my mom-in-law but I had not met them. I quietly picked the pods and brought them with me. We were on holiday at our native place a long long time ago. Each time I look at these flowers memories just flood in. #YellowWednesday #Rainbowcolorschallenge
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Our Peppie boy does not like guests As you can see that is where he spends most of his time specially after his belly is full. That is my favourite nook and I do not get to sit there these days. I do not mind it though as long as Peppie stays inside. And that is where we normally entertain our guests. The moment he sees any visitor he moves from there with an angry meow. I understand.😁
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Looking for its prey Most unfriendly of all birds that visit us the kite or eagle as some calls it is always seen perched at the highest point in our property - our water tank. We do have birds that come for a swim in the birdbath but the eagle is too scared to dive down that low and so they are safe.
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Peppie and his sleeping poses Spent some time clicking these and many sleeping poses that Peppie chooses when he wants to have undisturbed sleep I am no less changing positions to make myself comfortable. Do you change positions too?
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Till the last breath I had this marigold plant that yielded profusely. Although the size of the flowers was small the plant looked pretty with so many blooming at the same time. I just could not pull out the plant even though there were no leaves on the plant looking quite dead as there were flowers blooming every day,. It yielded till the last breath
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It just passed by our gate What a view that was for me when I saw this peacock boldly decided to go past our gate and before it could hide from view I just grabbed my camera and clicked it. Not something that happens every day. Peafowls have spent time here but these days as I have often said we are waiting for their arrival A memory I am sharing with you.
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Fresh and green areca palms Areca palms just proliferate filling our garden with greenery. It is not normal for these palms to grow so tall as one can see in our garden. They are a haven for birds to perch on preening their feathers after their swim in the birdbath. #GreenThursday #Rainbowcolorschallenge
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Reflection through beautiful alamanda That is the sun's reflection you see neatly settled among the beautiful alamanda with the name of our house clearly visible. Never had such an encounter - a perfect photo - for a phot contest?
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They shared the same bowl They understood each other The older ones always waited for the little ones to join in. Watching their life was so refreshing. No one trained them but it was instinct that led them to live a life of harmony. The only time tom cats fought was when the females were on heat - understandable.
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What do you do with dry twigs and leaves? We have an issue here with so many trees shedding leaves on a daily basis. The only recourse left for us is to, besides putting some in the compost pits, and use some for mulching to put the rest the incinerator and the ash thus produced used as fertilizer. The incinerator sends the smoke right up and thus not affecting those who are at work there.
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A regular scene in our kitchen not so long ago We had many cats not so long ago and they would all assemble in our kitchen early mornings waiting for their feed I get up early and the first thing I do is to thaw the fish that would be fed to the cats and until then then there would be a song and dance as you can see. And once fed, they would all retire.
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Sunset at Solitaire I normally do not capture sunsets here as the sun is always hidden among the trees . Yesterday as I opened the kitchen door the sun looked at me and I got tempted to capture it. The trees overpower the sun when it comes to taking photos of the sunset at our place.
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Missing the bumble bees The bumble bees visited our garden to get the nectar from the blue trumpet flowers. As mentioned in one of my posts we had to eradicate this vine as it had invaded our whole garden. I want the bumble bees back and for that I will have to have this vine in an isolated place. Will look to see if there is anything left of the vine so that I can shift it to a place where it cannot invade our whole garden. #BlueFriday #Rainbowcolorschallenge
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Love Yourself This poem was composed by me a long time ago. Sharing it with you and I hope you will benefit something out of it. Have a nice day bestwriter
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A toy that impressed every kitten here We had suspended a soft toy under a chair and every kitten here has had a ball of a time playing with it. Here you see our first kitten Lolly looking at it curiously and wondering whether it had life It was fun watching them. When the second kitten arrived they both played with it. It still hangs in there but we have no kittens at the moment.
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A photographer's delight I just cannot ignore when I see these fresh cluster of leaves showing up on a ficus plant. They are a symbol of life in my garden. Strolling in the garden watching life is the best part of my life and this a gardener and a photographer will agree What's new in your life?
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Purple bougainvillea There has been a devastation in our garden in that we have to start from scratch when it comes to several flowering bushes specially the bougainvillea. We do have stumps but a lot needs to be done to bring them back to life. Work is going on in full swing and in a couple of months we hope to see results. #PurpleSaturday #Rainbowcolorschallenge
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Carpet of cherries These are tart cherries that just fall off the tree and they are dumped in the compost pits. They normally show up during the monsoon season and they are no good for either eating or using them to make wine or juice. Nature decides and we have no say in the matter.
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It's almost complete As some of you know our garden is getting a make over and this is one of the new designs that has been created. It still needs the finishing touches. The bricks will be painted chocolate colour and there will be white marble pieces that will be placed on top of those stones. Happy to share it with you
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Neither a crow, a raven nor a cuckoo!! This bird posed for me perched on our Chinese Hats bush. It did not move and let me click as many photos I wished to. I picked up the best one to upload here. The only other black bird I know is the Drongo but it has a long split tail. Google calls it black bird with prefixes added. All what I can say is that it is a new entry and I welcome it.
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I see mangoes Soon we will have a harvest of mangoes and I am waiting to have a good feed of the mango juice. Nothing like fresh juice prepared from mangoes grown in one's own garden.
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We had a visitor during the pandemic What if it is a cat when we longed for visitors we were more than happy to see this little wonder occupying the chair meant for guests - sitting with poise and dignity. Cats are a great source of joy. Do you have cats?
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Pink lilies They did not show up last year as was the case with most flowers in our garden. Hopefully 2022 will have normal happenings in our garden and once the garden gets that make over there will be more flowers as we will go for new flowering plants as well. We have these lilies in white as well and they have been planted in a long row. They look gorgeous when they all bloom together. #PinkSunday #Rainbowcolorschallenge
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Did not know we had vintage crockery It came to us as a legacy and I was not aware this bowl and another one - probably we had more - is made in England and has the seal - "BCM - Nelson ware." I now know they could fetch quite a penny if sold to vintage collectors but was thinking of creating a NFT. What say?
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Even flowers follow social distancing. A look at these periwinkles will let you know that even flowers have decided to maintain social distancing. I have posted photos of birds and our pet cats maintaining social distancing and I came across this photo in my archives. The only species that does not follow social distancing ..............can you guess?
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Siblings - Lolly, Pinkie and Peppie This is how these siblings got on together. They shared this little mat so that all got some space to squat on there. No one trained them but their togetherness was something astonishing - playing together, eating together, strolling together, squatting together...............
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Me as a teenager This photo is extracted from a group photo of classmates on the last day of school. That dress my mother brought for me when she came back from the city where she had gone to take care of one of my sisters and her baby. The painting on the dress was made by a cousin there. I was just 4' 11" at that time but today I am 5'4" Much water has flown under the bridge since then Care to post your teenage photo?
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Having some 'me' time That is Peppie and his sister Pinkie sitting outside the kitchen spending some quiet moments, undisturbed. Our cats have their own schedule - eating, playing, sleeping, strolling and this - spending a few quiet 'me' times. And while they live their life I get busy capturing their moments in my camera. Happy to share them with you
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These are no flowers These are Xmas lights that lit up a part of our garden and they did look like a bunch of red flowers. That year we had the red theme and everything was red even the balloons that we put up. The red colour has its own charm and sure brightens up the environment the best when compared to other colours. What is your favourite colour? #RedMonday #Rainbowcolorschallenge
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A rare phenomenon Coloured sky is not something we see here. It is always a blue, white or grey. This happened a long long time ago and that too not anywhere near Solitaire but beyond our neighbour's property The sky belongs to everyone and specially to photographers who are hungry to capture rare views. It is my hunger that made me capture this rare view in my camera. Sharing it with you
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That reassuring touch I have grown up having family doctors who came on house visits with their ever important bag that would be fetched by someone in the family the moment they spotted the doctor arriving and carried the bag for him and a repeat of this when the doctor left the premises. The patient would patiently await the doctor' s arrival and just a look at the doctor would help the patient psychologically. It further helped when the doctor would feel the pulse, check…
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Trapeze acts up on the trees That is the kind of life our pets got to enjoy They had the garden and our house, to give vent to their energy and it was fun watching them and what better way than capturing those activities in my camera. Happy to share them with you These are just a few of the several that I have in my digital folder
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Every kitten in our household has done this Swinging on our dining table cloth has been a great sport for these kittens. They would swing away dropping things from the table and that made them get more active. It did bother us a bit but seeing them having fun we did not mind breaking a thing or two. Great memories have been created.
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Jacobinia We see this plant in our garden when we least expect it. It disappears and just shows up at its own will and pleasure. It is there now in our garden with those shiny dark leaves and orange flowers blooming right in the centre. #OrangeTuesday #Rainbowcolorschallenge
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Weather is getting warmer here Men I see are roaming around shirtless, women have no other way but to sit under the fan or keep the AC on full blast. Our pet cat Peppie knows how to weather the weather.
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Catch me if you can It's about cats again. I cannot help it. There used to be so much activity which I just had to watch and capture. Spending time like this put a spring in my step. They were so full of energy that made me active too. Sharing here for you to see
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One big happy family They all came from Kittie the mother who brought one kitten at a time ready to be fed on solid food Where she delivered I did not know but she brought them one by one seven times all looking plump and happy. As is customary here kittens that just come to be taken care of leave when they feel like. It used to bother us but we are used to it.
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My first experience on a hammock Odd it may be that I had to travel all the way to Bahamas - a cruise I took years ago - to get a hammock experience. There it was for tourists to use it among the wild grape vines that were edible and tasty. It was a memorable event for me to relax there and create a memory Have you been on a hammoc?
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Cutting jack fruit is a cumbersome process I have never attempted cleaning a jack fruit which is quite a cumbersome process. We have always had help and what you see in the first photo is how those who clean for us will present the jack fruit in this manner - ready to eat. Help yourself!😀 #YellowWednesday #Rainbowcolorschallenge
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Mirabilis - 4 o clock flowers I have ordered for these seeds and hope to add colour to my renovated garden. I have decided to go for perennial and easy to maintain flowers adding colour to the garden at the same time. The others will be periwinkles, Gomphrena, red ginger and kalanchoe. Cannot wait to see how our garden will look with all these colours. We do have othere perennials such as bougainvillea.
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Crunchy peanut butter with honey Of the brands that I have so far ordered I like the Alpina brand the best which when applied one does not have to use jam or jelly. It has the right kind of sweetness and since it is honey that adds to the sweetness it is healthy. Do you like peanut butter?
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Mango harvesting technique I remember one year we had problems looking for someone to climb our mango trees and harvest the fruit. As they say necessity is the mother of invention. We had one to pluck the fruit using a bamboo and two held a long cloth underneath All the mangoes fell on that cloth Genius!! Right?
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Gamma had the whole garden to himself Gamma our pet rooster lived for 12 years and was liked by everyone around including our pet dog Preiti. They would both go for strolls together and here you see Gamma having a great time with the whole garden to himself. Gamma left behind beautiful memories
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This Site had this option to fill up blank designs. Although this Site is no more while it lasted I enjoyed this feature where we were provided with blank designs and software that gave us the option to choose colours and complete the design. This is one such - sharing here
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Green Rose Nothing much to write home about but the plant of the green rose is just like any other rose plant. Even the buds resemble that of any rose but this rose has no smell although it does have the shape of a rose. The only reason why any one would want it in their garden is because it is rare. Anything rare no matter how ordinary it may look gardeners try to have it in their garden. #GreenThursday #Rainbowcolorschallenge
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Christmas is not complete without a star hanging up there Year in and year out we do up our garden with lights matching the theme of the year and a star standing alone almost touching the sky Rummaging through my digital photo folder I came across this photo that tells a story. Sharing it with you
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Peppie did it It was Peppie who pushed that toy on the groun and occupied its place in the couch These cats I say They think they are in charge and do what best suits them. He normally occupies my favourite corner as you can see in the second photo but he changed his mind, pushed that toy down and he is now in great slumber. Just had to click this as proof.
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Elephant at our doorstep We have a temple close by and they have a few elephants. They take these elephants for walks and then stop at gates expecting donations. We are allowed to touch them and when we give donations the elephant lifts its trunk in gratitude.
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Blue it shall be for a long time to come No more guessing and no more predicting. The sky is clear of all those clouds as the rains have bid goodbye. I know what to expect and what to plant. Having gone through those crazy months of unexpected rains that ruined our garden now I can breathe a sigh of relief. How is the weather treating you? #BlueFriday #Rainbowcolorschallenge
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Preiti and the workers Our little girl Preiti loved to be among workers spending hours with them Be it the woman cutting fish, our maid doing some work in the garden and painter painting the gate and even one of my classmates teaching us yoga - no matter what activity Preiti wanted to be a part of that There is a huge void Preiti has created having left us three years ago But her memories linger on
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Blame it on Peppie Yes. The bed is still not made. Would you chase your pet having a snooze on your bed? Peppie has been there since the morning and he will only get up when he hears the clutter of his bowl that will be filled with his favourite cooked chicken feet. Peppie has the whole house to himself.
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Bottle Brush Better known as bottle brush, the Callistemon flowerlooks like a bottle brush and hence everyone calls them bottle brush We have a fully grown tree right at the gate welcoming visitors. It got chopped down during a mini tornado a few years ago. It has come back to life and has once again started to bloom
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That is Peppie I can't help writing about our pet Peppie as he provides opportunities for me to capture memories. Here he is probably doing some yoga pose. There is no limit to his postures.
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I am missing this garlic vine We did uproot the entire vine when it killed a couple of trees but when it was in full bloom it could fill the entire garden with its purple hue I have planted a few cuttings at a place where it will not climb on other trees but I doubt if it will ever be the same as the one we killed. #PurpleSaturday #Rainbowcolorschallenge
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These are just memories I have lost all these roses for many reasons and one among them has been the untimely rains. Another reason is that the alamanda that grew side by side over powered these plants and killed them. I have now bought 8 new rose plants of eight different colours. There is also a rambling rose. They have all been planted in pots - my garden is getting a new lease.
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A new concept introduced in the garden As some of you know our garden is getting a makeover. I have done some redesigning and one concept is to colour the bricks and use those white marble pieces that were earlier used. There was such a mess in the garden that I had to do something to give it life. I collected all the bricks that were lying around as also those white marble pieces and did something that you see in the image. We will have just two of these around - the…
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Holidaying in Venice - a memory There was so much to experience in Venice - a part of our Europe tour that included Italy (Pisa and Rome). The beach was attached to the hotel we stayed and that meant we could spend hours late into the evening The St. Marks Square was yet another memory where pigeons were let free to fly around. We fed them and they even sat on our shoulders and some on our head. The Glass factory gave us yet another reason to be in Venice. Venice as you know…
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That is Peppie Up to his tricks Peppie has tried every sport and there he is hanging unscathed and from there he has smoothly slid down. It is unthinkable how cats can climb vertical heights.
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Survival of the fittest We have lost all roses that were growing along side the Alamanda while the Alamanda thrived and is doing extremely well. This situation can be rightly said to be that of the survival of the fittest. The entire length of the terrace is occupied by Alamanda
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Pretty weed It was no doubt a pretty weed but it had spread all over not living space to plant other flowers. With a lot of effort we got rid of it. It took years and finally it disappeared And now I miss it. 😢
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Pink Lilies Pink lilies are showing up in our garden. They aught to have started blooming in the month of February but everything is delayed on account of those rains. As they say better late than never. I have other colours too and hoping to see them as well. #PinkSunday #Rainbowcolorschallenge
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Introducing Canna in our garden We have been living here for several years but for some reason just could not get Canna bulbs but now happy to say there is a new nursery that is opened close to our house and I was able to get two of the Canna plants that I have planted now. One is yellow and the orange. Canna are my childhood memory Our neighbours had so many and we would pluck them and use them to be taken to church to honour Our Lady for nine days before Her birthday. The…
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Asters do not grow here I received a packet of aster seeds in place of African Marigold seeds. I have been asked to retain those aster seeds and they will despatch the marigold seeds as soon as possible. Asters need a cool climate and that is not what we have here at the moment. Anyway rather than throw those seeds away I will give them a try. Keeping my fingers crossed. 😀🤞🏿🤞🏿🤞🏿
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Kalanchoe Kalanchoe is easy to grow. They prefer a cooler climate and so around Christmas time our garden is seen packed with these red flowers. We also have them in hanging baskets. The only requirement is that we have to replant them and not doing it will make them disappear
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"These kids I say" Kittie seems to say The mother cat Kittie probably wanted to have some alone time when her daughter Pinkie and grand child Munni arrived there, disturbing her peace. This reminds me of how we used to follow mother when she used to visit the neighbour to spend some alone time. For me it was a moment to capture in my camera and share it with you.
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Can you identify Lolly our pet cat? Lolly thought he was hiding and we would not able to spot him. Silly cat. That is what we cat owners have the privilege to cherish those memories for a long time to come. Lolly too has left behind memories that I keep reminiscing. What is life if we do not have memories to reminisce on?
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Partially bloomed rose A partially bloomed rose has its own beauty and in fact some roses lose their charm when they are fully bloomed. I like roses that bloom slowly taking days like the one in the photo. #RedMonday #Rainbowcolorschallenge
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They are back Our Bougainvillea are slowly appearing specially the white colour. The first photo is more for the passersby as what we see is through the twigs of other trees but the passersby get to see them clearly. Our garden is getting back slowly to the good old avatar if I may say so. I will soon post what is seen in the whole garden
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I am shocked, amazed and astonished at what nature can do I have been discussing about the devastation some insects caused to our Ficus palms destroying a whole lot of leaf clusters which we had to chop off. I did notice that when the insects disappeared the front portion came to life. Little did I know what the back of this tree had in store for me. New clusters have emerged - countless in number I have understood one thing. Nature has to take care of insects as well but at…
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White Ixora The white Ixora is different from the other Ixora we have. It has different types of leaves and the plant produces suckers. We had just one plant to begin with and now a whole row is packed with these plants and this is the time for them to bloom.
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Garden paths Most paths were in very bad condition. The gravel was all over the place and in some places the border needed repair. All this is done now and this is one of the paths. I will post a fuller view once the entire garden is ready to be show cased. Thoroughly enjoying this make over.
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At the Universal Studio, Los Angeles, USA - a memory The US package tour included a trip to Los Angeles where we had the good fortune of spending time at the Universal Studios where one gets the ultimate Hollywood Experience. Posing with characters is a privilege tourists are endowed with and I took advantage of that as well. A memory I am sharing with you.
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Mace Mace is the outer cover ( red ) of the nutmeg that is used in adding flavour to foods such as Biryani. We have a nutmeg tree and we sell this as well as the nutmegs each year. The smell of mace is very rich. We use it in puddings as well.
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Tithonia I thought I had lost this flower but yesterday I saw a sapling in the garden. I had collected seeds to be sown but somehow had no time to sow them. Everything in a garden has a schedule that one needs to follow. But nature has been good to me and I hope that sapling will grow and I will see the flowers soon. #OrangeTuesday #Rainbowcolorschallenge
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New rose in our garden This is one of the new roses in our garden as most that we had earlier we have lost them. This rose is not big but I like the petals having two tones - black and red. Hopefully the size will increase in due course of time when the plant grows bigger.
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Curtain creeper also known as Veronica Curtain creeper is yet another invader that refuses to leave. We have tried our best to keep it in check but this particular lot hoodwinked us hiding in our areca palams and it has now grown robust almost reaching the sky. We have decided to keep it as it has gifted us with several clusters of white flowers that we see on top of our areca palms
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One more feature that is part of our landscape This was already there but we just got it painted. Two morning glory plants have been just planted and hope to have some flowers in there may be in a few days time. Have received another lot of flower seeds that will be sown and that is the last lot. Have to wait patiently for results
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This couple is having issues They have both come for a swim but the lady is not in a mood. They are having an argument. The guy seems to want the lady to join him. But she has refused. She even gave him a beakful She finally tells him why she cannot. He then understands. Wonder what she told him!!!
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They all are soft toys. What say? Our pets always love to mix and mingle with the soft toys and here is Pinkie and Lolly looking just like soft toys. Happy to share this unique photo with you.
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Cashew apple When we planted that cashew seed that was picked up by my husband - plucking the cashew apple with the seed from a tree - least did I expect it to grow into a huge tree. It served us for twenty years creating memories. It was not easy to see it dead. I spend time looking through all those camera captures and this photo was one such capture. #YellowWednesday #Rainbowcolorschallenge
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I am expecting a repeat of this I just got the African marigold seeds I ordered and they will be sown today The weather is conducive for flowers and fruits at the moment and I am hopeful these seeds will germinate and grow into healthy plants loaded with large sized marigolds. They say if wishes were horses beggars would ride but in this case I know I will surely ride. Nevertheless I will keep my fingers crossed. One never knows. There is many a slip tween the cup and the…
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My first attempt to get a plant on line I got this plant online and looking at its condition was not sure if it will survive. But it has and I am seeing new leaves. The flower is known as Double Petals Rangoon Creeper Combretum Indicum which is also known as Madhu Malati. I have seen this in single petals and I had this while I was living in the city but this one they claim has double petals. It has a strong scent. Waiting patiently for the first flower. Keeping my fingers…
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Sky gazing People talk about star gazing. I am a morning person and so no star gazing for me. But I must thank writing Sites that gave me this habit of looking at the sky several times in the day. This is what I saw a few days ago. Sharing it with you. Do you look up at the sky too and how often?
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Seems Peppie has taken over Preiti our pet dog always spent time with workers and now it looks Peppie is doing it Here he is watching our gardener doing work in the garden which as you know is in full swing. Peppie has taken a nice place where he can comfortably squat as the bricks are smooth to the touch.
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Preiti was the most finicky of all our pets. When she spotted that newspaper she refused to get up and lie down there until that paper was removed. She waited patiently almost requesting that paper be removed and only jumped up there once the paper was removed \ The photos say it all
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This was least expected It was a clear blue sky before I wound up for the day but last night there was thunder, lightning and heavy rain - not something we expect this part of the year Last several days we had clear skies and now I am concerned about the seeds we have sown. I have yet to check on that but I only hope they have not been washed out. Are you having bad weather too? #BlueFriday #Rainbowcolorschallenge
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A bouquet of Euphoria just for you The weather that I am grumbling about seems ideal for Euphorbia as I see all our plants have flowers. This bouquet has recently bloomed with leaves intermingled. Ideal for presentation and that is what I am presenting to you
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"I am the monarch of all I survey" So says this tiny little bird that has perched on the highest point in our garden. That is what I have noticed when birds visit our property Even the large sized peafowls will attempt to get right at the top.
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They are called 'curd dosa' They are simple to make. Mix white flour (maida) in curds to which sugar, chopped green chilies, beaten egg, salt and chopped coriander leaves are added. The dough should be of thick pouring consistency Shallow fry them.
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Sesame ladoos It is quite a while we have not made these ladoos. Sesame ladoos are packed with health properties. I used to eat them every day but eating every day one tends to lose interest. Am planning to get back to them. n Have you tasted any snacks made from sesame?
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Cashing out With just a feature phone I have found it difficult to fulfil the requirements of Exchanges who demand a 2FA verification. I now send my earnings here that are loaded in my BCH Wallet to a nephew who has a BCH account and he in turn either sends me items through Amazon in or transfers the money to my bank account. I have done this several times. Do you have problems cashing out?
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First hibiscus from the new lot I had planted six new hibiscus plants and today I see the first hibiscus I have reorganised my garden and now all are at one place. The plants look healthy. It appears this newly established nursery close to my house does have healthy collections. Gardening is such a pleasant pass time. Do you agree?
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I see green tomatoes We have had tomatoes before but in the last couple of years or so our garden has been o n strike yielding almost nothing That is history now, hopefully. These tomatoes are green now and they will grow bigger and may be in a month's time we will get more. All the tomato plants now have flowers. #GreenThursday #Rainbowcolorschallenge
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Sansevieria - Air purifier While redesigning our garden I pulled out all the Sansevieria plants I found all over the place - hundreds of them and used them as dividers of several new features. Sansevieria as you know is an air purifier and the more one has in their homes and gardens the air will be purer.
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Pound party with neighbours - a memory Each of the neighbours who took part brought a dish with them but the interesting part was each of them fried their own 'apams' in our kitchen. It was indeed a memorable day.
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Bleeding heart - Clerodendrum We have this in two colours Fortunately they have weathered the harsh climate in 2021 and have survived. Will transfer them at a prominent place as part of our garden make over Have you seen these flowers before?
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They are now just a memory No doubt I had to most unwillingly bring this vine down but they were a beauty. The garlic vine had spread all over with abundance of flowers. I now wonder if I should have left it there and not bother when it was slowly killing the trees around. #PurpleSaturday #Rainbowcolorschallenge
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Meet my Yoga Guru This Guru believes in predominantly stretching exercises as can be seen in the photos. I tried those poses but have yet to get the technique. This Guru is unique. Do you practice Yoga? What are your moves?
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Lucky passersby These days I notice many of our bougainvillea provide a nice view for passersby. Earlier it was the white bougainvillea and the pink and now it is the Mary Palmer. I had to go out of the gate to click this photo.
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First mango of the season Pretty late this year as mangoes show up by early March. This is not our best mango. We found it fallen on the ground an indication that it is time to harvest. Our guys did exactly that and we now have a few that have been kept for ripening Strangely I see the mango trees in blossom again
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The sun decides It is rarely that I get a colourful sun as seen in this photo. This was taken around December one morning and I did not expect this wonder. No photographer can claim that they decide what to click. No matter how focused one is the results turn out quite different. This time I was happy
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They just emerge from the ground At the first thunder these flowers just emerge from the ground with not a leaf in sight. They are called thunder balls. Leaves then slowly emerge and the plants stay for months until they hide again. Marvel of nature. #PinkSunday #Rainbowcolorschallenge
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Beautiful Sunday morning It's around 7.30 am here. While on a stroll in the garden this caught my eye. Grabbed it before it vanished. This with the chirping of birds made my morning. So sang the song 'Beautiful Sunday' while on my stroll. You can sing it too https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mo-fS1qHXIs
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Finale to a Christmas party - a memory A few years ago we had one Xmas party at our home for kids from an Institute that was held in the evening. As a finale we had organised fire works. The kids and adults had a ball playing with sparklers. We never had any crackers but just some thing to end the evening with a sparkle.
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Growing flowers and vegetables in plastic bags The annuals and biannual grow well in plastic bags. You can save your pots for the perennials. As you can see zinnias have done well in the plastic bag. You just need to see there is proper drainage and watering should be restricted as plastic does not absorb water unlike pots.
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My first attempt with Marigolds - a memory A friend got me seeds from her garden and they did produce healthy marigolds. I had collected seeds but could not trace them and lost this strain. This year I have bought seeds online and am hoping I will be successful again. Having said that seeds from friends turn out more successful
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They had a nice time on the beach - a memory These kids had never seen a beach. I took them to a Beach Resort one Christmas where they spent hours on the beach and then we had a party at the Resort that ended with fire works. My reward was to see these kids enjoying and creating a memory.
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Red Ixora Ixora come in several colours but the red Ixora is not so common. We have this plant and at the moment it is not doing well. It needs care. I have cut a branch and planted it elsewhere hoping that this branch will survive should the mother plant die. Gardening is a great hobby but it comes with problems that need attention. #RedMonday #Rainbowcolorschallenge
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Corn on cob We had a maid who whenever she went on leave would bring us stuff from her fields on her return. She brought me sweet corn seeds once which I sowed and I harvested some. She no longer works here as she has now settled down in her village. The weather these days is conducive for growing anything in our garden and may be I well get seeds of sweet corn online and give it a try.
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The sun at the neighbours Looks like the sun wants to spend time with the neighbours. They have just shifted and it is a good idea that the sun wants to meet with the new neighbours. Soon we will see it at our window as it happens every year. It even had tea with us in the lounge
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Bread pudding There is always left over bread in the fridge. I use it for making snacks and one of them is bread pudding. Eggs are beaten (one egg for every cup of milk and 4 slices of bread) and added to the milk with sugar to taste. The bowl is caramelised and the stuff - milk, raisins, cashew nuts and bread pieces placed in the bowl in layers. A touch of cardamom powder is also added to the milk. We normally steam the bread pudding. It can also be baked.
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No parrots these days Star fruit is the favourite of the parrots. They just nibble on the green fruits and we have often seen them shredded to pieces lying on the ground. These days we do not see the parrots and that is why we see ripened fruits on the tree. We do not much like them though. Do you like star fruit
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Never had a feral cat as affectionate as this one This cat made himself at home and behaved as though we had adopted him. He woudl come straight into the kitchen just as how home cats would behave. He would keep me company on my daily walks and even Preiti our pet dog like him.
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French Boy-o-Boy marigold Wonder why this marigold has that name. Suffice, however, to say that it is a pretty marigold thought small in size. They bloom profusely on the plant and last for several days. This marigold grew in our garden. #OrangeTuesday #Rainbowcolorschallenge
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It rained in December It was odd to see rain in December. The showers were pretty heavy washing away saplings that we had planted. Blossoms from fruit trees got washed away too. 2021 was a bad here for us. But things seem to get back to normal. I see flowers here and there. The Jack fruit tree has fruits that will mature in a while. We harvested a few mangoes too. All's well that ends well. Right?
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Lit Chinese Hats - Holmskioldia sanguinea Each Christmas and New Year we light up this bush with difference coloured lights and one year we had them in white lights. While the photo did some justice it gave the eye balls a real treat. This bush is right in front of our entrance door and each time I opened the door sometimes late in the evening or early morning I got to see a veritable paradise.
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Peppie in a box Peppie and his siblings used to squeeze into tiny boxes when they were kittens. This morning I was surprised to see Peppie getting into one of the boxes. Peppie is a big boy now and I wonder what got into his head. I only hope he is fine both in mind and body🙀😸
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Nature heard me I have been talking about how the passersby were getting better views of our bougainvillea both pink, white and Mary Palmer. Not even a week has passed since my last observation I now see clusters of white bougainvillea visible from our side. I am more than pleased.
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Crotons - that add colour to gardens We have these crotons all over the garden that ensures some colour when flowers cease to appear. They come in countless colours and shapes. They can be propagated by cuttings and are easy to maintain.
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Yellow one-eyed Susan These one-eyed Susan - some call them black eyed - grow on creepers and spread easily. Nature has her hand in the way they are arranged in this photo. There are many other flowers with black centres but only the Susan are called black eyed or one eyed. #YellowWednesday #Rainbowcolorschallenge
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Harmonious living That is what I noticed with our cats. They never fought with each other but had fun with each other. They ate from the same bowl giving space to each of them. They loved to hug each other and could sleep that way for hours. I can write a book on how harmonious our cats life was.
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Lady's Slipper? We know these flowers as lady's slipper. They come in indigo, yellow, white and pink. These flowers love rain but reappear at their own will and pleasure. We had the white, indigo and yellow and now we have only the indigo. Do you think they have another name?
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Grabbed the sun's reflection I got the reflection on one of our louvre windows. The reflection looks exactly like the morning sunrise. It can hurt the eye as well if one tries to look at the reflection directly. I clicked the photo looking at the camera screen as the reflection was extremely bright. Happy that I created a memory and share it here with you
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How many are up there? Taking full advantage of the kindness and love shown there is no limit where they decide to have their fun. That is where I normally relax getting some 'me' time and they have usurped my place. Look carefully. How many do you see there?
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Greenery Greenery is what one should be surrounded by. That is what the pandemic seems to say. We have that in our garden and also around the neighbourhood. No doubt colourful flowers cheer us up but greenery is what one should aim at. Happy gardening. #GreenThursday #Rainbowcolorschallenge
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Purple wonder Browsing through my digital photo folder I came across this photo of our purple bougainvillea. We have a cashew tree now that has grown over this bush hiding it from the sun that has led to the bush not giving out flowers. That cashew tree came up on its own. It is now yielding. We have plans to chop down its branches so that the bougainvillea gets the sun.
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I am happy to say that I have sown seeds of the Russian Giant sunflower this season and have hopes they will be better than what we got a couple of years ago. Last two years we were not able to get seasonal flowers except may be for a few zinnias. The year 2022 augurs well in terms of weather. Keeping fingers crossed 🤞🏿
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Party badges There are always game that I conduct when I have those Christmas parties for the kids and seniors. Forming groups is one way to let the guests mingle with each other and those who form the first group are always rewarded. These badges as you can see are smilies. They had to look for similar smilies and form the group. The joy also lies in the manner in which they go about forming the group
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Had guests over in ages Because of the pandemic we never encouraged anyone visiting us. We had them over this evening and spent a few cheerful hours together. They were impressed with the garden Have you been entertaining visitors?
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A slice of the blue sky It is blue up there and I love it. Weather is just right for our garden. I see germination. Many flowering seeds have been sown and I see results. It will be a few more days when I will see saplings that will be transplanted. Watering the germinated seeds is not quite easy. How do you water seeds that have just started germinating? #BlueFriday #Rainbowcolorschallenge