@ilovetowrite
@ilovetowrite
Pretty box of chocolates This box of chocolates were gifted to me by my niece a long time ago. It took me days to even start eating them. I did not want to spoil the look. I am a chocolate foodie and much as I would have liked to keep the box intact I emptied it once I started on them. Are you a chocolate foodie?
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Home produce We have had the joy of producing our own vegetables not so long ago. These days however the climate is such no vegetable seeds germinate. We did have a few tomatoes and that' s it I have not given up and soon when the climate is right I will give it another try. Nothing like consuming vegetables that grow in one's backyard We have fruits in plenty though Do you grow your own vegetables.
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Straight from the oven - seed cake I tried this cake this morning looking at a recipe on the Net. It took me just 45 minutes. This sponge cake is called seed cake as caraway seeds are added and the cake does get their flavour. I followed the recipe to the 't' and surprisingly I had the exact quantity of flour and butter in the pantry. The cake I see has become slightly dry and I think it is because of the eggs that are smaller in size. Next time I will add one more egg. Do…
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Lawn where you can sink your feet in Come barefoot and sink your feet in. This lawn is on our terrace. This grass does not require mowing as it grows just that much and the growth is pretty thick Walking barefoot on a lawn is considered healthy. What are you waiting for?😀
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Coconuts Getting coconot pluckers is quite hard around here. We finally got one. We pluck coconuts once in two or three months. There is good demand for coconuts and we have someone who comes regularly for them. What we produce must have demand but some of our fruits go to the compost pits as there are no takers.
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Responsible Preiti Preiti our pet dog who gave us 12 years of joy was a responsible dog. She would be alert and had different barks for different occasions. We would identify those barks and know whether she was alerting us about any reptiles in the garden, whether there was a strangere at the gate and whether there were known people at the gate. If there were known people that bark would also accompany the wagging of her tail.
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A few slices of our morning sky It is good that it rains here in the night and the day time is given for the sun to do its job. The sky is packed with shades of blue and white with the sun throwing its rays to make it brighter and pretty. I grabbed a few slices and sharing them with you
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This flock of birds is here for a purpose Besides frolicking in the bird bath we see this group when the black pepper is ready for harvesting. While cuckoos like the noni fruit these like to have a good time with the black pepper. Parrots like bilimbis It is interesting to watch how different types of birds get attracted to different type of fruits.
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Sweet mango curry Atleast once a year we make this dish. The skin has to be gently peeled off and whole mangoes are cooked. The curry is just turmeric and chilli powder with some water. Once the mangoes are cooked jaggery is added and the curry is tempered with mustard seed crackled in oil. The dish is delicious.
@ilovetowrite
Seedless papaya We bought papayas lately as we had no papayas growing in our garden. What we had were with seeds and much sweeter than what we bought. Those papayas were seedless but hardly had any taste. But they were huge in size. I wonder how they propagate these seedless papayas I would not want them in our garden though Have you seen seedless papayas?
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They came in dancing - a memory Christmas music was blasting in our house that day and my friend who lives is the US visited us She brought her kids along. They just could not resist the beat that they came dancing in I was touched and brought out my camera and got a video shot of them. Sharing a glimpse of it with you
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Marigolds in the 'making' Many marigolds have been planted in our garden and they are all doing well. I am imagining that I will have a repeat of what you see in the photo and lots of marigolds with the lots of plants that are doing well. Marigolds add brightness to any garden and are easy to grow. They also act as pesticides for other plants.
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Marble chips Although it was expensive and labour oriented having marble chips on the roof and external walls of our house has given them a lasting effect and has saved us from painting the external walls and the sloping roof has become leak proof. The houses around us have had to put up protections above their roof to save the house from leaking. We just need to clean the surfaces using water jets which we do once a year.
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Jack fruits dropping. We notice jack fruits dropping from one of our jack fruit trees. Normally jack fruits are brought down when they are fully matured but these jack fruits are tender. This is the second year when we have noticed this. If this happens repeatedly we will have no other go but to cut down the tree. Jack fruit tree wood has great value. It is used to make furniture. And there will be buyers.
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Zinnias I am having issues with our garden these days. Most seasonal flowers do not show up. There was a time they came up in huge numbers. When the zinnias that you see in the photo came up I was disappointed as we always got them having several petals. And now I do not even get that. We have trees growing all over the place and that could be one of the reasons. But trees are needed for oxygen. I would rather have trees than flowers. What is your choice?
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Spending some relaxing moments Preiti our pet dog was very friendly with this stray cat who had endearing ways We in the household were touched by his behaviour. He liked to mix and mingle as though he belonged here. That scene at the kitchen door was testimony to our pet's relationship with this loving cat. He got wounded one day when he had a brawl with another tom cat and that was the end of his visits here. 😿
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"Give me more" I have often written about the stray that spent a few months with us. Mixing and mingling with us and our pets. It was such a cute cat, mild in ways that even our pet dog Preiti took to her. Here he is asking for more food after finishing what was in the bowl We had to give in
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Alamanda in the rains This flower loves rain. The size of the Alamanda is the largest when it rains and they bloom profusely. We have this bush all over the garden and also on the terrace. The terrace flowers are smaller in size but they bloom abundantly. I wish all other flowers love rain too but sadly that is not the case. The seasonal flowers never do well when there is heavy rain.
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Pets on the prowl Our pets were sophisticated. They did not go for mice or rats but always went in search of butterflies or birds. Here they were sniffing perhaps for butterflies. In a way cats are cruel. I have seen them catching a butterfly and playing with it until it is dead. Once dead they will leave it there. We do not see mice anywhere though as they perhaps thought our cats would be at them. Little do they know the truth
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This dog had the Jung frau experience On my Europe tour we were taken to the Swiss Alps - Jung frau. It is astonishing how way up there we got the experience of the highest post office in world, a mall and stunning view of the Alps. We were taken in a Gondola that gave us that view as we went up. However what fascinated me the most was this lady with her dog. How fortunate that dog was that it got to experience the Alps while not all human beings get that experience.
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Two years since I switched over to a simple meal With so many supplements, fruits and other goodies I decided to go simple on my meals and I like it that way I have given up meat and fish and mostly go for vegetables I have a boiled egg every day though and ofcourse a bit of red wine What's your meal
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My favourite mug I got this online - in fact I bought four of these mugs and I have been drinking tea in these mugs since almost five years. These mugs are lasting and they still look as good as new The capacity of these mugs is 250 ml - quite some quantity you might say but I only have one mug of tea these days I used to be an addict once upon a time - in that anything nice happening around called for a cup of tea😀 How easy is it for you to restrict on consumption of either…
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Did not expect this. This was clicked a few days ago one fine morning. The contrast of the green with the blue always fascinates me and I like to caputre such scenes in my camera. When I downloaded the image in m y computer I was surprised to see the moon that has not yet disappeared. What a gift that was.
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The fluffy clouds No guarantee these fluffy clouds will turn into rain. Nothing is predictable but the photographer in me was only concerned with the beauty of the sky and capturing it in my camera The permutations and combinations of the formation of clouds is a mystery to me. Never to be unfolded. Do you understand what prompts the changes?
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Soft toys for every one I have a good collection of soft toys and they are mine. Cuddling soft toys I am told is a kind of therapy that many doctors recommend I have seen them in hospitals as well. What used to be only for kids has now become a therapy item. Talking about therapy even watching the fish in aquariums is also kind of a therapy and we see them in hospitals these days. Do you have soft toys?
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Lunch at a beach resort This was before the pandemic. I have not gone there again. These were my friends and I took them for lunch. I have been to this beach resort several times and each time I see to it that I get to sit at this table overlooking the beach. The area covering the sand at this beach is too wide in that dipping ones feet in the water is a far fetched idea. That is OK for youngsters. I am a senior😀 However there is a sea walk that takes one to the middle of…
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Hanging baskets We have these baskets in the pen that Gamma our pet rooster once occupied. We planted sansevieria which we later noticed were too heavy for the baskets. We later planted kalanchoe those red flowers that have thick shiny leaves. The heavy rains last year destroyed these plants and we have now once again replanted them and by coming Christmas we should see them blooming. Even without any plants the baskets themselves do look colourful.
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Evening view I rarely get out in the garden in the evenings or later and when I did I saw this softness of the sun throwing its light in our garden. I am a morning person and love to capture sunrises which are so different from what I saw when I stepped out in the evening. A mellow view of the garden
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"Say cheese" This photo was taken in the US at my nephew's. We were strolling and this kid gave me a nice time talking about this and that. I was clicking away and asked her to pose for me and I said 'say cheese' and this is how she said cheese. She is now grown and lives independently
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Cuckoo Clock This building where cuckoo clocks were being manufactured in Germany (Black Forest) was converted to a cuckoo clock. We went there on time to hear the chimes of the clock at 12 noon with the dancing dolls. I posed in front of it. Here is a video. You can see it here It is the largest cuckoo clock in the world https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=868f_cZD1zw
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Our Peppie is smart Peppie gets his fresh fish early in the morning and latter he is fed with pressure cooked chicken feed and also a bowl of dry feed The pressure cooked chicken feet as you know is hot and see how he sits and that too on a mat waiting for it cool down If it was a kid I am sure they would have put their fingers in and cried telling Mama that food is hot but not so Peppie. Just by looking at it he know has to wait Peppie is indeed smart. We all love him
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Orange beauty One of the several bougainvillea that adorn our garden. Some call it paper flowers as the feel of the petals is that of paper. The only disadvantage with this variety is that it dries on the plant and turns brown spoiling the look while in the other variety the petals drop down before they change colour. Because of unseasonal rains we did not get them in full measure this time.
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Tried a new fertilizer We have bought some rose plants recently and we tried a new fertilizer. Soaked the groundnut cake over night - 5 litres of water to one kilo ground nut cake. The next day after mixing it thoroughly, added 5 litres of water to one litre of the mix and treated the plants. Results are showing
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A fully ripe mango Seeing a fully ripe mango on the tree is almost impossible as the moment it gets a tinge birds and squirrels go for it. We know when to harvest as we would see a mango on the ground half eaten. Since mangoes are normally hidden from view on the tree that is the only indication we have that it is time for harvesting The mango in the photo reached that colour after it was kept for ripening in a basket for a few days
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Flower arrangement I created this flower arrangement using the dead inflorescence of the areca palm. The cloth flowers are a gift from the differently abled for whom I had thrown a Christmas party a few years ago . They were created by them. The differently abled have different talents sometimes more than the normal kids. Dry flower arrangements need little or no maintenance. You can still place a vase with water and place a fresh flower if you so desire.
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Sprouted potato Potatoes and tubers do sprout in storage but this potato looked so pretty that I just kept it for days. No doubt it had to be thrown away but as long as it lasted it served as an artifact that guests who came were quite surprised to see it. Nature is truly amazing
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First tiger claw of the season These are wild flowers but they have a pride of place in our garden. Wild flowers are beautiful and easy to maintain They come up when it is time for them to show up This year they have come up earlier than usual. There was rain in December of last year and I had already seen the plants. It took them time to get matured and I saw the first flower a while ago Do you have wild flowers in your garden?
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Bananas in the making We had several banana plants in the good old days and the appearance of the banana flower as seen in the photo gave us hope of soon getting bananas It takes about nine to twelve months for the yield from the time it is planted. Once the banana bunch is removed the plant is redundant and is removed. The banana blossom can also be cooked - it stays till the very end
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Wordle Wordle is a game of words introduced by New York Times. We have to form a 5 letter word picking alphabets provided within six attempts. Everyday there is a word chosen by the Site. I have been doing this since the last 102 days and missed just 2. Today' s was interesting. I got the word 'right' at the third attempt but the word in question had all those alphabets. I did an anagram search and found the answer as can be seen in the image. Do you play Wordle?
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Worked on this Mandala - a memory One Site that is closed now gave us an opportunity to work on blank mandalas where we were given the software to colour them. The child in us came to the fore while working on them. A bit of our interest in art did help somewhat Whenever writing became a problem that is where I pitched my tent.
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I just looked up and what do I see!! It has stopped raining here and the sun is having a 'me' time with just the sky for company. We just get those basic colours but what I saw a while ago is just blue and white but huge patches spread all over the sky. I clicked away and here are a few for your viewing pleasure.
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Mirror, mirror on the wall - a memory I bought this mirror in Goa where as most know is famous for several beaches. At one of the beaches I saw this lady selling mirrors. She had worked on the frame of the mirror with sea shells. I found this very aristic and picked one. We have had this mirror for several years and just a few months ago one of our cats dropped it and the mirror is now broken. We have to get it fixed.
@ilovetowrite
Regular scene in front of our gate There is just one household that rears cattle and they are let loose for grazing There is plenty of greenery mostly grass that they enjoy. There is a cowherd that tends to them. He will let them out in the morning and later lead them back home. He has been working for that household for years.
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Preiti and our guests Preiti our pet dog who gave us 12 years of happiness was very comfortable with guests and the guests were comfortable with her. Preiti loved being petted and would let the guests touch her. She would pick a ball and ask the guests to play with her. I miss Preiti.
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This stray cat adopted us He was there all lover the house and one would think he belonged to us No. He did not belong to us but we belonged to him and that included our pet dog Preiti. He came to the kitchen when he felt hungry, took a stroll with me in the garden, watched me while I was busy on the my computer. He was such a companion to all of us. We miss him as the day he got hurt by an another stray tom cat he left us. We miss him
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I give up I have written about the garlic vine that grew wild killing a couple of our trees and that made us uproot whatever we could lay our hands on. Looks like it has decided to stay no matter what. It has now climbed up on our curry leaf tree and I only hope it will not do what it did to our guava tree. The flowers are indeed pretty and brighten up our garden in great measure.
@ilovetowrite
Charlie the monkey and the jack fruit We had this baby monkey that visited our neighbourhood. We named him Charlie. He would roam the neighbourhood and mostly spend time in our property. We admired him but from a distance and watched his activity. He had pleasing ways. He even did yoga on our water tank. Here in the photo you see him atackling a ripe jackfruit on the tree. He scratches open the fruit, throws the seeds down and enjoys quite a few pods. Would you like to go up…
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Kittie and the baby Kittie was always a responsible mother. She knew exactly when to feed her babies and for how long. It is amazing that she knew when to put her babaes on solid food and she would ween them away. I have seen when she has pushed her babies away when it was time to put them on solid food. Nature comes to their aid
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Coconuts on the tree We have a few yielding coconut trees. The coconut plucker knows when they are ready for plucking. That is an art and only the experienced with know when to pluck the coconuts. The one's that are tender cannot be dropped but lowered using a rope. Tender coconuts have a higher rate than the dried coconuts. We do sell coconuts after keeping some for our consumption.
@ilovetowrite
Charlie the monkey's parting gift This baby monkey who used to roam the neighbourhood was always seen munching something. This almond sapling that came up in our garden could have been from the seed this baby monkey would discarded after eating the outer flesh of the almond fruit. This tree has now fully grown and reminds us of Charlie.
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I dedicate this song to those who are waiting for their loved ones This is one of my favourite songs which I have just recorded with my voice. The cuckoo is keeping me company. There will be many here who will be waiting for their loved ones and I am dedicating this song to them https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVQx0Tk8ja4
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Preiti on the terrace - a memory Our Terrace is one place we never let Preiti our pet dog to be there alone. But she did manage to go there one day. We were looking for her and finally we found her there having a ball walking barefoot on the grass. Probably she must have heard about the goodness of walking bare foot on the grass Our terrace has a low parapet and she could have easily jumped out. We spotted her on time and brought her down I miss Preiti.
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View of Solitaire on a cloudy day This is the monsoon here and most of the time we get to see this beautiful of our property This is the front portion of our property. I like that foggy look be it morning, noon or evening. No doubt we have spells of brightness when the sun pushes the clouds away and that too is welcome.
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Areca Nuts We have planted areca nut palms all along the border. They were brought from the city where I had grown them for using in my several landscaped gardens project. We brought the left overs and today they are all yielding. Areca nuts are a commercial crop and fetch a good price.
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Bottle Brush I was amazed when I saw this photo I clicked one early morning. It turned out black and white. Bottle Brush is a colourful flower that resembles a bottle brush. The leaves are pretty too and so is the bark of the tree that has engraved lines. Many a time the camera decides what we should capture. Right?
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The effect of pruning The name of our house SOLITIAIRE was hidden from view because of over grown greenery. We have been pruning regularly these days as the year 2021 saw plenty of rain here and just when we thought that pruning was over it rained heavily in December and this never hear of. The name SOLITAIRE can now be seen right when we enter through the gate.
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Relaxing among the flowers Normally birds are seen perched on the highest point but this bird is relaxing at the bottom of the lightning arrester. Had to click it and share it with you
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No Amazon forest this!! This is part of our garden and that is how it looks these days. We have retained all trees including wild trees that have decided to make our garden their home. This has resulted in certain flowers refusing to bloom. But we have decided to sacrifice flowers to this lush greenery
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New neighbours These are the fourth owners of this property. Those who have left have gone for good as we are not in touch. The kids of the first owners are now teenagers and we see them occasionally walking past. The new owners added one more room. Today is the house warming and there is quite a commotion in front of our house - loads of guests streaming in. We too are invited but I never socialise because of the pandemic.
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A splash of grey This is expected as it is the rainy season here but quite inconsistent It threatens to rain and then the sun and the clouds indulge in a warfare and many a time the sun wins. That is what has happened here I barely clicked this and the sun came out. I like it that way as I rather it rains in the night a kind of lullaby putting us to sleep.
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Four o'clock flowers Mirabilis better known as four o'clock flowers start blooming around four in the evening and fade by the next morning. We had them back home when I was a kid and mother would visit the neighbour for an evening chat and that is the time those flos\wers would bloom and we would follow her. I ordered for seeds but none germinated. They come in several colours. The photo is of a plant I managed to grow from seeds I got from a friend.
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Grow what grows in your garden I have been struggling with flowers that just do not seem to show up in our garden. I have now decided never more to struggle. Grow what grows in our garden will be my decision. And looking around I see there are not less than thirty or more varieties that show up. I will miss roses but all what I will now do is to look at photos that once showed up
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Poinsettia I no longer have Poinsettia in my garden. Our gardener cut it deep and killed it. I have not visited any nurseries of late and that is one reason why I have not got it again. Anyway I have decided not to crane my neck and grow for something that needs effort. I used to make flower arrangements with this during Christmas.
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Neither a jet nor a rocket It was a streak of whiteness having no beginning nor end. I saw that this morning when I looked up. The background as you can see is blue but this straight line boggled me. I know when a jet airplane passes - there is movement on what it leaves behind. But this is unexplainable
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Clicked through the window Got a clear view of the Greater Coucal -a bird that has brown and black feathers, right through the mosquito net. There were two of them creating a ruckus. I used the zoom feature of my camera and clicked one of them. These birds come for reptiles and so when I see them I get a creepy feeling.
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Variety is the spice of life And who believe more in this than nature itself. Be it the sunrises and sunsets, be it the changing colours of the sky all this nature is fully in charge. And all this we get for free - something that can make our day. Atleast my day is done when I look at these marvels
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Mother and son Kittie the mother delivered seven times and each time she brought over just one baby when they were ready for solid food. The white one is Kittie. Lolly was her first born and they were very close. Kittie was an efficient mother and took care of her kids responsibly.
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A pleasant view Not just cattle that we see in front of our gate but also kids learning to ride their bicycle. They also sometimes play badminton without a net. The traffic makes way for them. We do not have much traffic just vehicles that belong to neighbours and to those that visit them. This is an area where we only have houses and no commercial set ups. I love this place.
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My evening snacks these days We have jack fruits growing in our property and this is the time when our fridge is packed with them. Jack fruits can be eaten in many forms - mostly boiled and roasted. I have a loadful of boiled jackfruit seeds in the fridge and I have a handful of them every day Surprised to know the health properties it has https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/jackfruit-seeds
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I get to see this once every fortnight I get up to the terrace not quite often but surely once every fortnight. I get to see this view - the front portion of our garden and beyond. We have neighbours just outside our gate with just the road separating us And this view covers part of their property. All in all it is a pretty view
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Gerbera We had orange, white and yellow Gerbera in our garden. Little did I know they would disappear and they did. Gerbera need replanting or repotting which we did not do. Different plants needs different care and if they are neglected out they go never to return I have bought a new plant now and hoping it will start yielding.
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Katherine Rose - a memory A friend of mine gave me a bunch of roses from her garden. There were 8 colours all belonging to the Katherine variety. These roses grew from cuttings and I did the same. I cut out the stems of those roses once they had all faded and planted and all of them came up. Every single plant yielded. It was a success story . But when I had that accident I left it to the maids to take care of them and they did not survive.
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Thunbergia Laurifolia - soaked in rain These flowers love rain. They stick together enjoying heavy showers. You can see that in the photo. These flowers are very easy to grow. They come in two colours indigo and white. Being common not many gardens will have them. But I love any flower that has a shape and colour and these flowers have both shape and colour
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The gorgeous moon I hardly get out in the nights and this perhaps I was able to click from my kitchen door. I have loads of these photos stacked in my digital folder and I do not remember why I clicked so many but one is better than the other. Had a tough time choosing Happy to share it with you
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Morning sunshine through the blinds We get this blessing as I call it as we face the East. The sun changes its position and throughout the year we have it visiting us sometimes while we have breakfast, sometimes while we have a quiet time in the lounge and sometimes it peeps through the ventilator. It is welcome
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A white spray The white bougainvillea that shows up off and on in our garden is the cynosure of all eyes. It is pure white and they cascade down. They remain on the plant for several days and when the petals fall they form a white carpet
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A beach outing - a memory Spent an evening and beyond with the kids from an Institute a few years ago. It was an event to remember. For the kids it was their first time visiting a beach and the icing on the cake was an event at the Beach Resort. I will never get to repeat it and glad I have loads of images and videos to relive this event
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Those were the days Kittie the mother delivered and brought to us one kitten when they were ready for solid food. She delivered seven times and we had those kittens. It was a house full They played together, slept together and ate together. Getting fresh fish for them quite a problem and then I had to get dry fish soak it over night and remove the salt. When one has to care for pets one should have the ability to take care of them
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A carpet of weeds The uniform way in which weeds grew in our garden that I was hesitant to uproot them. But when they started invading areas where they were not meant to be we had no other alternative to pull them out. For some time they reappeared but slowly they disappeared. I only wish they come back
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Any odd place to build their nest This bird that you see built this nest in the groove of the light that we have at our entrance door, with the help of her partner and we were anxiously waiting to hear the baby chirps. Sadly a bigger bird destroyed their nest. It was a sad day for us.
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When a bud looks better than a fully bloomed flower I can say that about this rose bud. This rose did not have many petals and so when it bloomed it lost its look as compared to the bud. However there are other roses like the next one in the photo that justifies its looks when it fully blooms
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Basking in the morning sun That's our pet cat Peppie He spent some time in the bedfrom snoozing away after he had his fish and now he is seen lazing around on the carpet. The sun has thrown its rays right inside the house and there he is basking in the morning sun Cats are born with wisdom I say.
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Rain loving flowers They are known to us as Lady's Slipper or Velvet flowers but the Google Lens calls them Torenia. These are dainty flowers and spread like a carpet in gardens. They come in several colours - white with indigo, light indigo with indigo, yellow and white, and pink and white. We have the white with indigo and light indigo with indigo
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"You can come back now" These tiny birds always came in a group and frolicked in our birdbath. But when we had several cats trying to chase them away and one of them was even caught, they disappeared. Now we only have on cat Peppie who is too lazy to chase anything Most of the time he spends time sleeping and eating. I hope these littles ones comeback
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Siesta time I like to relax on that couch facing our tv and Preiti our pet dog would always jump up and squeeze herself in the place that she could find. Preiti was a people's person. She liked being with all of us including guests She would sit with us in the hall and play her own role such as wanting the guests to throw the ball which she could pick. I miss Preiti
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Timely help There is a discussion going on at a Site where the benefits of keeping cryptos hoping the value will go up is the topic to the point of saying those who cash out at low values are not wise. I would say no matter how small the cash out is if it helps someone in time of need that in a way is price less. Talking about small amounts I remember we helping our nephew with a small amount who was wanting to go to the US to pursue his dreams. Today he earns in millions…
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"Should we or should we not?" This couple is not sure about them getting into the deep. Baby birds always swim in the shallows of the birdbath but this couple is perhaps contemplating on taking a chance. My observations tells me that they will take a safe route and stick to the shallows😁
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Charlie the monkey un der the awning I have written about this baby monkey who visited our neighbourhood a few years ago. He was quite a treat and here he was seen sitting under the awning of the other house we have at the back protecting himself from the rain. I marvel at the commonsense animals have. He was a baby after all
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Part of our wall in the hall I have memories there all lined up. I will talk about that cuckoo clock and that painting - Last supper The cuckoo clock was picked up from a shop in Germany. There were workers there giving finishing touches to the clocks. I did not want mine painted but preferred it in the original finish. I have that clock now but it is not working. The painting was bought at an exhibition.
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Star Fruit Our star fruit tree got chopped down on account of a mini tornado we experienced a few years ago. Before the tornado we did not get many fruits as the parrots would just nibble at the green fruits that were pretty high on the branches.. When the chopped tree got new branches and the fruits started to show at a lower level the parrots did not attack them for fear of being caught by us. Clever parrots.
@ilovetowrite
Preiti our pet Preiti always used the mat and never the bare floor. She did the same thing while sitting at the gate. It was her own decision. She got herself trained herself. A well behaved pet she was. She liked everything clean around her. She would refuse to sleep if the sheet was soiled. I miss Preiti.
@ilovetowrite
Our cinnamon tree that did not flower Trees need a rainless time to flower. And our cinnamon tree normally blooms around December spreading its aroma all around us But it did not bloom last year as it rained heavily in December as I have already said somewhere that raining in December is abnormal. This behaviour of the rain affected our fruit trees as well.
@ilovetowrite
Health properties of chicken feet What was once considered something to be discarded is now on dining tables the world over. This link gives all the benefits of what one gets by consuming them. They are tasty too Fat: 10 grams Carbs: 0.14 grams Calcium: 5% of the Daily Value (DV) Phosphorous: 5% of the DV Vitamin A: 2% of the DV Folate (vitamin B9): 15% of the DV Source: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/chicken-feet#nutrients At the moment the beneficiary in our…
@ilovetowrite
Sumo Gel for pain relief After my accident a few years ago I was recommended that I use this Gel any time I experience pain. I use it till now and it does give me relief. The pain is felt in the ribs and vertebrae region any time I exert a bit. That is where I got the effect of the accident. How do you relieve pain?
@ilovetowrite
Lone sparrow There was a time we would see sparrows in grocery shops where the owner would welcome these birds as they would help themselves from the open crates filled with grains. That it seems to me is history now and it is years since I have spotted any sparrow around here although we see many other species that visit our bird bath One fine day however a lone sparrow visited our birdbath frolicking in there. Do you have sparrows in your vicinity?
@ilovetowrite
Preiti and the neighbour's cat - a memory They were the best of friends. The cat would visit us every day just to spend time with our pet dog Preiti Preiti took time but later waited for the cat to arrive. They would frolic in the garden chasing each other. Those were the days. I miss both of them.
@ilovetowrite
Sweet potato in coconut milk This is kind of a traditional dish out here. Sweet potato is boiled and cut into pieces. Coconut milk is extracted and cooked in jaggery and cardamom powder. Sweet potatoes can be had in many different ways. We sometimes eat them just boiled, deep fried in gram flour batter to which chili powder and salt is added. We also cook a vegetable dish adding it to brinjals. Do you like sweet potatoes?
@ilovetowrite
Well water Because of our well we never have shortage of water. We have installed a pump and connected it to provide water for the garden as well as the house. We also have a waterfall and the same pump is used for it. Our water is pure and we have so far not applied for the government water supply. Do you have a well too?
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Morning after the night before The remnants of a party that was held for the kids from an Institute show that it was quite a party Those polka dotted balloons was testimony that it was a polka dotted party Everything including serviettes, goodie bags, caps, ribbons was polka dotted. We even got dressed in outfits that were polka dotted. To put all those things together it took me almost three months as some of those items I got from China.
@ilovetowrite
What's a garden without roses? Roses have continued to take a place of pride in any garden. They are perennial but need a bit of pampering We have had many roses on the terrace but due to lack of care they did not survive for long although they did yield when they were taken care of. Have bought new plants but they are not doing well as we have trees all over the place that are not conducive to growing roses.
@ilovetowrite
Man eating plant This plant is a legendary carnivorous plant that eats up humans and animals if seen in its proximity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man-eating_plant How true it is could be any one's guess Do you think it is true?
@ilovetowrite
The bottle palm standing out The white clouds as the back ground to the bottle palm in our garden gave it a distinct look. This palm has now grown bigger and adds height to our garden. We have four such palms which were bought when they were saplings.
@ilovetowrite
Not seen this for quite a while Miss such views in the sky. It is a mystery how the sky changes its colours at its will and pleasure. If anyone wants to break the monotony of life just look up.
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Alamanda against the marble chips We have marble chips that cover our external walls. The Alamanda that you see is cascading on the terrace parapet that also has marble chips. The effect is dramatic. Don't you see?
@ilovetowrite
Croton We have these crotons all over the garden - a plant that is not much admired by many as it is common. The croton comes in several different shapes and colours and when flowers do not bloom this plant adds colour to our garden Crotons are easy to grow and maintain. They can be propagated by planting cuttings. Do you have crotons in your garden?
@ilovetowrite
The Indian cuckoo and their habits The Indian cuckoo does not have its own nest but searches for a host nest of birds that lay similar looking eggs and the female cuckoo will lay its eggs there. The gullible host bird will nurture them till they are ready to fly. I have hardly seen cuckoos swimming in our bird bath. They just come there to quench their thirst.
@ilovetowrite
The evening sun We have fruit trees at the back of our house and that is where the sun sets. I clicked this photo days ago around 5 in the evening. The sun had moved from East to West and I saw it trying to peep through the jack fruit tree. It is not often that I click the evening sun as my favourite is the rising sun.
@ilovetowrite
The Bher Tree We have this bher tree right outside our gate. I have taken care of it right form the time it was a sapling. It is now fully grown and yields loads of bher. It is a pleasure to watch passersby bending down there and picking the fruits. We collect them too and distribute to friends and family. The tree bears fruit once a year
@ilovetowrite
White cat with a black tail We were having a chat over the phone when my neighbour talked about a white cat with a black tail getting into her house and chasing their own cat. I was not sure which cat she was referring to. I only hope it was not Peppie. Cats here visit homes and I too have cats visiting us.
@ilovetowrite
Memorabilia Collecting shampoo bottles at every hotel I visited was something I enjoyed doing. I had carried my own shampoo and so the moment the sachets were placed in the rest room I collected them. I have travelled far and wide and these bottles/sachets have a story to tell - France, England, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Italy, Bahamas cruise, Florida, Bufallo, New York, Las Vega, Los Angels, Washington, California, Canada, Australia, New Zealand
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Buckingham Palace This is a frustrated memory. It was a Sunday and we just had a weekend in London to do what we wanted to. We could do most nothing as weekends most we noticed was closed. The Buckingham Palace experience was a bad memory as we could only see the building and nothing else. I so wanted to witness the trooping the colour and have a look inside. Any travel frustrations?
@ilovetowrite
Reminds me of Christmas The Chinese Hats (Homskioldia) that bloom only around Christmas remind me of Christmas. They are at our entrance door and each time we open the door we get a festive feeling and get into the mood to get ready for the big day. For us the big day is always throwing parties for the less privileged either at our own premisies or anywhere else like the beach, park or their own Institute.
@ilovetowrite
Some birds are loners And among them is the double racket tailed Drongo. We do not see it these days but when it visited us it would come alone and swim in the bird bath. Did you know this bird can chirp in several different ways including a cat's meow? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpGSzHcchko
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Canna blooming a second time I had searched high and low for Canna bulbs to introduce them in our garden and finallyI got two colours - yellow and orange from a new nursery close by although most of the other plants specially roses that I bought from this nursery are not doing well at all. I have plans to propagate these plants as and when I get new suckers as they seem to thrive in our garden. This is an old photo and when I went to click the new bloom it poured cats and…
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Curry leaves We have several curry leaf trees grown to great heights although normally they are medium sized plants. They are known as curry leaves but it has nothing to do with curry. These leaves are loaded with health properties the main benefit being they increase the hemoglobin and is good for hair
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Badges for a Christmas party These badges had numbers and groups were formed based on numbers. Games at parties need groups to be formed to have competitions among them and these groups continue to stay that way till the end of the party. Various group games are organised and it is fun to watch them compete.
@ilovetowrite
After bath activity Here the birds are busy preening after a bath. It is just not enough that they provided with a bird bath. They need to perch on trees to preen their feathers. We have trees surrounding the birdbath and I love watching them preening their feather after the bath
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Do you see what I see? I knew you would not and so I placed that arrow there😀 Yes that tiny bird has ventured into flying and perched on that point which is the highest around. Birds have this tendency and I have always wondered. The expression 'bird's eye view' has perhaps come from there.
@ilovetowrite
Hiding behind the white clouds Little does the sun realise that it has helped the white clouds project better by providing its own brightness in the background. But I doubt if the sun has chosen to do it or it is helpless. According to me the sun tries its best to project itself but this time it lost the battle What say?
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The mutation is back What we have are the red tiger tails (Acalypha) but out of the blue we get a white version which we have not planted. - surely a mutation This reminds me of the white tigers of W. Bengal.
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One eyed Susan Some call it the black eyed Susan but it is Susan all the same. It is a vine that proliferates without any maintenance sometimes having to control its growth. Nature has had a say - look at the cascading effect - nature sometimes gets into an artistic mood.
@ilovetowrite
A one time glory We have many plants with this flower but blooming four at a time happened only once. I quickly clicked it and stored it in my digital folder. It resembles the hibiscus but is different in several ways such as its leaves and even the fact that it is not perennial unlike the hibiscus.
@ilovetowrite
The most loved feral cat This cat did not belong to us and I have written about him earlier. Here he is cozily sleeping hugging a soft toy. That is how he behaved although he belonged to us. He left us when he got wounded and he did not like being injected by the Vet. We miss him
@ilovetowrite
'Dahi wada' from left over bread Normally 'wadas' are made from udit dal (black gram dal) but I have always used left over bread for making different snacks You need to soak bread in water and squeeze out the water and make balls. Deep fry them. Curds enriched with sugar, and salt is poured on the balls and garnished with chopped coriander leaves and chili powder
@ilovetowrite
Our fully bloomed Canna Due to rain I was not able to take a picture of this fully bloomed Canna - a new entrant in our garden. I managed to do it today. After renovation I had introduced quite a few flowering plants and this is the only one that is doing well. The new plants include roses, hibiscus, anthurium, gerbera and dahlia.
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Languishing crockery and cutlery We loved to entertain both informally and formally in our younger days and collected loads of crockery and cutlery. We no longer do that and all our collections are languishing. The second generation even in their young age do not believe in entertaining anyone in their homes but would rather take them out. We are now stuck with loads and our cupboards are full Do you entertain guests in your home?
@ilovetowrite
An affair to remember One of our Xmas parties at our residence - a finale with fire works. We normally have a day time affair but this was in the night with games, music, dancing, followed by gifts distribution and dinner. The fire works was the finale to the party - something that left behind an indelible memory
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The trick of the sun Both the ficus plants that you see in the photo are equally green in colour but the sun decides to pamper the one below and give it a natural look. Who am I to question?
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Hawaiian Hibiscus This hibiscus has four shades. When it was bought it gave us beautiful blooms but instead of getting better it has lost its power and hardly has flowers these days. It looks as though the nursery used some quick results fertilizer that is short lived.
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I just cannot stop writing about this guy That is the feral cat that adopted us. Made our house his own displaying his love for all of us including our pet dog Preiti. In the photo you see him in our kitchen waiting for his food. He knows he will be fed even though he does not belong to us. I miss Lolly - and that is what we named him. We had to give him a name.
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It is neither blue nor grey The clouds should make up their mind and be consistent This is the rainy season here and no complaints really as it has been raining specially in the night It rains when the clouds are grey and this in between colour confuses me. Will it rain or will it not rain is the question. I am waiting.
@ilovetowrite
No females around Our Peppie boy was seen roaming the streets and by-lanes looking for a mate for two full days He would just come home for his feed roll around my asking me to find one for him. Sadly he has returned disappointed. Looks like every one around here prefers tom cats. He is now back and making up his lost sleep - do not disturb,
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Preiti our pet dog was a people's dog. She loved being with workers and spent hours with them. In the photo she is with the painter who was painting our gate. I have memories of her spending time with our maids both inside and outside. Preiti was special. It was her decision and she took independent decisions.
@ilovetowrite
Remember the thirsty crow story? This bird as you can see is looking for water. But it is not as intelligent as the crow who you know raised the level of the water by putting stones and satiated its thirst. This bird looks down and sees the water is far below and then flies away.
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Panorama effect Used the 360 degrees panorama feature available on my camera and clicked the front garden view. With this feature one can get the full view as can be seen in the photo. I am still learning and not quite satisfied One needs practice to be perfect.
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Kittie - devoted mother Kittie the cat was a devoted mother. She brought up here kids very well. Here she has lent here tail for Peppie the kitten to play with. I clicked a video of this activity She showed all her patience until Peppie lost interest. Human mothers could learn a thing or two.
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Sparing a moment for me These two always enjoyed cuddling. They used this waste paper basket to cuddle up but did spare a moment for me and posed in front of the camera. They had each other for company and never wanted cuddles from us
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They came to mourn A crow got electrocuted and in minutes a large gathering of crows was seen perched on cables and crowing away. This is a normal scene whenever a crow dies - a real cacophony. It was a sad scene and how united this group was mourning for their dead brother.
@ilovetowrite
My cookery books are languishing Before the Internet made its presence there was no limit to the number of cookery books I collected and I got recipes from friends and family. I even attended a few cookery classes. While there are some dishes that I have been cooking for years still exist, these days I get to YouTube and there with just a click the cookery world is at my feet. In a way I do feel nostalgic looking at those books and memories flash back.