Potted rubber πŸͺ΄

It is the the long, slender red buds, standing upright amidst the big dark green leaves that I noticed first. The striking red buds of this small tree seem to be reaching out to the sun but I had no idea what plant it was !? The buds should be blooming into large flowers I…

Tinsel time πŸŽ„β˜ƒοΈ

It’s December πŸ”” finally !! A month long looked forward to and now that we are finally here, everyone is approaching the coming holidays with trepidation – to travel or stay put !? 😊….in light of the new virus variant. Decisions, decisions ! For us one decision has already been made, no new Christmas decorations…

Cake Day (26 Nov) 🍰

Such a namesake day did not even exist for me until now. Now I am looking out for an occasion to bake (….practice) 😌 Starting with the very easy and basic cakes; the first is a chocolate sponge cake and the second a vanilla sponge cake 🍰 No frosting or decorations for the time being….baby…

Stumbling into Baking (Choosing an oven) 🍰

I bought a heart shaped cake tin from Le Creuset. It looked very cute and they were having a discount sale (a perfect example of an impulse purchase πŸ˜›). It is 26 cm lengthwise and now to put that to use, I needed to buy an oven. Till date I have not owned an oven…

Happy Diwali ✨

Wishing everyone a safe Diwali and memorable holidays with family and friends πŸͺ” Some more pics of light on this colourful Diwali from our neighbourhood…✨ Till next post, take care !!

A New November πŸ”†

The fairy lights are out ! The apartment complex is decorated with multi-coloured string lights wound spiralling the lamp posts and tree trunks; also twined along the hedges lining the entrances; we are ready for Diwali πŸͺ”. And the best part is they remain for the whole of November and December till the New Year….

A week in pics πŸ›

The days are bright and sunny; not too hot and it rains sometimes late in the evening and at night. So pleasant weather in Bangalore. My pink pathumani poov (10 O’ clock flower) is the prettiest and brightest looking life around the house. It makes me happy ! We had guests over for lunch on…

Travel travails…

This bathroom is bigger than my bedroom in Bangalore, complete with shower & jacuzzi. The window gives panoramic views of misty mountains πŸŒ„. It’s nice ! The flooring is marble; after bath there was some water on the floor. Later in the evening, I walked in speedily wearing the hotel provided slippers and slipped; I…

October bliss β˜”οΈ

Puja holidays have started in Bangalore, schools are closed for the next 10 days and people are mulling travel πŸ˜€. The intermittent rains and the cloudy days give a kind of holiday feel to Bangalore. Bliss !! The gardeners had cropped the rain lilies in September; but now they have grown back and are beginning…

Jasmine tree ❀❀

Life got busy and days began to run with the same routine. And then after a gap of maybe a week or more, it rained yesterday evening in Bangalore. After the rain, it felt so cool and nice; it was an open invitation to step out of the house. It resulted in an impromptu evening…

September, so far…πŸ—“

The month is almost half done and this Monday, we are recovering from the lethargy of a long weekend. Friday was a festival holiday, Ganesh Chaturthi, followed by the weekend. This weekend we ventured to a new restaurant housed inside the 1MG Mall; more on that in a separate post. September was the due date…

Onam nostalgia 🏡

It’s that time of the year again, closer that I thought; Thiruvonam is on 21 August, Saturday. All are in a festive spirit with the schools closed on Friday, a holiday on account of Muharram and Sunday is Raksha Bandhan. The Onam sadya (feast) has more than 20 items (vegetarian) served on a banana leaf…

19 August: World Photography Day πŸ“Έ

World Photography Day sounds so apt for the times. It is difficult to choose one photo to mark the occasion; but I finally zeroed in on this one. It was a rainy evening in Hong Kong and we were walking back to our hotel after visiting the museum πŸ‘‰ A Slice of Kowloon 2018. The…

A week in pics πŸŽ‹

What’s news !? Rains β˜”οΈ The weather in Bangalore is dreamy. The lockdown here has been lifted and under the erstwhile normal we should be stepping out to explore the city esp. during the weekends; but not so much now. Surprisingly, we are still content to remain at home ! The home deliveries have been…

Jasmine ❀❀

The June flower for me is Jasmine. In our apartment complex we have two small Jasmine shrubs growing in a quiet corner thanks to the efforts of our hired gardners. They would normally go unnoticed as the flowers currently are blooming in single digits only. For me, just one white Jasmine flower amidst the dark…

Lilies of the (football) field ❀

Look what the rains have brought ✨✨ White rain lilies are what they are called I think. They are so pretty 😘. The white is glowing and in the background of the green, growing in bunches they are a spectacular sight !! It’s not just a pretty flower, it is a happy flower, welcoming the…

Sunday musings πŸ˜‚

This tweet is on the cover page of today’s ToI. She has summed up the situation perfectly. It’s sooo….apt !!πŸ˜‚

Gulmohar β™₯️🌿

The trees in bloom in Bangalore are harbingers of the changing seasons. It’s just a month ago that the Garden City was swathed in delicate pink and yellow from the tabebuia rosea and aurum trees πŸ‘‰Tabebuia bloom in Bangalore 🌸🌸 heralding spring. And in May the city’s canopy has changed to red – the bright…

18 April: World Heritage Day 🌎 – Forts of South India

Celebrated on 18 April, it started off as β€œInternational Day for Monuments and Sites” and after approval from UNESCO in 1983, it was made popular as World Heritage Day. 2021 World Heritage Day theme is “Complex Pasts: Diverse Futures” This would be the apt title for our Indian heritage – it’s complex! The history text…