Guess what?

Can any of you guess what that packet in the picture above is? Oho, so you thought I smoke, and that was obviously a packet of lights. Right?

Wrong!!! ….that is actually a packet of chocolates! (ta-da)

Remember those chocolate sticks wrapped in a paper cover, and made to look like ciggies? I’m not too sure how popular they are now, but they used to be hugely in style with kids back in the 70s.

I got this packet from a trip to a quaint little town called Carpinteria in California. That place has an old-worldly confectionary called Robitaille's that stocks some amazing stuff. (It is a must visit if you ever venture into that part of the world.) Their mints are to-die-for...

And today I finished my last piece of the chocolate ciggies, along with my kids. Glad I could share some of my childhood memories with them. :)

Happy weekend!

Vignettes of a weekend

I’ve had a busy, happy and fulfilling weekend…. Really, how often can you use all these adjectives together to describe a measly two days off from work!

Well, for starters there was a reunion luncheon with college buddies at a posh restaurant. Imagine meeting people after 15 years and reliving all the good times you have shared with them!! Seeing your giggly bunch of college pals morph into sophisticated, confident women gives a massive high…..

Then there was that little butterfly I’d been trying to catch for the last few days… on camera, I mean. I finally managed to do it, even though the shots weren’t as good as I would have liked. But at least I made a start…. Now there’s another blue-hued one I’ve set my heart upon for my next conquest.

And finally, I actually managed to take out some time (read half-an-hour) to revive my creative instincts, and get started on one of my recycling projects that I’d been yearning to do for a while. The stuff is still half-done but I hope to pin it down soon. Keep checking for more…

From my Garden

Imagine waking up to these bright cheery fellas every morning....

The ones on the right are called the railway creeper and add a dash of mauve to my garden every summer.

And these pretty white grass lilies.... starting with a few in summer, they bloom in huge bunches once the monsoon arrives.

Have a happy weekend! :)

The Yellow Sea

Sweltering hot summer day
Strong sunrays burning the skin
Bright glare hurting the eyes
Gusty breeze, drying me within….

Till I turn a corner and see
The sea of yellow swaying in the wind
Like little bells that chime
The ‘Amaltaas’ is beauty sublime

The beauty of the colour Yellow - whoever made up the rhyme ‘Yellow yellow, dirty fellow’ obviously never saw the Amaltaas tree in bloom…. It has never failed to evoke in me a sense of joy, and gay abandonment as I see the lush blooms. Does anyone know of any other name for this tree?

A new start

I just can’t get my heart into my work today. Am totally consumed, and completely engulfed, by the idea of starting a blog.
My own space, my own world…. where I can share my dreams, my hopes, my musings and aspirations, my disappointments, my daily tribulations. Where I can be myself…. Ah! Won’t that be bliss?

I am a regular middle-class Indian woman – loving daughter, devoted wife, and doting mother to two bright sparks. :) By profession I am a technical writer in the software industry but I crave to give outlet to the creative part of my soul.
Through dirty hands, fingers all sticky with messy glue and gorgeously gooey paint. By recycling and reusing just about anything I can lay my hands on. Through hurriedly-taken pictures of birds that come visiting my window sill. By finding beauty and inspiration in the most mundane of things…. I yearn to share this intrinsic creative part of me with the world. And today I have finally made a start.