Garden Vistas

One of the reasons why we chose this abode were the ample open spaces, with lots of scope for gardening. So our greens hold pride of place, and we try every trick to keep them looking attractive.

Sharing with you some views we can't get enough of!

The corner of the front yard blooming in an array of colours.

Our little birdie brightening up the branches of the banyan bonsai.

The wooden plank that declares the backyard as 'Our Happy Place'!

The pink and maroon duet at the entrance, and in the garden.

These beautiful garden vistas make all our efforts worth the while!

Deepawali Vignettes

Snapshots from around the house on our first Diwali in the new abode.

First, the preparations...

Then the new upholstery...

And the lights...

Then finally the festivities...

Friends, family and feasting added to the sweetness of the festive season! :)

Going Organic - Part 2

Continuing from my last post on our organic farming adventures, let me give a lowdown on what we achieved in the last couple of months. While the brinjal plant gave us quite a bounty...

...we planted some new veggies. Tomatoes, ladyfingers, capsicum, spinach, fenugreek and garlic were the new additions to our garden. Since the tomatoes and capsicums are still growing, they probably won't give fruits anytime soon. But the spinach, garlic and fenugreek have given us some yummy homegrown leafy greens. (I was so enthusiastic to consume my greens that I forgot to take pictures of the fenugreek crop!)

We also discovered how pretty the ladyfinger flower looks...

... before the actual vegetable springs forth.

But most importantly, we discovered the power of composting. 

Composting

By the simple act of digging a pit into which we put our wet waste everyday, we have managed to get sustainable on so many levels. 

• If the garbage man doesn't turn up for a few days (as he was often wont to doing in the summer), we only have dry waste to manage. No tensions of dealing with smelly, rotting stuff; the pit has already taken care of that. 
• Every month we cover up the old compost pit and dig a new one. About 4-6 weeks later, depending on the weather, the old pit is dug up and all our wet waste has magically converted to the best possible compost for our plants. So no buying or using chemical fertilizers, ensuring we consume the veggies we grow in the purest form.
• Feeding everything from fruit and vegetable peels to egg shells and tea leaves to our pit, we make sure the soil quality in our yard improves. From a mix of sandy and clayey soil with bits of concrete, the backyard is already looking up with a nutrient-rich loamy sort of soil slowly taking over.

In the end, it is a cycle - if we give back to nature and let it take it's own course, one sure is in safe hands. Even in our pollution-overdosed world... Think about it!

Going Organic - Part 1

Ever since the concept of consuming pesticide-free, clean organic food became popular, growing our own food (at least some of it) has been a dream for us. So when we were presented with the opportunity to live on the ground, we consciously chose a location that allowed us to get closer to our organic farming goals. We wanted to live the concept of plant-to-plate for our family, consuming fresh produce as often as possible.

Since we moved into the new place at the beginning of summer, we decided to focus on a small bunch of vegetables to start with, as the searing tropical heat would anyway be hard to tackle. We planted tomatoes, brinjals and bottle gourds. The tomatoes died on us within a few weeks, sending our grand dreams to a crashing start. The brinjals, which were planted in pots, held on through the summer heat but showed very slow growth. The bottle gourds, once the plants sprouted, flourished lavishly, filling our backyard with large, green vines.

Now let me go into the specifics....

Bottle Gourds

The bottle gourds presented us with quite a few challenges. While the vines spread wildly, taking over almost our entire backyard, the first few flowers and an entire plant got spoilt by rains. We figured that the trapped summer heat that escaped from the earth with the first couple of showers created a sauna-like environment, leading to the plants wilting.

Next we grappled with slow growth and spoilage in the remaining vines. While the vines would flower, but the fruit would not grow quickly enough; instead they would get crumpled and brown, finally drying up in a week to ten days. Naturally this left us flustered... till my husband decided to do some online research. It emerged from his efforts that the required level of pollination was not taking place naturally as there were no bees to be seen. That meant manually pollinating all the budding fruits for them to reach a point where they could grow into mature fruits.

After much concentrated efforts, we finally reaped the goodies.... just the sight of these long, hanging beauties made all the efforts seem worthwhile. The longest bottle gourd we cultivated measured a good 17.5 inches, making us feel like proud green parents! Would recommend bottle gourd cultivation only if you have a decent patch of land, and loads of patience.

Brinjals

The brinjals came into action much later, after the intense summer heat subsided and rains brought some relief.

From the pretty purple flowers to the shiny round fruit was an exhilarating journey. But these also required manual pollination and some special watering to ensure a good crop.

Brinjals are relatively easy to grow - since they thrive in pots in sun and rain, they are a good option for beginners and balcony gardeners.

At the end of the day, it feels so good to finally achieve our goal in a small measure and feed the family with these organically grown veggies. We are now looking forward to more options for winters. Will share a post on our next organic adventure in the coming months.

Soothing September

As the scorching summer gave way to some refreshing rains, we witnessed and experienced these rejuvenating moments...

A verdant green lawn that looked so welcoming.

Flowers blooming about our feet.

Butterflies flitting around in delight.

While peacocks called, playing hide-and-seek.

So grateful for the last couple of months that gave us such awesome memories to keep...

All Creatures Great and Small

As we complete around five months in the new abode, we are getting familiar with the other big and small creatures that we share our space with. Listed below are some of our new finds.... Errr, I mean new friends!

Crow Pheasant (Greater Coucal)

This big guy likes to visit our backyard occasionally, especially on pleasant cloudy days. Foraging amidst our bottle gourd vines, from its vantage point on the boundary wall, it manages to feed itself with a frog or two. Belongs to the cuckoo family, though its call is not half as sweet.

Blister Beetle

Come rains, a cluster of these bright red-and-black coloured beetles descend on our front garden. They attack the red hibiscus with gusto, and sometimes munch on my white petunias as well. Alas, nothing seems to deter them from destroying our flowers. Hope they go away soon.



Ashy Prinia

This tiny cream and ash grey bird with its sweet chirps is one of my favourites. It hops all over the front garden, alternating between the curry leaf tree, the hibiscus, and the jasmine.











Tailorbird

The tailorbird probably has a nest concealed in the dense foliage of the mango tree in the backyard. Its sweet calls, and catch-me-if-you-can games with the cat babies, is a delight to watch. In the adjoining picture, she is superbly hidden amidst the gourd vines and the dry earth.



Garden Lizard

This master of camouflage remains a difficult to spot creature most times of the year but I caught him running between the rose bush and the champa tree one summer afternoon. Shy and rather unsocial, its changing colours are fascinating to watch.

Can you spot him hidden behind the gnarled champa trunk?

Garden Slab Mosaic

This month we finally finished our first mosaic project. Gave a colourful makeover to a dull, grey concrete slab lying around the front garden, turning it into a pretty stepping stone instead.

Now this is no ordinary mosaic. It contains contributions from 3 generations - the pink pieces belong to a tea set my mother received on her wedding, the other coloured pieces have come out of broken and damaged ceramic crockery from my kitchen, while the square tiles on the edging were collected by my children from our previous home when they were younger. This coming together of 3 generations is what makes this piece of mosaic really special!!!

To read about the project details and the process we followed to make this mosaic, click here.

The mosaic tile now sits right in front of the children's bedroom window, under the papaya tree, nestling amidst the greens and blooms.

Love how we turned something ordinary to something special. We've got just one life; live inspired, I say!

Decor Prompts

In my efforts of trying to get the new house to look like a home, I have been adding bits and pieces to some key areas....  small touches and decor effects that bring in a certain warmth and lived-in feel.

From a Ganpati with dried florets at the entrance, right across the main door...

...to money plant in a bottle in the kitchen.

The macrame plant hangers that liven up the bathroom are all made by me.

Sundry florals from our garden, propped in random bottles and vases, pep up the living room.

And of course, my cherished green babies that give the home a welcoming, fresh feel.

The packing cases that contain my decoratives are not even opened yet. Can't wait to dress up the walls and corners with all the knick-knacks.

The Log of Wood

Sometimes the smallest things hold the strongest connections, just like this log of wood in my garden.

So this piece comes from a huge peepul tree that grew right outside our windows.... in our previous apartment. The peepul gave us many interesting experiences - from watching the antics of mynahs, parakeets and barbets, to seeing the eagle family's annual expansion, tracking the visits of the migratory rosy starlings, to getting awed by the bees and how beautifully they formed their hive. We got a ringside view of all these and more.

One monsoon when the peepul grew rapidly, spreading it's branches into people's homes, it was decided to prune it down. And that is when I opted to keep one of its branches as a keepsake in my garden. My mom thought I was a nut to be doing that but now every time I look at the log, it reminds me of so many stories! When we recently moved houses, I chose to carry the peepul log into my new setting.

Weather-beaten and gnarled, now the peepul log rests on the blue garden table under the mango tree, holding some of my green treasures. Every monsoon it duly rewards us with a toadstool or two! And makes the perfect backdrop in all our garden photos.

Aah, the joy of giving in to our crazy desires sometimes! And valuing those little things that money cannot buy...

Cat Tales

Soon after we moved in to our new abode, we realized that a bunch of cats roamed the backyard regularly. There was the bossy black and white fellow, with a deep throated meow, who roamed around like the king of the area. There was fat tawny cat who hung around the kitchen window salivating at all the lovely odours floating out.

Then one fine day we discovered mommy cat and her two kittens. It seemed mommy was fed by the previous house owners, and was familiar with and comfortable in our backyard. So she often sat outside our bedroom door, peering in and waiting for her goodies.

Or caught a quick siesta as her kittens pranced around. She even suckled her babies right outside our door. Till one morning, when all hell broke loose!

As mommy cat came lingering around the backyard with her kittens in tow, the kids decided to befriend them. The minute they stepped out with biscuits to lure them, the kittens ran helter-skelter. Jumping over flower pots, toppling over leftover construction material, trying to climb on to walls that were too high for the little kittens.

Both mommy and kittens were scared out of their wits and in their confusion, one of the babies made the disastrous decision of climbing up the mango tree to a safe distance.

What followed after was a comedy of errors.... the kitten clambered up too high for its own good, and we were afraid it may fall out of the tree and get hurt. But every time we tried luring it down, it couldn't find a stable branch that would bear its weight and give it the option of jumping on to the adjoining wall. So up it went again.... slipping and sliding on the branches of the mango tree, often meandering too close to the edges.

Amidst all this, mommy cat and her second kid watched the drama from a safe distance but did nothing to help poor little kitty out of its predicament.

This crazy spectacle continued for a while till finally the kids came back indoors, leaving little kitty to figure its own way out. As soon as they exited, mommy cat came in, made the frightened kitten climb down from the mango tree, and finally led it away to the neighbour's yard.

Phew!.... that sure was a tumultuous start of our relationship with the cats in our backyard. :D