Backyard Bonfires

 

Earlier this month, as the Sun-worshipping harvest festivals of Lohri and Makar Sankranti or 'Poush Parbon' arrived, the hubby decided to light a bonfire in the backyard as we had a large pile of twigs lying around after our autumn tree chopping. And guess what, his impromptu plan turned this into one of the most memorable celebrations ever.

We first started attending the community Lohri bonfire since the time our kids arrived, just to make them experience it firsthand. Now with restrictions imposed by an oft-raging pandemic, doing our own bonfire made sense.  

A celebration of the frosty cold weather involving sun worship

The festival days were cold and grey, with low maximum temperature and the sun barely visible through the dense layer of fog. Windows remained frosted for a large part of the day. As we shivered through the day, we prepared the token specialities that were associated, just so the kids got a feel of the festival.

Plateful of patishapta with kheer fillings

Growing up as a kid in a typical Bengali household, I never much cared for Sankranti because it involved eating certain delicacies I wasn't particularly fond of, and I'd see my mother slave for hours in the kitchen after a tiring workday, and that didn't really seem worthwhile to me. However, time and age have wisened me enough to find workarounds or easier alternatives, thus ensuring that everyone can enjoy.

Lohri/Sankranti bonfire

So on Lohri and Sankranti evenings, as our bonfire crackled, we had a chance to get together as a family and add our special twist to the traditional celebration. We were novices at keeping the fire going, and used every combustible material on hand - right from oil and camphor, to newspapers and dried leaves from the mango tree. 

The second day we even baked veggies in the wood fire. Had roasted potatoes with sour cream for breakfast the next morning, along with roasted tomato/eggplant and garlic bruschetta.

And all these things made it a 'Poush Parbon' worth remembering!

Autumnal Garden Wonders

 

After a substantial and longer-than-usual spell of monsoon last year, the garden was going wild, with each plant showing extraordinary growth. Meanwhile, the absence of gardeners ('maalis') due to the waxing-waning pandemic didn't make things any easier. 

All the trees in the front yard had grown tall and excessively bushy. Baba's attendant Ramu was already helping with chopping the lawn grass and had no time to give to the trees. That is when the hubby decided to take matters into his own hands, and brought home a couple of fresh blades to saw the trees.

One fine November morning, hubby finally got to chopping the red hibiscus tree. It had been flowering through October, and so was one of the last trees remaining uncut. After pruning a few branches, as we were putting together the wood in manageable piles, we noticed the bright green Jewel Beetle sitting on the main trunk of the hibiscus tree.

Jewel Beetle

Such a gloriously pretty colour it was! Though I recalled seeing one in bright ultramarine blue too, many years back. The next round of pruning revealed something even more extraordinary - a snake skin lay entangled in one of the topmost branches of the hibiscus.

Snake skin entangled in chopped hibiscus branches

As we all watched in awe, we realized we shared our habitat with a slithery creature. In fact, we had found one sunning itself on our porch on a cold morning. Maybe the same fellow had shed its skin on the hibiscus.

Snakeskin held by Miss P

Gingerly extracting the delicate snakeskin from the tree branches, we examined the patterns on it before putting it away in a box. A gift to treasure from the garden!

Going Organic - Part 7

Pumpkins

Since pumpkin seeds are easy to source (you can use the large, well-formed seeds from market-bought pumpkins), I decided that pumpkins would be a summer staple in our kitchen garden. We had planted pumpkins last year as well but that had only yielded a few flowers back then.

We added some compost and other minerals to the soil, and replanted fresh seeds this summer. To ensure maximum chances of getting healthy plants, I used a mix of seeds from different batches. We soon got three healthy plants that grew well. But the old problem surfaced - only male flowers showed up.

A male flower and a tiny pumpkin

After the rains (that went overboard this year), all the pumpkin plants showed a growth spurt. So fast were they spreading that the hubby uprooted one plant. One died in the strong sun that followed the rains.

Now we had little hope of getting any pumpkins, but were happy with the huge produce of flowers from the single remaining plant. Every day we would diligently pluck them, even distributing some to neighbours and helpers.

Till one day, a couple of female flowers finally showed up! Then there was no looking back.... The bees arrived as if by magic, timely pollinating the female flowers. And our single plant produced four pumpkins within a month.

Pumpkin hanging with support from okra plants

The sturdy okra plants provided perfect support to the pumpkin vine, helping it reach up to the sun. We had to create a hammock for the largest hanging fruit, and keep the pumpkins covered to protect them from fruit flies. 

Pumpkins ripening on a sunny window sill

We harvested the pumpkins around Halloween, and then dried them in a window sill that received direct sunlight. The pumpkins turned out a lovely bright orange from inside, and were delicious in taste.

If you are interested in more content related to organic farming, do check out this YouTube channel for some detailed videos.

Surviving A Flash Flood

The Flood

After an unusually cool summer this year, the second half of June and early July turned out to be incredibly hot and humid. The rains usually arrive by June-end but this year the heat was relentless. Till suddenly in mid-July the skies opened up, and how.

On the morning of 19 July, we woke up to swirling waters outside our doors. The lightning and thunder had started the previous night, and it started pouring by 4am. But since it was dark outside, one didn't realise the quantity of rain that was falling. By 7am the water started entering our house - from under the doors, and from all the piping outlets. The rain fell incessantly, sometimes heavy followed by light spells. 

We rushed to remove whatever little we could from the watery onslaught - groceries in cartons, cane furniture, cartons full of books and stationery, floor mats and rugs. Bewildered by the ankle-deep water all over the house, we just sat pondering what hit us. Nobody wanted breakfast even; the worry had killed our appetite. As did the dysfunctional toilets.

Thankfully the authorities had the good sense to switch off the power otherwise electrocutions would have been imminent. The RWA managed to get a pump running by the afternoon that ensured that water levels receded somewhat by the evening. 

Endless rounds of pushing out the water from our rooms using wipers resulted in backaches. Cooked food available in the fridge was a big saving grace. 

The rain stopped by the evening. Electricity was restored around 9pm after the authorities checked each junction to rule out the possibility of short circuits.

The Aftermath

Dampness

Most of the water was gone by the next day after many rounds of thorough cleaning. But one bedroom had a faulty floor levelling, and the accumulated water just stayed put in the corners and middle for a couple of days.

Smell

Floodwaters carry a typical odour, something we discovered when the smell of dampness lingered for days. This despite our trying all forms of ventilation and perfumery to give our olfactory senses some relief.

Spoilage

Stored pulses that had been timely pulled out of harm's way still developed a lot of infestation. Even after the skies had cleared and the sun was out.

Termites

Possibly the worst outcome of the flash flood was a termite attack, both on our mango tree and in the kitchen. The tree is eventually dying, with very little chance of a revival despite our best efforts at containing the termites. Meanwhile, an entire cupboard of the kitchen had to be cleaned out, and yet the termites seem to be spreading to adjoining cupboards.

Climate change is real, and right here! Even our own homes are no longer a safe haven. Time to clean up our act or get swept away...

The Kitchen Corner

Last year around this time I decided to set up a workspace for myself. For that, I required the garden table to be placed in my bedroom. So I decided to shift all the green goodies on it to a new place to free up the said table. The corner outside the kitchen window was most appropriate since a fabricated structure was already in place.

I found a stone slab of approximately matching dimensions and placed it on the fabricated iron cage. Then I arranged my plants, the log of wood and the old letter box on it.... and voila! there was some more green added to the backyard.

Over a period of time, I moved around some of the things to give the place a fresh look. These small planters also substituted to add the touch of green to my bathroom.

The old letter box cleverly hides some leftover painting materials like sandpaper and brushes. And the flowers bring in the much-needed occasional bursts of colour.

Summer Sunsets

 

One month and so many beauteous sunsets! 

01 June 2021

04 June 2021

Yes, since June is the month of the summer solstice and has the longest days, we witnessed some colourful sunsets from our backyard.

06 June 2021

07 June 2021

And random floating clouds only added to the charm of the summer sunsets.

13 June 2021

14 June 2021

As though someone was spilling colour on the celestial canvas from up there.

24 June 2021

26 June 2021

As lockdown fatigue got very real, these little joys brought in some bright sparks.

26 June 2021

27 June 2021

Can't wait for the pandemic to blow over soon, and at least some degree of normalcy to resume so one can at least step out at will. 

29 June 2021

In this month of glorious sunsets, I'm wishing for a new sunrise!

Coolest Summer Ever

 

This year we are having the coolest summer in some seven decades! Logistics apart, there have been just a few hot days yet, and the frequent showers are mostly welcome (be it for cyclones Tauktae and Yaas, or the western disturbances). So here's capturing this cool summer in pictures for posterity.

Rainy skies brought gorgeous sunsets...

And a profusion of flowers and mangoes!

Our annual kitten litter also arrived.... all brownies this time.

The backyard turned visibly greener...

And the pumpkin flowers stole the show...

But nothing could beat the bumper mango crop after a two year wait - 4 baskets full and more! Must easily be a 5kg harvest. 

As each of us took turns to pluck some, I am hoping these memories and pictures will stay timeless.