Mid-year Update

 

A little over a year in our home city, and life has been a mixed bag. We survived an intense summer, struggling with niggling health issues. 

But thankfully, most of my plants are thriving despite the soaring temperatures. Especially the old and sturdy ones - like umbrella palm, hibiscus, Swiss cheese plant, and jasmine. Though I did lose some pothos and chrysanthemums in the horrendous summer heat. Made up by planting some chillies and bitter gourd in containers, hoping to recreate my passion of growing our own food. However, the paucity of space is a big challenge here.

Meanwhile, there has been incessant rain this year, and subsequent waterlogging over most of Delhi-NCR. After years I am seeing parks full of water, and can hear the frogs croaking through the night without worrying about finding one or two inside my home. We  can finally enjoy the rains again! 

As the skies darken at midday with rain- laden clouds, it feels like living in a rainforest, as the son rightly said. Thankful for the choices made and the decisions taken last year.

The iconic Charbagh as seen from the Lucknow metro 

We also made a couple of weekend trips over the last two months. I felt they were easier to do from Delhi somehow, perhaps because of lesser travel time and better connection. 

Inside Keoladeo in Bharatpur 

Hoping the remaining months of the year go by well. Fingers crossed! 

Sunsets

As the days grow longer and the heat factor cranks up, here are some snapshots taken at the golden hour.

While the evenings look so gorgeous, the very same sun gets difficult to handle in the daytime.

Frequent spells of rain have brought some relief....and given us these beautiful sunsets. Those pink and orange hues have my heart - Nature's canvas for all to admire.

Hope your part of the world gives you something to be happy about. 😊

The Shortest Spring

 

Spring just sprang away this year! So here's a visual recap of the few high points.

A bed of blooming cornflowers that I spotted in the local park had this beautiful and unusual shade of purple.

This time my favourite season was surely a blink-and-miss, such was the intensity of the sun. We tried keeping cool with some yummy strawberry and cream. 

The daytime heat is almost touching 40 degrees and we are not even in mid-March. 

But thankfully we managed a lovely outing last month when the warm sun still felt good.

Bracing for a tough summer ahead...

Balcony Bliss

 

I am currently rediscovering the joys of a balcony. After living on the ground floor for the last half a dozen years, I am happy to be strung at treetop level again. 

Maroon chrysanthemums brightening my balcony 

Though I miss the expansive garden from our last home, including our backyard and veggie patch, the simplicity of container gardening has its own charm.

Parakeets are frequent visitors

Most days the first neighbours I see and hear are the feathered varieties. With open skies and a multitude of trees facing one balcony, birding comes as an in-house advantage.

A glimpse of the greens through the frosted window 

While the second balcony faces the road and a row of apartments, my greens give me ample opportunities to enjoy the space.

Republic Day flypast 

And on Republic Day, we viewed some amazing flypast by our armed forces since those beauties zoomed past right in front of our balcony.

Fresh Starts

 

After being away from this blog for a whole year, it is time to bring it up to speed. 2025 was quite transformational as we switched cities.... again! 

Only this time it was a return to the roots. To known haunts and familiar places. Except that we didn't realise how much our city had changed in the intervening years...

Every new beginning comes with its challenges.

Can you spot the rising sun in the smoke-filled sky?

Being in the most polluted, and the most densely populated city, are certainly tribulations not to be taken lightly. Both the human congestion and the man-made smog have been overwhelming to deal with.

Add to that the extremes of temperature, and one has quite a cocktail on hand.

However, a new year is meant to instill hope, and that is what floats our boat in 2026! Looking forward to a happening year that connects us to old friends and new experiences.

Pickled!

 

Today I patted myself for having come a long way indeed. From being that carefree girl in my 20s who didn't know how to cook and neither was interested in learning, to this awesome aunty in my 50s who is not only churning out three nutritious meals a day but also preparing perfect seasonal pickles or 'achaars' (right from gajar-shalgam to amla to red chillies). 

Wonder what my mum would say had she seen me in my present avatar. She always complained to her relatives that though I had a thriving corporate career, I just wouldn't learn cooking. So much so that when my then boyfriend (and now husband) came to ask for permission to marry me, she tried to dissuade him by saying what good would it be marrying a girl who couldn't cook!

But coming back to my achaars, I'm loving just how my little extra efforts have paid off well (thanks to a sunny winter). The family is enjoying each of my preparations and that gives me the encouragement to try these again next winter.

Joys of Backyard Birding

 

This month we have been birding in our backyard.... well almost, since the birding site is right behind our lane. And an unusual one at that - it is actually an open plot of vacant land that mostly lies undisturbed. Situated right next to the dispensary, it is an enclosed area with very little human footfall. Due to the growth of wild vegetation and tall grasses through the year, the area is preferred by the avian population. 

Many a times it is used as a breeding site. We have seen peafowl, egrets, lapwings, and herons before. This year due to the accumulation of stagnant brackish water, there are waterhen and black winged stilts as well.

During our walks around the neighbourhood, we make it a point to stop by this unusual birding site while it lasts. The chirps and twitters are pleasant to hear, especially in the evenings when the slanting sunlight gives the area a golden glow.

However, while the birds and their graceful flights look great, this swampy area actually points to a deeper malaise within the locality. Local residents are aware of the issues but the powers that be choose to ignore it. Six years of living in the neighbourhood have made us realise that systemic changes are impossible to pull off; the only options are to close our eyes to the problem, or grin and bear it. Of course there are more drastic measures that one may have to eventually take... 

But for now, I am loving this opportunity for backyard birding daily.

Update: Indian black glossy ibis spotted at this site on 15Feb2025.