The Hues Of Spring

Spring has visited us, and how! Our container garden is awash with blooms of various hues and colours. Sharing with you the visual treat that greets us everyday. :)

A profusion of pansies to start with.... Don't they look like butterfiles fluttering their wings in the breeze?

White and purple petunias brighten up a corner.

Nasturtiums in all possible shades of orange line up a ledge.

Maroon dianthus blooms add to the colours.

The deep purple cinerarias look striking.

Hope these colours of spring spill into your lives as well. Wishing all my readers a wonderful festival of colours this weekend.

Jodhpur Finds

Time to share with you some of the goodies we brought back from Jodhpur.

When we were heading out for the vacation, Mr. and Ms. Puppet were feeling rather left out since we were going to their homeland. So we got back a relative of theirs to cheer them up! Meet Mr. Musician.... hope his soulful strains bring back nostalgic memories! :)


When I was making my wishlist last month, I didn't realise the first item will get ticked off so soon.


Ok, so the one I finally got is not as big as I wanted. But at least the home now boasts of a 'jharokha' on the wall, adding to the living room decor.

Mehrangarh Fort: Visiting A Royal Home

All this while the blog focussed on our house, that we all finally turned into a home last year. But in today's post I decided to share with you another home we visited recently. A home with amazing decor, astounding exteriors, and an amazing feel.




No trip to Jodhpur can be complete without a trip to the abode of the maharajas - the grand Mehrangarh Fort that sits atop a hill overlooking the city. As we near the fort through the narrow, winding lanes of the old city, the looming fort looks majestic.

As soon as we enter, the sheer size and the details on the outer walls take our breath away!


Wonder how they carved the sandstone in such detail all those years back.



And more amazingly, how they managed to do it at such an awesome height!


Here is a peep into the mujra ghar or nautch room of the palace.


Even the ceilings have so much decorative work on them.


And this happens to be the maharaja's bedroom. Don't the coloured glass windows look breathtaking?


And of course, one peep out of the fort in any direction, and you get to see the famously blue-painted houses of the old city. Jodhpur is called the Blue City because of these very houses that surround the Mehrangarh fort.


All in all, a magical experience as we get transported to another world, another era. I must mention here that the fort is very well maintained, and there are helpful locals employed here who ensure they guide you through all the rooms correctly.


Hope you enjoyed this special house tour. Future posts will bring you more from our fabulous trip to Jodhpur.

Framed!

We finally got a couple of my paintings framed and hung around the house last weekend.

I'm happy with the colour they add to our dining area.

It sure feels good to see them like that, adorning our walls! :)

We are also getting ready for a short getaway to Jodhpur, and am bang in the middle of packing up for the trip. So the house resembles a 'dhobi ghat' (traditional Indian laundry) with clothes strewn all over. This will be our first outstation trip after moving into this house. So there, another first in place!

Hope to bring back some interesting things to share with you from our trip.

My Wishlist

First month of the year and I am already dreaming of a wishlist for the house! Talk of material afflictions (LOL).... Well, the list mainly comprises of things that have caught my fancy over the years.

Things I have seen displayed elsewhere and wanted in my own space. Things that remind me of special memories and connections. Things I have admired for their beauty and craftsmanship. Sometimes even things that do not necessarily fit in but yet there is this deep craving to acquire (I'm sure the women will understand this one better!).

So, here is my wishlist for our home, in no particular order:

A beautifully carved, wooden jharokha for the living room

Image from unnamed source on the internet

Large statues in granite and sandstone for the garden

Image from Lotus Sculpture website

An arbor of plants in my terrace

Image clicked by camera phone from a magazine I was browsing in a bookstore

A porch swing in one of the sit-outs

Image from now-defunct blog Delightful Home

A rocking chair in my bedroom

Image from unnamed source on the internet

Phew! Does it ever end??? I should stop now and return from my flights of fancy. After all, we don't want the home looking overdone! ;)

Raindrops? No, Dewdrops!!

Today's post doesn't require too many words. Suffice to say that the fog this morning was very dense, and the dew so heavy that it might as well have been a drizzle!

I can easily pass off these winter pictures for monsoon ones. What say? :)

Winter Vignettes

North India, as we all know, is freezing and fogged out. And if the experts are to be believed, then this changed trend of harsh winters is here to stay for at least the next 20-30 years.... Brrrrr!!! Not good news for folks like me who dislike winter anyway.

Winter makes me feel so dull, and foggy days makes everything look dreary. No impetus to do anything! Yet I forced myself to pick up my camera yesterday, and bring you some winter vignettes from around the house.

The sun has been gobbled up by the clouds and the fog.

Had this been the moon, it would've looked so romantic (remember the golden oldie Khoya Khoya Chand featuring Waheeda Rehman and Dev Anand), but the sun looks better when it is bright and cheery.

All our surroundings are enveloped in a blanket of grey.

This is the view from our balcony by day...

And by night...

Driving is such a nightmare in these conditions!

And this is what can be seen of the tree that was at least visible here.

Dewdrops form little beady necklaces on my plants everyday.

As I sit in my Tibetan woolly socks covering chilblained feet. Their colourful patterns are a welcome visual relief from the grey all around!

Hope you all are keeping yourselves toasty and warm this winter. Come back soon for more wintry updates from my home. After all, despite the big chill, a girl's gotta keep going.... :)