Front Garden - Progress In Pictures

Sometimes pictures speak louder than words. Here's a glimpse of how the front garden has changed and shaped up over the past 3 years.

2019

2020

2021

I'm not complaining; the bushes and leafy greens have moved to the edge of the fence, leaving the front clear for shorter shrubs and flowers. Just the way we wanted!

Revisiting Najafgarh Lake

 

This year January saw exceptional rainfall in North India. As a result, most water bodies were full or overflowing. The newspapers claimed that the excess water and longer winter season had attracted thrice the number of migratory birds. So we decided to visit our secret birdwatching destination again. 

Only this year we went in January instead of the February visit we had made last year. What a sea-change we saw! The marshes we had traipsed through last year to reach the Najafgarh lake were all submerged. 

There was flowing water everywhere.... so much that reversing the car out from the narrow road between the fields was no less than an adventure.

An aggrieved farmer whose fields had gone under water shared his story with us. About how the lake overflows its banks every year, damaging crops and destroying agricultural livelihoods. Whatever he said was right before our eyes to see. 

January 2021

Last year we had walked right past, and way beyond, that little outhouse you see in the picture above. To compare better, I have included a shot from our last year's trip below. In last year's picture, see how far in we had parked the car, and then walked all the way to the other side of the outhouse before reaching the lake shore.

February 2020

Coming back home and reading up more on the Sahibi river, and how it affects the Najafgarh lake, one learnt more about interesting aspects related to the history of the region. 

And yes, the migratory birds were not as visible this year because they were far out, and so were difficult to capture on camera. 

More Spring Hues

 

Even though day temperatures are touching beyond 30 degrees (centigrade), areas of our garden are still lighting up with fresh bursts of colour. 

Poppies on the wall

Phloxes are butterfly magnets - a lime swallowtail here

This blue pimpernel showed up by itself

Deep yellow Chinese marigolds

We even got a rare hybrid poppy with multiple petals (instead of the usual five petal variety).

Meanwhile, the mango tree has surprised us with its burst of flowers. Hope that leads to a bumper crop in the summer.

A flowering semul (silk cotton) tree in the neighborhood....

It is a delight to revel in these last few days of blossoming spring before the oppressive heat takes over and renders everything dry.

Snapshots Of Spring 2021

 

Though each new year starts with some dull grey winter days, 2021 was especially dreary because it rained for an entire week. 

We chose to deal with that by cozying up in our woollies and catching up on some long-pending movies. Come February, it felt a bit like spring so here are some snapshots from the garden.

Larkspurs

Marigolds

Ice plants

Kalanchoes

Spring barely lasted this year; the days got warm too soon while the mornings and nights remained chilly. Not the best conditions for good flowering but we still managed to have a good combination of colours and varieties.

Phlox

Poppies, African Daisies and Roses

Petunia and Bougainvillea

The white rose bush that frames the corner of the garden is full of blooms again, and has a new neighbour in the finally flowering creeper rose. 

Yes, it is that time of the year again when I want to be in the garden all day. But alas, it lasts for too short a while before the summer heat picks up.

Butterflies & Blossoms

It is that magical time of the year again, when the garden is aglow with colours and humming with life.

Blue Pansy on yellow chrysanthemum

One steps out into a charmed world full of nature's bounties (and some human-created ones).

Vignettes from the front garden

Bees, butterflies, birds, and squirrels love the colourful space as much as we do. 

Pioneer White on orange marigold

And we can spend an entire day just observing their antics.

Plain Tiger on yellow chrysanthemum

Update 01Jan2021:

Peacock Pansy on hibiscus plant

Mosaic Makeovers

 

We tried out a couple of more mosaic projects around the house (mainly the garden) in the last couple of months. 

Added these hand-cut flowers to a broken cement pot to turn it into a cactus rockery.

Created a blue heart on a stone slab to commemorate 2020, the year of the nasty pandemic that has taken the world by storm. 

This blue heart mosaic stands in our front garden as a mark of thankfulness to all the frontline workers in the middle of these unprecedented times.

Hope our wish for a happier, healthier world comes true soon.

Then & Now: Kitchen

 

The kitchen is perhaps the most important element in a home layout, what I would consider as the heart of the abode. So it is imperative that it not only be designed well but also be functional from a comfort cum practicality point of view.

Now

This is the one area of the house we had to redesign completely, right from scratch. It involved tearing down everything, and rebuilding to our own aesthetic and functionality. 

We consciously avoided adding a chimney as we find current models too bulky and hard to clean. Though my original colour scheme was teal, I have since made peace with this one. Also, I quite like the honeycomb backsplash.

Then

The original kitchen was a horror. Broken countertop, missing pieces of modular ware, and extremely poorly maintained.

At the risk of sounding judgemental, I shudder to think that a couple of kids (apart from sundry adults) were fed from this ill-maintained kitchen. Totally unacceptable in my mind.