Another New Year Already?!!

It has been such a roller-coaster for us in 2009, that I'm almost surprised at another new year catching up with us already! :)

2009 was a big year for us, with a lot of new experiences, a lot of firsts. And the new home was just a starting point.... This year our daughter started 'big school', our son learnt to stay away from his most favourite person- grandma- as we moved into a nuclear family set up, my husband who used to hate the very idea of driving in chaotic city traffic actually learnt driving well enough to drive himself to work (I still pinch myself sometimes!). Well, the list seems endless but I won't bore you with the details.

I'll remember the year most of all for making me connect to something that I waited a long, long time to do. Yes, this was the year I started painting again. It was like a breath of fresh air, a new lease of life to be able to find my way around hitherto unexplored terrain. You can see my artwork on my other blog, Creative Rumblings.

Here's hoping the mad rollercoaster ride continues in 2010 as well, as I bring you more interesting vignettes from our home.

And wishing all my readers a fantastic 2010 where all your dreams come true, and you get the courage and confidence to dream even bigger!

Some Succulent (& Thorny!) Green Advice

My old pal from college recently lamented how she was getting frustrated because her cacti wouldn't survive. As she asked for tips, she also suggested that I share this piece of advice on my blog for all wannabe green thumbs like her. So here goes...

Cacti and succulents are two of the easiest-to-grow varieties for apartment dwellers. They are no fuss creatures, and don't need much pampering. Morever, they do not require extravagant spaces. You can actually grow them in the smallest of containers and still manage to add that much-needed dash of green to your living area.

But the two cardinal rules for all cacti and succulents (and they apply especially to those that are grown in apartment balconies):

• Rule one, never over-water, even if they look withered. Too much water does them more harm than too less. Remember, both cactus and succulent plants are meant for arid, dry climate.


• Rule two, and equally important, keep them out of squirrel-infested areas. The squirrels have a fascination for the gel-like substance found in both cacti and succulents. So they suck out the insides of the poor cacti/succulent, leaving just the outer shell standing. And then before you know what happened, the plant suddenly withers away!
  

The solution that worked for me - keep your cacti and succulents indoors till they grow somewhat sturdy. Once the thorns on the cacti start hardening, the squirrels won't touch it anyways! :)

Hope this advice helps, and more of my readers enjoy greening their spaces.

Our Special Neighbours - V : Bugged!

Seems like the ladybirds are in circulation already! But I thought they came in spring, and couldn't survive the harsh winters... maybe this one was a lost creature, late in catching up on some winter sleep like its fellow bugs.


My son brought home a tiny ladybird home the other day, and my daughter squealed with joy declaring that the 'ladybug' was going to be their pet! :) The two spent almost an hour playing around with the polka-dotted fellow before it finally took off...



I have seen ladybirds in various shades of red, orange and earthy yellow before. But right after we had moved in to this house last spring in late March, I saw a couple of gorgeous specimens around these parts.


Have you ever seen a ladybird in such a brilliant blue hue?


Or such a bright green one?

Maybe it won't be such a bad idea to have them around the garden after all... as pets or otherwise! :)

Hibernating....

Now that winters are here, hibernating seems like a good excuse for my long absences from this blog! :)




Did I tell you I absolutely dislike winters? Those foggy grey days give me a serious case of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder, for the uninitiated) every year. I am the sunshiny types who'd rather get a sunburn than sit and shiver in a corner all day. So I spend the maximum time outside on the sit-outs munching peanuts and crackers, and the rest of my indoor time is taken up by painting.



I hope to get a little active around X-mas cause that is such a favourite festival with the kids. In the meanwhile, here's praying for sunny, cheerful days ahead instead of depressive, smoggy ones... at least one can catch a picnic then! :)

A Dash Of Zen

Giving you all a dose of Zen calm from my garden for the weekend!

I have been hung up on adding a statue to my garden for a very long time. So I picked up this soapstone Buddha from one of the curio shops in the Rajiv Gandhi Handicrafts Bhawan.

We added this Buddha bust way back in September but I forgot to post about it in the festive rush. :)

It has since changed locations and come indoors but looking at these pictures still has such a calming effect.

This picture was added at a later date (on 03Dec09) to show the statue indoors.

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Our Special Neighbours - IV : The Lapwing Family

As winter sets in and the days turn chilly, let me share with you the story of the lapwing family to warm the cockles of your hearts! :)

Right after we moved in to the new house in early summer, we learnt to recognise the typical (shrill and long-drawn) calls of the lapwing couple who lived in the fields behind our house.


Since summer was just beginning, the fields had been recently harvested and sported a dry, brown stubbly growth. Just ideal for the lapwings to roost... but we didn't realise this till one fine morning I noticed a distinct change in the bird's call.

Short, sharp calls came from mommy bird while papa bird hovered around protectively in circles. I craned my neck some more from the balcony, peering into the undergrowth. As I squinted into the distance, my eye caught a movement. Aah, then I saw it... baby lapwing running around mommy but so well camouflaged that one could only wonder at Nature. (Look very carefully between the two bigger birds in the next photo to see the baby.)

Excited, I pointed out the lapwing family's new addition to the kids and the hubby, and we all kept tabs on what the baby bird was up to.

Can you see how tiny it is compared to the bits of paper lying on the ground?

As time went by, baby gathered enough confidence to go on longer walks, crossing roads and dodging dogs and cattle.

Slowly the baby lapwing grew from its tiny sparrow-like look to the more long-legged and distinct look of the lapwings.

Till finally one day, it soared off into the blue skies, right behind mommy and papa birds!


Some of the joys of living in a suburban area where one can still interact with flora and fauna!

Garden News

Am back with a garden update after a long quiet spell.

To start with, sun-face has a new friend. And my plans with the creepers have finally fallen in place. So now sun-face and black-face make quite a duo next to the morning glory creeper.

The morning glory also goes up our iron trellis and is full of magenta flowers every other morning. Looking at its branches reaching out skywards, the kids have named it the 'beanstalk' (from Jack and the Beanstalk).

Another of my favourites, the railway creeper has started climbing up the trellis in the kids' balcony, and gives us cheerful mauve flowers everyday.

As the mornings and evenings turn cool, one can see vibrant growth in the greens. It is just the right time to be planning the winter blooms, and so I have sown some seeds and am peeking in to check new saplings everyday. Nasturtiums and petunias have already shown up!

But my chrysanthemums are growing too slowly. I'm almost scared they won't grow fast enough to bloom this coming season. Any ideas how to make them grow better?