Road Trippin' - Najafgarh Lake Area

With the final exams over, the kids had almost a fortnight off from school (except for the occasional trips for farewell practice). Since we couldn't go out of town on vacation, we decided to make the best of our surroundings, and visit a bird watching site I had been aiming to see for a while.

Our first attempt at finding the spot (which was well marked on Google Maps, but was obviously inadequate info to go by) landed us on a secluded bund road from where the birds were too far to see properly.

Then we decided to follow our own sense of direction, and ended up in the middle of lush green fields instead, in the company of a few egrets.

We also managed to spot a lone kingfisher...

... some Eurasian coots and an unknown species.

But the roads that led closer to the birds eluded us completely and we returned back home.

On our second attempt, we fared better and managed to reach closer to the lake that hosts a variety of migratory birds. Driving on kutcha roads and then walking through marshy fields, as a cool breeze blew in the midst of an open expanse, was such a refreshing feeling.

Till our traipsing led us to this sight - a huge flock of geese cackling away, creating an avian symphony in the middle of nowhere.

What a pleasant view it was!

Their footprints on the wet mud of the fields made for an interesting sight, prompting us to imagine them waddling around.

It was on this attempt that we realized that the birdwatching site we were aiming at was actually spread over a large area and had multiple roads (mostly kutcha, going through  fields), leading to different sides of the lake.

So it was back home, and poring over more maps and routes to plan a fresh itinerary. Till we head out again, hopefully soon!

Going Organic - Part 3

Despite the unusually cold, wet and grey winter this time, our backyard has yielded a decent winter harvest.

Enough coriander for a jar full of chutney.

A big bowl of spinach that will get used in a salad for dinner tonight.

And then there are the radish and beetroot greens that are doing great through growing in plain water (hydroponics). The beet leaves also go into our salad while the radish greens, along with garlic and onion greens, make for yummy paratha fillings.

So grateful for this organic goodness on our plates and in our tummies!

The First Winter

After one of the worst summers (that you can read about here), winter came early this year and was particularly harsh, with grey sunless days lasting well over 2 weeks. The newspapers say that December 2019 was the coldest since 1971.... that is way before I was born!

Well, here are a few of our favourite things that helped us get by this cold and gloomy season. Flowers brightened up our home, of course...

As did some sumptuous food. Making our own plum cake for the new year only added to our joy.

As did roasting a whole bird for my man's special day. Thankfully, our culinary experiments turned out well.

Despite rain and fog overwhelming our days, we enjoyed the jewels of nature.... like the string of pearls on nasturtium leaves.

And some pretty evenings.

Now looking forward to warmer days ahead as Spring should be round the corner.

Garden Vistas

One of the reasons why we chose this abode were the ample open spaces, with lots of scope for gardening. So our greens hold pride of place, and we try every trick to keep them looking attractive.

Sharing with you some views we can't get enough of!

The corner of the front yard blooming in an array of colours.

Our little birdie brightening up the branches of the banyan bonsai.

The wooden plank that declares the backyard as 'Our Happy Place'!

The pink and maroon duet at the entrance, and in the garden.

These beautiful garden vistas make all our efforts worth the while!

Deepawali Vignettes

Snapshots from around the house on our first Diwali in the new abode.

First, the preparations...

Then the new upholstery...

And the lights...

Then finally the festivities...

Friends, family and feasting added to the sweetness of the festive season! :)

Going Organic - Part 2

Continuing from my last post on our organic farming adventures, let me give a lowdown on what we achieved in the last couple of months. While the brinjal plant gave us quite a bounty...

...we planted some new veggies. Tomatoes, ladyfingers, capsicum, spinach, fenugreek and garlic were the new additions to our garden. Since the tomatoes and capsicums are still growing, they probably won't give fruits anytime soon. But the spinach, garlic and fenugreek have given us some yummy homegrown leafy greens. (I was so enthusiastic to consume my greens that I forgot to take pictures of the fenugreek crop!)

We also discovered how pretty the ladyfinger flower looks...

... before the actual vegetable springs forth.

But most importantly, we discovered the power of composting. 

Composting

By the simple act of digging a pit into which we put our wet waste everyday, we have managed to get sustainable on so many levels. 

• If the garbage man doesn't turn up for a few days (as he was often wont to doing in the summer), we only have dry waste to manage. No tensions of dealing with smelly, rotting stuff; the pit has already taken care of that. 
• Every month we cover up the old compost pit and dig a new one. About 4-6 weeks later, depending on the weather, the old pit is dug up and all our wet waste has magically converted to the best possible compost for our plants. So no buying or using chemical fertilizers, ensuring we consume the veggies we grow in the purest form.
• Feeding everything from fruit and vegetable peels to egg shells and tea leaves to our pit, we make sure the soil quality in our yard improves. From a mix of sandy and clayey soil with bits of concrete, the backyard is already looking up with a nutrient-rich loamy sort of soil slowly taking over.

In the end, it is a cycle - if we give back to nature and let it take it's own course, one sure is in safe hands. Even in our pollution-overdosed world... Think about it!

Going Organic - Part 1

Ever since the concept of consuming pesticide-free, clean organic food became popular, growing our own food (at least some of it) has been a dream for us. So when we were presented with the opportunity to live on the ground, we consciously chose a location that allowed us to get closer to our organic farming goals. We wanted to live the concept of plant-to-plate for our family, consuming fresh produce as often as possible.

Since we moved into the new place at the beginning of summer, we decided to focus on a small bunch of vegetables to start with, as the searing tropical heat would anyway be hard to tackle. We planted tomatoes, brinjals and bottle gourds. The tomatoes died on us within a few weeks, sending our grand dreams to a crashing start. The brinjals, which were planted in pots, held on through the summer heat but showed very slow growth. The bottle gourds, once the plants sprouted, flourished lavishly, filling our backyard with large, green vines.

Now let me go into the specifics....

Bottle Gourds

The bottle gourds presented us with quite a few challenges. While the vines spread wildly, taking over almost our entire backyard, the first few flowers and an entire plant got spoilt by rains. We figured that the trapped summer heat that escaped from the earth with the first couple of showers created a sauna-like environment, leading to the plants wilting.

Next we grappled with slow growth and spoilage in the remaining vines. While the vines would flower, but the fruit would not grow quickly enough; instead they would get crumpled and brown, finally drying up in a week to ten days. Naturally this left us flustered... till my husband decided to do some online research. It emerged from his efforts that the required level of pollination was not taking place naturally as there were no bees to be seen. That meant manually pollinating all the budding fruits for them to reach a point where they could grow into mature fruits.

After much concentrated efforts, we finally reaped the goodies.... just the sight of these long, hanging beauties made all the efforts seem worthwhile. The longest bottle gourd we cultivated measured a good 17.5 inches, making us feel like proud green parents! Would recommend bottle gourd cultivation only if you have a decent patch of land, and loads of patience.

Brinjals

The brinjals came into action much later, after the intense summer heat subsided and rains brought some relief.

From the pretty purple flowers to the shiny round fruit was an exhilarating journey. But these also required manual pollination and some special watering to ensure a good crop.

Brinjals are relatively easy to grow - since they thrive in pots in sun and rain, they are a good option for beginners and balcony gardeners.

At the end of the day, it feels so good to finally achieve our goal in a small measure and feed the family with these organically grown veggies. We are now looking forward to more options for winters. Will share a post on our next organic adventure in the coming months.