Silk Cotton trees in bloom in February last year

I’m taking a blog break for a month. There are plenty of things needed to be done around the house. Earlier the chores would simply whisper to me but now they are practically screaming their heads off. I might go deaf if I don’t listen now.;) First on the list is my study. I prefer to call it my blogging station. I’ll have my nature photos enlarged and framed and I’ll be adding a book shelf as well. There’s also a wedding coming up. My niece is getting married on February 1. And there are quite a few social dos this month. So despite the temptation of the memes and visits to blogs I love to read, I really need to take this break. It’s cloudy and today’s drizzle made it even more dreary. But by the time I return, there’ll be much colour in the landscape as the Silk Cotton trees will bloom. Sunny days will be here again. See you then. Happy blogging!!

Sometimes I head off to the local zoo just to watch the creatures there. On my last visit, the pale afternoon sun cast a soft glow on a scoop of pelicans resting beside the pond.

A pair of small brown mongoose scurried in and out of the burrows….

while an egret took a leisurely stroll on the shady tree-lined pathway.

And an albino baby monkey’s climbing lesson was in full swing on a tiny stump of a branch all the while making sure that his mom wasn’t too far away.

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Panama Rose

The pink cluster of the Panama rose/ Rondeletia leucophylla is a sight that’s sure to gladden hearts! Not only are the blooms pretty but the fragrance in the evenings, is wonderful! Since it was growing straggly I had pruned it last year after the flowering season was over. Recently I noticed the pink buds and waited for the first few clusters to open in all its  glory. The picture below is from early February last year. Winter’s a dusty season in our parts but this year we’ve had some rain since New Year’s day and our surroundings look cleaner.

Panama Rose blooming in February last year

These two bromeliads were gifted to me by my blog friend Lotusleaf of Garden Tropics when she had come to our city last year. The growth hasn’t been good so far but over the years I hope to have these bromeliads looking healthier and happier!

Although the picture of the match-stick plant is blurry I’m posting it anyway. At least it gives you the idea of what it looks like/resembles.

Click on the badge below and treat yourself to tons of floral delights. My thanks to the hosts of this fun meme: Santilli-Pupo-Denise-Sandy Carlson

Today’s theme reminded me of a centrepiece I had done years ago. I took it out from the cupboard after ages and photographed it, creases and all. This has been with me through so many moments of my life. I remember the enthusiasm I had (then) to finish the patterns. And floral patterns were what I loved the most. I don’t think I have that kind of eagerness or patience anymore.

The Kopili river

Midway from the city where I live to the town where my roots are, the river Kopili looks its best. The clear aquamarine waters, the clouds, and the clear blue skies are a joy to behold!

Linking up to Katarina’s Blooming Friday. Click on the link and see all the different interpretations of Centrepiece by other participants.

Black-hooded Golden Oriole

Who’d have thought that something as mundane as checking out my sister’s garden would spring such a pleasant surprise? Apart from lemons, eggplants, chillies, butterflies, and maybe a few ripe bogori, I didn’t expect to strike gold! No alchemy here. Just pure unblemished golden moment. One is never prepared for such moments, really! Although my point-and-shoot was clutched in my hands, the sight of this Black-hooded Golden Oriole on a small hibiscus bush so close to me made me fumble with the “On” button on my camera giving this beauty enough time to fly away to this tree a little distance away. Hence the blurry picture.I have seen other beautiful birds on this spot before but this oriole is definitely the most spectacular!

N.B. Bogori/Zizyphus jujuba is a fruit that ripens during this season.

This post is linked to Our World Tuesday. Click on the badge below and see what’s happening in other corners of the planet. My thanks to the wonderful hosts who make this possible.

Psyche butterfly on barleria

Cosmos

Welcome to the first Today’s Flowers post of 2012! Not much happening by way of colour. But I was thrilled to see these tiny blooms on my dracaena. Comparing Google images, my plant resembles Dracaena marginata but I’m not a hundred percent sure. I’ve had it for donkey’s years and never thought it would bloom! It was brought from the jungles near our hometown and I liked the dark green leaves, which was why it was a fixture in one of my pots. The blooms are wonderfully fragrant, reminiscent of the night blooming jasmine of the warmer months.

Click on the link below and check out the blooms from across the world. My thanks to the TF team for hosting this much-loved meme.

Amaryllis drenched in April rain

Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.~ from The Wonder Years

These amaryllis lilies have been in my parents house for as long as I can remember. Over the years, other lilies in other colours have joined the vibrant brood but when I think of the seasons in the town that I grew up, it’s these reds that come to mind. Once the chill of winter would pass, the winds would start to blow in late February till mid- March. That’s when these lilies would start to bloom and would do so till the end of April. These flowers are an association with my family and my childhood. These photos were taken about a week after my father passed away in April 2010.

To see more posts on Blooming Friday, visit Katarina’s ROSES AND STUFF.

Guava blooms

Summer’s the ‘official’ season for guavas here. And yet when they bloom, somehow they do not stand out because other fruits also vie for attention, namely the mangoes and the Indian blackberries. In other words, there’s much going on all around. The other flowering shrubs and summer bloomers take our attention away from the guavas. It’s the smell of the ripe fallen fruit, the buzzing of the bees and the other pollinators, and the birds who come to peck, the butterflies who come to feed…all announce that these sweet guavas are ready for the picking. But in winter, with the new plantings of annuals and a little weariness in most of the shrubs, the few guava blooms stand out in their white showiness. It’s strange how every winter a few blooms make their appearance, followed by a handful of fruit. But summer’s the time for that delightful deluge, of taste and the rest of the senses.

This post is for Our World Tuesday. Click on the badge below and visit other participants.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! (with flowers from my garden)

As I look back on 2011 I feel blesssed! The third ‘s’ is the emotion that also goes into the word!:)It’s been a wonderful blogging year! I’m happy to connect with all those who stop by, be they be my blog friends or visitors. As I get into my fifth year of blogging, the passion to share what I see around me is still the same, if not more!!

With Anita and her son in Chennai

2011′s the year I met two blog friends. The first was Lotusleaf of Garden Tropics and the second was Anita of Red Ripe Tomatoes. Needless to say it was wonderful meeting them both. I hope I’ll get to meet a few more blog friends this year. A post that I wrote after Lotusleaf’s visit to the Living Root Bridge in the neighbouring state of Meghalaya is one of the most read posts on my blog. This website http://ontrip.in/mawlynnong/ has a permanent link to my blog on their page. One of the photos on their site is mine.

For every visit and for every comment, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Wish all you wonderful people a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The Brahmaputra on a foggy morning

On Christmas Eve we braved the cold and the fog and went on a picnic. It was on one of the zillion  sandy stretches left by the river Brahmaputra as it recedes in winter.

Grey was the colour of the day. The skies, the sand, and the river wore a uniform grey that seemed to stretch to infinity.

But on the sand that the river leaves temporarily, at least till the rains turn it into turbulence, tiny plants and even tinier blooms struggle and survive.

Butterfly wings, feathers, and hundreds of webbed footprints cast their own patterns on the sand. In the distance we could hear the birds (there were plenty of ducks in the water) but my camera only captured shadowy images.

The sun did try to break through the clouds as we were returning. But this was the best it could do, forming a shimmer of gold on the grey waters.

Oh no, not another photo!!

A last shot of the kids before we got into our respective cars. It was a day well spent. Bonding somehow seems to work best in the Christmas season.

This is my entry for Our World Tuesday. Click on the link and see what’s happening in other corners of the globe on the last week of 2011. My thanks to the wonderful team who makes this possible!