Turning 80!

He is recovering slowly and turned 80 !

It is with deep gratitude that I taken in this moment ...
With an understanding that there is no prognosis above God ...


Wish you many happy , healthy years ahead !Happy Birthday Appa .. You totally Rock !!

Onam is here !

Ever since we moved to Kerala, I look forward to Onam ..

A festival that welcomes a banished king back to the land in the best way it could.....

"Onakkalam" or time of the Onam marks a season when the entire land  is  washed clean by the rains , nature abloom with the most pretty flowers .

What better way to welcome , than a beautiful carpet of  flowers at your doorstep. What better way to treat someone than a traditional feast of the best local produce ..

The land awaits their lost king with anticipation

 and revelry ...

In the town I live a massive Pookkalam ( floral design carpet ) comes alive on the day 1 of the  10  day festival on the southern gate of the Vadakkunathan temple,

The grounds of the temple also host a massive flower , fruit and vegetable market during the season .

An absolute treat for the eyes... 

A season to cherish , revel and say thanks to all the riches of the land ....

Waiting for Light

A brief moment of sunshine in the morning after a  spate of rainy days seems such a sign of hope .
Its been a bleak time with Appa's sickness and he getting worse by the day ... dealing with test results that doesn't make sense.. but I know if we kept going , doing what we need to .. there will be light soon ....
One day at a time ...
Waiting for light ......

She goes to college

A big day in our lives 

Dropping off P at the University ..

Phew , it feels unreal ... 

As we go through the admission process and on-boarding  formalities , it feels surreal that she will be so far from us .

We do a quick tour of the verdant  campus , academic blocks and finally reach the student accommodation.

It will be time for bye soon .. whether am ready or not .... 

As she embarks on a new adventure , all by herself , feel so much pride and gratitude for her responsible ways . I know she will settle in .. find her feet and space under the sun ..

she will also learn new ways of being , accountability and choosing wisely ... She will figure what works and what does not .. She will know its all about the choices we make for ourselves ...

Go on my love .. new skies await you ...

Picnic to the Dam

And the rains arrived ! and soon we were in the sway of  the monsoons

The season of dark brooding skies that erupt at will bringing all the lush to the land :)

Girls , I and visiting S went off on a picnic to the Poomala Dam. The Reservoir brimming, abloom with white lotuses.The skies threatening to open up  any time . A deep shade of grey. cool breeze rustling up everything around...

A short trek to find the ideal rocks to perch  ... soaking in the beauty all around ...then our picnic lunch ..and more walking around the reservoir as the rains arrived ..

quick dash to the warmth of the car ...

I live for these moments :)

Happy Results !

Time for some Happy results !!

P Aces her class XII Board exams , Topping her school and A1 in all subjects .
Happy Mom here :)

And she is done with school. Feels like just the other day i got her admitted to the nursery and she went in holding her bag , in a new uniform , all business like :)

Wish you all that's  wonderful , my love, for all love that lies ahead !

Poetry Month Again !

The happily crowded April arrives with the new year , summer showers, mangoes , holidays and poetry for me !

The Terribly Tiny Tales (TTT) , National Poetry
Writing month ( NaPoWriMo) is back and am writing again for the prompts !
The prompt for Day 6 , I  found heart warming ...
It said :
What if your memories can write back to you ?
And I wrote :
They would call out to me to come visit ...
Re-live the sounds, sights , smells and textures..
The  springs of crushes, summers of growing up,heartaches of autumn ,dreary chills of winter ..
The thrill of rains and drenches in childhood ..
The joys of achieving , hopelessness of failure ..crushing losses..
The roads traveled, trains chugged ,skies lit with stars,clouds on flight, loves loved, friends lost..
Sometimes sepia and sad,
Sometimes dappled in colour,
Sometimes framed in pictures '
Sometimes only in creases of my mind ...
They would call out to me to come visit ....