it is 17 months since we moved to Kerala, months of constant discoveries of oneself, the family and our environment. nothing is like before. everything is changed.

    rakhi passed by without a murmur in our town in Kerala. if not for the Facebook updates and pictures, i might have forgotten about it completely. we did not celebrate Rakhi. the power of the bond between siblings is as unassuming as it is strong. and, i found that bond grow around me when i hear my son and daughter actually conversing with each other, running with our dog, the teasing banter and the fact that they started sleeping by themselves in their own room - they have each other.



    around this time, we took a long drive in the monsoons to our estates at the foot of the mountains. some pictures from then.










ps
how fast they grow!

spur.

there is a change in the air. 

a nip in the mornings and fog clouding the tall trees. 

the leaves are falling. 

the birdcalls in the early morning sound different.

even in the little tropical haven in Kerala, i now live in, there is an unmistakable change in the air. 

enough to shake me out of hibernation.

its has been a long monsoons this time. 

one that drenched Onam, Kerala's harvest festival,

which is meant to be bright and sun-shiny

 and cheered with flowers.

the rains have continued with almost no break

into the thunderstorms characteristic of the Malayali month of thulaam.

my camera sank in the depths of the damp, 

as did one of my most prized lenses.

they are both resting in the sick shelf of my room,

along with my Macbook - my window to the world.

but, the bursts of sunshine 

has inspired us enough to put our sparkle on. 

and, shimmer in the sunlight.

literally.

the rains continue,

sometimes not stopping for hours.

despite the cloudy gloom

and the sodden grounds,

the feeling that better things are yet to come 

manages to reign strong.

Christmas is not far away.

things will look up.

ps

i do love leaves!

spur of the moment.

impulsive acts.

the shocking start 

that makes you jump out of your skin,

is best to cure hiccups.

or, this morning,

it helped me put behind 

the absent domestic help, 

the very lived in living room.

an impromptu DIY ~

two used mint packs.

sparkly scotch tape.

and, you have a little box 

to stow your change,

or, carry a change of earrings

for weekend trip.

it is sunny and cool at the same time here.

light and shadow together.

sorrow, never far from joy,

laughter with tears.

night and day.

but, it is innate in the universe,

it is the rule of life.

for every yes,  your stand you take,

you leave in darkness other options.

the shadows swallow the NOs.

    

Saturday mornings come with misgivings. more so, when you have left too many things left undone over the week. so, you try and escape more from the grind of routine. any thing that does not make you want to see things the way they are.

the frieze story

mom hardly knew how to design the first years of her wedded life. she kept a clean home, utterly spick and span. after my brother and i had started school, she had lots of time on her hands, well, because of her efficient ways. as her Hindi improved, she made more friends and as our manners improved they called on a lot of people.

she told me, she realised that despite the more or less same furniture in all the Army accommodations in the various cantonments, the personalities of the owners shone through in little nuances. of course, in the end, there was not much difference, or money, but, there were still ways the sitting room differed.

i still remember the yak skin carpet and the Naga spears in one home, the colourful cushions in another and round paper hanging lamps in one dining room. my mother always, always turned furniture around. i seem to have inherited that trait.

but, for some months now, i have resorted to arranging and re-arranging the top of the chest of drawers. its like my mantel, if you may. the frieze are proof of the passing seasons, collection of memories and sometimes, a window to my mood. here, are some snapshots in chronological order!

the first time. the candle stands, planter, candles all were bought from our Muscat holiday.


a little diy to cosy things up a bit.


 the majestic leather case, also from Muscat.


a little bit of colour to offset the teakwood.


when the three bloomed together, they deserved pride of place.


for the son's fifth birthday.

when i started enjoying the permutation combinations, cliched that i am.

the daughter's version of our family under the pretty rainbow.


when a friend brought me flowers and i prolonged the goodness for almost another week.


how it looks these days :)

it is time

for the annual rain post. usually, by this time my spirit is damp and sunken. every inch of my being is moronish. not this time, not this year. there has been as many bright interludes with the sun shining bright as the bursts of paltry rain.

the monsoons came without showers of blessings for the farmers. there has not been enough rain. i worry about the framers, their produce. but, then i remember the warehouses with rotting grain. i think how it will be with more power outages in the warmer months. it strikes me of the times i rushed to answer the doorbell without turning off the lights and fan and stood there talking with my neighbour for almost an hour. oh the rising prices of everything! oh the times i bought stuff mighty unnecessarily just because it was on sale!

wilful waste brings woeful want, i read in college somewhere. enough is a feast. the words have stayed in my mind longer than i expected them to. time to practice them more than i do now. to do my little bit. maybe the kids will imbibe it somewhere along the way.

and, i almost forgot the pictures from my little balcony this afternoon!

light profound, light sublime

    

my workspace is my entire home, 

but, my haven is my kitchen

 because the kids and dog are not allowed.

 my venting space, my calming zone and my dumping ground.

changing, evolving along with me.

window dressing changes

part of every celebration and after

before he started school, he was my little helper

lots of light every season

where it all began