The Ginger Torch Flower
Hibiscus
Month: December 2015
Categories
Farewell and a Happy New Year :)
Some people are always a part of our lives, whether they are with us are not. My grandfather, my father’s father is one such person. He was a very important part of my childhood. His reading aloud from our epics and other stories instilled a love for books.
2016 starts the day after tomorrow. And the year 1916 comes to mind. My grandparents got married in that year, a hundred years ago! Life has changed in so many different ways. My grandfather had written about the journey from his village to the bride’s house for his wedding, about sixty miles away. Those were the days when there were no buses or cars. People either walked or went by bullock carts.
My grandfather, his parents and other relatives set out from their village called Polya, at a good muhuruta (auspicious time), four days before the wedding. There were two bullock carts to take them to Somawarpet, the bride’s village. They started out at night. By morning they reached a place called Sullia, twenty miles away. While reading his Memoirs , I could just imagine two bullock carts going at a leisurely pace, with a lantern hanging in the front. It sounds magical. There would have been problems but that was life then.
The whole day they rested in the house of a friend .That night after dinner they started again. Early next morning they reached Sampaje, twenty miles away.There they stayed in a relative’s house the whole day.After dinner they set out after dinner. By morning they reached
Madikeri, twenty miles away.After a whole morning’s rest in my grandmother’s uncle’s house, they set out after dinner that night for Somwarpet, eighteen miles from Madikeri and reached early morning. The wedding took place the next day.
Sixty miles and four days. 🙂 Life moved at a much slower pace. And over the years we have been saying farewell to so much and welcoming the new. So life goes on.
‘Farewells are a part of our lives
Every moment we bid goodbye
To earlier moments.
But we do not really think,
For life moves forward
Without a break,
And those moments are too small.
For us to take time to bid goodbye.
They are gone forever
But their memories live with us.
Memories good or bad
Are always a part of us .
Life would be so much better
If only we could say farewell
To those bad moments in Life.
But somehow they cling on.
Somewhere in our minds,
And do not allow us
To say farewell.
Those good moments
Forever a part of our lives,
They are precious
Thank God we have the sense
Never to bid them farewell.’
WE WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR 🙂
Categories
Travel Theme : Spice
“This time of year is all about spices, from warming mulled wine infused with cinnamon and star anise to clove-studded roasts and gingerbread cookies. So I decided to spice things up with a few spice-inspired photographs. ”
Nutmeg 🙂
Ripe black pepper.
‘For this week’s challenge, take a moment to notice your now, and share a photo of it. Perhaps it is something imperfect, or mundane, or under-appreciated. Maybe it is a simple moment, or maybe it is something grand; we can’t wait to see!’
Small children always live in the ‘NOW’ . They are not really bothered about the past or the future.
Our grandson busy reading the newspaper with his grandfather:)
Having fun:)
A moment of sheer joy with his mother 🙂
Playing hide and seek:)
Sliding 🙂
In June we had been to London. We stayed in a very nice Bed and Breakfast in Ealing Broadway.
Some doors and windows in that area:)
Categories
Happy Christmas :)
We wish everyone a very Happy Christmas 🙂
Etlingera elatior – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Etlingera elatior (also known as torch ginger, ginger flower, red ginger lily, torch lily, wild ginger, combrang, bunga kantan, Philippine wax flower, xiang bao …
‘Share with us your interpretation of “gathering.” It could be your entire family decked out in ugly holiday sweaters. It could be a group of seagulls strutting down the beach. Perhaps it’s a basket of fresh herbs you’ve collected from your garden for that awesome pasta dish this evening.’
The Gathering of cousins at a wedding in October:)
Essay
To continue our discussion of the rule of thirds, let’s start by breaking it. Before you can break any rule, you have to understand it enough to be able to break it successfully. One thing you can do to break the rule of thirds is to put your subject in the middle of the frame. Although, using the counterpoint doesn’t always work. It can make for a rather boring photo. If you are going to use the middle at all, you need a specific and small point of focus, something that will draw immediately the eye to the center of the frame which your eye will then flow through the rest of the photo.
(Note: a square framed picture works best for a subject in the middle because it helps keep your eye in the center of the picture. We’ll talk about square perspectives in an upcoming essay.)
We had been to London, this year in early June. I feel some of these photos break the Rule of thirds:)
The Taj Hotel in the City of Westminster
This is in the British Museum
Beautiful flowers in Ealing Broadway
In Greenwich
Small and beautiful:)
Just by chance 🙂
In the Natural History museum
Day 10: Farewell
Write a poem about a farewell today: perhaps this image may bring back memories of loved ones who passed, or revive memories of those that departed from our lives. Or you could focus on the more mundane, but still powerful moments of your daily goodbye rituals, whether it’s a friend, partner, or member of your family.
Farewells are a part of our lives
Every moment we bid goodbye
To earlier moments.
But we do not really think,
For life moves forward
Without a break,
And those moments are too small.
For us to take time to bid goodbye.
Those moments are gone forever
But their memories live with us.
Memories good or bad
Are always a part of us .
Life would be so much better
If only we could say farewell
To those bad moments in Life.
But somehow they cling on,
Somewhere in our minds.
And do not allow us
To say farewell.
Those good moments
Forever a part of our lives,
They are precious
Thank God we have the sense
Never to bid them farewell.
Day 9: Camouflage
For today’s poem, take inspiration from camouflage — you may apply it in any way you like, whether you write about visual or social dissimulation, or focus on the way we hide our myriad emotions, actions, and reactions. What would be your ultimate smokescreen, concealment, or mask?
God or Nature
Has bestowed on them
The gift of camouflage.
Birds and animals
Know by instinct
How to survive
In this world,
Where humans think
They rule supreme.
Who forget that everything
In this world
Is Nature’s gift.
They believe it is
Their birthright
To use and destroy.
But other living beings
Use their gift of camouflage
To live life on their terms.
They use Nature’s gifts
But do not destroy them,
For they know by instinct
What is good for them.
But humans tend to forget this
In spite of their
Knowledge and wealth and power.
