Safe and Sound (Sunday Photo Fiction)

The two bulbuls were frantically searching for the perfect place to build their nest. They had tried to build one inside a human dwelling.  They believed it to be safe. But to their disgust they were shown the way out. All their hard work had come to nothing. They remembered those days when they had built a nest inside the thick fronds of a betel nut tree and had believed it to be safe. But the peasant crow had discovered their eggs and had not rested till it had eaten them. They had tried to prevent him but in vain.

This time they had searched everywhere for a good place and there was not much time. Now, in this beautiful garden with trees and plants they saw the thick creeper twisting its way from one end to the other. The foliage was thick and there was light too.  The perfect place. The next days were very busy getting twigs and leaves from near and far. They dared not rest. The nest was ready and eggs laid. The days passed and one fine morning they were happy to greet their babies. They felt safe and secure in this beautiful place.

Photo credit: Joy Pixley

Safe and Sound (Sunday Photo Fiction)

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Letter from Home-5 (#SOL 2019)

 

28-01-19
Dear Doddamma,
We are all fine here. Amma is in Hyderabad now with my elder brother. She and my sister-in-law went together on the 25th in their car. They halted that night in Bangalore in a cousin’s house and left the next morning. They reached their home in Hyderabad that evening. It was a long journey but amma enjoyed it and was not tired.

I have been writing to you about End point. Now it is very different from what it was till about ten years ago. Then it was just one road till the end of the road on the hill. Down below was river Swarna flowing towards Arabian sea. People come from across the river to work in our university and hospital. Now the road is almost the same but there are football and cricket grounds to one side and a park at the very end. It is a very nice place to go for a walk. Students enjoy playing in the grounds. When amma was with us she would sit on the bench by the first ground and watch the students playing. Now the trees on either side of the road are growing. There are fruit and flower trees.

On the 24th morning we went to the town centre to do some shopping. I also purchased cross stitch material and embroidery wool. It has been a long time since I have done embroidery and I felt I must start again. The other evening I was watching Australian Open Ladies final and doing some cross stitch 😊.

One evening we went to Manipal lake for a walk. On one side we can see the lake bed and it is now covered with purple flowers. They are beautiful and insectivorous!! My husband’s cousin is a botanist. He told us these flowers are called bladderworts and are insectivorous. ( What a name for beautiful flowers !!) They will be blooming for nearly a month and then die. We will then see them next January. It is really fascinating that they are under the ground and under the water for so many months. And they bloom when the feel the sun and light.

Doddamma, I had written you about the mango pickles and how they were a little too salty. I bought some more raw mangoes and now the pickles are not salty and it is tasty. I gave some to our neighbours. They liked it too. I have kept it in the refrigerator in case it spoils.

On the 27th night my husband went to Mysore to attend his cousin’s daughter’s wedding. Mysore is one night’s journey by bus from our place. It is a beautiful old city.

Hope you have received my letter. I will post this letter tomorrow afternoon.
With lots of love,
Lakshmi

Mysore – Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysore

(My letters to my Doddamma, my father’s elder brother’s wife, have made letter writing a part of my life again. Both of us enjoy the letters. Doddamma literally means elder mother. She is my favourite relative. She is 88. She cannot go out and is not able to hear well. So, I started writing to her in November 2017. Earlier I used to send a mail to her daughter-in-law, she used to read it to her. My cousin’s wife told me Doddamma enjoys the feel of letters and re-reads them often. I edit the letters and post them in Slice of Life hosted by Two Teachers. I enjoy SOL. We, bloggers live in different parts of the world. Our lives are so different but there is sameness which is fascinating. The different posts and photos bring the world to my home. Thank you dear friends. 😊 )

Letter from Home-5 (#SOL 2019)

A Photo a Week Challenge: Contrasting Colors

Contrasting colors are colors that are on approximately opposite side of the color wheel. Yellow and purple, green and red, blue and orange, and a myriad of variations in-between each of those. Contrasting colors compliment each other and give interest and variety to images. Many visual art classes us exercises in contrasting colors.

A Photo a Week Challenge: Contrasting Colors

The Donkey (Sunday Photo fiction)

The little girl loved to listen to stories her mother read out to her. The stories came alive. That morning she had listened to the tale of the donkey and the washer-man. He had covered the donkey with a tiger’s skin and tried to fool the villagers. His stupidity had got the donkey killed by them.
That evening she and her mother were at an exhibition. There were some beautiful drawings. She walked past the picture of a donkey. The sad look in its eyes stopped her. She remembered the donkey in the story. She halted and gazed at the picture. It seemed to her as if the donkey was trying to express the unfairness of it all. Humans think that donkeys are stupid, that they should be made to work hard and that they are capable of nothing else. In fact, the reality is that so many humans are stupid. They act before thinking and blame others for their shortcomings. The little girl promised herself to never make that mistake.

She said a quiet sorry to the donkey in the picture.

The Donkey And The Washerman – Tales of Panchatantra
http://www.talesofpanchatantra.com › Complete Works › Stories

Photo credit : Susan Spaulding

The Donkey (Sunday Photo fiction)

 

 

RonovanWrites #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge #237 Answer&Question

 

“Questions and answers

Seemed to fly across the sky

Just before sunset.

Retiring after hard work

Communication of birds.”

RonovanWrites #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge #237 Answer&Question

 

 

 

Letter from Home-4 (#SOL 2019)

                                                                           21-01-19
Dear Doddamma,
Hope you have received amma and my letter. Amma enjoyed writing to you. While she was here she started writing a daily diary. She told me it would be easier for her to write you every week. We had been to a small place called Kalladka, about two hours away from here. The 11th and 12th day rituals of my sister-in-law’s father was performed in the hall adjacent to the temple of Shri UmaShiva. Amma stayed behind, she will stay with her eldest younger brother till the 24th. She and my sister-in-law will leave for Hyderabad on the 25th. We returned home in the evening.

On the 19th we went to Maikuri to see my father-in-law. He is fine and was happy to see us. Amma came with us.

We left at 3 and were back home by 6 in the evening. We always try to return home before it is dark. We find it a little difficult to drive after dark. Doddamma, I had written to you about our Book club. We meet once a month and enjoy talking about books. This time we all wrote short stories based on certain photos. I had shared four photos. We all read out our stories and had a great time. One of the photos was this one.

Last week I went to Asare, home for the mentally challenged after more than a month. There is a new boy. He has Downs syndrome and autism too. He cannot speak. He has lived outside India till now, his father passed away recently and his mother is finding it difficult to look after him. My friend’s daughter is a very good swimmer. She has Downs syndrome. She has been selected to take part in the Special Olympics in Abu Dhabi in March 2nd week. Twenty three people have been selected from our state for the special Olympics. Before leaving for Dubai they will be in Delhi for ten days for practicing. Her parents are very happy. They are to Abu Dhabi.

Last week I made mango pickles. Amma’s walking friend had given the recipe. But it has become a little too salty. Tomorrow we will get some raw mangoes and I will add it to the pickles. Hopefully it will become ok. Mango trees are in bloom everywhere. There is one mango tree in our backyard. It was planted long ago by father of the person from whom we bought our land. There are flowers in it for the first time after we came here. We do not know what mango it is. Hopefully we will get to know this time.

It is now 8 o’clock in the night. Aravind’s German classes started today. Classes are from 6 to 8. He will be returning home soon.
With lots of love,
Lakshmi
(My letters to my Doddamma, my father’s elder brother’s wife, have made letter writing a part of my life again. Both of us enjoy the letters. Doddamma literally means elder mother. She is my favourite relative. She is 88. She cannot go out and is not able to hear well. So, I started writing to her in November 2017. Earlier I used to send a mail to her daughter-in-law, she used to read it to her. My cousin’s wife told me Doddamma enjoys the feel of letters and re-reads them often. I edit the letters and post them in Slice of Life hosted by Two Teachers. I enjoy SOL. We, bloggers live in different parts of the world. Our lives are so different but there is sameness which is fascinating. The different posts and photos bring the world to my home. Thank you dear friends. 😊 )

Letter from Home-4 (#SOL 2019)

 

#JusJoJan 2019 Daily Prompt – Jan. 21st – Echo

The word echo reminded me of our grandson. They were with us in November and December .  He used to enjoy repeating whatever we said. He would laugh and looking at him we would laugh.  A sweet and loveable echo.

They are back in Germany.

#JusJoJan 2019 Daily Prompt – Jan. 21st – Echo

A Photo a Week Challenge: Vanishing Point

A vanishing point, also known as the point of convergence, is a key element in many works of art. Think of the vanishing point is the spot on the horizon line where the other lines diminish. It allows us to a create three-dimensional look in drawings, paintings, and photographs.

One day during the monsoon season we went to a temple. We were told about the river flowing nearby.  We walked down the hill to see this river in full spate. A beautiful sight as the waters rushed by from around the corner.

A Photo a Week Challenge: Vanishing Point

# JustJoJan 2019 Daily Prompt January 18th- Companionship

 

# JustJoJan 2019 Daily Prompt January 18th

I remember the last months of my father in 2016 and the companionship between my parents. He passed away in September 2016. They had got married on 1st May 1959

 

Dreaming across the channel (Sunday Photo Fiction)

She stood on the rocks and looked at the coastline in the distance. She could not believe that she had been able to swim all the way from there. But she had. She looked at her teammates and could see their love and satisfaction. She sat on the rocks and looked at the waves. As they hit the rocks thoughts of those dark days came to mind. She would never forget that night in the train. She had resisted those bullies and in their anger they had pushed her out of the running train. She did not remember how long she had lain on the tracks. When she regained consciousness the doctors told her they had had to ampute her right leg to save her life. In the days that followed her family had been her strength. She had always loved swimming and trekking. She promised herself that she would cross the channel. It had taken a long time. But she did not give up. Today she had realised her dream.  Her past had given her the strength to live in the present and dream many dreams for the future.

Photo credit : Fandango