31-05-2022
Yesterday we read in the newspaper that the Southwest Monsoon has entered Kerala and will reach our state by June 2nd. That is good news and something to smile about😊.
Fortunately, Nagesh came yesterday to pluck coconuts. We have ten trees. Once the rains start it is impossible to climb the tree. Nagesh climbs the trees and drops the coconuts and dry fronds down. He takes Rs100 per tree. His nephew collects the coconuts and keeps them wherever we want them to be kept. The fronds we keep outside our gate. We will keep about 75 for our use and sell the rest. Ashoka came today to remove the husks of the coconuts. The husks are good source of fuel. We don’t use them so we give them to whoever wants them.
Yesterday evening we did not feel like going for a walk. We went to the park opposite the temple and sat on the seats near the trees. It is a peaceful place. On the 28th evening we went to Endpoint. The sun was shining brightly on the sea in the distance. It looked like a silver lining.
There are so many people for whom life is very dark. It is difficult to imagine their lives. Whenever I see silver linings around clouds or on the sea, I think of them and wish there were silver linings in their lives.
There is a beautiful park in Endpoint. We sat there for some time watching a game played by a dog and two Mynas. The birds were flying low and calling the dog. The dog raced after them. It went back to its place. This happened four times. It was something to smile about 😊. Maybe they played this game every day. The world of violence seemed far away.
Two of our neighbours gave us mangoes from their trees. They are very tasty. I have kept the pulp of three in the freezer to make icecream after the season is over . Aamras is a very tasty dessert 😊.
Today we went to my husband’s cousin’s place in a village to attend a religious function. We were going there after four years. Their place is in a valley surrounded by hills with trees on all sides. The cousins have made a large open tank on a flat surface in the hill behind and their house. There is a large pond in their plantation. Water is pumped to the tank above and it is sent down in channels to different parts of the plantation. We were happy to meet our relatives. On our way back we visited another cousin. Their house is also in a small town. A river flows near their land. They have many fruit trees and they gave us cocums, guavas and custard apples ( Ramaphala). Our nephew climbed the tree to pluck them 😊. We were back home by 6.30.
It was a good day.
https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/the-great-indian-monsoon-and-its-friends-49503
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myna
https://rachnacooks.com/easy-aamras-recipe/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annona_reticulata
Mukhamani 
How long are you able to store the coconuts?
I made mango ice cream with my class for Diwali. It was so yummy!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Coconuts with the husk do not spoil for many months. But they lose their freshness. The water dries inside and the coconut becomes drier. That is called copra. In the villages some coconuts are sold when they are fresh. Some are cut into half and dried under the sun. Oil is extracted from them. These days cold pressed oil from fresh coconuts are very popular.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copra
LikeLiked by 1 person
Our priest just returned from three weeks in India where he was visiting his mother and family. He said it rained for the entire time he was there. However, the pictures he showed did not have rain in them. With the hot stretch of weather we are having some mango ice cream sounds refreshing.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I was so touched by what you wrote about silver linings. Last Tuesday our students had their last day of school. For us, it was carefree… but across our country, at another school students and teachers faced the worst trauma imaginable. There is darkness in the world. We must cherish and spread light as we can.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks for linking WDYS with this post of yours. Silver linings are too be cherished and indeed looked for.
LikeLiked by 2 people
My father loved aamras with crispy onions fried in ghee. I think this is a Surat tradition, as he lived there for a number of years.
LikeLiked by 2 people
That sounds like a wonderful day, really. I would love to have seen the dog and the mynahs. It is extremely rare to see creatures interacting in this way, even if only the mynahs were wild.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Homegrown coconuts and mangoes; and silver lining on the Arabian Sea – so exotic to me.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Such a lovely Slice of Life Lakshmi!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Your coconuts look different than what I’m used to seeing in our stores (I’ve never had one), they aren’t round! Don’t you want to eat them fresh?
Your pics were gorgeous! I love your descriptions of places and things! I’ll have to look at your links you provided, I couldn’t see the mynah and I’ve never seen one of those either! Lovely post, I’d love to try that dessert.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Mostly the coconuts are round when the husks are removed. We eat fresh. And prepare many dishes using them. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myna
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sounds like a good week with a lot of coconuts and fruit. That hint of sea in the background is cool. I like your thoughts on silver linings. I’m sure it was fun watching the dogs and Mynas playing – sounds like all species had a good time.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Coconut plucking – something I have never seen. Nor I have seen a pile of coconuts like on your photo. I am intrigued.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We got 500 coconuts from 9 trees. Next plucking will be in September or October. Not everyone can climb a coconut tree . It is like a pole with no branches.
LikeLike
Thank you for sharing the video. It will be in my mind next time I eat anything containing coconut.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Terje, our trees are not as tall as in the video. Our neighbour told us that the pluckelrs do not agree to climb such tall trees. The owners just gather the coconuts as they fall down by themselves.
LikeLike
Isn’t “regular” life a source of continued joy and inspiration? So much to see and appreciate right and around home. I liked spending time in your area with you.
LikeLike
I love Coconut ice cream. Delicious!
LikeLiked by 1 person