Monthly wrap up???

OK, so like Patty's weekend wrap ups, I am going to do a monthly wrap up cos I have been completely MIA on my blog for way too long now. Maybe a sporadic post now and then, but for those of you who think maybe I fell off the planet....nope, I'm here. 


So I've been reading a lot, had way too many books collecting dust on the shelf. 

Loved this book, I cannot believe it took me this long to read it...its been around for years!

Great book, very inspirational on how women fought hard to go to school, get educated and start their own small businesses after the Taliban came into Afghanistan and tried to put a stop to all of that. The story focuses on the tailoring business started by one Kamila Sidiqui. An easy read.....but very inspiring!

Am reading this currently.....about an Indian girl who comes back to visit India after being away for 7 years in the US. She arrives right in the middle of the mango pickling season. I can so relate to this especially as it is set in the city I live in - Hyderabad!

Then I've been painting a lot, just gifts for friends......

Then I've been gardening a lot, the weather has cooled down and its perfect fall planting time. Fall? In Hyderabad? Yes, when the temp is 80 degrees F as opposed to 100 degrees F, that's Fall! 

I've been harvesting insane amounts of organic basil and making insaner amounts of basil/walnut pesto. 

As well as harvesting and eating ginormous amounts of salad

 Then I've been sneezing a lot because the allergy season really socked it to me this year. I fought it via steam inhaling and neti pot-ing, but that didn't work. Then I tried Allegra...that didn't work either. Then I tried Homoeopathy...no good. Finally after 2 weeks of sniffling and sneezing and congested insomniac nights, (I was getting to a point where it was dangerous to be around me), I called my good old antibiotic dispensing doc, he did the needful and after one day of his potent medication I feel terrific! In fact, almost giddily light headed.......(the last time he gave me something, the right side of my face got numb and on googling I found the medication was banned in developing countries!!!!!))). Really. 

Then I've been blogging a lot for Saffron Marigold. Well, change that....blogging a bit, but messing around with their gorgeous samples a lot. I took all their lovely voile curtain swatches and hung them up in my studio......not only do they look fabulous, they're easier to look at and feel and touch when I need to write a post on them.

Do read my posts on their blog when you have time, In fact, I just posted one on India and the significance of flowers in our daily life here.

So see? I have been busy......!

Weekend Wrap-Up XI!

OK so I wasn't really planning on linking up with Patty's Weekend Wrap Up, but then she mentioned it is the last one for the year, so I buckled under the pressure and gave in! As you all know, I had guests this weekend too, my bro-in-law and family from Sydney, on their way back home after a European vacation...! It was a short 3 day stay but oh so much fun. My 10 year old niece loves our dog Lucy and vice versa, so for 3 days they were inseparable like each other's shadows. My 19 year old nephew ensconced himself in a chair in the library and immersed himself in John Grisham and Facebook. We adults sat around discussing everything under the sun.

I prettied up the house a bit with some flowers and greens....

My sis-in-law knowing my weakness for red and orange gifted me this gorgeous Murano glass pendant she bought in Venice. This picture really doesn't do it justice, it has a little band of gold glitter on it too, it is stunning!

On their way to Hyderabad they bought this decadent yuletide log in Singapore which we all gorged on that night....dark chocolate with cherries and some liquer in it! 

They left Saturday night. On Sunday I whipped up a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies (as gifts as well as some for my table snack) 

and we met up with some friends at the Hyderabad Sailing Club, one of the old establishments in this city 

 More gorging followed

 It was a really relaxing leisurely lunch, the weather was picture perfect, the food great, the conversation even better

And before I sign off I MUST mention this fabulous surprise I received on Saturday, delicious chocolates from someone in Bangalore. There was no name as to who it was from but after some sleuthing I found out it was from a fellow blogger.....so nice of her!

Its a busy time of the year, so much to do, so little time. So take a deep breath, count to 10 and relax! (I can hear my mom saying "YOU do that first and then preach to others"). I will not be blogging too frequently now for a few days. I have to work on a gift for my son and son-in-law for Xmas, a charcoal sketch of their beagle dog......plus I have another cousin and hubby visiting this week. I want to time it so my first blog on the year 2011 - my giveaway post - is my 201st!!!!! So another 3 more this month! Have a great week all of you!

Weekend Wrap-Up X!

Time for the WWU...yes, linking up to Patty's Weekend Wrap Up X!! Amazing how the days fly by, it seemed like just the other day I was posting on WWU IX!

Anyhow like they say time flies when you are having fun, and I had fun this weekend! Fun with what??? Fun with a baby....yes, an adorable 7 month old baby, my husband's cousin's daughter. The cousin was MIA, but his parents from Chennai and wife and baby from LA visited us over the weekend! Its been a while since we have had a baby in the house, the last time was when another cousin came with her 5 month old, about 2 years ago when our dogs were a year old and jealous of any small thing that demanded any attention, so they promptly nipped the little baby in the foot. Word spread of the baby nipping dogs in the Raghavan household and all babies and moms stayed away...till this weekend!!! Fortunately the dogs have mellowed or become too fat to expend their energy nipping toddlers or finally secure in the knowledge that we love them too....whatever the reason, they behaved and all was well!

Anyway, I digress....going back to babies, it was so much fun. And the fact that this was a very VERY social baby was great. I have quite forgotten how a baby can turn a house upside down...round the clock there were feeding bottles being sterilized, nappies being washed, formula being formulated, warm water being poured in thermoses, baby songs being sung, Dr. Seuss being read and stuffed baby toys being squeaked.

Here is baby Malavika....the 7 month old who had everyone's attention for 3 days and pics of the baby weekend!

I was given this absolutely gorgeous painted wood and ceramic gift by baby's mom

Then last evening after our guests had left, I went around the house from room to room trying to find a place to hang up my recent artwork, and decided here would be good

And then lit some lamps outside

It was a lovely weekend...busy but really enjoyable! Am expecting more guests from Sydney this week, so my blog posts may be few and far between, if at all! All of you have a lovely week! And thank you Patty....it is so much fun to do this. 

Weekend Wrap-Up IX

Am linking up with Patty's Weekend Wrap Up! Wow, its the ninth one!!!

As weekends go it was fairly typical, a little bit of everything with maybe just a wee bit more irritations as usual! Getting any kind of work done in the house...repair work, fixing broken things, gardening work...anything at all, is a hassle. After many years we finally decided it was time to repot all our pots, it was long overdue. The potted plants were clearly not happy.....they were getting spindly and sad, so after much deliberation....we went for it. Believe me when you have 400 plus potted plants in the garden, this is a Herculean project! So come Friday, this huge lumbering truck came by and deposited half a load of soil and half a load of manure (read-cow poop) on our driveway! Which by the way the dogs loved!!!

There must be something organically good about manure, cos even though it stank to high heaven, the fumes permeated into the house, wafted into the bedroom and when I woke up Saturday morning, my week long aggravating sinuses had miraculously cleared!! (I must google this some more......) 

So I fortified myself with a good solid breakfast ready to take on/supervise the project!

After giving the gardener instructions and telling him to be especially careful with my prized Shilparamam ceramic pots, I went around the garden to see what was new, marveled at all the colors nature produces, and gazed adoringly at the red passion flowers that were blooming on the pergola, and took some pics....

Adenium/Desert Rose

A solitary hibiscus that fell off the basket while being transported from tree to puja room

Red passionflower

Same flower different angle

Something from the coleus family...looks like poinsettia?

Then I played for a few minutes with the errant sunshine dancing around on my verandah

 Started on my new book and snacked on peanuts

Listened to some soulful music

Photographed some flowers inside

Got mad at the gardener and his crew for breaking some pots

 And then even madder for breaking some more.....

so I had to make a quick dash to the nursery to get more pots, and in the process bought 2 gorgeous poinsettias to add some Xmas flavor to the yard

which consoled me somewhat till I came back home to find that.....

....they had broken one of my favorite pots while I was away!!!! So I completely lost it, yelled at them and for my own safety came inside......

 ..........and meditated with the Buddha wishing I could be as calm as him!

....which didn't work, so I cleaned my studio, always a therapeutic thing for me, and found solace in a new oil painting I am working on

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend!