For the cute angel that gurgled at me while I walked past today , you made me smile and helped me put back my dwindling faith in the general good and humanity in general, god bless xx
A relaxing Stroll
After a rather disturbed few days ,owing to many things ,especially knowing I am miles away from my parents and my dad is just recovering from a surgery , I have been living sort of underground.
I felt as if what I was doing was weird in a way, as if , almost mechanical.
Maybe some higher power came into play …. today was exceptionally sunny ,though the weather is swiftly moving towards an early Autumn and it’s getting cooler on the whole, we enjoyed some glorious sunlight for the better part of the day.
I went for a stroll with a shopping list but turned around half way and walked to the common instead, luck I did , I had a this amazing feeling of calm like a warm blanket wrap itself around me .
I left as if this massive weight had lifted off my mind and I could think straight again
The sunlight was shining through beautiful white, fluffy clouds and I saw this airplane fly past,I kept watching till it became a tiny little speck in the sky and eventually was swallowed up by time and I sent hugs to my daddy and my loved ones, though I cannot visit them but am sure my love has reached them via some secret angels flying alongside that plane….sighh….
Olympics 2012 Hightened Excitement !
Didn’t want this blog post to languish in my drafts folders , I wrote it on the day I saw the Olympic Flame at Ealing Broadway- 24th July 2012 Tuesday ,ALSO wanted to post pcitures of the 2 Olympic events and blog about the excitement surrounding the Games,so had to start somewhere……
I was relatively unaffected by all the BUZZ surrounding the Games,almost immune in a way , but I guess what turned things around almost 360 degrees inside my brain was watching the Olympic Flame along with a large crowd ….
On the 23rd Monday the flame was set to pass by through Wimbledon , I did manage to just catch a glimpse and was rather disappointed as the crowds moved off and I didn’t get any pictures. So with steely determination and a purpose in mind I set off the next day to see the flame near Ealing Broadway .
I set off early, the weather was unusually amazing , the sun was shining brightly ,in fact a bit too bright for me as I spent over 2 hours toasting under the direct heat just to watch the flame pass by .
But if ever there is a shared experience with a bunch of strangers that I shall cherish then it is this … and of course in the next 2 days am off to see some events at 2 different venues , but this particular experience makes me go all quite and i can replay the scenes in my mind over and over again ….
The crowds had just begun to get in and throng the sidewalks leading to a public park close to the Ealing Broadway station, I stood at one such sidewalk , thanking my stars that I had arrived early and had found space to lean against a railing . I had for company a primary school teacher who was very nice and chatty (thank god !)and a rather grumpy looking lady on my right who wasn’t too pleased by my arrival as she had to ”make space ” for me on the railing , sigh, it takes all types to make the world now doesn’t it ?
No sooner had I settled and Ms.Teacher and me were discussing the current political situation , that there was a large influx of crowds , the Sun decided to turn up the heat by several notches and a large group of police men and women started patrolling the streets .
The first sign that the torch bearers were to arrive ! yay !
An old lady then came and I quickly helped her squeeze in next to me (on my right of course 😉 !!!) , she was very , very ,well, very chatty 😉 but very sweet all the same, then came along 2 boys aged 9 and 6 ,extremely fidgety and with their old aunt and decided that Ms.Tecaher and me were perfect people to chat with , so as they enlightened us about how the world appears to them and their opinion about almost anything , we started taking it all in.
Vendors hopeful of selling BG flags, balloons and all other bits and bobs were trying their best to tempt their wares .
At this point I really thought I would faint and was so grateful for The Metro I had picked up earlier at the tube station , it was my cap and was my shield  from the Sun and it’s persistent HOT HOT HOT presence.
Loads of cars and buses kept passing by the road making me wonder how the cops would manage the crowds and the other vehicles of the sponsors that were to pass by as they headed towards the public park for the evening celebrations – a mass public party so to speak !
Let me count down the minutes to when the flame actually arrived by way of sharing the pictures I clicked …
It is an event that celebrates human spirit and brings together the world like no other and what better way to make bring closer to the people of GB, than giving us all a chance to be a part of the Games if only as spectators to watch the flame pass us by ….For this chance am ever so grateful and I know this is a memory I shall cherish forever and share with all my loved ones as I have shared with you
Daunt Bookstore – A magical experience
I love reading and I love spending time in bookstores curled up in a comfy chair ,with the smell of new books all round and slipping away in my mind on crazy adventures to faraway places or chasing killers through the pages of a racy thriller.Whatever your genre’ of books , a visit to the historic Daunt Bookstore in London at Marylebone is a MUST!
Why ?
Well ,for one ,it’s inside an old Victorian building and though set now amidst a lot of modern shops around in the heart of Central London , one step inside and you are instantly inside a different world.
When you walk into the main area inside also where one can see a glass stained window and the steps leading to the basement and to the mezzanine sort of area and if you don’t fall in love with this book store then you are probably not one of the crazy book lovers that exist !
The beautiful eco friendly jute carry bag that one can buy from bookstore also has a stencilled image of this very view ,so readers feats your eyes on the image below and I hope it makes u sigh , I did , rather audibly so …
It’s old world charm coupled with the fact that they do have rather large and well researched collection of books is any book lovers dream come true.
My very pregnant pal K and me spent hours browsing ,reading -of course after settling ourselves near this massive stain glassed area on two cane chairs, but hey the basement is cosier , quieter and a proper ”loose yourself in the moment” type of setting .
I did find it annoying though that some people who came in , didn’t bother to speak in hushed tones or put their cellphones on silent mode ,grrrr , I dislike such bad habits ..note: making angry bird faces 🙂
I must also add that it was very nice indeed that one of the staff members allowed me to click these images inside with the promise that it wouldn’t disturb anyone.
Of course it would be massive injustice to us and the bookstore to walk out empty handed so K purchased a book on parenting and I decided to go for a classic : Three Men in a boat by Jerome K Jerome .
I did have an small debate whether I should allow myself to splash out on other books or beautiful post cards with vintage prints but on my shoe string budget and part time employment income it just didn’t seem right , oh well , in hope of happier days 🙂
After such a beautiful experience it was necessary to end the day perfectly so after a brief de-tour to a rather interesting shop selling fresh sea food,we landed at Patisserie Valerie ( the foodie in me just ended up walking into the sea food store ,chatting up with the friendly fella there and chomping on a green green sea weed which looks like thin tiny sticks with joints evenly spaced, it is naturally salty in taste and one can eat it after lightly stir frying in a generous blob of butter just as you would relish say, fresh asparagus !I unfortunately can’t recollect the name of the weed or of the store , oh well ! ) I am ever so grateful to the shop owner who was kind enough to let me click these images !
Well, after these visual delights , we allowed our senses to be bombarded with the amazing display of a maddening variety of cakes,pastries,pies and chocolates on display at the Patisserie Valerie. After settling onto a table I decided to gorge on a tart . Unfortunately, I was so besotted with the place and later lost in the experience that I didn’t take any pictures inside this wonder-full cafe. Established in 1926 all their 50 cafes spread across England have an undeniable charm, one must visit to know. Of course, now they are high tech too with a website and social media presence.
It certainly was one magical Wednesday but we had to part and get back from Victorian Times to attend the mundane tasks of our daily existence, ever so reluctantly we did…
Memory Palace ….
Thomas Harris has described this bit about his character Dr. Hannibal Lecter very vividly in his book. Of how he has many ”rooms” in the ”palace of his mind” where he has stored very colour full memories associated with various stages of his young and happy childhood , until war , disaster and finally the tragedy struck which turned him into the dangerously intelligent doctor with a taste for human flesh.
It may sound odd to draw an anaology from this biut somehow the memory palace started taking birth deep inside my head .
Many a times when I am reading a book , watching a film or simply taking a walk, if something or someone reminds me of a special memory from my life . I walk back in time and relive it , in all it’s glory , am sure at times I even imagine and add to that memory , just to amuse myself . Make a happy memory happier , a scary one less frightening.
God alone knows how many such ”rooms” we all have in our personal palace of memories stored inside the least understood but most mystifying part of us – our minds….
Is the British Summer really here ?
It’s been a fine few Sunny days this week , with no rain , the cloud all baby blue with fluffy tufts of white cloud like cotton candy flitting about , all pleasing to the eye. I notice more when I walk around , I smile to myself as I see the whole place washed in bright sunlight . I love the feeling of not wearing a heavy coat or finally getting a chance to show off my pedicure and my new Accesorize chappals 🙂 with shiny beads that glint like a million diamonds in the morning sun !
Even the early morning office goers seem to be smiling in spite of the rush!
The pubs are full in the evening with the wooden benches finally occupied with footfall fans enjoying the game with their mates.
My favourite park is packed to the brim with mum,s buggies, happy babies, toddlers of all shapes and sizes with pink cheeks crowding around the happy ice cream van vendor .
I hope this lasts though , I could really soak up a lot more sun. The evenings are definitely still chilly and as I wrap myself in my spring denim jacket and pace up home from my evening stroll , I look at the spanking new Coffee shop that;s come up around the corner .
Is my lazy little ”end of the road” locality going to loose it’s villagey charm I fear ? Sighh… anything and everything is bearable I feel if the British Summer soaks up the nation in all it’s summertime glory and if last years extended autumn was anything to go by then let’s hope for a spiffing one this year round too !
Ruskin Bond and Hayfever
I am suffering …it’s a crazy mix of Hayfever and a viral infection which is messing with my throat . So I am congested , sneezing ,wheezing,coughing and drowsy all the time .
As is my practise every morning , I logged into my email to check and there were 2 emails from my council library to come and collect the reservations – – Two Ruskin Bond books I have been waiting to get my hands on for months now !
In spite of all the misery , I am smiling , ready to rush out and get the books home, will then curl up on the sofa with a dozen fluffy pillows, a HOT mug of tasty chicken soup and read till I sleep into a blissful sleep – hopefully 🙂
I cannot believe I have gone through life not having read any of his awesome books , to think that he is of British descent and that many of the big book stores here do not stock his books is really sad . But thankfully the libraries run by the council’s in London are all connected so even if these books were miles away in another borough, I simply reserve them online ,albeit for a nominal charge and then just wait for then to make their to the library next to my house .
What I am looking forward to the most is slipping away into the bylanes of India’s northern states , seeing it through eyes and loosing myself in the magical tales he has weaved . I am sure he already has a long list of fans world over and I have added my name to that list . So Hayfever and a sore throat not withstanding, I am going to go get the books right away .
Ok maybe after a small ,much-needed nap 🙂
The Happy uppity sort of a feeling !
I am SURE it’s the SUN , it’s making me feel so cheerful,peppy , and am doing a zillion things more than I would on a gloomy day !
I have thrown open wide the windows , m actually hoping to do most of the things on my LONG ”To Do” list , I am smiling to myself and humming some silly tune 😉
Yes , am sure it’s the sun !
The Day the internet failed……
I wrote this piece on Monday evening ,the internet went up after a few hours ,after I wrote this , spent all of yesterday doing god knows what , so here I am updating my blog with stuff I should have uploaded long back …guilt guilt … sighh:)
It’ s been a very wet day , I woke up at half past 11 , quite late for a Monday morning for most of the world , including my hubby , but well ,probably acceptable for a retailer like me for whom a weekday becomes her Sunday . I would have typed 11:30 but the habit of saying half past so and so has finally seeped into my head thank to all the people around here at work in London , just another small, subtle but noticeable change at how one’s surroundings make us change our long learnt habits .
I do feel like stepping out and just talking a walk but my back has been sore for a few days and yes the weather isn’t helping at all in pushing me to step out , maybe if I treat myself to a new pair of wellis in a bright and cheerful pop colour it may help.
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I just saw a movie ‘’Sabrina’’ on T.V as I tried many times unsuccessfully to get my internet up and running , I started cooking too , now am brewing some hot ginger tea and am frying some spicy , hot dal vadas (fried crunchy finger food made from ground dals) , waiting for hubby to get home .
I know that by the type I upload this to my blog, the whole moment will have passed away but just wanted to write about it.
I am at home alone , it’s still a bit bright outside , there is a slight drizzle, a lonely person is trying hard to stay warm in a thin flimsy wind cheater on the bus stop opposite our building gate .I feel grateful for being indoors, having a warm place to stay , food to eat , a husband that loves me to bits and pampers me rotten , a laptop on which I can type this piece onto and a fairly decent life with very few things to crib about ,of course it isn’t perfect , but then isn’t perfection another illusion, shall I just say that I am happy with my life for now , it does suffice for now, certainly does .
I have a book next to me that I want to read , I will after I write this and sip my tea as I wait for my husband to get back from work.
I know what’s for dinner, a spicy traditional fish curry with steamed rice, comfort food for the soul.(The fish of choice is Bombay Duck – or as we call it in Marathi my mother tongue – ”gatgate” or ”Bombil”)
I don’t want to call anyone though am missing home back in India real bad since morning. I am sedate in a way but totally restless in some far corner of my mind.
I am not sure what the reason for that restlessness is, but then if we always knew all the answers for what we feel and why, life wouldn’t be what it is, would it?
I have no idea if anyone will read this and if they do what would they think about it? Spot a few grammatical errors perhaps or maybe incorrect sentence construction. Some might even think, ‘’what garbage, just because blogging is free, everyone who can type thinks they can write’’ Partly true perhaps as well I guess…
Anyway , I am not writing for anybody , it’s more of a release, a diary of sorts , a catharsis even , who knows …just that I want to write this for now …
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Aaah the husband’s back, now to get cracking on preparing dinner, catching up on how we spent our day and other daily stuff that life is made up of…..
Bye bye or as the babes in the new Fosters telly ad say ‘’Toodles’’ ….
The Sand Man
Ok it’s official then , I am the WORLD’S worst aunt ….I love my 4 year niece dearly but to make her bedtime stick I scared her with a story … I told her that if she didn’t fall asleep by 8 pm every night …then …the SAND MAN would come ….
Her deep black pretty eyes widened with fear and she shook a little in her cute little bed and covered in her pink duvet she looked even more tiny ,surrounded by soft toys and what have you …
She whispered ,” but WHO sends him… and WHY ?”
Well, I said with a grave face , ” It’s the QUEEN !”
Shocked beyond her wildest fears A looked and me and said ” But the QUEENÂ is so NICE ,why does she do THISsssss????”
Pat came my reply ,” Well it’s part of her duties to see that all the little people in her Kingdom are well-behaved so if any one below the age of 8 is found to be AWAKE beyond 8pm he or she are made to face the SAND MAN”
Now really terrified she said ,”But WHAT does HE do?” her voice only a whisper now and she looked nervously at the door and clutched my hand even tighter …
”Oh , nothing he just mumbles something and POOF blows a bit of sand into the eyes of the kids and they fall asleep instantly (HA!) ”
A went all quiet and shut her eyes as tight as she could and tried to fall asleep , all the while her smart little brain thinking about this whole new threat to her 4-year-old play time way past her bedtime 😉
”But HOW does the QUEEN know I am awake ??”
AAH smart one little girl but I have an answer ready HA !
”Well, MY DEAR the QUEEN has a massive GPS tracking device fitted into all TV sets of families with little people below the age of 8 and that’s how she KNOWS”
A swallowed that bait and tried to fall asleep , but sleep was eluding her in the wake of this breaking news !
She peeled open her eyes and said ” what is the time?” I told her it was ten minutes past 8pm, she almost shrieked and said ”PLEASE tell the QUEEN not to send him today I am a GOOD girl,aren’t I ? I shall ALWAYS fall sleep by 8pm !! IS HE COMING go check ….”
Now my ”grown up’s” conscience pricked me a little and I comforted her ,telling her and assuring her that I knew she was an angel and so did the Queen so no Sand Man tonight but from tomorrow onwards surely he would keep a close watch on her lest she behaved badly and refused to sleep off by 8pm or even refused to brush her teeth before bed ….sigh the fibs one has to tell !
Just when I thought she has slipped into la-la land , her sleepy voice asked ” But why don’t GROWN UP’s like you have a SAND MAN too? What is YOUR bed time ??”
Now she had caught me off guard , but without skipping a beat , I told her the HARD fact of life ,” my dear , we grown up’s are supposed to be RESPONSIBLE for our actions and so we should also be asleep at least by 11pm , or it’s not good for our health ”
Satisfied with that reply she fell asleep still clutching onto my hand …as I crept out the room and switched on the little night lamp , I felt triumphant at having ensured that a 4-year-old will hopefully now sleep on time almost everyday .
A few days later I received a call from my sister-in-law , she was happy to inform me that the SAND MAN story was still quite fresh in her mind and she had even tried standing in front of the television set beyond 8pm waiting for him but unnerved by the consequences had run up to her room and slept off almost immediately ! we giggled like school girls but I admitted how guilty I felt at having scared her into sleeping on time …
How innocent is the mind of little children who do at times , even in today’s times , believe what the adults tell them , especially the one’s they trust … If nothing I felt more protective towards her and of course fell in love with my sweet little angel all over again ….
Hail SAND MAN and yes apologies to Her Highness the Queen for adding yet another responsibility to your long list of duties , but I do want you to know that my sweet 4 year likes you a lot and so do I …
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