First three days

Year 2017 has dawned. 

New everything. Newness in the air.  Wish you all a very happy 2017.  The new year brings in a renewed energy, something we look forward to, new resolutions. Do we resolve or we don't. Resolutions made are only to be broken cause nothing is constant in life.  

So adding to the newness are these which will give me an opportunity to crochet again.  Been a while since I crocheted.  Am happy 

Created a birthday gift for  a dear friend.  That was fun.  Planted them about a fortnight ago. So that they get set. Added a layer of wheat just below the white pebbles so that she gets a surprise in the next few days when they sprout :)

And a new mug as a gift that came home from the Residential society we live in on New Year's day

Anything new adds joy. Let the joy multiply and continue through the year.  

Plant and flower exhibition

I wait for these exhibitions.  I missed it last time.  This time I was lucky.  Got to know though only on the last day.  Had fun.  Went alone and spent nearly two hours there. I love being amidst plants.  So love it :)

We have it once a year in the city.  Had blogged about  plant exhibition in the past also.  Here are a few more lovely colourful pictures.

The main attraction was a map of India created with petunia pots.  That looks so so colourful.

A few more formations

Dahlias.  Each not less than 10 inches in dia

There were flower decorations also.

And bonsais.

The bougainvillea

My favourite. Adaniums

The tall jade plant

Few more

Old tyres used wisely.

Feast to the eyes indeed

There were vegetables on display too

And vendors selling plants and other related products

Main attraction was a tomato plant, granted with a brinjal plant and both bearing fruits.

Needless to say I bought a few plants and thoroughly enjoyed the visit

Their new friend

Can you identify this bird? Perched on Vandita's hands!!  The children found it while playing and then on she changed hands like a passing the parcel game.  All of them were so excited. (Even me!!) .  She is sick and just did not fly. They had great plans of hosting her by turn.  Plans of making a bird house.  The excitement was unfathomable.  Then prudence prevailed.  She has been handed over to a girl who already has birds as pets at home.

Hope she gets well soon 

Mixed Bag :)

My daughter's admissions and then moving away from home :( kept me busy all along.  One point agenda.  Rest was all on the back burner.  Life coming back to normal with a void.   Missing her so often.  Then I tell myself.  Life has to move on.  Change is constant.  And this was bound to happen.  I too had left home at 18 and moved to the hostel.  But its only now that I realised that my going to the hostel and her moving out is so so different.  It isn't as easy as I thought it was !!!!! 

So its festival time every time she comes home.  She is just 3 1/2 hours away.....a train journey! We made yummy fried rice.

I love love lighting candles and placing lil flowers on my centre table.  It gives me so much of happiness every time I pass by...  brings a smile

Thats my lil' Vandita ready for a Bharatnatyam performance....sans the makeup.  That changes so much.

With makeup.   

A mixed bag indeed....Hope to meet you often :)  Have a wonderful Sunday !!!

Baking fun

I accidentally got to know of a baking class through a dear friend way back in Dec `13.  And jumped at this opportunity.  My girls love cakes.  That was the inspiration plus the zest to learn a new thing.  Just a two day class of 3 hours each.  We learnt to make 6 varieties.  Thanks to Shubhada Gadkari.  She is meticulous and particular.  No wonder her passion for baking could be easily seen in the class.

Since then, every b'day in the family gave me an opportunity to try.  Base cakes I've been baking regularly.  But those special ones were reserved for b'days.  This was the latest.  Chocolate truffle. Completely baked and decorated by my daughter Upasana under my supervision :)  I have graduated :)

My daughters chose what they wanted for their b'day.  So Jan and Feb was Chocolate truffle and black forest.

Here's the black forest . (Pls don't mind the quality of pics.  These two were from a cell

Then March saw fresh fruit cake. This was the best that I liked.  Sob sob I DON"T LIKE CHOCOLATE CAKES but I bake them for my girlies.

Here I could use strawberries, pineapple, black grapes and kiwi.

I also tried my hand at pineapple upside down

And ofcourse walnut cake and cup cakes

With the mango season on, I tried fresh fruit with mango layers

BaKiNg hAs beEn FUN :)