Gardening and Other Hobbies

Friday, April 6, 2012

cleaning day

Hectic day cleaning of the fish pond and the coconut trees. Shekhar the watchman cleaned the coconut trees his earlier profession was plucking coconuts so he was fully equipped with one rubber ring round his waist and the tree and one smaller one round his legs with a basket tied to his waist for the knife.However I had to clean up the litter around the trees once the cleaning was done not just stuff from the tree but a few pots with plants under it broke so had to rescue the plants.
Then there is the fish tank which needed cleaning the fish transfered to a bucket while the cleaning was on and then put back quite a tricky task with the wriggling fish!

Got 10-12 coconuts from each of the three trees

Birds decided to visit the clean tree

The squirrel family is not too happy they seem disappointed with all the messy fiber on the tree top gone....they were busy whole afternoon inspecting the three trees in turn.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Who Will Cry When You Die

101 simple truths of life each hardly two pages ,each one of them actually expanding on the concept in the Authors words: " All too often we believe that in order to live a truly fulfilling life we must achieve some great act or grand feat that will put us on the front covers of magazines or newspapers.Nothing could be further from the truth . A meaningful life is made up of series of daily acts of decency and kindness, which, ironically, add up to something truly great over the course of a lifetime."

Some more words from the Author that left a deep impact on me:
" If you don't act on life, life has a habit of acting on you.The days slip into weeks ,the weeks slip into months and months slip into years.Pretty soon its all over and you are left with nothing more than a heart filled with regret over a life half lived."

"We walk this planet for such a short time. In the overall scheme of things , our lives are mere blips on the canvas of eternity.So have the wisdom to enjoy the journey and savor the process."

"The quality of your life is ultimately shaped by the quality of your choices and decisions"

" If you have suffered more than your share of difficulties in life, perhaps you are being prepared to serve some greater purpose that will require you to be equipped with wisdom you have acquired through your trials."

Man's Search For Meaning

It is partly auto biographical, Dr Frankl's Experiences in a concentration camp, partly psychological- logotherapy. Nietzsche's words "He who has a why to live can bear with almost any how" is the essence of this book.The first thought that comes to my mind as one reads of the horrors that Viktor Frankl went through and survived without losing the spirit to survive is to wonder why I I do not persevere against lesser odds.

Zephyr - no choice but love him

All pics of Zef when he was a pup were lost with the cell phone that got lost . These are the only one we have.

Zephyr hunting Lizards in the garden

staring competition Sameer & Zephyr

Waiting to steal the roses..he eats them!

Wet nose

Who is happier Mary or Zef?

Zef & his Ma

baby zef and his pink tongue

he would jump on to the chair on the terrace before anyone else sat on it
but did not know how to get off it without help :)

Summer and Chennai

My attempt to rearrange the cactus collection

Okra saplings

Tomatoe plants don't look too happy this time - the super hot Chennai summer perhaps :(

Neither is Zephyr enjoying the summer insists on lying in the foyer since that is under the overhead water tank and hence cooler:)

Flowers don't seem to mind the scorching heat as long as they get water twice a day! Double petal Balsam beaming in the sun.