Thursday 20 May 2010

A little of this and a little of that ...

Warning : Long post ... no food. :-)



What happens when you take a break from the routine? You make use of the time as well as you can knowing it won't last for long.
But what happened when I took a break from blogging? Well ... I knew it will last for as long as I would want to. So no extra enthusiasm to arrange dishes, to click, to write a post and then .... post.

It is not that I am not cooking at all ... I just don't feel like going through the whole process of making a post.
But visiting other blogs is giving me a push. Yes, I have been visiting all your blogs on and off ... but have not been leaving comments very diligently ... and I do hope I'll be excused for that.

Today I thought of compiling a lot of snaps that I have clicked over a span of time.

These little things that I click or make are usually meant for my other blog. But since it has a very limited number of visitors, am sharing these here.
There are lots more .... will make a few other posts again soon.


This Crane was clicked on our way to Shirdi ... a farmer was sowing his field and a lot of these were following him for seeds. It was blazing hot in the sun ... I ran out, clicked and ran back into the car.


This little Kingfisher used to come over to have a leisurely dip in the pool everyday. Afterwards, it will sit and dry itself ... shaking all over ... this way and that. Now, with the onset of summer, the pool is cleaned up and is now filled with kids of all sizes. All this little fellow can do now is sit on the wire above the pool and look wistfully.


This Bulbul sits here every morning and sings. I caught it just as it opened its little beak to sing out. Every morning ... very early in the day ... this place belongs to this singer. Later it will be taken up by the kingfisher, then the sparrows and then the crows.


I had a very funny time trying to click this graceful lady ( I really do not know if it is a male or a female ... it just looks so delicate I think it has to be a lady ). I was on supermacro and needed to be real close to her. The more I moved in on her, the more she ... very gently ... moved away. There was also a very strong breeze .... and at one point she very delicately brought out a 'finger' to move away the lens from her face. Unfortunately could not click that ... was too busy jumping away. :D


Clicked ... like all other snaps here except that of the crane ... from my balcony.



My bird bath is not used only by the birds for water. This wasp has been visiting this place regularly ... it was not before the fourth day at a stretch that I realised that it is coming here for water. And this is how it drinks. Everytime.


Mr. Busybody had no idea he was being watched. Squirrels are abundant here ... and noontimes are filled with their shrill barkings.


This Bee Eater had just finished a bath. These birds are a wonder to watch ... they catch live insects from the air .... sit down and beat the insect against their foothold to stun it ... and then gobble them up. Hope to make a recording of them in action one day.



This Kite had come following something and made a rare landing. See how it merges with the dead branches.


The Striated Heron .... again from my balcony.







Tried my hand at gardening. Threw some mustard seeds ... see the seeds along with the saplings?


Got some wonderfully sunny flowers within a fortnight.


I was more interested in the leaves ... wanted to have Sarson ka Saag. Nothing doing. The plant straightaway went on to bear fruit.


Needless to say ... I did not have the heart to chop off a single leaf. :-)


I had just stepped out into the balcony to hang some clothes to dry. Froze when I saw this handsome guy sitting there. Very sombre, very quiet. There was no restlessness in him.

He was not bothered by my presence ... kept on contemplating whatever was on his mind. I hung the clothes with very little movement and went inside to get the camera. I could not believe my luck ... he was still stting there.

Clicked a few snaps and left him alone. Checked out after a good 20 mins ... he was still there.

And oh, while on our feathered friends ... an update. After Quasimodo, another Ma and Pa Pigeon had a baby ... but this time it was on our balcony ledge. :-)
For those who came in late, you will find Quasimodo here and here.


That will be all for now folks.

We are been having a difficult time staying in this flat ... the society committee is hell bent on doing something illegal on our roof ... and we are fighting a losing battle.
We are quiet people and no match for hoodlums. So in case we need to move out, these will be our memories of this flat ... that looks out into a small wood ... where we get to see so many wonderful wildlife.

I thank you all who have cared to keep in touch and have enquired after my health. Hopefully I will be back with some food posts soon.

Take care all ! :-)

30 comments:

  1. Dear Sharmila
    Very nice indeed, wonderful photos and narration
    I am sure you are fine now
    best wishes
    ushnishda

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  2. lovely post sharmila !!

    well written and the pictures are worth a million bucks.....i click pictures of birds too as i get many of them here , it's so difficult with some of them as they keep moving but the last bird you said din't move for such long time??

    that muskmelon n cherry pics look great too...

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  3. Hey Sharmila,

    So good to hear from you on your blog after ages. Food or no food.

    The pictures are amazing and you really seem to live in paradise. I know what scoundrels the society folks can be. Can only hope that things work out for you and that you can stay back.

    Cheers

    Kalyan

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  4. Beautiful Pics ..Very nice
    Visit me soon ..hehe

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  5. Beautiful pics of Spring, great photography too.

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  6. Lovely pictures Sharmila. Now I am curious as to where you live. I had assumed you lived in Delhi. Now if all those birds are found there I have to change my opinion of the place.

    I hope the balcony issue gets resolved and you continue to live in the place.

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  7. I envy you Sharmila. What a beautiful place you stay in. I hope the problem gets resolved.

    Ei amar food fiction ki holo, oita likhtei hobey

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  8. I second Sandeepa, I really envy you that you can actually see Striated Heron and cranes from your balcony. lovely post and great clicks. will pray that everything is sorted out and you get to stay in that beautiful balcony.
    gata ak mas khub chap e chilam ei firechi tai akdom khonj neoya hayni. Sharir kamon akhon? byatha komeche?

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  9. Thanks Ushnishda! Am on the way to recovery ... although a little slowly. :-)

    Thanks Sangeeta! Surprisingly birds and animals are never scared of me. :-)

    Thanks Kalyan! I hope so too ... but we are nobodies when it comes to a group bound together by ill intentions against the common man.

    Thanks Mangala! Will do. :-)

    Thanks Asha! :-)

    Thanks ISG! I live in Pune in an area that still has some greenery left. And our balcony opens to a small wood with a little water body ... hence all this wildlife here. :-)

    Thanks Sandeepa! Unfortunately cannot call the people here beautiful too.
    Food fiction er kotha mone ache ... last date ta dekhe elam ... nischoi likhbo. Shudhu ki likhbo ta jani na. :p

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  10. you do live in heaven... or you have made the place heaven... What lovely creatures come to visit you!
    Hope you are feeling better!

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  11. Ahh U know I get the same feeling every now n then and do the same too ...so I understand ...and lovely pics you got..looks so gud

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  12. Loved seeing all the pics but i love the last one the most :-)

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  13. Sharmi,

    I cant believe you live in such a beautiful place surrounded by such amazing flora and fauna. Aito shundor jaygaaa Delhi te kolpona ii kora jaayenaa...its very bad you will be moving away.

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  14. Sharmila, asha karchi tumi ager theke ektu bhalo acho...amar mail ta hack hoyeche, moreover I'm not able to access my blog, as ota oi account theke open hoto..so ami other blog ta use karchi ekhon, visit me there.
    http://riappyayan.blogspot.com
    Thanks amar khoj neyar janya, khub bhalo laglo...amar baba-ma esechen amar kache, tai blogging er janya kono time nei..puropuri enjoy karchi..take care and this post is very beautiful, loved all the pics,especially the orange one, melon or something? Gr8

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  15. pics look so colourful,will be waitin for ur posts

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  16. Thanks Somoo! Am recovering slowly. :-)

    Thanks Priti! :-)

    Thanks Happy! It is my fav too. :-)

    Thanks Joyee! I do hope we don't have to move away .. but the people here are terrible to live with.
    Delhi too has some very beautiful and green patches. :-)

    Thanks Indrani! Will visit your new blog. Tumi tomar account er password change kore felcho na keno? Na ki ekdom haater baire chole geche ... aha re ... blog ta o access korte parcho na?!

    Thanks Priyanka! Will try to post some food soon. :-)

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  17. You get to have only one set of good neighbors and I guess you have the best that anyone can have...:-)
    Forgive and ignore the silly humans!! :-)

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  18. Great photos Sharmila. Glad you are back again.

    And which hoodlums are bothering you? Aamake bolo! :-)

    You do live in a beautiful place. I would never give it up. Goonda gulo ke nijer blog'er URL ta pathite daao. :-)

    I hope something good happens and you don't have to move out.

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  19. Hi Sharmila
    Thanks for posting your wonderful comments in my blogs. Sharir kamon ekhon? Loved the cliks that you have posted. So beautiful that just looked at each one of them for at leasrt 3 minutes each. Bhalo Theko and keep posting such wonderful clicks.

    Deepa
    Hamaree Rasoi

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  20. sharmila where you live is a slice of heaven. I am just awestruck by the pictures of the birds. We all love watching birds and Texas has tons of them... I do need to take more pictures. This post speaks for itself. beautiful.

    Take care. shabdhane thakbe. :-)

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  21. Wish I could Joyeeta. Unfortunately amader raater ghum ure geche ehankar paji lokeder jonne ... shey onek kotha.

    Lol Pree! Thanks. :-)

    Thanks deepa! :-)

    Thanks Soma! Tumi oi gaacher tolaye ghumiye thaka bunny'r ekta snap post koro toh ... khub dekhte icche korche. :-)

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  22. Orey baba...that's not good!
    Hmmm...wish and pray that shob paji lokera pune chhede jeno onno kothao chole jaaye!! anyway, aito shundor jaygay paji lokeder kono kaaj nei...

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  23. I was reading this post ,playing that baol song you provided the link, mesmerising affect ..koto shondor chobi tole cho ..bhishon bhalo laglo..r sorry keno..tumi eshe post pore jao tai onek..lovely post , jai abaar oyi gaan ta shoni:)..sodho mone hoye eyi gaan e ,laal paar saree pore bachara dance korle koto cute lagbe.
    hugs and smiles

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  24. Stunning pictures...
    I could enlarge every one of them.
    Love the sprouting mustard greens and the bird.

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  25. As I was going through your wonderful clicks, I was thinking you must be living in an enchanted house, to have so many beautiful birds visit you. Well, a wooded area close to your home will have to do. :)

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  26. Sharmila, such gorgeous pictures! My favorite has to be the little bitty squirrel with the striped back. It's wonderful that you have such a keen eye for nature and all the beauty within.
    Hope you're feeling better now-- I haven't had a chance to visit in a while because of a dozen different things going on right now, including Lucy's illness, but always wishing you the best!

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  27. Thanks Joyee! :-)

    Thanks Jaya! Gaan ta ki bhalo tai na? :-)

    Thanks CC! :-)

    Thanks Jaya! :-)

    Thanks Vaishali! So glad you could make it here and thanks for your wishes too. :-)

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  28. well, don't underestimate the power of truth http://mumbaicoffeehouse.blogspot.com/2009/05/fake-housing-society-secretary-creamed.html

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  29. Sharmila, these are gorgeous pictures! You have captured so many pretty birds so beautifully.

    I always try to take pictures of birds that come to our area but they are very difficult to catch on camera as they keep moving ! Great job, loved the narration too....

    Hope you get well soon...

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  30. Thanks Kalyan! :-)

    Thanks Usha! Long time.
    Yeah ... you have to be real patient to click birds. Their alertness keeps them restless. :-)

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