Flower Friday...You are a survivor!

Today is Friday, Today is also International Women's Day! And today was Flower Friday theme on Chennai Bloggers Club! 

Here are a few flowers that I came upon, that I think represent a Woman beautifully! 

Naga Pushpam- uncle brought it from the temple today. It has so many layers, the outer petals so thick protecting the delicate center from harm. The center too has multiple layers. just like a woman who has all these layers, an exterior that helps her deal with life and people... 

Frangipani- I love this flower, spotted this bunch on the tree in Tranquebar at Neemrana Bungalow on the beach. I spotted white and then I also spotted this pink, purple and yellow coloured flowers. They are always either in a cluster or single. Thick petals, an elegant shape and they stand out when compared to other flowers. Just like every woman, each one is unique, stands out and oozes with charm and strength..

Pretty Pansy in Ooty

During my visits to Ooty, spending a few hours at the Botanical Garden has become a routine of sorts. This time too i was there with friends, mainly cos it was my friend's 1st time in Ooty and because the gardens provided the kids open space to run and have some fun. 

I noticed this peculiar flower during my earlier visits as well. This time, i went up to a lady sitting nearby [who  had a bucket and a broomstick, and looked like someone who took care of the place] and enquired about this flower. She said it was called the Pansy, and dint know any more. They always remind me of Master Shifu from Kung Fu panda. the tiny face, focussed eyes and cute structure i guess.  Here are some shots from the recent visits and finally one from my earlier visit. 

                                                More from Ooty can be seen/read here

The Thread Gardens in Ooty

I walked out of the Botanical Gardens thirsty for more.. I wanted to explore Ooty some more.. I knew i might not have time the coming few days and decided to make the most of the day left. Hopped into an auto, and asked him to take me to the Lake.. I had no plans of going Boating, but wanted to walk around, enjoy the place. 

As i got off near the Boat house entrance, i noticed a board across the road "Thread gardens". The place looked run down and unkempt. But i dint let that alter my decision... Few short steps and i was at Ticket counter. The entry is Rs10 and additional Rs15 if you wish to take pictures. I noticed a man standing near the entrance, and the minute he saw people coming by, he got ready. He spoke about the gardens, the items on display and what was unique about them. 

This beautiful garden has been created by Mr. Antony Joseph and his team of 50 workers over 12years. Nearly 6cr meters of embroidery thread has been used in creating this one of a kind garden. And, to top it off, no machine has been used to create the flowers, lawns, ponds and so on. They have all been done by hand. Amazing...  You need to see it to believe it... 

A self invented technology called 'Four Dimensional hand-wound Embroidery' was utilized in creating the garden. There are over 400 different colours apart from the natural coloured threads that have been used across the display.  

Cardboards formed the base for the flowers and petals while copper& Steel wires became stems, all of which have been covered with colourful threads.  In all, there were about 150 kinds of flower and decors which will remain fresh and alive for years to come.  

Infact, as the walk through the gardens came to an end, i spotted a table with a few individual flower plants nestled within glass case for sale. These too had been painstakingly woven from thread....Beautiful.. I couldnt imagine having so much patience, doing such intricate weaving by hand...

Project 365 Day 73 Bright

I dont know the name of the flower

But i do know its beautiful

I dont know how tall it grows

but i do know its got attitude!!

Spotted this flower in the Bannerghatta Butterfly park, bangalore

project 365 Day 66 Fresh

White petals with a splash of yellow on them on a tree that had very few leaves left. Now, that is Frangipani for you... Saw this tree almost everywhere i went, especially in Pune at the Vipassana center. I dont know the tamil word for this flower, nor if there is an English name for it, but Frangipani it is till then! 

The very 1st time i saw this was in Delhi when we were on the road when suddenly my baby cousin, then 3yrs old suddenly yelled out "Daddy, Frangipani" from the back seat of the car... :-))

[Project 365] Day 4 - Burst

January is the month Chennai Sangamam comes to town... I have made it a point to visit the fest atleast twice during the week it runs... This time though, was able to go only once, to Natesan Park, Tnagar.. The park was pretty bare, there was a music concert going on, and there were clusters of people sitting around the park enjoying the music.. Near the entrance, i saw a few engrossed in a Kili josiyam, some in Kuri josiyam and few children sitting with their arms and legs stiff as an artist created magic with colours.... 


On my way out, i caught a glimpse of this beautiful strand dangling in the evening breeze... Even though a few of the white flowers had dried, the orange blossom had me glued :-)  

The Gardens beckon

It had been 10years since my last visit to Ooty,and memories came flooding as the bus reached Ooty. While waiting for a ride to take me to the YWCA[charring cross], my mind began wandering listening to the conversations floating in the air from the group standing next to me. They spoke about going boating, to a thread garden and then to Coonoor.

It was the month of May, Chennai was crazy hot and Ooty was so cool and windy... I knew i was going to love the 5days there...  The room i stayed in was within walking distance from the gardens and so that was where i headed the 1st day... Grabbing a sandwich and coffee at Cafe Coffee Day, armed with my camera and wallet i made my way to the Botanical garden

This Botanical Garden was laid out in 1847 by the Marquis of Tweedale and is spread over 55 acres. Lush green well maintained lawns, rare tree species (like the cork tree which is probably the only such tree in India, the paper bark tree and the monkey puzzle tree - monkeys cannot climb this tree), a 20 million year old fossilized tree, an Italian-style garden bordering a clear pool, a vast variety of flowering bushes and plants in myriad hues (exotic and ornamental), fern house with a vast range of ferns and orchids, are some of the many highlights of this garden

The beautiful horse cart that stood at the entrance of the garden....

The infamous India Map....













I walked for nearly 2hours and i knew i had seen not more than 30% of the park, that is how vast this garden was..... There were people everywhere, some were wandering about, while others had plonked to rest their feet or grab some lunch. It resembled a picnic spot of sorts... Ofcourse not to forget the zillions who wanted their picture taken near every tree, pond and the various canopies... Was quite amusing....

 The Tree stump that was over 300 yrs old...

These flowers reminded me of  Master Shifu, the red panda from Kung Fu panda... 

 Hidden within was this quaint little building...

 A pretty flower in the Glass house situated right in the center

 The Three headed cactus as i call it..

As i was walking around the garden, a lady called me over asking if i would take a "picture" of her and her husband near a plant.. I obliged and did the same... She then went on to tell me how they were newly married and in Ooty for their honeymoon... A few minutes later, she stared at me as if waiting for a similar story from my end... 

"I am actually here on work, and had a free day, so came to visit the gardens"i replied.. The husband was stumped- i literally saw his mouth gape open... "You have come alone? How.. Why.... "... Managed to wiggle out of there after muttering a few sentences, which i could see had them puzzled... Luckily, the phone rang and i escaped the eyes of the newlyweds!! :D  

People and their opinions

Places and their beauty........

[Wordless Wednesday] Dark beauty

Look what i found to share for Wordless wednesday today.... :- )

[Wordless Wednesday] Serene

This was shot at Hotel Harrisons, Chennai, near the entrance...Always captures my heart!!
It was taken on my  Blackberry!! :)

For more Wordless wednesday shots, click here

[Mosaic Monday] Burst of colours

Today, while going through my google reader, came upon a blog post titled Mosaic Monday, looked interesting and so decided to take it up and do a post of my own!!

Over the past few months, the roads have taken me in many different directions, the most memorable being the one to Madurai and Rameswaram... Madurai has many memories from my childhood days, while Rameswaram had been on my "Must visit" list for over 2yrs now!!

The temples, the beach, the place -Beautiful experience!! 

The other vacation i took was most recent, absolutely inexpensive, but most fun!! It was to my uncle's Coffee plantations in Biccode... A comfortable bus journey from Bangalore to Belur, and then a 4 wheel drive into the plantations..All we did was walk amidst tall trees, look for the elusive birds, and capture some interesting flowers and sights....

Click here for more Mosaic Monday posts!!

Colours of Summer

During my previous visits to Bangalore, here are some shots taken during our daily walks and around the city.... 

Looking forward to more trips... more shots... more beauty...more nature!! :)

Lal Bagh...Flowers, Feathered friends, and Fotography

It was saturday, and i was up at 5.45am - much to my aunt's surprise and ready to scoot by 6am.. What was the occasion? Was going to Lal Bagh Gardens to catch the sunrise and shoot a few pictures of the beautiful gardens... the previous night, while chatting with a friend, he mentioned that he had plans of heading to the gardens and i jumped saying am coming...Infact i wasnt even sure if i had my camera since i was staying over at an aunt's house just that night [ had asked friend to bring me his digi cam]

Lady luck was grinning down at me, i had my camera...Borrowed a shawl from aunt[am not a shawl sweather person, but travelling by auto in chill weather can be taunting..hence the cover]... Reached the gardens at 6.30 and began the journey that was not only beautiful but peaceful.

In the midst of all the walkers and joggers, i stood out strolling through the various lanes, soaking in the beauty of nature, clicking at random things that caught my eye..Paused near the glass house to see if anything from the flower show remained.. The Qutb Minar and A lady with the pot of water were the only ones waiting , as if they knew i was coming...

As i strode along the gardens, a sense of calm and peace settled over me...Amidst the morning busy bees, i happily let myself get lost.. There were times i paused to enjoy the sight of squirrels scurrying about, the Brahmini Kite chase a lone crow, few stray dogs look at me like they knew me and were protecting me....

Those few hours were blissful..I was lost in my own world, with my thoughts and cherished it all.. My friend, the one who was to have come early, reached about half hour later, and from there on, we chatted, took more photographs and caught up on our lives..

Explored new parts of the park i had never been to, shared a few laughs over the pelicans that were flying about, one sitting right on top of a dead tree.. the crows longing for attention eeverytime we tried taking a picture of the pelican or the lotus in the pond or the lovely palm trees...

Spotted quite a few grey heron, pond heron, kites, kingfisher, drongo, spotted dove, bulbul, cormoron, parrots and some others which i had never seen before... Shot a video of a bird so i could show it to my cousin to identify it.. Was good fun....

There are times when being alone is just what we need and for me, it is precious. I long to escape the hustle bustle, people, thoughts, deadlines, future and everything else that make our Life what it is...

With so much around us, i realised, its all upto us to find what makes me happy, what keeps us grounded and what drives us ahead...

For more pictures of Lal Bagh click here ... Off on another adventure!!! write to you soon!!