Of Weddings, Flowers & Lil Furballs

#DailyFlowers

Over the last 20 days of December the blogger has had the honor of attending 2 weddings. One in the extended family and of a friend's daughter. Could the weddings have been more dissimilar yet similar, is difficult to say. The mehndi & ladies sangeet at both were filled with song, dance, laughter, togetherness, family, friendly competition, good food and more. The weddings were a solemn occasion as they should be along with the usual revelry, song, dance, band-baja-baraat, jaimal & pheras. At both the blogger broke from the norm and wore traditional Indian attire (more on that some other time). But this post is being written specifically for Shalini. Permission to use some commonly shared pix has been sought and taken for granted, (alas the blogger is wicked)!

Into the bitter Delhi winter, the blogger went
In response to summons Shalini had sent
Her darling daughter was tying the knot
Friends were to be present, the lot 
Mehndi, ladies sangeet, the wedding was a fun-filled day
As music, dance, laughter, songs held sway
Escorted to the dais by a dancing singing team
Joy, laughter, love, music and much more fun was the theme
Darling daughter & groom to be
Complimented each other in attire for all to see
The bridal side was singing banna-banni songs
The groom’s mother added her melodious voice along
One saree eclipsed another as color decked the halls
The men didn’t lag behind and added to the thrall
Dance matchups lit up the stage
As both parties competed for advantage

Delhi in winter is actually great fun

There are many goodies to savor in the sun

And mums, petunias, roses all are on display

Their multiple hues make for gorgeous displays

My aunt a visit to the rose show did devise

But that excursion never did arise

Alas, a slip of hand and foot was all it took

From a bad tumble, my aunt was all shook

Speedy recovery for her is desired

For her continued good health many have inquired

The sun came out after a gloomy rainy day
And all of God’s beings came out to play
Three lil furballs scampered around
From tree to cycle to basket to ground
Tiring of all the jumping and play
They did on the table curl and lay
One lil furball decided to be queen
With her head down declined to be seen
Both Shalini & Captain came to mind
As the blogger captured antics of the feline kind

Excluding wedding, all pix taken by the blogger!

Dazzling Blooms

 #DailyFlowers

 As days go by, one would think it would be easier to write the posts, but somehow, somewhere the drive is watered down, words are hard to come by, rhymes form and they vanish in the blink of an eye. This blog has grown and how and contributors come from far and wide. My apologies to them, but sometimes lines refuse to form on command and the blogger cannot cater to some contributors' demand. It is an honor to receive your flowers from far and wide, nature and you do take me on an energizing ride. This blogger requests your patience for some more while...

The clock ticks on by & bye
Time on its own speed does fly
Days & nights continue their march
Life moves on towards some pivotal arch
In the blink of an eye 6-months have gone
But of their beauty, days are sometimes shorn
Full well you loved the sound of the rain
Drizzles bring their own pleasure and pain
A sudden loss brings to fore the fragility of life
Another soul has been freed from the daily strife
Families left behind are stoic in their loss
After all, Destiny is everyone's boss
Live life to the full & strive for more
Who knows what awaits on that distant shore
Breath & steps in cadence move
To the divine's music we should groove
Nature with its full splendor on display
Richness of hues it does portray
This blogger sometimes loses the refrain
Her brain struggles to keep moving the flowery chain
Some questions bring themselves to the front
Sometimes they are hard to stunt
Colors & hues shared spear through
Daily they knock, while words doth pursue
Demand fingers to keyboard be put
Rhymes be pushed out from underfoot
When the nagging becomes too strong
The blogger is driven to not let agony prolong
Then come lines, connected and linked
On the page this rhymer drops some ink

A day of blue
A hue that always knew
It could vividly shine
And be ahead of the line
Bunches of blooms
Cutting through clouds like shiny plumes
Hues rich, glistening shades
Reminders that Nature's beauty never fades
Make hearts sing
Much joy bring

Then came visiting some bright reds
Sheer gorgeousness put them right ahead
Of the morning's gifts n surprises
These definitely were the prize
Some went onto mountain climb
Their beauty was sublime
Other colors dared in sneak
They also longed to peek

Hibiscus and lilies always rule
They are the leaders in the school
From near and far have they been brought
For our satisfaction by cameras caught
Many a word can be written in praise
On them repeatedly we feast our gaze

Then came mums and cone flowers
Brilliance they did shower
Flowers in churches and by flag posts
Serene and lively hosts
If blues have been about
Lavenders-violets do also scout
They also join the blooming parade
Color after color, quite a cascade

Some more frames await their turn, next time, I guess...

 My Co-Contributors

Shalini, Shantha, Vivek & Beacon; Vivek, Shantha, Shalini-Rina; Vivek, Shantha, Shalini, Silverlightgal; Beacon & Bhaskar; Shashi, Shantha, Shalini & June; Shashi & Shantha; Beacon, Shalini & Kirti; Bhaskar, Beacon, Devlina & Shantha; Ranjona, Shantha, Vivek, June, Rachna & Bhaskar; June, Shashi, Shantha & Shalini; June & Shashi; Shantha, Shalini & Moushumi; Shashi & Shantha.

Preening Flowers

#DailyFlowers

 

 I thought long and hard whether I should write this post, whether I would be able to write this post. Till now words did me fail, rhymes, verses lines did for some unknown region set sail. The pain of the parting was just too hard. Time they say is the greatest healer, time alone will soothe pain. It is true what they say, but life cannot be simply wasted away

Life's a strange sort
Sometimes it turns you into a worrywart
At others it bustles merrily by
You can literally see time fly
Still at others a full stop it does ring
To your knees with sorrow bring
Then having served you your due
It rings in days anew
It gives you not too much time to grieve
Experiences it filters through a fine sieve
Amidst all this turmoil nature stands fast
Its ephemeral glories bloom and go past
This blog post is now much overdue
Cobwebs in the brain now must go shoo

 The pretties brought forth a sigh
Such beauty and rich colors all so nigh
Flowers in full plumage do preen
Soothing and so cheery the scenes
A balm to aching hearts
New chapters they encourage to start
Their lives they merrily live
To us so freely give 

Mums & Mums at the flower show
Grace, poise, cheer they did show
Colors so beautifully displayed
Human & blooms lovingly arrayed
Blue-purples & purpley-pinks
Each image lovingly inks
Its presence upon our minds and soul
Every time leaving us totally whole

 

'Tis the season of brilliant hues
That fill lawns, gardens & mews
While the weather does turn  cold
Flowers put forth a show to behold
So, we should tarry here a while
Enjoy the colors parading in style

 

 A baby pink blushing rose
A delicate yellow magnolia did pose
Deep red two roses did flush
Kachnar and white stars did gush
A collage from Suby did in swing
The entire frame reminiscent of spring

My Co-Contributors

@Silverlightgal, Shalini, Vivek, DrManish, UdayBaxiji & Mahesh; Shalini & Yadsul; Shalini, Vivek, Rachna, Shantha, & Mahesh; Shantha, Shashi, Vivek & Scharada; Shantha & Mahesh; Shalini, Shantha & Mahesh; Vivek, Shalini, Subytweets, Karthik, Shashi & Shantha;

A Flowery Refrain

 #DailyFlowers

 The brain has set up a nagging refrain: put your fingers to keyboard and write the blog post it says! The heart, on the other hand, is massively distracted, worried and refuses to settle down to allow verses to emerge. But, here I am with some free time and fingers dancing on the keyboard. Living with an elderly parent who suffers from Parkinson's and its dementia involves the art of jugglery; at times, you win, others the PD&D does. Mom has taken to going into her yester years more frequently than ever before, sometimes being fixed therein totally. Sometimes, the TV's distraction helps, at times some pictures do. And I wonder at life, at once stagnant & moving, then irritable & calming. And in and around I see flowers, of all kinds, in full blooming glory.

Wonder what lessons these flowers do offer
What gems of wisdom do they proffer
Whether these into our minds and souls do get
Or whether they are transient and so easy to forget
Day after day, nature puts forth colors bright
For us to see, imbibe and in them delight
'Tis the season of lilies and mums
To whose music does their soul strum
To what beats do they march
Left and right in perfect cadence do they spark

The lamppost and flowers are the crown
But this visit in some sorrow is bound
Life begins and it ends
Along the way, the journey it tends
Passage of time is marked by years
Departures marked by tears
To the everlasting One a prayer we raise
Grant the soul peace, shelter and your grace
For those left behind, we seek
Healing, love, connections that speak
Of bonds strong and true
That no sorrow shall rent asunder or hew
Flowers grant amazing grace
Time and again, this place and that place
Through life's cycle do they thrum
A varied bouquet silently drums

Then there was the ignition of the spark
The onset of winter it did seem to mark
Blues & Violets showcased their power
Tales with fervor and imagination empower
What all they must have seen
Majestically they did preen
Bring forth beauty untrammeled
Hues of reds, yellows and pinks did channel
More stories to the panels

Oranges and yellows refused to be left behind
They, you know are of different kinds
Vivid bursts of color do they embody
Their blooming is brilliant and never shoddy
Amidst the reds & pinks, they do chant
Refrains, songs, melodies never do want

Gimme Red, the contributors did say
Many rushed to fill the day
Red in its many hues did merrily swing
Along with the season, joy it did bring
Whites did also this time dominate
As if some did them nominate
Blooms from near, blooms from far
Did join buds, together star
Other glories too did their part
Sometimes to end, others to start
Posts on its own the blog doesn't create
The blogger is sometimes on time, sometimes late!

 My Co-Contributors

Shantha, Shalini & Rachna; Shantha & Yash; Vee, Shantha & Karthik; Shantha, Gauri, Rachna & Shashi; Vivek, Shantha, Scharada, & Mahesh; Rachna, Ranjona, Shantha, Shalini & Yash; Gauri, Mahesh & Scharada; Mahesh, Ranjona, Kirti & Vee; Vivek, Shantha, Vee, Scharada, Shalini & @MGNTheTwin; Shantha, Shashi, Yash, SubyT, & Rachna; Shantha, Vivek, Alka & Ranjona.

 

Spring's in the Air!

 #DailyFlowers

Ah! Yes! Spring is finally in the air! As days get warmer, the colors of spring make their presence felt, bliss it is to see them. Another week has nearly ended, but have to say early morning today was Brrr! The weatherman had said a low of 15d for Mumbai! In other news, biggie #NYTimes has acquired Twitter's latest craze Wordle; it is free for now, let's see how long it stays that way! But, lovers of Wordle needn't fear, there are plenty of clones around, ones even more challenging than Wordle! There's Absurdle! And many more! Of course, reception to the game and scores being posted onto the timeline have got both reactions, positive and negative! But isn't that true of everything in life? Positives and negatives can always be found, the trick is to achieve a harmonious balance between the two, much like flowers/seasons do...

Spring's harbinger begins its dance
Wherever you look yellows do prance
Basant has dawned yet again
Warmer days, brighter colors shall reign
Monica, Shantha, Udayji & the blogger in this frame
Varied hues invariably cheer proclaim

Udayji's flowering glories
Lend themselves to new stories
The variety that is displayed
Reds, pinks, what beauty portrayed

This post is going to be a little long
A promise made to Hina must receive its song
Gardens near home present an enchanting scene
Adding grace, poise and color to daily routines

Some more gems that need their time
And the blogger must write the rimes
Songs that tell of flowers true
Decorating our lives with many a hue

Colors & blooms in full riot on @Hiway's farm
Peach blossoms, roses increase the charm
Vivek's rose plant bloomed full
But its flower, the earth did toward itself pull
Roses, we had last week too
A few somehow didn't make the queue
Such beauty we cannot abandon
Their depth encourages major fandom

@UdayBaxi3 please do give this flower its name
So, that it can achieve its desired fame
From my cousin's garden it doth say
I've come to brighten your day
Some more colors added their play
Forming a wonderful array

Pinks & Purples, so graceful & alive
Beauty in winter does still thrive
Lighting up days dreary and cold
Colors so vibrant and bold

The hibiscus doth enter again
A common flower, but it does reign
Striped, shaded, and a new variant
Blooms ever so radiant

This bird of paradise caught my eye
On a sunny forenoon, made me sigh
Wish for warmer days to come soon
Although that would stop walks at noon
February will soon march into June
In the meanwhile contributions gather steam
As sister's friends join the flowersnatter  team

My Co-Contributors

Monica, Shantha, UdayBaxi & Kirti; UdayBaxi (both frames); Hina (both frames); Charles, Alka, Aparna & Rachna; Shashi, Vivek, Shalini & Kirti; UdayBaxi; @Hiway & Vivek; UdayBaxi (Via his brother) & Kirti; Rachna, UdayBaxi, Freya & @Hiway; Freya & UdayBaxi; Vivek & UdayBaxi (both frames); Kirti, UdayBaxi &Vivek.