A Grinning Rosebush

 #DailyFlowers

 Monsoons are well and truly entrenched in Mumbai; we've been having rains for consecutive days now: low lying areas get flooded, traffic gets disrupted, movement becomes difficult, people start talking about the city's undying spirit and yes clothes take 2 and more days to dry! And in the midst of all this, Mom's daycare maid's gone on leave to attend to her Ma! Can't say no, although things become tougher when she's not around! But mothers are mothers and daughters need to take care of them! And over this interval (between last post and now), gems have flown in as usual. So, without further ado, what say we get going?

Periwinkles sweet does Shashi bring into meet
With tiny bejeweled raindrops the day to greet
A platter of flowery dough
And roses that are fragile yet tough
With the moon shining up there in the sky
Starry nights coming oh so nigh
And grinning from ear to ear
Says Vivek's rosebush to the rain
You, I don't fear!
Wouldst thou please visit again?

Seems the Hibiscus streak is still running strong
Udayji brought in some more to add to the song
Sparkling whites, yellows, oranges, reds do frolic
In their wholesomeness, are pretty symbolic

From Shantha come colors delightful
Each wondrous, more than an eyeful
A riot of blooms standing merrily tall
Across a wide spectrum, they hold us in thrall

From the US more lilies do come
They seem to be marching to their own drum
Yellow-speckled reds do in chime
Contrasting with all the green ever so sublime

It is considered an invasive pest
But is in Nature's grandest colors dressed
A delicate globe does also arrive
Makes it tough to easily describe
Neighbor's gardens & walks add to the spree
Colors in joyous abandon & glee

A burst of color dances through
A medley that encourages repeated view
Gay blooms that decorate their spaces
Easily winning imagined races
Potted Bougainvillea and neighbor's treasures
Allow us to enjoy these bountiful pleasures

 

My Co-Contributors

Vivek, Shalini & Shashi;  UdayBaxiji; Shantha; June, Shashi & Lillian; Vivek, Shantha, Shashi & Shalini; Shashi & Shalini; Shalini, UdayBaxiji, June & Shashi; Shalini & Vivek

Energizing Beauty!

 #DailyFlowers

The post is due, so the fingers begin their dance on the keyboard and the brain starts to both scatter and collect thoughts, experiences and more. Words jingle-jangle hurriedly to form sensible compilations to accurately portray nature's majesty. In the midst of all this come Mom's memories of days and gardens gone by. As many of you would know, Sunday was a tough day for her. When she finally stabilized flowers seem to be a calming influence. She talked of the round garden near their Lahore home, of the many gardeners who took care of lawns/gardens first at the Minto Road (Delhi) house, then the Allahabad kothi and the many houses/homes across Dad's various service postings! There are 3 flowers she holds dear: jaba (hibiscus), gulab (rose) and for some reason, the sweet pea creeper. Bougainvillea occupies the latter portion of memories. More on her flower memories in another post!

Since Hibiscus is a favorite flower
And contributors do continue to it shower
On this blog with great generosity
Only fair that it is made a priority
And lead the post today
Allow it to have its dominance & sway
Even posed with lovely European gems
It raises the beauty of all stems
A path straight to greatness it does show
As all blooms fall into a merry flow

June's lilies are merrily coming along
Prompting the creation of many a song
That sings their praises to the sky
Her shares bring them near to delight the eye
From the Northeast comes a visual feast
True beauties & wildflowers released
Even as they their last chords do play
Majesty they still convey
Fuchsia brilliance boggles the mind
A hue exquisitely designed

This particular group acts as a soothing balm
To a fractured mind adds a degree of calm
Blooms in this frame are an energizing touch
Nature's beauty juxtaposed as such

Varied beauties shining bright
Across the world, wondrous delights
Blooms in the desert so majestic
They elevate the blooms domestic

From the northern hills these come
With their songs the blooms thrum
Ranjona & Shalini these treasures share
Of their glory, many are unaware

Still many more blooms put on their show
In tandem with each other they sway & flow
Colors brilliants, colors mild
Coloring alike the minds of adults & child
The wave of freshness that they bring
Alongside, our hearts do sing
Songs unwritten, but of one note
Songs not sung by rote
Sung in praise, to Nature raised
As she lovingly our lives does grace

My Co-Contributors

Scharada, June, Vivek, Shalini, Shashi & Devlina; Jola, Vivek & Scharada; June, Shantha, Shalini, & Vivek (Veronika); @Hiway, Scharada, Shantha; June, Jola, Shashi, Shantha & Ranjona; Vivek, Shalini & Shashi; Jola, AdityaDSingh, Shantha, Shalini & Devlina; Ranjona & Shalini; Shashi, Jola, Shantha & Shalini; Shantha, Shashi & Jola; Scharada, Vivek & Shantha

Amazing Spreads

This is a long overdue post! Life sometimes interferes with planned activities in a big way, as it did with me. Last Tuesday was my unplanned meeting with a viral, which brought with itself the usual high fever and severe body ache, leaving the blogger supine for over 3-days! Recovery would perhaps have been faster, had the blogger had full days rest. But that's a different story! Anyway, in all this while, the rain gods decided that they should do their work and came visiting, though not with clockwork regularity. The blogger had to let her folks know that she was out of it... very supportive folks she has..

Lilies & Rain Lilies!
On an another note:
Blogger by a virus be felled
In knots by fever & body ache be spelled
Good soul he be, the doc has advised rest
So, that blogger can return to what she does best
By calendar days he recommends five
That should be enough he says  to get blogger back to life

Shalini did in chime with:

Oh, the blogger be beat,
Now who will tweet
Rhymes and pictures
Of flowers sweet?
But never mind
Flowers can wait
Blogs can be late
Our blogger's health
Is our greater wealth!
So take rest, my friend
Till the fevers end
Followers and flowers
Will be patient till you mend :)

How could the blogger such a sweet statement let go

The rhyme is sweet
A beat blogger it did greet
Thanks to followers n flowers
For the love n care they both shower!

Somewhere in the middle of that week
Shashi, appreciation for wilting flowers did seek
Allowed the blogger to have further say
And the subsequent responses made her day:
Flowers still pretty & sweet
No longer around,  viral still has blogger beat
Tests done, wasn't Covid's blow
But brain sure is slow
Verses come @ odd times
When  one can't capture rhymes
Praises flowers deserve
My travails I can't serve.
Bear with me awhile more
There soon will be rimes galore

Shalini & Vivek chimed in with:

When the blogger is beat
Still her rhymes are sweet
When she's recovered
Imagine how divine
Would be her rhymes!
Take care, dost
When the mind is host
To viral load
Rest and hydration
Are the mantras
To recover full operations...

The pilot being unwell,
Our co-pilot fills in.
Flight is smooth as ever
Thanks to her endeavor.

Tic Tac Toe!
Glories that hidden flowers show
Stories from journeys taken
On roads,  hearts do hearken
Of blooms eagerly awaited
That nature's majesty created
Of passion flowers
And their brilliantly colored showers
Of Bees and trees, in winter turning into berries
Feeding the birds, offering fruits like cherries

And then more blue-lavender-pinks came to the fore
In incandescent hues the blogger adores
The blooms she held close to her heart
As the viral tore her routine apart
The joy that the colors brought
Was eagerly time and again sought
Generous friends kept up the pace
Their magnificent shares upped the grace

On hot summer days, cool makes the save
When sorbets, ices the heart does crave
From India came the Ice cream tree
While Suki brought in a delicious guarantee
Lovely blooms lined the walk
While Suki spoke the ice cream talk!

Strangely enough, among all the beauties
A variety of hibiscus performed their duties
From far and wide were they brought
Calmed minds and souls distraught
With life's heavy showers
When not-so good news from all directions overpowers
Then this humble flower that decorates many a bower
Showcases its true superpower

Flowers unexpected and that too brilliant reds
They help in creating amazing spreads
Blooming and happily glowing away
Strings of a beautiful essay

Madhumalti's exuberance in the rain
That itself tells us how much we do gain
From a cooling, refreshing shower
As it flora, fauna, humans does empower
Ranjona from the hills does glory send
Karthik's Alamanda does in blend
From Shantha, a delicate symmetry
In a glass, gems with their mystery

 Flowers for joy, flowers for love
Flowers as eternal as Peace's dove
All powerful though they be small & tiny
Pristine, graceful & oh so shiny

My Co-Contributors

June, Rachna, Alka & Shalini; Shalini, Shashi & UdayBaxi; UdayBaxi, Shashi & Shalini;   Shashi, Vivek & Shalini; Karthik & June; Shantha, Shashi, Vivek (Via Jola); June, Shantha, Shashi & Rachna;  Vee (via a friend) & Shantha; SukiF & Vivek; FreyaS & UdayBaxi; June (Via Allison); Shalini (& Rajnika); Shantha, Shalini & Vivek; Mahesh, Shashi, Shantha, Vivek & Rachna; Karthik, Ranjona, Shantha & Vivek; June, Shantha, Shashi & Devlina.

Beauty Unfurled

 #DailyFlowers

Okay! It is time to write another post! And, boy have things tumbled by in these last 10-days! Last night the rain gods finally blessed us and today the temps are lower with a mild breeze. And talking of rains, the blogger had fun in the pool with raindrops dancing a lazy dance on the pool's swirls and eddies! And, the blogger has also turned into a quasi trainer, got 3 trainees for aqua exercises! A good 1hr is spent 5 times a week in the pool! In other stuff, before I forget, a regular contributor celebrated her wedding anniversary yesterday (June10).. May you have many, many more @Shalini! Gods bless both of you! Yea, the blogger became a year younger, too! Life's good, even as work is hectic!

 So, let's go right ahead, today we begin with an all encompassing one:

 Could whites ever be a crowd
Understated but never loud
All around us they unfurl
Varied forms & shapes do joyously uncurl

Another variety of hibiscus did Udayji share
It promptly reminded Vivek of foodie fare
A perfectly fried egg he did it call
Don't know whether that was a lift or fall
Violets and purples did in join
No more food names did Vivek coin
A bouquet eminently posed
All colors in it smugly reposed

 

 
The wonders that Udayji pulls forth
Descriptors that raise their worth
A discerning eye he doth bring
Flora for him merrily sings

Of trees, dogwoods and the India International Center
Into this a peacock gorgeous did enter
The dainty teamed with majesty regal
Rest assured, all are justified & legal

In her parents' balcony, laughter does roost
Bird figurines, a broken hen,  memory gets a boost
The hen guarding the box of change
From one home to another, do admire its range

Wildflowers from Imphal, Magnolia and Pigeon Pea
Mighty blooms that are the key
To tales that wanderers do tell
Of flowers from vale, hill and dell

Vivek blamed the blistering heat
Flowers, he said, into hiding it had beat
Jola from Poland came to his rescue
With blooms in blazing colors anew
Another time they came from sister's garden
Rich hues our hearts to gladden
Pinks, yellows, reds came to decorate
The blog and our moods did elevate

 But there were some that ignored the heat
Cheerily sent out blooms to meet
The day and us with loaded song
Music to which we hummed along
The golds and yellows did arrive
Wild garlic joined them to drive
Our attention to their glowing faces
As they went through their seasonal paces

More vivid hues did the air permeate
A wide spectrum that does create
Enjoyment for one and all
Bounty that holds us in thrall

My Co-Contributors

Vivek, Shalini, & UdayBaxiji; UdayBaxiji next 2 frames; Shalini, UdayBaxiji; Vivek & Shashi; Shalini; Shalini, UdayBaxiji & Shashi; Vivek (Via Jola), Ranjona, Shashi, Vee & Shashi; Vivek (via Jola) & Shashi; Vivek, Shantha, & UdayBaxiji; Shashi & Shantha; Shantha, Shalini (N'bala) & Shashi; Shashi, Shantha, June & UdayBaxiji.

Flowery Praise

 #DailyFlowers

When the work just keeps on coming in, it piles up, especially when you are the main & alone gateway to further processes. It's definitely pissing off when documents contain too many errors, most of them repetitive! The blogger is deluged; forget rhymes, even sane English has fled! The simple act of creating collages of shared flowers feels like a massive mountain piled on! This blog post is being written in increments with the hope that by this weekend, a post will be up! Please bear with me and thanks a ton for bearing with and being so understanding this far!

Rhymes seemed to have gone for a toss
That's both the bloggers & blog's loss
Patiently friends/sharers do wait
Hopefully it will not be too late
To string words into some verse
Mayhaps, be blessed  by the universe!
For flowers there are in plenty
Many more, likely five times twenty

Flowers in all shapes, and sizes
Carved from wood like beautiful prizes
Coming from near and afar
Beauties, all of them stars
Some special mentions do deserve a note
Raindrops on lilies always get my vote
Like a peacock's tail the bush does uncurl
Presenting flowers that merrily twirl

Pinks, reds and all their hues
A spectrum that does everywhere diffuse
Its glories for us to enjoy
For odes and stories to employ
With themselves to knit a tale
That encompasses hills, valleys and dales
Hither and thither blooms do grow
For evermore a godly show

Tales of Hibiscus double hued
Do not really allow us to exclude
The football lily and red hot poker
The names conjure a joker
Nevertheless, the duo do align
Maybe it's nature's sign
Telling us to do the same
And get on with life's game

More are yet to come
But at least I have put up some
May get me more time to create
And not hesitate
To put fingers to the job
Flowers of their praise cannot be robbed
Some more frames shall make their way
See the light of the blog's day
But, for that you must tarry a-while
Till time, rimes and verses roar back in style!

Co-Contributors

Shantha & Shalini; Shantha, Vivek, Shalini, & UdayBaxi; UdayBaxi, Shantha & Shalini; June, Vivek & Shalini; June & Shantha; UdayBaxi, Shashi & Vivek; Devlina, Kirti, June & Shashi; Subytweets, Shashi & Shalini; Vivek & Shashi