The flame of passion...

4 days to go..and  6 days to go.. For the iconic India England women's test match and.. The most important match of my life, the WTC final. For a test match lover, it just doesn't get bigger than this.  Tests have never been more important. WTC gives meaning to the purest format with every test being critical (of course there are system flaws but we have to start somewhere).Women's tests are also getting a push which is a great sign. I have traveled for so many matches across the world. If there was 1 match that I wanted to part of, it would be the WTC final. Unfortunately, life has a different plan.  I feel jealous of people in UK who will be able to attend it. At the same time, thankful that life has been kind to me. As we build up to the grandmother of all finals, it is worth re-living the ecstatic series win in Australia.It feels like a dream even now. All of us stunned with eyes popping out, mouth open, hands covering them in awe, hands on head and jumping around wit...

On March 28,we welcomed 3 new lives.We named them Patchy, Blissa & Simba. It has been an incredible experience. My daughter's learning curve has been exponential. Let me share some interesting stuff. We make such a big deal about delivery.For Jessy,it was not.She knew a day before that it was time & started hunting for a safe place in the house to deliver.We offered her 2-3 places and she decided.At 2 am she meowed and we let her in.The delivery was without any fuss.Jessy and the kids knew exactly what needs to be done.The fascinating thing was the way Jessy cleaned up after delivery.Not a spot of blood to be seen. The kittens did not open eyes for 8 days.All they did was find the mother by smell,nurse & sleep.Jessy even kept the kittens clean by eating their potty & licking piss.Incredible! On the 4th day,my cupboard was slightly open and Jessy suddenly entered.She was examining something.We wondered what was going on. She came out,picked her kittens one by one and...

  We were chilling on a Sunday morning in Dec 2020 when the kids heard a 'meow'.A stray cat was on our terrace 'demanding' food. Ebony was wild as he had a competitor.It was entertaining to watch him wait down & the cat on the tree.She came daily,not requesting but 'demanding' food. We adopted & named her Jessy. Jessy is a fighter.She survived around our dog & so many strays on the street.She has a mind of her own & knows to get her way.Our balcony is her dining area,but is a fuss pot.They say cats eat very less but this one is a glutton.If she hears the sound of pet food,all hell breaks loose. With very few female cats in the colony,she was in total demand.3 Tom cats used to visit her daily. In shifts. Morning, afternoon & night. She picked her guy & displayed skills like rolling,rubbing against plants & meowing.It was some sight.At the same time,if it is for food,she wouldn't let go.It was amazing to watch her fight. She recentl...

As a Mumbaikar,summer was all about wooden crates of Alphonso mangoes, peeping from the hay.I can still smell them, I can still taste them. As a mango lover my favourite parts of the house are the 2 mango trees on either side of the house.Not Alphonso but Mallika & Pairi & they are yummy! Every summer I wait to eat home grown mangoes. My daughter is equally crazy about mangoes & we fight over it.At times,I hide and eat! 3 years ago,I took a box full of mangoes to Gurgaon & paid more than my flight ticket for that! It.was.worth.every.penny! This year,we are lucky to be in Bangalore.It should be ready to be harvested in a few days. Having mango trees at home comes with its issues. It is such a tempting sight that so many boys want to steal them!They throw stones or sticks. My heart stops.I worry about losing those mangoes! My MIL generously gives them but they come back to steal. Abhi is the bouncer who protects the mangoes.Any rustling of leaves or branches breaking, the...

  The lotus pond in front of the house is a busy place. The Herons/eggrets from the tamarind tree come to drink water,only to be chased by our dog,Ebony! He loves to drink water from there too. Even the snakes in the vicinity take a water break inside the house! Recently, a yellow lotus bloomed and it was a beautiful sight to see a bee sitting on it. This variety of lotus blooms only in the morning,one petal at a time.It closes after a few hours and then opens the next day. This goes on for ~3/5 days, the leaves fall off & it goes down into the water to plant the seed for more lotus to grow. The frogs seem to have come with the lotus plant & now there are so many! We enjoy their orchestra during the mating & rainy season.It is fun to see the frogs hide under the big stones & watch us with big eyes. They have company in the form of guppy & black molly fish along with snails & slugs! To add to all this, the kids love running around the pond too. It is also the...

  The only good thing in this pandemic is that we can stay in Bangalore,in my in laws' house. In the middle of nature. I look for something to heal me in such times & there is nothing better than Nature. The house is surrounded by amazing trees, plants, dog, cats, frogs, fish, birds, butterflies, bugs etc.The calm, peace & excitement associated with it takes my mind off horrific stories.It helps me de-stress & focus. I will share a pic in every post,with a story associated with it. Hope you enjoy & find some peace in it. 1. The Majestic Tamarind Tree: This tree is 50+ yrs. old and gives us so much yield every year.They say, tamarind tree gives its 1st yield only after 25 yrs! This tree existed when my in laws wanted to build the house and they decided to build around it. Thankfully! People say that ghosts sit on tamarind trees.Don't know about that, but a lot of Squacco herons,eggrets,bats,koels,eagles,squirrels surely sit! White cheeked barbet Squacco Heron My ...