Of turtles,snoopy,dahlias,and timepieces.

To work productively is to live happily. For me the first rule of work is an aesthetic workplace. Pretty work-desks make for a tremendously happy work environment.The green and ochre turtle planter hosts a small cactus. The squeaky Snoopy guards the oh! so cute, wiggly tail yellow piggy bank.There's a tiny ceramic milk pot if you please and if you don't there is the Sula bottle which hosts a host of beaded flowers made in front of me at a fair by skilled craftsmen.More on those later. The lighthouse is a masterpiece from Baku, Azerbaijan,collected on my hubby's numerous travels.

and then  ladies and gentlemen.....there are the oooooh! so delightful.....oh! so fresh....The Dahlias!!!

Paintings find a place in my home just about everywhere. Here is one done by a senior artist Paramjeet Singh. Just love the texture and the print of the upholstery in the painting....don't you??

The timepieces are an heirloom from dear husband's paternal grandfather and the other extraordinary piece is a short play record of Queen's: I want to ride my bicycle...came to me as a gift from family in Boston.

I love collecting Snoopy and have him in all his 'avatars', the plastic Snoopy, the ceramic Snoopy, the cuddly Snoopy,the teddy bear Snoopy, the Santa Snoopy, the key chain Snoopy, the T-shirt Snoopy, the mug Snoopy :)) Snoopy!!  Do remind me to get the collection together and put up a post in honor of Schulz.Cheers.

They say I have green fingers...you think? :)

The magic of greenery is quite unparalleled.Of the greens, my favorites are the vines and creepers.When we moved to this house in 2009, the first vine I wanted on my back patio right outside my beautiful kitchen, was the 'koyali'. Till date I am unable to find it's English name!! if you know please to tell dear :). Well, the only problem was, it was such a delicate vine...how on earth was I to grow it?? Also with the hubby out of the country for the first two months of our having moved homes, and no gardener in sight, how was I going to manage putting the nails/support/thread what have you to support the twig of a vine!!? Out came the 'green-thinking cap' and off I sent my man-friday and uber helpful driver Pradeep (somehow, they don't make them so good anymore!!) to go buy me three tall bamboo sticks. This is what it looked like before (Picture One is of the house opposite,mine was exactly the same) and Voila!!! after the bamboos were in place, this is what it looked like Picture Two and Picture Three.

Picture One

Picture Two:With the Bamboos

Picture Three: How it looks from outside

So, maybe if you have many things to hang and want to have hanging baskets to deck up your garden or deck area, you could go with bamboo!! It looks great as it is wood, it is eco-freindly, it is easy on the pocket and it keeps the hanging garden at eye-level,so your beautiful seasonal flowers get all the care and affection they need.I also use my "bamboo hanging garden" as I call it, to hang lights, tea-lights, Buddhist prayer flags and what have you! My "bamboo hanging garden" is uber-cool and I even have had some neighbors put it up in their back patios...well, always did believe...."Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!" 

Uff!! my yumm! koyali vine :))

The stylish hanging tea-light holders..another story about these soon.

The lonesome bamboos below, on one foggy winter morning!

The lush vine from inside my room during the monsoons above and the picture below is my favorite spot to read the papers and art news each morning with my cuppa ginger chai!!

The art of the hanging baskets!!

If you will be kind and allow me the liberty, I would much like to discuss these beautiful Prayer Flags in my next or post-next post.They are magical in their properties and so healing!

 The pots that brighten up my mornings with the vine in the background happily perched on the sturdy bamboos!! :) Happy Bambooing your gardens folks.

The Perfect Garden Statement

One of my absolute favorite clicks! I'll post more about this wonderful experience at a later date.

Anytime, Anyplace

...And then there are the lucky few....   

:))

"Golden slumbers fill your eyes,smiles awake you when you rise..Sleep pretty darling do not cry...and I will sing a lullaby....."

Sleep, sleep, I couldn't sleep tonight not for all the jewels in the crown...

As you can see by the time on this post, it's very very late in the night. So, why does sleep elude me? I have been tossing and turning for the past few hours, trying to sleep but unable to.There are reasons and reasons as to why a person cannot sleep. A good many of them have to do with our lifestyle.It's really quite easy to make the minor changes needed to get a decent night's sleep. Here's help:

• Stress -- physical and mental -- is a major cause of insomnia. 
• Alcohol after 6 p.m. at night and caffeine can keep you awake nights.
• Keeping your bedroom cool rather than warm, dim rather than bright, and dry rather than humid is the way to go for optimum sleeping conditions.
• Your bed  and pillow need to be adequate for relaxed sleep.
• For snoring problems that can disrupt sleep, try raising your head by taking an extra pillow and also sleeping on your side instead of your back.
• Avoid  bringing work or your laptop into bed at night. Instead, look to do something that helps your mind unwind -- like reading or listening to relaxing music and the age old relaxation remedy...yes, sex!!

And if none of this works try out the following. Works for me every single time. (except when I am too excited to run to me notebook and write to you all about my lack of sleep!! So I got it! the reason for my insomnia today is you guys!! Excitement is top of MY list today ;))

So, I was saying, a sure shot way of getting the z'zzzzs is what is called the "Shava-Asana" in Yoga. Read all about it here: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shavasana

As I said before...works for me each and every time and I get up rejuvenated and extremely relaxed....rearing to go!!!

Oh! and do read my post "The Spa"..another great sleep inducing technique.

Here's one of a happy sleeper! Our darling Sultan :))

Give Us This Day Our Daily Vitamin D

And so ends the wait for the "sunny" :) winter days!! How important it is for us all to get our daily dose of Vitamin D, the sunshine Vitamin.It's called so as Vitamin D is naturally made by your body when we expose our skin to the sun. I found this Vitamin D related information quite useful.Hope you do too!! Have a great sunny day! 

http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/high-vitamin-D-foods.php

Salvation

It sure is a long road to salvation.But oh! the joys of the Lord's creations, the colors and the soothing feels.The experience of the spa juxtaposed with the serenity the senses derive from the sounds, colors and fragrances of nature.

The Spa

It is not just the “teeth”; it is the “feet”. As a kid I wondered about the value of the round rough, heavy stone (actually it was a part of my grandma's wheat grinder, being used as a pumice stone) lying in the bathroom of our home. The shoe rack was in a space outside the bathroom, and after a tiring day out, when I would be putting my shoes on the rack, I would catch my dad humming and often rubbing his heels and the sides of his feet on this rough stone. Then he would come and sit on the bed outside, take the small towel kept neatly folded under the show rack and meticulously wipe each feet. Sometimes he would tell me, “Beta, you must wash your feet properly every night before retiring to bed.” But, seldom did I pay heed. But then, I had never been told this at school, or in the poems I learnt. It was always “Brush your teeth…brush them everyday and polish your shoes and wash your face but never ever scrub your feet, scrub them everyday”!!

And, by jove, it is the best thing my dad ever told me!! Just you try it Henry Higgins,just you try.Washed feet each night, it is the most relaxing state of being. The feet that have been dipped in a tub of warm soapy water, scrubbed clean feet, dried and creamed feet, every night, night after night and Aah! Blissful is the sleep. The tiredness, it just vanishes. And the mornings, they are with a zing in the feet and a spring in the stride. Try it my dears and you will not be the sorry.

Gurgling water

One of the most beautiful sounds in the universe is the sound of running water. Flowing or falling it is an amazing sound.Stood still and long just in front of this delicious sound at Phuket, Thailand.

And yet again, in the year 2016, July at Dharamsala, India, I went through the exact same experience standing transfixed in front of this gorgeous water in frolicking abandon...oh! joy!

Chai anyone? :)

For the love of tea and teapots!! Salute the artisans and artists who make such delectable pieces of art.Indeed art, color and material at it's very best!!