The baby of the house getting hitched!

Thats my baby brother I’m referring to, in case you all are wondering!

He is not so much of a baby anymore though, much as he would like to believe otherwise I’m sure! He has grown up to be a fine young man, far taller, far wiser, far more balanced than his sister, sometimes even making up for an elder brother to her, sometimes giving her his able shoulder to cry on, at other times, goofing around like a clown making her laugh, always calming her and their parents at times of crisis, always a steady rock to his family and friends alike.

Sometimes I wonder when did he grow up from a carefree, lax and lazy lad to becoming this grounded, responsible and immensely mature young man? Wow, time flies!

And now he is all set to get married to his sweetheart and I couldn’t be happier, for he has chosen a true gem of a girl to be his partner in life…for life.

May God bless them both with all the happiness in the world for they deserve nothing but the best!

Namnam and I are off to Delhi in another two days. R joins us a few days after that. Needless to say, we are excited beyond words! Its a different matter though that we are yet to decide on our respective attires for the various functions lined up!! But that can be sorted once we reach.

What excites me the most is how Namnam will get to see and be a part of a family wedding for the first time. In the next few days the house will be buzzing in action, filled with relatives and friends coming back and forth, families bonding, sounds of laughter filling the air, nights passing chatting and gossiping into wee hours. The very thought makes me want to fly off rightaway!

So with that I’m off to get packing! Signing off for now.

Please do send in your well wishes to the couple as they embark on a journey together

See you all on the other side!

Sometimes all it takes is a dig through your old photos..

To make you reminisce about some of the moments that gave you so much of happiness! So much so that that they never fail to bring a smile on your face even today.

And in my case the digging through old photographs happens every now and then . It doesnt matter if the photos are thirty years old or three years or even three days old. I love to look at them and go on a nostalgic ride of my own.

It could be a photo taken a few decades ago of my then-4year old brother flaunting his newly-shaven head and flashing the cutest smile in the world . Or it could be a picture of my father all dressed up to go to work, having his breakfast while my brother and I plant a kiss on his cheeks and our mother looking on adoringly. Or it could be a picture of my child being held in the arms of her father, both of them smiling at each other.

Oh there are times when I click photographs and immediately rewind them to have a look at them again. No.. not just to check if they have come out well but to simply think of those moments again and relive them.

And sometimes I find worthy company in Namnam who keeps insisting that I narrate the stories behind the pictures.

And it makes the ride even more enjoyable

Today was one such day when old photographs beckoned me and I went browsing through them.

I had started looking for a suitable photograph for the Thursday Challenge, but instead came across this particular one which had me laughing thinking about that moment when Namnam had found digging into her father’s ear amusing and majorly indulging. I had a clicked a sequence of shots which had her digging and poking till she emerged thoroughly satisfied after her foraging.

Let me share one of the shots from that moment and step into the weekend with a wide grin and happy heart

Have a lovely weekend ahead, people!

When a fun day meant for kids turns as much fun for the parents..

Then its no less than a day well spent, right?

The summer has been trying to peek its head way too many times lately with the cool, fresh, wintery air that we have been waking up to for the past few months getting replaced off and on by warm and stuffy one. While the nights have been largely nippy still, the days have been a shuffle between cool and crisp breeze with balmy and sandy wind occasionally thrown in. Which makes me realize that in a few weeks this pleasant weather will make way for the ferocious summer .

So how do we make the most of the last few bits of the favourable weather left? We head out to the park and give ourselves a go…kids and grown ups alike!

And that’s what we did yesterday.

Now most of our Fridays are spent either by staying at home or strolling around the shops and malls ogling at all the displays or taking the same old ride in the gondola or checking in to the usual kiddy-zones with Namnam. So, yesterday when Namnam suggested that we go to the park, it sounded like the perfect change to the routine. And luckily the day was perfect for outdoors with just the right amount of sunlight to brighten up our day and the lovely breeze to cool our hearts .

And to make it even better and more fun, we were joined by my friend and her family too. So without much of a dilly-dally, we geared ourselves up with our flying discs, bike, trike and camera and off we zoomed to the newly opened Museum of Islamic Art Park.

Needless to say it was a joy-ride from the word go.

While the kids cycled around the park, occasionally stopping by the fountain to splash water at each other, the mothers tagged along beside them to join in the splashing fun . And the fathers? Well, they had the flying disc and foot-ball to help them bring out the zestful child in them!
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Then there was bungee-jumping which had both mamas and papas give their adventurous selves some real good push! We were tied to a harness each and asked to jump on a trampoline and lift ourselves up as high as we could! I know I know…not the real deal but it did give us as much of an an adrenaline-rush! And a fantastic exercise for our abs

Anyway after the bungee-stint, while the mothers were drained of their energy, the kids and fathers were clearly not. So they had another round of miniature foot-ball, took few dig-ins at the sand-corner and some rounds of slides and swings and other rides, while us moms captured the priceless moments into our cameras and sealed them in our hearts!

Now let me stop right there and have the images do some talking too

Splasssshhh

And splasssshhhh some more!

And after the bungee-jumpers’ show, it’s time for the acrobats to spring into action…

And its a goal!

With that we’re ready to drag and pull ourself and our bike and head homewards..

This is how our weekend was. How has it been for you all?

Sambar Chicken la Vishakh- tried & tasted!

And much relished too!

When, at the house-warming party,Shail treated us all to this dish which, in her words, were ‘conceived and cooked’ by her junior son, I knew at once that I had to try this one for it looked so lipsmackingly delicious and so simple to make!

And yesterday seemed to be a good day to give it a shot because I had all the ingredients needed for the dish. Not that it demanded those exotic, hard-to-find-even-with-a-laser-eye ingredients! Most of the required items were what I would normally have at home even otherwise and I’m guessing most of the Indian households would too, including the sambar powder. And that, for me, was the best part! This was an easily doable dish and the outcome was just as finger-licking.

So heres how it turned out. And needless to say, this is going to be a regular dish in my household henceforth. In fact I’m going to have a potluck soon and I think I have decided already what my contribution is going to be . So thanks again, Shail & Vishakh for the yummy recipe .

To know the recipe, head straight to Shail’s nest!

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On another bit of news, a casual conversation ensues between Papa & Namnam

Namnam: You know, Papa, I am going to have a winter break!

Papa: Oh yeah? Thats great!

Namnam: Yeah, and I want to go on a holiday!

Papa: Didnt we go to Dubai last month, Namnam? That was a holiday!

Pat comes the reply

“But then I didnt get any holiday homework,na? I want to go on a holiday to do my homework!!”

** And with that Mama, who, at the mere mention of the term ‘holiday’, was already more than half way through making a massive list of probable destinations, fiercely strikes it all off and resolves to stay put at home for her own sanity**