the joy of december baking..

December,is for bakers

Celebrations in the air,

Ringing in the new ...

the fresh air,the chillness in the corners

cosy rajais, hot milk,snowflakes and so much more in this month

some flowering seasonals get planted in pots

cookies baked and loved by the family

On Wednesday, before they were all eaten, we had unseasonably good cold weather,

and the whole house was washed in that crazy gold light

it gave me the opportunity to photograph these cookies for you in their natural state,

Are the Christmas carols in air?

have the Santa started visiting us?

When will the christmas tree be put up?

Little one poses questions one after the other

this weekend the tree will have to come up..

may the spirit and colours of christmas brighten your life

As Winter sets in...

Waking upto grey skies,

silvery clouds till late morning

sun finding it difficult to come up

all of us wanting to sleep for ten more minutes

all of us curling under the mattress to keep ourselves warm

my little one misses her bus always these days

early morning drives,baskets full of plumeria

hot chai's and chocolae muffins that keep refuelling the systems and give me company.

thoughts of a funfilled stylish diwali ,we enjoyed at home,fun and laughter all left behind,waiting for an another:)-

the never missing breakfasts and loads of fruits

always paying attention to the stillness around me

thinking of raspberries ,winter cocktails and winter warmers....

reading sweet paul magazine and thinking of dressing up cranberries..

then i look forward to baking,drinking hot chocolate and making large pots of hearty soup

All images and Ideas conceived and photographed by Lakshmi Arvind

Pl do not steal nor copy images

another diwali ....

Another Diwali

reflections of diwali...

a heart filling experience at home

lights and flowers illuminated life and laughter this diwali

it was sheer happiness and the busy schedules which came with buying some new lamps

seeing the new designs in the market

cleaning the old ones and filling the clay diyas with wicks and oil

lighting lamps,spreading happiness

some glimpses of diwali at home..

More images at celebrationsdecor.blogspot.com

all images and ideas,LakshmiArvind

pl do not steal or copy them from the site

bougainvillea cafe..at home

Early morning country tea

its definitely cool these days in the morning

little mist in the air

a morning drive

walks in the parks

thinking of the walks in the Bougainvillea laced courtyards down south with tea in hand

walking past roses and bougainvilleas in the garden

Bougainvilleas blaze like jewels in the sunshine

golden sunshine lits up the room

a book not yet finished

"radiant raindrops of rajasthan" is it another word for the Bougainvilleas?

brighten your life with Bougainvillea.....

bougainvillea cafe,i use them a lot these days..
Bougainvillea,Bougainvillea.."radiant raindrops of rajasthan" aren't they?
a peaceful moment,a wonderful moment captured

some illustrations from the book

365 days the people make use of pulley...do u think when you visit rajasthan?

brighten your life...with bougainvilleas and tea...love them both

all images and ideas conceived and clicked by Lakshmi Arvind

"today is the miracle"

Today.Life is lived in the present. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow is yet to be.Today is the miracle.

(Unknown author)

I love reading quotes

i think of life and the moment called present

the colour blue in mind

drinking sugarless chai,one of the recent accomplishments

would you all like to join in?

the flowers of Alstonia Scholaris still not bloomed

the blooming coincides with the festival season

we did enjoy navaratri and saraswati pooja

i enjoyed the holidays my little one

the fragrance of marigold lit lamps filled the house

loving the smell of dhoop and agarbattis

Reading amarchitra katha is one of the recent past times for us

A farm stay near Manesar brought in an inner peace within..(more later)

how about the combinations of green and red cushions in the living room?

very very traditional,isnt it?

making some cushion covers from moms old sarees

my gardener plans to bring saplings of seasonals

its the time of winter here after a month and i hope my terrace blooms with flowers....

I think i am forgetting today is it so...

did the future come into my mind?

it happens...once in a while...enjoy today

today....

Once again i greet autumn light.I wandered from one room to the other searching for the softer tones of light.Autumn light pours into the room and dances on my walls in the early morning hours.A mixed fragrance at home todaySome lilies on the chest and their intoxicating fragrance.I dug out some old lovable antiques,my betel nut cracker.The purity of the white hibiscus,nothing can beat it...staged some of them and took some images.There were marigolds for puja at home.Still my hands have the everlasting fragrance of pichipoo.

some of the moods at home today....

All ideas and images conceived by Lakshmi Arvind

Pl dont copy them or steal them

the charm and the quaintness......

Enjoy the season! loving everything about the season.
the sights,smells and sound
the dusky light in our living room brings a glow in my eyes and a wonderful smile...
warm light pouring in from every quaint window
they all combine to bring an old world charm..
the most pleasant season here..

The lovely people at The Key Bunch blog are celebrating their anniversary by Saying it with Flowers
Wishing you lots more years in the blogosphere and "happy anniversary"

Images and Ideas conceived by Lakshmi Arvind
Pl don't copy them nor save them from the site

the scents.... the seasons...

the cotton curtains fluttering in the wind as if they are dancing to the tunes of a rainfall.

i love rainy mornings.,

the envelope of comfort the rainy mornings give you is immense and the sound of the rain,

rains are giving way for the mellow autumn.

A dusky light entering the living room ..

Its been some days since its rained here.

my mind still revolves around the raindrops still falling steadily.

some dried flowers and leaves show me how much i love them still.,.,

the season of joy and cheer and scents...

they seem to have been from the last autumn......

i am looking forward to the season change for,

baking in something with figs from the market..

waiting for the boutiful greens from the garden..

to spent a lot of time under those same blankets and in the kitchen.

listening to my favourite songs and concocting new recipes to share with both my family... and you.

cook a stew with potatoes and onion and curry leaf, to fill your home with the scents of the season...

I cant think of all the scents of Autumn,but you probably have a favourite too?

love the dusky light in my living room,the warmth,love itgulmohar petal driedbougainvillea fragrance ..love the crushed feel..a neem leaf driedroses and roses driedopening a book and finding this ,brings a smile and a tea to accompany ...

peepal leafjackfruit leaf from home,last seasons..

Enjoy the season...

All images courtesy:Lakshmi Arvind

pl do not save nor copy images from the site

My Village in Monsoons...

Palms swaying in the monsoon winds and the unhurried pace of life at this village is what attracts me to this village,my dads ancestral home and his village..

Its coconut and mango orchards lend loads of beauty. You can either enjoy a game of football on the white sand in front of the extensive courtyard of the house or soak up the rains lazing on the verandah.The beautiful wildflowers and wildly grown home flowers for puja are a sight here.Bees and butterflies happily walk down the lane hand in hand.The green and pink dotted colocasias line the small village roads.The grazing cows are a normal sight here.The mango trees sway in the wild wind and the juicy ones fall down,where we rush to pick them and eat them with salt and chilli powder.Abundant monsoon grass is cut from the fields,growing wildly.Here you can still see the paddy fields and ponds everywhere with lovely lotus blooming...the lonely paths,the mangalore tiled houses and the flowers endemic to these places are the commonest finds here.

Located near the famous Vembanad backwaters,its beauty on its own with the monsoons soaking it up.

This time when we visited ,it was incessantly raining and we just enjoyed the rains.It is always a joy whenever we go there,coz we just soak up the beauty and breathe fresh air.The amazing lip smacking food cooked by grandma and aunties are a joy here.They have the traditional style of cooking food,with logs of wood and a separate kitchen for that apart from the normal one are all that we are in love with .....The banana leaf spread and the perfect lunches are all a part of the secret love that we all share in common.We always wait for the next time,the next time and the next time and the ............

A view from the living room,its all greenery outside,just after the rains...
The well in rains fills up to the brim and we all can dip a mug and take water and have a bath standing here....so much fun when we were smallThe winding paths ,village roads ,the beauty of the lush greenery on both sidesHuge colocasia leaves,love the pink and the green spotsLove the wet feel and the dry leavesFeet fetish and colocasiaButtercups and buttercups everywhere
Wow,the drops,felt like licking them
My love for ixora starts here,we have a huge variety of ixora at home

The white star ixora and a drop of water
White ixoras are specially used for puja in devi temples
Red ixora buds

Wet red Ixora

Fallen and wet
The long village roads
Coffee plant flowers,we make our own coffee powder at home,the purest one,i can smell it here
Small berries and drops of water
Thumpa flowers ,wild ones,used for onam flower carpet
White wild flower
The night flowering flower
Hibiscus in its beauty in rains
All pictures are courtesy:Lakshmi Arvind

Pl dont save nor steal images.