White Stars (Wordless Wednesday)
Green Hearts (Wordless Wednesday)
Mad Tree (ThursdayTreeLove)
Our guide very apologetically said, “This is the Mad Tree”. I was stunned. In whatever little bit I have read about trees and their names, I had never come across this one..
It was a wonderful tree, with a graceful buttress and showed nothing that would have earned it this title of being ‘Mad’.
In any tree, all leaves have the same shape but in this case, no two leaves are identical. This is said have earned it this name. It grows in the Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose Botanical Garden in Kolkata and is the Buddha’s Coconut or Pterygota alata .
Its an evergreen species native to India and grows to be very tall. A beautiful stately tree.
I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove blog hop. Head over to see some wonderful trees from around the world.
Better still, join in!
Red (Wordless Wednesday)
Steps (Wordless Wednesday)
Sea Change (ThursdayTreeLove)
These trees caught my eye in the peak of summer because it seemed as if their bare branches had intertwined to create a black and white painting! This effect continued even as I walked closer to the trees.
This was on 23rd May 2018.
Just a few days and a couple of showers later, both had undergone a sea change.. Here are the same two trees on the 18th June 2018.
Surprisingly the two-toned effect continues even once trees are full of leaves. One had lighter green leaves and the one had dark green foliage.
The strangest part is that I have walked on this spot for so many years in all seasons, but it was only last month that I noticed the colours. The trees are beautiful both with and without foliage.
Nature’s beauty is all around us at all times of the year. We only have to look.
I am joining Parul in her #ThursdayTreeLove blog hop. Head over to see some amazing trees from around the world.
PS. Tree ID: The lighter coloured tree is a Dalbergia sp and the one with the dark bark is a species of Accacia.
Pagoda (Wordless Wednesday)
Cannon That Never Fired (Wordless Wednesday)
Lifeline
Asha opened her eyes to the sound of chirping birds. Whatever the month, they always heralded the rising sun. It would be quite some time before the milkman arrived but she had much to do before that… Fist open close Fist open close. Elbow bend straighten elbow bend straighten. Raise arms over head Raise arms overhead. Circle ankles twice. Knee to chest right and knee to chest left. Repeat. She slowly turned to her side and got up.
‘Karagre vasate Laxmi Kar madhe Saraswati Karmule to tu Govindam Prabhate kara darshanam’. So muttering she folded her hands in prayer and got off the bed.
‘Karagre vasate Laxmi Kar madhe Saraswati Karmule to tu Govindam Prabhate kara darshanam’. So muttering she folded her hands in prayer and got off the bed.
Her husband continued to snore after one too many last night. It was a long overdue course mates reunion – hence all was forgiven.
She quickly brushed her teeth and swallowed her Thyronorm. At this age, she was grateful to have only a couple of tablets to support her.
To be honest it was not the birds that caught her attention at day break these days. The persistent Illuminate ringtone from the drawing room was what beckoned her out of the bed. The silvery device glowed in the night lamp. It was a smartphone that their daughter in law had practically forced into their lives.
Asha and VS were happy enough with their landline and the ‘small’ mobile for emergencies. However Asha took to this quite easily and it had opened a new world to her. A world she could not otherwise be part of . One where she could stay updated yet silent…
She pulled out the charging cable and switched on the lamp and settled into the rocking chair, wore her reading glasses and unlocked the Apple. The finger easily tapped the green icon.
Aha!
There were 62 messages from the Maher group, 37 from her Yoga group and a missed video call from Chiku …. This was her lifeline to the world!
Asha smiled.
Asha smiled.
The mandatory one hour fasting post-Thyronorm would pass very easily.
I am participating in the third edition of the Bar-a-thon. Today’s prompt is “one too many“. One of my few attempts at Fiction which is not really my forte…
#BarAThon
Summer Cooler (ThursdayTreeLove)
Pune is blessed to have several hills located right inside the city itself. They are its lungs as it were and are the pride and joy of the locals. Most of the trees growing here are the deciduous type and the hot scorching months of summer see them reduced to their bare branches.
One of the only trees giving respite from the brown and golden shades is the Morinda pubescens locally called Bartondi of the Rubiaceae family. It is an evergreen tree and its green velvety leaves are a sight for sore eyes! May is also the month when this tree blossoms and the small star-shaped whitish flowers announce the tree’s presence long before one can spot it!
The fruit is peculiar and seems to have many facets!
Yet another give-away is the rough crocodile bark that the tree sports.
Despite their fragrance, thankfully, these flowers are not woven into garlands. Thankful because it avoids irresponsible stripping of the tree. This is a great summer cooler especially on the morning walks during summer!
Its among my favourite indigenous species.
Do you have a favourite tree? Or more than one favourite?
🙂
Stay happy folks!
I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove bloghop. Do head over to see some amazing trees from around the world!