Stripes and Flowers !

Greetings, fellow men! And women! I am super duper excited about this post...because....I made it myself! The headband I mean!XD

Iv always been playing about with scrap since I was a little girl! Made barbie-clothes out of socks, wall-hangings out of cookie cutters, and the works. And So, much to my delight, I envisioned that these old artificial flowers would look pretty great on a headband. And voila!

I think the emerald-green stripes on the band and the cherry-blossom-like flowers make for a pretty Spring-y look!

I've always wanted to buy a floral headband, but somehow never did. Anyhow, I think I'll be having quite a collection pretty soon, without buying one ever! ;)

I stitched on 3 flowers, of varying sizes, in ascending order..

And I wore it with a Plain White Puff-Sleeved Cotton tee, and green checked top(Worn as a skirt) from Lifetyle!

Hope you liked it! I can't wait to wear it outside! :)

What I did this Weekend!

I went to my farmhouse in the woods this weekend, away from the hustle and bustle of city life! I spent all my time eating, sleeping, and staring into space! 

As in the poem, 'Leisure'

WHAT is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare?—

No time to stand beneath the boughs,

And stare as long as sheep and cows:

I bet W.H. Davies would have been very  happy with me! Because, trust me, I did nothing productive.

Well, except for taking pictures:(Sheepish grin)

I Watched sunlight flicker in and out of the Red and Green leaves..

Then I waited, motionless, for little mommy-bird to come out...and get food for her chicks..

Arranged pretty white flowers(of what name I know not) in a wine glass..

Longed for coconut water but I was too bored to climb the tree(trust me, I am quite capable)!

Assembled my bird watching gear(my camera and the mat) , took off my glittery pink chappals, and tried to keep still. I ended up clicking my own stuff on the ground instead of the birds on the trees .... they stayed well beyond the 200mm range of my camera! I am too mobile for my own good(Sigh!)

Then I watched little flower saplings blooming to life with the friendly neighbourhood sprinkle irrigation pipe..

And Picked tomatoes of all ages, sizes and colours- I do not discriminate!

In the evening,  I dipped my feet in the gushing river..Ice cold!

The next day, this crane paid me a visit when I was lazing in the porch...

My first bird pictures!

Afterwards, I willingly stationed myself in front of one of the cold-water sprinklers in the afternoon heat! Delicious!

Cheers, readers!
I am back to the city and loving it :)
Lots of Love,
Shubhi!

Indian Springtime

Springtime in India is warm, very warm. The wind drifts by lazily and the bees drone drowsily. The afternoons are hot and sunny..

Spring is also the time to get out my fabulous and colourful cottons! I wore this outfit at home the other day, when friends were visiting. The skirt is colourful, and not to mention airy!

Large, chunky Jewellery is the flavour of this season, and I went crazy playing about with bracelets, bangles and earrings!

But I always try not to over accessorize, so this is what I matched in the end..

Brass Necklace Worn as a bracelet..
Navy Blue Gold-edged Bangle from Causeway. 

 

Gold Earrings from HnM...I love these, they are superbly finished, and have lovely colours!

Close up of the earrings:
 

I found this necklace at a street-stall the other day...the beads are Velvet covered, and the colour is very vibrant and rich-looking! I bought it in Grey too X)

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Inspite of the heat, spring is beautiful in its own ways.. 

The light fragrance of  white champa flowers fills the air.. 

Little 'tuti' berries ripen into a rich pink...


And the trees reach heavenward, towards the Sun!

 

Hope you have a lovely spring, wherever you stay! And those in India, do not complain, the summer will bring mangoes very soon, remember!XD

Hope you like this post.

Keep Smiling:)

-Shubhi!

A Heritage Walk through Town

The Imposing 'Gateway of India' Built to welcome King George V and Queen Mary to India in 1911! 

•   The cost of the construction was a sum of Rs. 21 lakh, borne mainly by the Government of India. (21 Lakh today would not get me a room of 100 square feet in my house!)
•    For lack of funds, the approach road to the Gateway was never built. This is why it stands at an angle to the road leading up to it. 

• The whole harbor front was re-laid so that it would sweep down to the centre of the town.
• The Viceroy, Earl of Reading inaugurated the gateway in Mumbai, on December 4, 1924. 
• The last British troops left India through this gateway!

Boats and Ferries ply between Gateway and Elephanta Caves..at Appolo Bunder!

 Elephanta Caves contain beautiful rock-cut artwork of Gods and Goddeses!  This cave was renovated in the 1970s after years of neglect, and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 to preserve the artwork.   The ferries leave for the caves from the Gateway at noon, hop on!

Interestingly,  The Elephanta caves are "of unknown date and attribution" !

The New Building of the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel!

The hotel has hosted notable guests such as The Beatles, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Bill Clinton, The Prince of Wales, Mick Jagger, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Deep Purple...cool right?  

According to the BBC, after the Mumbai attacks of November 2008 by Pakistani terrorists , the hotel serves as a symbol of Mumbai's resilience.

Street Scene

The Very famous and beautiful The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel

Wrought Iron Lamps at the Gateway of India Seaface

Anyone else fancying a  Medieval Rapunzel looking out of this charming window?

 Just a random click...the tree and the facade of this old stone building looked soo pretty!

The clock tower on the University of Mumbai Building!

When I looked at the Mumbai University Building that day, in the 11 AM sun, I found myself admiring its beautiful Gothic Architecture...But it was overshadowed by a deeper thought- So this is where my engineering course Syllabus(Which I cram 2 nights before the exam)...was drafted!! That is so cool and intriguing!:p

Haggling with Vendors on the Street

I loved how the colourful umbrellas showed up against the white shirts of the men....
The city is bustling,  chaotic, colourful, and always busy! 

Btw I don't know if many of you have heard the song, but I love Abba's "I am the City"  a lot!:)

A Really Imposing Entrance to the Parsi-only complex!

 Now the Parsi community is a fast dwindling, secluded community. Exerpts from the Indian Express's
"A peek into the Parsi bastion in Colaba, which is out of bounds for most Mumbaikars." 

"On Colaba Causeway, there is a place that intrigues the non-Parsis a lot. For over six years, we’ve have gone up and down the Causeway a million times, each time thinking about what goes on within the fortress called Cusrow Baug. A lovely residential sanctuary, the Baug situated across the road from Café Churchill is also a gateway to traditional Parsi ways of life and culture.

For the Parsis, the dwindling numbers of the community is quite a huge concern. Even at Cusrow Baug there aren’t many young people around. No wonder then that it is no less than a festival for them when neighbours fall in love and get married to stay in the Baug forever.

Cusrow Baug remains a place surrounded by mysterious charm. For its residents, it is the best place on earth. For most of us, this haven is out of bounds."

Signing off finally! I bet you guys found this post a tad geeky, but I do SO love clicking buildings in 'town' ! I went alone on this particular trip a few days back, and was not bored even an inch! Hope you liked the pictures and found the information, well interesting!. :)

Lots of Love,

Shubhi!

A Special Day

Towards the end of every college year there's a special day. And it is called 'Tie and Saree' day! And since i'm in my final college year, this was the last 'Saree day' of my whole life. Sob!

Its no big deal actually. We girls dress up, (Having stitched matching saree-blouses well before, bought complementary jewellery and dreamt about our hairstyles...and so on!) and reach college.

 And click pictures with our friends. If there is one day dedicated to photographs, then this is it. Pictures of Girls and Guys(In formal shirts and Ties) are taken in every possible permutation and combination. (Sorry, getting a bit technical here)

I decided on this Turquoise-Blue Saree with a Bronze Beaded Border and Golden pattern all over it..

I wore it with a Contrasting Brocade Blouse!

And the clicking commences..

Me and my best gal!

In the classroom..

And out of the window...haha I'm good at poses:p

Everyone loved this arm-band I wore! 

Giggles and excitement  in the air! 

We went out for lunch after the photographs and socializing was done...

All said and done, I am going to miss college, the boring sleep-inducing lectures, the (frequent)trips to the canteen (I am constantly hungry: p), And most of all, my friends!!

I guess that's what i was thinking when a friend clicked this:

Quiet Reflection..

Well, all good times come to an end... I guess its me in the open wide world now!
On the bright side, there are still about 15 days to go.!

Cheers...have a super weekend! And do tell me if you liked my Saree day pics!
Shubhi
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