Ice Rain

Bangalore had hail with rain just now

Very exciting to watch the little ice bits fall.

Rain,Rain Come again

Enjoyed the first rain in a long time, last night in Blore.

Lovey  breeze and the girls stepped out into the balcony for some fun.

Among the most universally loved smells, is the smell of first rain on dry earth.

As Aditi says," Gawgeous !"

Play Time

Some very interesting plays on air

There is one by Shuba Mudgal- Stories in Song
Katha Collage with Naserrudin Shah
Another week long fest sponsored by Deccan Herald

Then there is Kahaani and Paan Singh Tomar - two movies that seem like must watch ones.

Kites, Kites!

Apart from new clothes, feasting and rangoli, Anush and Aditi flew kites and painted pots this Pongal.

It was my first real kite flying experience and I was hooked. Tugging at the string that seemed to be of steel the moment the kite reached a certain height- what a high!

Habba time

Benguluru Habba is here again and sounds pretty inviting. Though am not sure how much of Karnataka it actually reflects unlike the Chennai Sangamam. This seems like a more urban fusion fest.

There is a Kite Fest this weekend. Given Anushka's fascination for them I would like to visit here.

The Flower show will also come in the next week or so.

The Art on the Street show- Chitra Santhe is round the corner as well. But we will miss it this time.

What are your plans? And A Happy Sankaranti/ Pongal to all you folks.

Girls day out

I took the girls to Alvin and the Chipmunks 3 at a nearby theatre and enjoyed the time out despite having had reservations against the movie choice.

Aditi was not a bother at all and laughed with Anush whenever she did. Very cute indeed. The girls were diff in their choice of popcorn- Anush loved the caramel one as usual and Aditi the salted one calling the former gandhaaaaa popcorn!

Did I also mention the Claytopia outing we had with lovely bloggers S and S of Artsy Crafty.... got some gorgeous gifts as well from them.

Hello 2012

Opened the new year in Chintamani. Came to Bangalore, enjoyed a Dhaatu Ramayan carnival though not in enough detail. They had colouring, puppet shows, a walk through cubicles like sets, play acting, quiz, etc. Really a lot to take in, in the 2 hours we spent there.

Some Adittys to begin the year with a smile:
She sees an Oonjal( joolah) photo in a wedding photo album. "Amma where is slide? " she asks.

She wants the straight hair of a cousin and points to her own and says "Amma take off this, give me that!"

Wish you all a great year!

DrumRoll

Aditi's first train journey led us to a great trip. We spent Christmas weekend at Hampi, Badami and Pattadkal with our close family friends. Aditi and her friend were very entertaining and Anush and her buddy were on great behaviour having fun only as little girls do and imbibing a bit of the culture.

We realised we could have included Bijapur maybe with slightly better planning. So for those of you who wish to do this, keep it in mind- 3 - 4 days and you can cover all the places, assuming you are willing to start early daily.

While most of what we saw in Hampi is covered in the earlier trip post, there is a new pin hole shadow in the Virupaksha temple and a new bell has been discovered and displayed in the Krishna temple. We caught the elephant bathing session, a road side mehendi, a lovely trinket- a 2 paise coin finger ring and also did the boat trip across the river this time.

There are buggies now in the Vittala area and the dust is really way too much if the kids are allergic. The musical pillars have been cordoned off to the public since the structure looks rather unstable and possibly due to some mindless people using sticks and stones on the pillars!

But somehow the old grandeur seems to have diminished or since it was the second time, was my memory larger than the real thing?

Badami was fabulous despite the crowds. The cave temples/ durbars were filled with stories. The smiling Harihara and the seated Vishnu on the serpent will stay with me forever. The lake nearby saw an indulgent lady let Aditi wash clothes with her.

Pattadkal is sheer poetry and while Aditi's nature call made me miss some of the guide's gyaan, just seeing all the structures left me wondering what great skill artists and masons possesed in the years gone by.

Apart from the Mango Tree ( still too crowded and poor service and great ambiance) Badami Court and the German cafe on the other side in Hampi are places worth eating at. Small and cosy eat was the Durga cafe by the Virupaksha. Apart from the usual suspects, Israeli and Tibetan food have joined the menu in most eateries.

We were in an adequate enough place called Padma Guesthouse. I was afraid of the large lizard that paid us a visit once ( almost like a chameleon) but otherwise it was comfortable with a homely feel.

What was saddening is the brewing issue of the proposed dislocation of the smaller shops/ vendors/ autos near the bazaar to render a pristine historic feel to the place. While there must be another side to the issue some locals mentioned it is the vested interest of the powers that be. Here is a piece on that if you are interested in knowing more.

Joyous Weekend

We were at the cake exibition - some were really not upto the mark- only to the cynical adult eye in the family- eg. the Metro train set while some of the wedding and fair theme cakes were lovely and delicate. The main piece was the Gol Gumbus which was large and imposing but seemed to be missing some minar tops which we saw lying on the side.

We visited the Leela Palace hotel and Anush was enthralled by the Christmas tree, and less so by the gingerbread house.

We were at Chintamani for Sports day at Navy's school and watched the Asia champ in yoga, a class 10 student, perform some really complex yogasanas. Aditi entertained all unexpectedly by trying to mime the drills and exercises.


And if all that was not enough, we also enjoyed ourselves at the Carnival in a friend's apartment.

Namma Bengaluru

I recall being very much in the know of what is up in Chennai.

Did not feel that aware in Bangalore initially. But we have come a long way now- almost 2 years here and the evidence in the piece done at Womens Web.

Do visit and leave a comment if you know of other cool places for kids.

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Yesterday went to Ambara, near Ulsoor lake- must go for the Blue Mango( ex Theni) and other soft toys of an ethnic fabric kind that they sell. Look out for the nursery and the restaurant Rogue Elephant as well.

On a high

We got a Sabuda for a throw away price at the Strand festival. What are you waiting for?!

There is a Dhaatu Ramayan on Jan 1, 2012 for those who are interested.

Happy Karthikai- today or trow whenever decide it is. Have Anush's friend dropping in to celebrate it with her.

Colours

Nice that the colours of all religions come together this festive season.

While on colour, the flower laden trees in Bangalore and the flowers in Delhi are so inviting this season.

Anush got a fab review at school, except for her extreme intolerance towards noise! At home, she is one of the key noise makers...had a casual word with her on this.

Down and Out(ing)

Missed meeting M from Chennai who was visiting Blore since all at home have been rather unwell.

But met two good friends ( both from our alma mater) who dropped by at home. Great to see the kids bond as always.

I went to take a quick peek at the Strand sale and forgot to buy the book I most wanted- one by Sabuda!!

We went to Kala Madhyam at Chitra Kala Parishat . Picked up a variation of Warli called Chittara. Most of the stuff is made up of the regular suspects but some of it was enchanting.

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Me: Aditi! You love Amma ?

Aditi: Yes

Me:How much?

Aditi: Too much!!

Sister at School

So it is through. Aditi will join Anushka's school next academic year.
Anush is delighted. Not sure if Aditi understands.

Was in Mumbai and Delhi on work and got to meet my cousin and Chithi. Ate saag and enjoyed Gobi parathas one misty morning.

Last weekend, went to Chinnari Habba and saw the (z)orbs that I had always wanted to . Could not do it due to the queue. Anush did have fun with a horizontal bungee though.

Got to go!!

Went to the Hundred Hands collective and got some lovely stuff from NIMHANS, a Gond artist and even some yummy eats ...last year we had picked up Sanchi paper cutting work.

Managed a quick trip to Book Fair which was not as grand or crowded as last year.

Do visit ST for my recent review of an interesting book- Island's end

Fiesta Time

So many things happening over the next couple of weeks:
Book Fair
Hundred Hands Initiative
Kalamadhyam
Fireflies fest
Soul Santhe

.....and I seem to be missing all of them!

Little Buddha and a Lamb

LB came to town from Chennai this Saturday and we had loads of fun with Lavs, S & S, Poppy, Starry and kids. The hubbies hit it off too.

It is certainly warm and nice to see online friendships turn real and endure as well.

Went for a birthday at Gerry Martin Farm, great fun as expected. The baby lamb, baby rabbits and the duckling were the most delightful. Anush enjoyed some potty humor after witnessing the Emu and donkey and goat do their job in full glory.

We went to a nursery  run by APD that completely delighted us at Jeevan Bhima nagar.The endearing staff also makes giftable items like chimes and paper quilling which are very pretty.

A (no)cracker of a Diwali?

Standard fireworks have stalls in large grounds all over the place.
Went and picked up some non noisy crackers. Though it amounted to a lot of money

Am unable to imagine a cracker less Diwali though it might be the more eco friendly option.

Would you refrain from buying crackers completely?

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Anush and I enjoyed the Namma metro rides thanks to my father who got passes on time before the queues turned serpentine.

The loveliest Golu ever

Went for the Dhaatu Golu and was completely mesmerised.

The collection is enormous in any case, but the details and the themes are wonderful. The Abhimanyu in the chakravyuh was the most enchanting in my opinion.

Wish they had a guide for novice collectors as to where to source dolls from .....

One pointer was the Govt marriage hall like place in Parry's - any of my Chennai friends pl go there and let me know.....

Bangalore and Chennai Times

In Chennai on work. Met zestful Uma of Adya fame and again amazed at how much she can fill into her day and life. She indulged me with craft material for Anushka and golu dolls for the coming year!!

If you are in Chennai, do check out Lets do something at Velachary for the activities they do.

Dhaatu Golu is on for those in Blore.
There are two cool plays for kids theatre on the anvil in early November.

And watch this space for updates on the annual ST fest- CROCUS 2011.