Missing in action...

    I know I have been missing in action.  This is the first week that I have not participated in both Sunday's in my City( I linked an old post) and Tuesday's around the world. I have been caught up with so many things. The most important being the preparation towards my children's First Holy Communion. Husband is fed up of seeing me always with glue, paper, scissors and colors. And when not surrounded by this, I am in deep thought!!! He is dreading their weddings already. I tell him, that I have been like this right from the time I was little. I used to decorate the house for my birthday a month in advance!!! See, that's how crazy I was.  Even our wedding, I drove everybody mad. I had made this list where everybody, and  I mean each member of the family(about 30 to 40 people) had a role to play from the beginning till the end of the ceremony. Before leaving house, all had gathered in our living room, and I (decked up in my sari and make up)called out loud each name, where by they had to respond what their role was. Hilarious, isn't it??? I didn't want anything to go wrong. The perfectionist that I am...:(

    The weather being gorgeous, I have not stepped out of the house, which means my cam too is missing in action. Too bad isn't it? Well today, I have been invited to go to an English play in a nearby town with a group of English learning students. I grabbed the opportunity cause I need a break. A break from the normal hum drum of life. The father and kids will be having a quiet evening on their own(They are delighted). And by the time I am back  home, they all should be sound asleep in bed..:D

Yesterday was the semi final game of World Cup cricket between the rival countries, India and Pakistan. I missed not having regular transmission on our television. I had to make do with the online screening on the PC, which oh so many times lost signal which was quite frustrating. Well, India won and then there was cause for celebration. I am told that the skyline of India was dotted with fire works, youngsters on the loose screaming and shouting with joy, houses bursting out with cheers. I could only imagine all the jubilation that was happening back home. One more price to pay for living in a foreign land. You lack the thrill of watching it on TV and then miss all the fun. Saturday is the finale and I pray that our men in blue win the cup.

      

Reflections..

(This picture gives you an idea of the weather we have been having. Clear blue skies, the result of which gives an awesome reflection on water)

What happens when the weather is warm and gorgeous?? You hardly sit down to blog as you have other activities to do. Apart from spring gardening, I have been exploring around the country side and marktplatz. Late in the evening, the kids and I head over to the Spielplatz or play area where they get along with their friends for a game of fußball or simply chase each other. Meanwhile I walk around and look with amazement at all the new shoots sprouting out from branches. Sigh.....life is indeed beautiful.

Tuesdays around the world

Hello everybody,
It's that time of the week to show us what your today looks like. Well, this side of my world spring has definitely sprung. What amazes me is the sight of vivid colors popping all around. Like for instance, this beautiful flower. Amidst all the lifeless dried leaves there is beauty springing out. It is as though Mother Earth is waking up from her long slumber.
What does your today look like? We are eager to know. Share a picture of your today and link back to us at Communal Global.

Sundays in my City

Beginning this week, we have to visit the neighboring village Gemünden over the weekends, thanks to our daughter's ballet lessons. It is a beautiful 20 minute ride. Notice that the railway track runs parallel to the country road.

In between the tracks do change position. The kids get pretty excited when there is a train up close.

and finally it disappears.

Once the lessons were complete, we walked around the village. It was very charming and nice.

Pretty soon, a little bridge caught our attention.

and see what caught my eye. I loved the reflections formed on the water.

There were pretty ducks swimming around waiting for a feed. 

The moment bread crumbs were strewn, there was a mad scramble amongst the feathered friends.

We wound up our outing with some Eis( Ice cream) at a parlor. This is a Heidelbeere Becher (Blueberry Ice cream). I must say that after winter, we not only look forward to sunshine and flowers, but also an ice cream!!!

Wishing everybody a happy week of sunshine!!!!

I ♥ Jalebies

So, what's a Jalebi??? When Shireen (a good old friend who I have gotten closer to the past few months thanks to facebook and blogging) put up this post last night, it got me all nostalgic and pining for this sweet which I love oh so much. I love them so much, there are no words to describe my love for it. And here is the best part, I love the ones made from a particular sweet shop(Taj Mahal)in my home town Mangalore.  

    I have not been able to take the images of this soft succulent sweet from my mind at all. So, in desperation, I pulled out a cookery book to see if it had a recipe in it. It did, but it looked like I need to put in quite some effort and that will take some time. Not only that, there are certain goodies you are so used to buying from sweet shops that you never ever think of preparing them at home. So continuing to ponder over my lost love, thinking of what a heavy price we pay while living abroad, I suddenly remembered of something I had seen during my home trip back in August.

While in amchi Mumbai, I got to witness this!!! A sweet vendor preparing JALEBIES!!!!

Jalebi's are sweets made from all purpose flour made into a batter with sugar, yeast, yellow color and water. The batter is then poured into a cloth with a hole in it. The jalebi's are formed by gently squeezing out shapes into piping hot oil. Once fried they are immediately transferred into warm sugar syrup and removed. 

For now, I am satisfied just looking at these pictures. What is it about your home country that you miss??

Every Morning..

Every morning on waking, the first thing I do is pull up the shutters to my balcony.....

to take a peek at my babies......

The weekend saw me shop for spring plants for the house. There are primels, daffodils, violas, hyacinths. Some in bloom and others yet to.

These tulip bulbs were planted at the onset of winter. The plants are now shooting out from the bulbs. I cannot wait to see my first tulips.

What is it about Spring that you like? Do you bring in color to your home too? If so, which are your favorite spring flowers??

Tuesdays around the world and the news..

Today, I begin a beautiful journey along with the most wonderful women at Communal Global. I am thrilled and excited to be a part of the team. Thank you ladies for the warm welcome.
        This is the River Main, calm and serene. Just a 5 minute walk from my home. Sitting by its banks you can get lost in thought as you watch the barges go by. They are pretty interesting to watch as some of them not only carry goods but also possessions like cars, pets and so on.
It is Tuesday and we would like for you to join us at Communal Global. Please share a photo of your today and link back to us. Also, please do keep the people of Japan in your thoughts and prayers. They very much need it from us.

The week gone by..

The kids are back in school today. We had a great week together, the three of us. The carnival at Mainz(of which a post is pending), a birthday party of a friend, making new friends and an Indian spouse expat with kids meet was the highlight of the week.

I thought it fit to have flowers around the house. Just like me, my kids too love dabbling with paper, paints, art of any form. My daughter and I made tissue magnolias to bring color to the living room.

The two of them went that extra mile to cut out flowers and stick them onto our windows. Finally. the house looked like a sort of beautiful mini spring kinder garten...:)

Unfortunately, I did not click pictures of the meet as I was too busy chit chatting and attending to the babies that were around. 

  So today we are back to the groove, me waiting for the next holidays which are due in a month's time. Do not forget to drop by tomorrow. I have a special announcement to make!!!

Sunday's in my city.

The first sign of Spring round the corner is not only the presence of flowers and buds but also floh markts aka flea markets in Germany. Yesterday was the first such market in our village for the year 2011. I had posted my first experience in a floh markt here. Since then, hubby and I have been looking forward to an outing at these markets. It is not always that you find something, but it sure makes for a nice time glancing through what must have been somebody's treasure for a while. 

The banks by the river Main makes for a very good spot for the markt. They are held during the weekend. Flyers are pasted all around the village informing you well in advance of the markt to come. People come in cars and caravans the night before and set up camp, arranging their stuff in foldable tables, preparing for the morning to come. If you want to get the best of such a market, the earlier you visit the better. Seventy five percent of the market makes for junk and trash.

And the remaining is made up of fine treasures like these....

(The guy at this stall slowly made a passing comment that I need to pay a euro for taking a shot of his treasures...:P)

or these.....

I wonder at times if everybody manages to make a sale. It is okay to bargain. Well, we do...:) It sometimes works, but sometimes not. 

Like for instance, the lady who sold this plate to us, would not lower the price (10€)  at all. But there are times, when some pieces just mesmerise us and we need to have it.  So in the end, you give in and walk home with a priceless treasure in hand.

One more find of ours, a Bavarian mug which now sits pretty in my cupboard.

And before we left, I had to stop by the Main to take a snap shot of it. I love watching these barges pass by, always.

Have a wonderful week everyone. The kids are back to school and I should be back to my routine of stopping by and visiting you all. Do not forget to visit Unknown Mami and say hello to my fellow blogger friends too.

Fasching in Mainz.

Helau from Deutschland!!! Who says you need to be in Rio de Janeiro to witness what a carnival or Fasching as it is called looks like?? We have it happening in Deutschland with three cities (Mainz, Köln and Dusseldorf) hosting the major carnival parades.
      We visited Mainz yesterday to witness the fun and we had the most amazing time and experience. For today, I will let the pictures do the talking. Will get back tomorrow with details of our trip. Happy Tuesday everyone!!!!

P.S: The kids are home for the week and we have action packed days ahead of us!! Kindly bear with me as I will not be able to comment on my favorite blogs...:) Will be back next week!!!

Sunday's in my City

Weekends are sometimes reserved for drives along the country side. Driving in Germany is pretty awesome. The roads are amazing, less of traffic, people follow the rules. You also get to witness the beauty of seasons on such drives. As the picture below shows, spring is waiting to burst out with colors of green.

Country side driving takes you through a number of villages. As you approach a village, you got to slow down your speed. German villages are pretty with their timbered houses.

There are numerous fields too which you encounter on your way. Right now they are being readied for seeding and planting. In a few months time, there will be rows of rapsol fields along with corn, sunflower and berries too. 

All along sights of towers, church steeples, ruined forts, fortifications greet you. The bluer the skies, prettier the villages.

What do you like to do during the weekend? Head on over to Unknown Mami and share it along with the rest of the world.