Tuesdays around the world...

If I was a Tulip

And you were wind’s-wings,

I would not count

My broken dreams,

But bless the coming spring.

I would let you see me

In colors-

Pink, yellow and red.

You’d find me blooming

By the riverbed

Or, down in the valley

By the little creek,

To make proud

The water falls,

To make you feel meek.

But strong winds

Of late May

Again could make me weak.

My petals scattered

On the ground

And gone in a week.

But I will come again

To let you see…

Life is but a circle,

I will bloom

Again next spring:

Isn’t it a miracle?

I would be happy

To know that you would

Touch my face

When the sun sets in.

I would feel you in full force,

Gently from within.

You would come to me

Each day-

Again to disappear,

But when the sun’s-rays

Touch at noon-

Again I would feel you near.

Its official!!

It's official. After a lot of thought, my kids will be receiving their First Holy Communion( It is a catholic church ceremony which is very important in every child's life) in Deutschland. None of our family will be coming over from India due to various reasons. Over the past year, we have made a few friends and we will be celebrating along with them.

   There is a lot to do. The major one being deciding the kids clothes, especially of our daughter. She has something in mind, more in lines of wanting to look like cinderella in a gown!! It is going to be hard, to please her..:) Then we have our boy, who is a simpleton. He is satisfied with whatever we get him. There are invites to decide, food and menu to think about, cutlery to buy, decorations to make, lots and lots of work.We are excited about it and eagerly looking forward to the day, which is 4 months away.

    On Saturday, we thought we would head over to Würzburg, to get an idea as to what is available in the markets. Nothing prepared us for the visual treat we were about to see in the sky..

It ain't fair if don't share this with you. The image has not been altered, edited, nothing at all. This is exactly how the sky was and my husband was asking me to hurry up with the shots before the colors faded away!!!

Sundays in my City

Hello everybody!! Welcome to my favorite day of the week where we get to travel the world along with Unknown Mami via Sundays in my City. 

   This year, we as a family, have decided to get out of the house and explore new places every sunday, when and as the weather permits. And to help us keep our word, we have been experiencing the best of weather, which according to the Germans is unusual..:) It has gotten warm, the sun shines and there is no snow..:D

So today, we headed to the ruins of Homburg in Gössenheim, a short drive from home. Germany is filled with ruins of castles, big and small. Some are maintained, some not. It is quite expensive to maintain these places and it is a shame to see them crumble down due to lack of maintenance.

These ruins are more than 1000 years old. We timed it well, so that we got to see the ruins against the setting sun. We have a boy in our midst, who loves to dwell on the past. He loves to see the old walls, imagine what it must have been like to live in those times, wonder how people lived....

It made for an interesting outing. Some of the rooms still had their gates locked and the tiles of the floor were in good shape. Maybe, it was where the prisoners were held. Since the ruins were high atop a mountain, it also made for picturesque scenes of nearby villages and meadows.

Did a damsel wait by this window, for her knight in shining armor?? Or a lady for her love?? You can let your imagination run wild and yet, have no answers.

It was a day well spent. Hope you all had a great day too. Don't forget to stop by Unknown Mami and see what the lovely ladies were up to.  I promise, you won't be disappointed..:)

Give me some sunshine.

The weather had been crappy the whole week. Rain and grey clouds. Many a time, I would look hopefully to the skies for some salvation!! So, it did take me by surprise when today, the sun just shone through the dark clouds, sort of playing hide and seek with us!! I couldn't believe it!!! Pretty soon, the clouds vanished and there were clear blue skies. I couldn't wait for the kids to get home, cause I wanted to take them out with their bikes.

Meanwhile, I went about opening windows, placing all plants near the windows to get their dose of Vitamin D!!! God alone knows, when the sun will get out of hiding next...:) The windows once again reminded me of the cleaning needed to be done!!! They looked dirtier than ever!! I placed these tulips to soak in some sunshine too..:) I love tulips. They are available the next 5 months in Blumen shops. They bring in so much color to your home. I wish they were available the whole year through.

Anyway, once the kids got home, we had a quick lunch. By then, the sun chose to go back in hiding never to come out. Never the less, it was pretty warm which is quite unusual for this time of year. I am grateful for this unusual weather and hope that it continues to remain this way and not drop down to freezing temperatures.

The children were thrilled to get out their bikes after two whole months. Surprisingly, we were the only ones in the park. Not a soul.

During summer, not only is the park filled, you have youngsters sitting in this band stand, getting together for a chat or a puff!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Very soon, these bare branches will have new life in them. It will be Spring and we shall have a riot of colors. Till then, we patiently wait.

Memories, Dreams and Reflections 2010.

Ashley from Ramblings and Photos is hosting the beautiful "Memories, Dreams and Reflections 2010". Ashley is a dedicated blogger committed to improving her skills in photography. I admire the way she presents her pictures, her flair for writing and thank her so much, for having given me this opportunity to go through the past year in pictures. It did take a lot of time, but made me smile, pause and frown over the collection of pictures we have amassed.

 

ME

Yeah, that's me. Apart from being on the MAC( which ticks of my hubby and kids) or baking in the kitchen, you are sure to find me with this camera at all times, trying to capture a shot. And yes, I love to smile, laugh and giggle a lot!!!! 

I am proud of the fact that we survived together as a family. It has been a huge accomplishment for us!!

WINTER WONDERLAND

The beginning of 2010 was our first year experiencing winter wonderland. In fact, our first snow. 

BIRTHDAY

My husband turned 40 this year. Tried my hand at baking a berry cake for him.

I WAS INSPIRED

by fellow bloggers to improvise my blogging skills and my husband who patiently taught me to capture all these beautiful shots..:)

SPRING

As I mentioned, it was our first winter experience, so over a period of time, we were waiting for Spring like crazy!!!! The burst of new leaves was like new life to me.

TRAVEL, HOLIDAYS and MY FAVORITE

The past year, we travelled a lot and visited many new places. The Neuschwanstein Castle is by far my favorite picture and destination of all!!! So much so, before I head back to India, I want to visit it again!!

SUMMER

Lohr gets alive in Summer with the Lohrer fest! A tent is put up by the River Main. You can hang out either in the tent downing beer, or go on any of the amusement rides.

AUTUMN

Living in Germany is giving us the chance to experience all seasons which we wouldn't get to experience back home.

FAMILY

Wilhelma Botanical Garden and Zoo, visited March 2010.

I MISS YOU ALL

Every girl in the world should be blessed with a sister. And, I am blessed with three..:) I miss them terribly!! (They are gonna kill me on seeing what I have done to their snap..:D)

A DAY IN MY LIFE

Hunting for recipes, baking and experimenting!!!!

 MY FAVORITE

This is one of my first pictures I begun taking early 2010.

HOPES AND DREAMS

To overcome the challenges the year has to offer, let go of the trivial things, have deeper appreciation for the people I LOVE and not take them for granted.....:)

My Dream is to travel around, together as a family, discover new things, cultures and live life to the fullest!!!

Hochwasser!!

I have decided to get out of the house daily. More on some decisions I have made for this year in a later post. Also, I needed to come out of the gloom. There was a heavy fog in the air, nevertheless, I carried my camera along. It's quite small, hence it fits snuggly in my jacket. 

As you all are aware, we have the River Main flowing alongside our village Lohr am Main. The warm temperatures have melted all the snow and hence we are having high waters 'Hochwasser' on the road.

The road pictured below is closed. 

Maybe this sign below will give you guys a clearer picture to the level of rising waters.

This is supposed to be a car park which is right now submerged. The river's edge is where the poles begin.

The ducks are confused and have swam onto the road. Lucky for them, there is no moving traffic.

Finally, people like me, who want to grab a shot of the Hochwasser...:D

It's hard.

A new day, A new week.... The kids are back to school, husband back to work. The decorations are down, the tree removed.  And am all alone and depressive. The weather is not helping in any way.
     Today, 95% of my family minus us is together for a big fat Indian wedding. My cousin is getting married, and we are paying a heavy price, thanks to the expat life. I thought I would be okay. That I would be too occupied to even realize that I am missing something. But, I was so wrong. Each moment I think about it, tears come stinging to my eyes. I keep wondering, what everybody are up to. I keep imagining the chit chat that must be going on, everybody getting ready with their fine clothes and jewelry, the excitement in the air, the merriment, the dancing...........
    Sigh, I know, I have to get over it. It's very hard, but I have to snap out of it!!