A year in Lohr and Eleven years together!!!!

A year ago, we landed, with 4 suitcases in hand, tears in our eyes and hope in our hearts. We didn't know, what the future held in store for us.  Fast forward to today.... We have grown together as a family, getting stronger each day and have deeper appreciation for each other than before. Its been a year and we have survived in Lohr.  Yes, survived, because I never thought I would :D Thanks to all of you, both friends and loved ones,near and far, for your constant support and prayers.  I am now confident that the next two years have better surprises in store for us!!!!

           Tomorrow, we celebrate eleven years together. Have I mentioned that I am married to one of the best guy that ever was on the planet??? Now, if he were to read this, he would say "You never ever told me that I was the best!" My constant companion, my motivator, he is the one who encourages me to dream, the one who wipes away my tears and also makes me laugh like silly, the one who treats me like a queen!!! I love being married to him....:D 

I pray, we be blessed, with many more years of togetherness, in good times and bad, in sickness and health, till death do us part..:)

Tuesdays around the world...

It finally feels like fall!!!! The chill in the air along with Mr. Frost, the fallen leaves, apple cinnamon cakes and pumpkins, pinecones ......ahhh, the list can go on......

What does your today feel like??? Mine definitely feels fall..:D

Head over to Communal Global and see what the ladies are upto!!!!

Sundays in my City

It is time for Sunday's in my city hosted by Unknown Mami, which I have been participating in the past six months. For those who do not know me, I am May, an Indian expat living in Germany.

      Today, I bring to you pictures from my home country India. I come from a small town Mangalore which is on the coastal belt in Southern India. During the time of our visit it was the monsoon season, hence we got to see sights of lush greenery and wet land. 

Pictured below is my paternal ancestral house. Houses were then made of mud and red tiled roof. If you notice in the background, the modern houses are made of brick and cement.

Every house has either a small or a large garden and during the monsoon it turns into a virtual tropical rain forest!!!!!

You have all kinds of creatures roaming freely in the garden and no, they are not scary. Pictured below is a caterpillar known as "kotarli" in my mother tongue konkani. The kotarli is visible only during the monsoon.

 Below is the blanket worm which you need to beware of. If touched, it causes an itchy rash which is quite unbearable!! I had my sisters and kids screaming at me to be careful when taking this shot...:)

The dragon fly who made me wait and wait till I could catch him fly. But he chose to sit and pose for me atop the aloe vera.

Here is the good old grasshopper who chooses to make merry while the ants do all the hard work :D

Apart from the mini zoo visible in the garden, we also have a lot growing. Presenting to you all the Indian pepper. When the time is right, it is plucked and then dried in the sun till it turns black in colour.

Wild mushrooms are found all over the place.

Colocasia is one  of my all time favourite plant, the leaves of which are used to prepare an Indian dish called "pothrade".

Just as I enjoyed taking you through this tour, I hope you all had fun taking a walk through one of the gardens of a house in a small town in India. 

Ready for Halloween..

We have never celebrated Halloween before. This is going to be our first celebration!! In preparation, we got a very big pumpkin last week and I got down to business today!!! After going through numerous videos on carving the perfect pumpkin and blogs as to find out, if we were a wee bit early, I sat down to carve out our little monster. The final result after a broken blade and some struggling with a very tough pumpkin,,,,,,,, Am I proud of myself???? You bet, I am!!!

Sundays in my City

Its a bit late for Sundays in my city hosted by Unknown Mami, but I cannot resist showing the pictures from where we returned. We had a quiet weekend at the Alsace region of France. We drove through vineyards, tasted wine, visited chateaus..... a weekend to remember!!!

Have a great week everybody!!!!!

Autumn's Here, where did the summer go???

I am back from India 3 weeks ago!! After a wonderful holiday, the kids are back in school and we are geared up to begin our second year as expats in Germany. Life has gotten so much better, living here does not seem strange anymore. 

Autumn has come in with full force, I begin to wonder where did the summer go. We have been going out on long walks just to see the leaves fall. Doesn't this look like paradise to you?? I want these moments to last forever......

What does your today look like??  Join the other girls around the world to see what everybody has been upto!!!!

Photo Challenge: Urban

The city of Prague, ancient, full of history and rich culture!! A city you will fall in love with instantly. Pictured here is the river Vltava with the Prague Castle and the famous St. Vitus cathedral in the background.