A is for Alum Chine. #AtoZChallenge

One day in August 2017, my husband and I found ourselves in Alum Chine. It happened quite by chance. We were driving back to London from Dorset. We hadn't booked anywhere to stay yet as the idea was to choose somewhere different, an unusual place, a place we hadn't heard of, a place that would make us stop, a place we'd want to stop to spend the night. Otherwise, we'd carry on driving.

When we stopped at a petrol station en-route to get some coffee, we liked the tall trees lining up by the road like tall sentinels of planet earth. The scenery had changed from city to country in a matter of fifteen minutes and the air when we stepped out into the car park was relaxed and beach-like.

We googled the area and found out that we were near Alum Chine. A few searches later, we had a room booked and within an hour of that coffee, we were exploring this beautiful nook of the southern English coast.

Wild flowers carpeted the area around the car park. The flowers kept me busy for a long time: zooming in to capture their little details and zooming out to breathe in their spectacular show. 

If you find yourself in Bournemouth, do stop by at Alum Chine. You'll be glad you did. And if you're wondering what the name Alum Chine means, here's an explanation from the Bournemouth tourism website:

"Chine is a steep sided dry river valley, Alum Chine is the largest of Bournemouth’s four Chines and got its name from the local alum mining industry in the 16th century."

Travel Tip: The place we stayed at is called Tiien and they serve amazing Thai food. 
Their website is www.tiien.co.uk
and the address is:
55 West Cliff Road
Westbourne
Dorset BH4 8BA

******

Have you ever come by a gem of a place by chance on your travels? 

And did you go back to visit it?

Be kind to yourself today:)

and

Be here tomorrow for B.

A to Z Challenge (2018) Theme Reveal #AtoZChallenge

The one thing I'm consistent with is my ability to knock on the mighty doors of this challenge unprepared. 

I was unprepared in 2016 when I attempted it for the first time, but I survived and thrived and found the ride so thrilling, I knew I'd be participating the following year.

Anyone else would've learnt and buckled down to write a few posts before ringing the door bell of the challenge of 2017. Anyone, but me. I managed to write and relish every day of the challenge of 2017 despite the unpreparedness, notwithstanding the extra pounds I put on, on account of sitting for long periods of time to write, post, read and comment.

And here I am, barely a week away from the 1st of April 2018, still unprepared and like the last two times, unsure of a theme. It's becoming a habit, right? Not a good one either, whispers my blogging conscience while my fat cells can be heard (faintly for now) smacking their lips in anticipation of yet another snack-post-snack-read-snack-comment kinda April. 

"Words are my wine." I'd said last year and they continue to intoxicate me. So come along,  sip a drop or gulp a glass full-- your wish--I'll be here with 26 fresh posts this April. 

What can you expect on artismoments during the A to Z Challenge? A medley of things I like to do and blog about, like:

Travel 

Poetry and short fiction 

Photographs

Gardening

and Quotes and words that make me smile or pause.

As you can see, it's not easy to squeeze all of the above in one theme, so I'm opting for the 'Other and Miscellaneous' category.

Budapest, Spring 2016

The Jersey Shore, Winter 2016

I hope to see you on April 1st when I step into this challenge with A.

नारी

Click here to listen to my recital of the poem.

मांग
बिंदी
नथ
अधर

कंठ
स्तन
नाभि
गर्भ

नारी:
सम्पूर्ण एवं सम्पन्न
न ज़्यादा, न कम

अर्धनारीश्वर - एक
नर + नारी  -  एक
यानि
१/२ और १/२ बना एक

एक के हर अंश में एक
चौथाई  हो या अनेक

इन्ही अंशों का मेला है यह सृष्टि 
और 
इस सृष्टि की अर्ध-भागीदारी:
नारी

न ज़्यादा, न कम 
सम्पूर्ण एवं सक्षम
न सिर्फ आज
न सिर्फ कल
परन्तु
आदि  से 
अनंत तक

एक धरा 
एक अम्बर
एक ब्रह्माण्ड 
एक लौ
सूरज की
जिसमें रौशन मैं
उसी में रौशन तुम

न ज़्यादा, न कम 
सम्पूर्ण एवं सक्षम
न सिर्फ आज
न सिर्फ एक दिन
परन्तु
आदि  से 
अनंत तक

चोला है
बस--
नर का
नारी का
दिल
धड़कन
सांसे
सपने
सब एक जैसे हैं

न ज़्यादा, न कम 
सम्पूर्ण एवं सक्षम
न सिर्फ आज
न सिर्फ एक दिन
परन्तु
आदि  से 
अनंत तक

हर पल, हर दिवस, हर युग
एक ही चाह लिए उगता है
एक ही राह तकता है
बिंदु मात्र संतुलन की 

न ज़्यादा, न कम
न केवल आज
न सिर्फ कल
परन्तु
आदि से 
अन्नंत तक

नर 
नारी
धरा 
अम्बर

नमो: नमो:

नमो: नमो: