Happy Valentine's Day my darling

I am off sick with a sore throat and painful ears, but I can't resist you
Your magnetism acts like a pain killer
and numbs my pain.

I dig into your soul-
you stamp your mark
on me.

My finger nails and toes gather evidence of our rendezvous.
The phone alarm jars me
into reality.
How can time fly so quickly when I'm with you?

My husband will be home soon.
There's dinner to be cooked
Laundry to be folded
Heck...I haven't even said 'hello' to the kids!

You are destroying my 'normal'.
But I don't want 'normal'!
I want you-
All the time.

If I could, I would spend my life with you.
In you-
Around you.

You don't use words.
I don't need any.

Words can be hurtful and mean.
Misleading.
Feigning love.

You say it with flowers-
Flowers are flawless.
You get it...he doesn't!

The challenge was to keep our relationship going
When I moved
from rainy London to dry Doha

But we survived
You and me

I am in Bliss
and so are you
I know

Happy Valentine's Day
my darling
my garden
my yard
my patch of sanity
my joy
my pick- me -up
my pride
my cause of shoulder pain
and dirty nails
my reason to show off
my constant companion.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY to you all, too. Hope this day is filled with love and that you get to do whatever it is that makes you forget yourself.

Here are some clicks of flowers that are in bloom from 

my little patch of green in Doha:

To let ...

Aloe Vera in bloom

Not just a pretty face...there's substance, too. Limes.

Curry leaves trying to hide the mop, BUT!

Rosemary, violas and pansies.

The mulberry tree...hopefully, these berries will be sweet.
It's called 'shehtoot' in India and 'toot' in Doha.

As you can see, the gardening season is in full swing in Doha. My garden keeps me away from blogging but I'm not complaining. I hope to post some more pics of a few projects that are brewing at the moment, soon. 

Inshallah!

Fifty shades of blue

Intrigued?  

First of all...Happy 2014 everyone!

This  year has started off with a whirl of activity for me- friends, travel, gardening, yoga, work, a 10K and so much more that I feel blessed and grateful.
This has also meant that I've had no time to update my blog. I missed it. 
After a long gap I have sat down today - on a sunny Saturday morning to write again.

As I was going through my clicks of Georgia, I was struck by how many different shades of blue I had captured. So I decided to share some of them with you.
 Here we go...let's paint the town blue...

Freedom Square, Tbilisi

The pale blue sky peeped through the trees...

and the vines laden with fruit clung to the balcony.

More blue hanging from balconies as we made our way to the
Dry Bridge Market.

Enjoyed breakfast in blue pottery...

sitting cross from the Lady in blue ...
on Rustaveli Avenue.

We spotted this blue poetry while we were walking towards Mtatsminda; only if the car wasn't parked there.

And it wasn't ...when we made our way back.

The topsy turvy world of  Mtatsminda Park.

Surrealism and blue (Mtatsminda Park)

Stopped for lunch in the Old Town (Altstadt)...

I'm sure a better photographer would have done justice to this unique opportunity- I love the gentleman's expression, his cat and the art behind him...all on the street.

Isn't this blue just stunning with the grey?

The Bridge of Peace hugging the Kura River.

'Blue bells' on Jvari Monastry

Jvari Monastery stands on the rocky mountaintop at the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers, overlooking the town of Mtskheta, which was formerly the capital of the Kingdom of Iberia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jvari_(monastery)

Jvari Monastry and the blue jumper.

Items for sale outside Jvari.

And here I end my posts on Georgia. It has taken me much longer than planned- life took over!

A trip to Tbilisi - Part 1.

A last minute plan to escape Doha during the Eid break took us to gorgeous Georgia.
I loved everything about it- the weather, the architecture , the food and the people. The award for the warmest people I've encountered (so far) on my travels definitely goes to the Georgians.

Here are the highlights of our visit. But before I start, here's the view from the aircraft window just as we were approaching Tbilisi. My Dehradooni soul was ecstatic.

Drifting through Dry Bridge Market

Last Sunday, a dream of mine came true. My husband accompanied me to a flea market without ANY resistance.

 Miracles do happen.

I want to dedicate this post to Amma, who would have loved this market and I hope I can share some of the joy I felt (with her and others) that sunny Sunday morning through my twenty shots (camera not Vodka).

This is the famous Dry Bridge Market of Tbilisi.
We started off bright and early. The morning air was fresh and I had dreams of buying a new suitcase to accommodate all my purchases.

A vendor on her way to set up her wares.

The view from the Bridge.

Getting ready

All set and waiting...

The amazing visual feast of bric-a-brac was enhanced by the calls of 'India' every now and then. The old vendors would point to us and call out 'India'- we would nod 'yes' and then their wizened faces would break into broad smiles- almost like they were welcoming old friends. I loved it. I guess I have to thank Raj Kapoor and the Indian cinema for all the appreciative nods we got in the market from the vendors.

Here's what we saw...

from Soviet scales

to brass ware

and even surgical equipment. 

As I moved past these beautiful plates on display, I spotted a lady dropping some colour pencils on a mat. 

As usual, I was too slow to click and just as I fumbled the click, 

she had dropped the plastic toys, too. 

I love this instant art. Do you?

The picture says it all.

I asked this gentleman if I could take a picture and he not only gave me a warm smile and a nod, he strutted his strings, too.

Care for some art in the park?

I felt a tad sad for these puppets- mute witnesses to the ramblings around them.

No, I didn't have to buy another suitcase, but I did manage to buy a lamp (as usual) from a lady who promised me that it is a Russian antique. I don't know and I don't really care- I just love the green and gold. 

There is a dead fly inside the base, though. 

I wonder how it got in there and when? 

Watch out for more treats from gorgeous Georgia in my next post.