I’m Back!!

23 Wednesday Aug 2017

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Hello Lovely Readers!

Hope you all have been fabulous!

I’ve been so very, very busy the past 2 months. What with attending to royalty and then having a spot of my own vacation, blogging had been the last thing on my mind!

After my last post, a few colleagues and I traveled to India on an assignment. The ruler of the country I work in, had plans to visit Delhi on a private trip and our company had the grand privilege of arranging the event. Apart from the sleepless nights and the panic attacks where I kept thinking everything would end up disastrous and we could all get deported, it was an AMAZING learning experience. The event turned out to be a success too! So thankful that I have some fantastic colleagues! I even managed to get a picture clicked with His Highness, which was pure luck, honestly. Talk about being in the right place at the right time! And to think I was so upset at being sent to the said place at first 😀 !

Once that ended and I got back, it was soon time for me to go on my annual vacation to India (again!). Had a wonderful time with parents. Oh how I miss their love (sometimes I think my parents are the only people in the world who loves me selflessly 🙂 ). And this time round, my allergies didn’t act up, despite the dreadful humidity (Thank God for small mercies!!).

Here’s a glimpse of my village back home –

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I always get to see an elephant when I’m there!!

Pretty little place, isn’t it?

Managed to get a bit of crocheting done too. My 12 year old came up with a plan of wanting to gift things to her teachers on Teachers’ Day in September and asked if I could crochet something for them. She’s got 10 teachers to gift and it was a good thing she came up with this idea well in advance and not last minute (as is the usual!). We finally settled on making mandalas for them that would be attached to hoops so her teachers could hang them wherever. Will show them once they’re all done and I’m almost there.

Now that I’m back, I’m looking forward to posting more often. And I have a LOT of catching up to do with you all too 🙂

Wishing you all a great week ahead!

Post-Trip Blues

01 Thursday Sep 2016

Posted by Bessie V in Holidays, Travel

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After a wonderful and refreshingly beautiful holiday in Europe, I am now glad to be back home.

Actually, no, that’s not entirely true.. I’m not truly glad to be back. There were plenty of moments on my holiday when I desperately wished with all my being that I could live there forever. Especially as the end came near.

We visited some of the most gorgeous places in Europe – Norway, Denmark, Germany – the Norwegian Fjords being the highlight. We selected Norway only because the fjords were featured on the top of my bucket-list since forever (I am glad to be able to cross it off that list now). I have seen countless pictures of the place full of tall mountains and peaceful waters and imagined myself in the center of it all!

And now that I’ve seen them, I cannot find the words to describe how beautiful they are. Truly a feast for my eyes. We cruised along the Sognefjord (supposed to be the 2nd largest fjord in the world) during the early hours of the morning with the eerily majestic and misty fjords looming around us and a feeling of awe at the wonder of it all totally rocked me. The sights were one of absolute breathtaking beauty and I remember having a similar feeling when I stood among the Alps in Val D’Isere during one of my official trips. Of course, the fjords cannot compare to the grandiose of the Alps, but it still managed to evoke that feeling of being in the presence of something mysterious, ominous and magnificent.

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Misty fjords early in the morning

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Villages along the way later in the day

Bryggen – The Wharf

Before we traveled, I did worry about the kids. Especially our 2 yr old. That he would get cranky and tired and unbearable and generally be a pain. But he surprised us! Even woke up at 5 am without a peep, to get ready for the Fjord tour. I couldn’t ask for more! And my 11 yr old did a grand job of being the ideal sister to him throughout. Both of them became wonderful companions for each other and bonded more on this holiday. Although the occasional squabbles between them did exist, they were both stars! One friendly lady from Spain on the Fjord cruise even took the time to tell me how impressed she was with my daughter. Impressed at the way she took care of him. It was a proud moment and I couldn’t stop beaming 🙂

Another highlight of our trip was the long daylight that we thoroughly enjoyed. I think that was the best part! That we got to be out until 9:30 or 10 pm almost every day without a care in the world!

I miss it all. I miss all the places we went to. I miss the glorious weather, the long daylight hours, the blue skies with clouds that look like they’ve been painted, the quiet beauty and solitude of the countryside with its gently rolling green and golden hills and fields, the liveliness of the cities, the friendly people and not to forget, the wines!

Fields in Vejle, Denmark

Copenhagen

And I suppose when one resides in a country that is severely lacking in all the above factors, its quite normal to not want to come back.

But, there’s nothing like home either, isn’t it? Even if your home is in a blistering hot, developed desert. On our flight back, thoughts of my cozy corner of the sofa surrounded with yarns managed to lighten the gloomy thoughts of getting back to the norm. And surprisingly, I found that I did miss the chaos of our routine life too. But just a tiny bit, mind you.

And my plans of crocheting while on holiday definitely didn’t work out. I had some grand ideas of finishing at least 1 WIP by the end of it. But every time we got back from a full day’s sightseeing, I was too beat to even contemplate the thought of lifting my hooks. And this was the case every single, unforgettable day! But I’m eager to start hooking again and I’m hoping to at least begin work on some more squares of my CAL that is long over-due.

Its been almost 10 days now since we’re back and I’m writing this post from work. The phones have already started doing their job of startling me out of my day-dreams.

Oh yes, I am thoroughly back to reality.

Summer of ’15 : Mandalas for Mums and Some Yummy Passion Fruity Goodness

02 Sunday Aug 2015

Posted by Bessie V in Crochet, Holidays

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Crochet Mandalas, Magic spike mandala

Our backyard at home has quite a few fruity richness. Passion Fruit being one of them. I’m not too fond of many fruits, but I go crazy over these.

This week I’ve just been lazing around gorging on these yummy fruits and crocheting some mandalas for both our mums. Thought I’d please them with something that I personally made. Aim is to make at least 6. And I’ve completed only 2 so far.

The orangey one is based on Tamara Kelly’s Magic Spike Mandala. Check it out here :

http://www.mooglyblog.com/magic-spike-mandala/

The green one is something I made as I went along. The last round turned out having too many stitches, hence the ruffly edges. Don’t ask why I didn’t bother re-doing it. Too lazy. But it did look alright, actually. And I AM going to make another one like it and be sure to put enough stitches for that round to make it lie flat. Maybe add more colors to the rounds instead of making it in just 1 solid color. Write down the pattern too while I’m at it 🙂

I’m already working on a third one, though. But that’s turning out star-shaped. Are there star shaped mandalas? I’ve even decided on a name for it, in any case. Will put up the pattern once done.

I only wish I’d brought more colors with me apart from the ones I’m stuck with. To be honest, the yarns were actually an after-thought. I should’ve stashed them first into the suitcase before piling on the clothes. Would’ve been fun watching the better half throw a fit 😀

Summer of ’15 : Children and Nature and Some Fond Memories

26 Sunday Jul 2015

Posted by Bessie V in Holidays

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Tags

Children and nature, Nature, outdoor fun, rains, summer holidays

It’s the season for rains in Kerala. My holidays to my home town is normally greeted with a mixture of complete dread and happiness. Happiness because I get to see our parents and other relatives only during our visits here. Dread because the weather is never favorable to my health. The humidity is high all year round and I would perpetually, be sneezing my holidays away. But this time, I decided I would not dwell on the negatives. I wanted to enjoy my holidays and I wasn’t going to let anything deter me from it. It’s already 4 days now since we’re here and so far, it’s turning out to be a pleasant one. Haven’t sneezed much yet. There have been rain clouds looming above looking all dark and ominous. But thankfully the rains came down only at night and just once during the day. Both kids are out all day. Chasing the hens, kissing the flowers, collecting the dried ones, looking for funny-shaped stones that resembled animals or other familiar things… Sometimes I’m out with them too. Trying to see the world through their eyes. Laugh at what tickles them and be a part of their games and childish fun. I’d tire out easily and would sit on the front steps watching these two tireless beings still racing around. Watching them took me to a time and age where it was my brother and I in their place. Always on the run, playing games we invented on the spot, chasing dragonflies and fighting over who gets to pluck out their wings (something that fills me with remorse now), eating freshly fallen mangoes and lovely tender coconuts, trying to get near the cows that grandpa took care of, feed them hay, look for eggs that our hens laid and finish our day with a bath outside near our well. Those were the days of idyllic and carefree fun.