yellow rose _1014×1089, originally uploaded by gypsy woman1.

It was then that the fox appeared.

“Good morning.” Greeted the Fox

“Good morning.”

The little prince responded politely, although when he turned around he saw nothing.

“I am right here, under the apple tree.” Said the Fox

“Who are you? You are very pretty to look at”

” I am a fox.”

“Come and play with me. I am so unhappy.”

“I cannot play with you, I am not tamed.”

“Ah! Please excuse me.” But, after some thought, he added:

” What does that mean–`tame`?”

“You do not live here. What is it that you are looking for?”

“I am looking for men. What does that mean–`tame`?” demanded the Prince

“Men, they have guns, and they hunt. It is very disturbing. They also raise chickens. These are their only interests. Are you looking for chickens?”

“No. I am looking for friends. What does that mean–`tame`?”

“It is an act too often neglected. It means to establish ties.”

“To establish ties`?”

” Just that. To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world…”

“I am beginning to understand. There is a flower … I think that she has tamed me…”

“It is possible. On the Earth one sees all sorts of things.”

“Oh, but this is not on the Earth!”

The fox seemed perplexed, and very curious.

“On another planet?”

“Yes.”

“Are there hunters on that planet?”

“No.”

“Ah, that is interesting! Are there chickens?”

“No.”

“Nothing is perfect”

But The Fox came back to his idea.

“My life is very monotonous. I hunt chickens; men hunt me. All the chickens are just alike, and all the men are just alike. And, in consequence, I am a little bored. But if you tame me, it will be as if the sun came to shine on my life. I shall know the sound of a step that will be different from all the others. Other steps send me hurrying back underneath the ground. Yours will call me, like music, out of my burrow. And then look: you see the grain fields down yonder? I do not eat bread. Wheat is of no use to me. The wheat fields have nothing to say to me. And that is sad. But you have hair that is the color of gold. Think how wonderful that will be when you have tamed me! The grain, which is also golden, will bring me back the thought of you. And I shall love to listen to the wind in the wheat…”

The fox gazed at the little prince, for a long time. And he said:

” Please–tame me!”

“I want to, very much, but I have not much time. I have friends to discover, and a great many things to understand.”

” One only understands the things that one tames. Men have no more time to understand anything. They buy things all ready made at the shops. But there is no shop anywhere where one can buy friendship, and so men have no friends anymore. If you want a friend, tame me…”

“What must I do, to tame you?”

“You must be very patient. First you will sit down at a little distance from me–like that–in the grass. I shall look at you out of the corner of my eye, and you will say nothing. Words are the source of misunderstandings. But you will sit a little closer to me, every day…”

The next day the little prince came back.

“It would have been better to come back at the same hour. If, for example, you come at four o’clock in the afternoon, then at three o’clock I shall begin to be happy. I shall feel happier and happier as the hour advances. At four o’clock, I shall already be worrying and jumping about. I shall show you how happy I am! But if you come at just any time, I shall never know at what hour my heart is to be ready to greet you … One must observe the proper rites…”

“What is a rite?”

” Those also are actions too often neglected. They are what make one day different from other days, one hour from other hours. There is a rite, for example, among my hunters. Every Thursday they dance with the village girls. So Thursday is a wonderful day for me! I can take a walk as far as the vineyards. But if the hunters danced at just any time, every day would be like every other day, and I should never have any vacation at all.”

So the little prince tamed the fox. And when the hour of his departure drew near–

“Ah, I shall cry.” Said the Fox

” It is your own fault, I never wished you any sort of harm; but you wanted me to tame you…”

“Yes, that is so.”

“But now you are going to cry!”

“Yes, that is so.”

“Then it has done you no good at all!”

“It has done me good because of the color of the wheat fields. Go and look again at the roses. You will understand now that yours is unique in all the world. Then come back to say goodbye to me, and I will make you a present of a secret.”

The little prince went away, to look again at the roses.

“You are not at all like my rose. As yet you are nothing. No one has tamed you, and you have tamed no one. You are like my fox when I first knew him. He was only a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But I have made him my friend, and now he is unique in all the world.”

And the roses were very much embarrassed.

“You are beautiful, but you are empty. One could not die for you. To be sure, an ordinary passerby would think that my rose looked just like you–the rose that belongs to me. But in herself alone she is more important than all the hundreds of you other roses: because it is she that I have watered; because it is she that I have put under the glass globe; because it is she that I have sheltered behind the screen; because it is for her that I have killed the caterpillars (except the two or three that we saved to become butterflies); because it is she that I have listened to, when she grumbled, or boasted, or even sometimes when she said nothing. Because she is my rose.

And he went back to meet the fox.

“Goodbye.” Said the Prince

“Goodbye. And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

“What is essential is invisible to the eye.”The little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.

“It is the time you have devoted to your rose that makes your rose so important.” Said the Fox

” It is the time I have devoted to my rose—”

Said the little prince, so that he would be sure to remember.

“Men have forgotten this truth, but you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. You are responsible for your rose …”

“I am responsible for my rose.”

The little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.

By Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Translated by Katherine Woods

White cake iced with vanilla butter cream icing and silver dragees on the side. Roses and ribbons are made from fondant.Topper was provided by the customer.

After walking for a long time through sand, and rocks, and snow, the little prince at last came upon a road. And all roads lead to the abodes of men.

“Good morning.” He said. He was standing before a garden, all a-bloom with roses.

“Good morning.” Said the roses. The little prince gazed at them. They all looked like his flower.

“Who are you?” He demanded, thunderstruck.

“We are roses.” The roses said. And he was overcome with sadness.

His flower had told him that she was the only one of her kind in all the universe. And here were five thousand of them, all alike, in one single garden!

“She would be very much annoyed.” He said to himself,

“If she should see that … She would cough most dreadfully, and she would pretend that she was dying, to avoid being laughed at. And I should be obliged to pretend that I was nursing her back to life–for if I did not do that, to humble myself also, she would really allow herself to die …”

Then he went on with his reflections:

“I thought that I was rich, with a flower that was unique in all the world; and all I had was a common rose. A common rose, and three volcanoes that come up to my knees–and one of them perhaps extinct forever … That doesn’t make me a very great prince …”

And he lay down in the grass and cried.

By Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Translated by Katherine Woods

Many times when people consider visiting Christchurch they ask me where should I go. Well for those considering visiting Christchurch in this time of the year and the upcoming holiday season, I can definitely recommend a nice short walk through the Monavale garden.  The gardens and landscaped lawns roll down gently to the Avon River and feature some beautiful plantings and a Rose garden. I make it a habit to at least visit this place once a year and every year again I am blown away it. (If not because of the beauty that most certainly my hay fever will remind me all these incredible flowers). Lilies, Roses and so much more.

The central rose garden attracts many visitors every year but most definitely there is a lot to be seen outside the rose garden as well. Just look at the lily on the left.

The more you look  the more you see and each year it seems I ‘discover’ yet another beautiful corner or bed of flowers that I had not seen before.

And now with this interest in photography or let me be honest and humble, interest and joy in taking pictures, I can share this with you.

The sheer explosion of color, sight, and smell is overwhelming, especially in the rose garden. Both the overview and detail lead the visitor with an eye for beauty to one discovery after another.

A number of Monavale pictures have been uploaded to my Flickr photostream, so I will limit myself to some of the favorites of the favorites you will find there.

But if you love flowers and beautiful gardens and you are visiting Christchurch, don’t forget to visit Monavale.  And should you get hungry or thirsty, it is all there, great food, good wine, beautiful views and a very nice setting for a lunch or diner with a loved one on a nice summer afternoon or evening.

And don’t forget there’s more at Flickr >>>

Foooood comaaaaa.

On an intelligible note, watched Angels & Demons tonight; it was amusing, entertaining, not really worth $6 but it reminded me how much I want to see Rome.

Today’s picture is one of my favorite pics of roses I took with a fruit platter in the background.

Whilst for some years now it’s been possible to send flowers to someone in Peru from another country the development of a network of online florists now gives you greater control over the flowers that are delivered on your behalf. So, if you’re currently studying abroad but want to send flowers into Peru, then searching for an online florist to choose the flowers to send – is definitely the best thing to do. If you want to, you can even check online what flowers are blooming in Peru at the time you place your order.

Sending flowers without going to a florist.

Ever since there have been reliable postal and delivery services people have
been arranging for flowers to be ordered and delivered on their behalf, without having to personally go into a flower store. Obviously, before motorized transport became common, the time taken for a letter requesting delivery of flowers and the actual delivery of the flowers themselves, could well mean that the date they were required for might have passed – and/or the flowers would arrive ‘past their best’! The development of the telegraph and then the telephone systems speeded up the process of requesting flowers to be delivered; however, the person sending the flowers often had little control over the flowers or arrangement of them that was actually sent on their behalf. Today’s modern internet florists can not only arrange for you to send flowers to someone in Peru – but will allow you to choose exactly which flowers and arrangements are sent on your behalf.

Using an internet florist to send flowers online.

An internet florist will have an online catalogue that you can search through to choose the flowers you will send to Peru. Regardless of the occasion they will have a simple menu driven system to assist you in finding an appropriate selection of flowers; be it for a bereavement, Valentines Day, Mothers Day, a birthday, any other celebration or just to show someone that you really care and are thinking of them. You should also be able to choose from a selection of flower arrangements such as a bouquet
or a spray. Alternatively the flowers could be sent in a water-bulb, pot or
glass vase; that the recipient can keep and use for other flower deliveries they receive. As well as sending flowers many internet florists will arrange for the delivery of potted plants and plants in wicker baskets. If chosen carefully pot plants can be a longer lasting alternative to sending flowers online; depending on the skill of the recipient in looking after indoor plants, or re-planting them outdoors. Having selected the flowers you want to send a good internet florist will be able to accommodate a variety of delivery dates and times. Whilst obviously the more advanced notice of a delivery date and time, the better it is for the florist; a good quality internet florist will be able to arrange delivery of the flowers you send to meet your specifications. As a general rule of thumb flower deliveries can be
guaranteed within 24 hours from anywhere in the world to Peru. Even better, a high quality and reputable internet florist will quite probably be able to deliver flowers in Peru – the same day that they are ordered from anywhere else in the world. However, please be aware that varying international time zones could render a statement like ‘same day delivery of flowers’ meaningless. When processing your order to send flowers to Peru, you’ll find you’re able to pay online with any of the major credit and debit cards. Be sure to check that the florist’s website is secure for making a
online payments.

Gifts to send with flowers.

All companies are always looking for market extensions to their main products and online florists are no exception to this. Subsequently you might also consider sending a gift with the flowers. Classic options here are; to send balloons with flowers to celebrate a birthday or a ‘cute’ Teddy Bear or chocolates for a loved one. If you’re sending flowers to Peru for someone
recovering from illness or an accident; baskets of fruit can also be arranged.

http://www.topfloristperu.com/

Living With Flowers

Let’s face it, if money was no object everyone would love to have flowers in their house. Having fresh flowers in your life doesn’t have to break the bank and with a little care you can enjoy them for days or even weeks.

Buying Flower Tips:

Look for flowers that look hydrated but are still closed or just beginning to open. This one is a biggie. Flowers that are fresh from the farm as just beginning to open and bloom. Blooms often open in order from top to bottom.

For example: Lilies. They are multiple buds. The ones at the bottom open first and then as they expire out the higher ones open. Buy them with the buds are either closed or just beginning to open and you’ll get two weeks out of your flowers.

Other tips are to look for fresh looking foliage. Stay away from leaves that are yellow or even brown. Remember, there is always going to be a certain amount of imperfections in flowers, they are real and not fake but try to find ones that truly look fresh. Learn to tell the difference between flowers that are fresh that have not bloomed yet and ones that have bloomed and already on their way out.

Tips for making cut flowers last as long as possible:

Fresh water!! I’m shocked how often I see old, bacteria ridden water in peoples homes. Change the water daily, it only takes a minute and really keeps the flowers fresh. Remember, if you would not want to drink that water, neither will your flowers!

Remove foliage below the water line. This causes what you see above. Take a few minutes and strip the leaves off before you put them into water. If you are purchasing your flowers at a florist, most likely this has been done being flower shops generally do a better job of prepping their flowers when they arrive from the farm.

Fresh cuts! When you first get your flowers home, be sure to take a 1/2″ off the bottom, preferably at an angle. Using a good pair of scissors is fine. Don’t get caught up in the cutting underwater and using a knife, the two things that throw consumers off. Studies over the years show that if you use a sharp scissor, cut on a angle and put right into water will draw water just fine! Don’t make it harder then it needs to be.

Sunlight is a no no. Preferrably  try to keep your flowers out of sunlight and away from heat. Many years ago a customer told me her flowers died right away. I later found out that she had them on her radiator because she thought the warm air was good for them. Um…. No!! Our coolers are kept at 37 degrees so anything above that is stressful to them. Why make it worse by putting them in a hot area? Keep them the coolest you can and they thrive longer for you.

Lastly, remember, different flowers have different vase lives. Even how long roses will last vary on color and variety. White and lavender usually don’t last as long as reds, yellows and certain orange roses. If you love iris, that’s great but rememeber they only last 2 or 3 days in a vase, shorter if you are buying them in full bloom. If you are looking for flowers with long vase lives stick to flowers such as alstroemeria (my personal favorite), regular daisy poms (I often bring these home and get two weeks out of them), carnations and mini carnations and even Asiatic lilies that have many blooms will give you color in your home for weeks. Even fresh tulips can give you a full 5 to 7 days if you keep trimming them down and don’t forget to change their water. These are truly great investments for everyday living. Having a dinner party? Splurge on hydrangea, stock, or other more delicate blooms. It’s like a wedding, we get flowers to be at their peek of beauty, we don’t worry as much about if they will look great a week from now. It’s all about the day!!

I hope these tips help you and that you live with flowers in your life. If you haven’t shopped at your local florist recently, try stopping in. If everything looks fresh, reasonably priced and their service is good, perhaps they might be worth the special trip when you need flowers.

I was stunned to be able to manage to find some flowers this week , though the weather has been truly horrid -wet and very, very  windy.

I took one of my favourite Isis Ceramics flower bricks- a Palladian confection, this week. It reminds me of Chiswick or Monticello. And I love the island pavilion on the side

I was amazed to see that I still had some roses  in bloom-just – in the main garden.

The old Polyantha rose Yvonne Rabier still has a few heads of flowers on the bush.

These are strange roses for with me they never ever open up fully. They always look “bind” as the stamens are never revealed.

Yesterday looking at the garden from the warm kitchen through the rain I noticed something white in the border by the summer-house and thought it was some plastic bag or some such detritus that had blown in from the outside world.

But no, it was just the Mexican Orange Blossom bush proving itself to be a freak of nature and being in bloom in late December when it really should be in bloom in the late spring….May or early June. Goodness….what with the violets and all, everything  is topsy-turvey.

I love the leaves, and like their citrussy smell,

They were full of tightly packed- together lady birds…that signifies a cold spell coming….

The French Scholar is convinced that the foliage smells of…cats. I think he may have a point for though he feigned indifference when discovered

Thomas Kitten attacking the flower arrangement this morning and tired…to eat it. Disgusting boy. He has now been temporarily banished from that room.

He is not impressed…..

The Solanum jasminoides Album is still in flower

…despite a frost this morning. Thank goodness for it: it is a very useful filler.

And so that’s it for another Friday and another week. I’ve been very busy with commitments at home over the past few days ,and so have not been able to  tend to pressing matters at my Botanical Plot -Teza-Ill get to you soon I promise!). And so on that note with a weekend of catch-up before me, I shall take this opportunity, Dear Reader, of wishing you a happy and peaceful weekend.

I also

For my nephew’s christening last weekend, I packed a pair of brown slacks I bought about four years ago. I overestimated my swine-flu-weight loss. The pants were skin tight; we are talking spray painted. Even Mum asked if I had anything else to wear. Imagine! I was a little self-conscious at first, but eventually didn’t give a shit.

I returned to work on Monday and swore I would take action to lose weight. “No more junk food,” I declared. I am proud to say little sugar and carbohydrate touched my lips this week, until today that is when the canteen hosted a Thanksgiving lunch. I initially stood my ground, opting for salad. When I saw the desserts on offer, I caved for some mixture of mango, biscuit and cream; apparently, titled a Syllabub.

I carried my heaving stomach to my desk to find a large tin of Cadbury’s Roses. Since we are at year end, working hard, my boss treated us. Despite my earlier gluttony, I stuffed my face with Roses. I am sad to admit these Roses were not of the floral variety. I pretty much climbed into the tin of chocolate like it were a bath and I was some unwashed bastard. I stuffed my face.

Sometimes, I disgust myself.

I am 1,006 words away from my NaNoWriMo goal of 50,000 words. I know I will get there tonight. In fact, I vowed before almost 30 witnesses that I wouldn’t go to bed tonight until I did. I have no doubts that I will achieve this, and I am thrilled by the prospect of winning my very first NaNoWriMo.

Not only am I excited about reaching my goal, but when my husband came home from work this evening, he had half a dozen roses for me! He walked through the door and said, “Are you at 50,000 words yet?”

I replied, “No.”

He then asked, “But you’re close, right?”

 I said, “Yes…”

 He asked, “Close enough for these?” And whipped the flowers out from behind his back!

My husband is not the flower buying kind of guy; in fact, I can’t remember the last time in our 15 years together he bought me flowers. So, needless to say, I am very touched by the gesture. He has been a silent supporter of my wacky endeavour; allowing me to slave away on the keyboard every evening, and dutifully reading the story in 20-page chunks. I didn’t realize he was proud of what I was trying to do until he walked in the door with roses.

After 15 years, I guess there are still a few pleasant surprises left! I better get cracking on my writing tonight so I can honestly say my husband bought me flowers on the day I broke the 50,000 word mark.

From beyond the keyboard,

Cheryl.

cherylangst@gmail.com

With Valentine’s Day on Chinese New Year, what best to give to your loved ones then to self bake a cake and decorated it with roses?

Learn to make roses using different types of sugar paste for your cake decoration. Transform your homemade cake, into an impressive cake with your modelling roses! The best part is, no complicated tools are used!

Book now to secure your seats!

Course Details:

Course fee: $65 per person

Date: 10 January 2010, Sunday

Duration: 3 hours, 1300-1600hrs

Venue: Trainer’s residence @ Hougang Street 11

Class size: 4-6 persons

Course Programme:

Fully hands-on learning the following:

1. Fondant Roses

2. Royal Icing Roses

3. Modelling Chocolate Roses

Includes demonstration of:

1. Daisy using Royal Icing;

2. Fondant flowers using flower cutters

What you’ll acquire:

1. Your knowledge of making edible model roses.

2. Your roses, including all the spares that you are left with from the fondant or modelling chocolate paste.

3. Pipping nozzle and piping nail that you used in the workshop.

4. Simple recipes.

Rose tea will be served during the workshop.

Registration and Payment:

Register with Jane, thepalatable(a)gmail(dot)com. Payment is made via internet transfers to POSB Savings account 017261398. Confirmation will be given once payment is received.

Enquiries:

For further enquiries, please contact Jane at 9824-4954.

How to Carry a Bridal Bouquet. It’s not so hard….

People often ask me what is the right way to hold a bridal bouquet. I know some ladies think it’s going to be hard but truthfully, even a cascade is very easy to carry. As in the example to the right, that’s me holding a very sweet tear drop shaped bouquet (compliments of our bride Coleen). As you can see, I’m able to hold the bouquet with one hand and it’s not uncomfortable for me in anyway.

The key to holding a cascade is to drop it down to the waist  level. I’ve seen many pictures of girls holding their bouquets too high, which is a very uncomfortable way to hold these. Second, holding it too high, especially in the case of the bride, blocks all the beautiful detail of their dresses. Remember, when you are walking down the aisle you want to appear relaxed and natural!

Another issue I’ve seen is to point the bottom of the bouquet outwards. Make sure that the bouquets sits nice and flush against your body. This will give you the best possible view in the pictures, especially as you walk down the aisle. Other than that, they are a breeze.

Now on to hand tied bouquets. These are especially easy but again the same tips apply. Be sure to hold it at waist level, bending your elbow just slightly.  As Maid of Honor Heather is showing with her simple hand tied rose bouquet. Note that she’s holding it very loosely and relaxed. I think Heather is a pro! It must be because she’s works for Abella Photography and sees all those wedding pictures!!

Last but not least, let’s talk about having fun with your bouquet for pictures. Taking pictures should be a fun part of your day Think of your bouquet as a prop. Handtied bouquets are especially easy to pose with and that’s perhaps why many brides choice this option. Let your photographer get great shots of you in action with your bouquet.  See a shot you like online? Don’t be shy, show it to your photographer and let him or her pose you that way.

The pictures from your wedding should remind you of your special day and as a florist, I’d love for your flowers  to look as beautiful as you do!!

Click the link below for the free download.

Gift Tags

Download, print, and cut.  Use hole punch for the tag hole. 

.

Enjoy!

Sadly, I couldn’t find anything that strongly resembles Ms Waldorf’s necklace – this is the closest I got

Etsy

POSTED BY KIM — This just in: ‘Graham Thomas’ was voted the “World’s Favorite Rose” by the World Federation of Rose Societies, which represents 41 rose societies from around the world. 

Yay! Graham Thomas!!  I love David Austin roses.  I might have to start pulling out some of my older roses so I can replace them with one of every David Austin rose — they’re each exquisite. 

FYI — ‘David Austin’ will grow up to 8′ tall and wide, although some judicious pruning can keep it in shrub form.  It has a sweet fragrance and produces yellow rose hips in the fall.  It was named after Graham Thomas, a friend of David Austin’s and a great lover of old and heritage roses. 

‘Graham Thomas’ will hold the esteemed title of “World’s Favorite Rose” for the next three years.  It joins the company of rose legends ‘Peace,’ ‘Just Joey,’ and ‘New Dawn.’

P.S.  I planted ‘Peace’ in my garden this summer, and by fall, I had only two live canes left — ??

Modele de borduri,insertii din dantela manuala pentru fete de masa,perdele,cearsafuri,stergare

Aceste modele le lucrez la comanda ,pretul este de 600lei/mp dantela.

MODEL FLUTURI

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When I started this blog, a friend said that statistics proved that most people gave up writing after a few posts. The reason was that they were discouraged by the luke warm reponse received by their blogs and were therefore discouraged.I told him that I intended to write regularly and was not going to give up even if I did not receive any response. But it seems that my friend was right afterall! This post comes after a long hiatus. Actually, for some time after my last post, I was caught up in various professional matters. Later, when I  was relatively free, ennui and the sheer tedium of writing had overcome the desire to write. But, here I am again, after casting all self doubts aside.Hope I would not give up again.

I read somewhere that history was a nightmare from which people were constantly trying to awaken. How true! The way history is taught in our schools, it is one of the most boring subjects for many students. Frankly, I hardly remember what little history I was taught in the school. And I think I am not alone. Jawahar Lal Nehru, who wrote the most interesting books on history-Discovery of India and Glimpses of World History-  said that he “came late to history” as he did not learn much of it while at school. The same is true for most of us as we find history an endless succession of dates and dynasties only. It was perhaps this realization that made Nehru take up the writing of his books on history which became so popular the world over. The other books on Indian history that I have enjoyed reading are “The Wonder That Was India” by Basham and Rizvi. Actually, these are two books-Part I by Basham and II by Rizvi.

Thinking of Nehru, much as many people would like to debunk his politics, it has to be said that no other Indian politician, then or since then, except Gandhi, had written so extensively on such a variety of subjects. His felicity with the English language was wonderful and he had such a simple and lucid style which touched the hearts of his readers. How many politicians can you think of who had such breadth of vision and who expressed themselves so copiously and expressively?

November 14th was his birthday which is celebrated as children’s day in India. But gradually, it seems to be out of favour for when we were children, it was celebrated on a much wider and grander scale in schools. Apart from some token events, it seems to have been forgotten entirely. And it is no wonder because we have other more important issues to debate than infant mortality, malnutrition, female foeticide,illiteracy, problems of street children and the like! In fact, these and other children related issues hardly ever become the focus of our attention, even at election times, when all political parties are at their best in inculding as many issues as possible in their manifestoes.

It is late November and winter seems to have set in the North. The days have become shorter and it gets dark by 6 pm. Migratory birds have started arriving for their winter sojourn in the ponds and lakes of North India. We have roses blooming and the winter annuals are eagerly awaited. It is the season of weddings too. Marriage halls and other venues are bedecked like brides themselves and marriage processions can be encountered on roads with the groom astride the white mare. Now a days these processions or baraats as they are called do not evoke the same interest as in earlier days. A baraat used to be an event calculated to show off. The more the merrier used to be the mantra then. Brass bands, shehnai, chariots, elephants, fireworks-all were emploued to impress the bride’s people in particular and every one else in general. In fact, a baraat coming down the street with the band playing popular bollywood tunes used to be an occasion for the neighbourhood to come out on their balconies to watch the extragavanza. Now many grooms refuse to sit astride mares and lead a procession of drunk relatives jiving uncontrollably through the streets. But times are changing and we must change with them.

Soon we will be in the grip of cold wave and await Santa with his sackful of goodies. So long then.