A great start to October!!

The October weekend of 11th and 12th least to say was 'Victorian'* and 'Star Studded'**.
To understand the opening statement you have to read this post :)

The 11th!

I don't know whats it with me and the Tudor dynasty. First I got a chance to watch the movie 'The Other Boleyn Girl' about four months back. This movie details the life of Anne Boleyn who became the ill fated second wife of Henry VIII of England. About a month later I visited Hever Castle where Anne Boleyn grew up. And then on the 11th I got an opportunity to visit Warwick Castle which came into the possession of Henry VIII through inheritance.

On the 11th I with my family was invited to an event organised by my company. It was an all day event being held at Warwick Castle* which is in the county Warwickshire, overlooking the river Avon. It became a popular tourist attraction after being purchased by the The Tussauds Group and many corporate events are held there now.

I was awake at five in the morning looking at the clock and trembling with excitement thinking about the day ahead! By seven we all were seated in the coach. Thus the long drive of two and half hours commenced. Initially I was unable to take in the beauty of the countryside because of the foggy morning, but later on as the day progressed and as the rays of the sun pierced through the fog dispensing it, I was able to admire the shires of England.

We reached the castle around ten. After having a sumptuous breakfast we proceeded to explore the castle. We explored many parts of the castle...
The State Rooms

Wonderfully decorated in silk curtains, with coffered ceiling. The rooms have a royal look with upright sofas, paintings of the Earls who inherited the castle. It displays the family's most prestigious possessions.

Guys Tower & Caesar's Tower

We got wonderful views of the surrounding areas from the top of these towers. Yes, of course it was built so that the archers would get a good view of any approaching enemy troops.

The Curtain Walls

I would call them the 'iron walls' surrounding the castle constructed with fortified bricks for its protection. It also has walkways on it.

The Dungeon
This was creepy. It had a very narrow passageway with a very small window, with very less light in the room. After all this was the place where the prisoners were held.

The Chapel

The Mill and Engine house

One can get a demonstration of how the power of River Avon was used in early days for electricity.

Victorian Rose Garden & The Peacock Garden

The Ghost Tower
Here it is said that this tower is haunted by the ghost of Fulke Greville who was stabbed to death by his manservant. This is now home to the attraction "Warwick Ghosts Alive" which tells the story of how he was murdered using live actors and scary props.

The castle also features one of the world's largest siege engines 'The Trebuchet'.

The lunch included a variety of items for vegetarians and non vegetarians alike. Thanks to 'Chennai Dosa' who were the caterers of the event.

After the lunch we were so stuffed that we spent some time beside the lake watching the swans and peacocks and the birds of prey.

There were various activities being held around the castle like archery, sword fighting..

By five thirty we were back in the coach travelling back to the hustle and bustle of the city, leaving behind the Victorian era.

By the time I reached home it was nine, my legs were so tired of walking all day long that I fell asleep the moment I hit bed.

The 12th!

The next day dawned and with it the feeling to be with the stars!! No guesses?? Ahem, the stars** Mohanlal, Mukesh, Jagadeesh, Vineeth, Swaraj Venjaramoodu, Jyothirmayi and Lakshmi Gopalswami had arrived here in Croydon with the sole purpose of entertaining us! ;)

Mohanlal is a two time national award winning actor,and producer, who was awarded the Padma Shri in 2001. This was Mohanlal's first Europe Stage Show.

The show was organised by the Parayil Group. The show was more music and comedy-oriented with some amazing performances from Swaraj, Mukesh and Jagadeesh which left many of us twitching in our seats with laughter.

Mohanlal sung beautifully, solo and a few duet.

Jyothirmayi and Vineeth gave some wonderful dance performances traditional and modern. The finale of the show was a foot tapping number sung by Mohanlal and Afzal.

Thus came to an end the weekend which was full of nostalgia, action, fun and lots of laughter.

Morning Muse

Lying on the bed
I squint my eyes
Through the gleaming rays of the sun
To catch the ever elusive time

I realise
Its already too late
By this time
I should have been at the gate

I jolt myself
Out of the bed
Long gone are those
Carefree merry days

Oh! How I wish
I could turn back time
To be vanquished
Of this grime

Sadly I realise
Life must go on
There will be bumps
But I should hold on

As I leave
The warmth of the sheets
I perceive
Its a bright day outside

Dew gleaming
In the bright sun
Ants scurrying
Out of their den

Birds leaving
Their nests
Kids walking to school
In full zest

I look at the time
No more in apprehension
Now I know
My mood can't be dampened

I turn back
To get dressed
With a spring in my steps
A smile on my lips

I am strong
I will be out of this gloom
I say to myself as the sun
Peeps into my room

A Rainy Evening

For Cafe Writing: Option Two: Pick Three: “Pick at least three of the following nine words, and write a paragraph, scene, flash-fic, essay, blog entry or poem using them. The words are drop, evenings, glad, mist, motionless, murmur, pallid, rivulets, swoon”. I have chosen seven words.

Pitter-patter pitter-patter
Swish swoosh Swish swoosh

Be it the sound of rain drops falling on the window pane or the wind rustling in the leaves. It brings a sense of peace over me, suddenly I feel all the more closer to nature. The evening which was dull and dark a few moments before had suddenly turned lively with the leaves dancing in the rain as if welcoming the first drops of rain after the summer. I breathe deeply to fill my lungs with the refreshing scent petrichor.

Suddenly I hear a murmuring of voices and see the kids have come out. They run towards one of the many rivulets that have stemmed out of the earth now. Some have paper boats in their hands which they gently lower on to the water and their faces brighten up on seeing the boat moving with the flow of water. They start splashing water on each other.

I don't know how long I stood motionless, bewitched by the resplendence of nature unfolding before my eyes.

As I turn to leave the sky turns a shade darker. A bolt of lightening lights up the evening sky, seconds later it is followed by a deafening thunder. The kids look at each other and I can see fear etched on their faces. They run inside leaving the paper boats which is now being drowned by the spiralling rush of water. The plants are swooning under the weights of the fruits and the heavy rain.

All of a sudden the rain subsides. The sky clears up. As I see the setting sun in a plethora of colours I am glad to have lived one more day.

The 'Elementary' Weekend!

It was another of those weekends when I had nothing better to do other than washing, cleaning the house and cooking, but it all changed in an instant when I saw in the paper that this was going to be the last day of the summer! On the spur of the moment we decided to goto London.

We first decided to visit the Sherlock Holmes Museum in Baker Street and it is a must visit for any avid reader of Sherlock Holmes stories.

The 'Shelock Holmes' I know :) outside the 221B Baker Street...

The house is maintained in exactly the same way as in the Victorian times. As I entered 221 Baker Street I felt as if I have entered a bygone era but also with it a feeling like Mr Holmes has just gone out and I should wait for him in one of his couches! It was really a pleasure to see the famous study overlooking the Baker Street and his personal belongings like magnifying glass, pipe, deerstalker, et al in the well maintaned house.

After walking out of the pages of Arthur Conan Doyle we visited Regent Park, which is one of the Royal Parks of London.

This is a stunning 166 hectares with mind-blowing rose gardens containing different varieties of roses, Queen Mary's Gardens, Italian Gardens, English Gardens, a lake with boating area, one can also see Herons and waterfowls. It also has a open air theatre. Also in the western section of the park stands the official residence of the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom.Outside the inner circle is London Business School.

One can reach the park through Baker Loo line and its walking distance from the Sherlock Holmes Museum.

Onam 2008

I still remember our first Onam as it was just two weeks after I landed here in the UK. We were in the starting stages of settling down in a new place, so knew no one, had no utensils, nothing at all to celebrate with the gusto that we do back in Kerala. I was also feeling a bit sad as it was our first Onam after marriage and here we two are, far away from our parents, friends, relatives in contrast to the event itself which involves family get-togethers, giving gifts mainly clothes called Onakkodi and lots of merrymaking.
After the fist disappointing Onam I decided to make this one a grand one! This year Thiruvonam fell on a Friday so we decided to have our sadya on Saturday as we both had to goto work on Friday. I started deciding on the items for Sadya a week before and finalised on...
Thoran
Pulisseri (prepared from buttermilk)
Sambar (extremely popular recipe from South India)
Chicken Curry (as we were celebrating on the third day we could eat non-veg too :) )
Pickles
Pappads
Upperi (prepared from various things like raw bananas (kaaya))
Payasam (extremely delicious dish and is a sort of pudding
and Fruits.

But Sadya was not over yet! We also attended a Sadya on Sunday organised by the KCWA (Kerala Cultural and Welfare Association) and could enjoy all the stuff that I could not accomodate due to my hectic schedule. :)
After the sadya there was classical and cinematic dance talent show followed by Biju Narayanan's mind blowing ganamela.

He sang the song Kalabham tharam beautifully...from the recently released Vadakkumnathan, the last movie for which Raveendran Master scored music.
Now I can proudly say 'Yeah, Onam 2008 was grand.' ;-)

Trip To Brighton

It is the long weekend in August and almost all of my friends have plans to visit a new place. A few of them are going to Scotland and others to Lake District, Bath, Salisbury and some even to Switzerland.
09:00 - And here we are over sleeping ourselves on a bright sunny Saturday morning! I lazily get out of the bed thinking what to prepare for breakfast.
09:30 - As soon as I remove the tea and put on the frying pan to prepare scrambled egg I hear my hubby waking up from his slumber.

10:00 - We start discussing how to best utilise the day while he starts with his morning exercises and me reading my favourite book sipping the tea. We are thinking of going to the library, going to the mall or just spending the day watching movies as it is only the start of the three day holiday.
11:00 - We finish the breakfast and are clearing the table and I am all grumpy about the fact that it being such a bright and sunny day (very rare in England) we are just going to do the usual stuff, when suddenly he says out aloud 'How about we going to Brighton?'
12:00 - I am all decked up and raring to go! We check the train timings, rates, places to visit et al on the net before we start. I pack something to eat and drink on the way.
12:35 - We reach the station and are in queue to purchase tickets.
12:51 - We are off to Brighton aboard the fastest train.
13:35 - We land at the Brighton station and start walking towards the exit.
13:50 - A short walk along the beachfront takes us to the Brighton Marina with beach volleyball courts, yachts, casinos, restaurants, Regency squares and crescents, modern arts, Fishing Quarters having their own museum, traditional sea side shops and Artist's Quarters where one can buy individual, one-off pieces of prints and paintings. By this time our stomachs are growling with hunger so we stop to munch something at one of the many quay side restaurants. We finish eating and start walking towards the beach, as we near we can make out the figures of men and women some lying down on the pebble beach, others reclining on the beach chairs, some sun-bathing, others reading books and some just having one helluva fun with the kids in the water. The sea water is so pristine clear when compared to the beaches in India. Every now and then we see a patrol officer making his rounds.





As we near the beach we can see a few kayaking, others on their yachts.
It is a blissful feeling sitting on the beach with your loved one by your side, the cool wind blowing on my face, the warm rays of the sun on my skin as I sit listening to the ever roaring sea. We shake ourselves out of the reverie and commence our stroll on to the famous 'Brighton Marine Palace and Pier' which is a pleasure pier. The pier has many attractions ranging from casinos having various games for the whole family to gambling, a range of rides, colonnades of shops, stalls. In short Brighton Pier is the theme park on the sea :)
With one of the catch of the day :)



At dusk when the sun goes down it becomes a plethora of bright, colorful lights which is a feast to the eyes.
20:00 - As we board the train back to home, I must admit that I have been bowled over by this charming town on the south coast of England. There is nothing quite like a stroll out to sea on the Brighton to clear heads and to revive that child like exuberance.
Overall it was an exhilarating experience for both us.

Yay! I have revived my reading habit!!

Yes! Atlast I have got into my long lost habit of 'reading'. Now I am a frequenter to libraries in Croydon & Purley. I usually goto Croydon library on weekends and to Purley library on weekdays during lunch time. I just gobble down my food so that I would get to spent more time at the library browsing through the amazing world of thrillers, biography, classics, travel..
I still remember those days of exam during my 4 years of B.E, when I used to wait anxiously for the exams to get over so that I can climb upon my scooty 'Spirit' and zoom to the Army library where upon I will bring piles of books back home and assume the supine posture on the sofa and relish reading each and every book taking my own time. I will start as soon as I get up in the morning after the exams and will take breaks only for food and other chores.
Those were really the amazing days..

Birthday Celebrations - 2008

It was just like any other day except the fact that this time I am in a foreign land. Away from my family, my good old friends, my home land. I had only my very good friend, my hubby with me here. Also I had made a few good friends at work.
My hubby had bought a bouquet of Chrysanthemums the previous evening, for presenting me with it at the stroke of midnight, but I spoilt the surprise when I found the receipt for the same. The look on his face was cute when I asked him where has he hidden the bouquet? Ha ha, but I consoled him saying this is the correct time as it is already past 12 in India :)
At quarter past twelve I got a call from my brother. It was heartwarming because as kids (to tell the truth even after we had crossed our teens) we just could not see eye to eye on any matter and never even cared about the each others birthday.
As expected the first call in the morning was from my parents. As usual they wished me well and asked me to go to any temple nearby.
Once I reached office I saw my inbox flooded with mails from my old friends. And so the day started in a very pleasant way, making me feel loved.
As is the tradition here in my office I had to bring goodies for all of my colleagues. And I was presented with a card by my team lead which was signed by everyone.
Later I got call from my in-laws and my loving uncle and aunties.
I started early from work so that I could get ready for the evening to have a nice cosy dinner at my favourite restaurant with my hubby.
As the day came to an end I counted my blessings and thanked God for it.

A Free Trip Around The Sun...The Way You Want It!

Interested!!??

I was just wondering the other day i.e. on my birthday.....how it is that we start a new 365 day trip around the sun. Even though the trip is the same..but our perceptions about the world around us keeps on differing in fact fluctuating in each trip. But with each new experience we learn something which we had not learnt before which may be correct or wrong depending on our vision, blinkered or otherwise.
From my childhood I have this habit of impressing upon myself the things that I learnt through interacting with this diverse world, and some of them are so ingrained that I become a slave to them, it just becomes difficult in fact next to impossible for me to change my views about certain things which makes me appear rigid when compared to my husband who is ever expansive.
Also one special thing about the trip is its open ended. We can determine the path (at least most of it) that we want to take during our journey. In fact I will say not most of it but 'all' of it because even if something happens which is out of our control we choose how to react to it, which will then advertently affect the rest of our journey.