As I began writing this entry, the clouds were silvery grey, and the wind was crisp. Two cats sat with me in the room, emanating a calm from which I always draw inspiration, while the third one decided to snuggle up to my daughter in her bed. It was pure indulgence to sit and enjoy the silence with the hot mug of coffee in my hands, knowing that there was no need to rush out. Weekend brunches with my daughter or whoever is visiting, are always a big affair. It is a celebration of the time I indulge and enjoy…
Category: Family
“Until The Bitter Weather Passes… “
This is the time to be slow,Lie low to the wallUntil the bitter weather passes. Try, as best you can, not to letThe wire brush of doubtScrape from your heartAll sense of yourselfAnd your hesitant light. If you remain generous,Time will come good;And you will find your feetAgain on fresh pastures of promise,Where the air will be kindAnd blushed with beginning. ― John O’Donohue, To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings Yesterday was one of those days I wished I could have simply stayed at home. When the heating broke down in the office (it wasn’t just us, but the…
What Scissors Can´t Fix, Hairspray Will!
I am in my 50s, recently divorced, starting life over from scratch, courageous as hell, and defiant as can be. I go against every grain I have lived by and been raised on for the past half century, and this is very liberating. My family (from both my parents sides) consists of incredibly strong women, and it has been a daunting task to live up to the heritage, expectations, and the wisdom passed down over the ages. In my mind, if I disgrace their memories by becoming a weak, indecisive woman utterly dependent on a man, I will have failed…
To Find Peace, Plant
This is the lesson I passed on to my daughter the other day, as I sat down in the conservatory to re-pot some seedlings. She knows that I am perfectly at peace with the soil and the plants, but this time I needed her to know first-hand what it was all about. So we sat down, spread some cardboard on the floor, got out the pots and seedlings, and got to the task at hand. I hesitate to call it work, because it is more therapeutic than anything else. The afternoon turned into night and by the time we finished,…
Adventures in Homesteading
I honestly never thought I would see the day that I would spend so much time baking and trying out new things in the kitchen other than regular meals. Not only did I not see the need for it, but I grew up as a spoiled expat child and later on spent most of life as a privileged expat wife where it was easy to go out and buy the item or have it made. Living on my own led me rediscover many recipes from my childhood, and now I am on a quest to find the flavours of my…
St. Patrick’s Day & Fairies
St. Patrick’s Day is culturally not my holiday, but I somehow ended up celebrating it no matter what country I happened to live in. Dressing up in green each March 17th and making wishes on shamrocks was an automatic thing, and since I was always surrounded by Irish priests and nuns who made sure that the religious background of the feast was observed, it was ingrained deep in my memory. In the same manner, the concept of fairies has been a part of me for as long as I can remember. My mother used to reed me fairy tales full…
21 Years Ago
My dearest FrogDiva Jr., As I have done for the past 21 years, I take you down Memory Lane in an open letter. My gift to you each year never changes: the gift of love, presence and hands. At exactly 10:47 New Delhi time on March 12, 1998 I gave birth to a perfect, beautiful baby girl who had inherited none of her parents’ defects that the doctors feared you might. Everything was in place, in working order, and you were received with more love than any other child. You were, of course, the loudest child in the hospital nursery,…
