Weekend - Day and Night

As I had informed in my previous post, I had to work last weekend. But today I got a compensatory day off, (though we had to actually ask for it). Nevertheless, I recharged myself today and hurrying to share with you what I was up to.

 I work for the academics department of a preschool project, which has just started operations this year. Our preschool has an American concept of the curriculum and it's quiet innovative for India. Hence our teachers had to be trained on the same and that is why I was busy on weekend. 

Here is the part of the school building and a long path towards the main entry.

I love malva flower. They make a perfect live fence and have so many color possibilities.

The school has many plants in the pots as well, which stand all over the place.

 A huge territory with many trees and lawns. Even a swimming pool is there, you can see it afar.

We were given tasty South Indian lunch every day of the training. South Indian food is my favorite, so you can imagine that I was really happy to have dosa, sambar, idlis and different chutneys three days in a raw.

That was what happened in day time..and Saturday night I (to my pleasure) attended a farewell party organized by the company my D works for, for one of their employees who is going back to Europe after living in India for 4 years!

The venue was simply awesome! It was a resort called "Aura Vaseela" situated among the crops and fields of Punjab,  and you need patience to finally reach it. It was worth going so far as the place had that relaxing, quite atmosphere of a country house.

No, we didn't jump into swimming pool after the party was over :)

Walking around the resort I found mysterious, enigmatic places there, like this one - a passage leading to a hidden world.

The bench standing in front of the cottage fascinated me.

I called it a "haunted bench"...

I liked this secret place to sit in. It looks so cozy and intimate. 

An old man sleeping in a typical Punjabi farm house... 

Quite a diverse weekend, isn't it? I really enjoyed the party and all the surprises the company made for a guy who is leaving. A big part in organization of the party was played by my D, so obviously, I am proud too. 

I received another award a week ago from a creative lady Lujubinka of Made by Ljubinka blog. she recently has been making lovely crochet doily bowls, so have a look :) Thank you so much, Ljubinka! I am supposed to nominate 10 more blogs which have less than 300 followers, but I would nominate all of you, my dears!

Have a wonderful week ahead and don't get frustrated because of small things (even if someone didn't speak to you properly over the phone):)

Yellow Marigolds, Bean Pods and Other Veggies - Friday Garden

Hello, my dears! Hope your week has been good and there is such a reason for more happiness - a weekend! My week has been slightly hectic and I have to work on weekend too...Yea...sad :(

Whatever, I am here again with my Friday Garden! Come along, sit on the bamboo chairs and look around.

First you will notice marigolds. They are supposed to be at least three times taller, and flowers - three times bigger, but not very rich soil and hot weather must have prevented them from growing more. There are these yellow blossoms thought which bring joy to the eye in the mornings.

Then you will see the bean pods hanging from the bushes. They seem doing fine, aren't they?

 Now - not exactly MY garden, but some veggies which were planted by my FIL. Happened so that we both have different gardens and each waters his/her own :) The eggplant looks fine, but probably it'll take time till it starts giving flowers.

 Tomato plants are pleasantly green and strong, so I look forward harvesting our own tomatoes in a few weeks. Dreams come true! :)

 The Russian lettuce is finishing the cycle of its development, and we will be able to have our own seeds soon. It grew quiet well this year because I sowed it very early. Otherwise lettuce doesn't appreciate high temperature at all, and the leaves droop straight away under the hot Indian sun.

That's all for today, dears. Tomorrow I am going to take my camera to the place where I have to work this weekend. It has lovely gardens, and that's why I can still bear being there:) Wishing you to have a great, sunny and happy weekend!

Blanket is Growing..Slowly - Wednesday Update

I know, it is already evening (here) and I am a little late with Wednesday crochet blanket update. I didn't have time to take pics in the morning, so did it just now. Hence you have an incredible opportunity to witness awesomely fresh photos of my Summer blanket! Yey!

Okay, there is not much reason for happiness, because I am almost at the same point where I was last week.

Today I'd like to show the manner in which I'm going to sew the blocks. Here is a plan of  actions...hmmm...in Russian, as I think much better in my native language.

Okay, whatever I plan, I think I'm going to change it anyway. But the main thought is to alternate blocks for outer row/round, and so on. Better see the picture.

I also managed to make few more squares for the next lot of the blocks. I do like yellow squares a lot, and thinking of putting them in the middle of the blanket.

 Finally almost all the yarn from the first stash has finished, and I have  started using a second one. I have two more stored, and hope that it'll be enough for the whole project, otherwise I might not get exact colors in the market now.

That's what I have achieved in a week's time. Not so much but not so bad, considering that I was busy in the office, and we had a great party on Saturday, which means that that day was absolutely crochet-free. While making of this blanket I also made a note for future to use less number of colors for a big project. This one really has given me trouble with color match and now - arrangement of the squares. But this is a part of a learning process, and I am happy to learn!
Have an awesome day, and I hope the Spring has touched your part of the world! Or if you have Autumn now - it is also a good time of the year :))

Beans, Marigolds and Little Roses - Friday Garden

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The working week is over, our minds are planning something for the weekend, and one of this plans is to simply take a rest and enjoy sunny days. Here they have become really sunny and hot, though nights are still pleasantly cool and slightly windy. In many places over the globe (including my native country) the winter is not willing to give space to the spring and persistently surprises with snow and cold winds.

However, there is a way out. As I am a big fan of the weekends (oh yes!), I thought of making a weekly Friday post about my little Indian garden in order to create a "pre-weekend" relaxing mood for myself and you, dears :)

What do I have in my garden these days? Same favorite plants, which as I have noticed, grow best in Indian weather conditions. This year I sowed beans, marigolds and fennel earlier in January, so that they will have enough time to develop before the heat starts. I have made some kind of a garden journal as well (a paper one), and keep a track of all the planting activities in it.

My beans have started giving little flowers of a beautiful lilac shade mixed with white. I feel like becoming a tiny fairy and spending a day in the green thicket of bean plants...

 Each and every bean I sowed grew into a good bush. You can also see two onions, which grew from the market onion bulbs.

Marigolds haven't achieved their height yet, but the buds have appeared already.

 

An earlier picture of fluffy fennel, marigolds made a nice company to it. 

The rose bush grows in front of our house and this year again is cheering us up with its little roses. Such a pleasant view when you leave in the morning for office!

Friday garden made me very happy, hope it made your day happier too. Have a nice weekend wherever you are, dear friends!

Summer Blanket - Wednesday Progress Update

I'm very proud of myself, because I keep my promise (to myself first of all) to update the blanket progress. Here is what I've reached so far: 48 squares sewed into 12 blocks. I have only 16 squares left, and after attaching them together, I will start making another lot of them, what will be a REAL progress then. Otherwise, a baby blanket can come up pretty easily with this much done. But we are aiming for bigger goals, aren't we? It is becoming hot here, around +35 in the day time, and fans are already in full working mode. Therefore, even I finish the blanket only by the end of this year :O, it'll be perfectly fine for a start of the winter season.

 I am still deciding how to arrange the blocks, and the latest idea I had was to attach the same blocks to each other, and perhaps, doing it in the rounds, like the outer round will have blocks of one color, the next - blocks of another color. Let's see, I need to count how many of each squares, hence, blocks, I need to make in this case. Also, do I have to block the blocks? They seem fine otherwise.

I plan to make at least 2 cm between the blocks, and of course, a border, a wide one, to frame the blanket... well, just let me finish it :)

As you might have seen the party button, I'm participating in Pagan Culture's bologoversary celebration under the name "Witches in Fiction... To The Bone", so you can come and check various interesting posts here.

Have a nice week ahead!