The Himalayas conspired ....

Home cooked comfort food , lots of sleep and my own comfortable bed with a back support mattress is the ulterior form of luxury i am relishing these days. For the last few days since i returned from the most crazy trip i ever had. Yesterday was the first day when i didn't feel sleepy during the daytime.

I realized i am loving my home all the more after this exhausting detour i took to confirm my sane state of mind.I also realized that i am the mad variety trying to sound saner....and yet i like it when my folks call me mad.This mad woman felt really bad when she had to leave the expedition halfway for someone else's reasons  , found difficult to calm down her spirits and yet knew that when the superior powers conspire we just have to take a back seat.

I was talking about coming home.

Yes, i loved and relished the adventure and loving my home even more now. A mad mad mind trying to sound saner and calmer.... You wouldn't believe i was feeling equally at home in the Himalayas too , till the treeline lasted at around 11000 ft. After that it was a different story . A different planet it looked like....it was magnanimously beautiful but i didn't feel at home. The monochrome of grey and brown was blinding in it's vastness and still there was a feeling of emptiness .

 I felt enamored by  this emptiness experienced in a stone age like civilization where one could see a whole lot of naturally carved stone figurines as if they are waiting for you to come . As if they would come alive any moment and have a chit chat with you , or at least give a glimpse of what they actually are.

As if a story is about to unfold in the silence of a dark theater ...

All of these theatrical appearances were great distractions for a cyclist . A cyclist has to focus on the road , on the uphill and one the rhythm . This rhythm and pace of cycling are a concern if you are a novice like me. I enjoyed cycling in the mountains , although it was tough for a first timer . I liked the way i could cycle long distances in the mountains and still feel fresh most of the days . Altitude sickness took it's toll later on but in the lap of such untouched unspoiled nature it doesn't take long before you feel refreshed again. A nature lover like me was more and more enthralled by the beauty that was waiting for me.

It was awe inspiring to see life springing out in the most harsh conditions , in the most unlikely surfaces. I couldn't stop myself from getting distracted in many places , not worrying about getting late and loosing my rhythm i stopped by many flowers to say hello ...

 A spore born in the lap of sunny florets 
is blown away by chilly winds
to be thrown into the face of intemperate stone
into the deep crevices of weathered rocks
puckered , tunneled , cracked and torn !!!

The spore chooses a niche
and dissolves the hard interiors of the rock
bit by bit , one after another molecule
and then it extends an appendage
to capture the world !!!

It grows and grows into the labyrinths
of the abrasive and scratchy, rocky mountains
takes some time underground , silently
to collect the resources to evoke an inner eye
"inner growth" !!!

And then comes the time to open a window
peep out and say hello to the wind
take the showers and sunshine
sprout the heads ... many heads
and splash the colors !!!

It flourishes , grows out into leaves
and then flowers and then makes more spores
bursting with life , to conquer the world
Then it adorns the window of it's own sweet home
and gets ready to say hello to me when i pass by !!!

I wonder how much time the spore took
inside the dark labyrinthus crevices of the rock
to grow into such a vibrant composition
to sing such a lovely song
to wave such a lively hello for me !!!

More stories of the Himalayas to follow and more smiles to be shared. 

Thank you all who wished me good luck for the expedition.

Be well !!!

want some healthy snacks?

With apologies for a long absence , here are some good ideas for healthy snacking.
Snacking as the birds do in my garden . And inspire me all the more.

You can see a bird all right but there is some dry fruit which has lured this green chatterbox to this branch.
Those dry drumstick pods are bursting with nutritious food , the dry seeds which the squirrels and other birds too find nutritious . They instinctively know what is good for them.

This was a couple who came chattering loudly and i walked to the window to see what is so special that they are chattering this much. I was talking on phone and went to fetch the camera and the other one flew away probably carrying some of the seeds to her young ones.

I kept talking on the phone and clicked some pictures . Truly a multi tasker :) ...but multitasking results in two jobs done poorly ...see what happened to these pictures...

And see how this guy descends down the pod to pick at the seeds.... I have been watching this routine for a long time now but never have been able to take decent pictures...

This time i decided to share them anyways . The pleasure of watching them eating like this had to be shared .

Perching on the stalk of the pod and stretching his neck to reach the seeds down there...

Gulping down one seed....

And then picking another...

Digging in some more...

Coming up to balance...what a difficult job...

Starting again....digging some more...

Picking with a different angle now...

 Learnt a thing or two from baba Ramdev ?

A satisfied , contented gait...

Has somebody been watching?

Now ready to fly ... and fly he did....

And i continued with my telephonic chat . The phone was on speaker , placed on the window sill while i was clicking all these pictures...

Long chats on phone to plan our trip to the great Himalayas . The highest passes of the Himalayas .

A group of 100 women is all set out to cycle through the highest passes , cycling from Kullu to Kardung La and then back to Leh . I am a part of this group and need a lot of healthy snacking these days...just like this Rose Ringed Parakeet...and i need to be chirpy just like them...

Taking a lesson from them and getting ready. Can i ask for good wishes ? Please do pray for good weather over there and good health for me all through this expedition.

Thank you.

Olive back sunbird ... snacking on some healthy things...

Drumstick flowers are super food of the common man . Rich in nutrients needed for good bones and skeletal system . Birds need that too and they know where to look for some healthy food. They come to the garden of a health food blogger :)

Her yellow breast finds a great camouflage with that color of the drumstick flowers. This picture was taken a couple of months back . The health food blogger is a lazy person when it comes to the things that make her happy .

Can you believe that?

But she is working hard these days making her bones stronger :)

Looking through the pictures this bird reminded me to go pluck some drumstick leaves and use it for a nice daal or egg scramble.

Isn't she cute ?
Does she inspire you to eat healthy?

brown headed barbet drinking water ...

They are feasting on the small green jamun berries in the garden and in the neighborhood gardens too but this one must have been really thirsty to come down to have a sip of water even when i was standing at some distance...otherwise i have noticed , they are very shy...The triangular rock in the rack garden set up looks like a resting place for all birds ....

But this barbet descended down to the bird bath quickly , had his fill , looked at me ....see how he looks at me...

And retreated quickly .... to the same bunch of jamuns hanging there....

Female Asian Koel...

My gypsy garden looks like a blessed place. So many different birds keep visiting this place and fill my life with excitement . So many small birds keep chirping all day , Oriental white eyes , Tailor birds and Sun birds make such sweet calls that not a single moment is a silent moment . The frequent calls by these different birds make the flute notes of the symphony nature plays in my gypsy garden .

Sometimes i really think if this garden was a perfectly laid out , geometrically sectioned beds of flowers and green grass looking at each other with admiration .... may be these little birds would have felt alienated here and would never have felt so at home . I feel so good at the thought of of creating this little rock garden for them , it was a lazy day last year when i thought of using all the stones lying around in a way to make them look good . Almost like rearranging the scattered pebbles of my own being. This rock garden was adorned with some cute ceramic pots of cacti , but soon i realized that the lemon tree above this miniature rock garden did not allow enough sunlight for the cacti and i planted some shade loving evergreens there. A couple of bird baths attract a good number of visitors everyday during summers.

I keep watching and clicking all sorts of smaller birds and squirrels in this place but these large birds made me really curious . It was a really huge female Asian Koel.

This bird makes shrill harsh calls just outside my bedroom window, perched on the grapefruit tree.

And then hops on to the lemon tree...you can see a few lemons in this picture..

 This couple of Koels comes to my garden and loves sitting in the lower branches of the lemon tree and the grapefruit tree , the shrubby kind of foliage that they like for themselves during the hottest time of the day.

In the evening they are seen on the Jamun tree in my backyard.

 And to my surprise and great pleasure they spend a good amount of time resting here . Probably they find the watering hole more enticing. And may be it is the shade is what they need.

 I am hopeful about their nesting around this place. See how she keeps her beak open almost all the time and the shrilly call she makes for the partner is so nice to hear .

 They always tell about their arrival in the garden.

First they always get perched on the lemon branches , then inquire around the place , look towards the bird bath a few times and then descend down and sit over the peak of the triangular rock....see how this one is keeping his head in shade....

Looks around and sits on the bird bath to have his fill . The lonely Foot ball lily (Haemanthus Multiflorus) gets it's fifteen minutes of fame through this lovely Female Koel.

I got only one bloom this year , this one was planted in this spot years ago and this time it decided to bloom .
The potted ones remained silent this time.

Koels are known to be cunning and manipulative in Avian sociology. They like drinking water from the bird bath many times during the day and do not let other smaller birds come near them while they are having their fill.

But they do not seem to be disturbed by my presence . They allow me to come quite close to them .

How beautiful is the plumage . I like the red eyes and the brownish glint on the scalp and around the eye...

Here comes the other one ( the second picture from the top is also of this individual ) who looks smaller and a bit darker . Plumage and beak both are darker than the first one from top...

All birds of the same species must be having their own beauty spots :-)

The size is smaller too . I still do not know if the smaller one is still a baby.... .

I would be glad if someone tells me more about them.

These two pictures are shot in different lights but the difference in the birds is clear enough ...see the next one who looks bigger and has a lighter colored plumage. The pattern of white specks on the plumage is a little different too.

 

See how this one is drinking water while few of the droplets are suspended into the air , glistening in light....a moment caught by chance ...but so beautiful...

 A few ripples in the bird bath , and the bird looking contented . As I type this i heard them tweeting again in the garden , went down to watch and click a few more pictures . They look so comfortable in my presence i feel glad .

The theme for Thursday challenge this week is  "WET" (Rain, Puddles, Water,...) ..
I saw a post by Swaram right now and decided to link this one to the challenge as i have been missing the pleasure for many weeks now...The bird bath and this Female Asian Koel drinking water make a nice picture for the theme this week ...off this goes to Thursday Challenge...

the river and the stones.....

No wonder the steps are stone
pink, dark, wet, cold and warm
but stone....
The river flows fast
really fast
waves up and down
billowing one after the other
in quick succession
racing with each other
to reach the undecided destination

They wet the stone
splash over it
lovingly...
The stone embraces them
just for a moment
they slow down during this embrace
and envelop over the stone
wetting it , getting it ...
and then
they just leave...

The stone remains wet
for a while
yearning for the lost embrace
for the wet kiss
and for the cold comfort ...

Then another wave comes
billowing , rolling , flowing
in it's own , new way
as if to rest here for a while...
but this one came again
not to stay ...
just for that quick embrace
the wet kiss ritual
and a low departure...

The stone is eager again
for the kiss , for the embrace
and for the cold comfort
not thinking
that this one
will pass on too...

The stone lay there
after a quite farewell
still with controlled emotions
being wet and cold
embracing all those waves
that come....

Waving all those
who don't keep their promise
and pass by
teasing the stone...
racing towards
the destination
they don't yet know....

Now i know why the steps are stone...
they have to be there for ever
to welcome all those
who are destined to go away
to welcome all those
who never keep their promise ...

The stone is still pink
dark , wet , cold and warm..
welcoming the sparkle...
The sparkle..
which is going to vanish
the next moment...
The sparkle ...
which will be missed
for eternity...

brown headed barbet .... got lucky to spot a nest ..

Barbet nests are the most unconventional ones . So much so that even if you spot one of those you can't be sure it is a barbet nest unless you see a live bird sitting on it ... or sitting on the threshold . At least this nest has a threshold kinda thing . I spotted a barbet during my morning walk and as i was following the bird i noticed him/her hopping over to another tree and the next hop took him to a hole in the trunk . Now i wanted a picture , the bird hastily flew away and perched himself over a telephone wire nearby .

I examined the nest while the birdie sat here...looking at me with the corner of his eyes...

Another one comes to the drumstick tree in my garden . Probably picks up worms, i don't think barbets eat flowers or pollen or nectar ....but hey now i know they eat small fruits... 

Their movements are very swift , not like pigeons . Pigeons are clumsy and make sloppy sounds when they take off or set their feet somewhere....Barbets are swift and quick....

See how this one is calling out loud to someone ...or they make this gesture to sense something ... as i see them opening the beak wide and pointing upwards ... the call is not very loud and no other bird seems to come after that.... as with bulbuls you see the other one coming as soon as one sends a call...

Calling again....or just opening up his sensors ?

I have mostly seen the barbets alone . Even around the nest i didn't notice any family though do not stay there for long...studying their behavior and knowing more about them is so intriguing . The more you get to know the more you want to know...

A family of Babblers was teaching a young chick flying in the evening today and it was pure joy watching them . The kido looked like a lazy dumb who wouldn't listen to the parents . He got himself perched on the Ashwagandha plant in my backyard and that is when i thought of clicking some pictures . Will share some pictures but i am worried about the kido now after about 6 hours of this sighting . The chick is still sitting on the same branch of the Ashwagandha plant and is not moving , looks like sleeping but i am worried about some cats or dogs coming and attacking him . I know what i am going to do first thing in the morning ... Will keep you posted...