NOEL ELLIS' GOOGLE BLOG

  Our rooftop garden is in two parts. First are the waterlilies. In each tub there are two different coloured ones. The second part is Adeniums. With more than eighty different colours just sprouting to life, they should be in full bloom by May.   I do a customary visit to the rooftop garden every evening. Water has to be topped up. Fish have to be fed and a cursory inspection around helps. Minor issues can be sorted out immediately. Fish and birds wait for me. Fish for their daily meal and birds enjoy a drink and pose for me.   Yesterday, after clicking some birds, one Bulbul was most excited and kept following me from tub to tub. I thought, probably she was looking for insects or sometimes an odd dead fish floats to the surface which these girl relish. I left her to hop around and took a nice closeup of hers.   When I downloaded the photo, it came as a shock to me that there were blisters on that waterlily leaf. It could be an insect attack, was ...

  A new Adenium colour 🧡 Dil Khush 🧡

    As we walked out of the main door this morning, birds and flowers were waiting to welcome me. They knew it is ‘watering day’. Boy, were they excited? I gave them a wink and went on with the preliminary check of the garden.   First on the agenda was the hummingbird feeder which had been refilled yesterday. With practice, I have mastered how to brew that ‘magic potion’ which attracts these birds. My wife pointed out to a Bulbul which was trying to poke her short and blunt beak into the orifice of the feeder. She was enjoying the sugary water kept for the hummingbirds.   The ‘proportion’ is simple. 300ml of plain water, which is about a tumbler full. We use RO water as an added precaution. 1/3 rd tumbler full of sugar is just right. Put both in a bowl and give it a violent stir till it becomes a ‘whirlpool’. Stir-stir and stir, till all sugar granules disappear. Two minutes and the beverage is ready. Followed by a good rinse to the feeder, fill it and f...

  Garden lovers cannot have a dull moment in their workspace. The area could be limited to a balcony or some lucky ones might have farm houses but there have to be flowers, fruits and vegetables growing in every season. Most gardening enthusiasts would agree.   Well, two seasons see the maximum blooms. Winters and the transition to spring are the best seasons. So much time and preparation go into keeping the plant alive and kicking. Having got used to its tantrums like a baby you see it coming to flower and fruit during this period.   Summers are the worst season for plants. Heat, low humidity, erratic watering takes its toll. Plants go into a shock unless given the requisite shade naturally or artificially. Still, some plants misbehave and the weakest die. A gardener suffers a heart break. Nevertheless, he continues his pursuit to keep the blooming on.   A question people keep asking me off an on. What do you do to get flowers in summer? Selection of p...

  Most of us are familiar with a weird looking ‘pot-bellied’ fruit/vegetable called ‘Jack Fruit/Kathal’. It grows on tree trunks swelling into large oversized fruits. The light green texture has rough bristles like a hedgehog, if you guys have touched it.   If plucked raw, it makes an excellent vegetarian dish. The texture is fibrous and chewy. Also called the poor man’s chicken/mutton.   Last week, one of our neighbours brought a casserole full of Biryani. The lady didn’t tell us what it was made of. It was delicious and finger licking! She made “Kathal Biryani”. We were tasting it for the first time. One never knew that biryani could be made out of it.   I as a child detested eating vegetables. Once we went to Agra to our relative’s place. They served us something which looked like dry mutton preparation for lunch. Large chunks of meat were visible and I liked the taste. Neither mom nor dad said a word and watched me devouring the dish. It was later revealed, when ...

    We have been watching our ‘Red Vented’ Bulbul’s nest in the garage with great enthusiasm since the last two weeks. The desperate wait for the babies to hatch and the eagerness to see them taking flight is increasing by the day.   It all must have started with an idea to build a nest in one of our hanging pots. I shall leave the criteria for selection and its tactical placement for the time being. Granting the Bulbul her wisdom and acumen and above all confidence in making it there needs an applause.   These birds are friendly but always keep their distance especially when feeding on roti we keep for them. They remain watchful and sharp. Moment, they feel threatened, they vanish into the bushes. Once the coast is clear, they return but with utmost caution to feed again.   I say friendly because they get after me to disturb the foliage in the garden. Maybe, the bushes get shaken by my movement amongst pots or when I sprinkle water on the leaves. This disturbs ...