NOEL ELLIS' GOOGLE BLOG

  COOOOHOOOO   LT COL NOEL ELLIS   28/VI/2022               The song of the Koel can be heard from miles. Cooohooo-Cooohooo. They sing, they dance and chase each other through the trees. Then they come to roost at their favourite place, like we have our favourite restaurants. Here there are numerous Neem and Pepal trees.               It is mating time for these beautiful birds. Their favourite eating joints are mating joints also. However, when it comes to lay their eggs, they are smart. Koel’s will on the quiet find a crow’s nest, drop its eggs in it and let the crow do the rest. How fascinating!               Their cooing is also a signal for the onset of monsoons. The weather has cooled down quite a bit. Temperatures are now bearable. Two pre-monsoon showers have brought the bird activity to its crescendo. These birds stay in the open & hide inside thick canopies. Trees become part of their visiting itinerary. Halting, gaining their breath, maybe a nap and off they go to the ne

  MYSTERY OF THE CHIYUN-CHIYUN DOOR LT COL NOEL ELLIS   27/VI/2022   One day our front door went ‘cheeeeeeeeen’, squeaky as squeaky could be. If one sat alone in the drawing room, one would jump out of his sofa due to that extreme shrill noise. Sometimes if we left the door ajar, it would sway due to the wind. squealing at an unbearable pitch.   All those ‘Ramsay brother’s’ horror movies shot in ‘Bhoot Banglas’ brushed past your mind. Hope no ‘Chudail’ had cast her shadow, making those chieeeeuunnn kind of noises. This witch had to be caught red handed.   We braced ourselves to face her wrath. Then a thought went past, that it could be a squeaky hinge. With the door just installed recently, why would it make such funny noises? The most irritating sound, if not a scary one at that.   We had barged into our home before the contractor finished polishing the doors. Every night, for security reasons doors were temporarily fixed. Next day, they were unhinged again &am

 Water front 26 June 2022💚🤎💓DIL💜💝 KHUSH 💛💙💘💖

  LIFE GOES ON   LT COL NOEL ELLIS   24/VI/2022   As we begin a new day, so do the little birdies around. Never have we seen them with long faces, grumbling, sulking or fretting. They greet each other, speak with each other, call each other maybe names or nick names, we don’t know, but they ‘chitter-chatter’ as if there is no tomorrow.   They are not bothered if there are fresh grains or they are left over from yesterday. Imagine what they must be discussing. Probably they might be expecting a fresh menu from me every day.   Our children show such ‘Nakhras’. ‘Ye koi banane ki cheez hai, main ne nahi khana, kuch aur banao, ye mujhe accha nahi lagta. Their tantrums are unending. The same child who refuses to eat ‘Shrews berry’ biscuits at home, would munch a ‘Darle G’ packet at someone’s else’s house. Can these little birdies afford to throw such tantrums? That would be the day.   What would be discussing? Sis, the ‘bajra bhatooras’ here are so oily, ‘Jawar paneer

  DANA PAANI   LT COL NOEL ELLIS   24/VI/2022   As they say, that everyone has a fixed place & time for his/her ‘Dana-Paani’ (DP) and it turns out to be absolutely true. Based on your destiny, your DP is predetermined. Sometimes you may have DP right infront of you but you can’t touch it.               Also, as the se ‘Dane-Dane par likha hai khane wale ka naam’. The grain meant for you and that drop of water which is destined to be yours will be yours is also so true.               This morning a new cat came visiting our lane, let’s call it Puddy-Cat PC. He is a male as his family jewels could be distinctly seen. This guy has been a colony resident longer than we have been. PC knows the dustbins as that’s where he gets his DP from. Some days he is lucky when he lays his hands on Pedigree kind of meals left by pet dogs & cats. These sly feline cats are too smart. They somehow know and get their timing right.               This morning while watering my

  WILD FRIENDS AND US   LT COL NOEL ELLIS   23/VI/2022   In the deserts, the best blessing from God is a shower of rain. Blessings multiply if every fifteen days there could be one. With the first sign of clouds, the farmer gets busy tilling his land. The petrichor smell is a good enough signal to get ready for their crop. The farmer and his family get to work in earnest, cleaning, repairing & sharpening their farming tools, while their animals watch silently.   Even the animals know that it is going to be hard work for the next couple of weeks. They are ready to return the favour of the farmer, who looked after them during bad times by keeping them well watered and ensured their fodder. They are part of the family. Once yoked, they work from dawn till dusk. This I gathered while interacting with a local.   It suddenly became windy and dark in the evening. There was still some light before sunlight faded completely. My wife decided to go to the waterfront. One w

  A PLANT LOVERS THOUGHTS   LT COL NOEL ELLIS   22/VI/2022   As you step out of the house and look at your plants, the satisfaction one gets if all of them are green and kicking is inexplicable. Especially for us, as we moved from a very contrasting weather and climate, where it was hot and humid and received rain for almost six months. Now we are in the midst of a desert, scorching hot, with dust storms and loo.   Most of them are five years old or even more. It is more like your child adjusting to a new school and a new environment when you move on posting. New atmosphere, new school bus, new peers, new friends, new teacher, new bench mate and so on. But then the child finds his place.   Having suffered a few plant losses, which was obvious and we were prepared mentally, we moved on. The first thing one looks at is the weaklings. Is there any change from the previous day? Hope it is not dry, hope there is no pest infection. Not that they are favourites but such po