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Showing posts from February, 2023

WHAT A RELIEF

  WHAT A RELIEF   LT COL NOEL ELLIS   27/II/2023   It was such a difficult day yesterday and the day before. It wasn’t work tension. Bijli-Paani was there. Sabji-Bhaji came to the door step. Guppies and mollies were fine. Many hibiscuses bloomed. Road was swept. Bai came too. Then what could be the reason for the strain.   Till the afternoon everything was fine. We watched a serial on Netflix. As usual we went out for a walk, leaving behind our cell phones at home. One checked for missed calls and messages on return. There were none. Surprising!   As the night started to descend, there were still no messages on social media, which is quite usual. People those who wish you good morning at 8 pm also were silent. Evening turned to night, no messages still. Tension started to build up.   First question which comes to mind, Kya internet hai? My Vodafone number was showing all bars and 4G, while the Jio number was displaying the same with 5G. People must have got busy

ELLIS' GARDEN 25 FEB 2023

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 ๐Ÿ’œ๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ’š DIL KHUSH ๐Ÿ’๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ’˜

A TWEET SO SWEET

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  A TWEET SO SWEET   LT COL NOEL ELLIS   23/II/2023   What a way to start a day with a ‘tweet’. For me a tweet is not at all related to social media. I have no idea how to use it, though people ask me for my ‘twitter handle’. I have one, but haven’t been able to handle it. I fear I could mis-handle it instead. Life without such tweets is sweet as sweet could be.   Body gives a signal that its time to ‘wakey-wakey’. Somehow, as the ‘real birds’ start to ‘tweet’, one has to throw away the sheet and rush to the cool air outside to meet and greet my feathery ‘friends’.   A quick glance at the garden and there was much to do. Pots needed a little shuffle. Bird feeder needed a refill. Water container for birds needed topping up. Some pots needed watering. Fish had to be fed. Dead leaves had to be plucked off before the sun rose above the buildings across the street.   As I bent down on a bush, a creature clambered onto my T-shirt. A couple of days back TikTok the Cham

ELLIS' GARDEN 22 FEB 23

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๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ’œ DIL KHUSH ๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’™

AS SPRING APPROACHES

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  AS SPRING APPROACHES   LT COL NOEL ELLIS   21/II/2023   As the weather is getting warmer, there is fresh activity on the ‘birdie’ front. New broods with fresh energy have suddenly appeared from hibernation. One can hear the ‘zip zap zoom’ of their wings when one opens the front door. Birds scoot, only to return after a while, knowing this man can do no harm.   It feels so good that they have returned and mind you they still remember the ‘birdbath’ which has been reactivated besides the bird seed container. A quick bite, a drink and dip has become their routine. Then they hop along the pots singing, dancing, chasing, fighting, biting, pecking and soon forgetting their rivalry to return to their perches again.   Roof tops are their favourite haunts for romancing. A peck and a smooch, some whispers of promises in the ears of each other. A word about their future and family, a house to nest and the regular gossip is a beautiful pastime for them. They look at you and d

CHANGING SEASONS

  CHANGING SEASONS   LT COL NOEL ELLIS   20/II/2023   The season is changing fast. Days are getting hotter. The saving grace is the evenings when temperatures cool down. Typical of the desert, there is a slight chill in the mornings. Prediction for this year is a hot & long summer. We are prepared.   Another sign of the onset of summers is the yellowing of leaves. Our hibiscus collection are now shedding. The abundant flowers are few and far between now. Plants sense the changes; I don’t know how. For me, it is time to re-manure them before they go into dormancy till the next flowering season, which would be the coming rainy season.   There is this little girl who lives down the lane. She is an expert on everything and is my new ‘guru’. She avoids going to pre-nursery school but can give me sound advice on how to look after plants. The other day she pulled me up for wasting water, as some water spilled over.   Aise koi pani dalta hai? She said. Aap ko ata hai, I asked. Before I cou

ELLIS' GARDEN 17 FEB 23 FLOWERS

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  ๐Ÿ’š ๐Ÿ’™ ๐Ÿ’œ DIL KHUSH ๐Ÿ’› ๐ŸคŽ ๐Ÿงก

ELLIS' GARDEN 17 FEB 23

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 My friends return after winters ❤️ ๐Ÿ’š DIL KHUSH ๐Ÿงก ๐Ÿ’œ

ELLIS' GARDEN 15 FEB 23

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๐Ÿ’š ๐Ÿ’œ DIL KHUSH ❤️ ๐Ÿ’™

THOSE WHO CHANGE COLOURS

  THOSE WHO CHANGE COLOURS   LT COL NOEL ELLIS   11/II/2023   It was after a long hibernation that Mr TikTok the chameleon resurfaced in one of our pots. He stretched himself, straightened his tail, opened one eye, and gave me a wink. He then opened his mouth and shot out his tongue to catch a juicy moth. A few quick bites and the moth disappeared. I came too close to his comfort, so he dashed and hid himself somewhere in the pots.   We were planning to go out in the evening. It was time for a quick car clean up. I moved the car to a convenient place. As I went behind the car, my heart sank. TikTok was lying flat and breathing his last breath. Poor thing must have darted and hid under the car in panic and came under its wheels. I felt so bad. It was too late. Though his tail was still wriggling, all my efforts to revive him were of no use as his guts had spilled out.   Just before leaving home and switching off the TV, I saw a message running on the ticker that Gen Pervez Musharraf was

ELLIS' GARDEN 08 FEB 23

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❤️ ๐Ÿงก ๐Ÿ’› DIL KHUSH ๐Ÿ–ค ๐Ÿ’œ ๐Ÿ’™