Purple Joy joins the Ellis' Garden
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MAIDEN FLIGHT
MAIDEN FLIGHT LT COL NOEL ELLIS 18 /V/2023 Oh! What a start to a wonderful day it was. I am still awestruck with what I witnessed first hand. Nature was at its best unfolding right infront of your eyes. It was truly mesmerising, so read on…. Having watered the plants, it was time for me to observe the birds. Blackie and Brownie, our Sunbirds that had made a nest in our garage, were unusually busy today. Their absence from the nest was of lesser duration than normal. Two chicks were now sticking their beaks out of the nest. Let us call them Jinny and Johnny, J&J. All these days J&J were quiet as quiet could be. However, today they were fidgety and were popping out very frequently from the nest’s opening. B&B would come in turns with a juicy caterpillar or insect in their mouths and push both J&J back in. Naughty as they were, once fed and the parents off, they would stick their necks out of the nest again. My hunch told me it could possibly be the day when J&J
TRAGEDY IN A TUB
TRAGEDY IN A TUB LT COL NOEL ELLIS 15/V/2024 Our small little fish pond is doing well. Fish are happy, floating plants are happy, water lilies are happy, honey bees are happy, and so are the numerous snails inside. We are happy too. The issue with snails is that they munch on all kinds of greenery, drilling numerous holes in every leaf they visit. The complete appearance changes to a pock marked kind of plant. Even a healthy plant looks diseased. The end result is that the leaf finally dies and has to be snipped due to the snail massacre. Our happiness knew no bounds on finding snails in the tub when we had started our aquatic plant hobby. We were told they are algae eaters. Indeed, they were. But then, when there was a snail population explosion, they ran out of algae and attacked plants, damaging all kinds of leaves. Once while cleaning the yellowing and decaying water lily leaves, we found a cluster of transparent white bubbles, something like a bubble wrap on
WASTE OF TIME
WASTE OF TIME LT COL NOEL ELLIS 13/V/2024 These days with all the time to oneself, one can indulge in one's hobbies at any time of the day or night. You are your own boss. A big ‘time waster’ called the ‘social media’ of which I use very few platforms have been put on ‘silent mode’. No unnecessary ‘Tring-Tring’ gives so much more time to do things creative in that time wasted scrolling aimlessly. By the way, I heard WhatsApp is planning to withdraw its services from India. I wish them the best and pray it happens tomorrow. Many WhatsApp universities will shut down though. There will definitely be peace on earth. Another thing which needs to be shut down is the ‘Noise’ channels, which I have done personally for myself. No news is good news. Be that as it may. I must confess that I watch a few videos on YouTube before going to bed. They say, one should avoid the mobile two hours before going to bed. For me, I avoid it all day, so it doesn’t matter. Believe you m
GRANDPA AGAIN
GRANDPA AGAIN LT COL NOEL ELLIS 12/V/2024 It was just the other day when the Hummingbird pair of Blackie & Brownie fell in love and made their nest. Chicks have hatched. I can proudly claim that I am ‘grandfather’ again. As a child, I used to watch Dad hatching hen eggs or duck eggs under a ‘Koodak’ hen. It took about twenty-one odd days for chicks to emerge. With the same analogy, I thought the Hummingbirds too would take that much time. But, to our surprise, they took just 12-14 days to hatch. The chicks have lovely yellow beaks and stay absolutely silent in the nest. Some bird chicks make such a ruckus when parents arrive with food at the nest. Besides begging for food with their beaks wide open, they keep screeching till the time they are fed or till the parent moves away. However, our Hummingbird chicks neither squeak or squeal at all. That is a way to stay safe by not disclosing their location to other birds of prey. Plus, B&B would have laid a strict ‘finger on you
RESULTS OF PATIENCE
RESULTS OF PATIENCE LT COL NOEL ELLIS 11/V/2024 Gardening enthusiasts sometimes have to wait long periods to see results in the form of blooms. Plants can test your patience to the limits. They can go to the extent of playing dead, giving heart attacks. Sometimes, they lie dormant, skipping consecutive flowering seasons. About two years back we decided to diversify our garden and usher in ‘Water Liles’ and succeeded in growing them. Our humble beginnings began with planting ‘rhizomes’ in discarded ‘baby bath tubs’. Then we tried growing them in a ‘Chata’, (shallow earthen vessel in which curds are set). We ran out of containers so grew them in discarded five litre Bisleri water bottles and they flourished. We had no idea of which season to plant them. We hardly knew how to take care for them. After almost a year, they started showing signs of deterioration. Their glossy, healthy and shiny leaves started to diminish in size. One of them even perished. How could w
TIMELY INTERVENTION
TIMELY INTERVENTION LT COL NOEL ELLIS 10/V/2024 Blackie and Brownie’s (B&B) nest in our garage was the hub centre of activity. Their movement to and fro from the nest caught my attention this morning. One has been keeping a keen eye for any unusual distractions and disturbances to the nest. That’s the least we can do. Aim being to allow B&B to bring their fruits of love to life. Food is plentiful around the garden. Bees, moths, worms, and Butterflies are abundantly available. New born insects are hatching abundantly. One issue of concern is that flower blooms have reduced drastically due to the onset of summers. With temperatures on the rise on a daily basis, hibiscus buds are yellowing and falling off, reducing one of the sources of nectar for the pair. As I sat in the veranda observing their nest, Brownie made the first visit, followed by Blackie in quick succession. They would come and sit on a hanging pot or a hanging wire before approaching the nest and tweet quite l
