NOEL ELLIS' GOOGLE BLOG

A TOUR WITH FRIENDS MAKES OUR  💖DIL KHUSH💝

  ALTERNATE SOURCE OF ENERGY   LT COL NOEL ELLIS   25/IX/2024   Solar Energy fascinated me since childhood. It was unbelievable at first that electricity could be produced from the sun. It took me back to my school days, when we were introduced to ‘photoelectric cells’ and how they work and how will it be beneficial to the earth and society.   Water energy we had witnessed first hand during a school educational tour to the Bhakra Nangal Dam in Punjab.   Harnessing wind energy was also interesting. This we practically experienced during a bike hike to Lonavala from NDA Khadakwasla, Pune. We were tired, exhausted, and still short of our destination and still pedaling our way up those steep curves of the Ghat. Suddenly, it started to rain and the wind too joined the fun.   We quickly pulled out our ‘raincapes’ to avoid getting wet. Cycling with a raincoat on is a big pain but then something happened. The storm pushed us from behind and the raincoat became our sail. Raindrops hid our sweat

💛DIL KHUSH YELLOW WATER LILY💛

  NDA BLACK BOX   LT COL NOEL ELLIS   24/IX/2024   There could be no better contentment when results of your hard work start to show. The satisfaction and a sense of achievement can only be understood by the person who put his all-out efforts in that project. Let me tell you the story.   All faujis carry black steel boxes called ‘Trunks’ with them throughout their career/life. For Ex-NDAs, it is love for that first black box with half the height of a normal steel trunk. It served two purposes. One, it slid perfectly under the NDA bed bug ridden bed smoothly. Second, it also slid under a second-class berth in a train with ease.   Since 1981, that trunk is still with us in mint condition. We stuffed it, banged it, threw it, misused it, made it into a settee, and stored all sorts of junk that we collected during our service. It kept doing its job without whining and a trace of rust till date. We lost its keys and had to break the latches, but still the innards are fine

  A historic day in our Rooftop aquatic garden ❤ DIL KHUSH 💙

  BIRD ON THE WATER BOWL   LT COL NOEL ELLIS   20/IX/2024   The day was coming to an end however, the sun was still bright and preparing to go down beyond the horizon and into the clouds. With enough light left for the day, it was time to feed our fish on the roof.   These girls wait for me. Once they see me, all of them congregate on the surface asking me not to delay anymore. They know how to say it when they circle the surface at a brisk pace. Their turns become sharp. They do not dive in deep and start skimming the surface of the water with their mouths open, in anticipation of food.   Even if the fish are in the hiding, they come and greet me. I feel, they wait for me like kids do for their parents. One pinch of fish food and they churn the water vehemently and excitedly.   For a change I was on the roof before sundown. Birds had started to fly home. A pair of herons flew due west overhead into the setting sun, towards the river close by.  I wished them fair winds, as I fed the fi

                                          MEETING DOVEY   LT COL NOEL ELLIS 18/IX/2024   Over the last couple of years, the colony where we stay, birds have really made our ‘Dil Khush’. They are here in all shapes, sizes, and colours. They sing and chirp in their own tunes, generating classical ‘raag darbari’ of a distinct kind from the ‘Jodhpur Gharana’.   Some calls are shrill, and others quite gruff. Their octaves range from tenors to bass, to alto to baritones to sopranos and you name it. The ‘Birdy Choir’ blends together a beautiful melody for us everyday. May God Bless them always.   There are a couple of doves who we have grown very fond of. They are called the common Eurasian Doves. They throng our colony as they find grain and water in plenty. By the way, they have now got used to particular homes as they go around ‘cooing’ the whole day. A couple of them visit us daily without fail.   Initially, they used to be scared like hell. Sometimes, inadvertently

  LEANING TOWER OF JOJARI   LT COL NOEL ELLIS 18/IX/2024   All of us have heard of the leaning tower of Pisa in Italy. As school kids, for our GK tests, we would cram about the ‘seven wonders’ of the world. The Leaning Tower used to be one of them. How and why, it leaned is well known.   They say that the soil was not stable. Due to the tower’s weight, it pressed hard on one side and thus the tilt. Well, it is a unique aberration of 1372. The engineering, technology and material used then and that of today is at stark contrast.   In India, we can only talk of the ‘crumbling bridges of Bihar’. They don’t lean but collapse. Lesser said the better.   I discovered the ‘Thirteenth’ wonder of the world today. I have christened it as the “Leaning Tower of Jojari”.   Let me tell you a small story. Way back in 2007, our colony was about to start its construction in absolute wilderness on a barren piece of land those days. Not a tree, not a spec of grass grew. We visite

  TWINS IN THE ELLIS' GARDEN 🩷 DIL KHUSH 🩷

  Shaam ka Manzar makes my 🧡 Dil Khush 🧡

  MEETING THE DRONGOS   LT COL NOEL ELLIS 17/IX/2024   Last weekend, I was at the riverfront taking a stroll with my camera. Our colony has a gate on that side and is manned by a guard. Guards by now know me as ‘Camera wale Colonel saab’. Many of them even give me a call if they feel it could give me some subjects to photograph.   Out of courtesy, guards offer me their chair to plonk myself to shoot at leisure. People keep passing by to go to a Mandir about a hundred meters from that gate. Birds do get disturbed but are not frightened either. They vanish, only to return in a while to their feeding zone. People spread grains for them, plus our guard ensures that all their water containers are kept topped up always.   With ‘Aab-O-Dana’ (Water and Grain) abundantly available, birds enjoy their meal, a sip, and a dip. They are now used to human presence. It is the stray dogs who create a ruckus. They do not like birds around them. Probably, out of jealousy or now allowing

  LOCUST WITHOUT A “L”   LT COL NOEL ELLIS   14/IX/2024   They say if you wish for something with a noble heart, it gets fulfilled. Had I asked for the moon, I would have got it today. Was it a coincidence? I am not sure. To find out please read on.   A friend of mine had asked me about ‘good’ and ‘bad’ insects in a garden, on which I wrote an article. In that, I had mentioned a kind of grasshopper called the ‘Locust’. It is a bright yellowish green insect. It is sometimes seen in our garden. They create havoc if found in swarms, but one or two do not harm much.   After writing the article, I wished I had a photo of the Locust. Digging it out from the archives could add colour but that would have been time consuming.   Having posted the article, I walked out of the house to check on the blooms of the day. There was a large variety with vibrant colours gracing the garden. A treat to the eyes and soul.   Just then my eyes fell on a bamboo stick supporting a vi

  FRIENDS & F OES IN THE GARDEN   LT COL NOEL ELLIS 13/IX/2024   A friend of mine asked me about “friendly and not so friendly garden insects”. To do justice to her query, instead of just covering insects, I would discuss reptiles & birds too and restrict myself to the ‘Ellis’ Garden’.   Many insects are ugly to look at and some can cause a lot of destruction, to the extent plants die. Some good-looking ones are the ‘Butterflies’. They come in various shapes, sizes, and colours. From tiny ones to huge ones, from black, orange to white ones. Some are spotted and some come with ‘bandhani’ prints.   Their main aim is to drink nectar in their short life span. They pick up pollen and spread the genes to other flowers by carrying that powder on its feet. Pollination is the most important cycle in plant life.   Now comes the bad part. These butterflies lay their eggs on selected plants. They love citrus plants. Why? Maybe, there are better hiding places. Birds and