NOEL ELLIS' GOOGLE BLOG

 3 NEW HIBISCUS COLOURS 💙DIL KHUSH💝

  HAZARDS IN THE GARDEN   LT COL NOEL ELLIS   27/II/2025   “Safety” while gardening should be a concern for all garden lovers. Most of us who indulge in this hobby love to get their hands soiled in dirt. It gives a great feeling. One gets emotionally connected to the earth. The smell of the soil and its texture is so good to feel.   If we watch gardening videos of foreign origin, people wear gloves and other safety gear while at it. Mostly, to keep their hands free from getting soiled. The skin bears the maximum brunt as it gets scaled and abrased. For me, after washing my hands thoroughly, a coat of ‘Sarson ka Tel’ works. Moisturisers are too mild.   Besides, while in the garden, there are many hazards which come your way too. Let me elaborate.   Gloves do help in saving you from various ‘pricks’. Thorns are common, if you shoved valentine day roses in the compost bin. Sometimes, a tiny piece of wood pricks you and gets stuck u...

  LT COL NOEL ELLIS   26/II/2025   There was a time as a child I would eat only two vegetables. One was Aloo in any form. The other was with a ‘frowny face’ called Bhindi. Not bharwa, not in gravy, but simply fried and sautéed bhindi.   Though Dad was a pure non vegetarian but would insist that we finish our vegetables which he used to so painstakingly grow in the kitchen garden. For us Palak used to be Yuk, Methi was what the hell, Baingan, who eats that kind of stuff, Mirchi was too jhaal, Gobi, my goodness no and so on.   Yes, when in josh one could pull out mooli, gajar, shalgam from our kitchen garden at any time. The fun was not in the eating but in uprooting them, washing them, and devouring them raw with a pinch of salt. From the field to the tummy was in a matter of seconds. You serve them in a meal or salad, yours truly would never touch them.   Meat curry with potatoes is an age-old family delicacy which mom cooked often. Then came a twist. Dad w...

🧡 Dil Khush Roses ❤

    LT COL NOEL ELLIS   22/II/2025   I was standing at the counter of our Doodh-Dahi wala. Yours truly being a regular gets a special treatment.   The man across the counter was in a deep discussion with some customers. The subject caught my attention. People in India were aware the way “wanted people” were being eliminated by ‘unknown assassins’ in Pakistan.   Pakistan always sees the hand of India in general and ‘Raa’ in particular in doing all that. I kept on the “listening watch”. The topic shifted to cricket.   The ‘Champions Trophy’ is on. India is playing after showing great reluctance much to the anguish of hosts Pakistan. We agreed to play at neutral venues like Dubai. This cheesed off PCB.   After their humiliating loss in their first match, am sure Pakistan is not looking forward to play with us. Players know the ‘jootis’ they will get if they lose.   The rumour is that TV companies have already sent...

  Morning Glory time in the Ellis' Garden. 💙 Dil Khush 💙

 A fragrant flower joins the Ellis' Garden 💚Dil Khush💝

  LT COL NOEL ELLIS   18/II/2025   These days my ears pick up bird sounds which are not the usual kinds. Thank God the fauji firing at the ranges hasn’t left me deaf. I must confess that my sense of smell has gone for a six too but I can only smell bar-be-que grilling.   One of my morning walk friends halted for a short while at our place for our daily chit-chat. We were discussing something when in between there was a very familiar bird call. My focus shifted and I lost track of what he was saying. It was quite embarrassing. Kahan Kho gaye, Colonel Saab? He quipped.   They have been posing since the last couple of years. Their sound isn’t common. Last year, it came so close to our home that one could watch them go in and out of the tree across the road. They had made a nest there.   This call was not all that close but was definitely on a tree nearby. My camera came into action. How could I miss this beautiful model! The calls ...

  Isn't she Dil Khush

  LT COL NOEL ELLIS   16/II/2025   Have you guys ever taken a “Bin Matlab Panga” (BMP). I have. Let me elaborate.   Today was another day to take a BMP. If I delayed it, the consequences could be disastrous. It was time to repot my water lilies. The tubs had also become messy and needed a thorough cleansing.   Algae had spread. The mesh grows uncontrollably and covers the surface completely. I was worried about the fish. They cannot surface to eat due to the green goo. It was time for taking “Bin Matlab Panga”.   Our lilies are grown in the "pot in pot" method. A six-inch pot with no holes, filled with manure and garden soil is what a water lily bulb/tuber needs to grow. Those small pots are then immersed in a 50l tub.   Water lilies consume mud like hell. Once they get to the flowering stage they constantly need manure. I bury compost in newspaper sachets deep near the roots. Size & quality of flowers reveal the results...

 A NEW HIBISCUS COLOUR  JOINS THE ELLIS' GARDEN 💛DIL KHUSH💖

  A visit to a nearby lake 💙 Dil Khush ❤

  Colours of Basant make my 💛 Dil Khush 🧡

  LT COL NOEL ELLIS   06/II/2025   Following developments in Pakistan has been an old hobby of mine. It has been interesting to watch them get consumed in their own venom. They dug holes for us. Now the same holes are turning into their graves.   I felt bad at the loss of 16 soldiers of Frontier Corps in Balochistan. They are losing soldiers on a daily basis. Suffice to say the tails of Paki security forces are on fire. ‘Qurbani’ is the word they use for their sacrifices. Terrorists are celebrating ‘Eid’ by sacrificing soldiers every day. Very unfortunate and sad.   I listen to podcasts from across to feel their pulse. Their pulse is weak & barely palpable. Arteries are clogged. Lungs are suffering from oedema. Stomach is revolting. Liver has developed cirrhosis. Vision has gone blurred and colour blind. The ‘akas’ have turned a deaf ear. Their skin is blistered. Brain has a tumour. All bones are fractured. Their politicians have gone too...

  LT COL NOEL ELLIS   03/II/2025   Sometimes when you dig into your old Fauji boxes, certain things fall out of it and bring a flood of memories. That is what happened the other day. If I ask you to take a wild guess, I can assure you none of you would be able to guess it.   So, think and answer and don’t change your guess. Even if your answer doesn’t match, you can let me know what you guessed but be fair.   Most of our ‘black boxes’ have been given away. People in the civil world have a fascination for them. The first trunk which came into my life was the box one got made when joining NDA. It was a long journey by Jhelum express from Jalandhar to Pune. The longest journey by far was when it moved from Kangan in J&K to Maram in Manipur.   That box is a very precious one. Though now there is no attachment but still when I look at it, it feels good. What it contains is a mystery too. Poor thing had been lying unattended for many y...