NOEL ELLIS' GOOGLE BLOG

  LT COL NOEL ELLIS   22/VI/2025   It was cloudy again today. Rain was hiding within the clouds, waiting for an opportune moment to get away from their clutches. The sun tried hard to show itself, but the clouds were too strong and thick to let it peep. Dark clouds kept circling & engulfing the white ones. The weather stayed cool but humid.   A heavy shower helped new colours of rain lilies to join our garden. We welcomed them wholeheartedly and wished them many more flowers and bulbs in the coming years. Bees and insects could not resist themselves and kept returning for the nectar and pollen. At times, I felt that the lily was getting irritated by their frequent visits like ‘nosy neighbours’.   Leaving the lilies, it was time to take a walk to meet my birdie friends. The sparrows came in a group, so did the Bulbuls. All of them flew together to a tree and kept returning to feed like a swarm. The weather made them happy too.   A...

  LT COL NOEL ELLIS   20/VI/2025   After heavy rains last evening the parched earth got drenched thoroughly. One could see trails of fallen leaves along the road where the water passed by. The drain holes were where the leaves had congregated. Numerous shapes, varied sizes, contrasting colours, all had gathered at one place. A lesson for humans.   At the first glance in the garden, there were two more water lily colour buds which had spouted. Unfortunately, the ones which had bloomed yesterday were battered by the rain. They were hurt and injured badly. Some petals had fallen. I could feel their pain.   After the rains, birds also frolic. A free wash and lowered temperatures give them respite from the torrid heat. They have their day chalked out, foraging, hunting, having a drink, romancing, chirping, and tweeting till evening falls.   Just then I heard the ‘Crow Pheasant’s’ call, “Ghuk-Ghuk-Ghuk-Ghuk”. He had found a tree in the common garden and was excha...

🧡 Dil Khush 💙

    LT COL NOEL ELLIS   19/VI/2025   If I say “Zephyranthes”, what do you guys reckon? It isn’t the name of a Greek Goddess or a Gladiator, or even an extinct tribe. Yes, one can call them royal, regal, majestic, grand, dainty, graceful and elegant flowers adorning the Ellis’ Garden.   Let me not beat around the “Bulb”. They are a bulbous variety also called the “Rain Lily”. The bulb is small and fragile but it is like “plant it and forget it”. As the first pre-monsoon showers have arrived, the bulbs have sprung to life, having stayed in dormancy from the fall of the previous year.   This plant has a unique feature. The first sign it hints at that it has not perished is its bud. There are no leaves, just a bud which pops up immediately after the first rain. These bulbs have nerves which can sense the signals that it is not the gardener sprinkling water but a rain shower from the skies. How? Your guess is as good as mine.   Last ...

  🧡DIL KHUSH ❤

    LT COL NOEL ELLIS   15/VI/2025   I am no war or an aviation expert but suffice to say, I was in a profession where war and fighting terrorists was the ultimate test of my very existence in service. Let me leave it at that for the time being.   We all have been shaken by the tragic accident of the Air India crash in Ahmedabad. My deepest condolences to every family affected by the tragedy of humongous proportions. Let the experts do their job and find out the truth. Let us assist in whatever way we can. The best way is to just be silent and keep all the departed souls and injured in our prayers.   Media does not want answers, it only wants to sensationalise the issue by asking questions to aviators based on conjectures and speculations. Like hawks, they are waiting for one slip up from one expert to then go all guns blazing.   Shoving mikes in the people’s mouths, who are broken beyond words and taking their reactions is so h...

  WIRE TAILED SWALLOWS RETURN   LT COL NOEL ELLIS   14/VI/2025   It was just by coincidence or was it my imagination that I saw a very familiar bird fly past over my head. It was small but very swift and agile. Because I was not wearing my specks, I could be mistaken for what it could be.   Birds come to have a drink in the evening from the waterlily tubs on the roof. Besides, there are some water birds like herons and cormorants which fly home at the same time but they fly a little too high for a good photo. Switching from closeups to birds in flight mode takes a little time and adjustment. The birds do not give that much time to change the settings. Never mind.   I met many similar birds at the riverfront during their nesting season last year. They skim over the river to catch worms and insects for their little ones and themselves. There aren’t any fish in the water. Most of it is industrial waste and sewage which drains into it and has turned black. Very...

    LT COL NOEL ELLIS   13/VI/2025   It was a fine morning today but we were still trying to come to grips with the tragedy of the plane crash in Ahmedabad. What a way to go! So much of grief is inexplicable. My heartfelt condolences to all the families and friends of the deceased and get well wishes to all those who are injured. God Bless you all.   As usual, my routine in the garden got me on my feet. Today, it was watering and fish tank cleaning day. A little taxing but manageable.   The sun had come up by the time I finished with all that. It was not all that fierce today. So, I thought I might take a walk in our common lawn infront of our house.   My heart was also heavy because a huge Drumstick tree which was the ‘centre of gravity’ of so much of activity of birds, insects and reptiles was chopped off as the owner is getting his house renovated.   It was painful deep inside but the positive was that our seed grown...

  FROM A BUD TO A BALL OF FIRE FOOTBALL LILY @Ellis Garden DIL KHUSH

  LT COL NOEL ELLIS   11/VI/2025   The very Indian name sounds attractive and captivating. I have heard names of people to be ‘Madhu’ meaning nectar, honey or sweetness and ‘Kamini’ to be interpreted as a lady who is voluptuous, attractive, desirable, beautiful, charming, captivating, having qualities of femininity and grace. This flower I am going to talk about is a combination of both.   Last year, I was looking for a nursery which could deliver plants called “birds of paradise”. One was shortlisted and the order was placed. Then as usual the delay. Plants were ordered from Pune and due to Ganpati Festival, their staff was on chutti. I could understand their sentiments, having stayed long enough in Maharashtra.   A week turned to a month, neither they were refunding the money nor were they dispatching the plants. I then lost my shirt. That made them dispatch them the same day. When the plants arrived, I received a surprise gift as a compensation for the delay ...

  LT COL NOEL ELLIS   09/VI/2025   The breeze was very cool this morning, very like the desert breeze. The sand would have cooled in the night and now was transferring that cool to the winds. A gust while you walk reacts with the sweat and makes you shiver at times.   The same breeze slowly starts to heat up as the sand and rocks are scorched by the sun. The buildings are made of stone (Bhaata), which is the mainstay of and an alternative for bricks in our city since ages also tends to heat up adding to the rise in the temperature. By midday it turns into ‘Loo’ or very hot air. This warm air blows till eight in the evening after which the mercury dips slowly. It is a daily cycle.   The birds too are feeling the heat. Like dogs pant with their tongues hanging, you can see these dainty creatures sitting with their mouths open and breathing through their beaks. For their temporary relief, we sprinkle the trees with water. These girls shake a fea...

  LT COL NOEL ELLIS   08/VI/2025   It is that time of the year when pest control has to be done at home. Not for any other reason but for the cockroaches which had been hiding in the dark dungeons of the underground pipes decide to air their differences by slipping out of the drainage covers to explore the world above.   I was mentioning to my wife that this year their size is quite small. Generally they are two inches plus, but this year they were not even half the size. Later that I realised these could be baby roaches, who followed their moms and could not trace their way back when danger lurked.   They just roam around, twiddle their whiskers, walk around like ‘Dons’, open their wings and try to fly sometimes. Yes, sometimes they do get into bins and storage spaces, that is when things start getting disgusting. The “kitanoo” or germs they carry is a big concern.   One solid ‘whack’ and it turns turtle, trying to swim upside down ...