LT COL NOEL ELLIS
13/VII/2025
It is Sunday the 13th and not Friday the 13th. The
day started with a ‘bang’. Clouds were showing their presence but were
scattered all over in flimsy clumps. The Sun was trying to bulldoze its way,
but failed. After the rains, the whole place is lush green, clean and looks
freshly painted in nature's colours.
The first bang was the Rain Lilies. Five new colour buds were showing.
They were segregated and showcased. In another day or two they should be in
bloom. A couple of them looked new. Let’s see.
Our freshly arrived Caladium plants were planted last evening. It was
time to soak them again in water to get out of travel fatigue and settle in
their new pots. They look happy, though tired. Two days and we should see them
standing on their own after being hydrated and fed well. They are darlings.
Close by is our Hummingbird vine. This sweet heart flowered yesterday
and I missed it. Today, one could see multiple buds ready to bloom. It has been
three months since we sowed the seeds. Now they have climbed up the supports we
had given it. It is their turn to give back, which they definitely will. The
wait is finally over. This was the fourth bang of the 13th.
Just then my wife called out to me to see something in the neighbours
green shade. It was Brownie the lady Hummingbird. From the corner where the
shade was tied, there were ‘flaky threads’ hanging. She was busy collecting
them. She must be nesting again. Where and how soon would that be revealed. She
kept pulling on it, string by string and carried some with her.
Just then, Mr Hummingbird came to inspect the scene. Having done his
check, he too tried to pick out a few silky strings but then left them as it
is. He hopped around and then went to where his lady was building the nest. It
disappeared in the maze of trees.
After a long gap one spotted the Tailor Bird. She is a pure
‘insectarian’. She hops around plants and pots to disturb them. Once insects
blow their cover, they are snacks.
Once you are up and about in the morning, a walk becomes compulsory. I
thought about going and checking the Robins and their nest. Then something in
my heart said, I should not disturb them. When I reached that area, I could not
spot them. When I zoomed in from a distance with my camera, the nest was empty.
Those little chicks which we met the other day had flown. Again, that song, Fly
Robin fly, up-up in the sky came to my mind. I wish them luck.
I strolled to the other corner of the broken wall area. I could hear the
Koels and the Peafowl calling loud and clear. But there was an eerie silence in
the heap of destroyed kikar & bougainvillaea shrubs which had been removed
from hugging the wall. The cluster was huge and now quite dried up.
Just then I saw a bird which has been my favourite since my Army days.
Those days we used to eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But now, they
are framed through my camera lens. The excitement remains the same. To see them
up close, not even ten meters away has its own exhilaration.
One lady Partridge or the Francolin, sat amidst the clump. She was cool
and composed with no fear of anything at all. Our gaze met, but did not panic
or move away. She just stood there posing for me.
Just then I noticed she had company. Two small chicks were sitting close
to her, still half asleep as if telling mom, why did she wake them up so early
on a Sunday morning. Mom, out of love, nudged the chicks, groomed them, and
told them it was time to go looking for breakfast.
The chicks were in no mood to move at all. They sat there winking at
their mom. She too seemed to go with the flow. Sparrows and Bulbuls kept that
family company, plus they needed an additional look out. It is the same clump
from which I had seen a mongoose emerge. He could be lurking around somewhere.
The partridge family and the mongoose family could be friends. Just a passing
thought.
When the chicks did not budge and acted that they were still asleep,
mama partridge decided to make the first move. She walked deep into the clump
of dried branches. It gave me the impression of how Gaza looks today after the
bombing.
It used to be green and flourishing, but today it is just rubble.
Families still stay in what was their home once and so does this family of
partridges, returning every evening to their destroyed home. Must be a terrible
feeling.
The lady ‘clucked’ and told them that she was leaving without them if
they didn’t get up. Kids also know till when mom shall tolerate their nonsense.
Realising, they would be left behind, they followed mama in her heels. They too
had to learn foraging, the lesson for the day.
It was time for me to wind up and get home. Had my stomach not grumbled,
I could have stayed on watching my ‘old flames’ forever.
How many bangs did you guys count? I wonder!!!!!!!
JAI HIND
©® NOEL ELLIS
A day of bangs indeed.Wow!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Sharad
DeleteDelightful read Noel...you are special
ReplyDeleteI don't always comment, but am enjoying a leisurely holiday with my daughter in Singapore. So I thought I would say hello
Thank you mam, your words mean a lot to me. We always remember you all very fondly, enjoy your stay, Aye
Delete