A dabbler's album

Azhagu malar aada

Enna Samayalo

(Of course, Salt and pepper!)

Oodhaa, oodhaa, oodhaa poo

Country Roads, Take me home

(Model: Cuz Raghav)

Veetukku veetukku vaasappadi venum

(That infamous shack : Read previous post)

Sendhoorap poove

Poo pookkum osai

Enge sellum indha paadhai?

Victoria Holt

Why am I suddenly having this urge to read a Victoria Holt Book?

Victoria Holt’s books used to be my favorites during high school and early college days. Bride of Pendorric, Shivering sands, Menfreya, are some of the books I can remember. I can remember Bevil Menfrey from Menfreya as one of the fictional characters I had a crush on ;-)

The others being Percy Blackeney of Scarlet Pimpernel, Frank Hardy of Hardy Boys, Chendhan Amudhan from Ponniyin Selvan, I cant remember any more:-) A short list!

Coming back to Holt, the story line is invariably on same lines, a mysterious castle/house in English countryside; some curse on that house or on the people of that house, a girl comes to the house, kind of becomes the victim of the curse, but manages to disentangle the mystery. And there would be a very soft romance in the background between the girl and the guy of the house, most probably.

And to top it all, usually the story would have been set in the timeline of 18^th-19^th century.

Even though the story line is so cliché, the plot would be so gripping, and there would be no give away about the climax.

Ehhh, somebody give me a Victoria Holt! I want to go back to my high school days!

Rains, cousins, old friends and Asparagus

This is the longest I have not been home, a little less than two months!

I used to make sure I go home once a month.

But this time, the gap got a little too huge because of no reason at all. Just did not feel like making a trip.

Boy, how did it feel to be home after 2 months? Great!

A couple of my cousins had come over and it was fun.

One cousin, I am seeing after 2 years (He is out of country for his studies), another one even though he's right there in Cbe, am seeing him after months.

We went for a looong walk about 4-5 kilometers taking pictures of the birds, trees, flowers and such. Well, that was me who was wielding the camera and trying to remember the rules of photography, which I had learnt sometime back, and promptly forgot too.

On that road where we walked, there was a dilapidated shack, tall grass surrounding it, no fences, but only a huge gate which was locked. That was kind of ironic. Nobody seemed to be living there. That hovel did not have a roof, and anyone can easily go to the shack, since there are no fences, but why the huge gate and that too, dutifully locked?

I found it a little err…different, or mysterious? So I was clicking pictures of it, and my younger cousin, Ram got embarrassed and irritated with me clicking pictures of odd stuff on road, and declared he'd never come out with me in the future if I turn a lenswoman on road.

And Coimbatore was in its cool grandeur. Incessant rains, right from when I reached, to when I started back. But then, there were intervals of non-rain times too, albeit very few.

Met friend Rama after a year at Nilgiris (that’s a restaurant, not the mountains :-)). We went for a walk along the racecourse, and had that, you know, "woman-woman" talk.

Not to forget the yummy yum mushroom (not the one we have in Pizzas, et al, this is the Asparagus officinales, I go gaga over it) curry my mom had made. Again the yummy yum obbat my grand mom had made :-)

One nice weekend, it was!