A wonderful week ...

I was home last week and it was awesome... spent my time visiting the people I like and seeing places. Here are a few pix's...

Took this picture from the train as it was creeping into my place slowly in the morning... seeing the water logged fields and those rolling hazy hills always brings on a palpable sense of excitement.

St. Xavier is the patron saint of the town and I was there during his festival, which is a major affair... the whole place is so beautifully lit up and the crowds keep swelling. Anyway, I was kneeling down in church when I see a yellow bus slowly snaking its way to the entrance and I run out to stop it, its the Santhi Nilayam school bus with the special kids inside and I was overjoyed to see them there. Every year during the festival the children are taken on a trip to the cathedral and I remember that on my first day of work at the school I accompanied these kids to the cathedral in November 2004 and it was so beautiful going with them and now when they all saw me... they literally pushed me into the bus and told me they were taking me back to school. They are just so adorable and hug able and friendly... I miss hanging out with them.

Visited my farm and this is another place that I love, its a perfect place to get lost within yourself and to just walk around observing nature. Here you see two cloves that I just picked off the plant, you dry it and you get the aromatic spice seen below.

Clove buds on the tree... waiting to be picked and dried.

A cluster of peppercorns laid out for drying...

Pepper that I just picked off the climber plant. I think peppers are beautiful...

This is the place to chill out when I go home... soaking in the water, surrounded by greenery and listening to the sounds of nature is blissful and peaceful.

Made this cheese cake and fell in love with it, me and nam were surprised at how good it tasted, since it was a boxed product. You just have to mix the ingredients in proper quantities with milk and butter and I am telling you it was the simplest thing I've ever made and it tasted awesome.

Visited Our Lady of Perpetual Succor church in Sahayapuram.

Green fields and the hills on the way...

White feathery stalks swaying in tune to the breeze...

Visited Vattakottai, a fort that was built in the 18th century. Here's the pool that you see in the center of the fort, the king must have sat here under the shade and watched his many wives bathe in the pool. Or if the king was anything like me, he would have read his many books here under the trees and enjoyed the solitude of the place.

On one side of the fort is the sea... standing there on the fort and gazing into the horizon as the wind plays with you is beautiful. The king must have enjoyed his evenings here... the view, the smell of the sea and the breeze takes you away, you get lost in the grandeur of nature.

The fort enclosed on one side by the sea...

Celebrated Nameeta's birthday...

Priyanka (the kid at home) wanted to give Nameeta a gift, so me and Grandma made something... a small boxed gift with a dancing figure inside (symbolizing how my sister loves to dance).

Here is the dancing figure (I know she looks a little scary) with her skirt made of paper roses.

My Grandma provided the ideas and the design and I made it, pretty cool huh. My grandmamma is amazingly talented even at her age, she's 92 and she's making another Christmas gift for the parish priest.

Attended Sajay's (a college friend) wedding reception and the bridal couple looked great together.

After the wedding reception hopped over to Home church to attend the Carol songs event... it was in one word, spellbinding. Here you see a few of Nam's friends strumming out a few Christmas songs on their instruments... they were really really good, loved their performance.

There were many choir groups that evening and they all sang like angels... it was heavenly. It made Christmas seem more real and beautiful, it was a wonderful way to start the advent season.

Made these meat puff pastries that I love, they are so warm and they melt in your mouth. Not a good picture to see before you go to sleep... I am all hungry now.

Went to school too (the special school I used to work at earlier, Santhi Nilayam) and it was great seeing all the familiar faces after a long time, will put those pictures up later...