Twenty fifteen.
I had no intentions on writing this one, but it feels odd to bid adieu to 2015 without popping in a quick little post. With less than half an hour left to hit 2016, the house filled with aroma of cinnamon from the apple crumble cake which is baking away in the oven and the mister sitting next to me, i feel extremely content and happy. We celebrated new years eve by tidying up our home and unboxing what feels like the hundredth moving box and running out to the superstore only to find it closed an hour before. Giggles were shared, dinner has been had and we are waiting on devouring the apple crumble while watching the fireworks from the comforts of our home. The last night of 2015 and this feels perfect in every sense.
2015 has been one heck of a year with the initial half being extremely taxing on both of us. We travelled and laughed; cried and sulked, lost and found and will continue to do so. I can't think of a better way to begin 2016 with us being in our very first home. While everyone is going on about ''new-year-new-me'' shiz again, i just plan on being happy, content and the plain old me.
Hoping for good things. Happy 2016!!
This is home.
After almost a year of searching, over 42 house visits, a receding hairline and empty bank balance later; we have finally bought our very first home! This is a milestone in our relationship and words cannot describe the emotions and adrenaline running through our veins at the moment. Such high!
The land of sand: Dubai.
It all started on a dry afternoon in March, with a text from the Mr. "Fancy a trip to dubai for easter?", the text said. He loves travelling; that guy, but the prospect of meeting my niece was more than enough for me to get on board. A spontaneous trip was planned and tickets booked the very same day.
The journey didn't exactly have the best kickstart, with us being held inside the flight for over two hours before take off owing to 'technical difficulties'. Not the kind of phrase you would want to hear before a six hour flight. Something wrong with the left phalange I thought to myself, giggling and horrified in equal measures. (FRIENDS reference right there for ya!). Claustrophobic and just wishing they would let us out and be on a flight which has both its engine in working order, we waited.
Dubai welcomed us with a heavy sand storm. Typical. The minute we got out the airport everything was yellow, with minimum visibility or air to breath! Luckily, it remained a guest only till noon. The succeeding three days were filled with laughter and fun. We drove around giant sand dunes and 'DID NOT' freak out at the huge ascend and decent of the 4X4, the guys got on camels one of which nearly attacked Prakash leaving us in splits of laughter. We relished on arabic cuisine, went to Marina and witnessed what can only be described as fairylight heaven. I kissed Soul the dolphin and bought a swimwear worth 150 pounds because I was stupid enough to not take a spare set of clothes. Well, you win some, you lose some. Isn't that how it goes?
I haven't seen a better contradictory city than Dubai. Posh and luxurious but dusty, humid and hot. Vast and developed but busy and congested at the same time. Travelling from a place filled with greenery and lushness to a dry, posh city with never ending sky scrappers was definitely a change of scene for us. I just wish it wasn't as dry and humid as it is, unless which, I would pack my bags and move to the land of sand in an instant.
November.
November is for dark skies and crying clouds. For sniffles and tissues; for shivers and and strong breeze. Finding the perfect christmas tree and dotting it with glittery baubles. It is indeed the start of the most wonderful time of the year.
Here are the highlights of the month in doodles, sort of a sequel to a week of chalk doodles, if you will.
The walk to yoga class was a work out in itself with lots of dashing in and out of the house either to retrieve a forgotten yoga mat or to get the umbrella and walking round in circles trying to find the class.
Post yoga burns and such.
My excitement for this time of the year has certainly rubbed off on the Mr. We bought a spanking new christmas tree and are very pleased about it. I mean, look at our ginning faces.
Harry potter marathon nights for the umpteenth time.
Laughter galore when he tried to pick me up from the couch, a few minutes after which, i was on his shoulders getting a ride around the house. We live life on the wild side!
♥
The tree went up few days ago and the house is looking super festive.
November, you were short and sweet. Time to say goodbye and roll on December.
Let there be light.
Lighting the lamps and claypots to help aid Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth and prosperity, as she finds her way into our home. We triumph over the victory of good over evil, hope over despair and light over darkness and take a moment to reflect on the past year and look forward with optimism and zest to a new beginning. May the darkness be wiped away and let there be light. Diwali wishes to all.
Dungaree and beanie for fall.
*Removes cobwebs; enters waving awkwardly and a grin plastered on the face*
Hello. It's been a while. A whole three months I believe. Life has been pretty darn busy, stressful and moving at the pace of a jet train. I would just like to assure that I am still alive and haven't abandoned this special little place on the internet but just caught up in the whirlwind that is, LIFE. And once things settled, I just couldn't get myself to write again. Blogging jitters are real, people! Thanks a million to friends who still check and ask about the blog and let me know that they miss it. You lovely, lovely lot!
Exploring Cotswold.
Spending a weekend inside the cosy comforts of home is heavenly but planning a wonderful weekend away, where you load up the car with wellies/umbrellas (it's England after all), food, coats, and hit the road, has its own kind of zing. I have always been a country girl and since being here, i have developed a very deep love for the old English countryside. Nothing can beat the lushness and serenity the country side can offer. Big cities and sky scrappers suffocate me. Thus, Cotswold, a classic English village renowned for it's honey-limestone bricked cottages, had to be in the list of places to visit .
It’s been quite a while since our trip. May 2015, to be precise. The first day of it is documented in this post. The day spent in the cabin was something we both would never forget. A totally different but fun experience. Since we had booked only a day in the cabin, we packed up the next morning and set out to explore the rest of the village. It was perfect weather. A bit of chilly breeze but the sun shone in all it's glory. Not having any set destinations as such, we drove around sinking in the visual delights of the place till we reached our hotel. The navigation took us through winding country roads, past farms and open canola fields.
You.
You walked into my life 4 years ago. Never have you failed to mend my heart when it gets broken.You embrace everything I adore, making all my excitements your own and matching my weirdness so wonderfully.Your mind works harder than anyone's I know, to make me and your loved ones feel special. You really are one of a kind. Always smiling, always cheerful. You make me feel loved and adored. You care about the little things, but never forget the important ones.You hold my hand during my silly worries and the big ones too, not once do you flinch. You, are very very special. Thank you for the laughter, for wiping my tears, for all the adventures, the surprises, for all the love.
Thank you for being mine.
Happy birthday! I love you to the moon and back:)
Disaster day!!!
So, you know one of those days where NOTHING goes right? Everything that could possibly go wrong, WILL go wrong. Yep. We had one of those days last week. Saying that the past week has been stressful and busy is an understatement! Our ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK) is due next month and we are supposed to take an assessment test before our application, which requires us to study a huge chunk of UK history like a twelve year old. Not even kidding. It was like being back in school; a book, a highlighter, multiple revisions, numerous mock tests, memorising years and events. Stressful! On a complete different note: The real purpose of the assessment is to check if one has enough knowledge about the history and present living conditions of the country and is well acquainted with the law and order. The necessity to memorise time, date and year of certain events for an assessment test, is preposterous and unnecessary, and is totally beyond me. Anyway, preparations for that had been going on for a week and we were all set to take the test on Wednesday, the 20th of May.
Here is the breakdown of events that happened that day:
We had to travel down to Oxford for the day to attend the assessment test. Since the test was scheduled at 6 pm, Prakash didn't feel the need to take the day off from work. He promptly reached home at around quarter past four. It takes close to an hour; give or take ten minutes, to reach oxford. Our plan was to start at around half past four and reach there well before.
4:30 PM : The whole world seem to return home/somewhere at same time we left. Not even five minutes into the journey, we are stranded in traffic. Instincts kick in and we decide to turn around, go to station and reach Oxford by train.
4:45 PM : We reach the station, quickly grab the tickets from the kiosk, and run, missing the train by just seconds. *FACEPALM* . The next train to Oxford was scheduled half an hour later. The only possible options were to either take a cab straight to Oxford or jump in the train to Didcot and try to make it on time for the connection train. Considering our luck with the traffic, we chuck the first idea.
4:55 PM : We are in the train and on our way to Didcot. The only worry at this point was remembering things we learnt/forcefully fed into our brain in the past few days. The idea of not being able to make it on time wasn't even in the picture. Marvelling on the quick plan of taking a connection train and how we might still have time to quickly run through the book/take a mock test, we pat our backs. Optimism level: HIGH.
5:15 PM : We reach Didcot and miss the connection train by seconds, AGAIN! *PANIC* . There was no way the next train would take us to our destination anytime before 6 pm. Having left with no choice, we exit Didcot station and get a cab from there, hoping the traffic won't give us a hard time. Optimism level: OK-ISH.
5:45 PM : Still in the cab and miles away. Anxiously looking at our watch every two mins and contemplating on whether we will reach on time was all that happened in the thirty mins of the ride. To make things worse , a huge JCB(bulldozer) joins us on the road and rides in front of our cab at the pace of a bullock cart. Indian genes kicked in and all I wanted to do was honk and scream at the obnoxious slowpoke. But since we are in the UK and as learnt in the book, we should abide by the rules of the law and patiently wait for the vehicle to take it's time and take the next exit. Keep calm, keep calm. *GRITS TEETH*. Optimism level: DIPPING.
5.55 PM : We reach the place as shown by google map but having no clue where the test centre is actually located. We pay and get out of the cab and having only five minutes to make it to the test centre, we run around in circles not knowing where to go. If it was a normal day without having 150 odd pounds at stake, plus the chance of not getting another appointment for the test, we he would have been extremely calm and figured it out in a jiffy. We ask around and just run for it! I kid you not, the test centre was behind a huge Lidl(a departmemt store) which no panicking person who feels like they are going to die with shortage of breath, would manage to find.
Optimism level: NEGATIVE.
Optimism level: NEGATIVE.
6:00 PM : We make it to the test centre; heaving, panting, sweating and about to die. He was called in to get his documents checked to take the exam. All good and done; he went in for the test. I went in for the check and since it was our 'lucky' day, my documents were declined! It seems, my extremely long five-worded full name is not there in any of the supporting documents. I was asked to rebook the test and come back with proper documents. *URGE TO BANG MY HEAD ON THE WALL*. I was flustered. All the studying, running and panting for NOTHING! He comes out after the test and thankfully, made it through. Frustrated and slightly cross at ourselves for not double checking the documents, we call a cab to get back to the station.
6:30 PM : Cab arrives. We get in. Two minutes into the journey we get a text saying our taxi is on the way. Shock horror, we had actually taken the wrong cab which arrived there for someone else! I mean, really? -_-
We manage to reach the station and get the train back home.We arrive at Reading station to find only the 'onward journey' ticket with us. Turns out, we forgot to grab the return tickets from the kiosk in the hurry to get the train which we missed. *URGE TO DIE*. How we managed to get out of Didcot and Oxford station with just one onward-journey ticket is still a mystery. The only 'luck' factor for the whole day was not being checked for tickets in any of the stations. Just the thought of the irony makes me laugh. We had to buy tickets AGAIN which was already paid for! *FACEPALM GALORE*
By the end of the day all we wanted to do was get the heck out of the station, reach home and face plant on our bed. May 20th, 2015 will definitely be a day we will always remember and one that will always make us laugh and say "remember that day when..". At the time, it really wasn't funny, but we managed to keep calm and laugh our way through it.
P.S : I have rebooked the assessment test for this week. Fingers crossed.
Sunday tittle-tattle.
Weekend at Cotswold
Lately
It's been almost a month since I last posted. Travel, daily life shenanigans and other random stuff kept me out of it. I need to get a hang of this blogging malarkey again. So here goes.
My happy place: BRIGHTON
I have been really lucky to travel quite a bit with my husband in the course of three years, but never in my life has a city made me feel like the way I felt in Brighton! Not to brag but I have been to few of the loveliest and breathtaking places. As much as I loved visiting those places, none has ever impacted me the way Brighton has. Well, I have always had a thing for beaches. But I reckon, its not just the pebbled beach that has done the trick. Maybe its the cobbled roads, the quirky lanes, the promenade with green bars matching the green sea. The squawking seagulls, the pier, pastel houses or the pavilion? Or maybe its the constant wind and the salty air? Maybe all of these? I can't put my finger on what it is about the city that pulls me to it so much. To sound cliched as ever, it was definitely love at first
Ain't nothing better than a gooey cookie!
Disclaimer: This cookie isn't ideally healthy. We are talking 300g of sugar and 200g butter here! But, every now and then, everyone needs a little pick-me-up, in'nit? This is definitely a treat and not a bake-every-day variety. Prefect desert if you have guests coming over. I do not have a sweet tooth and prefer savoury and spicy things to munch on. But this, is an exception on its own. Its gooey on the inside, soft on the outside and a whole lot of chocolate wedged in between. Oh, holy heavens!
A week of chalk doodles!
The love for doodling is something I have had since childhood. Give me a paper and pen and i'll doodle away. I bought a blackboard to hang up and write lists and essentials. But soon enough, I turned it into my doodle station and started filling it with silly and random things whenever I fancied. I posted one of those on my INSTAGRAM last week and the response was pretty good. It sparked an idea for a blogpost and here we are! I did a doodle everyday for a week, capturing the essence of that particular day. Here are the pictures:
Mid-day epiphany
I'm in a coffee shop sipping on a cup of caramel latte. I see people. People with different stories. I see a lady engrossed in a book and lost in the world of letters and words, a new mother trying to comfort a delirious baby, three teenagers in deep discussion; probably about boys and movies, a bespectacled guy sitting in a cozy corner typing away on his laptop like there is no tomorrow.
Spring
Celebrating sunshine, blue skies, longer days, daffodils, cherry blossoms and everything SPRING! Pictures taken on a glorious sunny day at the beauteous Reading town by your's truly.
A five year journal
I had my eye on this since last year. But spending a tenner for a journal seemed like a far-fetched idea at the time. I toyed over it for a long time and it comfortably stayed in my amazon wish list ;whilst secretly wishing someone would read my mind and gift this to me. I'm weird like that.
A photographer's delight : Crimson moon.
Edit : The fact that I'm a procrastinator is well embodied by this post. I had drafted this sometime in November, 2014; on the day I saw the moon, thats is. In the back of my mind, I even thought this was posted on time! Ah well. Made slight changes and posting it like a delayed diary entry. Here is to a very very late update. Cheers!
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