Time to move on

I'm really the kind of person who loves to see new places, new countries and explore different cuisines. Learning and reading about different cultures is a passion. And what better way to accomplish this than with travel. But ofcourse, what I love best is to put down roots in my own native country. And that has never been a concern since I do live in India. There's quite nothing like having parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins & the whole extended family living not too far away. And then, there are the friends. From school, college, those I know from my first job and those from the last, and some others that I met elsewhere. All these people form the wonderful mosaic that my life is.

And now, we have a situation where Hubby Dear has been offered a new role in another country. It was something we were looking forward to. Though, when it did come along I can't say we were very excited. It's funny, isn't it? It's what I like to call the 'great paradox'. Life throws at you exactly what you "think" you want, and then one is left all confused wondering if that is really what one wanted all along. For now, the dice are on the roll. We will be relocating shortly. It's time to move on.

As we prepare to shift base, there's plenty to be done. We need to sort all our belongings into those that will go into storage, some to be shipped & plenty to be sold or given away. It's the last category that is really making me homesick already. I know I need to be prudent. I can't possibly ship all the stuff that I am attached too. Keeping it in storage will mean that it will probably spoil and be rendered totally useless. Which leaves me with only one option; giving away or selling as the case might be. My beloved plants will have to go too. I started out with just a pot of tulsi (basil) about a year ago. The little green patch I strove to cultivate on my balcony has now grown to about a dozen pots.



I have hibiscus, the flowers of which are a brilliant yellow-orange-red-peach...oh just take a look and decide for yourself about the colour.





There are the caladiums.





There's the periwinkle.



And my bougainvillea, which is a bonsai with golden yellow flowers. This one was bought for a bomb at an exhibition. I've decided not to have any more bonsais. I clearly don't have the know-how and don't want to be ruining somebody else's hardwork.



Have I ever mentioned that I love bougainvillea? The only consolation is that the country I will be moving to has rows and rows of bougainvillea in every hue and colour growing everywhere.

I searched long and hard before I finally found the name of this plant; Zephyr Lily or White Rain Lily. True to it's name, I've had a good show this monsoon.



Coleus Aromatica. This is the one plant most Keralites have in their garden. It is grown mainly for it's medicinal values. A friend of mine has recently opened my eyes to the use of it's leaves in cooking too.



Some of the other plants that are part of my collection are the Aeschynanthus, Scindapsus, Spider plant and the Aluminium plant. I was all set to start Impatiens from seeds. And cosmos too. A visit to my cousin's farmhouse had me completed bowled over by rows of cosmos swaying in the breeze. I came away with pictures and seeds.



One of my grandest successes was starting Coleus from seed.



Wish I could've said the same of some hybrid varieties of periwinkle that I tried my hand at. Just one little plant survives out of the many seeds sown.

I had many more ideas buzzing around in my head for the combination of colours and textures I wanted to create on my balcony. Flowering creepers were next on my list. For now, all my plans have come to a standstill. It's the classic case of "Man proposes, God disposes".

It's a huge relief to me that my plants will be taken in by my mother who will nurture them as lovingly as I would. And so this weekend, off we'll go with the pots in tow to my parents' home. I know it's going to be hard. The vacant spot on my balcony will surely be a reminder of everything else I leave behind.

And, I know from personal experience that things will never be the same again.