Humble Flowers In Homely Vessels:Flowers are undoubtedly one of the most cheerful accessories to add charm and vibrancy to one's space.They are the instant moodlifters to strike off the greys.They borrow an extra elan from the kind of containers and vessels which hold and display them.The seasons make for a wide canvas for a gamut of beautiful blooms.Each of them are charmingly splendid in their own individual beauty and aroma.
   
                                     

A painted kettle pairs up with yellow Gerberas.

Flowers are a regular inmate of my home.I fetch them usually on weekends.The weekends are the leisure time when home can be enjoyed upon by the family after a tiring week.Hence the blooms exude the required cheer and warmth .They are much welcoming indeed for guests and friends too.
                             

Lilies flaunting in a wine bottle.

 The lilies smell heavenly.The entire space was refreshed with its sweet fragrance.Complete bliss !A tad bit of mix & match contributes to an impressive arrangement altogether.The uniqueness of the containers and beauty of the blooms pairs up in a pleasant way.
 
                                   

A terracotta jug makes an unique holder for the Tuberoses.

Here I need to mention the extremely aromatic concoction of the Tuberoses and the water soaked clay Jug.Something new and pleasant of course for the senses.

A 'kulo 'or a cane plate adorning the dressing table with strings of jasmine.

The simple and humble stuffs which serve to be different from the regular and mundane.Not much ado about the same,yet appeals to senses.

               

                               

The Lotus resting calmly on the burner.

                                     

The glass cauldron pairs up with Canna Indica or 'Kalabati'

I enjoy fiddling and arranging my flowers in various containers.They couple up quite well to portray a dazzling sight.Moreover flowers are the selfless pretty wonders which bloom to spread colour & joy.A precious ornament of Nature indeed.
So what are you waiting for?Go get some blooms and let them rest happily on kitschy holders.Happy decorating!

                           

                                     

                                  

                                 

Monsoon Bonanza:-
Yes monsoon it is!The much awaited season after the tropical summer heat comes as a respite to all.The showers serve as cool comforter to the parched terra firma post the tedious hot spell.I love the seasons just as they are.They have their own minuses yet they are loaded with much bounty.Hence it seems and feels better to cherish their benevolence than to get burdened with their weaknesses.
The refreshing petrichor with the scorched grounds smelling pleasingly fresh after the first showers kiss them.Aah what a relief to all!Being an ardent admirer of nature I find enough to appreciate about the lush green flourishing herbage all over.How well the ferns and petals in all shapes and sizes embrace the season in response to its fond caresses.The Green kingdom makes an opulent impression in all terrains.

The muddy moist grounds.

The first downpour.

                                 

The Oleanders which bloomed to life after the showers.

                                         

A corner from the terrace.

                                               

Books are evergreen companions.

                                 

All time favourite brew.

                                       
Staying in the greener part of the city in a residential society etched with trees and plants,slightly away from the concrete chaos ,gives ample feed of a pleasant medley of rains and greens.The gentle tapping of the rains alongwith the humming of the bugs conjures up a restorative solace in a distant solitary night.Nature's way of composing tunes I feel.The brimming waterbodies serve to be the perfect hosts rendering a cosy stay to the showers with a welcoming performance by the croaking toads.When the sun blinks intermittently lending their warmth to the thick foliage,they shine and smell of the lustrous wilderness.
Monsoons are synonymous with several cups of piping hot tea,fritters,khichudi with a slice of fried Hilsa(the true Bengali that I am),lazing with a book in a cosy couch,evergreen nostalgic songs.The small nothings which are losing their identity in the busy humdrum of livelihood.Yet there is much to rejoice & find solace in the mundane.
A homestay provides an ideal setting to enjoy the varieties of the season.A long highway drive amidst the drizzles is also an equally good option.The husband is also a freakish soul like me and hence it becomes all the more convenient to indulge into these impulsive euphoric take offs.
                             

The onion fritters.

Something which I miss during the monsoons now ,rather a childhood reminiscence is the enticing narration of Jim Corbett and the fictional horror stories by my Bodda(my grandfather).There were occasions when these story sessions would happen amidst the feeble lantern lights___ a gift of frequent power cuts.The darkness of nights,the heavy downpour outside,the dim lantern light,the deep and serious voice of Bodda,the close cosy circle of cousins made the moment a thrilling & intriguing one.Now these are just memories which remain rooted deeply in the mind for the soul to crave for the bygone times.
                                             

                                                               

                                                             It had rained last night.

                                             Some blooms to drive away the grey glooms.

                                             

                                  As the sun unveils the clowdy drapes intermittently.

Hence monsoons bestow us with much variety and flavour.Happy monsoon to all.Enjoy the rains and keep beading in the precious moments into the colourful string of life.

Sojourn To The Land Of Peace-

Sojourn To The Land Of Peace-

When the tough gets going and the going gets tough ,it is time to take a break.Yes a break to escape from the mundane took the family to  a short and lovely weekend trip to Shantiniketan.Some time off from the hectic pursuit of earning to satiate the yearning for some self indulgence & lazy time. I hold a  pleasant attachment to this place.Shantiniketan is a small town in the Birbhum district of West Bengal.A place popular for the noble and prominent literary mind-Rabindranath Tagore.As the  name in itself is inherent to the meaning,it surely is an abode of peace.Though have visited it twice earlier ,yet this place never ceases to entice me with its loveliness.Nature flaunts its best during this time of the year.Yes its spring now.Though the sudden rains a few days earlier had affected the flora yet the place is still breathing fresh and serene.

The alluring enthrallment  sets in as the highway gives way to the country road which is skirted with luscious green trees on the rusty red soil.The mix of tall greens form a perfect welcoming canopy to embrace its bypassers.It is a rich and extravagant landscape splashed with the hues of red soil and meadows of lush green paddy fields.The clear blue skies popped up with fluffy white patches happily roofs up and shields the entire scenery below within its infinite arms.One can find small huts and stacks of hay scattered along the far ends of the paddy beds.Yes a perfect picturesque landscape straight out of the covers of a sketchbook.Oh !what pristine serenity and opulence the terra firma cradles.The creator's composition which still remains unscathed by the touches of  contemporary urbanism.

The town is also a small and happy place comprising of the university,the beautiful houses and guest houses,shops and offices.Not much crowded yet pacing up with regular means and ways of livelihood.This place is an apt address for most things beautiful.Since I am a sincere lover & admirer
of nature and appreciate prettiness and beauty in all forms,Shantiniketan becomes a befitting & close destination for a quick rejuvenation.A picturesque town set in the realm of nature.It is a clean place too.The university serves as a learning ground to students from across the globe.Another treat to the eye and the senses is the museum which exhibits the exquisite treasure in the form of manuscripts,letters,information,gifts and belongings of Tagore.It also holds the houses and abodes with an extremely beautiful trove of plants and flowers where Tagore lived.This place witnesses all the five seasons of the year  in  a conspicuos way.


Another great attraction of this place is the Sonajhuri Haat.This Haat is a beautiful open spread of local handicrafts  and some home made traditional bengali delicacies-all amidst the green forest and on the rich red soil of the Khowai region with the slow and silent Kopai river flowing nearby.It is strictly designated to Saturday noons  and it goes on till sunset.The place is brimming with pretty and ornate handicrafts ,embellished Kantha embroidered products & works of batik.How can a celebration like this  ever be complete sans music and melody and that too in the land of Tagore- Yes all this is shrouded by the rhythmic tunes of Bauls heartily singing the folk notes.A perfect canvas serving as a genuine stress buster.

As I personally believe in the self maintained proposition of the best to be relished and cherished at the end ,will take the pleasure to pen down my adoration and fondness for the Bard of Bengal-Rabindranath Tagore.Though am too trivial a mortal to comment on the larger than life figure,yet will allow myself some leverage to express my sincere feelings towards him and his verses.I hold him in awe and reverence.Shantiniketan holds its vintage charm and allurement largely because of him.The great legend and his verses were an important and regular morsel of my growing up years.This adulation is in the genes.As a child ,could never really decipher much, unless the verses of Shishu and short stories were well explained by my mother dear.Yet the tunes with the lyrics always sounded symphonic.Now I can surely connect to the lyrics and wordings.The connection becomes all the more endearing as his exalted and eloquent verses are an honest expression of the wide gamut of living emotions.He had the extra ordinary flair and fervour to bring out the magnificence and splendour of the nature divine..The Palash,the simul,the cuckoo,,the shepherd boy,the rusty soil bed,the star laden night sky and so much more still comes live through his age long verses.

Honestly this peaceful abode is a veritable source of divine beauty & serene comfort far away from the madding crowd-"Graam chhara eyi rangamaatir poth,amaar mon bhoolaye re"

    

The lush green canopy

The rusty beds meeting the horizon

The floral beauties

Extracts from the Sonajhuri Haat and bits of local handicrafts

The versatile genius

The wait starts all over again to fall back on this exclusive retreat sometime soon again.

The Homecoming.

Homecoming is always a pleasant feeling because home is where the heart is.It serves to be a cosy harbour to ease out ourselves with our dearests.Homes are also an extension and expression of the tastes,persona and habits of the dwellers.Every brick and corner has a story to narrate.


Over the years this nest of mine has evolved and withstood many a shades of time with us.The husband and me which makes "we" had started our journey together in this city of joy a decade ago.Soon we acquired this space of ours rescuing ourselves from the tangles of tenancy.Thus came live our dream to have a home away from home.A home away from home because we both hailed from a different city.Every bit and piece of this space of mine is very dear to me as we had bought this when we were quite young and our earnings were simple & modest.It started in a small way.This home of ours has always pillared & embraced us with all its fondness.It has always been a consistent source of caressing comfort to our weary selves in moments not so good.

Fluorescent Delights is all about the visual and palpable treat of home decor.An inherent zeal and passion towards anything creative and pretty prompted me to come up with the page and blog.Also wish to celebrate the simplest  of pleasures here....a good book,a complacent travel,a salivating food recipe,an impressive happening.The small and simple bits are the wine and cheese of life for me.


Come lets have a glance in few of my corners.The entrance holding our names in a homely frame.Could have got a fancy one but prefer giving it a personal touch.

Homely frame bearing our names.

We

The living space always in a mood to welcome.

Here comes the magnificent corner enlightened by majestic divinity.

The coffee table all dressed up.

The serene reverence.

An accessorised corner.Flowers make an important accessory in dressing up my corners.

Aah just another day in paradise.

I donot follow any dynamics or rules by book while doing my place.Try doing it by reshuffling the stuffs,changing the cushion covers ,adding some flowers,placing some vignettes and using some DIY bits.The mantra is to keep the place neat and keeping every bit in its needful place.I allow myself to follow my taste to create a visual treat with comfort.My affair with colours plays an important role here.I feel colours add mirth and cheer to homes.They are the moodlifters.

So heres a toast and cheer to a happy homecoming.I wish to have pleasant rendezvous with all my wonderful friends here!