Saturday, September 26, 2015

Bird watching @ Thandikudi: Asian Brown Flycatcher

Thandikudi is a wonderful place to enjoy bird watching and it’s a paradise for birds.  When i was staying amid the coffee plantations and canopy of trees, in the Narumana Kudil (fragrant huts) maintained by the village council there, I got to watch many birds and listen to distinct voices of same and one of it was the cute little Asian Brown Flycatcher.

Asian Brown Flycatcher

The Asian Brown Flycatcher is a small passerine bird in the family of flycatcher – Muscicapidae, and it is an insectivorous species which breeds in Japan, Eastern Siberia and the Himalayas. It is migratory and winters in tropical southern Asia from southern India and Sri Lanka east to Indonesia.

Asian Brown Flycatcher
doesn't this look cute?
This species is 13 cm long, including the cocked tail. It is similar in shape to the larger spotted flycatcher, but is relatively longer-tailed and the adult has grey-brown upper-parts, which become grayer as the plumage ages, and whitish under parts with brown-tinged flanks. Young birds have scaly brown upper-parts, head and breast. (source of info: wiki)

Linking this post with SATURDAY CRITTERS

Thursday, September 24, 2015

A house, fence/rail and flowers

A house with white flowers

This is a house opposite to my great aunt’s in Neelankarai, Chennai, and I casually shot these photos at different time period and it is a pretty house with flowering shrubs around and my point of shoots here, were on flowers.

It was kind of bungalow and I have seen it from the day of building and the house sits on a high platform or basement that was supported by deep foundation!  As I know a couple of elder people were residing there along with their son or daughter, both seems to be married.

Same house in yellow blossoms

The house has two spacious baloneys extends from the first floor, has a tiled roof and portico... they have also captured a theme of red, green and white to the building that colors the roof and balcony, and grills/rails and windows to look neat.

Linking this post for Run a Round Ranch's Good Fences

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Grandpa back to home, with a tendency for his house

My grandpa had discharged from the hospital and was brought back to our home against his wish to go to his home. He’s doing much better now and breathes easily. He had been admitted to hospital with complaint of chest pain and whizzing on Sunday night (13 Sep) and was kept in ICU for 4 days and transferred to ward when his condition becomes stable. He had been on oxygen mask almost his stay and until his breathing becomes normal. His diet had been completely depended of liquid food and he was fed through tube and only a day before his discharge he was on normal feeding through mouth. So he looks frail to even sit on his own balance and his back was exposed to sore due to confined to bed all these days in hospital. This has been a great setback in his journey after his post hospitalization (3 months back) and he showed great improvement in his health and activity after doing physiotherapy. But now it seems everything has to be started from the much earlier stage and would be very difficult to achieve what he had gained these days. Doctors have said his heart is very weak and he could not be active like before and also anticipating him to do much is not possible.

He’s very intense to go to his home and only because of his pressure we moved him out of the hospital, but more than moving out of hospital he’s eager to go to his home rather coming to ours. He was in anticipation to go to his home with 3 days ahead before he was shifted to hospital with chest pain make him feel disappointed. Once moved out of ICU, but being there no one was allowed to interact with him and being on oxygen mask, he couldn’t talk as his whiz when try to speak, he openly and indirectly conveyed his wishes to go to his new house and his attitude also conveys the same. I heard, he seemed vigorous when said go to his home and at same time when doctors extend his stay at hospital the expressions become anger and he showed less response to others. He arrived at home in ambulance, as he was unable to stand, and thinking that he had come to his home he was seen happier and seeing me he enthused as if I was visiting him at his home. We understand his desire to go to his home, but practically it seems very difficult with grandma handling him alone. Though there was his son and in-law, but being there always for them is no possible as they have their own family and work to look after, we decided to hold them sometime until grandpa put pace on him. But I am not sure they stay that long and to make him feel not frustrate, he will be transfer to his home in a day or two to decided to return back or stay over there. 

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Sunday Photos – Ganesh Chaturthi

Ganesh Chaturthi is a grand festival in India, devoted to Ganesha – a prime deity worshiped by Hindus. Here I like to share some photos relevant to festival at home and Ganesha procession from our street temples.

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 The clay idol of Ganesha, bought for the festival at home

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 Feast in front of the idol as a dedication and part of worshiping

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 A worshiping process (burning camphor) before the clay idol was put to immerse

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Clay idol of Ganesha immersed in tub water to dissolve... to be poured for plants and shrubs once turned liquid. This is a process we have been practicing for last 5-6 years, rather immersing into water bodies that result water pollution.

Ganesh Procession
Couple of Ganesha procession (above and below) from our street temples on the day of Ganesh Chaturthi 

Ganesh Procession

Ganesh Procession

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Park Fence

Park fence

Last week I went to a corporation park in the neighborhood, in my new powered wheelchair before yet to send it for rectification. Though it isn’t a big park, there’s a nice footpath to come around and it has a fence portion where some shrubs and flowering plants and crotons are preserved to look good and feel greenish. The other part of the park has a play area for kids to enjoy swings, slides and seesaw and also has some colorful benches (made of planks and concrete) for elders to sit and relax while kids play around.

Flower bhind fence
A pretty flower though fence
I spent some time there watching things happening around and fun checking kids sliding and swinging around. I saw a couple with a pair of kids, who were left to play while they work on the laptop, and in between their job, perhaps looks some office work, the mother put the kids to play. An elder man got to occupy a bench for long time, keep watching me taking some shots using the mobile, and a middle age couple was relaxing aside after taking some walks around the park.

Park fence and tree
A tree close to the entrance gate
The fence that covering the green area seems to be a kind of chain-link, daubed in green. Seeing the fence I couldn’t avoid thinking about Good Fences run by Run a Round Ranch, so clicked to present/link here.