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Wednesday 8 May 2013

INDIA AND ALL IT'S BEAUTY

Good Afternoon to you,


As you have discovered, shopping in India is a whole different experience, but on one of our shopping expeditions, Natasha took me to a shop which was totally different, in fact I think it would be fair to say, it was quite westernised, in that everything was neatly displayed and accessible. Kalpa Druma sells beautiful vegetable dyed cotton, such as sheets,  pillow slips and throws.

In a different part of the shop they sell the most beautiful  wooden carvings, such as,


this wooden carving of Ganesha. It is believed that Ganesha is the remover of obstacles. The little marigold flowers have been placed as an offering to Ganesha.




I fell in love with this chair, but it was that old suitcase problem again!

The work is so detailed and it is beautifully hand painted. I  am not too disappointed to leave this chair behind, as I am lucky enough to own an Indian painted chest, as beautifully painted as this chair.



This handsome pair of painted cows are from Kerala in India.  The ears are detachable and the idea is that you  whisper your wish in the cow's ear. You then replace the ear and Nandi will talk to the Gods about your wish.

I realised I had not shown you any photographs of The Bay of Bengal, so I thought I should remedy that situation.



Here it is the beautiful Bay of Bengal.   On any given day, the bay is full of small fishing boats, bobbing up and down on the sea. George managed to capture this photograph for me as the fishermen were quite a distance from the shore.


The fish which the fishermen catch is sold at the local fish market, which is just a short walk from the beach.  These fish are the freshest you can  buy, unless you are lucky enough to have a fisherman in the family.  Phyllis has a good friend who goes trout fishing and about once every three months she is presented with the gift of half a dozen trout.


Look at this little fellow, now he is small, but my, does he make a loud noise. We were sitting in the garden chatting and I kept hearing a bird song, which I did not recognise. Natasha told me to look up at the neighbour's roof and there right at the very top was a Woodpecker. I only know this because we had to go and find the binoculars to identify the bird. I was so surprised to see such a small bird, as the sound was so loud, that I had expected to see something much bigger.


Here you can see his head is down and he is pecking at a piece of wood. If you look carefully you can just see his plume at the back of his head. I know you cannot see the picture very well, but considering the distance, I was really pleased that I managed to capture this little Woodpecker.



Look, they have graffiti in India as well.  People have left their names on the plant. I wonder why, as it seemed an odd thing to do. This little lizard does not seem to mind as he is resting in the shade.



I am so thrilled to show you this photograph. When we went to New Delhi, we were looking out from  Natasha's balcony, which backs onto a nature reserve, and there, I spied a family of peacocks.  I have only ever seen photographs of peacocks, so to watch a family foraging in the wild was a wonderful experience.



I was willing this beautiful peacock to open his feathers, but apparently they only display if they are mating.  I am sure you will agree that this is a very magnificent creature.

I do hope you have enjoyed your visit to India.  I thought I would give you a break for now, but later in the year I will be showing you some Indian cooking utensils. I will also be cooking Indian dishes, some will be vegetarian and some will include meat, so there will be something for everyone.

Take care and I will see you later in the week.

This week I will be joining,






27 comments:

  1. I always love seeing photos of the water but I have to say, it's been great fun to see what's for sale in the shops! My eyes get BIG...I love it ALL! So much detail and color, gorgeous designs!

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  2. Thanks for the lovely photos and interesting information.

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  3. Daphne,

    Thanks for showing us what it like to visit India. Beautiful photo's.

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  4. Oh Daphne Dear! I love the peacocks. I have a gal friend that has 3 for pets! They are so gorgeous. I didn't know you could own them. I just thought they were to be in Zoos. You had such a fabulous trip. Whenever you write about your vaca there I think of my fun necklace you were so generous about. thank you again!

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  5. What gorgeous photos you've shared, Daphne! Thank you so much. I did enjoy my trip to India.

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  6. Dearest Daphne,
    Lovely post and we always learn some new cultural things. The Kerala cows' heads make for an interesting story!
    Oh, we've seen those wild peacocks in India when we did visit such a nature park. Regal birds and yes, noise is not always size related.
    Enjoyed visiting.
    Hugs to you,
    Mariette

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  7. Hello Daphne,

    My goodness that chair was wonderful but I do like what you bought home instead. So much detail in everything they make. We had Peacocks and Peahens on the farm when I was a child. They love to screech. It certainly was unusual to see where they did graffiti. I suppose they wanted to see their name grow!
    Lovely so hear more about India.

    Happy days.
    Bev.

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  8. These are beautiful photos Daphne and I love all your wonderful, colourful finds...can't wait for your recipes!

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  9. Good morning Daphne,

    What another wonderful set of pictures! Love the Bay of Bengal picture...I have never seen one and it is lovely with the fishermen included in it. The Kerla cows were an interesting story...I would love to whisper something in their ears!

    Have a lovely day!

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  10. Good morning Daphne,

    What a wonderful set of photos again! I am enjoying the tour of India. Love the picture of the Bay of Bengal and the peacocks are just lovely! I would love to whisper in one of those Kerala's ears. I hope you have a marvelous day.

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  11. Dear Daphne,your photos are so beautiful!I like peacocks,and my friend has many of them in her yard!They do so strange noises!!I realy enjoyed your images from India!Have a lovely afternoon!
    Dimi..

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  12. I would love to go shoppin gin India! I imagine prices are a lot better too...Christine

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  13. those peacocks are beautiful and they are real popular here in the states peacocks on all sorts of items

    a friend of mine wants everything she see's with a peacock on it

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  14. Thanks for sharing such lovely treasures from India. I love pics from other countries and how interesting that they write on leaves. I've never seen anything like that before. Also, thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving such sweet comments about my shades of blue post. I love having a follower from England so I'm happy to follow you back!

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  15. Hello and thank you for your recent visit to my Lilac post. The pins you asked about are little lapel pins not hatpins. they are only 3" in length.
    I like the photos of the peacocks, they are such a beautiful bird, aren't they?
    Have a great weekend!
    Gina

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  16. Daphne, thank you so much for sharing your beautiful photos. I Have never been to India. In fact I have never left the US/Canada. It 's fun to take a virtual vacation though. Have a lovely week. New Follower.~Blessings!

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  17. Daphne these pictures are really beautiful!!

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  18. Thanks for taking us along on your trip, Daphne. I thoroughly enjoyed your photos and am looking forward to more!

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  19. dear Daphne,

    i came to your blog through the reference made by Mariette Vandenmunckhof-Vedder, who is my friend in facebook.

    great that you felt good while in Kerala...

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  20. OHH How I am so glad you stopped by my blog and left me such sweet comments. I love this post and the photos. Reading it has transported me into another world filled with such amazing animals and beautiful craftsmanship!

    Thanks so much for sharing this...
    XO,
    Christine

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  21. Loved reading the post and seeing the pictures.

    Priyam @http://priyam-simplejoys.blogspot.com

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  22. It must have been a fascinating trip, Daphne, full of colour and beauty. I'll look forward to your upcoming recipes.
    ~Karen

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  23. Beautiful photos! What an interesting trip.
    There were peacocks in the courtyard of my junior high school. Every day for three years I got to enjoy their beauty at lunch time. It was pretty special.

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  24. A Índia é um país fascinante, com suas cores e suas crenças. Um lugar mistico e cheio de boas energias. Que passeio maravilhoso fizestes. Eu quando viajo quero comprar tudo fico numa aflição de não poder trazer todo na mala. Eu estou a espera da deliciosas receitas.
    Bjos, have a nice week.
    Anajá
    I´m studying English.

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  25. Man, I had a helluva time getting to your blog via G+! I kept clicking on the first couple of entries but it was taking me to those blogs you commented on. G+ drives me nuts!!! I don't understand the benefit of it. It just makes one more step they are forcing us to take. Urgh.

    Ok, I feel better that I have vented.

    Your lipstick suggestion/help was divine! Thank you so much. I will get some new stuff today - can't wait. Have a great weekend and don't work too hard = relax more. hahahaha (hug)

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  26. What a great post. I had the opportunity to visit India in 2005 and I'm eager to return. I was in Delhi and Agra and would love to see some of the sights in the south.

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  27. I do so love the pictures you share from India. I had the same problem, not enough room in my suitcase to bring everything home that I wanted too!
    Karee

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Dear Friends,

It is so wonderful to know you enjoy reading Ivy, Phyllis and Me! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave me a comment. I really do appreciate it.

Best wishes to you.

Daphne

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