AFTER THE 'UNMERCIFUL' HAS EXTRACTED HIS DUES

Solar radiation that had mightily set about to scorch human habitats for a seemingly unending summer, has made way for streaming clouds across skies, cool winds and occasionally an ethereal light that would inspire European painters of yore to begin work on a new canvas.

                                        Every life that has survived the harsh season is seen gingerly stepping out of its nest before they ready themselves for the new haute couture season.

NEWS AT DAYBREAK

morning papers are folded 
and tossed into the pile of month end's disposables.
That sick and gloomy n' morbid 
I paid to imbibe.
The soil, the pot, last season's scattered seeds... they have some news. 
and what varied hues, shapes, contours, form in nature's imagination. 
I must replace old glasses.  

SUMMER BREAKING IN

Summer of 2018 promises to be a sizzling one. Interspersed at fortnights with a swift shower or two it could be bearable. One can for perspective, think of scorching Saudi Arabian summer or the Saharan heat...  and then there are cities and settlements in Thar desert that're tested by radiation limits. Through those dust-heavy months, a sudden storm and shower become a cleansing agent for the foliage and a refreshment for hope. 

GREETING A NEW SEASON

Spring has still not erased its imprints. The successor could have waited for another fortnight. And yet forcing her way into the drylands and dense habitations is Summer of 2018. Two days back the zone heat was 38*C, typically a mid-april show, but now a curtain raiser to some blistering months ahead. It may be a popular name in the western culture, synonymous with warmth, joy and happiness; but no one born in south Asia gets named SUMMER !

AMARYLLIS in the garden pot.

SUPERWINGS ON A BIG MISSION

Ecologists like to remind us that Butterflies are a good measure of how long an existence Humans can expect on the planet. A few sightings this summer, as one here, was reassuring that 'the endangered species' still has time for some contingency measures.

VIGIL OF THE NESTMAKER .

She has made a nest in the vicinity.  And now on is the job to keep the unwanted at bay.  My attentions, she has decided to overlook as a passing nuisance !

THE PRINCESS OF SUMMER .

the Gulmohur is the saving grace in hot Indian Summers.   As the multi-hued presentations of Spring begin to die out one after another the Gulmohur suddenly comes alive in glorious reds.  a bunch of Squirrels excitedly runs along the branches,  leaping at times from one to the other,with  the lush green leaves giving it a perfect backdrop the sparkling red trophy indicates the peak of summer and a season of rains to shortly follow it.

SUMMER'S WINGED VISITORS .

friend  Aflatoon  informs that the bird here is called Ghughuti Basuti.  Perhaps.  Fascinating is how the birds camouflage themselves among the earthen flower pots. ....apart from picking on its dry clay....!

THE COLOURS OF TIME .

Life is a sequence of arrivals and departures.  We choose not to notice them. As travellers in the interregnum our intent should be to celebrate the bounty as long as it lasts.

DAYS OF PINK.....

I can't name the species but this lovely plant with the red buds would have grown into a tree if it had not been turned into a Bonsai.  (perhaps some friends can) .