CFFC: Diverse Directions

Cee’s fun foto challenge on D’s has taken me on a wild goose chase and even that didn’t fit the challenge! 😉 But nevertheless I insist on presenting photos hoping that as usual Cee will give me a long rope 😀

But first something that she can’t object to; besides this is her favorite, right Cee? 🙂

DahliaDahlias – need I say more 😀 Now for some fun stuff

Dancing treeA dancing tree on top of the other trees!

DeplionA depressed lion in Hyderabad outside the Salar Jung Museum

Deplion2Another depressed lion at Lucerne, Switzerland. Perhaps they are long lost brothers, separated by continents…

DuckA duck, just to prove I know what the challenge is all about 😀 Unless this is not a duck…

Deserted streetsThe deserted streets at dusk

DesignerHA designer house or is it a cafe restaurant? And don’t miss the redefined green wall-to-wall carpeting.

Building

Another designer building at Jaipur, the pink city

DanceDancer balancing on an earthen pot balanced on another earthen pot on the head of another dancer…whew

StiltsDancers on stilts. I have featured these dancers before and if you missed them the first time or would like to revisit, click here.

Hope you liked my selection – thanks for visiting, have a great weekend 🙂

 

 

Not That Desperate

hearty-bread

Not That Desperate

 Words 99

“Sharpen your tools!” The shrill cry cut through smothering blanket of heat.

She handed a kitchen knife to the scrawny unkempt man.

“That will be Rupees 10.”

Reluctantly she held out a 10-Rupee note.

He bowed over it.

His first earning of the day! She was glad she hadn’t bargained with him.

He sat on his haunches. “I am thirsty.”

He downed the water. “Business is dull.” He looked down. “I haven’t eaten roti for two days.”

Poor man.

She offered him her favorite snack – bread topped with mango pickle.

Gingerly picking up the pickle, he walked away.

***

Roti: Wheat-based flat bread popular in India

Based on a true incident

Written for the Friday Fictioneers – a story in 100 words or less. Thanks to Rochelle for hosting the challenge and to Kelvin M. Knight for the photo prompt. To read the other stories inspired by this prompt click here.

 

 

WPS: All Worked Up

Screen Shot 2017-09-13 at 8.24.17 am

Image from Google Maps

All Worked Up

 Words 150

“What’s up Sia? You look upset.” Her colleague, Nisha asked.

Sia made a moue. “The Boss is mad at me for taking leave at such a crucial juncture.”

“Damn that woman.” Nisha said. “Why were you on leave? All well?”

“Not exactly.” Sia said. “My father-in-law is in the hospital…”

“Oh I am sorry. What happened?”

“He had a heat stroke while exploring the Old Fort.”

“You went exploring in this heat? Are you crazy?”

“Don’t blame me! Explore your city is part of my son’s holiday homework.”

“Home*&%^#work!” Nisha cursed. “That took us to the brink of divorce.”

“What?!”

“I had to stay up till late to complete my 6-year-old daughter’s assignments.”

“Uho.”

“Things came to a head when she had to make a family tree.”

“What happened?”

“My mother-in-law accused me of deliberately pasting a photo that made her look old and fat.”

“Did you?”

“Err, well…”

***

I was inspired by Penny’s double entry to What Pegman Saw and of course the view to attempt this challenge – a story in 150 words or less. Thanks to K. Rawson for hosting the challenge and Google Maps for the photo. To read the other stories inspired by this prompt click here.

 

Standing Tall

Summer is all but over and it is ‘technically’ off season for the glorious amaltas. Remember them? On one my (rare) morning walks, I caught them all decorously green and yet nestling within her folds were splashes of yellow.

 

Amaltasx

Apparently even trees hate to give up their jewelry 😉 Or perhaps she is just ensuring for her future generations 🙂 But seriously, minus her glowing golden aura or her bare devil may care look, she does look rather drab and uninteresting doesn’t she? Let’s take a closer look shall we?

ScarredAt first I though she offered high rise apartments for rent. 😀 But on a closer look I realized they aren’t  bird nests but scars from old wounds – branches that she has nurtured and in all likelihood mercilessly cut off. Does she not feel the pain of loss? How could she not? Yet she continues to grow and bloom, undeterred.

The show, you see, must go on.

The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” ― Jalaluddin Rumi

Have a super week.

Linked to Becca’s Sunday Trees – 304

 

WPC: Waiting…

Life is all about waiting isn’t it? Waiting for a better day, a better job, a better car, a better house. You name it, we are waiting err perhaps not for Yamraj (the Hindu god of death) 😉 The weekly photo challenge from Daily Post this week is on same topic – waiting.

“Are you ready?” Klaus asked finally.
“No,” Sunny answered.
“Me neither,” Violet said, “but if we wait until we’re ready we’ll be waiting for the rest of our lives, Let’s go.”Lemony Snicket, The Ersatz Elevator

So without making you wait any more here we go 🙂

Pondy sunWaiting for daybreak. Did you notice the sun rays shooting out just like they used to when we drew the Sun during our childhood? At least I did! 😀

GolcondaAt the Golconda fort, Hyderabad waiting to be explored.

FamilyA family waiting at a station for our train to pass and theirs to arrive. Or are they waiting for a loved one to arrive? They don’t seem to have any baggage with them. But then again, who can decipher baggage by just looking at people?

MenThese young men wait for their break to be over so that they can get back to work. 😉

Two menYou can’t deny these two men are waiting for us to pass 😀 Don’t miss the lovely fields in the distance which was what I had been aiming for…

Bookcase2Then there are books waiting to be read – so many and so little time 😦 Hey BS say hi and thanks to you Jiji 😉 😀

Lodhi

Waiting for summer to pass and dine out, under the warmth of the winter Sun 🙂

CakeWell? What are you waiting for? Go on don’t be shy, have a bite, have the whole thing if you like, it’s the non-fattening kinds 😀

“We never live; we are always in the expectation of living.”Voltaire

Thanks for visiting – have a super weekend!

 

 

CFFC: Clouds

The week, Cee challenges us to show off C’s provided they are at least 4 letter long. Just the thing I had been waiting for 😉 to showcase my newest craze – Clouds 😀

Come let’s float – up, up and away

PropellerI find it fascinating (and a bit eerie) when I capture the propeller blades in mid-flight 😀

Plane cloudDid you see the tiny airplane against the cottony clean (happy) clouds?

SalzburgAnd in contrast we have here dark rolling clouds ready to erupt into a storm any minute.

VlatavaContented clouds float lazily over the Vltava river, Prague

Old castleAnd follow it up by a sightseeing trip to Old Castle, Prague 😉

20170218_121418Before rushing off to Chidambaram India. Only some of them managed to make it so far.  😀

MumbaiOr perhaps they preferred to visit India’s Tinseltown 😉

 

KolkataBefore regrouping at the Kolkata airport to catch the return flight.

SkyBack to cloud station – to recoup, regroup and return 🙂

Hope you liked!

A Class Apart

20170825_125711

waiting

for her

time

in the sun

to offer

shade

when

there is

none

 

For Becca’s Sunday Trees – 303