Playing Paparazzi

It was a girls day out.  A friend whose husband was out of town,  said she wanted to paint the town red. It was only a matter of speech.  So she asked us if we could take a day off and go out someplace.

And we did, armed with a nice picnic hamper, a camera, comfortable walking shoes.  We decided to be tourists in our own city.  We set off to the Chowmahalla Palace.  Since I had already been there, I decided to generally appreciate what I might have missed out earlier. 

And of course, admire the garden.  While I was busy taking pictures, there was a sudden flurry of activity.  A car ( that itself was unusual, because vehicles are not allowed inside) came in, and a lady got out. 

K, who was taking in the scene, whispered, 'Is that the Princess?' 

The Princess was indeed in town, as there were reports in the local papers.  I had no clue. 

And she said 'Quick, take a picture'.
 I said 'Are you sure she is the Princess?' 
She said 'No, but take the picture, she must be someone important, we can always find out later'.

So I turned the camera away from the flowers and took this.  (I have blurred her face).  I did get a better one too. 

I felt quite like the paparazzi.  Another security guard did say she was royalty.  He said the Nizam too was expected later in the evening.  Anyway, not quite the right thing to do, invading their privacy.

 Ah well, we giggled like we used to in our college days.  We did not paint the town red, but went home at the end of the day feeling all relaxed and happy.

Rambling...

Diwali was quiet this year. For the first time in 28 years, we did not have either of the kids with us. I think it is something we need to get used to. But we were not the only ones. Obviously, there are many others our age, who had a quiet festival. Not that it gave us any extra comfort, but it was a sign of times to come.


A festival sans noise, confusion, the extra pair of hands… but we managed pretty well. It was also a year, when we left on schedule for the temple visit early in the morning.

We made the traditional sweets, distributed some, went visiting relatives and friends, lit the diyas, made a small floating floral arrangement, doodled, watched TV, exercised, entertained, .. it was not too bad. As I said, probably an indication of retirement days that are not too far ahead.

I have joined a basic art class. So, I am busy drawing various shapes. All the different shaped mugs, glasses were taken out and I laboriously tried to sketch them in my new ‘Classmate drawing book’, that I bought at Landmark. A book that reminds me of childhood. Where you have a printed page for name, class and school.

In my art class, I am the oldest. I have got used to this situation. 15 years ago, when I went for a music class , I was the oldest. 7 years ago, in my French class it was no different. And at my present age, it is no real surprise to find that happening once again. The next oldest is some 20 years younger. Which makes me believe that the generation next to mine, those in the 40s are probably caught up in their own lives and no time for relaxation. Those in their 20s and 30s I find are able to juggle their careers with other options as well.

I could be wrong.

I have also begun to enjoy a bit of photography. Easy with a digi-cam ( thanks to my bro, who realised how much I enjoy this new hobby). And am obsessed with taking pictures of trees and flowers, despite the warning by SG on his blog that it is a sure sign of getting old. My younger one, instinctively moves away and disowns me the minute my camera comes out.

Talking of age. I grew a year older last month. Somehow, I have lost count of the years (conveniently?), and give it a thought whenever I need to book a ticket or write down age particulars in a relevant form. Then I pause, do a bit of math and write down my age. Quite often I do a bit of wrong calculation. At the end of the year, I realise I have been declaring myself a year older than I actually am. It has a positive side, suddelnly I feel a lot younger on the corresponding birthday!

That reminds me, I need to update my profile page. Maybe, I will next year..

clip art source - http://clipartguide.com/