Happy memories from childhood: Reading fairy tales in Malleshwaram library

Today, May 27, 2020 it was a warm 22 degree celsius in the morning at 5.30 in Toronto.

Walking my cat in the warm morning sunshine in the garden, memories of reading my favorite fairy stories flooded into my brain, transporting me to a  4 decade old joyful experience.

I would visit my cousins living in Malleshwaram during the holidays. After a lovely breakfast cooked by my dear aunt, I would walk to the government library nearby. No one today seems to recall the old location of this library. I remember that the library was at the back of a building and the entrance to the library faced a large lawn. I would read the fairy stories such as Snow white and Rose red, Snow white and the Seven dwarfs, Little Red Riding Hood. What I loved most about these stories were the lovely paintings by Eric Winter. Every page with the story was followed by a page with a paining to illustrate the story and so half the book was of these lovely paintings. I am sure the kids loved and enjoyed the paintings for the stories as much as I did!
I would keep looking at those lovely paintings for ages and reluctantly leave the library to return to my aunt's house, so that she would not worry about me going missing.

Here are the photos of my beloved books

I have seen these same stories published by the same (ladybird) publisher in later days and published by other publishers from different parts of the world. I have not liked or enjoyed the other pictures as much as these by Eric Winter. 

5 minutes of perfect childhood Utopia today!

8.25 am to 8.35 am today May 29, 2020 :A brief spell in Utopia

'Work from home' due to COVID....also no online meetings or anything from work today
Breakfast of hot dosa with chutney and coffee in bed (any coffee tastes like the wonderful south India filter coffee if drunk when eating the dosa-chutney or after) while reading Five on a secret trail.

Dosa chutney eaten in 5 minutes. Continued reading the book for a bit after....



Breakfast of hot dosa with chutney and coffee in bed while reading Five on a secret trail is a sample of heaven for easy-to-please-folks like me!

Unwanted weed in India but sold as a houseplant in Canada!

Below are seeds I saw being sold in a shop in Toronto. I recall these plants were weeds growing wild in vacant plots in Bangalore in the 70s and considered as weeds!

Unfortunately, my native city Bangalore has become so plant-unfriendly, that one cannot find even weeds now...just concrete buildings and tar roads. 

Hiking in Eldred Woodlands of York region, May 18, 2020

Above and below, a mushroom Of a type I have neve seen before.

Below is the underside of the mushroom and the stump of it.

Above Great White Trillium, the provincial flower of Ontario. This lowlying flower, is seen only at this time of the year (May), seems to bear only one flower per plant. I also saw a lovely Maroon trillium!
Below is a maroon trillium...more colorful than the official provincial flower, it's white sister.

Shows I watched during COVID-19

I saw several movies and shows and am listing those which I really liked and hope others would see

Ackley Bridge in CBC gems: It's a lovely show about teens in a British school, most of whom are either Pakistani-British  or 'Caucasian British'. I generally don't watch shows with predominantly teens in them but I adored this one.

Outer bank: Another teen show/USA. Discontinued after a few episodes. I love the theme, but something is lacking in it for me. I cannot understand why, I , who loved Huckleberry Finn, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, etc, cannot enjoy this!

Cracked in CBC gems: I watched this as my works seems to relate to bits of this show.

Blackish: I love this show!

Brooklyn 99: I love this show too.

I love movies and shows from before 90s as they are less gory, more 'decent', less 'evil' characters.
Thankfully such shows are coming on Netflix now....but not in the quantities I need during Covid lockdown! Here are a few movies I really loved watching last few weeks...

Tremors: Science fiction and really enjoyable. I wish my 11 year old nephew, imprisoned at home in India without netflix could see this one!

Core: Science fiction. Enjoyed this one too.

Dante's peak: science fictionish. I liked it but not as much as Tremors maybe.

Into the night: science fictionish but I did not enjoy it much and discontinued after 75% of the show I think

Omniscient: Science fiction. I liked this...it was intriguing and scary. I don't want to be alive when the world has become like that!

Ad Vitam: Science fiction. I can come up with these science fiction ideas myself...but these show makers do so much to convert the idea into a show, they are amazing. Not just this show. I am referring to the makers of all movies and shows.

Spencer confidential: I like this guy Wahlberg (My husband does not!). Enjoyed it.

Patriot's day: saw it but did not enjoy much.

Polar: Obnoxiously, meaninglessly violent. Was I brain-dead when I watched it?

Wild card: Saw this as I seem to see all the movies in which Jason Statum is

Non-stop: Saw this as I  see any movie in which Liam Neeson has acted.

The last stand: not great. but when you are home-bound by Covid...

Last ferry: Okay/different from what I usually see.

American Ultra: I saw it as it was labelled as 'comedy'. It was no comedy in my opinion... my idea of comedy excludes death, and this movie had lots of gory deaths. Not my cup of tea.

Tidelands: Mix of crime and Greek mythology from Australia. Honestly, I don't know why I am seeing this show. Because there are no better sows? Because I am at home due to Covid? Because I want to avoid doing the household chores? Because I don't feel like reading the zillion unread books at home? Take your pick!

Anger management: I don't like Adam Sandler but I love the lady in this comedy and so I saw it. I want comedies but unfortunately, very few comedies in netflix are 'my type'.

Coffee and Kareem: A comedy. Not great. But you take what you get!

Toy Boy: Not sure if I liked it or not; but watched all of it.

Gran Hotel: I was hooked to this for a while but stopped as it was going on and on and on! It was like I was hypnotized and could not get out of watching this show. It was not thrilling...why was I mesmerized into watching this one? Maybe curiosity about how Spain was in those days?

Unauthorized living: Once again, "why did I watch this show? I dont know. But I saw it fully."

Ugly delicious: I could find so many faults with the presenter but I watched all the episodes!

Magnum PI: Discovered this on Bell. I love shows set in warm places (the best is Death in Paradise, a British show set in a Carribean type of island). Magnum is not really a great show but I want to see the warm sun and sea in the Canadian winter and spring! Hawaii Five 0 is also there but the show's warm setting does not offset my dislike of the show's violence, etc.

Fauda: An Israeli show. I saw the first two seasons, due to curiosity about Israel and West Bank/Palestine. I have had enough of Doran and refuse to see the 3rd season.

North shore: A sweet movie about a surfer from Arizona who went to Hawaii for  surfing  and a competition. ( I think I saw this before the damn Covid)

Ozarak season 3: I am on the edge of my seat when I saw this...I don't really enjoy that amount of tension. But I am hooked to this show and love that lass, Ruth (played by Julia Garner)

The other shows I enjoyed, but precovid I think...are given below. I have no idea why I like some shows and don't like others; why I watch some and not even give a minute to other shows.

Better than us: Science fiction from Russia, I think. I liked this show! That robot-lady reminded me of people with a certain diagnosis

1983: I am fascinated by crime from communist countries and so started watching this. Not yet completed it.

Ultraviolet: A crime fiction show from Poland. Saw all episodes. When I saw the female protoganist, I thought I was in India!

The mire: Another crime show from Poland.  I believe I can understand the people, culture and pulse of a country/society by watching crime shows/movies from there. By watching shows from various countries, I think I have a feel for the people from those places. Israel, Poland, Spain, etc.

Suburra: A crime show set in Italy. Started watching and then stopped after a few episodes.  I think, I have had it "up to here", regarding crime. I need a break. I need to get out of my house and go to work and experience something different before my brain goes to mush with all these shows!

I am currently hooked to Veronica Mars! I am binging on 5-6 episodes at a time and really liking it.  I am loving this but have no interest for other teen shows...why?

The chalet (crime. France), Maniac (science fiction) Women of the night (from Netherlands) Shtisel (Israel?) Borderliner (Norway) Win the wilderness, Never have I ever, Sick note, The good place, Lilly Hammer are all shows I started and did not finish. Having netflix is like having an endless supply of not great and great candy. Unless you have self-control, you keep eating the candy, even when you are not enjoying it...it becomes a habit than a joyful experience!

I really need to go to work before my brain turns into mush, with endless netflix

Random photos taken on walks during Covid lockdown

Above: The last restaurant I ate in ...March 2020, to celebrate my wedding anniversary. Waiting for restaurants to reopen!

A lovely friend and neighbour did this watercolor last week....she sat opposite my house and did this in a few hours! She's been learning and doing so much during this Covid lockdown...Unlike me. Why am I such a lazy bum?

Abandoned chairs on Pape avenue maybe?

On Pape avenue, north of Danforth.

On a wall on Danforth I think

Below:I got tired of walking the same old trails of Toronto and we drove to Markham and walked this trail on a beautiful sunny Sunday.

The frogs here were so loud! I took a video of one whose throat  swelled into a bubble when he croaked and subsided when he stopped. Covid-time seemed to be mating time for them!

 Below...walk in East Toronto trail on a pleasant evening...

 These dandelions are so pretty but I cannot seem to capture their  beauty in photos...the shiny green grass and the bright yellow were so lovely! Planning to try making dandelion tea one of these days. Wonder if the dandelion in the backyard is okay to make tea?

                              ><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

Made buns with potato palya stuffing and they came out quite well!

Above...a perfect Covid lockdown day for me. Lunch when watching a great movie on netflix. Chicken saaru with rice, mosaranna with the lovely kimchi I made, grapefruit which I love (now I prefer fruit with a bit of tart and bitterness to them than 100% sweet...so, now, I eat grapefruit mostly) and beer!

Dandelions for Shiva, Ganapathi and Nandi...did this...more to pass time than religious fervour

Below: Walk at Aga Khan museum and it's garden with rows of lovely tulips.