All posts tagged: Nature

collage showing how to plant ginger

Kitchen Garden from Scraps

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Have you wanted your own kitchen garden but never knew where to start? Or do you think you don’t have the space for it? Fear not. To start your own kitchen garden, all you need is a small pot placed in a bright spot, and you’re ready to roll. Introduction to Kitchen Gardening A kitchen garden basically consists of plants you can eat or cook with. Among all the kitchen garden plants, herbs are the easiest to grow and take up the least amount of space. You don’t need to buy a large bunch when you just need a few sprigs. Just pluck a few fresh ones from your plant!   If you have a little space to spare, you can even try adding vegetables. Check out my post on how to grow your own food for your own kitchen garden ideas. For a kitchen garden window sills are a great option, especially in smaller spaces. You don’t use up any floor space and get plenty of sunlight on the ledge. Balconies in apartments can accommodate …

art installation at the Louvre paris of a woman with a large pile of clothes

What a Waste: How to be a Conscious Consumer

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Do you think twice about the stuff you buy? I’m not just talking about the price factor, but also the value of the product in how it will enrich your life and the product’s life cycle. Do the resources utilised in the making then disposing of it justify its use? Conscious consumerism in India and the world is on the rise. As festive sales are being heavily advertised, it’s a good time to reflect on how you can be a more conscious consumer. Conscious Consumption Definition What is conscious consumerism? As the name suggests, any consumer of products who, along with price and quality, also considers these products’ social and environmental impact. A product’s life cycle, from production to disposal, is as strong an influence on consumers’ purchasing decisions as to its need. The Rise of Conscious Consumerism The consumer model is slowly shifting. Many customers want to focus on conscious consumerism—a buying practice driven by a commitment to making purchasing decisions with a positive environmental, economic, and social impact.  More people want to buy …

Buddha mural surrounded by plants

Weekend Stay in Hyderabad: Palm Exotica

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As the world is slowly starting to open up, we have also started to move beyond the walls of our home – cautiously of course. We’re still not venturing outside the city limits and not using public transport. That leaves us with a few places we can go to over weekends. We had been to Palm Exotica pre-pandemic and had liked the open atmosphere. Although there wasn’t anything new this time, it felt good to be out and about. Since we went on a weekday, there were hardly any other guests apart from us. The benefits of work from home extends to work from anywhere you like! Our luggage and us got a sanitising spray while we checked in at the reception. The short walk to our rooms was beautiful with the pathway flanked by greenery on both sides. The fresh air and quiet ambience meant we could hear the chirping of a variety of birds. Our rooms were clean and spacious. We had an issue with the geyser not working but it was soon …

Child with a curry leaves plant in home balcony

How to grow your own food?

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Have you ever thought about growing your own food? It doesn’t interest me, to be honest. It’s too much work. However, during the lockdown, I had some time on hand, and I wanted my son to experience the joy of growing something from seed then harvesting it to eat. We have a small balcony garden, so I wasn’t sure how to accommodate growing vegetables. We started small by growing some methi (fenugreek) from seeds from the spice cupboard. We just used a paper cup with holes poked at the bottom. They were quick to sprout, and the handful of micro-greens were enough to make one roti for my son. He was mighty pleased. Armed with some confidence, we turned an unused under-bed storage box into a flatbed by drilling holes at the bottom and filling it with soil. We planted some spinach and amaranth seeds.  Once they grew about 7 to 8 inches long, we harvested the leaves by cutting just the matured leaves and leaving the stem as is. This way, we got another …

Child walking down the steps of a high lookout tower

Hyderabad Staycation: Life at Prakasham

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Have you been itching to travel, but common sense has held you back? Even after we completed both our COVID vaccinations doses, we have been quite hesitant to travel. Our primary concern is our young unvaccinated child and the unpredictable new variants. We have been exploring our immediate surroundings around Hyderabad, India and looking at options we feel are relatively safer. Many resorts in Hyderabad have sprung up in the last decade mainly catering to corporate team-building events. I never enjoy these places because they are always crowded and noisy. Weekend places in Hyderabad: Hyderabad stay options range from luxury hotels and big resorts on the outskirts of town to the quieter and smaller home and farm stays. I had written about one such stay – The Baby Elephant Farm in my earlier post. Today, I’m writing about Life at Prakasham. Both these places cater to a limited number of people. There are no crowded restaurants or noisy parties. Set amidst a relatively small farm, they exude peace and calm. A farm stay in Hyderabad, …

view of himayat sagar lake after heavy rains

Hyderabad – Himayat Sagar Lake View Point

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Hyderabad has a couple of artificial lakes that add to the scenic value of the city. One of them is Himayat Sagar. At one point it was considered way beyond the city but in recent times the city has grown to meet it. If you’ve driven on the roads along the lake, you’ll notice that they’re quite narrow. That doesn’t stop people from stopping their vehicles to take a few pictures, making it more chaotic. The rise of food stalls has increased the number of visitors who have little interest in the natural beauty or the tranquility of the place. However, if you take a small detour, you find a place where you can enjoy the view away from heavy crowds, and even discover some hidden paths. It’s best to go during off-peak times, like weekdays and early mornings if you want to take in the surroundings without noisy crowds. We found this place by chance. It is a turn on the road opposite the lake and leads up a small quarry. You get a …

gazebo on a lawn with pool next to it

Day Trip near Hyderabad – The Baby Elephant Farm

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Are you looking for day trip near Hyderabad? Check out the Baby Elephant Farm.  Short trips will give you enough time to learn something new, get refreshed in your mind and have some fun also! Getting away from the noise for some relaxing weekend R&R at a farm stay isn’t something you’ll want to pass on.  They only accept a limited number of people at a time so we had to pre-booked our trip and food. It had been raining all week and we were quite apprehensive about having to spend our time there indoors. Mercifully, the skies cleared up just in time for the weeknd! It took us hardly any time to reach there. It’s a green haven among a city intent on developing through building more concrete structures. The lush greenery, in part because of the monsoons, was a stark contrast to the construction sites all along the route. Our table was set up in a gorgeous shaded gazebo next to a small swimming pool. Our son wanted to immediately get in. After …