Life - or something like it

Wine is bottled poetry - Robert Louis Stevenson A few days back, I had a chance to see the Four Seasons Winery of the UB group at Baramati near Pune, Maharashtra. Being related to the chief winemaker, Abhay Kewadkar, has its perks. Hubs and I travelled to Baramati one fine morning and reached the Winery in around two hours. The minute you get close to the Vineyards, you can see a majestic  building surrounded by vineyards. The building is styled as a French château and looks really pretty. The Winery has fourteen suites where people can come and live. The suites are luxuriously decorated and very comfortable. The suites overlook the vineyard and each one has a balcony where you can sit and enjoy the beautiful view of the rolling hills and the vineyard.            Beautifully landscaped interiors inside the Château The lovely stained glass windows Another beautiful piece          A swimming pool, Jacuzzi and a large party deck that overlooks the

I could see the bright light through my closed eyes, I knew it was there, I was sure that it was not a dream. I tried to speak, but my mouth felt as if it was taped shut. I could hear them speaking, there were words, low murmurs, sound of metal striking metal. I felt a pressure on my abdomen and heard water gushing some where. Photo Courtesy:  Free Digital Photos My heart was fluttering and I was unable to swallow. I wanted to move my hands and scream, 'I am awake', 'I can feel and hear you'. I tried to open my mouth to scream but no words came out. My hands felt as if they were made of lead. I used all my strength to move them, to lift a finger, to show them I was awake. No one could hear the scream inside my head. I was a trapped inside a nightmare, from which there no escape. My confused mind started playing tricks and I thought I was in a bad dream. A nightmare, that was so vivid that it seemed unreal. I thought, that I will wake up soon and feel silly abou

So you have decided to take in some Sun, Sand and Surf and are set to have a fun day on the beach. Pardon me, Mumbaikers, this post ain't for you. We all know the state of the beaches in Mumbai. For you to have fun on a beach, it should first resemble a beach and that is the most important part of the whole fun part. And remember how much ever we love to ape the West, never ever visit the beach in Summer when in India, like they do. All you will get, is some charred skin and your will totally end up looking like a peeling carrot. Don't you think we are brown enough already? Try to visit a beach in the winter, that is when you will have the most fun. There are some cheesy things you have to do on the beach. It is compulsory to do them else your body will be fed piece by piece to Zombies. Don't worry, I totally made that up. That is my hangover talking, after watching too much of the fabulous 'The Walking Dead' . So back to the Beach, here is how to to have f

Ratnagiri is nestled between the Sahyadri mountain range and the Arabian Sea in the South west part of Maharshtra called as 'Konkan' or 'Kokan' as we call it in Marathi. Hubs and I decided to visit this beautiful place, to unwind and relax. This was a long awaited break and we were looking forward to it. Ratnagiri did not let us down. We travelled by our car to Kolhapur to meet family and stopped over at Ratnagiri for 2 days on our way back . The Western coast of Maharashtra is dotted with pristine beaches and you can just go in to a trance looking at the Sea. There are many untouched places and you can have the whole beach to yourself, especially in the off season. Here are some photos of our trip.                                What is a beach holiday without a Pina Colada, eh?  We stayed in 'Ratnasagar Beach Resort' which is bang on Bhatye Beach. It is a lovely place which has cottages right next to the beach and one can hear the roar of the ocea

Ever since I have been married, my home has been a magnet for guests. Not a month goes by, when I don't have someone or the other from relatives and friends coming over for a stay. Hubs and I do love entertaining and we have a constant stream of people coming for Lunches and Dinners. I have entertained a lot of people over the years and have faced people who were perfect guests and the ones who managed to raise my hackles with their antics. It is fun to mingle with friends and family over good food and lively conversations. Though sometimes these engagements can become a thorn in your side, when guests do not follow proper etiquette. They forget the basic manners needed to be a good guest.  For all those uninitiated, who don't know how to be a good guest, here are a few tips to help you be a good guest and not a pest . Walk in with a gift : I have observed that my mother never goes empty handed whenever she is invited to someone's house. She always takes a gift to

A million little pieces is a hard hitting, semi fictional memoir by James Frey. Though I am an avid book reader, I hardly ever have the patience to do a book review. Also, I am usually not into memoirs or biographies,I prefer thrillers and crime fiction is my favourite genre. One day, as I was searching though the books at my library, I came across 'A million little pieces '. The title of the book intrigued me and I decided to pick it up. image source: Wikipedia This book is the journey of James Frey as an alcoholic, drug addict and criminal from total depravity to sobriety at one of the oldest treatment centre in the world. At the age of 23 James finds himself on a plane, his front four teeth are missing, his nose is broken, his cheek has a hole big enough to put two of his fingers and he does not remember what he has done in the past two weeks. He has been an alcoholic for 10 years and a crack-cocaine and Meth addict for many years. James starts drinking at the a

The much awaited Monsoon finally arrived in my part of India, last month, albeit a bit delayed. Raindrops keep falling on my head every time I step out of my house, but it is still lacking that enthusiasm to become  a heavy downpour. The arrival of Monsoon in India means lush greenery blankets everything. The smell of the damp earth rises and seeps into your entire being and stirs a longing. The parched earth is soaked and everywhere you see the earth is welcoming this precious nectar. I have always had mixed feelings about the Monsoon. Most people consider Monsoon to be a romantic season.  There are things I don't like when it rains too much. The muddy roads: It is such a pain to go walking, you always end up with muddy shoes, muddy feet, dirty clothes..I guess you got my drift The clothes don't dry for days and they even smell if not aired properly.  You can never wear white clothes for the fear of getting splashed with rainwater. Everything that is crisp and cru