Untitled

[silveryears]

Tulum Tales - a trip into long ago

Tulum Tales – a trip into long ago

What is it about weathered grey stones? What is it about the ceaseless pounding of the sea, and a perfect arc of silver-blue? Perhaps it reminds one of long-ago peoples, of timelessness, of the circle of life and death. Tulum, that famed home of the Mayans for over 1500 years, felt just like that. Located in the Yucatan province of Mexico, Tulum provides deep and interesting evidence of the…

View On WordPress

[silveryears]

How I beat the winter 'blues'

How I beat the winter ‘blues’

The weather is awful, yes really – words with the weight of a thousand pounds litter the news cycles. Wondering what these words are? How about ‘polar vortex’ for starters? It sounds frightening. It is frightening. During the past few weeks, it has hit me that I do actually live in the Great White North. Temperatures touch minus twenty-three, and we’re told, with the windchill, it feels like…

View On WordPress

[silveryears]

Adventures in Morocco - North African delights (Part 2)

Adventures in Morocco – North African delights (Part 2)

Leaving behind the feudal quarters of ancient Fez, our coach took us on a very different adventure the following day. Actually, for some moments, we wondered whether we were, through some trick of altered physics, in Europe. No, I’m not kidding – because straight from the exotic medina of Fez, we found ourselves transported to an alpine setting. The Swiss landscape did come to mind at this point,…

View On WordPress

[silveryears]

Adventures in Morocco – North African delights (Part 1)

Adventures in Morocco – North African delights (Part 1)

Always, always Morocco! My husband and I had added this North African country to our travel wishlist many years ago. Somehow it was never the right time. The Gods took pity on us finally, the stars aligned, and this October we finally boarded the flight to Casablanca.

Now, here’s the thing – we signed up with Cosmosto take their guided tour. Some of you may turn up your noses, denouncing us as…

View On WordPress

[silveryears]

Ask yourself - are you a 'Cultural Appropriator'?

Ask yourself – are you a ‘Cultural Appropriator’?

Again and again, through various media available to us in the digital age, we hear about ‘cultural appropriation’. We notice how some people get really hot and bothered about it, sitting on the exact opposite bench to those who are less bothered, and more open to these ideas. So what exactly is ‘cultural appropriation’ and what constitutes the parameters of offence that people are apt to take?

Pa…

View On WordPress

[silveryears]

Food Heritage - and why it matters

Food Heritage – and why it matters

Lately, I heard the words ‘food heritage’, and found myself becoming inordinately hopeful. To me, it promises a stable, common-sense approach towards living life sustainably, feeding yourself comfortably while not being bamboozled into following fads and diets. Maybe it’s just my age that I feel completely sure about this way of eating being best for me, at least.

I thought I’ll tell you all…

View On WordPress

[silveryears]

Living with aging parents – facing facts

Living with aging parents – facing facts

They call it a fancy name these days – ‘multi generational living’, when it is actually just your ageing parents moving in with you. As adult children with families of our own, sometimes we are torn between a desire to help parents in their old age, and our own independent lives. Let’s face facts, this whole project involves a great deal of patience, love and singing from the same page, in order…

View On WordPress

[silveryears]

Time traveling on a Friday evening

Time traveling on a Friday evening

  I’ll bet you can’t think of how I spent my Friday evening. It was the most fun I’ve had in a while. Now, I know you must be picturing certain scenarios –

The Big Guy decides to surprise me with a romantic dinner, complete with roses and copious amounts of my favourite wine

Hanging out with my besties at the local pub, attacking the killer crab cakes and swishing them down with cold margaritas

View On WordPress

[silveryears]

Basement Party - a ghost story

Basement Party – a ghost story

After the party, it turned stormy. Through the single window, I watched blackened clouds coalescing in the streaked sky like conspirators ready to make their hit at long last. I was exhausted, absolutely squeezed of all feeling. Numbly, I let my eyes roam around – the two glasses on my charming black table were yet to be dealt with. They looked innocuous enough.

My two guests lay sprawled on the…

View On WordPress

[silveryears]

Weekend in the ole' South

Weekend in the ole’ South

When you think of Little Rock, Arkansas, it’s likely that the first thing that pops up in your mind is ‘Bill Clinton’. Not surprising when you consider that LR was where the former President of the United States was born, and grew up. In fact, both Bill and Hilary have deep ties to this charming Southern city.

Last weekend, my husband and I visited LR. It was nothing to do with the Clintons…

View On WordPress

[silveryears]

A short story

Silver

  Prodip was surreptitiously watching Milu. The crow on the sill was watching them both. Milu crooned some words in a language that only she could understand. Or perhaps her mother Ashima. Her curls bounced and a toothless grin spread across her face. Prodip felt a spasm in his chest. A desire to lift her in his arms and squeeze her little body swept through him. His first grandchild!

The…

View On WordPress

[silveryears]

The bull in my china shop

The bull in my china shop

I’m really upset with a certain President these days. I suspect I’m in distinguished company – bin Laden, secretive robed men in street corners of the Middle East et al. Though I don’t wish to align myself with any groups or affiliations, I will say one thing. The President and my husband have very little sense of timing.

Just as every month, on the President’s agenda there are problems to…

View On WordPress

[silveryears]

Home and heart

Home means different things to different people. Sometimes it defies its ‘usual’ parameters to encompass other realities. At other times, it contains within its syllables a comfortable and soothing environment which we generally associate with its meaning. But home can also be flipped on its head to hold terrors that shake our very foundations.

Though I was aware of these thoughts in a…

View On WordPress

[silveryears]

Some thoughts are too deep for tears

Some thoughts are too deep for tears

What is it that finally pushes one over the edge? Who can tell how clamorous those beastly thoughts can be up until they have made you do the unthinkable? Reading about the recent suicides of celebrities Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade makes me ponder – on the outside they lived hugely successful lives, but inside, it was obviously a different story.

First steps

Dealing with anxietyis something…

View On WordPress

[silveryears]

Sarees - the bespoke garment from India

Sarees – the bespoke garment from India

To a woman from India, the saree is much more than a 6-yard garment to wrap herself in. While looking through the stacks to pick one out to wear on any particular occasion, many factors come into play. It’s not just about colour or feel or weave – it’s about sensory memory, the blessing of tradition, and connection to roots.

I pondered these things the whole of last month. May, you see, is South…

View On WordPress

[silveryears]

How does your garden grow?

How does your garden grow?

For city dwellers like me, there is a certain brisk romance in the coming, and stately moving forward, of Spring. Not only does this mean less of ‘the white stuff’, it also prods me to start planning and ‘plot’ting. My garden is small. Ideally, it would be lovely to live out in the country and have a great big acreage. But in reality, size matters, and in this case, small suits me just fine!

I’ve…

View On WordPress

[silveryears]

A (Super)bowl of Chili

A (Super)bowl of Chili

A bowl of Chili with an Indian twist? The stuff of summer dinners, paired with whole-wheat flat tortillas, and a simple salad. Trust me, you’re not going to need anything else.

The humble chickpea is what I use in this recipe. I know that red kidney beans are used in making chili traditionally. But I decided to switch to chickpeas instead. Alright, I’ll be honest – I was out of said beans, and…

View On WordPress