Another lovely week gone by. I could easily get used to being offline – after all, the Internet came into my life only fifteen years ago in a rudimentary way. I got my own computer just twelve years ago. I adore technology in as much as it makes life easy, puts information at my fingertips and last but certainly not least, connects me with my friends online.
But I have to admit that while I’ve been fairly successful keeping up with all the lovely blogs I read – I make it a point to subscribe by email – I’ve had fun being offline – enjoying visitors and away from the pressure of checking email, which I can’t seem to resist. Ugh! Also, because of the National Mathematics Year celebrations at Vidur’s school, he had two unexpected days off to catch up on all that he’s been wanting to do. I used the freedom from school rush to catch up with my own friends and I must say – lounging in the living room feels rather good compared to gazing at the computer screen!
I had lots of flowers this week – rose bouquets and loved rearranging the bouquets into mason jars that double up as vases for me. Since I also spent some time at school, I went around enjoying the greenery as I waited for the school team to return from their trip to another school. All in all, it has been a great week where I did get some work done, but didn’t get much blogging done, except I wrote a post over at my other blog. Hmm.
You know, there was a time I contemplated integrated my other two blogs – Your Medical Guide and Coffee With Mi with this one, but later decided to let them be separate. There was also a time when I posted at least five times a week on all three blogs. I was letting the guilt build up about slacking off a bit but then again, consoled myself by taking stock of everything else I’ve accomplished instead.
Okay – so here are this week’s pictures: (click to enlarge)
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| Loved this bright bouquet! |
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| I split them into vases so we could enjoy their beauty all over the house! |
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| A pretty Lotus pond |
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| Loved the texture of these buds |
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| Garden tended by the students |
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| Variety of leaves – could gaze at them infinitely in the mild afternoon sunshine |
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| I loved this photo with the colors jumping at me! |
It has been a nice cozy week! And these pictures will always take me back to the warm, sunny and unhurried afternoon….filled with birdsong and the distant chatter of children. So many soul giggles!
But no matter what I did, I would never miss Unknown Mami’s Sundays In My City link up! So let us head over to her place and see what the others are up to!
Please let me have your input on this:
Do you think I should bring the Disqus commenting system back on this blog? Would you find it easier to use? Let me know! I’ve been thinking about it because they’ve revamped it and added interesting features like tagging, etc. and I find it fun to use on many of the blogs I visit.
Have a wonderful week ahead!
Don’t hurry. Don’t worry. Do your best and let it rest.
Enjoy the little things!
Thank you for subscribing to my blog! Do consider leaving a comment – or just reply to this email! I’d love to know what you think.
Cheers!
Vidya
50 comments
Yes, I love these flowers, wonderful colors. Greetings and wish you a happy week.
Thank you, Leovi! Happy week to you, too!
I like Disqus 🙂
Seeing your beautiful flowers and garden pictures one question came into my mind: do you have any poisonous animals/bugs in your garden?
(I’ve been a good girl and studied Spanish verbs!)
Have a good week ahead!
Hi BLOGitse! Ah, I wish that was my garden…but the next best thing is it is the garden at my son’s school 🙂 The school gardener uses some natural pesticides. Bugs are a-plenty, but apparently they’re the symbiotic ones – beneficial. 🙂
Spanish verbs! Far easier than French ones though. 😀 Did you know Spanish grammar is very close to the Indian Language Hindi’s?
I am sitting on the fence about Disqus 😀
You have a great week too!
Disqus? What’s the diff that you have now? Why does one work better than the other?
I like your attitude; don’t be singularly focused, explore online and off.
It’s a beautiful thing………:)
🙂 Excellent questions, Bill, and the same ones that have me hesitating about changing the status quo. I had it for a short time a few months ago, and found myself having to keep visit the Disqus site to approve comments, even though I did not set moderation. Some readers had problems, too, with vanishing comments. 🙂
Another reason I hesitate is this: when the page loads, the native system comes on and then Disqus kicks in a tad later. Some people comment on the native system…which means I must go to Disqus to import them there. Too much work. So I preferred to keep it simple. As if to reward me, Blogger started threaded conversations, which really put the matter to rest for me.
The only thing I feel sad about is having to approve each comment, as I’ve removed word verification – and get loads of junk Anonymous comments. But approving is easy, so no issues.
Hugs – good to see you here. 😀
you have quite an eye for the unusual and beautiful – colors, shapes, and textures….great pix
Thanks, Joanne 😀 Have a wonderful week!
The flowers are very bright and cheerful. As far as disqus, I like it. I have had one or two readers comment negatively about it, that they can’t leave comments with disqus. However, overall, it’s a great system.
Thank you, Laurie. I even enjoyed the faint fragrance of roses in the air at home. 🙂 I’ll have to ditch one bunch today as the flowers are beginning to wilt. Sigh.
I like Disqus too… but some readers found it annoying. Comments would disappear and it meant spending time at the Disqus dashboard sorting it out. So I just let the native system be. My personal experience, however, on other sites that use Disqus has been great.
Happy week to you!
The flowers are so pretty. I like how you arranged them in their new ‘vases.’
So joyful to receive them, Tara! I have lots of those glass jars. I remember reading a post about 50+ uses for glass jars a few months ago. I wish I had bookmarked it. 🙂
Have a great week!
Love the pictures as always Vidya!I wish I were leading an offline life sometimes too Vidya! But yes, we miss out on meeting so many new friends we make online – isn’t it?I visited Claudya’s blog after seeing unknown mami always written under your Sunday posts, and loved it too. So, thanks for another great connection.:)It would be wonderful if you brought in all 3 blogs into one, managing them together would be easier for you, though you could have different sections within this blog for those…just a suggestion. :)Oh yes…I think Discus would be better than the present commenting system because of the new features come up and also because I think your comments keep getting stored in a place too for you to go back and see it you wish to.Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Hi Harleena! Thanks for your comment 🙂
I am blessed to be able to spend so much time offline, really!I am trying to balance things in such a way as to be able to get the best of both worlds – on and off line. Thank God for Skype which brings those online relationships closer – and also thanks to technology which lets us see people in real time on video chat.
You know, about integrating the blogs, I thought of exactly the same thing, when I moved my blog to its down domain (this one). I might still do it at some point in time. For the time being, however, I am keeping them separate, simply because my gut feeling says so. Actually, a month ago, I wanted to move “Your Medical Guide” to its own domain via the easy Blogger interface – but was disappointed to find that they’ve suspended the service temporarily. I did a lot of research to explore other ways to do it – Google Apps is one – but somehow kept getting stuck in the process. I just took it as a sign to hang on. 🙂 Coffee With Mi will always be separate. 🙂
Re the comment system, I am undecided. Some readers just don’t like it. 😀 And seriously, if it is not going to significantly add value for the reader, makes no sense to add it. The great thing, of course, is, as you mentioned, seeing it all in one place. Hmm. Lemme sit on it for a while.
Hugs, thanks again for coming by!
Love the flowers, thanks for sharing your city.
I was interested to read about your other 2 blogs- I gave 2 other blogs that need some love and I keep thinking of either combining them or letting them go- a challenge.
Re discus- I like commentluv and recently have use facebook comments which some people seem to prefer.
Have a beautiful week
love Suziexo
So lovely to see you, Suzie!
Yes, it is a challenge to make the decision, but at the end of the day, I decided to keep them separate, as it makes more sense for me, seeing that they are very different from this one. Still, everything takes time 😀
Commentluv is lovely, as it pulls up the commenter’s latest post. Facebook commenting is also cool, and easy to add. Thing is, with each new element, page load time increases, and that is what freaks me a bit.
You have a lovely week too! Your scarves are gorgeous!
Love, Vidya
Offline has a million advantages Vidya…on line can be great however there is no compare with face to face conversation. Disqus…I’ve found difficulty in the past with blogs that use it, maybe it’s better now.
be good to yourself
David
You’re right about the offline joy, David! 🙂
Yes, I am still on the fence with Disqus – am thinking, why upset a system that’s working now?
Hugs! Thank you for your comment!
Hi Vidya. Beautiful pictures! Thanks for sharing. I have been offline quite a lot lately, and it has helped me a lot, especially trying to juggle my last semester of grad school and this new job. I am hoping to be more active online by the start of the new year, though. Things should settle down a lot by then. I even hope to get that second book out there. Time will tell. HUGSsss
I heart you, Terri! 😀 I’ve been spending a lot of time offline myself and I can’t help admitting it is a relief not to be parked in front of the computer! All the best with school and work – I don’t know how you manage both! Hugs! And I AM looking forward to your next book! Love you!
“Treasure Beyond Measure” drew me right in 🙂 I understand the coziness of lounging with friends in the living room, as well as the joy of connecting with friends worldwide through Skype. My experience isn’t an “either/or”, it’s *both*…vesting full presence in the connection makes my heart sing 🙂
I *love* your gorgeous flowers, and the arrangements, as well as your photos which capture the essence so well! I can imagine you humming as you carefully arrange each one 🙂
I don’t love Disqus, but I do love your site, so whatever you choose will be fine 🙂
Love to you 🙂
Ah, yes, Joy, no either/or for me, either! 😀 I am taking the time to savor each moment and loving it!
The texture of the rose petals is something else. I found that yellow buds are shaped differently and red buds are different! It is the season for flowers now, as one of our major festivals – the nine-day Navratri to honor the Goddess Durga is on.
I am keeping the current comment system 🙂 And you live in my heart, you know!
“Treasure Beyond Measure” drew me right in 🙂 I understand the coziness of lounging with friends in the living room, as well as the joy of connecting with friends worldwide through Skype. My experience isn’t an “either/or”, it’s *both*…vesting full presence in the connection makes my heart sing 🙂
I *love* your gorgeous flowers, and the arrangements, as well as your photos which capture the essence so well! I can imagine you humming as you carefully arrange each one 🙂
I don’t love Disqus, but I do love your site, so whatever you choose will be fine 🙂
Love to you 🙂
I love the different leaves and textures, how great for children to go to school in this beauty!
Indeed, Jodi. It is lovely to see a seedling grow! The very young children need proof, and pluck some of the flowers. The older ones know better 😀 Hugs!
I love the way you divided all the flowers up into different vases but kept all the colours the same in each one. 🙂
I know what you mean about the internet, it’s both good and bad, and I think it’s always good to have a break from it every so often.
Hi Joe! 😀 What started as a short break became a little longer for me, thanks to dentists’ appointments.
Where I love, there are so many florists and it is always wonderful to receive a bouquet. I got two and just enjoyed feeling the flowers! I had to chuck them two days ago. 🙂 Thank you for coming by!
Beautiful Flowers…Just like you, my dear sweet wonderful Vidya!
Love you more than red roses & siamese cats! Xx
Awww! Kim! But they’re so gorgeous, no?
I love you more than words can say!
I enjoyed your flowers, imagining myself walking around with you. The arrangements are beautiful! And how great to have a week off-line! I’ve done this, too, and it was amazing! I secretly thought I’d check my email but the place we were staying only had email in the lobby at night. So I only checked once. Heavenly!
Email can be torture sometimes, Betsy 😀 As I find out everyday. It just sucks one in! The relief of not being near a computer is just unparalleled. When we go on a trip, I don’t even attempt to go online. Hugs!
LOVE these flowers, colors,vibrancy. So lovely they lift my wings. I can feel the warmth and the “soul giggles!” Such a great descriptive phrase, “soul giggles”
Thank you, Aileen! Yes, I love soul giggles too!
Vidya-
How delicious to sink into your post – enjoying your words and photos. Your appreciation of plants and flowers and your creativity in arranging them warms my heart. I would love to spend a day with you going to the flower markets ~ who knows- it might happen.
Kudos to you for letting go of the need to blog 5 days a week. Perhaps there was a time in your life where it was enjoyable doing it. It’s important to give yourself permission to let go and do what gives you pleasure. xxoo-Fran
Fran, you know you have a standing invitation to come stay with me when you visit. 😀 Oh yes, it will be fun to just “browse” around!
The moment I let go of the pressure, everything got a lot easier. Thanks for your lovely comment, I always appreciate you!
Your beautiful posts brighten my day Vidya!
Thank you, Carolyn – I love your writing too!
Enjoyed your photos, as always. I was intrigued by your blog vacation. I’ve been thinking of doing that. Not a long one, but longer than the weekends at the cabin. Hmm, we’ll see.
🙂 I can endorse how good it feels, Galen! I am eager to know what you decide to do. Love, Vidya
I love your flower bouquets in the mason jars. So beautiful and homey.
A blogging break can be a good thing. We all need to recharge sometimes.
Thank you, Tracie! 🙂 Yes, space from anything feels good and refreshing! 😀
Lovely flowers, Vidya. A cheerful person writes cheerful post, with bunch of flowers:-)
Thank you, Pattu!
Hi Vidya,
Seems you are taking time to be offline and enjoy the world around 🙂 That’s really cool. As my friends and I get busy, the time I go out is limited here.
I always loved the colors of nature 🙂 They are pretty awesome. What are those RED flowers Vidya?
Ohw Disqus… You know, I’m using it on my blog and the reason I recommend it for Blogger blogs is that you can easily switch back to default Blogger comment form without losing comments 🙂 When I start to use 3rd party comment platform, I had to think ahead. And it’s adding more new features too 🙂 You can try it out and revert if it doesn’t work for you Vidya.
Cheers…
🙂 Hey Mayura! Red flowers are roses – you mean the ones in the vases no?
I am going to let the native commenting system be. 🙂 I once had Disqus, but too many people had problems – probably because it loads a little later and people end up commenting in the Blogger commenting system. Which means I must go to Disqus and “import” comments and then publish. Hassly 😀
Thank you for coming by, Mayura!
Oh yeah Vidya 🙂 Ones in Vases. On second pic they looks like biggy 😉
Native comment form comes up if you have enabled Blogger mobile templates dear 🙂 You have to switch off mobile templates on Blogger, if you need all comments come through Disqus. Yet anonymous comments will be through by spam bots 😉
Well, you know what’s best for your readers 🙂 It should be convenient for commenters, right? Now Blogger team also on improving comment system in Blogger too.
Cheers…
Oh, I didn’t know that, Mayura! Thanks for the tip. 🙂 Yeah, I am glad Blogger introduced the comment threads – but right now when I tried to reply to your comment, the “reply” was inactive :D. So far, so good.
I just don’t know how to arrest Anonymous comments though. I suppose I could disable it in the settings, but a couple of friends prefer to comment anonymously….so. 😀
I swear I commented on this post last Sunday, but I don’t see my comment anywhere. I was at work, so it’s possible that it got busy and never actually hit publish. I have no idea how you are able to be as prolific as you are, but I admire your creative abundance.
Oh Claudya, I swear that happens to me too – long comment – forgetting to hit publish 😀
Me prolific? 😀 I think you’re the one who is – and you know I enjoy your writing tremendously.
Thank you for the compliment!
I really impressed by your choices.