Since I pestered all of you last week with my play date scheming tactics for my daughter I though it only fitting that I let you all know that I had finally called the mom of the little Asian girl my daughter had befriended. We got our message across and this Saturday morning a play date was set up. The little girl came and the two little ones had a fun time. They did puzzles, played with beads, Dora cards and stuff I don’t even know. Without even being asked both S and her friend J cleaned up the stuff they played with it. That I think was very commendable.
Then they went out and blew bubbles. Since J was not staying for lunch and her Mom insisted that she had a full breakfast, the two girls were served ice cream, melon balls, a small piece of cake and then lemonade. I did ask her Mom before she left if it was ok to give J snacks. You see I had read this
All in all S was happy and I guess little J was happy too and I was happy to see them happy…
Only D had his doubts, first he didn’t like the word “playdate”. Why “date” he kept on saying, a protective Daddy I say
Next he said it was much more fun to just holler out for friends and just play with them till your Mom hollers out for you again than arrange scheduled activities like “Play” ...ahem “date”.
Now my daughter does holler out for my neighbour’s daughter and that’s how they play but I see no other way than “PlayDates” to arrange play with school friends. So hoping to more such play days…
Sharing with you here are some pictures from my garden. I love Summer and love all the greenery that it brings along. I also have a penchant for untended wild gardens, I just love gardens like that much more than the prim gardens with manicured hedges. But wild gardens with an overgrowth need a considerable amount of land, maybe one day I will have something like that, with climbing bushes, and huge trees with creepers covering the trunk and a brook with clear water running through it.
For now this is all I have...
... the rose still safe from Japanese Beetles
...the Geraniums
...this is what we call "Nayan Tara" in Bengali, can't recall the English name
... the blooming bud
... the Nasturtium started from seeds finally got a foothold
... the bean plants started from seeds too
... the spinach, planted plenty of seeds but only few showed signs of life as these
We also have many tomato plants growing happily and they are proud to be part of Summer GBP. Maybe I should have screamed GBP at the spinach too or maybe they are just hard of hearing.
My "Corriander" seeds refuse to germinate. I sowed them directly in a pot. Any clues ?
43 comments:
The nayan tara you mentioned is called vinca or periwinkle. For coriander seeds to germinate you need to crush them (to split) and then sow. Also if the seeds are old they won't germinate
What a lovely garden you have Sandeepa! I wish I could fly over to enjoy the glorious spring. It's now very cold here in Melbourne.
Sandeepa, your garden is quite healthy and pretty. I prefer a wild, natural garden myself. I read all the play date rules and regulations. Whew, sounds like boot camp!
Hi Sandeepa -- your garden photos are just lovely! Beans and spinach looking so happy there -- and the flowers too. Are you going to eat the nasturtiums? I don't know about the coriander seeds -- mine did sprout but it took a couple weeks. BTW I like things less organised in the yard too. My neighbors must gaze out in horror some days ;)
I peeked at the playdate site you linked - there is sure alot of work involved in the kids' playtime nowadays! Glad your baby had a grand day :)
i think I will join D here...never really understood why it has to be playdate...and sometimes I think too much about all the social set up and child psychology et al and reach nowhere...:)))))) you re a gardener too....all the best with your plants and flowers...and hey my hugs to lil S :)
Shn
Loved the photos of ur garden..and the nayan tara is called vinca as anonymous rightly said..Hey, it's been more than a month since I planted coriander seeds..and they are not germinating:(
lovely garden photos! Beans and spinach looks wonderfull..
Sandeepa,
Reg. the coriander seeds, hang in there. I was ready to throw them out and suddenly they started sprouting. It took around 10 days. There's hope.
-Mathy
Try soaking the coriander seeds. Soak overnight, then drain them. Leave them like this for 2-3 days, rinsing them twice a day. Doing this in glass jar with its mouth covered with cheesecloth helps a lot. Leave the glass jar on its side in a partially sunny spot. The seeds don't sprout, but once planted, they come up in few days. It worked for me!
Sandeepa, what to say, was keep looking at the tiny plants. Very nice. It is quite interesting to grow kitchen garden. Tks for sharing. Viji
Sandeepa, the flowers look lovely. I on the other hand am still looking for where I can steal a money-plant stem from, so it can go in a bottle! That's about all I have space for in this house!
And may you someday (soon) be blessed with a great undulating garden and a giant, designer kitchen (and little elves to clean both up after you!)
Hah! "play-date"...well, do you know, I have to schedule play-dates for my dog too?? Those melon balls look so inviting!
san, u r really busy:) loved reading abt little S and J's play"date":) good to know they enjoyed.
and love the way ur garden is shaping. those spinach looks adorable and so does all those pretty flowers. mine were growing very happily but after last few week's downpour and slugs i cant even trace their roots:( i cried looking at their bad condition.
and girl, u should have sang GBP to ur plants not screamed;)
Play Date that sounds interesting!!
Wish i cam ealong with noel as well sandeepa!!
not fair ha!!
U have such a lovely garden and flowers blooming everywhere!!!
My tomatoes plants just started germinating as weather was very cold here!!
What a lovely garden, Sandeepa...I loved the name "nayan tara"...
Glad the "playdate" went well......was smiling at how your husband reacted to the 'date' part. :)
Do keep posting more pictures of your garden,Sandeepa....we're still not out of the winter "funk" yet. :(
trupti
Sandeepa! Here is to more play dates! I too kind of like the impromptu hollering for play mates but play date is the only way if the child does not live close by. If the kids are happy then thats all that matters.
The Garden looks beautiful. The roses looks lovely. Don't have any idea about the corriander though!
YAY!!! You did it Sandeepa!!:))
Platdates sounds great and I bet they had fun.I remember few yrs I had 8 kids hanging around in my living room on the floor devouring popcorns and candies!!That was fun.Now they are all high schoolers and most work part time!!
Garden looks great.For cilantro,it needs min. of 75F temp to grow.Change the soil to like Miracle grow.I don't grow them bcos they cost $0.44 for a huge bunch at the groceries!:))
Thats a lovely garden. :) Keep them coming on!!!!
Glad your play date was a success... btw, how did you communicate with her mum? If I remember correctly you had mentioned about some language problem there???
Sandeepa, your garden is a thing of beauty.
Play dates - I think it's great both ways: to holler out and to set up. Glad S & J had a good time.
Oh yes, I do think it is commendable that they cleaned up when they were done. That is so sweet of them.
When kids are happy playing with their friends we feel happy too and my husband too hates the word 'playdate'...I had a look at the playdate site u linked and it was quite interesting..
U have a lovely garden Sandeepa.
Yummy Melon Balls and Lovely pictures. Its been long since I planted anything.
Great to see your garden grow! At 40 deg C nothing is growing in my place..:( So I'm going to admire all your beautiful plants and sigh!!
Anon
Thanks
Anh
How cold does it get ?
Susan
Wild gradens have a rustic beauty
Linda
the Nasturtiums are not edible. I grew them for their pretty flowers
You have a good veggie patch too
Shn
I am a "Shaukin Mali", getting D to do all the digging while I water and take pics ;-) No, actually i do the flower beds while he does the veggie patch but this year because of my "achhooooo" he had to help with the flowers too
Swapna
Same here. Let me try some of the other methods I saw my kind blogger friends have suggested
Roopa
Thanks :)
Mathy
But like swapna mine has been almost there for 3 weeks now
Suganya
Shall try that. Thanks
Vcuisine
I love growing a garden, very relaxing you know
Sandeepa, you have a beautiful summer garden. Love the flowers and the veggie pics... coriander sometimes doesn't germinate if the seeds are old. Try soaking them for 2-3 days to germinate and then plant them in the soil.
So S had a playdate.. it was fun reading the update!
Hi Sandeepa
U did a great job girl!!playdate is a good idea.glad that S and J had a very nice day together.
The Nayan Tara looks so beautiful!!
Anamika
I can lend you some :)
My kitchen I am happy with, wouldn't want to trade. A huge garden with a "mali" in tow is always welcome
Nupur
Really....? But then he needs friends too.
Sups
Good I didn't sing, would be worse than my screaming ;-)
Padmaja
Yeah sure, please do :) More the merrier.
Trupti
Ouch..is it still cold ? A warm hug for you then.
Indo
Thanks and waiting to see your flowers too
Asha
When I get corriander I waste a lot and then on aday i badly need some, the ones I have are wilting. So i thought having a pot of my own would be fun. I did use Organic Soil from Miracle Gro :(
Coffee
You remember. yes the family is Korean and the Mom speaks not very fluent english but we did talk and mostly about food :)
Cynthia
thanks and you are right, as long as they are happy its fine
Prema & Shivapriya
Thanks.
Jyothsna
Hey you are back. How was the trip ?
Wow - what a beautiful garden! Your must be super mom, yummy food, job, lovely write-ups and am awesome garden as well!
nice sunny garden!ur nayantara is what i think is called vinca here. it looks similar to the one in my garden. does it come in diff. colors?
Wonderful pics sandeepa, you have a beautiful garden! Those melon balls look so yummalicious too!
LOL, D is funny, getting upset about playdate of his little girl.. :D wait till she grows up and start going on real dates... :)
Sandeepa,
Coriander takes a bit longer to germinate. I have always grown them in my garden..so just wait, they will sprout.
cheers,
DR
wow sandeepa ..nice pics .....very well maintained garden ..wonderful it looks
LOL Sandeepa. I can actually imagine your hubby's expression and reaction with play date.Haahaa. Lovely pictures of your garden. Beans and the flowers all look gorgeous. Loved the photography of the rose bud with the due drop on it.
Thanx for sharing.
Coriander seeds shud be soaked for 12 hrs...
seriously...ahem..i didnt like the word play-date too :) old fashioned here :)
I wish I had a garden! anyway, guess what, I saw a new restaurant today called 'Sandeepha' (sic) serving Indian, chinese, continental, non-veg food (but not Bengali)!!!
you have a beautiful garden. I too have planted beans and okra. and again my blog also has some melons:))
will have to do some playdate planning for Adi too.
SJ
You embarass me. D does a lot of ground work for the gardening so I don't have to do the hard work :). But gardening is very relaxing and even my daughter likes to water and do stuff around
Mallugirl
Yeah theres a purple one too
Sig
Thanks...daddays i say :)
DR
thanks maybe I will soak some toady
Deepa
Thanks :)
Seema
Thanks, thise were rain drops though :) But the fresh look is very refreshing
Inji
Shall do that today then
Sra
Whaaaaaaaaaat ? is it plagiarism ? can I protest ? Maybe they had seen my blog and therefore discarded the Bengali menu totally...or what ?
If you are my friend never ever eat there I tell you..pah ...what the huh ?
I read your WCB comment for Sher at What Did You Eat. I don't know if she responded, but I clicked on the fish on the left hand side of her blog and came up with all her salmon recipes. http://whatdidyoueat.typepad.com/what_did_you_eat/fish/index.html
Hope this helps. Everything looks delicious on your blog as well as Sher's. Thank you for posting.
Mandira
Missed your comment !!!!!!! Just now soaked the corriander seeds. Hope to sow it tomorrow or day after
Swapna
Guess both you and Mandira were writing comments while I was submitting, saw yours just now.
Bonnie
Thanks for your reply. Don't know how I missed her categories.
Just now checked Sher's salmon recipes. They sure are great
Sandeepa, can you please email me for the fish kebab recipe? I was checking but I don't see an email for you here. Mine is tasteslikehome@gmail.com
Your Picts make little cooling effect inside.I have 5 plants in my balcony but curryleaf plant already burnt,Al others are waiting to say Goodbye to me..So Sad!!.Here temp is above 40 degree C ..In this temperature also Poor kids are having classes and its really horrible to wait for bus in the noon time ...
THanks Cynthia. You are very kind, didn't want to bother you by e-mail, but if its ok shall send you a mail
KF
yeah its nice here now but don't worry in 5 months time we will be shivering
The spinach plants look quite healthy. Who cares how many sprouted, as long the ones who did sprout are healthy.
You like wild gardens? Come over to mine. It is quite wild due to very little tending.
beautiful!!!!! Sandeepa, I just love those new buds and blooms.
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