“Honouring this beautiful, blue planet that dispenses with open arms; the air we breath, the water we are made of, the fire that blazes in our bellies, and the guardians of this planet that watch over us.”
Natasha Musing
I’m back with Wanderlust Chronicles II, the sequel to the much promised post from December 2023. I know, I know; this has taken forever (4 months to be precise) but I’m sticking to this commitment, as promised in my WOTY post.
This narrative takes you back to trips I made from April -December 2023. Most of the images here are a tribute, befitting if I may say so, to Gaia or Mother Earth and celebrates the vastness and expansiveness she unconditionally offers. This, not just because we recently celebrated Earth day, but because I believe in celebrating the beauty of this planet every single, moment and day.
We left you at April 2023 in the Wanderlust Chronicles I, therefore sharing from May 2023 onwards.
May
I’d returned in April from the forests, armed with my learnings of Telepathic interspecies communication. This image was from a trip to Lucknow, our home town, where I once again utilised my skills to communicate with a dragon fly. The first time I realised I could speak to other species was when I spoke a dragon fly in Kashmir, back in 2021. This picture features my younger one’s hand, as she also applied Mommies newly minted skills. 🙂
A tree outside the same park where we had conversations and chai with the dragonfly. It says in Hindi: Thought for Today, “Welcome all experiences. Who knows which experience will change your life forever.”
A paint-brushed, glorious morning sky from our terrace at Lucknow.
Celebrating the sky with Yoga and Mishka.
We returned home to a serene sunset and an ochre brushed sky such as this. From our 15th floor.
June
June was a challenging month, but not the kind of challenges that can’t be conquered. Being close to nature helped alleviate a whole lot of stuff.
A flourishing cactus at the Sahyadari hills, on my few weeks at the Krishnamurthi Foundation of India, the younger one’s then boarding school.
The meandering walks by the hill-top of Bheema river was solace to the soul and healing for one’s being.
This beautiful butterfly shaped plant in the rain drenched Sahyadari hills, was such a sight to behold.
This meadow strewn with gulmohar flowers and purple flowers that trailed around a trellis, made for a superemely meditative morning.
July
On a road trip from KFI to Bheema river, downhill.
A gorgeous snail slithers on the rocky hillside.
Watching a Bhrama Kamal bloom, in the KFI school premises was my high point from July and my life in general. I’d wanted to witness this miracle forever. You ask and the universe gives. This one’s from a friend’s balcony in Banglore. To read more about this divine flower, click here.
Met Mr Melt-Your-Heart-Eyes, that literally bumped my heart to my shoulders; enroute Bheema river, outside a Shiva temple. If this isn’t love, I don’t know what is!
A road trip from Sahyadari hills to the Sai Baba temple in Shirdi, was another earthly wish that came true in 2023. I had manifested this two decades ago with a dear friend. And guess what, we made this happen.
Even the skies were bestowing their blessings upon us as we drove through these alluring roads. The candy floss clouds it seemed wanted to woe and entice us all the way.
Tiny mushrooms making their presence felt, when I returned from Shirdi to the KFI school. Life’s immense blessings.
Home coming to this blessed quote that I savoured with my morning cuppa. This is Young Pueblo’s book Lighter.
August
In August we returned to the 15 year-old’s school again for her grade’s incredible theater performance. Chanced upon this at a serene, vegan cafe in Pune, before we headed for Sahyadari. It depicts and encompasses all the sounds, symbols and feelings associated with the 7 chakras, in our body.
After many, many decades dabbled in water colours and made this painting at the Sahydari school art room.
August was about experementing with the brush. Painted another piece inspired by the younger one’s art project. Sweet reminder: get back to making art!
September
This beauty landed up at our Lucknow home, when we went visiting to look up Dad and celebrate my nephews’s betrothal. Wanderlust indeed.
A Blue- Tailed Bee Eater from our birding walks.
Common Starlings or European Starlings having a field day. Photo credits: Lokhit Rajan
October
A street side hair salon in Bombay, As local as it can get. This was a lovely trip to the Maximum city.
My lovely Airbnb accommodation hosted by Akram and Ankita at Versova Bombay, facing the majestic Arabian Sea.
My bestie’s adorable cat, in Bombay.
My favourite thing to do. Hugging and talking to trees, after a super enriching nature walk that I wrote about here.
I now realise that Wanderlust Chronicles II will become way longer than I had intended it to be. That too, if I go on to include the last two months of the 2023. Primarily because November-December where about exploring the wilderness. There are quite a few images and stories which I don’t wish to bury under a flurry of images.
I therefore hope you will wait for next week, for me to unfurl them. No I won’t postpone posting any more. 🙂 I need to be back to my blogging; to reclaim my own self, and this little scared space I so love, including all my friends in this virtual world.
Wishing you a blessed, restful, rest of the week.
See you sooner, than soonest.
Love, light, laughter galore.
Natasha ♥
*Feature image: Common Moorhen by the 15 year-old, from our upcoming chronicles.
Have always found Enya’s music soothing and healing, including the one’s she sings in Aramaic, Jesus Christ’s language. Therefore sharing this album. After all the earth and we all need much healing and good vibes.
