Tag: Weekly photo challenge

Diwali is an ancient Hindu festival which is celebrated every year during autumn. This year Diwali falls on October 30. The celebrations include millions of lights shining on housetops, outside doors, and windows, around temples and other buildings in the communities and countries wherever it is observed. Diwali is a festival of lights- Diyas, lanterns, and serial lights. Celebrating Diwali is impossible without having these items lined up at home, having the bright light fill up the room and bringing a happy glow on people’s faces.

A Diya is a small earthen lamp that is particularly lit on Diwali for ‘pujan’ and decoration purposes. A cotton wick is used in diyas, and oil or ghee serves as the burning fuel. Diyas are plain and colored, big and small, simple and fancy, and so on. The markets are flooded with various types of gifts, decoration, and puja items. The crafted and designer diyas are one of the big attractions in such markets. Diyas embellished with zari, painted patterns, mirrors, etc. are quite enticing by their very appearance.

Here are 5 unique and colorful #diyas for #Diwali

Terracotta Diya- The material is Terracotta and multicolored. The package consists of 4 Diyas and 4 Cotton wick with gold tinsel Swastik borders and purple, yellow, green and red pear-shaped centers.

Exquisite Hand Crafted Festive Decor Crystal Floating Diya (tealight candle holder), clear transparent crystal – Elegant and tastefully decorated floating tealight holder for adding a festive touch to your home. You can either float this in water or use on floor/table, looks great both ways. It enhances the festive look of your home or Puja room. Decorated with colorful and attractive multi-color stones.
It is a must to have in festive seasons. Also, makes a great Gift to your near and dear ones. It is handcrafted to perfection, by the skilled artisans of India.

10 beautiful hand painted Diya candles- It is suitable for Indoor use, on a decorative shelf or in Puja. It is handmade in India.

Swanky home decor LED light Diwali Diyas Shine

Diwali Decoration lights It is multi-coloured LED Colour Changing Tealights- Has On/off Switch at Bottom and is ideal for Pooja decoration in Diwali.

Earthern oil handcrafted Diwali Diyas shine

Colorful Earthen Oil Lamps Hand Crafted Diwali Diya with Studded Stones– You can place Diwali diyas at your doorsteps, windows, balcony or temple for Diwali decoration. Handcrafted out of the finest quality of clay by the skilled endowed artisans of India. Let your world be illuminated by the festive collection of colorful Diwali Diya. They are hand painted with gorgeous colors and would look great incorporated in any home decor theme.

All of the above ‘Diyas’ are available on Amazon. So, shop now for Diwali Hampers- Kaju Katli and Set of 6 Diyas.
The sun does not shine there, nor does the moon and the stars, nor do lightning shine?
All the lights of the world cannot be compared even to a ray of the inner light of the Self.
Merge yourself in this light of lights and enjoy the supreme Deepavali

Celebrate Diwali – Let Your Light Shine.

Rare Vintage cars at Vintage Car Museum

August 24, 2016

Kash Pals

Travel Within India 8 Comments

At a Vintage Car Museum that we visited we saw over 100 finest rare vintage cars in the world from Rolls-Royce’s, Bentley’s, Daimler’s, Mercedes’s, Maybach, Packard’s, Cadillac’s, Buick’s, Auburn’s, Cord, Lancia’s, Lincoln’s, Chryslers and many other distinguished makes from the USA, UK & Europe. Most of the cars are coach built by renowned coachbuilders like Hooper, Barker, Gurney-Nutting, Fleetwood etc. They are all hand-built to individual specifications of the buyer. Special cars like Limousines & Grand open Tours are used for ceremonial Occasions. Convertible cars for evening drives, station wagons like boats as well as like a horse-drawn carriage specially built for the family’s evening drives in the Dastan estate.

These collections have been built by the family of Shri Pranlal Bhogilal over the last century. This museum portrays that time of the Automobile industry when cars were not just used for transportation but for their prestige and gave an indication of the owner’s status.

If you’re a vintage car lover, then you should not miss out this place. Cars are in excellent condition. The museum also has some old muscles bikes, old ambulance and animal drawn carts.

Daimler-1911–

During the Edwardian era (1905-1918), Daimler licensed and developed the Knight sleeve-valve system. Also during this era, Daimler switched from chain to shaft drive, first using conventional bevel gears, and then, from 1909, using worm gears.

Rolls Royce 1936

Rolls Royce -Phantom III- rare vintage cars — Rolls Royce phantom III

The Rolls-Royce Phantom III was the final large pre-war Rolls-Royce. Introduced in 1936, it replaced the Phantom II and it was the only V12 Rolls-Royce until the 1998 introduction of the Silver Seraph. 727 V12 Phantom III chassis were constructed from 1936 to 1939, and many have survived. Although chassis production ceased in 1939 (with one final chassis being built-in 1940), cars were still being bodied and delivered in 1940 and 1941. The very last car, though completed in 1941, was not delivered to its owner until 1947.

Packard 1938

The Packard Eight was a luxury automobile produced by Packard between 1930 and 1938.

The Packard began its life in the early 1890’s when Ward Packard first got the idea to build a motor car. In 1903 the Packard Motor Car Company was formed.

By 1909 Packard was one of the major automobile manufacturers in America.

By 1925 Packard was the indisputable leader in the field of prestige automobiles.

Cadillac 1939

Cadilac-1939-rare vintage cars — Cadilac-1939

The Cadillac Sixty Special name has been used by Cadillac to denote a special model since the 1938 Harley Earl-Bill Mitchell-designed Series 60 derivative. The Sixty Special name would soon be synonymous for some of Cadillac’s most luxurious vehicles.

The Series 60 was replaced by the 126-inch-wheelbase Series 61, offering the same body types and many of the Sixty-Special’s appearance features. Common to all 1939 Cadillacs was a redesigned dashboard, newly optional vacuum-operated radio antenna, rubber rear fender protectors, and something called “Controlled-Action Ride,” a reference to a higher rear axle rotation centre claimed to enhance ride comfort.

Mercedes-Benz 1955

The Ponton was Daimler-Benz’s first totally new Mercedes-Benz series of passenger vehicles produced after World War II. In July 1953, the cars replaced the pre-war designed Type 170 series and were the bulk of the automaker’s production through 1959, though some models lasted through 1962.

The nickname comes from the German word for “pontoon” and refers to one definition of pontoon fenders — and a post-war styling trend subsequently called ponton styling.

The Ponton models were replaced by the “Heckflosse” or “Fintail” models.

Aren’t these cars Rare now?

Sources: –Daimler UK

Rolls-Royce

Rolls Royce III

Packard

Cadillac sixty special

Cadillac history 1939

Mercedes -Benz Ponton

Entertaining with Cheese

August 16, 2016

Kash Pals

Food Weekly photo challenge 2 Comments

There are innumerable ways to enjoy cheese, the best and simplest way is a sampling of cheeses on a platter with all the trimmings. An extravagant wedding reception, a fine dinner party or a buffet at a star hotel, a store opening or even a baby shower nowadays will definitely sport a cheese platter with a delectable variety on it. The mouth-watering savoury taste of cheese has made it the go-to appetiser.

Cheese is more popular today than ever. Although at some point of time cheese did have its own course, today one can find that it is at 35,000 feet in first class cabins where it is served as a course on the menu. The relaxed formalities of today mean the cheese course at the dinner table is rather rare but has become popular during cocktail hour at parties.

Cheese as part of the hors d’oeuvres course is wonderful and extremely practical, because, once it is served it does not require any further fuss or effort from the host or hostess. But if you do plan to serve a cheese platter for your party it is important to get it right. The most important detail when serving cheese is to serve it at room temperature. When slicing cheese, include both the heart and the rind so everyone can enjoy an equal share of the various flavours, though the way cheese is served largely depends on its shape and texture.

Round cheeses like brie and camembert can be served by cutting little wedges or triangles and emmental can be served by cutting it into thin slices. When making a cheese platter, you should present a variety of cheese- a soft cheese (brie), a hard cheese (an aged cheddar), and for the less adventurous include some mild cheese and for the adventurous include some kind of sharp cheese like blue.

You won’t be able to dictate how your guests sample your cheese selection, but a beautiful cheese platter presentation says everything about you as a host or hostess. Make sure you have plenty of small plates and cocktail napkins for guests to serve themselves along with a separate knife per cheese with plenty of fresh fruits like grapes and some dried figs or apricots along with a selection of fresh fine breads and crackers as accompaniments.

Emmental cheese — Emmental de Savoie. Pierre-Yves Beaudouin / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA 4.0

A simple tip when arranging a cheese platter cut just a few slices of bread at a time as bread can go stale very quickly, you could leave a cutting board and knife with the loaf for guests to help themselves. But this humble dairy product, made from pressed curd of milk, doesn’t just marry up with dips, crackers and fine wine.

Cooking with cheese takes it to a whole new level. Not just sprinkling some mozzarella over your pizza or some cheddar on your au gratin but try to include cheese in everything from your casseroles to sauces and salads.

But there is always the dilemma which cheese do I use? Some tasty trusty cheddar, ricotta, feta, goat’s soft cheese, hard cheese, or blue cheese…now that we can easily find hundreds of varieties of cheese at the supermarkets – well, they each lend themselves perfectly to being cooked in different dishes as per the demands of the recipe. Hard cheeses include cheddar, parmesan and Swiss. Soft cheeses include feta, ricotta and brie, while blue cheeses include Stilton, Roquefort and gorgonzola.

Cheddar cheese — sweet dreams are made of cheese Who am I to disagree? Travel the world and the seven seas Everybody’s looking for Cheddar Image credit- Robert Couse-Baker- flickr.com

Cheddar firm texture and sharp taste make it perfect for cooking in skillet recipes, casseroles and even savoury cheesecakes as well as desserts. The slightly tangy and sharp flavour of parmesan makes it a great combination with vegetables and tomato based sauces. The mild, sweet flavour and silky texture of Swiss would work well in a Quiche or pies or even in a fondue, thanks to its excellent melting capabilities.

Goat’s cheese, with its slight tangy and buttery consistency, is wonderful when cooked with lentils, or sprinkled over a risotto or with a beetroot or spinach salad. The super sharp, ripe taste of blue cheese works great in a lasagna with walnuts or a mushroom pasta bake or a delicious garnish with a pumpkin or broccoli soup. Different cheeses respond differently to heat, so before you go on a conquest of experimenting it would be better to try some tried and tested recipes first.

Then once you have mastered the tastes and textures you can go wild with all the choices but also remember everyone’s taste buds are different and unique, so you can’t go wrong.

Cooking and serving cheese are Fun!.

How to entertain guests with a cheese platter?

In the Morning of Life

August 9, 2016

Kash Pals

Weekly photo challenge No Comments

As I rose in the Morning, with the first rays of the sun, nature brought in the fragrance of fresh flowers. The air around was cool and serene. I spotted this beautiful bird among the trees.

In the morning of life — Coppersmith Barbet

I recall these beautiful lines,

In the morning of life, when its cares are unknown,
And its pleasures in all their new lustre begin,
When we live in a bright-beaming world of our own,
And the light that surrounds us is all from within;
Oh ’tis not, believe me, in that happy time
We can love, as in hours of less transport we may; —
Of our smiles, of our hopes, ’tis the gay sunny prime,
But affection is truest when these fade away.
When we see the first glory of youth pass us by,
Like a leaf on the stream that will never return,
When our cup, which had sparkled with pleasure so high,
First tastes of the other, the dark-flowing urn;
Then, then in the time when affection holds sway
With a depth and a tenderness joy never knew;
Love, nursed among pleasures, is faithless as they,
But the love born of Sorrow, like Sorrow, is true.
In climes full of sunshine, though splendid the flowers,
Their sighs have no freshness, their odour no worth;
‘Tis the cloud and the mist of our own Isle of showers
That call the rich spirit of fragrancy forth.
So it is not ‘mid splendour, prosperity, mirth,
That the depth of Love’s generous spirit appears;
To the sunshine of smiles it may first owe its birth,
But the soul of its sweetness is drawn out by tears.