Spring imparts a Midas touch as almost everything which is supposed to bloom, blooms. And, its thanks to the magic of Spring that there is a veritable feast for eyes which I share here as a part of GBBD started by Carol of Maydreamgardens:
Dimorphotheca
Gazania
Lemon Bloom
Begonias
Bottle Brush
Rose
Dahlias
Ice Flower
A rose bud with Marigolds in background
Brachycomes and Kalanchoe
Poppies
Nasturtium with Verbenas
Here in my city in addition to the local nurseries we have vendors who go from house to house selling plants. Earlier I used to be in doubt about the range and viability of plants available with them. But these Nemesias which I bought from one such door to door vendor forced me to change my opinion as the plant is doing very well. It also taught me a lesson to not to trust illogical preformed beliefs rather to try and find out things after experiencing them.
Camellias, I was made to believe by gardening books, doesn’t like warm temperatures. But as the latest theme at Indigarden was to learn things the hard way i.e. by doing them, I decided to give it a try and brought it home from local nursery. To be fair to the gardening literature this pretty plant did keep lying dormant through the months of March to November, and it was the cold of December which made the beauty feel at home and showed signs of change manifesting in a marvellous bloom in February.
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The Cornflowers...
...the purple Salvias
...and the Brachycomes, were all passalongs, gifted by the gardener at my workplace. I had planted them with special care befitting the affection with which they were given to me. And, thankfully, they have bloomed gorgeously.
I guess it will be sometime before, thanks to modern developments in genetic engineering, that we will be able to grow all existing variety of plants and vegetables in any climate zone. Till then, sadly, I will never be able to grow my own orchids. But, there is this ‘Poor man’s orchid’-Schizanthus which is doing very well here and providing succor to my soul in the absence of the real thing. 
But I have been definitely able to grow something which till now didn’t belong here and whose first inflorescence I harvested today. This lovely powerhouse of a vegetable is a relatively recent addition to Indian cuisine, and is still not available easily in my city. I think my local nursery man gauged the changing tastes before the vegetable vendors could, and thanks to his foresight I got the seedlings which grew into a healthy looking inflorescence.
Planting a new seedling is almost like a cute suspense movie where the final plot is truly revealed only after the bloom, and when these little additions to my floral kitty bloom, they make me jump with a child like joy.
And then there are those, like Camelias, which will make their first appearance in my garden this spring. 
The Annuals which were planted way back in November will now get a chance to show off their blooms. It almost seems like nature’s way of providing delayed gratification to a gardener for having observed restraint throughout the winters. And isn't it gratifying to see the blooming Calendula which appears to radiate a gorgeous glow from inside...
Spring has traditionally been represented with the color yellow, and the nausturtium along with the calendula is an apt representation of the season. I was gifted the seeds by a patient which was her way of showing gratitude. But as I see it bloom I feel more grateful to her, than she would have, for this lovely gift.
Within a fortnight the theme of the garden has changed from the monochrome of Winters to a riot of spring colors.
But everything is not as hunky dory as it appears, on closer look,I found the Hibiscus to be teeming with mealy bugs and it gave me jitters.Spring also brings some problems along with it!
Well, a few bugs cannot dilute the sweetness of spring and a good season has to be naturally loved by all life forms; be it bugs or mosquitoes. So they are welcome here provided they do not mess around much with my spring blooms.
That seems to be the sentiment of these pansies lost pensively in deep thought
The buds and the blooms, together on plants, offer a lovely present and promise an even better future.
Spring won’t last forever. And thankfully so. All good things loose their charm when they become a routine and we don’t want the charm of our precious spring season diluted…do we?
These were clicked when she was participating in various cultural events in her school: When she was blushing in blue for a group dance
and then, all dressed for a 'Hawaiian' theme party in the school. Call it the upside of globalization that you can have Hawaiian theme party for little kids in a School in India!
She was required to dress up as a Clown for a 'Clown Party'; I put several rags at my disposal to try to give the effect; the result - she did make me laugh:-D
There is my little Cinderella, all dressed up for the play...waiting for the fairy godmother and the pumpkin coach...to unite with her prince charming,,,,
Life is all about counting one’s blessings, and to be a part of growing up process of such little saplings is a huge blessing. One fine day, all grown up, she’ll leave my nest to face destiny. But, in the process, will leave me with some wonderful memories of her childhood to delve on….
This time it was the ambience of the Hotel I stayed in that stole my heart. The taste of the Hotel Authorities in plants is really laudable. 
Last time when I stayed at the pink city, it was at Hotel Arya Niwas. But this time I couldn't get a booking there and was referred to another hotel under the same management, Tara Niwas. This one was an even better experience than the last one as it was in a quieter part of the city and was less crowded; just like a home away from home without the accompanying headache of preparing food and doing the dishes.
The place was full of tray gardens and rows of pots neatly arranged in a lush green lawn. I had my camera clicking the moment we stepped in.
On the very first day I found that I was not the only one in love with the ambience, this peacock had perched itself on the boundary wall to have a better view of the lawn.
Forts and palaces, malls and supermarkets, traditional and modern, everything coexists in this wondrous city.
At one of the palaces, I caught this representation of the old and mystic India, a snake charmer, trying to make the deadly reptile dance to his tunes. A sighting of the Great Indian Rope Trick would have completed the medieval mystic experience; sadly there was none to be seen.
Next day we set out for the twin religious places of Ajmer and Pushkar, which are around two hour drive from jaipur. Ajmer is best known for the dargah of Moinuddin Chishti, who was a muslim saint, but his dargah is revered by people of all the faiths alike. 
From Ajmer is a 30 minute drive to Pushkar which is again a religious place, mainly for the followers of Hindu religion. The drive from Ajmer to Pushkar passes through the picturesque Aravali Hills, a very old rocky formation.
According to the Hindu mythology, the holy Pushkar Lake was created by the lotus petals, which fell from the hands of Lord Brahma. The lake is considered as one of the most sacred spots.It is believed that no pilgrimage is complete without a holy dip in the sacred lake at Pushkar.
With this my trip came to an end. Sometimes I feel blessed to be born and living in a country which is so diverse and big that it is almost a continent in itself. The climate, culture, language, religion etc., changes totally as we travel from north to south or east to west, yet it is one entity, one administration, one country.
