CROCUS, and what we did in the vacation

It has been a busy few weeks.

First, there was all the preparation for CROCUS, the online bookfest at Saffron Tree, the kidlit site I write for. There were themes to decide, books to search for and zero in on, interesting discussions about our books across the ST board, finalising our choices and then working on them. I found wonderful books, just what the theme ordered for. I enjoyed researching for and reading up about the themes, reading the books myself and with A. I enjoyed discussing the books with her, getting her points of view. She was fascinated by them, and has been dipping into them again and again-just what the books need you to do. She even used them in her imaginative play with her friend W, who had come over to spend the day during the vacation. Then there was the drafting and re-drafting of the reviews, racing to meet the deadline set by Prabha Ram and Ranjani. It was wonderful!

We also met friends over the vacation.

We met a blogger friend Arundhati and her son P. Arundhati was just as I visualised her to be, calm and collected. P was so adorable, watching us speak with big wide eyes. A was very taken with him, finding him extremely quiet in comparison to her constant chatter. I had to remind her that she was much the same at his age.

A's friend S, whose mother P is also a very close friend, had a 10th birthday on 10-10-10. P and I had a blast planning for her party together, having discussions about themes and return gifts and food and venue. The party was finally held at a farmhouse nearby, and both kids and parents enjoyed themselves out in the open air. The weather gods were good to us, and it was a pleasant, not too sunny day. The food was also very yum, with noodles, mini-pizzas, and chocolate mousse for kids and chola, paneer matar, methi parathas and moong dal halwa for adults. All pure veg. Of course, everyone ate whatever they wanted. There was also the very scrumptious chocolate cake made with atta instead of maida, eggless, of course, which was baked at home by P's sister N, in the shape of a big 10. Yum yum. Of course we gorged on everything without counting the calories. And had some cake and moong dal halwa for a takeaway.

A, another school friend of A, whose mother R is also a good friend, came over one day at tea time, so that the girls could finish a project they had as vacation homework. So while the girls worked, we ladies had a yak over tea. It was fun.

Then there was a visit to the library, where there was a storytelling session by Muriel Bloch, who told us wonderful stories, and stories about storytelling. Also chanced to meet Ssstoryteller there, a blogger I have admired for some time. It was wonderful meetting her there, and we both have daughters the same age, and she also has been following ST for some time now.

Many books have been read over the vacation. Harry Potter? We are halfway through book 4 now, as part of our read aloud sessions at home. In all this, vacation homework took a back seat, and we had a showdown and a marathon session on the friday before the last weekend of the vacation. Did manage to finish, so we had a chilled out weekend with friends and family.

And now CROCUS is in full bloom. Enjoying every bit of it. Please do visit.



See you there!