Our Savannah Land

Week 32	August 4, 2014	August 10, 2014

1.     Foreword:

Rainy season continues unabated. In addition to the previous week, there was continuous heavy downpour in the current week as well. It is very pleasant if sun doesn't come out and there is a light breeze too. However, if sun shows after the rains which usually is the case and there is no breeze either then one perspires uncontrollably on account of rise in humidity level. There is immense grass all around, both the miniature and giant type, giving the area around our farmhouse a Savannah like look.



The grass blades can be thick, needle thin, stiff or flowing. Right after the sun rise people riding their bicycles and armed with their sickles come in hordes to the Wakefield Gardens Farms to cut and fetch the grass for their live stock. Sometime they would come bringing in their horse driven carts for taking the cut grass away but mostly they would make do it on the back carriers of their bicycles. It is quite a sight to see them trying to paddle their heavily laden bicycles often with very considerable effort. The rainy season is a great boon for every one as virtually each household in the nearby villages (Pind Gakhra, Sultanpur and Usman Khatter) has at least one water buffalo or a cow, which produces rich, white heavenly milk for the household. As the fodder is in abundance and freely available too the milk gets measurably (a single buffalo can fetch upto 16 Kg of milk per day) enhanced. It is a source of earning as well as substantial quantities can be spared from the use of a household.

Our yard had remained submerged after heavy rains of the last week. It got inundated further after the downpour of the last three days. The out growth is dense. We don't enter the pulpy  area as our feet can easily sink deep into the muddy soil and then there is a danger of snakes too, which come out of their hideouts in this humid weather. Although we will talk about the fruits and vegetables in the making, there may still be not much to discuss. We may therefore continue looking at the greens and may also search new topics to keep the interest alive. Starting the current week, we will take up a new talking point: "The Family Event (s)" allowing us to celebrate the birthdays and anniversaries of our loved ones as they come along, in the truest traditions of our family.

2.     Ever Green Non Flowering Trees/Shrubs:

2.1.  Junipers:

Junipers are coniferous plants belonging to the Cypress or Cedar family. They have two types of leaves: young, or juvenile and adult. Young leaves are like needles and adult leaves are like scales. At our farm, we have two types of Juniper trees. The Type:1 is Skyrocket Juniper. It has a tall and extremely narrow, columnar growth habit with striking silvery blue foliage. The leaves are up right. There are number of these along the right boundary wall as one enters the main gate. These give the driveway a stately look. The other type is of pyramid shape, with slightly different flat leaves structure. The leaves of this Juniper are pale yellow in colour. All Junipers have berry like fruit, which is not a true berry but a cone with unusually fleshy and merged scales, which give it a berry-like appearance.

Read more at:

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniper

3.     Fruits of Season:

3.1.  First Look at the Oranges:

Although the season of citrus fruits e.g., Khanpur Oranges, Grape Fruit, Fruiter  and Kinoo is still at least 3-4 months ahead, we can see them enlarging and growing in size. Here we can have our first look at them. We will keep visiting them from time to time until they turn golden yellow, ready to be picked.

4.     Vegetables of Season:

4.1.   Bitter Gourd:

The bitter gourd is known as “Karela” in urdu. Besides bitter gourd, it is also called biter melon and bitter squash in english.They are dark or light green in colour depending on the region where they are 

grown. Though they taste very bitter, they are filled with many beneficial antioxidants and essential vitamins. In our blog post dated June 21, we said we were about to have our first harvest of bitter gourd but then it became so hot that all that got stunted and died up in-situ and we never had the pleasure of enjoying the bitter vegetable that it is. Now in the midst of monsoon season and high humidity that persists without any break, the bitter gourd vine seem to have magically revived with plenty of flowering and fruit large and small hanging from the trellis.

Read more at:

http://www.stylecraze.com/articles/amazing-benefits-of-bitter-melonbitter-gourd/

5.    Family Event (s):
5.1  Hiba's Birthday: Saturday, August 9

Ever adorable, Hiba is one of our many very sweet and lovely grand daughters. Coincidentally She is the second child of our second son Omar and second daughter in-law Sadaf.  She was born in Karachi in 2003 but spent her early childhood that included crawling, babbling, standing on her feet and the phase of learning to walk unaided besides starting to utter a few syllables of words with us when we lived in Fizaia and subsequently in Falcon Complex, Rawalpindi. From the very beginning she appeared to be on her own. Before starting to walk, she would crouch on the floor and in that posture she would crawl fast where ever she wished to move. She started taking her meals using a spoon from the very early days and even before she could standup and walk. She started going to school when still with us but immediately thereafter Omar was posted out to Chunian Cantonment and later to Shorekot Air Base and then to the Faisal Airbase, Karachi. She accordingly has been attending schools belonging altogether to very different and varied environment and cultural setups. This has helped in building up a personality of her own. Unlike many a girls of her age, she takes good care of herself and would appear to be on the ready right from the first thing in the morning. She's attentive and very caring indeed. As in the picture above, she is always smiling. I have never seen her brooding or agitating about any matter! Her Dadi often reflects, oh! Hiba, she's so loving! In the following picture taken at our farmhouse, this Eid, Hiba occupies centre stage with her siblings and parents.

Hiba has grown into an amicably mannered and well disciplined young girl. Away from us now for over 6-7 years, she goes to the Army Public Schol in Karachi and has recently been promoted to class sixth. As her elder brother Hamza, she too is a high scoring child masha Allah. She invariably scores more than 95% marks on the aggregate but would fail to secure first position in her class. What a pity! we all would say and she will quietly smile before slipping away! She's a great help to Sadaf both in the kitchen and looking after other chores in the house including taking care of her baby brother Yahya when she's at home. Her greatest fan is her cousin younger sister Inaya, who calls her Ba'a. Her Dadi lovingly addresses her 'Meri Hiboo' or just Hibbs.

Hiba is one child about whom I can say, she insha Allah would turn into a graceful lady. She would make her name and will become famous in the profession she will choose for herself. A true torch bearer of the house of Iqbals. This surely is also my prayer for her.

Happy birthday Hiba!