Floral Curtains and the lovely village of Keechery

My grandfather's brother's house in the beautiful village of Keechery, an idyllic village full of rubber trees, coconut trees, paddy fields, and undulating roads was a very beautiful home. The dining room had very cheerful looking floral curtains. I have many fond memories of visiting my grandfather's brother's home in this village as a child. The second you look at the curtains there is a cheerful feel. It had pictures of flowers or butterflies. My mother liked the curtains and complimented my uncle for buying such pretty fabric. I like floral curtains too. Because of the thick fabric they may work well during winter as well. Here are a few floral curtains I found in the internet styled presumably in US settings.

Of all these curtains this one reminds me most of the one's in my grandfather's brother's home.

My grandfather's younger brother was married to my maternal grandmother's younger sister. So when we visited we got extra love from my grandfather's younger brother and my grandmother's younger sister.

The sad part is that no one lives there now. All my grandfather's younger brother's children and grand children live in the city of Ernakulam and some are in the US and some in Canada.

The long drive to Keechery from Ernakulam was equally enjoyable because we get to listen to the older generation talking and at the same time look at the kerala scenery. This is probably the rationale or meaning of the quote that the journey is as great as the destination.

A picture from the internet of a road with trees on the side which was how lots of the topography looked during the drive from ernakulam to kochi.

In my grandfather's younger brother's house the outside is as beautiful as the inside. The outside has cows, paddy fields, chickens, rubber trees and there is so much to see for a child. We can watch the chettan who cuts the trunk of the rubber tree to collect the white sticky sap. This is collected in coconut shells placed just under the cut. The sap then becomes a rubber sheet. In the shed outside it is set to dry on ropes like clothes on a clothesline. We can watch all this. We can watch the cows and feed hay to the cows. We can talk to the servants outside the house who would be busy with many chores.

We would spend a good five hours or so there and come back to Ernakulam our hearts brimming with love.

During summer vacation I have stayed there for a week or so and then I go to church every day with my grandmother's younger sister and my aunt whom I call Mercy chechi. The walk to the church is even more wonderful. There is a path through the rubber trees.

My grandmother's younger sister makes the best Syrian christian snacks. At tea time everyone comes to the dining table which is arrayed with plates of one dish or another. We try out the various snacks and sip on our tea. The conversation and the joy is so much yet no one feels overwhelmed because it is normal.