Childrens park, Yahellawaththe, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

A quiet contryside park for children to play and listen to birdsong.

Scorpion orchids in bloom.

These Scorpion orchids are in full bloom in our garden at Avissawella now.

'Black-capped' or 'Black-crested' Bulbul.

I saw this relatively rare type of Bulbul at Yahellawaththe, in Avissawella, Photo by Charaka on a Fuji Finepix.

Wooden frame used for a 'pillow-fight' contest, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

A 'pillow-fighting' contest is held as part of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations in Sri Lanka. The two contestants sit astride the wooden trunk, facing each other. Each has a pillow on one hand and the other hand holds his hip on the same side. The idea is to knock the oppponent down from the bar using the pillow as a weapon. The contest creates a lot of hilarity among the spectators. My brother Saba, resident in Germany from 1972 introduced this in one of their village fairs. It was received very enthusiastically.

A loverly bunch of 'King coconuts' - Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

The ripe king coconuts are sold for Rs.5/- to Rs.9/- while still on the tree. They are then plucked and transported to the wayside where they are sold for anything between Rs.15/- to Rs.20/-. The prices go up during the hot days. By comparison a one litre bottle of Coca Cola sells for Rs.100/-.
Wish you all a happy 'Aluth Avuruddha' - 'Puthu varudam'.