Bison Slumber Party

The Bison or Indian Gaur are frequent visitors to our property. They visit once every ten days.

Since the beginning of this year they've taken to spending the night on the lawn.    

This was the sight that greeted me this morning at 5.45 am. Five bison - a huge male, a calf, two juveniles and the mother of the calf. The calf was born on this lawn in late January.

They must find the lawn safe and secure.

The large male we have named Bhima. He's the one sitting down and stuck on one of his horns is a dried up tea bush if you please. A very curious sight.

Bhima sits unperturbed chewing the cud. Needless to say the lilies in the garden have been decimated. Bhima's weakness. 

At this time of year the Agapanthus lilies would have begun to bloom but what I'm left with are the bulbs with some short green stubs protruding from the bulbs.    

Bhima left with his tea bush crown.
I have a love hate relationship with the bison. Majestic creatures especially Bhima who is a fantstic specimen of an adult male bison with his black body rippling with muscles and distinctive white socks, one can't can't help but admire but I hate it that they come in and ruin my garden which I have been trying to develop for the past three years.
I hope the fence we're putting up will give the plants in my garden a chance to bloom and we'll still be able to see the bison when they graze on the opposite hill.
Welaro our home is truly a place where wild things wander.

Settling down

I thought I should say hello when I have access to wifi.

The move has been made from the plains to the hills and across state lines and we're in the process of settling down in the Nilgiris.

 One evening last week we spotted a bison (gaur) wandering through the tea bushes on the hill opposite our home. From the concrete jungle to the jungle itself.

 The discovery of strange insects on the spider plant. There's going to be much to discover in this new environment which will have an impact on my work.
Monsoon the fiber book is complete but I beg you to be patient just a little longer. In another week or two when things are out of cartons and everything has a place and hopefully the access to wifi is uninterrupted I'll post pictures of the little book.

Have a wonderful week.

Pen & Ink

Here are the pen and ink sketches I've been working on.

The Woodlands Big Bungalow was built in 1830 or so.

There's a monkey puzzle tree in the garden which is so tall it can be spotted from Doddabetta in Ooty. It was raining when I went to sketch this particular bungalow so I sat in the back of the Scorpio with the radio on, R was reading his book and we were served tea there by the butler.

Engifer the family cat at the home of the Managing Director came to inspect my progress.
There's a stunning garden in front of the bungalow with a beautiful lily pond and weeping willows. Bison are frequent visitors and can be found sitting on the lawn chewing the cud early in the morning.
The Manar Bungalow
Elephants come to eat the Jackfruit when the tree at the back of the house bears fruit. There's a lot of wildlife on the Craigmore property. Bison can be seen grazing in the tea fields at all times of night and day, camera traps set up by WWF to map the flora and fauna on Craigmore have captured leopards and panthers. Tiger has been sighted but has not been captured on film.
The Halashana Bungalow
A large garden umbrella was found to protect me and the sketch from the unpredictable weather so I could continue my sketching unhindered for two or three hours at a stretch. Garden umbrella, folding chair and table became a part of the standard equipment which were loaded into the Scorpio every morning.
The Craigmore Tea Factory. R's first visit to a tea factory to see how Orthodox tea is manufactured.
I sat in the tea fields under a garden umbrella, listening to my ipod while sketching the factory. Inspite of the garden umbrella I got sun burnt.

Must say this has been the most luxurious assignment I've had to date.

The Nilgiris

The last little holiday for 2007 was in Coonoor. We drove up on Boxing Day and stayed for two days. Winter days are fantastic - crisp mornings, beautiful blue skies with not a single cloud, lazy afternoons sitting in the sun and cold freezing nights.

Lunch at Shinkows - 13A - Chilli Chicken, traffic jam on the Ooty-Coonoor road so we had to go via Kattabettu, Cottage No.2,R played golf in the mornings, I sat out in the lawns and worked on my sampler, afternoon nap, Ketti to see T's new house, Benazir Bhutto assasinated - Pakistan in turmoil, watched a herd of Bison come out of the forest and graze on the hill opposite the golf course, drinks & dinner with friends at Coonoor Club, set off after breakfast, lots of traffic on the Seegur Ghats, no animal sightings in Mudumalai and Bandipur,tiffin at Kamats and back home safe by 6pm.

Came across this Bougainvillea on the roadside in Masanagudi.This is the most spectacular Bougainvillea I've ever seen.It's a little tree.

The 3rd hole.

On the way up to the 5th Hole

The 5th Hole - Almost a Hole in One

6th Hole

There's a whole hedge of Aloe Vera at the WGC, another first I've seen.

Is this a Camellia or a Magnolia? Beautiful, there was a bush of the same flowers in Hatherly.