Where the Wild Things are

At my new home in the hills I've been snapping pictures of the little wild things I discover most mornings on the french doors and on the verandah.   

From being an apartment dweller in a metropolis  for the past ten years, I'm enjoying discovering forms, patterns and textures from the natural world which present themselves. Unexpected surprises.

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.

Capturing Craigmore in Watercolours

Its February and I haven't got around to the post about the two weeks spent in Craigmore in the Nilgiris painting watercolours. This was the second part of the assignment, this is part 1 and here is what was done.  

I developed a horrible dry cough just before leaving on this trip but the weather was fabulous in January and the sun kept me warm and comfortable while I sat and painted. 

There are a number of bungalows on the estate and this one is Bear's Hill Bungalow. There must be bears on that hill though we didn't see any. There's an ongoing project to record the wildlife on the property  using camera traps in collaboration with WWF, India.    

This is the Woodland Small bungalow, the Assistant Manager for Woodland Estate gets to live here.

Here too the occupant of the bungalow was away on annual leave so we didn't get in the way and we still got to use the rest room because his butler was there. Its only on the estates that one finds butlers, cooks and bungalow boys, its like living in a different period altogether but things are changing and the butlers and a good cook is difficult to find.   

Little temples are dotted about the estate and are an integral part of the workers lives .

Close by were houses for the estate workers a number of whom have come all the way from Jharkhand.

The Chairman's bungalow.This bungalow has the most amazing garden with some very unusual plants and shrubs and some fantastic specimens of the monkey puzzle tree, weeping willow and jacaranda. Four or five gardeners toil daily to maintain it. This is where we were put up for the duration of our stay. 

Most of the estate roads are lined with poinsettias which were still in bloom in January, its such a pretty sight.  The Jacaranda trees were just beginning to bloom, in another month it will be an awesome sight to see hillsides clothed in a purple haze and roads carpeted in violet blooms.

Trees are bursting into bloom in Bangalore too, right now its the pink of the tabebuia rosea next it will be the turn of the tabebuia aurea  which is yellow. Spring is here and summer is fast approaching because the days are hot. Hot enough to go for a swim in the afternoon.  

Have a great weekend.  

Craigmore

This is where I currently reside. Its temporary but absolute bliss and I'm soaking it all in - fresh mountain air, sumptuous meals which I don't have to whip up, beds turned down at night, a bell to ask for more green tea.... I can go on and on. Its the most luxurious assignment I've been on to date and I'm getting used to it at an alarming rate, I have to keep reminding myself its temporary.
The assignment is to make pen and ink sketches of bungalows and factories on Craigmore tea estate and paint watercolours of the stunning landscape. Craigmore has been in existence since 1884. The Chairman's bungalow is the first in the series of pen and ink sketches and I've photographed it on a red oxide floor which is characteristic of old estate bungalows. Someone decided to walk all over my sketch, can you spot the centipede or is it a millipede? Partial view of the verandah and the garden. The trees are grand and gorgeous, all a part of the quaint lifestyle on a tea estate. I'll be sharing more glimpses of this life in posts to come.

It's time for evening tea.I hope you're week is magical.

Elephas maximus - up close and personal

Our safaris into the jungle have always been rewarding with some spectacular sightings. So, it was with great anticipation that we drove down the Sigur Ghats in the Nilgiris to meet friends staying at Tusker Trails in Bandipur National Park.

Close to two hours and we had left the winding ghat roads and hairpin bends behind and R decided to stop and answer nature's call before we got to the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. R got back rather quickly and told me there was a tusker standing behind a spindly tree. I turned and just then the large tusker stepped out onto the road and turned to face the back of the car.

I had the camera in my hand but it was forgotten as we watched to see whether the tusker would charge. Lone tuskers are unpredictable and therefore dangerous. We obviously weren't perceived as a threat because in thirty seconds it turned and crossed the road to the scrub land on the other side. That was a little too close for comfort but suprisingly both of us were calm and I remember there being some discussion about taking photographs.

It was a massive specimen with long tusks pretty much like the one in this picture and R didn't have even the slightest inkling of its presence just ten feet away from him, until, he happened to glance to his left to see if he could discover the source of a strong animal odour.

The evening safari brought more elephants. Cows with their young calves, not sure what to expect of the large contraption which heaves and jolts down the jungle tracks.

This little fellow came out of the thick jungle and was feeding quite happily, unperturbed by the rumblings of the open truck we were in.

Another pair of young mothers and calves at a salt lick. The calves are behind a thicket of bamboo.

This encounter with the elephant is another first for us and we hope it will stay that way. Any guesses what we were thankful for this Thanksgiving weekend?

Next post will be a tame one related to fiber and book making I promise.

I'm back

It's good to be back home, sleeping in your own bed and settling back into a familiar routine.

The Great Driving Challenge which took over our lives for the past month has drawn to a close for R and me. I'd like to thank all of you who supported us, can't tell you how much it meant to us to make it to the semi finals. We got to meet and interact with a number of interesting people and came away with an all expenses paid holiday at Fort Aguada, Goa even though we didn't make it to the top three. The travel bug has bitten us. We got off the plane from Mumbai and got home long enough to repack our bags and set off by car for a long weekend in theNilgiris with family and there's Goa to look forward to in September. When it rains it pours.

One week away and I've discovered significant changes around me. Some like my google reader which was close to exploding with 250 unread posts was quite over whelming. My blog now has 56 followers, which is a pleasant surprise and my plants are multiplying and growing so I must be doing something right. All very gratifying.

I've begun a fibre book inspired by our love for biryani. Come back and visit, I don't foresee disappearing and leaving my blogs unattended for a while to come.