An extract from my dairy OH LIFE (28/12/2013) Mt.Abu

Me & my Mac.

My Mac arrived on the 15th Feb 2012, it's a truly impressive machine. The clarity has me blown away. It features an array of awe-inspiring gadgets and software. Using this camera is like talking to friends and family from outer space; it should be a pleasure. I'll need some time to get used to "its" workings since it's quite different from Windows.

To be honest, I still miss my Win 7 operating system. I do have it installed in parallel with this Mac. Once in a while, I know I will have to fall back on it akin to visiting an ole mate who has shared my deepest and darkest secrets.

This sleek Mac reminds me of a striking woman with slender and sophisticated features. This makes me take notice right away, and yes, this is how I got hooked on this sleek Mac. It reminds me of Liz when I first met her after my jaunts around the world.

My roving days ended after meeting her. Could this be adieu to my window episode with this newfound OS?

As the year 2013 is ending, a lot has happened; my Mac is running like a champ, and Windows has disappeared with my upgrade to Maverick OSX. I’m still recovering from my near-death experience. I’m learning to adjust to life, using my walker to move around and of late learning to hobble without it. In this Abode, I miss my brisk walks in the jungles. I’m a staunch believer in the adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!! Slow Down! Life is not a race. It is a journey. So as we now journey into the New Year 2014 let me wish all you caring folks “A joyous and stress-FREE NEW YEAR 2014”

Zara and her cubs

Raving for ADVENTURE, click on the link above

Mount Abu an Update

Mount Abu an Update.A Horses Tale.

The Burning ghats of this area

We noticed two men trying to ride a horse up the steep steps going to the blazing Ghats of this location around 9 a.m.

The horse fell down these steps twice and somersaulted into the bushes below. It battled to its current position from there. Amit, an Abu vet, arrived to view the horse and informed the owners that the horse had a brain bleed. His compounders injected the horse with medication and then departed. The owner and a couple of his guests lingered for a while, perhaps waiting for the horse to get up and walk.

The Horse

Liz was seeing the animal suffer; she couldn't handle the sight. She called Kaizad, the guy in charge of the PFA, and asked him to look into the problem; he stated he couldn't do anything until the owner himself came forward and asked for his help. She immediately called the vet and asked him to put the suffering horse to sleep. He also stated that his hands were bound and that he couldn't do anything till the owner called him. She called Kaizad once again. He countered that the only thing he could do was notify the SDM Mount Abu, to which she answered, "Please do?" The clock has struck nine o'clock.

The horse is in horrible shape; one of its eyeballs has come out of its socket, and it occasionally goes into a severe spasm. I took a little video and will share it as soon as I upload it to my account.

The eyeball is under its head.

P.S.

The horse had to have died early in the morning. The jungle crows' "Kowws" at the crack of dawn, expressing the mood for an early breakfast, could be plainly heard. Fortunately, there aren't many jackals and hyenas in this region, or they'd have had a big feast during the night. The once-abundant vultures have vanished from this area. 

The municipal JVC arrived at 9 a.m. to transport the carcass to the landfills.

First Frost of the Season The Abode Mt.Abu

The Abode of Gods witnesses it's first frost for the winter season. It looks like we are gonna be in for an early winter. Time to take out the fire water !!!


CHEERS

Aqualine Monster breaks his boundaries Mt.Abu

A crocodile tale from Mount Abu.

I was limping down the creek in front of the home, stopping now and then to hammer away at each bird that crossed my path, when two village lads came up to me and inquired whether I was photographing the crocodile. “Crocodile!!!” I exclaimed, wondering what crocodile they were talking about.

They glanced at me, stunned by what I had just said: “Surely you’re joking, sir.” You’re after the crocodile. We observed it downstream earlier in the day; has it migrated up here? For the love of Mike, I was at a loss, and I believed the boys were making fun of me.

I smirked and informed the boys that if I saw the croc, I would absolutely show them the photographs. I was waiting for them to depart because I didn’t want them to see the young white-breasted waterfowl I had discovered at the stream’s bank. Finally, I grabbed a couple shots of the bird and forgot about the croc.

Here are some of the photos I could get on my wobbly legs.

 White-breasted Waterhen juvenile

 White-breasted Waterhen juvenile

Oriental Magpie Robin

During lunch, a colleague, Mohan, arrived and requested me to check the settings on his camera. While reading it, I remembered the talk I had earlier with the local guys and asked Mohan to go down to the creek and see if it was real or not. I reasoned that it was possible because we got unusually severe rain on Saturday the 28th, and all the water bodies were overflowing. So this croc most likely floated down from Trevor's tank. Mohan put up his camera and went in search of the Croc.

Later that day, Mohan sent me a video clip over WhatsApp. He said he did not see the crock, although it was supposedly spotted the day before and mentioned in the local Hindi newspaper.

Wow, I thought, the leopard hasn't been too active on this circuit recently, but if this croc had gone upstream to my home, he could have had a field day with all the mongrels that rush in and out of the stream at all hours of the day and night.