When Shankar called saying he was going to the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (WRRC) and would I like to go along, I jumped at the opportunity. The last time I went was with Usha and it’s been a while.

A couple of rehabilitated jackals in their own enclosure

It’s always amazing to see Saleem at work – whether he is handling a cobra or a small squirrel or a crow pheasant – his way with animals is admirable. His work at the Bannerghatta Rehabilitation Centre (BRC) housed under the WRRC is well-known, especially amongst nature and animal lovers.
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I’ve developed a liking for long lazy Sunday brunches lately. It’s a nice way to bond with friends and spend time over something that I love and if you’ve read my blog on and off you won’t have any doubts – eating, of course.

I mean what can be better than 3-4 hours of conversation and chatter over prawns, dum biryani, dahi puri, aloo chat and marshmallows with chocolate sauce! I like the idea of catching up with friends and dear ones over tom yum soup. It gives me a nice warm feeling inside. And unlimited martinis. And sparkling wine.
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So an old aquaintance from my Mumbai days called when I was browsing through books at Oxford today after my nth ankle therapy session at Manipal.

He’s coming to Bangalore and wants to meet me for dinner. I might be travelling out I tell him. He can’t believe his luck! It’s about the 4th time he’s going to miss me.

G is an odd guy – he’s a farmer (!) with lots of money (somewhere in remote Tamil Nadu) but he also works as a journalist because that’s his passion. He also falls in (platonic) love with (almost) every single pretty (and not so pretty) face he meets. He’s also happily married. How you can love several women (again platonically) at the same time, I have no clue! I haven’t understood how the man works as yet.
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A weekend at magical Fringe Ford – a beautiful homestay nestled amongst the hills in Wayanad.

It’s one of those magical places you go to and don’t want to come back. At least, I didn’t.

The road to Fringe Ford is a long and winding one. Around 5 kms through coffee plantations to your right and hills to the left. It goes on and on and you start peering around every corner to catch sight of your destination. Except that it’s where you least expect it. Down below, between the clearing of the tall trees, you get a teasing glimpse of a cottage sitting pretty in the centre, surrounded by green all around.

This is Fringe Ford – “Get lost where no one’s gonna know. No Where to rush, but everywhere to go. No stress, no traffic, no road.” Just perfect.
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So, I was just packing up to leave yoga class, when my instructor brandishes a sheet of paper in front of me.

“What is this?” I ask.

He just pushes it into my hand without answering.

On the top, it reads, Kareena Kapoor’s diet.

I read it twice and then look at him with a questioning expression.

“How long have you been doing yoga,” he asks.

“Ermm…. About… 6-7 months,” I answer hesitantly, not liking where this is heading.
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HIGHS:

Running the Sunfeast 10K with over 4000 people in the Open 10K category – the energy and the crowd enthusiasm was pretty awesome and we could feel the excitement pulsating through the air as the whole group lined up for the start at sharp 9 am. This was my first run with such a large group of runners and it was great to see so many people out there.

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Nine. Actually make that ten. Ten people and one dog.

And so this is how it all happened. After dinner yesterday, driving back with a car full of girls I suddenly heard a weird clanking noise coming from somewhere. Actually, it would be unfair to say I heard it. One of the girls did – I was busy chatting.

I decided to stop and investigate where the noise of coming from. That’s when I noticed the right rear tire – it looked exactly like the Kolkota Knight Riders team after yesterday’s defeat. Dejected, out of air and fully down.

Now let me tell you that I have quite a lot of knowledge of tire changing – in theory though. I remember my last three flats in three years (averaging one a year). The first one, in the early days was when I refused to believe that such things could happen to me. Thankfully, I had just caught up with a friend and parted ways. Before he could get any further away, I placed my distress call. Friend arrived, changed tire in ten minutes and I was all set to go! It seems easy, I am thinking.
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With the heat beginning to get to everyone this summer in Bangalore, I thought this would be a an appropriate visual for everyone. It’s such a nice feeling - to fall into the water, looking upwards and feeling the spray all around you… SPLASH!

I frankly don’t even remember the last time I did this… do you? The sheer pleasure of this seemingly simple act is quite difficult to measure. Or express in words.

We spotted a group of boys having a lot of fun in the water on a day trip to the town of Kolar. That’s the place you go in search of gold. Or at least it used to be. The Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) have since closed down so we couldn’t really go in search of our pot of gold after all.
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