Womens best friend

In the last week I have had an overdose of rottweiler love.Like lady Macbeth I have had to wash my face and hands at regular intervals thanks to some lavish licking from a few over enthusiastic rottweilers.
My first reaction to being introduced to one of them was to run ten miles in the opposite direction.Here I was faced with the dogs from omen and from Hitlers SS forces and was I expected to be trilled.Most certainly not.To begin with they weigh some hundred pounds and look rather scary,but when they get to be friendly they are a class apart.My first encounter was a timid one.While my friend held tightly to the leash I tried patting the dog .At the first sign of a positive,reaction,I decided to be friends.Not sure if this was a good thing.For the next few hours I had to run and play hide and seek and get thrown over until in sheer exhaustion I had to call for a stop.Four years later I met the dog again.This time she was ill and her energy was not what it was.Long hours of talking didn't get much of a response so I sat her down and talked and tried to play but all she wanted was a bit of attention.She stayed for hours by my side and her liquid brown eyes conveyed a thousand unsaid things.I left the house wondering if i would see her again as the energy ball that she was.Didn't have the heart to say goodbye so left it at that.
Yesterday,I was introduced to two more of the same breed.One was a year old and she had made some unsuccessful attempts to get into my car and having failed to do so she settled for being a long lost friend.Unfortunately when a hundred pound animal throws itself at one its not easy to keep the balance.She was almost as tall as me and decided that two paws on shoulder was a good licking position.So there I was being greeted with a lot of doggy saliva.
The other dog was six months old and was far more interested in the happenings on the road though she loved all the attention.They have promised to come home for tea.

Not everyone can understand my fascination with the rottweiler.From their unsavory reputation to being guard dogs,to killer dogs,they are probably the most misunderstood breed.The average Rottweiler like a lot of people is a loving and socialised dog provided the family that owns it instill the right values in the dog.All three that I know come from families that give them a lot of love and time and take them for walks and actually introduce them to their friends.Non of them are tied up because there are guest in the house.We had to get used to them and I for one hope to get a pup the moment I decide to stay at home full time.These original german dogs are as reliable as any peice of german technology that one can get today so for me it will always be a rottweiler

Weekend at sword hill

Valparai-sword rock as the literal translation would go is a small place up in the Annamalai range.As the name suggests this is an elephant hill and was the migratory path of the elephant into the forest.

By road this is a 13 km drive from Chennai and thanks to some excellent roads the drive is an absolute pleasure provided one can get away early morning well before city traffic can get to one.The smart way to get there is to take a train to Coimbatore and drive up the ghat sections with its 40 hairpin bends and take in the breathtaking view of the Aliya dam,which glistens in the afternoon sun and is a sight that cannot be described with words.

The estate we are heading to is close to a place called rotikadai which means bread shop and a bit of investigation into local folklore says that the British set up a bakery in the town to teach the locals to make bread as there was no bakery around in that place.They then named it rotikadai in Tamil and it continues to remain so long after the bakery has given way to tea shops.

The estate is everything that we want from a weekend getaway.The moment we arrive tea is served.Is it our imagination or is there something to be said for tea being drunk against the backdrop of tea gardens where the fresh green tea bushes form a thick carpet for miles on end.We sip tea in lovely china cups which shows up the colour of the brew to advantage.Thin egg sandwiches complete the picture of a land in time wrap.This is a throwback on the British raj and time stands still in this place.There is even a butler service at the house.

There is a lot to explore in this rambling home with its lush lawn and its stone garden seats that are meant for garden parties.The house is surrounded by vegetable gardens,flower gardens and the traditional Christmas trees that stand like sentinels to the house.An old swing is a great place to relive a childhood pastime.Like all estate home this also has a well stocked library with enough books to keep one occupied for months.

Saturday night the start of the season brings with it the Christmas spirit.Families from around estates meet at the club and enjoy a good evening sharing notes on the weeks happenings.Everyone has a well defines role and the wives share notes on children and home while the men drink their brandies and share whatever it is that they share.

Most of the homes in this region are made of stone or wood and as there are few people to occupy these once busy homes the estate wives have taken it upon themselves to convert this into an opportunity for Eco tourism.They open their doors to people travelling through or looking for a place to stay.Home cooked meals complete the experience
We come back home with our heads filled with stories of elephants and their habits.While us city folk worry about a rat or two in our kitchens,the estate folk of the elephant range worry about the wild beasts who have developed a taste for home cooked food and are busy checking out whats cooking in the estate kitchens.
When its time for us to leave we realise that we are relaxed beyond measure and we haven't missed our morning newspaper or the cell phone or the tv and life has been blissful