Images from India

Whilst I was on my travels, I didn’t have the facility to upload multiple images to the blog or to create collages.

But, since several of you have asked to see more pictures, I’ve put together a slideshow.  I hope this gives you a tiny flavour of an amazing trip.

Music: Vishwa Mohan Bhatt

Indian Bounty

I could easily have spent my ten days in India shopping!  Is that shameful?

Don’t answer that!  At least the previous post tells you that I didn’t.  Do nothing but shop, that is.

I did, however, manage to pick up a few treasures along the way.  Including a pair of beautiful cushion covers.

One cover is destined to grace the little armchair in my new studio.  Its twin is going to decorate someone else’s space.  And it could be yours!

You’ve guessed it.  The lovely textile pictured above is my India give-away.  Just leave a comment below before midnight (UK time) next Monday (15th); and I’ll announce the happy winner on Tuesday.

In the meantime, if it still hasn’t dawned on you that Dixon Hill has a new web address….it has!  So be sure to update your bookmark or hit the swirly orange symbol in the address bar to subscribe to the new RSS feed.

I'll Be Back

My body landed back in England a few hours ago. My heart and mind are still in India.

I crammed a lot into my short time there. Over the last ten days or so, I've:

• worn a sari


• walked in the foothills of the Himalayas


• taken a yoga class with an amazing Indian yogi


• had a run-in with a group of angry monkeys


• learned my first words of Hindi


• attended a Son et Lumiere performance at the Red Fort in Delhi


• had an Indian head massage


• watched a craftsman maker of traditional knotted rugs demonstrate his art


• experienced an 'Indian-style' toilet


• visited the Taj Mahal and the Qutb Minar


• had my hands painted with intricate henna designs


• shopped in the bazaars of Old Delhi


• met family members I'd only heard of - and others I didn't know existed


• sat in a jacuzzi under a deep blue sky on the edge of a cliff, surrounded by snow-capped peaks that stretched into China

Despite all that, I know I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of this extraordinary country.

Which gives me every reason to return. :)

Diwali

Pity the stray dogs of Delhi! I've known some good Bonfire Nights and enjoyed several 4th of July celebrations; but you ain't seen - or heard - nothin' in the fireworks department until you've experienced Diwali in an Indian city.

The noise of exploding firecrackers and showering fireworks went on for hours, long into the night. Buildings were bedecked in strings of twinkling colour and candles burned inside and outside every home (a girl has to be careful not to set her sari alight!).

We celebrated the festival of lights with our taya and tayi - our uncle and aunt. Pumi Aunty is the one who has masterminded our trip here, orchestrating the visits to our many different relatives, clucking round us like a fierce mother hen. If she doesn't know the answer to our many queries, she always knows the right person to ask and is on her phone in a second. She's almost 80 years old, about four feet high, formidable and astonishing and we adore her. Anand Uncle is quiet and gracious and has welcomed us so warmly.

We were each invited to light a diya (candle) to mark the occasion and helped place garlands of marigolds around the framed photographs of relatives who have died. Gifts were exchanged. Then we shared yet another wonderful meal together.

We drove home through a city exploding in celebration (unless you're a petrified dog, that is); and lingered on the rooftop terrace of our hotel, enjoying the spectacle in the sky, the noise of the shouting and the crackers below. We finally fell asleep despite a still deafeningly loud Delhi. And as I write this the following morning, there are still intermittent explosions outside.

November 5th will never be quite the same again.

Marigolds and Roses

Today I encountered some of the most extraordinary kindness I have ever known.

Two ladies - who had never set eyes on us before - decked out their home in a multitude of marigold garlands, and hired carpets and covered chairs to furnish their outdoor space. All in our honour.

They greeted us with garlands of scented fresh roses and lavished on us generous gifts. They prepared a banquet of home-cooked food for us. Then they presented us with a large cross-stitch picture that they and other relatives had jointly worked on for several months.

I can barely comprehend such generosity toward strangers. Except we're not strangers. We're family. And never was that fact more abundantly demonstrated.

Thank you, Aruna and Renu.