bah humbug

'tis the season to come out of hibernation and ignore Santa Claustrophobia.

the 'tree' looking splendid against the white wall

the thick branches are the ones I dragged from Chisil beach

during the storms after last Christmas

the rest from our hazel trees

just looking at it has made me smile

and that's before it is decorated

the Christmas garden has been raided for

holly, mistletoe and ivy

a family gathering here on Saturday

a game of football on the beach

back for bowls of hot warming soup

and festive fayre

wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas

and a wonderful New Year

Time flies when you are enjoying yourself.    We've been back home for three weeks which have been full what with celebrations and a family gathering.     Thoughts of early hibernation came to mind - all that rain and grey skies.

Onwards and upwards.    Delved into the sewing 'basket' and discovered a pair of jeans that I had promised I would patch way back in the Spring, along with various garments that needed buttons replacing.   Felt very virtuous.

then there are the leaves, big brown soggy piles of them

not very inspiring!  

and now tidy black bags of wet leaves  and that is only from the front garden

I am thinking I should try to procure some really bright refuse bags!

the back garden will probably produce as many bags again

still, it is very good exercise lugging bags up hill and down dale

time for some colour

I never take any stitching with me on my trips instead I prefer to

sketch, make notes, take photographs and catch up with reading

this time I thought I would, however, hardly a stitch was sewn

the stitching on the old distressed cushion from 

Ghanerao  had to be recorded in stitch

oops some of the beads came home with me

I have some 'found objects' to be included at some point

meanwhile I have been researching Chemanthi Stitch which is

used as flower petals on this fragment of Indian embroidery

which I think might be Rabari from Bhuj, Kutch

I found Lakshmi Sadala's blog with a brilliant tutorial on Chemanti 

stitch, not only in pictures but also a video.    I have to admit it 

took me a few goes before I cracked it

a little stitchy sketch on the go

postcards

a bed of lotus flowers as far as the eye could see

a cushion that has seen better days

green paint pot

I just love this colour and I brought back 

pigment paste (f.geen) to mix with white

emulsion to the required colour

that will be after Christmas then!

a terracotta vessel 

Adavarsi temple with terracotta horses

given as thanks for favours from their god

wonderfully naive with daubs of paint, dots, lines etc

some are huge, some small    outside a pile of discarded/broken

horses to make room for new ones    eventually they will break

down in the heat and rain, returning to the earth

one last festival

while we were drinking coffee we could see lots of these floating in the lake

tiny taziyas - bigger ones appeared later in the day

it was the Muslim festival of Ashura   

the Taziya represents the mausoleum of Imam Hussain

the were crowds of men gathered at the ghat with their taziyas

big and small, waiting to load them on to the boat

(women and children were there enjoying a picnic but not taking part)

with a great deal of banging of drums in the distance the taziyas were submerged

later in the evening we witnessed the procession of huge taziyas wobbling their

way through the small streets of the town.    These were spectacular especially the 'Badi Paten Ka Taziya, measuring 35ft in height.    

we went to sleep with the sound of drums

Udaipur

it was time to say goodbye to the Gujarat country side and head back to Udaipur 

    

no more rural scenes like this

a group of Rabari on the road to the next camp

camels and donkeys carrying all their worldly goods

sheep and goats following on behind

For us it was National Highway No 8 to Udaipur, a five hour journey with a couple of breaks for chai and then lunch.   At one dhaba we watched astonished as fourteen people emerged from the inside of a 4x4, another four passengers on top, plus luggage.

The road cuts through the Aravalli Hills, all ups and downs.   Lorries drivers choose any lane they fancy and since they have huge heavy loads the likelihood of them changing lanes is remote.     On long steep hills they hardly move, just slowly chug to the top.   Small cars take scary chances and weave in and out.   Not all complete their journey, we witnessed a couple of horrible accidents.    Sadly, many drivers think they are invincible.

only five days left before we leave Udaipur

the one thing I really miss is proper coffee -  first stop, Ginger Cafe and Bakery

where they serve a jolly good expresso and rather nice pastries!    

it's a nice place to relax by the cool of the lake   right now the outside sitting area 

is restricted!    the flower pots marks the normal height of the water

of course there is the option of a little paddle!

 Lake Palace Hotel in the centre and on the left Lake Pichola Hotel

we celebrated out 45th wedding anniversary on 1 November

supper at Upre on the roof of the hotel

photo taken by one of the 'boys'

I think it captures a moment of laughter and fun

a chocolate cake with a firework candle

in the background you can see the lights of the Palace

we were upgraded to the Rani Suite

hugh room with two balcony windows looking out on to the lake  in one 

swing seat and the other mattresses and bolster cushions to lounge on

while we were having supper the boys had been busy,  the floor 

was covered in rose petals    they also decorated the bed  with rose

petals in the form of a heart - ahh, so romantic!

the last few days passed very quickly, just relaxing, having suppers with 

friends,   a little shopping  - eventually came the day to pack the suitcases

it's always sad to leave, but already we are making plans to return in February!

Wagwam Part 2

I forgot to mention the Snake Man!   Fortunately, or not, Keith took photos, plus some of the embroidery ladies, shopping with my men, and a close up of the sewing machine.

The Snake Man joined us at Mr. Green's house.  He saves snakes that are in the wrong places and returns them to the wild.   We looked it his photos of cobras, pythons and other slithery customers, and yes he has been bitten!

When at the farm he appeared with a large tin box, inside a rat snake.

The Snake Man, me, Mr. Singh and Samshu, plus snake

I have no fear of snakes, but as it was very long and wriggly

I couldn't quite bring myself to hold alone, so opted for a

joint hold!   It was soft and silky and very pleasant to touch.

released back to nature - happy snake

the embroidery ladies

bed covers stitched on medium weight cotton and embroidered with

a thick cotton  Grandma is working on the red one and can finish 

a bed cover in less than a week!

another bed cover with beautiful embroidery

in the left hand corner you can just see part of a pillow case

the embroidery shop , with all my men!

I am clutching a handful of threads, a gift from the shop owner

and, finally

a close up of the vintage sewing machine

I love receiving comments and replying to them, but I need your e mail address 

instead of 'noreply-comment@blogger.com!

Wagwam

This was to be a very full day.    We left Sayla around 8 am with our host Mr. Singh who had arranged a meeting with 'Mr. Green' an ecologist from Wagwam.   Only a thirty minutes away and we entered the old walled city.

the town is well known for bhandani work and sitting outside their house 

two ladies  are busy tying cloth ready to be dyed

Mr. Green was an excellent host.   We had a Gujurat breakfast of a curried rice dish, dry curried vegetables, and a dipping sauce for the local 'crisps' -  gram flour extruded into hot fat, so delicious.  All washed down with cups of chai.

Then to the main room to look at his photographs of wild life, peruse his amazing library before setting out to the countryside in search of the Indian Eagle Owl.    Success, one sitting on the nest, and two soaring over head.  Magnificent birds. Mr. R was delighted.    You can find pix on his website shortly.

meanwhile, my little contribution to bird photography

 painted storks sorting themselves out atop a very high tree

lots of comings and goings with nesting materials

Chai at the farm and then back into town to meet two sisters whotaught local ladies to stitch.    We were shown lots of work, nicely doneand fell in love with an elephant hanging, but it wasn't for sale.

I was given books of samples to look at - crochet, tatting, knitting - sample slipper above,   no hand stitching, but what looked like free machine work   

there were two rooms with really old sewing machines 

I couldn't work out whether the ladies were learning for domestic use or earn money by selling their work

we were directed to the shop, but there was no sign of anythingas nice as the elephant hanging, or even hand knitted socks.

I did find some thick Khardi cloth, perfect for the indigo pot.This did cause some hilarity - it's used for dusters!   Went mad and bought lots, it weighed a ton.   Brought some home with me, the rest I have left with Samshu until our return.  If the cloth doesn't dye well, he will have enough dusters to last a very long time

we had an appointment with a very nice man, who organises ladies who do stitch very beautifully - but first we had to try some Jain dishes prepared especially for us.   Delicious.

We met the stitching ladies who were very welcoming.After Diwali their cupboards were almost bare.   Work in hand included bed covers stitched in thick cotton and pillow cases

Shalwar kameze and dupatta sets - bhandi, tied and dyed.  I have been invited back for stitching lessons.

I brought this fine piece home - actually it is doubled,possibly to be cut into cushions.   Stitched in a viscose thread, again closed herringbone stitch, outlined in chain stitch.   On ironing out the creases I realised justin time that it has been stitched on polyester cloth!

We went to the local market looking for metal framed mirrors.  When I say 'we' I was accompanied by four men who probably had never stepped inside a haberdashery shop!

It was hilarious.

Walking back through alleys we came across a man sewing on an ancient sewing machine, c.1880.

love the foot pedals

the arm of the machine looks like a clamp

the sewing bed is really tiny 

fabric is stitched from left to right

the box on the right had lots of

interesting things in it!

and so, back to Sayla for a wash and brush up, we have a drinks invitation at the palace.

a long and interesting day

Sayla embroidery

Pictures of the two pieces I bought from the ladies at the farm

40 x 45 cm

a typically constructed bag

rectangular with a beautifully pleated edge

the design is couched thick cotton thread

before stitching the thread alternatively

knotted and a white bead added

40cm polyester square

the intricate design is stitched using fine wool thread,

closed herringbone and back stitch

the hand knotted fringe is also fine wool thread

Home again

I'm starting at the end of our travels!   We took the over night train down to Mumbai, arriving at 6 am.   Already it was hot with high humidity.  We stay at the Sea Palace Hotel, just down the road from The Taj.  It's right on the water front so has the benefit of a sea breeze, such as it was.

Two days in a sauna!    A little shopping of course.   The Museum of Modern Art has a fantastic exhibition - Love and the Goddess.  Music from the time of creation of the world, from the womb,  and birth.  Upstairs there were interactive exhibits.  A stroke here, buttons to press, objects to move, all producing wonderful sounds.   Two chairs to sit on and we made music through our hands.   Mustn't forget the musical chairs (with applique cushions) each one played a different cord.     Then a chance to play on bamboo xylophones.   I really liked that.

Actually it was a relief to get into an air con taxi to the airport!    The new Mumbai airport is lovely, and we are thinking that perhaps we might give the town a miss on our next visit.

I have updated my last post with the missing picture of the Adivarsi ladies at the market.

Oh, the joy of just tapping away and downing loading pictures instantly!  

Time for lunch, after that I'll catch up where I left off, somewhere in Gujarat.

Sayla

    Our next destination the Bell Guest House, our third to this old colonial style building set in beautiful gardens.   Very peaceful, apart from the peacocks!

The main reason for coming back is the abundance of bird life, and this time I actually found some textiles.

We visited the weaver at Vasatari.  The unique weaving technique of Tangaliya was almost lost.  It's made up of danas or beads of cotton ranging from dots to more elaborate arrangements.   The beading is done during the process of the weaving.

spinning cotton

                                                                         the loom

                                                                       
                                                                            pattern

        we were showered with bundles of exquisite cloth

needless to say some have found their way into my suitcase

more pix when I return home

a lorry being loaded with cotton

the cotton harvest has begun the next visit was to a farm acres and acres of it

we walked through a crop - the flower is white until it is pollinated when it turns

when it turns pink.    The seed pod is very hard and explodes when the cotton is

ripe, but before that you can eat the immature cotton, which I did with instructions 

         to chew and spit.  No particular taste, but apparently it's good for you

when in Rome etc.

The land is being turned into farmland with grassland similar to an African

savanna.    Full of birds and wildlife - wild boars, nilgi (antelope) and we did see

a rather large monitor lizard.   Small lakes have been dug to encourage wildlife

and there is a longterm plan to build an eco camp for visitors.

I was told that the ladies, when they had time, stitched quilts.   We met some lovely

ladies for chai and they eagerly brought out the quilts.   Definitely 'utiliarian'

big stitches, wadding of cotton straight from the bush.  Fabric polyester cotton 

with coloured boarders,    Apart from anything they weighed a ton!   Cupboards

were emptied for smaller items for sale.   I post my purchases later.   Just a 

couple of smaller items, but at least I gave a very fair price.

We had a laugh together over chai and then a bullock cart ride around the fields

keith joined the ride, after he had taken the photograph

the end of a lovely day

back at Bell Inn,  a shower and  freshen up,

gin and t in hand we watched the sun go down