10. New Year - Welcome 2019!!

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New Years Eve


Preparations by the Castle staff were in full swing most of the day - they worked so hard to decorate the building with flowers and make everything perfect for later on..... and always with a smile!


We had the opportunity to have our hands and/or arms decorated with henna for the celebration. It goes on as a paste which needs time to dry and then it falls off. There was talk that putting lemon juice onto the henna would make it darker and "take" better. In hindsight it seems that this should be done once the paste has come off, otherwise it just dilutes what is there! 


Getting into a sari is no easy business and so two lovely ladies came up from the village to help us. Lots of wrapping, folding, tucking, laughing and a few safety pins and it was sorted. There is so much fabric that I was surprised to find I was warm enough as the evenings can be very chilly.


              
                  


     

 

                 


    

Welcome 2019!!!!




New Year's Day


The Boat Race 

We had the morning to decorate our boats with anything we could find - KP was in charge of the beauty contest judging with no idea as to whom had made which!


K.P's top three - Anne was the winner on the left


The race was the first across the width of the pool

               

The quiet, calm, gentle Kulwinder became very competitive..... But it paid off - she won!!


Farewell

On our last day there we had a surprise lunch up on the roof, we all felt so at home in the castle not one of us wanted to leave! It was raining rose petals ....



  

It was all very relaxed, especially for KP who took the role of the maharaja!! 

  



 

A delicious final lunch all served beautifully



A sad goodbye to all of the staff

 

My own personal enduring memory of the castle will always be Jen and Jua's laundry on the steps of their room - right on the main courtyard!! Just so wonderfully them!


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