Poultry performance of Swan Lake on Temple Terrace

This may not be the best picture of a cockerel but he had me laughing! Had a fabulous massage this morning – really unusual techniques that had been handed from father to son – very painful at times but I walked with such ease and lightness for hours afterwards. My shoulder which was a bit blah from the fall is working properly again too and he is going to work on my ribs tomorrow to get them 'unstuck' for he says I'm not breathing properly! He's probably the most expensive man in India but has a terrific reputation – kept my eyes closed most of the time as he has a very intense pair of eyes within a huge halo of iron grey curls.

My walk afterwards took me away from the old city into more affluent housing near another lake. Some of the new builds had really followed traditional designs for arched windows and turrets and many had Mughal paintings on the walls at door and gate entrances. I found another more simply designed 400 year old temple to Shiva which had the most wonderful paintings and images inside where no photography was allowed but the cockerels and hens outside were fair game.
Sneaking around back alleys trying to get to the lakeside was fun as there were lots of small children around and they all stood behind me quietly when I found herons to photograph on the miserable water hyacinth. The authorities have purchased a huge machine/boat that will drag the plants up but they proliferate so quickly it is a job like painting the Forth Bridge. In the past chain gangs of women used to be employed doing this most ghastly, stinking and heavy job.

Had rather a posh late lunch in a restaurant beside the third lake for I had missed breakfast – car loads of tourists were being dropped off by their guides in order to get commission (in the same way they get commission if they go to craft and clothes outlets). For less than a fiver I had coriander and carrot soup, a starter portion of cashew nut cutlets and a drink – can't be bad! Interestingly they had a solar heater made up of shiny steel plates made into a large basin shape facing the sun in front of which perched a large pressure cooker with its knob on. Apparently the sun's reflection is sufficient to keep the lentils cooking once the pot has been brought to pressure.

more as usual