have been to many Indian weddings in the UK and whilst they have their own charm (my sister-in-law arrived at her ceremony in Windsor on a Indian-style scooter) nothing quite compares to the magic of an Indian wedding in India, as we discovered during our visit last month.  Each of the six ceremonies we attended during the five-day affair was unique, but two things remained a constant – rows of jasmine and marigolds filled the air with a spell bounding scent and everyone from giggling children to great-grandparents were welcomed and this made for a loving, relaxed atmosphere even at the most lavish of events.

my sister-in-law

posing with my husband at the henna cermony

my daughter and niece have their hands decorated by henna artists

a free morning is spent strolling to the local shops, where my son is delighted to be greeted by a cow.

my son sharing in deep conversation with his new friend.

In the final part of the wedding ceremony, the bride throws rice behind her to signify leaving her parents home and beginning a new life as a wife.

Last year I was lucky enough to travel to India with my family and dear friends.  We were there for the festival of ‘Holi’ and you can read all about it an article I wrote for the Guardian Travel pages.

Download the article in 'Guardian Travel' as pdf by clicking above

It’s been a busy few weeks with nativity plays, carol concerts and decking the house in preparation for Christmas, hence the slack update.  Whilst I plan to take it easy and put most my work commitments aside until January, I did want to do this quick update to let you know about a great trade show that I have been invited to.

Bubble London started life in New York and now also shows at Olympia 2, with the best in childrenswear and accessories.  Thankfully this is not one of those huge exhibitions that takes all day and consists of endlessly walking past one non-descript stand after another in the desperate hope of finding something to make the trip worthwhile – every stand is special and the show small but perfectly formed.  If you can make it I would highly recommend it and look forward to meeting you there.

Also, I wanted to quickly mention the work of a women I greatly admire – Dorothy Rowe.  Her views on life are simple yet so insightful and worth considering. I mention this now because I was just reading one of her articles before writing and did not want to forget to share this with you.

I shall touch base after Christmas, but in the meantime, I hope it’s a good one.