We are all of a pickle!!

To end another busy day....each evening Sibu [one of ous staff- I'll introduce you later] scatters sweetly scented red rose petals around, lights incence - with a jasmine note to it and candles to invite the beneficance of Laxmi the Goddess of Abundance...

Here are our wonderful staff, Sibu at the back- he looks after rooms and reception, smiling at the right is Rabi- we are blessed with a great sense of humor and wonderful cooking skills in Rabi and on the left Kunal, he has helped us in our Delhi office for a few years now and come to Pushkar as our Hotel manager and our personal assistant- organizing flights, some office work for Creative Arts Safaris and lots of things!

All great guys, Sibu and Rabi were very shy with me at first, still are in some ways -a loud Australian woman seems out of their experience. They are very kind to me, always offering a cups of tea, trying to carry things for me and rousing if I try to wash anything in the kitchen.

Rabi came with me into Ajmer one day to buy spice...usually he is very yes ma'am, no ma'am...I tried to carry some of the shopping- he already had huge bags! and he was so upset and kept trying to grab the bags off me.

I had to say I would call the police and tell them he was stealing my bags if he did not stop!! I still could not put them down or he would try and grab them.

I love cooking with him- he is a master- each dish he has produced is excellent and he is keen to learn more...when I am making something new he is always watching and askes later was it this or that?

He should have his own cooking show- he could certainly teach a lot and has a great sense of fun as well.

Lime pickle, a lot of pickle is used in the hotel and we are making all our own, this is a recipe I have used for years, we also have green chilli pickle- should blow anyone's socks off!! and a sweet carrot pickle....

local vegie wholesale market

one of my gorgeous nephews, being hooked up with an Indian man you would not believe the number of relatives you have...this is Sunny - his smile lights up a room!

he and I get a long really well, and he has been so looking forward to coming down to us to visit and see me, he arrived and by the end of the day was bored with the country and could not wait to get back to the bright lights of Delhi...where I have been instructed to go to hang out with him! Typical boy!