Too much knowledge is harmful to art

Udaipur

Yusuf collected me on his motorbike and took me (riding demurely sidesaddle)  home to meet his wife who was busy cooking breakfast of potato parathas and some even more delicious halva (a sweet grated carrot dish that has been cooked in milk and cream with cashews and raisins for 2 hours till it is almost solid). This was a great treat as it is only made about 3 times a month for special occasions. Then I went to a local dentist to replace a temporary crown. The latter must have been loosened by a bump when an impression was being removed yesterday for I wasn't eating anything hard. Hopefully the dentist today (a Jeffrey Archer fan) will have secured it better. The dentist in Jaipur is a 'passionate' philatelist of the highest order – specialising in Gandhi memorabilia – and exhibits all over the world winning accolades and gold medals galore. Spent the rest of the day meeting old friends and being shown some glorious miniature paintings and also those of Shahid (who painted my elopement on an elephant). This blip comes from the wall in his studio.