Thurs 11 February

Highlight of today is an after work trip to Chalai market with the girls.

I want to show them Karim's, the sari and churidar shop, and we all want to explore a local market. It is a short bus ride away so easily manageable. 

The market place is really more of a long street of shops with a few vendors strategically stationed in front. 

There is one cross street which concentrates on vegetables (L) but this is not what we have come for.

Poppy and Lucy are looking for a length of elastic for the masks they are making for the children at the pre- school.  I am on the lookout for all sorts of things.

It is mostly household goods and gold jewellery boutiques.

I search in the former and eventually find what I am looking for -  a cheeni chutti - a very small wok which I intend to use to fry my pappads when I get back home. This makes me inordinately pleased. 

And then I find heaven - an ironmonger's shop with a chap who speaks English and old fashioned set of scales (see above) that we actually use to measure out my nails.  I am over the moon. 

I have so missed my trips to the DIY shop and here I make up for it. I zero in on some mosquito screening for windows and buy a length of that plus a 20 rupee hammer and some decent short nails. 

My intention is to screen off the two bathrooms from the swarms of mosquitoes that enter, attracted by the water, and then spread into the bedrooms.

I am so delighted with my find that I take a picture of the outside.... 

Nothing else can compete with this highlight today!