Sombre ritual

These ladies are close friends and relatives of the deceased who has been carried by the men to the crematorium.  They have come to have a ritual cleansing bathe in the lake - the men will follow later.  I have deliberately taken it from far away.  They all brought fresh clothes to change into.

This evening I was coming back through the dark narrow lanes to my lodgings when a motorbike stopped in front of me - when I tried to pass the muffled driver turned his wheel my way and then the other when I tried to go that way - a bit alarmed I backed off and then the driver said my name - he undid his face cover to reveal my troubadour of yesterday on his way for a night shift. Phew!

Was watching a cow licking another on the ground who was swooning with delight - may have been a mother and grown up daughter.  A very large bull loomed along the passage and sent the mother cow onwards after he had smelled her bum.  Then with his horn he prodded the daughter on the rump to make her stand up and wrinkling his nose sniffed her long enough to make her pee in his face!  She obviously wasn't ready either so then he just padded on his way. What a ritual.

A delightful old lady called Sushilla was sitting taking the sun outside her house that had been freshly painted and decorated with Mogul  pictures.  I commented how pretty they were and she proudly told me that they had been done for her grandson's marriage. We chatted quite a while in our separate languages and she allowed me a photo or two - people are so lovely. I often get asked to stand with children or grown ups to have my photo taken - how can I refuse when they are so generous here.  Occasionally I've to pose with a baby - I try to make sure it isn't wet before I cuddle it too much but they have always been adorable and dry so far! A few more stories here
Thank you for all the lovely comments and awards yesterday - wifi and the blip site are giving some problems so I can't reciprocate