henna typing

dear all,

you should see the hands i’m typing with. palms deep red with intricate henna designs, and a swoosh of dotty leafy patterns crossing the back of the hand and going up my index finger. i have to put the keyboard in my lap so as not to be distracted by my manual beauty.

sadly, my stretch of perfect health was thoroughly broken the night of the 26th with a nasty stomach bug/food poisoning bout that emptied my guts and kept me in bed most of yesterday (the 27th). i did put on one of my sparkly outfits and haul my sorry carcass over to the mehndi ceremony in the afternoon. this was held on the canopied 3rd floor terrace of lalit’s family’s house. Two different girls commandeered my hands, spread them flat on pillows in their laps, and frosted my palms with skinny pastry bags full of henna. they were amazingly fast about it. and then i lay on the cushioned floor spread with printed cotton cloth, gazing up at the red canopy billowing in the gentle breeze, surrounded by glamorous barefoot ladies, feeling like i was lounging in a harem. not a bad place to nap, actually, so i did, with my hands in the air.

today i feel sort of queasy and exhausted, so i’m back off to bed to rest up for the wedding this afternoon.

more tomorrow i hope,

lots of love,
deborah