Happy Anniversary.

A misty morning with a bit of of a chill in the air but it is clearly going to be a fine, warm day. We breakfast with Walter, the Swiss sanitary engineer who is looking forward to a flying tour of Old Delhi today. It is our 34th wedding anniversary today and as a treat we are going to the National Railway Museum. Ten minutes in an auto gets us to the entrance where we hand over our entrance fee and receive tickets inscribed 'Boating - Child'.

A few more exhibits have been renovated since D's last visit, a year ago. It is particularly gratifying to see that Darjeeling B Class 777 has been given a repaint. Not too sure about the historical authenticity of the paint job. Last year it was looking very forlorn in bare metal and rust. 

Today must be infant schools train awareness day as hundreds of the noisy little so and sos flood into the museum. They are accompanied by teachers and mountains of snack. The Exhibition Hall is undergoing major alterations , either still or again, it is hard to know which. 

We retire to the tranquility of the Souvenir Shoppe where R is allowed to choose a fridge magnet as an anniversary present. From the museum we take an auto to Karol Bagh market, an area of Delhi that we do not know at all. The market is OK appart from the endless supply of shoe polishers who want business. We make a couple of small purchases and then decide to take the Metro to the Dilli Haat tourist market where they sell great momos.

These are served with a very nippy red sauce that brings tears to R's eyes. Lunch over and with all of our shopping done we return to the Bungalow and indulge in a dip in the pool. The water is chilling and we don't stay in for long but at least we have justified hauling our costumes all round India.Afterwards we partake of tea on the terrace and watch the parakeets. R spots a couple of green pigeons but no hornbill this year. We receive messages from our offspring and relatives with Anniversary wishes.

Tonight we are heading into town to meet a couple of IndiaMikers. V we know from last year and E from yesterday but we all get on like a house on fire despite the stygian gloom enveloping the Qba. The level of lighting is such that mobile phones are needed to illuminate the menu. V orders up a couple of tasty platters and we talk the night away.  Star signs, Leeds slang, childbirth, temples and travel were just a few of the topics covered. We realised that we had to make a move before the metro closed and made our farewells in Rajiv Chowk Metro station.