Kashmir Mid May

Sami and I went to visit a disabled boy who lives near the commercial fish ponds and a large lake. There were no animals allowed near the fish ponds, so the grass and clover was growing luxuriantly. A number of people were harvesting the clover. It will be dried and stored in the upper stories of the houses for winter.

One of my projects is to document the disabled women who are making a living by doing handwork. So Sami took me far up the mountain near Wayil to visit one of them, Shamimi, and her family. They are very poor, but have the most amazing views from their house. Here are some photos of the family:

And here is Shamima and her work:

Shamima's family keeps bees in the walls inside their house. Sami and I were quite surprised to find the walkway to the entrance of the house went right past the beehive! If one was allergic to bees, this would not be a warm welcome! It is a very practical solution, though. The bees stay warm through the winter, and are safe from bears, and the family can keep a close eye on the welfare of the bees. Apparently they have several house hives, and harves 20 kg of high quality mountain flower honey each year.

One morning I looked out the window at Hope Centre and saw a flock of sheep had been allowed into the back yard of the property next door to mow the grass!

What an efficient way to handle that problem! We couldn't do that though because Sami has planted an extensive flower garden, and it would not last long with all those hungry sheep.

The older buildings in Kashmir are beautiful. Here is a typical one: Along with men in their pherans waiting for something to be welded inside the shop.

The oat harvest continues....

I had my first side-saddle ride on a motorbike. With Din, the ambulance driver. Women ride side saddle here - as passengers on motorbikes and bicycles. And the motorbikes and bicycles are built for it.

Hope Centre is building a shop out front, to take advantage of all the summer traffic that passes on the road. I was walking to the shops one day and saw the electrician doing his work, and took a photo to document it for the centre. Then I noticed what he was standing on!!!