I have just returned from Bookaroo Children’s Literature Festival in Delhi, India. I so enjoyed meeting the children, teachers, parents, participating authors and illustrators from around the world, the organisers and volunteers.

What a wonderful festival it was. And the weather was perfect. Thank you Bookaroo for your kind and generous hospitality.

Driving out of Delhi to Pathways Aravali International school. This was a fascinating two hour drive into a neighbouring state. I saw a boar running along the side of the road and the traffic had to slow down for a huge herd of cows crossing a busy highway. There is so much to take in. You begin to see differently, to really feel alive. I love travelling to new places for this reason.

A knife sharpener

Fellow Australians – author and illustrator Tohby Riddle and Oliver Phommavanh at Hauz Khas Complex, the remains of a 13th century Islamic seminary.

Hauz Khas Complex

Students proudly displaying the dragons they illustrated at the Doodle Wall

The Doodle Wall

This little boy was trying on an outfit in a costume hire shop in Old Delhi

The tangle of wires in Delhi is an art form of its own

Old Delhi and its beautiful houses. Tohby Riddle and Oliver Phommavanh looking for ghosts

I love the colours of the doors in this particular laneway

Me in my kurta (traditional Indian dress) standing in the ruins of an old house. I ended up buying 2 more kurtas. If you go to Delhi, Fabindia is the store to shop at.

This shop in Khan Market seems to sell everything from Santa decorations to Fengshui products

In the Green Room tent at Bookaroo with Jamila Gavin from the UK, Sara Lundberg from Sweden and Tohby Riddle from Australia

More beautiful colours, this time in the spice market of Old Delhi

A Peng workshop in the Amphitheatre. My shirt is a perfect match with that inflatable couch

These beautiful hand printed pieces were layered on top of each other in a small shop

A cute little squirrel. They are quite small and very quick it’s hard to take a good shot of them.

This monkey visited the Green Room and was hanging around the outdoor cooking area. Before the chefs could chase her away I snapped a quick photo. Pity about the poor lighting but you hardly see any monkeys in Delhi anymore.

Sufi singing at Nizamuddin Dargah. It is the dargah (mausoleum) of one of the world’s most famous Sufi saints Nizamuddin Auliva (1238 – 1325 CE)

These little boys were so thrilled to have their photos taken and giggled every time we showed them the images

Just before Tohby, Oliver and I left for the airport we had a photo taken with the wonderful Bookaroo organisers Venkatesh, Wendy Cooling, Swati Roy and Jo Williams.

And lastly ~ my gorgeous stash of Indian metal and wood block stamps to add to my already rather large collection