Islamabad adventure

The year began dramatically with an arsonist in Winchester destroying Phase Eight on the High Street, trying to burn down an Indian restaurant and then setting fire to the bookstall in The Close which badly charred the door to the Deanery. He was caught and his motive revealed: to get back to three meals a day and a roof over his head in prison.

We then dashed off to a wedding in Islamabad which was a three day event which triggered all senses except the one pertaining to alcohol. Sufi singers, garlands of marigolds and red roses, saffron scarves, goat's meat which melted in the mouth, the softest cashmere imaginable, pink tea and the orange orb of the sun setting in the mist behind the Faisal mosque, all contributed to an unforgettable experience.

The flight was also spectacular: the snow-clad mountains of Afghanistan glistened in the morning sun. Dark blue rivers ran through deep valleys and we saw what looked like a walled town alone on a vast plain. Islamabad, however, was shrouded in unseasonable fog so all flights were delayed or diverted. We spent half an hour at Lahore but sadly weren't allowed off the plane to whizz around the Mughal remains. Next time, inshallah...