Friday May 2, 2008 6:30 am Lethbridge Alberta

This page last updated on: Saturday, May 3, 2008 6:46 AM

It is +4 C with a high forecast of +14 C. Sunrise 6:07 Sunset 20:49 Hours of daylight: 14:42

A. Morning Musings

It is a dull morning - overcast with a possibility of showers.

I am itching to put something on the barbeque for dinner this evening. Yesterday's yard work has helped reinforce the idea that winter is over and spring is now here. Time for outdoor pursuits. We may have to postpone staining the flower bed retaining wall for a couple of days as showers are forecast. A quick check in the basement indicates that we have some stain left over from when we did the fence a couple of years ago.

Our annual crop of dandylions are beginning to show in the rear lane. That should take an hour or so to trim out. There is a noticeable change in my attitude toward such tasks now that I am retired. I have the time for this and look forward to it, rather than trying to fit it in to my schedule. Much more relaxing.

Now to have a second cuppa and read a little more Dalrymple.

Learning Category	Planned Activities for Today	Time
Literature	Begin morning with a Rumi reading
Literature	Complete reading "City of Djinns" by William Dalrymple	3 hr

B. Actual Learning Activities

8:10 am

I have just read a few pages from Dalrymple on the Red Fort in Delhi. Curious, I decided to see if I could see it on Google Earth. Wow! There must be over 50 photos of various parts of the Fort. It is a stunning facility by any standards. Much more impressive than Dalrymple's description would lead me to believe.

9:00 am

Phyllis spotted a Pine Siskin in the tree overlooking our back yard.

7:30 PM

City of Djinns

William Dalrymple

This is a fascinating book. Although categorized as a travel book, it is actually full of historical detail told in a captivating manner. This is the type of book we should be using in education instead of the relatively dry textbooks that presently follow a template that is deadening to the reader.

Dalrymple covers the partition of India into India and Pakistan as well as the entire Mughal dynasty from 1526 to 1857. One also is provided with glimpses of much of modern Delhi including the relationship between Hindu and Moslem citizens, wedding customs, bureaucracies, Islam, mosques, the Red Fort, as well as a number of other sites of historical and architectural interest.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would rate it 4.5 out of 5.

Here is the wikipedia web site for Mughal Empire:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mughal_Empire

I will definitely by buying more books by Dalrymple.

Tags: history, travel, India, Delhi

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