On the Golden Flower

A Houseboat in the Vale of Kashmir

'At 52, I went to live and die there.' A life of retirement with her pet in what had seemed to her as the most beautiful country in the world turned out to be a life of adventure and personal challenges: getting used to living on a houseboat, enduring and enjoying Himalayan mountain and water treks, teaching all ages of Kashmiri students and running schools, exploring her own ideas and beliefs in wonderful exchanges with Kashmiris, both educated and uneducated, facing accusations of spying and murder, fighting for her home, and the final deciding factor of deteriorating health. The presence of her Irish Setter, who accompanied her and journeyed everywhere, affected everything she did and was a source of much fascination to all.