^{December 1976, and I was enjoying my very first Christmas with snow in a place you might not expect – India}.

^{I was up in Kashmir staying on a house boat at Dal Lake, and decided to take a trip up into the mountains for the day to go tobogganing. I was blissfully unaware of the tensions at the time in Kashmir, and that venturing up into the mountains might not have been the best of ideas.}

^{I was taken up into the mountains in a taxi, and this little boy came along for the ride. I presume he knew the driver. Probably his dad.}

^{He is looking back at me in this photo, very curious about this western lady from Australia. He didn’t speak english, so I never had the opportunity to speak with him.}

^{I was dropped off at a point where I was put on a donkey and led up a mountain slope, where I then got on an ancient wooden toboggan behind a ‘driver’ to whizz back down the mountain slope.}

^{It was an unforgettable day for this Aussie who would wait a further 8 years before enjoying another Christmas in the snow (in Canada).}

^{I’ve never forgotten the little boy with his amazing big eyes. Conflicts have continued in Kashmir since, so hopefully he grew up safely.}