Excited to see the sun

After three and a half days of really wet and grey weather the sun has come out. I think the picture expresses pretty well how excited I was to see the sun again.

It always amazes me how quickly I miss the sun when I can't see it because of the weather. And how excited I am when the weather changes and I can see it again. Except of course in the hot season when it sometimes feels as if the sun is sitting on my head.

I suppose it shows how unsatisfied I am and that I need to learn to be happy with what is.

More monsoon

It has been raining steadily all day. Obviously the person who thought that the monsoon was finished got it wrong.

I found this log down by the stone circle yesterday when we were clearing up wood.

It was so beautiful I took some close ups of parts of it. This is detail 1

Detail 2

Detail 3

Yuk! Such a pity.

Tree down website up

We finally got the tree down today.

I have been so busy, mainly because I felt I had to complete all the fund raising stuff on the website. Instead of waiting until December 1^st to put the slide show about our fund raising on the website, Theo did it immediately. That meant I had to quickly put in all the relevant details, especially the link about where to donate. I was going to do it over the weekend but ended up working very intensively to get it done before I went to yoga.

I felt the universe was pushing me to get it done! Maybe there is someone who wants to make a donation.

There must be light somewhere

It was oppressively grey all day today but no rain. I read somewhere that the monsoon is finished as the low pressure area that brings the rain has moved south. We shall see.

Today was Shantam's death day and Emma reminded me that it is now 19 years since he died which is longer than the 12 years we were together. I felt the pain of those 19 years in my heart today.

A big hole

Here we are all standing around contemplating the big hole where the cashew tree used to be. We took the cashew tree out because it looked as if it was dying. When we removed it we saw that it was infected with cashew borer which was the reason for all the dead branches. Cutting it down was fairly easy but getting out the root was quite difficult.

Its made a lot more light in that corner of the orchard. We have put the big root in the corner of the field as a home for carpenter bees who will hopefully come and fertilise the passion fruit trees for us.

Good work

I love this picture as it is what I feel my work is all about – working together and in the process learning about ourselves and our place in the world.

Have had a lot of ideas about the fund raising – again the ideas flowing before and during my yoga class. Phew! I feel quite weak in some ways when I think of the work involved, but I think it will really enhance the experience of those who donate.

Everyone who donates will have the opportunity to win something that is made in or comes from Auroville.  Something to give  them  'a sense of Auroville'.

Tired

I've felt quite tired today and was glad that no one turned up for the Introductory course this morning. I had a bad lunch time meeting which I left early after getting into an argument with someone. I really should not waste my energy like this as it doesn't change anything either without or within.

This is one of the pictures that I posted on the new Buddha Garden Facebook page. We did an incredible morning's work today cutting all the glyricidea in Le Jardin fruit patch and mulching the fruit trees with the leaves. We did the whole area in one work session that I don't think we have ever done before.

I am so grateful for this work which gives me such deep joy.

Not the picture it should be

I feel that the picture I should have today is of me hunched over my computer as I feel as if I have been doing that all day. This morning I did a slide show for the web page which included pictures of volunteers (as above) together with information about the fund raising. I found it an incredibly fiddly job and by the time I had finished I did not have energy to create a picture of me hunched over the computer!

I spent a lot of time talking to Swaha and old friend who left Auroville five years ago and has just come back to stay for a few months. I really enjoyed talking with her although I feel it didn't leave me with much time to get on with the other things that need doing which is mainly my embroidery.

Another poster

Today I started early and made two new posters for the notice board. A job I often do this time of year in readiness for the guest season. This picture is the one I like the best because it is about Jalabhoomi where we made the ponds which are now full of water and very beautiful. The other was about our two orchards and the food forest.

At times the computer was sending me mad, being very slow and at one time I thought I was going to lose a whole lot of work that I had completed. Fortunately that didn't happen when I realised that I was working with too many large files at one time.

I am please that now I have finished and they have gone off for printing which hopefully won't take too long.

A visual day

I have been working very visually today, what with taking video clips of volunteers working this morning, updating a map and designing a post card. I did the above for Rajan who is going to get another quote which will hopefully be a lot less than the one from an Auroville unit. Otherwise they won't be worth doing because they won't make enough profit.

I feel rather tense after doing all that but with yoga tonight I will hopefully unravel some of the kinks in my shoulder and neck muscles.

Poster for fund raising

I spent most of the afternoon doing this poster which will be put up in Buddha Garden as well as writing a fund raising article for use on the web. Now it looks like I have a whole lot more jobs to do connected with this fund raising. This includes doing more posters, sorting out the merchandising and fund raising activities as well as doing all the web stuff.

I had quite a stiff neck and headache while I was doing the poster but it is much better now. Just understanding what I have to do and being able to write a do list made me much less tense. Even if the list is somewhat daunting.

My new lamp

This is a picture of my new lamp that will enable me to do my embroidery in the evenings. The light is lovely, bright enough to see what I am doing but not too bright to dazzle my eyes. And I like the look of it as well.

My nose!

This is a picture of what my nose feels like at the moment – although it comes and goes. It feels like I have got sunburn on my nose which feels like it is glowing. I don't know what it could be except some sort of allergy as I am sneezing a lot at the same time, especially after grass cutting.

Maybe I am just getting ready for Christmas so I can be like Rudolf the red nosed reindeer.

For our volunteers

Today we are full to overflowing with volunteers – and it is only the middle of November. It doesn't generally get like this until next month. As a consequence we have moved all the wood from upstairs into the downstairs office to create enough room for the new people. Already the upstairs room is full and there is one more person coming tomorrow. Fortunately someone is also leaving tomorrow.

One of the things I have had to do is write something about the registration process for volunteers and we decided to include a map. This is the sketch map that I did showing them where they have to go to carry out the different parts of the registration process.

One of many

This is one of many pictures that I looked at today, sorting out which ones would be good to use on the publicity material for the fund raising. It has taken a long time!

Nitish, who took this picture, told me that when he took this water had got onto the lens and hence the green haze. I rather like it as I think it gives a good impression of working in the rain as at such a time I often feel as if I am the middle of a green haze.

After the rain

After the rain the sun........ this is a picture of the hats and gloves that got extremely we during the rain while I was doing all the grass cutting. I put them out to dry on one of the beds.

 I'm so relieved that I was able to dry them quickly otherwise they go black with mould.

Fierce energy

Today I sat down and started organising our fund raising campaign. Later today Vivek came and told me that he has managed to secure a new solar system for us for the new kitchen. I feel like I am in a very powerful energy stream and that although things are going our way it is hard to keep my balance. In fact I feel that it could easily force me out of shape if I am not careful!

I need to be flexible but keep my feel firmly on the ground.

Bowed with rain

After raining all night it stopped just as we started work but then restarted just as we finished. It then continued to rain for the rest of the day. Like this tree I feel bowed by rain.

I don't know why, but I find it difficult to relax when it rains like this and one of the volunteers told me that he feels the same. Vivek has returned and there is a lot to process and decide about which of course adds to the tension but not in a necessarily bad way. Although I feel I have a huge amount to do in the next two weeks.

Finishing

This afternoon I feel I worked really hard and managed to finish the rainbow hanging. Here it is.

I must get a decent light so I can work in the evenings though. The daylight hours are too crowded and I think to embroider in the evenings will be very relaxing. No words, listening to music and not having to worry about whether I am going to finish before the light fades. I've written to a friend who I hope will be able to either make or find the light that I need.

Finished?

Yesterday I worked very hard on this hanging to finish it. It meant working into the evening when the light is not very good and my eyes felt as if they were out on stalks. I really must get myself a proper light if I am going to work in the evenings.

Now I am not so sure it is finished. Rajan likes this one but said the plant should have more leaves. I have been thinking about it and maybe two just coming and two almost falling off. There was no time today with a meeting this morning and yoga this afternoon, but maybe tomorrow....

Coming clear

I have been very busy today but certain things seem to be coming clear; how we are going to build the new volunteer accommodation, how we are going to raise money for the kitchen, how I am going to finish my 'rainbow' hanging.

Often I am not thinking specifically about these things, but as I go about doing what I have to do, things gradually become clear in my head. Its a very good experience.

Sewing the rainbow

It has taken me a week to start using the threads that I bought last week. I need to sew during daylight because trying to do it at night with the lighting I have strains my eyes. Somehow I never found the time last week.

It was even quite difficult today as I got up and felt I had to spend a couple of hours grass cutting before I could start as there is rain expected tomorrow which means no grass cutting is possible. After looking at the one I had started I decided that it wasn't working and that I should get rid of it. I am so pleased I did as the new one is much better.  

Another idea

I have been thinking for some days to see how I could express the idea of transformation through one of my embroidery hangings. I think and think and nothing comes and then I go to yoga and the idea just pops into my head!

The picture is of how I have been doodling around with the idea to see how it might be manifest. Its not the exact image I had in my head but the way the little stars change colour is exactly what I saw. I will probably have more ideas once I start working with material and thread.

I feel so pleased and very excited.

Transformation everywhere

Had a wonderful work morning today when we started clearing all the trees around the volunteer accommodation prior to starting building some more volunteer cabins. We had someone come with a chain saw and we took down a lot of trees that were leaning over and making quite a mess in the area. One of the volunteers was really unhappy about doing it, but as I said, it allows the trees that we have left to grow properly. I also had the sense of making space so the land could breathe.

The picture doesn't really give much of a sense of space unless you knew what was there before – so much undergrowth that it was impossible to walk along behind the houses. It has transformed the area even although there is quite a lot of clearing up still to do. With all of this and Pierre's roof at last looking as if it might be finished some time soon and the construction of steps and a seat in Jalabhoomi there was a feeling of transformation all over the place.

At last

Today the receiver was put up and I have got my internet connection. Have had a lovely Skype conversation with Emma and I feel very pleased.

Up goes the pole

This is a picture of the pole which was put up today by my house and on which the receiver for the new internet connection is going to be put. Of course the installation is not going as quickly as I was told it would. The rain delayed things but its going to take some time for the cement to cure and I have to wait for that (no one knows how long of course) as someone has to actually climb the pole to put the dish on top. I do wish that people here would be more realistic instead of giving wildly inaccurate ideas of when things can be completed.

I'm sure they do this just to make me feel good which it does at the time but then rapidly turns to disappointment when things don't happen as promised. Although I suppose I am used to it now and take all such estimates with a pinch of salt.

Colours of today

Today has been extremely grey and very wet although it did stop raining this afternoon. I took the opportunity to rush into Pondy to get some thread I needed to finish off the rainbow that I am embroidering on my latest piece of work.

In this picture I've tried to bring together the rather hazy and muted colours of the sky and rain with the colours of the thread that I went to buy.

Playing with an idea

T

his picture is the physical manifestation of the idea that I had yesterday. I enjoyed playing around with the different elements.

Sewing it has turned out to be more difficult. I am about half way through and not very happy with it. But this happened with the other ones and they turned out all right. So I hope this one will be the same.

Something finished something begun

This morning I finished off my latest embroidery project entitled 'cyclone' which will be one of the perks for the Buddha Garden fund raising that will start on December 1^st. I finished it first thing this morning and then felt quite empty when I had no ideas for the next project – and I have got to have ten of these ready by the end of the month.

I went to yoga this afternoon and an idea just floated into my head. That was a lovely experience and I will start it tomorrow.

A big hole

I had a succession of people come to see me to talk about a range of things – how to find a place to live in Auroville, students doing research in Buddha Garden, volunteers turning up. Rajan organised for the grass cutter to go to Chennai to be repaired. The team doing Pierre's roof are still with us together with the noisy and smelly generator which makes me sneeze every time it is turned on. With so much going on I felt as if was in the middle of a whirlpool.

The internet installation team were also very much in evidence. They came and hung around my house for a while, talking between themselves. Then two of them got on the roof while one of them sat inside with his laptop to find the signal. They have decided where the pole has got to go for the receiving dish and when I got back from yoga I found a large hole had been dug at the side of my house.

I have been so busy that I feel I haven't had time to get excited or to obsess about when the connection is actually going to start working. So far all I have got is a big hole!