Doodle

Heavy rain today – I think it’s the third Sunday in a row when this has happened.  At least this time we have had some sun and bright skies from time to time.  Although I am finding the damp and humidity uncomfortable.

Got a lot of things done but had no inspiration for a picture.  Except this doodle drew itself.  I like the colours.

New life

Yesterday I saw one of three new chicks for the first time. Seeing little ones like this always gives me hope.

I am slowly getting better. There seem to be some positive things going to happen in Buddha Garden. Sometimes the sun shines

Shantam

Today there was a lotus flower just bloomed in the little pond we have.  It seemed a fitting tribute for Shantam’s death day. 

Possibilities

Today Vivek came to me with some ideas for courses.  This will be wider than anything we have done before.  It will focus not only on food growing but food processing and eating.  We will be looking at issues that are relevant to the whole world.  We will getting more people from Auroville involved.

It is very exciting and I feel that Buddha Garden is now pregnant with many possibilities.  When I went to look at what Pierre has been up to on the piece of land he looks after, there were blue patches of sky showing through the clouds.  I felt more positive than I have for a very long time.

Worked hard

After two meetings I came home this afternoon and packed up the advent calendar for the Stanley Duke sprogs. I now feel really tired.  Hopefully I can send both calendars off tomorrow.

But we have had sun and a blue sky. With everything seemingly drying up very quickly. And as the picture shows, we planted the first significant amounts of lettuce.

I tried!

Today I tried to send the above parcel to Sam.  As its an Advent Calendar I wanted it to arrive by December 1^st and although I am later sending it off that I would like, I thought it had a sporting chance of getting there on time.

Unfortunately it was not to be.  The power was off and so there were no computers.  Then I found out that tomorrow is a holiday.  So the first day I can send it is Thursday.  Something exceptional will have to happen for it to get there on time.  Oh well….

As I went out I tripped over this enormous generator.  I presume it wasn’t working because there was no diesel. I wonder who forgot……

Feeling a bit better

After a long and heavy sleep I woke up feeling hot and lot better.  First time for a few days that I feel I have had some energy. Did a lot of different jobs including web site articles. I didn't manage to make it to ballet class. Now it is coming towards the end of the day I am feeling tired again.  I probably need another early night.

It was lovely in the garden this morning with Pierre, Rajan and Vivek all there as well as me! The picture shows a group of people in the nursery.  Lettuce season has started and they were pricking out seedlings.  We have promised 2500 of them to various other farmers. So we need a lot of people to do this work.

Another dark Sunday

It was another dark Sunday and has rained for most of the day. Everything is now exceptionally soggy with flooding everywhere.  Felt very tired this morning but feel a bit better this afternoon after lying around and reading.

I seem to have several low level infections….. as well as emotional stuff to deal with.  It feels like the darkness seeps into my body.

Mosquitoes

As a result of all the recent rain this is what the cashew orchard in Siddhartha farm looks like. You have to go past this to get into Buddha Garden.  

Today I walked past, but in the future I will have to cycle. It’s the only way to get by without getting eaten alive by mosquitoes.

Body agitation

I drew this picture to express how I feel.  Agitation within my body and without.

At the moment I cannot find the best way of dealing with it.

The work goes on

My body mirrored my inner feelings today. I have been feeling quite agitated and I seem to have a ‘not quite an infection’ in my bladder.  Feels uncomfortable but not really a full blown illness.  Like the sinus pain I had when I came back from the UK.

I am dealing with a lot of disparate things. Which includes the weather which isn’t the easiest at the moment. I sorted out something with one of my co-workers two days ago.  It seems to take a lot of my energy just to hold the energy in Buddha Garden. Then there is a long list of other things that I am doing.  My yoga practice seems to be uncovering how much energy I am expending rather than giving me energy.

Yet the work goes on and everything seems to be thriving.  I need to look after myself.

Too busy busy

Had a very busy day today with a meeting and then yoga.  Unfortunately after yoga I didn’t feel like doing anything! So I wasn’t able to make a start on the notes.

Didn’t have time or energy to create a picture.  Not even a photo.  So its just a blank.

Flooding

Today it was extremely wet and soggy.  As I write this just after lunch the sun has come out, so hopefully there will be electricity this evening.

I took this picture yesterday.  I haven’t seen the guava patch flooded like this for years.  Although most of the water has disappeared today.  David said it rained 54mm yesterday.

Rain

It started raining very early this morning and has been raining all day almost without a break.  Its been so dark that the electricity has been off for most of the day.

Have managed to sew a bit of the Christmas tree decoration I am making.  I wanted to finish off Sam’s Advent Calendar but it so wet and humid the paper was too damp to do it.

Dark and rainy

Been dark and rainy and the electricity has gone off early.  So have spent the time doing Sam’s Advent Calendar and rather enjoying myself.

One of the things I am sending him his a sachet of citronella. I took this picture of the lemon grass outside my door.  So that he can understand where it comes from.

Be true to what is

This morning we had to shore up a lot of the banana trees around the tank.  They had been blown around in the wind of the cyclone.  In doing the the sticks doing the shoring up came down onto the path. We had to block the path so people don't trip over them, especially at night.  I like the way that the way around is very near.

It seemed to be a symbol for me about what is happening in Buddha Garden.  In many ways it feels stuck, but maybe there is a path through that is very close, but I haven't seen it yet.

I saw Jo today and she said that it is not a question of trying to fix or manipulate the situation.  But holding the situation and expressing the truth about it.  And then the way will become clear.

Sun glorious sun!

It was lovely to see the sun today. Its only been a few grey days but I miss the sun so much when it isn’t here.

After the cyclone everything was a mess, but most of it has been cleared up.  The temperature has gone down so we can now germinate lettuces easily. Already we have some people asking about seedlings.

Pierre told me that he wants three months off.  Which means I will be on my own working with volunteers in the mornings.

Ponds full

Today is Diwali so a day off.  I have been trying out some new editing software which gave me a horrible surprise.  According to the software two thirds of the sentences I write are too difficult to read easily.  And I use far too much passive voice.  I changed everything but it doesn’t feel like my writing any more.  I will be interested to see what my editor thinks.

It was much brighter today so we have had some electricity.  I have managed to charge up all my devices.  I hope there will be enough left for proper light tonight.

Cyclone

Today it rained all day with strong gusts of wind.  It was dark and cold.  The solar system didn’t produce much electricity so there was hardly any light in the evening.  We are told that a cyclone is passing over tonight.  But it feels more like it came over today.

We have had quite a few trees and branches blown down. This is what the ladies finger bed looked like afterwards.

Wet

It has been a proper monsoon day today, raining almost continuously and very dark and cold. Despite using as little power as possible I wonder if the electricity will last all night…..

 I should have taken the opportunity to do my book, but although I did some, I didn’t feel like doing much.  I did manage to get all the things together for Sam’s Advent Calendar though and am rather pleased with the result.

In the papers

People kept telling me I was in the papers and this is what they were talking about.  Its about the function I went at spoke at last Tuesday.  In the Times of India Puducherry section.

Our youngest volunteer

I really enjoyed having Dorita’s daughter here this morning.  As you can see from the photo, she worked with such concentration and focus.

Reminded me a lot of being here with my daughters.  Although they didn’t want to work on the farm they had this kind of energy when they did things they enjoyed.

Shambala in Buddha Garden

This is a picture of land work with the JCB on the part of Buddha Garden that we are now calling Shambala which means ‘place of peace’ or ‘place of silence’.  We are trying to arrange things so that Pierre has some autonomy over this piece of land although it will still be part of Buddha Garden.

It is clear that this is only the first step in an ongoing process where we try to find ways to work together with less friction between us. Keeping the integrity of what has been built in Buddha Garden and respecting our different aspirations.

On show

I was persuaded by a doctor who comes regularly to Buddha Garden to speak at a function at the JIPMER hospital in Puducherry.  There is a school on the premises that were inaugurating tree planting and vegetable growing activities. All the great and good were there and I spoke to the students about how we grow organic food in Buddha Garden.

I looked at a video which showed most of them actually listening!

Running up the down escalator

In an effort to work together more harmoniously we are in discussions about how we can change how things are managed in Buddha Garden.  The effort is taking a huge amount of my energy. 

I feel I am running up the down elevator.  I just don’t seem to have time to do all the things that need to get done.  

Monsoon at last

Rained nearly all night so it was very grey, wet and muddy this morning.  At last it feels as if the monsoon has arrived.

Had a most frustrating day with the internet and feel that I have not been able to get on with anything very well.  Managed to do some of the book though, so all is not lost.

Wet but no water

This afternoon has been rather dark with rain.  Going down to the pond it looks like it is raining quite hard on the water – but it seems that hardly any water is coming.  The ponds are still very empty.

Have done lots of different jobs but am finding it hard to get moving on my book.  I think because I am finding it rather boring.  I wrote the book some years ago and even although I have re-written it the content feels very old. I had a really good conversation about the website with Mohan and Shankar and that has inspired me and will hopefully give me the energy to get on with the book. 

Website and book launch is December 20^th – the Winter Solstice – lovely.

Feeling the spiral

Had the most extraordinary feeling today during my ballet class of actually feeling the spiral inside me.  Grace gave us lots of explanations, but they were nothing compared with the feeling I had as we were doing one of the exercises.

I cannot express it in words and I am not sure that the picture really expresses it either. It is a sense of connection with the whole of my core that is tightly wound up and really present.

It’s the best I can explain right now.