Two families

When Vivek came yesterday he talked about my two families, one in the UK and one in Auroville.  So today I pictured them.

Made me feel much better about going to the UK and have started the process of getting my air ticket.  Although I feel uncomfortable about the idea of having two lives and two families somehow it does work out.  As always, more trust is needed.  If this is what I have been given then there will be ways of working it out both for myself and the two families.

Another amazing day

Had a wonderful surprise today when Vivek came early with a bag of presents from Emma and Rachael!  Unbeknown to me Emma had contacted Vivek, sent him some money and asked him to get some things for me.  I was so touched.

Went to the Ashram and felt showered with golden light.  Then in the evening went out for a meal with Pieter and Michael.  Haven’t had a birthday like that for years.

An amazing day

Today had a long talk with Vivek and Rajan about Vivek’s new research.  Its wonderful how a lot of things have come together spontaneously and now we are part of an important research project.  This will bring in a lot of infrastructure and we will be creating important information that can be shared.  I think it will really put us on the research map although for us it means we have to be really precise about our data collection.

This afternoon I went to an origami workshop and made two roosters.  Its Chinese New Year tomorrow and the beginning of the year of the rooster.  Its also my birthday.

A different map

I received this map from a volunteer who was here several months ago.  She still has very warm memories of her time here which makes me feel very pleased.

A day off today when I have had another difficult conversation with Pierre.  Sometimes I feel I am in another universe from some of those around me.

Students

Had my two school sessions today, one at Deepanam and the other one at Udavi.  I enjoyed them both although rather sad that they want to change the organisation of the sessions yet again at Deepanam.  They want two now and two in April which I think means that we won’t build up an energy for the learning process.

It has sparked off a lot of thought though about how best to move a more long term education project forward.

A volunteer and me

A volunteer wanted a picture with me and here it is.

Irrigation pipes

These were some new irrigation pipes that we made today.  I love the shapes that the pipe makes.

Farm Festival again

Was supposed to give a presentation about my teaching but no one turned up.  No one! And that included the other two presenters.

Had a nice conversation with the very few people who were there, but another disappointing day.

Farm Festival

This is a picture of the ‘community interaction’ where people from the community were outnumbered by the farmers.

It turned out to be a good session but with such a disappointingly small turnout I don’t think it had much impact.

Odd day

Despite a strike we managed to start the Farm Festival today.  Even if it was very low key because the rest of Auroville was closed.

We had a farmers lunch and I felt very far from most of the farmers.

Another group

Yesterday started with another group at Udavi school.  They are one year older than the other group and it seems as if it makes all the difference when it comes to how they are in class.  There are only four girls with nine boys but they seem to all get along with each other and focus on what they are doing.  I will try and find out if there have been a lot of girls drop out or whether there were never many girls in the first place.

The picture is of a poster I made for the Farm Festival this weekend about our schools program.  Not wonderful but the best I could do in the time available.

Living being

I developed this picture from a night time scribble.  I felt a strong insistence from the picture that it needed to be done.

The colours glowed in my brain and it looks a bit like something living.

Glorious colours

These chillies were picked this morning and I thought their colours are just wonderful.  They gleam and sparkle in the sun.

Entwined

At last! Got up feeling more energetic and hopeful.  Created these two pictures to show how its been.  I felt as if this virus has bound me close and now it is slowly letting me go.  Except its not really as its just loosening itself so I can dance with it more easily.  Rather than letting go completely.

I really wonder about the bright green colour as green is meant to be healing and this is a very positive bright green colour.  Not the colour I would expect for a virus that made me sick.  Maybe it represents Buddha Garden? Again and again I seem to come back to having to take responsibility for everything in Buddha Garden.  Which does not always feel good for my health.  The place feels as if it will not let me go……. Maybe dancing more loosely with it is the first step?

I think I have to be more patient with the process.

Feel ill again

Had a dreadful night as couldn’t sleep properly because of my chest.  It feels very full of mucous which I have difficulty coughing up.  Also feel a bit hot and wonder if I have another fever. 

Why am I not getting better?? Have never had a bad chest like this before.

Weekend off?

Went to yoga but not sure whether it helped me feel better or not.

As this is the Pongal weekend there are colourful kolams all over the place.  This one was in the Visitors Centre.

Almost in tears

This morning I thought that after work I would be able to rest as for the first time this week I had nothing scheduled.  Not a hope! There was a continual process of people coming with problems – bugs in the beds (this took ages), wanting clean laundry and then Vasantha wanting cash for her new clothes for Pongal.  In the end I had to cycle over to Financial Services to get another Rs2000 note as that is all they have at the moment.  I felt so tired that was the last thing I wanted to do, but it did enable me to do some much needed shopping.

I feel I need rest – but perhaps I don’t!  I found I felt less resentful when I pretended I was going out for a nice bicycle ride rather than doing all those jobs.  And I do feel better now.

Today was the start of the Pongal weekend and the picture is a Pongal Kolam in Buddha Garden drawn by Vasantha.

First tomatoes!

Another day that seems to have taken all my energy.  Another large group of 20 people came and I had a meeting to attend after that.

Sometimes I wonder how I do it……

Beans strung

Had an extra group of 20 people come this morning which given my greater sensitivity because of being ill I could have done without.  But they did this wonderful job of stringing the beans so I feel it was worth it.

Green

Managed to go to work for a little while this morning.  Just as well because we had an extra group come and I think the volunteers would have had problems dealing with that.

Everywhere I looked were these beautiful green beds of lettuce.

Ugh

We are all sick! Rajan, Sivakala and myself couldn’t make it to work today.  Rajan is going to the hospital because he says he has been sick for five days and therefore should have a blood test. This morning Spiros ran the morning work and two other volunteers did the breakfast cooking.  Thank goodness for volunteers.

I am feeling a bit better although rather tired.  The sinus pain is much better and my stomach doesn’t feel so sore.

As I didn’t have a picture I looked for one from last year but I didn’t have a picture on that date either.  As far as I remember I wasn’t ill but probably very busy.

My hurting head

Yesterday just before I went to yoga there was this terrible smell in my room.  It smelt like the Pondy dump/burning plastic and made my throat and the back of my nose feel terrible.  It happened so quickly and I felt as if the inside of my sinuses were being scraped off.  Have had a bad night because of all the mucous in my nose and then a sinus headache all day and much worse at night.

So haven’t been able to get on with all that writing I want to do.  Is it because I did too much yesterday?? Or have I caught Rajan and Magzhiran’s cold??  Felt cold most of today.

Sristi village

Went to see a wonderful project called Sristi today which is a village for special needs people.  They want some help with setting up a food growing project so they can grow all their own food.  There is lots of enthusiasm but not so much experience or knowledge. 

Makes my heart warm when I see a project like this set up by a person on his own in quite a remote village.  I hope we will be able to help them.  This is what there soil looks like which shows that it needs a lot of work to become fertile.

Night image

Today a volunteer called Sammy came to see me to teach me about social media.  It was very informative although unfortunately it has made me see how a smart phone would really help me do all this much more easily than on my computer and camera.  So of course now I am looking at suitable smartphones!! But I can manage without for the time being.

The picture develops last night’s scribbles.  I learnt how to change the transparency of the layers and love the effect.  I can think of other instances when I can use that.

The shed is up

Great excitement today when the shed at the entrance of Buddha Garden was finally finished.  It looks wonderful.  We also had 16 people for the cooking class. 

A good day.

Night scribbles

This is a picture developed from last night’s scribbles.  I really like it although once again have no idea what it means – if anything.  Looking at it though, I can see lots of possibilities with different shapes that suggest different things.  I like the colours as well.

This morning a student came wanting help with a garden being made by a village disability project.  It sounds really interesting and something else to add to my educational activities.

Too busy again

Despite being incredibly busy in the morning and with a yoga class in the afternoon I did manage to walk around Buddha Garden to get some photos.  I love this one of some Tibetan flags hung on one of the volunteer cabins.

I like the splash of colours.

Got some money!

Very busy day.  Went to Financial Services to find a huge queue going out the door.  Eventually managed to get a Rs2000 note which was all they were giving away.  Rajan maintains that he can get change from the petrol station.  Which I suppose shows that come what may people are managing to find notes to pay for their petrol.

One person showed me a Rs500 note that she got from Tiruvannamallai this morning.  So they are around but maybe not in this area.

For the first day of the New Year

This is an image I created today based on something I scribbled last night.  Which, I realised, was very much like something I did on the 24^th.  I presume because its an image that wants to come through.

I love the colours and I also learnt something new about using the software.  Been a somewhat agitating day with lots of little things to do.  Must try to cultivate a more peaceful way of being.

Yoga in the garden

Have felt rather stressed doing this yoga poster for an International Yoga Festival in Puducherry next week.  Mahindran asked if I would come and speak but as I feel I have hardly anything to say I said I would do this poster instead.

I will probably drop in at the festival at some point and answer questions if anyone is interested.  I could do without having yet more jobs to do, but at the same time I want to help Mahindran.