Another interview 20180528

I did another interview with someone who had a cashew project some years ago.  Once again I have found it very hard to do the editing.  I cannot work out whether it is because of the software or because editing interviews are harder than editing my own voice!

This was after a busy morning in the garden where we are still getting very good harvests.  Unusual for this time of year when the weather is so hot.

An introverted day 20180527

Uploaded the video.  Amazingly Vivek came around with a lovely second hand camera that had come his way.  But of course now I have already ordered a camera I didn’t need it.  I don’t think I have ever looked forward to using a camera so much before.

The picture is from my yoga class that I found quite demanding.  It was at a point where I am supposed to roll forward onto my foot and then stand up.  But as the picture shows, I just got stuck! Grace said we can sort it out next week.

Village Festival 20180426

All this week we have enjoyed the blaring music of the local village festival.  Which I believe is carried out to make sure the rain comes.  Its very noisy and very bright lights although as the picture shows my camera struggled to deal with the dark conditions.

It wasn’t because of this, but today I ordered a new camera.  As I have decided that I really need it if I am going to be serious about doing these videos.

Our moringa powder 20180525

I love this picture of our Moringa powder all ready to go onto the shelves.

It’s the last image in the video which I finished today.

Moringa moringa 20180524

Have been thinking a lot today about the video I am making about how we make our moringa powder.

I created the above picture to use in the video as a background to a lot of information about the moringa tree.

The birthday girl 20180523

Did a lot of work filming for the next video about how we make our moringa powder.  Oh how I would LOVE to have a proper video camera.

It was Elsie’s second birthday today and Emma sent me this picture of her opening the scooter I sent her.  I love the focused and workman like  way she is opening it!

A monster snake gourd 20180521

This snake gourd was so long that we couldn’t have got it to Foodlink without breaking it.  Which of course meant that we couldn’t take it there.  Instead we shared it in the communal kitchen and with Rajan and Sangeeta.

I have found a new place to do yoga and am so pleased as I was beginning to feel that the classes I was doing was not right for me.  At the end of a class I didn’t feel more in touch with my body.  Yesterday I felt I needed another kind of class and miraculously I have got somewhere else to try today.

Another video 20180520

Amazingly I made another video today.  I wanted to make something about the heat and did a lot of clips this morning.  It showed me that I either have to use the phone on my camera better or get a proper video camera.  A lot of the ideas I had either didn’t work or weren’t possible.  I did enjoy doing it though; it was fun doing something different.

The picture is of Rajan and Giri loading up their motorbikes with the first of our cashew that we are getting processed.  They take it to a nearby village where they do this work.

Funday in Manchester 20180519

I made another video today and realise once again that I am doing this instead of taking photos.

This picture came to me from Emma when she took the two children to a local Fun Day in one of the parks.  Elsie doesn’t seem very convinced that Sam is still Sam.

Magzhiran 20180518

Am rather pleased with this picture as I took it off one of the video clips that I did.  For several days I couldn’t find where it had gone in my computer!  Now I have found it and will know where to look next time!

Cactus 20180517

We had a heavy dew one day and at this time of year it brings out the cactus flowers.

I love how they only seem to need a drop or two of water in this very dry time and off they go.

End of day colours 20180516

A busy day which included a Farm Group meeting but thankfully no note writing.  So later in the afternoon I had time to try out a new camera lent to me by Giri.  In some ways I really liked it as it had some characteristics which made it easier to use than my phone.  But the camera itself is no better than my phone so it won’t be a device for the long term.

One of the pictures I took was this one of the sunset which I really like.  Sunsets can be lovely at this time of the year but they don’t last for very long in this part of the world.

Luscious green 20180515

I actually managed to take some ordinary photos today instead of video clips.  This is of the bassella spinach growing in the garden which is the most gorgeous green.  When everything else looks rather brown and dried up. 

It is so humid and my skin itches a lot of the time.

Someone else 20180514

Again, a picture that just came.

No idea who or what he is.  I think he looks young and rather fragile.

Flow 20180512

I had time to create a picture today and couldn’t think why this one just popped out of my head and down to my hands.  Then I remembered that today is yoga day and the teacher calls the class ‘Hatha flow’.

At first I found that the continuous movement and deep breathing made my body feel as if it was burning.  As if it was being consumed.  I’ve now found a way to do it more softly and its fine.

Kindness in action 20180511

Loved this picture from Emma which I called ‘kindness in action’. 

Sam is so lovely with Elsie and they seem to get on very harmoniously most of the time.

Glorious blue 20180510

Finished the video for Sylvia about our trip to Yercaud and more and am very pleased with it. The picture is of the beautiful blue blossom we saw there.

Every time I make a new video I seem to learn something new and in this case it was how to make a moving title.  I’m going to try for the next Buddha Garden video.

At last I am feeling that I have a bit more time to myself to do these sorts of things.

Only three mangoes! 20180509

Spent a lot of time going out and getting more pictures and then starting the new video I am doing for Sylvia.  I took some pictures of where she stayed and in the garden.

I also took some pictures of Buddha Garden including the above showing two of only three mangoes that we have on our tree this year.  Only last year the trees was covered in mangoes. Apparently it’s a bad season for mangoes and I presume it is because of last year’s drought.

Flowers 20180508

This morning I did some clips for the video which included quite a lot of clips of flowers.  Generally I don’t think of Buddha Garden as having many flowers, but when I really looked I found there were quite a lot.

There was a bit of a breeze this morning so it was much easier doing video clips than photos.  This was one of the few photos (of drumstick flower) that wasn’t blurred. 

Doodle 20180507

Spent a lovely hour or so this afternoon doodling this.  Really enjoyed having the big screen and the graphic tablet and fiddling around with the software.

No idea who she is or where she comes from. 

The energy inside me 20180506

Had a very busy day.  I wrote three reports and got some material together for someone who wants to write something about a new electricity transformer in Auroville.

I managed to get all the software together for using my graphic tablet and this is my first created picture.  Since I’ve had a new yoga teacher and started doing a different sort of yoga my body feels on fire a lot more of the time!  Which can be quite uncomfortable in this heat.

Yoga teacher says it is good because purification is happening.  But to me it sometimes feels as if I am being consumed.  Its better when I do the yoga in a softer way which includes softer breathing.

Despite that I’m glad to continue with yoga in some form or other.

Sorting stuff out 20180505

Was very pleased when Barathi came and sorted out the driver for my rather old graphic tablet.  Especially as Bobby had told me that he didn’t think he would have time to do it.

Was even more pleased when I managed to download my graphic software and create the above picture for my report about the Udavi School garden.  It included something about the text book which I think worked really well.

It was lovely doing the work on the large new screen.

My life in videos 20180504

Managed to finish and upload the new Buddha Garden video today. 

I feel I am starting to measure my life by the videos that I make!

A useful tripod 20180503

My new tripod arrived a few days ago and I used it a lot this morning.  The problem for me is that it is not a very robust tripod and already I have lost one of the plastic feet.

Nevertheless it does work to some degree and stops a lot of the jiggle I was seeing in some of my film clips.  Even with the tripod I haven’t yet worked out how to do a smooth zoom in and out.

Thunderstorm 20180502

Had a huge thunderstorm in the middle of last night, the first of the season which makes it quite early.  I jumped up and pulled out all the plugs as I was worried that the lightening might affect my new equipment! 

The rain brought a lovely coolness to the air and I wouldn’t have minded a few more hours sleeping in it.

Notes 20180501

Supposed to be a worker’s day off today but it wasn’t the case for me.  First of all there was a Farm Group meeting at which I ended up taking the notes.  Then I had to go with Tomas to  see the donor for Selvam’s farm. 

So not really a holiday, especially as it was very hot.

More green 20180430

Today we cleaned all the enormous amounts of leaves up around the peepul tree for mulch and for compost.  The place now has the feel of an English country garden although as the photo shows it doesn’t look like it because there isn’t enough green.  The new green leaves on the tree show better than yesterday’s picture.

I put up this picture on Facebook and one respondent was worried that by taking all the leaves away we were starving the tree.  I think if we had the opportunity to keep the area under the tree free of leaves we might.  But in this hot weather we have fewer volunteers and they have to do work on the beds rather than rake up leaves.  So I think the tree is safe.

New greens 20180429

Had an extremely quiet day today, which was just as well as it is very hot right now.  There were times during the day when I didn’t feel I could do anything except sit very still…..

As I was wandering around Buddha Garden I noticed how the peepul tree has come out with new leaves in beautiful fresh green colours.