Respect how my body feels 20190630

Felt better today but realized that I have to respect how my body is feeling.  My body feels like shit and I will have to respect that.  I can’t just barrel forward and ignore it.

Have worked very slowly but managed to get the video done and went through the student book.  I now have a list of all the drawings that I have to finish.  The picture is of Magzhiran which I used as the last shot in the video after some clips of his birthday party.

Fragile and shaky 20190629

Have felt really bad all today after having to deal with a difficult situation first thing this morning.  Pierre invited someone to come and stay here without informing us.  I had to talk to the person who stayed (Pierre seems to be nowhere around) and afterwards felt very shaky and dizzy.

It went on all day so had to be very gentle with myself.  Managed to get this cover finished though.

For the cover 20190628

Did a lot of artwork for the book today but there still seems a lot to do.  This is a picture that I took from which I made a drawing.

Had to go to the school session even although we still don’t have any seedlings for them.  We think it is either the heat or the overcast sky we have had these past days but the seedlings are taking longer than usual to grow.

BAck to the kitchen 20190627

We’ve now started work on the eating place outside the kitchen.  This has included brining the stone stools from New Horizon to the kitchen as well as painting the bench.

Fortunately everyone else has got much more enthusiasm for doing it than me.  So I’m very pleased to let them get on with it.

Feeling tired 20190626

Feeling rather overloaded again.  Someone phoned me up wanting me to join an Auroville group.  It sounds very interesting and I said it I would give it a try.  But said I wouldn’t be able to join until after I get back from the UK.  Got a bit of vertigo when I stood up too quickly so felt quite fragile until I had a rest after lunch.  It showed me that I am still on a knife edge and still have to be careful about how much I do and take on.

So many things to do for the books that I hardly know where to start.  Focused on the student book today and am pleased with what I managed to do.  I would really like to blitz the other book so I get to that point where I feel it is written.  Not finished but written. I feel it is almost there…..

Managed to get this good picture of Sivakala for the poster about the cooking course.  Goodness knows when I will get that done.

Very tired 20190625

Went to a Farm Group meeting today and got super emotional and worked up about everyone’s response to the water problem of a farm.  I feel we always seem to end up with a compromise when with water we really do have to be a lot firmer.  Stomach went all jumpy and some people were obviously upset by my very strong energy.  Oh dear.

Came back home and got the title for the picture book.  Just like that! Spent the afternoon working on the cover which was nice.  Feel a bit calmer now but this writing seems to be putting me in touch with a very crazy part of myself.  I sometimes feel that I am on speed or something.

The old well 20190624

Spent some time looking at the site of an old well that I am thinking could be refurbished.  It would mean opening it up and then having several recharge wells around it.  The idea being that perhaps it could provide enough water for the lower part of the garden for six months of the year.

Problem is that no one is quite sure how well it would work.

Tired but satisfied 20190623

Have managed to get through the section on microbes and finished the picture.  This morning I decided to make some changes to the picture which I feel is finished now.

I am tired but very satisfied.  I am hoping to get everything together for the book next week ready for the final run through in the weeks that follow.  I might need to do some more illustrations.

Picture arrived in my head 20190622

I didn’t have to work this morning and so was able to spend the time doing the above picture.  This to bring together all the material that I am going to be talking about in my book.  I’ve had ideas for the picture for some time but I feel this is close to the final version. I am very pleased with it and have put it on my computer.

In the evening we had Magzhiran’s fourth birthday party.  Unfortunately I felt a bit too tired to enjoy it.  I also had a lovely lunch with a friend but realized that the writing is making me very tense and so strung up that I spilled my soup!

Book cover 20190621

I woke up at 4.00am this morning with the idea for the book title in my head.

I had several ideas for the book cover and illustration.  At the end of work time I got everyone together for photos around one of the trees in the Pryog orchard.   Everyone was very kind but it was clear that the staged photos just didn’t work.  They looked dead.  What worked was the picture of two hands weeding above which I just snapped while talking to them about coming to the Pryog orchard.

I think it goes rather well with the title ‘Hands With the Earth Together’

A lot done 20190620

Felt even better this morning although got tired this afternoon.  I think the writing is taking it out of me – I started the plants section today.  Very glad indeed that some money has turned up from the community to help build the new roof we need for Rajan’s house.  It means know we can get moving of the detail of what and when.

I finished and uploaded this week’s video as well as working on material for the class on Friday afternoon.  Then I managed to look at about half of the section on plants.  I think I need to do more new pictures than writing for this section.

I felt much, much better after yoga which consisted of asanas to deal with the heat.

Better 20190619

Have felt a lot better today and got a lot finished.  The best is that I finished the water section of the book.

Heat exhasution 20190618

The heat has finally got to me as I felt really dizzy and sick this morning.  I drank and drank for the rest of the day and by the evening was feeling a lot better.  Trouble is though, however much I drink in this heat I still feel thirsty.  The humidity was very high – like a thick blanket surrounding me.

Despite this I managed to do this week’s video this morning and the picture of bunded trees is one that I used. I did some book writing this afternoon.  I must be more careful about how much I do outside and how often I drink as I often forget.

More work on the picture 20190617

I meant to do more writing today and although I did do some I spent more time on the picture.  I’ve changed the orientation and added some things which included this picture.  I also spent some time on the black and white pictures for the book.  In this I have used icons/symbols for the concepts and I think in the end I may use them rather than the photos.

I did do some writing but not very much.  I think once I get a few things straight in my head with the picture the writing will come.  I hope so, as I found out today its 45 days before I go to the UK and I want to finish the book before then.  I’d like to have it ready for editing before I go.

Idea that came 20190616

Had an idea last night/very early this morning  about how to create a poster that brings together visually all aspects of our farming practice in Buddha Garden.  Am very pleased with it and although it took most of the morning to do I think it will really help the writing. 

Kitchen finished 20190615

Got up early and finished varnishing the doors to a cupboard in the kitchen and the last small wooden cupboard.  Doing all this paintwork has given me a blister on one of my fingers.  Later on I put all the stuff away with Suanne and now I feel the kitchen is finished.  I’m surprised at the huge weight this seems to take off my shoulders.

Now we have to turn our attention to getting money for doing R’s house.  The meeting to see how much we might get from Auroville is going to take place on Wednesday.  We also talked about how to get more money to do up the cottage…..Phew!

Finished the video but it wouldn’t upload to YouTube.

Varnishing cupboards 20190614

We started varnishing the kitchen cupboards today and I got two of them finished.  I am pleased but its hard work and means I haven’t had much time for writing.

An impression of rain 20190613

Went to a different yoga class today with someone who I feel was a very traditional yogi.  He sat at the front ringing bells and telling us what to do and we followed.  He also did various meditation things which were lovely.

On the way back I could see the lightening over Marakkanam way and could smell the rain.  But next morning this was only this impression of rain in the dust.  But the temperature went down a bit.

Plodding again 20190612

After yesterday’s energy everything was much less easy today and I am back to plodding away.  I managed to look at another section but didn’t have the energy to rewrite some of the material.  Although at least I now know what needs rewriting and have time to think about it.  I think its all part of getting the shape of the book together.

Very hot breeze again and feel a bit sleepy at the end of the day as I write this.  I did manage to do the above picture which I am very pleased with.  Have talked about how to use the book to raise money for Buddha Garden.

Got what I wanted 20190611

There was a Farm Group meeting this morning and I was very divided about going.  It was a long way to cycle when it is so hot and anyway I wanted to write.  In the end I decided to go for the cycle ride which I thought I really needed.  When I got there the meeting was cancelled as a group had to go and deal with the encroachment on a farm.  So I got my cycle ride without the meeting just as I wanted!

Am having so many ideas about the book.  Sometimes it feels like the book is writing itself inside me but I am not quite ready to write it yet.  I spend time moving stuff around, inserting ideas and creating pictures like the above.  I had this idea for the five elements in greyscale to be icons rather than pictures.  Then came up with the above.

I wonder when I will start writing? Or whether the book will come together in bits.

Focussing 20190610

Had a really nice lunch at V’s new house today.  He has made a beautiful job of it.  I hope it will be the haven of peace and thoughtfulness that I think he is going to need if he carries on doing the work he is doing.

This is the picture I did today about ground water.  Which was simpler than yesterday’s picture of the water cycle.

I learnt how to draw a proper circle with the software today.  So no more guessing needed about whether something is a perfect circle or not.

A lot done 20190609

Feel I have completed a lot of writing work today.  I finished the section on insects and moved a lot of material around.  I feel that at last the overall shape of the book is becoming clear.  I hope it will soon get its own energy to be completed.

I also did some more pages of the colouring book and will get them printed out tomorrow so Suanne and Mani can have a look at them.

Kitchen coming along 20190608

Did rather well today by getting the video not only completed but uploaded fairly early on in the day.  So that left lots of time for doing other things.  This included quite a lot of writing as well as pictures and writing for more pages of the colouring book.

The picture is of the first coat of coloured paint in the kitchen.  They have now finished the outside of the kitchen and have also started on the windows.  Rajan says they are dark blue but they look black to me.  Whatever the colour it looks really good.

The meeting I didn't go to 20190607

Had Important Person in Buddha Garden today and I didn’t go to the meeting.  Am very surprised at the amount of energy this seems to have saved!  V and G are well able to manage so hopefully this will continue in the future.  I think its what I may need to do more of my writing.

Had a talk with Rajan and discussed ideas for books for small children about food growing.

Rather pleased with the first completed page of the colouring book for which I created this picture …..

Things easing 20190606

Woke up this morning with a solution to one of my writing problems. Very pleased.  Re did the picture from yesterday.  Better for the book but probably not for the colouring book

Also very pleased that Vivek came around and explained to me what is going with the research.  His response to me is now quite understandable!!!  The group he is doing it with want to keep all the money and V is determined that they shouldn’t do that and undermine/devalue his work. Now feel much better about everything.

Arms went very wobbly in yoga.  I couldn’t stop my elbows from folding up!  Did I overdo things???  I hope it hasn’t caused any damage.

Grinding to a halt 20190605

Everything seems to have ground to a halt today.  No one turned up to paint the kitchen because it is the end of Ramadan.  At least half of the team are Muslim so presumably everyone decided to take the day off.

I continue to write but had problems with the goddess of destruction on my shoulder.  Haven’t had that for a long time and it made me rather depressed about the overall quality of the book.  I have to put her in the corner with her face away from me!!

Spent a huge amount of time on this illustration which is not right and will have to be redone.

HOT 20190604

I really enjoyed doing this picture.  Just as well as I didn’t get much writing done.  It seems to be taking a long time – a bit like swimming through mud.  Problem is when I come to write about microbes and what they do I see that I am repeating what I wrote in other sections.  Everything is connected to everything else and I’m finding that difficult to write about.

I think I need to go back and review how I’ve planned the book.  I realise I am thinking about this as I write which is probably why its not going very quickly…..

New kitchen coming 20190603

We started repainting the kitchen today.  They have only started putting on the white primer and already it looks much better.  Its supposed to be finished by the end of the week.

Writing continues at a slow but steady pace.  Doing the illustrations as well really helps me keep going.

Hot and tired again 20190602

Had a very interesting dream last night of having a glove on my right foot and a smooth and beautiful sock on my left foot.  It was meaningful on several levels….

Another hot and tiring day when my stomach felt a bit upset.  Maybe that’s why I felt more tired than usual.  Did some writing work and several pictures but very slow.  Did much less than I usually do on a Sunday but that’s probably a good thing.

Hot and tired 20190601

Felt rather overheated and tired today for most of the day.  Despite this I did the above picture, did a little bit of writing (and maybe more importantly reading and thinking) and made a good start on the video.

I feel everything is progressing but slowly.  Was reminded that the school year starts in two weeks time!!  I was supposed to have some of this writing finished by then but not sure whether I will.

Green 20190531

Continued to feel better today.  As if something inside me has relaxed.  I have to let things and people be I think.

I took a lot of pictures for the rainbow videos today – colours during the hot season.  This green was lovely compared to everything else that is yellow green because of the heat and dryness.  Although as the picture shows, getting things to be that green in this weather requires a lot of water.

Writing is coming along but slower than I planned it.