20210125 Decay displayed

 

I took this picture in the GUH this morning as I think it’s a really good picture of things decaying.

Have had an idea about how to make a display of different things decaying.  The problem is how to demonstrate decay without it getting completely overgrown at certain times of the year.  I’m going to make a construction using granite pillars and wire in which I will put different things – green material, small wood, large wood – which should show how the different things decay.  I will be able to put up information boards about the decay process on the granite pillars.

20210124 Very pleased indeed

 

Today I managed to find time to make a start on the grass cutting in the Garden of Unseen Helpers.  I was under the impression that after all the rain and flooding most of the trees we had planted had died.

But no!  Only three had died and we are going to replant them with trees that don’t mind standing in water.

I am SO pleased, especially as there was a very special feeling in that garden this morning.

20210123 Last year

 

Was looking at this picture which was the one for this day last year.  Its of some mustard flowers which, although small, were a very intense yellow.

Reading about this time last year I realize what a tempestuous year it has been.  It started with me moving back to Buddha Garden in February.  I realise I haven’t even been back a year and so much has happened in the intervening time.

20210122 First jicama

 

A day or two ago Rajan suddenly decided that the Jicama in the Seed Garden had to be dug up.  It made us very late for taking the stuff to Foodlink but meant that we got the benefit of the jicama rather than rats! 

Rats seem to be very active this year.

20210121 First radish

 

This is some of our first radish.  It looks and tastes really good.  Planting seed one by one, although very fiddly, has I think given us a better harvest. 

20210120 Tomato flowers

 

Its really exciting seeing the first tomato flowers which mean that tomatoes are on their way.  I love the way how the hairs show in this picture as I didn’t really see them when I was just looking at the flowers.

I’m really grateful that the tomato plants are growing given all the rain we have had.

20210119 Green

 

With all the recent rain everything is intensely green.  Which I find very soothing for my eyes.

20210119 Battered

 

This is what the rain did to our recently planted lettuce seedlings.  Fortunately we had enough people so that we could put two of them to getting the leaves standing up straight again.  Despite their battering, with this TLC most of them have started growing again.

20210117 Us at Pongal

 

This is all of us at Pongal.  Its really good having a few more volunteers which includes to long term people from Chile.

I find it really hard taking these group photos so that everyone looks OK.  I do it by taking lots of different photos and hope that one of them is OK.  I don’t think this one is too bad.

20210116 Pongal holiday

 

I love this picture taken yesterday of Mala and Vasanth in their new Pongal saris.  Apparently Rajan choose them and they are both very pleased.

It’s a day off today when everything is closed so it feels very quiet.

20210115 Pongal celebration

 

We had our Pongal celebration today although the day off is tomorrow.

Unusually it rained but it was lovely and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

20210114 Large insect

 

This insect spent a large part of today just outside my door.

I wish I could find out what it is because it felt very good that it was there.  It looks so well armoured.

20210113 Pre Pongal fire

 

This is the picture I took of Rajan’s fire that he had outside his house this evening.  As it’s the night before Pongal starts everyone cleans their house and then burns all the rubbish.  In Rajan’s case he is careful not to burn plastic which is really good. 

As he said, this time of year its good to have a fire like this to keep you warm.  Energetically it also clears the house of old energy ready for the new Pongal energy.

20210112 Wet

 

It rained during worktime today and so we had to find jobs we could do in the dry.  Recently Giri brought some new string for tying up tomatoes and beans so we rolled that up as this picture shows.  I like how everyone seems to be concentrated on something – Magzhiran on me taking the picture.

Rain is supposed to finish by the end of the week but lets see.  Sometimes I wonder if we are going to have a proper cool season this year.

20210111 Small and beautiful

 

As I was walking around the farm today I came across quite a number of small wild flowers.  I realize that these are flowers that I normally completely overlook.  Yet they are worth looking at because, although small and not showy in any way they have a precision and delicacy which is very beautiful.

20210110 Water

 

After all the recent rain the ponds are full of water.  I don’t think I have ever seen them this full at this time of year.

 

20210109 the sky project

 

I am taking pictures of the sky for an activity that will be part of the ‘growth and change with nature’ notebook.

For those people who might have difficulty accessing what is needed to look at nature I am putting something virtual for them online to look at.  This could be pictures/videos of the sky, plants, insects etc.

20210108 Busy day

 

Had a very busy day managing to not only finish the video but upload it ready to be released on Sunday.  I also did a lot of stuff on my new tablet.  Not surprisingly my eyes felt they were out on stalks after all that screen time.

On such days its lovely to walk around the farm (the less muddy bits anyway) and see things like these young capsicum.  At one point Rajan told me they were chillie plants, which in a way they are as the two varieties are related.  Sometimes capsicums can be hot like chillies but I hope these ones aren’t.

20210107 Our owl

 

Finally managed to get this picture of our owl.  She’s a bit shy and often flies away when we go anywhere near.  As she is so high up I’m amazed that I got a picture at all.  The camera is working on maximum zoom and I find it hard to keep it steady enough.

I love her rather coy look.

20210106 Yet again the floods

 

After a lot of rain yesterday afternoon and into the night we are, yet again, flooded out.

Usually the rain has stopped by this time of the year, but now it just seems to go on and on. 

Climate change? There is some suggestion that the jet stream may have moved which if true, probably means that its due to climate change.  Apparently something similar to do with the jet stream was what brought all the fires to Australia last year.

20210105 Grey day

 

A cool grey day with only a little bit of rain so far. 

I think the picture shows the greyness rather well but I was trying to take a picture of an owl sitting on the solar panel light on the right.  It sounds as if she has made a nest there.

20210104 Sunny but......

 

Its really lovely to see the sun again but apparently its only going to be a brief visit.  Three days more of rain is expected starting tomorrow.

 

20210103 Very wet

 

Got this picture from a friend of her latest kolam.

I love the detail which is so beautiful.

Its extremely wet today although I had a very enjoyable bike ride in it first thing this morning.  I will be glad when it dries out a bit more though.

20210102 Unexpected rain

 

Unusually grey and very rainy for this time of year.

I love the yellow of this flower which brightened things up a bit.  It is one of many flowers on our bitter gourd plants. 

 

20210101 New Year

 

Have worked very hard on a report about the path I looked at yesterday and a new proposal for our neighbours which I hope they will accept.  The access problem has been going on now for quite a while and I resent having to spend so much time on it.  I hope it is not a symbol of how things are going to be this coming year, because I want to spend more time writing not responding to problems.

The picture is of some fungi I saw yesterday.  Part of the army of ‘unseen helpers’ (insects microbes etc) that have just carried on helping us grow food regardless of the pandemic and other upsets of last year. I can’t help but be very grateful for them.

20201231 Exploring

 

Spent some time today walking along a path at the back of Buddha Garden. Our neighbours want us to stop using the entrance through their farm and make a new back entrance and use this path which goes all the way along the back of the village.

As this picture shows, however, it is not practical as the path here is impassable.  It’s a low point and the land each side of the path is like a bog.  This flooding would happen every monsoon.

Whether that will be accepted by our neighbours as a reason not to do as they request remains to be seen.

20201230 For the video

 

Spent quite a lot of time today looking for insect pictures for the video and came across this huge centipede.  It unrolled itself very beautifully for the video.

I managed to finish and upload the video today to be ready to go midnight tomorrow for the new year.

20201229 New carrier

 

Rajan has modified the watering can carrier so it also carries a basket.  This is lovely for me to use and means I don’t have to carry round heavy baskets any more.  I love the way its been made out of an old hose carrier that has been lying around unused for ages.

 

20201228 Moonrise instead of sunset

 

I need a sunset picture for the New Year video so rushed out at sunset today to take one.  Only to find that the sun was hiding behind clouds so it wasn’t much of a picture.

As I walked back I saw this full moonrise instead. It was a lovely to see it although I don’t think its going to fit into the video.

20201227 Bounty of the Earth

 

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly the Earth bounces back from things like the recent heavy rain and flooding we have experienced. 

Our bassella plants are suddenly sprouting lovely green leaves again even if they are a bit smaller than usual.  I can’t help feeling that if only we could treat the Earth just a little bit better the Earth’s response would be more than equal to what we gave the Earth.

20201226 Beautiful skies

 

Now the rains have departed we are getting beautiful skies.

I can’t seem to stop taking pictures of them.

20201225 Not a special day

 

We celebrated Christmas by working very hard at the planting and everything that needs to get done quickly now the rain has stopped.  So in that way it wasn’t a special day.  Although of course in another way it was as every day is a special day with its special delights and challenges.

I love this way of carrying water around.  Developed by Rajan to help Magzhiran and which helps me as I can’t do lots of carrying.

20201224 A big surprise

 

I was surprised and delighted to get a parcel today with this tongue drum in it.  But who sent it?  No idea!

The parcel comes from Malaysia and the form on it describes the sender as a number of letters and numbers that looks like it’s a kind of postcode.  I have friends in Malaysia but I can’t think why they would suddenly want to send me this.  I’ve got a friend in Singapore but I don’t think he’s been to Malaysia recently and this was sent from there.

20201223 Sunrise

 

Now the rain has gone we are getting beautiful sunrises.  Sunsets are usually also very good this time of year but I haven’t managed to get a good picture of one yet.

20201222 Finished!

 

I am so pleased with this embroidery that I just finished today.  I will send it to Rachael and Alex as a Christmas present tomorrow.

20201221 A promise

 

It looks like the rains have gone and so we are extremely busy trying to plant out all the cleared beds.

Today we picked out first bassella spinach seeds which feels like a promise of bounty for this next year.

20201220 New life

 

The picture shows our latest chicks soon after they had hatched and dried out.

I love the promise of this new life, especially in these difficult times.