April IS spring. Green and beautiful, nature in full celebration of life. Meanwhile, human life here at the Várzea has rarely been as positive and harmonious.
Rain has been falling, and our river is flowing at it's healthiest since December, very well timed for the month in which about half of the year's growth happens. "Em abril, aguas mil" is the portuguese saying, and this year it has been living up to the reputation.
Our merry bunch here has been keeping busy. Rob's been working on the new structure for the wild vines area...... in a year or two it will be covered in the vines for the small and sweet green grapes. This area has a lot more pretty old vines and several parts to be lifted in similar fashion, and with this, making shady chill-out spaces.
The see-saw is also now in place and functioning - here are Jonas and Mattheu demonstrating...
A wonderful positive coming out of the current Blah, is that all of our volunteers and guests have taken on themselves to create their own vegetable gardens - a completely spontaneous development.
Here is the garden of Edu and Xander...
... and of Holger and Farnaz, our german guests, and friends living close-by....
...fantastic!
Meanwhile, I am very grateful to Xander for helping me out massively, by taking on the majority of the hillside cutting this winter/spring. A few sections still to do, but the hillsides are looking fresh and lovely!...
... here's the man...
Not forgetting the veg garden, where Aga (with belly starting to expand - baby due in August) and Ian are in full swing with the spring seeding and planting...
The recent rain has meant that the storage tank has still not been installed as advertised, but no worries here, as the reason for urgency in putting it up has also been removed by the rain - namely, the need to fill the 74.000 litres by pumping from the river, which should now be running for at least another month or so.
Today is an immaculate spring sunday - all as chilled as can be, and myself feeling doubly so after a great hilly 140 km cycle yesterday. The roads so quiet, even the cities of Lagos and Portimão that I passed through with few cars moving. The people I did see out and about were open and smiling, sharing our common humanity - something usually taken for granted but now celebrated.
We, that is, all people, are blessed with being participants in this amazing, unfathomable mystery of life. We are living antennae, interacting with the energy that pervades everything. We have an open choice in the world - embrace life, doing, creating, sharing, being open and giving. Or we can let ourselves be addicted to manure fed to us 24/7. I really feel for the millions made to stay in their little boxes, negativity and stress non-stop - this will be the real killer. Get out and enjoy the spring!
Those who live between the earth and sky should not cringe. I end with a quote from the great Shawnee chief and warrior, Tecumseh: "So live your life that the fear of death cannot enter your heart".
...
No comments:
Post a Comment