The last couple of years I have done a lot of travelling. A few things still got done at La Ville au Roi, most notably the laying of a paving base and putting upon it of a wooden building to use as a store and workshop. This year I shall travel rather less and be here a bit more and it should be possible to get more done as a result. It is a rather wonderful prospect. I love to be here whether in solitude or with companions. the place is magical if somewhat primitive, or is so perhaps, in part, for the fact that it is primitive. The winter months are cold but my woodstore is full, and when it is not, I have copses in which to collect more. I feel a bit like the Chinese hermit living in retirement from the world, greeting the sun each morning and standing in awe before the stars at night.
I like to keep active and I work on a variety of projects concurrently, but they seldom require urgency so I can change my work as suits my rhythm. Perhaps one day requires more physical exertion, then the next i will choose less demanding pursuits. Each evening I cook and my larder is generally well stocked. Then I read before sleeping. I have no regular schedule of devotions or meditations, but they come upon me in the rapture of the natural elements or in the quieter passages of the day, or simply chanting in interludes. It feels like a holy existence and I commune with the goddesses of the place.
I sometimes have days of complete solitude, but often i get visits from neighbours or invitations to lunch or for a cup of tea and a natter. As the year gets warmer there will be more. Then once or twice a week I make a foray into one or other of the local market towns. Ainay le Chateau is the most attractive, St Amand Montrond has the most shops and facilities, and Sancoins has the most colourful street market. Then there is the forest with its lakes and the great rivers Cher, Allier and Loire if I fancy a country walk. It is difficult to imagine a more satisfactory life. Here love's labour brings peace.
Comments