MONDAY 22 May ~ Whole lot of Mowing Going On
East side...
The machine...
West side...
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SUMMER: And so to Korea
I have given up giving daily reports for a while now as one day can be much like another at Eleusis, but when one looks back there has been a lot of work in the garden and keeping the place in good order, visitors coming and going with wonderful conv
Read more…APRIL IS A WICKED MONTH
After some hot days that dried the soil out completely we are now plunged into a cold snap. It is actually deluging down hail as I write and a very cold night is forecast. This is not great weather either for plants or folk. I tried planting a few to
Read more…WEDNESDAY 18 Jan ~ Déjeuner du roi
Tara the cat knocks on my door. It’s morning! She is full of energy after a night confined to the house. I let her out onto the frozen earth, white and crunchy under foot. I watch. She scampers high into the walnut tree and I cast cries of encouragem
Read more…MONDAY 16 Jan ~ Post Travel
It has been a post-travel day. I have been occupied with recharging the car battery (the car is an electric-petrol hybrid), bringing in the rest of the things from the car (not so easy with a gammy leg), unpacking, organising the things I brought ba
Read more…SUNDAY 15 Jan ~ Home Again
I'm back.
My visit to UK has been full and joyous, but it is lovely to be back at Eleusis. Today I travelled from the snow in the north back to gentle rain here. My injured leg is still giving me trouble so unloading the car was a challenge. I had bo
Read more…SATURDAY 28 Jan ~ Tranquil Life of a Buddhist Hermit
I’ve got guests coming, persons unknown. What does one do? Make a cake. OK, corny but true. I start to get out pastry and cake making things. I’m SO glad that the extremely cold weather has ended as I was really anxious how I was going to keep them t
Read more…TUESDAY 8 Nov ~ Thirteenth Day of Solitude
Thirteen,
supposedly a magic number,
unlucky for Christians,
foundation of empire
for Gengis Khan.
Today it was cold.
I shall have to start wearing socks.
The cat and I both ran outside in glee
to enjoy the fifteen minutes of sunshine
allowed by th
TUESDAY 1 November ~ A Bright Morning
Aphrodite arose
from Mediterranean spume.
November, however,
is born of colder mist.
The fertile goddess
has now gone decking may trees...
red berries in profusion.
Does she see Jack Frost on the way?
The goddess of the Underworld
has gone back to her mate
l
SATURDAY 29 Oct ~ Third Day of Solitude
THIRD DAY OF SOLITUDE
Today the cold was not relenting.
The cat snuggled in for warmth.
With bellows I coaxed the morning embers.
Outside, the wind, the east wind.
I take an extra blanket for meditation
in the doorless hall.
Old Amitabha sits quietly
gently
TUESDAY 31st Jan ~ End of Winter?
The end of the month. I wonder if it is the end of the winter. I mean, of course, the real winter, the winter defined by the elements, not the winter designated by the calendar. Here at La Ville au Roi we have well defined seasons for the most part.
Read more…THURSDAY 18 Aug ~ Trip to a Beauty Spot
Apremont sur Allier is beautiful even in the rain
WEDNESDAY 2 November ~ A walk by the lake
Autumn leaves not yet fallen
seem to float in mid-air
above the Lake of St Bonnet;
like the terraces of heaven.
Below them the fallen have turned brown,
while all in amongst there remains
a visual perfume
of delicate greens and yellows.
Overcome by beauty
my
SATURDAY 7th Jan ~ Big Birthday.
This afternoon the Amida Sangha had arranged a celebration event to mark my 70th birthday. It was a lovely occasion. Many people came including some I had not seen for a long time. My English children and grandchildren were also present. There was a
Read more…SUNDAY 30 October ~ Another month almost gone
The wind is still in the east
but today it blew the clouds away.
Sunny Sunday…
time to mow the grass.
No shortage of activity
with many projects on the go
yet, there is always something else
that needs doing first.
While I struggle with woodwork puzzles
the
MONDAY 21 November ~ Sudden Storm
Today we have had extraordinary weather. This morning was like a summer's day. Balmy. Then thunder. Then heavy clouds rolled in and brought a torrent of rain. Sitting in the refectory at such times is a remarkable experience - inside and outside at t
Read more…SUNDAY 24 July - from Elja
This morning we had a service. For the past two weeks I have been bellmaster. Adam explained it all to me. I have quite a few texts to learn by heart. I am enjoying it very much. It gives me a much stronger sense of involvement in the rituals. The be
THURSDAY 10 November ~ and then it stopped
This evening as I was cooking dinner I suddenly realised that something felt different, deep, affecting... what was it? Then I knew. Silence - total silence. The wind had stopped. We have had wind continuously for many days now, sometimes a gale, som
Read more…MONDAY 24 October - Wood & Stone
I've been getting rather lax at keeping the web site up to date. I have become absorbed in doing practical tasks and rather avoided the internet as much as possible in the last ten days or so. Sometimes one needs a break from the screen.
The weather
Read more…