We are in the middle of a cold spell here. The temperature has hardly risen above zero all day. As we were driving to Oasis this morning the car thermometer was indicating the outside temperature as below minus three degree centigrade and at night it
Read more…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…A day's work in pictures
Very nice stairway. I don't know how much it weighs, but I can't lift it. It needs to go in the wellhole that you can just see at the top of the picture.
I decided to sleep on it.
The next day I put up some scaffolding and s
Read more…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
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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
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
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
The clocks have changed,
an extra hour in the day -
put it in the pantry
to eat later.
The old codger is suddenly singing at breakfast
to the Buddha of Light
between the cereal
and the fruit.
Today the doctor
checks me over
lines me up for tests
to investigat
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
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
SECOND DAY OF SOLITUDE
Morning:
Oh, the chill!
Thick autumnal haze sharpened by a north east breeze;
brings a hint of Lapland,
but no reindeer in sight.
I light a low fire
to air the house
though cold is no enemy to me;
cousin of the dark, my old y
FIRST DAY OF SOLITUDE
Geese! How high they fly, filling the sky
with their ardent urging,
pressing southward in
a long V across the blue heaven.
Here below I move rocks, earth and sand
and sing the dharani
of immortality
amrita sambhave!
There is s
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…Wintery weather is upon us. Today it is wet and windy. We went in to town and did some shopping and everybody is wrapped up in big coats.
My main project recently has been building a bathroom in the barn. At this time of your it is not much usable be
Read more…Last night we had our first frost. The water in the bowl on our oputside washing up table was frozen and it was fun lifting the sheet of ice off. There will probably be another frost tonight. Consequently, I spent this afternoon transferring geranium
Read more…After the meeting with my sangha in Zen Centrum Den Bosch, I return to Yvette’s home. At Yvette’s I saw that it was almost nine pm. I opened my laptop to see if David was online.
I have been in the Netherlands for two weeks. It is nice that somethin
Read more…Well, almost a week has gone by since the last Daily. Life goes on in its wonderful wandering way.
Storm
This past week has seen a marked change in the weather. The early part of the week was hot, then it became overcast though still warm and then, l
Read more…Today we were once again at Oasis as there was a celebration for Misha's birthday. We had a service with Quan Shi Yin chanting and reading of the litany and then we met for a vegetarian meal and conversation. Much of the conversation revolved around
Read more…Nice to have a report from Mo about the event in Britany last weekend.
This morning I took Elja to Urciers, a village not too far away, to connect up with a car going to Netherlands. She has a variety of errands, mostly medical and family, to attend
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