Time in the countryside seemed to be richer and fuller than time in big city. This could be because I felt more grounded and I touch with reality. All my senses became more alert and awakened as I was among green trees and birds. There were so many birds in this area as the land has not been developed by estate agents. I could get more things done in the countryside as the positive vibes were abundant.
My gardener and I did manage to tidy up the back of the garden in the morning. Luckily the weather was cloudy but cooler than other days. I had to trim bushes along the fence and pick up broken branches on the ground. The previous windy storm had strewn lots of broken branches around the garden. My gardener tidied along the fence and got rid of creepers from the nearby fields. We worked well as a team and got a lot of work done in two hours.
The warm weather meant we needed a break and some cold drink. She told me about her friend who was suddenly evicted from her vegetable patch in the morning. She was allowed to cultivate the land in exchange for keeping the small piece of land tidy and in good condition. So, she had been growing vegetables for the local market to earn a living. The problem started when the house opposite this vegetable patch wanted to take control of this small piece of land.
In the past this area was wild forest which local authority allowed villagers to open up the dense forest area so they could use the land for cultivation. In the old days, formal papers for representing ownership of land were still underdeveloped. Big cities would be able to administer the land deed systems. So, local villagers had to friend on local tradition and honor system. The owner of this small piece of land bought it without any land deed. People just accepted that the land had been on the possession of this owner for many years.
Then, several years ago big progress and development in the department of land had introduced many new laws on land deeds, ownerships and boundary issues. The owner of the house knew that by law, he could contend for the ownership of this land opposite his driveway. So, he told the vegetable lady that he wanted to buy or take over this piece of land soon. The lady had a shock of her life when she saw the bulldozer coming on the land. She was told to move all her belongings quickly. She had a few minutes to pack up gardening tools and digging her lemon tree. Later she took the lemon tree to our garden looking for a place to replant it. I found her a nice spot for her lemon tree so that she could have easy access to pick lemons.
The old head of the village was a very kind man in his seventies. He found a piece of land where the vegetable lady could grow her greens to make a living. But they had to tidy the area first. I was glad the owner of this land trusted the old man who has been looking after this land for years. So, there’s a happy solution to this crisis. Poor people needed some land for cultivation so they could make a living. I used to have a couple of elderly villagers working on my land a few years ago. Since they passed away, we planted lots of banana and fruit trees to earn some money for water bills.
After the drama of the day, I needed some quiet time by the river. The evening was rather pleasant with gentle breezes. I cycled along the dirt road towards the river, I stopped to check out the new piece of land they were preparing for vegetable garden. There’s still a lot of work to be done. They would need a bulldozer to push the tree trunks and level the ground soon. They would wait till the end of the rainy season to start growing vegetables.
There were lots of clouds in the evening sky making for less dramatic sunset. I was the only cyclist in the evening so I had the whole place to myself. There’s something different in the air this time. Perhaps my mind was too occupied by various issues at the same time, I was trying to solve several problems at the same time. There were both practical things like leaky fish pond, aggressive stray cat attacking my cat at night to abstract issues on crypto and money for survival.
The river was good to me and tried to soothe my worrisome mind. I kept reminding myself that I had only ‘today’ time, so I had better be alert and mindful of what I was doing. Life has become more intense and time seems to be running away too fast. I have to pray and practice my reflections more diligently
Wishing you peace, good health and prosperity.
Stay strong and cheerful.
#beautifulsunday created by @ace108
Yeehaw, partner! This blog post is as refreshing as a cold drink after a hard day's work.
Yeehaw!
Thanks so much for your appreciation and kind support.
Ride on, partner! Your positivity lights up the trail ahead. Keep pushin' on with that kind spirit of yours!
It's a sad thing that happens to your gardener. Hopefully, she find some peace around this place.
It’s her friend who got kick out of the vegetable patch. But friends have found her a new place for growing vegetables.