When i took on the latest piece of land one year ago, basically as a favour to a friend who doesn't have time to look after it herself, i had no idea it would lead me to a small area at the back which overlooks a lush valley filled with bamboo and a huge variety of birds, at the bottom of which there is a rushing river and a realisation that no one ever comes here, except myself and the pigs.
It calls me day and night in a way that cannot be explained with words and i feel compelled not only to look after it (despite having no idea to whom it belongs) but also to create a meditation space at the edge of this special valley from which i can birth the next generation of thoughts to elevate my family & i.
In the afternoons when the sun moves to the other side of the valley there is a light here which is incomparable to any other type of lighting i have had the pleasure of sitting under and i wonder now if this is might be one of the reasons why bamboo is associated spirituality?
Back when i was just a teenager i learned about 'The Dream Machine' of William Burrows, a rotating card cylinder with cut out shapes around a light bulb which emulates a hypnotic state Burrows experienced while in a moving car with closed eyes and the light of the setting sun on his face was obstructed by equidistant trees along the edge of the road.
Here you can see Brian Bysin & William Burrows using the machine in 1972.
I reproduced the machine when i was at University in 1998, interested to experience the results from a Technics turntable in my bedroom and indeed there was some kind of strange sub-reality hypnotic state to be achieved after spending a relative amount of time with this flickering of light upon the eyelids.
So as i sit here now at the edge of this bamboo forest, a quarter century later, i realise this hypnotic state is achievable in other situations, in this case with wind and a multitude of bamboo leaves intermittently blocking the setting sun from my eyes.
Where it will take me who can say?
The hidden treasures of the Spiral Garden
On our first day here Esteban found a four leaf clover on this land and i mentioned it in a post at the time as a good omen.
One year on i have created a water catchment area which has netted us almost 300L in the last three weeks. This water will be useful if the canal stops for any reason.
A double infinity Empowerment cubit bed, connected to the village canal.
A conventional bed also connected to the canal and a chicken enclosure which is currently occupied by rabbits. (Chickens coming soon!)
And let's not forget the spiral BBQ area where everyone can relax.
A few weeks ago i finished the bamboo door which separates the land from the steep drop down to the bamboo forest beyond, on the edge of the stone circle.
It feels good sitting here, playing games at the edge of the valley.
The stone BBB makes my coffee in the mornings.
While in the afternoons it holds a cushion made by sabrina.
Her first cushion in fact!
Just about visible in this shot, creating a comfortable place to sit.
Inevitably i couldn't help but push a bit further into that bamboo forest, so tempting and close.
And it didn't take long for Esteban & i to recognise the potential here.
I wouldn't really classify the area as 'safe for children' so a platform of sorts was needed, upon which i could meditate and they could play.
You can see the proximity of the stone circle seating area in this shot.
Luna is happy because i also made a swing at the edge of the 'jungle' now known as Paradise.
There was a big hole in the ground here but have been able to make it safe in my own way using items found around the village and forest.
For the most part i am clearing the forest of dead bamboo and using this for the wall.
The floor on the other hand will have a healthy mix of live green bamboo to hold it strong over that hole.
Once i am done building the floor i will hang a comfortable seat from this rope and it will provide an extremely pleasurable spot for relaxing.
When it's all finished i will make a video for you as i think it will make quite an enjoyable tour now.
Other news
Sabrina's brother bought Esteban a mini drone for Christmas and needless to say he is captivated by it.
He has been flying around the garden with a surprising amount of accuracy.
We've had so much rain this month the mushrooms are shooting up in abundance. These ones grow next to our garden and i eat them most days. No idea what they are called but they taste decent enough.
These flowers are picked from our garden. Really enjoy making inventive bouquets each week, this one featuring radish & sorrel flowers as the 'wild cards' of the bunch.
Thanks to a friend in Romania i became aware of borsch recently, made with corn flour, wheat bran, sourdough starter & bread.
I was keen to try it out and have been incredibly surprised by its familiar sour flavour. One can add it to soups or just drink the stuff direct in the mornings, which is what i tend to do. Live bacteria basically, a healthy probiotic.
I am also adding borsch to my elderflower cordial, producing a lightly fermented flowery wine/cider type drink and could write an entire post on the mental journey this drink has taken me on. In a nutshell it tastes great and if anyone is interested in a borsch recipe this is the one i am using with a few additions.
Here are the five kittens currently trashing our courtyard, in this shot just waking up from an afternoon siesta.
Posing indoors for the camera here.
Sleeping here.
In the last few days they have taken to sleeping in the avocado pots.
This is Ron the first. With Ron the second behind him. I have been really taken by Ron the first, he knows me so well and starts purring if i as much as look at him.
All five of them already have their owners however and in a few weeks they will one by one disappear into the world and learn to make their own way, leaving behind the two adult females and one male, known as Baby Cat.
Last thing to mention is that i am 48 years old today!
Sabrina made me a cake and snapped this shot a few hours ago. Esteban, Luna, myself & Baby Cat.
I'm not much into celebrating my own birthday any more. Better i think to reserve celebrations for great achievements and those wonderful rare and unexpected things in life, like finding a bamboo forest at the bottom of your garden ;)
Love & Light everyone π±
Happy Birthday Sam! What a remarkable adventure you are having in "Paradise"! Awesome to hear of your adventures on the land. Are you all healed up with the tooth ache thing?
It really is an adventure hey. And always just when i think it's done, a new avenue opens up to lead us further 'down the garden path'. Happy to say that it was the children who named the forest Paradise. This after months of resistance to being there!
For the tooth thing it is unfortunately not over yet. There is another back tooth causing me pain now but it is tolerable for the moment. Like the other it must ultimately be removed as half of it already fell out. I like this situation because it always keeps me in check, making sure i sleep and eat enough. And don't drink too much! Break the rules and the pain will increase.
Belated happy birthday to you!
I missed this post! Lots of things happened here. You did a lot I such a short time!
The bamboo forest took a lot of your time and energy. But the results were very rewarding. Itβs amazing how you discovered this hidden place.
The garden gives you lots of flowers too. Would have loved to drop by and see all the things in reality.
I think i am still recovering from all the energy it took to make everything here. Sleeping so much at the moment!
But i am very happy to tell you that thanks to your message over on the other bamboo post, tonight we will be eating bamboo! We picked around 15 decent shoots yesterday and even cooked a few just to make sure we were doing it right. They taste amazing! Many thanks for the inspiration π
The energy flows have been changing a lot lately. Itβs perhaps to do with the alignments of many planets in early June.
But I could feel some kind of βnewβ energy which is very active and dynamic. However there seemed to be testing planetary aspects due to our old karmas. So, all wouldnβt be smooth sailing.
I would go on a wave of hyper active cycle then things would come to a stop with no more fuel to go on. I am trying to remind myself that I have only today to do all the things on my list.
Glad you tried out the bamboo shoots. Itβs a main staple in this part of Thailand. People could use bamboo shoots in over thirty recipes. But you have to book them for ten minutes to clean them out properly. Bamboo shoots in stir fry dishes and curry are my favourite.
Such a wholesome and colorful existence, complete admiration and wish you continued prosperity
Thank you brother for your kind wishes. The children still have a bit of an obsession with 'zombie boxes' (ipad & nintendo switch) but as i keep telling them, if a balance with nature is maintained this isn't a problem. Finding and maintaining the balance however is a real challenge. So providing them access to places like this really helps a lot! They all but forget about the zombie boxes and rush around like nutters for hours. Just as it should be!
All the best to you for the upcoming summer season.
Yup, finding and maintaining balance the main challenge in life, it all comes down to that
Oh no! Do you have any bamboo bug repellent? Or maybe some bamboo bug inoculation?
It is all about frequency. Even dreams.
And happy born day W (two Us = one W)
No need for repellents when the bug is such an enjoyable one ;)
I really feel this now. Back when Sabrina was pregnant with Luna we lived on the edge of a lush bamboo forest in Bali and i would sungaze every morning with an incredible view. Despite imagining at the time i would never be able to replicate this awesome feeling in Europe, here i am now with an almost identical feeling when i do my sungazing across a bamboo valley at sunset and it really blows my mind how closely connected these two parts of my life are.
Many thanks for the born day W wishes!
Happy Earth Strong,Sam!π πΎ
Beautiful post! The conscious life in the french country...Bamboo grows in France?
Thanks Luca.
Yeah, it was a bit of a surprise to me also but bamboo does indeed grow naturally here when you have just the right situation. One thing i will say however is that it doesn't seem to keep on getting bigger and bigger as it does in Asia, but dies when it reaches a certain size, permitting smaller ones to shoot up in its place. Still, it's big enough for my purposes and i feel very content imagining all the different things i could build with it!
All the best to you buddy :)
Hey Sam, thank you for your answerπ.
Yes, i think you can get super-creative with bamboo!
Looking forward to what you create with it!π€
Hey, I want to get some garden tools made out of copper and found this:
https://www.kupfer-anton.de/
Bless Up, Sam
Great find! I am enjoying their website. The Germans are so often leading the way with such things.
For the bamboo i have decided to make bows & arrows. Esteban is reading Robin Hood at the moment and will enjoy learning to shoot. Hopefully in a safe and controlled way!
Robin Hoodπ I love it.
Let's go Esteban!
π Keep Up the good work on Hive β¦οΈ π
β€οΈ @equipodelta suggested sagarkothari88 to upvote your post β€οΈ
Thanks to both @equipodelta and @sagarkothari88 for the vote!
@samstonehill, you are most welcome!
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This is a really lovely post, from the BBQ area, to the flowers, to the bamboo area, to the swings, to your birthday! Really enjoyed reading it!
Ah! I missed your comment here. Thanks for the compliment and i send you all the Best Energies to keep you going with everything you are up to!
Oh dear cuddlekitten. Looks like you are being downvoted into oblivion. Sorry about that. Hope you at least enjoyed all the kittens here ;)
yeah .. I guess the kitten bot that has never powered down any HP is simply extracting too much value from this chain to be tolerated... lol...
It's a shame... so many people enjoyed the kitty... but maybe it's just time to stop the cuddles now...
Hello there old friend.
Am sorry for your current situation as i for one enjoyed the cuddles and cat comments. Have conversed with markymark about this in the past but he didn't seem very understanding. Alas, that's how it is here. You can't please everyone!
Well, i send you and your cats all the best wishes for 2024 and who knows, perhaps eventually there will be a dedicated cat chain where people can actually do what they want without unwritten rules to obey.
oh well... π€·ββ it is what it is.