Changes

I’ve sold the caravan I was living in to my friend Wally. A new Earth Neighbour just over yonder (few km’s away) who’ll be hanging with the beautiful crew around Cherry Pond Quinta.

Wally, Proud new owner!

It was a treacherous track to his place. The van did suffer some scraping, but eventually made it to it’s (final?) resting spot in the Mountains of the Star …

Finding it’s place.

Now I’ve put the other caravan (that I received as a gift from my friend Amelia) in it’s place and currently working on that. I’ve had to take it right down to the frame as it was full of carpenter ants and I’d read that the surest way to get them out is to find the nests and vacuum them out. They’d made a mess of the styrofoam insulation inside! Definitely a good idea to take her down to the bones and restart from there.

I got all the nests out (was riddled with them) and to ward off any further unwelcome visitors I gave the wood frame a couple of coats of Borax (aka Borax Decahydrate or Sodium Tetroborate Decahydrate). May not sound great but from what I’ve read it’s one of the most effective ecological solutions for treating ants.

The simple Borax mix and application:

3 cups of boiling (dissolves better) water to about 4 heaped tablespoons of Borax. I applied it with a large brush and then went over again with a sprayer (easier with a pump sprayer if you can get a good one that doesn’t break).

As I go replacing the panelling I intend to spread Diatomaceous Earth (DE) in between the walls to act as an extra deterrent. Seems like very useful non toxic remedy for many things (must be food grade!). I’ve been using it to treat fleas on Jobi and Willi. My friend Fliss suggested applying it by putting pinches of it into the palm and then massaging it into their coats. So much easier than a flea comb, and they love a good massage, especially Jobi.

—

It’s been a tough 10 months since coming back from Oz after Xmas when my father passed on (right on Xmas day).

So many things happening inside.
A lot of fury and inner conflict,
manifested by an agent I can only call
The ‘Dweller on the Threshold‘.
All symbols mean something for Me (regardless of what others tell me is true).
This symbol has been overshadowing me for some time now.

I thought I’d come to the edge, but I’m still here, on the path with heart. One that appears within a landscape of evershifting horizons. I try to adjust to the ever-changing scene, making decisions, but not knowing what decisions are really going to work out. Each one is like an experiment. Try it and see. The latest plan, on the shifting sands of my reality, is to fly back to Oz for winter. I’d already reached a point where I’d thought that plan wasn’t going to happen and that I’d have to stay here and face my dweller.

Originally I’d thought that if I can’t get someone to stay here on the quinta over the winter to look after my boys then I wouldn’t go. It’s really the most important thing for me, to find someone that I can trust will take care of them well. I’ve never had kids before but I think the feeling (of care) would be the same.

Willi and Jobi – Livin large in the campo.

The plan has now been reformulated and reinstated. Now I’m open to considering finding someone that might want to take them onto their own space and look after them there. I’m offering cash benefits, since I’ll be working in Oz (hopefully) and will be able to afford it, and also because I want their to be a clear understanding and a fair exchange.

A part of me wants to escape the bad feeling I’ve been getting around here. Too much ignorance and aggression. I spent the earlier part of the year feeling quite disheartened by the confusion this caused me but I managed to fight through it and with the help of good friends I finished the web sites for both the Quinta and the Earth Neighbours initiative (ENI). I was also motivated by good people like Annelieke (one of the organisers of Ajudada) who encouraged me to believe that ENI is an idea worthy of pursuit. I too believe it is a good idea as I see that many others do, which is why I’ve come this far in effort to support and nurture it. It’s just that right now it seems like maybe it’s a good opportunity to get some space from this and see if I can get a picture of what’s really playing out here. See if I can come back with a fresh perspective, fresh energy and revitalised with love and inspiration (perhaps I could even visit Nimbin again, where I did my PDC. A place that has inspired me so much).

Besides that, there is an angel telling me that Oz is my land of light right now (here it’s only getting darker, colder, and wetter).

Everything is still uncertain. Fortunate to be receiving wise words of guidance on that …

I wouldn’t be treating this time out as a retreat though. Rather a quest, to acquire what I need, to come back with the strength to carry on, with full heart and spirit. I think one of the ways of doing this would be to put myself into a serious work regimen while there to help fill my pockets with some cash that I can come back and invest into this project.

I do have concerns about whether the global economy will hold out long enough and what the effects would be if it were to collapse during my time away – I guess that I will need to save what I earn wisely i.e exchange it into something other than paper fiat. I guess the money is not so important. I’d probably be happy enough if I can just make it back with fresh eyes and a clean heart (pockets filled would be a bonus).

Also looking forward to coming back in spring when (if all goes well) I will be exchanging the land that I have for sale with my friends Tiago, a traditional carpenter who of all things studied Theology (Jesus!) and Stuart, a green builder / stonemason from Guernsey. They will be a most welcome crew!

I’d be gone for 6 months. It’s still all speculation, I won’t be going anywhere if I can’t get a keeper for Jobi Blue-Eye-Jedi and Willi Snapdragon.

All things taken into consideration, Lately I have been feeling that I’m beginning to be accompanied by good spirits. The good spirit of my bredren on the other side of the Iberian who accompanies me as I work on my caravan, communicating with me on the best way to rebuild things, in a hardcore bushman stylee, and the good spirit of Sky who keeps me grounded with her good sense and sensitivity.

Tomorrow I am 45 Earth Strong. A symbolic age for me. The age at which our mother left us, when we were quite young. So for me, all the years from now will not only be gifts to myself, but also gifts to the spirit of my mother. Without her I may never have understood how complicated the world is nor desired for the life of a simple farmer. I am a very simple person, even though some don’t always see this.

Agriculture is the profession of the wise and the most dignifying adecuate occupation for any free man – Cicero

I’ve never lived like this before.
Never faced so many things.
So many changes, challenges, so fast, in a world so … crazy.

It’s an incredible time to be alive! …