a week at the GEA: Green Earth Awakening Festival

Just spent a lovely week working in the Buddhafield Vegan Kitchen/Cafe for the Green Earth Awakening Festival down in Devon. We were blessed with wonderful sunny days and cosy nights around the fire. This is my second year working with the Buddhafield crew - it's so lovely to be part of the team, see familiar faces and catch up with friends I haven't seen in almost a year. It's also been so lovely to learn more about Buddhist teachings and Dharma. I'm really looking forward to working in the kitchen at Glastonbury and Buddhafield Festival in the next couple of months. Following are some photos from the festival and a lovely sunset...Enjoy..

Dave playing Ninja

Trevor & Enid

Dave

Panya

Ellie & Alenka

Alice

Joe & Alice

Where I’m At || Simple Living || Slowing Down

I wake up, open my eyes and see the blue pre-dawn light above me. Birds are waking too. I can hear them calling to each other. The ducks are chatting as well. And then during the day they continue conversing sporadically in that language of theirs. At night I hear owls just outside, so close to me. I hear the wood burner crackling. The water in the kettle heating to boiling temperature, ever so slowly. Then eventually the urgent, panicked whistle. I will have a cup of tea in an hour or so. I hear wind in the trees and their branches tapping gently on my window. I see the bright red glow of the embers in the burner through the three small opaque windows at the front. In the warm light of the morning I lie in my bed and look up through the window in the roof and watch the way the leaves and branches move in the breeze. 

Have you ever given yourself the time to just sit and watch and listen, with no distractions? 

Everything is worth watching. I am learning how to appreciate the most simple things again. It’s okay to feel child-like and be in awe of a leaf or a blade of grass or the squelch of mud underfoot. Slow down. 

I smell wood fire smoke. I smell incense. I smell ginger and garlic, sizzling slowly in my cast iron pan. I smell mud and rain. I smell liquorice tea, a new discovery for me as I usually don’t like liquorice. I feel warm on the inside and on the outside. (Is it the tea, the fire? Is it contentedness?  Or is it a combination?) There is something so comforting about being a bit disconnected. I feel like for the last few months I have been taking a big, deep breath in, and now being here, I am able to breath out with a big sigh of relief and relax.

I have been reminded of patience. I am enjoying the fact that nothing here is instant, and more than that, I can see the process happening in front of me. Chopping wood. Cleaning the ashes out of the burner. Lighting the fire. Waiting for it to heat up the truck, waiting for the kettle to boil, waiting for dinner to cook slowly. Filling up my water container. Reading and writing by candle-light. Re-using everything! (I’m collecting all the plastic I use while I’m in the truck to see how much I use and how much I can improve.) I am really trying to live more simply, more consciously, more appreciatively. It makes you realise how much we don't need things. We don’t need to wash our clothes as much. We don't need to shower so often. We don’t need screens. No TVs, phones, laptops! We don't need internet at our fingertips. We don’t need electricity. These things are useful but not necessities. There are always alternative ways of doing things. 

I am enjoying this life. I have more time and more freedom. I feel more free. I felt claustrophobic in Brighton. And I also felt a bit lonely. I was surrounded by people and things to do and see. But I still felt lonely. Overwhelmed. Here, in the truck, I am alone, but not lonely. I have no expectations here. It is how it is. I am happy to just be. 

I am so thankful for the experiences I have had over the last year. I am now understanding myself more. I need my own space. I need to spend time alone. I like hands on things. I enjoy chopping wood for a fire. I enjoy going to collect water. I enjoy slow-cooking. I enjoy waiting for the kettle to boil to have a cup of tea. I enjoy living out of town. I enjoy getting up half an hour earlier and driving to work. 

I’ve come full circle. This is how I grew up. Simply. Slowly. It is familiar. It is comforting. And it is how I want to continue to live. I am making plans in my head. Things to do when I return to Australia. And happiness is my priority.

Black & White Snaps.

Colour Photographs.

where my life is at || care work

I go through waves of being insanely busy and then having a lot of spare time. When I'm busy I often get more done - hence why I am now writing another post. Lots has been happening. I feel that every time I write a new post I start by saying that I've been busy and things have been changing - but that's life. So I'll just catch you up on the past month quickly, and then I want to focus more on something close to my heart - my job.

Walking in Lewes

Refreshing

Walking in Lewes

Since last time I wrote I have been to Austria and caught up with an old primary school friend; made new friends and talked about the possibility of setting up a vegan food business; watched new love flourish; made more time for yoga and meditation in my life; been on a very long walk; gone skinny dipping TWICE; started learning how to fix my bikes at Brighton's Circus Street Bike Hub; volunteered at VegFest started Woodcraft Folk again; started trying to set up a local six-a-side competition…just to list a few things.

Skiing in Lech am Arlberg, Austria

Blessed with a beautiful sunset on my first night in Lech

Care Work

Doing care work was not something I ever really considered, but I am so glad I decided to give it a go because it is such a wonderful, fulfilling job. I really couldn't complain about anything, except that the trains seem to be delayed, late or cancelled more often than not! Thankfully the couple I care for are very understanding and it is not such a problem.

My job involves cooking, cleaning, chair pushing, administrative duties, help with shopping, assistance on outings, washing clothes, organising medication. But you know what, that's just the job description. That isn't even half of it. There is laughter, there are cuddles, there is eating, there are outings, there's cheekiness, cups of tea, crude jokes and there's more care than you would think - from all of us. There is friendship. These guys are my friends. And the care and love I feel for them was unexpected. But beautiful. And I am beyond grateful.

There are little things that we do, little things that happen, that remind me how lucky I am to be in their lives. To play a part, to enjoy their happiness, to feel their pain and frustration and help them through it, to try to understand things from their point of view. Its such a blessing.

She and I have girl talks together. And she tells me things that you would tell a best friend. She lets me in on secrets, explains her feelings and things that she is missing out on, or things that she is lucky enough to be part of. (Although I would like to go into detail about these things, I don't feel it is appropriate to divulge anything personal. But you would probably understand the situation more if you were to know.) And her laughter is contagious. Her excitement. And her brain. She has the most incredible memory. She is better than any calendar or diary. I'm blown away. Her positivity and her care is inspirational. (And I don't use that word lightly.)

He and I go into town together. Him in his electric wheelchair, up the hill. Me cycling beside him. Him beeping his horn and flashing his lights. Me ringing my bell. Just like naughty school kids. We're little rebels. His sense of humour is just terrible. I was missing my Dad's jokes; not anymore! They are just the worst, cringe-worthy! And brilliant. The way he laughs when he tells a bad joke, so cheeky. His memory is shocking. Sometimes he can't even remember what he asked me to put on his sandwich! But that is why they work so well together. He calms her down when she gets stressed or anxious. He makes her laugh. And that is why they work so well together.

I am filled with joy when I go to work. I didn't think I would say that about work. There have been times when I've gone to work in a bad mood and come home feeling so happy and refreshed because they make it so enjoyable and remind me that there is no time for being moody when you're surrounded by such happiness! This job is so rewarding. So fulfilling. And there are days where I feel like I  get more out of it than they do.

So thank you guys. For opening my eyes, and including me in your lives. My time with you is precious. I hope to make many more happy memories with you.

Much love x