Raining

On the first day, it was a novelty. The whole family stood outside in it to marvel at it and for the first hour Lukey ran outside shouting RAIN RAIN!!!!

We stayed indoors for the second day of rain and the third day we played in mud at the building site. But by the fourth day, everything is damp, we have made all of our clothes dirty and nothing HAS DRIED. By the fifth day most visitors had left looking for drier destinations and I was cursing our expensive no exchange , no change bus ticket to Bangalore. But this morning is Sun, beautiful sunshine. We are catching a ride to the local village to eat lots of yummy dosas ( a fermented rice pancake) and we can buy enough eggs and  nuts and potatoes to feed us till Sunday when we leave.

Karuna Farm building site

While at Karuna Farm we are helping Hartley build a micro house to live in while he then builds a larger earth ship inspired house.
The site is on this amazing hill come cliff at 1600 meters altitude which looks out over the plains of India. nothing was conventional and the rhythm of the day started with a chai at Hartley's place (rented house next door) then down to the building site where we worked for 3 hrs then more Chai with the Tamel workers of which one spoke broken english.
The design developed just behind as we did it. Everyone had an opinion and many ideas ranging from Arty to practical and feasible.
We were part of the weather from being in cloud, to looking across to lightning to heavy rain, to bright sun shine with a view stunning as stunning could be.

putting the roof on felt like rock climbing without a rope, so going slowly and don't make a mistake!
but what was real fun was laying down the first cob (earth, water and coconut husk all mixed to the right amounts) Rissa got right into her bottles and their flower shapes.

I ended up working as a good team with Micheal (Hartley's dad) who later hurt his shoulder which was frustrating for him.
It was a pleasure to work with him and enjoyed it. One day he may visit us in New Zealand.

How we found it. Next was bracing using wire, iron roof,windows and door, cob walls, and a floor.

Time to fit the door, large ceremony for this with lighting candles, gifting money and food.

Front door going into place. How many Tamil workers does it take? 

Twice as many as you could imagine

Luke working on the drill

Roof on and incoming cloud

Risa feeling the texture of the cob, unsure how that made her that happy?

Luke testing the drill and Micheal and Boyd install the windows in the bedroom

Mixing the cob group child style, involved dancing and then jumping off the bank.

Luke putting his touch's on the retaining wall

Our view each day when the clouds did not waft around us

A special cob saw with large teeth made by Michael

Mixing co ( lime water sand and soil and husk of coconut)

Window for the shed made from bottles.

Mummy cobbing

Kodai

Today is Sunday. 10 days after our arrival. As it takes 10 days to establish ourselves. Tara is hanging at Michaels leaving party with her new friend (10day old friend) Hilary. Micheal and Boyd put the last nail on the last window for Harts temperory-home-whilst-he-builds-his-dream-home. So Micheal ( Hart and Hilarys dad) is satisfied that he can leave job accomplished.

It's taken us 10 days to get comfortable with the walk and bus trip to the local Town , Kodaikanal. 10 days to recover from Dengue feaver for Boyd and various coughs and colds for me and the kids. 10 days to become accostemed with the speech impediment of the manager .

So as a mother I take a quiet sigh of relief as my children de-cling themselves. Today as Tara washed salad leaves with Hilary and Lukey quiety drilled his way through the sleeping platform with the screwdriver attachment whilst the boys worked ,I scurried back and forth, like a mother hen with two chicks at either end of the farm.....

. But now I can settle down to simply enjoying the sunrise through the banana plantation under planted with coffee. To climbing trees and shaking down oranges. To cobbing and sculpting with Hilary and to quietly practising yoga in the yoga house every morning.......  Nice:-)