Life & travel scribbles

Finally, here came the day, mwaaahaha, after all the movements associated with life in SW England and short-term stopover in Poland we landed up in Spain. On the 4th day of April and after a not-too-bad, nearly 3-days journey across Europe we got to Ourense, Galicia, where a new chapter of our lives was to come. One may ask, why there? I lived in Ourense city for ¾ of the year 2014 participating in the project subsidized by EU, working for the local group of Friends of the Earth (here: Amigos da Terra). It was the year we set off to India too. For me, Galicia, as the second place in Spain I lived in for a while, appeared to be something I didn’t know about Spain. Green, lush and very Nordic-like region, full of mystery and rich in remnants of the Celtic culture charmed me entirely. The land of rivers, valleys and canyons, roman castros , beautiful estuaries and around 1600 km of coasts. There is a commonly known phenomenon called “morriña” which means not more not less than a longi

...or already came? :) A few shots from my morning walk around the house, the neighbouring river Severn, fields and the Forest of Dean in the background. Stunning ^_^ "Our" backyard, gate to the fields River Severn. Forest of Dean it's like a meter high ;) looking at me for a good few minutes ;))) I moved and it was gone in a sec... Our house owner's son has only seen snow twice in his life, lying on the ground more than a few seconds that is. He is over 20 y.o. now. Isn't it awkward? Especially than in the adjacent, a bit more northern, shires snows like a shit ;) It is even now, i.e. Worcestershire, where even some schools are closed! Oh well ;)))

Some time ago we were invited, by our neighbour living on the same property, for juice making! He's been making it every single year since he was 18. So probably for over 30 years now! (although I am not entirely sure how old he is ;) ) The juice. It is made from apples picked from a few places where Sebastian works as a handyman and there are  sacks of them offered to him as the owners are not going to make any use of them. This way, every year at early fall, he starts his apple juice production in his hut, which is built in the furthest corner of 'our' garden. He lives there, in that hut. He built it himself many years ago out of recycled material and made it self-efficient energy-wise.  Now, to the point > about the juice: To start with - cleaning the bottles: Using branch shredder - apples are getting shredded to a pulp: then it's taken in a bucket to a tumble-drier (yep, the one for clothes) and part by part

Brain enema. Mind decluttering. Brain detox . These and more elaborate are the definitions given by teachers of Vipassana meditation technique I decided to give myself in again, for the 2nd time. 10 days in complete silence, without or at least with a very limited human contact of any kind, with absolutely nothing to distract from looking inward: no reading or writing, no physical exercise - except from one > sitting 10-11hs a day and meditating. I took up the challenge again. Vipassana is a meditation technique , which is not simply  about gathering up your mind, focusing and concentrating it. It is so much more! The principles are non-sectarian and n ot associated with any philosophy, therefore - utterly universal. What one is focusing on - for some for the first time in their lifes - is the reality, the present moment, as it is. As it is, not as one wants it to be. Purifying one’s mind by constant and very scrupulous observation of the breath and sensations i