ACTIVITIES - another Karma Exchange

This spring's Karma Exchange, on 8. May, was a great time, with new faces and of course new items to swap! Accompanied by a glass of champagne from Quinson and freshly baked muffins 6 women and one man came together, and everyone left with some new items!


Twice a year, in the spring and fall, an eclectic mix of people meets up here at La Vudèle for a Karma Exchange: the swapping of previously loved items like clothes, accessories, food, decoration or sometimes books, of ideas or whatever we would like to pass on. Everyone is welcome to show up, with or without something to physical to exchange: a smile, one's presence, one's spirit are plenty! With a glass of champagne or rosé in hand we sit together and swap, try on, decide to keep, admire, pay a compliment, laugh... enjoy.
 
Spring is a great time to get rid of items found and collected over the winter, be they from the closet, the cellar, the library or wherever. To make room for new items and to de-clutter, to re-discover and re-arrange. The same in the fall, and because people keep asking if they could bring their friends I am certain this fall's Karma Exchange will see more new people!

Happy swapping!

EXTRA - Solli's blog

One of our first returning guests, Solli, a Swedish young woman now living in Paris writes about her life and travels on her blog, a blog about Paris Life, Food, Fashion & Travel. She writes about food, especially anything to do with sweets, cakes or chocolate, her passion for exploring and traveling, and about glamorous fashion in Paris. But not only that, she is also a very talented photographer, and some of the photos on our web site are from her visits!

We really enjoy reading her blog, and we enjoy her visits here even more! The first time last year she was just a bit too late to see the lavender fields in bloom but this year she managed to come down for a long weekend during the height of the lavender season, and Claudia took her to the local lavender distillery, for a whiff of this precious oil. Solli got up very early one morning, to catch the precious soft morning light above the lavender fields

Solli wrote beautifully and took fantastic photos of her dinners with us, table d'hôtes, and her enthusiasm of food, organic local ingredients, tastes and flavors gave inspiration to some very delicious dishes beautifully captured by her and her camera. In the morning our copious breakfast with freshly baked sourdough bread was also beautifully captured on film; notice her perfectly manicured hand in the photos, isn't that a pretty, personal touch?
 

We are very much looking forward to Solli's next visit!

ACTIVITIES - Karma Exchange Saturday, 14. November

Twice a year we organize a "Karma Exchange", essentially a clothing swap which has turned into the idea to extend this exchange of previously loved items to an exchange on several levels. And the 14th of October coincides with this year's Diwali Festival of Lights which we shall celebrate with the launching of happiness balloons into the evening sky

Throughout the afternoon there will be 

- a yoga session, with Claudia and other guest teachers
- talks & discussions
- coffee & tea
- a clothing swap
- live music / dancing / singing
- a guided meditation
- a shared dinner

Starting with a yoga session around 14h in the yoga shala we will ease into the afternoon and go with the flow, depending on who shows up and wants to share, be it a skill, knowledge, wisdom or simply presence: everybody is welcome to join. Basically La Vudèle will be the canvas on which we paint.

In the evening we will gather around the dinner table in our farmhouse kitchen, by a wood fired stove, where everyone can present their vegetarian or vegan contribution, a potluck or repas espanol.

date: Saturday, 14. November 2015
place: La Vudèle, Quinson

This is for locals who would like to reconnect after the summer, for visitors who want to have a local experience, for long-lost friends, passersby, everybody is welcome!

Come & join!

EXTRA - online sources

We believe in sharing because not only is sharing caring but we also believe that a mind can only expand when it can exchange and hence learn new things. So here are some of the online resources we use when looking for advice, ideas, information, reviews, etc. There are also links which have been given to us by our guests so that the exchange has already started - fantastic!

* onegreenplanet.org vegan recipes and animal-rights issues

* care2.com ideas on green living and highly effective petitions for human and animal rights

*  v e g a n D a d great vegan recipes, ideas and well-written

and a recommendation from our guest Solli from Paris who has her own beautiful blog:
* ohsheglows.com vegan recipes and tipps