WWOOFing ... again in 2010

The joys of volunteering 

at an organic farm in France

Like last year, we decided to spend one week at the farm La Ferme Du Pescher in the Drome (26), to help with the various activities at the farm.

Claudia worked with the vegetable farmer Olivier by attaching the growing tomatoes to string which in turn is attached to a flexible metal string, to allow it to be adjusted to the new growth. Likewise with the cucumbers. Unlike last year whn we had had an abundance of vegetables and fruit to choose, from only courgettes, carrots and lettuce were ripe enough to eat. Just as delicious, though, fresh out of the ground!

Jim again helped with the production of goat's cheeses; he is almost an expert by now and was able to relieve Florence, the main organizer at the farm, by taking over her work for the week. He noticed the difference in the milk compared to last year; a natural product it undergoes fluctuations just like any other, and the cheese tasted a bit different as well. Florence is very proud of her blue cheese, an absolute delicatesse!

Another WWOOFer, Darcy, came to the farm the day after us. A naturally curious young woman from Northern California it was fun to pull weeds together, as this work is meditative and allows the helper to either let his/her mind drift or engage in interesting conversation.
In an evening session Jim also taught her how to "roll the cheeses",  an important part of the cheese-making process

The weather was ok but not as we expected: instead of sunshine and lazy time on the sun deck (we were WWOOFer Luxe this year and got to stay at the Gite Panda) the gusts of wind kept us indoors most of the time. This also meant that there was less of the spirit of last year which had been created by all these different people around, visitors, guests staying in the various rental accommodations, helpers, friends of the family, etc. This year it was one farmer less, Dani, who had moved further south and sold his house to Belgians who had not arrived yet, and - possibly due to the weather, not many guests.

Nevertheless it was a nice experience, to see Florence, Olaf, Juliette, Olivier and Nicolas again and to engage in worthwhile activities in this beautiful part of the world.

Happy WWOOFer greetings 

from

Claudia  & Jim

yoga and ayurveda workshop Thursday April 29 & May 11

To herald the Spring Jaci, newly certified yoga instructor, takes great pleasure in inviting us to the first of a series of

half-day yoga workshops (in English) ~ all levels welcome ~

in her beautiful yurt in Villeneuve (04)

Thursday April 29th, 09h-15h

€45, lunch and notes included (or € 80 if also attending next workshop on May 11th)

PROGRAMME

09h arrive and begin with 90 minute Yoga Asana ( posture) practice including deep relaxation

*

30 minute herbal tea break with Ayurvedic  snack

*

Then introduction to Ayurveda,  the healing and practical side to understanding your personal consitution and meeting your bodies needs through diet, behaviour, exercise, a science which exists since 6000 BC

(notes and dosha (constitution) defining questionnaire sent to attendees beforehand for deeper understanding during this exchange)

*

90 minute lunch break 

two course organic seasonal lunch served

*

Followed by insight into Pranayama ( breathing practices) and reclined, led, relaxed meditation which should leave you feeling peaceful, relaxed and insightful

*
15h

closure

*****

The next Workshop will be held on Tuesday 11th May

with similar timing with a deepening understanding of Ayurveda and a theme of SPRING DETOX

Deposit required with booking

Please call or write for further information

Jaci: 06 60 84 95 75

jacqueline.girardin@gmail.com

www.yogaretreatsinprovence.com   

house warming at La Vudèle

Welcome to La Vudèle!

On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, November 1, we had a lovely housewarming party at our new house. Lots of friends from Entrecasteaux, Aix-en-Provence, Puimoisson and other parts of the Provence came and celebrated with us.

We served organic vegetarian dishes along with organic wine from Correns, and everyone contributed to the buffet with a dish - the true spirit of 'Organic Living in the Provence'.

A bientot,

Claudia & Jim

Some food for thought

-->

Life Explained...

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican fishing village. A tourist complimented the local fishermen on the quality of their fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.
"Not very long." they answered in unison.
"Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?"

The fishermen explained that their small catches were sufficient to meet their needs and those of their families.

"But what do you do with the rest of your time?"
"We sleep late, fish a little, play with our children, and take siestas with our wives. In the evenings, we go into the village to see our friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. We have a full life."

The tourist interrupted: "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you!
You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."
"And after that?"

"With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one
and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man,
you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant.
You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles , or even New York City ! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."

"How long would that take?"
"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years." replied the tourist.
"And after that?"
"Afterwards? Well my friend, that's when it gets really interesting, " answered the tourist, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start buying and selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?" asked the fishermen.
"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends." And the moral of this story is:

........ Know where you're going in life. You may already be there!!

for a natural house: cleaning

Keep out the toxins - naturally

The time has cometh... andwe get to move into our own house! This is an old farmhouse in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04) and has been home to various tenants over the last 100 or so years. Originally a sheep barn this is where the kitchen is nowadays. Yesterday we discovered next door in the 'grange' the horse barn, still with the feeding trough and hay rack in place! So this is an old structure, entirely built in stone, but over the years many things have been added, most likely not with the types of materials we would have chosen.

So it is up to us to make improvements and do what we can to make our lives in this wonderful home as pleasant for us as possible.

That is why we use all-natural cleaning products, with ingredients straight out of the kitchen cupboard. To give your home a pleasant scent at the same time simply add lavender or teatree essential oil.

windows: Previously we had tried using vinegar and water only but that always left the windows a bit dull and streaky. I then read about the reason: it is the waxy residue from commercial (aka blue colored) window cleaners! So the first cleaning cycle should include liquid soap, to get rid of that waxy residue: 2 parts water, 1/4 part vinegar, up to 1/2 part liquid soap.
For the second and following cleaning cycles, simply omit the liquid soap or use this recipe: 1 part vinegar, 1 part lemon juice and 1/2 part water. Simply use a spray bottle for this and afterwards use newspaper to wipe windows and mirrors dry. Voilá, it works!

bath tub: We inherited an acrylic bathtub in 'English rose' color with a bit of soapy residue and limescale, courtesy of the previous owner. What works really well is baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) : mix baking soda and water until you get a frosting-like substance, then scour the bathtub with it.

fixtures: Put rubbing alcohol on a cloth and leave to evaporate, do not rinse!

tiles: Use 1 part vinegar to 4 parts warm water and wipe onto tiles. For the grout use vinegar straight up and scrub with an old tooth brush or put in a spray bottle and wipe tiles after 2 minutes.

toilet: Pour vinegar into the toilet bowl. Leave for 30 minutes then take a toilet brush, dip into the toilet to wet and some baking soda onto the brush. Scour the inside of the toilet with the brush repeating the sprinkle procedure until the baking soda is gone…..voila, clean toilet!

Mind you: doing all these chores under the Provencal sun makes it a lot of fun!

Jim & Claudia