By Andreas Manthey, chair of the Green Team
I just want to offer a few words to say Thank you! to members of staff and local community folks, who came to help and celebrate HARVEST OF PEACE on the 26th September.
After a joyous Lhasang fire and smoke offering we formed two groups , a larger for harvesting in the gardens and orchards and a smaller group of courageous individuals to cut and clean branches away from the entrance of Ziji house.
There was a lot to do and we harvested plenty of fruits, for example 10kg of figs, not so many apples yet this year. And veggies (30 kg of tomatoes and 20 of zuchinis and some squashes). We had a lot of fun and the figs were so good. Meanwhile the branch crew did an amazing job with just a little wo/man power.
Since the departure of Simon Bertin, our vegetable gardener, in July (he’s back to school to become a professional grower and still lives nearby) the Green Team, that was formed recently out of Land based and Facilities Departments, has become smaller. But with the help over the last months of neighbours Angelika and Ali and MIAs Dorte, Valerie and Ralph we accomplished a lot weeding and maintaining, and just started the first spinach seeds in trays to be transplanted later.
To close this lovely afternoon we celebrated with some good food and drink, a lot of homemade tarts brought by the neighbours, and much merriment was to be had.
And the Georgian Choir could be heard from the Marpa room singing Longlife! in polyphonie.