Tuesday 5 January 2016

Review 2015

Again we look back to a year full of new experiences … 


The new year 2015 welcomed us with colorful beauties of dance at the beach nearby our Sylviander House … 


… followed by an electrifying drumming performance … 


On the 2nd day of the new year 2015, a college class with their teachers visited our Art Museum to talk about Alexander's paintings and his connection with nature, which fuel his works …


When I decided one sunny day to make a jelly cake with pineapple, papaya and the plenty of passion fruits in our garden, Moojoo couldn‘t resist to taste it.


Sometimes rare animals visit our garden as that morning, when a big owl was sitting on the branch of a coconut palm in front of the house … 


End of January I was invited by a college near Changanacherry to give a speech about living in India as a foreigner connected with my literature work. What a colorful picture, the pink saris is the uniform dress of the teachers. 


These fellows – in white or brownish colors – come every day to walk trough the gras of our garden or along the pond in search for some delicacy … 
A neighbor cuts regularly the gras for his cow, from whose milk I make curd.


A rare surprise was awaiting me one day in the garden: a creature painted by artist nature. 


In spring I was very lucky with my little vegetable and herbal garden … Later of the year there was not much luck. Wether it was too wet or too hot, in total 2015 was the warmest year we experienced here. And statistic says, it was the warmest year globally since documenting the weather.


The elegant flowers of glove beans open their blossoms only at evening shortly before sunset. … 


… best for me, just to fry it in olive oil with garlic, salt and pepper. 


Bitter gourd is not my thing, but very, very healthy. However the cucmbers I like a lot for my salads … 


Moojoo as always on my side while I am gardening, more disturbing than helping! 


How many times the sky of evening or morning gifted us with colorful performances … 


On 11th February, Sylviander House became the spot for a new project: Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp organised jointly by Friends of Tibet Foundation for the Wellbeing and Men-Tsee-Khang, the Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute of HH the Dalai Lama.



Many people had come to join the opening with speeches and ceremonies …


… lightening the tibetan butter lamps …


… honoring some guests with the tibetan shawl … 


… and finally having tea and tiffins together until  consultation started.


After the camp, Moojoo was in heat for her first time, practicing crazy acrobatic exercises with male cat Mia – luckily she got not pregnant.


For the first time in my life I experienced the overwhelming smell of coffee plant‘s blossom at our little hill place.


After drying the coffee seeds in the sun on our verandah, then after being peeled, fried and grinded we could enjoy the first cup of our own organic coffee. With every sip I swallow the spirit of this little piece of nature for which we care …


Then we harvested our own turmeric, which had to be dried in the sun too, then being ground to use the powder for cooking.


End of February Mama cat Bianca gave birth to 3 kittens as usual in the artist‘s studio in the box where I store my books I‘ve written. 


It is stimulating happiness to watch them opening their eyes after 10 days and exploring the world then … 
Spotty, Rosso, Bionda!


Once in a while, flowers around the house enjoyed our eyes and mind with spirits of beauty: silence … peace … 


When I bake a bred, Moojoo has to taste it immediately – and not only she, all our cats love fresh bred. 


End of March, foundling Leo was screaming in our garden, skinny and very hungry … Somebody must have put him there, far away from his mother, who would find her kittens in the nearby surrounding. 


Thinking, he would be the red one of the 3 kittens who might have fallen down, I put him in the book box, where 3 kittens looked at me. Now they were 4! 
Luckily Mama Bianca accepted this foundling and did the main work with feeding and cleaning him. Still hungry, Leo screamed for extra food, mashed fish with rice, which he exitingly sucked in like a hoover … 


One morning I found a new born squirrel baby on the upstair verandah. I bedded it with some warming cloth on a hided place, hoping the mother would find it. Unfortuantely Moojoo found it … 


In April the gate of Sylviander House opened again for the Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp …


Many patients of all ages consulted the tibetan doctors and received medicines. 


Between the tough time scedule, campaigners, volonteers and tibetan team find a minute together for a talk.


These mornings bringing new born light have a divine energy …


Jackfruit, my queen of fruits!


Having a plate of these delicious fruits, I am the most happy person!


In the mountains fortunately we met a man, who is making ayurvedic massage oils himself. These oils we use for our guests having a Thirumal, a traditional Kerala massage at the Sylviander House. 


Mystic charm during full moon set one early morning before sunrise.


In the monsoon of June and August, next 2 Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camps followed, always with organic food for the tibetan team and all helpers prepared by Lilama …


Since Eswar had birthday while campaigning at the August Camp, a special program was created for him – which caused a lot of fun for all!


Few days later it was time for a children class … 


… as usually drawing and dancing …


This time the drawing class took place outside in the garden for training to draw what one sees … 
It was a very new experience for the children. 


They tried their best with full concentration and after proudly showed their results.  


New moon during sunset too has always something special …


End of August Moojoo had her 1st birthday!


Once in a while I met another strange creature from artist nature.


What flower is that? For the first time I saw the blossom of a cocoa plant in the mountains.


Reaching back at Sylviander House, Mama Bianca showed her secret to me3 kittens under the staircase! Later she shifted them upstairs into the artist‘s studio, as usual in the box of my books – Apricot, Julee, Lilli! 
Lilli became only 3.5 months.


One morning a Krishna Eagle was sitting on a branch of the cashew nut tree in front of my writing room.


Exceptionally after 1 month the next Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp took place in September. The special feature this time: The 5th anniversary of Wellbeing program with tibetan doctors in Kerala!


In November was the last Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp of the year 2015 …


… followed by a seminar about environment, inspired by the pope Francis …


The Institute of Coastal Research and Developement (ICRAD) invited for discussion in our Art Museum: Laudato Si – Care for our common home. 
Friends of Tibet supported this seminar with Environment of Tibet of HH the Dalai Lama, which Dr. Dorjee introduced to the audience after a prayer with his tibetan team.


Others were speaking to give a focus on the misdeeds of pollution and habits of harming nature along the coastal belt. Each speech ended with discussions. 
Eswar recited his poem: A Paradise named Tibet …
At the end, paper bags, in which the patients carry their medicines to their homes, were presented to everybody by Dr. Dorjee and Sonam. 


It will be a long way to change the mind coming back to a sustainable understanding as I witnessed once in the 70ties. Discussion had started, lets hope, results and actions in daily life will follow … 
Before everybody rushed home, we offered a vegetarian lunch. 


Between all these events and activities during the year 2015, we hosted interesting guests in our eco house, enjoying the many different conversations with them … 


Sometimes saying good-bye tunes a bit sentimental. It can happen, a guest leaves with tears … 


As every year for Christmas Eve I baked ‘Vanillekipferl‘, a traditional European Christmas biscuit, which we shared with our guests and cats on the morning tea verandah.


During the last remaining days of the year 2015 a yoga group from Switzerland exercised every early morning on the upstairs verandah, facing the garden with pond and biotope … 



… while Alexander was doing yoga with his neighbor friend Jose at the Art Museum … 




New Year‘s Eve we were sitting together on the verandah under the stary night. I gave a reading, a funny story of one of my books. We were talking about our traveling experiences and laughing, then dancing with the Vienna Waltz Die blaue Donau into the New Year 2016 …



Blended by the golden orange color of our turmeric, we are looking forward to the coming year 2016, wishing to everybody and everything living on this precious planet, a lucent golden orange color for mind and heart …