Monday 23 January 2017

Review 2016

Happy New Year!  


New year's eve we had spent on the verandah under the starry night with our lovely guests, a yoga group from Switzerland – no champaign but lust for life! 


Next morning on the 1st day of the new year 2016, this little hungry kitten was screaming in our garden. It was a boy. I called him Apricot due to his fur color, fed him with diluted milk and made him a cosy bed in a basket. where he slept for many hours … 


Later in the afternoon, his brother appeared in our garden, I named him Sylvester. Both were so happy to see each other. Next morning on January 2nd, we found their sister, Lissy, already very exhausted. But what a ecstasy they expressed to be united again … 


I prepared a comfortable cat house with a cat toilet in a huge paper box in Alexanders studio, usually the kitten‘s room in our Sylviander House. To give them the milk in a filler was a hard job, because I could feed only one at the same time and the other 2 were of course very inpatient! Within few days, all 3 have learnt to drink themselves from a bowl.
{more: (Label) Cat Stories – (Post Title) Triple New Year‘s Surprise at Sylviander House}


The members of the yoga group enjoyed to seeing the kittens growing and doing well. 
While they were doing their daily trainings and talks, I could watch them from my writing room … 


We had a good time together … also with the help of Alexander's healthy cooking – as mostly. 


Beside all activities with guests and friends, Simba, Moojoo and Leo enjoyed their days having funny ideas … 


When new guests arrived, they were shy, but being too curious, they became friendly with everybody soon. 
However, in these 3 kittens at Alexanders studio they showed no interest at all.  


Soon I started to feed the hungry kittens with dry cat food soaked in warm water, which they liked too much … We could daily watch how fast they grew and developed … 


Definitely they recognized me as their mother. When I entered the room they ran towards me, screaming and jumping on me, playing wildly, as they want to say: look, how great we are! 


Sylvester really stole my heart … 
I knew we can‘t keep him, we have already 3 cats! 


After 1 month caring and loving them, a carpenter, who did some works for us, and his rickshaw driver saw the kittens were exited. Few days later only, we brought the kitten to their new family and had to say good-bye – what a sweat sad moment. 
Sometimes I miss my little Sylvester. Now he is already a big boy, as we heard … and the other 2 are also fine. 


Right in the following days, the 48th Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp took place at our Sylviander House … 


As always, we were glad to meeting all our tibetan friends, campaigner Eswar Anandan, volunteer Victoria Sheldon from Canada, with their help organizer Sethu Das could coordinate the schedule so well, that the patients didn‘t need to wait too long for their consultation at the doctor – and besides, while waiting good conversations happened … 
{more: (Label) project cspa – (Post Title) Impressions of 48th Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp January 28 – 29, 2016 at Sylviander House}


During this camp my very old friend Chandrakala from Germany visited me, whom I‘ve met 1985 at the Papanasam Beach, Varkala, and about I've written in my 1st book »Das Glück der Narren« (Happiness of the fools) … in german language only!


On the last evening of that camp, the tibetan team had decided to cook a tibetan milk soup with fried potatoes for dinner – it was surprisingly delicious, above all thanks to the humorous rituals performed by Dr. Dorjee to garnish the menu and transform the dinner into a happy moment! Thank you!


Time passed … every morning again and again the magic of the first tender sunlight lightened my heart … 


… and moments of small miracles arised while watering the garden, often surrounded by butterflies seemingly happy about the moisture … 


Guests came and left, we had spent good times together having fun and interesting conversations …


In February my german friend Sissi stayed with us to relax from hectic life. She enjoyed the daily ‘Thirumal‘, the traditional Kerala massage still practiced in the villages, and liked to meet our astrologer Shastri. 
We invited him as several times in the past years for getting answers through him on our questions. He had calculated the auspicious dates for all important steps during the process of our house construction, as date and time for the stone laying, for the location of the 1st door, for the howling up the 1st roof beam, for our move-in …
{more about house construction: 
(Label) Sylviander House – (Post Title) First Stone Laying
(Label) Sylviander House – (Post Title) Building a House in Kerala – the Ground Floor}


The method of an indian astrologer is quite different to what I‘ve experienced in Germany. Sorting shells and a coin with mumbling prayers, that is always the procedure of the preparation …


When crows gather like here in our teakwood tree, not Hitchcock was here, but probably an owl or a krishna eagle somewhere around hiding in the trees. Crows believe they were the kings of wings! As soon as any flying animal appears, which is bigger than them, they will chase it away. 
When they gather in such noisy groups to informing others, loudly shouting with angry movements, I know there must be an owl or a krishna eagle near around … 


At that day I found the haunted one on our the north-east verandah, sitting on the wooden box and looking at me. I spoke soothing words to this hunted owl, and between I had to chase away the crows several times. Aggressively they landed on the balustrade. But a threatening broom in my hands and my loud voice could impress them for a while. 
I guess this owl understood exactly, that I am a protector, and allowed me to come very close … 
(Label) Sylvianderland Wildlife – (Post Title) Winking Owl at the Sylviander House}


Beginning of March was the next Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp, along with the exhibition: »A Long Look Homeward« … 


{more: (Label) project cspa – (Post Title) Impressions of 49th Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp with the exhibition »A Long Look Homeward« March 3 – 5, 2016 at Sylviander House}


For the opening of the exhibition, visitors had come, and after that event there was some time to talk, having a chai with snacks, prepared from Varghese, our brother in law, who has a teashop nearby. 


Meanwhile, Moojoo took care of the former radio of the Dalai Lama. This radio is a permanent precious piece in the Art Museum of our Sylviander House. 


Since February/March is the time for ripe cashew nut fruits, we found a very busy Sethu Das, trying to get some of his favorite fruits like every year …


Thanks to his passion, we always can participate in his harvest …


Also Sethu's family had come for few hours as they do sometimes for special events …


I am very thankful for such gatherings of engaged people …


… for the joy we have together …


:-) … :-) 


Our cats got used to such turbulences and often want to inspect the cars coming through the gate …


Leo made us wonder. Every morning he came up to our room together with Rosso to perform strange activities. Leo is castrated. And we don‘t know, what he was trying to do with his stepbrother Rosso, who is not castrated and seemed to enjoy such kind of attention …? 


Mangoes ripened. The 2 mango trees behind the cashew nut trees infront of the house had such many fruits, that we decided to give them away and keep for us one basket only, from which I also made jam …


2 men came for collecting …


March is also the season to get the first ripe Jackfruit, which is absolutely my favorite …


Lilama was quite busy with cutting the fruit – I joined her by watching and eating …


During off-season we found our time to write and paint …


Alexander had started to work on a collection of our cats‘ portraits …


When Leo's was completed, Leo seemed to be impressed and proud about his gigantic image!


Pineapples grow slow and need years growing naturally to develop a fruit. That‘s why this was the 2nd pineapple only I could harvest from my garden since all the years – not very big, but very tasty.


The 50th Wellbeing Camp in the beginning of May was accompanied by another exhibition at our Sylviander Art Museum: »Tibet Dreams« …


»Tibet Dreams« was inaugurated jointly by Dr KN Raghavan, Kochi Customs Commissioner and the author of 'Vanishing Shangrila', and by noted political cartoonist Yesudasan.
As always I welcomed the visitors and invited guests …


Eswar Anandan was moderating through the event and between performed one of his poems …


{more: (Label) project cspa – (Post Title) Impressions of 50th Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp with the exhibition »Tibet Dreams« May 4 – 6, 2016 at Sylviander House}


Afterwards there was some time for conversations while having chai and snacks from Varghese until the Wellbeing Camp started …


Few days later only, we flew to Germany for a visit and also to stage my BrandlochFest (www.brandloch-projekt.de) as every year in May …


Like always during flights I couldn‘t get enough to look out of the window and marvel at the breathtaking wonders of diversity on our planet …


Coming back to Kerala, our cats welcomed us quite relaxed and very well cared by a Swiss, who had enjoyed his holiday as a caretaker at our Sylviander House … 
It is said, cats were miffed when their human family members have been away for holiday. Not ours. Leo even was standing on the arm rest of the chair next to the door calling gladly and jumped to us, when we entered. 
In earlier life I had no idea what a felicity I would experience to be together with own cats again after some weeks … I never had pets before. 


The 51st Wellbeing Camp took place during the monsoon in July …
The rainy season is a completely different atmosphere which I absorb thirstily after so many months of hot sunshine! 
It is another fascination of me, to watch the rain drops falling into the puddle, and then to take pictures, wondering afterwards what I see in the enlarged image …


Along with the Wellbeing Camp in July there was also a special program: the exhibition »Indian Cartoonist on Tibet«


Since July 6 had been just few days before, which was the 81st birthday of HH the XIV Dalai Lama, and which is considered as ‘World Tibet Day’ by Tibet Support Groups and Tibet supporters all over the world, the tibetan team performed a prayer for the World Tibet Day.
The video of this ‘World Tibet Day ‘ prayer is to find on Youtube: 


As always Varghese supplied us punctually with chai and snacks for the morning tea break and the afternoon tea break … Lilama was cooking for breakfast, lunch and dinner …


Sethu Das has brought new cotton bags with a drawing by Alexander Devasia, which Friends of Tibet had produced for sale to inspire the patients to quit plastic bags.


{more: (Label) project cspa – (Post Title) Impressions of 51th Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp and exhibition »Indian Cartoonist on Tibet« July 13 – 15, 2016 at Centre for Social & Political Art (CSPA) at Sylviander House}


During the time being alone with our cats, I sometimes baked whole-grain bread with organic flour for breakfast, which we eat along with colorful omelets or self-made jam or selmade chickpea paste or a tomatoe salade with garlic, olive oil and selfmade fresh cheese from the cow of a neighbor … 
Our senses are exited then to counter the taste of Europe … 
Once I tried a bun like I used to buy at my favourite organic bakery Hofpfister in Munich, which is documented since 1331, but could have existed already 1294 or even earlier.


For our guests and the members of the Wellbeing Camp we prepared Kerala breakfast … 


Of course, we combined traditional Kerala food with fruits, which are very popular with foreign guests …


When we were lucky, a neighbor brought us an old sort of a local vegetable, which he grew in his garden …


When Sylviander House was empty we had a chance for some excursions … 


This was the most amazing tree I saw, still worshipped by the people … 


At Sylviander House there is always something to do … once in a while it is needed, that Alexander – beside working on new paintings – has to unwrap one of his older paintings to check the condition and to pack it newly …


In September followed the 52nd Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp … Everybody was well-rehearsed …
And this time I did what I wanted to do since long time: to make a short video of the tibetan team‘s daily morning prayer, which is to see on youtube: 
Tibetan Morning Prayer for the Medicine Buddha


(Label) project cspa – (Post Title) Impressions of 52nd Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp, September 7 – 9, 2016 at Centre for Social & Political Art (CSPA) at Sylviander House}


For our guests – and of course for us too – I filled the drinking water from our rainwater tank in old bottles, which I‘ve inscribed with the most powerful positive informations for water: Love, Joy, Gratitude. 
Since our body consists of 70 - 80 % of water, body and mind will benefit from these words‘ vibrations. 


During the 53rd Wellbeing Camp in November we celebrated Dr. Dorjee‘s birthday. For breakfast I prepared a very special cappuccino for him and for the afternoon tea break I baked 2 ‘Apfelstreuselkuchen‘ …


(Label) project cspa – (Post Title) Impressions of 53rd Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp, November 9 – 11, 2016 at Centre for Social & Political Art (CSPA) at Sylviander House}


And of course, more birthdays we have celebrated in the past year 2016: Rosso and Leo became 1 year … 


… Moojoo 2 years … 


Simba 3 years …


Finally close to my name day in November I got my page – supported by our friend Sethu Das. There I provide my novel »Hitlers Tränen« (Hitler‘s Tears) in german language as a free download to everybody: www.sylviebantle.info


My most spectacular photography in 2016 might be this one, a creature I‘ve discovered while watering the plants …


In the beginning of December slowly the season started with friends from Germany and Switzerland, who practiced yoga in the morning together with Alexander in the spacious room of the Art Museum … always curiously observed by one of our 3 cats … 


Jingle bell, jingle bell … was to hear from everywhere … Moojoo didn't mind …


Traditionally on Christmas Eve I baked ‘Vanillekipferl‘ which we had together with a dark coffee and a small Grappa …



Sylvester, New Year‘s Eve, we celebrated with guests, a marvelous dinner and then sitting on the verandah under the stars …