WINTER SOLSTICE UPDATE 2007.

It was a hot, dry Summer with no rain to speak of between April and October and I failed in the  struggle to get enough water to the fruit trees.  However, the joy of warm coastal walks and daily sea-swimming till November, makes up for much hardship.

The olive crop was poor and I was relieved to be spared much of the usual picking when I returned from my October visit to the UK. However, I continued to help friends pick their olives whenever I could fit it into my day.  I planted nearly 100 leaks, 44 greens, 20 potato plants and 18 broad beans.  All were in fine form until the bitter wind of the 15^th blackened all the spud leaves, the two oldest (strangely) bean plants and ripped whole sprays off the mandarin trees. I am eating the leaks and greens for 2 meals a day.

The lack of visitors this year has made me increasingly dedicated to Potok and indeed to harmony with the earth.  I reflect occasionally, on the transformation the place has undergone since I first came and despaired of ever getting the wilderness and the collapsing stone walls under control. I also see how simultaneously, it is changing me.

The neighbour-situation had continued to weigh on me, especially as brother, V and nephew, M are planning to build and come and live next door.  There was no progress of which I was aware since I had spoken to V in April.  In fact I was told that, for whatever reason, the two brothers were not speaking to each other for the next few months.  The advice I was given, to ignore them, was at odds with the inner push I was getting not to give up.  I felt a connection with M and also he had the best English in the family.

Since 2 years of silent requests, visulisations and love-projections had so far failed, it was time, I felt, to muster some more energy.  Taking my cue from a book a Summer-visitor had shown me, I wrote the following:

Dear Universal Spirit,

Please intervene and help the situation between Jenny and M which affects everyone who loves them.

We understand that the well-being of the planet is affected by every living thing on it and as long as there are even two beings in conflict, the whole world is contaminated by it.  Similarly, if even two beings are freed from discord, this will increase the well-being of the whole world, even the whole universe.

May both parties experience the value of sharing and understanding each others' feelings and may the lessons of the conflict be learned so that all may move forward in life, happy and free and so that there may be a little less animosity in the world.

Thanking you for your kind attention,

By the time the page was half-full of signatures, I had discovered that M was working afternoons at the local olive Press.  I was fascinated by this piece of working history and started to help out there, at first on odd mornings and then between the end of my day outside and supper, ie, about 5-6pm.  My village friends found this hilarious as apparently no local women will work there as the job is so filthy!  Anyway, it meant that M and I were getting covered in muck and brushing against each other as we squeeze3d past machinery and leaned over sinks. By the time I had 50-plus signatures including that of the priest which I found very open-minded of him, M and I were laughing and joking together.  As I feared, this did not last but his wife started smiling and waving at me and today M and I met in the village and he cheerfully assured me that we would talk things over when he had breathing space.  Even should this not happen, the progress is well- worth the effort of writing the above and collecting signatures!  A better channel than I could probably make it work without the signatures but collecting these was a lovely way of making contact with people and I am most grateful to all the signatories and especially to my translator, Fani: the piece headed the page in both languages.

The hens gave me their last egg in August and everyone wonders why I still keep them but they are worth all the trouble and expense they need. They save me much weeding, they are decorative and interesting to observe and they are my only companions.

Misel  is now building in Split and is mostly at home near-by only on Sundays. He meets my attempts at Croatian with peals of laughter so I cannot be making much progress!  We plan to go to Split on Christmas Eve which will be great fun by my solitary standards! The last time we went out was bungee-jumping in June.

My best wishes to you all for the Solstice, Christmas and 2008.   Jenny