August 19th, and full blue moon day. I enjoyed watching both the rising of the huge moon over the treetops last night and the setting moon at dawn this morning. Setting moon over Sean's house The full moon often brings weather changes. We had the warmest night after many months at minus 1 [...]
Biosphere reserves are designated areas that aim to conserve and manage ecosystems, promote sustainable development, and support research and education. They are recognized by UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere (MAB) program, which was established in 1971. The Marico Biosphere Reserve was designated by UNESCO in July 2018 at the 30th International Man and the Biosphere [...]
Autumn is approaching with cooler nights and days. I love this time of year, which isn’t as spectacular as Autumn in Europe, but leaves fall from trees, and the long grass turns brownish yellow, thereby creating a fire risk until the summer rains appear in October. The recent bright autumn full moon heralded the increased [...]
Invitation to Lease the TRC Training Centre House and/or Permaculture Site Akong Rinpoche's Vision for Tara Rokpa Centre and the Training centre: Akong Rinpoche, the founder of Tara Rokpa Centre, spoke of TRC flying on the following four wings: Therapy - It is a place for healing with many different kinds of healing therapy offered, [...]
It is just past mid-summer and is a day with gentle rain, which is unusual in summer but most welcome. My entertainment for many hours of late has been sitting on my veranda watching birds. There is a tree full of nesting black-headed weavers just beyond my pond. They have built 25 nests so far, [...]
Hello all! I just returned from TRC where I spend a few days for the Mandela Volunteering Weekend, enjoying that special country place of ours. I really like to encourage you all, family, kids & friends to come out for a long weekend to relax & unwind. It is the ideal place for it. So [...]
I can’t believe it’s nearly November! The year seems to be flying by at great speed. We have had 2 nights with dramatic thunderstorms bringing much-needed rain to the parched land. It has been a high alert for fires for some time with all the dry grass and strong winds. There have been some devastating [...]
Update June 2023: The gravel road from the Rietvaly turnoff 9 km after Groot Marico has been fixed and graded and is passable once more in a normal sedan car. A reminder to drive slowly and you will arrive with all 4 tyres intact! As you may have seen, we have started recommending that [...]
I’m sitting, gratefully basking in the warmth of my wood-burning stove on an unusually wet and cold May evening, with time to reflect on my semi-retired life here in Tara’s valley. I joined Alan’s recent retreat on the Buddhist foundation practices and really benefitted personally. He skilfully and with his usual humility, kindness, and [...]
It’s a soggy Sunday keeping me indoors. This has been one of the wettest January I have recorded since arriving here 18 years ago. Nearly 300mm of rain which is half of our annual rainfall! Greenery is abundant and the grass and weed growth is phenomenal. It feels as if things grow as you look [...]
