its a bit early in the month but I want to write. We have just started an Ordination training retreat for Men with a wonderfully international mix of guys from England to Ireland to France to Venezuela to Mexico to Argentina to Catalonia to la Comunidad Valenciana, where we live locally! One of them soon to be Ordained. How exciting! These Spring retreats have been a feature of my life in Spain for many years, since I first moved down to Valencia nearly 20 years ago. Once held in Guhyaloka now we run them in Suryavana. This and the Womens Ordination training retreats are perhaps the highlight of the Suryavana calendar from a certain perspective, just what the project is all about!
I have to say that Suryavana is looking glorious with the fine Spring weather drawing out the greens of the trees and grasses and colours of the flowers of this season before the Sun does its work of burning and toasting the vegetation towards brown and dusty hues.
I have calmed down quite a bit. For now. There was a big build up of tension! I made a wild trip across Europe to pick up a little sailing catamaran my dad built in the mid-eighties in our living room in Plymouth. The journey was a delight actually though a little grueling towards the end. I loved going up and down the Atlantic coast and the smell of that Ocean is so familiar and so exhilarating I half imagine that the rest of my days being content to just go up and down the Atlantic border and be happy! (I’d probably get bored!) The little blue boat now sits under the Nisperos in Suryavana calling out to be hauled down to the coast for Wind and Wave to carry her. I need to check that all is ship-shape, after 40 years sitting in my parents back garden on a trailer and I need to check «permissions» for launching and sailing here in Spain as no doubt there are lots of regulations at work!
I sense my dad is relieved that I made it on one piece back over to Spain and pleased to have more space in his back yard and sorry to see his cherished vessel float away. At 84 years old he didn’t anticipate taking her out anymore! I vanquished one of my desires to do a long non-stop overland journey to England by car. Not to be repeated for a while!