That's life

For now just focus on the moment and explore what is around you. Today Simla met her first donkey! How to connect, and such a young one? Why not try Contact Improvisation with a donkey? It worked: when she walked away, he followed her... Communication can be so much better without words, tuning into each other and allowing trust to build up.

Just before reaching Güneşköy, we stopped off at Çiftlik to see if Elif would like to join us for activities. Wrong question. She's so eager we have to hold her back. She's not alone. Her aunt Rukiye is there. I've not seen her since her wedding. She's happy with her 11 month old, already standing and ready to go. Her husband is very supportive. Stopping at the field where her mother is working, Elif gets permission so long as she brings 20 month old Kardelen. With two helpers, I manage. As Elif paints her first egg, we start to identify Activity Rules: Focusing on the activity without straying off. Careful use of materials. Respect and sharing, and the obvious Corona Distancing Rule! We finish with several interactive drawings - everyone involved. Life is never exactly whatever you want. Society expects us to tow the line, tune in and not disturb too much. A fine balance, especially when there is so much that can be done, and so many potential threats, deep holes, steep cliffs to be fallen down and climbed up again - a bit like a computer game? When it is for real it might not be so easy to recover from, so practice when it's safe and learn to get up! Catching up with a friend from over 50 years ago, we were happy to find out we are still standing despite life's knocks ... Something to celebrate!

Other activities appear spontaneously. Elif screams "A grasshopper!" Frightened of a grasshopper? You're not a leaf... so save your emotional energy for things that might really be dangerous. Fears are learnt - or not - when young. Curious 20 month old Kardelen spent ages watching this grasshopper walk over her arm. By the end it had fewer legs, some longer so functional. However, this one sacrifice will be saving the lives of hundreds in the future.

Simla is the third to master my spinning method, getting the stick to form the double cone shape, rotating between the bottom of the spindle, and the point at which the unspun wool was pinched to stop the twists moving into the wool.

Our Aloe vera started to show its first flower spike in mid March, as the Corona restrictions came in. It is now pushing out a second. How desperate is it, or is this a regular pattern of abundance?

Mulberries the size of a thumb!

Lavender full of bees...

... and a bush cricket, with long antennae, unlike the short antennae of Kardelen's grass hopper.

Far harder to spot is this tiny pink spider, with nearly transparent legs. Camouflage and reclusive behaviour make some animals more difficult to spot. On the way, we say a partridge a couple of meters away. It takes patience to observe nature.

A disused sparrow nest, fallen from the roof... How comfortable! Except for 3 pieces of synthetic string (that we'd dropped), it is entirely biodegradable. Not so much can be said for humans staying overnight. How aware are they of the effort needed to maintain and sustain the set up? Those staying the night should leave their room and the bathroom at least as clean as they found it, also leaving the central corridor, kitchen and tables and surfaces so clean that the next to come can immediately settle in. And take all your rubbish back to town!