Autumn volunteers retreat
This years autumn volunteers retreat was notable for its friendly relaxed atmosphere with an even balance of youngies and oldies. The early April weather was a mix of sun and rain enabling an afternoons swimming on the hottest day while firing up the big boiler, Aggi, toward the end as the mornings awoke cold and the damp began to claw at our bones.
We had two work-away people with us to add a friendly international flavour against a background of people who love Sudarshanaloka, nature and the Dhamma. There were morning, afternoon and evening sessions in the shrine room led by Nityajoti and Dhiraprabha while the kitchen hummed with a quiet efficiency in Kathleen, and Akasamati who has just finished a six month solitary in Abhaya.
We got heaps of work done including log splitting, clearing rubbish from the bush, rooting out the invasive himalayan honeysuckle, building a new entrance deck to the shrineroom, renovating the hexagonal table on the dining room deck, getting phase 1 of the top retreat centre safety rail in place, fixed doors, painted windows, worked on the new office (got the roof on), laid an awkward 200 meters of water pipe through the bush, Steve did the water run offs on our road - v important, and made a deposit on figuring out the internet system on the new office. Charlie even invented a new sport, water pipe diving which is right up there with white water kayaking.
Good fun, rewarding work and an opportunity to practice Dharma. What not to like.
Definitely a diary entry for later in the year - October.
