There is nothing more comforting than the symphonic sounds of buildings going up in our EcoVillage. In fact, as we enter into 2013, 3 are being built – one is the sandbag house (see pic), while the other is being built with bricks made from recycled building rubble and the walls for the bottom floor are already in place.
The foundations were laid for the third house this week. In the meantime, Wilhelm Verwoerd is back from Ireland with his partner to build on a plot between the Mabeba and Roos properties – a plot he has owned since 2001, but now intends to build on and live in. In the meantime all the other wonders of this place quietly meander on:
Eric the organic farmer arrives with his brown paper packages of organic veggies for those who are part of our ‘box system’; the school takes in its first kid from a white family that lives in the village;
GJ completes a new extension of his house; the Constandius family sells the wooden house to a young woman called Chateau; two babies are born; the vines around us are carrying ever-heavier and darker bunches of grapes as harvest time gets closer; our gardens seem to be bushier and fuller with all sorts of new scents;
Max the site supervisor has kept the infrastructure going over the holiday season (although as usual at this time of year they ran short of recycle water); and the trampoline still attracts the youngsters every afternoon who seem to be bigger and cockier than last year. The 56 students arrive to start their master’s programme in a few days – bringing in new eyes, new energy and taking back out into the world what they can find for themselves.
Life goes on – it all looks so familiar, yet at the same time is so completely new; stability and fragility intertwined. Both must be held to experience it all in its fullness. This is where the soul comes to rest.