Overhauling 

Beatrice Pook

Stanford, South Africa

This year’s story: I found this sign in a shop and found it amusing as I work mainly as a massage therapist and this seemed appropriate and funny. By now, a few months later and in the context of lockdown it looks rather serious…. our whole planet needs a major overhaul.

I moved onto a farm this month, close to Stanford, to help develop a communal garden and also to walk my talk better, closer to nature. It was a shock to find the ground there, in one of the seemingly most pristine coastal environments, loaded with Round-up toxins. Old farming methods! Howard and myself are presently living in (off grid) wagons that he builds and we attempt to restore the soil (this pic is compost heap) and we encourage conscious practice in all aspects of living. One interesting aspect is how to deal with one’s “shit”……

The owl was found dead one morning and inspired our imagination. Every day, living on the land, barefoot, reverent of the weather, living off the food that grows, holding peace I feel I’m doing more than in all my years of “activism”. I loved having the whole week awareness of bringing beauty to the wounded earth. The spiral on the wagon is the beginning of a snail’s house and part of my artistic contribution to promoting the whole tiny house movement.

“And on a quiet day, I can hear her breathing”