A snap of the house in Winter mode by our first ever WWOOFer, Andrew of Canada.

Due to the abundance of pine trees (introduced by the British, and now unbelievably ubiquitous) we have a surplus of needles with which we are mulching our beds. This means that very often I have to answer the question about pine needle acidity.

One thing I got from this site below is that it could be effecting the germination of new seeds, so when we get back I'll pull a load off the beds and save it until the plants are emerging. This might explain why the response has been a little slow considering how many seeds we put in.

So, for those who want to know, pine needles causing acidity in soil pH is indeed a MYTH. The biggest problem will be the terpenes which readily dissolve in water and air anyway, normally when the pine loses its scent. So maybe trace elements remain, but generally, it's fine.

The apricot blossoms have come and gone, and now its the turn of the extensive apple orchards around our house to burst forth with flowers as spring kicks off in force. The birds are back, lured by the abundant insectlife flourishing in our lasagne sheet beds, and best of all, it's sprouting time!

The Champion of England peas have been lured up in mixed weather using jam jar cloches and have now been planted out into a sunny spot in the front yard to speed towards their ultimate height of 6 feet. There are even some rajma poking their noses out, and a little bit of local corn emerging. We have thrown alot of seed into the beds but the cold rains of spring have kept them a little subjugated - let's see what's happening in 10 days!

The first flush of WWOOFers have responded with sterling reports - eight lovely lads and ladies have spent the last six weeks with us working on the building of good healthy soil, repainting the rooms for guests, restringing a massive dreamcatcher, chopping wood, digging drains and generally being ecstatic to be in the mountains and helping repair the damage done to the land. Applications are still steadily rolling in so if you want to join us, send a message today to book your sponsored place. Otherwise, feel frei to drop in and say hello to the brand new mural painted on our dormitory wall ... pix to follow once we get internet savvy.

In other news, our new outdoor cafe-cum-cinema BRAHMAVISION has been completed in circus motley of red, yellow and green. Sadly not the most permacultury of buildings, but definitely a must as we prepare for the season to kick off in earnest with the arrival of the Wave from south India. Coming up in May we have our new weekly movie-nights, with surprise performances, home-baked cakes and a dash of spoken word play to keep it interactive - plus the ongoing work of planting out our veggie crops and preparing a lean-to greenhouse ... come join us!

We arrived to six foot of snow piled around our house, no power, no gas and a dwindling wood supply, our new cat Stevens mewling bleakly as he viewed his new home - a radical shift from the beach huts of Gokarna.

Undaunted, we set to work swabbing the decks and prepping the house for our first guests and WWOOFers who arrived a day late but jolly in spirit. The difference they make is phenomenal - three new beds built, the mulch harvested, and even a new drainage system that we are terrified is going to flood the neighbour's orchard! Watch this space to see what happens there ...

The gas arrived on day three, carried up the hill on the head of some Nepali auntie who must be as strong as a mule to heft that much weight up a mountain side. And today, there is even word of the replacement power cable - meaning actual electricity to greet our future guests. How civilized!

In all, has been great to see the house and garden being worked upon, and the first WWOOFers have set a high standard for others to follow ... hopefully pictures to come soon ....

Brahmaji Crew

Spring ... you miss out on it in tropical climates, but those of us from he lands of wheat and hops remember it fondly and it is indeed returning ... Before we left we planted thirty odd early-blooming plants like daffodils and irises and we are but a few weeks for seeing if they made it through the winter!

G is also chomping at the bit to see what condition the lasagne sheet beds are in (blown away? dug up by dogs? perfect rich black soil? Watch this space!)

Such has been the enthusiastic response to our WWOOFing call out that we are doing some head scratching over the best way to proceed. Although happy to have people interested, we have already experienced a typical mix of empty requests and genuine interest, but it's particularly difficult to guestimate people through the interweb. Also, we are having to get a lot more organised in planning ahead so we aren't overwhelmed by them! Like the Ark, it's two by two ... only two WWOOFers at one time, the rest have to chip in for their food and board, but aren't required to work if they don't want (they are very welcome of course :-))

I have reread the WWOOFing write-up several times, and it still seems accurate to me, but I hope people aren't envisaging something like Auroville ... at least not this year. In the future we may have a golden egg of our own to worship ... but until then we'll just have to see what people's reaction is to the idea ...

Hopefully back home in less than two weeks ... check back then!

Hello all and welcome to the BRAHMA HOMESTAY blog!

We have registered online at WWOOF India, begun prepping the seeds beds for Spring planting, and made plans to renovate the restaurant for our new season. March is already booked out with eager WWOOFers from around the globe coming to help us get set-up. 

Please feel free to come visit anyhow and join in as we need all hands on deck evolving our home into a vibrant centre for learning and development. 

G + L are still in Gokarna avoiding the heavy winter snows, but by March 1st will be back in house and raring to go. See you there!