As the summer rolls in with a Georgian vengeance we find solace in the morning with a bell waking us for fresh herbal teas and for work in the garden. We have been harvesting cucumbers and speckled pink eyed peas daily but our heirloom tomatoes have taken a knock. Our compost pile has gotten to enjoy many of them after we marvel at their magnificent yellow plum hues. We tackled the bamboo this week as early in the morning as our bodies would allow and used some of the harvested stalks to make dream catchers. The rest will be used, once dried, as fencing and such as we make sure to utilize the resources that we can from the forest. One man’s invasive weed, is another man’s doorway or dinner even! We recycled and revamped used paper too this weekend making a pulpy mush with water in a blender and then straining it in a rectangle mold and letting it dry. It is great to stick leaves or pressed flowers onto the paper and even greater to send love letters to fellow peacemakers who live just a little too far away (saving electricity and giving the postman something to do so that our stamp prices stop rising). We look forward to Batik making and drum immersion workshops this month and continue to be inspired by the spirit of sustainability and creative evolution that passes through the forest.

The Hostel Staff