The power of a book

August 25, 2016August 25, 2016 / cultivatingjoy / 1 Comment

Before leaving for the Camino, I explained how I was inspired to walk the Camino by a Paulo Coelho book I read as a teenager (The Pilgrimage). So I found it a funny coincidence when just recently I stumbled across this interview of Paulo Coelho on a podcast where he speaks about his experience on the Camino and how afterwards he took the decision to start follow his dream and begin writing.

I really enjoyed the interview (which is not just about the pilgrimage). I found myself nodding in agreement to many of the snippets of wisdom. I particularly liked how Paulo Coelho explains what he went through to get his book (The Alchemist) published after its initial failure, what he says about his relationship with his wife and them not being the same people as who they were when they met so many years ago, as well as how we have dreams as teenagers that we forget but life gives us second chances.

Interestingly I re-read part of The Pilgrimage shortly before going to walk the Camino and I didn’t actually like the book anymore! It makes me really grateful for the image of the Camino that my younger self found within those pages at the time. I’m so glad that my mind held on to that impression for all these years, without letting me forget to follow this amazing dream.

[Sold] Spider plant – black pot

August 22, 2016November 16, 2016 / cultivatingjoy / Leave a comment

Spider plant (Botanical Name: Chlorophytum comosum)

Total height: 33 cm
Width pot: 15 cm

Care: very easy, a little water once a week

BONUS: This plant is not only beautiful, it will improve the air quality in the room it is placed in as it is very efficient at removing formaldehyde from the air.

[Sold] Christmas cactus – small pink pot

August 18, 2016October 30, 2016 / cultivatingjoy / Leave a comment

Christmas cactus (Botanical name: Schlumbergera)

Total height: 17 cm
Width pot: 11 cm

Care: very easy, a little water once a week

Grows for years. Blooms with beautiful pink flowers in winter.

For more info email me at simplycultivatingjoy [at] gmail.com

Fleeting beauty

August 17, 2016August 14, 2016 / cultivatingjoy / Leave a comment

When I met my boyfriend’s aunt zia Pina during my first visit to Sicily, I quickly discovered we have a shared passion. She cultivates an amazing roof-top terrasse full of hundreds of cacti, succulents and other plants which are thriving under the hot Sicilian sun. That evening in the dwindling heat, she held onto my arm and walked me around, showing me all the different plants while I enjoyed discovering her little paradise on the roof.

This summer my boyfriend brought me a surprise back from zia Pina’s in his hand-luggage: a gorgeous round cactus to add to my plant collection:)

After a few weeks of acclimatising on my windowsill, a long shoot started to grow out of the cactus. Though we could tell a flower would soon bloom, we had no idea what it would look like.

Until finally one rainy summer morning I woke up to this beautiful flower with light pink petals rising high above the cactus like a firework. I enjoyed observing and smelling it. It seemed so incongruous that such a graceful flower would come out of this ball of spikes and needles.

Unfortunately, after just 2 short days the flower shriveled up and drooped. I don’t know how often the cactus will flower, but I hope I’ll have the joy of seeing more of these gorgeous flowering events.

[Sold] Aloe Vera – grey square pot

August 16, 2016September 4, 2016 / cultivatingjoy / Leave a comment

Total height: 30 cm
Pot: 12cm

Care: very easy, a little water once a week
Grows for years.

For more info email me at simplycultivatingjoy [at] gmail.com

Modern day barter

August 15, 2016August 29, 2016 / cultivatingjoy / Leave a comment

barter : (verb) To trade goods or services without the exchange of money

I remember first learning about barter trade in my social anthropology classes at university. When I think of the word barter, vivid images appear in my head of men in the Pacific Ocean taking flimsy-looking canoes to go on expeditions for months at a time, where they would trade beautiful seashells with tribes from other islands.

I recall that the rubbing and handling of the shells would give the outside of the shell a dark patina, increasing the shell’s value the more they were held and exchanged. I loved the idea of trading without money and the notion that the same object was increasingly getting more valuable as it was swapped from hand to hand.

As it turns out, barter trade doesn’t have to be such a far away concept. Yesterday, Eline came over to purchase some of my worms to start her own compost, after contacting me on Marktplaats (the Dutch eBay).

As we were talking, Eline explained that she is just back from Belgium where she learned to bake artisanal bread and she asked if it would be ok to pay half the price in cash and swap the other half for a loaf of bread.

I have to admit I was a little taken aback and I hesitated on accepting because I wasn’t expecting it at all. She explained that her bread is made with local stone-ground flour and French sea salt. But it was when Eline took the bread out of its paper bag to show me, that I was sold (I was bartered?!). As you can see on the pictures, the loaf was beautifully round and full, and had the most mouth-watering rich bready smell.

I’m so glad I accepted her offer, as we’ve been enjoying thick slices of this delicious sourdough bread with butter and jam all weekend.

Eline explained that she only bakes bread once a week at the moment because she is still looking for a place to set up her activity in Amsterdam. I hope she does so soon, so I can pick up some of this tasty bread regularly. I think I could get used to it:)

Update:
Eline’s delicious artisanal bread is now sold on Saturdays at Vinnie’s Deli (Haarlemmerstraat 46 HS, 1013 ES Amsterdam), or you can pick it up directly from her home near Westerpark (contact her at elineex@gmail.com for more details).

On top of the world

August 14, 2016August 14, 2016 / cultivatingjoy / 3 Comments

On my 3rd day of walking, between Irun and San Sebastian, I followed the sign at the bottom of a very steep hill that said: “Peregrinos alpinistas”. This alternative path had been recommended by the pilgrims who hosted me on my first night in Bayonne, who said it was a bit longer but really beautiful (I’m glad they insisted it was less difficult than it sounds because I’m not sure I would have spontaneously considered myself an “Alpinist pilgrim”…).

At the top, I was totally alone, since it is not the standard route. As I walked on the path that followed the crest of the hill, surrounded by mountain peaks on one side and the sparkling blue sea on the other I felt such incredible joy!

I walked through this field, just a few steps from the horses who ignored me completely and went on with their peaceful activities in this breathtakingly beautiful place on the top of the world. Totally worth making the detour!

Soothing sea views

August 12, 2016August 12, 2016 / cultivatingjoy / 2 Comments

On the Camino del Norte, the path mainly follows the coast and the sea is always just around the corner, making it one of the most beautiful Camino routes. However when you look at the route on the guide book, it’s difficult to imagine what the day’s walk will really look like.

The element of surprise was really helpful, because so often when I felt I couldn’t go any further, or I was wondering ‘what am I doing here??’, I would come across a view like one of these and then it would all make sense again. I’d stop thinking about my feet and remember how lucky I was to get to see such unspoiled nature.

I loved the fact that the nature looked different every day and I never knew what to expect. Stumbling on an amazing beach after a few minutes or a few hours of walking was always magical for me. Depending on the weather the colour of the water, the sky and the clouds would vary incredibly.

Usually I was up on the top of the cliff which meant a beautiful perspective over the sea. Sometimes the path would go up and down all day with tiny coves at the bottom of the hill before going back up the hillside.

Coming across a spectacular view point was always an excuse to take a break to eat an apple or simply sit to rest and watch the water. The snacks I ate overlooking the sea were usually really simple, but enjoying them in front of these magical views made them taste like a real feast 😉

I love how you can actually see that the earth is round on this picture!!

My dream greenhouse

August 10, 2016August 12, 2016 / cultivatingjoy / Leave a comment

On my very first day of walking, heading out of Bayonne, I stopped to see the Sand Cemetery in Anglet, which was recommended by my pilgrim hosts the night before. The cemetery was original, but what really caught my eye were 2 long buildings on either side of the entrance of the cemetery which were full of succulents!!

The plants were really well tended to and there were all sorts of different species. I tried to get in to take a closer look but unfortunately the doors were locked… so I could only sneak a few pictures through the bars of the windows. These pictures don’t really do justice to what a beautiful sight it was:)

‘Having a green house to grow my succulents’ is on my dream list (as ‘walking the Camino’ was for many years), so I took stumbling upon my dream greenhouse on my first day as a good omen for my trip;)