A big event is tiring

Adhisthana, August 2024

I love writing this blog, but I also have a very full life which I enjoy, so I'm not exactly complaining about the lack of time to sit down and write. But I've been meaning to write this for ages - the details may have escaped but impressions remain.

I was a bit less than halfway through my volunteering at Adhisthana when I had the weekend off and went home. After that, I did have another half day off when I visited Former Land Rover Man and Former Bee Lady who live quite nearby - this trip only interrupted by the fact that my car battery was completely dead. Luckily the retreat centre has all sorts of useful gadgets, including a special jump starter for car batteries which was impressively effective. FLRM and FBL were on good form despite FBL's broken wrist. I brought a cake for us all, which was kindly declined because a walk was planned to a place where I was promised cake, only to discover that cake was completely sold out. So we happily ate some of the one I brought.

Apart from that little excursion I worked solidly for eight long days, and sadly only a couple of hours of that were in the kitchen, because they have now recruited more permanent kitchen help. Setting up the barn for meals and drinks involved a lot of moving furniture, food and equipment; setting up rooms as dormitories meant carrying about mattresses, duvets and pillows, and there was lots of preparatory cleaning. 

I found out about all sorts of secret cupboards and storage spaces within the grounds including 'the silos' and 'the swimming pool' (which actually is a swimming pool). Every room was occupied, sometimes in excess of what they normally held - for example, the yoga studio was set up with 14 beds - so I was moved out to one of the cabins used for solitary retreats. It was a beautiful spot with the added bonus that I didn't have to get in line for the showers. 

Then as people started to arrive I was put on reception together with four other people, which I enjoyed a great deal. But my main job throughout the weekend was at the drinks and toast station in the barn - toast at breakfast time and drinks at morning and afternoon tea breaks. This wasn't very tiring work in itself, but the standing up and the long hours and the cumulative effect of working so hard meant that I became more and more weary as the week went on. 

Obviously there was a big team working behind the scenes to stage this event, and we were all wheeled out in front of the masses at the end so that we could be properly thanked. Then, as usual, when it was time for me to go everybody on the team gets to tell me how lovely they think I am, which as ever was pleasing but difficult to sit through. The nicest comment was that it felt as though I'm someone who lives and works there but gets to go away for long periods.

My car wouldn't start again when I was ready to go home, but it was booked in for a routine service anyway the next day. After some thought I decided to drop it at the garage rather than take it home, and it was a good thing I did because it didn't start for them next morning. A new battery, and everything's fine again.

Lola II tempted me to meet her in Banbury the next evening, and we talked non-stop for about five hours and sorted out a lot of admin for an upcoming event (of which more later no doubt). Unfortunately we didn't keep an eye on the time, and while I was only 15 minutes away by train, Lola II's journey home turned into a bit of a marathon. The next day I was off to see mum, and we had a very successful time sorting out all the business that has arisen. 

Since then I've been on a walk with a friend, then another friend came to stay for Saturday night and a really interesting musical event in a local community wood,  I've donated blood, had my boiler serviced, had a first consultation with a Personal Trainer, been to the optician (new glasses are truly eye-wateringly expensive), attended two of my online study groups, played board games, played badminton, and attended Buddhist groups in person (twice). In between all of this I was catching up with all the stuff that had been left unattended while I was volunteering. I think I've nearly caught up, but it feels as though I might easily have missed something.