Serene Pleasure & Cherry Trees
It’s been a while since we last heard from our team at Edirisa on Lake Bunyonyi, so here is a dispatch by volunteer Michele, enriched with recent photos …
As we felt the seasons change and the sun lower its course, the cooler and breezier days were upon us. The team were rejuvenating from a busy season of visiting Greek and Cypriot groups, and as much as we thoroughly appreciated and enjoyed their company, relaxation and recovery were very much required. But Serene had other plans for us!
Serene Pleasure is the golden-fingered green girl of our team. This is obvious in the evidence of her passion, purity and oneness with all that grows. She is dedicated to keeping us healthy and our environment properly nourished. It has been a delight to see her ideas, plans and activities blend together to enhance so many aspects of our compound. The benefits to both nature and we who thrive here are clearly evident.
One rainy, windy, uneasy evening she arrived late in the dark and announced that she had a special activity for us the next morning. We awoke to a warm glowing day, perfect for the task at hand — planting one cherry tree (Prunus Africana) for each of our team members! Instead of lazing around, we traversed together, the small sloping hill overlooking the lake, on the right side of Edirisa, our tools, energy and enthusiasm at the ready. The five saplings were installed in the Earth to grow there, forming the boundary with our teacher neighbours.
In the cooler, grayer, rainier days to come we continued to invest in our plants. We collected manure from the omushomesa’s cow, scooping it by hand into an old flour sack. All the new saplings were fed the abundant nutrition and the remainder was watered down and generously used to feed the aubergine, pumpkin and herbs planted a few months earlier.
Serene drives our worthy mission forward — a green and clean, sustainable habitat on the waterfront of Lake Bunyonyi. On your mark, get set, grow!
photos by Miha Logar and the Edirisa team
