The story of 2001 trees.

I’m still seeing a bit green and haven’t quite come back into the real world completely. So I will keep my Reforestfest recap brief and just tell you that instead of the originally announced 1000 trees, we planted 2001. Though the 2001. was a bit of a mistake as it was supposed to be 2000. But when the time came around to plant the final tree there was 1 little tree extra and everyone thought we may as well put it into the ground too so it wouldn’t feel left out, and voila we had planted 2001 trees.

It was simply the best weekend ever and full of exciting firsts for me…

I volunteered to sleep in a tent. And loved it.

I wore a head lamp, felt like the last unicorn, and was quite upset when I lost a battery within an hour of our arrival. These little buggers are very useful on a dark camping sites. Luckily I had some chaperones and a bright moon to show the way.

Call me a girl, but pink bubbly is appropriate anywhere.

I ate porridge with butter, brown sugar, and cinnemon for breakfast and think it is the best thing ever!

I danced in the forest at night.

I got down and dirty and planted a tree. And another one. And then some more.

A bit of a mad smile, but I was in fact enjoying myself.

I saw a big mole snake. Yuk. Exciting in the not so nice way.

I did yoga under a 1000 year old Milkwood tree with my hair down (Can you imagine? Me – doing yoga without my bun? Unheart of, but I loved every moment of it…)

Yoga mats warming up by the fire, getting ready for class.

I shared a mug of hot tea and milk with some friends and realized the act of sharing something makes it so much better.

I smiled for 2 days straight, but did not shower.

I learned how to break a tent down.

Shoes chilling in the forest.

A thank you to the sponsors will follow tomorrow. I’m still a bit lost in the forest today....

A good place to be a bit lost.

Forest fairy.

In Germany we have a saying called Holla, die Waldfee! I guess the closest I would get to explaining it even in German, is to say it is an exclamation of surprise. I was trying to find an adequate translation, but other than Waldfee being a forest fairy and Holla an old word for elder flower, I didn’t get far. It all came down that apparently one has to be nice to elder trees and fairies as an old English saying goes:

Elder be your lady´s tree,
harm it not or cursed ye´ll be!

I still like the idea that it is more a surprised greeting. Imagine you walk in the forest and you were to see a fairy. Wouldn’t you be rather surprised, maybe squeak a little, and exclaim something like Whoopsie, a forest fairy! 

Anyhow… it all just popped into my head yesterday while I was packing…random thoughts.

This little forest fairy, I mean me of course, has all the essentials and is off into the woods!

Forest Fairy essentials: fairy wings, gum boots, pink bubbly.

Wild things.

I’m going camping. Have you heard? Considering that I like to have my space I thought the idea of camping less daunting than sharing a dorm room with 20 others at the Reforestfest. Only a little less though.

In case you don’t know that about me – I do not like camping. I have attempted a few times and each time it was at best really uncomfortable and at worst really painful (ever spend a night on an air mattress with a torn ankle ligament?). It is just not in my nature it seems as it is for South Africans. I am a city girl at heart. We only camp on asphalt in front of the Apple store.

That would me on the right. In my tent. In the wild. Scary, right?

Also after watching too much 24, yes I’m old school like that, I had the worst serial killer nightmares two nights ago. Upon waking up I realized that I would be in a forest, in tent, in the dark soon and boom! all I could think about was the Blair Witch Project. Not ideal. But with the crowded dorm room scenario looming and all my friends camping too, I am still set on braving the wild. So far I have tent, sleeping bag, gumboots, and pink fairy wings in place as well as someone who will pitch my tent. Someone I don’t even know yet, but apparently all it will take is for me to call him King Steve for the weekend and bring him a beer. I can do that. I cannot pitch a tent. I did have the choice to take a small pop-up one, but as Mark says a camping novice like me will need a big one, which has to be properly pitched. I trust him. I also rely on him for a head lamp.

 Me: Do you have one of those funny head lamp thingies? Can I borrow it for tree fest?
Mark: I only have a normal one. Yes, you can borrow it.
Me: But the normal ones are the funny ones!

So tonight I shall document and report how packing goes. I think if I can suck at anything even worse than I suck at packing, it will be at packing for a camping trip. We shall see.

In the meanwhile I found this little treasure at www.tailsofamermaid.com and though I presume there won’t be much grass in the forest, it makes the idea of going into the wild slightly less daunting.

Live from the forest.

I actually wanted to write about how strange this past week has been. About twenty-four hours of bliss, how it all fell apart, the aftermath of it, which has been my week, and how hard it is to actually follow my gut feeling.

While I started to write about it I realized, I actually can’t. It seems to have knocked all wit and sarcasm out of me. The list of things I have learned is long, but I haven’t quite figured out yet whether it was all worth it. There is nothing to tell and nothing to share.

The one thing that gave me joy this week is the tree gathering for the Reforestfest. So tough luck for you instead of getting juicy details of my not so lovely life, I shall annoy you more with the greenery…

I took this picture at the Vallée de Mai in the Seychelles. In case you don’t know about it, it is a forest and a Unesco heritage site (in)famous for their Coco de Mar palm trees. These are trees that actually sport something that looks like, well, a penis on their males and coconuts in the shape of a bum on their females. True story. Alas, I preferred the picture of this little fellow making its way to the light. You probably want to see the tree with the penis and the bum. Fair enough.

Here are your choices:

a) Google

b) Buy me a tree first, feel great about your charity work prior to any weekend debauchery, and enjoy the pictures I shall post on Monday as a thank you.

If you pick b) go here: http://www.givengain.com/activist/76000/projects/2652/

Have a treemendous weekend everybody!

Green fairies.

Whenever something bugs me I find it a good idea to take a walk in the forest. As my aunt Kathy says trees gobble up any negative energy. I like the idea of gobbling little green fairies who make me feel better. Even if you don’t believe in that admittedly slightly esoteric concept, you can’t deny trees are good. This is why I like Greenpop and was very excited to meet them through Jai one day last year. Ever since we have been in touch either on the yoga mat or on one of their numerous fun fundraisers.

Their newest project is called Reforestfest and though I am not a camping fan as you know, the idea of music, yoga, and tree planting in the Platbos forest got me ridiculously excited. My company, Magic Mountain Productions, and some friends of my boss Sabina were immediately keen as well so we are going tree planting all together in May.

Now all we need is trees and I would like to take lots. Have look at my little fundraising page and in your wallet. Maybe you find R 100 and can sponsor me a tree?! I shall not ask for any Christmas presents this year. Promised! I shall also send pictures of me planting the tree you sponsor or alternatively doing a tree pose for you in the forest. And no sorry, not a naked one. I leave that to others…

Fundraising page: http://www.givengain.com/activist/76000/projects/2652/ - just click 'donate' and follow instructions. One can either do an EFT or use a credit card, so it is super easy for locals and internationals!