"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." ~ Albert Einstein

So far I've seen at least thirteen species of hummingbird, a magnificent blue Tiger beetle, two gigantic spiders (and tonnes of teeny ones of course), moths the size of bats, a bat the size of a pigeon and a rare Red Brocket deer: which Juan says is great because it probably means the puma is still around. Every night is full of tree frogs, crickets, and coyotes who create such a spellbinding oratorio I hardly want to sleep through it.

Once I've done my sunrise meditation then trained for a couple of hours, my first jobs of the day are to water the greenhouse, turn over the compost, feed the chickens and give them fresh water before sitting on my veranda to drink coffee. Local and organic, Costa Rican coffee really is delectable and I ponder this, along with so many other things, while happily digging dirt from underneath my nails.

Working in a city office was a great experiment but the more time passes the more I realise I was just pretending to be someone who could do it. Peddling empty calories and tat masquerading as merchandise was so far from my vocation that if it wasn't for a few gem-like colleagues I think it could have been far worse for my mental health. But back to real life: after coffee it's whatever needs doing; seeding, planting, sanding, painting, lifting and shifting, errands, cleaning...come rain or shine. (It reminds me of the circus, teaching, KJE SFX and all the other endeavours that have employed my skills, furthered my knowledge and left my physically tired and often filthy yet always beaming at the end of every day.) As can be expected, it's even warm when it pours here, a phenomenon that has proven - as I have long suspected - it is the cold which disagrees with me.

Anyway, I'm currently in the midst of organising my first yoga retreat here with one of my all-time-favorite teachers, which is incredibly exciting to me. Could this be the start of something wonderful? Couldn't everything?