Glentui Blog

Postcard from Glentui

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 11:24:07 +1300

Mandala offering in front of the Hut

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 16:57:50 +1300

Today after 10 am five of us went to Glentui to do some work. After picking a couple of dozens of free range eggs and strawberry jam from the neighboorhood farm, we arrived at Glentui, took the tools out from the car, opened the Hut and did a 16th Karmapa meditation in the veranda of the Hut. Just after it we had a nice time throwing the rice used previously for Mandala practice.

Today we finished planting the long row of small trees at the end of the land and the first bush was planted by the hut. After the hard work we had a really nice picnic with green salad, sandwiches and nice tea.

After lunch we planted some more trees and cleaned up some older trees that were planted one year ago. We also fought with gorse.

At 5 pm we left for Christchurch, tired but happy after the work done.

Glentui MAX

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 12:08:38 +1300

Chris drives the car. Niki sits shotgun. I’m in the back. We’re all hunching over to peer out the window, confirming that, yes, we really are driving straight for the ominous looking storm clouds on the horizon. Good thing we’d packed a thermos full of tea. This is my first time pitching in to work on Glen Tui.

We arrive. We meditate in the eaves of the little hut. Despite the work yet to do, the hut is already a loveable place - brilliantly simple, cozy, strong. Chris tells a story about a foot of snow that had fallen during one visit. I get excited thinking about stoking the soon-to-be-installed-stove during winter's bone, snow blanketing the landscape outside.

We check on the trees. They’re doing great. We start planting more. I’m realising how much thought and effort and mistakes and solutions have taken place here to work out this streamlined system that keeps our saplings safe from hungry sheep and gale force winds.

The work feels great. Satisfying. Niki is patient and gracious as she explains everything. Chris drives metal stakes into the ground. They’ll become a new fence line. So much work. So much dedication.

When it rains we head inside to put up gib. Chris instructs. I get to wield power tools, drill a few screws, and feel that sense of satisfaction that comes with constructing something. Something that will shelter my fellow Bodhisattvas.

My work is a drop in the bucket, but I feel part of this place now. A couple of those screws holding the ceiling up were put there by me, and all the other ones were put there by my friends. That’ll be something for me to smile at one night when I’m nodding off in my sleeping bag.

Proof of impermanence

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 10:37:50 +1300

Another trip to the country, this time with two Hungarians in tow - Denes Andras, one of the Hungarian travel teachers came with us plus another friend. Four bodies, 2 trays of trees, the picnic and some enthusiasm set off to do a bit more.

We planted some more seedlings in our shelter belt that is being established along the south east border. Although the winds are not srong from that direction the view to the neighbour is not so inspiring so the shelter is to create beauty and privacy. Country conditions are more extreme than city living and this day was no exception. It was cold and wettish.

After a tasty slabs of bread, avocado and toppings for lunch we did a few more then showed Denes around the retreat land. He liked the sheep more than the trees so we called it quits after that and went back to the centre in preparation for the evening lecture.

Next week we went off to plant our little trees again. There had been a strong Nor'wester since we were up last week - common around spring time - fierce, gusty, drying and destructive. It caught the hut in its most vulnerable spot - full blast into the front door. Unhooked the door, smashed it against the steel cladding piercing a hole in the iron and breaking the glass.

Time for a proper door we think. We will invest in a new aluminium door that is strong and easier to fit, won't buckle and will withstand intense heat, wind and rain. Although not cheap - we will be thankful in the long run. We planted some more trees - it is quite involved - they need to be well rooted, watered, feed, supported with a stick and shelter bag, mulched with carpet and held down with rocks and sods. This way they tend to have a higher survival rate. Not a 5 minute job but worth the effort in the long run.

Gita al rifugio

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 18:34:51 +1300

Went up with our Italian sangha friend from Australia, some highlights here.

Planting in progress

Oversight is crucial

A helping hand

Plenty of water

Second handl fence with bits sticking out

It's no picnic

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 13:54:47 +1200

A picnic in Glentui is not a simple affair. One needs a group of people, shovels, pickaxes, crowbars, electric tools, a wheelbarrow, ladder, couple of cars, food supplies, water, and a Plan.

We have good news: the hut is closed-in, and with that, the unauthorised animals are banned from inside. The verandah doors are being finished to a high standard by our dedicated door expert.

Interior is also getting a facelift thanks to our team of interior experts, the builder and his young apprentice. As you can see on the picture, the standard is five-star plywood walls and roof, with natural random wooden pattern, as you'd expect from such an upmarket establishment.

Everybody will feel at home with an additon of light points and power sockets. Did I say about woolen insulation already?

Of course the picnic wouldn't be complete without our inspiring ladies.

One of our new Czech friends did the carpets - not for the hut, but for covering the ground around plants, so the weed cannot go through while the plant is growing roots - it's a lot of finnicky work with a knife.

We are planning a shelter belt to the South of the hut, to shield us from the neighbour - a 100 or so fast-growing plants need to go into the ground, into holes 30cm deep.

The ground is full of stones, wires and roots up there, and the perseverance and energy manifested by our dakinis was extremely inspiring and powerful.

One of our Czech friends even sacrificed her nice trainers and got through all this with a tiny shovel.

On the picture below, you can see how hard is the work up there - the work is done in the best Central European style:

And here is the whole happy team again. See you soon - in Glentui :)

Landscaping with pickaxes

Sun, 03 Jul 2011 19:36:24 +1200

Last Saturday at Glentui, the hut building workforce included Karol Sleczek, our very knowledgeable travelling teacher and his lovely wife Hermina, Sasha (energy +) from Melbourne Oz, and the usual suspects Niki and Chris (the boss), lovely Lyla and Rody.

After a short and sweet meditation punctuated by the calls of the tui's from
the beautiful surrounding bushes, the action was full on.

Karol, Hermina and Sasha levelled a flat area of about 4m in diameter for the yet to come water tank, (back breaking convict work!), Karol proved that the different road rules in force in Poland should not affect one's ability to negotiate tight corners with a wheelbarrow full of dirt in NZ, while Hermina and Sasha displayed outstanding (and surprising) pick and shovel skills.

Niki and Lyla were busy levelling and landscaping a flat area, this time, right in front of the hut. Mateusz, previously against this idea after experiencing difficulty in fine accurate carpentry work on a slanted ground, suddenly agreed.

Chris and Rody were busy finishing the eves at the back of the hut, skilfully balancing on makeshift trestles and and a ladder whilst hammering in nails upwards. Very effective exercise for developing neck and shoulders muscles (and very entertaining to watch). The inside insulation was also started in the upper part of the hut, wool batts were cut to size and fitted in the walls.

Lyla and Niki's combined effort provided the working gang with a delicious and wholesome lunch, which, added to the breathtaking views, made the event a delightful and convivial experience.

Every sanga and friends are warmly welcome anytime to take part in the action and lunch is always of the finest quality (no reservation is required ;-)

PS. Lyla and Rody went back to the site on Tuesday to re-grass the front of the hut and complete the wall insulation. The upper part was thoroughly tested during a (clean) "nana nap" and got a two thumbs up rating for cosiness.

Woolen hut

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 22:15:18 +1200

The hut is now stylish and very kiwi with our latest addition: insulation. We first looked at the pink synthetic wool available in Bunnings, but the colour wasn't that good. So instead, we got ourselves a real wool, rented off a real sheep. It's very good, because if you happen to put your head in it, you won't get a head cancer, and because wool handles humidity and water well. This seems to be important with all the rains that we are having recently.

On Saturday we loaded ourselves into the famous Toyota painted in oils and embarked on 59 minute drive to Glentui. The hut looks great and we Wellingtonians haven't seen it for some time. It literally shines in the sun.

During the course of the day we've been putting the woolen insulation into the roof, with Denise and Niki doing the heavy job of cutting the material - whole 200mm of it, now stapled to the beams and secured with blue stripes of plastic. We have almost gotten enough to finish the whole roof, just small bit that was missing. Fortunately Chris got a brilliant idea not to put the wool where the chimney will be. He pointed out the important fact that fire and people don't go together well.

The highlight of the day was the famous sandwich built up by Niki using secret ingredient: a sauce that probably every Kiwi knows well, but foreigners don't. Ah yeah, and we also had a massive rainbow, but this is normal with retreats I hear.

Because we liked it so much, or rather because we don't like to leave things unfinished, we got back there on Sunday. Just as well we were working upstairs under the roof, as it was raining kiwis and pukekos all day. We have put an upstairs floor in (a special floor-variety chipboard) so our goal of the day was actually achievable now: to cover the wool with plywood from the inside. Our fantastic girls Agata and Niki measured the tricky uneven roof so well, that putting battens was a pure pleasure. And they also found a way of pushing the 240x120 ply upstairs - it wouldn't fit straight in because beams are too close, but with some trickery it was possible to fit it in sideways.

The highlight of the day was first meditation ever to be done upstairs - we discovered the space up there is very cozy and warm, especially in the rain. When we will finally close the hut it will be really good place to sleep, especially with all the heat from the woodstove downstairs. One of the window boasts a view on the plains of Canterbury too, so we don't need to hang any pictures.

The battens were in place, so we really had no choice but to come again on Monday (it's a national holiday in New Zealand). Adam came with us and in no time we had the first ply up and screwed to the walls. That was just the first bit though - the rest of the day was spent on fitting the remaining parts of the southern roof (Team A+M), and putting battens and packing them on the northern roof (Team A+N). We got up to the point where we would need further advice from Chris, so we left the site at sunset.

The highlight of the day was the realisation that you can eat a kiwifruit with the skin. Actually, Niki knew it very well, but I didn't, so it was a discovery for me. Especially golden kiwifruits are good for that, as you don't have to shave them beforehand.

So Glentui now has a woolen hut on top of it (also known as Dechen Ling) and we are sure that anyone who stays there for the night will be nice and warm.

Piecing the hut together

Wed, 25 May 2011 21:55:28 +1200

Another couple of beautiful Saturdays at Glentui, calm and warm late autumn days. We had a good crowd of helpers, some from out of town, which is always great as it strengthens the national feeling of the project. Between the seven of us we were able to achieve alot. Some headed down to the trees to weed the grass away from around the base of the young plants. Grass sends out a growth inhibitor and will stop the trees from growing so fast. They are looking fantastic. We see how they do over the frosty winter.

The other work gang concentrated on the cladding. It became trickier the higher we got. Much like a jigsaw puzzle, fitting bits in and around two roof angles and also the windows. Luckily there was someone taller than our regular builder as it was more than a tiptoe job for him to fit the very top piece on.

We will fit the final bits of the jigsaw next weekend.

Dealing with cold and wet weather

Mon, 16 May 2011 22:05:55 +1200

To do something for Glentui one doesn't always have to be on site. Here we are working hard and having fun nearby. At our sangha friends farm auction we had the opportunity to do a sausage sizzle for all the hungry farmers. It was a grey cold drizzley day with lots of mud, utes, swandri's, gummies and dogs.

We set up camp, got the urn and barbie fired up, bread buttered and then whoosh! they all started trundling in. Luckily our backup crew had arrived, with a professional chef and a bubbly sales team. It was all go with guys as big as tractors lining up for double and triple orders. We think they came back for more because we were serving Peter Timms gourmet Nuremberg sausages.

Anyway the end result is we have a few dozen sausages left in our freezer plus 100 chocolate cookies to eat and $500 in the Glentui account.

Glentui officially open!

Sun, 08 May 2011 19:48:34 +1200

It's open because it has a name and it has been blessed as a retreat place. It's also open, because it doesn't have doors. Here is the full story.

The NZ Lama Tour swung by Glentui on an auspiciously fine and warm day. A busload of 40 people walked up to the land where they were greeted by cold drinks, pepperoni sticks and a great view (documented for example here).

We all then went to show our progress on the hut to the Lama. He was pleased enough to do an impromptu gompa blessing and we now have a name: Dechen Ling, place of highest bliss! The short meditation, with at least 24 people sitting in the 10m2 small space, was an exciting surprise.

Sangha members from Auckland and Wellington who had not yet visited Glentui were able to touch base and make a connection and were invited to come and help on this national project at any time.

Now the Lama has been and gone, we are again focusing our energies on finishing the construction before the first guests arrive. Yes - three people have already signed up to do retreats in Dechen Ling! This is a good inspiration for the workers to push on.

Klaus Kaltenbrunner, a travel teacher from Austria was in New Zealand for a few weeks and we managed to extract some labour and inspiration from him and his wife Andrea. Whilst in Auckland and Wellington he also generated a focus towards Glentui and opened up possibilities for sangha from afar to join in on the whole project.

On the construction front, cladding of the outside walls is well under way with the silver corrugated iron. It looks very smart and very 'Kiwi'. Corrugated iron is our traditional building material that was used on all barns, woolsheds and bachs in the past. It is lightweight, cheap and adapts well to modern interpretations. We are also putting the doors and windows in.

Once the space is closed in, we will concentrate on installing a small log burner so that it is warm. One would usually insulate the walls first but we have a couple of keen sangha wanting to do a retreat asap, so we will at least try to make some heat available. And a bonus is that you can cook on top of the log burner. Perfect!

Tornadoes

Sun, 20 Feb 2011 20:36:57 +1300

The last few weeks we've been concentrating on getting the building wrap and battens up. Seems like simple job when you say it- but things all take time. The building wrap protects the building from damp and the battens provide an air gap between the wrap and the corrugated iron exterior wall cladding.

Before all this went on we decided that the building wasn't braced enough so we covered most of it in ply. A small storm had ripped through the place the weekend before, destroying the neighbours scaffolding on their building and on our place it looked like a mini tornado had passed by with stuff blown about everywhere. Luckily the hut was still standing, but the evident strength of the natural forces encouraged us to rethink our bracing strategy.

Back to the building wrap - we managed to get up half before we called it quits due to the terribly gusty day. The second attempt was a breeze and now all the battens are on too. Our next visit will be to put the windows and doors on, then the corrugated iron. We have 3 more weekend opportunities to achieve this before the Lama comes.

Our New Zealand Tour has a stopover at Glentui where we will be showing the Lama and our Sangha friends the new developments. It is a great place to work together towards a common goal for many in the future.

Working... from home

Sun, 16 Jan 2011 18:54:59 +1300

Every weekend is dedicated to Glentui in one way or another. Most weekends we are there on the land for a day actively doing something in regards to the building, trees or land itself.

If, because of bad weather or other commitments, we are not able to get there we are still generating a focus and some money by our Sunday dinners at the centre.

Awhile ago we decided that all the money raised from the dinners would go to supporting Glentui. Sunday is Ngondro day and we meet at 4.30 for a meditation session together. Afterwards one of us will have prepared a meal for all of us to enjoy and chosen a movie to watch together.

For $10 it is a nice way to end the weekend, hang out at the centre with friends and relax with some good entertainment. Although it is not a big money spinner it is regular and week by week we are generating some donations towards our retreat land.

Air conditioned interiors

Sat, 25 Dec 2010 12:51:14 +1300

Guest entry written by friends from Wellington

We've visited Glentui after a few months break. Last time when we've seen it, it was just few holes in the ground. Nothing to be really excited about (unless someone is really into foundations).

But now it's well above the ground, with wooden frame visible from far away - very good for having a quick insight into Kiwi building practices. It's also the only bit of shadowed space around the place, with the roof now in place. If it wasn't for the wind, you could actually stay inside and be protected from the rain.

The front of the hut boasts the wall too, the other have to wait until we get the materials (we need more corrugated iron). Structurally the hut is strong, because it stood the recent test of northern crazy wind and rain, but still when you sit on the roof and put the screws in, the whole building is moving around.

Right now you can easily imagine the size of the hut. Before the construction is done, it's hard to imagine what the interior size of it will be. Now you can stand inside, and notice it's quite spacious, and the mezzaine (or "top floor") is not going to be extremely claustrophobic - only a little.

We just can't wait until it's done (I take the top left bed!) Meanwhile we had a lovely lunch inside, sitting on the blanket, and looking at our beautiful new sun burns. They call it "tan" in here :)

The roof

Sun, 19 Dec 2010 16:37:12 +1300

A sizzling Saturday saw three keen builders head up to Glentui to tackle the roof. Although it is only a small area to cover it was a bit of a challenge due to the steepness of the roof pitch, only one ladder and the blazing sun.

Some yoga came in handy as one constantly had to climb up and down and in and out of the framework. At times we were holding on to the studs with our wrapped legs whilst leaning out, nails in our mouths, to hammer in far high corners. Some took to the heights naturally whilst others took a bit more time to adjust.

As all the bracing is not yet in, the whole thing sways like a ship at times too- again fun for some. By six o'clock one side was done, and we were too. The thought of a cold beer at the Rangiora pub on the way home had egged us on for the last few hours. We'd sweated enough for today and would come back soon to finish off the back half.

Friends on the way

Sat, 11 Dec 2010 21:34:31 +1300

We have a deck, and a trench (or the beginning of one) for putting the electric cable in. When friends come to visit and help - this is the best way to test the friendship - ask them to dig a ditch in the boiling sun.

Well, they are still with us, the trench is almost half done, and all are happy to be part of the project.

Each day is different here - this weekend the deck was oiled a rich orange colour to protect it from the fierce sun and the battens were put up on the roof, ready for the corrugated iron.

The grass is growing long and green - an early summer feeling about the place. We checked the trees at the entrance and they seem fine- still a few more succumbed to the harsh environment, but most are settling in.

Next time we will open up a water supply near the trees for the inevitable thirsty dry time ahead.

All this means Glentui is shaping up. We are already imagining a barbeque with fine friends on the verandah under the starry sky... and an early morning meditation before sunrise in the mini gompa!

Meet the locals

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 20:11:01 +1300

The hut is on standby as our building team are scattered all over NZ on holiday with family or working out of town. Also next weekend we have a traveling teacher coming so we will concentrate on some good Dharma talks instead.

Our trees are doing okay- some are still dying and needed to be replaced but only a few and the wind protectors stayed intact despite ongoing severe nor'westerlies.

One thing of interest about the land that you might not know about is that we have some sheep there. As it is New Zealand and we are famous for our sheep it is very fitting that we have some at Glentui.

They don't actually belong to us. Someone else pays us to graze his sheep on our land. This works out very fine for us as the sheep keep the grass down and also stop the gorse getting out of hand. And at $50 a week it goes a long way to helping us pay the rates and do some development on the land.

Paul, the owner, is a hobby farmer and grazes the 40 odd merino sheep there - which are renown for their fine wool. Depending on the quality of the wool it can fetch very high prices per kilo. The sheep on our land are not of premium stock so they look a bit runty.

He has only six ewes (females), the rest are wethers (young castrated males). Unfortunately though, due to an exceptionally cold snap in the spring, all the lambs died during lambing time. On a recent trip up to the land though the weather was stunning and the sheep looked very happy. We hope they are absorbing some blessing from the land and will also get enlightened one day soon.

Another thing we are shyly doing is the Glentui fundraiser. Some people are already sharpening their teeth to get the stylish t-shirts with (not yet) famous Glentui logo. By the by, the logo has ben created by our talented local designer from Hungary, thank you Luca, we love it! :)

The hut is on standby as our building team are scattered all over NZ on holiday with family or working out of town.

Also next weekend we have a traveling teacher coming so we will concentrate on some good Dharma talks instead.

Our trees are doing okay- some are still dying and needed to be replaced but only a few and the wind protectors stayed intact despite ongoing severe nor'westerlies.

One thing of interest about the land that you might not know about is that we have some sheep there.

As it is New Zealand and we are famous for our sheep it is very fitting that we have some at Glentui.

Paul, the owner, is a hobby farmer and grazes the 40 odd merino sheep there - which are reknown for their fine wool. Depending on the quality of the wool it can fetch very high prices per kilo. The sheep on our land are not of premium stock so they look a bit runty. He has only six ewes (females), the rest are wethers (young castrated males). Unfortunately though, due to an exceptionally cold snap in the spring, all the lambs died during lambing time. On a recent trip up to the land the weather was stunning and the sheep looked very happy. We hope they are absorbing some blessing from the land and will also get enlightened one day soon.

Seedlings

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 18:19:59 +1300

This weekend we stayed home and concentrated on our seedlings.
Some of our wee babies are outgrowing their birth spot and we are now on to stage two- transplanting them into the root trainers.

Root trainers are plastic containers, long and narrow, each allowing four plants to be grown in one container. They are designed so that the plants can be raised with minimum space and grow long roots. Also when the roots come out the bottom they dry up and encourage sideways root growth with in the root trainer, thereby making a strong plug to transplant into the ground at a later date.

They will be grown on for a year in our back yard where we built a special shade house to protect them from the harsh New Zealand sun.
The seeds we planted have germinate quite differently -in some trays they are prolifically popping up their heads, whilst some other species are very shy and we haven't seen even one.

We need to keep them in mind and remember to water them every day else they will dry out. This is good practice for developing awareness. Luckily they are right next to the Gompa so this makes it easy to remember them as we come in and out of the Gompa each day.

What colour?

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 19:17:30 +1300

Another trip to the retreat land to see how the hut looked and how the trees were faring in the spring nor'west gales.

The guys all put up the walls last weekend and I was eager to see how it looked and how the interior space would feel. Having a design on paper is a different kettle of fish to the actual thing.

Its cool! It will be a great little space to use with friends. Walk up a few steps onto the verandah and then inside through some french doors to a cosy, open, and functional space. We planned the two sleeping lofts which can fit two double beds to be quite high so that the living space feels big for it's actual tiny size: 2.8m x 3.5m.

A meditation platform that can double up as a bed on the left, a pot belly on the back wall for heat and cooking, a kitchen bench on the back right corner and a table on the right. We figured we can have a ladder for the loft access which slides away so it doesn't encroach on the living space when not needed. With four windows inside for views and ventilation we will have lots of light and fresh air.

The next step is to clad the roof and walls with corrugated iron. "What colour?" is the big discussion.

We then did a little landscaping and tidying up around the hut then went to inspect the plantings. They were not doing too bad. We replanted about six dead ones and refixed many shelter bags. A very fiddly business.

Come late afternoon we shut the gate and drove back with a satisfied feeling that once again something had been achieved.

The hut

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 22:41:27 +1300

The time has come to build the walls up. After several weeks of assembling the frames of the walls and roof trusses, we got those ready to build up.

Despite the rainy and foggy weather in Christchurch two cars were heading to Glentui Retreat Centre. The weather on Canterbury Plains was rainy and foggy, but when we came to our place, we were above the fog. The weather was sunny and perfect for working outside. We began to build immediately.

Everything was working well and quick without any delays. The first wall was up after a few minutes. The next ones were following step by step. Two hours latter we were staying in front of something, which was quite reminding the hut. Some of us took a lunch.

When we were refreshed, we started to put the roof trusses up. It was the most difficult part of building so far. We didn't have a scaffold, thus we climbed on the frame like spiders.

While we were up at the roof, Kaspian (the youngest builder in Glentui ever - five years old) was handing us the tools. About four o'clock the whole frame was finished and we were happy to leave the field of the battle. We have won again :)