Pretty much exactly a year ago I was invited by Sonnentor to spent a week on a farm of one of their herb suppliers in a beautiful, remote part of Austria. You can read here, how I ended up being chosen to work on the farm and to blog about my experience. Before I actually headed to Maria's and Andy's farm I spent a wonderful day at Sonnentor's headquarter. You can read about that day here. Since I had just started blogging back then, I hadn't had many readers. But - thanks to YOU - that has changed! 
I'm so happy, you are here! So, I thought you would enjoy reading about this little adventure as much as I enjoy thinking back to it.
But now off to the farm...
Eighty-three years old Andreas is worried. "It does not want to drink". He is talking about the little newborn baby cow, which is standing in a corner of the stable.
Usually he would be on his tractor working the fields by now. Something he has done almost daily as long as he can think back.
"Maybe there is too much pressure on the utter", i suggest - thinking back to my own breastfeeding adventures. Andi, Andreas' son, gets a bucket and starts milking.
He will call the vet because he fears the baby is having a navel infection. I cross my fingers - feeling sorry for the little one.
Maria and i get back on our bikes and I follow her to the fields.
Back home i do a lot of yoga but looking at Marias upper arm muscles i have to admit, she owns the much nicer pair. So, i start to wonder what kind of exercise she does...Well, i don't need to wonder very long though, because we just arrived at her yoga center. Nice, hidden place behind a little forest - quiet and warm... but... no mats. She hands me a metal tool on a wooden stick and leads me to my place. Hm, something else is missing - instead hardwood floor there are thousands of green little bushels.
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And then the lesson begins... Forward fold - reach for the ground - check if there is something else growing than the green sugar roots, take a step - repeat at your own pace. Forward fold- reach for the ground, check.....If you need a break: come up, take a deep breath - rinse and repeat.
WOW - after a matter of very few minutes i had my mantra: "Please let there be no other little plants growing between the roots so i can make a longer step; Please let there be no other little plants....."
See, it CAN be very easy with the whole meditation and muscle definition thing ( AND with getting your feet REALLY dirty ) : hard, hard work will do the trick.
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It's so amazing how much devoted hand work Maria and Andi happily put into their herbs and spices. They have been working with SONNENTOR for over twenty years now. The only fact I regret for today is that I haven't had a second helping of those delicious, sweet, handmade pasta we had for lunch.
Well, it's fine - i already smell Marias rye bread baking in the oven. She made it from scratch....
Have you been to Austria yet?
Stay tuned for day 3 !