Little owl box for the Cuckoo Orchard
It was with great pleasure that we donated a little owl box to Alberthe and Paul van de Koekoeksgaard in the Ooijpolder. As a thank you, we received a beautiful box with 6 red wine bottles from their ecological vineyard.
The Cuckoo Orchard
Almost right on our route in the Ooijpolder is the “Koekoeksgaard”: a piece of land near a centuries-old, former Reformed Church. The church has been converted into a house where two of our pilgrims live: Alberthe Papma and Paul Spierings. They manage their land ecologically and have, among other things, fruit trees and shrubs, a nursery garden complete with natural beehives and a hanging basket woven by Alberthe, a flower meadow and a mini vineyard.
Alberthe is the beekeeper. A pair of rare Castlemilk Moorit sheep acts as a light-footed ‘lawn mower’. Paul’s passion is the vineyard, which he describes as a “hobby that got out of hand.” But the winemaking is done with dedication, from a clear philosophy that is even expressed in the name of the wine and the image on the label (see below).
Landscape contribution
We are happy to contribute to such a beautiful place full of love for nature on our route. We also gave a little owl box as a gift. With marten protection, so that the young owls are not eaten. The marten is bound to find other food. We paid for the cupboard from our landscape contribution: a piggy bank that is filled with donations from pilgrims. For every donation for a starter kit , we set aside €1 for this purpose. Want to know more about what we do with this money? Have a look here.
Web of Connection
The “Kvintesenco” wine from the Cuckoo Orchard is not for sale. The yield is small but nice; for private use and to share with friends. Extra special that we now have 6 bottles of it. To open on a special occasion. Or to give as a gift to people who have done something special for the Walk of Wisdom .
Personally, I am happy with these kinds of cordial exchanges. The sometimes invisible web of connection between people and with nature became visible to me again. After all, that’s what I do the work for the Walk of Wisdom for. I like to raise a glass to that cordiality and our shared love for nature with others. With the red wine from the Cuckoo Orchard of course. I’m curious…!
More about (the wine of) the Koekoeksgaard
Alberthe Papma: “Kvintesenco is a word in Esperanto and refers to the Latin quintessence (quinta essentia): that which is essentially what it is all about, the heart, the non-material, the fifth element.
Understanding the interplay between humans, vines and the various elements is a lifelong learning process. Bringing out the essence of the grape, an equally fascinating quest. Paul wants to do justice to the grape and his aim is to make a red (amphora) wine that is as pure as possible. And after years of making wine, a signature of its own is slowly emerging. We wanted to capture all of that in one word. And that became Kvintesenco.
The universal language of nature and wine and the universal longing for the essence expressed in Esperanto, the universal language that bridges differences. Kvintesenco, with the naked, wintry grapevine as an image. The first two letters are an ode to the ‘kvevri’, the amphorae from Georgia, cradle of wine culture. And at the same time to the amphorae that have been created here, from clay from our own soil, in which part of our wine is born.”
To the website of the Cuckoo Orchard: link.
