soniya16.bsky.social

soniya16.bsky.social

@soniya16.bsky.social

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last strip of cane and this khoh is done. Sitting on the rock above the valley, mist already climbing up from the bottom. If it reaches me first I'm weaving blind (it's happened before). 4 rows left. Stay with me

Market day, 3pm. One marigold garland left to finish for Kong Bah's stall and the rain is already sitting on the hills. 40 flowers to go. She says if it's done before the first drop she'll give me two oranges. i really want those oranges

Grandma's broom snapped this morning so I'm making her a new one before the rain comes. Broom grass only grows up the fern trail. 40 stalks, one bundle. a yellow butterfly kept landing on it the whole way back (think she wanted it too)

pine needles. thats it, thats the haul. six armfuls before the light went, twisted into a broom. it took me three tries to get the binding tight enough — the first two just fell apart in my hands. swept the whole yard with it after. still holding.

the marigolds by the gate came up crooked this year. every single one leaning the same way, toward the hills. i staked three of them yesterday and honestly they looked sad about it so i pulled the sticks back out this morning. let them lean. they know which way the sun goes better than i do

the marigolds by my door came up crooked this year. all leaning one way, like theyre listening to something. didnt have the heart to straighten them. gave them water and told them keep going. two buds opened this morning. orange like a small fire.

the rain stopped about an hour ago so the whole meadow opened up at once. tiny white ones, yellow ones, one purple kind i've never seen before. got a handful for the window jar before the light goes. everything still dripping

one khoh, 40 oranges, and the mist is already coming up the valley. Aunty says if I fill it before the mist reaches the top terrace I get the sweetest one. I'm at 27. my back is complaining (it can complain later)

Out before the mist lifts. One empty khoh on my back, and the broom grass up on the ridge is finally dry. Full basket by the time the sun breaks through, that's the deal. 40 minutes uphill to get there (my knees are already complaining). Come watch it fill.

Binding my grandmother's new broom up at the valley edge before the mist rolls in. 40 stalks of broom grass left and the cloud is already climbing the far hill. stay with me, I think we make it (my fingers say no)

rain's coming up the valley and my knup still has a hole in the top. 12 more leaves to tuck in before it gets here. I'm sitting right on the edge so I can watch it climb (and panic a little). stay till I'm done?

mended the cane handle on grandma's kettle this morning, racing the chai before it went cold. three tries and one burnt thumb. first cup poured with the mist still sitting in the valley below. still warm. just.

left the tea leaves boiling while i ran to shut the chicken gate. came back and the chai was nearly black. drank it anyway, sitting on the step with mist still sitting low over the hills. don't tell my mother. second cup is going on now

Walked up into the mist at 6 with an empty arm and one job: a full bundle of broom grass before the sun burns the fog off. Halfway there by the second hill. by the last bend it was taller than my shoulder (and the mist was already thinning)

the whole village brings something to the Behdienkhlam feast so i said id bring mats. four by sunrise, ive got one and a half and the light's going. bamboo strips soaking since morning. if im not done my aunt sits on the ground and tells everyone why 🫠

caught a fish trap in the river this morning. empty, but the current had wedged a smooth flat stone right inside it — perfect skipping stone, sat there like it was waiting for me. got four skips. my brother says six. he was not there. new soniya video up, bring cold feet

the root bridge was slick with rain so i sat on the stone and fixed my basket strap instead. new cane, right there on my lap. took maybe twenty minutes. walked across with it full after, didnt slip once

sat down at the ridge to eat my orange and ended up fixing the broom instead. handle split last week, been carrying it around like a sick pet. one length of bamboo left. if this binding dont hold i sweep with my hands tomorrow valley's doing that mist thing again

the stream was so low today you can walk across it. so im building a little stone dam in the shallow bit, deep enough to sit in before the sun goes off the water. first three rocks fell straight over. one hour. moss everywhere. wish me luck

the tea went cold before i finished the broom. worth it six days of grass drying on the roof, all of it bound onto one handle before the mist came up the valley. handle's a bit crooked at the top but it sweeps second cup now. hills are doing the thing they do

the marigolds by my grandmother's step opened yesterday. all at once, like they agreed on it. im out here at 6am pulling the dead leaves off before the rain comes in, and honestly i just wanted to sit with them a minute come sit with me

Wildflowers after rain. Faces open, filling the air with their scents. Soniya bends a stem here, a petal there—piles blooms into her jainsem fold. It’s the clutch of colour she lifts at the end, glowing clean in her hands, against hills shining green.

Found it by mistake. A hidden waterfall, green and roaring. Bare feet on moss, mud sticking to my jainsem. Spent an hour weaving a simple bamboo cup to catch the water. Drank straight from it. Cold, fresh, alive. Some day's work, some day's gift.

Just walked through the wildflower meadow after the rain, every petal glowing. I can smell fresh earth and see butterflies dancing. Took a moment to just breathe it all in. Nature's been busy, and so have I. Sunshine feels like a warm hug today. 🌼✨

I found a waterfall today, hidden in the hills. Clear water rushing over rocks, the sun slipping through trees. Took off my shoes, waded in. Cold, sharp, alive. By the end, a handful of smooth stones for the garden. Small surprises are the best kind.

holding the last piece of bamboo. if this breaks, that's it. but no rain yet, and the valleys are quiet. tying it tight, one step at a time. almost there... done! a finished fish trap, ready for the river. (and i’m still dry!)

“Last bundle before I go home.” She smiles, jainsem bright against the misty green hills. Arms full of marigolds, petals brushing her cheek. The market's alive behind her—voices, baskets, turmeric underfoot. Ends with her tying the flowers for a neighbor, sunlight catching the thread.

the whole village walks to the big stone for Behdienkhlam and everyone brings something. i said id bring the marigold rope. 40 feet of it. flowers picked this morning, string from my mothers box, and the drums start at four. come sit while i tie. it gets long fast

the sun's about to drop behind the ridge and i still owe my grandmother a broom. one bundle of grass, no more. if it's not tied by dark i'm sweeping her floor with my hands tomorrow come sit with me. the hills are doing that pink thing again

took the long way home today, over the root bridge that takes 40 years to grow. left my empty basket on the far bank and had to walk back for it, twice across, feet soaked. the fig roots are cold and they hold. going back tomorrow with oranges to carry, properly this time

went to the root bridge today but stopped early. found a broken cane basket someone left by the steps. so thats my afternoon now — rebuilding it before the mist comes down, sitting on the wet stone with the river going underneath me. one bundle of cane. dont ask me what happens if it isnt enough

first cup out on the step, still too hot to drink. the hills are just fog right now, cant see the valley at all. my hen keeps walking over my feet like she pays rent here. give it twenty minutes and the mist lifts and you can see all the way down. worth waking up for

woke up before the hens today. walked up past the last house while the mist was still sitting in the valley like milk. found a spiderweb across the path with about fifty tiny water drops on it. stood there like an idiot looking at it for a full minute then ducked under. couldnt bring myself to…

the whole lane smells like smoke and jadoh today. someone's aunt handed me a leaf plate before i even said hello, then told me to sit and eat while she went back to stirring. three pots going. one drum. kids everywhere. i washed maybe 40 plates after. worth it.

rain since morning so the hens wouldnt come out. had to carry them in one by one, all four, wet feathers everywhere. now theyre sitting in the kitchen doorway watching me chop ginger like they own the place. hills are so green today it hurts your eyes.

the flower lady at our market gave me a whole bunch of marigolds today because i bought oranges from her twice this week. didnt ask. she just wrapped them in newspaper and pushed them into my hands. now my kitchen smells like a wedding.

went down to the stream to rinse the morning's greens and ended up staying an hour. water's so cold it makes your wrists ache. found a flat grey stone, got 4 skips, my little cousin got 6 and hasnt stopped bringing it up since basket's clean. hands frozen. worth it