Eowyn Levene - US

If I reach back to 2002 and my first impression of Tyll, a wave of bright enthusiasm and energy flows over me. There was a lightness and a vivid quality to Tyll's presence that had a 'lifting up' quality those of us who learned from him and worked with him. 

Morning meeting for the garden team 

I remember him in the mornings, giving out tasks, sketching out the ideas behind a method he taught us, pointing out details, and then dashing off to a meeting.
Sometimes in the afternoon we might see him again, in the distance on the mower, or the tractor, or perhaps for a study group.

Tyll on the mower

In every interaction, I always felt Tyll's commitment to cultivating and nurturing beauty on the property, and inside the walled garden, as well as to teaching the intricacies of growing plants from a biodynamic perspective. 

The gardens

Digging bare root leek transplants from the cold frames

And he had an ability to combine biodynamic principles and teaching with an eclectic study of the world and different disciplines; learning from him was fascinating.
Time with him was a gift and I remember treasuring it. There was such generosity there, and it was a privilege to learn from him. My understanding of nature, human beings, and the world as a whole grew and expanded because of him.

 Also, he introduced me to Mississippi John Hurt for which I'll always be grateful.

Stirring a preparation and playing music for the harvest festival

I'm 43 now, and my time at Oaklands continues to be one of the great highlights in my life, even though it's been 17 years since I left. The people I met and worked with, the beauty of the landscape and gardens, the excitement of learning so many new skills and concepts, and stretching myself in ways I never had before, all came together in a really beautiful experience for me. I left in 2004 with my heart brimming over.
I put professional gardening and farming behind me a few years later after a serious back injury caused me to rethink my path. I've continued to nurture the spark of working with plants in different small ways since, and I hope to implement much of what I earned from Tyll, and at Oaklands as a whole, on my own land sometime soon.

Eowyn in New York where she now lives