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A summer evening

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Originally written on 30th June 2015 Walking on a perfect summer evening. It’s been a hot summer day. As we walk down a tree-lined  path, you can ‘smell’ the cooler air - thank goodness for trees and the welcome shade they provide. The scent of honeysuckle is in the air as i look directly at the low sun through the trees - suddenly you can see all the insects flitting around. Around me, I see wild rose, foxglove, horsetail, nettle, holly, hawthorn, hazel and purple clover. The hedges and edge are bursting with growth. A blackthorn arches over the path as if marking out a transcendental gateway. I wonder where my mind would take me if I mentally stepped through it? Around me, elderflowers are coming to the end of their season, but I can still bathe my nose in that special sweet yet dry scent. I walk past a low hanging willow and look up at the pale moon in the light sky. The peace and tranquility is overwhelming. If only I could bottle and preserve this feeling…. ...
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Building with Straw Bale and Getting it Right!

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In Missouri, USA, there's a place called 'Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage'. If the name isn't beautiful enough, some of the natural buildings being constructed there will win you over! I've been following the exploits of a guy called Ziggy for quite a few years - he initially built a cob roundhouse with reciprocal frame roof (a lá Tony Wrench of www.thatroundhouse.info ) and although it looked beautiful, Ziggy was open and honest about the failings of the building - mainly that pure cob was simply not insulating enough in the cold and damp winters they experience there, and consequently, it became very hard to heat. Anyway, with the experience of that first building, he and his partner and friends went on to design and build a timber framed and strawbale house called the 'Strawtron' which is now completed and for sale. The overall design and quality of finish, particularly the fine plasterwork is awe inspiring. I'll let some of the pictures do the talkin...
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Herbs for Anxiety

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I realise I've not posted here for ages. I've simply not felt the need. I am changing - I am having to change in order to survive and thrive. Anxiety and depression have got the better of me, and to that end, I've been attending a Mindfulness class every couple of weeks. It's great, but I felt like I still needed something extra to get my mind and mood into a better place so I went to a friend who is a herbalist. The alternative would be prescribed anti-depressants from my doctor with the possibility of side-effects and addiction. I not ruled that option out, but I'm keen to try more natural approaches first So I've been given some herbal preparations and some 'exercises'. The exercises, which I'll explore later on, are geared towards getting my mind into a more positive place - one of my 'problems' is that I have taken a very negative view on some things, and have struggled to see positives. Elements of this blog reflect that, and I ...
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The Impossibility of Growth

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I don't agree with everything that George Monbiot writes. Specifically, his views in nuclear power are at odds to mine, but this is possibly one of his finest pieces of writing - succinct and like a dart, it hits the target and points the blame. You can also read it, fully referenced on his website:  http://www.monbiot.com/2014/05/27/the-impossibility-of-growth/ Why collapse and salvation are hard to distinguish from each other. By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 28th May 2014 Let us imagine that in 3030BC the total possessions of the people of Egypt filled one cubic metre. Let us propose that these possessions grew by 4.5% a year. How big would that stash have been by the Battle of Actium in 30BC? This is the calculation performed by the investment banker Jeremy Grantham. Go on, take a guess. Ten times the size of the pyramids? All the sand in the Sahara? The Atlantic ocean? The volume of the planet? A little more? It’s 2.5 billion billion solar systems. It d...
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Small Stones #1

Dog walking. A dip in the pavement. Frozen water. Crunchy underfoot. #smallstone http://www.writingourwayhome.com/small-stones/
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What Did You Forget?

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Classic Alan Watts...
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Tattoo idea

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Original image (I have reversed it) appears to come from this blog:  http://caterina-artfullmusings.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/tree-of-life-mandala-workshop.html
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