One of the most important features for g+, for me, is the convenient access to instant machine translation. It allows me to follow people from all over the world, and at least have a semblance of understanding what they are saying. This won't be easy to replace.

Google search for "alternative social media":

https://www.dailydot.com/debug/facebook-alternatives/

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/mar/31/youve-decided-to-delete-facebook-but-what-will-you-replace-it-with

https://fossbytes.com/best-facebook-alternatives/

https://eluxemagazine.com/magazine/alternative-social-media-sites/
Google search on "alternative social media":

https://www.cnet.com/how-to/social-media-alternatives-to-facebook/

https://www.1and1.com/digitalguide/online-marketing/social-media/the-best-facebook-alternatives/

Diaspora, ello, and tumblr seem somewhat viable.

Just ran across this book today -- Pagan Resurrection: A Force for Evil or the Future of Western Spirituality? -- so I thought I'd drop it in here. Random House has a thing that (apparently) allows you to read the whole book online, which is pretty amazing (more how-to info here). To see it in action, first click here, then look for the size controls in the bottom right corner (I found that zooming to 250% was comfortable; deduct 50% for each 10 years younger than me you are).

Following are several grafs from the sole (at present) Amazon review. Note especially the last line about Jung and Serrano, since we've been discussing them here of late. Though I am calling out this one bit, it's worth reading the entire review, which is much longer.

Rudgley portrays C.G. Jung as the figure of central importance in the modern pagan revival. For Rudgley, Jung was essentially a prophet of Wotan/Odin. Jung saw Hitler as a manifestation of the stormy, restless side of Odin. But there is another side - Wotan's "ecstatic and mantic qualities", which will also be revealed in time. Jung himself said, "things must be concealed in the back ground which we cannot imagine at present..." But Rudgley fails to note that, for mortals, moments of divine ecstasy are not without their price...and the price often involves those same stormy, restless moments he greatly fears.

Rudgley describes Jungian archetypes as "blueprints for certain workings of the human psyche." Some of these, he acknowledges, are "specific to certain cultures." (e.g. Odin is the most important archetype of the Germanic mind). Hyperborea, the land of Indo-European origins, is not a physical plane... it is to be found "not on the map of the earth but the map of the soul." As a symbol it has many layers of meaning, one of the primary ones being a vertical ascent, or attainment of enlightenment.

But are the gods, then, merely 'blueprints', and not objectively real? Rudgley seems to think so, and states that "we do not have to believe in Odin's actual existence as a god to track his return to the forefront of the Western psyche." In the same way, Stephen Flowers, noting Jung's influence, claims that "divinities in Asatru/Odinism are not seen as independent/transcendental beings, but rather as exemplary models of consciousness, or archetypes, which serve as patterns for human development." But this doesn't take into account Jung's own later view expressed in his Foreword to Miguel Serrano's book The Visits of the Queen of Sheba, where he stated openly for the first time that his mission was religious rather than scientific - implying that the 'archetypes' are, in fact, independently real.

Among the set of concerns (let's call them) that led me to start Mystic Bourgeoisie, was the question of why certain New Age types -- especially those who most vehemently deny that's what they are -- seem to believe that the answers to all life's most profound questions are to be found, you know...

{{{ WITHIN }}}

Even if your literary masochism amounts to but a fraction of my own, you can't avoid running into this bizarre concept if you read anything in this genre. Look within, my child, and your questions shall be answered!

I strongly suspect that heading the FAQ Hit Parade in this regard would be:

"Who's the fairest of them all?"

And the #1 most popular corresponding answer:

"Why, you are, Queenie!"

I got thinking about this again today because a reader kindly sent me a link to an interesting post titled Folk Theories Of Guru-Based Spirituality, which included such items as...

• The folk theory of everything being connected
• The folk theory of ancient wisdom
• The folk theory that only the heart knows what is true
• The folk theory that the mind is an enemy of the spirit

In the comments, someone added one of my all-time favorites...

• The folk theory that the Universe has a plan for Your Life

To me, that last is perhaps best expressed by this collection of psycho-spiritual hillbillies doing "That's The Way God Planned It." If you too have a rusted busted old brokendown Ford pickup parked in the weeds of your frontal lobe, feel free to sing along.

Meanwhile, I added...

• The folk theory of the Inner Magic 8-Ball

But then, thinking that might well beg for further explication, I finally started my own post on the subject. And as Madge would say: "You're soaking in it."

OK then, let's go to the source...

Of course, that's not really the source of this meme. Nor, despite the highly self-assured (if terse) rhetoric of the reply, is the answer definitive. But even after years of searching and frustrated head-scratching, I have yet to discover where the idea originated that "the answer lies within" -- or words to that general effect. I did, however, just today -- and totally by accident, opening a random book in my downstairs bathroom as if it were the I Ching (it was not) -- find the following passage from Tupak Okra's The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Practical Guide to the Fulfillment of Your Dreams (pp. 43-44).

Consciously put your attention in the heart and ask your heart what to do. Then wait for the response -- a physical response in the form of a sensation. It may be the faintest level of feeling -- but it's there, in your body. Only the heart knows the correct answer. Most people think the heart is mushy and sentimental. But it's not. The heart is intuitive; it's holistic, it's contextual, it's relational. It doesn't have a win-lose orientation. It taps into the cosmic computer -- the field of pure potentiality, pure knowledge, and infinite organizing power -- and takes everything into account. At times it may not even seem rational, but the heart has a computing ability that is far more accurate and far more precise than anything within the limits of rational thought.

The cosmic computer, aha! So I guess there's my answer. But now I'm wondering if something like this is what Nietzsche was maybe on about with his whole "Gott ist tot" shtick...

Ben Wilson
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Ben Wilson
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Ben Wilson Design Ltd incorporated in England Company no 09698216 registered office unit 15-16 7 Wenlock road London n17sl

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Ben Wilson Design Ltd incorporated in England Company no 09698216 registered office unit 15-16 7 Wenlock road London n17sl

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Ben Wilson
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Ben Wilson Design Ltd incorporated in England Company no 09698216 registered office unit 15-16 7 Wenlock road London n17sl

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Ben Wilson Design Ltd incorporated in England Company no 09698216 registered office unit 15-16 7 Wenlock road London n17sl

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Ben Wilson Design Ltd incorporated in England Company no 09698216 registered office unit 15-16 7 Wenlock road London n17sl

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Ben Wilson
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info@benwilsondesign.co.uk
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Ben Wilson Design Ltd incorporated in England Company no 09698216 registered office unit 15-16 7 Wenlock road London n17sl

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Ben Wilson
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07973 667 654
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Ben Wilson Design Ltd incorporated in England Company no 09698216 registered office unit 15-16 7 Wenlock road London n17sl

Posted by Ben.

Ben Wilson
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info@benwilsondesign.co.uk
07973 667 654
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Ben Wilson Design Ltd incorporated in England Company no 09698216 registered office unit 15-16 7 Wenlock road London n17sl

Posted by Ben.

Ben Wilson
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info@benwilsondesign.co.uk
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Ben Wilson Design Ltd incorporated in England Company no 09698216 registered office unit 15-16 7 Wenlock road London n17sl

Posted by Ben.

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Ben Wilson
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info@benwilsondesign.co.uk
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www.benwilsondesign.co.uk
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Ben Wilson Design Ltd incorporated in England Company no 09698216 registered office unit 15-16 7 Wenlock road London n17sl

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I had such a wonderful time living in Melbourne and I know it’s a period of being settled (by my standards), that I’ll always look very fondly upon.  It’s amazing how much I managed to make my home and routine in a mere six months.

I feel really proud that not only did I manage the basics of moving to a new place, such as finding a job, a place to live and gaining an idea of the surroundings in a foreign country, but I also forged true friendships, joined and created community and was able to deeply follow my passion, giving me a great sense of achievement and possibility.  Sometimes we need to put ourselves out of our comfort zone to remind us what we are capable of.

The skyline of Melbourne taken from Northcote

Finding a balance

Striving to find a balanced and healthy lifestyle is something I’ve been continually experimenting with and honing over the past few years. In Melbourne I was able to create the most balance I have ever had.

It all starts with work…

Having lived resourcefully for over a year from savings, it felt good to earn money again and be able to pay for the lifestyle I wanted to have in the city.  Since my dreams of working in a hippy paradise cafe had abruptly ended and money was running out, irregular cafe work seemed like less of an option. So I ended up signing up to some temp agencies specialising in office work knowing this would be the best way to save and comforting myself in that it would just be for a short while.

I was feel very grateful that I managed to get a temporary administrative role at the Department of Veteran’s Affairs.  Working in the public sector felt good as the few days of work I had done for a Corporate before this role just didn’t feel right. It was a fairly easy job which worked for me at this time.

Admittedly it was extremely boring, pretty much just processing forms and writing letters but the perks were numerous – I was able to work 9am – 5pm, earn a decent wage that allowed me to save up (as the minimum wages in Australia is high) and have very minimal stress as I had very little responsibility. I would never think about work once I got home for the day.

The people were friendly and I appreciated that I could walk around the office in my socks and get up to make myself cups of tea without feeling clock watched. For the 5 months I did this job, that was ideal as I had so much space and energy to live a really fulfilling life outside of work.

Melbourne City Centre

Remembering the magic in the world

I know people sometimes wonder how I can live such a lifestyle of uncertainty and not knowing what is ahead.  I acknowledge there’s a lot of value in planning and working towards a goal, but sometimes there’s something special in releasing yourself to an experience to see what it brings you.

Somehow the universe has always provided me with what I have needed at the right time.  By complete serendipity it turns out that I already had a friend from England living in Melbourne which made my experience of living there better than I could ever have hoped.  I now had my wwoofer friend Kaitlyn from the blueberry farm as my room mate (yes sharing a bed to cut costs) and Kim, my friend from England.

Kim arrived in Australia just four months before me with his girlfriend Kiki.  They’ve been in the process of trying to settle there through the work route as Kim has lots of family close by and was also drawn to the lifestyle.  Kim and I had lots of mutual friends in London –  we sung in a few choirs together, used to go on weekends away to sleep in a yurt and sing, but we weren’t what you’d call close.  I was aware he had been planning to go to Australia but at that time I had not yet a clue that I would ever even go there and so it slipped my mind.

Kim ‘gardening’ aka burning things!

It was amazing to discover from a friend that he was in Melbourne and to have such a connection drop seemingly out of nowhere. Meeting up with him was so easy, we already understood eachother and could pickup our favourite activities that we had done together in London.  It felt like we’d been great friends for a really long time and we both appreciated the sense of home.

In addition, it meant I had an instant family base in Melbourne as he was living with his mum Avis who also welcomed me into their home with open arms and that was always a great joy for me.  Their home felt very warm and comfortable and I loved helping out around the garden, eating dinner and being treated as part of the family.  It also felt so familiar having that Englishness around me whilst living in Australia – no one makes a proper cup of tea like a Brit!

Life comes in cycles

Melbourne is a really cycle friendly city and it’s the only time I’ve enjoyed a traffic jam as it was one consisting of only cyclists and not drivers! It’s so heartening to me to see so many people getting to work this way and living such active, healthy lifestyles.  My cycle commute to work was one of the most enjoyable parts of living in Melbourne, I felt so fit, from just doing my normal daily routine and not having to set aside time to do this.  Kim could immediately tell me where all the best cycle lanes were and we had alot of fun going on bike trips to explore the city and surrounding countryside.

A day of exploration in the sun – we cycled 80km from Lilydale to Warburton and back. Just an hour outside of the city

Music brings me home

I think that maybe music is my religion…..  It’s the one constant in my life that brings me home to myself and makes me feel most connected to the world wherever I am. Bearing that in mind, being suddenly put in contact with Kim who has this whole shared history of the same songs, was really powerful.

We had so much fun meeting up to sing songs we had sung together in choirs in London and working together on songs with us singing and playing guitar to sing at open mics.  I think it’s one of the most fun things ever for me to do. In a short amount of time we were invited to perform as a support act for a local choir and we were meeting up regularly to play.  One thing led to another and before we knew it, we were setting up our own pop up choir to campaign for the creation of a national park around Melbourne that would end the disastrous logging –  More on that in my next blog.  This experience was particularly dear to my heart and is the closest experience I have had to feeling like ‘having a calling’ in life.

Our Pop up Choir Singing for Toolangi on the steps of Parlaiment House

Nothing is ever perfect

That’s not to say it was perfect completely perfect but it was pretty damn good.  For me finding a meaningful, enjoyable job that is not too high stress and earns a decent enough wage to live comfortably has always been the holy grail.  I don’t think it’s impossible but perhaps I need to accept there are always to be some compromises ( I haven’t quite yet been able to).

My job was boring as hell and my saving grace was that all day (quite literally) I listened to podcasts and music, so I could still get a sense that I was growing through my work, but it wasn’t sustainable.  By the end, it was quite a drag and one of my favourite songs by Martha Tilston about wanting to run across the office tables and feeling like a drone going to work, would regularly march through my head.

Bringing in an income

This might sound strange but it was nice to have some income again as my travel lifestyle has been funded by saving up and then when I am travelling living extremely frugally.  I even just appreciated the fact I could afford to pay to attend a weekly yoga class in a nice studio, which gave me grounding, strength and flexibility as well as routine.

I was also really lucky to be able to live in some really cute neighbourhoods in Melbourne including Brunswick and Carlton North – both close to my work and with a great deal of character and life.  I love the Victorian architecture, the amount of trees and green spaces and the cafe culture.  One extremely unique thing about Melbourne is that there are still so many independent shops and businesses adding to the quirkiness and uniqueness. Also unlike a lot of Australia, Melbourne is a melting pot of diversity  and is very open minded, liberal and forward thinking.

Kaitlyn and I discover art on the way to finding a Sunday brunch spot

Melbourne is said to have quite a European feel and have some of the best coffee shops. I really connected with this.  Especially when the weather is great, I’m much more drawn to waking early, being productive and spending time outside than to staying up and enjoying night life.  This period of my life is the time in which I have drunk the least alcohol which for me personally I have found to bring lots of balance.  Kaitlyn and I had a tradition of going for brunch at a different cafe every week which was so delicious, felt like a proper treat and meant we really made the most of the delicious food on offer.

We Brits love to talk about the weather

Melbourne is know for having ‘four seasons in one day’, but a more accurate assessment in my eyes is four seasons in one week.  Located on the South of Australia, Melbourne is subject to weather influences from the cool sea combined with the heat of the North, depending on which way the wind blows.

In one week it could go up to nearly 40 degrees with humidity and then drop right down to 18 degrees the following day, with cool winds and rain. It meant the mantra ‘always be prepared’ really rang true.  Some Australians I encountered found this a great source of annoyance, but for me it was a breath of fresh air compared with English weather.  You really appreciate rain after the intense heat, yet it was comforting to know that a grey sky would never linger for too long and that soon I would feel the glow of the sun on my skin, one of my favourite feelings in the world. For fleeting moments, this warmth brings me to peace no matter what is happening.

Speaking of sun, there is a huge hole in the O Zone directly above Australia and you really notice the power of the UV rays.  The sun feels all consuming and powerful.  Suncream of factor 50 is a must during all these weathers as people are known to burn in just 15 minutes.  One of Australia’s many dangers!

Glorious sun, but beware, it’s easy to get burnt!

Quite the impression

Were visas not an issue and were Australia not on the otherside of the world, I think I could very happily live in Melbourne.  However this is not the case!

I feel lucky that I got to experience this time in Melbourne and these friendships – I’ll miss these a lot. It’s hard to leave Melbourne as it felt so much like home but ultimately I know my time there was always limited and it’s exciting to have had a great glimpse of what a balanced and fulfilling home base can look and feel like.  I look forward to bringing these elements into my future living situation.

The Working Holiday Visa

I wasn’t ready to return home after the amazing adventure that was California.  I felt deep down in my soul that I wanted to continue to travel, be in beautiful surroundings and I wasn’t ready to leave my dear friend, the sunshine.  Yet I was aware that my finances couldn’t support me for much longer to just travel.  It was then I remembered talking to other travellers who had gone to Australia under the Working Holiday Visa.

It allows you to earn money there for a year (or two if you are willing to do some of the more arduous farming the Aussies don’t want to do) and if you are under 30.  The bonus is that the minimum wage there is very high, it’s not so much of a culture shock and it’s fairly easy to save up money.

What better kick in the backside to actually go and do it than being 29 and it being the ‘last opportunity’.  In all honesty there was never that much that appealed to me about Australia  – I’m done with hanging out with 18 year old backpackers, drinking too much and sleeping in bunk beds in hostels, but the idea of living in one place for a while so I could get to know people and my surroundings, of working and establishing routine, of living abroad, that really appealed to me and felt exciting.  Plus….it would be Summer in Australia. And so it all began to fall into place.

The blueberry field at Duckworth – the site of many a story, inspiration and discussion that changed the course of a life

Plant a seed and watch it grow

I planted a seed in Kaitlyn’s head ( a 25 yrs old girl from Texas also volunteering on the farm with a super contagious smile and laugh). She’d mentioned to me she wanted to work and then travel in the future.  I asked her ‘why not do both in one sweep, in Australia with me?’ I hoped me being an experienced, trustworthy traveller type might hold some weight.

Having made this fly away suggestion whilst we were blueberry picking, I walked off to empty my bucket knowing that she would be having an ‘aha’ moment of ‘this could actually happen’.  Lo and behold, a week later she decided she was in.  We’d only known each other maybe 2 weeks, but that’s farm time for you – one day feels like a week and you form really deep connections fast.  The fact that my farm love interest would also be coming to Australia to work a few months after I arrived was another bonus, especially as I was really starting to fall in love (that’s a whole other story – maybe a novel!).

I was in luck – flights were cheap, Kaitlyn wanted to come and live with me and do the job hunt together, which I normally find super draining, but I knew having Kaitlyn by my side it would be great – we would make it fun.  I had a few people I knew who had already done the working holiday visa who I could refer all my questions about working in Australia to.

Finding my hippy paradise

My flight was from Los Angeles to Brisbane in New South Wales where I headed as I had visions of getting some beachy, tropical vibes.  There are some really cute, hippy towns in California and I had an image of me working in a super laid back cafe in the Australian counterpart by the beach in a surfer town.  Byron Bay was the place that came to mind (I can’t even remember how) but that became my holy grail of Australia.

My new home?

I arrived ten days before Kaitlyn which gave me time to scope it out. I realised quickly that although a great place for a holiday, Byron Bay was no longer a hippy paradise, but pretty commercialised – the hostels were really expensive, it would have been nigh on impossible to get an apartment there, especially on a cafe wage with irregular hours and I was surrounded by the kind of crowd I wanted to avoid in the hostel of teens, living in a 8 bed girls dorm.

So I quickly needed a change of direction, especially with Kaitlyn arriving in a few days.  Mind you, I am not saying it wasn’t beautiful, there are some  really cool spots to visit and nice sites, but I just really didn’t feel ‘home’.  But I was infinitely grateful that Kaitlyn was with me, and we were in this together, that makes such a difference.

A glimpse of Paradise in Byron Bay

That’s when I had to be flexible and adapt fast as I realised that being in a city would be the best way to save up some money fast. I was really getting close to the line, especially having had to pay for an unexpected ‘health check’ to be allowed entry to Australia – I had to pay to have a chest scan and health check in the US before I could be approved for entry as I had been in Asia for over three months and they worry about TB (it was all very last minute and stressful – another story in itself!).

City life wasn’t quite the easy going lifestyle I had envisaged, but beggars can’t be choosers and we spent a couple of days researching and deliberating between whether to move to Sydney or Melbourne.  It’s so hard to know if you haven’t been somewhere where you want to spend the next 6 months!

My two best friends in Australia – Kaitlyn & guitary

Ultimately we decided that although Sydney had the consistent sunny, weather and jobs for sure – it sounded very busy, materialistic, a bit more shallow.  We felt that Melbourne sounded like it had more character – an arts and music scene, a cafe culture and Kaitlyn had some family out there.

So Melbourne it was based on not to so much information and a lot of trusting our gut!  We made that decision and didn’t look back as Melbourne turned out to be an awesome experience in more ways than one.  A huge part of that was forming my friendship with Kaitlyn – finding a home, job and sharing a room (even a bed!) to save up money and discovering new places together. So Kaitlyn thanks for being you and being so easy and fun to be with!

No point in this not being publicly available is there? Especially as setting it up in Blog format was a bit of a labour of love. Apologies for dead links and inserts. time takes its toll. #

No point in this not being publicly available is there? Especially as setting it up in Blog format was a bit of a labour of love. Apologies for dead links and inserts. time takes its toll. #

If you don't recognise what this is immediately, then don't bother asking. It's not FOR YOU.

It's been nearly a year since I last posted here, and I still miss the place. There's no point fighting it so, I'm going to come back. Might take the opportunity for a bit of a reboot and to revisit some classics. Just give me a few days to break the news to my other blog.

Duckworth Farm

Duckworth Farm – it's hard to describe in words, how much I love Duckworth Farm and what a huge  impact it's had on my life.  It really is a very special place.

Duckworth is part of the Wwoofing (Worldwide Working on Organic Farms) network, who have a website connecting farmers with budding volunteers from across the globe.   It's a unique exchange programme where farmer hosts, offer free food and accommodation to Wwoofers –  volunteers willing to work a certain number of hours per day on the farm doing a variety of farm related tasks. It's truly an excellent way to learn new skills, explore different cultures, get close to nature and live with little money.

My favourite sheep – Mimi and George

The scope of Wwoofing is amazing as there are literally farms all over the globe, the types of farms you can stay on are vast and thus so is the type of work you will do.  Your accommodation situation will be different wherever you go, as will be the number of other Wwoofers you will be working with.  These are all factors to take into consideration if you are contemplating Wwoofing yourself.

It's an experience I just had to try, knowing that those participating in this type of venture would be great people, given the hosts are welcoming complete strangers to live and work on their land, using the principle of exchange rather than money. I was also really attracted to it as I wanted to learn more about agriculture and growing my own food. I've been really intent in recent months on adapting my lifestyle into one that involves more working outside, using my body and being close to nature so Wwoofing was the perfect chance to experience this.

You're the one for me….

When I discovered Duckworth Blueberry Farm on the Wwoofing website, I immediately knew it was the farm for me.  Firstly, few farms have all five star ratings from the previous Wwoofers and so many overwhelmingly positive reviews.  I was travelling to California alone, with my travel fund quickly diminishing.  Yet I had a wish to learn and a hankering for adventure, so I knew that Wwoofing was a great idea, especially on a farm that accepted at least a few other volunteers so that I could meet new people.  Luckily my intuition was right and I spent a full two months living at the farm.  Several people who left the farm ended up coming back later which, again, speaks volumes.

What also massively attracted me to the farm was the enthusiasm of Lorrie and Oscar, the dynamic and wonderful duo behind the farm.  They're really keen for young people to experience and learn about farm life, very much wishing to share their skills and knowledge, accepting those who have little or no farm experience so that we can learn as much as possible about things we otherwise wouldn't have the chance to in our own lives.  For me farm life in itself was pretty knew, so even just working with animals and picking was a learning experience.  But on top of that we had great opportunities to learn about cooking, mechanics, spinning and weaving.

Opportunities to learn – like mechanics in Oscar’s workshop Where is Duckworth at?

Duckworth farm is located close to the town of Sebastapol, in Sonoma County, California.  The whole area just blew me away as there is just so much stunning scenery within just half an hour radius of the farm, all of which is very diverse: from the coast, to the forest, to the meadows to the farmland - it's very unique coming from England.  In our free time we were able to do a lot of exploring by car and by bicycle which was great, especially as in true Californian style, it was indeed always sunny, something I find myself longing for more than I'd like to in good old England.

Farmland in Sebastapol Duckworth's Bread and Butter

The Duckworth's have just over 80 acres of farm land, they accept Wwoofers from April until the end of August and on average there were about twelve Wwoofers at a time during my stay.  The main products sold from the farm are it's delicious organic blueberries and hay.  The bulk of our work was blueberry related - picking in the fields, sorting and packaging the blueberries, ensuring the fields were weeded, the nets are fixed to protect the berries from birds.

Some might find blueberry picking rather monotonous.  I honestly started seeing juicy bushes of blueberries when I closed my eyes, it's true! However I really enjoyed this peaceful imagery, it made a welcome change from the thoughts that have run through my head in previous lines of work, at least this was relaxing.

The other things I loved about picking was that we would have great conversations with each other in the field on all manner of subjects, it was the best place to get to know people intimately and to learn from them.  Not only that, when I did want to be alone, I enjoyed the silence of picking by myself, or I would end up doing a lot of singing which I thoroughly loved doing to entertain myself.  Not to mention the final bonuses - being able to eat away as you worked and being outside in the morning before the sun got too intense.

Picking blueberries in the field

There are also lots of animals at the farm - chickens which provide plenty of eggs, horses, sheep for milking and for wool, and lots of cats and dogs.  It really brought home to me how much richness having animals adds to your life.  They are indeed additional mouths to feed and a big responsibility to take care of, but they are also always very entertaining and bring a lot of life and love to the farm.

Daily chores

On top of the four to five hours of blueberry work, we also had morning and evening chores, which although we called them chores, I really enjoyed too.  It was initially a shock to the system having to wake up at 5.40am to be ready to start these at 6am, but once I got in the routine, I really grew to appreciate starting the day as the sun is coming up and getting all our work done first thing so that we could enjoy our free time in the afternoon.

We would do the same chore for a whole week with one or two other people.  This would be either cooking breakfast for the group, milking six of the sheep or feeding, mucking out and letting the horses into the field.  I actually really enjoyed all of the work that we did, I found it very rewarding to be outside, work with my hands and build relationships with the animals.

It’s sheep milking time!

My favourite chore turned out to be sheep milking – quite a surprise to me!  I ended up really loving the sheep, recognising each of the ones we'd milk and getting to know their personalities.  Sheep are notoriously scared of humans and see almost any other living creature as a predator.  Thus they generally run away from you if you approach, well unless you are carrying food!  But there were a few sheep on the farm that were actually really trusting (hey Mimi and George!) and they would approach you, even if you were foodless and not in their pen for some sheep cuddles.  So I had a lot of fun hanging out with the sheep.I like the animals as they put a different perspective on life, just doing their thing.

The bonus was of course that we were then able to use the sheep milk to make cheese, yoghurt and butter and there's nothing quite like eating something that comes from your land or animals.  For this reason I also really enjoyed taking care of the many chickens who would provide us with 15 or so organic, free range eggs per day.  They also were great, waddling towards you and I was like an excitable, small child when I learnt you could stroke them and that they have super soft feathers.  They in turn ate most of the compost waste from our kitchen so nothing goes to waste.

The Wwoofers play some post dinner games in the kitchen A typical day at Duckworth

5.40am: Wake up in my tent

6.00am: Start morning chores (breakfast/sheep milking/horses)

7.15am: Communal breakfast

8.00am: Start work - mostly blueberry related in the field

1.00pm: Lunch (which we took turns to cook for the group)

2.00pm: Free time!

6.00pm: Evening chores (sheep milking/ horses/garden watering)

7.30pm: Communal Dinner

Finding our blueberries at the local store

The benefit of Duckworth Farm is also that you get a good chunk of time in the afternoon to spend as you please, and you can never get bored on the farm!  I loved spending my afternoons learning how to make cheese, yoghurt, butter, jam, pies.  It was so nice to spend time with the other Wwoofers, I leave with a lot of new friends and happy memories.  The farm is always full of laughter, song, dancing in the kitchen, playing games, swimming in the pond.  We learnt alot on the farm because of the Duckworths, but what was also amazing is that we could learn so much from each other.

That's not to say it was without it's challenges.  Waking up at 5.40am was quite an adjustment and living in a community setting is a really interesting experience.  All of the Wwoofers came from different backgrounds (some from Europe, some from the States, Canada etc) and were a range of ages and had different life experiences. There were some great people there and we had so much fun, yet there were of course also differences in the way we liked to do things and it was a constant process of adjustment and negotiation.  The group dynamics would change really fast as new Wwoofers would come and go, people had different levels of contributing and it was just such a good learning experience in patience, adapting quickly to new circumstances and working with others who may have different ways of doing thing to you.

I could honestly talk all day about Duckworth farm - so I will leave it with a huge thanks to everyone that made it such a wonderful experience, especially to the Duckworth's who make it all possible.  For a virtual tour of the farm (and some dodgy commentary from me) there are some videos here on You Tube.  I can’t wait for the next time……….

The Wwoofer’s tent space next to the pond (that you can swim in!)

It's been quiet around here lately. Why? Because BIKINI STATE BULLETIN has been going backwards, regressing from a 21st century medium to good old fashioned paper. Bikini State Bulletin One is now available via SPIRIT DUPLICATOR. Apart from 500 tins of beans and a shar stick, it's all you need for The Crisis.
It costs £1.50. Yes, it is absolutely ridiculous. But there's other stuff you can buy to make it worth the postman's while, so please take a look, my partially sandpapered fingerprints are all over it. 

I hope everyone has their smatchet to hand.

I've now left India but the love affair with this country continues and has me longing for more.  As always, I wasn't yet ready to leave - despite having spent four months there!  The more time that passed, the better it got – the more possibilities that opened up and the more I was learning.

Dharmalaya

I was fortunate to spend my last 3 weeks at Dharmalaya - a centre for compassionate and sustainable living.  Dharmalaya is set in the Himalayas a few kilometres outside of Bir, a town housing a Tibetan colony, several monasteries and a famous site in India for paragliding. It's not on the radar of many travellers who would look puzzled when I told them where I was going.

It's one of the most beautiful places I've ever lived and I kept having to pinch myself that it was where I was staying.  As I opened my tent door each morning I'd be welcomed into the day by a view looking down the valley of forests and hills.  Not only that, on a clear day, you could see the tips of some snow peaked mountains and watch the sunset create shapely silhouettes of the foothills.

What do they do?

The centre's main work is in running courses in eco building (in the local Himanchali style using mud bricks and mud plaster), in permaculture design and sustainable living.  They also host meditation retreats and have open volunteer periods, which is what I participated in.  During these periods you can do the hands on work – building the infrastructure, gardening, as well as be immersed in local culture and learn about sustainable living practices that they have implemented.

Dharmalaya is still massively a project in the making.  They already have a main house containing the communal areas such as the dining room, kitchen, meditation room, bathrooms and some bedrooms.  They've begun the process of growing their own vegetables but currently still have to buy most food from outside as the garden is not yet well enough established (and there is a monkey food stealing issue - damn those monkeys again causing trouble!)  A few other cottages are in the process of being built and there will be some meditation huts on the way too.  The showers are run by solar power and they have a few types of toilets including compost.

The Main House Part of the family

You can already see the huge potential and the one thing that is already well established is the wonderful sense of community.  One of the best things about Dharmalaya is that they employ about ten people from the local village above the site that you get to work alongside.  They are so hugely friendly and welcoming which I really appreciated.  Their English is limited, so I was grateful for my little Hindi to try and enable better communication.  Each day they would always greet me with 'Morning ji' - 'ji' being a term of respect that you don't have to use for a stranger. With this cultural understanding it felt like being welcomed into a family.

Before I left one of the longer term volunteers who co-ordinated the work told me the staff had really enjoyed working with me too –  I think they could see I was really doing my best to learn and be respectful and appreciated that.  Not only that - apparently they also really enjoyed the singing - yes of course I couldn't stay in a group of 12 volunteers without some kind of communal singing happening.  I taught a few sessions to the volunteers and in the morning circle we performed a rendition of a simple rounds called 'Bella Mama .  It got stuck in everyone's heads - it had people from the village asking 'what is this Bella Mama?' - which we always translate as beautiful mother/earth but in the local language apparently translates as 'ox uncle' which we all found hilarious.

The Dharmalaya family

I really enjoyed spending time with the other volunteers on the project, most of whom were around my age and from different parts of India.  It was brilliant for my Hindi as I could pick up bits of what they were saying in Hindi, but equally they also spoke to one another a lot in English so I could understand a lot and ask questions when I wasn't sure what was going on.  It was really nice to not just be with other Western volunteers as it enabled me to really understand more about young people in India today.  They were all really kind and a pleasure to get to know.

Day to day living

Staying at Dharmalaya was extremely physically challenging, especially for someone not used to so much manual labour AND the heat.  Luckily I was in fairly good shape from all of the hiking and living in the mountains and we were also given good rest time.  We had a three hour work session in the morning, and one in the afternoon with plenty of time for tea breaks and delicious lunch.  We worked hard, but there was also a relaxed attitude to it and it was one of those experiences where you get as much out as you put in.   I felt very inquisitive and so wanted to try all of the different activities and ask lots of questions.

I learnt lots of practical skills that I never could have imagined I would, or never knew I was so interested in (but am!).  This included …….

1. Pugging – essentially stamping around in a pile of  mud, water, pine needles and rice husk with your bare feet until the mixture becomes even and can be used to make bricks

Pugging

2. Making mud bricks – using moulds, allow them to dry in the sun for 3 days

Making mud bricks

3. Masonry – building the house with the mud bricks (trying to keep the wall level and straight!)

Masonry

4. Making Plaster – main ingredient is cow dung which has to be fetched from the nearest village 10 minutes up the mountain

Carrying cow dung (gobar)

6. Moving heavy things –  forming ‘human chains’ was the most efficient way

Human Chain

7. Gardening – including composting and planting seeds

Seed planting to grow vegetables Learning a new way

I gained so much inspiration from my time at Dharmalaya and the realisation that all over the world there are people and organisations doing great work for our planet, who invite others to spend time in their community and learn about what they do. Now I'm on a mission to learn more about sustainable living – how we can grow our own food and generate our energy using what's readily available to us.

I was reminded just how powerful living so close to nature is to me - my Hawaiian jungle experience gave me an insight, but it was this experience that reminded me of the peace of mind and energy I get from being in such a setting which has really empowered me to make sure this is something I make part of my future living situation - not just as a holiday.

I was also surprised with how much I love being hands on and getting my hands dirty.  Having always used my mind a lot it was such a simple joy to be outside and be creating something you can physically see that is going to be of use to people.  I'd never realised how strong my body can be when I give it the chance and it feels like finally I'm using this body I was given for it's true purpose.  I don't want to sit down all day - I want to be active and then enjoy rest.  It feels right to be using my body now whilst it's still fit and able to do theses things and the more I do this, the healthier I'll stay - it just all makes so much sense!

I'm still excited and inspired by this experience, it feels like a shift in how I want to live and what I want to spend my time doing.  Let's see what happens…..

'How can you travel alone?!'

After visiting beautiful Palampur, my travel buddy Eric returned to Canada so I was back on the road solo and ready to explore some places I'd never been before.

For many going somewhere new can be a nerve wracking experience - particularly if you are alone in a county where the culture is so different and you don't speak the language.  A few months ago it seemed like a daunting prospect (even though I did it on a previous India trip over five years ago), but this experience reminded me again that every time I do it I get so much out of it. How quick we are to remember negative experiences and slow to remember the positive.

Wandering around the mountains of Manali

I see how much fear we can create for ourselves, worrying about all sorts of if, buts and maybes.  The great thing about continuing to travel is after a few new places you start to lose these worries and get a deeper faith that somehow it will all work out well. You gain a sort of flow, or momentum and then when it does all work out it is just so satisfying!

The kindness of strangers makes my travels possible and it's these interactions with everyday people that restore my faith in the world.  People taking me to the right carriage, getting on the bus with me to take me to my stop, buying me chai for playing them a song, allowing me to stay in their home without asking for anything in return, assisting me with printing, booking transport, finding a good mobile deal etc. The list goes on.   It's so nice.

Immersion in beauty

My week in Manali was a time of immersing myself in the nature of the mountains and as a result I had a flurry of musical inspiration.  I really fell in love with the mountains of Himanchal Pradesh this trip - the snow peaks, the animals, the sweet local people, the clean air and the calm feel.

Traditional buildings in Old Manali

 

Old Manali is the place to stay (as opposed to New Manal), as it still has a lot of the character of a traditional Himanchali village despite it becoming ever more busy with guesthouses, bars, restaurants and cafes for the growing steam of tourists that come for trekking, skiing and rock climbing.

At the top of the town are buildings in the local style made of wood and stone, with space for the animals underneath the house.  The women here still weave the local clothing of thick blankets using traditional weaving apparatus.  Despite the tourists they are still connected with their roots and wear this traditional cloak style blanket with a tie around the waist and a scarf tied around the head. I couldn't resist buying a hand knitted wooly hat that I didn't really need.  I just had such a nice chat with the women in my growing Hindi that I wanted to support their work.

Traditional weaving machines

In the end it came in handy as Manali was very chilly at night time, sometime reaching 0 degrees so I would wear all of my layers in bed.  But during the day, as soon as the sun was out,  we could bask in the glorious weather, perfect for exploring the gorgeous forests and mountain peaks in every direction.

I found myself wondering around a lot for walks with my guitar and writing some songs, my favourite being 'In the Mountains' (original title I know) which came following a conversation with a friend about the mountains being the last place on earth to live as climate change gets worse.  The recording quality is terrible (as there is the noise of a river and someone building in the background!) but here it is on you tube on a better one should appear at some point…..!

Gorgeous forests in Manali Musical Magic Manifestation

All of the playing culminated in some kind of new musical surge, finding it easier than ever to sing and play guitar together at once (finally) which before was a true brain ache and now is becoming natural and easy.  This is immensely satisfying as I remember being on my previous India trip five years ago and practising uber basics of strumming (up, down, up, up, down, up), so boring, yet now I play and even write songs.  I'm so glad I had the insight to realise what I could gain if I put in five years of practise.

I was reminded so much of the Renee that wanted to play and sing but couldn't yet when I began giving free guitar lessons to some Nepalese guys running a German Bakery.  Their tea, friendliness and good wifi initially drew me in, but it became a bit of a daily routine to sit in the bakery and teach some guitar.

Me and my best travel buddy – my guitar

It was their turn to overcome the repetitive practice of 'up, down, up, up, down, up' monotomus strumming.  But because I have been there, I have ultimate patience to sit with someone working through this important, but very boring, initial stage.  I now have real experience of what is possible with practice and I know how much the support of others can help you on this journey so it was really nice to support them.

Moving on up

Ii was a real momentous victory when a Nepalese bar owner promised me a free dinner if I played at set in his bar.  I was terrified, but knew the pay off would be so great if I could learn to enjoy playing in front of others without being self conscious.  It could be a true useful, practical skill for travelling to provide me with the basics I need like food for free - a huge gift when living on a shoe string budget.

So I overcame my stage and mic fright and sang about 8 songs, half of which I had written myself and the other half blue grassy/folk songs I love.  It was far from perfect but it was fun and it went down well.  Seeing the guy after me play reminded me that you don't always have to be super/ gifted talented musician for people to enjoy your music as so much of the music is what you bring to it - if you are enjoying it, or really feeling it, others are also more likely to.

Love ewe Manali

So yes I got free dinner and some cups of tea!  The basics I usually have to pay for with hard earned money, were given to me for free for doing something I love that gives me energy and makes me feel good.  Wow!  In Manali I reached a tipping point –  my musical experience and playing of songs will just keeping getting richer and richer.  My bank balance is getting low but, but my wealth is increasing.  You can't put a price of music and nature.  I feel so lucky that this is what I get to do at this time in my life.

Off the hummus trail

I was growing tired of the backpacker hub of Bhagsu - the familiarity and lack of what I call 'real' Indian culture (if it’s too easy, it’s not ‘real’ India!).

Bhagsu and the nearby town of Dharamkot, are famously part of the 'hummus trail', a route taken by Israeli travellers.  They often spend months travelling in India, following their compulsory military service for 2 or 3 years (depending on whether they're female or male).  They come to India to chill out and forget about life for a while, yet it's created these strange pockets of cafes and guesthouses with mainly just Israeli travellers, with all the menus and signs written in Hebrew.  They tend to hang out in big groups and party hard. Although I’ve met only lovely Israelis, I wanted to move away from this culture, after all when I want to experience Israeli culture, I will go to Israel not to India.

A perk to the many Israeli cafes is the abundance of hummus (my fav snack)

I hadn't realised it consciously, but I needed to get out of my comfort zone again to be opened up to the beauty of India and out of the Bhagsu bubble.

Enough of the same menu for Westerners that somehow ranges from Indian, Israel and Italian main meals to Tibetan, Japanese food thrown in with some English or American breakfast - none of which is quite like what you'd eat in that country.  Enough of speaking in English all day to other backpackers.  Enough of my nice guesthouse.  I was scared of being lonely, having had company the most of my trip - in Varanasi from my Indian family and then my mum coming to visit and then lots of interactions with backpackers.  But it was time to rock the boat, which is the best move I could have made…..

Back on the move

When I'm travelling, I find it near impossible to plan any sort of route in advance.  Reading information in books or online, I just get overwhelmed by possibilities and options and find it difficult to really get a feel for the atmosphere of a place which, for me, is the most important.  So I tend to go on recommendations by other travellers I meet along the way, who always give you the golden nuggets of information.  Even then, you can't take what they say as a given as everyone has different views on why they like a place, but from past experience I've found this method to work very well on big trips where timing is not an issue.  And so I'd collected some golden nuggets and had some chance encounters with other travellers that shaped up nicely.

In McLeod Ganj I sat down in a café for a nice coffee (the best way to get free wi fi), joining a table with a young guy sitting there already.  Eventually we started chatting as he wanted some local information on yoga and trekking. Just ten minutes later we were best buddies who had decided we needed to go off the beaten track together to do some hiking for his last few days in India.

Travelling in the back of a truck with my new overnight best buddy – Eric

It's so funny how fast that can happen when travelling. With Eric, I just knew in just that short amount of time, that we really clicked on a deeper level.  He was super friendly, funny, so enthusiastic to learn, reminding me of me on my first trip in India.  I could tell he'd also really immersed himself in the culture and had lived away from backpackers for substantial amounts of time so had some really interesting, crazy stories.  Lastly he didn't feel too intense to be with alone, which is super important travelling with just one other person.  I say this because I've met many types of people in India, some who are seeking something, some who are very lost and for me it just sucks my energy.  But with Eric it was easy to just chat or have our own space when needed and if anything we inspired each other.  Needless to say I'm so glad I met exactly the right person to leave the bubble with.

Trekking Tales

We headed by local bus, just three hours away, to a town called Palampur, which turned out to be just what the doctor ordered.  It's really not on most traveller's radars - in fact every time I mentioned I was going there, the response was 'Why are you going there?' or 'What's there?!'.  Yet it turns out that just outside the main town, it's a really quiet, countryside place, with a village like feel to it, super friendly locals, charming tea plantations and stunning mountain views.  Even the main town is what I call 'India light', as it's the least hectic town I've been to in India, the Himanchali mountain people really are very chilled out and kind.

Rhododendron flowers in the Himalayas – a tasty treat

We were fortunate to meet an American guy who was really knowledgeable on the local area as he lived in Palampur managing a company that takes groups on mountain training courses at high altitude.   He arranged for a local villager to take us on a two day trek for just 750R each (about 7.50 in pounds), promising it wouldn't be like the hikes his groups do that last ten days and climbing high mountain passes!

We went shopping with the guide to buy food supplies to take with us up the mountain as there would be no shops and then caught a dodgy looking Indian van, with an open back for carrying goods, to the trail head.  Of course to add to the excitement we had to sit in the back of the truck which then turned into standing as we got more daring.  I also very wisely (?!) decided it would be a great idea to bring my guitar as Eric had said he'd really enjoy hearing the songs I'd written and I thought the top of a mountain would be a pretty beautiful place to play.  So I did the ridiculous thing, not for the first time, and took my guitar for a hike.  Was it worth the pain?  Of course…

Sheepishly (!) I trekked with my guitar

It was exciting hiking on paths that we’d never have been able to find ourselves.  We admired the beautiful, bright red rhododendron flowers that start to appear when you reach a certain altitude in the Himalayas.  We learnt you can eat them straight from the tree, they taste quite sour and bitter - an acquired taste, but once I was hungry they suddenly did wonders as a snack to keep me going.  You can also make tea and a chutney out of them, both of which I was keen to taste, but as yet have not yet come across as it's something not available to buy, only made by locals.

After a day of hiking we arrived at our destination - a deserted Sherpa village in which we were the only ones staying.  A bit eerie, but also incredible to encounter, especially as on all sides of us were mountains. During monsoon season a whole village move up the mountain to this spot to graze their animals on the grass and shelter from the bad weather in their traditional stone cottages.

Deserted Sherpa Village

The cottage design ensures there's space to sleep at the top of the house and space for the animals to shelter at the bottom.  The sleeping space also contains an indoor fire.  This was great to keep it warm, as it was freezing, but it got so ridiculously smokey that we had to keep the door open.  It doesn't surprise me that smoke inhalation is still the biggest cause of death in India when this is still common place in villages to have fires indoors.

 

Home for the night – sleeping on a bed of hay

Dinner was of course the standard dish - rice and daal.  We had an epic (outdoor) fire and went to bed pretty early knackered from the hike (and also as Eric's stomach was playing up - not ideal at the top of a mountain!).  That's when the bad weather started - howling winds, cold temperatures, rain.  In the morning neither of us could bear to move from our cozy sleeping bag until the guide came to tell us we had to get up and go before it got worse otherwise it could be dangerous. So we had to hike down through the epic rain, lucky that we'd been given some waterproof ponchos.  Brave Eric kept on trooping despite his stomach getting worse.  But it was such a great trek - so off the beaten track and such good company.

Wet, wet, wet on the way down Village life

During the rest of our time in Palampur we were fortunate to explore some gorgeous villages.  I'm probably idealising village life greatly but I just loved seeing the children running around playing, giggling so much, free to explore as it is such a safe place and because Indian parents tend to have a more laissez faire approach whilst children are young, allowing them to play without supervision.  Ironically the children seem to have less freedom as they become adults having to report in to their parents regularly about every aspect of life if they aren’t at living at home.  Or so I have been told by several young Indians I have met.  I’ve had to be in a few selfies with Indians to proove what they are up to, to their parents!

The children weighed a lot less than the guitar

The kids were enjoying us giving them piggy backs up the hill.  There's still a traditional style of building, made from clay and wood, which is beautiful, and many of the houses still have their own vegetable patch and animals.  There were only about 50 houses in the village and most of them had TV dishes on the side of the house, and apparently good electricity supply.  It's such a mix of tradition and modernity.  The villagers were so friendly and we were invited into one for delicious pakora (deep fried veg) and chai tea (spiced tea with lots of milk and sugar).  I really have been appreciating my basic Hindi in these situations and I just can never get over how hospitable people all over India are.  It makes you feel at home wherever you are, restores my faith in humanity and is the best way to get a taste of local culture.

My new friends from the village near Palamput The best gift

My other favourite memory of Palampur is writing a song for Eric's brother – David who has had a tough year fighting sickness.  Having brainstormed what would be a good gift to bring home for him, we decided instead to write him a song as what could be more original?  It was so much fun to write – first Eric told me as much as possible about his brother to give me writing inspiration and then I wrote the tune and lyrics according to what he wanted to say to his brother.  It turned out super cheesy and is called the best gift.  I've given up fighting against the cheesiness now as at least it made someone smile!

Even more fun was shooting a short video to go with it.  Of course we had to have a super, luscious, gorgeous looking back drop - so we sat on some rocks in a stream with green fields and snow peaked mountains in the background, as you do!  It’s not great quality but you get the idea.

Video shoot for ‘the best gift’ Dreams of living off the land

I've been really inspired by the way I've seen people live in the state of Himanchal Pradesh, more traditional ways of life, coming back to basics such as growing your own food and building your own house with local materials.  Sometimes I forget how many ways there are to live other than the culture I have been raised in.

I was fortunate to be invited to visit an Indian friend's land, also in Palampur, which they hope one day to turn into their own sustainable and eco friendly farm that will host volunteers.  Already they have their own tea plants, several types of vegetable and many herbs and spices and they plan to build eco cottages out of local materials.

It's just such a peaceful space, you instantly feel calmer being among the sound of birds and crickets.  I was also welcomed most warmly, as is so uplifting in India, with lots of tea and delicious home made Indian food.  I'm really excited to see how the project will pan ou'- they are currently trying to build the funds required to kick start the project and will soon launch a crowd funding campaign.  If you want to help support them, get in touch with me!

Beautiful land in Palampur with so much potential

After six years of incredible cycling experiences, ibikelondon blog is coming to a close. I want to highlight where I have been, where I am going, and to say thank you for coming along for the ride.
I began writing about riding in London in 2009. I hardly expected then ibikelondon would become such a big part of my life.  My first post had just ten readers, and included a photo of me participating in a Skyride on a very rusty, very purple second-hand bike. Over 500 blog posts later and thankfully my wheels have improved - and so has London.
If you know me via Twitter you'll have seen clues that change is coming.  Starting any new venture is daunting, but I've been preparing to make this move for a while.  I worked hard on building this, I'm excited to share it with you, and I hope you'll be as excited using it as I have been creating it.  @markbikeslondonwill shortly become @StrategicCities, and you'll be able to find me at my new website; strategic-cities.com 
 With some of you on Blackfriars Bridge in 2011.
I'll still be looking at how people travel, and how cities can become increasingly efficient and liveable, but my focus will be wider than just the bike.  I've come to realise bikes are the "canary in the coal mine" of liveable cities, and there are many issues - childhood freedom, planning, obesity, transport - which are all part of the same urban matrix we call home, and which deserve further scrutiny.
StrategicCities will also see me start a new career.  I'll soon be delivering training for urban professionals and communications analysis for city leaders.  Why?  I've been fortunate enough to work in the media from the inside - as well as influence it from the out - and my experience has shown me that the way we convey messages is more and more important in delivering difficult projects. You only need to look at the vociferous - and frequently hysterical - anti-bike lane sentiment we've experienced in London.  Communicating well in a difficult environment is not a skill which comes naturally to most, but preparation goes a long way in helping to navigate that minefield.  My first web-based training seminar; "Achieving Change In A Hostile Media Environment" takes place in May and registration is open.  If you want to keep up to date about further events and training then you can sign up to the Strategic Citiesmailing list, or connect with me on LinkedIn.
ibikelondon has given me incredible opportunities. I've given evidence at Parliament, lectured at the National Conference for Urban Design at Oxford University and written for national newspapers about cycling and cities. I even appeared on Newsnight and Russian state radio.  Blogging takes (a lot of) time, effort and patience, but I've had fantastic experiences by bicycle along the way as well; from riding through backstreets in Shanghai, to chasing the Tour de France through Belgium in a helicopter.  More amazing things than I could ever have imagined when I wrote that first post back in 2009.
There have been tough times, too.  I've stood beside dangerous junctions as grieving relatives mark the site of a loved one's death too many times.  Too often I've written about poorly designed, poorly driven lorries in London, and the fatal problems they present.  And too often I've written how someone has died on an appallingly designed stretch of road which authorities had been warned in advance would lead to fatalities.
Two terrible weeks in 2013 saw six London cyclists lose their lives in rapid succession on our roads.  Those missing riders marked a shadow for a long time afterwards, when the bus seemed more appealing than the bike, and more likely to deliver me to work alive.
The "Tour du Danger" around London's 10 most dangerous junctions for cyclists.  Here the ride is seen outside TfL HQ on Blackfriars Rd - now the site of the north / south cycle superhighway.
London's anger at those deaths, and others, helped to spur our cycling community on.  This helped to achieve genuine political commitment and action from Mayor Boris Johnson.  Protests on Blackfriars Bridge and around dangerous junctions lead to really meaningful change.  Hours of meetings with politicians and their advisors helped to guide policy and new street designs.  But it should never have taken so many deaths for this process to start.
Now we're seeing the result of that commitment with hard-won bike tracks and re-designed junctions appearing across London, most contentiously along the Embankment.  Credit where credit is due; the North / South and East / West Cycle Superhighways is going to change the way we cycle in the city, and for good.
But resistance was ferocious, well-organised and - in the case of the taxi lobby and CanaryWharf Group - incredibly well-funded.  Those same opposing forces are still out there, making their backwards-thinking grievances an issue for the next Mayor of London. 
People who want a liveable London must remain focused (and angry), and Mayors must not be afraid to be bold.  Do not underestimate the change that committed citizens together with committed leaders can bring about.
I recommend you to the London Cycling Campaign and their Sign4Cycling Mayoral target, and to my fellow bike blogger Danny, at Cyclists In The City, who so often has been "a partner in crime" in campaigning escapades.
So it's goodbye ibikelondon blog, and hello to exciting, new Strategic Cities.  Through the years what has often kept me going have been the wonderful interactions - both online and off - with people like you who have read my words here.  Thank you.  I hope you'll come with me on my new adventure, and that there are many safe and wonderful bike rides ahead for us both.
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I've greatly appreciated spending the last month exploring the Himalayas in the state of Himanchal Pradesh, now one of my favourite places in India.  There's something so special about living in the mountains.  The views are truly magnificent, the Himanchali people are so nice and I've encountered a greater sense of village life which appeals to the side of me that just wants to live simply and close to nature.

It is especially a relief to be in the mountains after my time living in the hectic, heavily polluted city of Varanasi.  To breathe clean, mountain air is such a blessing and the nature is beautiful – snow peaked mountains, cheerful birds chirping away, butterflies flying onto flowers, mountain animals like goats and donkeys wandering.  Not only that, but India is experiencing a really unusual amount of heat for this time of year.  Millions are suffering temperatures over 40 degrees and there are major concerns over people’s health, in particular those who are most vulnerable who can’t manage these extreme temperatures.  I realise I’m so lucky that escaping to the mountains is an option available to me that many don’t have.

Back to the Future

My first stop in Himanchal was to the area of Dharamsala where I spent a month on my previous trip five years ago.  This time was very different - firstly as I was there exploring with my mum for ten days whereas last time I'd been alone, and secondly as previously it was off season in monsoon and thus very quiet -at that time I felt like I had the mountains to myself and could sing into the wind!  Yet this time tourist season was just kicking in.

Once my mum left to go back to England, I returned to the town of Bhagsu.  Bhagsu is a lively backpacker hub, walking distance away from the town of McLeod Ganj, home to the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile.  It's nice to be close to this area as the Tibetan town has a completely different feel to Bhagsu and also has lots going on.  The monks are always very chilled out and the Tibetan parts of India always feel calmer than the Indian parts of India!

View of Triund from McLeod Ganj

It was surreal, yet easy, to return to familiar Bhagsu, with it's nice cafes and views – the hours just fall away as you watch life pass by and chat to other travellers.  I even ended up in the same guesthouse as last time as I had such a good view and liked the location, high up the hill, away from the main street.  Yet I felt restless especially as more and more people arrived as the season kicked in.  Amazing musicians come here and there was potential to play music with them but I wasn't content to just sit around among the stoned backpackers drinking tea.  I felt I wanted to be as active as possible or to be experiencing more of 'real India' not this bubble.

What a waste

I was really thankful that I came across an organisation that I could volunteer with called 'Waste Warriors' whose work I felt really passionate about.  They are doing their best to clean up the town of Bhagsu as well as the surrounding local trails.  In particular they clean up the hike to the popular mountain top destination of Triund (2900m 9 km hike) and the path to the Bhagsu Watefall, a popular spot for Indian tourists. Waste Warriors also go into local schools to run workshops and they work with local businesses to ensure that they can recycle and responsibly dispose of their rubbish.  Volunteers can come and help with the weekly clean ups or can come to support the NGO in other ways via internships, running workshops, or helping with design, social media or other office based activities.

Waste Warriors office in Bhagsu

Despite the beauty of the mountains, trash is still a significant problem as there is a big difference in people's attitudes towards rubbish in India, it really is hugely dividing.  Either people will really find it a terrible issue and do their best to stop it or people just don't care at all, it isn't even a consideration - especially for those used to living in cities where the streets are full of litter and anywhere is a dumping site.  Even I am basically used to the rubbish in the cities, as everything is so polluted and dirty - but when you see the rubbish in the natural setting it really stands out as something that shouldn't be there.

Rubbish at the top of Triund

When I did the Triund hike the first time with my mum, I just couldn't keep my mind off the rubbish that I kept seeing everywhere along the trail.  It reminded me of a familiar feeling I'd had in Nepal when I had also been hiking.  There were plastic bottles, glass bottles, clothes, shoes, sweet wrappers, cartons, crisp packets, cigarette butts, plates, plastic bags - the list just goes on.  It was distracting me from taking in the scenery as I just felt so disgusted by it.  I vowed to take some trash down on the way back down the next day.  My heart sank as I confronted some Indian guys who happily threw their plastic bottle from the mountain.  They just didn't understand what I was saying, or simply didn't care.  The top of the mountain was the worst - we'd come during a popular holiday and the camping site looked atrocious covered in bottles left by tourists.  I was also surprised none of the chai stands had made any effort to clean up at least their patch.

A plea to keep it clean – but who listens?

But I was fortunate enough to join Waste Warriors on a few of their clean up operations.  I came across them when I was on the way down from Triund on their weekly clean up of the route.  Inspired and raring to go, I joined them a week later to do the same hike but this time I was equipped with big waste bags, gloves and tongs ready to face the rubbish.  Luckily, having done the hike before, I knew what I was letting myself in for and that I was fit enough. The Indian couple who had also joined us had not anticipated how hard the hike would be - it's one thing to do a hike when you aren't used to it, but another to also be bending down picking up waste and they really struggled.

Yet I enjoyed the challenge. We spent the whole day collecting rubbish, arriving at the top only as it was beginning to get dark and we stayed overnight to rest and return the next morning.  I found myself getting quite perfectionist in my litter picking - not being able to leave anything.  As I grew more confident I became a bit more daring with where I would go to collect the waste.  Some pieces were quite hard to reach, stuck in trees or bushes or having rolled off into the valley, but I figured if we didn't collect it, who would?  So we were very thorough in our clean up and I also improved my acrobatic and balancing skills as a result!  In return for volunteering the local chai stands would give us free drinks and we got to stay in a small hut in Triund for free, sheltered from the biting cold.

Accommodation in Triund is limited – a relief to shelter from the cold!

I still can't believe how much people's attitudes vary towards this issue.  From speaking to locals there is a great deal of tension and resentment towards the tourists who are the ones creating and throwing the rubbish.  However in particular, they blame the Punjabi tourists who are increasingly using this as a weekend holiday destination.  They are developing a reputation for 'having it large' and will come, party, do lots of drinking, shouting and then go home oblivious to the mark they have left.  It's difficult for me to write this, as I don't want to single out a particular group, as we are all responsible for this issue, however there is certainly evidence showing that the numbers of these tourists are increasing and I too observed this party culture and have been shocked this trip by how much alcohol and binge drinking really is becoming part of main stream Indian society.

The Bhagsu Waterfall Clean up Team

I'd really recommend anyone that goes to Bhagsu to spend some time working with this organisation - they are doing a really great job and it's oddly very satisfying to collect the rubbish.  Of course there is still much work to be done in preventing this from happening in the first place.  There needs to be a huge change in attitude and public opinion and I just hope that India's new prime minister succeeds in his mission to try and clean up the country.  The mountains are a wonderful place and it's a tragedy to see them being polluted and the wildlife to be destroyed.  Once it's done it's too late - I hope people start to wake up soon. For more info on Waste Warriors visit their website here.

5 bags of rubbish collected at Bhagsu Waterfall in just 2.5 hours

Back in the country, stockpiling tins of pineapple.

I don't know. There's enough for me to go on holiday, right? Right?

The billhook is a tool with a long history and, perhaps, an important future. It's been around since the Bronze Age, i.e. it's one of the oldest metal tools that mankind has. In Britain, that means over 4,500 years of continuous use. A billhook has a wooden handle (preferably ash) and a wide blade that curves out, ending in a sickle shaped hook. The top of the tool is usually dull and heavy, but is sometimes supplemented by a straight, shorter, projecting secondary blade. The tool is usually no longer than 16" long (including the handle), but can vary in length - and weight. In Britain, there are a number of regional variations that add or subtract to the basic design, and this is repeated across Europe. The billhook is both a general and specialist tool, and these area-specific refinements reflect this.
The billhook is traditionally used for cutting and hacking shrubs, branches and vines. When The Crisis comes, as come it must, finding secluded places to live and farm will become important, and the billhook will come into its own in clearing a path. But it is also a weapon of some note.  As we say in Essex: 'no-one ever fucks about with a bloke holding a billhook' (I can't remember the original Latin), and it also lends its owner a sense of unfuckwithability, which isn't a word but perfectly encapsulates the sense of invincibility and confidence this wooden handled wonder can inspire.
Like the much later smatchet, the billhook is both a blunt instrument and a sharp blade, and can be very useful in hand to hand combat. In the middle ages, with much longer handles, billhooks were often used against attacking cavalry. Its use requires a little technique, but can be effectively employed in a hurry without training, as long as you have brute strength and a will to win. It is a fearsome looking weapon, and brandishing it with feeling may be enough to defer conflict: it looks like it can do immediate damage, and few would relish the thought of being struck with either side of it. It is a great off-putter, or a putter-off-er, if you prefer. There is no stabbing point, of course, so be prepared for things to get messy if things escalate to an actual scrap.

Unlike the specialist (and expensive) smatchet, billhooks are readily available, especially if you can find an agricultural market. A well-worn, well-used second hand billhook is a thing of great beauty, an ergonomic wonder that will make you feel like you were born with it in your hand. Keep the blade sharp and clean, and the handle oiled. You might want to add a wrist strap to minimise the chance of it being used on you. When The Crisis comes, as come it must, your billhook will be your best friend, replacing the dog that you had to eat when times first got tough. Treat it carefully, deploy it decisively, it's a tool and weapon of proud lineage and infinite usefulness.  

I read recently that Japanese scientists studying the Great Tit had discovered that it used compositional syntax in its calls, i.e. it combined different noises to create new meaning and convey more complex ideas. This was previously thought to be something only humans do. It was an interesting study but the headline, however, was 'bird talk just like humans', which is hardly the point. It got me thinking about how mankind behaves like a solipsistic brat, utterly incapable of processing anything without reference to ourselves. Great Tits don't talk like human beings, they use compositional syntax. Yes, this is something that humans also use, but it's not something that we own.
Mankind has always been hard of hearing when it comes to nature. If we were to walk into a jungle, for example, we would be deafened by an array of animal calls. They all mean something, usually very specific. In this example, they may be warning each other about us. Yet, because we don't understand it, we don't value the sounds they make as communication, so we simply ignore it as noise. If, however, we can get a parrot to say 'fuck off' or a dog to say 'sausages' then we laugh and shake each other's hands like we've just discovered fire. We're idiots. A dog isn't delighted if a human makes a barking noise, it just wonders what on earth they are trying to do and what they are trying to say. They probably get annoyed at themselves for not understanding, but then dogs are less intelligent than us, aren't they?
Humans are obsessed with remaking the animal world in our own image. Look at social media: depressed cats, dogs in trousers, penguins on motorbikes, donkeys laughing, otters that look like Dominic Bumbercuntch. Even when people try and 'talk' to animals, like Johnny Morris, or Dr. Doolittle, it's a ventriloquist act, not a dialogue. The animals are given a human voice, and a silly accent. Is there any reason meerkats are Russian? Oh yes, because it's funny*. And all this is presented to reinforce the idea that mankind is where it's at,  and nothing else matters unless it is serving, amusing or copying us. And where has this got us? The world, once a genuine paradise, now resembles a well-used football: denuded, disfigured, slowly losing shape and air.
Think about the Earth and how it was only a few hundred years ago. Think about the Earth as it is now. Think about how the Earth will be in a few hundred years. Yeah, I know, miserable isn't it?
Now dry your eyes, because there is potentially good news around the corner. When The Crisis comes, as come it must, it may only destroy our way of life, not the world we live in. That seems fair: let human beings pay the bill they have run up. We are the only thing the world needs less of, and everything else will benefit from our misfortune: animal numbers will thrive, plants and trees will grow, the planet will compose itself itself, cool and clear its lungs. It will take a while, but it will happen. Most importantly, it will happen without any help from us, our input is simply not required; we've done more than enough. We measure everything in terms of lifetimes, as if a seventy or eighty year period has any cosmic relevance. Even a thousand years of human history seems like an impossibly long period of time. It's pathetic. Our planet is used to the long game, and it has seen off nuisances before in its four and a half billion year history.

Post-Crisis, post-industrialisation, post-mechanisation, post-capitalism, post everything we know, perhaps those of the species that are left will be assimilated to the extent that they will have time and sensitivity and silence enough to finally listen to the world and the noises it makes, to actually hear what everything else is trying to say. That's my hope. Evolution is an ongoing process, after all.

* It's worth pointing out that these 'silly' meerkats are the brains behind the UK's most successful price comparison website, so they're actually laughing all the way to the bank.

and this

and this of  course