Monthly Archives:

December 2018

creating feature slowlivingactivism vanlife

on education

December 29, 2018

I have something to tell you. These words have been clawing beneath the surface for some time now and I thought that by changing course I could sink them like river stones but they snag at my soft belly as I roll over landscapes, so I will write them here, cast them out into the world and retreat. Education is a lie. I am sorry to say this because my father is a retired teacher who gave his life to…

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Moroccan mint tea

December 29, 2018

  Moroccan mint tea is my absolute favourite. Mint for the digestive system, green tea to give a gentle lift. When I met a Moroccan woman a while ago she taught me to make it properly with both fresh and dried mint: in a tea infuser put green tea, dried mint and fresh mint; leave for a few minutes then remove and drink. Utterly delicious. These dried mint leaves (bottom left) are from Andy’s parent’s garden in Wales, and the…

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Sea cliff foraging

December 28, 2018

We will stay on Crete for two months. After some days of folding into myself it is time to explore more, to fold outwards, to map this place across feet & stomach & heart. This morning, foraging along rocky coastlines with a friend I am introduced to sea fennel (I’ve since learned that this is samphire!) and wild thyme. Samphire is a revelation – a burst in the mouth, fresh and slightly sharp like lemon with salt, and a gentle…

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A waking heart

December 28, 2018

  I searched for myself in the judgement of ancestors & echochambers under listening feet / fumbling through the words of others I foraged line-breaks & metaphor / stumbled into punctuation / I have been overactive & inert / push forward & withhold / over the solstice time no ritual spoke to this quiet heart & I retreated into wine bottles & maudlin / gnawing at my bare heels the words: you are not doing enough, you are not enough…

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Gemütlich

December 26, 2018

Love this hand-made table decoration. A gift from German travelling friends we first met in the north of Scotland – and now a reunion on a beach in Crete. A day of walks & coffee, of cakes & laughter, of Vanlife tales & hot chocolate with Irish cream. And this additional gift of a new word: Gemütlich (verb): cozy, snug, sociable. Tomorrow we will seaswim together and I will marvel again at all the elements of chance that bring certain…

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Vegan festive food

December 25, 2018

  Christmas brunch It’s 11am here on Crete. Lazy seaside breakfast of local, pan-roasted chestnuts, figs, dates, tangerines, coffee, and OJ with some Xmas fizz ☺️. Didn’t imagine I’d ever do this for Xmas. When I was 20 my beautiful daughter was born and from then I always cooked the family festive meal. It changed over the years with different family members and friends joining us. I’d cook for between six and twelve people and enjoyed finding local produce: we’re…

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The gift of time

December 23, 2018

  For the coming year I want to focus on time. It’s the one thing we have in abundance. We can gift rivers of it away to anyone or anything and yet it’s the most precious thing we can offer. We can change the world by the focus of our time. It’s priceless because we can never replicate those moments, never repeat them, never go back and do them over. So this year ahead is about taking time to savour…

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Solstice tree dreaming

December 22, 2018

  Last night’s solstice was a subtle affair. After making mulled wine with Croatian produce (the white wine and honey were gifts; the carob, clementine and pomegranate from the market in Split) I downloaded a nidra journey session from Liminal Roots Botanica, and spent some time reflecting on last year while setting an intention for the coming one. The spirit animal card pulled was The Rabbit, for creative endeavour, for accepting that the journey is never a linear process and…

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Leaving the EU

December 21, 2018

  Yesterday we flowed fluid around Dubrovnik. Another slow town traversed only on foot with no cars or bikes made walking a joy. A truly beautiful place. But with the winter cold still threatening to freeze us in our tracks we decided to make an epic drive south. 11hrs and three countries later (Bosnia, Montenegro, Albania), we arrived at the Greek border early this morning (coming to sleep on a mountain). Borders are strange places to traverse – Bosnia, Montenegro…

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Winter solstice

December 20, 2018

  The winter solstice is nearly upon us. Over these past few years I’ve found myself decoupling from the frenzy of Xmas. Perhaps it’s because our children are now grown adults with lives of their own; or because my elderly relatives no longer all congregate together so that I no longer cook a giant meal; or that other family members are now spread out across the world more; or that I’m tuning more into myself and the land. Whatever the…

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