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surf’s up

November 28, 2019

All photos: Andy Garside

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sophiemckeand_outsider
Poem. #treetalk #natureismychurch Poem. #treetalk #natureismychurch
One of the things happening to Andy and I as we en One of the things happening to Andy and I as we enter our fourth year in the van (Nov 23rd is our 3year vanniversary) is that we are becoming even more extreme #coupleswhodressalike. This isn’t necessarily intentional, although we are beginning to embrace it more wholeheartedly. I used to joke that if we were a couple from the 70s we’d have matching knitted jumpers. WELL LET’S JUST DO IT ANYWAY SHALL WE? Andy loved the blue jumper I recently knitted so much that I have to knit him one (slightly amending the pattern. Obvs.). This is probably the final step to us morphing into O N E. Having said that, when we turn up on Xmas day in these jumpers I think my life will be complete. There will be an Xmas photo. Thank you. That is all. #vanlife #vanlifediaries #coupleswhodressalike #middleyears #homeiswhereyouparkit #travellers #knittersofinstagram #knittersgonnaknit
My body is a prayer to the water Naked, I return t My body is a prayer to the water Naked, I return to her The rain is charismatic in her offerings I bathe in the full potential of Self. 📷 @andyrgarside 💙#wildswim #nakedbodiesarentoffensive #butsexualisingnakedbodiesis #middleyears #outdoorswimmingsociety #inmyforties #blueish #blueisthecolor #poetlife #vanlife
Thinking how small I am as an individual, and how Thinking how small I am as an individual, and how big when part of the whole. #bluesky #slowlivingactivism ... Notes on a blue sky There is no power greater than nature. There is no thing so insignificant Or magnificent it exists Outside of her And anything that might Exist outside of her, is also nature. The cathedral of history Is the construct of man The cathedral of nature Is ever industrious atom Heaving beneath a blue sky (Poem added here for those who struggle with the visual text - apologies for omitting it in the past).
I had a bit of a weird trigger this morning. Usual I had a bit of a weird trigger this morning. Usually if I wake early I lie in bed writing a blog or ideas for a poem on my phone as it’s not fun getting up too early in a van when it’s cold, dark and raining outside. Yesterday I posted a lovely chat with Liset who also spends time creating on the road and I was feeling really happy with the way the OUTSIDER blog is evolving. I also sent out a short email to my mailing list pointing them to the new blog post/interview. I just want to be clear that I unsubscribe from plenty of email lists - it can get overwhelming otherwise and I highly recommend others do. But when a woman, who I do not know but who has subscribed to my email for TWO years doesn’t just unsubscribe but files an ‘abuse complaint’ with Mailchimp with the comment ‘spammy content’ I’m just floored. My email is specifically set up to share news about my work as a poet and writer living on the road. That’s it. And that’s exactly what is in the content of those emails. Every time (which is about five times a year. Max.) I feel so gutted that a woman would take a jab at another woman like this for, as far as I can see, absolutely no reason. What is the point of being so mean spirited? For the past two years this person has been quite happy to devour my FREE content on here and through my emails, and we don’t connect otherwise so why file an ‘abusive mail’ complaint? What an act of aggression. And maybe this is such a tiny thing but honestly it’s upsetting to know there’s women out there who will happily throw jabs out. Well kind woman, thanks for starting my day with a wobble, I’m so glad you took the time to undermine another woman’s confidence in this way. I hope you now feel bolstered. Have a lovely day. Anyway here’s a photo of some very big Swiss mountains to remind me just how small and insignificant some people’s actions are. And a reminder of why I’m fully embracing #hermitlife. #dontletanyonebringyoudown #feminisminaction #womensupportingwomen #womenwhosupportwomen 📷 @andyrgarside 💙
Wintry days outdoors... #themountainsarecalling #m Wintry days outdoors... #themountainsarecalling #mountainbike #mtblove #blueish #getoutdoors #homeiswhereyouparkit #winteroutdoors #lifeontwowheels
These days I don’t wear makeup. It’s not even These days I don’t wear makeup. It’s not even been a conscious choice as I still have some rattling around the van somewhere. I think it’s more to do with accepting myself exactly as I am - all the lines & wrinkles, the grey hairs & belly rolls. I also have a huge aversion to Xmas presents. Like massive. I hate the obligatory nature of it forced upon us by our capitalist society. I hate how people get into debt just to buy stuff for other people that they neither want or need (I’m still using an Xmas box of bathstuffs & creams that I really don’t like the smell of but feel obliged to use as I can’t just throw it away). Ok yes I suppose I sound like the Grinch, but really I’m not. I love spending time with people who matter, or on a beach somewhere with newly-made friends. I love sharing good food & wine & company - why can’t that be gift enough? And it’s not that I dislike sharing beautiful things with friends, in fact I love that! But I love it when it happens organically - when you just want to give something you’ve made or discovered because it excites you to know the receiver will love it. This is what gift-giving is to me, not a litany of stuff bought to celebrate the birth of an guy who was, let’s face it, a massive anti-consumerist. Anyway the not using makeup means I don’t need face creams much, my skin regime is cold water, or a hot flannel to remove mud flung up at me from my mountain-bike wheels. Having said that, I’m now 44 and after a day’s hiking or biking my skin can sometimes feel dry and tight. My beautiful friend Rachel, who has as deep a connection to plants & earth as anybody I’ve ever known, sent us these balms she creates with plants from her Wild Violet garden, and oh my! this Earth Beauty Balm is a revelation, it washes over my skin and I am in heaven. The aroma gives an immediate lift; I literally smile. I’ve found it’s better if I use it on my face before going out so that it protects skin from the worst of the cold wind, biting rain and lashings of mud. So no, you don’t need to buy this for Xmas, just buy it, for yourself, or someone who’ll appreciate it, just because... (label design by @andyrgarside 💚🌿) #gifting #giftideas
Feeling this today 💗 #poetlife Feeling this today 💗 #poetlife
The sun rolls pale & low across autumn skies. Tran The sun rolls pale & low across autumn skies. Transformed from the fierce, immersive Portuguese heat I have become so accustomed to. I turn my face so that body shimmers with light. Wrapped in mist & wool I shapeshift, embrace this metamorphosis towards the chill winter of Self. 📷 @andyrgarside 🌞. #shapeshifter #storyteller #poetlife #rebelsun #wintersun #homeiswhereyouparkit #middleyears #vanlife
As it’s a slow Sunday and many of us are still i As it’s a slow Sunday and many of us are still in some form of lockdown or another I thought I’d write a longer piece over on the OUTSIDER blog (link in bio) giving more detail on our inter-species kitchen as a number of people have DM’d to ask. There’s a fish-based recipe for hounds as well as a couple of vegan ones for their humans and some more details on how it all links together to make life a little easier while getting the most out of all the produce we buy as we’re working towards a zero-food-waste kitchen. 📷 @andyrgarside 💙. #vanlife #vanlifekitchen #zerofoodwaste #cookingontworings #tinyliving #interspecieskitchen #slowfood
Feeling this today... link in biog to hear the ful Feeling this today... link in biog to hear the full piece. #poem #rewildyourlife #wildwoman #poetlife
It is a form of poetry - knit one purl one; knit k It is a form of poetry - knit one purl one; knit knit... u n r a v e l ... that teaches patience, attention to detail, and the not being too arrogant to shred back when mistakes have been made. The collar still needs some work, and I am quite obviously missing an arm. Last night I knit, then shredded two hour’s work in ten minutes, but it is slowly weaving together into something I’ll love, something with a story to tell. #knittersofinstagram #vanlifer #autumnvibes #storyteller #blueish
I’ve only taken three long-haul flights in my li I’ve only taken three long-haul flights in my life: one to Florida with my daughter about twenty years ago. Then I’ve flown to India twice in more recent years, both for poetry projects. I used to think this made me uncultured, that I hadn’t experienced enough of the world. We even used to take most of our holidays in north Wales. It’s both crazy and amazing how we can jet around the world these days, but I’m also happy that my air-miles are pretty low by western standards. In the three years since moving into the van I’ve been to more countries than in my entire life beforehand, and I’ve had the opportunity to savour each place. Travel has also changed me in ways I’m only just coming to understand and am figuring how to translate this into writing, but I believe a large proportion of this is because we were prepared to give up everything in order to live this life. In order to grow you have to shed the old skin completely - hanging onto bits of it only impedes evolution. Having said that, you’re still the same person, the only thing you’re really letting go of are the things that no longer serve you, and if you’re willing to take that chance (however it might manifest in your life), I think that beautiful things await. Photo taken Venice October 2018. #slowtravel #vanlife #homeiswhereyouparkit #middleyears #inmyforties
Our grandson Arthur has a menagerie of birds on hi Our grandson Arthur has a menagerie of birds on his farm, including two rheas, a goose, a flock of both quail and guinea fowl, and hens. Apart from the Rheas that have their own field and pen, they all roam free about the farm all day. The hens are locked in at night to save them from the foxes. Guinea fowl sleep up in the trees and bushes to avoid predators - I didn’t know this! Anyway - a by-product of all this is a wealth of free food in the form of eggs. This is one of those times when I don’t adhere to veganism just for the sake of it. It makes sense to eat home-farm eggs when all of the animals live happy, long lives. Kind of like an inter-species exchange. Also the yellowest egg yolks you will ever see. This was our delivery to the van door this morning. #grandson #grandma #homefarmeggs #zerofoodmiles #homedelivery #familytime #homeiswhereyouparkit
Wrote this poem a year ago... still stands. #radic Wrote this poem a year ago... still stands. #radicalselflove #middleyears #inmyforties #radicalselfacceptance #poetlife
Ah! I cannot wait to return to water. Winter swims Ah! I cannot wait to return to water. Winter swims are always a favourite: the cold exhilaration, the snap of the mind returning to body, the lifting of the mental fog, the grin stretched from ear to ear. Photo taken by @andyrgarside Debeli Rtič, Bohinj, Slovenia, December 2018. 💙💦 #wildswim #middleyears #getoutdoors #homeiswhereyouparkit
Our battered old kettle has survived a few tumbles Our battered old kettle has survived a few tumbles from the kitchen top over the years. The hard lesson learned (and still occasionally forgotten) is to always clear the decks before driving. After one such event the handle had to be welded back on. But I love the stories this kettle could tell, its insistent whistle in the morning and then making a steaming-hot brew. Unfortunately all that remains of our beautiful orange ceramic teapot is this basket which is currently still in use with a fork - any suggestions for where I can get a good enamel teapot would be gratefully received. It has to have a basket for loose leaf or delicious and uplifting hand-blended teas, like this one from the utterly beautiful @woodlands.and.waves. Ah! this is the perfect warm & spicy autumn/winter brew: fennel, cardamom, dried orange peel, star anise, and some other ingredients I haven’t yet figured out. Feel like I’ve been sent a beautiful hug from my sister of the woods & waves 💚. #dailybrew #kettle #morningritual #dailyalfrescocuppa #slowliving
One from the archives. I feel a deep affinity with One from the archives. I feel a deep affinity with dippers. Haven’t seen any this year yet, but then we’ve been in the hills not riverside so... #poetlife #dipper #birdbrain #featheredfriends
I love folding into this tiny space away from it a I love folding into this tiny space away from it all. The rain hasn’t so much ‘fallen’ today, more that I walked through densely atomised air. I woke late, the dark came early, not much else occurred. Some days that’s perfectly enough. #fulltimevanlife #vanlifediaries #traveller #tinyhomeonwheels
It’s funny the things you miss in lockdown at di It’s funny the things you miss in lockdown at different times. This week I’ve really missed just wandering aimlessly around European farmer’s markets, past tables of fat French apricots in Mirepoix, France - tumbling sunsets, tasting as syrupy as they look, or snagging a giant bouquet of fresh, sweet/sharp mint for the morning brew. Or in Míres, Crete discovering a woman who had so many herbs for teas I could have filled the van. The Saturday farmers market in Lagos, Portugal is another favourite, a feast of colour and flavour. At the moment we’re sufficing with supermarket runs - can’t wait until we can return to this though. 📷 @andyrgarside Mirepoix June 2019, Míres Jan 2019. #farmersmarket #localfood #slowtravel #slowfood
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