A villager gives thanks for something he just received from a random stranger. Bharmour, Himalayas.
I have added a new page to raveburbleblog.com. I’d love it if you contributed a story of your own and helped make it grow. You can get to it in the menu on the page header or click here. It will be nice to have a page full of happy stories to read, yes? Namaste.
No words really…
Much as I enjoy wandering around the fascinating tropical areas of Asia, there are times when I’m pretty glad I live in New Zealand. As I sit here right now (about midnight), in my awning outside my tiny house caravan, I can hear loud rustling outside amongst the dry leaves – the rustlings of a nocturnal creature of some sort. I am remaining fairly calm about this, because I know the odds are it’s just Russell, the avocado-eating prickle-critter. Russell won’t eat me. He just eats snails, slugs, cat biscuits (stolen ones taste best) and avocados. I think that’s why he lives around my tiny house – it’s situated under a plum tree and an avocado tree, and lately it’s been raining avos down so hard that it pays to wear a helmet outside. A veritable feasting ground for a prickle-critter.
Russell the prickle-critter, saving me from nasty vicious avocados.
While I was at Elephant Nature Park, Jodi and I happened across Faa Mai and a few of her friends indulging in some ditch-diving. Faa Mai was enjoying herself so much she got in and out about three times. Little Dok Mai was very happy to copy what her big herd-sister was doing. Here’s some of the footage I got…
It’s amazing what you see when you go for a ramble with your camera in hand. Here’s a selection of the latest shots I’ve taken.
I realised a little while ago that I tend to rave on about places in Asia that I’ve been to – especially Elephant Nature Park – but not really raved very much about the beautiful little country of my birth. So here’s a little rant about my place – Aotearoa, ‘Land of the Long White Cloud’. Also know as Godzone by the denizens of the land, or Middle Earth to the world, since Peter Jackson used the exquisite scenery here as the background for The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. We may not have elephants here, but we do have hobbits. Yessss, we doesss.
The North Island of New Zealand (Middle Earth) with directions on where to find stuff.
Fling yourself in the general direction of an American tattoo artist in a bamboo hut down a dirt track at an elephant sanctuary in a jungle near Chiang Mai and this is what comes up. There’s a blogger out there in the world who had a similar experience in the same place and ended up with a similar tattoo. You can read about that here. We’ve never met in person, but it would seem we have a wee bit in common… Lol. Cheers Crone, and cheers Jodi for a wonderful first-tattoo experience.
My first ever tattoo – had to be an elephant, right? Natch!
Life’s been mad since we arrived home from North Thailand. We’ve been to a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, Cirque du Soleil, our primary school reunion, spent time with my brother who whizzed over from Australia especially for the reunion, then caught up with an old friend, broke down in his driveway, his lady came off her scooter and smashed her elbow so we loaded her into an ambulance, then we came home in a tow truck, got the van fixed, greeted my daughter who’s been overseas studying and visiting many countries, saw her off again today to Wellington where she’s off to finish her second degree in Summer School and in between all that have planted a garden, harvested some bamboo, done several 30-hour shifts at work and have almost caught up with the washing – I think. Phew!! I am now gravely considering going for a nana nap…
You too can look like this after your holiday…
It is our right – the right of all beings – to cast our own shadow where we wish, a shadow that has no cuffs, no chains, no cage sides. A shadow that is business only between us and the sun that shines. This is the right of every creature, every being on earth, from the tiny ants to the largest beings on earth. Who is man to change that shadow? Rather, let us put our energy into ensuring that, as soon as possible, every shadow is free. If we insist on seeing ourselves as guardians of the earth, then let this be our aim.
Do what you can, from your little corner of the universe, to remove the things that shouldn’t be in anyone or anything’s shadow – no cuffs, no chains, no cages. Yell out for those who have no voice. Stand up and help whoever and whatever you can to have Free Shadows!
Early morning walk, Elephant Nature Park, Chiang Mai
It’s official! It’s out! And it’s available online!!!
A few months ago we helped a Kiwi friend of ours record a CD of New Zealand Music for Kids that she had written. We all had heaps of fun creating it. Picture four Kiwi adults and a cello in a hatchback car, buzzing around Auckland (New Zealand), getting lost while trying to find the recording studio, then playing the ukulele really really fast and talking and snorting like wild pigs. We had a blast, and much to our delight it’s now available to the general public. Check it out – there are all sorts of music styles on it, and it’s the kind of music that adults can actually enjoy when the kids keep thrashing it.
We featured in ‘Goldirocks and the Three Wild Pigs’, a Bluesy modern version of the old story that explains why crime doesn’t pay, plus I played ukulele here and there and also did some background vocals, on a few of the other songs. That’s us on the cover. We’re rather pleased with our hairstyles…
Big congratulations to Jodi, the album’s author. From conception, this album has been fifteen years in the making. You done good girl!!
That’s us – Mama and Papa Pig!
Does my mohawk look big in this…?
Back in our lil’ home town in New Zealand, we decided to go for a bike ride to the supermarket. ‘Tis a lovely day on a long holiday weekend, and many tourists were out and about. It was amazing how many smiles we got.
Outside the supermarket, a friend did a double-take. ‘I thought you were still in Thailand’, she said. ‘I saw this person with a mohawk on her helmet and thought to myself “Rave would wear something like that”, and then I realised it WAS you!’
Lol. It would appear that my insanity lingers, even though I’m theoretically not here…
Here’s a link to a cool page about bicycle appreciation – BICYCLE LOVE
Serious about bike riding.
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