The room I'm in is long and wide
It has two turtles inside
One behind the sofa and one in a tank
They look at me like I'm crazy
Maybe I am
The walls are pink and there is a sink
A kettle and a fridge
One fish tank and patio doors
But the patio is a roof
There's no cooker
A large, low table in the middle
A piano, a bookcase
And an anchor of rusty metal
Modern lights from old ceiling roses
What a place!
Look out to the sea, the sea
Does the rest matter?
Laptops and projectors, stuff all over
A boat bobbing
on the sea
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
A Better Day
Today is much better than yesterday was. I got a text message after I'd gone to sleep last night, offering me somewhere to stay til I got myself sorted, by another guy called Mick starting the course in September. It's a few miles from Kinsale but has an amazing view of the bay! And a dog, turtles, fish.. and internet :)
So this morning I went in to Cork to sort out the PPSN, which was easy, then met up with Mick this afternoon. And here I am, I've looked very quickly at one place about 5 miles from Kinsale, and have leads on a few more. I have a little room to sleep in, I can use the washing machine, so it's all good!
Now I'm just trying to find a few more people who also want to find a house to share.
I'm ok - which of course then gives me room to think about everything else. I was chatting to another woman staying at the B&B this morning, who had worked in Rwanda for a few years, and she was reconfirming all that I'd heard about Western aid agencies in third world countries - how much of the money ends up paying Western salaries and so on, rather than actually helping the people who need it.
Interestingly she said that Indian poverty struck her as worse than African, where I'd been assuming that while things are bad in India, Bangladesh and Nepal, things were much worse in Africa. In terms of crowdedness at least I suppose India is much worse.
There is a great charity I read about yesterday, called simply charity: water, who are doing great things to bring clean drinking water to the 1 billion people that don't currently have it.
And this is a wonderful cause. But there's plenty of non-human stuff happening that is irreversible - BBC: Axolotl verges on wild extinction is pretty sad, for example.
But of course it's so hard to break out of the box, and be entirely sustainable. We're all trying, though.. right?
So this morning I went in to Cork to sort out the PPSN, which was easy, then met up with Mick this afternoon. And here I am, I've looked very quickly at one place about 5 miles from Kinsale, and have leads on a few more. I have a little room to sleep in, I can use the washing machine, so it's all good!
Now I'm just trying to find a few more people who also want to find a house to share.
I'm ok - which of course then gives me room to think about everything else. I was chatting to another woman staying at the B&B this morning, who had worked in Rwanda for a few years, and she was reconfirming all that I'd heard about Western aid agencies in third world countries - how much of the money ends up paying Western salaries and so on, rather than actually helping the people who need it.
Interestingly she said that Indian poverty struck her as worse than African, where I'd been assuming that while things are bad in India, Bangladesh and Nepal, things were much worse in Africa. In terms of crowdedness at least I suppose India is much worse.
There is a great charity I read about yesterday, called simply charity: water, who are doing great things to bring clean drinking water to the 1 billion people that don't currently have it.
And this is a wonderful cause. But there's plenty of non-human stuff happening that is irreversible - BBC: Axolotl verges on wild extinction is pretty sad, for example.
But of course it's so hard to break out of the box, and be entirely sustainable. We're all trying, though.. right?
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Rats
The last post was written yesterday. What a difference a day can make!
After getting to Rosslare and driving across Ireland to Cork then down to Kinsale, it was very late last night, so I thought I'd not disturb my farmer friend, and just sleep in the car. Apparently his battery went flat at 10pm anyway, so it wouldn't have done me any good calling him.
So I was up bright and early this morning, and found Dennis the Farmer ok. But.. well, he said, there was a bit of a problem with the mobile home, and so someone had given him a caravan, and perhaps I'd like to stay in that temporarily while the mobile home is fixed up.
But the caravan has no shower, no toilet, and it's not connected to any source of power. Oh, and there's no lock on the door.
From there, we have a quick look into the mobile home, to find rats have got in, and there are holes in the floor.
Hmm.
After driving all day yesterday, and not much of a night's sleep, foolish me doesn't really know what to say.
Except how terribly terribly disappointed I am, and how much I wish I was back at some non-existant "home" with those I love nearby, rather than.. oh well.
So I'm holed up in a B&B tonight, going back to Cork tomorrow to get my PPSN (equivalent of the UK National Insurance Number), and apartment-share hunting. But apparently, most of the cheap rooms won't be available for another week or two - until the colleges go back here.
It's not the end of the world. I'm still in good health, etc, etc. I'm just rather pissed off.
After getting to Rosslare and driving across Ireland to Cork then down to Kinsale, it was very late last night, so I thought I'd not disturb my farmer friend, and just sleep in the car. Apparently his battery went flat at 10pm anyway, so it wouldn't have done me any good calling him.
So I was up bright and early this morning, and found Dennis the Farmer ok. But.. well, he said, there was a bit of a problem with the mobile home, and so someone had given him a caravan, and perhaps I'd like to stay in that temporarily while the mobile home is fixed up.
But the caravan has no shower, no toilet, and it's not connected to any source of power. Oh, and there's no lock on the door.
From there, we have a quick look into the mobile home, to find rats have got in, and there are holes in the floor.
Hmm.
After driving all day yesterday, and not much of a night's sleep, foolish me doesn't really know what to say.
Except how terribly terribly disappointed I am, and how much I wish I was back at some non-existant "home" with those I love nearby, rather than.. oh well.
So I'm holed up in a B&B tonight, going back to Cork tomorrow to get my PPSN (equivalent of the UK National Insurance Number), and apartment-share hunting. But apparently, most of the cheap rooms won't be available for another week or two - until the colleges go back here.
It's not the end of the world. I'm still in good health, etc, etc. I'm just rather pissed off.
All at sea
I'm crazy. I'm looking for a simple, low energy lifestyle. And what have I done today? Driven across England and Wales to get to the ferry, stressing about the car breaking down, whether or not I'd make it in time. What have I done this week? Driven all over the South East and Midlands of England. What did I do the week before that? Fly from France to the UK. And the week before that? Why, I flew from New Zealand to France!
Aaaargh.
I just want to stop! Well, thankfully, I'm almost there - almost at the bed I'll be sleeping in for most of the next two years.
There isn't really a deck on this ferry, which is a real shame, as I love looking at the sea - just a couple of balconies for smokers to be outside. It's actually rather like an airport waiting lounge, inside - there are people laid out on the seats getting some sleep next to me, a bar, a shop. All sorts of wastefulness here - everything comes in a disposable something.
But I can't talk. My intake today has comprised two packaged sandwiches, a bottle of cola, and a bottle of blackcurrant juice. At least the packaging is recyclable. Tomorrow, a new start.
Today, here I sit, in a huge tub of metal, being propelled across the sea by fossil fuels. Watching someone dressed in a monkey suit, here to entertain the children passengers.
What an odd world we live in.
Aaaargh.
I just want to stop! Well, thankfully, I'm almost there - almost at the bed I'll be sleeping in for most of the next two years.
There isn't really a deck on this ferry, which is a real shame, as I love looking at the sea - just a couple of balconies for smokers to be outside. It's actually rather like an airport waiting lounge, inside - there are people laid out on the seats getting some sleep next to me, a bar, a shop. All sorts of wastefulness here - everything comes in a disposable something.
But I can't talk. My intake today has comprised two packaged sandwiches, a bottle of cola, and a bottle of blackcurrant juice. At least the packaging is recyclable. Tomorrow, a new start.
Today, here I sit, in a huge tub of metal, being propelled across the sea by fossil fuels. Watching someone dressed in a monkey suit, here to entertain the children passengers.
What an odd world we live in.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Mmmmmm...
What a busy week! But what to write on my blog, to enthral, dazzle and amuse my readers (or reader?).
Well, it's been a pretty non-reductionist week. I've acquired a lot of stuff since returning to Europe - a few bits from my mum's place in France, a load of books from my Aunt (much cheaper in the UK than in Ireland) - course books, books on chickens, and so on, secondhand where possible...
Then.. well, a new (refurbished) laptop (I had only a netbook while travelling - which has been great, but not ideal for "real work" when I finally stop moving for a while), a pair of shoes, trousers and shirt for the wedding from a charity shop.
And today I picked up a box of my stuff from a friend - happily it has lots of clothes in that I'd forgotten about, so I shouldn't need to buy anything much in Ireland (apart from a duvet). Plus (more) books, cds and dvds, and the like.
I feel I should do an inventory of everything like on 100 thing challenge, which is a great read. Perhaps when I get to Ireland and clear out any remaining junk...
Due to the incredibly harsh import taxes for vehicles into Ireland, I'll only be having a car over there for 2 months or so, which is good - back to bike and public transport only.
It's been a lovely 10 days visiting loads of people, but I'm really looking forward to stopping now. Staying in one bed for a while. Though no doubt I'll get very jittery in a week or two - but then the course will start.
I've also been thinking more about chickens, and in the book I bought it mentions rehoming battery hens - fantastic! If you're interested, in the UK there is this group - the Battery Hen Welfare Trust, and in Ireland these guys seem pretty cool.
Pretty good that you can find a charity for most things you're interested in - there are plenty of good people out there, dedicating their lives to worthwhile causes.
Well, it's been a pretty non-reductionist week. I've acquired a lot of stuff since returning to Europe - a few bits from my mum's place in France, a load of books from my Aunt (much cheaper in the UK than in Ireland) - course books, books on chickens, and so on, secondhand where possible...
Then.. well, a new (refurbished) laptop (I had only a netbook while travelling - which has been great, but not ideal for "real work" when I finally stop moving for a while), a pair of shoes, trousers and shirt for the wedding from a charity shop.
And today I picked up a box of my stuff from a friend - happily it has lots of clothes in that I'd forgotten about, so I shouldn't need to buy anything much in Ireland (apart from a duvet). Plus (more) books, cds and dvds, and the like.
I feel I should do an inventory of everything like on 100 thing challenge, which is a great read. Perhaps when I get to Ireland and clear out any remaining junk...
Due to the incredibly harsh import taxes for vehicles into Ireland, I'll only be having a car over there for 2 months or so, which is good - back to bike and public transport only.
It's been a lovely 10 days visiting loads of people, but I'm really looking forward to stopping now. Staying in one bed for a while. Though no doubt I'll get very jittery in a week or two - but then the course will start.
I've also been thinking more about chickens, and in the book I bought it mentions rehoming battery hens - fantastic! If you're interested, in the UK there is this group - the Battery Hen Welfare Trust, and in Ireland these guys seem pretty cool.
Pretty good that you can find a charity for most things you're interested in - there are plenty of good people out there, dedicating their lives to worthwhile causes.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Monday Morning Musings
(Written at about 6:30am, UK time!)
Back in England. Back home.
Except, of course, it's not home - it's just another stop on the way, albeit one with lots of friends, and lots of memories.
After spending a lovely week at my mother's house in France, I arrived back on British soil last Thursday, and was picked up promptly (!!) by my father at Luton airport. In a Suzuki Swift.. one of the most fuel efficient vehicles in the country. 993cc 3 cylinder engine, no power steering, no assisted braking - wow.
So I spent a couple of days with dad, potting up pansies, learning a little about engines, hunting for bargain plants for him to sell at country shows and steam rallies.
From there, on to a friend who is to a large degree living the (my) dream - he grows most of his fruit and veg, forages for a good amount of the rest, has solar hot water, and so on and so forth. He is also an incredibly good host, and didn't even let me do any washing up! How lazy I feel when I go to visit.
Then a slight change of pace. I went for a "spin" with another friend - in a light aircraft. Up over the green and golden fields of Norfolk to the Wash and King's Lynn, above the wind farms and towns, the ribbons of roads and rivers. Pretty cool - if rather less fuel efficient than the Suzuki Swift.
I have about one more week in the UK before I finally depart for Ireland, in which time I'll be visiting family, going to a wedding, trying to sort out some part time work, seeing friends... It does make me wish the people I knew lived a bit closer together!
Back in England. Back home.
Except, of course, it's not home - it's just another stop on the way, albeit one with lots of friends, and lots of memories.
After spending a lovely week at my mother's house in France, I arrived back on British soil last Thursday, and was picked up promptly (!!) by my father at Luton airport. In a Suzuki Swift.. one of the most fuel efficient vehicles in the country. 993cc 3 cylinder engine, no power steering, no assisted braking - wow.
So I spent a couple of days with dad, potting up pansies, learning a little about engines, hunting for bargain plants for him to sell at country shows and steam rallies.
From there, on to a friend who is to a large degree living the (my) dream - he grows most of his fruit and veg, forages for a good amount of the rest, has solar hot water, and so on and so forth. He is also an incredibly good host, and didn't even let me do any washing up! How lazy I feel when I go to visit.
Then a slight change of pace. I went for a "spin" with another friend - in a light aircraft. Up over the green and golden fields of Norfolk to the Wash and King's Lynn, above the wind farms and towns, the ribbons of roads and rivers. Pretty cool - if rather less fuel efficient than the Suzuki Swift.
I have about one more week in the UK before I finally depart for Ireland, in which time I'll be visiting family, going to a wedding, trying to sort out some part time work, seeing friends... It does make me wish the people I knew lived a bit closer together!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Kettles, corporations, chickens
I wake up, stumble blearily into the kitchen - at 4am, as I am still jetlagged. Pick up the kettle, put it under the tap, put in some water. Return it to its base, flick the switch and stand, zombie-like, as it boils.
That's it. That's all I have to do.
Compare that to places we stayed in Bangladesh and Nepal. They would have to walk down a fair way to the well, pump up water, carry it back up the hill; gather wood and light a fire, wait for it to establish. Admitted, the *tea* is grown over the next hill, but...
Just the sheer convenience is astounding to me, when I let it be. How many people really think, every day, about the humble kettle and the vast network of pipes and cables supporting it in its daily task of boiling water?
Forget the plasma TVs, the iPods, tumble driers and electric shavers.
Think about the kettle. Wow!
This morning I was thinking about how large companies are so similar to organisms, and how even the head-cells cannot really control how the monster grows. Oh, they can set the direction, I suppose. I'm not studying this stuff (though my girlfriend will be in the masters she is taking in Sustainable Leadership), and I struggle to envision how you can get companies to be focussed not on the profits of shareholders, but... "the good of society". "But, we're a widget factory - the company exists to make widgets!" "Well, yes, but wouldn't it be good if you made widgets.. and created a nice park for people to use? Not for the PR, but because it's important for the company - for the employees - to be part of something more than widgets?"
Hmm. I don't know if I have the skills to win arguments in that area, and it's good there are people with the abilities and drive to do so.
I just want to have a few chickens...
Which is why I've been looking at websites about chicken coops! Everywhere we went on our travels, pretty much, people had a few chickens - the embodiment of permaculture. Looking at the designs is really interesting, and is clearly a great geeky subject for me to dive into ("Aha! Yes I like the way this one has a sloping floor, and a south facing window.. Nice window blinds, too!").
The sheer number of different designs on http://www.backyardchickens.com/coopdesigns.html is amazing!
My carpentry skills don't extend further than a wooden pencil box I made when I was 12 or 13, but I'm looking forward to tackling something like this.
Well, that's enough of a ramble for today, I think :)
That's it. That's all I have to do.
Compare that to places we stayed in Bangladesh and Nepal. They would have to walk down a fair way to the well, pump up water, carry it back up the hill; gather wood and light a fire, wait for it to establish. Admitted, the *tea* is grown over the next hill, but...
Just the sheer convenience is astounding to me, when I let it be. How many people really think, every day, about the humble kettle and the vast network of pipes and cables supporting it in its daily task of boiling water?
Forget the plasma TVs, the iPods, tumble driers and electric shavers.
Think about the kettle. Wow!
This morning I was thinking about how large companies are so similar to organisms, and how even the head-cells cannot really control how the monster grows. Oh, they can set the direction, I suppose. I'm not studying this stuff (though my girlfriend will be in the masters she is taking in Sustainable Leadership), and I struggle to envision how you can get companies to be focussed not on the profits of shareholders, but... "the good of society". "But, we're a widget factory - the company exists to make widgets!" "Well, yes, but wouldn't it be good if you made widgets.. and created a nice park for people to use? Not for the PR, but because it's important for the company - for the employees - to be part of something more than widgets?"
Hmm. I don't know if I have the skills to win arguments in that area, and it's good there are people with the abilities and drive to do so.
I just want to have a few chickens...
Which is why I've been looking at websites about chicken coops! Everywhere we went on our travels, pretty much, people had a few chickens - the embodiment of permaculture. Looking at the designs is really interesting, and is clearly a great geeky subject for me to dive into ("Aha! Yes I like the way this one has a sloping floor, and a south facing window.. Nice window blinds, too!").
The sheer number of different designs on http://www.backyardchickens.com/coopdesigns.html is amazing!
My carpentry skills don't extend further than a wooden pencil box I made when I was 12 or 13, but I'm looking forward to tackling something like this.
Well, that's enough of a ramble for today, I think :)
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Round in circles
What a bad blogger I am.
Well, for the last couple of weeks we have gone pretty much around the North Island, clockwise.
We started by heading north from Earthsong, right to the top of the North Island, to a beautiful quiet campsite on Spirits Bay. Back down, past Kauri forests, round and down to Rotorua for geysers and strangely coloured rocks; down to Taupo then off to see the "rellies" at Havelock North, where we stopped for a few days.
After that, down to Wellington, then up the east coast to New Plymouth, Mount Taranaki (which was wonderful, though we couldn't see it clearly in the clouds), then towards Hamilton, and finally back to Auckland, where we are now.
We've had a few adventures, seen parks and zoos, slept by beaches, lakes, rivers, mountains; we've run out of petrol (oops), drunk lots of tea, and even stopped in a McDonalds (twice; once, their milkshake machine was broken, so we walked out again).
Our trip is almost over. Soon, to France, then a hectic few days in the UK, and finally Ireland to settle down for a couple of years and actually learn some of this permaculture stuff.. wow! I'm really looking forward to it.
Right now is definately time to "go home" for us (except we don't have real homes, and we're going our separate ways for the time being, which is very sad); I just wonder how much longing I'll look back on this trip with in a few months and years?!
Well, for the last couple of weeks we have gone pretty much around the North Island, clockwise.
We started by heading north from Earthsong, right to the top of the North Island, to a beautiful quiet campsite on Spirits Bay. Back down, past Kauri forests, round and down to Rotorua for geysers and strangely coloured rocks; down to Taupo then off to see the "rellies" at Havelock North, where we stopped for a few days.
After that, down to Wellington, then up the east coast to New Plymouth, Mount Taranaki (which was wonderful, though we couldn't see it clearly in the clouds), then towards Hamilton, and finally back to Auckland, where we are now.
We've had a few adventures, seen parks and zoos, slept by beaches, lakes, rivers, mountains; we've run out of petrol (oops), drunk lots of tea, and even stopped in a McDonalds (twice; once, their milkshake machine was broken, so we walked out again).
Our trip is almost over. Soon, to France, then a hectic few days in the UK, and finally Ireland to settle down for a couple of years and actually learn some of this permaculture stuff.. wow! I'm really looking forward to it.
Right now is definately time to "go home" for us (except we don't have real homes, and we're going our separate ways for the time being, which is very sad); I just wonder how much longing I'll look back on this trip with in a few months and years?!
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