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‘Xavi Druantia’s Ancient Journey’ is a personal musical odyssey inspired by nature and ancient sounds all over the world I play different traditional instruments from all over the world. My idea is to release these songs one by one, instead of all at once on a full album. How people consume music has changed a…
Continue reading ➞ Artists & Writers in Their Own Words: Xavi Druantia
If you were born lucky, even your rooster will lay eggs. ~ Assyrian Proverb Don't pick things ahead of time; some bear fruit later. ~ Sumerian Proverb Owoce i warzywa Fruit and veg Copyright Content Catnip 2015 If you chase two rabbits, you will not catch either one. ~ Assyrian Proverb Illustrator John Tenniel 's…
Continue reading ➞ Powerful proverbs from Mesopotamia about fate, luck and fortune
Here's a collection of some of the non-fiction I have reviewed in the past, ranked as a top ten. The subject matter and time periods vary, but I really like the history of medicine, psychology, symbolism, medieval history, animals and more. 1. The Book of Symbols by the Archive for Research in Archetypal Symbolism (ARAS)…
Continue reading ➞ My All Time Favourite Top-Ten Non-Fiction History Books
Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of coconut water, welcome to another dimension-coasting, mind-contorting journey into the weird and wonderful world of the internet. Featuring some guest stars and some of the same old cast you know and love. I hope you will join me... A bee-faced mushroom shaman from 9,000 years ago on a cave wall…
Continue reading ➞ 10 Interesting Things I found on the Internet #33
"Art would not be important if life were not important. And life is important. Most of us, no matter what we say, are walking in the dark, whistling in the dark. Nobody knows what is going to happen to them from one moment to the next, or how one will bear it. This is irreducible.…
Continue reading ➞ Comforting Thought: Whistling in the dark
Godzilla met King Kong when they were just kids! Memento Mori by High Dependency Unit A sweeping and melodramatic post-rock album by Kiwi band High Dependency Unit that's filled with light and dark. A bustling sushi city by the creative genius in miniature Tatsuya Tanaka https://twitter.com/tanaka_tatsuya/status/1355333095575089153?s=20 A Journey to the Big Cat Sanctuary with Heather…
Continue reading ➞ 10 Interesting Things I Found on the Internet #32
The Cryptonaturalist podcast is the creation of Jarod K Anderson. It's a completely unique, poetic and quirky fictional podcast in the genre of a classic nature documentary. Yet that's where its similarity with the known world ends. This is David Attenborough meets The X Files, or Jane Goodall meets Big Foot. In the lingering shadows…
Continue reading ➞ Artists & Writers in Their Own Words: Jarod K Anderson AKA The Cryptonaturalist
Cryptids or animals that purportedly exist based on scant physical evidence are an endless fascination to people all over the world.
James Baldwin, France, 1970 If you can examine and face your life, you can discover the terms with which you are connected to other lives, and they can discover them too - the terms with which they are connected to other people. This has happened to every one of us, I'm sure. You read something…
Continue reading ➞ Comforting Thought: James Baldwin on why art is important
Here are some flotsam and jetsam that I found floating around the river earlier on, I've let it all dry out and it will make a nice wall display later... This cat that feels dejected and jealous of his cat friend Animals experience jealousy, anger, love, confusion, excitment in the same way that we do.…
Continue reading ➞ 10 Interesting Things I Found On the Internet #31
Genre: Fiction, essay, creative non-fiction, travel. Publisher: Text Publishing Rating: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 Polish writer Olga Tokarczuk won the Man Booker International Prize for this novel in 2018 along with a Nike Award, Poland’s highest literary honour. Tokarczuk is a thrilling and exhilarating writer who effortlessly criss-crosses genres and conventions, Flight is part…
Genre: Non-fiction, Fashion, History. Publisher: Hatchett Publishing Rating: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟1/2 Stars Amber Butchard Amber Butchard is the charismatic TV host of the BBC’s ‘A Stitch in Time’, a fantastic show about the history of fashion told in several outfits. She is also a fashion historian and author. She has blazing red hair in…
Jari Österberg AKA Liuos first became a techno producer in the early 90's. He became a one-man band with the help of the Amiga 500 computer and produced vast swathes of interesting and experimental techno albums. As years went by, he started to use more hardware and his production started to lean more towards minimalist…
Continue reading ➞ Artists & Writers in Their Own Words: Jari Österberg AKA Liuos
Ahoy there mateys. Here's a little palate-cleanser to wash away any sad stuff from the news and the socials. I hope you enjoy it. Buddy Bears in Berlin The Art of Tolerance is an ongoing exhibition that travels the world. 146 Buddy Bears who represent 146 different countries were last spotted at Tierpark Berlin. They are designed…
Continue reading ➞ 10 Interesting Things I Found on the Internet #30
Bhleu: ‘To Blow or to swell’ from Proto-Indo-European Life flows and leaves, wind, clouds, fire and storms bhleu/blow. From this ancient word comes many other beautiful nature words we know and love today, such as: Blossoms Bulbs Bellows Blast Bleat Belly Blast/blow/bellows Bells Ball Pagan date: Winter solistice Balloon Bladder Blót, an ancient Norse rite…
When you want a smile, give yours away When you want affection, you give affection When you help people, they help you When you want love, give your love Ka nui taku aroha ki a koe - My love for you knows no bounds. ~ Māori proverb #TeWikioteReoMāori #MāoriLanguageWeek #MahuruMaori Kua rongo ake au... Tuku…
Continue reading ➞ Words of a Kaumātua: When you want a smile, give yours away
Evaldas Azbukauskas AKA Giriu Dvasios makes completely unique and haunting music that ranges through different terrains of dub techno, ambient, techno, Lithuanian folk and much more. His genre-shuffling music was too unusual to be noticed by other record labels, so ten years ago he created his own label and ever since then has been championing…
Continue reading ➞ Artists & Writers in Their Own Words: Evaldas Azbukauskas AKA Giriu Dvasios
Ahoy there! Here is a quirky internet sea shanty, plucked from poseidon's breast. I haven't done one of these posts for a while, because I have been busy with another project to do with animals and conservation. I hope to keep up with these posts as I know some of you like them. Stay piratey…
Continue reading ➞ 10 Cool Things I Found on the Internet #29
Kua rongo ake au...Mā te karakia me te inoiMe te noho pukuKa tau te rangimārieki a tātau katoaI have learned that...everyone can do a karakia The Star Compass Atea a Rangi in Napier, New Zealand (Photo by A.Dennis) Kua rongo ake au...Mā te āta katakata āta harikoa anōMā te hiki ake i te wairuaE tau…
Genre: Non-fiction, medical history, medicine. Publisher: Allen Lane, Penguin Rating: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 * No Spoilers This is an electrifying book about the history of surgery from the point of view of one of its pioneers, Joseph Lister. A humble and unassuming Quaker, Lister managed to rise up through the ranks of Edinburgh’s…
Continue reading ➞ Book Review: The Butchering Art by Lindsey Fitzharris
An: 'To breath' from Proto-Indo-European If you empty your lungs you make an AHHHH sound on the exhale. The Proto-Indo-European word for this onomatopoeic sound is An. The word an remains the same in Anglo-Saxon, Old English, Icelandic, Swedish and Dutch. The ancient sound of an even exists within the word Human and Anmal. After…
In the Beginning Earth Breath on me Earth the cool breath of life Earth the slumbering pūriri Earth the misty valley Earth the departed sun Earth the tingling blue sky Earth the dark sheen of a woman river Earth the mottling tides tumbling ashore Earth the sweeping godwits Earth our home Earth the giving land…
Continue reading ➞ Words and Music: Earth the slumbering pūriri
Every country has its shadow side, dark secrets, embarrassing problems and PR nightmares that governments attempt to sweep under the rug and hush-up. Here are New Zealand’s. I’m doing this so that people who have this idealised, naïve view of New Zealand as some sort of Utopia actually come here knowing what to really expect,…
Continue reading ➞ The Pros and Cons of Moving to Aotearoa New Zealand 2021 Edition
Genre: Non-fiction, spirituality, Zen buddhism, psychology, philosophy. Publisher: Flatiron Books Rating: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 Halifax with the Dalai Lama Standing At the Edge is a once in a lifetime kind of book. I don’t say that lightly either. It’s a life-changing and life-affirming book that combines philosophy, Zen Buddhism, psychology, and much more…
This pretty yellow star-like flower is from the buttercup family. It is common to see it flourishing at the beginning of spring in new grasses, hedges and in at the banks of rivers. It blankets forest floors. Commonly thought of as being a weed, it is still absolutely beautiful to behold.
Genre: Non-fiction, Spirituality, Philosophy Rating: 🌟 🌟 🌟 1/2 stars *Contains no spoilers In this slim and elegant volume of philosophy and inspiration, writer David Whyte tackles the big topics and words that rarely get any airtime in our society, the kinds of things that haunt people but that are difficult to resolve and so…
Love-Drury: n. A treasured token or keepsake given to a lover or partner. Origin: French. Comes from the French word Drut meaning a friend or lover. Drury made its way to English in the Middle Ages. In the 14th Century, a drury was a sweetheart or beloved person or a treasured object. Vincent Van Gogh's…
Genre: Non-fiction, social sciences, history, public health Publisher: Counterpoint Rating: 🌟 🌟 The Life Project is published by Allen Lane, an imprint of Penguin Books that focuses serious non-fiction from different realms like history, politics, science and philosophy. I really expected a lot from this book and it didn’t deliver. The Life Project is written…
Sometimes the world just wants to break you with all of its chaos. Right now my family is in the eye of the storm, with one of our own absolutely determined to destroy himself with alcohol. Nobody knows what to do and so we are just paddling water at the moment, trying to stay afloat.…
Fans speculate that the name Darth Vader means ‘Dark Father’ are in for a rude awakening. The real meaning of Darth Vader is actually way cooler than that. George Lucas, the creator of the Star Wars franchise has (according to online sources) explained that the name Darth Vader comes from ‘Darth’ (Dark Lord of the…
"We laud our almost boundless freedom of choice as if it were a good thing per se, irrespective of what the choice is between. This is of course absurd because any rational person would prefer to choose between two good things rather than between a thousand bad ones. But, under these circumstances, how do we…
