10 Interesting Things I Found on the Internet #113

Edition #113 of Interesting Things I Found on the Internet is brimming with cosy and sleepy #animals, immersive deep house #music, cosy houseboats, a #vegan recipe and more. Join me for a brief moment of repose from life #ContentCatnip


Inga Moore’s cosy imaginings from classic Wind in the Willows

Inga Moore's cosy imaginings from classic Wind in the Willows
Inga Moore’s cosy imaginings from classic Wind in the Willows

Via Emily Jane Rothwell


Athos Outdoor Prospector builds an outdoor wonderland for his gorgeous pupper

Watch the full video on YouTube


Faster than lighting! how he doesn’t burn his legs I don’t know


Advice for would-be witches in olden day Brittany

The hour and the day of the witch and all witchy things is fast approaching. Here are some tips for aspiring witches on All Souls Night from the always bewitching storyteller Bonjour from Brittany

For those without the innate talent or the patience to learn the ways of the witch, other fantastic rituals were said to allow one to possess magical abilities. For instance, anyone who ate the heart of an eel, warm from the body, was supposed to be at once endowed with the gift of prophecy. Possession of a four leafed clover, a seven headed ear of grain or the grain that had passed through the millstone without being ground was said to allow its possessor the ability to see what remained hidden from the eyes of others; the four leafed clover found under a gallows was held to be the most powerful of these rarities. The spores of the green fern, collected on the night of Midsummer, were believed to be effective in helping locate hidden treasures and to give the possessor the ability to read the deepest secrets hidden within the hearts of others.

Advice for would-be witches in olden day Brittany from Bonjour from Brittany
Advice for would-be witches in olden day Brittany from Bonjour from Brittany

A cosy houseboat in Canada

This has everything needed for a busy working woman and her cat. I could see myself living in such a beautiful little oasis on the water and going out for a kayak every day, having friends over…what about you?


Tuesday Riddle’s eerie forest floor lushness

I love the rich yellows and the everpresent shadows it’s like you are peering into a hidden world! Via Tuesday Riddle

Tuesday Riddle's eerie forest floor lushness
Tuesday Riddle’s eerie forest floor lushness

A simple beans and fried onion recipe

This is a deceptively simple recipe in Polish but it is nourishing, filling and warming – like healthy comfort food


A deep progressive house mix from Renaissance

Renaissance were the deeper than deep house record label in the 90’s and early 00’s and their albums never seem to date and have a timeless quality about them. Enjoy this euphoric mix as your background soundtrack for the day.


A history of adults blaming the younger generation

This looking down in a condescending way to younger people has been going on forever. It may be just that old people are bitter and angry that they aren’t young anymore and can’t have their youth back, there might be jealousy at the heart of it.



Just so you know…

I wasn’t aware of this…love ravens and crows and have found it very hard to tell the difference until now

Via Cool Guides on Reddit

The difference between ravens and crows

Gemma Wheeler turns this ultra tricky, tiny and dark space into an ingenious and light new home

I love home renos, interior design revamps and so on…especially when videos cut right to the chase without any of the moaning or hard work in between, just the ugly before images and the splendid aftershots – this is a masterful transformation!


Jungsuk Lee’s midnight forest spirits

Jungsuk Lee is an incredibly talented artist from South Korea who makes whimsical, hopeful and romantic paintings about love, wonder and interspecies connection. See his Behance.

Jungsuk Lee's midnight forest spirits
Jungsuk Lee’s midnight forest spirits

How do you explain colours to a blind person?

I love kinaesthetic explanations of texture, also the use of sounds and smells – these explanations of colour are truly magical!

How do you explain colours to a blind person? Painting by Paul Klee
How do you explain colours to a blind person? Painting by Paul Klee

White: They gave me rough paper. They told me that white is the color of infinite possibilities, a blank slate waiting for creativity to take shape. White is like the color of the cold wind when you first step out of a door in winter.

Black: They told me that black is the absence of light, and the absence of space. The feeling of being alone, a still night where not even an insect chirps. No dogs bark, no wind touches your face. Black feels like the unknown, like someone is listening, but when you can’t listen back. It’s the color of grief, mourning, and solemnity, a reminder of the impermanence of life.

Yellow: They let me taste a lemon, and smell a sunflower. Yellow is like red, they said, but sometimes more sharp, and sometimes more mellow. It feels like the first sunlight of dawn as it hits your shoulders, the joy of laughter, and the energy of youth. It can be bitter like the outside of a lemon, or bright like the juice. I like yellow. I like it.

Grey: They handed me a smooth stone. They told me that grey is the color of neutrality, a blend of black and white. Grey feels like the balance between two extremes, the calmness of a still lake, and the serene taste of the air on a foggy day. It’s the color of resilience, adaptability, and practicality, a reminder that sometimes, the best solution is to find a compromise. Grey can be unremarkable, but it’s also comforting, like a steady presence that offers a sense of stability and reliability.

Purple: They let me hold lavender as they explained purple. Purple feels like the richness of a velvet fabric, the depth of an enchanting melody, and the peace of a quiet meditation. It’s the color of luxury, nobility, and ambition, a symbol of power that inspires us to dream big.

Via Cool Guides


Did you enjoy this collection? let me know what you think of it below. Thank you for reading my dear friends!

Book Review: Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan

Egan is author of the sprawling coming-of-age novel A Visit from the Goon Squad which won the Pulitzer Prize. She has written another epic genre-bending novel this time set during WW2 in New York City, it’s immersive, sparkling and exhilarating.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟

Genre: Fiction, Adventure, Thriller, Historical Fiction

Publisher: Corsair

Review in one word: Nostalgic

* Contains no spoilers

There is so much to say about this book and it spans across multiple genres with finesse and grace. There’s something in here for everyone, a bit of romance, a chequered family history, a dynamic backdrop of Manhattan during the bustling uncertainty of WW2, a struggling yet loving family, a bold and brave female lead character, gangsters, good girls, bad girls. It’s a real mash-up.

The prose in this novel is crisp and sublime in parts and immersed me deeply into the world of the heroine Anna Kerrigan a plucky and ambitious young woman who despite the prejudices against her gender, wants to become a diver using the arcane and dangerous equipment of the time to address problems on naval vessels.

Reading this novel is an exhilarating trip into a lost world of old naval vessels, analogue technology, letter writing and missed opportunities to connect. There is a deep and enjoyable nostalgia to the vibrant Manhattan setting, the lingo and slang of the era and even the proper and formal ways people address each other. I thoroughly enjoyed this!

Although the novel suffers a bit from its own ambition, there are too many narrative threads going on, too many superfluous characters and sometimes the loose ends of these narrative arcs don’t come together as smoothly you would have hoped. There is a hurried sense to the last third of the book to reach a denouement and various twists and turns in the suspenseful sub-plot could have been a bit less self-conscious and awkward.

Overall though, this is a wonderful, lush and expansive bit of escapism into a lost world and I heartily recommend this on a dark and stormy weekend or for some summer beach reading!

Manhattan Beach dark Port vintage

Have you read Manhattan Beach? if you have let me know what you think below…

Ancient Word of the Day: Kairos


Kairos n. Ancient Greek meaning ‘sacred time’ or ‘creative time’.

When you walk with ‘Kairos’ you learn how to tip yourself out of chronological time and are able to decommodify your footsteps to walk in sacred time and to the rhythm of your creative mind.


A good traveller has no fixed plans, and has no intent on arriving

Lao Tzu

Engaging in Kairos involves following your senses, your wonder and your joy by walking close to nature – in a park, a forest, on a beach.

The mind, like the feet works at about three miles per hour. If this is so, then modern life is moving faster than the speed of thought

Rebecca solnit, wanderlust

Kronos is the time of clocks and calendars; it can be quantified and measured. Kronos is linear, moving inexorably out of the determinate past toward the determined future, and has no freedom. Kairos is numinous time. Kairos is a time of festivals and fantasies; it cannot be controlled or possessed. Kairos is circular, dancing back and forth, here and there, without beginning or ending, and knows no boundaries.

Marni Makridakis


Quote from Rooted: Life at the Crossroads of Science Nature and Spirit by Lyanda Lynn Haupt

Book Review: Rooted: Life at the Crossroads of Science Nature and Spirit by Lyanda Lynn Haupt
Book Review: Rooted: Life at the Crossroads of Science Nature and Spirit by Lyanda Lynn Haupt

10 Interesting Things I Found on the Internet #112

Edition #112 of Interesting Things I Found on the Internet is chocas full of delectable delights like tessellating clouds, insects with morning dew and more…feast your eyeballs here fine folks! #ContentCatnip


An otherworldly dragonfly covered in morning dew

Looks like a battle-worn alien soldier wearing goggles, holding a gun and standing in the rain to me..

Image by Eric Van Peer, found via Twitter

An otherworldly dragonfly covered in morning dew, Photo: Eric Van Peer

Land United: A surreal ambient world where you can control time

Play god and control time, the weather and ambient sound for a bunch of disgruntled looking snails in a fantasy world! Fun, amusing and kind of relaxing, have a go yourself…


Ricky Boscarino’s magical domestic realm Luna Parc was 33 years in the making

Ricky Boscarino, also known as “Ricky of Luna Parc,” is an unusual American artist who brings a distinctive, imaginative flair to his work. Using a wide range of mediums that include sculpture, jewelry, painting, and architectural design, Boscarino weaves a vibrant tapestry of creativity. His most significant work, Luna Parc, stands as an architectural wonderland in New Jersey, reflecting his unique artistic vision.


William Haskell: light, time and serene beauty

American artist William Haskell is inspired by the diverse landscapes of America. He seeks to capture changing regions and seasons with his exquisite dry-brush watercolor and acrylic works. He makes visual narratives from Western mountain ranges, mesas, and prairies, and through meticulous detail and skillful use of light, he invites viewers into an intimate connection with these everyday scenes. He is a graduate of University of Wisconsin Stout with a BS in Graphic Design. Read more


Laughter is the best medicine by Existential Ergonomics

Laughter serves as a cue to disarm your nervous system. If you’re being chase by an assailant, you’re likely not laughing. To laugh, you must first be in relatively low-stress state. A giggle or two will take you even deeper into that state.

Laughter also acts as an adhesive, strengthening social bonds. Sharing in the good times is a way to connect with a prospective partner, a new friends, or a group. Once these relationships are established, the jokes and joys help deepen those connections.

Boisterous laughter also draws in lots of oxygen, decreasing your heart rate and stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system. The laughter helps us think more clearly and ease into the situation.

Research also suggests that laughter can decrease stress hormones, reduce artery inflammation, and increase HDL (the good cholesterol). It does so by increasing blood flow, reducing vasoconstriction by lower stress hormones, and reducing risk of heart attack. Read more


MGMT: Little Dark Age

I think this video clip is a work of art…it’s a bit of a mash-up of 80’s new wave aesthetic, the Cure and a Baroque Caravaggio style painting…or something, but yeah pretty cool.


Japanese healthy vegan breakfast


Types of ladybugs

Gorgeous aren’t they! Found via Animal Spot


Words in other languages that don’t translate

Language is a fickle and precocious thing and sometimes words simply don’t make any sense and need to be explained. Here are some words that don’t translate out of their native tongue.


Denyl Brook – Shall Not Fade (2022)

This week features a lot of music but I have been going on a really amazing journey lately with finding cool albums. Here’s a new electronic music producer I found Denyl via the amazing TIDAL music player. It’s a high quality alternative to Spotify that offers FLAC quality of higher for true audiophiles. Anyway I love this smooth, happy Chicago house style in this mix album I hope you enjoy it!



Ambient trance mix 90’s style

This is transcendent and really takes you into another dimension, perfect background music for coding or making things.


Absolute unit of a manatee


A Master Perfumer’s Reflections on Patchouli and Vetiver

For perfume makers, each smell carries with it a multitude of associations and impressions that must be carefully analyzed and understood before the sum of all its parts emerges. All perfumers have their own idiosyncratic methods, drawn from their individual olfactory experiences, for classifying fragrances.

In his book “Atlas of Perfumed Botany,” virtuoso perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena leads readers on a poetic, geographic, and botanical journey of perfume discovery. Ellena offers a varied and fascinating cartography of fragrances, tracing historical connections and cultural exchanges. Full-page entries on plants ranging from bergamot to lavender are accompanied by detailed and vivid full-color botanical illustrations by Karin Doering-Froger. Read more

A Master Perfumer's Reflections on Patchouli and Vetiver

Did you enjoy this collection? let me know what you think of it below. Thank you for reading my dear friends!

Cycling along Edinburgh’s canal: Lochrin Basin to Almond Acqueduct

Come on a journey with me along one of my favourite scenic routes through the leafy, pastoral and mountainous outer suburbs of Edinburgh and East Lothian heading out into the countryside. This epic shared pedestrian and cycling path goes all the way from Edinburgh to Glasgow (56km one way) alongside the Forth and Clyde Canal.

#Travel: #Cycling along Edinburgh’s historic canal: Lochrin Basin to Almond Aqueduct. One of my favourite scenic routes through the leafy, pastoral outer suburbs of Edinburgh and East Lothian

With pastoral views onto large paddocks with highland cows (coos) and lambs in them, fields of flowers, old pubs, golf courses, old kirks, forests and roads that snake away over the top of the canal.

See more detail here

Adventures on the Forth and Clyde Canal
A house boat near Leamington bridge in Edinburgh

Type of bike you will need

I recommend getting a decent commuter bike with balloon wheels and plenty of gears if you want to tackle the entire 56km otherwise for shorter parts of the route, any old bike will do.

Route difficulty

Easy to moderate. It’s almost completely flat and so you can cherry pick and tackle parts of the route. If you do tackle the entire thing 56km from Edinburgh- Glasgow or Glasgow-Edinburgh then it’s harder work obviously. But you could catch the train back if you’re too tired, which costs about £15 one way.

Optimal weather

Keep an eye out for one of those five perfect days per year when it’s sunny in Edinburgh, otherwise expect wind, hail, storms, snow, sun and heat all to happen in one day – good luck.

What to take with you

Take some water with you, your wallet, sunnies, and bring warm clothes as it will inevitably get cold, no matter what time of year it is.

Great for

Commuters, weekend visitors, people training for big cycling events. It’s a longer route and so it can be used for training.

Adventures on the Forth and Clyde Canal
The canal near to Polwarth and Merchiston

Route Description

The pathway is relatively narrow in some parts, especially once you get outside of Edinburgh, with some bridges having blind spots on the other side. So watch for women walking their wee’uns in buggies or old people walking on the path. You will come to a set of public gym equipment in Westerhailes (an outer suburb of Edinburgh) where you can do press ups and chin ups to your hearts content.

Once you are outside of Edinburgh’s suburbs then you generally won’t see many people on the path except for the occasional fellow cyclist. The pavement is broken and not maintained well alongside the canalway outside of Edinburgh. Brambleberry bushes and ivy tend to almost cover the cycling path in some places – this lends itself to the feeling of exploration and adventure, I recommend embracing it J, just don’t literally embrace the ivy unless you want to have a life of pain for the following week.

I used this route to commute to outer Edinburgh for work each day, and it was great for fitness.

Canoeing on the Forth and Clyde Canal

I also did a lot of canoeing with friends along the canal and you can see some of the pics I took here.

Adventures on the Forth and Clyde Canal
A springtime forest alongside the canal
Adventures on the Forth and Clyde Canal
No better place to be – on a canoe heading down the canal at dusk on a summers eve

Distance

The Forth and Clyde Canal runs around 56km one way from Edinburgh to Glasgow with many interesting scenic stops along the way.   I can’t speak for the whole route personally as I was relatively unfit at the time of living there and so never tackled the entire thing. (A diet of haggis pizza, oatcakes and whisky will do that to you).

What I can tell you though is that the route from Lochrin Basin (the start in Fountainbridge) to Almond Acqueduct its mostly flat and incredibly scenic.

Adventures on the Forth and Clyde Canal
Public exercise equipment in Westerhailes along the canal

Words and Music: Kua rongo ake au

Kua rongo ake au….

Kia kaha rā te puāwaitanga o tōu kaha

Kei konā rā te puāwaitanga o tōu rangatirangatanga

I have learned that…

We can enjoy our jobs by changing our attitude

Always do more than what you’re paid for,

One day you’ll be paid for more than you do

Aitia te wahine a te pā harakeke - Marry a woman who can be found in the flax. Marry an industrious woman with a strong work ethic. ~ Māori Proverb #TeWikioteReoMāori #MāoriLanguageWeek #MahuruMaori
Aitia te wahine a te pā harakeke – Marry a woman who can be found in the flax. Marry an industrious woman with a strong work ethic. ~ Māori Proverb

Kua rongo ake au

I te wā whakanui ana ahau i tētahi atu

Ka mōhio tonu ahau ko wai au kei whea au

I have learned that…

Every time we say ’Thank you’ we are affirming,

’I accept what I have and where I am’

The Songs of Tangaroa ~ Ngā Waiata o Tangaroa Maori

Kua rongo ake au…

Mā te karakia mā te īnoi, mā te noho puku

Ka taea e au ngā mea katoa

I have learned…

That I can call upon a karakia

When I look for solutions to the

Challenges that face me.

Ancient word of the day: Nekyia
Pierreuses au bar / Picasso

Kua rongo ake au…

I tēnei rangi tonu toro atu

Tōu ringa ki tō tamaiti, whāngaia tōu hinengaro

Patua he waea ki tetahi atu, ki atu,

’Ko au e whakaaro nui atu nei, kia kaha’

I have learned…

Today reach out 

Hug your child

Pat a cat, appreciate our country,

Phone someone today and say, ’I care…’

The Sensual World of Polish Poet Anna Świrszczyńska

Kuoa rongo ake au…

Akakoa iti noa te kuru pounamu

He taonga tuku iho kia kaha, kia toa, kia māiai, kia mataara

kia manawanui

I have learned…

A thoughtful note to someone you’ve avoided

Saying sorry will go a long way

Olivia Laing, The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone

Kua rongo ake au…

Mehemea koe e hiahia ana kia hīkaka ake koe

Hoatu ko tōu ki tētahi atu kia tau ai ō rātau hinengaro

I have learned…

Ko ngā kirehe o te rangi, o te whenua

Tae noa atu ki a tātau ko te pā tinana

Maori nature ancient

From Words of a Kaumātua by Haare Williams, edited by Witi Ihimaera

Dr Haare Williams MNZM has been Dean of Māori Education and Māori Advisor to the Chief Executive at Unitec. He was General Manager of Aotearoa Radio. He set up a joint venture with the South Seas Film and Television School to train Te Reo speakers as producers and operators in film and television. He has worked closely with iwi claimant communities and was responsible for waka construction and assembly at Waitangi for the 1990 commemorations. He has published poetry, exhibited painting and written for film and television. He was a cultural advisor for the Mayor of Auckland and is Amorangi at the Auckland War Memorial Museum.

Comforting Thought: When Death Comes by Mary Oliver


When death comes

like a hungry bear in autumn,

when death comes and takes all of the bright coins from his purse

to buy me and snaps the purse shut;

when death comes

like the measle-pox;

when death comes

like an iceberg between the shoulder blades,

I want to step through the door full of curiosity, wondering;

what is it going to be like, that cottage of darkness?

And therefore I look upon everything

as a brotherhood and a sisterhood,

and I look upon time as no more than an idea,

and I consider eternity as another possibility,

and I think of each life as a flower, as common as a field daisy, and as singular,

and each name a comfortable music in the mouth,

tending, as all music does, towards silence,

and each body a lion of courage, and something

precious to the earth.

When it’s over I want to say: all my life

I was a bride married to amazement.

I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.

When it’s over, I don’t want to wonder

if I have made my life something particular, and real.

I don’t want to find myself sighing and frightened,

or full of argument.

I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.

Mary Oliver


Quote extracted from: Mary Oliver – New and Selected Poems

10 Interesting Things I Found on the Internet #111

Edition #111 of Interesting Things I Found on the Internet features Kate Bush, felt animations, travel forays, salty Breton legends, classic house, medieval remedies and more from #ContentCatnip


Kate Bush: Sexuality VS Sensuality, Creativity, Individuality & Self-Trust | Feminine Wisdom

Kate Bush: artistic genius and iconoclast musical icon.

“The essence of all art it sensuality. And sexuality I suppose I don’t really understand it. I think that’s something projected. Sensuality is really where art is at. It’s a more subtle form of expression.”

Kate Bush


A brain itching felt animation by felting goddess Andrea Love

She is incredibly talented and I’ve featured her quite a few times on these lists before. I love how the optical and sensory illusions all conspire to give you a very pleasurable brain melt.


Two Game of Thrones nerds go to Girona, Spain

One of the best travel blogs on WordPress is by Ørjan Wremertravels which documents Ørjan and his wife’s adventures all over the world. In this post they venture to the medieval city of Girona in Spain, setting of one of the most notorious scenes in GOT when Cersei Lannister did the walk of shame. I love GOT and now this place is on my bucketlist. Wremertravels is a great travel blog to follow and get FOMO about your next holiday destination.

Game of Thrones nerds!
San Felieu Basilica

The council has decided…you are friend


Surprisingly, it turns out that medieval remedies actually work

Who would have thought that medieval peasants practising herbal remedies in tiny villages actually knew what they were talking about. As a practising pagan I am delighted.

Simon Roper (expert in all things ancient and linguistic) discusses interesting scientific findings which show that medieval remedies offer effective anti-microbial treatments. This is interesting given the amount of antimicrobial resistance that is happening nowadays from conventional medicine. Ingredients like unpasteurised honey, onions and garlic are great for antibacterial and antimicrobial actions in the body.

We have reconstructed a 1,000-year-old remedy which kills the bacteria it was designed to treat and have shown that this activity relies on the combined activity of several antimicrobial ingredients. Our results highlight (i) the scholarship and rational methodology of premodern medical professionals and (ii) the untapped potential of premodern remedies for yielding novel therapeutics at a time when new antibiotics are desperately needed.

A 1,000-Year-Old Antimicrobial Remedy with Antistaphylococcal Activity. https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.01129-15

Chipmunk’s existential crisis

This russet forest-sprite understands the agony of the human condition or rather she possibly understands hangovers. Via Suzanne on Twitter


Expertise by Relax Yourself

I love the floaty ambient and the accompaniment of the pink heavenly mountain experience of the image….subbed!


When you need to be somewhere ASAP but are riding on a slow snail pulled by a butterfly

Story of my life. No real idea where this image comes from even after doing a reverse image search. The best I can do is ‘vintage German greeting card featuring a gnome’, sorry folks. Although Titania shared it on her Twitter.


Discover creepy cryptids from Vermont USA

Vermont is a state known for its natural beauty, charming small towns, and outdoor activities. Some people believe that there are creatures lurking in the forests and lakes of Vermont that defy explanation. These creatures are known as cryptids, and they have captured the imagination of believers and skeptics alike. Here will we take a quick look at several Vermont cryptids which have captured the imagination of Vermonters and other fans of cryptozoology over the years.

Thomas Slatin

Read more by the always fascinating blogger and writer Thomas Slatin.


Soul Capsule – Lady Science (NYC Sunrise Mix)

There is a certain ineffable something that arises when you listen to some tracks. This song has a really nostalgic 5 am sunrise vibe to it, about having a great, expansive evening with friends and coming home to chill, making some food and just relax as the night turns to morning.



Maxfield Parrish’s (1870-1966) landscapes: here’s his ‘Cascades, Quiet Solitude,’ circa 1959

The electric blue shadows and bronze glow to the trees in this painting are so lush and do indeed fill me with a quiet solitude.

Maxfield Parrish, an American painter and illustrator, left an indelible mark on the Golden Age of Illustration and the future of American visual art. His career spanned many decades, and he gained recognition through prestigious projects like illustrating Kenneth Grahame’s “The Walls Were as of Jasper” and Eugene Field’s “Poems of Childhood.” Parrish’s artwork often featured androgynous nudes in fantastical settings, radiating with his trademark luminous colors. He developed a unique style, defying categorization within traditional movements or schools. Parrish’s popularity was unmatched until Norman Rockwell emerged in the 1940s. Rockwell himself admired Parrish’s work and acknowledged his influence. Even in his later years, Parrish continued to paint, and his art continues to captivate new generations, with some prints commanding high prices while others remain affordable for art enthusiasts.

Maxfield Parrish’s (1870-1966) landscapes: here’s his ‘Cascades, Quiet Solitude,’ circa 1959
Maxfield Parrish’s (1870-1966) landscapes: here’s his ‘Cascades, Quiet Solitude,’ circa 1959

A helpful guide to Breakcore, Drum & Bass, Jungle & Breakbeat Hardcore

I love the in-video clear explanations and mixing deck on the screen they are really really amazing. If you are a casual listener to this kind of music and always wondered what the difference is between these genres – this video will clear it up!


Salty Sea Tales from Brittany

By the always intriguing writer and weaver of obscure tales, Bonjour from Brittany

Sometimes, the sea itself is no mean spectator to events. One tale recounts that during the absence at sea of a long-haul fisherman, a powerful lord had kidnapped his wife in hopes of making her his own. The sea, outraged at the lord’s effrontery, is said to have submerged the castle where he held her captive but was careful to ensure that the lady came to no harm. Upon his return from the cold Atlantic waters, the grateful fisherman walked to the seashore and gave his thanks to the sea, telling it that if it followed him, all would admire the taste of its protective waters. The sea accepted the fisherman’s offer and joined him in visiting a faraway land filled with salt quarries and it was by bathing these deep pits that the sea acquired the taste now associated with it.

Bonjour from Brittany

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Comforting Thought: How to take a spiritual detox from damaging media messages


When we constantly hear that we should be smart, better connected, more productive, wealthier – you name it – it takes real courage to claim the time and space to follow the currents of our talents, our aspirations and our hearts, which may lead in a very different direction.

Have you ever wakened in the morning feeling contented and quiet and then within fifteen minutes of checking your phone felt out of sorts? Longing for something more?

We spend a lot of time immersed in images on a screen. Ads tell us that our bodies need making over, our clothes just won’t do, our living room is a mess – all as a way of selling us more and more. Along the way, what might be a source of pleasure becomes infused with anxiety.

Social activist Jerry Mander hypothesises that the media is deliberately designed to induce self-hatred, negative body image and dejection – and advertised products offer. the cure.

Once you are aware of this, we can see which messages we’ve adopted as our own beliefs and instead hold them more loosely, in time we can even replace them with an inquiring mind, an open heart and an enhanced sense of vitality. We may not be able to make the messages disappear, but we can question them. The more we do, the less intrusive and limiting the messages become.

Sharon Salzberg


Quote extracted from: Real Love – The Art of Mindful Connection by Sharon Salzberg

Written in short chapters that culminate in in-depth guided meditations, this is a book that spans vast tracts of interdisciplinary knowledge from the areas of Buddhism, Christianity, Psychology, Sociology and brings together these fields in a compelling, thought-provoking and deeply nourishing way. This is a book for the soul and spirit yes – but tempered with scientific knowledge and grounded practical advice for how to improve one’s ability to give and receive love in its variety of different forms.

Book Review: Real Love - The Art of Mindful Connection by Sharon Salzberg
Book Review: Real Love – The Art of Mindful Connection by Sharon Salzberg

Ancient Word of the Day: Humus


Humus n. Latin ‘the ground’ or ‘the earth’.

From the word ‘Humus’ come many of the words for being human and humility. For millennia and across many cultures, walking with your bare feet in the earth has been a sign of humility.

From the Proto-Indo-European origin: *dhghem

Other words with the same origin include:

Chamomile

Chthonic

Exhume

Hombre

Humane

Humble

Humility

Homunculus

Homo Sapiens


Fashioned from the earth, we are souls in clay form. Your feet bring your private clay in touch with the ancient mother clay from which you first emerged.

John O’Donohue, Irish poet and philosopher.

Monastic humility is not a false form of modesty it is a connection to the humusy, earthy, foundational strength. We belong to the earth that cradles our beginning and our end, clay upon clay. Barefootedness honours one’s closeness to the cycles of nature, the inevitable interweaving of soil and self.

~ Lyanda Lynn Haupt, Rooted: Life at the Crossroads of Science Nature and Spirit.
Photo by Isaac Taylor on Pexels.com

Walk as if we are kissing the earth with our feet. Such walking is a service, a blessing, an offering, a prayer.

Thich Nhat Hanh