After the initial build and two months in Mexico, I came back to continue on the project of building my little cabin. First job, insulating: Then the ceiling: Then plasterboarding two walls: Then dismantling many pallets and cladding the rest of the walls: Interdispersed with joining the plasterboard and ceiling boards, and painting. One needs a break from dismantling pallets sometimes! And finally, two months of…
One of the most special experiences I had in Mexico was the honour of reconstructing a turtle shell! We found it while exploring one of the beaches and collected all the parts we could find, taking a moment to honour its life with some gentle music and quiet presence. We carried it back to our lodgings, and I set about the task of cleaning and reconstructing…
Anyone who has been following me for a while knows that my dream is to build an off grid cabin in the woods. This is something I have been working towards for years, but one day I woke up and realised 'what am I waiting for?' I may not be able to do the full dream right now, but there's nothing stopping me from doing something…
Inspired by the Mesoamerican ritual floor drum called 'Huehuetl', Ruben Te Yonton has created a workshop providing an opportunity to create your own drum, the 'Chimalli-Huehuetl'. 'Chimalli' in the Nahualt language is the shield used in battles, and 'Huehuetl' is the grandfather ritual drum; from these roots the design for this drum was born. The materials of frame, skin, and rope are provided for the 10-hour…
You don't have to clean every bone you find. If it has been out in the open, doesn't have any soft tissue on it, and doesn't smell, then it is pretty much clean - I still do a quick soak to disinfect, but it is rare to get diseases from any bones like this. If the bone does smell, or has any flesh attached, then it needs…
Technically, Zentangle is a trademark name representing describing an abstract, patterned drawing created according to the tenets of the Zentangle Method. The artist creates a structured pattern according to his or her whim, following a basic set of guidelines. No technology, special materials, or educational background are necessary to become a Zentangle artist. According to those tenets, the standard format is: drawn on a 3.5-inch square. It…