Another commission has found its way home! It’s a painting of Woodpecker Bay on the wild the West Coast, one of my most sacred places where my spirit flies free in the mountains, the wind and sea. Although I only lived there four years it was a time that really shaped me, where I felt… Continue reading Going Home
Category: Eco Politics
Get in the Sun
Living off the grid you learn to adjust your behaviour to minimise your power usage. So during a week of blazing sunshine it was something of a surprise to run out of power! At Hou Ngahere we have a basic but very effective solar system. Starting with just the two panels (on the… Continue reading Get in the Sun
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Give me spots
“Hey farmer, farmer Put away that DDT now Give me spots on my apples But LEAVE me the birds and the bees Please! Don’t it always seem to go That you don’t know what you’ve got ‘Til its gone They paved paradise And put up a parking lot” ~ Joni Mitchell, Big Yellow Taxi.… Continue reading Give me spots
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Auction success
I’ve just had word that the Island Bay Art Auction on Friday was a huge success and has surpassed the last Auctions record fundraising total! The funds go to the schools art and culture program -which to my mind is a vital part in any child’s education, so I’m very happy to have helped with that!… Continue reading Auction success
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We’re all in this together!
I’m feeling a lot more hopeful for our dear planet in the wake of Pope Francis’ plea for the Earth and a review of rampant capitalism. It’s great to see some moral leadership being taken by him and the Dalai Lama to show the world another way….given that really we have no choice, we’re all… Continue reading We’re all in this together!
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Buying Time
Update: It’s buying time at New Chums Beach. The development plans have been withdrawn! For now there’s a breathing space before a new plan emerges. Maybe it’s time for a giant “crowd source” to buy it for everyone….. sometimes we just need these wild untamed places. See the news article update here. Together we can… Continue reading Buying Time
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Shifting Summer Sands
Returning from a few days at Whangapoua beach in the Coromandel. A very special place I’ve been going to for many years now, lots of memories – like this painting above “Summer Sands” from 1993, going round the rocks to the harbour… seeing the changes over the years; in the shifting sands, in the village,… Continue reading Shifting Summer Sands
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Rain
Rain – Hone Tuwhare I can hear you making small holes in the silence rain If I were deaf the pores of my skin would open to you and shut And I should know you by the lick of you if I were blind: the steady drum-roll sound you make when the wind drops the… Continue reading Rain
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Like we own the place
Back for a few weeks in paradise. The geckos have taken over the cabins. They silently accommodate to our presence, (well maybe just the occasional chunnering in the night), and it makes me stop and think about how we swan in like we own the place. Radically altering their living space for our comfort. They… Continue reading Like we own the place
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“Trees for Travel” – Carbon Offset scheme
“TREES FOR TRAVEL” IS MY DIAMOND APPROACH RETREAT GROUP’s WAY OF MITIGATING THE EFFECTS ON THE PLANET OF OUR TRAVEL TO RETREAT. We’ve set up this scheme to plant trees to offset our CO2 emissions. A trust fund has been established to receive donations and from our recent retreat enough was deposited to plant around 500… Continue reading “Trees for Travel” – Carbon Offset scheme
Life and Light 