It's going to be a dry January, in more ways than one

I was not planning on making any new year's resolutions this year, however when I read Leo Babauta's post on making 1 habit-forming change a month I leaped at the chance to fully focus on one 'resolution' at a time.

For me, it was obvious what January's focus needed to be: alcohol. For the last year I have been physically unable to drink very much; after a few glasses of any alcohol I feel sick, if I keep drinking then I vomit (with little notice - very embarrassing!)

You would think this would stop me from drinking anyway, however the social pressure I felt meant I continued to drink each Friday after work and every time I went out with friends. I had learnt to cut down my drinking, but not cut it out.

So for the month of January 2014 I have decided not to drink any alcohol at all (for full transparency this actually started on January 4th). Bizarrely I'm actually looking forward to Friday 'drinks' at work this week, as I've prepared to bring a soft drink and still stay as long as usual socialising.

For me, alcohol has often been used as a social 'lubricant'; because I'm shy I thought I needed a drink to be funny/outgoing etc. however the honest truth is I just become loud and boorish after a few drinks - not quite as funny or entertaining as I hoped.

Last year's discovery that being shy is just an excuse to stay in my comfort zone helped me to realise that I was using alcohol as a social crutch, and it was one I no longer needed. 

The one thing I immediately missed was a cold drink on ice (it's the middle of summer here), and water just didn't cut it. So Mike and I played around with a variety of fruit juices and soda water to create different mocktails and I think we've found the perfect recipe:

• 1 quarter pineapple juice
• 1 quarter apple juice (with a hint of passionfruit)
• half soda water

Yum! It's amazingly fresh and tasty. Good bye booze! Hello sobriety. I'll let you know how I go.

Be present this Christmas

I haven't blogged recently because I've been really down of late. The calm I brought back from Bali has definitely left and the only saving grace is my Christmas holidays start at 4pm today.

It is tough being an emotional species, all around me are people who are excited, stressed or depressed and Christmas seems to be a catalyst for emotional extremes: the highest highs and the lowest lows.

This year I'll be having Christmas at my parents house, for what will most likely be my dad's last Christmas. His myeloma seems to be progressing faster than originally expected so the pressure is on to make this a 'happy family' Christmas for everyone to remember, and there is nothing like emotional pressure to add to the festive season!

This week I have also forcibly changed my sleeping pattern from late-to-bed-late-to-rise to an early-to-bed-early-to-rise pattern by going to bed an hour earlier than usual and getting up nearly two hours earlier in the morning. The reason I'm doing this is our summer has already started with a heat-wave and I've found it WAY too hot in the evenings after work to go running. 

Now I'm awake at 5am and have an hour and a half of cool air to exercise in before the temperature starts to soar (that's the plan anyway, so far I have only managed to walk my dogs that early). But I've only had about 5 hours sleep each night as it takes me hours to fall asleep when I go to bed earlier, until the exhaustion kicks in that is. Last night was the first night I fell asleep within an hour so at least my body is figuring out what I'm doing. 

So with the end of the year in sight it's a natural time to reflect on the year that has past and look forward to the next year coming. Having said that, after a little reflection I need to bring myself back to the now, lest I lose myself in fantasies and nightmares. The calm that returns when I'm consciously in the present is fleeting, but with practice will become less so.

That is my plan for Christmas, to be present, as much as possible.

Have a Happy Christmas everyone.

Allan Savory and The Kimberley Project

Mike and I would like to contact Australian Aboriginal cattle ranchers in the Kimberley region of Western Australia to see if anyone is interested in trying Allan Savory's method of cattle management. Do you know any? :-)

If you haven't heard of Allan Savory before, he has done a famous and controversial TED Talk on an alternative method of cattle farming, called holistic management. His method has three basic points:

1. Put a herd of cattle in a small paddock (about a quarter of the size of the usual paddock OR four times the herd size in the usual paddock). This 'crowding' causes the animals to replicate herding behaviour; in nature, a group of animals will herd together tightly to protect themselves from predators. Cattle in Australia are not generally predated, but you can condense the animals together to replicate this natural phenomenon. 
2. The herd are grazed over grassland in the paddock for a short period of time (up to a few days, depending on herd size and food available). Over that time the grasses are eaten and trampled and the ground is covered in urine and faeces. As soon as the paddock is eaten and 'fertilised' then the herd is moved on to the next paddock. 
3. The grazed pasture has now been naturally turned and fertilised, and is left to re-grow the grassland. The herd rotation continues over an area large enough so that the first paddock is not revisited until the grass is at the optimum level to be grazed again.

This methodology has been tried and tested in various countries in Africa, in the U.S. and in Australia over the past 20 years, and there seems to be very good evidence that the land under this management scheme has healthier soil and plant life as well as increased biodiversity.

What I haven't been able to find is any detailed studies or research that proves that the benefits outweigh any deficits. Critics of Savory's method claim that increasing cattle stock does more damage than good by increasing methane gasses released by the herd and by causing ground compaction. I can imagine ground compaction being an issue where the soils have high levels of clay, but in the sandy soils of Western Australia this would not be an issue.

In fact, I think the sandy-soiled grasslands of the Kimberley region would be perfect for Allan Savory's holistic management, and that the aboriginal owners of the land are best placed to profit from these methods. Since the cattle need to be regularly moved over a large area of land then ideally a mob including men, women and children could move with the stock, keeping aboriginal cultural practices alive at the same time.

I would love to discuss this further with the aboriginal pastoralists of the Kimberley region but haven't found a direct way to contact them. I will keep trying and report back how I go.

Think Big and DO IT

Have you ever felt like the multiverse is trying to tell you something? This makes me understand why people believe in God: you hear/see/read something that resounds with you and then hear the same message again (and again sometimes) from different sources. 

This is happening to me right now. First I had a life-altering conversation with Norm, the owner of Sarinbuana Eco Lodge in Bali, and now one of my blogging idols Matt Frazier is telling me the same thing. So what are they saying?

Think Big and DO IT.

Lets start with Matt Frazier's blog post, "5 Easy Steps for Making your Unrealistic Goal a Reality". If you haven't read this then give it a try - especially if you have a big goal in mind.

Matt's 5 points so closely matched my own thoughts after our talk with Norm that it really felt like the universe/multiverse/God/whatever-you-believe-in was ramming its ideas home. The five points of Matt's blog are:

1. Think really big
2. Ask: Does action flow from it?
3. Give yourself time
4. Create massive accountability
5. Get to work

Norm was even more direct - points 1 and 5 summarise his attitude. I went into our conversation looking for insight into planning an eco-retreat and I came out with a fire lit under me. I was ready to change the world.

That's what was so inspiring about our conversation; Norm said, building an eco-retreat in Western Australia is fine, it's going to take you the rest of your lives and it'll be fine. But you can do MUCH more than that.

So that's the plan! To do MUCH more.

Stay tuned ...

It's Not about you: How being shy is egotistical

I've already briefly mentioned the Bali Eco Lodge we stayed in during our recent holiday, but I didn't tell you about the talk we had with one of the owners, Norm. The three-hour talk quite probably changed my life (only my actions following the talk with prove that or not) but one minor thing he said has affected my outlook greatly.

When he described getting up in front of a room full of people to discuss permaculture, my response was, "I could never do that, I'm shy". Norm simply replied, "It's not about you". He went on to explain how he had to go on national television once and was extremely nervous, he simply remembered no-one was watching to see him, they were only interested in what he had to say and so focused on that.

That's when I realised every time I have said "I'm shy" that's my ego speaking. What's worse is my ego had developed a victimised strategy of dealing with social situations, "it's hard for me because I'm shy" is really just an excuse for getting out of things.

This amazingly simple idea has already allowed me to say yes to a few things I wouldn't have considered before, because of my shyness. For starters I have booked a hair/ makeup/ photography session with a friend of mine so I can have some nice pictures while I have my Bettie Bangs in. 

The idea of that much attention is very uncomfortable for me, but then I remember - even getting my photograph taken is not about me! It's about the moment in time I'm looking to capture with a friend. The same can be said for doing things out of your comfort zone: why not sing that karaoke song? It's not about you, it's about having fun with friends.

Once you take your own ego out of the equation there is nothing to be afraid of! Are you shy? Then just remember, it's NOT about you. There is no I in shy. 

Afternoon Delight

I don't think I'm the only person out there who is a bit over excited about the upcoming release of Anchorman 2. I was reminded recently how funny Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy was, so went back and watched it again, having forgotten a LOT of the hilariously stupid 'fight' scenes between the various news groups.

Just about every actor in Hollywood gets a cameo in the original so it will be very interesting to see who pops up in the long-awaited sequel. And since I blogged recently about Clueless it was great to see that Paul Rudd (from Clueless) was one of Ron Burgundy's side-kicks, AND he'll be back for the sequel. Apparently he's been a busy boy so I might have to check out some of the MANY other comedies he's been in - suggestions anyone?

So having watched Anchorman the other night I have been obsessively singing 'Afternoon Delight' ever since, a harmonised song from the seventies sung beautifully by the cast. If you haven't seen the movie then youtube the song, it's kitsch, funny and beautiful all at the same time.

Sky rockets in flight.... Pew!

Best Eco Lodge in Bali?

Mike and I have just returned from a fabulous week in Bali. We stayed at Sarinbuana Eco Lodge on Mount Batukaru and I can't recommend the place enough. The food was amazing - every single meal! The staff were friendly and spoke good English and we even got to meet with the owners about how they created their permaculture Eco Lodge.

If you or anyone you know is going to Bali and looking for an alternative experience away from the heat, noise and crowding of the beach scene then head to Sarinbuana Eco Lodge for a few days or more. We stayed for a whole week and that was the perfect length of time for us.

There's workshops you can do such as cooking classes or wood/stone carvings, but I just lazed for a week; I managed to read three books, have two massages and meditations over the week and that was enough activity for me!

I've returned to my life a more calm and peaceful version of myself, and just can't wipe the smile off my face. I am inspired to move forward with our plans for a working permaculture site with tourist accommodation here in WA, although finding somewhere in the tropics seems like a much easier way to get things off the ground! Hmmm, food for thought there...

Sunset from the Orchid Bungalow