~ Preparations ~ Week 3 ~

This week was pretty much full of work from Monday to Saturday, 8.30 - 6.30 everyday as well as a cold leaving me with a voice like Marge Simpson and a huge lack of energy. Luckily working with children and travelling everywhere by bicycle means there are a few relevant things to say :D

~ Monday ~ 

~ Boom ticket?! ~

As the festival was approaching I was keen to make arrangements. I looked on the site to find out how I might get there (bus, train lalala) Alas the first page I saw was encouraging people to cycle to the festival. Totally inspired the planning began, the route is planned, the bags are made, the blog is up and running, the crowd funding page is up and running, today ... 'oh but I haven't yet confirmed my ticket for Boom!' I thought loudly! 'S*#%! Silly me' ...
My Boom 2012 experience was not one I'd like to repeat... I was struck with salmonella :( I had to leave the festival on the 3rd day and there is more to this story, however I do not wish to go into it here... I encourage anyone staying at the festival to clean all your cooking apparatus thoroughly, eat fresh food, don't drink the tap water and take a first aid kit along with you! 
After my recovery from Boom 2012 I discussed my experience with the Boom team, then following their kind and loving philosophy, they offered me a ticket for 2014. Since then I was sure I had saved the emails on my computer, however :/ I seemed to have deleted them! DISASTER! So I sent an email in the evening and awaited their reply ...

21.2 km on my bicycle 

~ Tuesday ~

~ Sick! ~

Waking up with a throbbing head, a sore throat and a dribbling nose, I was not wanting to go out the door! But I shot back some lemon and honey before clambering on the bicycle. when I arrived at work I was told about Propolis and advised me to go buy some from the pharmacy for my cold. I hadn't heard much about it before, so I wanted to research before rushing to buy it ~ After all a cold wont kill me.
After looking at pictures of raw propolis, I realised that the farm where I've been volunteering actually make it, so I then asked this question to my best friend google, "can propolis be eaten raw?" the site explains that it can be eaten raw, but as always its important to have a chemical and heavy metal free environment. It also explains a little more about the production of propolis and how the bees use it. It is suggested that propolis is good for; fungal mouth infections, gingivitis, swollen cervix, herpes, stomach ulcers, colds, minor burns, pneumonia and more. I'll be heading to the farm to get me some of that!


I received an email confirming that I am on the list for a Boom 2014 ticket, yay! Cycle for a Cycle continues...

26.6 km on the bicycle.

~ Wednesday ~

~ Just keep swimming! ~

Another full day of work and the cold hasn't gone anywhere... Just reminding myself to keep going with Dory ... 21.2 km on the bike :o) 

~ Thursday ~

~ I want to ride my bicycle ~

An early morning in the park with the 2 girls aged 6 and 9, who I babysit. My suggestion was to take the bikes, of course the girls agreed and we set off to the park. The older girl has got the nack for hers, but the younger one needed a little assistance at first. This was not my first opportunity to teach a child how to master the true skill of bicycle riding and so it came very naturally to me. She wasn't to bad at first, needing a push off, wobbling a while then stopping. So I gave her my top tips which are as follows:-

Basic start -

1. Push you foot hard, on the pedal that is highest
2. Look where your going
3. Keep going 

Turning - 

1. Move away from people
2. Don't turn the handlebars too quickly
3. When you want to turn look where you want to go  

She soon had the confidence to do it all by herself, with just a few reminders to look where she is going. Well done!! Yay!!

As we arrived home I asked the older child what she'd like to do next and she said "I want to ride my bicycle", obviously I got the air guitar out, still standing on the street and started to sing the well known Queen song! She proposed to me the following question, "are you one of those people without control?" I continued before stopping to show her the real video, which of course led to her singing until I left.

21.2 km ~ Bike is best

~ Friday ~

~ Friday ~

Lots of fruit today ... mmmmm!

21.2 km on the bicycle

~ Saturday ~

~ Building a future ~

I had the pleasure of meeting another lover of the home-made Life, called Angela she lives in a camper van on the streets of Rome selling her handmade jewellery. Talking to her got me to thinking about the Life travel shop. I hope to sell items under every heading of The Life project; Play, heal, learn and grow. 

• Play will include board games, card games, puzzles, poi, balls, frisbee's, devil sticks, art supplies, bongo drums.
• Heal will include handmade information leaflets about natural medicinal plants, books and leaflets about various healing practices such as yoga, meditation, Thai chi, art and movement therapy.
• Learn will incorporate the items already mentioned as well as offering information on local teachers and places for practice or website where information can be found. Locally handmade products and how to make your own ie. jewellery, soap and other cosmetics, art.  
• Grow will include food and medicinal plants, as well as incorporation the other areas of the shop as when we learn about ourselves we naturally grow as people.          

  Slowly but surely I am gathering all the contacts and information needed for this to really happen. Please support me with a small donation and help me realise this project.

15.4 km on the bicycle

~ Sunday ~

~ Respect for the Bee's ~ 

This morning as I ate my breakfast a poem came into my thoughts...

When I eat honey and bread

a thought pops into my head,

how's it so tasty,

this thing made by bees?

When spread on a thick slice of bread.

Since the day on the farm when I put the big square headed body suit on and made my way over to the beehives. My love and interest for this little striped creature has only grown. I saw the interior of their home built to perfection, with the honeycomb for eggs separate from the honeycomb of the honey factory and each hexagon filled and sealed on completion of honey production. Creating honey, honeycomb, bee's wax and propolis as well as pollinating other plants. These busy bee's deserve a lot of respect and love.

Today the bicycle has remained stagnant as the rain has been pouring and I have been sewing. Completing a second set of pannier bags :D including a cooler bag on one side for food storage.