~ 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. 

~ Preparations ~ Week two ~

~ Monday ~

~ A Play Day ~

After a brief 10 km cycle to my friends house, I went for a day of fun at the lake. With poi, uno (card game), balls of all sizes, the bongo, a little guitar and a bag packed with a variety of delicious healthy food, we were prepared for our Play day! 

Lake Martignano is just a short drive from Rome and is set in a beautiful natural location. The crowd includes people from all walks of Life; hippies, young people, families and the sporty types :D 

We played and ate and played again; football, UNO, bongos, volleyball, poi. 

Play is so important in Life, many people don't make time for it. As you grow up the belief that you should act responsibly and no longer play silly games may also grow. This is fatal for your heart. Playing takes us to the present moment, whether your chasing a ball or awaiting your turn in a game of cards, in the moment you feel free, happy and light. It helps to mould better relationships by encouraging different methods of communication as well as giving you a little insight to yourself, maybe your a little competitive or a bad looser. Maybe your ego gets a little too big when you win, thinking your as the big dog of the game. To play is to create and to let your inner self express. It teaches you to let go! Letting go is so powerful! So my advise to you is if you haven't played for a while, start now!   

As the evening approached we were informed of an open yoga session which was a great end to the day and perfect preparation for the week ahead. 

~ Tuesday ~

~ Pannier bags ~

As you already know, I am preparing for a 3000 km cycle around Europe to raise funds for my Life project. You can imagine, I don't have a great deal of funds at this current moment. But what I do have is creativity, ideas and determination to complete the challenge / journey and to continue towards my goal for Project Life. In my preparations I have been wondering how I may be able to carry my belongings on the bike, "I don't have those nifty little bags" I thought. After scrawling through ebay and amazon, then listing up what it is that I need, I figured that the money I would spend on buying the stuff would probably be better spent on building the shop. So I said to myself "you will have to make do with what you have" and as always I quickly realised that I had a bag with a broken zip, "That's perfect!" I continued to think and so the creating began.   

With 30 km on the bike and these handmade beauties, I was pretty chuffed by nightfall <3 p="">

~Wednesday ~

~ The hitch hiking butterfly ~

The morning started with my usual routine before heading to volunteer on the farm. Always wonderfully tranquil planting and picking. On my way home I noticed I had a little company, it was just a couple of km into the trip that I noticed it and I stuck in there the whole way home! It was great company, "where is it your headed?" I asked the little butterfly, 

"my journey, is my journey" the little butterfly replied, " I am with you now, after, I am not yet sure, the heart has not spoken and the feeling has not come."

"I like your style little butterfly, you are very free" I replied.

"find your heart, follow it and you to will be free." stated this wise little creature. 

We were silent and I pondered these words as I continued the journey home. When I parked my bike outside the house and left, the butterfly simply sat. 

The butterfly was not the only lesson to come across today, I see how the weather will effect my journey. The heat has risen in Rome and summer is creeping in. A new factor when riding the bike as the heat doesn't help my low blood pressure, luckily a friend advised me on the use of licorice, which has been added to the list of necessaries. The temperature is only going to rise so it's a handy lesson to learn.   

After my working day had finished I joined my friend in the park, we joined in with a lesson of African dance, whilst stretching and awaiting other friends who gave us a lesson in Thai Chi (my first). The thing that stood out in this lesson for me was how to keep your back aligned and always to move with your core, from your centre. By relaxing your hips, shoulders and belly and letting all tension go into the earth and following this by an extension of the neck, it releases everything and takes the awareness of your mind to remain concious of your position. This is a great way to stay in the present moment.

 "As strong as a mountain, as fluid as water" ~ Lorenzo!

I look forward to more of this practice <3 p="">

After this lesson I really took my time to ride home, being aware of every movement of my body and trying to keep the hips loose and the stomach relaxed through every push, using my centre. Watch this space! 

A total of 44.6 km and many beautiful experiences ~ Thankyou for my Life ~   

~ Thursday ~

~ Park Life ~

Between the 40.9 km today, I worked and continued to travel slowly, acknowledging my centre (as learned in Thai Chi) It really helps to stay relaxed and is a powerful meditation. I also found myself with slots of time to lay in the park, slowly stretching the body. From the feet to the neck and all the places in between. A great pace and a relaxed me! <3 nbsp="" p="">

~ Friday ~

~ Handmade ~

Today I spent the day collecting all the ingredients needed to make my own sunscreen, I found it very exciting and have been waiting since last summer to make some. I had all the ingredients I needed except beeswax. "Ah, there is a party on the farm tonight" I thought "I should be able to get it there." 

The farm isn't only a farm it is the centre for a bigger project which supports young people in rejoining society and building a better future for themselves. There are 3 homes around Rome with people aged between 14 and 21, who have been in trouble with the law and requested to live in supported housing. The project is called il Fiore del deserto, they also have a project in Kenya housing orphans of aids. The party was to raise funds for the projects and to show the local community, different things these young people have been doing. Some DJ's, some creating art, others selling products of the farm and Kenyan project and another which caught my eye, was a group of young girls, who have designed and handmade beautiful notepads, branding themselves as Blah Blah. It was beautiful to see them following their dream and creating a beautiful event together. I plan to continue with my voluntary involvement in this project and I hope to purchase some items from them for resale in the Life travelling shop. 

Luckily enough they had some beeswax for sale and I had completed my check list of ingredients. The day ended with 27.6 km and a warm jar of sunscreen setting on my shelf <3 nbsp="" p="">

~ Saturday ~

~ Kids know love ~

Today I spent the day with a recently turned four year old, she has a great, stubborn and fierce personality! Throughout my Life children have been my greatest teachers and they continue to this day. Today as we walked home from the park, a homeless man began to speak with her. It was a strange situation for me, as I know many parents fear the homeless, so at first I was wanting to avoid the situation. But as I let go of the fear I saw love, openness and honesty from both of them. She did not judge his ratty clothes, turn her nose up or tell him to go away! She listened to him, laughed with him and seemed to bring a smile to his face. It was beautiful reminder that no matter who you are, how old you are, where your from or how much stuff you have or haven't got, you can find a connection, maybe just for a few moments, but a connection of love and purity. 

By the end of my day, I had completed 28.6 km and opened my heart a little more <3 p="">

~ Sunday ~

~ Follow your Dreams ~ 

Sunday has been a day of rest, with 14 km to the market and back, the purchase of a few little bits, including, camera bag, puncture repair kit and charms for my current bracelet project. A grounded feeling as the day draws to and end. As I write this weekly summary, I see how everything fits together so well when you just follow your dreams. The time has passed that I give up, no longer, disheartened as old things stop. Moving forward, letting go, dreaming bigger, but moving slow. I love my Life!