All posts tagged: learning

Too old to learn the drums at 56? Hell no! One year later…

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Welcome Folks, to the best year of my life. I mean that. Twelve months ago exactly I bought my first electronic drum kit for $400, played it for 2 weeks every day, then upgraded to a $1500 kit. I wrote all about it HERE. A couple of months later I spent $500 on a cute blue acoustic kit (which means the proper ‘drum kit’ you see with rock bands), then again upgraded to my now-much-beloved-almost-new-proper Pearl kit, with pride of place in my living room: And yes, I’d sleep there if I thought it would help me learn quicker. For me, drums are the perfect combination of rhythm, dance, meditation, creativity, focus, play, fun, and discipline. I try and play every day for an hour (sometimes more), and let me acknowledge here what a privilege this is: I don’t have to deal with a fulltime job, 3 kids, a struggle with homelessness, or even just grumpy neighbours. I am SO blessed. Last week marked six months of weekly rehearsals with my group of over-45 women …

Eco Village learning Intensive Day Four: Permaculture

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Day Four started with a 6am drive in the opposite direction, so I could teach a Pilates class. But my reward was this view of the extinct volcano Mt Wollumbin or Warning, on whose ancient skirts of lava we live and grow our food. Once I’d arrived at the retreat, we launched into Permaculture, formally created in the 1970s in Tasmania by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren. If you haven’t heard of it, PLEASE research it; I first heard about it in the mid-eighties when my then-boyfriend was finishing his Landscape Architecture degree in Sydney, and I can’t believe so little of it has been adopted. *sighs “‘Consciously designed landscapes which mimic the patterns and relationships found in nature, while yielding an abundance of food, fibre and energy for provision of local needs. People, their buildings and the ways in which they organise themselves are central to permaculture. Thus the permaculture vision of permanent or sustainable agriculture has evolved to one of permanent or sustainable culture.” Holmgren Design 2018 A truly passionate and highly-skilled Permaculture …