What the world needs now is kindness. The only way to overcome the darkness is to let your true self shine through, no matter how tiring it may become. Kindness can take any form, visiting the lonely old lady down the road, planting a tree for wildlife, becoming vegetarian or vegan, complimenting someone on their new hairstyle, paying someone's parking meter that is nearly expired, donating your unused items to charity, refusing to visit circuses or zoos, smiling at the person serving you at the grocery store, helping an injured animal, listening to someone's problems, cooking a vegetarian or vegan meal for friends, throwing a party, planting flowers on an abandoned block, giving a surprise gift to someone... whatever you choose, choose to do it with kindness and the world can truly become a better place very quickly.
Have you ever wondered what all the hype about use of animals in circuses is all about? This post is not a personal attack on circuses or anyone who attends, rather I am hoping to raise awareness about the welfare of the animals involved.
Do you know what this instrument is? No? Keep reading..
This cruel ''tool'' is a bull hook and is commonly used to ''train'' circus animals. If you think this is not still happening in 2016, think again. There is plenty of covert footage proving otherwise.
The use of animals in circuses is an ancient practice and many circuses claim that they could not survive financially without the animals. This is not the case. There are many very successful circuses now that do not have animals. The most obvious is Cirque du Soleil. If you have looked at ticket prices lately you will know that they are doing very well indeed! Other non - animal circuses include Circus Oz, Zirka circus and Circus vargas. You can find a list here http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/amazing-animal-free-circuses/
Animal cruelty in circuses is not limited to cruel training procedures. Animals are also often confined to small areas for long periods of time. Some countries have strict legislation regarding welfare of circus animals and travelling duration, housing requirements and feeding, but many countries do not have these laws. For example, 2009 New South Wales standards for exhibiting wild animals states that big cats must be given a minimum floor space of 20 square metres (or 65 feet) for each animal and 10 square metres for each additional animal. Given that a wild lion can wander a territory of 259 square kilometres or 100 square miles, these regulations seem rather insignificant.
Both images from Peta
It is true that not all circuses engage in the horrific animal cruelty that investigators have uncovered, but we need to ask ourselves whether keeping animals in such unnatural conditions for our entertainment is really the most compassionate or evolved way to be.
Many countries around the world including Austria, Denmark, Greece and Slovenia have banned use of animals in circuses. You can find a list here http://www.stopcircussuffering.com/circus-bans/
This image won first prize in Nature singles category 2015 World Press Photo Contest and was captured by Yongzhi Chu of China and shows a monkey being trained for the circus cowering as its trainer approaches.
Here is a short video showing the life of a circus animal. Warning: some of these scenes are distressing.
For more insight into the life of an elephant in the circus, please go and watch ''Tyke - Elephant outlaw'' the story of one elephant who did not calmly accept her fate. You can find this amazing film on Netflix. Here is the trailer.
This has been a terribly hard post to write as the abuse and sadness that you can find on the web can be overwhelming. I really hope that I have helped to raise awareness about the issues facing these magnificent animals and maybe some who read this may make different choices. Thanks for reading.
˝The notion that it is entertaining to see animals being coerced into acting like clumsy humans, or amusing to see powerful animals reduced and cowering to whips, supports the old idea that we are superior to animals of other species and we have the right to dominate them.˝ - Dr Desmond Morris, anthropologist and expert on animal behaviour.
Few people experience the natural world in the way Krakow born writer and animal advocate has done. After falling in love with a run-down cottage in Dziedzinka, in the middle of the Bialowieza Forest she proceeded to live there for thirty years.
Image: Lech Wilkzek
Many animals regarded her as a friend as she cared for them when they were injured or orphaned. Simona is perhaps best known for her terrorist crow friend who would steal gold from people and terrorise bicycle riders. A tame lynx slept on her bed and a boar shared the cottage. Simona also fought for lynx and wolves in the forest as researches were using barbaric traps to catch and tag the animals.
Many regarded her as a witch because of her lifestyle and communication with animals, which she describes as beginning when her deer friends alerted her to danger ahead by warning her verbally.
Simona also developed a warning device that alerted wild animals to trains.
Image: Lech Wilczek
Including radio talks, Simona wrote a book about her time in the forest and this has been translated to English by Elzbieta Kowalewska. There are a few copies around. I certainly intend to find one.
Simona believed people should live simply, close to nature. What a fantastic, brave woman.
I have loved street art since I was a child, seeing graffiti on coal trains and walls in Sydney. Street art has come a long way from the days of graffiti artists risking arrest for their art. I love the street art around Toowoomba and thought I would share some of my favourite pieces here.
Aboriginal Kid by Adnate 2015 -Neil street
Image: FigtreeBloom
To see more of Adnate's work visit www.adnate.com.au
Hitnes (From Italy) 2014 - 2 Station Street
Image: FigtreeBloom
Drapl and Treas 2014 - 86 Russell Street
Image: FigtreeBlooom
Gimiks Born 2014 - 3 Bank Lane
Image: FigtreeBloom
Fintan Magee - Ruthven street - from Street Art News
Toowoomba city council decided to use funds for Graffiti removal to host a street art festival. The festival was a huge success and now street art created by world renowned artists attracts countless tourists, especially during the Street art festival and the Carnival of Flowers. After great success, the festival has been running each year and I am really looking forward to having a look this year.
Foraging - commonly means searching widely for food.
I realised I have been a forager since I was young. I have vivid memories of sucking the honey from honeysuckle flowers at family Christmas parties while the rest of the family were gorging on prawns.
These days I am rather fond of adding milk thistle to banana smoothies.
Recently I noticed the resurgence in this ancient practice and thought I would upload a quick post about foraging in Australia. There are many plants growing wild as weeds that are edible in Australia.
You must be careful not to eat from sprayed plants and I would not be too keen to eat from near a highway either.
Common sow thistle, milk thistle (Sonchus oleraceus)
From left to right: wild fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)- delicious in salads, Coryza bonarienses - fleabane, Bidens pilosa - cobblers peg or sticky beak - young leaves are tasty, common dandelion (taraxacum spp.) - leaves can be used in salads or smoothies and roots can be made into a coffee substitute.
Chickweed (Stellaria media) definitely deserves a mention as well - this amazing plant is really high in vitamins and is great in salads, great for your chickens and grows in abundance in my yard in winter. This amazing little plant has also been used in skin remedies to heal itches, and abrasions.
Here is a link for an amazing little book that lists many edible weeds in Australia http://www.eatthatweed.com/
Here are a couple of great little videos from Diego Bonetto about foraging showing many of the common edible plants you can easily find.
Good luck with your foraging - leave your favourite foraged plants in the comments below.
Our recent trip to The Pocket in New South Wales north coast hinterland was magical and just what tired faery folk needed. This big guy was totally at home on the rocks with so many people looking and photographing him! Vanessa got some great shots. To see more wildlife and the crystal clear beach at Brunswick heads visit our Instagram. You tube video coming soon ☺
Carpet snakes vary in colour, most are olive green with patches, and can grow to more than three metres in length. They are widespread throughout Australia and like to live in rainforest, coastal heath, rural land, park land and in suburbia. It is believed this snake can live for over one hundred years! They are not venomous and are really beautiful animals.
Discarded fishing nets and other rubbish can be very dangerous for these snakes and many other types of wildlife in coastal regions with many animals needing help from Wires wildlife rescue. Please keep our wildlife safe and clean up your rubbish.
I am so excited. I just received my new vegetarian shoes in the mail. These shoes are incredibly well made, affordable and totally cruelty free. Have a look at Vegetarian shoes website - http://www.vegetarian-shoes.co.uk/ You are bound to find a style you like!
Many people don't consider the impact that getting a tattoo, having hair coloured or applying make up may have on animals.
It is so easy now to modify your body in any way you choose in an animal friendly way.
Many, many companies produce vegan ink and any good tattoo artist will be able to use them when you ask. This is my latest tattoo -
Artistic inker; Peta (Junior) Jamieson from Westside Tattoo, West End, Brisbane just completed this faery star for me using totally vegan inks developed by a vegan!
This tattoo is quite significant to me and also contains a Black eyed Susan flower, reminding me to slow down and take in the world.
After care for tattoos using vegan products is also really easy now, there are many products available that are just as effective as non-vegan products. I have used papaw ointment in the past, but this time I am trialling After Inked moisturiser and after care.
For years I have seen 11:11 or 333. On clocks, car registration plates, the video player, on the Cd player, 11:11 is everywhere!
It seems I am not alone. Millions of people all over the world are seeing these number sequences. There are many theories explaining this phenomenon. Here are some of the theories..
27.12.15
Ralph Smart - 11:11 - "Super secrets"
Let me know about your 11:11 experiences - leave a comment or email.
