Quirky Homes At Burning Man...

A few of the wonderful tiny and quirky homes on display at Burning Man in the Nevada Desert this year.
Fifty thousand people came and enjoyed their collective creative talents.
And too, their humour in all things...

Delightful Form And Function

This is one of the earthbag domes built by the Konbit Shelter Project in post earthquake Haiti.
The beautiful shutters are made by local artisans.
Such simple style...

Tiny Homes Carved In Rock...

Tucked away in a remote corner of Iran is the amazing village of Kandovan.
This village, carved out of rock, is famous not only for it's scenic beauty but for the unique dwellings of it's residents.
Believed to be more than seven hundred years old, it was created when those fleeing the advancing Mongol army took to the caves to hide.
I found this wonderful place when visiting amusingplanet.com, but if you want to actually go there, it's located in Iran's East Azerbaijan Province about sixty kilometres south of the provincial capital Tabriz in Osku County.
Between a rock and a hard place...

Future Forests...

'Future Forests' is a Plant Nursery hidden deep in the countryside somewhere in Ireland where it's unlikely to offend the eyes of the bureaucrats who would tear down such imaginative, quirky, architectural ingenuity.
We know only too well that they'd rather put up some hideous structure that fits within the rules of 'homes you must live in' and one that ticks all the boxes of the local planning department.
Thanks John Foster...

They're Called Podpads...

They might look as though they're part of a toy village but they're a set of tiny houses used at music festivals in the UK.
Originally designed for the 2005 Glastonbury Festival, they sleep two adults, will stand up to the most severe weather, have a 12volt power socket and are powered by the sunflower that has a solar panel delightfully hidden in it.
Each little house measures eight foot by 6 foot. Just big enough.
Best of all they're secure, comfortable and fun...

This Year's Bedford Rally...

Thirty one Bedfords and two 'Wannabe's turned up at Lance Cryer's wonderful 'Bedford Heaven' at Puriri, just out of Thames on the Coromandel Peninsula for this year's very laid back event.
Among others were Rod and Dot in their newly painted and immaculate bus called Pseuper.
There was a Ford that was trying very hard to be a Bedford and had to bribe his way in.
And Peter and Lynley in Ruapehu Wanderer, who like Wayne and Hilary in their '52 J Beddy made the 1300 kilometre round trip from Wellington for the second time.
Make sure you get your Beddy in time for next year's rally.
Same time, same place...

Bedford Rally Images...

A few more of the beautiful Bedfords and delightful images at this, the third annual rally.
Saturday we had Shelley, a beautiful woman with an even more beautiful voice who's a great guitarist too, playing in the evening. Sunday we had an afternoon concert by 'Ukes on Fire' and that night sitting under the stars with the campfires blazing, we, with a fair amount of 'Kiwi ingenuity', watched the All Blacks beat the French by the narrowest of margins.
We rigged up a large white bedsheet on the side of a bus, and with a generator noiselessly running in the background, a data projector, a tv dish, a decoder box thingamy and a PA system, we enjoyed a wonderful evening.
You really had to be there...

Bedford Rally Images

Purple Haze was a standout Beddy at the rally with it's marvellous Macracapa wooden interior.
A half hour of light rain wasn't enough over the three day event to dampen the atmosphere, and then there was the wonderful fish and chips and burgers for sixty something on Sunday night...

Bedford Rally Images...

More of the wonderful Beddies that were there, including Abby for the third time, now for sale, with her wonderful paint job.
Kevin and Cheryl and their Trash Can they've had for over twenty years, Mel and Bill at their second rally in their delightful housetruck and Sian's very quirky '58 Bedford...

Port Jackson. A Small Victory...

At a meeting at Port Jackson late last year, the Department of Conservation's manager, when I asked her why the campers couldn't have a dedicated boat launching area at the western end of the camp ground, she folded her arms, stood directly in front of me and said vehemently
"Because I said so!"
I'm pleased to say that someone or something has caused her to change her mind and a boat launching area is now being developed.
The newly installed bollards that replaced the one's some naughty campers removed, will unfortunately remain till at least new vegetation has grown and then perhaps they will again be removed. By DoC.
The little boxes will, again unfortunately, remain as the Port Jackson booking system is now part of the national system. It's something this country really needs!
When I mentioned visual pollution to the DoC management, which really is an oxymoron, I was told that the campers and their tents are much more of a visual pollutant!
Well a small victory is better than none...

Eeds. A Worldwide Problem...

I've been thinking for some time about all the 'Eeds' in the world and what a major problem they are.
And they're getting worse, causing more and more grief.
So what are they? I may have come up with the name but it's not rocket science.
Eeds are easily identifiable. You know them already. And you may know more.
Sure, there's Need but the real trouble makers are Speed, Creed and Greed.
We know that Speed kills and we also know that there have been more wars with people killed because of Creed than for any other reason.
Except perhaps for Greed.
Just take a look around you. Look at history and look at now. When will we learn.
When will it all stop...

She Loves You. Yeah Yeah Yeah...

My model for business said Steve Jobs, was The Beatles. They were four guys that kept each others negative tendencies in check, they balanced each other. And the total was greater than the sum of the parts.
Great things in business are not done by one person, they are done by a team of people...

Fashion. It's Gone To The Dogs...

It's nothing new.
Billions of dollars worldwide are spent annually, pampering and grooming pets of all description.
Patterns for Paws is a fashion show for dogs and was held recently at Lauderdale, Florida.
The event was organised to raise funds for sheltering, caring and providing medical treatment for homeless pets.
They were hoping to raise $25,000.
What a great idea.
Next they could do it for humans...

What Well Dressed Penguins Are Wearing...

Skeinz is a yarn store in New Zealand and is calling on knitters worldwide to make sweaters for penguins affected by the Rena oil spillage.
The sweaters prevent oil-soaked penguins from preening and poisoning themselves and too, keep them warm before and after they've had the oil removed by the many volunteer clean-up workers.
In Australia, The Tasmanian Conservation Trust made a similar request in 2001 and instead of the one hundred sweaters they asked for, they got fifteen thousand.
Perhaps they have some left over...