Melbourne Australia Hosts The World Naked Bike Ride...

On March 3, Melbourne Australia
was one of the first cities in the world to take part in The World Naked Bike Ride 2013.
The idea behind the bike ride is to peacefully explore the vulnerability of cyclists, humanity and nature in the face of cars, aggression, consumerism and non-renewable energy.
And I thought it was just to have fun in the sun...

Hey Guys Wait For Me...

Safety Conscious Car Maker Volvo Shows Off Its New Way To Help Save Cyclist's Lives...

A couple of years ago Volvo showed a sensor and braking system they said would save pedestrian's lives.
The company's technology has recently become even more advanced with it's Rapid Vision Processing System.
Now cyclists can be included in the system which features a radar sensor in the car's grill, a tiny camera near the rear vision mirror, a software controller and automatic braking.
The system spots and tracks pedestrians and cyclists, then, if necessary a red warning light appears on the windscreen and the automatic detection device slams on the brakes.
Obviously the technology will work best in slower moving city streets but it doesn't mean you can put your make-up on, read a book or chat on the phone while you're driving, just yet... 

The Thirteen Dollar House...

Amanda Kovattana is a free range writer,
born in England, raised in Thailand and who now lives in San Francisco.
She was in the outback of Colorado a while ago looking at examples of sustainable living.
She met Peggy and Jo and found more for less.
They called their house The Thirteen Dollar House because that's all it cost to build.
One side was bermed with earth. the roof was plywood scraps lined with plastic and covered with cob. It was painted with a beeswax and linseed oil mix for further waterproofing.
The remaining sides were faced with salvaged windows. There's a sleeping loft. And a separate pit toilet. Tomato plants grow in the windows and sunflower seeds sprout on the desk.
A greenhouse for sleeping in and too small to be any concern to building inspectors.
There's more to the story here and wonderful inspiring photo images here...

Kitepowered Kayaking. The Innovative New Zealand Way To Adventure On The Water...

It was blowing twenty five knots at Tokerau Beach as I watched brothers Ewan and Geoff make their way to shore at high speed in their five metre long, sit-in kayaks.
Powering their rapid journey through the choppy water was the kite they've spent years perfecting and one of two Ewan and Geoff use on their forays around the coast of New Zealand's Upper North Island.
This time they were using one kite to power their two kayaks but sometimes they use one kite each.
They are fairly easy to deploy but like anything, it's only easy after a lot of practice.
Made from Polyester Rip-Stop kite fabric, the five square metre kite can be used in anything from ten to twenty five knot winds.
Another great example of Kiwi ingenuity.
From the bridle on the kite a line is attached by a carabiner to a line athwartships on the kayak.
Kite kayaking is not for the fainthearted but for the adventure loving Thompson brothers, it's one they look forward to at least twice a year...

This Tiny Caravan Is A Beautiful Piece Of Art On Wheels...

Life Enjoyers is how Hil and Mario laughingly describe themselves.
They're doing a tour around the country from their home base in Wanaka in New Zealand's South Island.
They found me as people do and which is a familiar scenario by now as I was enjoying the sights and sounds of the sea and surf at Ahipara. Yes I've been back there for a few days.
They saw The Flying Tortoise and had to stop and say hello.  As people do.
And share some delicious grapes.
I'm so glad they did.
Their gorgeous little 13 foot, forty one year old, fibreglass caravan they've called Bubbles, has one of the most stylish interiors you're ever likely to see.
Bubbles is Art On Wheels.
It's like Art Nouveau, Retro Design, Bohemian Style and Art Deco all deliciously rolled into one.
Early on in their project which quickly became a labour of love, they realised they'd be sparing no expense to have their 'baby' become a creative masterpiece.
They were lucky to have superb craftsmen right on their doorstep in Wanaka. Daniel and Paul who made the beautiful upholstery, Alon from Alfa Furniture who crafted the immaculate woodwork and the guys at Wanaka Fibreglass and Paint who did the body restoration and paint job. And then there was Sue at Material Girls who couldn't believe that someone was actually going to buy that wallpaper.
Hil and Mario's visit here was fleeting but the memory of it will remain.
We'll see each other again...

It Looks Like An Orange. It's Very Cute. It's Forty One Years Old. It's Got 4 Wheels And Can Do 30 Mph...

The year was 1972 and the UK firm Brian Wake Enterprise Ltd manufactured six of these gorgeous little Orange motor cars for Outspan who used them extensively for advertising campaigns in England, France and Germany. One is still in use in South Africa.
The basis for the car is the wonderfully versatile Mini though a specially fabricated chassis is used because funnily enough, at speed these little oranges tend to roll.
Damn cute isn't it...