A Morning Walk

A little bit about Bruce. Bruce lived in Sydney for quite some time and owned his own night club. He then went to school for hair/makeup and became really known for that. He and his old partner had loads of money and traveled quite a bit. At one point he gave up a lot of that high class living and donated most of his material possessions (I'm talking Gucci suits and super expensive furniture). He had a second home in this area and always missed it when he went back to the city so he finally decided to move up here for good. He has his own space where he does hair in the home (and Llan is working on creating a new space for him attached to the garage), and people fly in from all over to get their hair done by the master. Also, he gets hired to do the hair/makeup for lots of people at housewarming parties and such. 

Years ago a chimney fell on Bruce's knee and his bone popped through the other side, so now he has a huge piece of metal in his leg, which you can hear every time he walks. Click. Click. Click. Kind of eerie sounding. 

I woke up super early today before the sun came up and was blown away just walking up their street. 

Ahhhh a lil morning mist. 

Absolutely stunning. And for those who don't know already I never edit any of my pictures. Natural color all the way. 

Morning dew. 

I've had a habit now for a while of crushing up plants in my hands, not only because I love all the different scents, but because it's medicinal. Studies are popping up now showing a link between just smelling certain plants and even just listening to a cat pur, to things like increased bone density. Nature is medicinal. I think we all know that at this point. Why do you feel so refreshed after a weekend camping or a simple trip to the lake? Because nature holds the vibration of healing. The problem with science is it will always be a million steps behind nature. My prediction is that science will continue to discover new medicinal aspects about nature for as long as it exists, and then pharmaceutical companies will jump in and try and make a giant profit on extracting one single compound from a plant or tree because at that point it becomes patent-able. But that mindset of extracting one single compound from a symphony of many will always cause side effects.  

Our current society is so out of whack. We are afraid of bacteria and because of that the food industry pasteurizes and irradiates almost everything. Not only that but we've bought into the nonsense of cleanliness. Sanitizers, soaps, detergents, and chemicals of all kinds that strip away our own innate bacterial defenders. 9/10 of our cells are foreign microbes. I think a crucial piece of the puzzle missing from modern day living is our lack of interaction with the bacteria and microbes that sustain us.  

Macadamias! 

Love all the creative mail boxes. Dopesauce. 

Llan taught me the morning routine of feeding all the animals and cooked up a mean breakfast of poached eggs, spinach, english muffins, sausage and hummus. The weather has been beautiful ninety nine percent of the time I've been here. No joke. My strategy to work my way north as fall turned to winter was a solid idea. Speaking of seasons, it's kinda weird enjoying the changing colors of fall when it's spring in Amurica!

I've been tasked with filling in the holes and sanding this entire wall. It's the last wall that needs to be done. Takes quite a bit of time but I've learned to enjoy simple jobs like this. And it's nice to be outside in the fresh air.

I spent a solid thirty minutes jammin out on the top platform to some nineties music. I love not needing approval or recognition to feel great about myself. 

Bruce cooked up a feast of roasted chicken, vegetables, and a reduced wine sauce that was umami-liscious. He's given me a few hugs just today. Such a loving guy. Or he just thinks I'm one hot dude. Ahaha I kid I kid. 

Flora & Fauna

The variety of plant and animal life here is like nothing I've ever seen before. It really is fascinating that Australia has so much life that you can find no where else on the planet. All of these pics were taken around their home. 

One of my favorite family of plants. Zingiberaceae. Ginger, cardamom, and turmeric belong in this plant family just to name a few. This is turmeric. The first one I've seen growing firsthand. 

I'm not even kidding this freaked me out.. I thought it was a giant spider at first ah ha. 

Giant almost basketball size Pomelo's.

Buddha's hand. Full of citrusy deliciousness. 

Finger limes! Never seen or tasted these before until now. 

Bruce & Llan have two sets of baby chicks, and the first morning I woke up the second family was hatching. Most of them hatched just fine but a couple didn't so we put them out on the table for nature to eat up. 

Oscar. What a gentlemen! 

These guys are called Guinea Fowls. They come from Africa and they do an excellent job at keeping the snakes away. 

Brothers. 

First family. 

Second family. Freshly hatched baby chickies! 

I found a book written by The Dalai Lama and opened it randomly and the words described exactly how I feel. 

"We cannot escape the necessity of love & compassion. This, then, is my true religion, my simple faith. In this sense, there is no need for temple or church, for mosque or synagogue, no need for complicated philosophy, doctrine, or dogma. Our own heart, our own mind, is the temple. The doctrine is compassion. Love for others and respect for their rights and dignity, no matter who or what they are: ultimately these are all we need, so long as we practice these in our daily lives, then no matter if we are learned or unlearned, whether we believe in Buddha or God, or follow some other religion or none at all, as long as we have compassion for others and conduct ourselves with restraint out of a sense of responsibility, there is no doubt we will be happy."

Bruce & Llan : The Classy Couple

Llan and one of his lady friends from Brisbane picked me up and in no time we were on our way through the country side to the magical area where Llan and Bruce live. In between Lismore and Bangalow. We made small talk and I learned that Llan owned his own cafe in Lismore for many years where they had live music every weekend, and now he manages different properties. Bruce, who is Llan's partner, is a high class/high profile hair stylist/makeup artist. Awesome. People fly in from all over Straya' to get their hair done by the master himself. Llan was telling me just last week Bruce was hired to do the makeup and hair for many people at a housewarming party in Bryon Bay. (Where some of the most expensive properties in all of Australia are). The house is worth over thirty million and they spent over fifty grand just on the housewarming party! Oh, and one thing I forgot to mention, they own Hamilton Island off the coast of Queensland. That's some serious coinage.

I arrived to a house full of some great people. A couple from Brisbane. A lone dude from London. And Bruce who I hadn't met yet. They were all visiting for the weekend because of Anzac Day. I keep meeting people who visit Australia, and then end up staying here because it's so amazing.

The decor of this place is bellissimo.

Bart! 

My new home

After getting to know everyone better and taking a lil tour of the place they all dressed up for a lunch they had planned at a superbly rated farm to table restaurant outside of Byron Bay. Llan wasn't sure I was coming or not until Bruce said, "no no no you're coming with us."

Pulling into the huge grass parking lot I could already see some animals and a few different buildings. What a sweet place. They had a shop where you could get all their fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products, handmade breads, sauces, jams, and everything delicious in this world. An additional lil shop with handmade cosmetics, beauty products, and hand carved cheese plates made out of local wood (of course). A classy bar with an assortment of local beer and wine on tap. And then the cafe.

We were celebrating Llan's birthday so everyone ordered a round a mixed drinks. They all looked super fancy and Bruce asked me a few times if I wanted one, but I've never been much of a boozer. They had an interesting conversation about different kinds of liquor and mixed drinks and it changed my perception of alcohol a bit. It really is in a world of its own. The gins, the vodkas, the whiskeys, the amarettos, the tequilas, the brandys, the mixed drinks, the beers, and the list goes on. These are people (along with millions of others) that drink for the sheer pleasure, and to be creative with it. Not drink to get drunk, but rather drink for the enjoyment of the beverage.

We sat down at our table which was outside and while we were looking through the menu an Aboriginal dude (easily recognizable by the dark skin and green eyes) was preparing some equipment to play guitar and sing. Llan tasted a few different wines and then ordered a whole bottle for everyone. First round of appetizers came out. Sausage rolls. One of the classic Australian dishes. So good. This was no gas station sausage roll. Up next for me was beef brisket, onion rings, potato creme, and a tantalizingly tangy whole grain mustard. Bruce had so many fascinating stories of his travels. Such a charismatic man. He lived on a house boat in India for six months in an area where Red Hot Chili Peppers tripped on Acid and made music. With much energy, he explained how he lost all his money he had on him just going from the airport to the hotel when he first arrived because there were so many beggars. He's such a generous guy. (It's common in parts of India where parents will literally have their kids limbs chopped off so they can beg travelers for money). I kid you not within fifteen seconds it went from sunny to down pouring in buckets. Fifteen minutes later it was sunny again. Gotta love the unpredictable weather of Australia. For dessert... plates of lemon custard, meringue, and fresh berries. Beetroot ice cream with several kinds of different chocolate concoctions. Custard soaked sourdough with a divinely crunchy crust, caramel ice cream, and bits of toffee and other unknown pieces of heaven. Oh. My. Gawd. Unforgettable bites of food.

After the meal we said our goodbyes to the travelers who went their different ways. I saw the ticket. $578. I gave Bruce a big hug for that one. He was even a bit surprised it was that cheap! Then I got into their old school tank-like jeep and we cruised on home.

Love the designs from Bali. 

Before I went to bed I was outside looking at the crystal clear stars and thought "I'm never gonna see this day again but it will always be ingrained into the grey matter inside my skull". And then... I fell asleep.