#Australian Independent Bottle Shops

[techdriveplay]

This Was Voted the Best Beer in the Country (Twice) and You've Probably Never Heard of It

The last two years though there’s been a new beer on the block that has taken the top spot and they really have come out of ‘nowhere’.

Every year since 2008 thousands of Aussies lodge their vote as to what their favourite beer of the year is. This vote is then whittled down to a top 100 list, famously known as the GABS (Greatest Australasian Beer SpecTAPular) Hottest 100 Craft Beers. GABS is also known for throwing its annual craft beer festival around the country. Where the country’s best beer brewers showcase their finest…

[jeremystrele]

The Aboriginal-Owned Clothing Label Dedicated To Making A Difference

The Aboriginal-Owned Clothing Label Dedicated To Making A Difference

Creative People

by Sally Tabart

Photo – Barefoot Wandering Photography.

Photo – Barefoot Wandering Photography.

Photo – Barefoot Wandering Photography.

Photo – Barefoot Wandering Photography.

Photo – Molly Heath Photography.

Photo – Molly Heath Photography.

Photo – Molly Heath Photography.

Left: Photo – Molly Heath Photography. Right: Corina Muir, founder of Amber Days. Wearing a Ngali scarf and Gillawarra Arts earrings. Photo – Jacinta Keefe Photography.

Ever since she was a young girl, Corina Muir can always remember being into fashion. ‘Mum tells me this story of when I just started speaking and I put a full sentence together asking her if my outfit matched’, she recalls. ‘This was not a concept really spoken about by my mum, so I guess it shocked her a little, but I was just preparing myself for my fashion career’. The proud Yorta Yorta and Boonwurrung woman who describes herself as a ‘mother, nature protector, artist, designer and campaigner’ is the one-woman show behind Amber Days, an ethical clothing that is inspired by the Australian bush, desert and sea.

Up until this point Amber Days has been a label for children’s clothing, but soon Corina will make her foray into womenswear. The Wanala (meaning spring/summer in Yorta Yorta language) collection launches at 8pm on August 26th (tonight!), and is a collaboration with Kalkadungu artist Arkie Barton. It features active wear made from recycled plastic bottles, as well as 100% organic linen pieces. The range launched in June at this year’s groundbreaking Australian Fashion Week.

Corina is one inspiring person and businesswoman! We chatted a little more about starting her own business from scratch, and how she’s got where she is today.

Can you tell me a little about your background? Where did you grow up, and what else have you done that has brought you to Amber Days?

I grew up in suburban Melbourne with my mum, sister and brother.

I spent a lot of time with my grandparents, my grandad was a botanist and my grandma is the most sustainable, warm, loving woman who inspired my love of natural quality fabrics.

Although she would always buy second hand clothing (only quality), if she couldn’t find what she needed at the “oppy” she would only buy quality clothing made out of natural fibres.

She would take me shopping every season for a new outfit usually at Myer and I would find the prettiest designs I could find and convince her to buy me more than the one outfit, which I was usually quite successful at.

None of my family are particularly into “fashion” and none of them have their own business so when starting Amber Days I had to really convince them all of my dreams, and tell them that I was going to make it, and then tell them a hundred times more until they saw my dreams starting to unfold. They are my biggest supporters, even when they thought I was being too ambitious.

Growing up as an Aboriginal woman in a lower socioeconomic area, the idea of making something of myself was pretty low. It took me to my late 20s and becoming a single mum to recognise my strength and realise that nothing can stop me from achieving my dreams. And that was where Amber Days began, pretty much at the birth of Sapphire [Corina’s daughter].

Could you tell me a little about Amber Days? When did you start your brand, and why?

Amber Days is a 100% Aboriginal owned ethical fashion label inspired by the Australian bush, desert and sea which launched in 2018.

I have always been passionate about the environment and people, so when falling pregnant with my daughter, finding clothes that didn’t use harmful chemicals in their processes was really important. After doing some research into the fashion industry and the toxins and practices used, I was pretty terrified. This really reinforced the importance of transparency in the fashion industry and buying from designers that use organic fabrics that have been dyed with non toxic dyes and produced ethically. The fast fashion industry needs to change and we need to support the ones making this change.

One of my biggest motivations in starting Amber Days was to create business for good – to break down the barriers that young women of colour face, and shift the narrative around Aboriginal women in business. I believe supporting women is so important in creating a fairer and more just society, and changing the systems that continue to oppress women is essential in achieving this. Women still face multiple barriers to accessing paid work and even more so due to challenges like being a single mum or facing other systemic barriers. I was motivated to achieve financial independence, and push back on the narrative of having a 9-5 job, which just didn’t work for me as an Aboriginal woman and single mother. Having previously worked in the areas of family violence, child protection and community organising, I understand the challenges many women of colour face, and wanted to use my business as a vehicle for change. Amber Days collaborates with a different female Aboriginal artist for each collection, to share stories through art, continuing culture like we have done for tens of thousands of years.

So I began Amber Days not only to provide financial freedom for me and my daughter, but also to produce clothing free from harmful chemicals and without any form of environmental degradation in the production process.

What has your journey been like starting your own business from scratch?

It has been the most beautiful journey, so much more than I could have ever dreamed of. When running an ethical and sustainable business, it means that all my interactions with my suppliers etc. are so meaningful because they also have a business built on positive change.

And then there’s the collaboration side of it, I get to collaborate with Aboriginal women and share that with everyone through Amber Days, and my baby girl has been to almost every fitting, every meeting, even came down the runway with me at Australian Fashion week, like does it get any better than that? Culture, Country, Fashion, Family and Community.

Then there’s the hard times, they are so hard, but we get through them.

A care for the environment is a massive part of the Amber Days ethos – can you explain how Amber Days takes this into account? 

We care a lot about our environmental impact and the ethics behind the production of our clothing. We want our customers to feel confident dressing themselves and their children in our clothing knowing that the environment and people have not been exploited in the process. Through the use of GOTS certified materials, natural fabrics, non-toxic dyes and small runs, we ensure Amber Days’ negative environmental impact is kept to a minimum.

All our garments are handmade in India under Fairtrade conditions, and we only work with strictly ethical suppliers. We use 100% GOTS certified organic fabrics, printed using GOTS certified non-toxic dyes, and have recently started using recycled plastic bottles as the basis for our new active wear range as part of the Wanala Women’s collection.

We are completely dedicated to constantly refining the ethics and sustainability surrounding our supply chain and our social and environmental impact. We ensure everything – from the fabric used to the creation of the garments – is ethically and sustainably done.  And we endeavour to continually improve our processes around sustainability and our environmental impact and continue to support women and slow fashion.

Can you explain a little more about this new collection? 

This is our very first women’s collection, and is a collaboration with proud Kalkadungu artist, Arkie Barton. The name Wanala means spring/summer in Yorta Yorta language.

We launched this collection at Australian Fashion Week which was such an amazing experience. I had never even been to Australian Fashion week and then to jump straight into showcasing there – it was insane!

The collection features active wear made from recycled plastic bottles as well as a range of 100% organic linen pieces, perfect for when the weather is starting to warm up.

We decided to branch into women’s wear after receiving thousands of messages asking for our pieces to be made in adult sizes, so finally after a year in the making, we are about to release our first ever women’s collection.

One of our favourite parts about this collection is it is a flow on collection from our children’s so there are lots of matchy matchy pieces, which is so fun!

Is there anything else you’d like us to know?

I hope Amber Days will bring pride and connection to the people who wear my products, as well as strengthening their sense of identity and connection to country. For me, Amber Days is more than just clothing – it’s about reducing our impact on the environment, bettering our country, strengthening Aboriginal voices and revamping culture and language. I am an incredibly staunch advocate for ethical and sustainable business, and believe fashion is a powerful way to celebrate and showcase Aboriginal culture and stories.

The Wanala Womenswear collection launches at 8pm on Thursday August 26th. Head on over to the website to sign up to the mailing list and receive 10% off your first order! 

[academiasdeingles]

Celebration Plastic Free July July 2021

Recycling is emphasized everywhere, but there 19s not enough holiday to indeed enforce the idea of how easy it is to recycle. When it comes to plastic, plastic has become the number one product people use each day, despite how damaging it is to the environment. Plastic Free July is a holiday dedicated to teaching people about the dangers of plastic and challenges people to avoid plastic for a month. Read more to learn about its history and see how you can get started.

History of Plastic Free July

Beginning with just a handful of participants in Western Australia back in 2011, the holiday idea has since grown into its own independent, non-profit organization and an annual event in over 150 countries. They originally began through the organization Earth Carers, a community that focuses on a wide range of environmental issues in the world and educates people about the consequences of hurting the environment. Their vision, after separating and becoming their own organization, is all about a world without plastic waste, and many people caught on to the message they sent out because of their concerns for plastic waste across the globe.

Hence, Plastic Free July is all about encouraging people to be more aware of their plastic use and creating a cleaner world as a result. People can participate in this holiday by avoiding all products that use plastic products in them throughout the whole month of July. This holiday also helps educate people about the different types of plastics out there and what happens in the recycling system when plastic is introduced. This initiative aims to challenge the material system the world has in place when it comes to its economy, focusing its efforts on a global span as well as a personal one. By reducing how much a person uses, they can make a small difference and help others do the same.

How to celebrate Plastic Free July

Begin by avoiding single-use plastic such as straws, water bottles, and plastic produce bags. Use more reusable products such as glass jars, metal utensils, and use metal tin lunch boxes and containers for storage. Avoid highly processed foods and begin using homemade recipes. Learn how to make your products like toothpaste, deodorant, and mouthwash. Share this holiday to your friends online by using the hashtag #plasticfreejuly and see if you can convince them to join you in your efforts to stop using plastic.

Special deals to celebrate Plastic Free July!

Ben's Cycle Coupon: Up to 50% Off Specials - Up to 50% Off Specials

Ben's Cycle Deal: Up to 50% Off Specials - Up to 50% Off Specials

RELX Deal: 10% Off Your Order + Free Shipping For Orders Above $88 - Tap offer to copy the coupon code. Remember to paste code when you check out. Online only.

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Ty Ty Plant Nursery Promo Code: 25% Off Your Order - Tap offer to copy the coupon code. Remember to paste code when you check out. Online only.

Surf Dive 'n' Ski Coupon: Free Australian Delivery on Orders Over $50 - No coupon code needed. Prices as marked. Tap to shop the sale now.

ResumeSpice Coupon: $20 Off Orders Over $200 For New Customers - Tap offer to copy the coupon code. Remember to paste code when you check out. Online only.

[dramstreet]

Teeling Whiskey is proud to unveil the second bottling of “The Renaissance”, a limited edition series of unique Irish Single Malts. The series, launched in 2019, is crafted to celebrate the true global Renaissance of Teeling, Dublin and Irish whiskey as it continues to be the fastest growing Premium Spirit in the world supported by the vibrancy from the many new entrants to the category. The Renaissance Series Two bottling follows on from the sold out, award-winning first release which won Gold at both the 2020 International Wine and Spirits Competition and 2020 Irish Whiskey Masters. The Renaissance is a key part of Teeling Whiskey’s range of award-winning Irish whiskeys, which have collected near 300 international awards over the last seven years including the title of “World’s Best Single Malt” at the 2019 World Whiskies Awards. The second bottling of The Renaissance Series consists of 18-Year-Old Single Malt that was aged initially in ex-Bourbon barrels before being finished in high quality, ex-Australian Shiraz wine casks, imparting distinct hints of ripe red fruits with sour cherry notes and a delicate soft spice. Limited to just 9,000 bottles, the resulting Single Malt is then bottled at 46% with no chill filtration, a signature of all Teeling Whiskeys. Jack Teeling, Founder and Managing Director of Teeling Whiskey, commented; “We are delighted to launch the second release of our award-winning Renaissance Series of aged Single Malts. These releases are a celebratory bottling series to mark the true Renaissance of Dublin as the epicentre for world-class city based whiskey distillation. As the leader of the new wave of Dublin Whiskey distillers, we look forward to contributing to and helping the continued Renaissance of Teeling, Dublin and Irish whiskey. With our Dublin distilled Irish whiskey now being exported around the world we are witnessing a new dawn which is perfectly encapsulated in our Renaissance bottlings.” Bottled in a very unique tall decanter bottle, this bottle of Irish Single Malt stands tall and proud on any shelf. With a RRP of €140.00 for a 70cl decanter bottle in gift box, The Renaissance 18-Year-Old Single Malt will be available in Ireland at the Teeling Whiskey Distillery in Dublin 8, The Celtic Whiskey Shop and premium independent Irish off licences as well as being rolled out to key International Markets such as the Belgium, UK, Holland, France, Denmark, Italy and select Asian markets. To find out more information on the Teeling Whiskey and the Teeling Whiskey Distillery visit www.teelingwhiskey.com or visit Teeling Whiskey on Facebook and Instagram.

[worryinglyinnocent]

Moment of Truth, A Monthly Rumbelling Fic

Summary: Golden Lace. In the moments following a betrayal of trust, Gold lets his guard down in order to offer kindness to a hurting, volatile Lacey, and in doing so, they begin to see kindred spirits behind the armour they have built up for themselves over the years.

For the @a-monthly-rumbelling prompt: “You said you’d always be there for me…so how did this happen? Why weren’t you there?”

Rated: M

=====

Moment of Truth

“You said you’d always be there for me…so how did this happen? Why weren’t you there?”

Gold didn’t hear the response to this accusatory statement, but he could distinctly hear that the voice of whoever had made it was shaking with both anger and unshed tears, the tone low and on the very edge of rising into a screaming crescendo. He could also distinctly hear that the voice was female and had an Australian accent, which meant that it could really only belong to one person.

“Don’t you ‘but Lace you’ve got to understand’ me!” the voice snapped, and Gold’s suspicions were instantly confirmed. The person who was standing out of sight in the alleyway behind his shop having a one-sided and very emotional conversation was none other than Lacey French. As much as he abhorred eavesdroppers in the regular scheme of life, Gold could not help but be rather concerned by what he had heard from Lacey, and he moved a little closer towards the corner of the building behind which she was ensconced. He had heard running footsteps past his window a couple of minutes before, whilst he had been locking up inside, but he had thought nothing of it. Now, he wondered just what had happened to cause Lacey such obvious distress.

“Oh, something came up, did it?” Lacey said sarcastically. “Would that something have been your cock in close proximity to that buxom blonde from the strip club?”

Gold paused. He didn’t think that he’d ever heard Lacey like this before. She was bold and brash and loud and no matter what was going on, she was always in control of the situation. He had seen her at the Rabbit Hole on the infrequent occasions that he ventured into the club for a drink and a break from the monotony of his days. She had everyone in there wrapped around her little finger, it seemed, the queen of the pool table and the bar. She never had to pay for a drink, and she knew it. To hear her now, so shaken and vulnerable… He knew that she was not intending for anyone to see this display of emotion, lest her reputation as the bad girl in charge of herself and everyone around her become tarnished in some way. Gold could well understand the importance of such a mask. He wore one himself. The town would never see him cry, just as Lacey would never let it see her cry. He knew that he really ought to just leave well alone, pretend that he had not heard anything and move on.

But something, he wasn’t exactly sure what it was, kept him standing there, listening in on her half of a conversation like a creeper. Because if Lacey French was in such a state, had been pushed to a breaking point like this, then something was evidently very wrong, and it didn’t sound like whoever was on the other end of the phone was doing anything to make it better.

“No!” Lacey exclaimed suddenly. “The problem is that I was humiliated in front of your friends because you were too busy screwing someone else to turn up to our date!” There was a pause, her breath coming in hard pants as the force of her outburst took it out of her. “What happened? What the fuck do you think happened you arsehole! I had to smack Keith upside the head with my purse! Oh forget it. Just forget it. We’re done.”

There was silence for almost an entire minute, and then Gold heard a shaky sob, and the sound of fabric scraping against rough brick as someone slid down the wall.

It was probably the worst decision he had ever made in the history of bad decisions, and Gold had several bad decisions behind him, but he knew that Lacey was around that corner, that she was in the middle of a very personal crisis, and considering what he’d heard, he didn’t want to leave her on her own to battle through it.

So he stepped around the corner. Lacey was curled up in a ball, tucked in on herself as she hugged her knees. Gold was surprised by how small she looked. She was a petite person naturally and most of her height came from the ridiculous heels she was never without, but her personality had always filled whatever room she was in, making her seem a lot larger than she actually was. Her shoulders were shaking in silent sobs, and Gold crouched beside her, holding out his handkerchief.

“Lacey?”

She looked up in alarm, and for a moment her eyes were wide like a deer in the headlights as she realised that someone had found her in this state and seen her in this moment of vulnerability. Then the hardness returned and she shook her head, turning her face away from him.

“Fuck off, Gold, leave me in peace.”

Gold didn’t move and Lacey glared at him.

“I told you to fuck off.”

“I know you did. But you might want to have chosen a slightly different hiding place if you wanted to be undisturbed.” He paused. “Would you like to come in for a while until your armour is mended and you’re ready for the world to see you again?”

Lacey looked at him, and he thought he saw the moment in her tear-stained, make-up smeared face when she realised that he was a kindred spirit, and that his offer was nothing malicious, just helping out a fellow whose facade they presented to the world masked something not altogether matching inside. She nodded, taking the handkerchief and wiping her face as Gold stepped around her to open the back door of the shop. She followed him inside, sitting down at the workbench with an air of utter dejection.

“So here I am,” she muttered. “Strong, independent Lacey French who’d never let a man toy with her emotions, a complete wreck.”

“A betrayal of trust always hurts,” Gold said, filling the electric kettle and beginning to make tea. “There’s no shame in feeling hurt when someone you’re close to does something to hurt you. That’s just human.”

“Yeah, the point is that I’m not supposed to be close enough to anyone for such things to bother me.” She looked at the kettle. “Don’t suppose you’ve got anything stronger?”

Gold took down the half empty bottle of Scotch on the top shelf without a word and poured a generous slug into a mug, handing it to Lacey, who downed it in one.

“Careful, that’s prime Glenfiddich,” he said. “It ought to be savoured and appreciated.”

“Yeah, well, I’m used to vodka that you could use to strip paint.”

Nevertheless, Gold poured her another measure, and Lacey took her time with this one, sipping it carefully. He added a shot to his tea and came over to sit opposite her.

“We’re not made of rubber, Lacey. We can pretend that nothing sticks, but it does. The point is that no-one can see it sticking.”

Lacey nodded, staring glumly into the depths of her mug.

“Never let them see you bleed,” she said.

“Precisely.”

They fell into silence, just two souls who had isolated themselves from everything so much that they had no recourse to anything when their walls were breached. Except perhaps each other. Gold knew that when Lacey left his shop, she would be her usual self. It would be as if nothing had happened to crack her resolve and her armour. She would return to her usual haunts tomorrow with the same brightness and brashness that she had always had, and no-one would realise just how much she was hurting inside, because that was the way she liked it.

And Gold, for his part, would go about his day in just the same way as he would have done had he not discovered Lacey hiding in the alley and felt such a pull towards her, answering the call of another desperate soul in need of companionship and care but too used to pushing it away to be able to accept it.

He wanted to tell her that it was all right to cry, that it was natural to react to horrible things that happened to her, but it would have been hypocritical considering his own approach to problems - sweep them under the rug, put that implacable mask on once more and power through. Never let them see you bleed. Never let anyone see you cry. Never let them know that they have power over you.

“What happened?”

Lacey snorted. “It’s stupid really. I’m stupid. I should have been able to handle it and I just ended up embarrassing myself.”

“What happened?” Gold repeated.

“I’ve been fooling around with Gaston Chevalier for a while,” Lacey said. “And I know I’m the town slut but I’ve only ever been with one guy at a time and I liked to think that maybe he’d have the courtesy to do the same, but no, he figured that the town slut wouldn’t care if he started fooling around with someone else because hey, it’s not like she has feelings.” She snorted. “Kind of shot myself in the foot there with the whole ‘nothing ever phases me and nothing ever makes me emotional’ act.”

“I think even the most unrufflable of persons would have a problem accepting infidelity without batting an eyelid.”

“Yeah, whatever. Anyway, we were supposed to be meeting at the Rabbit Hole to play pool with some of his friends, but he didn’t show cause he was too busy fucking Randy Rita from the strip club and so Keith and the other creeps decided that since Gaston was screwing around we must have an open relationship and I was available too. So I smacked him with my purse to let him know what I thought of that notion.”

“I wholeheartedly approve.”

Lacey sighed. “I shouldn’t be so angry about it. But it felt like we’d made a commitment, you know? Not like, marriage or any of that crap. But we were doing the whole boyfriend and girlfriend thing. We were doing stuff together and we had each other’s backs. Until tonight.”

“I think you have every right to be angry about it,” Gold said. “You can’t blame yourself for his wayward dick.”

For the first time, Lacey gave a genuine laugh.

“I like that expression.” She took another sip of her whiskey and let out a long sigh. “Well, I guess at least I didn’t make a fool of myself in front of too many people.”

They fell into silence again, drinking in quiet companionship, until Lacey spoke again, rolling them empty mug between her palms.

“Maybe that’s the problem. Maybe people just don’t realise that I can hurt because I’ve spent so long making out that I can’t. That I don’t care and nothing bothers me. But I do care. I’m not stupid, I gave up believing in fairy tale happy endings a long time ago, but I’d like to be at least happy, you know? Even if not happy ever after.”

“You’re not happy?”

Lacey looked at him. “Do I look happy?”

“Not right now, no. But in general, yes.”

She held up the empty mug in a toast to him. “Fake it till you make it, Mr G. But then, you’d know all about that, wouldn’t you? You pretend to be this big gruff beast and yet here you are, sharing your best whisky with me and being all concerned. Just like me. You don’t care what people think of you, you don’t care about anything or anyone, but you do really, deep down.”

Gold nodded. “Whether you want to compare yourself to me or not, I think we’re more alike than perhaps either of us knew.”

Lacey gave a slow nod.

“You said I could stay here until my armour was mended,” she said. “What about when it cracks in the future?” She put the mug down. “What happens then?”

Gold drained his mug.

“I guess that depends. Maybe now that it’s cracked once, when it cracks in the future it won’t be so much of a problem. But if it is, then you know where to find me, and the space to put yourself back together again.”

“I feel kind of bad that you’d only get to see me at my worst,” Lacey said.

“I wouldn’t call it your worse. Perhaps more, your most real.” Gold shrugged. “But after all, you’re seeing the same thing in me.”

For a long time they just sat there, the bottle of whisky on the table between them. Two people with masks lifted, brought together not by appointment but just by circumstance, as if fate had decided to intervene.

Eventually Lacey spoke again.

“My most real,” she said, contemplating the words. “Feels interesting. Not sure I like it. I prefer my armour.”

Gold nodded. “As do I.”

It was still hanging in the air between them, unspoken, the idea that they were comfortable like this with each other but the moment they moved out of the safety of this little cave, they would return to being the people that the rest of the town saw. And conversely, the idea that perhaps they would both miss this little moment of freedom in which they could be themselves, and work out who those selves really were after so long spent trying to be someone else.

Eventually, Lacey got up, wiping the smears from her cheeks with Gold’s handkerchief and making to hand it back to him but then seeing the make-up stains and faltering, shoving it in her purse instead.

“I think the patch job will hold,” she said, and she nodded towards the whisky. “Thanks for the glue.”

Gold gave a brief smile. “You’re welcome.”

She paused with her hand on the door handle, and turned back to him. “Can I see you again?”

Gold raised an eyebrow. “You see me every day in town. I’m hardly a recluse, as mysterious as I try to remain.”

“No. Not like that. You know what I mean.”

He inclined his head. “If you’ll permit me the same courtesy.”

Lacey nodded. “It’s nice to have someone who understands.”

“Yes, it is.”

There was another long pause, and Lacey let her hand slip from the door handle. She took measured steps across the room, and leaned in to kiss Gold’s cheek. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

Although she did not look back as she left the shop, Gold found that he did not mind. He knew that he would be seeing her again soon, and seeing the real her that she had permitted herself to show him tonight. They might have been brought together in the aftermath of hurt and betrayal, but perhaps something good could come from this uninhibited moment of truth between them.

[agilenano]

Agilenano - News: Parenting is its own reward, and you can’t put a price-tag on love

We all know it. And yet, when Father’s Day rolls around each year, that’s sort of the task before us — scouring the internet for a Father’s Day gift that will reflect how much we value everything dads do. And it can’t just be a generic expression of gratitude — it’s about finding a gift for dad that he’ll actually appreciate and put to use. ADVERTISEMENT Especially this year, when so many of our activities are limited to home, backyard, and neighborhood, finding a creative gift for dad is a challenge. Maybe it’s a tech gadget, a bottle of fine whiskey, backyard barbecue tools, or home exercise equipment. The best Father’s Day gifts tap into his passions and interests, or maybe turn him on to something new. “I think, as with any gift, it should be something special that the person might not ordinarily buy for themselves,” says gifting guru Ann Cantrell, owner of Annie’s Blue Ribbon in Brooklyn. This Year, Mother’s Day matters to your family... More than ever Less than ever About the same Thanks for the feedback! Oops! Something went wrong. Please contact support@fatherly.com. Chances are pretty good that you’ll be able to find something on this list that the husband or dad in your life will love. Why? Because we pored over all the stuff and found gear that he’ll love at a price you’ll like. Happy shopping. The Best Gifts for Dad Under $50 L.L. Bean Canvas Hunters Tote Throw anything in this bag — firewood, barbecue tools, fishing gear — and go. Made from a tough, water-resistant 1,200-denier polyester shell, it's as indestructible, useful, and reliable as bags come. $35.00 Ooni Baking Stone Designed to fit the awesome Ooni backyard pizza oven, the Ooni baking stone works just as well in your home oven. At roughly 13-by-13 inches, it fits almost any oven and turns out the perfect crispy pie in minutes. $30.00 Bellroy Tablet Sleeve This 10 inch charcoal iPad sleeve, from a fancy Australian accessories brand, has a magnetic bumper closure and a quilted microfiber lining for extra protection. It's handsome and practical. Buy Now $39.00 Matador Pocket Blanket This water-resistant portable blanket is 63 x 44 inches when unfolded, large enough for a picnic with the family or a solo reading session outdoors. It comes with metal stakes to keep the blanket secure. Buy Now $29.99 Nodpod Bead Filled Sleep Mask This brilliant sleep mask is cooling on one side, if he runs hot. It blocks out light like a champ, is machine-washable, and is weighted, to help him fall asleep. Buy Now $42.00 Fjallraven Gear Bag A heavy-duty all-purpose gear bag that holds 4 liters' worth of stuff, this has a main compartment with a zippered pocket and two open compartments. He can use it for tech or toiletries. 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[gigsoupmusic]

AVA London (Printworks, 13-14 March 2020). Conference and Club showcase (culminating in an epic virus-defying live set from Orbital).

Well done to AVA London for pulling off, in the light of the Coronavirus pandemic, a two-day conference-and-club showcase at the enormous Printworks complex in south-east London. Friday the 13th was dedicated to a series of conferences and interviews spearheaded by music industry leaders, held in four different rooms simultaneously. Saturday was dedicated to electronic music, both DJ and live, with ample chances to network further and mingle with like-minded members of the EDM tribe.

We start our review with the Friday conference. Please scroll down if you are solely interested in Orbital, though we'd love it if you can read about all the fantastic industry-specific sessions as well! Everything hinged upon Thursday's COBRA meeting, and AVA London and the guys at Broadwick Live, as well as those who had been looking forward to the event, must have been very relieved when Public Health England gave the go-ahead for mass gatherings to carry on as normal. It was certainly touch-and-go (no pun intended). Gratitude must also be bestowed upon the organisers for ensuring that the toilets were plentiful and kept clean, staff did not use their fingers to open cans, and there were fully-stocked hand sanitiser dispensers on almost every wall. We were surprised by how easily people had got into the custom of touching elbows instead of shaking hands; something that looked so alien when seen at the start of football matches a couple of weeks ago this weekend seemed second nature.

Friday morning began with registrations and a chance to get one's bearings around the various rooms in Printworks, and visit the various stalls run by the likes of Denon DJ, Noatune Studios and Point Blank Music School, among others. The opening keynote talk was about 30 Years of Ninja Tune, with Coldcut, Actress and Jayda G. Sadly, Coldcut had had to pull out, as they were feeling ill so it was a sensible decision, but there was still a full house to listen to what Actress and Jayda G had to say and they did not disappoint. Actress (real name Darren J Cunningham) became a music producer at a young age, his footballing career with West Brom having been curtailed following an injury. He set up his own label, Werkdiscs, in 2004, but soon became bored with genre-specific nights (eg techno, drum'n'bass). Nowadays, genre-collision is commonplace, but when he started doing it it was liberating and, in his words, quite groundbreaking. Winning numerous accolades for his second album, Splazsh, it was not long before he began working in 2014 with Ninja Tune, the famous label originally set up by Coldcut in 1990, feeling immediately at ease with their ninja-style logo, which resonated with Actress's jujitsu dabblings in his youth.

(from left to right: host Joe Muggs, Jayda G, and Actress) Actress has also been innovative in the field of artificial intelligence and music, in a musical project called Young Paint. Recently, having been unable to make a flight to Sónar Istambul for a gig (Coronavirus, again), he was able to send co-ordinates over to a stand-in so that a gig he was scheduled to perform there could still go ahead as planned. The program he uses re-interprets his own sounds, so this was not as daunting a task as one would first imagine. (We touched upon AI and music in our review of Y△CHT's gig last month – this is clearly becoming a hot topic in the music industry right now!) Canadian Jayda G is a relative newcomer both to the music world and to Ninja Tune. Having completed a masters degree in environmental toxicology in Vancouver just a couple of years ago, Jayda admits that he has been learning as she goes. 'The best thing in this industry is to know yourself as an artist and be really grounded in that', she confides to host Joe Muggs. She loved the fact that Ninja Tune respected this and did not treat her any differently because of her choices. Muggs reflected on just how diverse Ninja Tune's repertoire of talent really is, especially when one considers they also have huge names such as Bonobo on their books, who sells out stadia in the US, occasionally accompanied by an 11-piece orchestra. He fondly remembered bumping into Matt Black in the chill-out room of the old squatted DSS office on Coldharbour Lane in the mid-90s. He was in awe at seeing how Matt and Hex were able to come up with sophisticated visuals using an old Amiga computer, everything working perfectly among the high-spirited mayhem that surrounded them. We too were at these legendary parties (Brixton CoolTan Arts Collective), and can fortunately share in his happy recollections of these special events. (See the Urban 75 website's page on CoolTan for more information about this amazing place.) Following the opening keynote event, we tried to attend as many of the simultaneous streams as possible, though of course we couldn't be everywhere at the same time, so we probably missed quite a lot.

Upstairs, Oliver Hackett chaired a discussion about the power of the brand in the festival world. Branding is so important when it comes to festivals, especially as it can mean that tickets can be sold even before line-ups are announced, as customers become loyal when they have a good experience.

The panel discussed all manner of things, from how they look after the schedules of their residents, through to the need to change the various support acts, so as to keep things fresh but familiar at the same time. Meanwhile, Tristan Hunt was moderating a discussion on the climate crisis. This was a very lively talk, reflecting on how we all need to become more responsible, from the fans to the event organisers to the artists themselves. Artists should learn the science, not post fake news on their social media, and certainly refrain from posting photos on their Insta accounts of them jetting off to perform at gigs: the glorification of flying needs to end. We learned that the culture industry is the second largest in the UK after finance, and that we all need to play our bit.

With regards merch, we need to be aware that a single kilo of cotton needs twenty tons of water in its manufacture. We need to stop using single-use plastics. We should sign up on the Music Declares Emergency website, which calls for immediate governmental responses. Those who sign up acknowledge the environmental impact the music industry has and commit themselves to promote cultural change. We need to analyse how we travel to festivals, discourage punters from driving or, if there is no viable option via public transport, encourage lift-sharing. There is no specific problem that we cannot solve – it is all about the mindset. The panel praised Glastonbury's recent efforts, not just in their banning of plastic bottles last year, but in the creation of the Gas Tower stage in the Shangri-La area, made out of 10 tonnes of plastic collected from beaches in south west England, an initiative that really makes the fans feel they are making a tangible difference. But when we see festivals falling short on sustainability, we need to call them out. Lobby them about their lack of green credentials, write a letter to the local politician if you're so inclined, or even to your own politician. Keep the pressure on! Be inventive! The panel referred to a recent festival which used an Australian animal as their logo; they were lobbied to raise money for the bushfires in Australia. Other suggestions included a call to start your own movement and have a real impact on your local community. If you are well-organised, you could easily impact 200-300 people without too much effort. Also, make an effort to invest only in ethical, sustainable companies that you believe in. When it comes to festivals, support events that really make an effort to be greener, even if they are a little more expensive because of their sustainability credentials. Finally, the panel endorsed Giki, an app that helps you shop more sustainably in the UK and cut down your own environmental impact. Giki's website is here. For us, the best discussion came next: "The Art of Self Care", chaired by Tom Middleton, the legendary recording artist and DJ, and one half of course of Global Communication among many other projects (do try to catch Global Communication on 19 September at the Jazz Café in their much-anticipated rescheduled concert, where Middleton will be joined by Ross Sampson and a string quartet to perform live classics from their 76:14 album, among others).

We had no idea that he was also a sleep expert, an issue very close to our own hearts. This was by far and away the best discussion of the day, and included two mental health professionals (Lara Cullen from The People Person, as well as music support counsellor, singer and trained psychotherapist Denise Sherwood) who were joined by Tristan Hunt again, fresh from his discussions on climate change. The music industry is not an easy one and is tough on artists' and producers' mental health. This should come as no surprise to anyone, given the amount of high-profile people we have lost prematurely in recent years. What can we do, as a community, to help not just our own mental health but those around us? Cullen admitted that there is a perception that people in the music industry feel they must always put on a happy face, however implausible their constant happiness must be. She is however hopeful for the future, as there is nowadays much more openness about mental health; artists are on the whole happier to talk about it than in the past. Hunt agreed with this, and showed how the very existence of this discussion shows how far we have come in destigmatising mental health.

Sherwood said that it should be 'okay to say that you're not okay', and bigged up the great work done by the independent charity Help Musicians UK, highly recommending their academic study on the incidence of mental health and musicians called Can Music Make You Sick?, and the report can be downloaded for free from here. Hunt revealed that suicide is four times higher in the music community than in society as a whole. Electronic music creation can be a lonely job, particularly when starting out. Pay can be low, and invariably you would need to hold down another job as well. When you factor in time spent working your day-job, time performing and time in the studio, as well as dealing with social media, there's very little time left to sleep, and because one's life is so topsy-turvy, said sleep can be very poor quality indeed. This leads invariably to poor mental health. Social media is a particular bug-bear for Tom Middleton, so much so that he deleted all social media apps from his mobile phone, dedicating just a single night a week (Fridays) to reply to his various messages. It is so different to the 'faceless techno' of the 90s. Nowadays, it is all about getting one's followers (and, sadly, having to read online hatred from trolls, some of the time). This means huge added pressure, both emotional and physical. Mental health must come first. Switch off those apps! (Most mobile phones will show you how many hours a day you use social media. If you do not know, do check it out. You may be surprised!) Unlike your typical 9-to-5 job, the music industry is anything but. It does not get any easier once you are more successful! Constantly flying across time-zones to perform, plays havoc on one's body clock. This, coupled with the constant oscillations of seratonin, dopamine and oxytocin: the euphoria of the DJ booth or the stage, followed by the isolation of the hotel room.

Hunt recommended some simple techniques to help bring about a kind of routine, even something small such as doing stretching exercises before turning on the WiFi after waking up. Middleton agreed: 'We are normalised by routine as a species'. He tells us how we are in fact the only species to disrupt that innate normalisation. We don't give ourselves a chance to stop. We need to recalibrate. Cullen chipped in to explain how important it is to look after ourselves physically too. Make changes that work for you. For her, it was giving up alcohol, which she did nine months ago. Not that she is suggesting anyone else should do that: 'Alcohol is fun', she chuckled. But it worked for her. Middleton has some other techniques, to trick the body into thinking it's night-time when it isn't; using things such as SleepSound ear plugs (which reduce sleep-disrupting noise by 36dB but still allow you to hear alarms or crying babies) and high-quality eye-masks. If on tour, go out in the morning without sunglasses, and wear shades only in the afternoon. When going to bed, simulate a sunset by using red bedside lights – he recommended Himalayan crystal salt lamps. Drink 8-10 cups of water a day, avoid caffeine after midday, and aim for 7.5 hours' sleep if possible. Alcohol can also be a disruptor of REM sleep. He then spoke about the four sleep Chronotypes (wolf, bear, lion and dolphin). Google it for more information!

Another tip was using CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) to remove negative thought. Write down the things stressing you out onto a piece of paper, then throw it away (as though you are symbolically throwing away your negativity). Then write down a new list, of all the things you need to do the following day. Practice gratitude, and try to crack a smile. Get the tech out of the bedroom, no browsing just before bed, and switch on that red lamp. Those who have difficulty sleeping can try a variety of substances, including magnesium, passion flower and chamomile tea. Kiwi fruit, as well as tryptophan-heavy foods such as turkey, can also be very helpful. Listening to recordings of nature, especially waterfalls and the sea, can be very useful too. (Middleton's latest album is a scientifically-tested album of soundcapes, Sleep Soundly, which saw him collaborate with cognitive neuroscientists and is so effective it has to have a disclaimer not to listen to it while driving or operating machinery). We will have to give it a listen! Of course, it doesn't have to be music or sounds of the sea. There are plenty of sleepcasts out there, many of which can be found for free on YouTube. These are spoken word audio-files, told in a deadpan way, showing that bed-time stories needn't solely be the remit of the young child. How appropriate that this discussion took place on 13th March 2020, World Sleep Day! Time to move to another room. We chose the interesting discussion moderated by Sarah McBriar from AVA, asking innovators in immersive technology what actually makes an experience truly immersive. Should we start with the creative concept or with the technology? Many examples were given on the screens throughout the discussion, including some of the panellists' fantastic visuals at Glastonbury, including Dan Tombs's projections which accompanied Jon Hopkins's show at The Park stage among others. For a show to be truly immersive, 'You need to be transported from somewhere else', said Tombs.

They also gave some great examples of great practice, such as the recent Punchdrunk production (Beyond the Road: Journeys in Sound and Space) at the Saatchi Gallery, which used music by James Lavelle. If you missed it, it's impossible to describe. They also mentioned the awesome Four Tet gig at Alexandra Palace, a surround-sound immersive experience which also featured tens of thousands of light-bulbs (installed by Squidsoup). The panellists were jealous they hadn't thought of doing something similar themselves. So, as you can see, It's not just about the visuals any more. So much is happening now with binaural technology, a feeling of really being immersed inside the sound. The future is really limited only by one's imagination. And, of course, by technology. The advent of 5G will help, but right now the biggest stumbling block is interoperability: getting devices to talk to one another, quickly, to make the show more efficient. We were unable to get even 4G on our phones inside Printworks, so we concur absolutely with these thoughts! GIGsoup readers may remember we reviewed Bit-Phalanx's 24rpm EDM festival last October, which included an opportunity to try out Björk's immersive virtual reality experience of her Vulnicura album. We asked the panel whether they could foresee VR being used in large-scale settings, eg as another way of immersing oneself at a live concert. Sadly, they did not believe the technology is really there yet. Much more plausible would be possibly integrating augmented reality instead: people bring their phones to record their own memories of gigs anyway so, since they are already pointing their screens up to the stage, it isn't inconceivable that AR could be integrated to make a concert seem more immersive – at least the technology is already there for this! It goes without saying that we think that Björk has really nailed something here: so impressed were we, that we foresee more artists' albums coming out in VR in the future, perhaps even re-issues like Vulnicura, for people to immerse themselves into the music in the comforts of their own homes. But as for using it in a large-scale crowd setting, we 're not quite there yet! We then learned that Orbital sadly were not going to be able to give the closing keynote speech. Again, Coronavirus had intervened, this time affecting their travel arrangements. We were relieved to learn that at least they were still due to be performing on the Saturday, which you can read about later on in this review. The Hartnoll brothers were replaced by a chat with Maribou State (Chris Davids and Liam Ivory). They gave us an engaging talk about how they produce music together. Whereas they used to have a studio, circumstances have now changed for them, and geography has meant that lately they have needed to collaborate remotely. This is the first time they are in this situation, though have some studio-time booked up from next May so as to work on their upcoming album, in places as diverse as Devon, Derby and (Coronavirus permitting) Hamburg.

When they are in the studio they do like to be in places where there are as few distractions as possible. In the countryside, you sometimes cannot even get a mobile phone signal, which helps. Now they can often put in 20-hour sessions. (At this point, we really should remind our readers of Tom Middleton's warnings about this kind of lifestyle, see above!) Maribou State then joked (or were they?) that if they do have to self-isolate because of the ongoing pandemic, this will be a wonderful excuse to make even more music, undisturbed. Let's hope that things don't get so bad!

There wasn't really anything too deep about this session, no doubt because it had been put together in a hurry. Some of the questions would have seemed more ideally suited for Orbital. For example, the host (Observer columnist Séamas O'Reilly) asked the duo about how they felt about the dwindling London club scene, with so many venues shutting down (notwithstanding the fabulous Printworks, an unusual recent welcome addition). While it would have been fascinating to hear the Hartnolls' response, having been there right from the beginning, Maribou State made us feel rather old by saying that when they first moved to London, most of the clubs were already closed or closing (they just caught the final nights at The End and Canvas). Therefore, they've never known anything else, having 'missed the golden era. So it seems the norm now'. Ah, to be young again! And with this, the Friday conference was over, though there was some music and final cocktails to enjoy in the backstage bar. All in all, a fantastic day out; though, if we were to have any criticism, it would be to try to have a little more gender diversity on the panels in future. Female faces were few and far between. Of course, this is largely a problem with the industry as a whole, and the discussion panels were simply reflective of this. Hopefully next year we will see more gender diversity everywhere. Saturday was a brand new day and our minds were getting excited about Orbital. When we turned up we were immediately disorientated, as the Printworks venue was laid out in a completely different way to how it was on the Friday. We were of course worried about how many people would even be there given the barrage of scary rolling news. We knew that 3,700 tickets had been sold. In the end, almost 2,000 people decided to take one for Team #Herd-Immunity which was amazing. Not that we were at all worried. Having been there on the Friday we knew that Printworks were taking hygiene extremely seriously. We were probably safer than in our own sitting room. We normally only cover live music so we were rushing to get there for Overmono, but we were happy we got there early and caught the tail-end of Ross from Friends' DJ set. Real name: Felix Clary Weatherall – no relation to the much-missed Andy Weatherall who was initially scheduled to be here this weekend before he was cruelly taken from us last month. Felix is the son of Jamie Clary, who for the older GIGsoup readers here is 1980s squat-party royalty. In the past few years, Felix/Ross has been making a huge name for himself ever since being taken under the wing of Flying Lotus. We loved his Balearic-tinged lo-fi set, which was appreciated fully by the congregated masses.

(Overmono) We made sure we were in pole position for two brothers named Tom and Ed. No, it wasn't Tom and Ed Chemical, who aren't even brothers anyway, but the aforementioned bona fide siblings known as Overmono (also known as Truss and Tessela), who played a beautiful downtempo techno set (we're not sure how else to describe it) which included all their hits, including "The Mabe" and "Machine Love", though it was "Daisy Chain" that succeeded in blissing us out.

Such a clean sound, and wonderful to see them playing it all live – it was a real privilege. Overmono have been entertaining the crowds everywhere, from Moscow to Osaka, so it was great to see them up-close here in London. Joy Orbison adequately filled the subsequent 90-minute gap until the headline act, the wonderful Phil and Paul Hartnoll, in other words the legendary duo that is Orbital. Oh, Orbital. We have seen them live so many times we have lost count, from New Year's Eve at Alexandra Palace in 1996 to countless raves and parties and, of course, their era-defining performances at Glastonbury Festival (where they are strongly rumoured to be headlining in the Dance Field later this year). Standing backstage, we were watching them get ready, making sure the batteries were working in their famous head-lights, egging one another on, prepping themselves like wrestlers about to enter the ring. It was just fabulous to see these two legends prepare, knowing what was going to come next. Please indulge us as we share some of the photos – unless you are truly an Orbital fan, like we are, this will mean nothing to you….

Those headlights have a special place in our hearts. It took us right back to when we were in a nightclub called Arsenal in Oliva, near Valencia in Spain, in 1990, and we chatted in the car-park to the super-approachable legendary DJ Chimo Bayo, world-famous for his groundbreaking and genre-defining mákina hit "Así me gusta a mí (X-Ta Sí X-Ta No)" (yes, we are showing our age here). The double headlamp was a beautiful gimmick that Bayo started but Orbital redoubled and took to stratospheric levels. Normally, when we are at festivals for Orbital concerts, we never actually see the Hartnoll brothers' faces, but instead see four lights bobbing up and down in the smoky haze. We were more excited to see these headlamps up close than we were to see any item in the British Museum in recent visits. Even though Orbital have probably gone through hundreds if not thousands of headlamps since the early 90s. We are not ashamed of this.

Anyhow, enough of the sycophancy, we have a review to get on with writing. To rapturous applause, Phil and Paul came on stage. Phil had his sweater rolled up over his mouth to begin with, a cheeky nod to the Coronavirus pandemic. They began with "Monsters Exist", the title track to their recent album of the same name, which is utterly suggestive of a bleak dystopian future. It is an amazing prelude to an outstanding album that is up there with their classics. You cannot help feel that you are in the middle of a video game trying to escape monsters. What a start!

A sample of Professor Brian Cox's voice, telling us about how the universe will one day come to an end, meant that the Hartnoll brothers were going to regale us with their challenging song "There will come a time". This would surely not be an obvious choice were it not for the unusual situation with which we are currently faced. If you are unfamiliar with the track, it is basically a monologue specially recorded by Professor Cox for the band about the future, with an ultimately encouraging message that the time is now to embrace curiosity and love.

Orbital continued with this theme, playing the famous sample 'It's, it's, it's like a cry for survival' which segued into that famous 303 sound and those instantly recognisable dissonant horns; we were transported back to the early 90s for one of their most celebrated songs, "Impact (The Earth is Burning)" from their Orbital 2 album (chromatically identified by everyone as the "brown" album). From thereon in, the brothers treated us to hit after hit, plucked from their 30-year back-catalogue, dipping only occasionally into some of their newer stuff. We knew that this was an extraordinary concert, perhaps the last live gig for some time before the government invariably stops mass gatherings. The point about our ongoing fight for survival had been made. Now it was time to lighten the mood.

Orbital started to play "Wonky", the title track from the album of the same name. We hadn't danced so much in ages. Everyone we met was so lovely. A surreal moment then happened when we bumped backstage into comedian and actor Mat Horne (Gavin from Gavin and Stacey, and the grandson to Catherine Tate's wonderful Nan character). You couldn't meet a nicer chap.

He is a close friend of the Hartnoll brothers and, as any Orbital anorak will tell you, gets tormented and ultimately killed by a cat in the actual musical video for "Wonky". Time to share one of Orbital's best videos (and songs) from the current millennium: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9675nvyses Having seen Orbital so many times over the years decades, we were relieved that this was a very adult set, for the cognoscenti. It was without a doubt one of their best. They didn't bother with the over-commercial fodder like their remix of the theme-tune to The Saint or, God help us, Doctor Who; songs which, while fun, are a little bit cringey when you consider their back catalogue. Okay, we did get a very short spurt of "Heaven is a Place of Earth", mixed as usual into their highly personal track from 1992, "Halcyon" (dedicated to their mother's addiction to benzodiazepines). Talking of mothers, they duly reminded us to tell her "Satan" this weekend, and the band also played (of course) their outstanding crowdpleaser "Belfast". How could they not?

Pretending their set had come to an end, which prompted 'one more tune!' to resonate around the packed-out main Press Hall, they played their classic tune "Chime" which transported us right back to that Ally Pally New Year's Eve party some twenty-five years ago (which was the tune they chose to play at midnight). They ended with "Where is it Going?" from their Wonky album.

Was their time for one more tune? They looked over towards their manager, who was getting fidgety. The crowd wanted more. Phil definitely wanted more. He was loving it on stage, spinning round and fist-pumping throughout the set. He gesticulated to Paul: we still have five minutes… And then came a genuine extra song, the 1993 classic "Lush 3". What a perfect way to end a great set. And then… it was all over. Will this be the last major gig anyone will see for a while in the UK? At the time of writing this review, we don't know. If it is, it was certainly one to remember. We also met some lovely people during the night (remembering always to bump elbows instead of shake hands!) Here's one particularly fun-loving foursome we met on our travels to the smoking area.

We really want to highlight just how fantastic a venue Printworks is. It is clean, the staff are extremely friendly, water and earplugs are freely available, hygiene is of the utmost concern. The toilets were always spotless and fully stocked with toilet paper and hand gel (no mean feat given the current climate of panic-buying and subsequent shortages). The aforementioned hand sanitiser dispensers on every wall were constantly topped up throughout the two-day event. This is a well-run club, and a welcome breath of fresh air. We also want to give a special shout-out to Jack Docherty from Broadwick Live, who was the party's publicist and therefore our main port of call over the weekend festivities. We have been in this reviewing lark for many years, but when it came to providing information, helping out with everything from backstage access and hospitality to tech, we have not come across a team as professional and helpful as they were. No, we had never heard of Jack or Broadwick Live before this weekend, and they have not asked us to mention them in this review. But credit where it's due. We thank you. If we are going to be facing a long break from live gigs, we couldn't have possibly ended of a higher high than we did on Saturday 14th March 2020. Hopefully our next gig review will not be too far away. And, again hopefully, you will all stay safe out there, whatever you are doing. We knew we took a risk coming out. But, a funny thing about regret is, that it's better to regret something you have done, than to regret something you haven't done. And by the way…. Read the full article

[definewine]

Gartelmann gold medal whites; perfect for Summer

The awards have continued for Gartelmann Wines with their summer releases, the 2018 Gartelmann ‘Sarah Elizabeth’ Chardonnay and partner Gartelmann ‘Benjamin’ Semillon having an impressive four golds and two trophies between them.

The 2018 Gartelmann ‘Sarah Elizabeth’ Chardonnay was awarded the Best White Wine of the Show and Best Young Chardonnay at the 2019 Orange Wine Show, under the guidance of Wine Show Chairman Nick Bulleid MW. The show received 50 entrants in this Chardonnay class, with 68% receiving a medal. The Chardonnay was judged by the full judging team, comprising Sarah Andrew, Stuart Knox, Jeff Byrne, Deb Lauritz, James Manners, Will Wilson, Monica Gray and Steve Mobbs.

“The Wine Show Committee have done a fantastic job pulling together a diverse judging team, with winemakers from within and outside of the region, as well as sommeliers. We believe that this ensures a rigorous judging of the wines, especially when it is overseen by a Master of Wine with the extensive experience of Nick Bulleid,” said owner and vigneron Jorg Gartelmann.

The 2018 Gartelmann ‘Sarah Elizabeth’ Chardonnay was harvested on the 6thMarch and barrel fermented in new and one year old 500 litre puncheons and 300 litre hogsheads with the objective of achieving subtle oak characters. The wine was then matured in oak for ten months with monthly lees stirring, freshness and vitality preserved by inhibiting malolactic fermentation.

The 2018 Gartelmann ‘Benjamin’ Semillon was made from grapes grown on the Glenesk Vineyard in the Upper Hunter sub region. Harvested on the 17thJanuary, the wine was fermented and bottled soon after in order to capture the regional character.  

“We are extremely happy with our Semillon,” continued Jorg. “Over the years we have continued to produce award winning wines year on year. The consistency is fantastic, with many vintages awarded gold medals.”

2018 Gartelmann ‘Sarah Elizabeth’ Chardonnay (Orange, NSW)  $30.00

Trophy, Best White Wine of the Show, , Orange Wine Show 2019

Trophy, Best Young Chardonnay of the Show, , Orange Wine Show 2019

Top Gold Medal (97 pts), Orange Wine Show 2019

2018 Gartelmann ‘Benjamin’ Semillon (Hunter Valley, NSW)  $27.00

Top Gold Medal (96 pts), NSW Small Winemakers Wine Show 2018

Top Gold Medal (55.5 pts), Australian Small Winemakers Show 2018

Gold Medal (95 pts), Cowra Wine Show 2019

Distribution: Gartelmann Wines are available from their Hunter Valley cellar door, select restaurants and independent bottle shops and via the Gartelmann website at www.gartelmann.com.au.

For further information, samples or images please contact:

David Cumming, Define Wine Marketing & Communications: 0414 736 342 or david@definewine.com.au

Jorg Gartelmann, Gartelmann Wines: 02 4930 7113 or wines@gartelmann.com.au

Gartelmann Wines: Located in the idyllic Hunter Valley, Gartelmann Wines was established at Lovedale by Jorg and Jan Gartelmann in 1996. Gartelmann produces wines from NSW’s premium wine regions including Orange, Mudgee, Rylstone and their home region, Hunter Valley.  The welcoming cellar door extends to the adjoining Deck Café overlooking the picturesque bush setting.

[myplasticproject]

living a healthy, hygienic, sustainable life🧼

one area of my life i knew i would struggle with making plastic free was my hygiene. at the start of the summer i couldn’t think of a single item in my bathroom that wasn’t made from plastic, covered in plastic, or a single use non-biodegradeable product. i knew this had to change

so here’s how i got around a plastic infested bathroom;

1. Soap.

luckily for me, my family have always preferred bars of soap to soap dispensers or any other form of plastic bottle containing hand gel. the issue here was finding one not wrapped in plastic. once again, very fortunately, there was a market in town selling soaps, so we stocked up on those

if you’re struggling to find plastic free soap/shampoo/conditioner the shop Lush, very proudly have a “naked cosmetics section” where you can get a range of products entirely plastic free. in addition on this page, there are several articles explaining the situation our plastic usage and waste has led us too.

https://uk.lush.com/plastic-free-packaging/all-naked-products

2. Toothbrushes

possibly the one of most common and easy things to exchange for a non plastic version. my sister has been using a bamboo toothbrush for years and when my plastic one broke*, i bought myself one too

(*i must stress here that even though i wanted to go plastic free, i didn’t just throw away my plastic toothbrush, i waited until i could no longer use it first. one of the most important things about living sustainably is using what you already have, and reusing until you can’t anymore- and then investing in a sustainably sourced and ethically produced version that is either biodegradable or will last you forever)

the brand i bought my toothbrush from is called The Humble Co. they’re a swedish brand that started in 2013 who are “leading a small revolution in personal care products”. they recognised the true horror behind the fact that 3.6 billion toothbrushes are consumed by the world every single year, all of which will continue to exist somewhere in eithe landfill or the ocean, for thousands of years

the company also fund a project called the Humble Smile Foundation, where a group of “dedicated dental professionals and academics, develop models whereby volunteer teams work together with local school staff to promote specific behaviour-based preventive oral health initiatives that include dietary interventions, monitored toothbrushing and clinical procedures” they work in countries across the world and the work they do is incredibly important

to find out more about this company here is their website- https://thehumble.co

3. Makeup, Makeup remover, Wipes

i found it rather difficult to accumulate any sort of information on the amount of plastic packaging used in the beauty industry and according to Amy Ziff (the executive director of Made Safe) it’s because “it’s just an area that’s been less scrutinized in beauty than other industries,”

however i did discover an informative article by Teen Vogue who’s global data on plastic packaging in the beauty industry, shows that in 2017, 76.8 billion units of plastic packaging were produced

(here’s a link to that article) https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.teenvogue.com/story/the-beauty-industry-has-a-plastics-problem/amp

okay, so i don’t really wear that much makeup, sure i wear mascara and some concealer but for me- that’s it, and as i said before i’m not going to throw away perfectly good products and waste them- so unfortunately i didn’t need to buy any new makeup over the summer and so myself, don’t own any non plastic makeup, but i did my research anyways-

from what i found there are a range of incredible brands (for example- Zao, River Organics Beauty, Nudi Goods, Boobalou, Alma Eko etc) that sell beauty products/makeup and more, entirely plastic free! almost all are small, independent companies, that i quickly discovered via instagram- it’s incredibly easy to make the switch when necessary as there are endless options available, they just aren’t from mainstream brands

i did, however, over the summer, invest in reusable makeup wipes. as these increase in demand, you can get them from a multitude of different places- i got mine from the Source Bulk Foods right at the start of summer, but they’re easily bought online.

4. Toilet paper🧻

now this one, at first, i didn’t think there was much of an alternative than the toilet paper wrapped in plastic packaging with some sort of cuddly puppy/elephant or koala on the front. that was until i discovered the brand Who Gives a Crap

they’re an australian brand who donate 50% of their profits to non-profit organisations like WaterAid Australia, Sanergy, Shining Hope For Communties, and Lwala Community Alliance- all organisations who aim to bring sanitation projects around the developing world

so far, they’ve raised $1.8 million (in australian dollars- which is over a million pounds) and if you switch to using there toilet paper, not only are you reducing your plastic footprint on the world but you’re making somebody else’s that bit better too

https://uk.whogivesacrap.org

5. Deodorant

a daily product you may not have considered either- but hey an essential part of your day that once again is smothered in plastic. if you, like me, didn’t think you’d be able to find any plastic free deodorants, think again- and pick your fancy from this list

https://www.peacewiththewild.co.uk/product-category/skincare/plastic-free-deodorant/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw2K3rBRDiARIsAOFSW_6wtGgOD1T8z6x3Jj5wfg3wEWLxnUFtI7ONXpYirnQtW2X_C4GxSJIaAl6aEALw_wcB

6. Period Products

both pads and tampons are (almost always) mostly made from non biodegradable plastic. according to one article i read, a conventional pad is 90% plastic and that a pack of menstrual pads is the same as 4 plastic bags moreover tampons are made from polyesters and disposable applicators are often plastic too.

luckily there are alternatives, women can use menstural cups, which are reusable and last much longer (so the initial price is worth it in the long run)- but not always for everybody, so you can also get reusable pads or reusable period underwear too!

here’s an interesting article on making the important switch to plastic free period products

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/friendsoftheearth.uk/plastics/plastic-periods-menstrual-products-and-plastic-pollution%3famp

a very good website and company that are attempting to combat this are Clementine, who make customised boxes for customers- you can check that out here =

https://weareclementine.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Search-Clementine-Generic-EU-EN&gclid=Cj0KCQjw2K3rBRDiARIsAOFSW_5ImepcnJKLx34xqi5Oc99RdF4Ut-M3zUerLX_wqoGplOSjN-mx6H0aAlTaEALw_wcB

7. Extras (eg floss, cotton swaps etc)

more often than not, any item in your bathroom that’s riddled with plastic can be replaced by an eco friendly, plastic free, or biodegradable version- you just have to do some research- hopefully one day, all of these items will be readily available in every shop, but for now, we must just help increase demand by buying what we can from who we can

[mysydneymemories-blog]

The secret to sculptor Anna-Wili Highfield's success: break the mould

It was by the time fledgling designer (and seasoned hippophile) Bianca Spender saw it. She and Highfield had met when Spender bought a tiny painting from Highfield's graduating show at Sydney's National Art School, her first and only sale to that point. When Highfield told Spender she had moved on from painting and was making a horse from pipes, the designer just back from overseas and working for her mother, Carla Zampatti was incredulous. "I asked her how she'd done it and she said, 'I just bent them'," Spender says. "I asked how it was held together and she said, 'Copper wire and masking tape; I'm going to hang it from the ceiling'. I thought, 'You have to be kidding'." Then Spender saw it. "It was like one of those drawings where you can't lift your pen from the paper, turned magically into three dimensions. It was utterly transformative. I thought, 'I have to have that horse.' "There were about 20 seconds between seeing it and being able to get Anna-Wili's attention to ask, firstly, if it was for sale and, secondly, if anyone had bought it, and they were the longest 20 seconds of my life." Re-hung from the ceiling of Spender's Bronte home, the horse featured in a Sydney Morning Herald article on Spender, who subsequently commissioned Highfield to make other works, including a paper owl for the launch of her first store on Oxford Street in Sydney's east. Suspended mid-flight, pursuing a fleeing Spender dress, that owl nailed the eye, particularly at night, spot-lit and spooky. Images were shared. People came in to ask about the artist. What had been a trickle of commissions and interview requests turned into a tide. Highfield never made it back to Opera Australia to finish her apprenticeship. She swapped the owl for a Spender wedding dress when she and Cavanough married in 2009. Her life changed gear. Particularly after an interview request from a show called Man Shops Globe on the Sundance Channel in the US which visited her in her studio on the recommendation of then New York-based Australian stylist Sibella Court and a commission from luxury goods company Herms, specifically its Australian communications director Eric Matthews, a former editor of Belle magazine with an interest in art. Time was becoming a real issue. Highfield hired an artist's studio in a converted terrace, escaping there at every opportunity. Increasingly, she was barely getting through her emails. "I was making sculptures, not marketing myself, but I could just feel something happening and it was getting bigger and bigger," she says. "It was fabulous and it saved me, but I just couldn't keep up." By 2011, she had a waiting list of 200 people and up to three years, which is when she recruited her cousin Xanthe as her first assistant. "I remember I was holding Matilda and Xanthe was at my desk and she looked up and said: 'Wili, The New York Times wants to know why you're not answering their emails,' " she says. "I remember thinking, 'F, I've gone viral'. I was getting commissions from all around the world, interview requests from German and American art magazines and Russian Vogue. You could literally track it on a map. "The interest in me as a personality was hilarious. I was being asked my favourite Sydney restaurant. I remember thinking, 'This is so beyond my life', which is about going to the studio and the park." Glamour was to follow, though, and when it did, it found Highfield ready. The portrait that accompanied the subsequent New York Times article showed her young and beautiful "They photo-shopped me to a ghoulish extent," she grimaces with the just-finished, three-quarter-scale Herms horse behind her, busting through a wall. As she herself was about to. When Pegasus flew into Herms' Brisbane store, a local bus driver started pulling over between stops to give passengers a look. When it flew on to Melbourne, businesswoman and art collector Carol Schwartz not only spotted it in the Herms window, but travelled to Sydney to meet the artist. "It had this extraordinary strength and delicacy," remembers Schwartz. "I was so fascinated by it that I wanted to meet her. Her studio was in an old house back then and it was just so incongruous: this amazingly beautiful woman and this amazingly beautiful work in this funny little room." A subsequent commission, an unkindness of ravens for Herms' Sydney windows, caught the eye of prominent Australian artist Ken Unsworth, who contacted Highfield to buy a work. Her waiting list would peak at five years, before shrinking back to months as she started concentrating on fewer, bigger commissions, her prices increasing from the few thousand dollars she originally charged to upwards of $20,000 today for major works. I was getting commissions from all around the world ... You could track it on a map. The interest in me as a personality was hilarious. Anna-Wili Highfield "Her story is so inspiring in terms of just starting to do something and everyone being magnetically attracted to it," says Spender. That magnetism partly reflects her subject matter nature at the time it is most in peril along with the novelty of her medium, cotton rag paper, and her ability to conjure a creature through a bravura display of technical skill. It's also about what she then takes away: up to 70 per cent of the work, to "allow a doorway for the imagination". What Highfield's works communicate is not a likeness so much as a living moment; of apprehension, as a thing coheres from its parts, as artist and audience collude to create it. As she puts it: "I'm creating a vessel for a particular energy." Along the way, Highfield has crafted a very individual way of being an artist in Australia: working entirely on her own account, independent of traditional enablers such as public and private galleries, instead powered by word of mouth and social media. It says it all that her first commercial show in Australia will be at the Tim Olsen Gallery in Sydney in October, more than a decade into a successful career, and 18 months after Olsen showed her in New York. "I would have approached her sooner had I known," says Olsen, who sees echoes of everyone from the great American sculptor Alexander Calder to surrealists such as Salvador Dali and Man Ray in Highfield's work. Instead, her staple has been commissions from individuals who have found their way to her. It's a fresh angle on the new world's oldest story: a system of established gatekeepers recording or publishing companies, the public and private gallery system is circumvented by new technology (such as made-for-art Instagram, which emerged around the same time as Highfield), erasing old barriers to entry in the process. In Highfield's case, those new players have been luxury goods companies and their ever-increasing appetite for artist collaborations. Herms has played the kind of patronage-and-promotional role for her that public galleries have in more traditional careers. Highfield has made a major work for the house every year since Pegasus, 10 in total, including a series of horses for its Istanbul store last year and another in Herms leather, animated mechanically by Highfield's husband Simon (the two separated in 2014, but remain close, working in adjoining studios and sharing the children). She is now working on an 11th piece destined for Europe. There's nothing new about such collaborations, from Dali and couturier Elsa Schiaparelli in the 1930s to Louis Vuitton and Jeff Koons, Yayoi Kusama and Richard Prince since. The heydays of luxury goods and contemporary art have coincided often merged over the past two decades. Think Damien Hirst's $US100 million 2007 diamond skull, the memento mori of the pre-GFC boom. In the decade since, collaborations have exploded. Pure and applied creativity have grown ever-more symbiotic. When jeweller Tiffany & Co. opened its new flagship store in Sydney's King Street last month, including its first permanent high jewellery offering in Australia, it included a pair of new Highfield works. In two private suites on the upstairs bridal mezzanine, sprays of delicate fairy wrens explode from sconces of silvery bottle brush, circling the heads of ring-shopping couples.

Highfield wrens, part of a commissioned work for the private suites of the bridal mezzanine in Tiffanys new Sydney store.Credit:Robin Hearfield

Highfield wrens, part of a commissioned work for the private suites of the bridal mezzanine in Tiffanys new Sydney store.Credit:Robin Hearfield The choice of wrens typifies the cleverness of Highfield's work, expressing not only the artist but a client and relationship. Beyond being fabulously decorative, the birds are native part of the idea of commissioning local artists for the store was to give it a sense of place the males' brilliant hoods a near-as-damn approximation of Tiffany blue. "They just remind you of that wonderful line from the film: 'Nothing bad could ever happen at Tiffany's'," the jeweller's vice-president of visual merchandising, Richard Moore, said during a lightning visit to Sydney for the opening. Success usually comes at a price, and whether Highfield will be embraced by the mainstream contemporary art world or dismissed as a lifestyle, commercial or craft artist as so many female artists have been remains to be seen. Her New York show was only a moderate success, says Tim Olsen, though works have continued to sell since. "The transition from fashion and design to pure art is a lot easier these days," he adds, citing his recent Dinosaur Designs show, featuring work by his sister, Louise Olsen, and her partner, Stephen Ormandy, which sold out. "Anna's work totally transcends craft, design or fashion. Sometimes I don't know how she holds them together. And I think she realises she has to move beyond commissions to be taken seriously as an artist." According to Agatha Gothe-Snape a successful "serious" artist whose work is held by public galleries Highfield is already past that. "It's just such a relief that pure talent and work speak louder than any institutional approval," Gothe-Snape says. "I don't know any artists who have been able to raise two kids and live the life she does in Sydney from their art. It's just unheard of." Gothe-Snape recalls the time Highfield made a profile of her son out of pipe cleaners. "It isn't just that the likeness is profound; it is actually him. My boyfriend [artist Mitch Cairns, who won the Archibald Prize in 2017 with a portrait of Gothe-Snape] took one look at it and said, 'That's literally the best thing I have ever seen'. It's magic and she's always had it." Says Highfield of her works: "They have to feel alive really alive. It's like painting a portrait. One tiny, little mark and all of a sudden it looks like that person. It didn't a moment before and it may not a moment later. I'll just do something and all of a sudden it's alive and singing." If it isn't, she kills it. The day of the shoot for this article, she sends a text asking if an owl she has been working on is in any of the shots. "I just destroyed it," she says when asked why. "You can't let things out that aren't good." Highfield grew up in Palm Beach the real Summer Bay on Sydney's northern beaches, "right on the edge of a nature reserve", she says. "We'd climb up through the ferns from our back yard and play in the caves overlooking Pittwater." It was the 1980s and early '90s. The rich blew into town mainly on weekends and holidays, but the parents of her classmates at Barrenjoey High tended to be "builders, photographers, film-makers and artists makers". Like her own. Her mother, Katie Swift, was a caterer-turned-food stylist, as her own mother the early food personality and presenter Rosemary Penman, whom Highfield is said to most resemble had been. Her father, Allan Highfield, was a puppeteer with the legendary troupe the Tintookies and live-action puppet show Blinky Bill on ABC TV. "That animism of hers has something to do with the fact that her dad was a puppeteer," says Gothe-Snape. "It's in her hands as they touch things. It's how she connects with the world. She's such an elegant, glamorous person, but you look at her hands and they're real: a worker's." "Maybe," Highfield says, turning the idea over in her mind. "I pull the strings [as she stitches a work together] and something becomes alive. I was certainly very proud at school that my Dad was Charlie Goanna, Walter Wombat and Sybilla the Snake. He was deeply interested in Aboriginal culture. He'd go away for months at a time touring puppet shows around Australia and he'd often stay in Aboriginal communities."

Highfields Kangaroo, 2015.Credit:Jen Leahy That's how Highfield got her name. "When I was born, Dad was somewhere near Bega doing a show," Highfield says. "Apparently there were pelicans circling the phone box when he rang and found out I'd just been born, earlier than expected. So he found out the local Aboriginal name for pelican and came home saying he wanted to call me Wili. Mum wanted to call me Anna and they argued about it until my grandmother said, 'Just put a hyphen in the middle'." That pretty well summed up the relationship. Her father drank and had a "temper that made things frightening", Highfield says. When she was 11, she and her elder sister found out that the son of a family friend was actually their half-brother. Her parents divorced when she was 12. "There were so many fracture points, but I just remember this camping trip when we met Dad in Darwin, where he was on tour, and drove back to Sydney over six weeks. They just argued the whole way. "Dad was nature man, with a beard down to here. He called mum a yuppy we weren't allowed to have tents because tents were for yuppies and he always wanted us to only eat roadkill. I'd lock myself in the car at night and cry. I just remember watching mum washing her face in the billabong with Clarin's cleanser and thinking, 'They are so different'." Her name enshrines the dichotomy. In conversation for this article, family and friends tend to call her Wili, while the luxury and gallery set prefer Anna. For all her swan-like qualities, Highfield also has an endearingly daggy awkwardness. An honesty and lack of pretence what Tim Olsen refers to as her "uncertain certainty". "Growing up, I was the fat kid with Coke-bottle bifocals," she says. "I was dyslexic, but it was never diagnosed. The only thing I could do well was draw, so I drew all the time and that got me through 12 years of school. I wouldn't have had a shred of confidence without it." Loading It's tempting to see that dyslexia as an essential part of how she's navigated the world: at an angle, by feel, instinct. As a teenager, she didn't fit in. "Palm Beach looked idyllic but it was a monoculture and I wasn't interested in surfing. I didn't date anyone. I would stay in my room and paint. I was a romantic snob, reading Keats and Shelley." The other thing that having an artist for a father did do, Highfield says, was "make me a better business person". Her mother kept the family afloat, not only by working but also mortgaging and re-mortgaging the family home until she eventually lost it when Highfield was in her 20s. "Mum got us out the door and we wanted for nothing," Highfield says. "But when I finished school she said, 'Can't you do graphic design? There's more chance of a steady job', because she knew how hard it was. When I said, 'I'm not good at graphic design and I'm not interested in it', she said, 'Just promise me you'll try and make money where you can. Your father was always talking about the purity of his art.'" I think Anna realises she has to move beyond commissions to be taken seriously as an artist. Tim Olsen Highfield knew she had to find a way to make it work. "A lot of my anxiety early on, when I was having Matilda, was about how I was going to do that work and have children and make art which is why what happened was so wonderful. I started not asking a lot for my work, which I now think was actually quite clever. It was about honing my art, getting work out there." Successful second-generation creatives occur regularly in this story, from Highfield to Spender, Olsen and Gothe-Snape, the daughter of the artist Michael Snape. They're a generational creative cohort who grew up together. But they all seem to have learnt a thing or two about the business in the process. In Highfield's case, it helped that she enjoyed working on commission, which a lot of artists hate. "To me, art's an exchange. I like having somebody in mind and doing what they want. There's a reciprocity and structure and warmth. Artists making work for the museum is a 20th-century thing. And it meant I could work outside an art world I was afraid would reject me. It bought me time to figure out what my work was about by making it; I didn't have to go in with a pitch. And it was good for my confidence. People wanted me to do what I did for them. And they kept coming back."

Bianca Spender (at left) and Highfield with her horse sculpture in Spenders Paddington boutique.Credit:Tamara Dean Ten years after they first met, Carol Schwartz now has 14 Highfield works, including a flock of birds, a parliament of owls and a mob of kangaroos. The latter stand in the kitchen of her beach house on Victoria's Great Ocean Road. "There are hundreds of kangaroos on the property and it looks like three of them just wandered in," she says. "The expression she has given them is remarkable. They're so alive, they just blow people away. The fascinating thing about her work is that it's only paper and it's partial, so your imagination takes over and fills in the blanks." Spender has so many works including three horses at home, four in stores and boutiques, and one in her studio that her partner has declared a fatwa. "I'm not allowed any more," she says. These days, that first Highfield painting sits on her bedside table. Highfield's latest project is her largest yet, a house she and her mother bought in Sydney's inner west and are converting into a compound where all four generations will live. "Mum and my grandmother are having the main house and the kids and I are building a smaller house out the back, separated by a garden," Highfield says. "I like small spaces. They force you to be efficient. I only want to have my treasures. Nothing else." Twenty years after she left home, she has come full circle, particularly given the builder and renovator of the two houses will be her half-brother, Max Arent, another family "maker". "We're all very close these days," Highfield says. "And Dad is a beautiful grandfather. I guess everything works out in the end if you're open to change and tack with the wind. It's like art: it comes together in the making." To read more from Good Weekend magazine, visit our page at The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Brisbane Times. Most Viewed in Entertainment Loading https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/the-secret-to-sculptor-anna-wili-highfield-s-success-break-the-mould-20190430-p51iiy.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed

[whittlebaggett8]

16 useful products to help you wake up and get your day started, Defence Online

Insider Picks writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

source

Clocky

If you still haven’t adjusted after daylight-saving time, you’re not the only one – we’re still having a hard time waking up to a pitch black sky.

Thankfully, there are products across the internet that promise to alleviate the exhaustion by helping you sleep better and wake up feeling less groggy – from a sunrise alarm clock to a programmable coffee maker.

I found some of the best ways to combat daybreak drowsiness so you can get your morning started on a positive note.

There are few things worse than waking up early on a Monday morning – even after getting a couple nights of decent sleep over the weekend. Despite years of practice, this weekly routine never seems to get any easier, and thanks to daylight-saving time, that same routine is about ten times more difficult.

We’re all facing the wrath of the time change, which recently resulted in the loss of an hour of sleep and an increase in the irritability and drowsiness of millions. As if Mondays weren’t painful enough, we’ll now have to work extra hard to complete the everyday task of hopping out of bed.

But not all hope is lost. From the time you open your eyes to when you head out the door, there are tons of products that can help keep you calm and motivated along the way. We discovered everything from an alarm that mimics the sunrise, to an eye serum infused with highly-purified caffeine – all of which will help you get on your feet and off to a good start.

Check out 16 products that will make the daylight-saving time adjustment come and go with ease:

A wake-up light alarm clock

source

Amazon

Philips Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock, $137.97 (Originally $197.25), Available at Amazon

Insider Picks writer Christian de Looper named this the best overall pick for wake-up alarm clocks, citing its customization options as one of its best features. The Philips Wake-Up Light alarm clock gradually brightens, mimicking the rising sun and providing a more natural way to start your morning.

An aromatherapy essential oil diffuser

source

Amazon

Urpower Aromatherapy Essential Oil Diffuser, $24.09 (Originally $30.57), Available at Amazon

Essential oils are a great way to start your day on a calm note. A few drops of bright lemon will bring a cheery vibe to your bedroom or bathroom to start you off on the right foot. Insider Picks reporter Mara Leighton gave high marks to Urpower diffusers, which are pretty affordable. This one might seem small, but it has landed in the hands of over 10,000 reviewers and is rated 4.5 stars out of 5 on Amazon.

A programmable coffee maker

source

Amazon

Cuisinart DGB-700BC Grind and Brew Coffee Maker, $127.99, Available on Amazon

This coffee maker has received great reviews and continues to rank as one of the best multi-cup coffee brewers on the market, but its best feature is that it can be programmed the night before to brew you a fresh pot of coffee in the morning (who doesn’t want to wake up to the smell of coffee?).

A high-tech smart thermostat

source

Amazon

Ecobee Smart Thermostat, $169, Available at Amazon

According to Insider Picks reporter, Brandt Ranj, the Ecobee Smart Thermostat is must-have if you want to make your house more energy efficient. With the Ecobee smart app, you can set the temperature to whatever level you’d like at whatever time you’d like – making it easier to leave your warm, cozy sheets.

A pack of LED smart bulbs

source

Amazon

Philips Hue LED Smart Bulbs, $63.86, Available at Amazon

These smart lightbulbs work with Alexa, Google Assistant, and HomeKit so that you can take full control of your home lighting system. With the Philips Hue app, you can set a timer to turn on your lights – a less abrasive wake up call than your typical alarm.

A nifty breakfast sandwich maker

source

Target

Hamilton Beach Breakfast Sandwich Maker, $24.99, Available at Target

A delicious breakfast sandwich that’s easy to make is surefire way to get anyone out of bed. Mara Leighton, Insider Picks reporter, took us through the process of creating her own sandwich from this breakfast sandwich maker, and she was extremely pleased with the quick and consistent results. Instructions are easy to follow, and with a few simple steps you can quickly walk out the door with a filling breakfast in hand.

Refreshing peppermint body wash

source

Amazon

Tree to Tub Peppermint Body Wash, $16.99 (Originally $17.88), Available at Amazon

Peppermint does wonders for clearing your head in the wee hours of the morning. This invigorating body wash is sure to help you stay awake in the shower and leave you feeling refreshed and ready to start the day.

A citrusy facial scrub

source

Target

Clean & Clear Morning Burst Facial Scrub, $6.99, Available at Target

This Morning Burst facial scrub is a fan favorite and does a great job of cleansing, exfoliating, and energizing – all in one wash. The smell of citrus and the vitamin C enriched formula will provide a refreshing kick to your morning routine.

Caffeinated energy bites

source

Verb

Verb Energy Bites, $18 for 12 bars, Available at Verb

If drinking coffee gives you jitters but you still crave that caffeine kick, then the Verb Energy Bites might be your new go-to. Quite a few team members at Insider Picks have tried them and say that they taste good and satisfy hunger and energy needs in one bite.

An alarm clock that wheels around the room

source

Amazon

Clocky Runaway Alarm Clock, $39.00 Available on Amazon

Setting an alarm isn’t any use if you never get out of bed after turning it off. This little guy will wheel around your room and won’t turn off unless you can catch it.

An eye serum infused with caffeine

source

Sephora

The Ordinary Caffeine Solution, $6.70, Available at Sephora

An eye serum and caffeine in one bottle? Count me in. Regular users say that the Ordinary Caffeine Solution formula got rid of eye puffiness immediately and that their dark circles looked brighter after use. It won’t actually wake you up any faster, but a few minutes of self-care in the morning can give you something positive to look forward to.

An eye-opening sleep system

source

Amazon

Hello Sense Sleep System, $129.99, Available at Amazon

This small device monitors your bedroom for potential sleep disturbances like noise, temperature, and environmental factors, and provides feedback you can use to optimize your room’s conditions to ensure you get a better nights sleep.

An extremely loud alarm clock

source

Amazon

Sonic Alert Sonic Boom Alarm Clock, $25.95 (Originally $39.95), Available at Amazon

The Sonic Boom alarm clock will solve your problem of needing to set five separate alarms every morning. It includes a pulsating, flashing light, and a 102 decibel sound to ensure that you’ll never sleep through your alarm again.

The Apple Watch series 3

source

Amazon

Apple Watch Series 3, $279, Available at Amazon

If sound isn’t enough to help you rise from the depths of your comforter, maybe the vibration from the Apple Watch will do the trick. I wear my watch when I need a quick 30-minute nap, and I’m shocked at how a small vibration can make such a big impact in the way I wake up.

An electric towel warmer

source

Amazon

Sharndy Electric Towel Warmer, $129, Available on Amazon

There is nothing worse than hopping out of the shower to find that your towel is cold and damp. With this electric towel warmer, you can actually look forward to getting out of the shower and out the door.

A coffee scrub for the shower

source

Nordstrom

Frank Body Coffee Scrub, $16.95-$18.95, Available at Nordstrom

We discovered the Frank Body Coffee Scrub last year after hearing rave reviews about the Australian-based company. The scrub contains ground coffee beans that exfoliate and soothe – giving your skin an invigorating boost before you even grab your cup of joe. Like the eye serum, the caffeine in this body scrub won’t actually do much to wake you up, but the process of exfoliating can help to get your circulation going.

The post 16 useful products to help you wake up and get your day started, Defence Online appeared first on Defence Online.

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[cleanairstudio1-blog]

How can we prevent environmental problems?

LIVING WITH: PLANET-SAVING - EMISSION-FREE - POLLUTION-AVOIDING - NEAR-FREE - CLIMATE-CONSTANT - HAPPY-HEALTHY - MINIMUM-EFFORT - RE-INDUSTRIALISATION:

 Reduce the Waste of Plastic Bags:

1. Try not to GET ANYTHING THAT HAS ONLY 1 USE like plastic, papers, matches, and mags for which my FREE Internet Library presently has a major part; remaining mags and papers to Doctor's and so on lounge areas + part-clean paper to schools - 2. Just ALLOW PLASTIC THAT CAN BE EASILY MELTED and FORMED INTO OTHER ITEMS - 3. Try not to MAKE OR BUY ANYTHING THAT HAS A SHORT LIFE, OR CAN'T EASILY BE RECYCLED, RESTORED, REUSED, REACTIVATED, Remodeled, REDESIGNED, REHABILITATED, RECONDITIONED and RENEWED; stay away from all PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE things - 4. BE VERY FRUGAL purchase second hand, carport deals; likewise MAKE, FIX and GROW or Find however much sustenance as could reasonably be expected like our almost zero-exertion ¼ section of land palatable midget tree-nourishment wilderness including local edibles + ocean life; note transport from Brisbane to Melbourne and we see just around 10 front greenery enclosures with a sustenance tree in! - 

Interesting  Read: How to Celebrate the Happy Earth Day 2019?

5. Possess SOLAR-CHARGED VEHICLE; MY 1950S DACHSHUND-DOG HILL-ASSISTED LONG-DISTANCE CYCLING; USE PUBLIC TRANSPORT while conveying little 11kg collapsing miniaturized scale bike; HITCH-HIKE PICKUP ALL FIJI PRIVATE-VEHICLES INCLUDING TAXIS FOR ABOUT $2 = EMISSION-AVOIDING BUDGET BUS FARE; NO FLYING to AVOID catastrophes and gross contamination; SAIL BEST; - 6. Claim POWER LIKE SOLAR, HYDRO OR WIND ETC - 7. Saving in SUCH AS FRESHIELD VACUUM, OR WATER BAGS in the breeze - 8. COOK SOLAR OR ON 1-STICK STOVE - 9. WORLD BIRTH CONTROL - 10. STOP MOST ALL TOTAL RADIATION - 11. Claim CLEAN WATER LIKE RAIN TANK, STREAM, CLEAN WELL, CARRY A JAR WITH YOU - 12. Try not to FLUSH IF ONLY PISS, COMPOST TOILET spares water, SEPTIC TANK OR DOWN A HOLE - 13. Sustenance and GARDEN SCRAPS TO COMPOST, MULCH OR BURY, MICROWAVE PEELINGS FOR DOG - 14. HOME 12-VOLT APPLIANCES WE MAKE OR GET FROM CARAVAN, SURVIVAL, CAMPING OR BOAT SHOPS - 15. Remain ON LAUNDRY IN A BOWL WHILST SHOWERING - 16. NEVER SMOKE, DRINK, GAMBLE or DRUG - 17. Sunlight based DESALINATION IS VITALLY NEEDED, AS IN PART OF S.AMERICA; VAST DESALINATION and PUMPING FOR THE WORLD'S DROUGHT AREAS IS THE JOB FOR A CHEAP NUCLEAR REACTOR, INCLUDING HEAT-EXCHANGERS, EVEN DISTRICT-HEATING - 18. PINE TREE MEALS - 19. MY CORNISH UK GLASSED VERANDA FACING THE SUN HEATED ENTIRE HOME UNTIL LONG AFTER WINTER SUNSET + INSULATE CEILINGS and 3 LAYERS OF CARDBOARD UNDER CARPET + ON WALLS IF POSSIBLE - 20. A PARTNER GIVES PROVEN MORE HEALTH and HAPPINESS; OPTIMUM LOW-COST FAMILY is the point at which one accomplice works or has town business, alternate enables a family to end up profoundly independent. Swap employments at regular intervals or less! We are not rich since we have the most, but since we need the least… WE ENJOY MOST ALL THE ABOVE IN TOTAL LUXURY at our solid ages of 85 and 70, blossoming with under 5% benefits!! ANY MORE SUGGESTIONS WELCOME?

Important Article: Quotes on Save Earth

1-word GOOGLE: DRPATSAWESOMELIBRARY; the second page tells the best way to get to and download FREE Library. ₤

Destitute: In a few nations Church administrations are trailed by tea + heaps of cake, sandwiches, organic product hotdogs and so on. Likewise - including Brisbane's St.Vincent de Paul's sans gives or modest settlement + suppers for those remaining there + dinners out back for non-inhabitants. Throughout the years in Portobello Road, London and Sydney Markets I have had the capacity to generally nourish a whole condo with market immense left-overs. A modest collapsing bicycle is imperative, as were British, Yank and Australian Survival books for hedge exhaust - including Vanuatu towns where tropical storms have annihilated all sustenance gardens. In the 1960s and 1970s the book "Brilliant Guide to South and East Asia" encouraged and housed us from Malaya to Afghanistan and Iran by means of India, Thailand, and so on.

Read Now: Earth Day Questions with Answers for  Students

TO KEEP WARM IN COLDEST WINTERS: 3 layers of box cardboard protects on floors under rugs. Likewise on dividers behind Book bodies of evidence and pantries against dividers looking outside + in roofs. Long socks staring you in the face are magnificent in bed and so forth. Hotwater bottle shrouded in a weaved sack keeps bed comfortable throughout the night. Our 46 watt sun based board gives all out house control including summer cooler which if outside, will be OFF all winter, blender, fans, LEDs, siphons, TV and radio and so on; yet best of every one of the bed hotter involving a rheostat - variable power resistor - inside a MILO or huge espresso can which is set in the bed. Spare bathwater there till virus to warm house a bit. In bed, we have every one of the 3 dinners just as sit in front of the TV, use PC and telephone, read books, play and tune in to music + radio and so forth. Our single-stick ait preheating and afterburning Helixtove with influenza warm ponder with no wood hacking.

Wellington gumboots are genuine warm outside; load up with water and stroll around for a couple of minutes to clean boots and your feet. Relocate to warm New Zealand, Fiji, Vanuatu or Australia where we practically have each day cloudless, no viciousness or firearms and so forth and bananas that age all winter in Queensland State.

Also Read: Earth Day Cliparts 2019 Collection

I believe it's consistent with the state that today, at any rate in the Western World people can deflect the peril of a characteristic fiasco. In New Zealand, there is prepared staff to screen dangers identified with seismic tremors, volcanic ejections, tidal wave, flames, and floods. There are state-subsidized associations with staff prepared to oversee fiascoes amid the catastrophe occasions to forestall damage and death toll as a first need, including the two pets and ranch creatures where conceivable.

Flame and flood counteractive action can be taken to keep away from or limit disastrous scale occasions by forward getting ready for precedents with the arrangement of stopbanks, fire breaks and limitations on lodging advancements in flood inclined territories. Great building structure and development of water channels, funnels, extensions, dams, and spillways that can withstand 1 of every 100 to multi-year occasions are ordinarily used to keep away from costly and fatal fiascoes.

Large seismic tremors are in their very own class and can't be forestalled or time of occasion anticipated. In New Zealand, a > 8 size is expected at any point in the near future. see Alpine Fault shake: It will 'probably occur in the lifetime of numerous Kiwis' This could conceivably quickly kill 10's of thousands of individuals and wreck a huge number of structures and other framework including streets, spans, emergency clinics, power supplies which are by law required to fulfill tremor guidelines, but since of their age, or kind of development, particularly multistory might be not able to withstand the powers and ground developments of the real shudder and consequential convulsions. The season of the day will matter for the loss of life.

Popular: Earth Day Worksheets 2019

NZ has dynamic volcanic zones, and torpid volcanoes that could emit, however for these, a few and most sufficiently likely cautioning can be given to individuals to clear. For deciding the volcanic emission dangers researchers utilize remote computerized sensors of temperatures and ground shaking, in addition to examining, site visits and examination to build up ordinary examples and all the more intently screen uncommon movement, to offer admonitions to the open when dangers are expanded.

A substantial piece of forestalling fiasco is open attention to dangers, financing to distinguish, evaluate and deal with these dangers, not leaving things to risk as numbness isn't happy when these occasions happen.

[charllieeldridge]

Cost Of Travel in Cuba: A Full Budget Breakdown

When preparing and planning for a trip to Cuba, it’s important to think about your budget, the prices in Cuba and how you’re going to pay for things while travelling around this incredible island nation.

With the internet and wi-fi being scarce and a hassle to connect to (although, it is getting better), you must have your finances and your budget sorted out beforehand.

It’s not as easy to check your bank balance online, or acquire Cuban money as it is in other countries.

We travelled independently around Cuba for almost a month and I’m here to give you a full breakdown of what the best currency to bring to Cuba is, how much money to bring, how to get Cuban money, and how much you can expect to spend while visiting Cuba. 

What is The Cuban Currency?

Before even figuring out how much cash you’ll need to bring to Cuba, it’s important to understand the Cuban money (there are two currencies) and the rates.

The National Peso (CUP)

This currency is what most of the local people are paid their salary in.

Using the National Peso, you can purchase smaller items and the “basics” that one needs. It’s important to realize that this isn’t the “Cuban people’s currency”, foreigners can use this money as well. 

Here’s what you can buy with CUP:

Rides in the local inter-city buses (which are jam-packed full, no room to breathe)

Fruit and vegetables from the markets and side-of-the-road stands

Street snacks such as popcorn and fried plantains

Rides in a collectivo (shared) taxi

“Peso” food such as pizza, ice cream, sandwiches, rice & bean meals, and other smaller meals (pork & rice, spaghetti)

Fresh fruit juice

Basic groceries and produce

The Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC)

This currency is used for “luxury” items and is the Cuban money you’ll mostly find yourself spending during your travels here. 

Locals who earn this currency rather than the National Peso are typically those in tourism (casa owners, tour guides, taxi drivers, hotel staff, etc.)

Being a Cuban and earning CUC is ideal.

With just 1 CUC (after exchanging it into National Pesos), they can buy 25 rides on a bus, 25 fresh cups of juice, or some rice and beans. This is the currency everyone wants.

Keep this in mind when musicians or dancers ask you for a tip — your 1 CUC goes a long way in Cuba.

Here’s what you can buy with CUC: 

Meals at a sit-down restaurant

Cocktails and beer

Bottled water

Tourist bus (Viazul) tickets

Internet

Hotels and casa particulares

Scuba Diving, horseback riding, and other excursions

Car and scooter rentals

Anything you want to buy, you can with this currency

How to Tell The Difference Between CUC and CUP

The two currencies actually look quite similar so when you first arrive, familiarize yourself with them to avoid being ripped off.

The main difference is that CUC does not have any faces on the note. It also says “pesos convertibles” in the center of the bill. Like this:

This is what CUC (convertible pesos) look like

CUP has faces of famous Cuban people and says “pesos” in the center of the bill. Like this:

CUP has a large face of someone famous on the bill

Always check your change to make sure that if you paid for something in CUC, you receive CUC back, (sometimes people will try to scam new travellers by giving them change in CUP, which is worth significantly less).

You can buy things that are normally charged in CUP with CUC and vice versa.

What is the Exchange Rate? 

25 National Pesos (CUP) = 1 Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC)

1 Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC) = 1 US Dollar

Can I Use My Debit or Credit Card in Cuba?

If you have a debit or credit card issued by an American bank (ie: CitiBank), then it will NOT work in Cuba’s ATM machines.

If you have a bank card from any other nation, it should work at the ATMs, but a 3-12% fee will be charged with each transaction.

Even if you opened your account in your home country (ie: Canada), but the bank is affiliated or run by a US company (ie: CitiBank), your card will not work in Cuba.

Expect to spend cash when you’re in Cuba, rather than swiping your card. 

Note: Make sure to inform your bank of your Cuba travel plans. If your account gets frozen while you’re abroad due to “suspicious activity”, it’ll be a hassle trying to connect with your bank back home to lift the hold on the account.

What Currency Should I Bring to Cuba?

Many people have asked us “How much cash should I bring to Cuba?” and “What currencies are accepted in Cuba?”

Well, if you’re not an American citizen and you don’t have a bank that’s affiliated with the USA, I would suggest having only a couple of hundred Canadian Dollars, Euros or Pounds on you as back-up funds.

Otherwise, you can use your debit and credit card at the machines in Cuba to withdrawal local currency (however, you will be charged 3% at the ATM, so it’s up to you as to whether or not you want to bring your full budget in cash and exchange it in-country).

Do NOT bring US Dollars to Cuba, as you will be charged a 10% conversion fee when you try to exchange into Cuban money.

Also, note that Australian dollars are NOT accepted. The best currencies to bring into Cuba to convert into Cuban money (CUC) are Canadian Dollars, Euros, Pounds and Mexican Pesos.

How To Exchange Money in Cuba

If you’ve travelled to Cuba with one of the accepted currencies (Canadian Dollars, Euros, Pounds, etc.), then you will need to exchange this currency into Cuban money — CUC.

So, where do you exchange your money?

Look for a CADECA, which are the money changers that are found in the cities. Line-ups can be long at these money changers, but it usually moves pretty quickly. 

Make sure to bring your passport when exchanging money at a CADECA.

You’ll find a CADECA at the airport in Havana, or click here to find one in Havana on Google Maps. 

The upside to withdrawing money from an ATM is that you won’t need to travel to Cuba with a bunch of cash on you, and then have a bunch of CUC once you exchange it at the CADECA.

The downside is that you’ll be charged between 3-12% by the ATM (we were charged 3% by the machine using Canadian bank cards).  

How Much Money Should I Bring to Cuba?

If you’re American, and you’re wondering how much spending money you’ll need in Cuba, this will depend entirely on your travel style.

Your personal travel budget for Cuba might differ from ours, so check out the prices in Cuba for various activities (information below), and figure out how much you think you’ll need — it’s always better to err on the side of caution and have too much money, than not enough.

Our daily average in Cuba was $100/day for two people. 

Remember, you’ll want to bring cash in the form of Pounds, Euros or Canadian Dollars, which you can get beforehand at your local bank at home.

Read on to see how much we spent, and what everything costs in the country.

How Much Does Cuba Cost?

People often ask us “Is Cuba expensive?” Cuba is very strange in that (depending on how you choose to travel) it can be one of the cheapest travel destinations in the world or one of the most expensive.

For the sake of simplicity, prices in this article are in CUC / USD (they’re equal), unless otherwise stated.

Here’s a breakdown of some of the prices in Cuba.

Cost of Accommodation in Cuba

$20 – $30 / night for a double room in a casa particular. Solo travellers can get a discount.

$25 – $180 + / night for a hotel room.

For authentic Cuba travel, Casa Particulares are the way to go!

If you’re wondering where to stay in Cuba for cheap, this is it. Casas are affordable, comfortable and you will enjoy a more local stay while in the country.

This is the best way to get to know the locals — feel free to chat with them about their life in Cuba, and practice your Spanish!

The food served by the casa owners is also very good. I highly recommend eating at least a meal or two at your casa particular.

Read more: What is a Casa Particular? All You Need to Know, with Video

Check out this video where we give you a tour of a casa so you can see what it’s like.

I recommend booking your casas ahead of time because once you’re in Cuba, finding internet (or at least, a solid connection) can be a hassle and it’s expensive.

It’s best to have your accommodation sorted out ahead of time unless you’re prepared to wait in queue for internet.

These days, you can book casas on Airbnb. Click here for a list of the top casas, guesthouses, villas, apartments and more in Cuba. Or, if you’d rather book hotel stays in Cuba, click here for a list of the best on Booking.com.

Another option is to just show up at each city and look around without booking ahead. Many casa owners will greet you at the bus station and offer you a room. But still, it’s best to book ahead so you can read reviews and have it all sorted out beforehand. 

Cost of Food & Drink in Cuba

The prices in Cuba for a meal out varies greatly. Some cities are cheaper than others, such as Camaguey, while some are much more expensive. The cost of alcohol varies as well depending on where you choose to drink.

Cocktails at your casa are often cheaper than at a bar. Expect to spend $2 for cocktails and $1 for a beer.

At a nicer restaurant or bar, cocktails and beer are often similar in pricing, $2 – $3 each. Go for a mojito, trust me, you’ll love it!

Bottled water is what you need to watch out for. It’s hot in Cuba and you’ll want to make sure you stay hydrated. The cost of a 1.5L bottle should be $0.70, however, most shops charge tourists $1.50.

Shop around until you find the real price, or better yet, just hand them $0.70 and act like you know what it should cost. Also, some casas have potable water and juice for free. Just ask.

Better yet, bring a reusable water bottle and a SteriPen so you can purify the tap water and won’t have to use so much plastic during your travels to Cuba.

Here’s a chart showing some of the prices in Cuba for food — notice how cheap it can be!

RESTAURANTS

Pizza: $2.50

Tapas: $1.50 – $3.00 each

Beef stew with rice and salad: $8

Spaghetti: $5.50

Fish in sauce with rice and salad: $9

Lobster/fish with sides at a restaurant: $8-$10

Fish, pork or chicken meal at casa (too much food to finish): $7 – $10

PESO FOOD

Egg sandwich w/cheese: 9p ($0.36)

Cheese pizza: 6p – 30p ($0.24-$1.20)

Fresh fruit juice: 1 – 2p ($0.04 – $0.08)

Ice cream cone: 1p ($0.04)

Grilled pork & rice: 35p ($1.50)

Check out our video where we sample peso food around Cuba!

Contrary to belief, the food in Cuba is pretty good! Don’t believe us? Check out our article about Cuban cuisine.

Cost of Attractions and Activities in Cuba

All of the museums, sites, and activities that you’ll want to partake in will be paid for in CUC.

For tours, I recommend booking them online beforehand so you don’t need to deal with the wifi in Cuba.

In Havana:

Museo de la Revolucion (Museum of the Revolution): $8 entrance fee

2. Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabana (Fort of Saint Charles): $8 entrance fee

3. Museo de Bellas Artes: $8 entrance fee

4. Ride in a Classic Car down the Malecon: $25 for 30 minutes depending on your bargaining skills. A better idea is to book your Classic Car ride here, and enjoy 2 hours of cruising around Havana, with a cocktail — plus, you won’t have to deal with tourist pricing problems. Check out the 2 Hour Classic Car Tour here:

5. Walking Tour: $40/person. On this walking tour, you’ll discover the UNESCO listed Old Havana with a knowledgeable guide. At the end, you’ll enjoy an authentic local lunch. Click here for details, or check out the walking tour here:

For some really unique and eye-opening tours in Havana, check out this list of Airbnb Experiences with locals. 

Costs in Other Cities

If you’re going to pay for some tours in-country, here’s what you can expect to pay. 

Viñales: Horseback riding tour – $25 for a 4-hour trip

Viñales: Santo Tomas Cave – $10 entrance fee (with guide)

Trinidad: Horseback riding tour – $15 for a 3-hour trip

Cayo Jutias: One tank scuba dive, including equipment – $40

Geared up to go caving outside of Viñales

Cubans can enter museums and other attractions using the National Peso. For example: If it’s 5 CUC for foreigners to get in, it’s 5 CUP for locals ($5 vs $0.20).

This is one situation where it feels like there is a currency for foreigners and a separate currency for Cubans.

Although it truly is tourist pricing in this case, we do believe that if it weren’t this way, then many of the local people wouldn’t be able to visit the historic sites of their country.

Tourist pricing is a hot topic, something we’ve covered in length before, but we won’t get into that here.

Cuba Transportation Costs

Transportation in Cuba is comfortable and reliable, and the options are plentiful. The cost of transport varies with each city, and with all of the transport options I list below, make sure the price is per vehicle, not per person.

Here’s a rundown on the types of transport, and their costs:

Private Taxis: $2.50 – $7 for a journey within a city.

From the airport in Havana to Central Havana, the cost is $25 for a taxi.

An intercity, 60 minute private taxi costs around $30. Cuba taxi prices are quite high compared to other modes of transportation and although taxis have meters in them, they won’t be turned on. Arrange a price before you get in.

Shared Taxis (Collectivos): $0.50 / ride in the city (paid with 10 CUP. Don’t pay with CUC)

In Havana, very old classic cars run up and down various streets, on a set route. They will pull over and pick up people who are going in their direction, but you must flag them down. If you don’t know the route, this can be confusing.

You can also take shared taxis in between cities for (often) the same cost as the bus. From Trinidad to Havana, the cost is $25 / person. Ask at the Infotur offices for more details, or at your accommodation. 

A collectivo taxi in Havana

City Bus: $0.04 (yes, 4 cents!)

This transportation is very cheap, but the buses are packed to the brim with people. If you know the route and where you want to go, this is a good option.

Astro Bus: (generally around 1/2 the price of a Viazul bus)

This is the regular choice for intercity buses in Cuba. The prices of the Astro are cheaper than the Viazul below, however, there are only a few seats reserved for foreigners, the buses aren’t as new, and they aren’t as reliable.

Note: locals pay in CUP, while tourists pay in CUC.

Viazul Bus: $4 – $5 / hour

This is the tourist bus, which has air conditioning and runs on a reliable schedule. Some sample costs:

Havana to Viñales: $12

Havana to Varadero: $10 

Havana to Trinidad: $24

Viñales to Cienfuegos: $35

Viñales to Trinidad: $37

Cienfuegos to Trinidad: $6

Trinidad to Camaguey: $15

The comfortable Viazul tourist bus

Cycle Taxi: $1 – $3 (depending on your bargaining abilities)

This is one mode of transportation where we always felt bad for the poor guy who had to cycle our big butts around in 35-degree heat! Bargain with the cycle drivers, but remember that this is a very hard job.

Scooter: $25 / day ($20 if you rent for 3 days)

This is the best way to get around in our opinion…especially in Viñales!

Check out our video of us scootering around Viñales!

Total Daily Cuba Budget

After spending 25 days in Cuba, we spent $2,500, including accommodation, tours, food, in-country transport…everything.

That’s $100 / day for two people.

However, I have to say that we lived pretty well while we were in Cuba as it was our vacation from blogging and being online. It would be possible to travel here for less if you ate more peso food, and took the local transportation, rather than Viazul buses.

We did stay in casa particulares, we often ate peso food, we limited the number of entrance fees we paid, and we took many cycle taxis.

However, we did drink mojitos and beers on the regular, ate good food and did a few activities (scuba diving, horseback riding, and caving). We also rented a motorbike in Viñales.

I think that $100 / day for two people to travel around an incredible Caribbean island is worth every penny! But, as I said before, your travel budget will differ from ours.

I recommend booking your tours and accommodation ahead of time before arriving in Cuba, and then use the cash for food, booze, entrance tickets, bus tickets, tips, souvenirs, etc. 

Now You Know The Prices in Cuba

There you have it. When it comes to travelling Cuba, even though it’s not as straight forward as other countries, it’s worth every minute of extra travel planning time!

I hope this article helped you plan your Cuba budget and that I was able to shed some light on the (confusing) Cuban currency as well. Happy travels!

Note: Some of the images in this post are courtesy of Shutterstock. Check them out for royalty-free photos and videos, here.

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[agilenano]

Agilenano - News: Parenting is its own reward, and you can’t put a price-tag on love

We all know it. And yet, when Father’s Day rolls around each year, that’s sort of the task before us — scouring the internet for a Father’s Day gift that will reflect how much we value everything dads do. And it can’t just be a generic expression of gratitude — it’s about finding a gift for dad that he’ll actually appreciate and put to use. ADVERTISEMENT Especially this year, when so many of our activities are limited to home, backyard, and neighborhood, finding a creative gift for dad is a challenge. Maybe it’s a tech gadget, a bottle of fine whiskey, backyard barbecue tools, or home exercise equipment. The best Father’s Day gifts tap into his passions and interests, or maybe turn him on to something new. “I think, as with any gift, it should be something special that the person might not ordinarily buy for themselves,” says gifting guru Ann Cantrell, owner of Annie’s Blue Ribbon in Brooklyn. This Year, Mother’s Day matters to your family... More than ever Less than ever About the same Thanks for the feedback! Oops! Something went wrong. Please contact support@fatherly.com. Chances are pretty good that you’ll be able to find something on this list that the husband or dad in your life will love. Why? Because we pored over all the stuff and found gear that he’ll love at a price you’ll like. Happy shopping. The Best Gifts for Dad Under $50 L.L. Bean Canvas Hunters Tote Throw anything in this bag — firewood, barbecue tools, fishing gear — and go. Made from a tough, water-resistant 1,200-denier polyester shell, it's as indestructible, useful, and reliable as bags come. $35.00 Ooni Baking Stone Designed to fit the awesome Ooni backyard pizza oven, the Ooni baking stone works just as well in your home oven. At roughly 13-by-13 inches, it fits almost any oven and turns out the perfect crispy pie in minutes. $30.00 Bellroy Tablet Sleeve This 10 inch charcoal iPad sleeve, from a fancy Australian accessories brand, has a magnetic bumper closure and a quilted microfiber lining for extra protection. It's handsome and practical. Buy Now $39.00 Matador Pocket Blanket This water-resistant portable blanket is 63 x 44 inches when unfolded, large enough for a picnic with the family or a solo reading session outdoors. It comes with metal stakes to keep the blanket secure. Buy Now $29.99 Nodpod Bead Filled Sleep Mask This brilliant sleep mask is cooling on one side, if he runs hot. It blocks out light like a champ, is machine-washable, and is weighted, to help him fall asleep. Buy Now $42.00 Fjallraven Gear Bag A heavy-duty all-purpose gear bag that holds 4 liters' worth of stuff, this has a main compartment with a zippered pocket and two open compartments. He can use it for tech or toiletries. Buy Now $33.71 Carhartt Legacy Tool Roll The handy dad can keep his tools organized with this Carhartt tool roll. It's got 18 slots for different tools;, plus three small parts pockets with hook and loop closures for small tools or utility items. It's just as suitable for tech gear, camping utensils or even art supplies. Buy Now $24.95 LEM Products 468 Jerky Cannon If dried meat is his jam, he'll be into this jerky gun. This rather impressive cannon holds 1 1/2 pounds of meat and produces flat jerky, or round snack sticks. Buy Now $39.99 Genuine Crazy Horse Leather Electronics Organizer Roll Bag He'll never leave home without this roll-up case, which has three mesh pockets for a USB, SD card, SIM card or other small items, two mesh zipper compartment for his phone, mouse, power bank, two leather compartments to store passports, plus of course, Velcro for the chargers. Buy Now $47.49 Nomad Carabiner He can clip this carabiner with a built-in charing cable to his belt, or his backpack, and always have power handy for his Apple tech. Buy Now $34.95 Fisher Space Bullet Pen First designed in 1948, this classic bullet pen elevates the basic task of note-taking. It works no matter what angle he's using. Even in zero gravity. Buy Now $22.10 Peugeot Whiskey Tasting Set Like a decanter for wine, this whiskey taster captures alcohol burn while releasing its glorious aroma, and the metal base cools the whiskey to the optimal temperature without watering it down. BUY NOW $40.00 Radiate Portable Campfire You get three hours of burn time with this portable campfire, which uses recycled soy wax. That means no smoky smell when you burn it in the yard or on your patio. Buy Now $29.99 Banks Journal Primary Beanie Thanks to its perfect fit, this sleek beanie can be worn anywhere, anytime, with anything. BUY NOW $21.00 Billy Jealousy Beard Envy Kit Help him keep his facial hair groomed and looking great with this Beard Envy kit, which includes a hydrating beard wash with aloe and soy protein, and boar bristle brush and a styling beard control product with jojoba oil. Buy Now $25.00 Wayfinder Flux Waterproof Card Holder For dads who go fishing or boating, this understated cardholder has 3 slots, room for folded bills, and a coating that keeps everything dry. BUY NOW $36.00 Viski 4890 Summit Signature Corkscrew Every proper oenophile needs a proper corkscrew, and this is it. It has a double-hinged design with stainless steel foil cutter. Buy Now $7.85 Andar AirPods Case This supple leather case protects and charges your AirPods (but note, it does not work on the Pros). BUY NOW $30.00 Spigen Rugged Armor Apple AirPods Case The carabiner always keeps them close by, and the rugged armor case charges the Apple AirPods Pro while also cushioning them during falls. Buy Now $16.99 Purist Collective Mover Cup This 18 ounce cup has a glass interior, so whatever he drinks always tastes pristine. Cold drinks stay cool for up to 24 hours; coffee will stay hot up to 12 hours. BUY NOW $48.00 Printworks Classic Domino Game The humble game of dominoes gets a facelift with this refreshing new look. BUY NOW $32.00 Corkcicle Chillsner Beer Chiller What's worse than no beer? Lukewarm, nasty beer. Avoid this at all costs with this beer chiller set, which cools beer without watering it down. Buy Now $19.95 Areaware Drink Rocks Stick these beauties in the freezer. And then the soapstone and marble rocks chill whatever wine or spirit he's drinking. BUY NOW $35.00 Opinel Pocket Knife French knife-maker Joseph Opinel fashioned his first single blade knife in 1890. Since then, his eponymous knives have only undergone minor changes.The handle on this knife is made of beechwood. Buy Now $19.00 Norlan Whisky Glass These aren't your average whiskey glasses. The Norlan glasses are made of hand-blown double-walled borosilicate glass and have an outer rim that perfectly fits his (or her) lips. Buy Now $48.00 Native Union Belt Cable He can charge his Apple devices insanely fast with this cable, which wraps up neatly when he's done. The four-foot braided cable is wrapped up and secured with an integrated leather belt so it's always ready to charge. Buy Now $24.99 Chrome Industries Kilo Dopp Kit You can't get more understated than this sleek dopp kit from Chrome Industries. This Chrome dopp kit features a commercial grade five-bar webbing hang strap, and is the go-to accessory for guys on the go. Buy Now $25.00 GearLight High-Powered LED Flashlight This flashlight has five settings, and can survive a 10 foot drop or being temporarily submerged under water. In short, it's as tough as he is. Buy Now $15.99 Bevel Safety Razor The Bevel razor cuts at skin level, and doesn't tug or pull, thus reducing unsightly razor burn. And it works with all standard double-edge razor blades. Buy Now $49.99 Audio-Technica ATH-M20x Professional Studio Monitor Headphones, Headphone junkies love the sound quality and design of these affordable Audio Technicas. At just over 6 ounces, they're among the most lightweight you can buy. Buy Now $49.00 Rose & Fitzgerald Mugavu Geometric Bottle Stopper Each of these hand-crafted stoppers is one of a kind, and creates an airtight seal that saves his unfinished pinot noir. BUY NOW $45.00 Patagonia Ultralight Black Hole Hip Pack So lightweight he'll forget he's even wearing it, this upgraded fanny pack is packable and has enough room for all his essentials, like keys, phone, and even a T-shirt. BUY NOW $29.00 ADVERTISEMENT Every product on Fatherly is independently selected by our editors, writers, and experts. If you click a link on our site and buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission. Related Articles: Pattinson Explains Why His Take On Batman Feels "Spicy" Disney Moves 'Hamilton' Release to Disney+ More Than a Year Earlier Than Expected Cloth Rainbow Masks Contain Hidden Messages SNL’s Dad Prank Video Is Hilarious Because It Barely Feels Fake The post The Best Father’s Day Gifts Under $50 appeared first on Fatherly. #Gear

Agilenano - News from Agilenano from shopsnetwork (4 sites) http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Agilenano-News/~3/o0en7Z00uwA/parenting-is-its-own-reward-and-you-can-t-put-a-price-tag-on-love

[bighandslittlefeet]

Catching up part II

Hello Everyone!

So more catching up! We headed out to Byron Bay. This was the one that had me most excited! A small Surfer town that came to prominence in the 60’s and 70’s when the soul surfers came into town. A group of practiced pros who came not for the amazing waves, but for the fact that they were long and steady. So a practice known as Soul surfing was born. The point was to reconnect with nature, taking the time to surf for 40 - 60 seconds instead of the usual crash and broil 10 seconds of the big surf. Surrounded by a sweeping coast that rolled up into tropical foothills in the distance, the lighthouse stood proudly on the headland, one was meant to take time and appreciate the art of surfing again instead of being wrapped up in the ego of catching the biggest and baddest of the waves. Not only this, but Byron has a rich Aboriginal history - for many years before the europeans came, this bay had a sacred meaning that meant it belonged to no single tribe and folk agreed to come and meet here each year, talking through the troubles of the year and leaving when your soul was healed. Hence Byron has a reputation of somewhere that you don’t live but merely come to as long as you need it.

We pulled into our campsite and were immediately pleased to see the option of not one, not two, but three pools to choose from. It was hot and we needed to cool down. We parked up Val after checking in and elected to make camp properly after cooling off. As the day day wore on and google maps showed us the relative walking distances between places so we decided to hit up a place called the Treehouse that evening. Halfway between the campsite and the centre of town it seemed like a good place to go to stretch our legs and listen to some live music. The road lead us across a railway line and as we crossed the sound of waves crashing on the shore greeted us. We walked along the road and soon passed a series of very flashy and modern beachside homes. As we drew closer to our destination we passed a restaurant that was heaving, a sign advertised it as closed for a private function - a wedding. As we passed the speeches were being made, the proud parents of the the two brides stirring laughs and awws from the seated and smiling guests. Further on a row of pristine chopper bikes in pastel blue announced the presence of a trendy backpackers hostel and next to it a bar - the treehouse! It was humming with activity and we bought a couple of Aperol Spritzes, our favourite summertime drink! We found some outside sofas, year round sunshine affords the exteriors of bars this far north the luxury of using upholstered indoor furniture outside, lending a very bohemian vibe to the vine festooned venue. We settled in, sipping and chatting and people watching, young trendy kids with their cropped trousers and funky mirrored sunglasses guzzled moules et frites and quaffed chilled white by the bottle. Soon the band were tuning guitars and pointing red spotlights at ominous askance angles across the stage, or should I say curtained wall with two feet of jutting decking? It was cosy and fun. Then they started playing - I’m not going to say they were the best band in the world but boy they had spirit. We left when we finished the drinks and walked back to the campsite under the stars.

The next day we wanted to explore Byron town proper. We walked in along the cycle path and much like driving, Australians have no idea how to cycle. The amount of times a hushed verbal ‘beep beep’ would be heard moments before being run down by a trio of bikes with hipster folk barely balancing would bear down on us was far too many to count. Suffice to say we walked on the grass next to the path even though it was a shared space. Byron itself is the best town to date for walking around that we’ve found. Its bijou, boutique, and characterful. You can walk easily around its streets as it seems to be the only place thus far in Oz where pedestrians have priority - this makes it a joy to walk around. Navigating bustling streets drifting from shop to shop, and all unique independent places filled with the passions and products of the crunchy granola hippies who own them. A pistachio gelato here, a slap of suncream there and soon we were sitting on the beachfront again. We arrived when the famous monthly market was on so we wandered around in the light drizzle listening to various musicians, blue grass one moment, drum circle the next, youth singer/songwriter indie stages decorated the rows of marquees, we grabbed a turkish wrap here, and a spiralized potato stick there, and soon found ourselves buying Christmas presents! Fab!

Becca, when in London, had worked for a very cool bar/restaurant/cafe and an old colleague now owned and managed a vegan restaurant on the far side of town. We popped over to say hello and it was like a hug from home. We hadn’t seen Yaz in a year, since she had moved over here with her partner Mark. She was in a great mood, regaling us with the ups and downs of opening a restaurant in a thriving foodie town such as Byron. She insisted we do brunch someday and that one evening we should come and dine at No Bones, her restaurant. We concluded that we would and left her with the preparations for the evenings customers. We walked further around the backstreets of Byron and soon found our favourite thing in the world. A bookshop. And what a bookshop. Independent, cool, coffee truck outside, multiple well reviewed sections twistingly laid out and with flying books hung overhead. Maybe not as cool as Barter Books in Alnwick, you'll always be my first and last love in the world of books my dear, but damn it was good. Christmas was coming up and so we split up to buy gifts (again, we are both ditherers in this department) and a few hours later we rendezvoused and decided to walk back to camp.

A hot day by the pool was slowly frittered away until it cooled in the late afternoon and we thought we really ought to do something. We took val for a drive up to a parking space just shy of the lighthouse and went for the coastal walk up to it. It was great with stunning views alway the way long, small coves and hidden beaches but as we made our way along a stretch just 2 Kms from the lighthouse Becca's sandals broke AND SHE HAD BLISTERED FEET AND A SPLINTER (emphasis Becca’s not mine). We decided to head back to the van and return to the lighthouse when we returned to Byron in the new year. We had planned to be up in Queensland for Christmas but to return here in the New Year for the next stint of work and saving.

That night we went to No Bones and had the most stunning meal. We descended the steps to the covered outdoor eating area and spoke with Yaz as customers piled in. For a Monday night it was busy - we were very happy for her! She introduced us to her charmingly grizzled and hipsterfied bartender who made us some nuts cocktails. We opted for tapas and were soon munching on vegan calamari, kojac is a revelation, vegan mac and cheese, truffle and god knows what else, seitan duck, and a whole range of other faux meat products that were really incredibly tasty and awesome! We were stuffed well pleased.

The next morning we walked into town and met Yaz who took us along the way to a beachfront Brunch spot. We talked and reminisced and the sun grew hotter and hotter. I’m sorry to report that we were a little saddened by the fair at the Beach Cafe. I opted for oat waffles with mascarpone and strawberries as I had not had a sweet breakfast in some time, but was left sorely wanting. The same was true for Becca and Yaz, but hey, nothing ventured nothing gained, and they did have a good view. We chatted some more and told her of our Christmas plans and said we’d be back in the new year! The rest of the day was spent by the pool, making preparations for the journey ahead.

We needed to be in Brisbane by the 20th as our friend Holly would soon be landing. Hot off the west-end she would have finished work, 9 shows a week for two years, only two days before flying out to meet us and Christmas in Oz. We were massively excited to see her and have her stay with us for 20 days. We knew it would be a stretch with Val but figured hey at the end of it, we’d be able to appreciate all the new found space at being only two in a van again! We had figured out the awning, bought the air mattress for the tent, got the routine of setting it all up down, save for inflating the mattress (watch this space) and were really looking forward to seeing her! We left Byron and drove up to the airport ready to receive. Some time before, in Sydney in fact, we had bought Christmas hats and soon had them donned at the arrivals gate for international flights. Now Becca and I had a 26 hour journey from London to Sydney and were jet-lagged out of our arses for three days - you’ll recall how kind Dave and Clare were ensuring we were up and about in the sunshine and going walks during the day and supplying us with Melatonin for easy resets for our circadian rhythms? Well we were just as ready for Holly’s imminent bout of jetlag. We had a campsite booked just two hours up the road in Noosa. We had meals planned for the next three days, we had the pools sorted, the walks ready to go. Holly - walks off the plane looking like she had just got out of a five minute cab journey through central London. Not a baggy eye. Not a yawn. Not a misplaced hair. And to boot, over the next three days would experience zero jetlag. We were dumbfounded and maybe even miffed!? Only joking, we were super glad for her and were soon on the road to Noosa.

We had elected to stay in Noosa for a few days and then really cane it up the coast to arrive in Airlie Beach in time for Christmas. Earlier in 2018, Easter Time in fact, we had all decided to book ourselves a tour of the Whitsundays between Christmas and New Year as a sort of early Christmas present to ourselves. However, two long days of driving stood between us and that destination. And that was a few days off yet as we wanted to see what Noosa had to offer. But first we had to contend with the weather. I should really ought to have mentioned that we had crossed the state border between New South Wales and Queensland when we made our way up to Brisbane. We were now three hours further north and the heat had started to escalate. As the midafternoon sun beat down upon us we decided to set up camp but gave up halfway through and just jumped in the pool. It was savagely warm. As the day wore on and the sun dipped behind some late afternoon cloud cover that emerged from the endless blue skies, we finished setting up tent which was when we found that the airbed did not fit inside the tent. The careful measuring, the hunting for the correct dimensions, the checking and double checking had all been for nought. This bed was huge. The tent would not zip up. I am proud to say by this point in the journey Becca and I had largely shaken our years of spurious British conditioning that beneath each blade of grass in Australia there lay a deadly creature or insect waiting to kill us - it is simply not true. But Holly had just arrived and the fear was still strong with this one. The prospect of sleeping in a tent which would not seal shut and with clothes pegs holding some mosquito netting over the opening was not a fun prospect for one who had just travelled 27 hours via Bangkok to arrive in the antipodes. Becca and I gallantly gave up our comfy bed in Val and fell on that particular sword. But hey! It was really damn comfy! You forget how comfy air beds can be when freshly filled and never before slept on. We all cooked together, drank some wine and settled in to sleep after looking up at the amazing stars.

An ominous sound filled my hazy sleep wracked skull. You’ll recall the mention not two sentences ago of stargazing implying a clear nights sky? Now thunder. Not 8 seconds away. A large, deep earth shaking roll. Then 7 seconds. Then 6. Then another boom. Another roll of the empty oil barrel of the gods. Suddenly it was a permanent aural landscape. I shit you not - there was suddenly no gap between the thunderclaps and the staccato light of the forks in the sky juddered and shuddered into an almost epileptic strobing. Becca's hand slowly crept towards mine. My heart began to beat harder in my chest. ‘Damn its loud, I can’t sleep!’ I murmured. ‘Huh?’ Becca shouted. ‘I SAID IT'S BLOODY LOUD’. Then the rain started. And it when it rains in Queensland it pours. Above our small two man single skin pop up tent there was a pretty makeshift awning made of a tarpaulin punctured by two collapsible rods and a pair of guideropes. We were not too confident in the ability of our camp to withstand a literal tropical storm. We listened and we waited. The storm did not abait. It grew. Louder and louder, faster and harder, soon we were sat up, listening, feeling the floor of the tent, intent on scouting out leaks and wondering at the integrity of the now sodden ground and its ability to hold tent pegs when it was now more liquid than solid. The sound I should add was at this point cacophonous, then the wind hit. The door of the van slid open and a tentative ‘Guys…’ emerged from Holly. ‘OK Hols, we have literally not seen a storm like this before’ - suddenly a light goes on behind us illuminating the tent from behind. I’m all like, damn, it's the campsite wardens asking us to evacuate, ‘let's head to the toilet block gang.’ We sprint across the maybe twenty feet from our pitch to the toilet block, from which literal sheets of water are pouring. There is no one from the campsite asking folk to evacuate, maybe our British fears of Australia haven’t quite been dealt with yet. We wait it out. Its three in the morning - Becca gives her family a ring and let them know whats up. We’re literally huddled together in the loos. I step outside occasionally trying to gauge if it's any worse or any better. Between the bullet like raindrops I can make our val and the tent withstanding the heavenly bombardment - nothing seems to have slipper or slumped yet. Slowly the thunder spits into two directions, I begin to count again and it seems to be getting further away, suddenly the rain is no longer lashing down, its merely steady and strong. My ears begin to detect thunder coming from two directions. I tell Becca and Holly that I reckon two stormfronts came in from different directions and collided literally over our heads, listen, boom from over by the pool, boom from over by the campsite entrance. Soon it was only a thunderclap every minute. We went back to bed and after a few moments of baited breath, fell back to sleep.

Two conversations were had with neighbours, both caravan owners,the following day. One served initially to ice the stomach and seize the heart, the next would defrost and make supple that vital muscle. ‘Oh yeah mate - that was a Queensland drizzle.’ The first mullet toting conversationalist threw our direction as they hauled leather armchairs out of the back of a Ute, a sort of Australian pickup truck but tricked out in the style of early noughties fast and the furious racer boy body worx, and into their capacious tin abode. ‘You must have shat yourselves last night, hey?’ ‘Yeah it was pretty nuts, do you think we’ll get that again’ ‘Awww yeah, it's the season for it mate’. My face drew a chuckle and I relayed the news to the ashen faces of Becca and Holly. You wouldn’t have thought that half an ocean was dropped on us from a height of 3000 feet last night but the campsite was already beginning to dry in the very hot heat of the morning. We breakfasted on sourdough toast and avocado - when will we get that mortgage - and pondered the next few weeks of more northerly expedition and the prospect of ever increasing odds of nightly runs to shelter in toilet blocks. The neighbours to our right then emerged with their granddaughters - ‘Hey guys - we saw you at about three last night legging it through that belter or a storm to the amenities block!?’ ‘Yeah it was pretty heavy and we haven’t seen a storm like that before’ ‘Yeah neither have we - and we’ve lived here for thirty years - nothing like it!’ ‘Oh really? Nothing like it, so that wasn’t run of the mill!?’ ‘No guys, you’ll be fine, its further North that you’ll get bad weather like that up around Cape Trib and Cairns, not round here - where you headed?’ ‘Airlie Beach?’ ‘Eh - should be fine! You did well running to that toilet block,we saw you from the caravan and wondered whether you were going to wash away!?’ I grimaced. However, with that resounding rebuttal of the earlier horrendous forecast we felt much relieved.

We decided to head into town and check out Hastings street and the main beach. We drove in, windows fully down trying to catch as much breeze as we could and were soon parked up in a side street up a hill from our destination. The car parks nearer were all full up and we couldn’t stomach a ridiculously priced parking ticket anyway. The walk down the hill under dappled shade was delightful and we were soon walking up and down a very trendy modern street filled with galleries, restaurants and cafes. We were hot and so when I spotted a large swirling bit a of graffiti proclaiming nitro ice cream and saw the insulated duers of my lab days being tentatively hefted by teenagers into spinning food processors filled with cream and crushed chocolate bars, I suggested we get an ice cream. For those who don’t know liquid nitrogen ice cream is the best ice cream in the world. Water forms crystals that have a special packing that makes solid water less dense than liquid water - hence icebergs. But if you cool it down quickly enough, it doesn’t have time to form this special shape. No time, no crystals. Therefore you get super smooth ice cream. Voluptuous, tongue coating, gorgeous ice cream. Liquid nitrogen is one such substance that can do this and be used in food prep, as it is very cold and literally boils back into gaseous nitrogen when it touches something room temperature. Its cheap, abundant and if the right sort of energy is used to make it, completely sustainable and green. Now another thing that you may or may not know about me is that I love a coke float, for the uninitiated, this is a glass of poison water (coca-cola), shout-out to Captain Fantastic, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. However, here, in the land of the upside down, for some unfathomable reason, this delightful refreshing combo of soft drink and ice cream is called - wait for it - a Spider. Why!? Coke Float makes sense, the ice cream FLOATS on top of the COKE. It's even a partial rhyme! Spider. Maybe to put off europeans from ordering it? In any case we enjoyed the cold snacks in the shade of the awning and then made our way to the beach.

By this point the sun was swelteringly hot. I opted to sit by the wall of the boardwalk that backed the beach and Becca and Holly slapped bikinis and suncream on and descended to the sandy stretch proper. I love a good read and the shade is my friend. With a large Asian family on my left covered from head to toe in UV protective clothing passing a large bottle of Cola between themselves and a group of kids with scooters slurping slushies on my right, I dove into my book. And it got hotter. By the time I had blisters on my hands from the drive back to the campsite, the late mid afternoon heat had me beat. I dragged a camp chair over to the shade of the nearest wall and sat there sipping water, sweating profusely. A dim sound entered my thinking and Becca was stood next to me asking if I was OK. Early onset heat stroke was midstroke, one blisteringly hot finger poised delicately in the cleft between the two hemispheres of my brain radiating a throbbing heat - filled thud. We spent the rest of the day in the shade by the pool drinking icy water.

That night we found an absolute stunner of a Sunset River Cruise! We got a cheeky uber in with a dude who was British and raised in New Zealand and have lived in OZ for twenty years which had left him with a rather interesting accent which Becca and Holly picked up on straight away, I was left wondering at their aural sensitivity - the uber was so we could have a drink - and were soon aboard the Party Boat! I say party boat - imagine a strange mishmash between Italian restaurant, wooden rafters empty bottles and candles, crossed with a boat, portholes and metal walls, and Australia, wide brimmed hats, beers in styrofoam stubby holders and obligatory loud 80’s music pumping out of the speakers. We cruised down the river swigging G&T’s and watching the Kites swoop alongside us as someone tossed food for them overboard! They would hover above, wait for the toss and then catch the meat chunk before it hit the river! As we rounded the river bends we soon came to a very shallow basin bounded by mangroves and in the distance three mountains made a break in the otherwise flat horizon, behind one of these peaks the sun slowly settled. It was really quite good.

So - poised on the next trip up to Rockhampton, thence to Airlie Beach, I shall leave you at the end of this installment dear Reader!

Much Love,

Sam and Becca

X

[definewine]

Gartelmann gold medal whites; perfect for Summer

The awards have continued for Gartelmann Wines with their summer releases, the 2018 Gartelmann ‘Sarah Elizabeth’ Chardonnay and partner 2018 Gartelmann ‘Benjamin’ Semillon having an impressive four golds and two trophies between them.

The 2018 Gartelmann ‘Sarah Elizabeth’ Chardonnay was awarded the Best White Wine of the Show and Best Young Chardonnay at the 2019 Orange Wine Show, under the guidance of Wine Show Chairman Nick Bulleid MW. 

The show received 50 entrants in this Chardonnay class, with 68% receiving a medal. The Chardonnay was judged by the full judging team, comprising Sarah Andrew, Stuart Knox, Jeff Byrne, Deb Lauritz, James Manners, Will Wilson, Monica Gray and Steve Mobbs.

“The Wine Show Committee have done a fantastic job pulling together a diverse judging team, with winemakers from within and outside of the region, as well as sommeliers. We believe that this ensures a rigorous judging of the wines, especially when it is overseen by a Master of Wine with the extensive experience of Nick Bulleid,” said owner and vigneron Jorg Gartelmann.

The 2018 Gartelmann ‘Sarah Elizabeth’ Chardonnay was harvested on the 6thMarch and barrel fermented in new and one year old 500 litre puncheons and 300 litre hogsheads with the objective of achieving subtle oak characters. The wine was then matured in oak for ten months with monthly lees stirring, freshness and vitality preserved by inhibiting malolactic fermentation.

The 2018 Gartelmann ‘Benjamin’ Semillon was made from grapes grown on the Glenesk Vineyard in the Upper Hunter sub region. Harvested on the 17thJanuary, the wine was fermented and bottled soon after in order to capture the regional character.

“We are extremely happy with our Semillon,” continued Jorg. “Over the years we have continued to produce award winning wines year on year. The consistency is fantastic, with many vintages awarded gold medals.”

2018 Gartelmann ‘Sarah Elizabeth’ Chardonnay (Orange, NSW)  $30.00

Trophy, Best White Wine of the Show, , Orange Wine Show 2019

Trophy, Best Young Chardonnay of the Show, , Orange Wine Show 2019

Top Gold Medal (97 pts), Orange Wine Show 2019

Click here for a high resolution bottle shot

2018 Gartelmann ‘Benjamin’ Semillon (Hunter Valley, NSW)  $27.00

Top Gold Medal (96 pts), NSW Small Winemakers Wine Show 2018

Top Gold Medal (55.5 pts), Australian Small Winemakers Show 2018

Gold Medal (95 pts), Cowra Wine Show 2019

Click here for a high resolution bottle shot

Distribution: Gartelmann Wines are available from their Hunter Valley cellar door, select restaurants and independent bottle shops and via the Gartelmann website at www.gartelmann.com.au.

For further information, samples or images please contact:

David Cumming, Define Wine Marketing & Communications:  0414 736 342 or david@definewine.com.au

Jorg Gartelmann, Gartelmann Wines: 02 4930 7113 or wines@gartelmann.com.au

Gartelmann Wines: Located in the idyllic Hunter Valley, Gartelmann Wines was established at Lovedale by Jorg and Jan Gartelmann in 1996. Gartelmann produces wines from NSW’s premium wine regions including Orange, Mudgee, Rylstone and their home region, Hunter Valley.  The welcoming cellar door extends to the adjoining Deck Café overlooking the picturesque bush setting.