SOLD: Beautiful Happyzine

Honestly.  There’s nothing like a wee jaunt down at the water front to pep up girl’s spirits!  It’s such a tonic, to be in the presence of the sea or a deep, bubbling river.  And it’s free and does not come with a hang-over, or addictive next-day sensations.  Us Kiwis are generally always close to the sea, unless you live in Palmerston North like I did for three years (Eeeee! Conehead squeal of fright).  And did I mention that: mama-mia it does do wonders for a person’s spirits – being near the sea I mean.

So while the earth keeps on shuddering for those living down in Christchurch (bless you all, come up here for a holiday anytime and let me know if you’re coming, I’ll tell you the cool spots that you’ve got to visit), here in the North-West pocket of the South Island all we’re having to deal with is that huge storm that keeps pretending to be finished.  Today, in between stormy weather, the sun shone, and many of us were enjoying the water, including a band of eager white baiters who were clustering at the sides of the Takaka River.  I find white baiters immensely entertaining, but that’s another blog.

I drove up the Waikoropupu Springs valley to track down Kerryn Easterbrook – who runs Clean Earth Soap and is featured in the photo above looking jaunty.  She gave me four bars of the most delicious home-made organic soap in the world for yBennet, who won our lush green Golden Bay getaway draw. Becky is at this moment, theoretically enjoying her chalet at the eco-friendly Sandcastle, or out at the movies, or chowing down at the Mussel Inn.

Anway, back to Kerryn.  I marveled at the land she’s been developing in a permaculturey sort of way for the past five years.  She and her graphic designer/Mr fix-it partner Phil are gradually building the home of their dreams in the midst of a manuka forest.  One thing that’s slowing it down (in a good way) is the fact that they’re milling the timbre for their dream house from surrounding pine trees.  Amazing.  And they’re officially allowed to leave it untreated. Grand indeed.  I recently mentioned that my favorite programme (when I get to watch TV some what lustfully at someone else’s house) is Grand Landscape Designs.  Keryn and Phil’s house is one big Grand Landscape Designs dream.  It’s just gorgeous.  From the clusters of productive veggie beds they’ve developed – some lined with fat manuka, some with rocks – to the already imposing, yet only half-built family home towering at the top of their land.  That place is a pioneers delight.  It oozes potential.  And it appears to have had so much love poured into it already.

So aside from thoroughly enjoying both the ocean-side and the river-sides today, and appreciating Kerryn’s grand landscape design house, I was also chuffed when Alastair Thompson, the Editor and I believe Founder of www.scoop.co.nz consented to coming on board as one of the sponsors of Wild Energy.  The facebook group for which is here by the way just in case you want to join.  At present we have six members.  Would you like to become number seven?? With Scoop’s help we will reach even more people with the inspiring ideas we’re looking forward to attracting with our green energy design competition.  Now all we need are some really groovy prizes.

So there you have it, another blog, another … day.  I’m nearly half way through my 365 days of talk, talk, talk.  The morals of today’s story?  Always live on the coast, you never know what you’ll get if you ask for it, and think seriously before you give up your TV for a whole feck’n year.

Today’s rating: 9/10

365 Days of Fun and Chillaxation (as I raise my gorgeous son and grow my good news website to a subscription base of 100,000 people).  The Low Down on this Blog.

Check out yesterday’s blog.

Check out the story of my first ever ebook ‘Ten Ways to Have Fun and Chillax As You Live Your Green Dreams’

Tags: green, green design, land, organic