Page 14 The Nimbin GoodTimes nimbin.goodtimes@gmail.com August 2010

Under the StarsWeave and Mend Festival 2010 Nimbin Central School GroundsFive-day Camp, Friday 24th to Tuesday 28th September.Continual Weaving Workshops, Chai Tent(run by Nimbin Aquarius Landcare Group Inc.),Communal food/communal Fire (Firewood donated by Nimbin Hemp Embassy), event sponsored by Nimbin School of Arts.

Entry by donation including camping; two-hour workshops $5 per person.

Needles (metal and bone/ antler handcrafted by Andy) for sale. weaving plants/palms for sale.

This is a Nimbin local family initiative between Wednesday Women Weavers, Nimbin Central School, Nimbin School of Arts, Nimbin Hemp Embassy. Weavers interested in running workshops are asked to ring by the 24th August.

Anyone requiring more information please phone 02 6689-7129 or write to The Weave and Mend Festival 2010, P.O. Box 530, Nimbin 2480.

It’s rolling around to film festival time in Nimbin.

The Nimbin Film Festival will be on at the last weekend of October, so we are now seeking submissions from local filmmakers. If that’s you and you have something you want to show, please contact us.

The deadline for submissions is 1st October. Films must be under half an hour, although longer times may be possible with negotiation.

The absolute final deadline for films longer than half an hour is 25th September. All submissions must be made on PAL DVD, and we’ll need two copies supplied.

We are at present looking at the possibility of using three venues within a three kilometre radius this year, depending on the number of submissions. Let’s make this festival a big one.

Interested filmmakers can email nimbinfilmfestival@gmail.com You can also phone Julian or Roy at the CTC on 6689-1183 or Julian after hours on 6689-7587.

Attention all budding filmmakers! Digital Photography Workshop

Opera at the Channon

The recently released film, Unmistaken Child ‘an awe inspiring film about reincarnation’, will premiere this month at the Nimbin Bush Theatre.

This ‘must see’ film, set in Nepal , is visually stunning and emotionally gripping. Unmistaken Child is a rare insight into the ways in which the the deceased Buddhist masters are located and identified.

The film follows the 2001 passing of one of the greatest Tibetan meditators of our time, Master Lama Konchog. His shy and devoted disciple of 21 years, Tenzin Zopa, was unexpectedly appointed by the Dalai Lama to search for the late master’s reincarnation.

Assisted by abstract clues from astrology and dream interpretation, Tenzin travelled by helicopter, mule and foot to look for the ‘unmistaken child’.

Israeli filmmaker Nati Baratz has crafted a candid portrait that is at once sweeping and intimate.

Phil and Rainer, in conjunction with the №thern Rivers Buddhist Group, have organised this film night with all profits going to the Yerpa House Monks at Sera Mey Monastery in India, who are refugees.

The film will screen for one night only at Nimbin Bush Theatre on Friday 17th October. Film starts at 7pm, entry $10.

Film night for Tibetan Buddhist Monks

Apart from the Mad Hatters (above), most of the 400-odd music buffs at the 13th Opera at The Channon were in formal dress for an 11.30 lunch in Coronation Park, followed by a 13-item programme by an accomplished quartet of singers from the Young Opera programme of Queensland Opera. Five Rotary Clubs benefitted from the fun.

In these busy days, isn’t it great when two great experiences come together in the same time and place!

How about the chance to relax in the wonderful atmosphere of the Tweed Valley and to improve your digital photography skills and artistry? The inspiring Castle on the Hill at Uki has long been known, not just as a unique B&B experience, but also as the Science-Art Institute and a venue for art retreats and other cultural events.

They have now teamed up with local photographers, Alan and Perri Wain of Vibrant Imaging, who are holding an enjoyable residential Digital Photography Workshop there from 13th to 15th August. Taking advantage of the fascinating architecture, stunning views to Mount Warning and Springbrook, and the large windows that flood the rooms with light, they will cover landscape, macro and portrait photography as well as basic camera controls, composition and editing.

All meals will be provided, including dinner under the stars in the Italian Renaissance Courtyard.

Alan and Perri are members of Caldera Art and have been finalists in the Caldera Art Awards, the Olive Cotton Portrait Prize and various other national competitions.

For more information go to their website www.vibrantimaging.com.au or to www.castleonhill.com.au or phone Alan and Perrion 02 6679-5141.

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Now with a wide range of hot and cold dishes

Open for DinnerTuesday nights

“The Oasis”

Open 7 Days a Week 80 Cullen Street • 6689-0199

GO CRAZY IN DAIZYJewellery, incense, stickers, postcards, beanies, hats, sarongs, bedcovers, wallhangings, cushions, thongs,

CDs trance & local, slips, beads, sunnies, chimes, etc...

60 Cullen Street Nimbin – ph 6689-0146• OPEN FROM NOON DAILY •

www.nimbingoodtimes.com The Nimbin GoodTimes Page 15August 2010

The No Rally Group has organised two fundraising raffles for the Katie Milne/NRG legal fund. Each raffle prize is a valuable artwork by local artists.

Master craftsman woodworker Paul Roguszka’s “Waterfall” is a fine furniture piece in black wattle, valued at $3,000. Tickets are $10 each or 3 for $20. See more of Paul’s work at www.woodworkpaul.com.au

Internationally renowned artist Leigh Arnold painting “The Web of Space” is a large acrylic on canvas work, valued at $1,500. Tickets are $5 each or 3 for $10. See more of Leigh’s work at www.leigharnold.com

Tickets are available at The Nimbin Environment Centre, and other places

around the Rainbow Region. The raffle will be drawn at the NRG Fundraising event ‘Celebration of Community’ on 11th September at Hanging Rock Hall, which will also feature an art auction. Winners will be notified and results published.

For more information, go to www.norallygroup.org

Yes, it’s very bouncy out here on the slopes of Blue Knob these days – never ending activity, a hive of activity,

or rather, to avoid mixing metaphors, a trampoline of activity. The always enjoyable Artists and Friends Lunches on the last Thursday of every month, great food, quaffable wines and much animated conversation about the meaning of life, the universe and everything amidst the masterpieces of our local artists. Alas for many of us, the answer is somewhat larger than 42, but who’d live in a big city when one can enjoy such social pleasures?

And talking of social pleasures, there is the newly instituted Saturday morning (9am-1pm) Blue Knob Hall Farmers Market – not just wonderful fresh fruit and veges and the most marvellous selection of marmalades and chutneys in Christendom – but music and a chance to relax with friends for chat and snack in the verandah cafe – and it is all so child friendly. The newly-sprung, almost finished, additional verandah space is a joy, and a wonderful testament to all the energy put into the hall by certain people – as are the new pathways, driveway and parking areas.

The recently sprung Moore workshop space,

named after that nymph of eternal spring, Robin Moore, continues to prosper with a two-day Tapestry Weaving workshop in late August. Cost: $60/day plus $15 materials.

Contact Rupda Wilson, e-mail: ma_rupda@hotmail.com Phone (02) 6684-3057, Mobile 0432-210-572; maximum of six participants.

And yes, there is a new exhibition, showcasing the latest artistic energies flowering at Blue Knob Hall Gallery and appropriately named Spring Into Life – a collection of works inspired by the eternal theme of New Beginnings – the new season’s explosion of creativity.

In a historic first, members of The Roxy Gallery at Kyogle are joining the show at Blue Knob, with local artists later combining with the Kyogle Krowd for a show at The Roxy in September. Co-operation not competition is the theme for the New Life.

The grand opening of Spring Into Life is at 6.30pm Friday 6thAugust, followed by dinner if booked (6689-7449). The show continues to the end of September, Thursday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm, with light refreshments available from the gallery’s Verandah Cafe.

Spring is Sprung at the Blue Knob Hall Gallery

Pretty Gully Studios

Great Art as Raffle Prizes

Open DaySunday 15th AugustPretty Gully Studios, 564 Byrrill Creek Road, Byrrill Creek. Follow signs via Uki. Ample parking. Entry by gold coin donation.We invite you to stroll through: • The organic garden • Lana Tyacke’s stone sculpture studio • Rob’s woodwork studio View students’ sculptures and works in progress Sales and Commission information; Sculpture classes every Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday mornings.Lana said, “I have achieved things I never thought possible. I encourage every one to creatively express in any way that feels good for you.” For more info, go to: www.lanastudio.com

www.blueknobgallery.com

Page 16 The Nimbin GoodTimes nimbin.goodtimes@gmail.com August 2010

Selected by Richard Burer Project Officer, EnviTE

Hard Quondong is a very common rainforest tree gracing our local landscape. Growing into a medium sized tree, it has numerous lenticels scattered along the trunk.

A wet winter with warm conditions, such as our current one, helps the tree to produce a blaze of cream flowers which later turn into a mass of small blue fruits up to 12mm long.

These are a favourite of birds such as the

famous Nimbin Dodo, which is rarely seen as not enough of this hardy tree has been planted or naturally regenerated locally.

Common in subtropical, dry and littoral rainforest, hard quondong is a reliable tree, both hardy and visually aesthetic. It is suited to most conditions but likes moist well-drained soil in a semi-shaded environment, including riparian zones.

It is tricky to propagate, as the seeds must be composted and then disregarded for a time before they germinate, however it regenerates readily in its natural environment.

EnviTE is a not for profit organisation providing employment, training and professional environmental services.

by Lorraine Vass

Until such time as the Koala is afforded protection under federal legislation, conservation and management of the species rests almost entirely with the states and territories.

The legislative framework is worthwhile trying to understand, so here goes. The NSW Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act) provides for the creation of environmental planning instruments (EPIs) including state environmental planning policies (SEPPs) regional environmental plans (REPS) and local environmental plans (LEPs).

The koala is listed as a vulnerable species under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 and must therefore be considered when preparing draft EPIs. SEPP 44 (Koala Habitat Protection), which also dates from 1995, operates within the framework of the EP&A Act, aiming “to encourage the proper conservation and management of areas of natural vegetation that provide habitat for koalas to ensure a permanent free-living population over their present range and reverse the current trend of koala population decline.”

The SEPP requires preparation of plans of management before development consent can be granted in relation to areas of core koala habitat and encourages identification of areas of core koala habitat and the inclusion of those areas in environment protection zones.

The plans of management referred to can be site-specific Individual Koala Plans of Management KPoMs), usually prepared when a development application is lodged, or Comprehensive Koala Plans of Management (CKPoMs) which cover an entire local government area or part of the local government area (LGA).

CKPoMs have a number of advantages over KPoMs because landscape-scale surveys and the identification and ranking of koala habitat promote a coordinated and strategic approach to protecting, managing and restoring koala habitat.

The CKPoM approach facilitates the cooperation and involvement of government and non-government agencies

and most importantly, the community. They also reduce the resources required of councils, state agencies and development proponents in preparing and assessing individual site-based plans of management, particularly in LGAs which are undergoing urban expansion.

Part-LGA CKPoMs can be effective in targeting management and planning controls to those parts of a LGA which are of particular importance to koalas and where the threats to habitat are greatest. They can also represent all that a council can afford, because just as preparation of a KPoM costs an individual developer so does preparation of a CKPoM cost a council.

None of the Northern Rivers’ councils yet have a CKPoM in place. Lismore spent years preparing a part CKPoM for the south-east portion of its LGA only to have the council of the day bin it in early 2004.

This brings me to the reason for rabbiting on about protective legislation. We have an opportunity for improving koala protection right now.

The exhibition period for Lismore’s Draft LEP 2010 has been extended to the end of August. In our view the Draft’s environmental protection zones, E2 (environmental conservation) and E3 (environmental management) do not go nearly far enough in capturing Lismore’s koala habitat. Nor does the Draft contain a local provision for koala protection, which we believe is an omission given the significant presence of Koala in the LGA.

A Department of the

Environment, Climate Change and Water’s priority action for koala recovery is that it will approach the Department of Planning to jointly develop and provide specific advice to local government about the incorporation of koala protection into their new local environmental plans, currently under development. This action was given low priority; so low we assume it was totally forgotten.

So, please remember the koalas when having your say about the Draft LEP – point out the paucity of protection for Lismore’s koalas.

Tweed’s Draft LEP was exhibited a few months ago. Whilst equally dismissive of koala protection, Tweed Council had previously resolved to prepare a part-LGA CKPoM for its coastal area. Work has already commenced on the plan’s first stage, the Tweed Coast Koala Habitat Study.

During August the initial meeting of the Tweed Coast Koala Advisory Group will take place. Comprised of council, state agency and community representatives the Group will guide the plan’s development. Let’s hope there are sufficient coastal koalas left to manage to future viability.

For information about koalas, their food trees, Friends of the Koala’s Support-a-Koala program and other ways in which you can assist the koala conservation effort, visit www.friendsofthekoala.org or email info@friendsofthekoala.org or phone Friends of the Koala’s (24/7) Rescue Hotline: 6622 1233.

Until next time,happy koala spotting.

Koala Kolumn

Heath, car-hit victim with multiple injuries, returns to the wild after 22 months of veterinary treatment and rehabilitation.

Photo: Rick Easton

Following the success of EnviTE’s first round of National Green Jobs Corps (NGJC) teams, we are pleased to offer more environmental training and work experience opportunities to Lismore’s young people.

The second NGJC Lismore team is due to start on Monday, 9th August.

NGJC, a federally funded program that commenced in January 2010, provides local people (aged 17-24) with the opportunity to gain accredited training and practical work experience in conservation and land management (CLM).

“This program provides the opportunity to participate in community projects that result in the real skills, training, qualifications and work experience that employers are looking for but that can be difficult to attain,” said Bill Sansom, EnviTE co-ordinator.

“It is an ideal launching

ramp for further employment and studies in natural area management, bush regeneration, environmental restoration, light construction and landscaping.”

Participants will be helping the Friends of the Rainforest Botanic Gardens and Lismore City Council in environmental and light construction works in Lismore and surrounding areas.

The program is open to

unemployed 17-24 year olds and is for a period of six months. Nationally accredited training will be given with qualifications in First Aid and Certificate II in Conservation and Land Management.

Find out more by visiting www.envite.org.au or calling our office on 6621-9588.

National Green Jobs Corps is federally funded through the

Department of Employment, Education & Workplace

Relations.

National Green Jobs Corps opportunity for Lismore

If you see a sick, injured or dead koala call the koala rescue hotline:

6622 1223

Hard Quondong (Eleocarpus obovatus)

Past EnviTE team in action.

• n ow with excavato r •

Large selection of home baked wood

stove cooking from menu or blackboard

specials, including all day breakfasts and

freshly baked sconesStroll through 5

acres of beautiful country gardens

Large range of sun hardened plantsGreat choice of

garden statues and local art & craft

Annie’sCountry Tea Gardens

& Nursery

Phone/Fax: 6689-7369

4460 Kyogle Road, WadevilleOpen 8.30am – 5pm, Tuesday - Sunday

27 ACRESBOTANICAL GARDENS2 BAY MACHINERY SHED3 PRIVATE TRAIN CARRIAGESA SELECTION OF FRUIT TREES

NEW LISTING

PRIVATE RAINFOREST

$549,000

• Registered, RWC• V8 Holden motor • Gas/petrol. Sleeps 6• Toilet/shower/aircon/TV/solar/cooker/annex

$28,500 ono

HOME ON WHEELS!30’ Bedford Bus

Bruce te l 02 6633-1525

www.nimbingoodtimes.com The Nimbin GoodTimes Page 17August 2010

by Robert Carroll, President Nimbin Environment Centre

The GreensWhere do I start? There is so much happening at the moment with The Greens election campaign getting into full swing everywhere around us.

I totally support The Greens as I have had 5 years personal experience working with Lee Rhiannon in the action for clean energy. Lee also appeared in court as a witness for me and my previous community against American Coal (Peabody). It’s not very often that members of parliament stand up for the people against the corporate thugs in society.

The Greens have been out there trying to protect the farms from coal mining so that our clean water and food supply can be sustainable for us and future generations. That to me is just common sense.

Clean WaterOn the subject of clean water in Nimbin and surrounds, I must say that it is heartening to see that some of the livestock farmers are watering their stock away from the creeks and streams, which again is thinking ahead and thinking of a clean water future.

On our last property we had a friends’ cows on 250 acres and I could not believe the destruction caused to the water system. So I removed the cows to fenced paddocks and took the water to them. Cows and sheep are herd animals and get quite comfortable drinking out of troughs without the added danger of tripping, falling or getting stuck in the mud, as they can do in the creeks. You even have the ability to use solar pumps to transfer water to the troughs, for free from the sun.

Still on the subject of water, I read an article about a Kingaroy water poisoning scare, and it is about the contamination of the underground water tables in Queensland from the drilling and exposure to coal seam gas. Why is the Bligh Government continuing to pursue dirty energy options that are bad for the climate, bad for farming and bad for the survival of our precious

undergrond water supplies?Another part of the story

is about bio-security, locking down the cattle farms in the area while testing is being done to gauge the exposure of the cattle to bore water with cancer causing chemicals. Scary stuff! Water is more precious than gold and needs to be adhered to more carefully.

TreesNational Tree Day is coming up shortly and should be a day of remembrance for the forests that have become extinct forever due to human greed.

To go out on national tree day and plant trees is only part of the solution the other part is to stop the destruction of trees that are already there. Otherwise the balance will never be achieved at the moment the lungs of the earth are under threat of imbalance because of the untold destruction that is happening in our neighboorhood.

One such destruction is in Gabal Road Lillian Rock. Whoever approved the development application deserves an environment vandalism award.We as a Community need to stand up together and put a stop to the madness. There are better ways to do things and usually cheaper in price and impact.

Volunteer Grant We are proud to announce that we have won a grant from the government for the amount of $4,950 which will help us purchase some electrical media equipment and a long wanted marquee to help Lisa C and John Peace with their markets and actions. We would like to thank everyone who put the effort in to help us achieve our grant.

No Repco RallyThe No Rally Group has

a raffle going, to raise funds for the ongoing action against the rally monstrosity. Great prizes (see story, page 14). Tickets will be available from the NEC in the near future. Please support them in stopping the rot in the rainforest.

Once again, thank you to all our voluteers who help make Nimbin Environment Centre.

Love and Peace to all and Mother Earth.

The trap is set...

A quiet revolution in sustainable agriculture is coming to the Nimbin area.

The national Biodyna mic Gardener’s Association (BGA) is conducting a Field Day at Lillian Rock on Sunday 29th August. The BGA shows people; how to farm without using any chemicals or harmful pesticides, how to produce virtually all required fertilizers and pest control preparations on your own farm from locally available natural materials plus how to steadily build soil and soil fertility without using any artificial chemicals.

All of the BGA’s Biodynamic techniques have been tried and tested over the last ninety years and, in Australia, since the 1950’s. This means that farmers and home and market gardeners have reliable and proven methods to sustainably produce healthy food - and to make a viable living while doing it!

I got my start in Biodynamics from watching my next-door neighbour. Where I needed to use barrowfuls of organic compost he would just dig in a few small spadefuls of his own “super compost”. When I despaired over my zucchinis succumbing to mildew, his seemed to sail through – even though our gardens were only twenty metres apart. What was his secret? Swallowing my pride I asked him up front. “Biodynamics,” he told me. “It produces the best food in the world!”

Intrigued I investigated further. My first introductory Field Day was full of great information. Half theory, half compost-cow-manure-and-all, I learnt how to make the same “enhanced

compost” as my neighbour. Even though Biodynamics is a lifetime study, I got enough skills in one day to get started as a Biodynamic gardener!

The first impetus for Biodynamic agriculture came from Rudolph Steiner (who also initiated the well-known Steiner Schools) in the 1920’s. After Steiner’s lectures in Europe, Biodynamics spread very widely. Indeed, with over 2 million acres under Biodynamic cultivation, Australia has the largest amount of land dedicated to Biodynamic agriculture of any country in the world. Very adaptable, Biodynamic farming is practiced in Australia on large, broadacre wheat farms, dairy farms, orchards and market gardens right down to small back-yard plots.

For example, Patrice Newell, partner of ABC broadcaster Phillip Adams, runs a 10,000 acre combined beef and olive Biodynamic farm in the upper Hunter River valley. “Eden Valley” farm produces Biodynamic wheat, rye, barley and other mixed produce on 3,200 acres in south-west WA. The McConnell families produce rice and sheep on their 4,500 acre farm on the Murray River in NSW. Using biodynamic methods allows their rice to be grown with no artificial fertilizers, no pesticides and no weed-killing chemicals. This means no chemical run-off into the river and almost zero input costs. This compares with a neighbouring rice grower who, at the beginning of last season, had already spent $30,000 on sprays and chemicals

and, as he put it, “The rice was hardly out of the water.”

Visitors to the McConnell farm often remark on the health and vitality of the property’s River Red gums. However, in the nearby Koondrook State Forest, the same gums are visibly ailing.

On a smaller scale, the local community I live on grow lots of our own vegetables using Biodynamic methods. We also eat Biodynamic dryland rice grown near Kyogle at Fairy Hill.

If you want to start learning Biodynamic techniques yourself then come to the Field Day on Sunday 29th August. The day is presented by a BGA trainer who has been a successful Biodynamic market gardener for 16 years. Participants are limited to 25 to allow the day to have a big focus on hands-on learning. Members of the Nimbin Biodynamic group will be present so you can link up with experienced local people.

If you’d like to attend, or just get more information, send an email to Jim at uloborid8@gmail.com

Biodynamic farming and gardening Field Day

Making enhanced Biodynamic compost

by Hilary Fuerst

A group of determined individuals from the local (human) population

have been spending their ‘free’ time on a worthy project – learning about and building Indian Myna traps.

Some concerned people had been seeing the introduced birds (not to be confused with the native Noisy Miner) in our area, and wanted to help control the invasion. Lismore Council didn’t have any traps left to loan out, but offered to supply materials and plans for more traps to be built. A member of the Nimbin Environment Centre offered to head an education, trap-building and loaning project using the Environment Centre as a contact and information point. The materials were acquired, and we were off and running!

We started with an informative and interesting workshop in Lismore in June, put on by Tien Pham, officer of the Indian Myna Control Project in the Coffs Harbour area. We learned about the introduction of the Indian Myna into Australia as an insect control measure (sound familiar?) and how the species decimates local native bird and small mammal populations. It’s numbers are on the increase around the country, and trapping the birds is the best way to

control their spread.The next step was to

build the traps. Armed with a roll of cage wire and the plans recommended by Council, we gathered for a working bee. Between six of us, we optimistically thought that we could get ten traps out of the roll of wire in one day – Ha! After riding a seven-hour learning curve, cutting, clipping and twisting wire with our sore fingers, making many mistakes and gnashing our collective teeth, we wound up with only four hard-won traps. We really learned heaps, though, and were so proud of ourselves!

We then had a second working bee, where only five people were able to attend. This time, though our numbers were down and we still made lots of mistakes, we completed five more traps, amongst much bad singing and chocolate scarfing (many HUGE thanks to Col Smith for the use of his beaut shed and tools).

The resulting nine traps are now available for loan through the Nimbin Environment Centre. It is important that parties wanting to use the traps have a location for the trap where the birds have been seen feeding regularly, and the user

must be educated in the proper use of the trap. Many people who have tried traps in the past had no success, and as we learned from the workshop, this is due mainly to improper use and/or lack of education.

Though it’s realistically impossible to completely eradicate this invasive pest, it is important that we reduce the number of Indian Mynas in Australia. They will quickly threaten local bird species and small hollow-dwelling animals in the areas where they colonise.

If you have witnessed Indian Mynas feeding on your property, and would like to learn about and use the traps, please contact the Nimbin Environment Centre on 6689-1441, or call Hilary on 0448-334-327.

Clarrie & Sally Rose, trading as

Nimbin Mill Farm Hardware & Gas

at the Old Sawmill on Gungas Road. The name says it all!

We sell bulk landscaping materialsand Searles gardening products.

Come out, see our range and compare prices.Free delivery to Nimbin township

Phone 6689 1206Yes, we can deliver.

Emmalee & Darren, trading as

at the Old Sawmill on Gungas RoadNew Plant Nursery & Garden Ornaments

SHORT COURSES AT DJANBUNG GARDENS

• Food Forests and Orchards – Aug 9 • Biochar Peter Gibson and Blacksmithing – Aug 12 • Blacksmithing Gilbert Louttit – Aug 14• Integrated Pest and Weed Management – Aug 17• Seedsaving and Seedbanks – Aug 23• Integrated Small Crops Mondays, Sept 6, 13 & 20• Post Harvest and Storage Tuesdays, Sept 7, 14 & 21• Bamboo Workshop Sept 9/10

Register Now: Phone 6689-1755admin@permaculture.com.au

www.permaculture.com.au

Page 18 The Nimbin GoodTimes nimbin.goodtimes@gmail.com August 2010

by Dave Reynolds

In any relationship or group dynamic there are underlying urges at work.

There is the drive for us to be an independent individual with our own unique identity and also the need to come together with others, to be part of a relationship and to create community. Typically within our culture, these urges are seen as if they are in opposition to each other, as if we have to surrender our individuality in order to be in relationship.

This mindset can lead us into emotionally fused relationships where each individual’s needs are suppressed in order to maintain our connection with others. Such self sacrifice is sustainable only in the short term, where a person chooses to put aside their needs temporarily in service of the relationship or group. As emotionally fused relationships progress, individuals become dependant on each other’s validation for their sense of identity whilst at the same time pretending that they don’t want anything which the system is unwilling to provide. Eventually, they lose their sense of who they are and what they want.

This has a devastating effect on self esteem, inhibits personal growth and limits intimacy. In such systems, authentic self expression is likely to be received as threatening and so people abandon attempts to communicate their own needs and desires in order to remain connected.

In this way the levels of intimacy available within a relationship, family or community are limited by the individuals with the least capacity for self validation. People become squeezed into fixed roles because if anyone changes or grows, someone else’s sense of self identity is threatened. When such a relationship ends, it is as though we have died and in a way we have. The identity we got from our partners is dead and gone and we no longer know who we are.

Thankfully, there is another way of understanding the relationship between these two forces, a way that encourages both individuality

and togetherness through an ongoing process called differentiation.

A differentiated person is able to hold their sense of who they are as they become close to another. They are able to disagree with people close to them without diminishing their connection with them and they are able to agree with others without surrendering their own individuality. Differentiation is the ability to balance the need for individuality and the need for emotional connection. In practice, it is being able to risk sharing and disclosure without insisting on external validation or acceptance.

Partners who are able to show themselves to each other in this way are able to maintain intimacy even at times of conflict. As we learn to sense and tolerate differences between ourselves and others, we open ourselves to a deeper experience of intimacy. Authentic intimacy in relationships does not mean merging or caretaking, it requires us to acknowledge our differences whilst sharing ourselves with another.

If you want to check this out for yourself, try a simple experiment. When you find yourself enmeshed in a conflict, take a step back and direct your attention towards identifying a course of action which requires nothing from the other parties involved.

As you take this action and learn to soothe your own anxieties, you will have broken your dependency on others for your self esteem and have taken a giant leap towards authentic living in relationship.

Dave is available for Gestalt Therapy and Counselling sessions

on Mondays at the Nimbin Apothecary. For appointments

phone 6689-1529. For other days in Nimbin and Lismore phone

6689-0426.

Intimacy and Difference in Relationships

Self Love and Whole-Hearted Healingby Dana Mynard

I think we would all agree that being able to love oneself is important

in leading a well-balanced, happy life (self-love is a superior way to accept ourselves unconditionally).

Those difficult life passages we face are easier if you have that feeling of love for yourself behind everything else going on.

Being knotted up in self-flagellating beliefs will stunt your ability to openly connect with the world. It will attract all sorts of negativity, and

make changing a troublesome internal situation more difficult, if not slow it down all together! Whilst using the Whole-Hearted Healing method of regression, self-love is paramount in creating the space for Gaia (or the bio-intelligence of the earth) to heal our trauma and restore health.

The paradigm behind the Whole-Hearted Healing technique describes health as an undamaged pre-natal biology. Physical damage/trauma at the biological, dna, genetic level is the true origin of what will manifest in a

variety of ways in our lives as children and adults – and we will experience the symptoms, either physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually in the present. These symptoms determine the course of action we take during a WHH session.

Through regression, we access pre-natal, biological traumas, such as physical damage to the egg or sperm. When healing is complete, and biological integrity restored, the current symptoms in the present vanish.

Who or what is responsible for healing? Quite simply, Gaia. The self-aware collective consciousness of all living things on the earth – she/it holds the blueprint of how biology is meant to be – it’s her job to return the person or other organism back to their original state.

We are able to support Gaia’s healing activity during a regression (to the originating trauma) by using self-love or acceptance. In this regressed state, self love is like sending an invitation for Gaia to come in and

heal while we are present to ourselves. Healing is further accelerated when both client and practitioner generate self love. A beautiful thing.

For more info on self-love, I can highly recommend the book Learning to Love Yourself by Gay Hendricks as an easy-to-read and practical guide.

Whole-Hearted Healing is a unique technique that uses a variety of ways to restore our biological trauma. You can read more about this on the www.peakstates.com website, or by reading Peak States of Consciousness Vol 1 & 2.

I’m available for sessions or information on Saturdays at the

Nimbin Apothecary.

by Paul Le Bars

Broadband for Seniors was launched in Nimbin by the Member for Richmond Justine Elliot, Minister for Ageing, and the Mayor of Lismore City Council, Jenny Dowell. Though a very grey and wet morning, the event was a success and was welcomed by many of our over-50 seniors.

Now seniors members, guests, the Nimbin community and visitors alike will be able to access free internet, tuition (to allay any fearful preconceptions of the Web) and an introduction to the internet experience at the Nimbin Bowling Club.

Since coming on-line 10 weeks ago, members of the Bowling Club have provided tuition for over 12 seniors, including one patron who had never approached a computer. He now is helping improve his business through the internet.

The Bowlo’s greenkeeper, who also had never tried the internet, is now able to access seven-day weather forecasting, tide and fishing and even his golf averages. There is also a lady who is pursuing her university studies online.

These are good examples of the growing need for tuition and free access for seniors in the Internet world of emailing, social networking, hobbies, news, environment, education, even genealogy or a live video feed from Mexico Gulf of the oil spill 1.6km

underneath the ocean, the list goes on. This is a Federally funded initiative

in conjunction with consortium partners NEC Australia, U3A online, the Australian Seniors Computer Clubs Australia Association and Adult Learning Australia.

The Kiosk is open from 11am till 8pm, 7days a week, with tuition on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursday from 11am till 3pm. Please make bookings by phoning 6689-1250.

The Broadband for Seniors Kiosk at the Nimbin Bowling Club is looking for volunteers with internet and tuition skills. If you have the time and can help call Paul on 6689-0396 or email paullebars@gmail.com

Looking forward to seeing you at the Bowlo.

Another Broadband for Seniors Kiosk is now available at the new aged

care facility located at the Nimbin Community Centre.

Broadband for Seniors Kiosk launched

Nimbin Tax and AccountingPUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS

Income Tax Returns – Individuals, Partnerships, Companies, Trusts and Primary Producers

BAS & Bookkeeping ServicesBusiness Software, Business Advice, Grant Acquittals

Weekdays 9am - 5pm, except Wednesdays 9am - 1pmSaturday 9am - 1pm. Discount for Centrelink recipients.

Tel/Fax 6689-0470 Mobile 0427-855-077 Old Bank Building, 39 Cullen Street, Nimbin

(Next to Post Office – parking available) PO Box 645 Nimbin 2480 Email pjh@lis.net.au

www.nimbingoodtimes.com The Nimbin GoodTimes Page 19August 2010

Michele Bevis – PodiatristAll feet of all ages may, at some stage, need some specialised foot treatment or advice.

Children’s feet, diabetic feet, sporting feet, walking feet, older feet, smelly feet, poor circulation feet, if it is on a foot and it’s a problem – a podiatrist talks feet.

Michele Bevis (pictured) has 20 years experience as a podiatrist, treating foot problems in the general community. After a maternity leave break, she now lives in the Northern Rivers Region with her family.

“I arrived to the area wanting to live, work and play in my local area, not wanting to drive distances for the services I need. I looked for public health work as a podiatrist and discovered I would need to set up practice in my local area. So that’s what I’ve done,” said Michele.

Podiatrists can treat a variety of foot problems: • nail problems – ingrowing

nails, fungal nails, too thick nails

• skin problems – corns, callouses, warts, tinea

• joint/boney problems – bunions, heel pain, clawing toes, flat feetMichele Bevis is now

available to provide Podiatry treatment on Wednesdays at the shared clinical space at Nimbin Hospital. Phone for appointments on 6679-4020.

Michele said, “I am looking forward to meeting and treating the local community.”

Health Notices• Nimbin Immunisation

Clinic. Birth to 5 years. Every 2nd Tuesday of the month next clinic at Nimbin Hospital on 10th August. For appointments call 6620-7687.

• Nimbin Women’s Health Nursing Service. Every 3rd Thursday of the month, next is 19th August. Phone 6689-1400 or Helen on 6689-1288

for appointments.• Physiotherapist every

Tuesday and Friday at Nimbin Hospital. Phone Leanne on 6689-1401 for appointments, or through GP.

• Nimbin Aged Care Packages. For help for the elderly in their homes, phone Helen/Gail on 6689-1288.

• Nimbin Health and Welfare Association is a non-government interagency organisation incorporated 20 years ago. We look at the Health and Welfare needs of Nimbin, lobby government departments and look at funding options for specific needs. Next meeting on 14th September, 3pm at the Old Hospital meeting room. Community members and services welcome. Phone Helen on 6689-1288 if any enquiries.Coming Up

• Nimbin Hospital Auxiliary were very pleased with the response to their Garage Sale in July, which raised just over $1400. Next Garage Sale will be on Saturday 25th September. Donations welcome beforehand. Ring Leanne on 6688-1401.

• Nimbin Hospital Trivia Night 18th October at the Bowlo. Themed tables of eight. To book, phone Leanne on 6688-1401. A bus will run from Lismore to Nimbin, also from Kyogle to Nimbin, both costing $15pp, maybe a bit more depending on numbers. Please let Leanne know asap if you are coming on the bus.

I’m hearing quite a lot about strange forces lately, the ones that

sweep down hills, overtaking otherwise capable men and women; that cause other people to do things to the innocent.

There is an awful lot of “it” happening. “It came upon me and made me impregnate this girl I didn’t even like, this overpowering energy,” “I was working in the garden, when a nasty energy came knocking at my door – and I know who sent it, it’s the bete noire from the next street,” or “she/he/they made me do it,” or whatever.

Fact is, “it” doesn’t just happen and neither is “it” forced on us. We have agency and choice. Things aren’t just thrust upon us. Things don’t just fall out of the sky (unless it’s rain or flying fish). We make choices.

The word “I” describes a self with agency: “I want,” “I can,” “I will,” “I choose,” “I act on things,” “I am responsible for my own thoughts, actions, and feelings,” etc. We make choices even when we think

we are being done over by the greed, neediness, or power of others. We make choices when our partner or neighbour or boss does “stuff” to us. We are there, present and able in most situations in life, unless we have a neurological or psychiatric disorder, and we need to learn to own the disowned psychological material that we project onto others or things in our environment.

The feeling of powerlessness arises from a certain passivity in the face of the complexities of life, or a kind of “can’t be bothered” mindset, or “I’ll worry about that next time” attitude. Shit usually doesn’t just happen; we allow it.

Allowing things to happen in this passive way is habitual behaviour learned in childhood, where some of us just gave up to parents and/or teachers who seemed to have had all the power. We made a decision, somewhere or other, to just shut up and acquiesce just to keep the peace. This abdication of agency might have worked as

children – we endure – but as a habitual mode of being, and taken into adulthood, this passivity makes us targets for other people’s needs, greed, and sense of opportunity.

The abdication of agency can become pathological and take on an aspect of forces that are literally felt to overtake our lives. Some of these “forces” can be felt as negative, terrifying entities (what Jung called “the shadow”), while other “forces” can be enjoyed (certain of these are sexual), even though they are delusionary.

The “forces” though, are projections of disowned characteristics of ourselves. Psychotherapy can assist in reconciling us with these disowned parts, moving us into experiencing life in richer, more complex, and interesting ways.

A technique used in

Gestalt therapy and Narrative therapy, for that matter, though in another form, is empty chair work, where a client may personify and talk to these disowned parts of themselves. In this way, they become aware of their personal history of how those characteristics became disowned and material for projection, their adaptive behaviour in the face of this, and a general “aha” experience of recognition – which can be enough for an integration process to begin.

If a person is living with anxiety, thinking “forces” are controlling aspects of their life – and this is their only cause for concern - then a period of therapy should definitely be considered. If these “forces” come with a broader spectrum of pathological disturbance, for example, hallucinations (auditory: “hearing voices”, olfactory: “smelling putrid things on your body”, ocular: “seeing things that are and then aren’t there”, etc), paranoid delusion: “thinking people are talking about you”, a sense of disembodiment and detachment from life, for instance, then I advise the person seeks medical assessment and treatment.

For re-owning a projection, and entering a more abundant and enjoyable life, then a course of therapy is invaluable.

Blaming the forces up the road

Local Murwillumbah photographer and fashion consultant Jamie Larken has taken the social media site Facebook by storm, and now she wants to use her success to support breast cancer research.

In just six months Jamie and her Facebook business ‘Busting Out! ’ has gone from a one ‘friend’ site to a 3,300 strong fan base, leaving other businesses stunned.

Natascha Wernick, small business mentor explained “Jamie is an amazing role model and success story for many of the home based businesses in the Tweed Shire.”

Jamie’s business on Facebook sells corsets and alternative clothing. She often teams this up with her other skills in photography to create interesting and often extreme photo shoots.

Jamie explains her success online to a determined effort to give women everywhere access to clothing that make them look and feel good.

In the month of August, Jamie will be donating from $10 from the sale of every corset to the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF).

Jamie chose the NBCF as her charity as her family was personally affected when her grandmother suffered with breast cancer. “I remember seeing her and everyone around her suffer, and I wanted to somehow prevent other women and families experiencing the same pain,” Jamie explained.

To support Jamie and her breast cancer appeal, go to www.facebook.com/pages/Busting-Out/181367354078?v=wall or phone her on 0430-179-905.

Photo: Clarissa Bones, Raw Bones Photography

by Dr Elizabeth McCardell M. Counselling, PhD Phone 0429-199-021

Nimbin Hospital infoBusting Out for Breast Cancer

Dr Elizabeth McCardell, M. Counselling, PhD

• anxiety• depression• grief/bereavement• personal growth• cross-roads of life• career choices

Clinic in Lismore Heights – for appointments ph 02 6624-3704 or ph/text 0429-199-021

Counsellor / PsychotherapistCalurla Chalets

SELF-CONTAINED ACCOMMODATIONVisit our website: www.calurla.com

Phone 6689-7297

Page 20 The Nimbin GoodTimes nimbin.goodtimes@gmail.com August 2010

by Tarang Bates

In the hills of Nimbin, rising out of the valley of morning mists and

divine sunsets, it’s magnolia and camelia time once again – the blossoms exquisite, the fragrance subtle and sensual as it drifts around the garden.

The native bush bees hover around the vase of blossoms on the table, so tiny I thought they were mozzies at first glance. There is nothing subtle about the Kookaburras cackling away at dawn... If I had to choose between their laugh and an alarm clock they would be welcome, if I suffered from insomnia however, it could be the icing on the cake!

The Whipbirds seem to enjoy a more leisurely morning. Their sound, echoing through the trees outside the bedroom window, is a call to put the kettle on. The call is a duet between the male and female, the male does a drawn out whip crack and the female follows with her sound. I recently heard a solitary whip crack repeated over and over again, I have never heard this before and I am hoping he has not lost his mate... they stay together for many years.

It is wonderful to be able to sit here on the veranda surrounded by such beauty. As I round the bend and head into my late 50’s, it’s hard not to wonder what lies ahead. I am committed to laying the groundwork for a continued healthy existence... a daily yoga session and walk, nutritious food, quiet alone time nurturing my inner life amidst a busy and stimulating social, family and work life and of course plenty of love and happiness.

But as we age it seems as though many people lose control of their quality of existence. I am reading an article which states “elderly, long term hospital patients

are dying from malnutrition because hospitals do not currently consider food part of clinical care” This is 2010 for goodness sake... Food is such a crucial factor in our health and wellbeing! ”Hospitals” have spent years of hard slog obtaining expensive degrees – surely this would have to be one of the very basic essentials they are taught. All I can say is, if I end up losing my marbles, leave me to wander around in my garden to live on berries, nuts, avos and mangoes.

HOMEOPATHICSCOFFEA: A remedy

that is useful for insomnia, particularly when the mind is overactive... a constant flow of thoughts and ideas flooding your consciousness. Over-excitement with sudden emotions combined with drowsiness and constant yawning during the day.

NUX VOMICA: For insomnia with great mental strain. This could be the result of withdrawal from drugs such as sedatives or alcohol. Irritability during the day with nightmares at night, often falling asleep just as it is time to get up.

ACONITE: Useful to treat insomnia with fear and anxiety, possibly combined with palpitations, restlessness and nightmares, particularly worse after shock or panic.

All of the above remedies available from Nimbin Homeopathics,

contact Tarang on 02 6689-1452 or email tarangbates@yahoo.com.

au for more information or to find a remedy to suit your particular need.

by Daniel Kesztler

Loving Greetings Dear Readers,

How are you finding your life at the moment? Is it full of joy and love, effortless, in the flow? Or are you struggling to make sense of what is happening to you or around you?

I hope you are feeling great, in the zone, and I know, many people are feeling lost, confused and unhappy. If you are one of the latter, and you want to get out of that state, change your direction, pull your attention back, shield yourself from the world and rethink your Intents. Take small steps, remember you are responsible for your own wellbeing first.

Time is now becoming a factor that we have to learn to handle properly. A lot of people are feeling that time seems to speed up, more and more has to be squashed into a day. To handle this phenomenon better, we have to become like the eye of the hurricane, very calm, still, quiet. Our awareness has to be centred in our Core, we have to learn that we can not necessarily change what is happening around us, yet we have always the absolute power to decide how we want to perceive any given situation and how we react to it, if we choose to react at all.

I offer a way of dealing with situations, which I propose is extremely economical and therefore effortless. Imagine we are all equal beings coming from an Infinite Source. Imagine now that each one of us can expand or contract. By expanding, you share the same space with others, by contracting, you separate yourself from others. Now think love equals expansion,

rejection equals contraction. So love is the ability to be in the same space with whatever you love, no resistance.

So, all you have to do, to overcome any obstacle, is to love it first. To reject anything will not make it go away, in the contrary, it is what makes it manifest all the more. This is the whole point of our experiences, we create obstacles in any imaginable form, creating this world of human beings with all its duality in order to overcome it. No experience can be denied to the Infinite Source of all experience.

Therefore, the only way to overcome ultimately every obstacle is to love it and expand beyond it in the process. If we love unconditionally, what is, we will eventually be one with the Infinite Source again.

I give intent for an effortless, joyful and loving evolution for whomever chooses so. I’d like to finish with a quote from Carlos Castaneda, The Wheel of Time: “In order to follow the path of knowledge, one has to be very imaginative. On the path of knowledge, nothing is as clear as we’d like it to be.”

Love,Daniel

Ayurvedic InfoNew Energy Activity

Homeopathy, Whipbirds and Morning MistDue to popular

demand, this month

we”ll continue with some more handy neem home recipes.

Neem Baby Oil275ml (9 oz) of organic black sesame oil, 30ml (1 oz) neem oil, 1 teaspoon of sandalwood oil: mix the oils together while lukewarm and stir for one minute. No fragrance is needed because of the natural aroma of the sandal oil. Gently massage into baby’s skin after bath, including scalp as is great for cradle cap. A balance of warming and cooling oils, it can be used all year round.

Neem Baby PowderApprox. 200g (7 oz) real cornflour, 30g (1 oz) neem leaf powder, 10 drops neem oil: sift dry ingredients. Add neem oil to top of combined powders and run through sieve several times until has been well mixed with no clumping. Store in a clean dry container with holes such as a large salt shaker. Great for nappy rash, and a preventative for fungal infections.

Pet Skin Care30ml (1 oz) neem oil, 30g (1 oz) lemon peel, 30ml (1 oz) cedarwood oil, 300ml (10 oz) vegetable oil, 2 drops camphor oil (about 1 g camphor crystals): place all the ingredients in a blender and mix to a fine slurry. Place the mixture in a glass container in the sun for one week to let it infuse. Filter out the particles through a fine cloth eg muslin, and place in a glass jar. After a bath, take a small amount and rub vigourously into pet’s skin. Will keep fleas at bay, treats itch and may deter ticks and other insects. Studies have shown that neem oil will kill 100 % of tick larvae after 48 hours exposure so regular application is preferable.

Roach Bait/sterilizer180g (6 oz) neem leaf powder, 6 drops neem oil, 180g (6 oz) curry leaf, 125g (4 oz) banana: put ingredients into blender and mix until its a fine wet powder. Place on a plate and let dry for a day. Run the material through a sieve to turn it into a fine powder. Add a pinch of the powder to a small piece of bread and roll it between your hands until the powder is thoroughly mixed in. Place the bread balls in cupboards or behind appliances. Replace after a few days. The powder will cause roaches to reduce their offspring and fertility, potentiating over generations.

We hope these simple and easy recipes come in handy – it’s early days for neem as far as the Western medicine is concerned but the more research they do the more it will continue to verify the many wonderful and useful properties of this plant.

Seasonally speaking, we are in late winter, which has people drying out on all levels – bowels, constipation, skin, tissue, scattered thoughts etc. So, the message is

to moisturise – daily massage with black sesame, the most moisturising of oils; if need be, sesame internally as a basti (simple enema); soups, either bone or vegie, made with ghee; plenty of ghee in general in cooking; omega 3’s like fish oil, flaxseed and chia; psyllium husks to keep the bowel regular; brahmi decoction for the mind and nervous system, if need be vacha snuff for grounding. All these symptoms as you might recall, are attributable to Vata excess.

As we move into spring, Kapha which has built up all winter, will melt, causing hayfever, head colds and upper respiratory problems. Next month we will discuss how to deal with these conditions. Until then, good health!

John and Helen run a regular Thursday clinic at Birth and Beyond. Appointments can be made by calling the Apothecary on 6689-1529 or John on 6689-1794 or Helen on 6689-1717.

Home visits are always a pleasure!

Nimbin AyurvedicTraditional holistic health care offering massage, facials, oil and steam therapies, detox cleanses, dietary and lifestyle consultations. Home visits!John (02) 6689-1794 0429-417-774

Helen (02) 6689-1717 0427-683-227

Astrology Courses with Nova Magazine’s

Daniel Sowelu• Fundamentals intro course: 10th August • AstroTutorials dynamic, exp. for interm/adv students

& enthusiastic amateurs: 7th August Courses 8 wks each, held in Byron Bay

Phone: 0448-870-022 Email: sacredlawfirm@bigpond.comwww.sacredlawfirm.com.au

KA-HUNA BODYWORK AND MASSAGE WITH

CHRISSY

APPOINTMENTS CAN BE MADE FOR EACH WEDNESDAY AT BIRTH & BEYOND BY RINGING

NIMBIN APOTHECARY 6689-1529

“It is my absolute joy and honour to share my Ka-Huna touch”

• Pregnancy massage available •

Peek-a-Boo and the Pile of Poo – A Nimbin children’s tale –

tarangbates@yahoo.com.au

www.nimbingoodtimes.com The Nimbin GoodTimes Page 21August 2010

by Dionne May

Fashion to me in Nimbin goes far beyond the local

stores variety of largely imported clothing.

Nimbin fashion is a way of life and an expression of individuality - the alternative to mainstream rows of Supre, Katies, Sportsgirl etc all selling their wares of imported (with sweatshop links) clothing designed so that everyone looks the same. Don’t stand out... don’t be different... bland bland bland black black black boring boring boring!

Well nothing could be as far from that reality as the colourful streets of Nimbin. Here fashion is as varied and colourful as the characters that wear them. No two people (well apart from the inevitable uniformity of teenagers) dress the same. And it’s not just a matter of what they wear but largely how locals ‘throw things together’ to come up with eclectic, individual mixes of fun and fantastic local designs, treasures found on overseas wanderings and a healthy dose of everyone’s favourite recycling goldmine Lifeline! (Proving as always you don’t need a lot of money to look a million bucks, or an iron!)

And what does all this mean to our visiting tourists? Well it means

around this tiny village you will have access to not only cutting edge local fashion, our infamous iconic clothing depicting the ‘cannabis culture’ ( eg Billabong/Bringabong, Nimbin University, Warner Bros/Warn a Brother.......) fantastic hemp clothing and if you are lucky a glimpse into the world of the ‘Gypsy-like’ nature of small business operators and market stallholders who regularly travel themselves to far flung places, but not to exploit sweat lodges and poverty but rather to find/encourage/organise and fund local industry in impoverished villages in largely underdeveloped

countries. This goodwill and love

(while operating a business) is to me the epitome of Nimbin’s soul. It also means we are incredibly lucky to maintain our individuality and run successful small businesses that all help our local economy.

So scratch the surface, take the time to talk to people and you will be amazed at what you might find.

And lastly I’d like to remind you all that it is nearly that time of year again... so dust off your Winter cobwebs and shake out your groovy gear ‘cos the Nimbin Fashion Show is about to explode again in town, come November.

by Tonia Haynes Bowen Therapy, Spinal Realignment, Pranic Healing, E.F.T.

It’s that time of the year again. Grey, cold days, damp and rain,

punctuated occasionally by an embarrassing excuse for sunshine that takes three days to dry your wet and muddy boots.

You miserably observe the mould on the walls and resentfully curse the lying mongrel who told you residing in the country amongst the trees is a peaceful and enlightening way to live and that chopping wood for a smoking fire is great for the soul.

As you roll out of a warm bed into a definitely unfriendly morning, that part of your neck, back or hips which used to give a whimper of protest, or the occasional worrying scream as you attempted the vertical, now lets fly with a deep and despairing groan that continues, all day.

Isn’t Winter wonderful? ‘Yea yea,’ the bloke snaps

‘Winter’s not so good, but I’ve bin putting up with the pain in me back for years, it’s part of life. It’s this bloody shoulder that’s got me stumped and those bloody demons that keep stabbing me in the arm with slithers of glass when I’m not looking. I’m havin to drop me head near down to the bar to drink me beer because me bloody arm won’t lift above me waist. It’s bloody embarrassing!’

Or conversely, from the less passionate: ‘Oh dear! I have suffered neck and back pain for years and the pain killers only ever seem to chase it away for a little while. But now? I never thought I would become one of those bra burning types, but I can’t reach around to do up the hooks on my brassiere without my arm cramping in agony.’

Sound familiar?Here’s a little exercise for

you. Place the palm of one hand over the hip bone on the same side of your body and then lower it down about 4 cm. Hold the palm in this position and lift the other arm straight above your head. If you concentrate on feeling beneath the hand which is

pressed just below your hip, you will feel the muscles under that hand move as you lift the other arm.

This is because, contrary to the belief of therapists who only treat shoulder and arm problems at their seeming locality, the body works as one unit; as we lift our arm the spine moves, which in turn causes the muscles in the neck, upper and lower back and the hips to move as well.

If one has suffered with neck, back or hip problems for some time and one lifts an arm, it is always fighting to stretch and flex against muscles and bones in another part of the body which are stiff and compromised. And similar to all of us who eventually get fed up with batting our head against a brick wall that refuses to topple, arms and shoulders can get pissed off and stop working.

Those who come to me for any type of frozen shoulder syndrome are treated holistically. The first thing I do is attempt to ascertain where the problem originally stems from.

Often it stems from the lower back, or the neck. Sometimes it stems from the wrist and is a part of carpel

tunnel syndrome, but usually carpel tunnel syndrome begins in the neck, anyway.

Sometimes shoulder problems have to do with carrying too much of life on one’s shoulders and people quite often make positive life changing decisions after my treatments, because Bowen Therapy is only part of what I do.

It is amazing how much better the mind works when the body is once again tuned to good health and a good life.

The despairing groans of sore, neglected muscles and bones can be changed to the hum of a well tuned motor, it just takes a little time.

I am in clinic in Nimbin Tuesdays and Saturdays. Make an appointment now and look forward to enjoying a painless Winter.

I am in clinic in Nimbin, Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Phone for an appointment now on 02 6689-0240, or mobile

0439-794-420

Recipe of the Monthby Carolyne

Savoury Chicken

CheesecakeThis is a delicious Sunday brunch dish to share with friends, as the weather is warming up.

Ingredients200g savoury cheese biscuits

crushed 90g butter, melted

20g butter extra2 large leeks, sliced250g Philadelphia block

cream cheese, softened1¼ cups sour cream 5 free range eggs200g poached chicken

breast, roughly chopped1 cup semi sundried

tomatoes, roughly chopped1 cup tasty cheese grated1 tblsp oregano, choppedSalt and pepper to taste

MethodCombine biscuit crumbs and

butter, press into the base of 23cm greased and lined springform pan and chill.

Heat extra butter, gently sauté leeks until softened. Cool. Beat Philly using electric mixer until smooth, beat in sour cream then the eggs, one at a time, until well combined. Stir in the leeks, chicken, tomatoes, cheese, oregano and seasoning.

Pour mixture into prepared base and bake at 160o for 45-50 minutes until just set, cool slightly in oven with door ajar before removing from pan.

Serve warm or cold with green salad. Enjoy.

Till next month, Love, Carolyne.

For information call Carolyne at the Coffee House Nimbin, 6689-0590.

Cook’s corner

Bowen Therapy for arms and shouldersFashionFocus

‘Fashionable’ in Nimbin

Designer Raquel’s collection at last year’s Fashion Shows.

Phone 6689-0590 Open 7 Days

Home-style Cooking using Organic local produce.

We specialise in Cakes and Wholesome Hot Meals.

Zentveld’s Coffee

Wheelchair Access

Monday, Wednesday & Friday 10am - 5pm

80 Cullen Street, above the Tourist Information Centre.

Gift Vouchers Available6689

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Call GaiQualified GardenerFree adviceReasonable Rates6689-17260429-702-148