Embracing My Inner Hippy Child
 Beautiful Angel Child I don’t particularly like hippies… a few mental images conjures up when I hear the word hippy and it’s not particularly pleasant. B-u-t by some twist of fate and workings of nature I ended up smack in the middle of such a gathering. Even though this was sooooo different to anything I could ever have imagined. I walked away from this weekend feeling calm, acceptance, understanding, love and peace. I guess I embraced my inner hippy child that weekend and I loved it/her. It was beautiful! How we got thereThe kids and I packed our bags on Friday and drove to The Blue Hippo in Greyton where we were greeted by a beautiful space of people and music! Dan showed us to our Tipi and he was ever so helpful and kind. Thanks Dan!  Welcome Our Tipi was big and had three double beds in it! Wow… with a little fireplace in the middle… Our bedside table was a tree stump and our bedside lamp was candles with matches. **perfect** What more do you need?  Tipi love  Our tipi  Fireplace in tipi  Inside our tipi  Yoga Waking up to yoga around the morning fire and greeting the sun seemed a wonderful idea but somehow I couldn’t drag myself out of bed to join in and the fact that I know nothing about yoga allowed me to sleep in. I did however help in the kitchen… prepared breakfast. Fruit salad and yummy oats. The oats had all sorts of goodies in it… Even the kids ate all their food! I was surprised that Master Sunshine went totally raw the weekend and enjoyed his food. It was great to see. Lunch was noodles made from baby marrows and delicious marinara sauce. Wish I asked for the recipe of the marinara sauce. **damn** All the food was good, satisfying and left us with loads of energy. Lady Jane responded to her maternal instincts and looked after all the little angels on the camp. Little blond girls that looked more like little fairies than children and when they spoke, had wisdom beyond their years. Old souls I thought. There was so much going on all the time… different talks around the trees or dancing or learning about something new. You see, you can offer a talent of yours to the gathering… if you can do Tai Bo or know how to grow a forest garden then you can offer this to the weekend. So there were lots going on all the time. I loved how we talked under trees and discussed great issues and concerns and brainstorming them. I particularly loved how Ashley always happened to have her guitar ready and singing… her voice that of an angel calling us all to participate or to come eat.  Sweet Ashleigh It was a weekend of rekindling ones spirit and pondering ones purpose on this beautiful planet. How going a little ‘green’ or ‘eco-friendly’ just wont cut it. Where being eco-friendly (whatever that even means) is not just a fashion statement but living without any waste and considering the items you buy carefully is of absolute urgency.  Swimming in the river To realise that we were meant to live on this earth naturally and that by embracing it we are actually increasing our chances of true bliss and happiness. I haven’t totally figured all this out yet; I just know that I want a simpler life with fewer gadgets and less distractions and more laughter and living and friends. When we are filled up with this ‘stuff’, no money can give us this pleasure and thus can’t compete. I enjoyed Ian talking about the Khula Dhamma Community, an Eco-village in the Eastern Cape. He and a few friends started this and he shared the highs and lows they experienced. **Beautiful Stuff** I strongly recommend getting in touch with your inner hippy child. You might just feel empowered to do great things! Some of these beautiful photos were taken by a very creative and talented soul named Barbra Cowley. Thanks Barbra for sharing these. They are amazing.  Ashleigh working the garden  Kids  Watering the garden  Singing around the fire  Swimming  Master Sunshine climbing  Angel in disguise  Singing – Full moon  Sacred Circle 
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W O W! That looks amazing! How lovely that you got to enjoy it with your family too, I’m glad you all had a nice time!
x
Sounds amazing hon! What a stunning weekend!
Thanks so much @Sooz…. the kids enjoyed it so much… next I’ll try bring ‘the husband’ with.
@Di, thanks for taking the time to read some of my ramblings… appreciate the comment my friend. Hope the Jeffers are goooood!
This sounds spectacular!! It really is a huge eye opener exactly how good people can actually be – I have just experienced my first Africa burn’s and have changed my outlook on life on a great scale. I want to see an eco village in every city if not whole cities like this.
Peace and Love
I share your view Dustin (@Smitty) wouldn’t it be great!? Next year I’ll see you at the Africa Burns. Promise. I’m so glad you had great fun and met some awesome people! eco village yes… yes… yes