phoebebatchelor

[phoebebatchelor]

My muse. My wife. My sister. The other half of my heart. My second lung. The person that knows more than i know about myself. 

Sophilia

Model: Sophie Evans

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A very early morning walk around Luang Prabang. 

Monks receiving alms before sunrise. 

Pure silence, the smell of warm croissants.

The blue of dawn with the orange robes and golden temples.

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In Hindusim and Buddism, the lotus is the symbol of what is divine or immortality in humanity, and is also a symbol of divine perfection. Its unfolding petals suggest the expansion of the soul.

Super thankful for this garden I have in Chiang Mai - especially the lotuses and desert flowers that came with it. I can’t stop planting and breathing in the perfumed air!

This poem/mantra/spell/declaration pretty much sums up how great it is to have a garden to tend, thank you Mildred for sharing it, I’ve been spending as much time as possible in the mud, dirt, grass, sun and rain. 

Take it to the soil.

Take it to the undeniable mother who births us so unconditionally that she accepts our dead shells back into her womb

Take it to the soil, who cleanses, obscures, renews with such finality that flies can't remember the way to feces once you cast her onto it. Shit redeemed and now compost.

Take it to the soil who pleads with the element of fire so sweetly that it accepts to be put out by her

Take it to the soil who boldly declares: if you will not worship and till me, the weeds, shrubs, wild medicines and herbs shall spring forth and praise me with their germination and dominance

Take it to the soil who has taken your dead. and accepted your angry stomping, wailing, screaming, tearing at the moment of your grief.

Take it to the soil. Take your pain to the soil. Take your anger to the soil. Take your betrayal to the soil. Take their energy to the soil. Take your questions to the soil.

Lay upon her belly and be, grounded. Let a storm wash you into her. Let your melanin be sleek with her wetness. Pray as you plant. Kiss her for her help. Plant food in her.

We finally understand why in Uganda, people ask, "Have you eaten?" To mean "I love you". The soil's love always manifests as food.

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Sofia getting her solar plexus chakra eternalised in ink.

Tattooist: Juan (ศรายุทธ วายุเวช)

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Cambodia’s plastic crisis

A few months ago, I travelled through Cambodia and was shocked to see the sheer amount of rubbish in every street, roadside, beach, public area, river and lake. It’s amazing to see that most of the people (locals and tourists) completely ignore and look away from what’s under their feet or in the water they are swimming in.

The country’s economy and population has seen significant growth in recent years and with this a huge expansion in the use of styrofoam and plastic (especially from takeaway meals and drinks) that casually get thrown wherever they are used. It’s actually difficult to buy a meal without using plastic - people laugh if you bring your own tupperware to use as plastic containers are so convenient. Moreover, all the types of garbage are mixed together when disposed of making it very challenging to separate recyclables and compostable material from non-degradable waste. 

In Phnom Penh, 40% of residents do not have a garbage collection service. “Many Cambodians do not see the benefits of trash collection due to the cost of services and the availability of alternative disposal methods, such as burning or dumping illegally“ Asia Foundation

In Sihanoukville, I chatted to a few people who explained that the garbage collectors often don’t get paid by the town council or private hotels and restaurants to pick up the vast amount of waste that the town creates. Trucks have also been numerous accidents on the terrible road leading to the town. 

“Plastic finally seeped into the consumer consciousness in 2017 when it emerged that the petroleum-derived commodity, used to make everything from cigarette lighters to drinking straws, now contaminates our tap water and the air that we breathe.” Eco-business

Slowly, more organisations, companies and laws are helping to provide services that properly dispose of waste and plants are being built to recycle plastic. More importantly, schools, universities and NGO’s are raising awareness and educating locals about the dangers of plastic on the environment, people and animals. Bit by bit, everyone can do their part. 

Use reusable containers and don’t buy plastic.

plasticfreecambodia.com

https://www.pickupplastic.org/

http://www.eco-business.com/research/tackling-asias-plastic-problem/

- Rabbit

[phoebebatchelor]

Photo|Watercolour montages:

1. The American Pacific Ocean and the Thai sky

2. An East African Milky Way in a Redwood tree stump

3. A Vietnamese sky and mountain landscape

Time and place

Over the last 5 months we haven’t stayed in one place for longer than 2-3 days, from camping all over the West coast of the states to putting all our belongings on our backs and galavanting around Asia. We’ve become very good at making a house a home whether it be for 12 hours or a few days. Hanging our clothes and art everywhere, making curtains, stacking our books on tables and lining our things along any surface we can find and then packing it all up in the morning to adventure some more. 

We’ve had some great days and nights in our tent, bungalows, dorm rooms, guest houses, hostels and hotels; some very unique, others not so much. In our last days in Cambodia we found a beautiful, inspiring and spacious house at a great price where both our creative juices started flowing, so we stopped for a moment.

- Rabbit

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Just found these pictures hidden away in the depths of my hard drive. Nostalgia. 

If you ever find yourself in Fort Portal - go to Aya Papa.

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I’ve started a joint blog with Devin called www.wolfandtherabbit.tumblr.com where we’ll be posting photos and writings of our wanderings, have a look :) 

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Going back to this dreamscape with this wolf SO SOON

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New York streets

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Joshua Tree wonderland

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Vertical landscapes

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Look up.

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Umpqua National Forest

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Florence

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Bolinas Labor Day party!

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Lake Tahoe blew my mind!