Hello to all you peaced out lovebirds out there,
Welcome to the ongoing party, aka LIFE… The only thing pretty much left in this world that is real (and that all depends on how you live it)! I read recently that all we have in life that is real is…now! Very Zen but very true if you think about it. So I’m going to keep this little ditty REAL. Please enjoy.
REAL NOW: 1
BYRON BLUE COFFEE ESTATE, Byron Bay
This immaculate coffee plantation actually exists in the beautiful hinterlands of Byron Bay, Northern NSW overlooking the Eastern most coastline of Australia. My family and I had the pleasure of connecting with coffee farmer Mark Bullivant and we experienced a very hands on and practical excursion of coffee farming last week, in our very own backyard, Byron Bay NSW Australia.
Mark is a very real, honest as a shovel, Aussie larrikin, knockabout Byron Bay hippie… with his heart firmly set on his sleeve. With over 40 years’ experience under his belt, I’ve had the pleasure of dealing with Mark for close to 10 of those years and see him as a mentor, teacher, inspiration and true friend. In fact, one of my personal highlights was winning a silver medal for the Xavier Reserve (Byron Blue Estate coffee) in 2011 for the Australian Coffee Awards at the International Golden Bean. Mark was there that night and we both went up together to collect the award. It was truly fitting and just that little bit extra special. We both had a very quiet night that night as you can appreciate…
Last week, Mark gave my family a personal tour of the Byron Blue Estate plantation. Having watched my children pick coffee cherries for the first time from the tree and having them watch the whole natural organic process from plant to 35 Main Street, Young, was an experience I’ll never forget and can say was truly “unreal”! What makes it very special though is the REALNESS of our direct trade philosophy and REALNESS of our relationship and it’s happening NOW. You also will be a part of this experience because I will be personally roasting this beautiful coffee in the coming weeks and you will be able to taste this true Australian home grown coffee in the Art of Espresso bar over the coming months and it will be available online for you to purchase for a very limited time.
It is people like Mark Bullivant that continue to enrich our life experiences and it is his personality and spirit from which I personally continue to learn and grow. Above it all, learning on how to keep it REAL without the $&@?!
REAL NOW: 2
NIMBIN, NSW
I am literally rewriting word for word the exact words I read which welcomed my family to this incredibly chilled part of the planet…I feel a duty of care to share this with you:
NIMBIN VILLAGE CODE
“RESPECT BUNDJALUNG LAW (the local indigenous people)-DON’T FIGHT, STEAL
OR BE GREEDY.
HAVE INTEGRITY. BE KIND, HONEST AND FAIR. RESPECT ALL PEOPLE.
CHILDREN ARE WATCHING AND MODEL THEMSELVES ON YOUR BEHAVIOUR.
HELP KEEP NIMBIN FUNKY, FRIENDLY AND FREE. DON’T FORCE TOUR ADDICTION ON OTHERS.WORK IT OUT. BE RESPONSIBLE-LEAVE YOUR DOG AT HOME. WE CARE ABOUT OUR CHILDREN PLEASE BE MINDFUL OF THEIR SAFETY. LIFE IS SACRED INCLUDING YOURS. KARMA IS REAL. LOVE IS FOR REAL. NIMBIN TOLERATES MOST THINGS BUT VIOLENCE IS NOT OK.”
Very cool. Thank you beautiful brothers and sisters of Nimbin. May every town and city in Australia, in fact the world, welcome us all in that way and take a “leaf” from your page. Like the sticker says “Welcome to Nimbin, the High Society where the grass is always greener”. I’m feeling the peace people…
REAL NOW: 3
JUST ANNOUNCED – ESPRESSO SESSIONS LIVE (and REAL)!
Harry Hookey will perform on Saturday 9th August with a SPECIAL GUEST! Tickets are $20pp or two for $30 and are on sale now!
I was introduced to Harry Hookey by Bill Chambers. Coming from Gippsland in rural Victoria, this Law graduate has “now wisely decided to pursue a more stable profession in the music industry”…enough said…I absolutely love that intro… Inspired by the likes of Bob Dylan, Steve Earle, Leonard Cohen, Paul Kelly and John Lennon as key song writing influences, Harry performs in a way that resonates with every kind of music lover on some level. You cannot help be be blown away by this young artist. Harry has performed with artists as diverse as Tim Rogers, Kasey Chambers, Mick Thomas, Doc Neeson (R.I.P) and Ash Grunwald.
When Harry contacted me for a gig at 35 Main St, on Bill Chambers’s recommendation, I jumped at the chance to have this awesome, raw and real Australian Independent Music talented artist grace our humble little stage at Art of Espresso. Check out his new album “Misdiagnosed”… it totally Rocks!
Seriously folks for $20 a ticket (or two for $30), you just can’t go wrong on a night out so do yourselves a favour and get yourselves down to 35 Main St on Saturday night August 9th for a treat of great live music. Tickets can only be purchased in the bar – get down now before they are released to general public.
Here’s a link to get you feeling the Harry Hookey vibe.
REAL NOW: 4
ALSO COMING… LIVE… INTIMATE… AND REAL
– THE AUDREYS
– MIA DYSON
Dates to be confirmed very soon…stay “tuned”. The REAL DEAL: Tickets are $70 each or 2 for $130. Or the SUPER REAL DEAL $120 pp for both gigs! These deals are only available to you cool cats before they actually go on sale. Please remember that only 50 tix actually exist per gig! Opportunity of an (unreal) lifetime. If this tickles you, let me know and I will add you to the REAL DEAL list.
REAL NOW: 5
ALSO COMING SOON (circa 2015)
– THE YEARLINGS
– TIM ROGERS
– MAMA KIN
It’s all happening people. Thank you for your continued love, support, hugs and everything else that steams the veggies.
Stay beautiful, take care, be thankful, breathe and smile.
Om Shanti
Adrian
Brother
