The debate as to which films featuring motorcycles are the best is one that has been raging for decades, and will probably never be answered – at least objectively. Everyone has their personal favourites, from the kitsch 60s classics such as The Wild Angels and Angel Unchained, to the raunchier films such as The Girl on a Motorcycle and The Hard Ride, to the modern selection such as The World’s Fastest Indian, Road to Paloma and Tarantino’s Hell Ride. Then there are all the ones in the middle – Electra Glide in Blue, Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man, and Beyond the Law. Then there’s Wild Hogs, cough.
In this video I present a selection of what I think are the best motorcycle movies (and a serial. And a commercial. Or two), and explain why. I also try to explain how important I think motorcycles are for living an independent and free life.
Self Analysis For Self Reliance – Know Thyself and Be Free
Back out in the bush after a long hiatus. In this video we look at the need to analyse what’s good and bad about our lives so that we can focus on what is truly important. Everyone has a dream, and everyone has a basic idea of what sort of life they’d like to be living. And quite often we find ourselves unhappy with how we actually are living. Only by evaluating ourselves and our current circumstances can we discover what is truly missing from our lives – what would give us that spark.
To be self reliant – and perhaps ultimately even make that big move to a smallholding in the country – we need to know ourselves intimately. And the best way to get to know yourself is by separating yourself, if but for a short time, from the rat race and other people who might negatively influence you. And that means spending some time in nature, alone with your thoughts.
Self Sufficiency – Some Harsh Truths
Want to live in a log cabin away from society and raise your own animals and vegetables? Want to escape the rat race and live free, wild and independent as our ancestors did? Dream about leaving your job in the city and moving to some idyllic country retreat surrounded by nature, where you can raise a family through your own hard work and determination in a traditional rural style? Well, many share the same dreams but I wonder how many are aware of the little difficulties strewn across the path to self-reliance by corporations and faceless bureaucrats. In this video I explain what you need to be self sufficient, and I also point out some of the hurdles you may face.
The world is currently going through a major upheaval, and many people who were until recently basically content with their lives are now starting to see that all is not well. They’re beginning to consider other options, and the lure of a self-reliant and independent lifestyle is a much healthier option than slaving away as a drone just to pay for a mortgage, HP on a car and a Netflix subscription. Having lived a basically self-reliant lifestyle for many years, and having kept a close eye on the dastardly doings of corporations, governments and other world organisations, I try to give some pointers on what to watch out for and what to expect en route to your dream.
Self sufficiency is doable, but it ain’t gonna be easy.
Positive Thinking Against Seasonal Affective Depression
This winter has been long and harsh, and because of the pandemic many have been isolated from society. This is a horrific combination for inducing depression and sadness. How to dig yourself out of such depression? How to think positively so that you can again have hope for the future? In this video I give some real world tips and suggestions for how to deal with seasonal affective depression and general feelings of sadness and loneliness during the covid crisis.
How to fell a tree in the direction you want
Cutting down trees is always a risky business and best left to professional lumberjacks or tree surgeons. However, sometimes you just need to do it yourself. In this video I show how to easily fell a tree so that it lands in the direction you want it to – although trees often have a mind of their own, so it’s about as good as it gets.
Anyone wishing to do a bit of landscaping or gardening, or even planning to go fully off grid needs to know how to chop down a tree so that the damage factor is greatly reduced. This is bushcraft or traditional living, or even old school Scout pioneering, at its fundamental level.
Warning – felling trees can be extremely dangerous, and I give no guarantee whatsoever that the tree you cut will fall how you want. This is merely a guide. I sincerely suggest hiring an expert. I hate having to say all this but…
Wild Man – My response to Bjorn Andreas Bull-Hansen’s video
I live a wild life, basically free and independent and self-reliant, out in the Carpathian Mountains of East Slovakia. I’ve been living like this for over two decades now. I’ve written books and articles telling people that they should live a more natural life, spend more time in nature and learn how to trust themselves more. This means separating themselves from the city, the government, the media, corporations and all other bodies which wish to control the hearts, minds, bodies and souls of human beings.
We are all born free and we are all born equal, regardless of what others may tell you. But it is only when you learn to trust your own instincts, develop your skill set and test yourself out in nature that you begin to understand this.
Bushcraft, prepping, outdoorsmanship, traditional skills, farming, gardening, carpentry – all of these are things each and eevry one of us should be doing, if only at weekends, so that we may re-attune ourselves with our natural selves.
It is people like Bjorn who spread that important message, by showing others how he lives and how he thinks. Great respect and kudos to him. I hope more like him brave the criticism to show others a much more natural and fruitful existence than this disposable pit we currently find ourselves in.
Dawn Chorus With Rain – Bird Song Ambient Study And Work Meditation Music
Early morning in Spring and the birds are all calling out for mates and to declare territory as they prepare their nests. Carpathian Adventure gives you an audio insight into cottage life in a rural village in the Carpathian Mountains and the enormous variety of birds and wildlife that call the garden home.
This video is for all lovers of nature, meditation, ornithology (bird watching and twitching), and just peaceful relaxation. It is ideal to listen to when you’re studying or working at the computer, or if you just want to switch off, close your eyes and relax for a while, and let your mind drift off to a more peaceful, natural place.
Some new birds which can be heard are the black redstart (which only appeared this year today in my garden – they’re here every year and nest in the eaves of my house), the golden oriole (another summer visitor), several types of woodpecker, white wagtail, and the usual garden crew of tits and thrushes, robins, wrens, blackbirds and the raven
Spring Bird Song – Natural Ambient Meditation Music
Early morning in a cottage garden in the Carpathian Mountains of East Slovakia. The birds are extremely lively after the long, hard winter and perform both the dawn chorus and their mating rituals. Due to the sheer number of species we get, many different bird calls can be heard – including:
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Robin
Blackbird
Yellowhammer
Jay
Green Woodpecker
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Raven
Wren
and many more
The photo is of a Spotted Eagle as it perches on a tree in the garden
The Carpathians are an ornithologist’s (and twitcher’s) dream.
But for me the bird song is something I listen to when I want to relax my mind and remove stress and worries. It’s far more powerful than any electronically mixed ambient music. I also listen to it on repeat in the background when I am working on the computer, writing a book or an article, or proofreading, as it fills in the brain’s craving for audio input without being distracting.
Put the video on repeat, sit back and close your eyes and have some natural meditation.
Shadow Man Encounter (Hat Man, Shadow People) – True Story
Shadow Man, Shadow Person, Hat Man, who or what are they and what do they want? In this video I tell what happened the other night when I actually encountered one of these ominous beings – and it left me in a state of dread. Whether they are demons, interdimensional entities, our own future selves, aliens *extraterrestrials) or something else entirely, they are completely different to usual paranormal phenomena such as ghosts. They have intelligence and they have intent. For what, I have no idea.
If you’ve ever experienced one yourself then please let me know about it in the comments. They’re creepy.
Filmed with a Panasonic Lumix FZ300/FZ330 with a Polaroid UV lens
Chainsaw Time! True Carpathian Adventure
Sawing logs with a chainsaw. Spring is slowly coming and we desperately need to restock the wood shed. Until a few days ago we had deep snow and subzero conditions, now everything is muddy but we can actually access the wood to chainsaw it. The life of a self-reliant bushcrafting off-grid rural cottage lifestyle prepper in the Carpathian Mountains. The noise in the village on Saturday was incredible – everybody was out either chainsawing or using circular saw. And all the dogs barked.
Warning – this video most likely does not conform with official health and safety regulations in your chosen nanny state, so please don’t try this at home. Better buy your wood pre-seasoned and pre-chopped in a bag from from a giant DIY chain instead.
Filmed with a Panasonic Lumix FZ300/FZ330 with a Polaroid UV lens
