The picture below was taken 9 years ago in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro. At the time, I was teaching up the road at an international school in Arusha.

Leaving behind my 6 and 8-year-old children with my supportive husband on campus for this independent trek, I set off with Genes and the team from “Lava Rock Adventures”. Genes hailed from the foothills of the mountain and was a member of the Chagga people. He came highly recommended via a friend from a Safari company - you may like to read more about Gene’s HERE.

We took the longer Lemosho route, again a recommendation from a local businessman who attended the “Twende (let’s go)” walking group I was part of. During these local walks, he shared stories with me about his 10 Kili climbs and unique experiences of the varied layers. He advised me to imagine that I’d already climbed it many times before and to have a ZEN mindset that was present, clear, and calm. 

Determined, I set an intention to succeed, kept the summit in sight, and plodded on “Pole Pole” - which translates to slowly, slowly in Kiswahili. 

Surprisingly, the toughest part wasn’t the actual ascent and awful altitude sickness it was getting off the mountain after!  

Sleep-deprived and exhausted, my knees were knackered, my big toenails painful and bruised, and I faced an additional challenge. Neglecting to reapply suncream, my slow pace resulted in a late descent, exposing me to the intense late morning sun, and subsequent sunburn.

📰Random Diablogs from Random Dialoguists

 ⚡️“Mushrooms As Medicine and Nutrition” How to Grow Younger Series Part 6 by Yvette Masure | Health is Wealth 🌱

Recently I was sent a link to an article in the American Guardian titled  ’A mushroom trend: How fungi became a Food’

Yes, it does seem to suddenly, here in the UK, be trending, now. 

We do tend to follow the U.S., I note. 

The New York Times 2022 has called mushrooms the ‘ ingredient of the year’!

However, we must reflect on its history, France and Italy in particular, whose cuisine and lifestyle of foraging, circled around fungi, as an old and well-travelled path. 

Unfortunately, the number of mortalities is somewhat high! One reason to consider mushroom powders as tonics, rather than mushroom edibles. 

For all-year-round nourishment and nutrition. Avoiding any ‘mishaps’ of over-enthusiastic foragers 🙏 too. 

Mushrooms do breathe and have been on the planet longer than us. 

But they change the world around them, for the better.  (See my article R.D on “Mushrooms & Recycling”: 17th November / Part 4 HERE)

Like us, they now travel… in planes, or across the country: before landing on our plates! 

Mushrooms are, however, ultimate connectors: certainly if they are grown organically: with farmers and food producers who share these values. 

The Future is Fungi.

In my opinion, that is, for quite some years now. 

Human Food for nourishment and medicine: not only a critical therapeutic option to the chemical pharmacy, but also critical in improving the climate change challenge, in restoring ecosystems, and improving the health of our food systems.

Even our beloved ‘crisps’ are now using mushrooms instead of potato and tortillas, as flavour ‘carriers’ in the U.S.A.

Of course, in China, the mushroom has always been a food staple and considered medicinal, empirically, within Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapy: as Teas. 

For the novice here; Have you seen ‘Fantastic Fungi’ on Netficks? 

I highly recommend it. 

🍄💚🌱

Breath. Live. Life.💚🌱

#Wabisabi🙏

⚡“Solving Better Problems” by Ian Moncrieff MacMillan | Seeing The Way 👀

We are great at solving problems, but sometimes we rush to find a solution without thinking if we can tackle a better problem instead.

For example, making a journey enjoyable instead of just a little quicker (HS2?), or helping diabetics adjust insulin levels easily (EpiPen) rather than creating a costly new insulin.

When competing with others, it's wise to find a different problem to solve. By digging deeper into people's real needs (and our deep-rooted human nature), we can reframe the problem, mix in our unique insights, and create a unique category of solution...we can dominate.

Better Thinking ▶ Better Problem ▶ Better Category

⚡️Jason | The Artist Living in the Shadows🎨

Weekends (and evenings) are now spent wallowing in my favourite pastime. A pastime that now helps pay bills too… what could be better?

I can’t think of anything better to do than sit in front of a piece of paper and draw and listen to Miles Davies.

Today’s commissions to start /finish are:

1) Shetland pony 
2) Two Yorkshire Terriers (I think)
3) A cat (drawing will be heading off to Poland)

But before I start I like to warm up by working on a portrait. 

Hopefully next year I will be adding portraiture to my pet portraiture side hustle.

* The drawing attached to a work in progress…so yes, lots to do.

🔚And Finally

Thanks for sending this over Max:

🎣And a Bit More Finally

Until next Friday at 6:08 am (ish).

Thanks as always for your contributions.

Jane ❤️
what’s the topic, issue or subject that you feel passionate about and want to share?

🎫Events

• Monday 11th December, 8 pm to 8.18 pm 🎨FREE Canva for Beginners on Zoom » CREATE WITH ME

• Tuesday 12th December, 10am to noon - 🐝Guildford Buzz » BOOK

• Wednesday 10th January, 8 pm to 9 pm 📣Random Dialogues #25 online 6 speakers, 6 minutes each, 60 minutes. INFO

I’m also putting on a woodland gathering in Shere, let me know if you are interested in joining me to sit in nature, chat, and chill for an hour on a Saturday afternoon.

Enjoy my Energiser Hours » HERE

BOOK

And SOUP⬇️

This week, Yvette and I went out for a drive to Newlands Hill Car Park. I took along some carrot and lentil soup (no mushrooms) which I’d made in about 10 minutes using my “Instant Pot” pressure cooker - 4 chopped carrots, 150g lentils, stock, a bit of grated ginger, 1 diced onion, 1 crushed garlic - all bunged in, cooked on high then partly blended.

Shortly after this photo was taken we discovered the battery on the car was flat - A call out to the AA and a £140 new battery - not AAA. It was a fun adventure, not the challenge we expected.