Unusual Paths: Why Give Up Celebrity to Become a Buddhist Nun?

In this quiet, yet curiously fast-moving 7-minute video portrait, Chudrun explains what led her away from a life of celebrity, drugs and materialism at the host of BBC’s Top Gear to one of reflection, compassion and ritual as a Buddhist nun. Her leap onto what might seem an opposite path and the willingness to change is at the very heart of improvising.

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DIY Gifts: Dried Fruit in Fragrant Syrup (Boozy or Not)

Every year, I make big batches of Prunes in Armagnac, Cherries in Red Wine Syrup and Apricot in Cardamom Syrup to give as gifts, packed into pretty jars, with handwritten tags listing their possibilities. I also rely on them for my own entertaining, to serve as fab instant desserts. They are all made by the same basic approach. Here it is, with some recipes to illustrate.

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70-year-old desert shack re-envisioned as transformative artwork

Artist/architect Phillip K. Smith re-envisioned and transformed a 70-year-old weatherbeaten shack at Joshua Tree, Californita into an artwork he calls Lucid Stead. It is “about slowing down and coming to the desert to tap into that pace of change and about stopping and being quiet so you can truly see and listen“. Watch the video, below,…

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Entertaining Tip: Write Guest’s Names On Their Wine Glass

A couple of years ago, we posted about wine and spirits writer Anthony Giglio’s inspired practice of writing the name of each guest on his/her wine glass to cut down on “lost” glasses (and the attendant OMG-there-aren’t-enough-glasses stress). Anthony uses a china marker, a wax or grease pencil that writes perfectly on glass or china…

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