Elderflower cordial & 45 years in this body

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In celebration of another year in this body I give you now a favourite recipe from my past, elderflower cordial. When I was seven years old my parents sent me to a boarding school which was pretty horrific if truth be told, but elderflower grew in abundance around the school grounds and once a year they permitted us to make elderflower cordial so I would make a ton of it, stashing it away to drink at a later date. Even today it tastes like a little slice of summer freedom & I highly recommend you give it a go!

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Here in the South of France these amazing scented flowers seem to be everywhere at this time of year. These ones we found in the centre of our little village.

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A few of them were low enough for Esteban & Luna to pick.

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They love helping me with things like this.

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When they are not busy butterfly hunting ;)

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Recipe

Elderflower: 20 flowers
Sugar: 600g
Honey: 2 tablespoons (optional)
Pure water: 2L
Organic lemons: x3

Stir & heat the water a little to dissolve the sugar & honey.
Squeeze & slice lemons into the water, also adding some zest.
Shake off any bugs from the flowers and add to the water.
Give it a good mix.
Leave (covered) for 24h.
Sieve to remove flowers & lemon.

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Dilute generously with pure water (I recommend ZeroWater if you don't have a distiller) and you're good to go.

To maintain that awesome flavour as long as possible, keep it refrigerated.

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Even in the fridge however it will begin to ferment after a few weeks so if you're not going to drink it quickly I recommend freezing half. Packed full of vitamin C this drink is a great protection against pesky viruses so you may want to keep some handy for the winter.

Let go of your untrue belief that sugar is bad. Turns out that's just another conspiracy designed to keep us from something our bodies really need! In fact it's more about the crap that sugar gets mixed with (butter, eggs, additives etc) which is bad for us. If you don't believe me, why not have a chat with personal friend & endurance athlete @sebcam ? Around a year ago he liberated me from my fear of sugar. Thanks buddy ;)

By the way, if you are not already following @sebcam you really should be! Just last week he reached the Hollywood sign, completing the first leg of his world tour, running from Miami to LA. That's one side of America to the other.

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While the rest of the world was busy sitting on their arses watching a pandemic pantomime ;)

The importance of 44

44 is a magic number for both @sebcam & I. We used to go sungazing together in London back in 2012 and would often discuss its importance. I have been curious since then to discover what was going to happen when I was 44, so now that I have completed the year I can tell you what it was!

Aside from the rather pleasant reality that I have been financially liberated this year (thank you crypto) I made a number of other interesting transitions.

I regard myself as a farmer now and while you may not yet understand the importance of this job moving forward, I believe I do and these days I spend most of my time growing or foraging food, continually seeking to expand my knowledge of this and natural medicine.

I also regard myself as a builder now that I've had some experience building a small concealed stone house in the woods.

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This one I built last autumn with the help of my children in under two months, zero budget. I will tell you more about this house in a future post, but in short it was a spectacular experience!

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At the end of last year's growing season I learned how to preserve food, which has taken my little family to a whole other level. Now we are living in true abundance where are able to give away our food to the other people in this little village, population 300.

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I also learned how to make cider & wine last fruit season! Beer I will be looking into this year now that I know where the hops grow.

On a less tangible level I have felt myself disconnecting from my old life. Less and less I am interested to communicate with people I consider to be programmed. Covid has drawn a line in the sand and it is evident now who has been brainwashed & who hasn't. Largely this has to do with how much centralised media a person has ingested over the course of their lives, but it can also be due to the kind of people they have spent their time with. The programming is cunning and it is thorough. It feels to me like a giant magic trick has been played on the world. A magic trick only magicians can see.

Esteban & I are currently writing a children's book which reflects what has happened. Something along the lines of a Tuttle Twins book, this one is designed to teach young children how fear is used to control us (in a fun way!).

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Most of what I want to talk about with people today will not be heard by them if they have been programmed. It CANNOT be heard. So what's the point in communicating? To talk about the weather? No thanks. Unless you want to discuss ideas for the best ways we can prepare for the Grand Solar Minimum which is currently putting an end to modern agriculture?

I am focused almost exclusively now on preparing for a future in which my family & I will continue to thrive no matter what is happening in the world, so anything which isn't contributing to this goal is getting harder and harder to justify.

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Deep down I feel as if I want to say something to you all. And I want to say it loud!

The decisions we make during the remainder of this year will affect our children's children, so make your decisions wisely.

Get out of the cities and start growing your own food. Invest into a diverse crypto portfolio and be ready to sell into physical assets at the end of this cycle, likely around the beginning of next year. Take on a daily spiritual practice which will aid you in these exciting times, visualisation, affirmations, meditation, whatever works for you. Guidance is only offered to those who are asking.

In other news the new member of our family is in great shape, though he still hasn't opened his eyes yet.

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His belly has grown a lot in his first week of life!

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How wonderful it is to share our home with this little slice of nature :)

My mother sent me some Beatrix Potter books from my childhood (which are perfect for my kids now) and an incredibly beautiful hand painted card. Well done Mum, your art just keeps getting better and better. She started painting in her seventies!

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Our five cherry trees are coming into season now so I am currently doing a cherry fast, which feels awesome. More accurately it is a mono meal diet.

A few days of nothing but cherries to purify my system ;)

I wonder if my poop will turn red like it does when I do this with watermelon???

Haha, you gotta ask the important questions, right?

Love & Light everyone 🌱

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31 comments
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Cool post, matey - and very cool build!
And because I have nothing else to say, I won't bother...lol

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Appreciated. Yeah, that house was really an amazing experience and I am longing to build more! It's coming...

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Good to hear what's new with you my friend.
You're a cool guy with a lot to offer. I'm happy for you, and living vicariously through your success. Thanks for sharing the story.
We're the same age :)

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Am touched you think I am a cool guy ;)

Excited to see now what 45 has to offer...

Man am I grateful to be alive at this exciting time in human history!

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Of course you are. You're too cool to care what any of your past associates would think about you... and that's cool!
That's actually one of the lessons I taught my 2 kids (before not being able to see them anymore). The way to be the coolest kid in the school is to not care about what other kids think is cool. And not just pretend like you don't care, actually not care. If you can do that, you win :)
I don't know your kids but I imagine they're pretty bright! And they probably already know that lesson.
As for 45? I've been doing it for several months now. It's okay, but I must say, 43 was really a lot more exciting. :P
Just kidding, what's in a number? Age is really your health. I'm glad you still have a lot of yours!

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Excellent lesson. I have been teaching mine how there is no 'win' or 'lose' and that the true winner just keeps on having fun no matter what is happening. Then the TV undoes my lessons in the evenings! Am pretty close to destroying the TV to be honest but they would never forgive me if I did. It appeared when I went to work in the UK for 7 months, despite my repeated advice about TVs. Sabrina doesn't agree with all my whacky ideas... and that's cool. At least I know there will never be a TV in my stone house!

What's in a number? Ooooo... lots. It's like an energy which resides in them. And 44 was seriously pivotal for me. I quit tobacco for one thing! And it only took me 25 years to figure out how ;)

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You're a very cool guy... I genuinely ponder how cool it would be for children to grow up with SAM as "Dad" -- they have such a wonderful headstart there!!

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It's interesting with children. They take some aspects of what we offer and rebel against others. It's like a game to identify our biggest fears for them and then to play out those fears to try and get a reaction out of us, so it can be confusing if this is their actual character or just part of the game. One thing is certain, we don't teach them with our words!

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Congratulations to your 45th spin around our host star. ALways appreciate the wisdom you share with every post. You're definitely an awesome farmer and Sam, you are also one of my favourite bloggers here. It's always so inspiring for me to read your stories. When I read your posts, I feel that I could talk to you endlessly. It's compelling how there is always more that sticks to my mind after I did read one of your posts. One is logic and another is human values. What ever it is, it's always enriching. Had these thoughts on refined sugar and the fact that industrial sugar is dehydrated. I think of a liquid molecular structure being different from a dehydrated one, depending on the process of how it's refined? Our livers respond differently to dates and bananas? Makes me think of potassium. I guess I'd still love to try those figs where you live. They are all I think about when figs come to my mind from your last harvest when you dehydrated them. I am scared of sugar and stuck more to fructose for the past 6 months. Also think that sugar is very important if you aren't sitting on your couch all day? I followed @sebcam a few weeks ago and he blew me away. Reminds me of what I do when I bike half across the country to find something that might grow closer to where I live.

I never knew you went to a boarding school. How long were you there?

Honestly, I'm very new to foraging and learning a lot. It's these kinds of posts that truly inspire people like me. I also like that quote at the end!

The elderflower cordial looks magnificent!

Happy Full Moon

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What a lovely thoughtful comment. Thank you 🙏

I imagine we really could talk endlessly and this would bring me much pleasure. How blessed we are to at least have this platform where people like us can still find each other and communicate in this way. It would be easy to imagine I had actually gone mad if I didn't have so many lovely people like you in my life.

Ah yes, probably should have mentioned if one is a couch potato, processed sugar is likely not what our body actually needs! Now that I am so active in my life it is easy to forget what the rest of the world are up to. Please direct any sugar related questions you have to @sebcam and I am sure he will have a good answer for you.

My prison sentence at the first boarding school was five years. Must have been naughty in a previous life! Yeah, it was a pretty weird kind of school. They beat us into submission there, in the days before people cared if you hit children.

I have been amazed with the foraging how much stuff around our village is actually edible. So much knowledge has been lost, thanks to places like that boarding school! All by design of course.

Still, here we are...

...and life is still beautiful :)

And the happiest of happy full moons to you!

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Happy birthday to you, we wish you many more years of celebration with good health

Your post have been curated by @jizzyjoe, as Hive Celebrates With You on Your Birthday. You can join our curation trail here to celebrate with other hivans on their birthday. To know more please check our Introduction post.

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You never cease to amaze me Sam. You really have made a great life for yourself. By the way, how many kittens came?

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Appreciated my friend. Just one kitten in the end! Which makes life a bit less chaotic ;)

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That's so cool - are you keeping the kitten. Yes, 8 would have been hectic. Don't think I've ever heard of a cat only having one kitten.

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The first one was stillborn. Which was a little sad, but that's now it is with nature.

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Ah that is sad.

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For the kids it was a great learning experience and not sad at all :)

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I guess - and at least you had a survivor.

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Wonderful post Sam Happy Belated Birthday! I love elderflower cordial! One of the top flower drinks we can make at home. Elderflower champagne is fast and delicious as well.
Your building skills are incredible - that little hidden hillside place is just a dream home! I don't think I have seen anything more beautiful and natural! I am 100% applauding all the things you speak of here. The future can be better than the past thanks to people such as yourself!

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Thank you so much for reminding me of the champagne! Can't believe I had forgotten this. There are still some flowers around so am gonna try next week...

I realised building that little house how we don't need anything except mud, water, stones & wood to get the job done in the most natural of ways. And we don't even need experience as a builder! The environment tells us how things slot together if we let it.

Can't wait now for the next building project!

Sending hugs :)

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That's SO COOL that 44th year was the year of the Little House!! 🏠 Don't be afraid of the sugar Peeeepz! It's a vital nutrient to feel good and get stufffff done ✅

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Sebbbyyyy! The year I learned how much I love building places to hang out. Actually I knew that already as I built numerous camps at the boarding school I mentioned. Had just forgotten till now! And I can already see the magnificence of building on my own land :)

Big love bro!

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Happy Magical Creative Belated Birthday Sam xxxxx
I love that house you made, that is awesome, you really have achieved so much this last year, go you xxxxx

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Hey there! Thank you x

Actually I don't feel as if I have done enough but perhaps I am hard on myself.

Sending hugs :)

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