We’re travelling again, happy days

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This was home for the last lockdown, today we got back to cruising, will slowly be heading to The Thames, cruising through Great Bedwyn, Hungerford, Newbury and Reading.    We are grateful that we got to stay here for so long, a peaceful place with healing vibrations, a place where we could connect internally and connect with nature. We need to be in Reading Berkshire for July.  We’ll have a short stay in Reading before heading back on to the Kennet & Avon Canal, I estimate that we’ll be East of the Kennet & Avon Canal, up until about September, (Reading – Newbury – Hungerford – Great Bedwyn).  Anyone wishing to book for locks maintenance or installing fresh locks and would like to take advantage of Berkshire and West Berkshire locations, please get in touch as soon as possible.

Visits from woodland critters

 

One of the magical privileges living earth way, is when we get critters visiting our home. Problem is they don’t stay still long enough to get a photo.  Anyway here are three visitors I managed to catch with the camera.  First pic was a domestic duck gone feral, she stayed close by for several weeks, often helping herself up the gang plank. The second a beautiful bumble bee and third a baby rabbit, both safely caught and released.
 
Obviously we are surrounded by wildlife and on privileged occasions, we get to witness them wandering by.  Deer, fox and water vole are frequent, many birds, especially kingfisher, owls, woodpeckers, cranes and cuckoos.  A special treat, later in the day, we have otters swimming and frolicking about the boat, only had a glimpse of them tho.  
 
These are just some of the wonders travelling the waterways, I love this life.

Our dreadlock services now cover, Berkshire, Wiltshire and Somerset

We are travellers, living on a widebeam canal boat.  Since 2018 we have been cruising the Kennet & Avon Canal between Reading Berkshire and Bristol Somerset.  During that time we’ve had many visitors from far and wide, requiring lock maintenance or wanting fresh locks installed, we are grateful to each and everyone for their trust and friendships.

How and why anyone chooses to lock their hair is a personal choice.  However, if one chooses to come to us to have their hair locked, then please note, we won’t get involved with any extending or filling methods of locking, be it synthetic or human hair.  However, should one of your locks break away, as long as the lock is your hair, I am happy to re-attach it.  Please understand, we regard that locking hair is a spiritual process, extending or filling methods, using synthetic or human hair, contradicts Dharma ~ the virtue that supports our spiritual commitments.  I would like to add that the human Hair Extension Industry, is not ethically regulated in protecting adults and children from human exploitation.  For more information please check out my blog post ‘Hair Extension Industry – Human Exploitation

We use the crochet method of locking, we do not use rubber bands, waxes or any fixing agents, everything is natural and has to be your own hair.

We lock up all hair types using the above method.

I can also give maintenance, repair and rescue to locks in any condition, I’ve seen it all, nothing is too much trouble.  So please trust me and bring to me your natty messes.

We have chosen to live, as best we can, within the earthway cycle of the lands that are our home.  Not only the area we are living in at the moment do we consider our home, we consider the entire island to be our home and so we travel the waterways, within the limits of our boat, so that we can experience this beautiful, fertile and historically ancient land.

We’re also keen, on learning more about ancient cultures, especially as ancient cultures from all over the globe, would have been worlds apart but spiritually similar; take for example, historically, the locking of hair, something that ancient cultures around the world, have done. There is also the simplicity of ancient lives, their relationship with nature and the responsibility of their existence, which attracts and inspires us to be responsible for our existence, for us to cultivate a deep relationship with nature and to live simply.

We struggle with society, the materialism, the sensory overload, and the afflictions of choice and convenience.   Plus, we’re conscious of our impact on the ecology of the miracle of this planet, and so we decided to step away from urban living and live a more isolated, self reliant and off grid lifestyle.  Our home is approximately 80% self sustaining and we’re about 95% off grid.  However, there is always room for improvement, so when we can do better, we will do better.

As I already mentioned, we are interested and inspired by ancient cultures.  My partner is experienced in Eastern traditions and practices, he is experienced in and has a keen interest in the cultures of The First Nations People of North America and he is interested in finding out more about the original ancient tribes, (pre Roman) that existed here in United Kingdom.

I’ve been practicing Yoga since around about 2002 and in 2014, began taking a deeper path through Yoga, studying its ancient psychology through Sanskrit text.  This study has lead me toward Transcendental Psychology which is a self-enquiry into Consciousness.  In October 2021, I begin a 3 year academic course, in Bristol, to study Psychotherapeutic Counselling.

Between ourselves, our home and the nature around us, we offer a place of peace and healing to those who are seeking to have their hair lock-up.

Tidy Up Sun 9th Aug ’20

Started these baby locks in March ’20 just before the COVID lockdown, so today was the first tidy up.  Thank you Mark, for trusting me to start these locks for you and with your loyalty to my regular maintenance of them, especially as these locks are symbol of something special to you.

Tidy Up Fri 7th Aug ’20

I started these locks 21 months ago, they have matured so well.  A joy to work on them today.

Tidy Up 4th Aug ’20

Today’s tidy up. Wonderful afternoon spent outside on the stern, Tom watching fish swimming at the water surface and spotting Kingfisher darting about the bank. Great to catch up with this top chap.

Summer Boat Life

 

 

Beautiful hot summer’s day, rude not to enjoy being outdoors.  Nature on the canal giving Emma and ourselves a meaninful experience for her locks tidy up.

First JātaDreads Client COVID Precautions

 

Beautiful summer’s day, helping to give Nancy and us, the meaningful experience that we aim to achieve, when one chooses us to have their fresh locks installed or maturing locks maintained.  We are grateful to Nancy for her patience, as we meticulously followed the Government guidelines in providing our services.

Aboard our home, a widebeam canal boat, cruising the Kennet & Avon canal, basing ourselves in the ancient lands of Wiltshire.  The room at the bow, where we practice and study the ancient teachings of Yoga, making it a sacred space.  The room opens up into the countryside and through the french doors, there is a seated outdoor space, where one can take time out for refreshments, to connect with nature, soak up her peace and enjoy the canal.

Today was Philip’s first time locking hair for someone other than myself, he did amazingly well.  It won’t be long before he is cool to go solo.

Yogashanti

We’ve not washed our locks for 2 years!

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May 2018 we stopped washing our locks and so far, for both of us, scalp, new hair growth and the locks, have never been healthier, look or felt better.

The first 3 months was about breaking the cycle of washing, which to be honest, wasn’t difficult.  The first 3 months both heads went from dry and itchy to oily.  The 4th month, everything calmed down and balanced out, scalps and new hair growth began to look and feel healthy.   Jumping forward to the present day, Philip’s and my locks look and feel great, we are happy with the result and will continue, not washing.

We didn’t do any research or follow any guidelines, we simply used common sense.

  • We both have active jobs. Philip works outside in a dusty, dirty environment.  I have a physical job and again a lot of my day is outdoors.  Philip uses a head-tube to protect his locks, I tie back and put my locks up and out of the way.
  • Sweat.  When not at work, we allow the locks be free so air can circulate.  It is necessary to regularly maintain the locks stopping them from matting and clotting together.  It is important we check each other’s scalp and locks regularly, to make sure that the scalp is healthy and the locks do not smell, so far they haven’t.
  • It rains a lot in the UK, we live on a boat, moving every 14 days, come rain or shine.  We have to chop wood, carry water plus other jobs to do with sustainable living.  Living day to day, we do not let our locks get wet or damp, especially in the winter.  Philip’s and my locks are very long and dense, takes all day for both heads of locks to dry, so to prevent them from getting musty and mouldy, we protect them from rain and the damp outdoors.
  • When we go swimming, we rinse the locks in clean water only.  Obviously only swim in the warmer season, locks dry much quicker and thoroughly from the sun.
  • We do not put any oils on our scalp.  After almost 24 months of letting the scalp and hair do it’s natural thing, we don’t need to.
  • From day one, at no time, did Philip’s or my locks smell!

Why did we do this?  We wanted to at least give it a go, worst case scenario, we would have to wash our locks again.  Not being fans of cosmetics, we began to feel passionate about letting hair self clean, results are amazing.  We do believe ,for us that is, that the washing with soaps, was more of a contribution to itchy heads, dry skin and oily hair.

This blog entry is by no means an effort to persuade peeps, to stop washing their hair, this is simply, Philip’s and my experience, and we would like to share it with you. 

Fresh locks with blunt ends 8th March ‘20

Fresh locks, with blunted ends. Amazing day, privilege to start these locks for spirit of true courage. An inspiring day, thank you for trusting me.