TRANSKRIPTIO 🔗
Speaker:
00:00:01
This is the Midlife Mischief Club podcast
2
00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:06,800
with Jon and Alvin.
3
00:00:10,033 --> 00:00:12,533
We are launching into, the podcast.
4
00:00:12,533 --> 00:00:15,533
that we talked about at Burning Man,
and we're glad to have,
5
00:00:15,933 --> 00:00:17,567
guest James Malcolm here.
6
00:00:17,567 --> 00:00:22,467
And to put some context around this,
our, guest here, James, wears many hats.
7
00:00:22,833 --> 00:00:24,067
He lives in New Zealand.
8
00:00:24,067 --> 00:00:27,067
He's a father of a two year old. He's,
9
00:00:27,700 --> 00:00:29,700
got an adorable,
10
00:00:29,700 --> 00:00:33,534
young wife,
that I got to hang out with all you guys,
11
00:00:33,967 --> 00:00:36,967
for, six days
and six nights in the Nevada desert.
12
00:00:37,767 --> 00:00:38,800
What else can you tell us?
13
00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:42,734
Just so we know about about who you are
before we launch into the details?
14
00:00:43,601 --> 00:00:46,601
Okay, so I am mid-30s,
15
00:00:48,501 --> 00:00:50,501
I am self-employed.
16
00:00:50,501 --> 00:00:53,001
I've been self-employed since I was about 21.
17
00:00:53,001 --> 00:00:54,167
Probably unemployable.
18
00:00:54,167 --> 00:00:57,534
Probably why I’m self-employed.
Went to uni for a year.
19
00:00:57,534 --> 00:00:58,568
Failed miserably.
20
00:00:58,568 --> 00:01:01,534
Me and my best friends.
And kind of you know my life
21
00:01:01,534 --> 00:01:05,134
was kind of mapped out for me
to become like a sixth generation
22
00:01:05,634 --> 00:01:09,534
cropping farmer on the family farm
and that like, yeah, my
23
00:01:09,634 --> 00:01:13,135
my parents end up selling the farm,
luckily and it broke the family curse.
24
00:01:13,301 --> 00:01:16,835
And then I kind of stumbled
upon beekeeping and fell in love with it
25
00:01:16,901 --> 00:01:19,835
and like I said,
become self-employed at like 21
26
00:01:21,235 --> 00:01:23,068
and now 36
27
00:01:23,068 --> 00:01:25,901
yeah, I've had a cool relationship, with
Rachel for five years.
28
00:01:25,901 --> 00:01:29,168
and definitely pushed the boundaries on
what a relationship stands for
29
00:01:29,335 --> 00:01:32,502
and since then, we have a two year old child.
30
00:01:33,235 --> 00:01:35,535
and her name’s Middie,
31
00:01:35,535 --> 00:01:37,735
And we just pack her around with us like we,
32
00:01:37,735 --> 00:01:40,735
we do all sorts of cool trips,
over seas, around New Zealand,
33
00:01:41,569 --> 00:01:43,635
and have a pretty funky life,
34
00:01:43,635 --> 00:01:47,835
where we work hard in the season,
spring and summer in New Zealand,
35
00:01:48,635 --> 00:01:49,035
Load full transcript
And then.
36
00:01:49,035 --> 00:01:52,269
Yep, always looking for some sort of
adventure and shenanigans
37
00:01:52,902 --> 00:01:54,202
wherever, you know.
38
00:01:54,202 --> 00:01:55,902
It seems like you,
39
00:01:56,236 --> 00:01:57,436
have a lot of adventures.
40
00:01:57,436 --> 00:02:01,269
You go on and a lot of, hobbies
and things that you like to do
41
00:02:01,302 --> 00:02:04,469
with you and your family, you know,
going to Burning Man where you met Alvin.
42
00:02:04,469 --> 00:02:08,202
Then can you guys describe a little bit
about that experience
43
00:02:08,202 --> 00:02:09,102
of what that was like?
44
00:02:10,036 --> 00:02:10,603
You know,
45
00:02:10,603 --> 00:02:13,603
I heard that it felt like
you'd be dropped on the moon,
46
00:02:13,603 --> 00:02:16,536
and that's what it felt like
when we got there.
47
00:02:16,536 --> 00:02:20,336
There was a white out that lasted
about 20 hours and is not a joke.
48
00:02:20,336 --> 00:02:21,503
You had to shelter in place.
49
00:02:21,503 --> 00:02:24,503
You had dust, even in your teeth.
50
00:02:25,036 --> 00:02:27,903
And, then we had the best weather ever.
51
00:02:27,903 --> 00:02:33,770
And so you go from kind of
hellish conditions to, building a camp.
52
00:02:33,770 --> 00:02:38,170
And we, became, like, best friends
with James and about, you know, one day
53
00:02:38,803 --> 00:02:42,003
to then, in the middle of the night
54
00:02:42,303 --> 00:02:46,903
when you launch out in these lit up
bikes to the best parties of your life,
55
00:02:47,770 --> 00:02:51,003
you go, you hit one,
and then someone pulls you by the arm
56
00:02:51,003 --> 00:02:53,637
and goes, all right, we've been here
long enough. It's been 30 minutes.
57
00:02:53,637 --> 00:02:56,170
We're going to go to the
next best party of our lives.
58
00:02:58,170 --> 00:02:58,870
Well, I
59
00:02:58,870 --> 00:03:02,670
probably, I guess I'm used to extreme
environments.
60
00:03:02,670 --> 00:03:07,370
Like, for me, like, my hobbies are like
hiking, hunting, the outdoors.
61
00:03:07,437 --> 00:03:10,471
I. I work in the mountains like,
harvesting the honey, with bees and
62
00:03:10,571 --> 00:03:11,471
and and whatnot.
63
00:03:11,471 --> 00:03:14,204
And so I'm used to being
in a harsh environment.
64
00:03:14,204 --> 00:03:16,571
So it wasn't too much of a shock to me.
65
00:03:16,571 --> 00:03:21,537
And probably what I did think is that
it's way more normal at Burning Man,
66
00:03:21,971 --> 00:03:25,438
it’s out of the gate and you can't
explain it, but there's a lot of normality
67
00:03:25,438 --> 00:03:28,438
and everyone thinks it's like Instagram
models and,
68
00:03:29,171 --> 00:03:31,871
and nudity and whatever else it is that.
69
00:03:31,871 --> 00:03:37,271
But there’s everyone else that's sort of
participating in every different format,
70
00:03:37,304 --> 00:03:38,905
So it's like,
71
00:03:38,905 --> 00:03:42,671
and just the scale of that, like the scale
that blew my mind and that it doesn't
72
00:03:42,671 --> 00:03:46,938
sleep for eight days like it's 24 hours,
it's really gets under your skin
73
00:03:47,671 --> 00:03:51,972
and you know, the part that cracked me up
is that I took a two year old there,
74
00:03:52,005 --> 00:03:52,838
and the two year old
75
00:03:52,838 --> 00:03:56,438
had more fun than I did because, like,
everything is, like, amazing.
76
00:03:56,672 --> 00:04:00,972
Like the default world for her is boring,
she’s like, Holy shit, I want to go back there.
77
00:04:02,105 --> 00:04:03,805
Wow. Yeah.
78
00:04:03,805 --> 00:04:07,139
I'm like, you know me and Alvin are biking
around, looking round like, wow.
79
00:04:07,139 --> 00:04:10,605
And this child is like, you know,
everything is just stimulation overload.
80
00:04:12,572 --> 00:04:15,239
You know, and I think,
81
00:04:15,239 --> 00:04:18,105
I don't know, like it, but for me, it's
something that I'll partake
82
00:04:18,105 --> 00:04:21,106
in every couple of years,
probably for the rest of my life.
83
00:04:21,906 --> 00:04:26,006
Like Alvin probably has mixed feelings about it,
because, it is a harsh environment.
84
00:04:26,039 --> 00:04:27,506
Right? Right.
85
00:04:27,506 --> 00:04:28,106
I'm good for it.
86
00:04:28,106 --> 00:04:31,372
But, like,
I was so impressed by James building
87
00:04:31,372 --> 00:04:34,372
the camp and, like,
88
00:04:34,672 --> 00:04:37,673
with just endless energy.
89
00:04:37,739 --> 00:04:39,439
But but to your point,
90
00:04:39,439 --> 00:04:43,039
James was making some one of my takeaways,
Jon, is that there's
91
00:04:43,039 --> 00:04:48,173
a sense of community
that is, like, almost like never before.
92
00:04:48,173 --> 00:04:51,973
I mean, strangers who hug you
and no cars to hide
93
00:04:51,973 --> 00:04:55,773
behind, no houses to hide behind,
no cellphones to hide behind.
94
00:04:55,773 --> 00:04:57,673
No egos to hide behind.
95
00:04:57,673 --> 00:05:00,206
No nothing. There isn't a VIP ticket to Burning Man.
96
00:05:00,206 --> 00:05:02,673
It's like a ticket for everyone.
97
00:05:02,673 --> 00:05:04,573
And it's like cut your bullshit.
98
00:05:04,573 --> 00:05:09,840
I like I came away from it a
little confused and probably took me.
99
00:05:11,307 --> 00:05:12,907
It's probably take me two months
100
00:05:12,907 --> 00:05:16,273
to to
really reflect on it, to be like,
fuck, that was cool.
101
00:05:17,140 --> 00:05:18,040
Yeah.
102
00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:20,707
And and to think about the interaction,
so this is the part that turned me
103
00:05:20,707 --> 00:05:23,707
on the most, because, well,
I think and look for
104
00:05:23,874 --> 00:05:27,174
so I look for stimulating,
intelligent conversation.
105
00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:31,540
So everywhere I went,
there was intelligent conversation.
106
00:05:31,607 --> 00:05:36,474
I just intelligent people like the banter,
the stories, the laughs, whatever,
107
00:05:37,041 --> 00:05:40,841
that you know everything about the
is intelligent like you.
108
00:05:41,107 --> 00:05:43,574
Everyone's on the spectrum. Yeah.
109
00:05:43,574 --> 00:05:45,041
And I'm cool with that.
110
00:05:45,041 --> 00:05:47,707
Yeah, totally.
111
00:05:47,707 --> 00:05:51,074
And that's one thing about it just I was
going to say it just filters out the,
112
00:05:52,241 --> 00:05:55,241
a lot of, a lot of people who,
113
00:05:56,141 --> 00:05:58,841
I don't know,
you end up with the most extreme people.
114
00:05:59,941 --> 00:06:00,841
Yeah.
115
00:06:00,841 --> 00:06:01,874
Yeah.
116
00:06:05,508 --> 00:06:06,275
So we borrowed
117
00:06:06,275 --> 00:06:09,341
this old camper van from
friends from Alberta, Canada,
118
00:06:09,575 --> 00:06:13,208
and some Kiwi friends of mine
that live like ten minutes down the road.
119
00:06:13,508 --> 00:06:16,308
And they had this camper van
based in Alberta.
120
00:06:16,308 --> 00:06:20,942
and I borrowed it once before. Last time I borrowed it
Rachel was pregnant and we did a 13,000km
121
00:06:20,942 --> 00:06:26,508
road trip down through the US.
ended up down in like
122
00:06:26,542 --> 00:06:29,275
We went down through the Rockies,
the previous months.
123
00:06:29,275 --> 00:06:31,208
So down through the Rockies,
124
00:06:31,208 --> 00:06:32,442
to Denver.
125
00:06:32,442 --> 00:06:36,175
we went across the midway to Nashville
and through New Orleans,
126
00:06:36,709 --> 00:06:39,709
Through Texas, to New Mexico up to Vegas.
127
00:06:40,909 --> 00:06:42,742
And then back up through Nevada
128
00:06:42,742 --> 00:06:45,742
and then Oregon,
Washington and back into Alberta.
129
00:06:45,876 --> 00:06:46,609
Sorry.
130
00:06:46,609 --> 00:06:50,142
Rita is a bit of an old dog,
and doesn't have A/C,
131
00:06:50,142 --> 00:06:52,476
unless your plugged into power at night.
132
00:06:53,642 --> 00:06:57,009
the power steering broke on the most recent trip,
so now it doesn’t have power steering.
133
00:06:57,009 --> 00:06:58,676
I bought a generator for it.
134
00:06:58,676 --> 00:07:00,809
So we’re actually pretty sweet.
135
00:07:00,809 --> 00:07:03,809
But anyway, that first mission, Rach was like
three months pregnant
136
00:07:04,009 --> 00:07:07,809
and she had really bad morning sickness,
137
00:07:07,809 --> 00:07:11,009
This trip was kind of designed
like eight weeks.
138
00:07:11,409 --> 00:07:14,309
It was designed to,
139
00:07:14,309 --> 00:07:16,276
have a bunch of friends
join us for two and three week stints,
140
00:07:16,276 --> 00:07:19,276
and a bit of a boozy sort of trip
with their mates,
141
00:07:19,543 --> 00:07:23,343
Rachel was pregnant
45 degrees for three weeks in a row.
142
00:07:23,543 --> 00:07:25,943
There was a heat wave.
143
00:07:25,943 --> 00:07:26,176
Yeah.
144
00:07:26,176 --> 00:07:29,743
And so the humidity kicked
in, in Nashville.
145
00:07:30,110 --> 00:07:33,677
And then it just the whole way around
the bottom down through New Orleans and
146
00:07:34,110 --> 00:07:35,310
and around through to Texas.
147
00:07:35,310 --> 00:07:38,310
And it wasn't until we got back up
to Oregon that it actually,
148
00:07:38,710 --> 00:07:42,110
the temp to cool off.
She wanted to stab me, like it was bad.
149
00:07:42,110 --> 00:07:44,810
And we were, like, on the booze
every night. Freaking having fun.
150
00:07:44,810 --> 00:07:48,044
Like like a boozy boys trip,
with my pregnant wife.
151
00:07:48,810 --> 00:07:52,244
And we would get to the RV park that night
or in the afternoons,
152
00:07:52,244 --> 00:07:53,110
would plug in the power,
153
00:07:53,110 --> 00:07:56,444
and it would take like an hour to cool
the wagon down, because it was so hot.
154
00:07:56,810 --> 00:07:58,811
And we're like the oldest
vehicle on the motorway,
155
00:08:00,411 --> 00:08:02,244
with, with windows down.
156
00:08:02,244 --> 00:08:05,244
It would just sitting there
like half naked like on fan bake,
157
00:08:05,577 --> 00:08:06,911
and people are just looking at us,
158
00:08:06,911 --> 00:08:10,844
like who are these red necks,
like Alberta number plates
159
00:08:11,777 --> 00:08:13,911
You know, way down south.
160
00:08:13,911 --> 00:08:16,378
That's the first trip of Rita.
161
00:08:16,378 --> 00:08:19,378
And then we sign up again
because we're that freaking stupid.
162
00:08:20,311 --> 00:08:23,111
But then once we got to Burning Man,
163
00:08:23,111 --> 00:08:25,044
Rita was a God send, wasn’t it, Alvin?
164
00:08:25,044 --> 00:08:27,311
Like, we all took refuge in there.
165
00:08:27,311 --> 00:08:29,445
We made coffees when it wasn't coffee set up.
166
00:08:29,445 --> 00:08:31,378
We’d cook breakfasts.
167
00:08:31,378 --> 00:08:32,445
We hung out
in there.
168
00:08:32,445 --> 00:08:36,011
It was like it was my refuge
from my messed up tent life.
169
00:08:37,211 --> 00:08:39,611
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And just.
170
00:08:39,611 --> 00:08:40,911
It was pretty severe,
171
00:08:40,911 --> 00:08:43,012
The first couple of days
we were at Burning Man.
172
00:08:43,012 --> 00:08:45,012
Like, I think like that dust storm,
173
00:08:45,012 --> 00:08:48,012
It didn't last for a long time,
but the big dust storm,
174
00:08:48,378 --> 00:08:50,312
there would been probably two meters of visibility.
175
00:08:50,312 --> 00:08:53,545
And it moved through there pretty quick.
176
00:08:53,545 --> 00:08:54,412
I'd heard stories
177
00:08:54,412 --> 00:08:58,145
that the worst I'd ever seen it was you
couldn't see your hand in front of you.
178
00:08:59,245 --> 00:09:00,879
So you have to look at.
179
00:09:00,879 --> 00:09:03,012
It's a pretty arid environment, right?
180
00:09:03,012 --> 00:09:05,679
And its sucking the life out of you.
181
00:09:05,679 --> 00:09:07,812
Like we had it done as well. And.
182
00:09:07,812 --> 00:09:09,979
And I hit up Rach at the end of the day and said,
183
00:09:09,979 --> 00:09:10,612
I said, you know,
184
00:09:10,612 --> 00:09:13,546
are we good for another Rita mission?
And she said, I think we’re done with Rita.
185
00:09:13,546 --> 00:09:18,946
But I'm, I disagree with it.
I think Rita’s got Burning Man in her,
186
00:09:19,112 --> 00:09:21,312
one more, without a child.
187
00:09:21,312 --> 00:09:25,579
But I will send her in for preventative maintenance
before we go.
188
00:09:25,579 --> 00:09:25,913
Yeah.
189
00:09:25,913 --> 00:09:28,579
Maybe a tune up and, Yeah.
190
00:09:28,813 --> 00:09:34,113
Typical for running an 89 e350 old Ford camper.
191
00:09:34,679 --> 00:09:38,779
And. Yeah, I like to strap everything to it
and head into the desert.
192
00:09:39,213 --> 00:09:41,413
I do a lot of trips,
but none of them are glamourous.
193
00:09:41,413 --> 00:09:43,513
So I don't need glamor in my life.
194
00:09:43,513 --> 00:09:43,980
Right.
195
00:09:43,980 --> 00:09:45,980
I need
I need longevity. So it's like, hey,
196
00:09:45,980 --> 00:09:48,980
I want to go, go away for a long bit,
but I want to do it on the cheap.
197
00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:51,880
And yeah, it's not that I'm backpacking,
so I'm lavishing up
198
00:09:51,880 --> 00:09:54,880
enough at like, nice restaurants and stuff,
but it's like,
199
00:09:54,980 --> 00:09:59,247
you know, borrowing bits and pieces of your mates
and just making shit work like,
200
00:09:59,747 --> 00:10:03,147
you know, that that's
kind of who I am, like a bush mechanic.
201
00:10:03,613 --> 00:10:05,980
That like, having a laugh..
202
00:10:07,247 --> 00:10:07,547
Well, it's
203
00:10:07,547 --> 00:10:11,380
great to be able to to know enough
to fix something on the fly,
204
00:10:11,414 --> 00:10:14,447
because when you're going
through the Rockies or wherever, there
205
00:10:14,514 --> 00:10:18,280
might not be a service station
or anything for miles and miles.
206
00:10:18,880 --> 00:10:21,880
So you could have that
could have been a trip ender right there,
207
00:10:22,947 --> 00:10:23,947
and up. The worst part?
208
00:10:23,947 --> 00:10:26,214
That first trip.
But I forgot the detail. Right.
209
00:10:26,214 --> 00:10:29,681
So we were driving up through Nevada
on that first trip when Rachel's pregnant
210
00:10:29,881 --> 00:10:33,347
and we were going through Death Valley,
and it started overheating.
211
00:10:33,814 --> 00:10:37,781
And, we were in roadworks and it was, like,
45 degrees, and that's just, like, what it does.
212
00:10:38,381 --> 00:10:40,781
And, and, and I had to pull over the side
213
00:10:40,781 --> 00:10:45,014
in this roadworks and we limped to the next town,
and then I rang a friend.
214
00:10:45,048 --> 00:10:47,314
In New Zealand, a mechanic,
and got some advice from them.
215
00:10:48,314 --> 00:10:50,381
anyway, so I thought, hey, what?
216
00:10:50,381 --> 00:10:53,015
Yeah. Tell me what's going on. Okay.
The water pumps crapping out.
217
00:10:53,015 --> 00:10:58,448
And so then we looked up and there was a
radiator shop in Bishop, California.
218
00:10:58,448 --> 00:11:02,148
And so we limped there through the night.
Once it was cold. And I end up having
219
00:11:02,148 --> 00:11:04,748
to use the gray water underneath the shower.
220
00:11:04,748 --> 00:11:08,382
But yeah the grey water tank to fill up
the radiator. And we limped there and like,
221
00:11:08,648 --> 00:11:11,648
in 15 minute increments, pretty much,
for like an hour.
222
00:11:12,015 --> 00:11:14,482
It was an hour’s drive, but it took
the whole night to get there.
223
00:11:14,482 --> 00:11:15,082
Right.
224
00:11:15,082 --> 00:11:17,415
And, and then we parked off of this
radiator shop.
225
00:11:17,415 --> 00:11:20,415
And Jose, this Mexican dude.
226
00:11:21,182 --> 00:11:22,449
He was an absolute legend, you know?
227
00:11:22,449 --> 00:11:25,515
And so we parked up there, pregnant wife,
plugged into his power, using his A/C.
228
00:11:28,015 --> 00:11:29,282
He says to me,
229
00:11:29,282 --> 00:11:33,349
like, you know, I’m leaning on the side of the the hood.
230
00:11:33,349 --> 00:11:35,982
And he's working on it.
We’re there for three days
231
00:11:35,982 --> 00:11:40,082
And he says to me,
if
you ask me any questions, I’ll charge you double.
232
00:11:41,716 --> 00:11:43,716
And I didn't ask any questions at all.
233
00:11:43,716 --> 00:11:46,849
I just, I just leaned there
and I could see him like frustrated,
234
00:11:46,849 --> 00:11:49,616
looking for tools and stuff
and he asked me little comments and stuff.
235
00:11:49,616 --> 00:11:49,949
Sure.
236
00:11:49,949 --> 00:11:52,949
And then I knew I knew what tools he's
looking for, so I’d pass him the tools.
237
00:11:53,216 --> 00:11:56,349
And then he warmed to like me to the point
where we drank beers every night.
238
00:11:56,549 --> 00:12:00,583
And he had kids my age, and it's like,
he was a cool guy.
239
00:12:01,083 --> 00:12:02,216
Okay. Oh that's great.
240
00:12:02,216 --> 00:12:05,016
Well, we got to the end of that Friday
afternoon.
241
00:12:05,016 --> 00:12:07,983
I said I'll go to the bank and get you cash
to pay the bill.
242
00:12:07,983 --> 00:12:11,683
And I asked him about how much was it?
and he said, 500 bucks.
243
00:12:11,683 --> 00:12:15,083
And I said, Man, there’s 500 bucks worth of parts here.
244
00:12:15,416 --> 00:12:17,650
I said, you’re ripping yourself off.
245
00:12:17,883 --> 00:12:21,283
So I went to the bank and got some cash out
and gave him $900.
246
00:12:21,750 --> 00:12:25,283
I was like just, you know, it's
500 bucks worth of parts.
247
00:12:25,650 --> 00:12:27,783
So he was kind of doing you a solid, but,
248
00:12:27,783 --> 00:12:29,850
He was he was being a legend.
249
00:12:30,050 --> 00:12:34,717
He didn’t care.
He didn’t need much.
250
00:12:34,984 --> 00:12:38,084
The you know, when people like that,
that are super humble
251
00:12:38,350 --> 00:12:41,350
and willing to help you and
don't have much themselves.
252
00:12:41,350 --> 00:12:43,650
And actually don’t care.
253
00:12:43,650 --> 00:12:47,517
That’s a cool feeling. And you’re like,
No man, like you’re a good person.
254
00:12:47,517 --> 00:12:49,717
And then it's like, I know what it cost.
255
00:12:49,717 --> 00:12:52,717
Even if you jumped to 900,
its probably half of what shit costs.
256
00:12:52,717 --> 00:12:53,817
Right.
257
00:12:53,817 --> 00:12:54,151
Yeah.
258
00:12:54,151 --> 00:12:57,917
But I think,
I think a lot of that is your attitude.
259
00:12:57,917 --> 00:13:01,151
You know,
you were right there with them throughout
260
00:13:01,151 --> 00:13:05,951
and not coming in entitled like,
fix my truck.
261
00:13:05,951 --> 00:13:08,651
I'll be in the hotel,
you know, with the AC cranked.
262
00:13:09,718 --> 00:13:11,318
You know, you were right there with,
263
00:13:11,318 --> 00:13:14,318
you know, befriending in helping him out.
264
00:13:14,951 --> 00:13:17,918
I think I think that really means a lot,
you know?
265
00:13:17,918 --> 00:13:20,785
Well, and it's about being unassuming
as well, like.
266
00:13:20,785 --> 00:13:22,318
Yeah.
267
00:13:22,318 --> 00:13:26,618
Like, I, I've run a pretty good business,
and and I'm just chipping away doing me.
268
00:13:26,651 --> 00:13:27,818
But it's like he probably thought
269
00:13:27,818 --> 00:13:30,751
I was this broke backpacker
with his poor wife in the back.
270
00:13:30,751 --> 00:13:34,018
which is cool, because
it's like it doesn't actually matter.
271
00:13:34,052 --> 00:13:37,152
Like you can drop your ego like
272
00:13:37,152 --> 00:13:39,585
and just be real.
273
00:13:42,185 --> 00:13:45,185
We we live in a tiny house,
274
00:13:45,918 --> 00:13:49,385
down into the paddock, like where our
business and stuff is based.
275
00:13:49,619 --> 00:13:53,285
So the bee business is based at one end
and then at one end of the block,
276
00:13:53,285 --> 00:13:56,519
and then we're down the other end
and Rachel has a setup down there for horses.
277
00:13:58,452 --> 00:14:00,085
yeah, she,
278
00:14:00,085 --> 00:14:03,086
she’s an interesting woman
because he's like super relaxed,
279
00:14:03,319 --> 00:14:06,586
but she's got like the fierceness
in her as well.
280
00:14:06,586 --> 00:14:09,852
Like she trains animals for a living.
281
00:14:10,052 --> 00:14:13,052
She starts them.
She’s the first person to ride these horses.
282
00:14:13,252 --> 00:14:16,253
and the connection she has with them
and feeling and stuff like that.
283
00:14:18,253 --> 00:14:18,519
Yeah.
284
00:14:18,519 --> 00:14:22,253
Like it's a it's a pretty special talent
and and just a cool woman, like that.
285
00:14:22,753 --> 00:14:23,053
Yeah.
286
00:14:23,053 --> 00:14:26,053
Understand to
then work for the hands like she.
287
00:14:26,086 --> 00:14:27,819
Yeah, she’s cool. She’s a cool woman.
288
00:14:27,819 --> 00:14:31,820
And you know like she's
a pretty soft in her soul as well.
289
00:14:31,820 --> 00:14:35,886
Like you’ve met her, you know, Alvin.
She’s kick ass.
290
00:14:35,886 --> 00:14:37,386
She's so amazing.
291
00:14:37,520 --> 00:14:39,820
She's, she's she's a charmer.
292
00:14:39,820 --> 00:14:43,020
So let me hear, where you live
293
00:14:43,153 --> 00:14:46,453
in New Zealand
because we, I don't know anything about,
294
00:14:47,653 --> 00:14:48,387
the countryside.
295
00:14:48,387 --> 00:14:51,053
I've seen great video of of where you are.
296
00:14:51,053 --> 00:14:55,920
You've got a big vegetable garden and,
and, a view of horses and hillsides.
297
00:14:56,053 --> 00:14:58,153
Can
you tell us about where you live?
298
00:14:58,153 --> 00:14:58,587
Yeah.
299
00:14:58,587 --> 00:15:01,387
So we live in the center of the South Islands.
300
00:15:01,387 --> 00:15:04,087
So there’s the North and South Islands
that make up New Zealand.
301
00:15:04,087 --> 00:15:07,320
plus a bunch of small islands.
But two main islands.
302
00:15:07,320 --> 00:15:09,620
And we're in the center
of the South Island
303
00:15:09,620 --> 00:15:12,820
and the closest city
to us is called, Christchurch.
304
00:15:13,421 --> 00:15:17,587
And we're 45 minutes,
towards the mountain from Christchurch.
305
00:15:17,587 --> 00:15:20,587
So we're right on the edge
of some beautiful mountain is awesome
306
00:15:20,587 --> 00:15:25,621
walking trails, beautiful clean, pristine
rivers, beaches like 30 minutes away.
307
00:15:26,121 --> 00:15:27,521
Winery is about 30 minutes away.
308
00:15:27,521 --> 00:15:30,154
Like, it's
actually quite a cool area where we live.
309
00:15:30,154 --> 00:15:31,354
And, yeah,
310
00:15:31,354 --> 00:15:34,888
the only thing I could probably fault
about New Zealand is it's weather. So,
311
00:15:35,954 --> 00:15:38,688
yeah, we get to
nice weather in the summer, but it's like
312
00:15:38,688 --> 00:15:41,688
you can have like four seasons in one day
just because it's a little island nation
313
00:15:41,688 --> 00:15:45,821
surrounded by water just gets smoked
by different weather systems.
314
00:15:47,721 --> 00:15:50,721
Versus you guys, being in a big continent whatever.
315
00:15:50,755 --> 00:15:54,621
Like, so you know,
New Zealand is beautiful because of its harshness.
316
00:15:54,788 --> 00:15:57,788
So, you know, mountainous terrain, lush forests,
317
00:15:57,855 --> 00:15:59,988
you know, green rolling hills, but because,
318
00:15:59,988 --> 00:16:01,155
Yeah. Like it.
319
00:16:01,155 --> 00:16:01,322
Yeah.
320
00:16:01,322 --> 00:16:05,088
There always can come sort of adverse
weather system smacking into it.
321
00:16:05,388 --> 00:16:06,988
But I love how you can live off the land.
322
00:16:06,988 --> 00:16:11,055
I mean you've got your,
you got a big vegetable garden
323
00:16:11,055 --> 00:16:14,055
and then you, you've mentioned
that you can,
324
00:16:14,055 --> 00:16:16,489
you can go down the road
and fish for yourself.
325
00:16:16,489 --> 00:16:19,055
Can you, can you tell me a little more?
326
00:16:19,055 --> 00:16:22,822
Aww so, you know, like some of my hobbies,
like I'm into vegetable gardening.
327
00:16:22,822 --> 00:16:25,822
Like, for me, vegetable gardening in therapy.
328
00:16:25,889 --> 00:16:28,289
My granddad was a keen vegetable gardener.
329
00:16:28,289 --> 00:16:29,522
My grandparents retired young.
330
00:16:29,522 --> 00:16:31,722
My parents were super busy, so I spent
heaps of time with them.
331
00:16:31,722 --> 00:16:35,289
So my grandparents were into fishing
and hunting and living off the land.
332
00:16:35,322 --> 00:16:37,589
And they retired at 50.
333
00:16:37,589 --> 00:16:38,622
Uhm,
334
00:16:38,622 --> 00:16:41,923
Well, they had plenty, plenty on time on their hands
and then they had a massive veggie garden.
335
00:16:41,923 --> 00:16:44,756
So I guess I was brought up with that.
336
00:16:45,423 --> 00:16:48,223
My parents were,
well, my dad was an organic cropping farmer.
337
00:16:48,223 --> 00:16:51,589
So, like that has been instilled in me.
338
00:16:52,756 --> 00:16:54,956
You know that living off the land concept,
339
00:16:54,956 --> 00:16:56,656
So I have a big, veggie garden.
340
00:16:56,656 --> 00:17:00,656
I'd say that we probably don't buy any
vegetables, for about eight months of a year.
341
00:17:01,390 --> 00:17:04,123
We can we purely live off this veggie garden
for eight months of the year,
342
00:17:04,123 --> 00:17:07,723
four months, where we’re over seas,
or, buying from the store.
343
00:17:07,723 --> 00:17:08,123
Or whatever.
344
00:17:08,123 --> 00:17:09,957
Fantastic.
345
00:17:09,957 --> 00:17:13,223
My, my vegetable garden is my therapy,
so I don't have TV.
346
00:17:14,223 --> 00:17:19,090
And I go in there at night, like after dinner
and I pull some weeds and plant some stuff,
347
00:17:19,657 --> 00:17:22,623
like, it's, it's pretty basic,
but there's, like, I guess there's
348
00:17:22,623 --> 00:17:25,790
some fundamentals that you've got to be
you've got to understand,
349
00:17:25,790 --> 00:17:28,690
like how to look after the soil,
compost and things like that.
350
00:17:28,690 --> 00:17:30,557
And, you know, i’m into fishing and diving.
351
00:17:30,557 --> 00:17:32,524
So when I'm fishing, I'm like,
collecting seaweed
352
00:17:32,524 --> 00:17:34,390
and keeping my fish bodies and stuff like that.
353
00:17:34,390 --> 00:17:35,890
I then and I bury them in my garden
354
00:17:35,890 --> 00:17:39,491
and I make my compost
and I make them up and bucket and make.
355
00:17:40,057 --> 00:17:41,591
Yeah. Let them rot away too.
356
00:17:41,591 --> 00:17:44,657
It's like yeah it it pretty wholesome.
357
00:17:45,491 --> 00:17:50,124
I think a lot of people don't,
don't think about that in terms of,
358
00:17:51,091 --> 00:17:52,424
how to add,
359
00:17:52,591 --> 00:17:54,791
more, nutrient rich,
360
00:17:54,791 --> 00:17:56,124
products to their garden.
361
00:17:56,124 --> 00:18:00,724
You know, they think of what bottle
can I
spray on it or what can I add to it?
362
00:18:00,724 --> 00:18:06,258
But, really going with compost or,
creating your own.
363
00:18:06,258 --> 00:18:09,258
And so, so you're almost into, like, a
no waste,
364
00:18:10,625 --> 00:18:14,191
kind of lifestyle,
which is just fantastic.
365
00:18:14,191 --> 00:18:17,558
And I guess it's probably interesting
that I've done this you know,
366
00:18:17,591 --> 00:18:22,292
you know, a younger person, because
it's been instilled in me and,
367
00:18:22,325 --> 00:18:24,025
Yeah, like I said, like I'm,
368
00:18:24,025 --> 00:18:28,525
I've got some cool mates and mentors
that, that, that fully live off the land
369
00:18:28,525 --> 00:18:32,458
and they own nothing, but
they're like the richest people I know.
370
00:18:33,092 --> 00:18:33,225
Yeah.
371
00:18:33,225 --> 00:18:36,492
I'm living in little bush shacks and stuff like,
you know, and coastal communities
372
00:18:36,825 --> 00:18:39,192
and the in New Zealand,
and I’ve learned some cool stuff off them.
373
00:18:39,192 --> 00:18:43,992
And just like cool appreciation, and
you know I'm like everything's treasure.
374
00:18:44,192 --> 00:18:47,059
So it's like you know
like yeah for us,
375
00:18:47,059 --> 00:18:49,292
like we have this big wood fire outside our house.
376
00:18:49,425 --> 00:18:51,559
On the deck and we,
377
00:18:52,959 --> 00:18:53,192
yeah.
378
00:18:53,192 --> 00:18:56,926
I say to my friends when we’re standing around with beers and stuff, we barbecue with wood
379
00:18:57,226 --> 00:19:00,226
and we stand around the fire
cooking on it and stuff like that.
380
00:19:00,359 --> 00:19:04,492
And I say to my mates, don’t put any
rubbish in there because in that fire,
381
00:19:05,293 --> 00:19:07,426
I'll try to like meat bones
and fish shells and stuff
382
00:19:07,426 --> 00:19:09,226
and after we have cooked in them.
383
00:19:09,226 --> 00:19:12,693
But then I used the ash
from that fire to put
384
00:19:12,693 --> 00:19:15,693
use that as pot ash on my veggie garden.
385
00:19:15,893 --> 00:19:18,059
So nice. I'm like, it is the whole.
386
00:19:18,059 --> 00:19:19,526
Yes, the cycle of life.
387
00:19:19,526 --> 00:19:21,426
Yeah. That's so cool.
388
00:19:21,426 --> 00:19:21,760
Yeah.
389
00:19:21,760 --> 00:19:25,193
So, you know, like, you keeping your fish
bodies you’re picking up the seaweed,
390
00:19:26,326 --> 00:19:28,960
for mulching you garden and, and you know,
391
00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:30,926
and the pot ash and stuff from your fire.
392
00:19:31,393 --> 00:19:32,793
Yeah. It just it just everything.
393
00:19:32,793 --> 00:19:34,027
I'm quite conscientious
394
00:19:34,027 --> 00:19:38,127
of like of my footprint and,
and you know, I'm not saying I'm like,
395
00:19:38,127 --> 00:19:42,460
I don't believe in chemicals,
but I'm like, you know, minimize them.
396
00:19:42,627 --> 00:19:43,793
Only use them when
397
00:19:43,793 --> 00:19:46,593
You really get a problem
like. And trade and spray everything.
398
00:19:46,593 --> 00:19:47,927
It's like, yeah.
399
00:19:47,927 --> 00:19:51,027
Like you've got to have the tools
in the toolbox if you've got problem. But,
400
00:19:52,427 --> 00:19:53,260
you know,
401
00:19:53,260 --> 00:19:56,994
try and just keep it as simple and,
and basic as possible
402
00:19:56,994 --> 00:20:00,694
with like, you know, fundamental,
you know, policies and it's.
403
00:20:00,760 --> 00:20:03,761
Well, I, it's the nutrients and stuff
that you really need.
404
00:20:03,827 --> 00:20:04,261
Yeah.
405
00:20:04,261 --> 00:20:06,761
It's also like, you know, I'm not saying.
406
00:20:06,761 --> 00:20:10,194
I use my human waste on my veggie garden,
but I definitely use horse shit.
407
00:20:11,561 --> 00:20:11,861
Yeah.
408
00:20:11,861 --> 00:20:14,861
But it but it's all just nutrient, right?
409
00:20:14,894 --> 00:20:15,194
Right.
410
00:20:15,194 --> 00:20:18,461
And again you've got some
because you've got the horses
411
00:20:18,494 --> 00:20:21,494
and so why not use it.
412
00:20:21,794 --> 00:20:22,861
Yeah.
413
00:20:22,861 --> 00:20:25,528
James, can you talk a little bit
about the beekeeping?
414
00:20:25,528 --> 00:20:28,094
You know, that's another
415
00:20:28,094 --> 00:20:30,828
another thing
that I would love to learn more about.
416
00:20:30,828 --> 00:20:37,195
I currently run 5500 beehives,
and we've got a, full time team of 15.
417
00:20:37,995 --> 00:20:40,228
We've got two full time queen breeders,
418
00:20:41,261 --> 00:20:42,461
like 10 beekeepers,
419
00:20:42,461 --> 00:20:44,728
and some other staffers and [???]
420
00:20:44,928 --> 00:20:45,961
holy cow.
421
00:20:45,961 --> 00:20:48,495
we produce roughly about 300 ton of honey.
422
00:20:48,495 --> 00:20:50,228
So we are Manuka honey specialists.
423
00:20:50,228 --> 00:20:51,695
So that's what we do.
424
00:20:51,695 --> 00:20:54,095
Manuka honey.
425
00:20:54,095 --> 00:20:55,028
Pretty much.
426
00:20:55,028 --> 00:20:56,428
Yeah, yeah.
427
00:20:56,428 --> 00:20:59,728
Work with landowners and whatnot that own
the property that we produce it on.
428
00:20:59,728 --> 00:21:00,728
Share the profits with them.
429
00:21:00,862 --> 00:21:03,795
the on the get it to a barrel
and then we sell it
430
00:21:03,795 --> 00:21:06,795
to package exporters.
431
00:21:06,929 --> 00:21:08,529
So that's what we do.
432
00:21:08,529 --> 00:21:09,962
So I started it from nothing.
433
00:21:09,962 --> 00:21:13,129
I thought I would 10 beehives
when I was 18 and have built up
434
00:21:13,229 --> 00:21:16,162
like, not a bad little business.
435
00:21:16,162 --> 00:21:18,062
Yeah. Oh, I love it.
436
00:21:18,062 --> 00:21:20,362
It frustrates me,
because the farming, the weather,
437
00:21:20,362 --> 00:21:22,596
And I live in New Zealand,
that. Sure. It's.
438
00:21:22,596 --> 00:21:24,229
Yeah. Like, there's a lot of, like.
439
00:21:24,229 --> 00:21:26,429
Yeah. Moving parts pretty much. So.
440
00:21:27,429 --> 00:21:28,696
And you've got to be pretty nimble.
441
00:21:28,696 --> 00:21:30,963
So it's like decision making.
442
00:21:30,963 --> 00:21:34,729
Like last week
we had 100mm of rain.
443
00:21:34,729 --> 00:21:36,996
Before that, things were pretty dry.
And I'm thinking okay sweet.
444
00:21:36,996 --> 00:21:39,996
Well, lets change this. This is our new game plan.
445
00:21:40,029 --> 00:21:42,763
So we pretty like fluid
446
00:21:42,763 --> 00:21:46,863
to how the plan works, we make a game plan
of what we're up to for the year.
447
00:21:47,230 --> 00:21:49,796
So like, yeah, that’s what we do.
448
00:21:49,796 --> 00:21:51,630
And you export to,
449
00:21:52,930 --> 00:21:55,596
tell me what countries.
450
00:21:55,596 --> 00:21:58,263
So I mean, we use a lot of freight forwarders, but,
451
00:21:58,263 --> 00:22:01,197
you know, we'll go through the middle men,
but I mean direct,
452
00:22:01,197 --> 00:22:02,363
we do stuff in the US,
453
00:22:02,497 --> 00:22:04,930
Australia and then Europe,
454
00:22:05,830 --> 00:22:08,730
and then through the main
other companies and stuff
455
00:22:08,730 --> 00:22:11,863
we deal with our
honey goes to China, Europe,
456
00:22:12,997 --> 00:22:15,997
UK, and Japan, and,
457
00:22:16,430 --> 00:22:18,897
other parts of Asia.
458
00:22:18,897 --> 00:22:21,364
It’s pretty much going everywhere.
459
00:22:21,564 --> 00:22:25,364
You’ve got me putting honey in my coffee,
since you mentioned that at Burning Man.
460
00:22:26,264 --> 00:22:27,430
Honey in your coffee?
461
00:22:27,430 --> 00:22:30,431
Wow. Yeah, he's got he's
got me on to that.
462
00:22:31,031 --> 00:22:32,364
It's actually really good, eh?
463
00:22:32,364 --> 00:22:33,397
It's so good.
464
00:22:33,397 --> 00:22:39,697
And then before before we met, my,
my 17 year old was a honey, enthusiast
465
00:22:39,697 --> 00:22:45,098
because he somehow found out there's
testosterone boost from honey.
466
00:22:46,198 --> 00:22:47,431
I didn't know that.
467
00:22:47,431 --> 00:22:50,431
Yeah. Really? Yeah. Yeah.
468
00:22:50,664 --> 00:22:51,831
Sounds like we all need to eat more.
469
00:22:51,831 --> 00:22:54,698
Well, I was gonna say, where's where's my,
Manuka honey?
470
00:22:54,864 --> 00:22:56,264
Excellent.
471
00:22:56,264 --> 00:22:58,598
Yeah. It's like, get the libido working.
472
00:22:58,598 --> 00:23:00,231
Yeah, yeah.
473
00:23:00,231 --> 00:23:02,398
I want to ask you about Kiwi culture, James.
474
00:23:02,398 --> 00:23:04,698
And I like the culture of travel.
475
00:23:04,698 --> 00:23:08,165
I mean, the and I figure,
you know, similar to the Aussies
476
00:23:08,165 --> 00:23:10,365
too forgive the, the analogy, but,
477
00:23:11,865 --> 00:23:14,098
it's just so outward looking, the culture.
478
00:23:14,098 --> 00:23:14,498
Right?
479
00:23:14,498 --> 00:23:17,698
I mean, we talked about meeting up
in Thailand next year,
480
00:23:18,098 --> 00:23:21,332
but could you just speak to what it means
to be a Kiwi, for,
481
00:23:21,498 --> 00:23:23,965
from a travel perspective?
482
00:23:23,965 --> 00:23:26,965
I think because it's such a small country.
483
00:23:28,132 --> 00:23:29,165
It like at any time.
484
00:23:29,165 --> 00:23:31,532
So we only have a population
of like 5.5 million.
485
00:23:31,532 --> 00:23:34,865
And I think any time is up to a million
486
00:23:34,865 --> 00:23:36,432
Kiwis over seas.
487
00:23:37,865 --> 00:23:38,332
yeah.
488
00:23:38,332 --> 00:23:39,365
Like at any one time.
489
00:23:39,365 --> 00:23:43,166
Like, so like that
much of our population is abroad
490
00:23:43,432 --> 00:23:46,566
just because like there's definitely negatives
to New Zealand,
491
00:23:47,299 --> 00:23:50,499
as far as you know, stereotypes and
small poppy syndrome.
492
00:23:50,499 --> 00:23:53,766
And, you know, I'm like, just, you know,
like, you've got a big personality.
493
00:23:53,766 --> 00:23:55,733
It's like you're probably too big
for this place.
494
00:23:55,733 --> 00:23:58,166
depending on where you are, like,
you know, typical. But.
495
00:23:58,166 --> 00:24:01,633
Rural settings. There’s definitely
a lot of tourists and stuff here.
496
00:24:01,633 --> 00:24:05,099
So they bring, like, more open mindedness
and its cool seeing that.
497
00:24:06,833 --> 00:24:09,833
But, you know, definitely as a Kiwi,
there’s a real urge to
498
00:24:09,866 --> 00:24:12,866
ready to go have a look overseas and trip.
499
00:24:13,733 --> 00:24:16,866
So a lot of people and it's
kind of like the concept of an OE,
500
00:24:16,866 --> 00:24:20,033
like it's a real Kiwi/Aussie thing to be like.
501
00:24:20,866 --> 00:24:21,766
You
going on an OE.
502
00:24:21,766 --> 00:24:25,600
He finished uni, we go to school
and he's like, I'm going to go, go travel
503
00:24:25,600 --> 00:24:28,633
and find myself and figure myself out
for the next 3 or 4 years.
504
00:24:29,033 --> 00:24:32,967
It's like, so travel is
education for life, man.
505
00:24:33,433 --> 00:24:35,267
Fully agree, fully agree.
506
00:24:35,267 --> 00:24:37,633
Like it makes you worldly.
507
00:24:37,633 --> 00:24:40,234
Like I love Ozzie.
Like Australia is a good place
508
00:24:40,234 --> 00:24:43,234
and I and I have some really good friends
over here.
509
00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:47,067
And it's pretty easy for us to travel
over there like, we we need a passport,
510
00:24:47,067 --> 00:24:49,834
but we don't need a visa to go there,
so we can go over there.
511
00:24:49,834 --> 00:24:50,500
Vice versa.
512
00:24:52,967 --> 00:24:54,534
yeah, a lot of periods and all the like.
513
00:24:54,534 --> 00:24:55,401
Yeah. And just like that.
514
00:24:55,401 --> 00:24:58,101
They’re like our cousins pretty much. Yeah.
515
00:24:58,101 --> 00:25:02,901
From Christchurch City to any of the cities
on the, the East coast of Australia,
516
00:25:02,934 --> 00:25:07,101
like, you know, Brisbane, Sydney,
Melbourne that pretty much like a 3 or 4 hour flight.
517
00:25:08,034 --> 00:25:10,034
So its nothing.
518
00:25:10,034 --> 00:25:10,601
Oh, okay.
519
00:25:10,601 --> 00:25:13,101
And that's really,
that's really close. Yeah.
520
00:25:13,101 --> 00:25:16,101
Yeah, yeah. And it's
521
00:25:16,101 --> 00:25:17,201
Yeah, it's, it's not that far.
522
00:25:17,201 --> 00:25:21,001
And more often than not it's cheaper
to fly to Australia than it is to
523
00:25:21,068 --> 00:25:23,001
than it is to fly domestically in New Zealand.
524
00:25:24,701 --> 00:25:25,868
Yeah. Totally.
525
00:25:25,868 --> 00:25:28,335
Yeah. That's where we'd go holiday.
You wouldn't go holiday in New Zealand.
526
00:25:28,335 --> 00:25:31,335
As a Kiwi. You wouldn’t go to the North Island.
Uh, should.
527
00:25:31,501 --> 00:25:33,835
But like it would be cheaper to go
to Australia.
528
00:25:34,535 --> 00:25:36,335
Wow. But yeah.
529
00:25:37,535 --> 00:25:38,568
And it's like another.
530
00:25:38,568 --> 00:25:39,235
You were telling me
531
00:25:39,235 --> 00:25:42,368
it's like another country
going to northern New Zealand to cities
532
00:25:43,068 --> 00:25:45,302
and you know, New Zealand is a long,
skinny country,
533
00:25:45,302 --> 00:25:49,002
and it’s got its Alps running the length of it.
The length of the South Island particularly.
534
00:25:49,135 --> 00:25:51,502
And in the North Island,
535
00:25:51,902 --> 00:25:54,102
it's got one third of the land mass,
536
00:25:54,102 --> 00:25:56,435
and it got two thirds of the population.
537
00:25:56,435 --> 00:25:58,102
In the South Island got two thirds of the land mass,
538
00:25:58,102 --> 00:25:59,669
and one third of the population.
539
00:25:59,669 --> 00:26:02,669
And it's generally because it's colder down
here.
540
00:26:03,069 --> 00:26:06,202
Yeah, people moved up there
because it's like more tropical,
541
00:26:06,269 --> 00:26:08,736
Especially in the northern half the Island.
542
00:26:08,736 --> 00:26:11,736
LIke its a nice climate, its more balmy,
543
00:26:11,902 --> 00:26:14,002
and yeah, people gravitate towards there
544
00:26:14,002 --> 00:26:16,402
and, and,
and theres bigger centers up there.
545
00:26:16,402 --> 00:26:19,536
Our biggest city is Auckland,
the top of the North Island.
546
00:26:21,469 --> 00:26:22,436
But, you know,
547
00:26:22,603 --> 00:26:24,769
the North Island is a beautiful place.
548
00:26:25,703 --> 00:26:28,869
And it's interesting, like,
New Zealand, it's the same as the US.
549
00:26:28,869 --> 00:26:32,636
It's like, you know, here the landscape
changes every 3 hours.
550
00:26:33,569 --> 00:26:36,136
Whereas, in the US it takes a couple days
for the landscape to change.
551
00:26:36,336 --> 00:26:39,236
So, but it's the same concept of
552
00:26:39,503 --> 00:26:43,603
of that changing landscape, but
it just compressed into a tiny small area.
553
00:26:44,770 --> 00:26:47,470
But it's very similar, you know, like,
554
00:26:47,470 --> 00:26:52,170
if you thought about, any part of the west coast
of the US, from top to bottom,
555
00:26:52,837 --> 00:26:55,837
and you say, hey, thats the same as New Zealand
556
00:26:55,937 --> 00:26:56,770
just compress it.
557
00:26:59,203 --> 00:26:59,437
Yeah.
558
00:26:59,437 --> 00:27:02,537
Like I, I probably can't
wait to retire for myself.
559
00:27:02,537 --> 00:27:05,537
And obviously I’ve got a lot of living to do
between now and then, but I,
560
00:27:05,670 --> 00:27:08,570
I can't wait to retire
so that I can do my hobbies full time
561
00:27:09,570 --> 00:27:10,070
the bit.
562
00:27:10,070 --> 00:27:10,370
Yeah.
563
00:27:10,370 --> 00:27:12,237
Because I've got so many hobby like, Yeah.
564
00:27:12,237 --> 00:27:14,970
I into diving, fishing, hunting.
565
00:27:14,970 --> 00:27:17,937
I started enjoying golf.
566
00:27:17,937 --> 00:27:18,404
Oh wow.
567
00:27:18,404 --> 00:27:19,404
Like traveling.
568
00:27:19,404 --> 00:27:22,337
I like veggie gardening.
569
00:27:22,337 --> 00:27:22,671
yeah.
570
00:27:22,671 --> 00:27:25,971
And like traveling
and seeing cool shit,
and being stimulated.
571
00:27:26,671 --> 00:27:28,637
like, I like doing new things.
572
00:27:28,637 --> 00:27:32,938
As a Kiwi we’re all into, like, food
and we're surrounded by water.
573
00:27:32,971 --> 00:27:36,771
with, surrounded by probably
some of the best seafood in the world,
574
00:27:37,671 --> 00:27:40,671
that which is still so plentiful,
like, it's, it's like,
575
00:27:40,904 --> 00:27:43,904
yeah, there's regulations and stuff on
how much you take, but it's like,
576
00:27:44,504 --> 00:27:47,171
it's and it's starting to get deteriorated,
just because of,
577
00:27:47,171 --> 00:27:47,938
you know, human impact.
578
00:27:47,938 --> 00:27:50,938
Like, it's like,
you know, recreation and commercial.
579
00:27:51,038 --> 00:27:52,705
But yeah.
580
00:27:52,705 --> 00:27:56,538
Like we, we do a lot of power diving,
which is abalone, lobster.
581
00:27:57,571 --> 00:28:00,338
Scallops, oysters,
582
00:28:00,338 --> 00:28:04,372
other creatures that people eat
from the water, lots of mussels, but.
583
00:28:04,372 --> 00:28:06,105
Yeah, like, particularly like crayfish.
584
00:28:06,105 --> 00:28:08,938
Like crayfish and lobster. That’s,
585
00:28:08,938 --> 00:28:10,338
the main thing we dive for.
586
00:28:10,338 --> 00:28:12,438
And abalone, so.
587
00:28:12,472 --> 00:28:15,038
And and it's kind of like,
you know, you came out with a mate
588
00:28:15,038 --> 00:28:16,672
oh, the seas flat.
589
00:28:16,672 --> 00:28:17,572
Such and such a place.
590
00:28:17,572 --> 00:28:19,339
And it's like, I'll meet you here and
591
00:28:19,339 --> 00:28:22,339
and we'll go for a dive and,
you know, collecting food.
592
00:28:23,672 --> 00:28:25,072
That's part of our life.
593
00:28:25,072 --> 00:28:27,739
So, you know,
594
00:28:27,739 --> 00:28:28,939
instead of buying that stuff from the store.
595
00:28:28,939 --> 00:28:31,872
So like it would be cheaper
to buy from the store, but,
596
00:28:31,872 --> 00:28:34,972
You know, the money you spend
on your equipment and driving to that spot,
597
00:28:35,339 --> 00:28:40,106
but that's just part of the the whole part
of being Kiwi in the outdoors. And,
598
00:28:41,406 --> 00:28:43,606
and a way of life, pretty much.
599
00:28:43,606 --> 00:28:44,873
it's like fishing, you know,
600
00:28:44,873 --> 00:28:48,539
sometimes you don't catch anything,
sometimes you do, but it's the fishing.
601
00:28:48,539 --> 00:28:50,773
That's the point. Yeah.
602
00:28:50,773 --> 00:28:51,006
Yeah.
603
00:28:51,006 --> 00:28:54,006
And like, so earlier this year,
604
00:28:54,073 --> 00:28:56,706
before I went to the US,
I went to the Isle of Man.
605
00:28:56,706 --> 00:28:58,739
and I went to the Isle of Man TT Race.
606
00:28:58,739 --> 00:29:01,040
So yeah, it's, that that motorbike race,
607
00:29:01,040 --> 00:29:03,106
That famous road bike race.
608
00:29:03,106 --> 00:29:05,473
Where they race around that island.
609
00:29:05,473 --> 00:29:06,473
Yeah.
610
00:29:06,473 --> 00:29:09,673
And and I was hosted by a honey buyer,
and that's why I went there.
611
00:29:09,906 --> 00:29:11,406
Who, the honey buyer’s based there.
612
00:29:11,406 --> 00:29:13,040
And and that was a bucket list thing.
613
00:29:13,040 --> 00:29:16,307
And I kind of have a bucket list of stuff
that I'm starting to tick off.
614
00:29:16,307 --> 00:29:18,307
Now. I don't want to wait till later.
615
00:29:18,307 --> 00:29:18,707
I’m like, right-o.
616
00:29:18,707 --> 00:29:22,873
I start ticking the stuff off, like,
you know, like, some real cool adventures.
617
00:29:22,873 --> 00:29:25,140
And that was one of them,
to go to the Isle of Man TT.
618
00:29:26,240 --> 00:29:27,007
And this is the first
619
00:29:27,007 --> 00:29:30,240
year in 107 years that no one died.
620
00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:31,407
At the Isle of Man.
621
00:29:31,707 --> 00:29:33,907
I mean, so and it's only been two years,
622
00:29:33,907 --> 00:29:37,107
Sorry, there’s only been 2 years, and
it’s been 107 years, that no-one has died.
623
00:29:38,340 --> 00:29:40,507
that was one of them. And it's.
624
00:29:40,507 --> 00:29:40,740
Yeah.
625
00:29:40,740 --> 00:29:43,907
Like, I guess it's just after living
and ticking stuff off.
626
00:29:43,907 --> 00:29:45,374
I'd been invited to,
627
00:29:46,207 --> 00:29:48,641
a desert rally,
this next winter.
628
00:29:48,641 --> 00:29:50,341
New Zealand winter, so May / June.
629
00:29:51,674 --> 00:29:54,841
and it's in Australia, and it’s called the the [???] Rally.
and it's kind of like the DAKAR,
630
00:29:54,841 --> 00:29:57,641
but it's like in Australia,
631
00:29:57,641 --> 00:30:00,108
there’s a mate of mine from New Zealand,
632
00:30:00,108 --> 00:30:03,241
and he’s down there doing an endurance
motorbike race.
633
00:30:03,241 --> 00:30:07,374
And a couple of mates and me,
one of them is a helicopter pilot.
634
00:30:07,408 --> 00:30:09,808
So we said, let’s charter a helicopter,
635
00:30:09,808 --> 00:30:12,341
and we’ll pitch them together,
636
00:30:12,675 --> 00:30:17,375
and we’ll be this guy’s support crew,
and drink beers and have fun.
637
00:30:18,975 --> 00:30:21,275
So, you know, that random hobbies and interest that
638
00:30:21,275 --> 00:30:24,341
that interest me and I want to have a look at that.
639
00:30:25,975 --> 00:30:26,342
you know,
640
00:30:26,342 --> 00:30:29,342
and and beyond beekeeping,
I would like to.
641
00:30:29,375 --> 00:30:30,442
Yeah, yeah.
642
00:30:30,442 --> 00:30:33,242
I don't know what I want to do,
but I would like to do a bunch of stuff,
643
00:30:33,242 --> 00:30:37,042
I think be based in the US,
I'd like to go do a summer in Antarctica.
644
00:30:37,175 --> 00:30:40,342
Like,
it's just a bunch of fulfilling things.
645
00:30:40,942 --> 00:30:44,975
And and generally it might be to, like,
I'll hear about some sort of mischief
646
00:30:44,975 --> 00:30:46,675
that happens at events, you know.
647
00:30:46,809 --> 00:30:47,909
So they'd be like, oh, there's the event,
648
00:30:47,909 --> 00:30:51,775
And they'd be like, oh, I hear there's
this about a wild party and naughty Woman,
649
00:30:51,775 --> 00:30:56,376
and this debauchery that goes on and I'm like,
lightbulb, I want to see that.
650
00:30:57,142 --> 00:30:57,342
Yeah.
651
00:30:57,342 --> 00:30:59,909
And and luckily I've got a cool partner
that's like, yeah, let's go.
652
00:30:59,909 --> 00:31:01,276
Let's go have a look at that, you know.
653
00:31:01,276 --> 00:31:02,576
Or go have fun.
654
00:31:02,576 --> 00:31:04,142
You know, but don't tell me about it.
655
00:31:05,909 --> 00:31:08,276
It’s, just...
656
00:31:08,276 --> 00:31:11,343
it's such a great, philosophy of life.
657
00:31:11,343 --> 00:31:13,809
You guys just,
658
00:31:13,809 --> 00:31:16,743
just say yes and then figure it out later.
659
00:31:16,743 --> 00:31:19,043
How the heck you're going to make
it happen.
660
00:31:20,243 --> 00:31:23,109
And more recently in our relationship,
you know it.
661
00:31:23,109 --> 00:31:25,076
There's some stuff that happened in the past,
662
00:31:25,076 --> 00:31:26,876
that’s like, oh, Devil’s Learnings.
663
00:31:26,876 --> 00:31:30,210
But it's like now we
we kind of have an attitude with like,
664
00:31:30,210 --> 00:31:33,210
well, yeah,
you're allowed to do whatever you want
665
00:31:33,310 --> 00:31:36,910
and then it becomes such an afterwards,
you know, you decide to do that
666
00:31:36,910 --> 00:31:39,977
and then like we'll figure it out
and then, you know, just be like, well,
667
00:31:41,010 --> 00:31:44,343
you're allowed to have a full life
and live and make choices
668
00:31:44,343 --> 00:31:47,543
that sometimes are marginal,
but it's like, we'll figure it out.
669
00:31:49,977 --> 00:31:52,877
That's part of what impressed me
about meeting you.
670
00:31:52,877 --> 00:31:58,910
Like your energy, your energy really comes
across, like, right away.
671
00:32:00,110 --> 00:32:02,777
James, like, is magnetic.
672
00:32:02,777 -->
00:32:05,777
And it wasn't just Rita.
673
00:32:06,744 --> 00:32:08,577
Or the coffee.
674
00:32:08,577 --> 00:32:10,544
Yeah. James. James was.
675
00:32:10,544 --> 00:32:13,944
James was holding a cup of coffee
and a beer and in each hand.
676
00:32:13,944 --> 00:32:15,611
So that that's how we were.
677
00:32:15,611 --> 00:32:17,777
How we were rolling.
678
00:32:20,277 --> 00:32:22,011
What are you doing to stay fit, my friend?
679
00:32:22,011 --> 00:32:24,211
You're fit.
680
00:32:24,411 --> 00:32:27,078
Yeah, I I I, I have been
681
00:32:27,078 --> 00:32:30,078
maintaining some fitness like,
682
00:32:30,111 --> 00:32:33,111
for me because we live beside the mountain
and we've got two dogs.
683
00:32:33,744 --> 00:32:34,211
Like that.
684
00:32:34,211 --> 00:32:36,711
Those dogs need exercise, so,
685
00:32:36,711 --> 00:32:40,578
they have the roam of our that 5 acres,
where they have electrical shock collars.
686
00:32:40,578 --> 00:32:41,711
With a boundary fence.
687
00:32:41,711 --> 00:32:44,945
And they've got five acres
where they can just roam.
688
00:32:45,045 --> 00:32:45,778
Yeah. All day.
689
00:32:45,778 --> 00:32:47,511
We don't even lock them up when we go
every weekend
690
00:32:47,511 --> 00:32:51,545
they hang at home and sort of watch the
property and, Yeah. So.
691
00:32:51,545 --> 00:32:54,545
So we spend a bit time in the mountains,
walking, running the dog.
692
00:32:55,212 --> 00:32:57,412
And those trails are like
ten minutes from my house.
693
00:32:58,578 --> 00:32:59,612
The beach is pretty close.
694
00:32:59,612 --> 00:33:02,612
So, yeah, I like running at the beach and,
695
00:33:03,812 --> 00:33:05,312
just live a pretty active life.
696
00:33:05,312 --> 00:33:06,945
So, yeah, I'll let the gym.
697
00:33:06,945 --> 00:33:09,945
I've got a real soft spot for the sauna.
698
00:33:10,312 --> 00:33:12,345
Yeah, yeah, I just
699
00:33:12,345 --> 00:33:15,412
yeah, I've got myself a smoothie right
here that I had for breakfast.
700
00:33:16,912 --> 00:33:18,912
Yeah, just, I don't know, it’s just kind of how I live.
701
00:33:18,912 --> 00:33:19,812
I lit like it. Just.
702
00:33:19,812 --> 00:33:22,279
You can put a bit of negatives in there,
but you gotta.
703
00:33:22,279 --> 00:33:23,579
Everything else has to be healthy.
704
00:33:26,579 --> 00:33:29,512
Hey, speaking of being active and
705
00:33:29,512 --> 00:33:34,746
and not healthy, tell us a little bit
about your bull riding, days.
706
00:33:35,546 --> 00:33:38,546
Okay,
so back in the day when I used to rodeo, so.
707
00:33:38,679 --> 00:33:41,679
I rodeo’d from 17 to about 23.
708
00:33:41,846 --> 00:33:45,813
And the only reason I stopped
is because the bee thing started
709
00:33:45,813 --> 00:33:48,813
getting quite serious,
with the bee business.
710
00:33:48,813 --> 00:33:51,813
And I, you know, realities
of responsibility and self-employment,
711
00:33:52,213 --> 00:33:53,846
which I probably experienced too young.
712
00:33:53,846 --> 00:33:57,646
But in hindsight,
I should have just maximized my twenties,
713
00:33:57,646 --> 00:34:00,413
and been irresponsible
and just lived it up and had my fun.
714
00:34:02,080 --> 00:34:03,780
You know, to let the world cheer me up.
715
00:34:03,780 --> 00:34:05,480
Yeah, so whatever.
716
00:34:05,480 --> 00:34:08,347
I rodeo’d for that stint, six years.
717
00:34:08,347 --> 00:34:10,547
Riding bulls and bareback horses.
718
00:34:11,247 --> 00:34:13,780
We did that in New Zealand,
and then in the New Zealand winter,
719
00:34:13,780 --> 00:34:15,747
I would go to Canada,
720
00:34:15,747 --> 00:34:18,480
to Alberta and rodeo over there, for their summer.
721
00:34:18,480 --> 00:34:21,114
so that that's what I did for like,
six years.
722
00:34:21,714 --> 00:34:25,380
And, I wasn't great at it,
a bunch of my friends were better at it than me,
723
00:34:25,380 --> 00:34:28,380
but I loved it and,
724
00:34:28,480 --> 00:34:31,480
you know, I, I probably rode,
725
00:34:31,880 --> 00:34:34,914
probably got on like, 500 bulls and maybe,
726
00:34:34,914 --> 00:34:36,247
50 bareback horses.
727
00:34:36,381 --> 00:34:40,447
So not like I didn't do it
[???] on the bareback stuff.
728
00:34:40,781 --> 00:34:43,981
I was just getting into it,
but the bareback scared the shit out of me.
729
00:34:44,414 --> 00:34:46,781
that much that it made my bull riding,
that much better.
730
00:34:46,781 --> 00:34:49,214
Because, I wasn’t scared of bulls
after riding bareback horses.
731
00:34:50,781 --> 00:34:52,848
Yeah, I just, I look back on it,
732
00:34:52,848 --> 00:34:54,114
Riding bareback’s dumb.
733
00:34:54,248 --> 00:34:56,481
Some of the dumbest things I’ve ever done.
734
00:34:57,181 --> 00:34:59,314
but I, you know, I still loved it.
735
00:34:59,314 --> 00:35:00,314
And bull riding,
736
00:35:00,314 --> 00:35:01,748
Yeah, that's about like,
737
00:35:01,748 --> 00:35:05,081
I still think about bull riding now,
I just think, but, yeah.
738
00:35:05,448 --> 00:35:08,981
If someone dared me too, you know,
or drunk some night probably get on.
739
00:35:09,548 --> 00:35:12,348
Oh, that's that's six seconds away
740
00:35:12,348 --> 00:35:15,415
from a broken hip and, Oh, boy, I just...
741
00:35:16,148 --> 00:35:17,248
Ouch.
742
00:35:18,048 --> 00:35:19,515
I'm impressed.
743
00:35:19,515 --> 00:35:20,682
Yeah, I'm very impressed.
744
00:35:20,682 --> 00:35:23,882
I, I hope you got out of that
without any serious injuries.
745
00:35:25,248 --> 00:35:26,715
Probably the worst one, I thought.
746
00:35:26,715 --> 00:35:28,382
I honestly was really lucky.
747
00:35:28,382 --> 00:35:30,382
compared to a lot of my friends.
748
00:35:30,382 --> 00:35:32,182
Lke my friend, had horrific injuries.
749
00:35:32,315 --> 00:35:33,949
I had a lot of like, muscle injuries, and,
750
00:35:35,082 --> 00:35:37,882
And I'm sure I’ll pay for it later on in life, but,
751
00:35:37,882 --> 00:35:40,349
the worst one, was I fractured my skull, just here.
752
00:35:40,349 --> 00:35:41,649
I got kicked in the head
753
00:35:41,649 --> 00:35:42,615
got hung up under a bull.
754
00:35:42,615 --> 00:35:46,182
and dragged underneath it.
And I was pretty young at the time.
755
00:35:46,682 --> 00:35:49,882
And I wasn't wearing a helmet,
so after that,
756
00:35:50,282 --> 00:35:52,949
my mum pretty much was like,
if you’re going to keep on doing this,
757
00:35:52,949 --> 00:35:54,382
You gotta wear a helmet. I'm like, yeah.
758
00:35:54,382 --> 00:35:58,949
Fair. So I started wearing an ice hockey,
hockey style helmet.
759
00:35:59,182 --> 00:36:01,883
But yeah, the bull kicked up my face
760
00:36:01,883 --> 00:36:04,249
and the hoof went under my eyelid.
761
00:36:04,249 --> 00:36:07,083
Split my eyelid, right through to my eyebrow.
762
00:36:07,083 --> 00:36:09,283
Fractured my eyebrow, my eye socket.
763
00:36:09,916 --> 00:36:13,683
And, I spent a week in hospital, and
and when I blink,
764
00:36:14,250 --> 00:36:15,750
the inside half of my eyelid worked,
765
00:36:15,750 --> 00:36:16,583
and the outside half didn’t.
766
00:36:16,583 --> 00:36:19,583
So they did a pretty bloody good job of
patching me up.
767
00:36:19,583 --> 00:36:21,250
My eye being pretty functional.
768
00:36:21,983 --> 00:36:25,616
When I’m a bit tired, it hangs down lower,
but whatever.
769
00:36:25,616 --> 00:36:28,416
So that’s my worst injury.
770
00:36:28,416 --> 00:36:30,517
You know, I’ve had broken fingers
and things like that.
771
00:36:30,517 --> 00:36:36,250
But I had mates with double
collapsed lungs and just yeah horrific
772
00:36:36,250 --> 00:36:39,650
things like yeah they, they should be dead
and they survived.
773
00:36:39,650 --> 00:36:40,417
Yeah.
774
00:36:40,583 --> 00:36:45,484
Rodeo was a cool thing when I was younger
but you know, but like, it’s dumb.
775
00:36:45,550 --> 00:36:48,784
it just like, i’ll pay for it when i’m older.
776
00:36:49,550 --> 00:36:51,117
Yeah exactly.
777
00:36:51,117 --> 00:36:53,250
Do you horseback ride with Rachel?
778
00:36:53,250 --> 00:36:55,117
Yeah I do, I do.
779
00:36:55,117 --> 00:36:58,984
So yeah, there was a period there,
hasn't happened for a while,
780
00:36:59,551 --> 00:37:02,417
Where I was
the guinea pig that got on her
781
00:37:02,417 --> 00:37:03,884
Horses that she just started.
782
00:37:03,884 --> 00:37:05,551
So, she’d, break them in,
783
00:37:05,551 --> 00:37:08,817
and then I'd be the first non horse
trainer to get on them.
784
00:37:08,817 --> 00:37:12,651
So we're taking to the beach and ride
them out in the open.
785
00:37:12,651 --> 00:37:16,351
The beach is pretty good because like there's like
nice firm sand, like by the shore.
786
00:37:16,818 --> 00:37:19,084
And then you come up the beach
a little bit softer.
787
00:37:19,084 --> 00:37:23,851
So you'll be riding along by the shore
and you can like turn them out into the deep sand,
788
00:37:25,018 --> 00:37:27,051
when they start to get a bit [???] on ya.
789
00:37:27,051 --> 00:37:30,151
Take the buck out of them, or slow them down.
790
00:37:30,151 --> 00:37:31,785
Yeah, get to full control.
791
00:37:32,751 --> 00:37:34,218
So is it is it dangerous?
792
00:37:34,218 --> 00:37:36,751
Me and Rach have a lot of fun.
James. Is it dangerous?
793
00:37:36,751 --> 00:37:40,585
What she does if she's breaking horses,
is she getting on wild horses like you?
794
00:37:41,918 --> 00:37:43,085
Like that.
795
00:37:43,085 --> 00:37:44,352
She does a lot of groundwork.
796
00:37:44,352 --> 00:37:47,618
So she does a lot of ground
work on the ground.
797
00:37:47,718 --> 00:37:51,385
Before she’ll get on them
for making the horse trust her and,
798
00:37:51,618 --> 00:37:55,152
sussing it out and trying different things
so that the horses is desensitized
799
00:37:55,685 --> 00:37:58,152
to anything that might stress it
out, like, you know, like
800
00:37:58,152 --> 00:38:01,152
you could be riding it and see something
and freaked out at it.
801
00:38:02,252 --> 00:38:05,285
Something blowing in the wind, like
a big tarp or something might be flapping.
802
00:38:05,552 --> 00:38:09,452
So she wants to desensitize them so that nothing
803
00:38:09,452 --> 00:38:10,952
will spook them, within reason,
804
00:38:10,952 --> 00:38:14,252
you know, still, a young horse
still needs a lot more miles on it, but,
805
00:38:15,186 --> 00:38:16,786
she. Yeah.
806
00:38:16,786 --> 00:38:17,386
Yeah, definitely.
807
00:38:17,386 --> 00:38:19,286
Her job’s dangerous.
808
00:38:19,986 --> 00:38:21,986
Yeah, she’s a cowgirl. Like, she’s doing it.
809
00:38:21,986 --> 00:38:25,753
But probably the worst part is that
she's at home alone,
doing it.
810
00:38:25,753 --> 00:38:29,519
She’s not far from where we’re based, like
we’re only 500m away.
811
00:38:29,519 --> 00:38:31,719
But you know, she's at home,
812
00:38:31,719 --> 00:38:34,719
by herself. Getting on these horses.
813
00:38:35,519 --> 00:38:38,819
Yeah, its not like there’s 2 or 3 of them there
to help each other out.
814
00:38:38,819 --> 00:38:40,953
She’s doing it by herself.
815
00:38:42,186 --> 00:38:44,886
Yeah, like, I, I don't know, like,
I encourage her to wear a helmet
816
00:38:44,886 --> 00:38:46,686
as much as possible.
When she’s getting on new ones.
817
00:38:46,686 --> 00:38:50,286
But she doesn't. She’s a cowgirl.
818
00:38:50,453 --> 00:38:50,886
Yeah.
819
00:38:50,886 --> 00:38:52,586
And she’s been bucked off a few times.
820
00:38:52,586 --> 00:38:55,520
And, you know, her hip and her knee are a bit stiff.
821
00:38:55,520 --> 00:38:58,353
But both me and her are
probably going to be quite geriatric.
822
00:38:58,653 --> 00:39:00,053
When we’re older.
823
00:39:00,053 --> 00:39:03,153
So, Yeah, that's just life right.
824
00:39:03,487 --> 00:39:05,787
Play silly games, win silly prizes.
825
00:39:08,320 --> 00:39:10,487
Is, is there anywhere in the,
in the States
826
00:39:10,487 --> 00:39:14,254
that you gravitate towards
that you really enjoy.
827
00:39:14,287 --> 00:39:17,387
You know that speaks to you at all.
828
00:39:18,520 --> 00:39:21,354
Probably for for my hobbies
and what I'm into
829
00:39:21,354 --> 00:39:24,387
other than not being close to the ocean,
like I really like Washington.
830
00:39:26,221 --> 00:39:29,221
It really resonates for me
just because I'm like a cowboy at heart.
831
00:39:29,854 --> 00:39:31,487
I'm pretty much a right wing hippie.
832
00:39:31,487 --> 00:39:33,454
Is what I am.
833
00:39:33,454 --> 00:39:37,021
like, I, I care about the environment,
but I believe in making money, so.
834
00:39:37,554 --> 00:39:40,654
Yeah, like, I,
you know, like, I, I'm, I'm torn.
835
00:39:40,654 --> 00:39:41,821
I'm a walking contradiction.
836
00:39:41,821 --> 00:39:44,821
And it frustrates the shit out of me like,
837
00:39:45,054 --> 00:39:46,521
but I love Washington and Oregon.
838
00:39:47,888 --> 00:39:50,321
and probably
just the attitude of the people. And.
839
00:39:50,321 --> 00:39:53,088
Yeah,
I probably need that kind of rainfall,
840
00:39:53,088 --> 00:39:56,755
for things to be growing and plentiful,
and my headspace.
841
00:39:57,421 --> 00:39:57,688
Yeah.
842
00:39:57,688 --> 00:40:00,688
I can't handle living in a desert for too long.
843
00:40:00,888 --> 00:40:02,188
But, yeah, it is beautiful up there.
844
00:40:02,188 --> 00:40:07,022
I, I do believe that I will end up in the U.S at some point.
845
00:40:07,022 --> 00:40:10,455
I don't know if it's living on his couch
or on my own momentum.
846
00:40:11,255 --> 00:40:12,922
We’ll wait and see.
847
00:40:13,122 --> 00:40:15,788
I do want to end up over there, I probably need
848
00:40:15,888 --> 00:40:18,755
I need a bit more stimulation than what New Zealand’s
giving me at the moment.
849
00:40:18,755 --> 00:40:19,955
Gotcha.
850
00:40:19,955 --> 00:40:21,189
Just a new challenge.
851
00:40:21,189 --> 00:40:21,789
Yeah.
852
00:40:21,789 --> 00:40:24,255
A bigger pond for the fish, you know..
853
00:40:24,255 --> 00:40:26,855
Yeah. You know, you're a worldly soul.
854
00:40:26,855 --> 00:40:29,855
Have have you
have you seen Seattle yet, James.
855
00:40:29,989 --> 00:40:31,022
No I haven't, I haven't.
856
00:40:31,022 --> 00:40:33,889
There's one I haven't done that corner
I've been at Vancouver,
857
00:40:33,889 --> 00:40:37,189
I've been to Vancouver Island, but I haven't
done up in that corner there.
858
00:40:38,156 --> 00:40:40,089
I just want to put it out there.
859
00:40:40,089 --> 00:40:44,056
My oldest friend, like in the world,
has a house on Bainbridge Island,
860
00:40:45,022 --> 00:40:48,522
and, we've we've got open invitation
861
00:40:50,056 --> 00:40:51,889
all the time,
862
00:40:51,889 --> 00:40:54,523
And are they a legend?
863
00:40:54,523 --> 00:40:57,523
just I mean, I've lived within four times,
James.
864
00:40:58,223 --> 00:41:00,623
Yeah. It's so good. It's like.
865
00:41:00,623 --> 00:41:02,723
Yeah, we just we just go. We want to go.
866
00:41:02,723 --> 00:41:05,590
We go try to go large
every single time.
867
00:41:05,590 --> 00:41:06,523
Yeah.
868
00:41:06,523 --> 00:41:08,390
And that's the problem is that we.
869
00:41:08,390 --> 00:41:11,390
I look forward to when I come and see you.
870
00:41:11,556 --> 00:41:15,923
and I guess I look forward to,
I look forward to the chill bit as well.
871
00:41:16,056 --> 00:41:19,557
as well as the wild, you’re putting it on for me
and showing me what happens.
872
00:41:19,557 --> 00:41:20,557
But I look forward to this.
873
00:41:20,557 --> 00:41:22,923
Hanging out on the couch.
874
00:41:22,923 --> 00:41:25,157
Just yarning, a bit hungover but,
875
00:41:25,157 --> 00:41:29,557
laughing at each other
and laughing our [???] at each other.
876
00:41:33,890 --> 00:41:34,690
You've inspired.
877
00:41:34,690 --> 00:41:39,524
I have to tell James, that you've inspired
Jon here about living off the earth.
878
00:41:40,057 --> 00:41:41,057
Off the land.
879
00:41:41,057 --> 00:41:43,024
Definitely, definitely.
880
00:41:43,024 --> 00:41:46,457
I think it's like like back to basics.
881
00:41:46,490 --> 00:41:48,224
We've lost connection with our food.
882
00:41:48,224 --> 00:41:51,557
Like, I physically like
eating with my hands, like.
883
00:41:51,557 --> 00:41:54,224
Yeah, because we’ve lost connection with our food.
884
00:41:54,224 --> 00:41:58,424
Like we eat things that look like food
that are made from things that aren’t food.
885
00:41:58,857 --> 00:42:01,457
like, yeah, it's like
886
00:42:01,457 --> 00:42:05,324
back to basics, like,
you know, like my cholesterol
887
00:42:05,424 --> 00:42:06,724
Yeah, it's fine.
888
00:42:06,724 --> 00:42:08,658
I had it tested recently,
but you know, like I'm, I'm
889
00:42:08,658 --> 00:42:12,291
a massive advocate for cast iron pans
and butter.
890
00:42:13,024 --> 00:42:13,424
Like.
891
00:42:13,424 --> 00:42:16,991
Yeah like, cook with butter.
It tastes good.
892
00:42:17,025 --> 00:42:18,558
It's like yeah.
893
00:42:18,558 --> 00:42:21,425
You're just going to make sure that you're
healthy in all the other parts of your life.
894
00:42:21,425 --> 00:42:25,291
Where you use that energy and don't just,
be a fat fuck.
895
00:42:25,325 --> 00:42:27,491
So like, back to basics, is just like.
896
00:42:28,558 --> 00:42:31,092
You know, less is more like fresh ingredients,
897
00:42:31,092 --> 00:42:36,125
and then and collecting it and,
and you know, coming to the ceremony
898
00:42:36,125 --> 00:42:40,592
or either gardening or fishing
or hunting or preparing food and like,
899
00:42:41,258 --> 00:42:43,492
you know, cooking for friends like, and
900
00:42:43,492 --> 00:42:46,559
and putting some love into it
and yeah, fuck it feels good.
901
00:42:47,292 --> 00:42:49,659
Very fulfilling and so basic.
902
00:42:49,659 --> 00:42:54,659
It doesn't take that much effort
just to, to be a little more cognizant
903
00:42:54,659 --> 00:42:57,659
of what you're putting in your body,
what you're putting in your shopping cart.
904
00:42:58,725 --> 00:43:00,292
Just to think about that.
905
00:43:00,292 --> 00:43:01,192
Yeah. I agree with you.
906
00:43:01,192 --> 00:43:03,926
I think it's so important.
907
00:43:03,926 --> 00:43:06,359
And I think for me as a food producer,
908
00:43:06,359 --> 00:43:09,226
like, yeah, I'm a beekeeper and we're
in, we're in the honey business,
909
00:43:09,226 --> 00:43:12,226
we’re food producers like I,
910
00:43:12,426 --> 00:43:16,026
you know, in the short amount of time
that I have a career in beekeeping,
911
00:43:16,026 --> 00:43:17,726
which is still long enough,
like it’s 15 years,
912
00:43:17,726 --> 00:43:20,893
I’ve committed to beekeeping.
913
00:43:21,859 --> 00:43:22,459
Yeah, it's
914
00:43:22,459 --> 00:43:25,593
it's getting harder and harder
to keep them healthy, keep the bees healthy.
915
00:43:25,593 --> 00:43:29,060
Look we use a lot of like alternative
like for our treatment that we
916
00:43:29,093 --> 00:43:32,926
there’s a parasitic mite that feeds on the bees
and we use a lot of oxalic acid
917
00:43:33,160 --> 00:43:34,160
to treat that mite.
918
00:43:34,160 --> 00:43:37,160
But we’re like, trying to kill an
insect on an insect.
919
00:43:37,160 --> 00:43:40,460
Yeah, yeah, I'm watching you know
climate change happen.
920
00:43:40,460 --> 00:43:43,993
So in the 15 years, I’m like,
it wasn’t that hard to keep them healthy
921
00:43:43,993 --> 00:43:44,760
Wow.
922
00:43:44,760 --> 00:43:45,993
15 years ago.
923
00:43:45,993 --> 00:43:47,327
10 years ago. 5 years ago.
924
00:43:47,327 --> 00:43:50,060
Like it's getting tougher and tougher.
925
00:43:50,060 --> 00:43:55,127
So you you take a step back
and you're like we do have a footprint.
926
00:43:55,193 --> 00:43:57,160
And we are seeing changes.
927
00:43:57,160 --> 00:43:58,860
And it's like, yeah, that stuff's real.
928
00:43:58,860 --> 00:44:01,527
Like it’s effecting us.
929
00:44:01,660 --> 00:44:04,760
It’s effecting, you know, what I do for a living.
930
00:44:05,360 --> 00:44:09,527
Well if there's if there's any way
that we can support you in terms of,
931
00:44:09,827 --> 00:44:12,761
pointing people towards
your, your website or your farm.
932
00:44:13,361 --> 00:44:14,794
We'd love to do that.
933
00:44:14,861 --> 00:44:16,694
Cool. So,
934
00:44:16,694 --> 00:44:17,127
our business.
935
00:44:17,127 --> 00:44:19,627
We trade as Foothills Honey. So.
936
00:44:19,627 --> 00:44:21,794
Yeah. Foothills, dot N Z.
937
00:44:22,761 --> 00:44:23,827
This has been great.
938
00:44:23,827 --> 00:44:26,828
Jon, I appreciate your time as well.
939
00:44:27,228 --> 00:44:28,028
Super good.
940
00:44:28,028 --> 00:44:31,661
And, James, we will introduce you to,
941
00:44:31,894 --> 00:44:33,661
some of our previous podcasts,
942
00:44:33,661 --> 00:44:35,461
Perfect. I'd appreciate that.
943
00:44:35,861 --> 00:44:37,461
Awesome.
944
00:44:37,461 --> 00:44:39,128
Well, thanks, everybody.
945
00:44:39,128 --> 00:44:40,994
Hope you enjoyed listening.
946
00:44:40,994 --> 00:44:43,061
And, we'll see you next time.
947
00:44:43,061 --> 00:44:44,528
Okay. Roger and out.
948
00:44:44,528 --> 00:44:45,628
See ya, by.
949
00:44:47,695 --> 00:44:50,695
thanks for listening to the Midlife
Mischief Club podcast.
950
00:44:50,928 --> 00:44:53,928
Please be sure to subscribe
in your favorite podcast app
951
00:44:53,995 --> 00:44:55,762
so you don't miss an episode.
952
00:44:55,762 --> 00:44:59,295
You can find Shownotes
links to our socials and see what else
953
00:44:59,295 --> 00:45:02,762
is cooking on our website
at MidlifeMischiefClub.com.