A dose of nature for Mental Well Being?

Been feeling quite down lately as well as dealing with weird reoccurring illness shit. Trying to figure out what helps to lift the mood including some diet changes, upping vitamins, some exercise, walks etc but realized something. When I am in my little garden tending to the veggies and fruit some kind of peace comes over me. Today I just sat for 5 minutes while a plump bee did his rounds inspecting each yellow cucumber flower for some treats and buzzed as he moved to the next one. For 5 min I just peaceful and forgot the fog that often clouds my brain and the weight that's so heavy it makes me exhausted.

  I was diagnosed with Bipolar II in 2008 and even though I don't think I have this as my symptoms don't fit, I obviously have a life long mental illness that can pop it's head up at any moment to bite me in the ass. It affects my daily life, it affects my creativity and the ability to get as much done as I would like to. Each day is a challenge to keep moving and not let the cloud engulf me. Obviously nature is some kind of key to me coping better so I think I have to push myself out into the woods more often and see what happens. For those of you out there also fighting your own battle with mental illness. You're not alone x.
‪#‎iamnotashamed‬, ‪#‎nature‬, ‪#‎depression‬, ‪#‎sicknotweak‬, ‪#‎mentalhealth‬

May travels to Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechstenstein

We have been gallivanting all around Europe during May playing shows in Germany, Austria and Switzerland with a few days off in Liechtenstein: my favourite of the smaller countries.

Thanks to everyone who came out to one of the shows at the Stuttgart Vegan Street Day Festival, Widnau Switzerland, Emsiana Kulturfest in Hohenems Austria, Wasserburg Germany, Bregenz and Schwaz Austria. Also thanks go to people who put us up and fed us in Switzerland, Austria as well as in Liechtenstein. We are grateful for your hospitality.

Lowlights:

* Getting a cable car to the top of the mountain in AT and realizing we couldn't see a thing
* The lack of decent vegan food at times which meant I was often hungry
* The rude guy at the Wasserburg show
* Never having enough time to spend with everyone we liked
* The awful pain in our legs after a wet 3 hour hike down a mountain the next day
* Not so great sound on stage at a couple of locations
* Hotel breakfasts....ugh. Never any vegan options. And that reconstituted orange juice.
* Saying goodbye to the mountains....and all the cats :P

Highlights:

* The weather held out for most of the tour so we got to take some hikes and walks
* Staying with a vegan couple in Stuttgart who had rescued Chinchillas from a fur farm
* Container/dumpster diving in Switzerland with my Liechenstein friends
* Making lunch with all the rescued food the next day
* All the cool people in Hohenems Austria. You're all bonkers, in a good way. :)
* Bike riding to the Rhein in Liechstenstein
* All the cats we met along the way

* The mountains
* The care package of local beer, chocolate and marmalade from Das Ladenlokal in Widnau
* Playing a Bösendorfer piano in Schwaz
* Vegan strudel @ Strudelhof in Magdeburg
* Leaving a note about a mouldy lemon in a shop window in St Gallen Switzerland

How it all Began

5 Years ago exactly to this day I began a great journey, hitchhiking from Toronto to Vancouver with only $20 in my pocket eventually teaching myself enough guitar that I could live from shows. Right now I would have been sleeping in Desbarats Ontario and by morning I would witness the birth of a cow and then head out onto the country road to get my next ride.

Within a few days I would be picked up by Jann Arden's brother, share meals with truck drivers, stay with an elderly Christian couple who grew 80% of their own food under Saskatchewan skies in rural fields and give advice to a crying American woman whose son had just come out and she didn't know what to do. In Vancouver I would continue down south sharing shows with my Swedish friend all the way from Portland down to Arizona, Texas, New Orleans and then all the way up to New York and Vermont via greyhound bus for about 6 weeks. This intense relationship would nearly kill me but I would find peace again alone on the road for another 6 weeks bussing West from New York to Portland, seeing old friends and making some new, watching the Autumn colours slip into winter, living off donations and food from gigs in cafes, staying with couch surfers, fighting a two week cold in Cleveland and dragging myself onto the bus again, making it to Portland $200 richer after my host in Boise Idaho pushed an envelope into my hand at the bus station saying, 'we have more than enough, use this to follow your dream'.

From November in Portland I stayed in a house with some art students for a few weeks and fell in love like a dumb teenager. We watched The Walking Dead, drank too much and they liked my burritos. I pretended I was brave when we said goodbye but the truth is, music was all that kept me going for a while. And I wonder, did he ever put those words into song?

So weird to look back on all of this again, like an alarm just went off in me for some kind of anniversary. Or a reminder to have more adventures. Or both.

5% of CD sales to the following animal charities for Early August

For the first handful of shows in Canada during August I gave 5% of my CD sales to the following animal charities. Please check out the good work they are doing to help our animal friends.
https://www.facebook.com/BEDRlife
https://www.facebook.com/reginacatrescue
https://www.facebook.com/groups/235145510019672/

Green Mood Booster Juice

Some of you know that I have battled with pretty serious depression since my early 20's. With a lot of hard work and life changes I have been able to get it to a manageable level over the past few years but I still have some pretty tough days. One of the things I believe is that a healthy diet can do wonders for the mind. I did a lot of research on this topic and came to the conclusion that a diet high in raw and uncooked foods can be really beneficial for people who suffer from depression and mood disorders, especially people with bipolar and ADD because of how the brain chemistry works. 

Over the past few months I began to eat a lot more uncooked foods, then smoothies and now I juice as much as I can. A lot of people scoff at this but I can tell you that for me when my diet is loaded with fresh fruit and veg, it really makes a difference to my mood. It's such a shame that when you go to the doctor for depression the first thing they usually do is push pills on you, pills that cause side effects loaded with chemicals that we have no idea how we will be affected by 20 years down the line. Don't get me wrong, sometimes a person is in such a bad state that they need a little help short term for their own safety, but this should only be used if there is no other option and more safe, logical and healthy options should also be advised by the doctor. A friend recently told me that doctors only have a few days of training in nutrition as part of their training which for me is crazy. I think it's important they know more about nutrition and how the body and mind works in relation to this. But if they can't arm us with the knowledge to help ourselves, then we need to take matters into our own hands and educate ourselves. 

So if you're feeling a bit down try this for a few days. Even if you don't have a juicer you can make do with a big salad bowl, a giant strainer or sieve and a wooden spoon to push the juice through the pulp. Honestly, it only takes 15 min of your time and how long would you spend cooking a delicious meal? 15 min to improve your mood and supply you with lots of vitamins and minerals that will help your body every day doesn't seem like a lot now does it? 

Healthy Boosting!

Green Mood Booster Juice

1 cup spinach or nettle 

1 pear

big slice of yellow watermelon

1/2 lime

big chunk of ginger

small handful of lemon balm

half cucumber

1 apple

little water to help it blend

Change the amounts to your liking and tastes. Blend for a few minutes, pour into sieve and strain, compost the little pulp left over, drink and reap the benefits.

Dear Maya Angelou.

Thank you for your beautiful words, hope and wisdom. Thank you for your endless light, energy and fierce strength. Thank you for fighting for and giving voices to African American women and men for over 50 years and countless others. I've been reading your poetry and books since I was teenager and 'I know why the caged bird sings' never failed to give me comfort when I felt alone, hurt and lost. Thank you for giving me the seeds in learning to believe in myself. You will not be forgotten. R.I.P

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” 

Maya Angelou

I just wanted give a shout out to everyone this past week who helped organize a gig for us, gave us a bed, cooked us a meal, showed us around their town and came to a show. Lukas Creswell-Rost and I had a lovely time in Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein and Germany are very grateful. Thanks and see you again. Oh and for those of you who wanted to know more about Luke. You can find him here: www.facebook.com/lukascreswellrostmusic and listen to his newest track at soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/lukascreswellrost

I took this photo in a field on the mountain in Feldkirch Austria. Such a beautiful spot.

 

And 5% of CD sales from April shows go to...

I raised a little money from my CD sales in April for the following animal charities in Germany and Austria. Please check them out when you have a chance as they really need your help! https://www.facebook.com/StadttaubenprojektFrankfurt
https://www.facebook.com/wildtiere.in.not
https://www.facebook.com/Ein.Herz.fuer.Streuner

On the way to see Tori!

Tori Amos Tonight in Berlin!

That moment when you're a teenage girl, lost and trying to find your own voice and you first hear Precious Things by Tori Amos and you're like, YES! YES! you understand me and I understand you. You're fierce, yet delicate and you're not afraid to show us your heart, your pain and you have no shame. Not anymore. It's been over 20 years Tori. Thanks so much for helping me through the darkness. See you tonight!

Performing at the Liverpool International Music Festival in August!

I'm very happy to announce that I will be playing at the Liverpool International Music Festival @LIMFestival 2014 http://www.LIMFestival.com/ #reveal#LIMFsummerjam !
http://www.limfestival.com/summer-jam/emaline-delapaix

The Kind Life

I'm trying so hard to be a better human being because I don't want to hurt anything or anyone. I'm not perfect but choosing to be vegan, starting a little garden and buying cruelty free is my own personal big step in the right direction. Every day I hope I can learn something new to live a kinder, more aware, and gentle life. A life I can be proud of. I urge everyone to avoid supporting companies that test on animals and watch this beautiful video to remind us all how dogs deserve to live; with grass under their paws, playing and jumping in the sunshine. Not locked up in cages in dark rooms being tested on so people can have their lipstick and washing detergent. We all have the power to make beautiful changes in the little choices we make each and every day. http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/beagle-rescue-delivers-nine-dogs-from-the-lab-to-loving-homes-video/

Anti Capitalism - Fight it with every day choices and with your veggie garden!

Yesterday I went to Kreuzberg in Berlin and saw a march against capitalism. For me it seemed a little ironic that many people in the parade were wearing clothing brands that are known to exploit their workers and take advantage of people in poorer nations so that we can have cool sneakers. 

I know that no one is perfect and it's really difficult to live in our society without it affecting someone, somewhere in a negative way. That's how governments and corporations have set up the system to work but hey, here's an idea. Why don't we start our own little revolution at home by planting a little garden in our yard or on our windowsills or balconies? Some things are relatively easy to grow such as lettuce, tomatoes and herbs and there is nothing more powerful or satisfying than picking and eating your own produce. How much more anti capitalist can you get? 

And to take things further we could waste less food by sharing it with our neighbours and friends through www.foodsharing.de or other online or face to face avenues. We could buy local, supporting people in our own backyard, encouraging small, handmade businesses, folk who enjoy what they do and put time and love into what they create. 

We can trade our skills with other people. I make some soap and you trade me some of your delicious veggie curry. Reduce the use of money! Like my music and want to trade some handmade CD's for a handmade scarf or a couple of jars of Dandelion Honey? Awesome. I would love to! There is so much we can do at home to fight against capitalism, living our lives more responsibly, connecting with people and making things more beautiful. Please feel free to share your ideas here too!

Photo taken from http://www.myclimatechangegarden.com/blog/uk’s-five-million-flats-offer-600-acres-of-growing-space

5% of CD sales from shows this past weekend donated to shelters near Dilsberg, Saarbrücken and Trier

This past weekend I donated 5% of CD sales to local animal charities where I played in the areas of Dilsberg, Saarbrücken and Trier. Check them out if you're in any of theses areas as they all desperately need donations of food, blankets, supplies as well as money. You can also foster or adopt a new friend as well!

http://www.tierschutz-wiesloch.de
http://www.tierheim-saarbruecken.de
http://www.tierheimtrier.de

Three Years Ago

It was nearly 3 years ago that I moved to a caravan in rural eastern Germany near the Polish border to become a full time musician and to find myself again after being lost for so long. I moved in on Christmas Day with my Canadian cat Reece and 'Caravan Magdalena' was supposed to be our home for 6 months but our time there stretched into nearly 1 1/2 years until finally we made our home in Berlin. During my time in Mecklenburg Vorpommern I wrote songs and practiced my instruments in a tiny space, read a lot, learned about and collected wild herbs and grew 35 plants from seed. I learned to relax properly for the first time in my life, learned how to live without a toilet and how to insulate an old caravan that was literally falling to pieces. I got to know and like myself and came to terms with the bits that I didn't like as much. I finally got my depression to a manageable place without the use of pharmaceutical drugs, or doctors through a change of diet, lifestyle, and mindset. I also became vegan and often shared my bed with my cat and 2 cats from the neighbouring house to keep warm during winter. What an amazing and challenging period of my life that was and even though it wasn't always easy I am grateful for the lessons I learned and the quiet moments I had with myself and nature.

Magic and Friendship

Today a dear friend will arrive from a tiny island in Canada to visit me. She is a singer/musician with a beautiful soul and will join me to sing back up vocals for a couple of shows this week in Berlin and Hamburg, so I hope some of you get to meet her. She was there for me through one of the hardest winters of my life. We often spend so much time searching for magic but fail to see it when it is right there in front of us in the form of loyalty and friendship. If we could just open our eyes.

May in the Springtime

3rd May - Tonfink Kulturcafe & Bar Luebeck

Ooh what a lovely find this place is and people actually listen to the music. Tonfink is relatively new and the organizers were so hospitable, preparing me a vegan dinner, organizing an amazing e piano and     generally just being very positive and welcoming. I think Luebeck really needs a place like this that is a bit more sophisticated, offering a space for singer songwriters and more acoustic bands to play. I wish them all the best and I hope I can bring my band with me next time I go there.

5th May - Cakes n Treats Dortmund (lunchtime show)

Always a treat to visit and play for these folks. This time no PA so it was pretty acoustic and intimate but the audience were lovely and I left stuffed full of goodies. Till the next time.

5th May - Kulturcafe Litchung Koeln

I have to be honest and say that I expected something completely different from this venue as for me it was more of a bar and less of a Kulturcafe. I felt a lot of the audience that night were quite conservative and perhaps my music was too intense and challenging in a way. I think they probably would have been happier with upbeat easy going music, not songs dealing with depression, sexuality, animal rights and honesty. The owners were very nice though and took care of me.

17th May - Kino Atelier / Cafe Haag Tuebingen

Hurrah, what a joy it was to play for you Tuebingen!
This cinema/cafe bar looks like you have stepped back in time to the 50's and audience ranges from young students to men in their 50's and middle aged couples and they all come to listen to the music, respectfully and with an open heart. A very welcoming place and a beautiful town. I spent the evening strolling through the old streets in the warm summer air with friends and got to try more than one or two of the local drinks. Can't wait to return.

19th May - Vegan Street Day Stuttgart

I really love this festival. The people who organize it are dedicated to animal rights and a little bit mad. Unfortunately it pissed down with rain so this year I didn't get to see much but I am always glad to be part of it and look forward to the Dortmund Vegan Street Day in August.

Eastern Germany Tour Part 1

Thursday 25th April - Marshalls Mum, Leipzig

A very intimate show with a very nice listening audience with the tables decorated with painted teacups full of tea and plates of apple pie, cheese cake and cupcakes, all vegan! If you're in Leipzig check out this lovely little place. It's worth a visit!

Friday 26th April - Secret show, Leipzig

Biggest living room show ever in a fantastic old house in a cool area of Leipzig.
I started off the show by kicking over a glass in the crowd. After that no one tried anything silly with me ;P
Great audience, nice feeling and fun to share the show with Berlin band Susie Asado who did great stuff with an acoustic drum kit and a ukulele.

Sat 27th April - Wohnzimmer Klub, Dresden

Living room esque show in this very friendly club in Dresden. We battled a bit with the sound but the folks who came up afterwards were nice and we danced the hours away with the DJ later on including meeting the German Louis Theroux on the dance floor. I hope you're not offended Dave.

Sun 28th April - House Concert, Magdeburg

A very nice living room show in Magdeburg with participation by the house cats.
It was nice to come back to Magdeburg and play a positive show after the last one which was a bit weird.
See you again in June Magdeburg at the Vegan Festival!

Buy a CD and help a Horse Raise Money for the RR Animal Refuge!

Hey friends! There is an animal shelter with over 400 animals run by one selfless woman by the name of Rose in Ontario Canada. Rose's water well has run dry so she has to truck in water for the animals and is in desperate need of funds to continue doing this. Until the 13th July I will be offering 10% off everything in my store if you put in the discount code: waterforanimals and I will donate 10% of the sales to Rose. If you were thinking of buying a CD for a friend or downloading my new EP, here is your chance to get a discount and help a worthy cause at the same time. You can also find out more and donate directly to the RR Refuge at http://www.refugerr.org/

Thank you so much!

14 Shows in 18 Days Tour RECAP

14 shows in 18 days. All solo with my UK singer songwriter friend Karl Scott except for the last one where I met up with my guitarist Karsten Lipp. Yep, I am insane.

Tue 5th June - Electric House Concert Bad Segeberg

Ah it's funny when things don't turn out at all how you envisioned them. This was completely different in my head. Not bad, just different. Not sure they appreciated me singing about masturbation, self harm or my ex girlfriend though I think the lovey dovey adele like one was ok ;) They loved Karl. We love you Karl!

Wed 6th June - Pilgerhalle Luebeck

Lovely space, lovely acoustics and lovely folk but Luebeck, what's up with the weather eh?

Thu 7th/Fri 8th June - Cafe Frieda Insel Poel

When we first drove up the drive way Karl and I were like WTF? is this a private house? But it turned out to be a really great gig. For 2 days we set up camp outside and played for all the tourists. I sold out of my CD's each day, and had to make more. Yummy food and pretty town :)

Sat 9th June - Kulturbar Greifswald

It's always nice to see Tiger and play in his nice bar. He also made us a lovely dinner with his family. His daughter is super cute. The bar was a little quiet that night but a friendly audience none the less and we stayed with super cool couch surfers including having a beach picnic the next day.

Wed 13th June - Kaffee Schwarz Leipzig

Fussball :(
Bit of a weird gig...weird atmosphere and a few weird people, not bad just weird. How many times can I say weird? 5 I guess. Let's try again next time without the fussball shall we?

Thu 14th June - Tiki Taky Prague

Prague you're completely mad but I like you. Super fun gig. Super mental audience. Thanks for forcing me to play 'down this road' after so long. Nice to see my long lost old flatmate from London Vendula. See you next time!

Sat 16th June - Veganmania Vienna

Nice generous festival people as per usual. Nice audience, excellent food and thanks for all the free veggie things I took away. Oh and Vienna, it sucked that you wouldn't let us leave the city for 90 min the following morning to get to Linz because of a motor cycle parade. WTF?

Sun 17th June - Bagua Linz

Funny how people are usually wrong when they tell you certain places will suck. WRONG! This gig turned out to be one of the nicest surprises on the tour. We played a show for clients who suffer from mental illness. Thank you for listening so intently, I was proud to play 'Turmoil of Winter' for you. Keep kicking on, I know you can be strong! x

Mon 18th June - Electric House Concert Tuebingen

One of the highlights. Fantastic house, audience and food. What a wonderful evening. Karl and I stayed up late talking with the folk who live in the house and I played a left handed guitar at 3 in the morning. Very cool. 

Tue 19th June - Electric House Concert Heidelberg

Second time back. Lovely folk as per usual and Julia is an amazing host and person. Thanks for taking such good care of us.

Wed 20th June - Caricatura Bar Kassel

Last minute surprise gig organized by couch surfer Larissa. Was really fun. Thanks for coming back and see you in July again Kassel!

Thu 21st June - Electric House Concert Halle

Haha this was a bit of a mess with people arriving so late and us having to leave early. Sorry about that but it was still fun. See you too in July Halle with Karsten!

Sat 23rd June - Wohnzimmer Liebe Hamburg

Reunited with Karsten after many weeks and for a really nice electric house concert in Hamburg. A real highlight and a nice way to end the crazy tour.