Yes, you’ve probably noticed that.
Last week I was too busy to write a post, and this week… you guessed it. Same thing. I am writing this quick update from my vacation location, which is the reason there’s not a proper post this time either.
Sorry about that. I hope to do better soon!!
I guess several of the readers of this blog have some experience with this one. How do you take a decent selfie when you’re out and about?
Many times, at least in my situation, I’m out on a walk alone. Taking a good picture of a nice spot with myself in it often becomes a problem because: a) what fun is it to haul a tripod around all the time, and b) images using a selfie-stick always make it clear you’re using such a device.
So now I look at you, reader of this blog.
How do you make your pictures? Sometimes I see great shots that clearly aren’t done with a selfie-stick. Do you carry tripods around? Do you use other means to set up your camera/phone for a good shot?
Or do you use more advanced methods? For instance I could imagine that the use of a drone could be an option, but that would come down to a very expensive selfie stick, or isn’t that the case anymore?
I’m really curious about this and I am looking forward to your responses!
We probably all know it by now. The Parisian nude restaurant is closing.
Apparently the restaurant is well liked by all who dined there. Unfortunately there weren’t enough of those people, which put the restaurant in a dire, financial spot. The food, as I read in many places, was very good, and the atmosphere in the restaurant was described as very pleasant.
The owners, Mike and Stephane Saada, stated:
“Thank you for having participated in this adventure by coming to dine at O’Naturel. We will only remember the good times, meeting beautiful people and customers who were delighted to share exceptional moments.”
Source: https://www.cntraveler.com/story/paris-nude-restaurant-is-closing
Let’s hope there will be another occasion for a nude restaurant in France. I think that’s important, since France is one of the countries where naturism is huge and growing.
I’m glad to see that the Bunyadi restaurant in London is still open, and that in Bristol, the Greenbank pub has hosted several Naked Dining events.
Let’s hope more restaurants will start seeing the possibilities for nude dining. The way O’Naturel was set up, catering to nude guests only, is perhaps a bit too optimistic. Opening for nude guests a few times per week might have been an economically better idea in that light.
On the other hand, the world of naturism and nudism is facing fierce opposition and that pressure is growing. Establishments like O’Naturel are important because they fight back. It is important to remember that prudishness and the feelings of shame, which are spreading over a world that has made steps into the other direction, can be pushed back. We do need a backbone and some guts for that push. Let’s push!
Yes, and don’t worry, I’ll try to keep this levelheaded and with both feet on the ground. At times. Probably. In a way.
Maybe you laugh at the fact that people can sense energy. If you do, please keep reading. You might be in for another good laugh if nothing else.
I for one am convinced people sense energies. We are, after all, made of energy. Basic physics break us down to atoms, and atoms consist of energy particles: protons, electrons and neutrons.
Energy is also made of energy (hey, I’m awake, aren’t I?)
Did you ever meet someone you immediately liked? Or disliked? Without ever having met that person before in your conscious life? I blame that (dis)like on the exchange of energy between people. (Ready, laugh, go!)
Clothes (and this should not surprise you) are made of atoms as well. They’re not alive (which we are, and that’s probably not to blame on our own atoms) but they do contain energy particles inside their atoms. That’s what keeps everything together, even fabric. Or sand. But don’t let me digress.
Now imagine you are to meet a person or you are in a particular place that has, for instance, ley lines (yes, follow the link to the explanation, not everyone knows what ley lines are). Don’t you think you would be more sensitive and open to the energy of that other person or place when you’re not dressed? Clothes (energy) have the distinct possibility to block energy since they are made of energy as well. (Goodness, I hope I am not going in too deep here. Keep laughing if you feel like that.)
You can consider clothes to be a wall or an energetic interference between your body and the energy that is emitted by another body (be it human or otherwise).
I was brought onto this idea after a chat with someone on MeWe.com, who mentioned being more sensitive to energy when nude. That immediately made sense to me, because of a particular experience.
A few years ago I visited Wales (in the U.K.) and I went to look at some castles. Castles are cool. This particular castle up here wasn’t easy to get to. It involved several miles of climbing and walking through hills, and when I got there I was the only visitor. Not surprising considering the effort it took to get there.
Since there were no people around to complain about it, I undressed and wandered through the castle. That made a huge difference to me (and not because of the temperature, it was quite agreeable inside the walls). I could sense the energy of the place much better than with clothes on.
I wonder if this whole piece makes sense to you. Do you have experiences of sensing energy, and if yes, does it make a difference being nude?
Something simple, it seems. Everyone knows what music is. Nude people also tend to like music. What I wondered about suddenly was: are there nude musicians out there?
It took a long time to find something in this area.
This was an era where some bands, mostly obscure ones, would perform in the nude. Mostly to shock and be rebels, I’m sure. It’s very hard to find imagery about those bands. Perhaps they looked something like this:
Most of the performers I could find were women. This is remarkable in a way, because in naturism and nudism men seem to prevail. Why not then, I wonder, in music?
Is showing the nude musician’s body outside naturism more of a gimmick to attract people than to celebrate the body? I think it is.
That’s a given these days, and it works since several decades. That is also, for me, one of the reasons that nudity (be it explicit or implied) is now so connected to sex. Advertisement had made that happen. Lots of people are happily brainwashed into that way of thinking daily.
It’s even used to make toilet paper ‘sexy’. There’s the word. Sexy. Hardly surprising that nudity = sex(y).
That clearly is the whole point. Also in music this seems to happen. Look at Miley Cyrus who has caused more than just a bit of controversy about her naked performances and appearing nude in music videos.
I really wonder if we’ll ever see a movement of real people, real music-makers, who are going to perform in the nude just because it’s the best way to be. Maybe you’ve ever been to a nude beach or resort where you’ve seen a naked band perform.
I’d like to hear about it. What was the band like? Where they nudists to start with, or did they strip because of the venue?
Music is important for many people. I’m convinced it is important for quite a few of you who read this.
Would you play music naked? Do you play music naked? If so, what started it? Was it the fact you’re a nudist/naturist?
July 28th was the day it was going to happen. NatuPop at the naturist resort Flevonatuur, and the day I’d meet with Harmen and his family.
The drive to Flevonatuur wasn’t promising but everything turned out well in the end. Read on for the interview with Harmen.
Who is Harmen Pordon?
Just a simple, hard working family man of 30 years from the Netherlands. Naturist since his 18th. Active promoter thereof since 2015/2016. I am married, have 2 children, 1 of whom from a previous relationship. Number 3 is expected at the end of September.
How did you end up in naturism?
After years of being bullied as a child, I asked myself how long I would let my life happen as it did. The answer was pretty simple: not long. I have gone into a self-invented process for years to accept myself more as the person I am and to love myself. When I finally reached my 18th birthday, I was looking for a way to express that. When I came across naturism by chance on the internet and as I read about what it was, my interest was triggered. My love for nature, after years in the Dutch scouting organisation, was unabated and when it turned out that you could experience this more intensely, my last missing piece of the puzzle fell into place.
You have been maintaining a naturism blog for a long time. Unfortunately, you stopped because of your health. Do you want more about that?
When I got some pain in my lower back in the beginning of March (I also had chest pressure) I went to the doctor. After I had carefully detailed my complaints, I was immediately referred to the hospital. There they soon diagnosed thrombosis in both lungs and I was immediately stuck in the intensive care unit. That turned out to be no exaggerated luxury because all in all I spent more than one and a half week in the hospital. It was very critical. When you read my letter of resignation from the hospital, there is literally massive pulmonary embolism. My lungs were completely filled up. There was also an embolism in my kidneys. The thrombosis is not caused by my lifestyle (I am a truck driver and also smoked for years and eaten unhealthy), but because of a problem in my kidneys. I urinate certain proteins, so that my blood already solidifies in my body. The fact that I have been so close to death while I have a young family and a child on the way, was the reason that I already put my focus on it and stopped the blogs. Rather, living life, then recording and sharing life, was my thought at that moment.
How did your wife respond to that dramatic situation?
Pretty intense. Honesty makes me tell that she is in a depression right now. She slowly scrambles up, but because of all that we have experienced over the past 2 years, my recent illness was the straw that broke the camel’s back. She is living a fairly withdrawn life at the moment and focuses mainly on our family.
How are you now?
Good. The thrombosis is under control due to medication and since mid-June I have been working again completely. Recently I got an infection on my leg, of which in the first instance was thought of hosiery. Since I do not have the corresponding effects, I suspect it is something else. I am currently taking antibiotics to treat the infection. That, too, is a good thing. Of course it was again scaring.
Do you have plans to start blogging again? I know you had a lot of followers on your blog.
My Dutch blog Open & Bloot will come back anyway. It calls to me. In what way that comes back and how Santana plays a role in that, I still have to decide. Also because with us both naturism at this moment still a bit on the back burner because of everything that has happened. The English blog “Bare Thoughts” does not come back. I have already discussed so much there that I feel there is barely any original content to add. It feels closed, while the Dutch do not yet give that feeling. However, the English blog remains online, so my message can still be shared. That is simply too important to remove, I think.
Thank you, Harmen, for this interview!
Op 28 juli 2018 was het zover. Natupop bij Flevonatuur. De dag dat ik Harmen Pordon en zijn gezin zou ontmoeten om over zijn leven en zeker over zijn gezondheid te praten.
De weg naar Flevonatuur beloofde niet veel goeds maar het kwam allemaal goed! Lees hier verder het interview met Harmen.
Wie is Harmen Pordon?
Een doodsimpele hardwerkende familie man van 30 jaar uit Nederland. Naturist sinds z’n 18e. Actief promoter daarvan sinds 2015/2016. Ik ben getrouwd, heb 2 kinderen, waarvan 1 uit een eerdere relatie. Nummer 3 word eind september verwacht.
Hoe ben je in het naturisme terecht gekomen?
Na jaren als kind gepest te zijn heb ik mezelf de vraag gesteld hoe lang ik mijn leven daardoor nog zou laten leiden. Het antwoord was vrij simpel: niet lang. Ik ben een jarenlang zelfbedacht traject in gegaan om mezelf meer te accepteren als de persoon die ik ben en van mezelf te houden. Toen ik dat uiteindelijk op m’n 18e bereikte zocht ik een manier om dat te uiten. Toen ik naturisme bij toeval op internet tegenkwam en ik me goed inlas in wat het was, was m’n interesse getriggered. M’n liefde voor de natuur was na jaren scouting al onverminderd en toen bleek dat je dit bloot nog veel intenser kon beleven, viel m’n laatste ontbrekende puzzelstukje op z’n plek.
Je hebt heel lang een naturisme-blog onderhouden. Helaas ben je daarmee gestopt vanwege je gezondheid. Wil je daar meer over kwijt?
Toen ik begin maart wat pijn in m’n onderrug kreeg en ik ook druk op de borst erbij had ben ik naar de dokterswacht gegaan. Nadat ik m’n klachten zorgvuldig op tafel had gelegd werd ik meteen doorverwezen naar het ziekenhuis. Daar kwam al snel de diagnose trombose in beide longen en ik werd gelijk op de intensive care opgenomen. Dat bleek geen overbodige luxe want al met al heb ik ruim anderhalve week in het ziekenhuis gelegen. Het was zeer kritiek, als je m’n ontslagbrief van het ziekenhuis leest, dan staat er letterlijk massale longembolien. M’n longen zaten compleet vol. Ook zat er bij m’n nieren nog een embolie. De trombose word niet door m’n levensstijl veroorzaakt ( ik ben vrachtwagenchauffeur en heb ook jaren gerookt en ongezond gegeten ), maar door een probleem in m’n nieren. Ik plas eiwitten uit, waardoor m’n bloed al in m’n lichaam stolt. De reden dat ik zo dichtbij de dood heb gezeten terwijl ik een jong gezin heb en een kind onderweg, was de reden dat ik daar al m’n focus op heb gelegd en de blogs gestopt heb. Liever het leven leven, dan het leven vastleggen en delen, was op dat moment mijn gedachte.
Hoe reageerde je vrouw op die dramatische situatie?
Vrij heftig. Eerlijkheid gebied mij te zeggen dat ze op dit moment in een depressie zit. Ze krabbelt wel langzaam omhoog, maar door alles wat we de afgelopen 2 jaar hebben meegemaakt, was mijn recente ziektebeeld de druppel die de emmer deed overlopen. Ze leeft op dit moment een vrij teruggetrokken bestaan en focust zich met name op ons gezin.
Hoe gaat het nu met je?
Goed. De trombose is dankzij medicatie onder controle en sinds halverwege juni werk ik ook weer volledig. Onlangs kreeg ik nog een infectie op mijn been, waarvan in eerste instantie aan wondroos werd gedacht. Aangezien ik niet de bijbehorende effecten daarvan heb vermoed ik dat het wat anders is. Wel slik ik op dit moment antibiotica om de infectie te behandelen. Ook dat slaat gelukkig goed aan. Uiteraard was het wel weer schrikken.
Heb je plannen om het bloggen weer op te pakken? Ik weet dat je heel wat volgers had op je blog.
M’n Nederlandse blog Open & Bloot komt sowieso weer terug. Het kriebelt te veel. In wat voor samenstelling dat terugkomt en hoe Santana daar een rol in speelt moet ik nog bekijken. Ook omdat bij ons beide door alles het naturisme op dit moment nog een beetje op een laag pitje staat. Het Engelse blog “Bare Thoughts” komt niet meer terug. Ik heb daar al zoveel besproken dat ik nog weinig originele toevoeging voel. Het voelt afgesloten, terwijl de Nederlandse dat gevoel nog niet geeft. Wel blijft het Engelse blog online staan, zodat m’n boodschap nog steeds kan worden gedeeld. Die is simpelweg te belangrijk om te verwijderen vind ik.
Dank je voor dit interview, Harmen! Veel succes, we kijken uit naar je volgende blog op Open en Bloot!
Let me tell you something. Second to oil, fashion and textiles is the most polluting industry in the world. Did you know that? I didn’t. I read about it here. I don’t know if you headed over to read the article. Here’s a summary of the facts:
Wow. Impressive, isn’t it? According to classiccotton.org 3/4 of all produced clothes end up on landfills. Now that is scary.
After these figures it’s even more evident that people who prefer nudity are on the smart side of the scale. I hope that all the clothes we don’t buy make a difference. Less water wasted, fewer chemicals all over the place, and less garbage and waste.
Of course there will always be garbage, but I almost fell out of my chair when I read how much junk is created by the manufacturing of clothes. But… did you see the number of chemicals used? Up to eight thousand! And that is used on stuff everyone happily puts on their skin. I’m convinced most of that stuff will be washed out with 20,000 litres (that is almost 5,200 gallons, for non-litre people) of water per kilo / 2 lbs. but still. All that stuff has to go somewhere. Do you trust the fashion industry enough to make sure that any remaining chemical is caught and discarded in a responsible manner? I wouldn’t put my money on that.
After digging into all this matter I am even more inclined not to wear clothes as much as I can. We hear about pollution and such every day, but the fashion industry is a market that goes on doing that without anyone batting an eye at it. If we talk about dirty secrets: new clothes have them!
Yes. Dick pics. You saw that. A few days ago I heard a podcast in which, among other things, was a mention of dick pics. Before you jump to conclusions: this is not an invitation to send them in. Quite the contrary.
In the podcast they talked about the fact that women who dare to show themselves online in a naturist forum or on social media, either dressed or undressed, are amazingly quickly ‘treated’ to images sent by a certain kind of gentlemen. Images, as you have already guessed, of their penis.
Hearing this, I wondered what goes on in the mind of people who do that. They’re clearly not naturists because naturists know better than to surprise people with pictures of certain parts of their anatomy.
A picture of a man’s penis isn’t something most women aren’t waiting for. Following that train of thought, I suddenly wondered how the average, non dick pic sending man would interpret such a surprise. Would you, sir normal nudist or naturist, appreciate a series of images of erect penises as a welcome to a naturist platform? I would absolutely not appreciate that.
Many people wonder why there is such an apparent absence of women in the naturist scene. I think dick pics are part of it, but by far not all of it. They are one expression of the sexualisation of women that’s been going on since far too long. For women it’s difficult to show themselves in this world. Look at how girls in school are being told off if they wear something ‘too revealing’. The daughter of someone I know was sent home because the shoulder straps of her top were too thin; they would ‘sexually arouse’ the boys in her class. How stupid is that? Is it any wonder that children of now are being trained to think that any part of a female body that shows skin has to do with sex? How do women feel when they’re pushed in such a situation?
I may be entirely wrong here, but I think they are sent off by either immature people or by those who think that naturism/nudism focusses on genitals. And boy (or girl), how wrong they are. These people mistake our lifestyle with porn, as so many do. Distasteful? Yes. Disgusting? Yes. Disrespectful? Certainly so! As we know, naturism and nudism is about being free from clothes.
If someone gets ‘treated’ to a dick pic, please send them a link to this blog post so they may learn something. I doubt the message will arrive where it’s supposed to go but never give up hope. Not all of them think with the little head.
Instead of a ramble about things from me, here’s a video I would like to share with you.
Maybe some ‘food’ for thought?
