Fantasy made real

If the age of old fantasy stories is your thing, then the artwork of The Blackheart Gang is something to be explored. A wicked sense of humour, creativity, imagination and great storytelling is what drives The Blackheart Gang - prophets, explorers and charlatans. Step into their world....

The Blackheart Gang is a collaboration between Ree Treweek and Markus Wormstorm. They think of themselves as archivists documenting the realms of imagination.

They claim they have the ability to travel to another realm, a place they call The Household. It is here in the Household, the legend goes, that they collect the histories which form the body of their work. After years of tirelessly exploiting the natives of many different continents, The Blackheart Gang wipe the sweat from their brow and take a step back to appreciate the fruits of their labours - the retelling of stories through sculpture, music and paintings... and, in some cases, even pastries. In studying their work, it becomes apparent why lemons are the bitterest of fruit, why bears are transformed into gold and where bathwater flows to.

Their film, 'The Tale Of How', raked in a score of international awards and propelled The Blackheart Gang onto the international stage. They have exhibited their work around the world and spoken at many international art conferences.

Their exhibit 'Postcards from Molotia' is a collection of prints and sculptures documenting the people from the war-torn jungles of the Molotian Bog, exploring the unsteady relationship between imperialism and tribalism.

View The Tale of How prints and the sculptures of Postcards from Molotia

Smallest GPS Tracking Device

Not only is this tracking device the smallest (measuring only 35mm in diameter and 15mm thick) on the market, it has long-life power due to its onboard solar panel, and its GPS tracking capabilities combined with free Android, iPhone & Web Apps, will allow almost anything to be tracked, anywhere in the world.

Their GPS tracking features allow the setting up of a Geo-Zone with Geo-fences (selected as shapes or manually by dragging the fence area to suit specific needs) which triggers either a text, email or ringtone once the Retrievor moves out of the zone. The Retrievor's exact location can be pinpointed in real time by zooming in on the GPS map, while speed, distance traveled and route taken can also be checked and is accurate to within 1.5 meters of the item / child / pet. It can also be set to activate live tracking on movement and sleep mode when stationary to save battery power.

As from the new year and once all the early supporters have received their pre-orders, they will go to full scale production of up to 10,000 units per month, and with great excitement, have already begun the design of their new tracking device (the RT-102) which will be 20 to 30% smaller, and will be testing various power source technologies in the hope that they could create a device that won't need a recharge for a minimum of 1 year, irrespective of the conditions (day/night).

Sources : Indiegogo.

Saying goodbye to the aliens

• They impact negatively on the hydrology of an area and use up precious water supplies (i.e. interfere with waterways)
• They destabilise river banks
• They are vigorous growers and out-compete indigenous species by occupying spaces where indigenous species would thrive
• They destroy the balance of habitats and therefore impact negatively on indigenous fauna
• In some cases their seeds lie dormant for 70 -100 years resulting in continuous and dense re-growth
• They are very flammable and cause frequent and very hot fires

Any control programme for alien vegetation must include the following 3 phases:

1. Initial control: drastic reduction of existing population
2. Follow-up control: control of seedlings, root suckers and coppice growth
3. Maintenance control: sustain low alien plant numbers with annual control

To make it easier for the first encounter with the alien kind, there is a handbook with information for killing invading alien plants (with minimal damage to indigenous vegetation) that is easy to understand and adopt. This handbook describes botanical concepts such as serotiny (the retention of seeds until the death of the plant) and myrmecochory (dispersal of seeds by ants) as well as other 'tricks' employed by alien species to ensure their survival. Diagrams explaining the appropriate methods of eradication for each species are included and are self explanatory but will require some degree of familiarisation by the user.

To read up on clearing aliens buy the The Alien Clearing Handbook for the Western Cape.

Route 62

Ronnie painted the name Ronnie's Shop on this cottage next to the R62, planning to open a farm stall to sell fresh produce and fruit. His friends played a prank on him by changing the name to Ronnie's Sex Shop. Initially angry about the involuntary name change, Ronnie left the name and continued fixing the dilapidated building. His friends would stop by for a chat, having a few beers and throwing a couple of chops on the fire. During one of these evenings, someone suggested: "Why don't you just open a pub?" and so he did.

Ronnie's Sex Shop has had visitors from all over the world, judging by the graffiti, it has also become a regular pitstop for bikers, the local farmers and people travelling this road regularly.

But before you get your hopes up to visit the only sex shop out in the middle of nowhere, make sure you familarise yourself with what to expect:

• A bar stocked with a large variety
• A small menu for Pub lunches
• Braai facilities with braai packs and salads available
• A cuddle puddle for the young (and not so young!)
• Party without disturbing the neighbours (what neighbours?)
• Meet locals and people from all over the world
• No sex paraphernalia or any items relating to sex, although there is underwear hanging from the ceiling over the bar

Closing off for the year

We are finishing our last projects for the year, please note that Living Matter will close for the holidays on Thursday 11 December 2014.

Dimorphotheca Jucunda
(Trailing Pink Daisy)

Family :

Description :

Flowering time :

Conditions :

• Full sun
• Little water
• Evergreen
• Fost resistant
• Wind resistant
• Sandy soil

View more detailed information on this plant in our plant directory.

The great way to edging off small or large grass areas is to edge the lawn with something permanent.

Permanent edging makes the lines of the lawn areas structured, it keeps it neat and prevents bed sizes and shapes changing over time.

Cobblestones in a singular line make a fantastic contemporary modern bed edging.

Purple broccoli

Seeds can be sown or plants can be planted for the following herbs and veggies this month:

Vegetables Beans Beetroot Broccoli Cabbage Carrots Celery Cauliflower Cucumber Eggplant Lettuce Mielies Peppers Pumpkin Radish Squash Sweetcorn Swisschard Tomatoes Turnips

Herbs Basil Coriander Chives Chamomile Dill Mustard Oreganum Parsley Rocket Thyme Watercress

View our full planting plan in our resources section of our website.

We all love a chance to test our own brain capacity with brain teasers. Try see if you can figure out this one...

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Contact Cheral:

Cell: 082 82 509 82
Email: info@livingmatter.co.za
Website: www.livingmatter.co.za