The View from my Window, Winter 2014.

It's looking cold out there!

Hope it's not too chilly where you are!?

Library Love, Longbourn, Stone Mattress, Virginia Woolf in Manhattan, Chole Tells you how to Sew.

This month I've been reading, 

Longbourn - Jo Baker

I LOVED this book soo much.  The action takes place in the Bennett household during the same time frame as Pride and Prejudice, but focusing on the experiences of the servants.  It follows the storyline of P & P in the background (which, as a big Jane Austen geek I really liked) but the main focus is on the servants lives, especially as a handsome and mysterious new footman joins the household.

Stone Mattress - Margaret Atwood

This wasn't my favourite Margaret Atwood book, but I think her writing style is so gorgeous I don't think it really matters too much what subject she writes about!  There are 9 short stories in this book, I found some of them quite disturbing, but I think that was the point.

Virginia Woolf in Manhattan - Maggie Gee

I liked the premise of this book, but I found it dragged on a bit, I think it could have easily lost 100 pages and been the better for it.  I liked the three main characters, especially the daughter and I liked imagining what would happen if other famous authors suddenly rematerialised in the modern world. 

Chloe Tells you how to Sew - Chloe Owens

This book is soo pretty, it's lovely to look at.  There are only a couple of projects I would actually want to make, and I think the child's magazine annual style makes it more suitable for children than adults, but it's cute all the same.

What have you been reading?

Winter Balcony, December 2014.

Even though it's December, I still have a few summer flowers on my balcony, as well as the purple, winter flowering pansies I planted.

I even have some rainbow chard growing.  I sowed it from seed about 6 weeks ago, I hope it won't suffer if we get a frost.

How do your gardens grow?

from here

My Frugal, Penny Jar Challenge. The end.

Do you remember my penny jar from here (and here)? 

I counted out all my pennies and I have £41.37.

It's not quite the £70 I was aiming for, but who can complain about having £40 extra just from clearing out your purse every day!

I will split it in two, and take half of the pennies to the supermarket this month and half next, to help pay for my festive shopping.

I will definitely save my pennies up next year too.

Have you been saving for Christmas?  How has it gone?

Easy Eco Actions, December 2014.

Here's my round up of easy, eco friendly actions for this month, 

Add your name to WWF's campaign to stop the use of illegally supplied wood, that damages forests.

Sign Friends of the Earth's petition for a strong 'Robin Hood Tax', for big businesses to pay more taxes to go towards tackling poverty and climate change. 

Use the RSPB's online form to email your MP to ask them to support the 'Nature and Wellbeing Act'. 

Sign this petition to prevent Shell drilling in the Arctic. 

If you have any causes or actions to add then let me know in the comments and if I like it I'll add it in.  And feel free to share any of this info (or the whole post) wherever and with whoever you like - if you sign any of the petitions and use social media then please consider using the share on facebook or twitter options that pop up, it increases the reach of these actions and awareness of these issues even further.

Snowman Swap Yarnbomb.

This year I took part in a snowman swap! 

We each had to crochet or knit a snowman, were paired up with a partner from around the world, then posted our snowmen to each other.  We then yarnbombed our swapped snowmen somewhere around our towns on the 1st of December.

As well as being fun, the snowmen are all wearing a red ribbon for World Aids Day.

I made my snowman from 2 strands of yarn held together, and crocheted with a 4mm hook.  I made him freehand, and stuffed him with some old plastic packaging to give him shape. 

This is the snowman I received, from Vanessa in Essex.  I think he is very spiffing.    

I put my snowman in Wellington Peace Garden, a community garden outside the library where I work.  The little white sign I put him in front of says 'May all beings everywhere be happy, peaceful and free', which I think is lovely.  I did take a cable tie with me to attach my snowman to the wooden sign, but the ground was all muddy so I chickened out!

You can check out all the other swapped snowmen on The Craft Club's Facebook page.

 

Things I Loved this Month, November 2014.

This month I loved...

* Binge watching Torchwood * doing lots of grown up house buying things (buy my flat, anyone?) * Wetherspoons currys * my boy walking all the way to Matalan (about a mile and a half each way) to buy me an owl biscuit barrel, filling it with vegan biscuits and leaving it for me to find in my kitchen <3 * naps on the sofa * watching Doctor Who, Made in Chelsea, Melissa and Joey * Cuddles with both my nieces, the littlest baby is so cute and calm and sleepy and the biggest baby is so cute and runs everywhere!  She has started saying 'oh peeee-eeeeeeese' in an irresistible manner whenever she wants something! * family dinner * pizza night * having a major declutter, I've sent at least 10 carrier bags of stuff to the charity shops and sold some bits on Ebay too * having a lie in * seeing 'The Book of Life' at the cinema, soo pretty * nice work chums * chocolate reindeers * jammy dodgers * proper, wintery cold weather * Birmingham German Market * pigs in blankets crisps * geese flying by in formation * 

Hope you've had a lovely month too! 

Home Grown Harvest, November 2014.

I harvested this little pepper this month! 

I don't think there are many other people in the UK who have eaten a fresh, home grown pepper in November!

Have you harvested anything this month?

What do Vegans Eat? November 2014.

People always ask me 'What do you eat?', so here are a few of the vegan meals I've eaten this month.

Cinnamon raisin bagels, spread with Pure vegan margarine, with OJ for my breakfast.  These bagels are from the brand New York Bakery Co and are really yummy.

My boyfriend invented this vegan wellington, it's made from Linda McCartney Sausages, blended with herbs, shaped into a little loaf shape, covered in mushrooms, vegan pate and puff pastry.  He made roast potatoes and peas to go with it.

Morrisons own brand breaded garlic mushrooms are vegan (as far as I can tell), they're in a purple bag in the freezer section.  You can cook them in the oven or deep fry them, but I've found cooking in the oven makes them go too soft and get stuck to the baking tray.  As I was deep frying anyway, I made homemade chips too.  Yum.

My mum's recipe for potato, leek and lentil bake.  I add in some chopped frozen spinach too, for extra healthiness. 

Vegan pizza! I make my own vegan pizza dough, top with a mixture of tomato ketchup and tomato puree, then whatever veg I fancy.  The top pizza is mushroom, garlic and spring onion, the bottom one is Linda McCartney sausage and red onion.  Both pizzas are topped with a homemade vegan 'cheese' topping made from ground up pine nuts, breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast flakes and onion powder. 

VBites Fish-Free Fish Fingers, with a baked potato and sweetcorn.  I really like these vegan fishless fingers, they're yummy.

What have you been eating?