What I've been reading.

Here's what I've been reading recently, lovely library books and some second hand finds too,

Doctor Who Time Lord Fairy Tales

This book has the most gorgeous illustrations and it looks beautiful on the shelf.  The stories are quite simply told, in the same style as fairy tales, so it's best to leave any literary expectations aside and imagine baby Time Lords being told these stories.  I especially liked the story of Cinderella and the Magic Box and the Three Little Sontarans.

Sofia Khan is Not Obliged - Ayisha Malik

This is a typical chick lit, rom-com, but with a twist as the main character is a strict British Muslim and the focus is on her love life.  I don't think this was a brilliantly written book, but I got into it and it was a really interesting insight into Muslim culture, which it turns out I know little about despite living in an area with a huge Muslim community.  It's nice to learn something. 

The Treasure Hunters - Enid Blyton

I picked up this 1960s edition of The Treasure Hunters for 20p in a charity shop.  It's not an Enid Blyton story I've read before and it was a nice comfort read, full of adventure, picnics, and a naughty dog.  I was mostly attracted to it because it looks like it's been printed in a proper printing press, and by the cute, retro illustrations.

The Girls - Emma Cline

Evie's boring summer is dramatically turned around when she gets involved with a cult, implicated in an infamous murder.  It's set in 1969, all hippies and living in a commune, but The Girls gives a deeper look at the dysfunction rife in that kind of living arrangement.  It's told from the present day, with a grown up Evie looking back on her youth.  Although I've never lived in a commune, I did find a lot of Evie's thoughts relatable and familiar to my own as a teen and as a woman.

Vinegar Girl - Anne Tyler

The Hogarth Shakespeare series sees popular authors updating Shakespearian plays.  Vinegar Girl is Anne Tyler's version of The Taming of the Shrew.  This is the first book I've read by her and I thought it was just OK, easy to read and quite sweet, it shows a different imagining of the story and is less extreme than the play, or the Richard Burton/Elizabeth Taylor film.  But to be honest I prefer 10 Things I Hate About You.

What have you been reading?  

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Diary of a suburban edible garden, January 2017.

I made it into the garden for the first time this year!  It was so nice to be out there pottering about and doing some weeding.  

I meant to empty my compost bin and mulch the garden in autumn but I didn't get round to it.  I opened the compost bin today to see what was in there...

...composting is so magical!  I'm so happy!  I know you should mulch in autumn or spring, but I've missed autumn and I can't wait till spring so I'm going to mulch in winter!  I did a little bit today but I think I'll need a full day to deal with the compost bin, it's going to be a dirty and heavy job! 

I came up with a mulchy method to add some nutrients and structure to the soil, and protect it - I've invented it myself so I hope it works!  It seems in keeping with the no dig methods I use in the garden at least.  First I weeded by hand, then I spread a layer of fallen leaves over the soil.  After that I spread a thin layer of hay over the leaves, then a layer of my beautiful home-made compost.  

I hope to be planting veggies in the garden by the end of April or May, which gives the mulch at least 4 months to rot down, and if it's still hanging around I'll just plant through it.

Here's another shot of my compost, just because it's pretty and I can't quite believe it worked!

Do you remember by worm compost bin?  I kind of neglected it and didn't add anything to it for 2 months (sorry worms!).  I was a bit scared to check it, but I looked today and there are still live worms in there!  Yey!  I've fed them and added some shredded paper and water too.  I'll be a better worm looker afterer in future.

Anyway, enough brown composty photos, there are green shoots poking up all over the garden.  Some are weedy but some are bulbs.

Last year I planted some elephant garlic in this pot, but it didn't grow and I thought it had rotted away, but there's something growing there now, and I don't remember planting anything else in there and it looks quite garlicky.  Fingers crossed it's the elephant garlic!

There are a few flowers in the garden, some colourful winter pansies, primroses and this hebe I bought for 50p when we first moved in here has flowered for the first time.

In the front garden the raised bed still has some lettuce growing happily away, and the garlic I cleared out from my fridge and planted has sprouted up too.

For posterity's sake here's a full photo of the back and side gardens - lots to do before spring!  

I didn't rake any leaves up in Autumn, so I have a garden full of them now (there are big trees behind our garden!) - eeek!  At least they're good for wildlife!

How are your garden's doing?

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What I ate in a day, vegan New Year's Eve eats.

I love this nosey sort of blog post when other people write them, so here's what I ate in a typical, vegan day.  

I took these photos on New Year's Eve, I ate some fruits and veggies but some yummy treats too - my days are usually a little less heavy on the crisps!

For breakfast I had some fruit, an apple and a clementine.  I got up, dressed and had a walk into town, to the market and supermarket to pick up some supplies, and to get some fresh air because I knew I was going to spend all evening watching TV on the sofa!




Lunch was one of those picky meals, they're my favourite kind and they always feel a bit festive and buffet like to me.  I cooked up 3 Fry's vegan chicken nuggets to have with some cubed Violife vegan cheese, pistachios, paprika pringles, some Bournville chocolate and some tiny chocolate cookies.



Tea was Chinese-ish, some Iceland own brand mini vegetable spring rolls (which are really yummy, garlicky and gingery, and only £1 for 16), rice with spring onion, soy sauce and toasted sesame seeds, steamed broccoli and sautéed garlicky leeks.

We saw the new year in watching Supergirl, cosy on the sofa.  I finished up my Christmas chocolate, some Bournville and the last of my Hotel Chocolat vegan chocolate reindeer.  I had a little bowlful of Walkers Max paprika crisps, and finished off the tube of paprika Pringles too!

Don't forget to check out my other vegan blog posts for more vegan meal inspiration! 

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For Christmas, pretty Gisela Gottschlich illustrations.

Merry Christmas everyone!  

Here are some gorgeous retro Christmas illustrations to look at and say 'oooh' and 'aaaah', they're from 'My Big Christmas Book' and I think most of the illustrations are by Gisela Gottschlich.  

I hope you all have a lovely festive season.

Lots of love, Susie xx

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Eco friendly articles and actions, December 2016.

Just in time for Christmas, here are a few easy online actions and interesting articles to make the world a better place, 

Quick grow some wildflowers and stop using pesticides - some species of bees have been put on the extinction list for the first time ever! 

Photo via BBC

I think I'd like to live in Tinkers Bubble in Somerset, please.

Check out 10:10's guide to keeping your home toasty warm this Christmas.

Ask supermarkets to switch to paper stemmed cotton buds (the plastic kind are cloggging up our sewers and oceans), by signing this open letter.

Support for fracking in the UK is at an all-time low. Despite the government backing fracking wherever it is proposed, people and communities object to it.  After the ratification of the Paris climate agreement the UK government needs to take action and keep fossil fuels in the ground by banning fracking in the UK.  More than 200 areas of the UK are earmarked for possible fracking - let’s stop it now before the floodgates open.

Via Friends of the Earth.

Sign Friends of the Earth's petition against Fracking.  

So, Theresa May's government wants companies to make lists available of all their foreign workers.  Bit scary, sign this petition to say that's not cool Theresa. 

Photo via mmn.com

If I can't live in Tinkers Bubble, I'll live in this 'agrihood' in Detroit.

 

I post these kinds of things on twitter all month, so find me there if this is your kind of thing too!

 

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Vegan rice krispie treat recipe, with Freedom Mallows vegan marshmallows.

These vegan rice krispie treats are sweet, light and yummy!  I was sent some vegan marshmallows from Freedom Mallows to try, they're delicious to eat on their own, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to whip up some lovely vegan treats!

You will need

1 75g packet vanilla Freedom Mallows

2 desert spoons vegan margarine

2 or 3 cups of rice krispies

Pan, spoon and a tin or tray.

How to make yummy vegan rice krispie treats

Melt the margarine in the pan over a gentle heat.

Add the vegan marshmallows and stir until they've melted.

Add rice krispies slowly into the pan, until they're covered with a light coating of the marshmallow mixture and are sticking together.

Push into a tin, tray or pyrex dish and firm and flatten out with the back of a spoon.

Chill in the fridge, then cut into squares and enjoy!

Freedom Mallows come in vanilla and strawberry flavours, and they're free from egg, dairy, gluten, gelatine, soy, GMOs and nuts, and they're suitable for vegetarians and vegans!  Phew!  They're also yummy, soft and melt in the mouth-y.  

My chief omnivore taste tester, Joe, say's the Freedom Mallows are just as good as non-vegan mallows and that my homemade vegan rice krispie treats are just as good as the Kellogs ones he buys from the shop. 

Have you tried Freedom Mallows yet?

Disclosure - I was sent the Freedom Mallows to try.  I only work with brands I like and all opinions are my own.  

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Ways to be kind, to give and to do good this Christmas.

It's nearly Christmas and I've bought my fair share of presents, but there are other, more important ways to give during the festive season, for a happier, kinder world.  Here are some of them.  

Give money to charity.

This is the effort free option to give at Christmas, (if you have some spare cash that is!).  So many charities have websites that make it super easy to donate.  In general my personal favourite eco friendly charities are Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace and I like the Dr Hadwen Trust who fund non-animal medical research.   

If you're concerned about what's happening in the world right now then here are some more causes to spare some pennies for,

Planned parenthood (in light of the not so pro-choice business going on in America thanks to Trump and Pence).

For charities helping Aleppo check out these lists, from The Independent and Huffpost, and if you want to know why you should donate to help people in Aleppo watch this (warning it's very distressing).

So many elderly people are alone at Christmas, donate to Age UK, who provide lots of services for elderly people.

Your local wildlife refuge will be busy this winter looking after lots of hedgehogs and other beasties, I'm sure they'd appreciate a donation.  My local wildlife rescue is Cuan House and they do great work.

Give kindness.

Simple things like offering to help someone with a buggy up the stairs, holding the door or making way for the person using a wheelchair can brighten someone's day and make a little difference.

Donate your belongings.

There's an idea of a reverse advent calendar going round at the moment, put an item to donate to a charity shop or food bank into a box every day during advent then donate it at the end.  Or you can go the old fashioned route and go through your wardrobe and discard anything that doesn't bring you joy!   I've taken several bags to my favourite local charity shop (it raises money for the day centre my Grandparent's used), I even gave them the bag of 'good stuff' I was saving to E-bay, because lets face it they've been hanging round for 6 months and I'm never going to get round to it!

Buy second hand.
Pick up decorations or Christmas party frocks from charity shops or Ebay, it saves you money and reuses resources.

Give to food or toy banks.

In my area there are collections for both food and toy banks, by the local council and charities.  There are food bank collection bins in loads of supermarkets, so it's super easy to pick up a tin of soup to pop in while you're doing your shopping.  I don't tend to buy toys for the toy bank (too plasticy, my neices are getting nice cotton kitty-cat socks for Christmas this year!) and gifts need to be new, but I have a couple of new craft books I've never, ever read that I plan to donate.  The toy bank caters for young adults as well as little ones, and they're often short of gifts to give them, so it's a perfect opportunity to regift those brand new drawing books, plus some new ones, to a better home.

Shop local this Christmas.

Try to buy some presents or Christmas food supplies from your local market or shops.  Spending within your local economy means more money stays in your area and gets reinvested in more local jobs and services, and it makes your local business owners happy.

Give Compliments.
So far I've told the lady in the wool shop I love her window display (knitted 12 days of Christmas), several library customers I like their Christmas jumpers and one of my Rainbow guides that she has good dance moves.  I plan on giving at least 10 random compliments before Christmas comes.  You can do this really easily on social media too.  Just scroll through your Instagram or Facebook feed and spread the love to your online friends.     

What will you be giving this Christmas?

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My favourite way to eat left over chips.

What's that I hear you say, left over chips?  Surely such a thing doesn't happen, you eat up all your yummy chips as soon as they pop out of the fryer/oven/takeaway.  But surprisingly sometimes there are left over chips, and this is how I like to eat them up.

Chop the chips up roughly into bite size pieces.

Heat a frying pan and spray in a couple of squirts of oil.

Put the chopped chips into the pan, with a good sprinkle of paprika and

a finely chopped clove of garlic.

Fry for about 5 minutes, add a chopped spring onion for the last minute.

That's it.  Easy peasy, I like to eat it for brunch! 

How do you use up your left over chips?  (if you ever have any, haha!)

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What I've been reading.

Here's what I've been reading recently, lovely library books and some second hand finds too,

Dumplin' - Julie Murphy

Oh I loved Dumplin'.  Dumplin' is a self proclaimed fat girl from Texas, a high school student with a job in a fast food joint and a mother who runs a teen beauty pagent.  When her aunt dies, Dumplin' enters the beauty pagent and confonts lots of her own (and others) beliefs about her body (thoughts that ring true to me, as someone who is currently plus sized, but who felt fat even as a size 10!).  There's also a brooding, hot co-worker, high school friendships and Dolly Parton.  Read it!

Royal Wedding - Meg Cabot

This is the 11th book in the Princess Diaries series we probably all remember from our teenagery times.  In fact I found the whole collection of Princess Diaries books in a charity shop for 30p each and re-read them in preparation for reading Royal Wedding.  This 11th installment picks up the same characters in their twenties, it's nice to see where they all end up, and there's the promised royal wedding.  Perfect comfort reading.

Hag-seed - Margaret Atwood

Oooh this is a clever book, as all Margaret Atwood books tend to be.  Hag-seed is a retelling of the Tempest, set in the unlikely (but workable!) world of a prison theatre group. I love Shakespeare and I love Margaret Atwood and I loved this book! 

Craft for the Soul - Pip Lincolne

Craft for the Soul is a nice self-help style book to help you live a happy and creative life.  It's nothing ground breaking, but I found it full of gentleness, inspiration and nice ideas.  I love the craft section at the back too.

What have you been reading?  

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Life lately, autumn 2016.

So, it's been pretty quiet on the old blogging front for the last few months.

The last few weeks have been the worst.  A couple of weeks ago I had a miscarriage, I was 11 weeks pregnant.  I *knew* I was pregnant since the day I was (I just felt it), so I had nearly 3 months to dream and hope and plan.  We were planning on telling everyone after the 12 week scan, but I've ended up telling pretty much everyone our different news, as I've been such a weepy, hormonal mess.  Miscarriage totally sucks and it's hurty and my heart's broken.  It was a really scary, traumatic experience and I'm really fed up of feeling poorly!  

But.  During those 11 weeks my body did something magic and made a tiny creature (my body also felt very very sick a lot!  And so sleepy.), and I was so happy and excited, and the way I think about so many things changed, and I fell even more in love with my husband.  I wouldn't ever take back those weeks of being pregnant.  Maybe this will be my only, short, experience of carrying a baby, and I don't want to feel bitter about it.  But I wish with all my heart it had turned out differently.  

Anyway, I'm trying to focus on nice, positive things and getting back to some kind of normality, so here's what else I've been up to these last few months,

Watching - all of the Netflix, the new seasons of Arrow and Flash, we saw Dr Strange at the cinema, and very good it was too.

Reading - so much comfort reading, I bought the entire series of Princess Diaries for 30p each in a charity shop, so I've been working my way through them.  I've just started Margaret Atwood's Hagseed too, I love a bit of Margaret Atwood! 

Home renovating - The kitchen cupboards are (almost!) in!  The quote for the stainless steel worktop was £3000!!!! We're going to have a plain white one instead!  Our new massive wardrobe with a slide-y door from IKEA is a thing of wonder.

Weddinging - My mum married her partner last month, ending a 12 month period where my brother, me and our mum all got married!  The wedding was lovely but that's enough weddings for now!

Auntie-ing - I was chief bridesmaid at mum's wedding, my main job being in charge of my neices.  I had a handbag full of distracting toys so each time they looked like they were making a break towards clinging to mum's legs (their location of choice!) I was on hand to offer Peppa pig colouring books/toy mice/bubbles/tiaras/dollies and so on.  Needless to say I didn't see much of the wedding!  

Printing - I went on a lino printing course, I printed a snail, it was so good!  When we sort our garden craft shed we're definitely having lino printing supplies in there!  We were taught by a local artist called Amanda Hillier, check out her prints, we were so lucky to be able to be taught by her!

Playing - a lot of words with friends with my mum! 

Buying - we bought a new mattress, funnily enough husband wasn't happy sleeping on the double mattress I've had since I was 15.  New mattress is king sized and so high I might need to buy a step to help me get into bed!

Being scared - by the American election results!

Working - the date we have to reapply  for our jobs keeps getting pushed further and further back, we'll be in December before we can submit our applications!  I'm doing some super fun freelance writing for a vegan leather brand that I'm really enjoying.

Guiding - My Rainbow Guide unit has closed and merged with another due to lack of adult helpers, I'm sad because I loved my little Rainbow unit.  I'm going to help at the unit we've merged with, hope it's nice there too!

Looking forward to - thank goodness that Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, AND the new Gilmore Girls are both nearly out.  I'm realllly looking forward to both of them!  I can't wait for our traditional visit to Birmingham's Christmas market either.   

Blogging - well, I haven't really been blogging, but I will!  

Hope you've had a good autumn and have been finding lots of crunchy leaves to stomp through and making yourselves into blanket burritos and snuggling up! 

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