Balance

To balance out yesterdays post  :-)

Yes, I am vegan, or plant based whatever you want to call me.  I don't need a label, just as I don't need to eat meat.  I made a bad choice and ate some fish last week, it took me two days to get over it .... I won't do that again.

I am the happiest with my dietary choices as I have ever been.  It's amazing how much lighter you feel in yourself when you don't consume others, and when you tread lightly on this earth.

Sue xx

Getting the Gooseberry Harvest In

We only planted our Gooseberry bushes, last year.  Well they were twigs really, cuttings taken from our neighbour Mary's garden and looking like dead things all Winter, so we were chuffed to little mint balls when they produced lovely strong shoots and branches early this Spring.  Every time we passed them on the way to the paddock we glimpsed the development of the fruit and kept our fingers crossed that they would grow to an edible size.

Well they did ... and more importantly we beat the birds to actually harvesting them for ourselves. 

Not the biggest harvest in the world but I was determined to do them justice.

So I stewed them briefly with some sugar, put them in the bottom of two glasses and left them in the fridge to chill for a while.  Then later when we were ready to eat them they were topped with Oatly vanilla custard and a packet each of crushed Biscoff biscuits.

Absolutely delicious.

It's all about making the most of everything we have from now on, and this use of our small crop was definitely the way to make the most of this years gooseberry harvest.

Sue xx

So .... what's different ?

I snuck back in last week to do a 'comparison' post and although I thought I wouldn't be noticed, it seems lots of you have been looking out for me ... thank you for caring  :-)

So I thought you all deserved an update on what's been happening here on our little bit of Welsh hillside since I vanished from this blog last December.  Although I have been in action in a slightly sporadic fashion over on my other blog 'Polytunnel Vegan' 

Well as you can see from the top photo not much has changed in the kitchen.

Spring has finally come to this cold, wet and windy part of Wales, with blossom on the Almond trees in Nut Wood, and also just this morning appearing on the cherry trees in the fruit orchard.

Ginger has claimed one of the dog beds as his own, usually the small one ...

... as he has found out if he gets in the bigger one the others simply pile on top of him.

I'm still saving the pennies .... in this instance by washing and reusing plant labels from last year.

Suky's diet is working well. 

She's now down from her original 12.2kg to a much healthier and happier 8.2 kg.  She would most likely love this photo, it makes her look even slimmer than she is!!

I still cook homegrown veggies from the poly and net tunnels .... only now I'm no longer a vegetarian.

I'm a vegan :-)

(As you might have guessed from the name of my other blog.)

The polytunnel is just starting to fill up with freshly sown seeds and newly turned beds. But I'm taking it slower this year as the nights have been toe curlingly cold here.

I wore out my old salad spinner and had to invest in a new one.

And Mavis has turned into the most laid back and loving little doggie you can possibly imagine.  Even being allowed off the lead on our property as long as we are close by.

So although there are some changes here, there are lots of things that are ticking over in just the same soul satisfying way.  I still don't really know if I want to come back into daily or even regular blogging, but after all your lovely comments last week, I am considering it, or at the very least popping up from time to time when there is something I feel is worth writing about.

Thank you for reading and for taking the time to send your comments.

Sue xx