How are you today?

[RobB]

Amazingly,some people still think such things are somehow tainted.My brother-in-law,for example,who has never had to struggle for anything,refuses to countenance anything 2nd-hand.

I can never understand that argument really. If I bought a pair of trousers or a jacket from a store,there's no guarantee that someone hasn't already tried them on in the fitting room only to find that they didn't fit. That being the case the clothes are then second-hand. Buy any book or dvd or cd and there's no guarantee that they are not 'returned' purchases fro whatever reason. One look at the queues in M&S post-Christmas with people returning unwanted/unsuitable gifts shows just how much 'second-hand' merchandise end back on the shelf for re-sale,as none of these returned items get dumped.

A lot of items sold in charity shops are unwanted gifts anyway so are as new as anything sold 'as new' in the retail shops.

Although i'm a big fan of charity shops,my last second-hand (or pre-owned as they tend to be called today) bargain was from my local Cash Converters store where I picked up a Panasonic dvd-recorder (conveniently unlocked and converted to multi-region by it previous owner) for just £35. Almost brand new,its working a treat.

It is a great shame that so much food is just thrown away. I remember reading the electric meters at a small supermarket on one occasion and one of the ladies asked me if i wanted any of the frozen meals/desserts to take home with me? Basically i could help myself to as many as I wanted.

Unfortunatley it was only mid-morning and I was miles away from home and as I knew they wouldn't keep in my van all that time, I had to decline.
With that she just chucked about forty perfectly edible desserts / frozen meals into the skip.

[blue]

Hi folks, just popping in to say hello, hope everyone is well.

I've just finished a longish stretch of working every day due to the manager and supervisor wanting holiday at the same time, I'm very glad to have got through it! I have four days off now to make up for it, so I'll be round and about.

[witchy]

Hi guys,
been too long since I last dropped a line.
This summer is finishing me off. No holidays and some kind of existential crisis I didn't expect but could have foreseen, that's beaten me to a pulp. Thank god my alienated family is very patient and I'm somehow starting to function at basic level again, but I'm not over it yet. It comes and draws me in with giant waves...but it broke my writer's block after a decade, it's more than I dared to ask...so, all in all, I'm alive, more awake than I've been in a looooooong while...love to you all.

[blue]

I'm hungry. I'm very rarely hungry in the morning (I tend to have my main meal quite late in the evening), so I don't really have what you could call a 'breakfast' mindset. I usually just have a fruit smoothie. Today I sense that will not be enough, I need FOOD.

What can a vegan have for breakfast? Not cereal or toast obviously, coz no milk or butter. Hmm, I'mma have to think on that.

Incidentally, funny story about going vegan. Two or three days after I made the decision and cut all the dairy out of my diet, my pee turned a vibrant and rather attractive shade of bright green. Curious, I googled 'bright green pee' and discovered it was due to an excess of the B-group vitamins in my body. I'd started taking a high-dose supplement to counteract the B-vitamin deficiency some vegans can develop.

[sound world]

Plenty of alternatives to butter and milk,Beth!
Is there not a proper wholefood shop where you live? Not 'health'food,but a more funky shop with veg,beans and pulses,grains and racks and racks of alternatives to the multinational food empire? They will help you out.Worth going round slowly and inspecting what everything is,and ask the people who work there because they will be into it themselves,rather than just doing a job.The whole place will also have the highest ethical standards, at least in essence.
Most of my vegan friends drink either Soya Milk (takes some getting used to) or Rice milk-which is lovely. There's plenty of marges that don't have animal fat ( I use Bertolli myself). AND there's a lot of food that you may not know about-eg tofu-that might be new and exciting.
And if it's a question of money,in my book there is never any substitute for quality.In all things.
Anyway,good luck!

[RobB]

Usually for an evening snack I have muesli and cornflakes mixed up in a bowl but I don't bother adding milk to it. So Beth,you can still have cereals for breakfast. Anyway, eat little and often,you won't feel so hungry that way.

I could never be a vegan,sounds too much like hard work to me.

[blue]

Plenty of alternatives to butter and milk,Beth!

Hmm, I'm not really into the alternatives though ... I've tried the soya milk and yogurts, don't like them. I've heard there are non-dairy versions of 'butter', but the thought makes me feel kind of icky for some reason. Same with 'vegan cheese'. The very idea makes me go eewww.

I couldn't think what to have so I didn't bother, and it's almost lunchtime now. I'm much better at lunch, I think I shall go and make a pot of potato and leek soup. Or maybe tomato and lentil. With some seeded bread.

Is there not a proper wholefood shop where you live? Not 'health'food,but a more funky shop with veg,beans and pulses,grains and racks and racks of alternatives to the multinational food empire?

Actually I get all my pulses and stuff from Sainsburys, they have a great section with all that stuff. Oh and I got Japanese soba noodles in there yesterday too, I'm gonna give them a go with my stir-fry. I do love a big veggie stir-fry but it's not the same without noodles. Might have that tonight.

We have a Holland and Barrett here but I don't like going in there, it's very unfriendly and unwelcoming. And expensive. We do a lot of the same stock range as them in my place of work, but cheaper and better quality. We have a really interesting little shop called Wellbeing here too which I've been into a couple of times to check out the vegan skincare ranges and stuff, the lady who runs it is vegan and like me also suffers from weird allergies and stuff too. She was really helpful when I spoke to her recently, but they don't really do foodstuffs in there.

Most of my vegan friends drink either Soya Milk (takes some getting used to) or Rice milk-which is lovely. There's plenty of marges that don't have animal fat ( I use Bertolli myself).

I saw Rice Milk in Sainsburys yesterday too, debated whether to try it but the soya stuff was so horrible it's kind of put me off the whole idea. I find I'm a bit squeamish now. I dunno, might pick it up next week.

Isn't Bertolli still made with milk, though? I know you can get butters that have vegetable fat instead of animal, but milk is still the base, isn't it?


Anyway, my stomach is really rumbling now so I need to go make lunch!

[blue]

Ugh, I had a sudden migraine come on just as I was going to start making my lunch - had to go and lie down instead, and only just woke up about an hour ago. The migraine is gone but I've still had nothing to eat!!

Is it too late to make chips, I wonder? *puts oven on*

[sound world]

Just a quicky,Beth-Rice Milk is much nicer than Soya Milk. I'm afraid Soya Milk is one of those dreadfully worthy things like Barleycup or brown rice,that are just disgusting. Sorry,my wholefood friends.

Holland and Barrett-NO.That's what I mean by a 'Healthfood' shop. They are appalling. Incidentally they used to have an active involvement in maintaining apartheid in South Africa.

I would ask your Wellbeing lady if she knows a good wholefood shop.

Sorry to hear you had a migraine. Lisa (my other half) has had loads lately as she approaches the menopause; they just knock her flat,double vision,retching,the works. She now has these mega-pills so that when she gets the first hint of a migraine aura she takes one and it staves it off,seemingly for good (I can't quite believe they're not just being suppressed but apparently not).

Chips.A good idea.Never too late. Lashings of tomato ketchup,very vegan!

[RobB]

Sorry to hear you had a migraine. Lisa (my other half) has had loads lately as she approaches the menopause; they just knock her flat,double vision,retching,the works.

Oh .......I thought it was due to your piano playing?

[blue]

Just a quicky,Beth-Rice Milk is much nicer than Soya Milk. I'm afraid Soya Milk is one of those dreadfully worthy things like Barleycup or brown rice,that are just disgusting. Sorry,my wholefood friends.

I have to go into work for a couple of hours this afternoon, so I'm gonna pick up some of that Rice Milk from Sainsburys. What is Barleycup? I've had people asking me for that in work, I have no idea what they're talking about.

I've tried and failed many times to cook brown rice. However, I've just discovered Tilda Wholegrain Basmati which is fab, it's the goodness of brown rice but it actually goes cooked! Awesome.

Holland and Barrett-NO.That's what I mean by a 'Healthfood' shop. They are appalling. Incidentally they used to have an active involvement in maintaining apartheid in South Africa.

Oh my god, you're kidding me? Seriously? Ah, another reason to hate them. I've quickly grown to hate them anyway since they took over Julian Graves, their senior management are driving our senior management to breakdowns and resignations, and they're trying to brainwash our lovely Julian Graves staff with their horrible Americanised 'customer service' crap, which involves, amongst other things, walking up to customers in the shop and PUTTING PRODUCTS IN THEIR HANDS. I've told my Area Manager there is NO WAY I'm doing that - I'd be bloody furious if a sales assistant did that to me in a shop, I'd walk out the door. Holland and Barrett people are insane, honestly.

Sorry to hear you had a migraine. Lisa (my other half) has had loads lately as she approaches the menopause; they just knock her flat,double vision,retching,the works. She now has these mega-pills so that when she gets the first hint of a migraine aura she takes one and it staves it off,seemingly for good (I can't quite believe they're not just being suppressed but apparently not).

Probably Migraleve, same stuff I use. It's been so long since I actually had a migraine I've let my supply run out, that one caught me by surprise yesterday. It came on very suddenly, complete with nausea. It fairly knocked me flat, I slept for about 10 hours!

Chips.A good idea.Never too late. Lashings of tomato ketchup,very vegan!

I do mine in the oven with just a little bit of oil, and coat them in Fajita spice. Gorgeousness.

[sound world]

Barleycrap is spawn of Satan masquerading as a coffee substitute.
There is NO substitute for coffee.
(There are several lets-pretend-we're-drinking-coffee things around,Yannoh,Bambu (travesty of the word) etc,but Barleycup takes the cake.It's also one of those products that,when the jar is 2/3 finished,dries to a brick of brown rock,that requires busting the jar to remove.AVOID.)

[blue]

Barleycrap is spawn of Satan masquerading as a coffee substitute.

Eeeww. I'm not that fond of real coffee, never mind fake.

[RobB]

Been packing this afternoon as i'm off for a short break holiday tomorrow.
Should be back Thursday with a few piccies to bore you all with.
ttfn.

[sound world]

Oh, have a good time,Beth!
As for me,we have a nice uneventful weekend ahead before lots of eventfulness.
Last night I went over to Bristol to hear the 'Gypsy Kings and Queens'-20 Eastern European musicians partying hard. Marvellous.
Tonight,I went to see England play Japan at badminton, just happened to be on in Bath, and I used to play a bit...amazing skills on show.Exhausting to watch.
Otherwise business as usual for me, getting several of my kids ready for their piano exams,walking the dog,preparing for the next round of the Special Schools Music Festival (I managed to devise/allocate a £35,000 budget on Excel all by myself the other day.Miracles will never cease. I never passed 'O' level maths,despite my Mum being a Maths teacher. )
Next w/e is my sons birthday and he wants to go up to London on the train and see some of the sights with me. So I'll check out a few eateries etc ready for next April.