Just Humans Being...

Some of you know about my fight with Graves Disease, an auto immune system disorder, which causes an overactive thyroid. Since I was diagnosed 7 years ago, I have made it my business to know everything I possibly could about the condition & this has probably saved my life. I have blood tests on a regular basis & in November last year, I was told that my T4 levels are normal & again in January the same.  My thyroid stimulating hormone was finally starting to work too, after 7 years of lying dormant, so I suggested I came off the anti thyroid drug & my GP's response was to continue for a while longer. A month ago, I rang my GP & suggested again that I come off the drug or at least halve it, as I was feeling so well  & was concerned about the drug pushing me into being under active. Again, she said to be patient & they would send for me when it's time for a blood test. I don't normally do as I'm told, but decided to stick with it a b

Good Morning! We're still here... Just busy & about to go off to clean two cottages. Always lots to do & we have our first guests arriving in 2 weeks time... Spent 2 hours with our local vicar yesterday - not because we've found religion, but she wanted advice about cleaning her blinds! Instead of just popping in - we ended up chatting about everything & more. Consequently didn't get home until 7pm, made dinner & went straight to bed!  Feel better for the early night! Hope you've all had a good week & look forward to catching up soon. Kay & Sime  xx

Our garden yesterday. Tall Nettles TALL nettles cover up, as they have done These many springs, the rusty harrow, the plough Long worn out, and the roller made of stone: Only the elm butt tops the nettles now. This corner of the farmyard I like most: As well as any bloom upon a flower I like the dust on the nettles, never lost Except to prove the sweetness of a shower. ~ Edward Thomas ~ Every time we venture out to pick nettles, Sime always goes on about this poem! Anyway, thought I'd share with you the article I've written for next month's Parish Magazine... Our hedgerows are coming alive with food aplenty, but hardly anyone really notices the nettles that surround us, they grow quietly while using their juices to produce a medicine that can bring health. Anaemia, arthritis, rickets, tuberculosis, respiratory diseases, colds, catarrh and lymphatic problems can all benefit from this wonderful wild and free super food. Nettles are rich in ca

We've had two really tough days of cleaning up after holidaymakers.  Yesterday we started at 7am & worked until 4pm, then Sime had a gig in North Cornwall & I was staying at home, until a neighbour persuaded me that I should go to see the band with her, so I got home at 12.30am & Sime returned after 1am... Today was the worst, as the apartment we cleaned this morning had been left in a terrible state - so a job which should normally take 5 hours between us, actually took nearly 9 hours... This then had a knock on effect on our next clean, we ended up being over an hour late & were still working when the guests arrived... This particular house, we have thought about giving up on several occasions - just because the house is a little out of the way & doesn't pay a great lot, but after Sime's outburst on arrival & his announcement that we want to finish, we were asked to join the owners for a cuppa afterwards...  Two hours later we emerged from their

We continue to be blown away by the amount of folks emailing us about wanting to change their diet or talk about home education & these are not just people following our blog... The comments to our posts are always great & positive, but the emails are mostly from people who have been inspired by something we've blogged about or from someone we've met & these sometimes reduce me to tears! Some years ago we were WWOOF hosts, we were living on a smallholding & we opened our home up to people (from all over the world) who wanted to come & help us on the land - creating an organic vegetable garden. In return for their help, we gave them a room, fed them vegan meals & treated them as part of the family. Some stayed for a few days, some stayed for a few weeks. It was an absolutely wonderful experience - learning from each other & so interesting for the kidlets too.  We made some very special bonds & continue to be in touch with some of those folks, but

You may think that all Sime does is sit around playing guitars... He does do a lot of that, but he also makes a mean... Pot of nettle tea... And the most delicious porridge in the world ♥ With pears, bananas, goji berries, linseeds, sesame seeds, molasses & cinnamon. He also makes incredible scrambled tofu with onions, garlic, beansprouts, chopped greens & miso.  Nice with rice or on toast! He makes fantastic pasta sauces too - this one is just a quick one made with a tin of tomatoes, but he starts all the veg off in water & he knows better than me how long to cook it all for... He used smoked paprika, basil & oregano along with the veg & a little black pepper. Fresh herbs really make the dish!  This is a dish we made together - a vegetable bake.  The base is made from millet & quinoa, cooked together & then some soy sauce & chopped raw garlic added at the end. It's a great way of using up any leftover steamed or roasted veg - just add to a base

The builders have finally finished today!!! Time to get on with getting straight again & more importantly...  Light up the woodburner! Sime couldn't wait... What was an insane dream of mine just a year ago has become a reality... The cats are still unsure about it - even with their favourite blanket down we couldn't persuade them...  Happy as Larry... Whoever he was! After about a month of eating off our laps - we've got our table back! Last night's leftovers - vegetable bake, mashed potato & miso mushy peas. Washed down with a celebratory glass of Asa's delicious Blueberry Whiskey (Sime's crimbo prezzie from Rose & Asa)! We decided to have quite a change around & clear out in the dining room & make use of the window seats... Looks more like a taverna - which is nice!   The books are staying though! We are sitting in here with the doors open & it's warm - it's just amazing... And we are very happy! Kay & Sime  xx