Just Humans Being...

Over the years, our life has become simpler...  We work less, buy less & do less.  Last week, we spent a wonderful few days with our kidlets - all of them, here, together, enjoying each others' company.  Feasting together, playing board games, sharing stories, talking pretty much non-stop, laughing & exchanging our (late as usual) Secret Santa gifts - Perfect! As always, the Secret Santas' have oozed with imaginative creativity - much more fun than spending hours & money buying countless gifts. Our rules are: Only spend up to £10 & it should be home made or second hand - just one person to buy for... Simple!!! There is a lovely warm feeling having our gang around us & we feel topped up with love, hugs & fun.  There's nothing quite like it! The week before was spent celebrating 3 birthdays... Hugo & Jess both turned 18 & Bebe's birthday was sandwiched between the two - she is now 85. When Bebe moved

Happy New Year to you all! We've had quite a difficult time with Bebe... She is not the same person who moved in with us just over a year ago & since starting with a chest infection just before Christmas - she has lost her appetite & a stone in weight! Penicillin has perked her up a little, but we've had lots of sleepless nights which are just exhausting for all of us! Saying this, it hasn't stopped us from having some lovely times with family & friends over the holiday period... While staying in Bishop's Castle we had a meet up with friends, Shelley & Kelli in Wales...  Sime was in Shelley's band - The Hidden Persuaders back in the early 90s & after losing touch, they found each other on facebook a couple of years ago. This time we got to meet her fabulous Wife too & enjoyed a lovely afternoon chat, coffee & cake! A flying visit to Stoke & a lovely evening spent with Gerry & Brenda (AKA Nana Stip-Pep). Bre

The Pathway To Home From Amnesty International After having a wonderful week away - we returned to a difficult time with Bebe, resulting in her having emergency respite & input from the complex care team. She is home again & it's not easy, but we have had some quality time with all the kidlets & have finished work for a few days in theory (although are still on call) - so we are just going to make the most of our time - chill out & give Bebe the attention she craves, as well as eat, be merry & enjoy extra time with Rose & Asa who are joining us again on Christmas Day. We hope you all have a splendid yule! Love Kay & Sime xx

We have been desperate for some time out & were so happy when a plan came together at the last minute... This has been our base for the last few days. A small apartment in a beautiful old house right in the middle of Bishop's Castle... Above a fabulous cafe... Such a quirky place... With the tiniest of bathroom doorways... Which Sime keeps banging his head on... We are so happy to be having some time to ourselves...  No work, no care giving, no responsibilities, no clock watching.  Just doing exactly what we want to do, which so far has been perfect!!! Kay & Sime xx

We hope you have enjoyed our month of vegan posts in support of World Vegan Month & if you feel inspired to improve your health & want to avoid the unnecessary murder of our animal friends - then here is some ongoing free help from Viva's  30 Day Vegan Plan . We keep forgetting to take photos of our meals, but since our Wednesday veg box delivery we have had: Wed - spinach pasta with red pepper & courgette in fresh tomato sauce, with steamed broccoli on the side. Thur - chilli (from leftover pasta sauce) & brown basmati rice, with added mushrooms, kidney beans & sweetcorn. Fri - red lentil hippy slop with mushrooms, mashed spuds, steamed cabbage & carrots. Sat - leftovers made into cottage pie with dry roasted brussel sprouts... Tonight's dinner - red cabbage & shallot stew (cooked in the slow cooker), served with baked sweet potatoes, dry roasted courgettes & scrambled tofu with mushrooms, garlic & fresh turmeric. We

My childhood best buddy died last week, she had battled with breast cancer for 8 years. We had been friends since we were 4 years old, though we had practically lost touch - she found me via social media a few years ago. We were pretty inseparable in our teens, more like sisters & very much a part of each other's families. We attended the same college after finishing school & even lived together in North London for a while... We shared a house with the guy she would eventually spend her life with & I think I knew it before they did. I returned home to care for my siblings when my mum was taken ill & within weeks of returning, I was offered a well paid post with the local authority. A few months later, when Sime & I got together - I realised my return up north was meant to be! My friend & I continued to meet up occasionally, but our growing families meant it was difficult, we had various commitments & so time went on, moving further & further aw

If you live in or near Bristol go along to this tomorrow...  Taste a whole range of vegan foods from international dishes you can whiz up at home to ready-to-go convenience foods Receive one-to-one nutritional advice Pick up free recipes and helpful factsheets Sit in on cookery demos and informative talks Browse and buy lots of vegan goodies – from chocolate to cruelty-free cosmetics, bags to books, convenience foods to clothing, wallets to wallcharts and cuddly toys to T-shirts and more! Find out how you can get active Take a break with a cuppa and veggie snack  So if you've ever given the idea of going veggie - or even better vegan - a go but need a helping hand, come along, and pick up your free copy of our It’s Time to go Veggie magazine (all vegan!), packed with tips, recipes, celebrity views, nutritional info and detailing the many reasons why "it's time to go vegan". Sounds like it's going to be a great day!!! Kay &am

We've been debating what John McDougall is saying in this video about salt & sugar... I agree that if helps a person to stay on track, then salt & sugar are ok in moderation, but Sime thinks he should be talking about the alternatives, because iodised table salt & white sugar are really not good at all. We use sea salt sparingly & did buy a bag of  Breton Marais natural sea salt last time we were in Brittany, which is great in bread. We occasionally use organic dark sugars or maple syrup in baking, but mainly stick to medjool dates these days. We have found since cutting out oil that our taste buds have improved, so we don't need to use much in the way of seasoning & definitely feel better for it! Kay xx    

Wednesdays are always exciting as it's the day our veg box & extras arrive... We have a large box, which is supposed to be enough for 4 people per week - it used to feed up to 6, but a recent regrade brought in a new bumper box for more pennies... It costs £17.25 & this week's contains: potatoes, carrots, onions, leeks, broccoli, red cabbage, brussel sprouts, tomatoes, sweet potatoes & a salad bag.  Although it's mainly just the two of us eating - we do eat lots of vegetables, so each week we buy extras... Our regular weekly order is: 2 bags of bananas, 1 bag of apples, 2 tubs of mushrooms, 2 lemons, 3 garlic bulbs & a pack of tofu.  This week we added a bag of courgettes, 3 peppers, a tub of blueberries & a cabbage...  The total bill came to £42.18   We buy from Riverford , not the most ethical of veg box companies, but the best we have found delivering in our area. They also will take all the packaging for recycling. The re

Food for thought! Kay & Sime xx

We took the day off yesterday & were thrilled to have chosen the right day for a day out... We used to visit this area lots with the kids, as Daymer was our nearest beach when we lived in North Cornwall. We really needed to be out in the sun & get away from home for a bit...   So we had a thoroughly enjoyable day! Kay & Sime xx

50g Dates - chopped 50g Carob Powder (flour not the gritty stuff) 100ml Plant Milk Heat in a saucepan for about 10 minutes on low. If it needs to be a quick dessert, just whizz up & you'll have a lovely sauce (which I have been known to just eat from the pan) or put into the fridge & it becomes more like a mousse or fudge icing. Tonight, I added: 1 heaped teaspoon of pure almond butter, zest of a small orange, splash of bourbon whiskey (you can use 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence if preferred), a few oats & a sprinkle of cinnamon.  Dessicated coconut, peanut butter, chopped nuts, chia seeds are all good too. Whizz with a hand blender & dollop onto a tray.  Leave for at least an hour & you'll have gooey, but healthy truffles! Makes about 12. Enjoy! Kay xx