Fabulous Winter Saturday

Taking time out to enjoy the beautiful surrounding and know why we choose to live here.  Winter sunshine and blue sky can be really spectacular, lovely time had by us on a very quiet beach.

distressing sound...........

Aunt Dotty !

We went to bed on Friday night with the heart rending noise of a herd of cows on the farm just above us, crying out in enormous distress.  

This has happened before and we assume it’s because their calves have just been taken away from them.

The noise was incredible with one cow, even more distressed then the rest, sounding out above her sisters.

The calling was still continuing on Saturday morning when our rescued cow Aunt Dotty, thankfully out of the cruelties of the commercial dairy herd, came up from our bottom fields and stood listening to these anguished cries and calling out herself in sympathy.

Today, Monday, the cries although a lot less subdued can still clearly, and poignantly, be heard from here.

What has happened to their calves by now does not bear thinking about.  And we call ourselves a nation of animal lovers.

end of an era

Today dedicated to our eldest dog; if any of you read our post 09 October Brambles who died peacefully in her sleep overnight. 

She was the first domestic new addition to our family we took in when we & ethicalWARES moved to Wales almost 14 years ago now.  She (as all our dogs are) was feed a Vegan diet, was happy and healthy and only became ill a matter of weeks ago, but since Brambles was 16 we would like to think she had a good innings.  This photo was taken about 8 weeks ago,

An end to an era & a big gap in the house now.

Not a bad 1st try :)

When at the West Mids Vegan Festival last week, was it really last week, where has the time gone………..on sale jammy doggers, yum yum.  Now in the summer I read an article about making these and thought something for me to try.  So since I was on my own this weekend as my boys have ventured to England, thought give them a try.

Here is the result, not bad, quite pleased & I know what I will be making for the Christmas stall at Bryn’s Christmas concert – vegan Jammy Doggers to go with the vegan Tiffin & Shortbread I usually churn out and everyone enjoys.  Amazing if they knew they were vegan wonder if they would be so keen.

The day after the Storm

Taking the day off today following the WMVegan Festival on Saturday.  So thought we would go to one of our favourite places, Aberaeron & see the after effects of the stormy weather which hit most of Southern England overnight.  We seemed to get away quite lightly, but the Sea was still something to make you stop and stare.  Sorry about the spray marks on the lens !

Brambles; our eldest dog........

Big relief yesterday when we took Brambles to the vet.  Not a young dog, she’s now 15 and survived a major stoke last year.

We noticed a large swelling on both sides of her neck and feared the worse, but it turned out to probably be blocked salvia glands and seems to be treatable fairly easily.  Time will tell but she seems as bright as normal today, so a good start.

Bread minus yeast

If you like bread, but the yeast in bread does not like you (problem I have) finding alternative recipes is very satisfying. 

This is Apple bread, basically oats, flower & ordinary Gala apples – recipe did suggest eggs, but obviously changed that to a small amount of soya flower in soya milk, just as good a binder and animal friendly to boot