A Very Late Veganuary

Pumpkin chilli

I always like to try giving up meat and (most) dairy* for Veganuary, but this year I started rather late because my twisted ankles made standing to cook difficult. By mid-month I was feeling better, so started then and carried on into February. 

Pumpkin goulash

Normally my hope is to use huge quantities of homegrown, frozen veg, but this year I took advantage of more vegan substitutes -  sausages, chicken tenders, chorizo shroomdogs, chicken pies etc. They're quick and easy, and certainly require less standing around in the kitchen while cooking (put them on a baking tray with chips and pop in the oven). Discovering a homegrown pumpkin starting to rot meant using that up as quickly as possible, so it made a lot of appearances in chillis and goulash. 

Leek and potato

Lunch always seems to be a problem. Despite being at home all day, I generally snatch a quick sandwich which doesn't require thinking about in advance; avoiding cheese and ham is tricky. Yes, a couple of days I went for the lazy jam sandwich option, or toasted sandwiches with vegan cheese, but on colder days I tried to make more effort with soups. Leek and potato, leftover goulash, a gorgeous 'orange' soup made with carrots and pumpkin, a lazy mushroom and tinned cannellini bean soup which inspired a sort-of mock carbonara a few days later. 

Mushroom and cannelini 

I've made a couple of good discoveries this year: a plant-based butter from Flora (which tastes good and costs a lot less than my usual organic butter), 'chicken' tenders from VFC (which taste as good as the real thing) and Hellmann's vegan baconnaise (good on vegan chicken burgers, great on kidney beans in a salad), all of which I'll continue to eat after this 'special' month.

Going forward I want to try to reduce the amount of meat I eat. It's just as easy to make a stir fry without, for example, chicken as with, or a goulash with pumpkin instead of pork. I think I don't eat much anyway but certainly pies and fish are staples that I fall back on when I can't be bothered to cook. 

* I have my milk delivered, and it doesn't seem right to cancel the order for a month, but I try to use only vegan cheese and butter.

 

More snowdrops - Hopton Hall

Another lovely sunny (though not necessarily warm) day tempted me out to Hopton Hall to see the snowdrop display.

The last time I visited was in 2020, one of my last outings before lockdown, and the Hall and associated grounds, holiday cottages etc are in the process of being sold, so this might be the last chance to visit (though I hope not).

The signposted walk leads firstly through a wooded area where snowdrops flow like a river around the trees.

The route then passes behind the hall, where snowdrops share space with brilliantly golden aconites, before heading into the rose garden.

In summer this is filled with scent and colour but the yew edging and topiary give it a formal attractiveness even in winter. It sits on a south facing slope so was a lovely warm spot to sit for a while.

I didn't walk round this section as the steps, particularly back downhill, looked a little too adventurous for my ankles at the moment.

From here the path wanders through shrubbery with snowdrops lining the way. Again I missed out the detour around the pond as this was already the furthest I'd walked since my accident, so we headed back towards the hall, where we found teas and cakes being served. 

An excellent way to finish any garden visit, and a most welcome rest.

We hadn't quite seen all the snowdrops though as the path back to the car park led past another wooded area with flowers brightening the ground.

A most enjoyable afternoon out, and I do hope that the new owners decide to open to the public for these few weeks in late winter.
 

A very short walk to see snowdrops at Kedleston

Following my slip on the stairs at the beginning of January I haven't been able to walk far or get out and about, so I'm really glad that I'm beginning to recover in time for snowdrops. At the beginning of last week I decided it was time to try an afternoon out at Kedleston. My intent was to visit the snowdrops in the Pleasure Grounds then try a section of the Short Walk. Things didn't work out as well as I'd hoped though. 

What I'd failed to consider was the difference between walking on relatively smooth pavements near home and the unevenness of car parks and grass. A very short walk to see the snowdrops was enough, but they were worth the effort.

Snowdrops are always special, a sign that winter is almost over, spreading randomly down grassy banks and promising Spring's arrival.

I spotted a couple of other hopeful Spring flowers too. A very early rhododendron, almost hidden in behind other shrubs (possibly to shelter it from direct morning sunshine)

 and daffodils - only one in flower so far but many more waiting for a little warmth.

Sipping and Painting with LibbyAyres Art

This time last week I was off on a rather special outing to Manchester - to an evening of Sip and Paint with my daughter. As LibbyAyres Art, she's been holding these events every couple of months or so for about the last year but I haven't had the opportunity to go along till now.

The event was held at Grub, an independent street food venue, in an upstairs room decorated with fairy lights and candles, with food available from the vendors in the courtyard.  There was a range of options but I had pork and cabbage dumplings with noodles, and very nice they were too. And for the sipping part of the evening I had a citrusy sour ale.

Then we got down to the serious business of the evening, with my daughter explaining about her synaesthesia, and talking us through what we'd be doing that evening. The music she'd be painting along to was You're the One that I Want from Grease, which came up every third track on the playlist, and we could either copy her exactly, paint our own interpretation of the music, or create something totally different. I went for a sort of middle route.

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This (above) is my daughter's version but although I started off trying to follow her with a swirly blue background, as I progressed, and the music played over and over, I felt I wanted to make my painting a little different, with curly flicks of red. So this (below) is mine. 

One thing I loved was that there was no pressure to create a masterpiece (I've been along to have-a-go art events where there definitely was!). Everyone was free to do as they like, to sit and paint all evening or wander off for food and drinks. Libby wandered among the tables, offering encouragement or answering questions about her synaesthesia.

It was definitely a fun evening, and I feel that I understand synaesthesia a little better now. 

You can find out more about LibbyAyresArt, and her upcoming events here on her Instagram account

and Grub here 

The next Sip and Paint event is 31st March 

February already?

Somehow we're already at the end of January, and I can't believe how quickly the month has flown. It isn't as if I've been busy - if anything this year I've done less than normal

I firmly believe that January should be taken slowly. The run up to Christmas and then the festivities up to New Year are always busy (even for a stay-at-home person lie me) but I like to take the beginning of the year at a gentle pace, using it as time of reflection.

This year though has been quiet for a different reason - a slip on the stairs on New Year's Day, twisting both ankles. Hurt one, and you can hobble around on the other; hurt both, and you can't move far.

I've spent a lot of time just sitting, trying to concentrate enough to read or think straight through the distraction of pain, having to take things day by day, making no plans about what I might do the next week. As always the garden proved a respite, dragging myself outside whenever possible to see the Christmas roses in flower, the snowdrops and daffodils enthusiastically pushing through, or just to catch the sunshine through goldenrod seedheads, though a week of snow and ice hindered these attempts at exercise. Gradually I've progressed from using two walking sticks, to one, and eventually managing without.

Lack of mobility is fortunately no setback to taking part in online activities, so I joined in with an online Stitch Camp which gave me something to focus on for a few days. I wasn't happy with what I made but it gave me inspiration for future projects.

As has become my norm, I've decided to take part in Veganuary but at the beginning of the month standing to cook was impossible and the easy dinner options from the freezer mainly involved chicken pies or fish and chips. About a fortnight ago I switched over to vegan food, though still relying a lot on ready prepared options with an occasional chilli or something. I'm going to carry on into February though to see if I can make it to 31 days, so there's plenty of time for me to get me cooking mojo back.

The focus this month has certainly been on the smaller things in life; a bit, I suppose, like the practice of mindfulness.  January definitely hasn't been that unimaginably long month that I hear others talking about; it seems rather to have flashed past. So now I find it's suddenly February, that days are longer, and spring seems to be in the air (maybe. Let's see what the Groundhog has to say tomorrow)