Meatless Monday :- Bean burgers and soya cheese.

Ok..The first post for Meatless Monday (or MM!).
The following may seem complicated but is really simple, just plan ahead the first time and you'll breeze through it :)

For the bean burgers you will need...

1 can of green lentils (@400g) in water.
1 can of red kidney beans (@400g) in water.
@2 tbs of plain flour (I used Doves farm gluten free plain flour)
1 1/2 tbs vegetable stock granules (I used Marigold Swiss bullion vegan stock)
1/3rd tbs marmite or vegemite
1 small handful of oatmeal.(or add extra flour if excluding gluten from your diet)

In a large bowl, whizz all the ingredients with a handheld blender, till smooth but not runny.
With floured hands shape the mix into burgers (makes @11/12 small burgers), and place on greased baking sheet.


Leave in the fridge to shill for @ 1 hr or more.

To cook, spray with a little olive oil and cook in a moderate oven (@ 180-200 o)until crisp. Alternatively you can shallow fry for a moister burger.

Served in this recipe with a baked sweet potato and vegan cream cheese. Also goes very well in a bun with all the trimmings!

For the cream cheese you will need:-

@1 lt of PLAIN soya yogurt.

Use an old clean tea towel and peg inside a large jug. Pour the yogurt into the towel and leave to drain for a couple of hours.


After a while it should look like this.





This "cream cheese" can then be used with salt and herbs for a savory spread or dip, or sweetened with agarve nectar and vanilla essence to substitute for cream or even a cheese cake filling (veeeery nice:)

You should have enough to put half back in the fridge for another day, or to use as a topping for dessert :)

Let me know how you get on!

Moving up a gear towards the homeschool dream....

Things are moving along fast regarding our homeschool plans for Ollie!

I've been admitted into a local homeschoolers forum and have already made contact with TWO families within a 10 miles radius with at least one of their kids being the same age as Ollie! How lucky is that!!??


Well once you start looking you realise that homeschoolers are everywhere, even in little rural areas like mine, and the amount of people with pre-school kids who are considering it is also significant.

Ollie will be staying in school until the end of year 7 when he will be 12, so August 2012....really not that far away.
Already I have plans coming out of my ears!
Incorporating maths into tasks rather than running through reams of worksheets.
We will celebrate his first homeschool year by getting him to design his own garden, in it he can put whatever he wants BUT he will have to use a compass to find the ideal spot, learn to work within a budget for ordering seeds and sundries, use maths to make his fence, maybe even sell his surplus produce.

Much more fun than textbooks!

He'll also do woodwork projects, more advanced horse riding lessons, expand his love and understanding of English and its literature by being able to use audio books for some more advanced books, as well as keeping up his reading of course.
We have history all around us in the surrounding countryside, Neolithic stones, Roman battle fields.

In fact by the time homeschool rolls up I think we will have a job to not be so enthusiastic as to try and do everything at once!

Oh and heres a little humor, made me chuckle....remember, never take ANYTING too seriously ;)

Poll results (vegetarian)

I do/would do it for the animals 5 (62%)

I do/would do it for my health 5 (62%)

I do/would do it for the environment 5 (62%)

I am not veg and never will be 0 (0%)

I am not veg but try to eat veg sometimes 1 (12%)

I am not veg but want to be 0 (0%)


Results are in. Multiple answers allowed this time so a pretty across the board answer.

62% of voters said they do/would do (going veggie) for their health, the environment and the animals.

This is a pretty clear answer. Most people understand that there are many ways and reasons when it comes to choosing meat and /or dairy free, but which ever you choose the result is the same.
I maybe should have only allowed ONE answer and got a clearer picture of peoples priorities when it came to their reasons, but who am I to judge. I'm just glad you do it..or are at least thinking of it ;)

12% voted for not being veg but incorporating veggie meals into their life. This is fantastic. Just think, if every meat eating family had a meat free day once a week it would make a HUGE difference to all the right reasons.


Lloyd at 14 weeks. Had we not found and rescued her she would have been on someones plate by then.


Lloyd now at 9 months, very happy to be scratching at the daisies rather than pushing them up ;)


What do I think?

I think in this modern world there is no excuse for not at least having a meat break once in a while. I think there are so many fantastic meatless meals and snacks out there that once you try some you will eat them not only willingly but in preference to your boring meat.
You soon come to realise that most of the meat "taste" is only in the sauce/topping/accompaniment.

We went past a burger van today and my belly rumbled....was it the smell of meat?? Nope..it was the smell of fried onions ;)

Mini poll.....please answer!!!


Who is interested in some meatless recipes?? Some tried and tested family favourites to try yourself?
If you are please comment yes or no and say whether you would like a regular meat free day a week recipe posted here on the blog or maybe just once in a while.

I'm willing to help you over the hump ;)

Art for kids and the joy of conversation.

Took Ollie to Country frames gallery today.
As most of the art in their exhibition at the moment is horse based he was in his element, two of his favourite things in the world in one!

We spent a good 1/2 looking at the paintings, flicking through the folders, comparing our favourites and de-mystifying the more abstract pieces.

This trip has strengthened his resolve to be an artist, one that he has insisted on since he was 7, and one I fully support.
Me and Kim worked with horses for years and the sad fact is that as a career it goes nowhere. Even the best of the best can still only earn a little over part time shop work. I was always afraid that his love of horses would lead him down that path, but maybe because we HAVE horses and they are already a huge part of his life, he won't feel the need to choose them as a career.

Art has so many more paths to follow.
At the moment he wants to be and artist and art teacher like his teacher Marion Wills, who's work he admired today.
But there are also career paths in advertising, technical design, architecture, the list is endless.

Cycling with Ollie has been a huge eye opener for us both.
Unlike in the car, we actually chat, rarely argue (HUGE for us!!)and get to discuss important issues in a casual manner, rather than a sit-down talk.

Today I broached the subject of him homeschooling when his year goes onto secondary education. As its a alien concept for him I wanted to start talking about it now, this way he should be fully aware of what it all means when the time comes.

Anyway, here are some pictures of our little trip.




This is the steep hill to the gallery..not only impossible to get up but also you have to walk DOWN it! Me and Kim cycled down it last time and our breaks were almost smoking!!




Leslie Castle, one of the many small PINK castles around Aberdeenshire!




I'm pretty sure this fella shouldn't;t be in the stubble..the rest where in another field..had to get Ollie to jump up and down and shout for him to lazily turn his head and smile for the camera ;)

Miles and miles of smiles :D

I'm surprised at how many miles we are notching up on two wheels as a family.

Yesterday Kim took Ollie to art club in town on the bikes.They tried out their new lights as the evenings are drawing in and their 7pm finish means that, although not dark, it is getting "dimpsy".
We still haven't decided what to do in the winter about art club, when its already dark by 4.30 pm or earlier. I would love to try and find something similar on the weekends for him to do, otherwise we will have to drive him.
A couple of kids from school also go so I'll try and work out a car sharing rota if anyone is interested..if they don't mind their kids in the back of a landrover once every 3 or 4 weeks that is ;)
At least that way we are not only car sharing for us , but cutting others emissions as well!

Well that's my opinion and I'm gonna stick to it *heehee*

Me and Kim Cycled to Kellockbank garden centre today so a round trip of about 11 and 1/2 miles!
I tried to convince him that I needed a bag of compost but he wasn't impressed (meanie!).





The reason we went was to pick up our magazines. I love The Green parent magazine and particularly wanted this issue as it had a home education feature in it.
We also brought Permaculture magazine.
Both of these are published every two months so I don;t have to cycle that far again until November!!

The weather has been so lovely these last couple of weeks, ideal for me to get started in cycling again. Today was no exception so I remembered to take my camera today and show you the top of the road between our village and Town.





I have to say these photos do nothing to show you how steep the climb is! We live in a basin, this means that every time we get on a bike it is uphill straight away! Of course for every hill you pant and puff up, there is a nice long glide down (and visa versa! *groan*)

But its been getting better and better.

I'm feeling fitter than I have for years, my asthma is getting better, I have an inside thigh "burn" which MUST be a good thing!

Time to think about investing in some damn good waterproofs soon....I have no intention of letting a little rain dampen my smile :D

Riding and wallowing... Its time for a book and a bath.

Had a fantastic ride this morning with Kim.
Been one of those beautiful early autumn days, really warm and clear once the sharpness of early morning has past.
I took Badger and Kim rode Val's youngster Ruby.
Its so great that the access around here is getting better and better. Kim and the other members of the Bennachie Access Team have done a fantastic job of not only keeping existing routes open for all to enjoy but also helping the council find new ones and open up old tracks that have fallen to disrepair.
With 3 children, two of which are very keen riders and Owen who loves extreme mountain biking, the more open routes on our doorstep the better.
I can't tell you how frustrating it used to be to have a spectacular view of the mountain from our window, only 5 minutes walk away, but so inaccessible that you had to drive 5 miles to get on it!

Thoughts turned to day to some pampering.
With all the bike riding and horse riding and other things ending in -ing my muscles are a little sore and my general demener a little grubby!

Trying to find ethical bath products is a pain when your on a budget. In Tesco's it can be a real problem to find something like shampoo when their own brand is less than £1 and the only "ethical" option is nearly £10!

The little shop I get all my ethical/ vegan/ just DAMN delicious, stuff from stocks the Faith In Nature range of bath products.
I love these guys as not only are their products vegan and enviromentally friendly BUT they keep their prices middle of the road, around £4 for a shampoo. This means that even eco people on a budget can afford them.




Now we are a picky family when it comes to bath products. It has to not only be vegan and eco friendly, but it also has to be natural (as much as possible) and also kind to Ollie and Alfie's sensitive skin.
As the scent is from natural sources (Lavender, tea tree etc) its clean and fresh and dosn't irritate my asthma!

So tonight I'm gonna wallow in a warm bath with a good book and wash my hair in Rosemerry shampoo, then leave the conditioner in for HOURS because my hair is so damn long, thick and tangly :P

Sweet bath times bloggers :D

A day of cycling, art and homeschool plans....

Country Frames Art Gallery, Leslie, Insch.


What a beautiful and inspiring day we've had so far.
Me and Kim cycled to Country Frames, an art gallery a couple of miles down the road from us (uphill all the way..ouch).
We've been a couple of times, they framed one of our Glastonbury prints for us beautifully, but this was the first time we had set off to see an exhibition there.
One of the main artists there was Roselyne O'Neil a very talented lady who works in many mediums and produces some fantastic equine art as well as other subjects.

Another local artist is Marion Wills, who incidentally is visiting art teacher at my son's school! She had some striking pieces, mostly staring her own horse, a Fjord called Ffin.

We spent a very happy hour viewing the exhibition and the other art work, we even got a free cup of coffee for cycling to them lol.

I'm taking Ollie up there on Saturday morning, I'm sure the mix of horses and art can only inspire him!

So, me and Kim have talked a lot about homeschooling once the kids hit 11, and the cycle home was a good time to chat about it. There are so many things locally that we had never really thought about that will benefit the kids educationally, the countryside, the art galleries (there are 3 I know of all within cycling distance!) the Archaeolink centre and of course the library in town.
Also the whole social aspect was something we chatted at length about today.
Thinking about it he still has his friends in the village, both Kim and I had many more friends outside school than in it.

Armed with this I decided to make an appointment to see our head teacher today and instead spent 20 minutes chatting about it informally instead, so no need for the formal meeting!
To my surprise she was in total agreement and has promised to help us with any red tape that comes our way!

Anyway, expect more posts on this subject in the near future as we gear up for leaving the school system!

So..how about a giveaway!

Nothing fancy, a post card I picked up from the gallery...A Celtic image of the "Maeshowe Dragon, Orkney" By Roselyne O'Neil.

This can be sent as a post card or mailed to you in an envelope to keep it clean and neat enough to frame?
Very pretty, very Scottish ;)

To be in with a chance please comment on this post...and a real comment please ;)
Lucky winner will be pulled out of a hat next Wednesday!!

Poll Results; Homeschooling.

Results are in.....

In what instance would you home school your children?

To ensure a correct education 3 (60%)

To ensure a better mix of friends beyond age. 0 (0%)

If my child was being bullied. 1 (20%)

If my child was behind peers academically. 0 (0%)

If my child was ahead of peers academically. 0 (0%)

Because it's my choice. 1 (20%)

I wouldn't home school 0 (0%)

An important issue to address here is surely why 60% of parents would home school to ensure a correct education for their children!

Schools were made to offer children a good level of education but time and again it seems we as parents have little faith in their ability to.
I know I'm not alone in looking at the three piles of reading, homework and projects sat on the table after school every afternoon and wondering what it is they DO in their that means so much work has to come home with them!
And this is before you take into account any special educational needs your child may have.

20% sited bullying as their main reason.
If I was in a position of having to take my child out of school due to bullying I would not hesitate. You would not be expected to put up with daily peril and stress in a workplace, why should it be any different at school? How can a child receive a good education when they spend their whole time watching their back?

And the last 20% said they would home school because it was their choice. SO many parents are pushed into sending their children into the factory farm equivalent of education because they don;t realise they DO have a choice. Use it or lose it so the saying goes.

What are YOUR thoughts???

The last one on two wheels.....

Its official! Alfie, the youngest son, is on 2 wheels and steering AND stopping! From only 3 weeks ago being scared of his bike he is now wizzing round the place as fast as his brothers.

Granted when he stops he dismounts and lets the bike fall over and he still likes help to get started, but the basics are there so we're happy!
This all means that he should be uber confident when we get a tag a long bike.
The little blue bike is ready for Owen, gears all reconditioned so he is ready to hit the road as it were.

Had a lovely cycling day today.
Took Ollie, eldest, for a bike ride into town so he could try out his new bike properly. We went to the library and the shop (note to self, get a bigger bag or a basket!)and cycled home again.
Traffic was more frequent today but most went past sensibly, apart form a couple of lads racing in sooped up suburus, over taking at high speed on a blind bend...So I shouted and flipped the finger and felt much better ;)

After lunch took the boys (and their bikes) to the park and they met up with some friends and had some bike races down the footie field, its great to see them so independant.

I was much happier on the bike today.
I think as much of my bike riding as a kid/teenager was urban I didn't find it as hard to loose my fear of the traffic as Kim did. Two trips and it feels like an extension of me again.
I'm finding it great to push my body again and finding it responds how I expect it to!

This week a local art gallery is having an exibition so me and Kim are going to cycle up in the week and then at the weekend I am going to take Ollie. He is really looking forwards to it and so am I.

Its funny.
I remember when we were without a car a couple of years ago and how trapped I felt. I didn;t leave the village for about 3 weeks and got really upset about it. This time round I feel great. I havn't once thought "Oh if only we had the car!" And even though we HAVE now it has only been out once, and that was only to run it into town to get fuel ;)
So silly to think a bike makes me feel more indipendant. I now feel like its ok, I can look after myself again, its stopped me relying on other people (well husband mostly) and although its a morbid thought...(eek!)..> I suddenly feel calm, like if something happened to Kim tomorrow it would be OK...I could look after me and the kids no trouble ( I LOVE YOU DARLI'N!! MAY YOU LIVE A 1000 YEARS!!) lol.

Have a great weekend bloggers x

Chicken Ritz.. or how to make your hens love you.

So its ready!

Tonight the chickens will spend their first night in the BRAND NEW HUSBAND MADE CHICKEN SHED!!!!!


As you can see the girls were a big help, rooting away all the bugs and worms so that Kim could do his job.







Some were a little apprehensive to start with......

But soon decided it looked damn good.

To see more of our fantastic rescue hens click here.

I did it!!

That's it!
The first bike ride!

I'm knackerd :P

But actually it was OK.

Nice day, not too hot, minimal wind, traffic was quiet. We cycled about 3 or 4 miles (into town and around about to different shops) and then the same home again.

This has been said in so many places but I now know why. It is SO important to spend the money and get the right bike for you and the job.

The reason I have been semi- putting it off is the memory of the daily cycling I had to do to get to work as a teenager on a bottom range mountain bike. I kept thinking "God, it was so much hard work and I was really fit and light then! How will I haul my fat arse up the hills to town now!?"

Well I can tell you I got up all those hills and didn't have to stop once.
I have 21 gears on my new bike and so it was low geared enough for me to keep peddling, all be it at a sedate speed.

So anyway I want to give a big shout out to my bike dealer Pedal power.
He took me through the bikes, convinced me to take a larger frame size which I was convinced would be too big for me but now I know he was right! He showed us how to check a bike was the right size for you and has been patient with out newbie questions.

Anyway, I only have one problem. Despite the shock absorbers my wrists were playing up at the end of each session. Any tips? I used to get carpal tunnel swelling and it makes my hands numb.
Any advice would be gratefully received.
Numb fingers are a problem when I hit the downhill parts and want to brake ;)

Did someone just give me the rules for life??

Walking back from dropping the kids off at school today a scrap of paper blew under my feet. Being anal about litter, if I can I always pick it up, I scooped up the piece of paper.
Written on one side was what looked like a summery from someones homework.
The handwriting is neat, the i's dotted with little circles.

After reading it I realised that what ever it was, it came across like the best advice for life EVER!

Let me share with you.

"How can I improve my talk skills in the light of what I have seen in this task?
*Joke
*Personal viewpoint
*your feelings
*Rhetorical questions
*Refer back to start in conclusion
*Exiting ending/big question?
*Expand your vocabulary
*Use your words wisely
*Project voice. "

Lets go through these then.
Joke..genius! Of course, what would life be without a huge dose of humor!?

Personal viewpoint..Without it who are you? Early on its important to be comfortable with your own view on the world and not just blindly follow another.

Your feelings..Just as important as everyone else's. You deserve to have your feelings taken into account.

Rhetorical questions.. Without them we cannot make our audience pause and think. How can the planet endure so much pollution? How could the government lie? There are no answers only an opening to debate.

Refer back to start in conclusion.. Did you get where you wanted to be? Its all about the end result rather than the path you took.

Exciting ending? big question? .. I sure hope I do get one. I hope that at the time of my demise at least one person will think I did my bit.

Expand your vocabulary ..Haven't we all over the last few years? Peak oil, Indigo children, Biomedical, permaculture, sustainability?

use your words wisely ..Never a truer word said. Being a militant anything spewing insults left and right is never a way to get people to listen. My I be struck down the day I take veganism/enviromentalis/ any-ism that fanatically. Choose your words well and they will listen.

Project voice ..Because if you don't no one will do it for you. Speak up for what you believe in, not with anger but with clear reason.


I'm sorry mystery kid who lost their homework,,but thanks for brightening my day :)

What ever happened to town and country?

The shift in the way people think has been disastrous for the environment on local level.
People are convinced that if they recycle and compost they are doing more than enough to make a difference but they are so wrong.
In the days before every home had a car (let alone 2 or 3!)people lived near their place of work.
So if you worked in the city you lived in the city, if you worked ona farm you lived in the country...easy peasy.
But then some of the richer city dwellers decided it would be nice to live in the country and "commute" in his nice shiny car.

In the past the very rich of course had kept a city and a country home, catching the train at the weekend to visit the wife and kids. But in the days when the rich had household help I should imagine the onset of WWII trying to keep two houses running was significantly more expensive than running a car to work everyday.

Where the Rich lead the middle class will follow, and soon the city and town workers started flocking to the country for a "better life".

Now no-one can deny that back then life in the city was hard, but then it was also hard in the country.


It seems to be the norm with most people now...leave home, get a job and a flat, get married, get a house, hae kids and MOVE TO THE COUNTRY!
The trouble is though that all the city and town dwellers wanted to bring their urban life with them.
They continued to commute to work by car (in fact so many did that the UK has lost most of its train and bus routes as so few people used them), and in doing so rejected using the facilities in the villages in favour of shopping in the town on the way home, so the rural post offices and shops died out one by one until what we are left with a a series of ghost villages.

My village has doubled in size through new builds in the last 3 years and is set to get even bigger by 2012.
But it seems the more new houses go up the less facilities outr village has.
The shop closed 4 years ago, leaving a huge gap in the community, the pub has no more patrons, although there are twice as many people living in the village now, and is struggling to stay open.
Every morning the occupants of these new houses get into their cars and drive away to work between 15 and 40 miles away from here.

All you need is a tumble weed hopping down the street.

Every evening they come home and sit in their new houses. They don't walk in the countryside or visit the country pub or take bike rides around the lane....they sit in their houses and watch TV.

And living in the country is better than the town because????

Why do I live in the country?

I have had the fortune to have lived in all ways, city, town, suburbs and rurally. I am a country girl at heart, I love to grow our own food and walk on the mountain, we have the horses and need to live here to keep them.
I loved living in the town when I did. I loved being close to facilities and never having to worry about having a car, I could walk or bus or cycle where ever I wanted.

I sometimes feel people move to the country because they feel its "what you do".
By moving indiscriminately though they turn the country into a suburb miles away from anywhere.

Towns now, for the most part, are green places now. They are no longer the factory chimney spewing, grim places they where 50 years ago.
What can be done to encourage people to stay close to their place of work again?
How can you change the mindset that you've "made it" if you live in the country, even though you are moving to what is essentially a tiny house ona new estate which is only in the "country" because it is miles from town and shops.


I have no objection to people moving into the country, after all I am an incomer myself...the objection is the urbanising of villages.

The Land Rover and extreme recycling.

When it comes to travel of the 4 wheeled kind I'm afraid there is only one car for my family.

The Land rover, that quintessential British car, is the ultimate in green driving...so long as it's done properly.
Granted, mile for mile of course your hybrid is going to look greener and cleaner...but....

But.

Its all relative. I mean if I do 500 miles a week (low end of the mileage in this area) in a hybrid but only 2 miles a week in a land rover..which is better?

Take our Land rover.
It's been a month since we got this car and it still hasn't left the yard. Granted it wasn't running for the last Three weeks but here it is ...a week after being deemed "road worthy" and there hasn't been a reason to take it out.

Also there is the beautiful art of fixing the Land Rover.

Here we have a picture of my darling talented husband ;)







See that green wire there?
That is the choke..the wire that helps the engine start....guess where it came from?
Owens old bike that's where!

See what I mean!
That's HIGH art!

He's a very talented member of our family, to showcase another talent (in case you thought he was a one trick pony) here is another picture showing the beautiful "pantry" he built me.
OK, its shelves in the hall, but its handy handy handy!
The side is from the lid of an old seeder that is slowly being used in various home projects, the shelves themselves are cannibalised from an old cheap shelving unit.




Looking around my house now I can see so many built in shelves that we have made from scrap, so many bits of wood and metal that should by rights be in a landfill somewhere...Reduce, Reuse...and of course in the last instance, always re-cycle ;)

Poll results.

Public voted..(well a couple of you anyway :P)and we shall bow to democracy ..hehe.



More photos please! 2 (66%)

More cycling posts 0 (0%)

More homeschool posts 0 (0%)

More health posts 1 (33%)

More Environmental posts 1 (33%)

Nothing its perfect ;) 1 (33%)

More photos will be a priority now, I know when I look at a blog I like to see an example or at least relevant picture so I'll be sure to be more diligent in that area.

..And who said it's perfect?? Do I have to be soopah nice to them from now on? ;)

Have a nice day x

Oh money..you drain away like water.

Tomorrow I am in for another trip in a borrowed car....but don't fret dear bikey people, its for the best of causes.

We are driving to the bike shop to pick up Ollie's new bike and MY BRAND SPANKING NEW bike!!!!

But first a little background.

Ollie's bike, although a good make, is shite. The twist gears are so tight on the way back up that his dad can't move them, so anytime he sets off for a long ride he basically sticks to 2 gears, not ideal when you want to make the whole thing as pain free as possible.
Kim talked to the bike shop guy yesterday and we learnt a few interesting things.

Bikes brought cheap over the Internet, even top names, are not worth the bother. The parts are significantly cheaper than the bikes they send to dealers, hence the low price.

Trail gators are rubbish. In fact he said he would not stock them because when he did people brought them back because their kids got scared because the connection was so wobbly, and the whole thing made cycling dangerous.
He suggested the half bikes that are designed to clip onto the adult bike, but are much more stable and as they are designed for the job there is no compromise.

Anyway, Ollie's new bike has gears that slide round the handlebars like they've been greased up, he is in Love with it. Kim looked around all the bikes in the store that the guy had put together, all the gears were fluid and easily managed.
For a comparison he popped into halfords to check out their (cheap) bikes. He said the gears were the same as Ollie's old bike, stiff, even for adult hands.

So tomorrow we are taking the old bike in and having the gears replaced so that Owen can have that bike, picking up Ollie's bike and choosing mine.

By the time we have paid for all this (kitting out 5 of us in one way or another) we will have spent about the same amount of money as we have on the (still not running) land rover sat on the yard.
Once upon a time this would have worried us, but hell, if your going to to it may as well do it right or whats the point?
Also, barring a huge wipe out on a bike, most things on it can be replaced or fixed easily and cheaply.

And best of all, no road tax or insurance, so its still a pretty good deal ;)