wehavetoactnow

When I asked my Dad what he wanted for his birthday, he said something that he can eat or drink. Buying a bottle of wine seemed a bit dull, so I put my thinking hat on. And here's what I came up with:

A Basket of Squash

Ah, the delights of Riverford Organics!

I have to confess that I'm completely addicted to the X Factor, and like most I was in complete shock at last weeks events. A Twitter user, I watched the response from the public unfold on the web immediately after the show. And the response included boycotting X Factor this week, by not watching and not voting. The idea behind this being that Simon Cowell's decision was purely about making money (viewing figures and votes) and therefore unethical. And for some time I jumped on this bandwagon and the power of Twitter was phenomenal. But ultimately I found myself feeling sad.

I boycott many things - cosmetics companies, manufacturers of cleaning products, clothes manufacturers, perfume makers, food producers and so on. And I boycott them on the grounds of ethics. I have done for years.

And here I was engaged with the idea of boycotting the X Factor.

The fact that conceivably, Twitter could enable a whole nation to mobilise itself and pull together against what they perceived to be unethical is - and I apologise for using the word again but I don't think there is another word that quite says it - PHENOMENAL.

But if only we could mobilise ourselves as quickly and with so much passion against the real enemies. Climate change is real. It's happening. And we have to act. Now.

So anyone that reads my blog will know that not having a garden, was not going to stop me from trying to grow my own veg!

Experiment over, as we head into the winter months. And my harvest?

I grew my own lettuce successfully. Have a very big cucumber and a few small ones. Managed to keep the peppers and chillies coming all through the summer. And most proudly of all....I have ONE red tomatoe growing on my windowsill!

I've learned a lot from the experience....I know what works and what doesn't. And next year, I think it will be a good one!

The outcome: You don't need a garden to grow your own veg!

And talking of real women....I have a thing or two to say about clothes sizes.

So if I buy Jeans that are 'long', they are 32". Too long. If I buy jeans that are 'short', they are 30". Too short. What happens if you're 31"? Or even 31 and a half?

And what happened to 29" waist, and 31"? And where's size 9 and 11? Do women really come in even numbered measurements?

The reality of this for me, is that I seem to always be searching for the perfect fit something, because I didn't come in even numbers. I'm odd. And no blooming trousers ever seem to fit perfectly!

Bring back tailors I say!

That is all.

I have just helped prepare lunch, and eat it, with a group of people that I don't really know! And it was a good experience.

Arranged by the local environmental group that I belong to - Transition Southampton - a group of us got together at a members house, paid £5 each towards ingredients, cooked together, and then had a big meal. It was such an interesting idea and it worked.

All the ingredients and the recipes were provided by a local farmer, and we cooked/prepared:
- sweetcorn and kidney bean fritters
- green bean salad
- salsa
- chutney (made from carrot tops!)
- green salad
- millet
- broccoli and haricot bean bowls
followed by:
- carrot cake
- apple crumble

And then sat in the garden and ate it all, whilst chatting and getting to know each other a bit better.

What a fab experience

On the news they've been talking about the importance of parents keeping up-to-date with modern technology, so that they can protect their children from online dangers, such as paedophiles grooming them.

Just a thought - why not add social networking and online safety to the curriculum...perhaps in PSHE. After all, inter-personal skills are part of it already. So it would just be a modernisation. Or is it already taught?

I don't have a garden, but wanted to grow my own veg. So as an experiment, I thought I'd try to grow indoors, in a tower block! Progress so far....

Chillies

I have just counted 10 chillies, which I may use to make homemade chillie tonight. The chillies in the window box have been a huge success.

Lettuce

I've been eating the lettuce for a while....although, it now tastes a bit bitter.

Tomatoes

I have lots of really tall plants, which have looked like they want to bear tomatoes for a long time now....but no such luck. I don't think I'll do tomatoes next year. They're a bit too big for the flat, and don't seem to cope indoors.

Aubergine

The aubergine flowered, but has been overshadowed by the runner beans. No aubergines yet and it's not looking too healthy. Maybe no aubergine next year.

Cucumbers

I have cucumbers! I didn't think the cucumbers would make it....the plants don't look healthy at all, but I do have cucumbers. Albeit, the smallest cucumbers in the world!

Runner beans

It's flowering at last, and has coped quite well with the limited space. I've had to unpick it from the curtains at times - it's been climbing anything it can. But on the whole it has coped well with wrapping itself around itself! And I'm now hopeful that I will get a crop.

We saw Grouse on our walk yesterday...they ran down the path ahead of us for a long time, but they were too fast and this is the closest I could get for a photo.

I've just been away for a long weekend to a holiday camp in the new forest, with my family. Yesterday we booked a family meal at the onsite Bistro. They had a carvery. When my Mum booked the meal, she asked what they had for vegetarians. Apparently the manager looked stunned and said that he didn't think the two were suited. Vegetarianism and carveries that is, but said he could offer butternut squash risotto. With courgettes. Which I hate. So I was instead offered, a plate of vegetables, minus the gravy, as it contained beef dripping.

Being vegetarian shouldn't mean that I can't enjoy a roast. Come on people - modernise! Us vegetarians are everywhere, and even the meat-eaters enjoy the healthy alternative of quorn and soya from time to time. I have been to plenty of carveries that serve a vege option, complete with vege gravy!

In the end, I cooked my own vege sausages which were ready just before we left the cabin, which I put in a sandwich box, and I cooked up some vege gravy which I put in my canteen and took with me too. When I got my veg and potatoes, I added my own sausages and gravy and enjoyed my vege roast, my way.

...since I posted anything, and a lot has happened in the last month or so, which has bought about some changes. The biggest change of all, is that I will be starting a new job in mid September.....I'll be doing online marketing with an ethical/green company. Can't wait. And my new e-mail address is so darn exciting.