My raw bread and burger recipe

Easy peasy experimental but worked a treat.  Mix dry ingreients together, mix wet ingredients together.  If mixture is too dry add some olive oil, if mixture to wet, add more Psyllum.

Psyllium Husks
Linseeds
sesame seeds
Sunflower seeds
Pumpkin seeds
4 chopped sun dried tomatoes
Herbs and spices to taste (I like spice so I added Cayenne Pepper)

Lemon Juice
One mashed Avocado

Form into burger patty and use.  Alternatively smear thinly on a baking try and dehydrate either on the warm setting on the oven or in a dehydrator.

Bread came out INCREDIBLY!!!!

Diet Diary - Entry 1

Starting a new series on my very unVintage diet (well going back to Paleo is pretty vintage but, you know what I mean) and fitness regimen. 

So week 1 has ended and I lost 6lbs. But don't be too impressed because that is probably all water weight, though my bra fits better now. I am SO happy about that as any bigger in the cup and I might need a specially made one...yikes!

So instead of my usual treat of Poppy's Chips and a Jamaican Patty at Spitalfields market, these last two Thursdays my treat has been a Raw Imagination lunch at Planet Organics.  Last week I had the burger

which was AMAZING, today it was the Pizza.


My word, I don't know how they do it, it is only plant food and yet,  it is SO tasty and so filling you can't imagine a need to eat wheat bread or cheese ever again and then I check the price tag and remember.  This meal along with my green juice and the Cheese and Mushroom Muffin I brought the babe (which she loved btw)  cost exactly three times the price as my chip, patty and Tesco flavoured sparkling water (50p per litre) meal I usually buy on Vintage Thursdays (Spitalfields Market).

And again I rant about the terrible fact of having to pay just SO much for healthier food that poorer people (such as myself, I admit that) are priced out of the healthier food, who can afford to buy a raw meal every day?

I will say though it is very filling, I felt full for hours after eating.  I love my Raw Imagination Vintage Thursdays.  So, one more week until Holidays start, I am allowed to have one meal off to enjoy cooked food...huzzah.

Going to try to make my own raw burger tomorrow, I will blog about it and wish me luck!!!

*sob* I feel excuded

Or maybe I am taking some things too seriously?

I am only subscribed to three vintage bloggers only one of whom is a fellow Brit, it is a small vintagely world and I am so glad not to feel alone in it.

Yesterday her video was about something that I have a lot of experience in so I was excited to watch and finally got to comment, I was the first one to comment too. Yay!!!  I actually know something.

When I clicked back to read up on some of the messages later on, I noticed that, she had responded to every other comment but mine.  ;o((  I feel Mean Girl-d!

I think I have felt it more because I actually really identified with her on this issue, I have the exact same issue and it is something that bothers me so, knowing that I am not alone made me feel SO happy. 

Also, it reminds me of all those bloody events I have been to alone where they have there little clique and the organisers make no effort to even smile to a newbie.  I went to one event, organised by a well known Vintage group and one of the girls in that group, sat on a chair, facing the stalls, I smile at her and she looked at me as if I was an alien and turned to her friends to talk. 

Really it is hard going out there, especially as a single woman without friends already in, or willing to go with you.  You are constantly fretting about your look and whether you might be judged for not looking  "right" and judge for not looking vintage enough, hair not right, clothes not right, "Is she wearing modern shoes?"

It is not anyone else's responsibility to make me feel more secure of course, but I just wish people would be a little more courteous.

Changing my mindset

The Glamorous Housewife's diary entry for last week asked us to try and turn a boring thing into something fun.  So since then I have been making much more of an effort to think of cleaning of less like a chore, but something to enjoy and do you know?  It really has worked a treat!

I feel that this small mindset change has done wonders to how I feel and unlike the sort of manic 'making an effort/New Years Resolution' Pattern of behaviour when you go a bit wild and then you burn out after a couple of days obsessive cleaning, this is a lot less crazed, but instead a sustained effort at being more house proud and getting my backed up chores done too.

I have no doubt that I will have a much better flat by the end of all this.  I never in a million years thought I would have been suited to this lifestyle but as the time goes on, I am getting more comfortable with it.

I am a very happy and lucky woman.  Thank you Bethany!!!!

Were we happier in the Stone Age?

One of my historical minded friends forwarded this article on Facebook.  Here is a quote:

Romantics never tire of finding the dark side of every discovery. Writing gave rise to extortionate taxation. Printing begot mass propaganda and brainwashing. Computers turn us into zombies. The harshest criticism of all is reserved for the unholy trinity of industrialism, capitalism and consumerism. These three bugbears have alienated people from their natural surroundings, from their human communities, and even from their daily activities. The factory worker is nothing but a mechanical cog, a slave to the requirements of machines and the interests of money. The middle class may enjoy better working conditions and many material comforts, but it pays for them dearly with social disintegration and spiritual emptiness. From a romantic perspective, the lives of medieval peasants were preferable to those of modern factory-hands and office clerks, and the lives of stone-age foragers were the best of all.

 Ermmm, yeah, that is exactly how I see it.  Of course I don't totally romanticise the past, as a woman, especially one of colour, almost any time period in the last few years would have been a hardship for me.  I enjoy the freedoms of the modern age but the fact that I DO enjoy them, is only because I live in the West and I am relating my experience in the modern West.  Life is plenty different in other countries and I wouldn't have as much freedom as I enjoy in other countries.

No one really wants to reenact or dress like stone age woman.  Though I have to accept that it is probably the time period when people were at their healthiest and maybe even happiest.

The happiness levels of some of the remaining Hunter Gatherer communities is really much higher than in the West, it breaks my heart to see some of them give up their indigenous ways to follow the path of 'progress'.  The disaster that Imperialism wreaked on millions of peoples...well there just isn't enough restitution in the world.  But, well it happened, that is the dark side of the past and their is no use ruining our futures by dwelling on it.

The article presses on that there is a balance between the romantic view and the view of the progressives but then points out:

Even if we take into account solely the citizens of today's affluent societies, Romantics may point out that our comfort and security have their price. Homo sapiens evolved as a social animal, and our wellbeing is usually influenced by the quality of our relationships more than by our household amenities, the size of our bank accounts or even our health. Unfortunately, the immense improvement in material conditions that affluent westerners have enjoyed over the last century was coupled with the collapse of most intimate communities.

I realise this topic is far more in sync with what I usually post about on NN, how modern living has taken us (especially women) away from our much needed social support systems. This has been terrible for us.

True or false, the practical impact of such alternative views is minimal. For the capitalist juggernaut, happiness is pleasure. Full stop. With each passing year, our tolerance for unpleasant sensations decreases, whereas our craving for pleasant sensations increases. Both scientific research and economic activity are geared to that end, producing each year better painkillers, new ice-cream flavours, more comfortable mattresses, and more addictive games for our smartphones, so that we will not suffer a single boring moment while waiting for the bus.

The link between modern day expectations and happiness is a thoroughly interesting one.
In a world where we have access to 24hour news, social media and an idealogical wars, it is often easy to get overwhelmed by the negative aspects of modernity.  I have shed many tears crying over news items that broke my heart recently, I will spare you the details but I can honestly say that I was more encouraged than ever to avoid the modern world and descend further into neo-traditionalism. I might not be there yet and I don't think it is entirely healthy to avoid the world entirely, but I was sorely tempted.

I urge you all to read the article. Maybe if enough of us decide to forgo the march of 'progress' we will band together to make a more simple, but far happier world.

Post reenactment review - Whitby

Arrrgh, I am so fat.

The sojourn in the back of beyond and then pregnancy has left me busting out of my reenactment kit.  Funny enough when I first made it, I was still carrying a lot of baby weight from  my first pregnancy so it was huge.  I lost that weight and had to make everything smaller and now, well it was tight, lets just say.....

So besides knowing that I need to get back on that healthy wagon, what can I say about the weekend and, more importantly, did I finish my baby's outfit?   Yes I did and she looked very cute indeed in it. 

Wish I had a picture but my phone is stupid.  However, like last years baby shift, the chances of her fitting in it for next years (hopefully more busy) season would be slim.  So, I had better gain some better skills at making this kid more creative outfits, though I do say a little linen gown and a chemise is not all that shabby for a little baby.

My view of the battle

Don't be fooled, it was a pretty small battle, I managed to watch it whilst simultaneously sitting with one breast pulled out of my very tight stays to nurse.....of course any sane woman would have made herself some sort of front lacing bodice but...as we all know, I am not sane.

The banquet....oh dear, well that was a dud, oven broke, food very, very late, food bad quality and a lack of organisation meant I was not best pleased.
However, I cut a fine figure in a Tricorn it seems, as I was caught in the background of some Jack Sparrows kissing picture..

There were three Jack Sparrows at this bloody thing

The late night, tight kit and a life long desire to visit Whitby  (due to its Dracula associations) meant that on Sunday I put my usual goth lite outfit on and went down to the Abbey

Not only is a beautiful ruin with a wonderful history, but there was a Dracula play running and it was the last day...it...was....AWESOME!!!!!!

Acting was first class, it was incredibly funny, especially their little improvised vignettes when something unexpected happened.  Oh they were brilliant.  I am very fond of this sort of entertainment anyway and following a story around the grounds of a ruined Abbey is my idea of first class fun!
Play over, the Babe and I had a picnic, we spread my cloak on the ground and had, bread, cheese, banana and some chilli crisps looking out over the bay on the cliff side of the Abbey.

After lunch and a wriggly baby put back into her buggy, I did the audio tour...ooh baby fell asleep for her main daytime nap...huzzah!!!!!  I went for Tea Time in the Abbey Cafe run by the YHA.
Now I have just noticed that there are some Tripadvisor people who did not like the Cafe and rating them down because the price was high and the service slow.  That is a shame because they had, perhaps the best Carrot cake there that I have ever tasted....ever! I also went in after lunch so there was no queue and although coffee and a cake at just under £5 is expensive, it is comparable to London prices so I did not find it overly so. But I guess people from the Shires might be crying a river at that point.  Who cares the cake was AMAZING!!!!!!!!

Gift shop time, was looking for some sort of toy suitable for a baby since The Babe had been so amazing all weekend she definitely deserved something, found a whistle, a bit of Rock for my niece (please note Americans, Rock is a candy, not something found on the ground) and a Dracula key ring.
I took my Pirate hoarde (harhar) towards the till but....wait...what is that?  Some strange beverages?
never one to pass by a drinks cabinet I stopped to look at the English Mead's and Elderflower wines which I can easily obtain locally but...what is that bottle there?
The cute young beardy man who worked in the shop offered to pour me a taste.  He said it was a love it or hate it liquer, I was hoping to hate it, I really can't afford to spend money on booze as it cost me so much money this weekend so far but damn it, I loved it, I really, really loved it. 
So I brought it.

Are you kidding me, it is made by French Monks, of COURSE I had to buy it.

After a long, long walk down a winding cliff side route with the farmers wife (can't take the infamous 199 step cliff stairs because of the buggy) I went to town.  This English seaside resort was much more classier than some others I have been too and certainly beats the socks off its Lancashire equivalent, Blackpool. 

I went on a boat ride, it was a 40% sized reproduction of the Bark Endeavour, Captain Cook's ship that he used to sail the year long journey to Oz and NZ. I learnt that none of his crew got scurvy though, good for them that they had such good teeth when they went to steal the land of the Native Islanders.....Oh well, guess they got him in the end though.
BTW, my first adult boyfriend was one of his descendants.   I don't admit that often though because he was cray-cray!

After that lovely boat ride (only £3 for 25 mins) the little babe and I ended our time at the The Angel Hotel, a Whetherspoons pub, for dinner where she feasted on her favourite, chips and mayo.

Lovely day, I have nothing negative to say about Whitby at all.

Oh no wait...far too many chips shops fry their chips in beef dripping, which is disgusting, but very Northern so.....well c'est la Vie.