National Vegetarian Week

Did you know that this week marks the start of National Vegetarian Week? I did but that is only because I saw it in a magazine so decided to find out more about it. We are vegetarian's 99% of the time anyway so I suppose there is not much change for us other than to shout and be recognised this week.

Unfortunately all the events that seem to be happening, that I can see so far are all in London. One thing I have found out though is that there are lots of lovely recipes on the website so go check it out.

So how will you spend your week?

Book Review: Food For Free

I think if nothing else the title should really grab your attention, I mean afterall who wouldn't want to eat for free huh!

It's a Collins Gem book and I tell ya, it really is a little Gem! It is small in size but certainly not in content. I think I paid something like £3 for it and it was well worth it. In fact we keep it in the car so that it is handy for trips out etc but I am thinking of getting another couple and leaving them in bags etc as there are often times when I wish I had this little book with me.

It has details of pretty much everything you can imagine that you would want to forrage and then eat. It has both photographs and drawings /paintings so that you can easily identify what it is. The write up about each food stuff is pretty good and it is certainly a good start if you are thinking of forraging it or not, the only thing I would say is that I have refferred to other books or the internet later on for ideas of how to eat / cook / preserve the items. At the end of the day I don't mind that though as if it had all that information in the book would be huuuuuuuuge and I really want it more as an identifier whilst I am out and about.

Here I am in the tent after a walk along the saltmarshes forraging. I just wanted to show you how small the book is. So what are you waiting for? Go buy the book and go forraging. It is certainly a liberating experience and truly a way to get back to nature.

A HUUUUUUGE Inspiration - Lammas & Living in the Future

I just wanted to share with you one of my inspirations and what has sparked off the change in the way we want to live a more ethical sustainable life. Jon and I are constantly talking about where we want to live and how and this is a topic that we are always talking about with our friends too. We are not certain what the answer is but we keep on discussing it and looking at ways in which we can change our lives.

We came across the Lammas Project and their podcasts on itunes and youtube "Living in the Future" and we were simply blown away by it. If you too are interested in sustainable living and all things eco you too I am sure will be blow away. The pod casts are no more than 10 minutes long, averaging about 5 minutes actually and there are 42 in all (I think unless they have created more). It might be a bit "bitty" to watch but I urge you to watch all of them in order, I think you will be glad you did.

My writing skills don't let me write about how much this has inspired us. I so want to live there, Jon is not ready yet but we are working our way towards being more eco friendly.

Please do watch the first installment below then watch the rest.... there are some really interesting hints, tips etc on how you too can change your life. You don't need me to tell you about it, just watch it and enjoy and we'll see you in Wales!

A gift from the Potting Shed

Even though it has been raining for what seems like forever, we still have major problems with our water reserves and we need, like it or not, to start doing something about it. We can all do our bit to help conserve water and use less than we currently are. The government wants to help us too as does the local water board.

We sent away for our FREE kit from Anglian Water.....

We have used the contents now, it's not massive but it is FREE after all! At the end of the day though every little bit helps as they say so it is just a small step to using just that little bit less water.

Inside the kit there were two bags of gel crystals which you add to your compost, these then swell up when wet and help to retain the moisture in the soil thus saving the need to water, at least as often anyway. Apparently they swell up to 400 times their size and you only need a teaspoon or two in a large container. We have used ours so it will be good to see how efficient they are. We certainly managed to spread them along way.

Also in the kit which we haven't used yet are some mats to line hanging baskets with. Hanging baskets are notorious for needing a lot of water. Again these are supposed to help with water retention.

If you are in our Area and want to claim a kit for yourself all you need to do is go to: The Anglian Water Website

In fact Anglian Water really want us to reduce the amount of water we use so much that there are a whole host of goodies available for FREE here. I am going to be sending away for them to see how much we can save in just a household of two and will let you know how we get on.

At home, we each use an average of 145 litres of water a day. Some of that could easily be saved. Imagine if everyone in your house, your neighbours and in your community dropped that amount by 20 litres, every single day. That’s a lot of water saved for tomorrow.

Our homes aren’t always as water efficient as we imagine. An average toilet flush or  a leaky tap can waste lots of water. Have a quick check around your kitchen and bathroom and you could be dropping 20 litres before you know it.

 There is also lots of information on ways you can reduce how much water you are using. Check out the Anglian Water website to find out how!

my new little business

In keeping with my principles I have created a little side line which I would like to introduce to you...

 

Mrs Brimbles - A little bit of curiosity mixed with a love of life, of whimsy, eco, shopping from small independent traders and a bit of up-cycle to boot!

So what will I be doing? I will be making and selling things. Lots of lovely things that I have made and up-cycled.  First in my repertoire is these lovely Soy Wax candles.....

WHY SOY WAX?

1. Soy wax in kinder to the environment as it not made from petroleum as the usual paraffin candles are.
2. Soy candles can last almost 50% longer than their paraffin cousins
3. Soy wax melts evenly and can burn evenly all the way down – it produces a larger melted wax pool around the wick
4. Soy wax can be cleaned up with soap and water
5. Soy wax does not produce as much soot so you won’t get any of those dark patches on the ceiling and you are not inhaling it either!
6. Soy wax burns at a lower temperature which means that the fragrance lingers and does not get burnt away as fast.
7. People have even been known to rub the wax on their skin as a moisturiser (Mrs Brimbles does not sell candles for this purpose so does not recommend it on this basis)

So most of my jars and containers for the candles are upcycled as are the materials I used to embellish them with.

So what do you think?

I have a facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/MrsBrimble and it would be great to see you over there!

What is Summer?

A little quote for you on this dreary day!

Book Review: Living Organic

I have read so many books over the past couple of years and some of them have been really useful so I wanted to start sharing these with you and doing a bit of a review. I am going to intersperse the review posts with other posts.

So here we go. The first every book that I read around the topic is:

Living Organic

This book provides a clear and sensible introductory guide to a complete organic lifestyle. It explains how you and your family can tackle the toxins that surround you and take a healthier, holistic approach to everyday living. Organic food - what's it all about? What's in season and how to cook organic meats and vegetables to get the best out of them (and find out what to do with those nobbly vegetables at the farmers' market). In the home, you'll be amazed at the simple alternatives there are to chemical cleaning products and toxic toiletries that you can buy or make for yourself. Whether you want to grow your own vegetables or just look after the pot plants on your verandah, the organic garden explains everything from the lowly compost heap to natural weed control. Contains information on how children can lead a low toxicity life from conception through to childhood and beyond. Whether you live in a flat in the city or a house in the country, the low toxicity lifestyle is the essential choice for the future. 

I had heard quite a lot about organic living but wasn't really sure what it was all about. I picked this book up whilst on holiday in a bargain bucket but you know what, it has been one of the most useful books I have. There is lots of really useful information inside that will transform your life and the way you look at the way you live. I read it really casually and dipped in and out not really reading it on a continuous basis but it was really easy to do so. I read snippetts at a time and it was easy to pick up and put down. The information was really clear and a real eye opener. I was shocked actually to read about how toxic our everyday lives have become.

If you want to kick start yout eco, organic and ethical lifestyle this is certainly the book to get you started with. There are small easy steps that you can put in place to get you started and believe me after reading this book you will want to get started and let go of those harsh chemical induced cleaning products.

Read, enjoy and implement!