first day of winter

It’s the first day of winter!  And I’m getting married in Spring, how crazy … Ifeel like things aren’t really organised, and for the most part, they aren’t.  So I suppose that is to be expected.

I had a lovely trip to the optometrist today where I discovered that apart from my incredible blindness, my eyes are very healthy!  Now I am sitting in the study at this computer, with the get up kids turned up loud, and trying (again) to organise it.  I really don’t know where all this stuff has come from.  And no matter how many times I mention it, we never choose any DVDs or CDs or books to give away.  Maybe its because I am really nagging but in denial …

I’ve started sewing again, knitted up a storm and generally had a successful few weeks.  I still feel like something is missing though, and I don’t know what it is … maybe cleaning the study will solve this feeling!

And there you go … a post about nothing.

Thoughts on a Thursday

Today I am really excited because I have a book voucher.  It means I have a legitimate excuse to buy a book!  Maybe two!  What a wonderful birthday present that was.

So I’ve been 25 for just over a week.  It feels the same as 24 but there are a lot of things I’ll be doing aged 25 that I’ve never done.  I’m having an engagement party, I’m getting married.  I think that is a small list of big things.  I’m excited about the next decade – I believe that the best years of my life are to come and I see a lot of happiness and joy in the future.  The people who tell you that high school and uni are the best years of your life either have low expectations or think that getting drunk/stoned/high is better than real life and real family.  I actually feel sorry for those people.

I have the healthiest nails I’ve ever had in my life … one of the many positives of being vegan I suspect!  Also there has been news in the paper lately which confirms some of the findings of the China Study, which suggest that eating calcium from animal sources provides no benefit to bone health, and in fact, may be worse for you.  I couldn’t agree more, all my information suggests that animal protein leeches calcium from bones.  Should that be leach?

I am off to find some lunch … have a nice Thursday!

Buying children’s books

I buy a lot of children’s books.  I started collecting them for my own future-children many years ago when I was working in a suburban bookstore, and I’ve continued since.  But it turns out this is a lot more complicated than expected when you live by a certain ethical code and intend to raise a family the same way.

My family will be vegan.  This is something which can be more easily understood by older children, but for younger kids I suspect it will all be a grand mystery of ‘why can’t I eat what that kid is eating?’.  Anecdotal evidence suggests that while these kids will respond well to ‘we don’t eat animals’, being constantly reminded of this fact while reading will be difficult.

So I am trying to buy young children’s books – picture books and things – which do not make specific mention of eating meat, farms and milking cows etc.  This is phenomenally difficult – the world of children’s book authors seem to realise that children are naturally drawn to animals and so seem to focus on farms, where we RAISE THEM FOR SLAUGHTER.  Which is conveniently not mentioned.  So it turns out this is a far harder task than I anticipated.

I was happily surprised by “Edwina the Emu”, the sequel to the classic “Edward the Emu”, where after taking a job as a waitress, Edwina is horrified to discover people ordering eggs for their consumption and so hurries back home to protect her eggs.

I suspect that this will be difficult so as I find things I might put them here for anyone else suffering the same dilemma.  Not that anyone reads the posts on here that aren’t specifically about why I am a vegan or boycotting Mitsubishi!

Dedicated to a beautiful puppy

Today my parents took my old dog, Pearl, to the vet for the final time.  The time had come and it was inevitable.  She had arthritis in her back legs and was struggling to walk, she had lost most of her eyesight and hearing and she was in pain most of the time.  It was still a hard decision, because she was always excited to see all of us and was happy … pretty much always.

We adopted Pearl when she was only 8 weeks old, and had been with us for 16.5 years.  There were many happy years – taking her to the river to play, on family holidays to Adelaide and the coast, and thousands of walks around my old suburb.  Then about ten years ago we adopted her a playmate after we moved, because no one was around much and she was bored during the day.  Maude has been a constant companion and often and annoyance too I am sure!  I think it is Maudie who will miss her the most.

So goodbye Pearl.  I’ll always remember the costumes, the obstacles and your little surprises – like the time we came home and you were jumping on the trampoline!  We will miss you.

Wow!

Yesterday I reached an all time high for visitors in one day, whats the deal people? Perhaps my veganism is interesting after all.

Why I am a dietary vegan

I realise that I am not a ‘proper’ vegan, and that I still knit with wool and am coming to grips with not using animal based fibres. I thought it might be worthwhile to really put in writing the reasons that I am vegan and the decisions that led me here.

I am not “an animal person”. In my family, we were raised in a way where we treated the entire environment with respect – including the fauna in it and also the humans. My father is a zoologist by training, and he spent a lot of time working with spiders. His best mate is a herpetologist, and so my childhood living in the Blue Mountains was filled with identifying animals in their habitat – and on occasion, experiencing these animals by touch. My mum is an accomplished gardener and has always used a lot of native plants, and as such, I have always been able to identify a range of animals and plants in the environment.

My father and his scientist friends haven’t always done things which I, as a vegan, agree with (although growing up I had less of an issue with). Some of these are things I still struggle with – using animals for research purposes. Not chimpanzees or anything, but still breeding frogs, etc, for the purpose of research. I understand the benefits of this research on natural populations – hence my internal conflict. Additionally, my father was on the Zoo Board for a decade. I do not agree with zoos and the fact that animals are exploited for entertainment. But in an urban setting they can provide an unparalleled opportunity for education. I now believe that the educational benefits are unnecessary.

Where there has been less conflict for me are the issues of food and cosmetics. I can have significant control over what goes into my body and what I put on it – from toothpaste, to shampoo, to cleanser. What has complicated this issue is my newfound insight into chemicals (because of my work). Access to documents which I might not have otherwise had, and the insight is scary! This has meant that as well as choosing vegan options, I am also making decisions based on other ingredients, chemical ingredients, and organic options. I spend inordinate amounts of time researching particular ingredients and my new theory (which seems to work) is: if I can’t pronounce it, I’m not using it.

Eating as a vegan has such a significant impact on the environment that justifying it has never been an issue for me. People debate ethics – is it cruel to raise animals for slaughter and do they have the same right-to-life as human animals? Obviously my answer to that is yes, but to me, that is a secondary issue. The science behind veganism is my answer.

Not eating animal products saves water, one of the most precious resources we have. Not eating animal products assists in preserving native environments (by not requiring land for stockfeed). Science says we don’t need to eat animal products, and even suggests that doing so is damaging to health.

But more than anything, it feels wrong. I’ve got nothing but respect for every element of the environment yet how could I have no moral opposition to forcing animals to breed, often by artificial means, specially to then slaughter and eat their offspring? How could I promote the consumption of dairy, when like every mammal, the cow makes milk to nourish its young? How could I promote egg consumption, when I know that it results in the deaths of millions of male chicks every year?

The answer is: I can’t. And I don’t have time for people who “love animals” as they eat a chicken pie. I don’t have time for people who care about the environment but won’t give up steak. I don’t have time for people who say they want a better world for generations to come, but feed their children milk that has been stolen and artificially produced by another species.

I am sure I will have more to add to this. I am saying that I don’t have time for hypocrites, yet I use felt and wool in my crafts. In my mind there is a distinction and I’ll come to that later. I also would like to write about pet stores and puppy farms, and keeping non-native animals in a country as unique as Australia. But all in good time!

Things which confuse me

Part 2 …

Why make fake cupcakes out of wool, felt or fabric? Make the real thing and eat them or just don’t make them. And all that effort to make them look real? In half the time you could have a dozen real ones!

PEOPLE HAVE LOST THE PLOT.

Craft Sunday v.2

Today marked the second Craft Sunday, an afternoon event I have created to bring together the craft loving women in my life so we can share skillz and chat.  This meeting increased the total number of attendees by one, to four!  Woohoo!  But two of those people were new to the event and I think both will return.

At Craft Sundays I try to play a role in facilitating the creation – I provide a space, resources and my time (not that I am the craftiest, except in yarn crafts, but everyone seems to be digging the knitting).  As a result I am probably less efficient in those 3 hours than I am at any other 3 hour time I put into craft.  But I am really enjoying it!  Two people have decided to learn to crochet, which I will too when I have less other pressing needs, and I hope to learn some crossstitch.  Myself and my best friend both want to improve our embroidery as well, so I have the books and as soon as we have the chance, we will really focus on that.

In other news, the week (fortnight?) of my birthday has started and previously mentioned best friend MADE ME AN APRON!  I am so happy!  Admittedly I asked her to, but it was ages ago, before Christmas and she remembered!  I love it!  She also got me some other wonderful things, she is such an excellent gift giver.

Anyhow, I would love to write something profound or even vaguely interesting but I’ve been thrown out completely by daylight savings, so I think I’ll just go to bed.  BUT I’ve found my camera, so I’m hoping that posts will now come with comlementary photos!  Is that the right complementary/complimentary? Hmmph, I don’t operate well when tired.

Things that make me happy today

There are few things that I find more relaxing than watching rain while listening to Beethoven or Schubert.  Lucky for me I can do both today at work.  Watching the rain at 21 storeys is a relatively new experience and something I find positively delightful – it lacks that moment when a drop of water hits a perpendicular hard surface at speed, but makes up for it with the different effect of rain on windows and a less violent impact.

I have totally lost it when it comes to borrowing or buying second hand books instead of new.  My failure here has two main reasons.  The first is that a ‘book outlet’ store of a very good book chain has opened opposite my work.  It has very good quality books at half price or less and I struggle walking past it every day and seeing a newish craft or cooking book in the window, taunting me.  Incidentally I buy other types of books and they have a fantastic range of childrens and fiction books.  The second reason is that my local library … well the honest truth is that it is crap.  It is entirely possible that my current local Council, who run the library, have no money and cannot put in many new books, but I suspect it is more that they simply do not buy books which interest me.  So as self centred as this is, I rarely bother going there at all.  I hope that my next local library is more adequately stocked.

There has been some debate in the local media here about the rise of ‘domestic goddesses’ in Generation Y – women who would rather stay home or work less to raise a family, cook, and do other things.  I’m finding the debate interesting because I think I might be one of these people.  Older women are horrified because they seem to think we are ‘giving up’ the feminist cause and undo their hard work for many decades.  What they don’t seem to have considered is that we are in fact reaping the rewards of their hard work and now have the legitimate choice to stay home if we so decide.  I don’t see why there is such a big deal about this – its not hurting anyone and there are thousands of things happening in the world which are far more significant.

Update on April’s resolution

I have two days left to find my point and click (and beloved) camera.  Where on earth did I put it?

I wouldn’t mind taking a photo while I am out this afternoon and at the current rate … not going to happen.

In other news, my hair is cut!  Shorter and neater!  I’m still growing it but I hate ratty ends.