20 years a veggie

Hi all - I hope everyone had a terrific Christmas and New Year period

Sorry to have been so absent for such a long time. Life has been a very busy and I can't help feeling that this 20 years a veggie back to meat thing has been a bit of a disappointment!

I conclude that meat is great, but only in the same way that biscuits, chocolate and beer are great. Boring I know but it's pretty much down to quality and frequency.......As I said a couple of posts back the thing about eating meat is that it leads you into eating some of the crap meat which you wouldn't have ate if you were still a veggie!

Nutritional lows this last month -

Burger King chicken royale - this is the lowest of the culnery low literal and metaphorical crap
Chicken nuggets - pinched from Ewan's plate - poor lad having to eat this crap
Too much cider on boxing day - cider is fabulous gear but you do have to be a bit careful - something I'm sometimes not
Too much cheese - lets face it - it just doesn't agree with me and makes me feel bloaty
Double cream on the Xmas pud - instant asthma
Bottled Westons Organic cider - it's a crippling fact that this is too high in sugar and brings me an almost instant sugar low which pisses me off and those around me

Nutritional highs

The new Samson juicer - a must for all uptight middle classers for the new year - apple carrot and ginger - it is really good
My brother in laws brandy on Xmas day....mmmmmmmmmmm
Delia's luxery Fish Pie on Boxing Day http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/luxury-fish-pie-with-rosti-caper-topping,1342,RC.html really fabulous
Teri's Xmas pud
Fabbo vegetable and lentil soup after a walk in the woods yesterday
Sainsburies Pork and Apple sausages
Steamed savoy cabbage and cardomon pods
The first mussels I've ever cooked myself - too much wine but I won't make that mistake again

Nutritional No-Mans land

All things bacon

So I'm now into the (some would say boring) January abstinance - the fact is that it's what goes in between your ears that matters with food more than any rules about what you put into your stomache. On top of this alcohol is just a way of changing your mood/state. I'd rather find other ways but have found this difficult in the past being a bit lazy.......

Musical moments

• Aerial by Kate Bush
• Old Sounds of the New West - great Americana compliation which includes a top version of Straight to Hell in old time/bluegrass style
• American Idiot - Green Day

Will speak soon

Hi - I've been a bit distracted and not really posted for a while - sorry folks. Christmas has taken it's toll etc etc. I'm setting myself up for a big post over the next couple of days - the subjects of which will include -

Why I became a veggie in the first place
Meat - the raw truth
What's really happening with my diet

Speak soon!

Phil

Come on in!!The water's fine!!!

Hake Williams
Hake Williams Junior
Hussker du
Roemones
Paul Mackeralartney

; - )) more more more.......

Well continuing the theme about falling into bad habits cos of meat eating.....Yesterday I had to take my youngest Ewan for a hair cut. Not the worst thing in the world but he's not entirely happy with the arrangement if you know what I mean.......As part of the general negotioation and encouragement he asked if he could go for a burger.

Well I don't know how you all manage with this, but it seems that if you limit such opportunities and if burger buying and little toy consumption is so much valued by children - how do you stop it seeming like such a treat!!

Anyway I agreed on Burger King and off we went into town with the plan to visit the bank, the post office, have a haircut, have lunch and go for a swim in some sort of order that would make sense at the time . We both had the haircut and Ewan went into a major wobble with hair down the back of his neck etc etc. Even though it was about 1.20 at this time we decided to go for a swim rather than lunch to get rid of his tickly bits. This done we emerged from the swimming pool at around 2.45 somewhat ravenous.

Now my usual strategy at BK or McD is to have a cup of tea and (.....yes OK) pinch a couple of chips. However I was bloody starving and ended up with something completely new to me.......a chicken royale!!!!!!!! Absolute gunk stuffed full of fat and salt and other unmentionables.....you should really look at the BK regulars, it's like something out of the Night of the Living Dead. The only positive thing to come out of this was that Ewan didn't really enjoy it either and said that he felt really fat after his chees boyger....lets' hope he'll remember that next time.....

Shower Songs - on the bus yesterday a rather eccentric looking young woman was singing If I Had a Hammer in such a sweet and unadorned way it was deffo my musical moment of the week if not year. My own shower version was certainly less charming but there you go - there must be some beauty in being a middle aged man?

A note to Dymphna....stop lurking there dear and jump in. Yes Mark is the most fabulous cook.

Well I've discovered one of the pitfalls of this meat eating thing - how casually you can add extra meat to your diet without really thinking. I found myself munching on a beef and horseradish sarnie at lunchtime (cos my other half didn't want it.......you'd think she'd be more supportive wouldn't you....) Got to be more careful.....

Shower songs - spend ages singing the instrumental bit from that Madonna No.1 trying to work out which ABBA song she'd sampled. Gimme, Gimme, Gimme.....very disappointed

Hi folks - back from something of a meat and cider feast over the weekend and recognizing the need to take it a bit easy on both for a while. As well as the carnivorous delights described previously, my weekend also involved 2 full English breakfast. Feeling dead bloaty and may have moved in the opposite direction wightwise than envisioned - oh never mind will need to get down to it now...... Great weekend though with some lovely walking - very mild in Dorset over the weekend and strolled between Kimmeridge Bay to Worth Matravers on Sunday in a t-shirt.

Cider recommendation - Barrow Hill http://www.ciderbrandy.co.uk/ they also do cider brandy mmmmmmmmm

Shower songs - bit tricky over the weekend as generally too hungover - lots of rock 'n roll played over the weekend which may have been a shock to buccolic environs - top album probably being Raw Power by Iggy and the Stooges

Poo News - all tickety boo, thanks for asking!

Hi there - well what a day - winter really started and we are all now invited to get pissed when we like and as long as we'd like...

Big fish day for me yesterday - mackeral for lunch and smoked cod for tea - yum yum.........Still feeling very good apart from my left leg locking in the kitchen (the fact that said locking took place in the kitchen isn't really relevant but I thought you'd like some context) Could make the balance of the drinking/walking weekend tip somewhat.

Prawn Rogan Josh for tea plus short grain rice. Will blog later after I've discovered how to blog from my mobile

Shower songs Mistleto and wine - I know.......pitiful

Still feeling a bit crap but less dribbly stuff coming out of the nose which is a relief to everyone! Am at home listening to one of those late Johnny Cash albums. Now if you wanted to get a sense of what it would look and feel like to be at the end of a long and eventful life you could do worse then settle down with JC and a bottle of something strong.

No meat to report on as I'm keeping myself pure before next weekend when I'm off to Dorset with some friends. Old Marky boy is a bit of a hot shot in the kitchen and the menu for the weekend is

Friday night - Mussels and bacon in a cider sauce followed by sea bream
Saturday night - Chicken casserole
Sunday night - a Raclette - basically hot fab cheese bit like a fondue with cold meats and some spuds - have a look here for photo http://www.raclette.de/shopdata/shop.php4?aktion=specials&page=raclette

Going to take lots of fruit veg and water to keep me flowing well ; - )

Shower songs - Box of Rain by the Grateful Dead - just the job!