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Diving Lanzarote: Dawn Dives Academy

20/10/2022

Like many of us, I seem to be making up for lost time after you-know-what stopped so many fun things. It was an invitation to join some sea kayaking that took me to the volcanic island of Lanzarote, but of course I managed some scuba diving too.

A school of small mouth grunts, Flamingo Beach, Lanzarote, photo by Claudia Forneris

Thanks to the fantastic Girls That Scuba facebook group, I met Claudia from Dawn Dives Academy for a drink. We talked travel, badly behaved customers and everything Lanzarote. The dive sites here are a mixture between shore dives and boat dives, with reefs and walls providing plenty of opportunities for marine life to thrive. And on top of that, there's an underwater museum.

I'm an experienced diver now, I'm very calm and I do a lot of yoga - this adds together to make me pretty conservative on air consumption. The last time I dived I was with a mixed experience group. My first dive was really short because someone else was low on air quickly, so I was really keen not to have a repeat of this. I didn't need to worry at all!

Claudia and I had a perfect day of diving just the two of us. We geared up at the very organised dive shop before driving to Flamingo beach. Despite an underwater photography competition taking place, we wandered into the water, and within minutes Claudia had spotted an octopus. The sheltered harbour and rocky wall make it an ideal location for juvenile fish and things that prey on them. As we descended lower, there were huge shoals small mouthed grunts, as well as the comically long-nosed trumpet fish, prawns and barracudas. This was my longest dive ever. We spent 72 minutes in serene contemplation of a thriving marine ecosystem.

As we left the water, seemingly hundreds of suited and booted divers were ready to get their first experience underway - we had been lucky and had the reef to ourselves.

Barracudas, Flamingo Beach, Lanzarote, Photo Claudia Forneris.

An octopus! Charlotee Reef, Lanzarote, Photo Claudia Forneris.

After another short drive, we mooched around in the sun, drinking coffee and chatting about the other possible dive sites. Puerto del Carmen offers deeper dives, whilst to the north, Mala and the nearby island of La Graciosa offer stunning rock formations thanks to lava flows from long-ago eruptions.

Charlotte Reef introduced similar marine life to us including a moray eel and a tiny baby bright green fish in the seagrass. With another long dive, I was feeling cold before getting through my air - water temperatures of 22 degrees doesn't sound too bad but after warm water diving in Mexico and Egypt, it felt cold after such a long time.

Our final dive was a boat dive at the Underwater Museum. We drove to the harbour and jumped on the boat shared by different dive shops. After rolling our eyes at the macho dive instructors sharing our trip, the short boat ride took us to Jason deCaires Taylor's collection of sculptures which lie in the sheltered bay. Claudia was really knowledgeable about the symbolism of different statues as well as on the history of the Museum. Local people were used as models for the life-sized sculptures, which represent different important themes including greed, wealth and the plight of refugees.

Underwater Museam, Playa Blanca, Lanzarote, Photo Claudia Forneris.

Stand by for a more detailed article about the museum soon.

After rejoining the boat (I was quite smug that we'd had the longest dive and the macho men were waiting for us), we had time to chat about the experience. The statues have a bit of a creepy vibe. Algae has grown over the surfaces, giving a sense of decay. However, I was surprised by the sheer abundance of life enjoying the museum. A couple of giant anemones have made their homes in secluded corners, whilst we were surprised by the sudden appearance of a school of sardines and then again by a busy squid whizzing by. In an otherwise empty part of the ocean floor, Jason deCaires Taylor has achieved his aim of linking culture, conversation and tourism.

Thank you Claudia and Dawn Dive Academy! I had a perfect day diving healthy waters with a new friend.

Have you been to Lanzarote? What did you think? Do you want to see more photos? Comment below.

Girls That Scuba. Thanks Claudia!

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Seals in Norfolk: Sailors and Flying Rings

30/9/2022

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My working week looks more and more diverse, partly as I fail to say no to anyone, even when I already have quite a lot to do. This week I’ve played the organ for a funeral with a windband, chatted about bear attacks in Slovakia and discussed the best fingering to use to play Abba’s Slipping Through your Fingers. Alongside all of that, I spoke to Jenny Hobson.

Jenny Hobson and her husband Richard have just got back from sailing around Britain. Two weeks after Richard retired, they set off from Portsmouth for a six month adventure. On their way they saw minke whales and a golden eagle chick and survived high winds all in a bid to raise publicity for the Flying Ring Campaign.

I heard about Jenny’s adventure whilst writing an article about the grey seal colony in Norfolk and how they have thousands of pups on Norfolk’s beaches every year. Jenny’s campaign is all about seals. Flying rings are like frisbees, only with a hole in the middle. Naturally curious animals, the simple toys get stuck around the neck of adolescent seals as they investigate what it is. As the young animal grows, the disk becomes embedded in its skin. As an RSPCA volunteer, Jenny was on volunteer duty at East Winch Animal Hospital when a seal with a flying ring injury was brought in. The adult female was so severely injured that they weren’t sure she’d survive the night. Horrified, she sought the support of Friends of Horsey Seals, applied for some funding and started leafleting beachside towns and villages.

The campaign has already been very successful. With all the local councils on the Norfolk coast involved, Tesco, Pets at Home and some independent shops have ceased selling the toy. But there’s still more to do. Other chain stores still stock them, and obviously people can buy them elsewhere and bring them to the beach. Plus, all waters are connected, so if someone loses a flying ring in Scotland, a seal in Cornwall or Norfolk might find it.

That’s why there’s a government petition to ban the toy completely. UK citizens or residents: please sign it. If it can reach a sufficient number of signatures by the end of October, it will be debated in Parliament - at least giving some much-needed publicity to this simple yet important campaign.

SIGN THE PETITION HERE

There are alternatives to flying rings. A solid frisbee (better yet, a biodegradable one) makes a far safer toy!

Jenny’s commitment to this cause is a lesson to me. That one person CAN make a difference (and that people can have adventures even when they’re not quite so young any more. I know, I know, I always get touchy about getting old near my birthday, stand by for the blog post about my next bucket list…). Please sign the petition, don't buy a flying ring and spread the message. It's so simple.

Have you signed? Can you think of other people that have fought a one-person campaign? Comment below.

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Efteling Theme Park: Vegan Version

31/8/2022

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Max und Mortiz. Photo copyright Efteling

Sometimes I don’t consider myself a ‘real’ grown-up. Other people in their mid 30s (I know, I look far younger, thanks!) have mortgages, children, a secure career. My biggest grown-up achievement however, was marrying my perfect match and for a wedding gift we suggested tickets to a theme park! This blog post is about Efteling FreizeitPark - a fairytale themed amusement park with some BIG rollercoasters.

The weirdly spiky roof of the welcome building got us pretty excited, so much so that I forgot that I wanted to leave my glasses in the car, but we were too excited to go back. For our warm-up ride it didn’t matter though - no upside-down on the family friendly Max und Mortiz, a rollercoaster with two separate tracks. Despite remaining mostly upright, the ride was fast and suddenly I was doubting my sanity - if this was the kiddy rollercoaster, what are the big ones going to be like?

The Baron 1922 - which hesitates at the top of the sheer drop before plunging underground. Phew! Photo Credit: Hannah Parry

Only one way to find out. The Baron 1810 (year may be incorrect).

The whole park wasn’t as busy as we assumed it was going to be. We joined the longest queue to ride in the front row. Part of the experience involves being ushered into a darkened room where the Baron explains something about mining. Stef enjoyed the story element, it definitely set the tone. It was terrifying and amazing, and I screamed a lot.

Don’t worry, I didn’t plan on examining every ride. This blog post is supposed to be primarily about the vegan food available, hopefully making someone else’s trip a bit easier. This post on the official Efteling website was our main guide for the day. So, how did they do?

NOT my photo, as ours was without mayo: Hot Dog photo credit: Efteling.

1. Vegan hot dog - who knew that Dutch hot dogs were a thing?

There were numerous hot dog stands, all with the same poster in front advertising their ‘special’ hot dog, available in vegan. After a long wait in a not very long queue, yes they had a vegan sausage! But the vendor had no clue what vegan meant and tried to put normal mayonnaise on there. Without mayo, the toppings were mustard, ketchup, crispy onions and pickled gherkin. Really tasty. Stef gave it a score of EE - exceeded expectation.

2. Fries/chips/pommes/frites - the vegan saviour!

Fries or chips (me and Stef often refer to them as Pommes in German because our versions of English don't agree on what to call them), again the wait was really long but they came with a curry ketchup sauce which was great.

3. Plant-based coffee - aka life

Everyone who knows me will know I LOVE coffee. They’ll also know that I drink it black - espresso, Americano, cafe creme, I’m going to love them all. Stef, however, enjoys a milky version. Oat milk is her milk of choice, but the first cafe we tried didn’t have anything plant based. HOWEVER, the extremely helpful vendor got out a map and labelled where we could find plant milk.

Minutes later and the poor guy at the other cafe seems stressed. He has soy milk. Great. What about the syrups, are they vegan? Can you make the Dutch stroopwafel flavour drink vegan? Flustered, he skips (I don’t jest) off to find a colleague and Stef ends up with a gingerbread latte. Not bad, could be better.

At this point I feel it’s important to highlight one of the most enjoyable rides. Symbolica involved lining up in front of the fairy castle with lots of small children. We went in the ‘single-rider’ line to speed through, meaning that once we’d reached the actual ride (passing through a hall with a wizard explaining what was happening before the stairway broke open), we each gatecrashed on separate families - the cars held 6 people each. I’m not going to give it away, but it was genius.

Symbolica in the Fairy Castle Photo Credit: perceptivetravel.com

4. Popcorn - where are yoooou?

It’s a theme park, there should be popcorn and candy floss everywhere. Well, after spending 2 hours in the Enchanted Forest, riding the dark roller coaster twice, surviving the waltzers and walking who knows how far - we were hangry and we couldn’t find any. Eventually, we circled back towards the big rides again and managed to get a cup of salty for 2 Euros. Stef score: AE - as expected.

5. Are you ready for the grand finale?

So after the popcorn nourishment (Stef ate the most but I think I had eaten both our emergency apples by this point), we went for a last go on the Baron 1891, then thought we better just check if Python (closed all day) had opened. Hurray, it's open, we get to try it! Except we weren’t really mentally prepared. It was great, the small boy in the front even managed to smile in our group photo.

By this time it was around 8 pm or just after. The park opens till 10pm. We had read about the ‘jungle burger’, soy patty with yummy other stuff. We found the right restaurant on the map, trudged wearily along the winding paths to find it, only to discover an employee cleaning up outside and the door firmly shut. “We close at 8pm, no-one ever wants food after that.”

Apparently the opening times are on the app. App? Why do I need an app? My phone barely functions as it is, downloading an app might finish it off! Deflated, tired and hungry we didn’t have the energy to trek to another restaurant which was potentially closed or had no vegan options. We got bread and hummus from a supermarket on the way. We both love hummus and it was cheap, so not too sad.

Overall, Efteling was a great place to visit. With so much more to it than just the big rides, we had fun exploring the clever and family friendly parts too. The Netherlands is usually great for plant-based options, and our hopes were high from the website, it’s just a shame the reality wasn’t quite so easy. As ever, pack emergency apples and enjoy the fries.

Have you enjoyed this blog post, comment below and tell me why!

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Aeham Ahmad: Piano Concert in Steinfurt

1/8/2022

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Konzertgalerie: Tourism Steinfurt

The Konzertgalerie in Steinfurt is on my running route. It sits in the huge Bagno Park which divides the two parts of town. I’ve been past it countless times but never been inside until last week. The chandeliers glittered in the mirrors, illuminating the painted ceiling and rather ugly angel and harp statue at the back.

I’m constantly surprised that I live in Steinfurt - home to many retired people who made up the bulk of the audience for tonight’s concert. The old white people were out in force to support and learn from a young Palestinian/Syrian man. Aeham Ahmad climbed the shallow steps to the platform before the first powerful notes of his music rang out.

Before the first piece, there was a lot of talking. A lot. Firstly heckling from the audience because the microphone wasn’t loud enough, (“turn your hearing aid up” was the helpful advice of one retiree), then the painful story of Aeham’s life. Growing up in as a Palestinian refugee in Syria was hard enough, before war broke out. Aeham and his friends would wheel his piano outside and he would play amidst the rubble of bomb blasts.

Aeham talked about his music, describing how classical, jazz and eastern music all combined in his composition/improvisations. He sang too, mournful notes over sustained chords were alternated with impressively virtuosic passages. The anger, sorrow, guilt and sadness of his story poured out through his fingers to be made sound for us to share.

Between pieces, a narrator read passages from one of Aeham’s two books. Death, destruction, and loneliness filled every story - from being separated from his family to watching his piano burn. Moments of calm came too, and he encouraged the audience to sing a repeated melody with him while he played, a moment of togetherness for us to share.

Aeham’s classical training is evident. His facility of touch and the sheer speed at which he can play was astounding. In all honesty, I found it really hard to listen to him. There was a lot of loud playing, the raw emotion spilling everywhere. The pieces were also quite similar to each other. Familiar riffs would return and chord sequences were reused. The message of peace and hope that the narrator put forward wasn’t expressed in the music at all.

The audience clearly admired his dexterity and ability to perform with such passion. After a standing ovation, the first encore was based on Ode to Joy - the famous tune from Beethoven’s ninth symphony which all the German pensioners knew the words for. To me, this was a sudden contrast to the ‘real’ music - but showed off his ability to weave a melody into his own style with skill.

I can’t imagine the life that Aeham and his family have had to endure. In 2016, Aeham took the Balkan route from Syria to Germany. But I can’t miss an opportunity to draw attention to how things are now.

Aeham had achieved family reunification within a year of his arrival. That means that his asylum claim was processed, accepted and then his family could join him via a legal route. Friends of mine spend twice that time or longer trapped in countries on the way. They then have to wait years just for their asylum claims to be assessed. The wait even after an interview is months and months in France, Germany and the UK. The compassion shown by the audience for Aeham should be extended to everyone else, whether from Ukraine, Afghanistan, Sudan or anywhere else.

Aeham is a firstclass musician, and an ambassador for others who share parts of his story, and I'm really glad I got to hear him play.

Want to DO SOMETHING! People in the UK can volunteer to help Care4Calais when people first arrive in the country. Or if you’d rather have an online task and have 3-4 hours a week, get in touch to help Are You Syrious with the News Digest.

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World Refugee Day 2022

20/6/2022

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This time last year, I’m not sure any of us could quite believe the changes today, the 19th World Refugee Day. Whilst global events influence public opinion, I try to focus on the personal stories. To me, it doesn’t matter where a person is from, what reason they have for fleeing their home country, or even if they’re a nice person or not. What matters to me is that everyone has a right to safety. Above all, everyone has the right to not to be illegally mistreated - evidence of which is shockingly abundant.

During the last year, I’ve shared a variety of person stories on my blog. These include Zoe Mitchell hiking to raise funds as well as my own effort to fund-raising via a 100 km bike ride.

World events have of course had a global impact. When Kabul fell to the Taliban last August, the implications for people I know was huge. People struggled to contact family members as No Name Kitchen and other organisations hurried to fill out forms with a hope these might lead to evacuation. Of the people left behind - women face unique and dreadful consequences.

Artwork by Afghan Street Artist Shamsia Hassani.

My trip back to Bosnia early this year was revealing in many ways. It was a relief to be able to say that things were better than they had been. However, one of the main reasons for this is that people are less able to leave the countries that they are stuck in. Travel out of Afghanistan is almost impossible, and leaving Iran and Turkey have both become more and more problematic. The updates I wrote in January and February described the changes from the previous year, but the post I wrote in March this year included the response of No Name Kitchen concerning the reception of refugees from Ukraine in Europe.

17th March 2022. European Union. No Name Kitchen has always been very clear about the solution to the so-called ‘refugee crisis’: providing legal routes for people to escape their war-torn countries and seek asylum in a safe place, as well as for migrants in general.

“The war in Ukraine, which has caused the displacement of many people to neighboring countries, has shown us that, as terrible as it is to leave your home and be separated from your family in search of a safe haven, the process can be done in a kind and speedy way in order to avoid suffering as much as possible.”

In the midst of international crises, it is the people I’ve met that will remain with me always.

Zac’s story - of the heart-break of being denied asylum in a country he had grown to call home.

"A sad story that flows like a river all over the world, a story that all human beings are familiar with, a story that has no end, migration.”

Wahid and Aziz have become a fixture in my life since 2020. The boys from Afghanistan are both settling into life as teenagers in the UK and Germany respectively. It was an honour to have their story published in the anthology Refugees From Eden which you can buy here.

Sadly, for adults claiming asylum, the wheels and cogs of the system grind devastatingly slowly. In my letter to Home Secretary Priti Patel, I told the story of how Mohammed had suffered during his time. 2 years after arriving, Mohammed is still waiting, struggling with mental health, always waiting.

“Dear Priti Patel,

I am writing to you about my friend Mohammed. He is an asylum seeker from Sudan and is currently experiencing the indignity of the British asylum system.”

Through my growing work as a freelance journalist, I’m attempting to spread the word about the illegal actions at the EU’s borders. Nothing speaks more powerfully than someone that experienced a journey to supposed safety than Sahar’s story. If you click on no other link in this article, click on this one to read my article on Migrant Women Press.

"I was sitting at the restaurant across the road from the Sedra Camp when I first met Sahar in the summer of 2020. A small woman in vibrant clothing walked the short distance from the camp gates slowly. Her warm smile was shy at first, cautious of meeting strangers. We had a small chat about the weather and the camp as we waited for the drinks. I say small talk, but we lacked a common language almost entirely. It’s amazing what can be communicated with no words at all."

There will never be a “solution” to the “migration issue”. People move around the planet that we all share. I was absolutely disgusted that the flight from the UK to Rwanda nearly happened. By sharing stories I hope to convince people around me that migration is not a crime and that kindness should always be the first priority.

Please share this round-up with someone you know. Perhaps someone who you think wouldn’t be that interested in “the refugee situation” but who is open to listening. And as always, comments are welcome below.

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BERWICKSHIRE COASTAL PATH: Microadventure in Scotland

3/6/2022

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I’ve always got a bit of a, what I call, “mad plan” at the back of my mind. Sometimes involving sleeping in airports or on buses, somehow squeezing in an adventure into whatever else I happen to be doing. Alastair Humphreys coined the term ‘microadventure’. And it was with Alastair’s help that I could set off on the Berwickshire Coastal Path.

This mad plan did in fact involve sleeping on a bus. The night bus from London to Edinburgh is only barely useful, as booking train tickets in advance can be not too much more. But I was disorganised about when to travel, booked last minute and then nearly missed it, thinking that it left Victoria Coach Station at 11:30 pm when departure time was actually 10:30 pm. It was exciting to be waking up in a new place.

Edinburgh in the early morning was a treat, no tourists and clear skies. I had given myself one day to gather some kit together before setting off to walk the Berwickshire Coastal Path. From Cockburnspath (pronounced Co-burns path) to Berwick-Upon-Tweed, it’s just 50 kilometres along the cliffs of Scotland and then into the northerly city of England. Thanks to friends Beccy and Charlotte I could borrow a raincoat, sleeping bag and big backpack. I’d brought my brother’s (now mine I think, finders keepers, sorry Ben) Bivvy bag from my mum’s but I still needed a sleeping mat. Enter Alastair’s twitter followers. Minutes after asking Al to retweet my request, I was in touch with Nicholas, via someone else, who came and dropped off a roll mat. I couldn’t believe the generosity of going out of his way to help a complete stranger with a mad plan.

My previous near-miss with a bus had me at the bus station rather earlier than necessary to get the 253. I had to remember to get off at the right place, otherwise I’d end up in Berwick without having walked anywhere. An hour and half after leaving Edinburgh, I was a bit dozy from the journey, but it was suddenly time to get off. Within minutes of starting my walk, everything was wrong. I needed to pee, my water bottle fell out of its holder, I was too hot. Ok, kit sorted, now to find the sea.

The first finger post on the Berwickshire Coastal Path. I do love a good footpath sign.

Proof of reaching Siccar Point.

I quite like not researching too much into what I’m doing. I don’t want someone else to spoil the surprises. But I do love a good travel or adventure book, preferably similar not too similar to what I’m doing. For this trip I was reading James Scanlan’s A Moroccan Journey: Agadir to Tangier I’d started it on the bus and had the words echoing in my ears as a strode along the first stretch of cliff top. Walking from Morocco to England was a bit different to my current two day challenge, yet we both had big packs and adventurous outlooks. James shared a similar outlook at the start of the journey, and writes at the start of his journey:

“He stopped at the beach by the first Ferris Wheel to be built in Africa, to readjust pronouns and rehydrate, then off I walked… the whole world smelt of rotten fish.”

My first milestone was Siccar Point. Nicholas of roll mat fame had told me of the geological importance of this bit of coast. It’s called somebody’s Unconformity. Henderson’s? No, that's the name of the veggie restaurant. Hudson’s? Could be. It provided proof in the 18th century that the world was aeons old and not just 6,000 years old. (No fact checking here, might be all wrong.) To reach the point, which offers no view of the rocks that are so famous, requires dodging cowpats and their menacing producers. After a windy swig of water in celebration, I had to return along cowpat path to continue. But I took a selfie with the information board, so that’s ok.

Whilst the stunning scenery and surprisingly good weather were a joy, there’s always those moments when you question your sanity. I’d run out of water and was traversing a long, slow, grassy gradient. Sheep shit everywhere. I was hungry but didn’t want to stop in the shitty field. My left ankle was tired of constantly walking along the sloping ground and the wind was so strong it nearly knocked me off balance. It is in these moments that peanut butter scoped from a jar with a pita bread tastes the best!

My impeccable timing meant I reached the quaint village of St Abbs just as everything was closing. I heard the bolt slide shut on the visitors’ centre (and loos) as I rounded the corner. But I didn’t need amenities, I had the ocean (and sufficient nutrition). Sitting on a stone bench in the sun, overlooking the harbour, munching on raisins and chatting to my OH on a video call was all I needed right then.

The cove where I slept. Bliss.

“How did you sleep?” was the first question of my friends on my return to Edinburgh. “Ridiculously well,” was my smug response. My superpower is the ability to sleep anywhere. I’m so grateful for it. After walking through two perfectly good coves, I decided to settle in the third. The reddish rock offered substantial protection from the still-howling wind and I found the perfect spot above the waterline in some soft grass surrounded by growing ferns and pink and purple flowers. By 8:30 pm I was snuggled in my borrowed sleeping bag, as James was once again walking through rain and around illegal sand mines on the Moroccan coast.

I don’t mind my own company at all, something James and I share. “Naturally introverted, I could easily walk for six months without talking to a soul, and all I’d have to show for it at the end would be half a haiku.” At 4:30 am I peaked out at the stunning sunrise. Reds and golds sparkled on the sea. Then promptly fell back to sleep until my alarm at 7 am.

Never has the automatic door of a Co-Op made such a welcoming noise. Eyemouth is my new favourite place. The little sandy beach was the perfect location for my breakfast of Diet Coke, apple and well travelled Plenny Bar (see this post if you don’t know what that is). I had to have a paddle. I’d just seen a man wade in in only swimming shorts, so I can’t be that cold right? Wrong. But so refreshing. Especially given how much of the path was high up on the cliffs, I wasn’t sure when I’d be at sea level again.

“Nobody cares that much. I’m sorry that’s not true. Nobody cares at all.”

James quotes Bill Bryson in his book, about reading other people’s blog posts about walking, so boring. So I won’t bore you with the hours of jagged coastal rocks, grassy cliff tops, occasional caravan park. You’ll see them all when you walk it yourself. But the constant sun (yes I got sunburnt in Scotland) was remarkable. James too focuses on encounters and people rather than his route. The friendly old chaps who filled my water bottle, and the dog walker who spotted the deer and the cyclists walking their bikes up a steep hill, those are the memorable things about my journey.

Berwick-Upon-Tweed was welcome when it came. By which I mean, after I accidentally continued along the coast instead of turning inland. After purchasing some much-needed aftersun location, I sat by the River Tweed, composed new words to a tune that was stuck in my head, and let James arrive in Tangier. We shared the feelings of relief, disappointment, triumph and agitation at the temporary end to our journeys.

Massive thanks to Nicholas, Beccy and Charlotte for lending me kit, and James Scanlan for keeping me company. And to Alastair Humphreys for constant encouragement of mad plans.

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Meat Free May: Tips for Success in 2022

5/5/2022

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I read a lot of stuff, a huge variety, from EU policy to ultra runner interviews and little dino cartoons.

Meat Free May is one of those things like ‘Dry January’ that manages to motivate people to make changes to their regular habits, some of which will hopefully stick beyond the intended time.
Here are five resources from my extensive reading that can help, inform or entertain if you’re looking for less meat and diary in your life.

Vegan Recipes from Vegan Food and Living Magazine

I mean, you can literally just Google ‘easy vegan meals’, or even with a specific ingredient ‘leek recipe vegan’ or ‘fast, easy vegan recipe’. But Vegan Food and Living has tried and tested recipes with lovely photos of hopefully how your food will look.

Gemma Nichols and Paul Kerton aka the Hench Herbivore.

2. Educate Yourself

I had a great chat with Paul Kerton and Gemma Nichols recently. Paul, aka Hench Herbivore, told me he didn’t just go vegan overnight. But what inspired him to change and stick to those changes, was education. Check out their YouTube Channel and books. One resource Paul recommended was Nutrition Facts.

3. Eat Enough, and check that you are My Fitness Pal

Gemma told me “many people switch to whole food, plant-based diet and don’t stick at it because they’re hungry or even feel weak. That’s because veggies and pulses have a lot more fibre and water and are less calorie dense than processed or animal products.” That means you need might want to check out the calorie content of some of your newer foods. The app MyFitnessPal can help with that.

4. Snack away

You don’t need to go hungry, and you don’t need to buy fancy snacks. I will literally just eat a whole carrot when I get peckish. Or an apple. I love apples. This snack guide can help with ideas, but if it is handy to have a healthy-ish vegan delicious treat, check out Tribe products. I always have one in my bag in case of emergencies.

5. Be Kind to yourself, and try your best

If you have a day of forgetting, being unprepared or just not caring - don’t worry about it. Try again the next day. Or try to have all your lunches vegan and don’t worry about other meals. Have fun trying new things, eating chips and drinking beer, saving the planet and being kind to animals.

Are you trying to reduce meat and diary in your diet? Are you already vegan and have extra advice? Comment below.

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Fasting for Ramadan: Hunger in 2022

21/4/2022

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Photo by Victoria Shes on Unsplash

I'm not going to eat all day today.

It's Ramadan and I'm joining my Muslim friends who have been fasting during daylight hours since the beginning of the month. I've fasted a couple of days each Ramadan for the past couple of years. I wrote about it here last year.

My motivation is a bit different this year though. The first year was definitely in solidarity with my housemates. The three guys I was living with went to a lot of trouble making delicious Iftar meals for us all. The pleasure of breaking fast together in the evening was all the more joyful because it was a shared experience.

Besides from convivial solidarity, my motivations have expanded this year.

Literally billions of people around the world go hungry every day.

By not eating today, I will experience the hunger that many, many people experience due to poverty. Through no choice of their own, half the global population are designated "in poverty". Which surely demonstrates how broken our global community is. The excesses of the West are known to impact the global south through climate change which, as individuals, we have little power to change.

This article from Noema Magazine highlights how "the richest 10% of people are responsible for 52% of cumulative global emissions — and the 1% for a full 15%."

These statics aren't really that shocking anymore, there's been so much publicity about climate change and what should be done. It's easy to feel worn down - like there's little point in stressing about the short journey I just drove when rich people fly around the world on private jets.

“Today, talking about food means talking about a system in crisis,”

Food is really important. It's hard to concentrate on work or studying if your stomach is growling in hunger, and it's hard to do the manual labour needed to plant crops when you don't have enough calories to fuel the work.

This article in Where the Leaves Fall accepts the importance of children being well fed so that they can concentrate and learn effectively. The article isn't all just doom and gloom, but has some good news stories of the successes of projects around the world in providing free school meals. Hurray! The wider impact on the community when children can thrive in a variety of ways is huge. Finland is a prime example, Tanja Grén credits the availability of free school meals with "turning Finland from a poor, war-torn state into a prosperous, welfare nation."

Later on today, when my tummy is rumbling and my mind wanders to what delicious meal I'll be able to savour tonight, I'll think too about those without enough to eat. Of course I'll think of my friends in Bosnia, trapped by the EU's borders. I'll think of my Muslim friends fasting and praying, and I'll think of the millions of hungry children, eager for a better future, whose lives are impacted by the greed of the West.

I usually try to finish a blog post with a call to action, but I'm struggling to suggest a cause to support or charity to donate to in this instance. The issues are too broad. I can only think to suggest that we must all be outward looking, be kind to those around us and consider ways to tackle bigger issues in ways that our own mental health can manage.

As always, comments and suggestions welcome. Do you fast? What small steps can we take to change the inequalities about food availability?

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Back From Bihać, Bosnia: March 2022

20/3/2022

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Sunset over the River Una in Bihac, Bosnia.

Two months back in Bihać flew by. From arriving via treacherous, icy roads to hiking through spring flowers, the seasons changed during our nine weeks there.

Fortunately, the situation is much more stable than in previous years. People-on-the-move are still facing difficult conditions. They are living in broken houses, but neighbours are helping by providing food or phone charging. Sometimes, people are taken to Lipa Camp against their will, only to have to walk the 20 plus kilometres back again, but it’s not too often, and a night in the camp is ok since it's reopening in December.

My previous post details much of the daily work volunteering for No Name Kitchen, and with more time and resources than previously, we tried to make improvements to what we can offer. Fruit and more vegetables in the food bags and a laundry service for those living in more stable places. Doing what we can when racism and corruption prevents people from renting their own accommodation or accessing their money.

A shower in the fields outside Bihać

Another precious resource we had this year, was more time. With more volunteers, we could carve out dedicated space for spending time with people outside of any other activity.

I had a coffee with Sohail, a tall, strong man who had worked as an electrical engineer. He’s got a big beard which makes him look older than his 26 years, excellent English skills as well as his native Pashto (he’s from Afghanistan) and Turkish after years working there. We chatted about Turkey which I had visited recently, as well as getting operational advice on places to meet people where the authorities or neighbours won’t mind or report us.

Sohail was also keen for advice, he wants to work as an electrical engineer in Western Europe but many governments don’t recognise foreign qualifications, so it’s not a straightforward process. And that’s after having an asylum claim accepted - waiting is a part of everyone’s future, even after they have reached a safe place. The time taken for initial interviews is months and then there is further waiting for a response, during which time you’re not allowed to work. Only wait.

The wild horses of Livno, Bosnia - a team trip on our free day.

No Name Kitchen is a family, a community of people who share values, commitment and ambition. And it’s growing - recent calls for translators and legal advisors demonstrates the tireless search for more ways we can help. We’ve had discussions about bases in new places, responding to the changing trends to the Balkan route as well as elsewhere.

The invasion of the Ukraine remains a conversation on everyone’s lips. Some people presume that Bosnia will receive increased numbers of refugees, but logically that’s not the case. Safe and legal routes have been rapidly provided in Western Europe to those fleeing war from Ukraine. A show of humanity that wasn’t extended to those fleeing war in Afghanistan or Syria. Below is the press release issued by No Name Kitchen which entirely and eloquently expresses my views. Please read it.

I know that I’ll be a part of No Name Kitchen as long as there is a need to help those at Europe’s borders. I’ll probably end up back in Bosnia - it’s a wonderful country to visit. Stand by for posts and articles about touristic attractions from capital city Sarajevo and the wild horses of Livno - but who knows where the next adventure will be.

Thank you to everyone at No Name Kitchen for all the hard work, and especially to Stephanie for being my constant companion in everything. There are always difficult situations and hard moments to navigate, and doing it together is always so much easier! If you feel moved to support our work, donate here.
Press Release Below.

Bosnian Coffee in Sarajevo

PRESS RELEASE: The reception of people who have fled Ukraine has proved us right: offering legal channels for migration is possible

17th March 2022. European Union. No Name Kitchen has always been very clear about the solution to the so-called ‘refugee crisis’: providing legal routes for people to escape their war-torn countries and seek asylum in a safe place, as well as for migrants in general.

The war in Ukraine, which has caused the displacement of many people to neighboring countries, has shown us that, as terrible as it is to leave your home and be separated from your family in search of a safe haven, the process can be done in a kind and speedy way in order to avoid suffering as much as possible.

Even so, the European reception response that we are witnessing these days, and which we support, shows immense hypocrisy on the part of a 21st century Europe that has by no means overcome a xenophobia that has left devastating events in our history.

The people we support in the places where we are working - and which are always areas bordering the European Union-, are also escaping from wars, threats, poverty, lack of opportunities or dictatorships. When they try to reach a country where they can seek asylum or start a new life, they find a border full of violence, a Europe that does not comply with its own laws and international agreements, with illegal refoulements.

Why are we saying that the EU's reaction to the Ukrainian people shows great hypocrisy?

- When the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August, very few people were welcomed in Europe to escape, even knowing full well that many of them were in danger because they had worked with foreign governments or agencies. No Name Kitchen collected cases of many, many families who needed to find a safe haven and received no response from the European authorities.

- Some borders are opened, while others are closed. Every day, present in border towns, we meet people with bruises all over their bodies or who have been ripped off their clothes. This happens to coincide with the fact that a large number of the people in Ceuta (Spain) and in the Balkan countries come from Muslim countries. This intervention could lead to greater Islamophobia in society or normalise xenophobia towards people from Asia or Africa.

- We have seen how black people who are trying to flee the country have encountered a lot of discrimination in their flight, as the news have shown in recent days.

- We see that if there is international political will, there are ways to put pressure on a country in a context of war, with economic and political measures. This is something that the international community has refused to do with other countries, as in the case of Israel with Palestine.

With all this, we want to call for reflection on how aporophobia and Islamophobia determine our external border control policies. People fleeing countries like Afghanistan or Eritrea are doing so for the same reason as the nearly two million people who have left their homes in Ukraine today.

Regarding the reception of people from Ukraine, we would like to recall how the asylum applications of people from this country who fled the war that started in 2016 have been almost entirely rejected in Spain. We hope that this decision taken now is out of true humanity and not as part of a political game.

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Bosnia in February: a Bihac update

12/2/2022

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My early morning run. -1C when I start, then the sun rises over the mountains.

After five weeks back here, there have been changes. I now feel like I have an overview of the situation here, read on for more details.

It’s amazing how much the weather affects everything, isn’t it? The snow and ice has gone for now. The sunny days are beautiful, temperatures reach the teens and we can walk in just t-shirts. The nights are still freezing though. As soon as it gets dark, temperatures plummet below zero again.

The warmer weather brings different challenges, the van slips in mud instead of ice as we drive up dirt roads to replenish the water stations. The water is used more quickly by those living in tents or broken buildings now that there’s no snow to melt.

I can’t believe I haven’t mentioned the showers! Another organisation invented portable showers. The boiler, which runs on a gas bottle, is mounted onto a crate with straps - meaning it can be worn like a backpack to transport it to remote locations. We bring a camping shower surround and plenty of water, and the guys can shower for as long as they like. This is a service we could never have dreamed of offering last year. Showers take a while, leaving the van and volunteers standing around in fields for hours, visible to authorities. Most of the work we do is criminalised (due to complex Bosnian law) but both police and locals mind far less than they did last year.

A view of the Bihac from the memorial on a hill.

The showers are amazing. Such a clever design and they are part of a wider programme to promote various other health topics. Scabies is a big issue. The parasitic skin condition requires treating every member of the group with all-over body cream and showers have been essential to this treatment. The blankets, clothes and sleeping bags of everyone staying at the same location have to be washed at high temperatures too. The logistics of the whole process now involves several groups with different skills and equipment.

The improved conditions for people here are the subject of many conversations with journalists, other organisations and donors. But the other day, as I was standing around while a couple of people were showering, the reality of the situation hit me once again.

Yes, a shower is better than no shower, but it’s still outside, there’s limited privacy, and the experience of relying on volunteers to bring you the opportunity is degrading.

The people here want the opportunity for a dignified life, where they can make a decision to shower or not shower whenever they like. They want the opportunity to work and pay their way, to contribute to communities and provide for family members elsewhere. Or not - maybe some people want to spend all the money they earn on a fancy car and expensive TV. Why not? It’s a choice that the rest of us have.

In every sad story there are elements of happiness. I took this report of a violent pushback. The young man from Afghanistan urgently needed dental treatment and whilst we were waiting for the appointment, we were chatting. The details of his most recent illegal deportation came up. Please read the report. It gives in insight into the every-day conditions people here are facing.

Despite improving conditions, the EU is still responsible for illegal acts. But as you read it, you can think of this guy eating a croissant for breakfast, he’s in France. He has new challenges now, but the violence of the Croatian authorities isn’t one of them, and for that I can breathe a sigh of relief.

An outdoor shower is better than no shower, to support our continued work here, donate to No Name Kitchen via this link. Comment of support and encouragement are always welcome!

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