VeganVillage Notice Board

Just read this in the Vegan Village Notice Board , so thought I'd post it here to help get the word around! :

Benefit Gig 4 bristol A/RNot long now till our first benefit gig in ages! Benefit gig for Bristol Animal Rights Collective, Saturday 4th of April at the Plough, Kilburn Street, Easton from 8pm 'til late. Bands include Bones at the Bottom of the Barrell, Circus of Invention and Rat Face. Please spread the word! Funds will be used by the group to print new leaflets to promote animal liberation and a vegan diet and animal sanctuarys which are desperate for cash. Please repost this message,tell your mates and turn up! emailaddress2468@yahoo.co.uk

A weekend in Brighton.

Last weekend we visited Brighton. The main purpose was to attend the 2nd Annual Brighton Vegan Fayre , also to have a weekend by the sea. Brighton is a lively seaside town, which has a thriving political scene. As it has a University, the town has many students and ex-students, that just won't go home. It is full of tourists and typical English seaside tack, indeed one can find every kind of stick of rock and smutty postcard, should that be your thing. There is a grunge element that can look a bit on the rough side, but there is also a wonderful cafe society, with plenty of veggie food and drinks, where you can sit outside (weather permitting) and watch the world go by, there will always be plenty to of alternative fashions to look at, and as it's known as the gay capitol of Britain, plenty of flamboyant dressers to amaze you.

We stayed at Paskins Town House, which is situated in Charlotte street in Kemptown, about 15 minute walk from the centre, but worth the walk. Paskins is vegan friendly, although not solely vegan. It is decorated in Art Nouveau Style, and looks clean and uncluttered. Our room was clean and welcoming, although a little small, it was neat. A kettle and condiments were provided, and it was no trouble when we asked for soya milk and green tea. The owners are polite and attentive, and one really gets the feeling of being made welcome.

The Vegan Fayre was held at the Brighton Centre, a large multi-story venue. There was cookery demonstrations, talks and entertainers. there were lots of stalls selling everything vegan from food to clothing to cars, yes cars, there was an amazing electric car sales area, which was very informative and interesting, I just need the £13,000+ and I'd definitely buy one. There were plenty of food samples, which just goes to show how lucky vegans are, to have such a wide range of delicious and nutritious food easily available. I just had to try a vegan sherry trifle. It was sweet heaven. There were cosmetics, and lots of hemp- hemp clothing, hemp foods, hemp supplements, all backed up with lots of literature and info. Among the stalls selling wares, were stalls highlighting the plight of animals everywhere, and trying to do a bit of fundraising for their cause. The stall holders were friendly and chatted when we stopped to talk. I had planned for the weekend, and had enough money to be able to treat myself to some wonderful things. Hmmmm, lets see - some de-hulled hemp seeds from Hempish, which taste 'nutty' and are very good for you and go with everything, some wonderful soft face cream from Green People and some delicate, adorable Wild Rose Eau de Toilette by Lavera. A fabulous Vegan day was had by all.

We also spent some time wandering around The Lanes and the North Laines taking in the fabulous indie shops and designer shops. We saw amazing jewellery by Jewel Thief. And just had to visit Vegetarian Shoes , where I gave in to temptation and bought the Retread Mules. this is the description of them from their website:

"Simple unisex Slip-on shoes. Made with our super-soft Vegetarian Fake-suede uppers. Lined with fine fake suede micro fibre. Soft-lined padded insoles add to foot comfort. Car-tyre soles are super-hard wearing. Sole thickness is pretty uniform but sole tread pattern will vary from pair to pair depending on tyres used. Micro-cellular mid-sole adds to foot comfort. "

They are VERY comfortable and look very stylish. I love them!

These are also adorable and stylish, but alas not owned by me:

Throughout the weekend we ate at various establishments, and tried an assortment of food. Our first stop, to eat was Red Veg where we had a tasty and filling Hickory smoked vegan burger and fries, naughty but nice, well, we were on a weekend holiday after all - not a time to think about calories!

The next day we stopped by Iydea which had a fantastic menu with mainly vegan dishes, and lots of yummy vegan cakes. I would certainly go there again, the staff were friendly and the food was in abundance and very tasty.

On our last day we went to the George Pub which is well known amongst local veggies for their largely vegan menu and casual ambiance. it is an old style pub and is family friendly. The meals took a while to arrive, the food is ample in portion and would satisfy the hungriest customer.

The weather stayed sunny, we did lots of walking, and had a wonderful weekend.

In praise of StarrlightJewelry

These fabulous earrings were sent to me by the wonderful StarrlightJewelry , whose Etsy shop is full of wonderful Gothic, Victorian delights.
The announcement at the beginning of the shop states: Starrlight Jewelry: Eclectic black bead & rose boutique, which sums it up nicely. Here you will find adorable black and red earrings, necklaces, bracelets and trinkets galore. A wonderful shop full of delightful Jewelry, Gifts and Home decor.
I was lucky to receive these adorable 'Blood Lily - Earrings'. They arrived very nicely packaged, in a box that echoed sophistication.

The earrings are sumptuous and glamorous. The red and black were perfect for a party I was going to and perfectly complimented my red and black attire. They are very well made, with stunning beads that look even more beautiful in real life than the pictures show.

As with all of StarrlightJewelry they are beautiful and romantic, sexy and seductive all at the same time. I'm certainly going to visit the shop again, I just love treating myself, pure pleasure ;)

Check out StarrlightJewelry Blog for a fantastic giveaway contest, Starr is very generous as well as being extremely talented.

Another fantastic contest from Veganetsy

So here it is, another contest by the fabulous veganetsy team. It's an interesting contest, and the prizes to be won are super-fantastic! Check it out:

http://www.veganetsy.blogspot.com/

Small Acts of Animals Kindness.

Everyone interested in helping animals really should check out this link:
http://smallrandomactsofanimalkindness.blogspot.com/

It's a fabulous idea, and well worth joining in. Take a look!

And as for that beautiful little chihauhau Grace, she's absolutely adorable. i wish her ever luck in finding her forever home, only wish she could come to live with me.

http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=12780614