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In mid September 2022 we took a day trip to Leeds, including a meal at Pieminister. Still not someone who gets very excited about pies, but they do have good vegan options at Pieminister. Margaret and I took a day trip to Halifax to see Anne Lister’s house, Shibden Hall. That evening, a snuggle with The Banshee.

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A vegan meal with Margaret’s family who came to visit for a couple of weeks, at the Bushmill’s Inn.

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Vegan fast food Bare Bun: a win! Throughout August I continued to read nature books from the local library including The Outrun and a book about badgers. While walking to campus I had an incredible experience of seeing two goldfinches at eye level in the middle of a mating ritual. Spellbinding.

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Margaret discovered macreme. I read Owen’s novel and it wasn’t until I finished it that I then read this piece about her in the New Yorker which changed everything I’d just experienced.

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A vegan mint chocolate comes to Maud’s! Joy ensues. We also attended Belfast’s Trans Pride and then visited Belfast’s new queer bookstore PaperxClips.

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An homemade unchicken salad and a visit to the Queen’s University Belfast campus. Margaret put up this fun hanging chairin their office London and I were enjoying.

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Trademarket had an all vegan day, so we were inspired to try it for the first ime. I really enjoyed food from Kubo and as always from Hey Chick (they just opened up a second location in Belfast too!) It was our first time trying the Pi Queen vegan pies and we give it a 10 out of 10!

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Another incredible meal from Fruit Shop. Creative and inviting interpretations of a vegan hash. Post meal trip to Homebase for a bird feeder for the front garden. Also: a curious, confused cat investigates.

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Making pasta with tomatoes, growing lavender. Summer things!

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My long-time friend Deirdre came for a visit Dublin so I came down for the day. We kept striking out with our attempts to eat at various vegan places around town, but we landed on Veginity. We got a sharing plate which was creative if a bit weird. We also visited Dublin Castle where the lavender was blooming in the August sun.

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A visit to the Ulster Folk Park with a packed lunch. At the Ulster Folk Park we tried our hand at phytograms, a technique that uses the internal chemistry of plants for the creation of images on photographic emulsion. And then, a walk in Holywood where we saw Curlew and seal!

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An 11 mile bike ride, with a delicious meal at Little Wing in Lisburn at the end of the ride along the Lagan towpath.

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Another visit to the Rowallane Garden, our closest National Trust site. Always gorgeous to visit, although the vegan options tend to be: tea and crisps.