Working for The Co-op

I finally landed a job with my dream employer, The Co-op. I started 2 weeks ago and it's been great.
There are a lot of changes happening as The Co-op hit a pretty bad patch when The Co-op Bank suffered some serious losses. I was a bit miffed to find out that The Co-op now only owns 20% of The Co-op Bank as I bank with Smile and own a Co-op Member Credit Card. 

But being now an employee and a colleague member is in a different league. I went to the 'Back to being Co-op' session on Monday and thoroughly enjoyed it. The idea is to go back to The Co-op's roots, i.e. the Rochdale pioneers who pooled together to open a shop where they'd sell proper flour, not chalk. 

And yesterday, I met some of the Food Business' Quality Assurance team - how they verify potential suppliers' credentials and check products supplied. Is this olive oil really extra virgin??? Stuff that doesn't sell gets passed onto FareShare who redistribute to local charities. I got a goodie bag of toilet paper, crisps, mackerel and apple. :) And said goodie bag is made from recycled material: check this entry on The Co-op's blog.

:)
I'm also part of the Taste Team so yesterday we got a sample of Italian meats like Parma Ham and Salami. And on Wednesdays, there is a tasting session on the ground floor. Last week we had a lush goats cheese pizza, today granola! There was also a talk about a co-operative producing cocoa in the Ivory Coast that benefits from The Co-op's stance on fair trade.

Tomorrow I'll be lending my colleagues a hand at my local Co-op Store, promoting the new membership. 1% of what you spend on Co-op own brand products (and wills, and funeral plans) will go back to your community.

Sewing Project: Upcycling a Jumper into a Cardigan

Hi,
as I mentioned in my April post, I have several sewing projects I need to finish, and here is one I have finally managed to complete: turning a cashmere jumper into a cardigan/ jacket.
I started this project at a French Knots 'Clothes Clinic' workshop in June 2015. My grandma gave me that jumper in the 1990s, so it was a bit tight, but it is cashmere and a lovely almond green colour, so, despite the fact that it seems to be a magnet for moths, I just could let go of it.
Jo encouraged me to be quite radical about it, and I liked the idea of a Chanel-style cardigan/ jacket, so I chopped off the ribs at the bottom so that the hem would sit at my waist, and cut the cuffs off so that it would have 3/4 sleeves. I also widened the neckline and cut the front straight in the middle.



I then started sewing some floral bias binding along the 2 front edges and the neckline. Then, unfortunately, the project sat in the sewing room for more than a year, where two moths managed to have another go at it.
But I picked it up again on Tuesday for French Knots' Sewcial, and finished it yesterday at last. Here is the finished product:

It's good to have finally finished this. Now, I have another six French Knots projects to finish, in particular my Advent bunting that I started in November 2014 and didn't finish in time for Christmas 2014, nor Christmas 2015. I really want to put it up by 1st of December 2016 - it's good to have a deadline.
I will incorporate the patchwork star cushion I made in September 2014 into a quilt I started in October 2014.
I still keep the Dorset brooch in my handbag (started in January 2015) - must admit whenever I have a moment, I tend to read my Kobo rather than progress this embroidery progress. It would look perfect on my new cardigan though.
Still need to sew the buttons on  the patchwork clock (started January 2015).
And still need to assemble the bamboo handle bag (started in February 2015).
I also now have a snap purse to finish, and I made a dolman-sleeved T-shirt yesterday - my first attempt with jersey - that just a hem and cuffs.
Watch this space!

Baking: Banana Tea Bread

Hi,
not posted in a while, probably hit by SAD.
But I've managed to catch up with quite a few things over the past few weeks, such as cleaning the windows (with diluted vinegar and a microfibre cloth, very easy) and tidying up my 'sweet' recipes.

I have several categories, the most imposing ones being chocolate and lemon, but also fruit (from apricot brioche tarte to summer pudding) and things to make for Christmas presents (chutneys, biscuits, spicy nuts, etc.).

In the course of that, I've determined to try my own recipe of brownie.

But first, a repeat of Annie Bell's Banana and Date Tea Bread, a recipe I cut out of The Independent a long time ago. My friend David gave me 2 bananas on Friday and by now (Wednesday) they still hadn't gone completely mushy, but were soft enough for this recipe.

Annie starts with the mashed bananas, chopped dates and golden syrup. I swapped the dates with prunes and the syrup with very fragrant honey from Marsden, West Yorkshire.

Butter creamed with muscovado sugar, 2 eggs, 2 tbsp milk.

Instead of just plain flour, I used 100g of freshly delivered Marriage's organic light brown plain flour (sounds nice not using bleached flour!) (as well as very old baking powder) and 150g or so of left-over wholemeal self-raising flour - I hope there was enough moisture in the recipe to allow for the wholemeal portion. And then I added 40g desiccated coconut, and some milk chocolate stars, for lushness.

Lookin' goooood... Hope the kids like it...

The Honey Bee, a messenger of love

Been watching interesting but scary films about honey bees, colony collapse disorder (CCD) and wider issues.

When we had an allotment (early part of the noughties), a Belgian friend kept bees and was worried about them being ill. Since then, this issue has really hit the media.



In 'Vanishing of Bees' (2009), we learn that pollination was worth $50 billions a year in the USA around 2009. I suppose that's why people started paying attention. Great explanation of the impact of monoculture and pesticides, old and new.
Unfortunately, the subtitles of the French interview are incorrect. They mention bad French keepers, whereas the interviewee talks about the French (bee) disease. The French state led the way by banning Bayer's Gaucho systemic pesticide. The UK and the USA have not followed in these foot steps.



'More than Honey' (2012) is very powerful. It contains very precise elements about the science of bee keeping, from queen breeding to parasites. I have been haunted by the fate of this poor old man who had to destroy his great-grandfather's hive of native black honey bees contaminated in a secluded valley in the middle of the Alps. The sights of bees in the post and pollination by human hands in China are also shocking.

It's also interesting to hear one almond tree grower defend monoculture on the basis of his 35 years' experience, whereas in 'Vanishing of the Bees' they showed how almond tree growers demanded the import of Australian bees to compensate for the loss of American bees to CCD. It was reported in February 2015 that this same grower, owner of Paramount, has now purchased Headwaters Farm, which was founded by Dave Mendes, who featured in Vanishing.

Commercial bee-keeping is just mind-boggling: they drive hives around the USA to pesticide-stuffed orchards (two-week window in February in California for almonds, apple and cherry blossom in Washington in March-April, apricot tree in North Dakota in the summer, etc.), where the colonies contaminate each other, and they feed bees sugar water and antibiotics.

15,000 hives at $150 per 2-week stay - are we looking at $7 million yearly turnover?

See the Co-operative's Plan Bee initiative.

See the Soil Association's Keep Britain Buzzing campaign.

See Friends of the Earth's The Bee Cause campaign.

Please sign 38 Degrees' petition to keep the ban on bee-killing pesticides.

#savebees

Brighton Waste House - I'd live there!

Found out about this house/ project in an email from Good Day at Work that has been sitting in my inbox for a while, and led to this article in the Guardian.

Look at this! How amazing is it? I love the look of that house covered in carpet tiles, 

and the carpentry students did a wonderful job inside.

We got rid of hundreds of VHS tapes and boxes last year so I can relate to this. I'm not convinced it's safe to use the VHS tapes for insulation because they are full of harmful chemicals - I suppose you'd have to remove the tape from the casing first. But the boxes - yes, why not?

The headlining 20,000 toothbrushes, the Guardian tells us, 'came from a company that cleans planes after long-haul flights. This vast quantity represents the harvest of just four days'. Now that's scary...

I'm curious to know how well they will fare in the insulating quality tests.

For further details, visit the architect's website: BBM. It looks like they have already produced a lot of eco-friendly projects. There's also a list of articles where the house was featured - I just read the first one to find more pictures.

Sewing activities - projects to finish

At some point, I will finish the patchwork star cushion cover I started in September 2014.
Since then, I also started:
an Advent bunting (2 workshops with French Knots in Sale in Nov14),
a Dorset brooch that I carry in my handbag at all times - easy to keep oneself occupied whilst waiting (Jan15),
a patchwork clock (just need to sew the buttons) (Jan15) and
a bamboo handle bag (missed half of the workshop because I was finishing some work at home; at least I had time to cut the fabric - Feb15).

I did manage to finish the squishy patchwork cushion I started on 31/03/15:

I also had a lovely time at the parent and child sewing workshop. The options were an owl or a dog, but DS1 wanted to make a dinosaur:

DS1 chose the fabrics and learned to pin the pattern to the fabric and to do running stitch and back stitch, and to sew on buttons.

http://www.frenchknots.co.uk/

Patchwork Star

Thank God for crafty workshops that keep me making now that I'm at work full time.

Latest effort is this gorgeous star - my children chose the colour scheme. Squares then triangles...

Child's PJ trousers

Here is another make I produced under Jo's guidance at French Knots Craft Studio.



We drew the pattern for one leg by following the outline of existing PJ trousers. I increased the length a bit. It's important to stretch the elastic band at this stage or there won't be enough room for the waistband to go past a rotund bottom.

I placed the pattern on the folded fabric by the crease and cut, adding seam allowance. Old bedsheets - good re-use! I sewed the tummy-to-bum seam first (French seam), then each leg (French seam again), then each hem, then the channel for the elastic band.

Re-use by the sea: Lindisfarne sheds and sea-glass jewellery

We had a lovely in Holy Island on Lindisfarne during the school holidays. I wish to celebrate this magnificent re-use of material: turning herring fishing boats into beautiful sheds.

Another impressive example of re-use is sea glass jewellery. I bought a beautiful pair of earrings made by Joan Laverick of Authentic Sea Glass, Durham. She searches the beach near Seaham in North-East England to find Victorian glass that has been tumbled and polished by the sea into beautiful gems, which she turned into delicate jewellery.

Quilted zipped pouch

I enjoyed another French Knots workshop on Thursday to make a mini quilt using the quilt-as-you-go method, very liberating. Here is the result.

Patchwork cushion cover

In October, I had the pleasure of making a beautiful patchwork cushion cover under the guidance of Jo of French Knots Craft Studio. I was invited by a friend and we had a cup of tea and chocolate biscuits. Heavenly!

The magic Jo applies to the nine-patch square had me blocked for a while, I just couldn't figure out which way to arrange the four pieces.

But this thinking time was worth it, as here is the result:

Jo supplied all the fabrics, a sewing machine, iron and a fab feather cushion, just the right size, of course.

I have signed up for more patchwork and some crochet flowers next.

School Uniform etc.

My older son started school in September 2013. I tried to buy some of his uniform second-hand but missed the sale organised by the school. So he got three brand-new sweaters with the school logo. I bought these directly from the school. I can't say anything about the credentials of the company that produces these items.

School shoes were from Clarks. Very hard-wearing. Wellies from Tesco.

The rucksack is from John Lewis, plain navy blue with fluoro yellow piping - I wanted to get something that would get more use than a book bag.

The bottle was from Sigg.


I got the other necessary items (4 polo shirts, 3 jogging trousers, 5 pairs of black socks) from Marks and Spencer, based on a report by Ethical Consumer (2008). In hindsight, I am not sure why, as Matalan and Next scored better, but it was easier to get everything in one go. The labels state: responsibly sourced. After 4 months of use and washing and tumble-drying I am pleased to report they are wearing very well.

I looked into getting the polo shirts second hand at least, but the market is already bogged down with new Tesco et al polo shirts cheaper than chips so what is one to do?

Organic cotton polo shirts were just too expensive to be considered, but I'll try harder to get fair trade at least next time.

Remedies (direction 3): toothpaste reviews

We have started using a Green People toothpaste. The kids like the mandarin option.

We have tried a Kingfisher toothpaste but I don't like it as it contains SLS - a foaming agent.

I've also been testing a Lavera toothpaste I got from the Unicorn Grocery and I love it. It contains fluoride, which is fine by me, but it doesn't foam too much. It feels satisfyingly gritty and effective - perhaps it contains bicarb.

Merry Christmas!

My older son's teacher provided us with a list of all the children in his class at the start of December, encouraging us to get him to write his name in all the cards.

Well, I hadn't planned on giving out cards at all, but as the cards started piling in, the peer pressure increased... So I decided to make some myself. Here is the second batch: snowflakes cut out in scrap book paper and glued to recycled card. Minimum size, no envelope.

Joyeux NOEL to all!

Book: L’écologie au quotidien, c’est facile !

One of my cousins is writing a book about green living! Great minds think alike.

"L’écologie au quotidien, c’est facile ! - Des exemples concrets pour réussir sa transition" by Guillaume Desgeorge and Didier Prudon, French authors. This book is aimed at those who are looking for practical information and real-life stories to make their daily life greener. To be published beginning of 2014. [my own translation]

 Publisher: Imagine un colibri

Remedies (direction 3): childhood eczema

I would recommend Elena's Nature Collection Day Cream, which you can get through the NHS - you will need to obtain a prescription from your GP. I used this on both my children and it worked a treat. It is light so perfect to massage in all over as part of the bedtime routine. The lavender scent is very soothing, I am sure it's helped them relax and sleep better too.

I also used to infuse oats in the bath water (use old tights).

Otherwise, I made a blend of essential oils for my 10-year-old niece, including lavender and chamomile, which gets diluted in sweet almond oil at a concentration suitable for children. She really enjoys using it, which is great, because the treatment works better if you keep it up. And so far, it's proved positive. Result.

Cooking (direction 4): make your own

Ms Harris in her Book of Green Household Management



recommends making your own:

• yogurt
• bread
• pulses
• jams

Now, I have tried to make yogurt before. I borrowed a friend's yogurt maker. It felt like a lot of faff for something I don't fancy that much myself, and it didn't taste better than the shop-bought variety. Often, if you make something at home, it tastes better than the stuff from the shop and you know what's in it, so it seems worth the effort. Not in this case. Although I would love to skip all the kids' yogurt pots. If only I lived in Chester where they recycle yogurt pots as well as plastic bottles! Sigh. Perhaps one day people will choose where they live on the basis of the school catchment area first and the recycling facilities second.

As far as bread is concerned, I have mentioned before than we have a bread maker, which I never use anymore because the bread I make with it always goes stale. Slicing seems to be an issue. It's hard living with people who are even lazier than me! But it would be better to make our own as we could use organic ingredients, lessen the salt content and skip the plastic bag.

Preparing pulses (soaking, boiling, etc.) is something I used to do a little before we had kids. I must admit it really doesn't register on the radar at the moment. The crux of the matter is planning. Of course, it is quicker to do in the pressure cooker. I would gain in terms of transport but I do wonder about the energy consumption.

Jams: I mentioned before the occasional lemon curd, but again, it didn't taste that much nicer than a shop-bought one, especially as there are a lot of locally produced options in this case. And of course, no more Nutella for me - see previous post. Argh.

Beauty products (direction 2): reviews

I just had to tell you about this fabulous face cream I got from Boots, Good Things Face the Day Moisturiser.

Face The Day

So, OK, I'm supposed to be blending my own stuff, but I had some points spare and it was on offer, so... And I chose well. It's free from parabens etc., and it's got SPF 15, and it's lovely to use, smells nice, not too rich so perfect for face and neck. Plus, it comes in a 100ml tube so is lighter on packaging than the usual 50ml tubes or pots.

Another product I can recommend is Green People's Face Scrub.



It doesn't foam, which is disconcerting at first, but it is effective yet gentle for the skin. It really gives a good scrub (feels like ground apricot stone) but is nourishing at the same time.

Callenbach's green triangle

I have been off the chocolate crepes for 5 weeks and, let me tell you, it's been a challenge. But after 3 people congratulated me for my pregnancy over the summer, when I am not pregnant, I could no longer kid myself that that flowery blouse that I stretched at the seams was shrinking in the wash. No, I have been expanding.

So time to cut back. Which gives me an opportunity to reflect on Callenbach's triangle. I came across this concept in The Lilypad List.



Here is what Marian Van Eyk McCain has to say about it:

'Ernest Callenbach speaks of what he calls "The Green Triangle". (...) The three points of the triangle are:

Saving Money
Caring for the Environment
Being Healthy

'Callenbach points out that whenever you do something beneficial for one of the points on that triangle, you will almost certainly be doing something beneficial for the other two as well, whether intentionally or otherwise.
'He gives the example of deciding to improve one's health, by eating less fatty meat and dairy products. Not only would such a decision lower one's chance of circulatory disease, and have a number of other health benefits as well, it would also save money, since meat and dairy products are relatively expensive items. Furthermore, such a decision would benefit the environment too. Meat production is one of the most wasteful uses of agricultural land and therefore takes up farm resources that could be better used in other ways.
'He goes on to explain that you can start at any point of the triangle and get the same result. When you do something beneficial for the environment, like walking or bicycling instead of driving, you are helping to cut down pollution emissions (...). But at the same time you are creating a benefit for your own health, since you will get more exercise. And of course by leaving your car at home you will save a lot of money on petrol, oil and care repairs.'

(Although, saving money by buying cheap clothes produced in sweat shops with synthetic fibres does not sound like a good starting point.)

Applied to my case, I have stopped eating chocolate crepes to lose weight, which is good for my health. I produce less waste as I don't need to dispose of the plastic packaging anymore, which is good for the environment, and I have saved £8.75!

Book: How green are my wellies?

I read How Green Are My Wellies by Anna Shepard a few months ago and found it excellent.



It is divided in 12 chapters, one per month, so that the seasons inspire changes in one's habits: managing clutter, wardrobe challenge, spring clean, composting, grow your own, parties, holidays, water, thrift, office, cycling and Christmas. Each chapter contains further information, and cooking ideas.

You can also read Anna Shepard's Eco Worrier blog.