in the darkness i feel his arms

[pensnest]

I did not give blood today.

I went to the blood donation centre, and spent quite a while filling in my introductory form (twice, because the computer wouldn't accept the trainee's input, and she was the one to take my details first). Then, because I had a few yeses ticked on the form, a long conversation with the nurse during which I dredged up trips I have made to hospital throughout the years. And eventually, she told me that there's no reason why I cannot donate usually, but, because my medication has recently been changed (to slow release), I must wait another week and be sure my GP is happy with the new dose.

On the positive side, my haemoglobin levels are great!

*

I think I'm becoming more inclined towards vegetarianism, or at least, less inclined to eat meat. I made a shepherd's pie (with lamb mince and fake mince) for Sunday, and remember thinking "the nasty smell of cooked meat", probably for the first time in my life. I have developed a few veggie or meat-traces recipes (usually nibbles of chorizo) , and have been experimenting with the various meat substitutes which are burgeoning on Sainsburys' shelves. And, plainly, my iron levels are doing fine without it.

*

Beast and I have started a re-watch of Babylon 5 and oh, my goodness, how it resonates. Even at the beginning, the Earth First, anti-alien movement is horribly familiar, and I know what's coming.

The aesthetics of the tech, by and large, does not hold up as well as Star Trek: The Next Generation, with the honourable exception of the starships, which behave much more reasonably and are used much more effectively. But the station graphics are pretty clunky. I do quite like the hand communicators. And they do have much more imaginative aliens. Kosh's encounter suit is glorious.

Peter Jurasik and Andreas Katsulas are *so* good. I realise they have a lot more showy stuff than Sinclair, but he's very stiff. I like him a little more with every re-watch, but I do think that replacing him with Sheridan - we haven't got to that part yet - was a good thing for the show, and keeping him as the cerebral, thoughtful guy was much more believable. He does show off as the man of action at the beginning of the show, leaping into a Starfury to be Heroic, but I have to accept that as the price of being a leading man in an American TV show. You have to be Good At Killing Stuff or you aren't a Hero.
Well, perhaps that's just the twentieth century way.

*

I am trying a new policy with my posts, adopting dine's sometime habit of using a song lyric as a header.

Comments

[watervole]

The easy solution to wanting occasional meat is to eat venison.

Owing to the lack of natural predators, deer populations are way too large and they damage woodlands as a result.

Most butchers can get venison if asked.

Rabbit also qualifies in the same way.

I'll have to post some of my husband's veggie recipes - he's become really inspired this last year.

[pensnest]

Happily we have an excellent butcher just up the road - they regularly win local sausage competitions, and they supply only free range meat (plus some 'barn chickens') from Norfolk or Suffolk. They do venison, which I've been buying once in a while. Beast has been a bit iffy about the environmental impact of venison, but I figure it is basically from meat that grows entirely naturally, none of the gross feeding-it-fish stuff (though I *think* that is only American). We have been off beef for quite a while, and are drinking soya milk these days, though it isn't easy to tell what's the best option for milk. And I haven't made the switch to non-cows-milk cheese.

Dunno about rabbit, that's something I never really think to cook. Is rabbit likely to be wild, and shot, or specially grown?

[watervole]

Wild venison is where most of it comes. Some wildlife charities discretely sell venison shot for pest control. Farmed venison won't score as well - even grass fed farm animals are likely to have supplementary food in winter.

Your butcher can tell you where rabbit comes from. Certainly, our local stuff is shot - they used to warn you that it might have pellets in it.

All plant milks are so much better than dairy that the difference between them is largely noise. I prefer oat milk myself, but I can happily drink soy if necessary.

I still haven't made the cheese switch, but I have managed to reduce my portion size. For some things, Marigold yeast makes a good substitute and is incredibly tasty and nibblable. (tasty enough to bribe a six-year old with)

[pensnest]

I had assumed the venison mostly came from the kind of places that offer Shooting as a fun pastime. Which I don't actually approve of, but eh. I'll definitely inquire about the rabbit.

Marigold yeast is not something I'd heard of at all, I will have a look!

[watervole]

See - https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/10/wild-deer-set-to-wreak-havoc-in-uk-woodlands-as-venison-demand-plunges - eating British venison is actually helping preserve woodlands right now.

I fell in love with Marigold yeast many, many years ago. A guy at work used to bring in a small pot for lunch and let me share some now and then. Yum!