OneKind calls for freeze on mountain hare cull

In today's (Sunday 2nd July) Scottish Sunday Express, OneKind are calling for a freezing on mountain hare culls. The article focuses on our petition to the Scottish Parliament for greater protection of mountain hare and also mentions our campaign urging the Cairngorms National Park to stop mountain hare culls.

Ben Lawers and Beinn Ghlas

This was me at the very top of Ben Lawers after bagging me 10th and 11th Munros in the worst winds I've ever encountered when out walking.

My alarm went off at 5.45am last Saturday which for me seemed like the middle of the night. I made my way to Dunfermline to meet Nicole aka Ginger Kitchen and we drove up to Loch Tay.

When we started walking I was glad I had brought some sun screen because it looked like it was going to be a lovely day, but that feeling soon passed as the cloud set in and all we caught was tiny glimpses of the sun trying to fight its way through the clouds with very little success.

It didn't take us too long to reach the top of  Beinn Ghlas (my 10th Munro) although we almost missed it since the summit pretty much hidden on route to Ben Lawers. The next part of the climb was pretty tough in parts. The wind got stronger and we were lucky if we could see a few feet in front of us. However, we carried on and finally about 3 hours after first set off we reached the top of a VERY windy Ben Lawers. I can't even put into words how windy it was when we stood up at the top. There was a moment where I wasn't sure how we'd get down because the wind was so strong in those few seconds when we stood up to take some photos.

It took us about an hour to get down and soon enough we were back in the car listening to Taylor Swift and eating vegan chocolate.

That's 11 Munros down and only 271 to go!

WHAT I EAT IN A DAY #17 | WEEKEND VLOG

It's time to start uploading regular content again, so I would start with a What I Eat In A Day weekend vlog.

Enjoy!!

What I Eat In A Day #16

It's been weeks since I uploaded anything, but here's a What I Eat In A Day video from a couple of weeks ago in North Berwick.

Enjoy!!

OneKind talks fox hunting and snares at the SNP conference

Last week, I headed north for my first party political conference at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre. The SNP conference is the largest party conference in Scotland, and came just days after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced plans for a second independence referendum.

As well as the main arena, which is used for speeches, the conference is a chance for charities to engage with members, councillors, MPs and MSPs about the issues they are working on. OneKind’s stall with the League Against Cruel Sports Scotland proved to be a popular stop for people during the day. Situated on the way into the main arena, there was a constant stream of people stopping by to find out what we’re doing to end cruelty to Scotland’s animals.

We chose to focus on two campaigns while we were there. We collected signatures for our joint Snare-Free Scotland campaign which calls for an end to the manufacture, sale, possession and use of snares in Scotland. This was particularly relevant as it came days after the publication of a review into snaring by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). The review, commissioned by the Scottish Government, chose to recommend some small changes to the way snares are regulated rather than consider a complete ban.

Given the recent media coverage the review got, it was an issue people were familiar with when they come up to talk to us. I spoke to people who were outraged that Scotland is one of the only countries in Europe that still hasn’t banned snares, and a woman who knew of a cat that had been caught in a snare a few years back. We also collected pages and pages of signatures from people who supported our calls for a complete ban on snares.

The second campaign we were talking to people about was fox hunting. Despite the sport being banned in Scotland, loopholes in the law mean that traditional hunts are still taking place across the country. Many people who approached the stall were shocked to find out that fox hunting isn’t banned, and even more so when I talked to them about the autopsy of a hunted that OneKind commissioned last year.

I also chatted to people from the Borders who were following the current trial of two men who are accused of hunting foxes with hounds, which was happening on the same day as the conference. The issue was brought alive by footage shot by the League Against Cruel Sports Scotland playing on a TV at our stall which shows a hunt taking place. You could see the impact it was making from the disbelief on people’s faces as they stood with their eyes glued to the screen.

Overall, most of the people I spoke to were very supportive of the work done by OneKind. In fact, I only spoke to one person all day who believed that foxes are vermin and should be killed. Everyone else was angered by the fact that we live in a country where these beautiful animals are allowed to be snared and hunted without a second thought.

As far as first party political conferences go, I found the SNP one to be a great way for me to engage with new people about our campaigns. It was also a fantastic opportunity to catch up with those who already support the work done by charities like OneKind and the League Against Cruel Sports Scotland whether it be through petitions, membership, and social media. I look forward to attending more political conferences in the Autumn to make the case for Scotland being a leader on protecting animals.

What I Eat In A Day #14

Just another vegan What I Eat In A Day video. Like, comment, subscribe and enjoy :)

Vegan Monthly Favourites | February 2017

It's time for a vegan monthly favourites video for February. I picked out some of my favourite food and cosmetic products that I've been using lately and put them in a video for you.

If you want to check any of them out, then you can just click on the links below.

Cheese and Onion Crisps

Sweet Pineapple Candy

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Raw Millionaire Shortbread

Aloe Vera Juice

Exfoliator

Toothpaste

Enjoy!

What I Eat In A Day #13

It's time for another What I Eat In A Day video. This week, I had some great food and took a really nice early morning walk up Calton Hill in Edinburgh.

Like, comment, subscribe and enjoy :)

What I Eat In A Day #12

It's time for another What I Eat In A Day video. I filmed this last weekend but it's taken me a few days to get round to uploading it on my blog.

I hope you enjoy it!

Vegan Monthly Favourites | January 2017

It's time for a new monthly favourites video. I watch all kinds of favourite videos every month, so I thought I would try my own vegan version as I try to get into a more regular upload schedule.

Coconut & Almond Butter

Macaroni Pie

Vegan Crème Egg

Super Greens Sandwich

Hippeas Crisps

Seaweed & Citrus Conditioner

Vegan Jumper

Cookie Chocolate Bar

Hope you enjoy!

Weekend Vlog | Loch Rannoch

There's nothing quite like escaping the city for the weekend and heading up north. When my friend inviting me up to Loch Rannoch for a few days, I wanted to back my bag straight away.

We spent the weekend eating food, walking around the hills and loch, playing board games, watching movies and relaxing. The cabin also had a sauna which was a very welcome change from the freezing cold weather outside.

Weekend Vlog | What I Eat In A Day

It's time for another video. Welcome to a day in my life minus the few bits of the weekend that I forgot or couldn't really film. There's lots of good vegan food though including a trip to Wagamama and a chocolate smoothie!

Eating Out - The Basement

I've been eating at The Basement in Edinburgh for years, so I was really happy to see a dish marked vegan added to their menu. The restaurant does serve a lot of vegetarian food, so it's never been that difficult to alter dishes in the past, but it is good they are finally recognise veganism properly.

This is the three bean chilli served in a roasted butternut squash bowl with rice, and it was delicious especially when you have a mojito along with it. If you're there then I would also recommend getting some guacamole to start with because the lovely staff make it fresh at your table and what's not to love about that.

So if you're looking for a Mexican to try with some good vegan food on the menu then The Basement is the definitely worth a try. Hopefully we'll see some vegan starters and desserts added to the menu soon too.

20 Things I've Learned In My 20s

Edit: I meant to post this at the start of the month when it went up on Huffington Post but life got really busy around my birthday and I just never got the time. One of my friends also commented that she can see some thinly veiled references to people in the post, so if you are reading this and think it sounds familiar, then it is probably about you. Anyway here's my post, even if it's a little bit late.

The time has finally come for me to wave goodbye to my 20s. I would be lying if I said I was completely on board with the idea. However in the spirit of being a proper grown up, I’m trying not to scream “Why, God, why? We had a deal! Let the others grow old, not me” like Joey did in Friends.

So to commemorate my 30th birthday and help my fellow 20-somethings, I thought I would share some of the most important things I’ve learned in the last 10 years.

1. Your whole life can change in a split second.
I still remember graduating from university and getting ready to head to LA to intern at a record label. A few days before I was due to leave, my younger brother was diagnosed with cancer. My life fell apart more than I ever thought possible in a matter of seconds, and I was suddenly trying to get through each day and figure out what the hell I was meant to do next. He was lucky enough to make a full recovery and it taught me to make the most of every single day.

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2. Stop comparing yourself to others.
There will always be someone who is smarter, funnier and prettier than you. That doesn’t mean you need to beat yourself up about it at every possible moment. We’re all amazing individual people and it’s about time we recognised that.

3. Let him go.
I KNOW it’s easier said than done, but you need to try. Delete his number, block him from social media, and stop obsessing over the texts he sent you when he was a nice person.

4. Don’t trust social media. Social media tends to be the highlights of someone’s life and not everyone is as happy as they appear. Oh, and he’s not going to sleep with every girl whose photo he likes on Instagram either.

5. Find a job that makes you happy.
Until two months ago, I was the press officer of the biggest theatre in the UK. People thought I had the best job but the challenge of it wore off after two years and I needed something new. I now work for an animal welfare charity trying to end cruelty to Scotland’s animals, and I love it.

6. Trust your gut.
99.9% of the time it’s telling you the truth.

7. Taylor Swift writes the perfect break-up song.
A lot of my friends make fun of me for being such a big Taylor Swift fan, but she really does write the perfect break-up song. Yes, it’s horrible when your heart gets broken but turn up the volume on ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’ and you might start to feel a bit better.

8. Drink lots of water
Water is your best friend. Try to drink 2-3 litres a day and always drink lots after a night out.

9. Look after yourself
Eat well. Get enough sleep. And always be kind to yourself.

10. Laughter is the best medicine
I spent some of my 20s working in a comedy club in Edinburgh. It might seem like you’re having the worst day in the world, but it’s always made better when people make you laugh.

11. We accept the love we think we deserve
I remember the first time I read this quote in The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. It was one of those lightbulb moments where everything suddenly made sense. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve cried over the same guy who never treated me properly. It took me a long time to understand why I did it, but the answer lies in this quote.

12. Learn to say no
We often feel obliged to say yes even when we want to say no. I’m definitely guilty of trying to please people, but you need to remember to put yourself first and say no if you really don’t want to do something.

13. Read as much as you can
There’s nothing quite like getting completely lost in a book. I always have a big pile of books beside my bed, and I’m usually in the middle of a few at the same time.

14. Internet trolls are vicious
I got really badly trolled in my mid-twenties due to a case of mistaken identity with a rather famous football manager. I’ve always been a bit sensitive, but it’s really hard to not care when you log into your twitter and your notifications are full of people telling you to kill yourself because you’re so ugly. I know these people were strangers, but I cried my eyes out for days.

15. Be compassionate.
For me being compassionate comes hand in hand with being vegan. It’s one of the most important lessons I have learned and I wish I was always as compassionate as I am now.

16. Stop apologising.
Yes, there will be some occasions when you need to say sorry. However you probably don’t need to apologise half as much as you think you do.

17. Modern dating is really hard.
I came out of a serious relationship when I was in my mid-twenties and since then dating seems to have evolved into people judging my photo for less than a second and swiping one way or the other. If you’re lucky enough to meet someone who does want to date you, then chances are your friends will find them on dating apps at the same time. Told you it’s hard!

18. Staying in is the new going out
I still love a good night out, but as I get older I appreciate nights in catching up with friends over good food, rum and lots of board games even more.

19. Regular exercise is really important
Exercise isn’t just important for your physical health but it’s so important for your mental health too. There’s nothing a good run on the treadmill won’t help, even if the gym is the last place in the world you want to be.

20. Forgive others in your own time
I’ve been known for holding a bit of a grudge against people who hurt me but there’s no time limit on how long you have to forgive someone. Just because someone else gets over it quicker doesn’t mean that you have to.

My 30th Birthday

That's right, I have finally turned 30!

I'm not a fan of being the centre of attention, especially at parties, so I decided very much against doing anything big. However I did spend a few days with some of my favourite people eating food, drinking cocktails and relaxing. Oh and there was also some great presents too!!

I spent Friday night making #SquadGoals with the Copenhagen crew by having dinner at Kevin's house, drinking lots of rum cocktails and playing board games. I had lunch on Saturday with my family at Zizzi's which is my newly discovered favourite place to eat (yes, I know I'm a bit behind every other vegan who goes there for pizza). Sunday was a day of complete relaxation at OneSpa thanks to one of my amazing former work friends. I never had a massage before, but I think I could be addicted now. I can't remember the last time I felt that relaxed without a worry in the world. OneSpa also has a rooftop hydro pool where we all sat until we turned into prunes before tucking into vegan bento boxes.

I headed back to Falkirk on Monday for a day of being completely spoiled by my family. My sister bought me a gorgeous necklace from a collection by Bonny Rebecca which I adore, and my little brother bought me a Sega Mega Drive!! Although now I'm just getting frustrated that I can't pass a level of Sonic that I'm sure I could pass as a kid. My main present was a new camera so I can make better videos, but my parents also bought me lots of other amazing presents. To top the whole day off, my mum recreated my first ever birthday cake as a vegan cake.

I guess turning 30 wasn't that bad after all.

HI 2017!

Hi 2017!

I can't quite believe that 2016 is over already and we're two days into 2017.

Last year was definitely a bit of a roller coaster. I picked up quite a few bruises along the way, but I'm now in my dream job with lots of amazing new (mostly vegan) friends.

I'm really looking forward to the year ahead. I want it to be a year of more reading, writing, exploring, climbing and capturing. I'm also planning to work on my anxiety and learn to care less about what people think of me. I'm turning 30 next week, so it's also a year of putting myself first and finally get rid of the more toxic relationships in my life.

So let's raise of glass to making 2017 the best year yet!