A footnote – Barabrith

Sorry for the recent blogging absence folks it will persist till I return to Barabrith in a few weeks time. I am currently recovering from a foot operation that means I can’t drive, cycle or walk without crutches and a big Velcro boot on my right foot.

My big black Velcro and plastic foot protecting boot on Shepherds Bush overground station.

The only upside of this situation is that I am back in the modern world of many vegan food options and I am trying out everything my limited mobility allows. I had a pretty full on schedule of meeting up with old and not so old comrades at different places but an attack of flu and the the operation cut may plans short. Now I await the return of better mobility to continue the foodie fun.

Southend on a Sea’s seaside Saltwater cafe caters superbly to day tripper veggies and vegans

The best Italian vegan cuisine I have had the delight to sample is at Antonio’s in Hackney.

The three starter options at the Buffalo Bar pop up in Hackney went down a treat.

What happened to my foot you are wondering? Well many many months ago i accidentally kicked a box of books that some idiot had left on the floor in his bedroom! A few week or so later I was surprised the supposed bruise was still hurting. A month or so later I realised I could no longer wear my steel toe cap boots to werk without the top of my right big toe rubbing against the cap. How did that happen? I thought the boot must have been squashed down and tried to reshape it to no avail. Eventually I ended up at a hospital talking to Podiatrists and having xrays. Turned out the trauma of the box kicking caused my joint to grow excess bone and to lose 80% of its movement and most of its cartilage. Doh.!

One week after the operation and inexplicably the nurses and podiatrist all described this swollen purpled mess as “pretty” and “looking good”!! Maybe the anaesthetic hadn’t entirely worn off?

A lot of procrastination and trying to work out when best to be laid up for a couple of weeks meant I delayed having my operation for almost a year. Now it’s done I’ve been told I need to keep my foot rested and safe from any further knocks for at least two months!! Double fuckin Doh!

A close up for the hard core, the yellowness is iodine not jaundice!

So I am currently staying with my Dad, playing scrabble and doing nothing much more physically strenuous than that! I did get my sister to take me to a couple of vegan cafes (including Marta’s Green Door delight) but there’s not so many in this area of the country as there are back in London.

I introduced my sister to the wonders of Super Singhs almost all vegan fast food joint by Heathrow airport and she loved it!

An excellent homemade seitan BLT and butternut squash soup from The Green Door at Rockaway Park, Templecloud near Bristol.

I probably won’t blog again till I’m back in Barabrith but we’ll see if this new urge to splurge my life out onto the Internet becomes too acute I may have to satiate the ego’s demands again!