A little art, a little nosh, a little beauty, a little reading

www.livinglibations.com - Magic Elixir in a Bottle - Seabuckthorn Best Skin Ever!





Great weekend - I visited the Raw Food Festival at 918 Bathurst and came home as usual with a load of goodness - including some incredible crackers from the Good Food Conspiracy Company, goji berries, mulberries, Giddy Yo Yo chocolate, Chocosol Chocolate, and a new product I'm hooked on - well new to me as I have wanted to try it for ages - Seabuckthorn Best Skin Ever from Living Libations,

I was eavesdropping on a woman extolling its' virtues to her friend - a customer and her skin looked great. She was totally right. It is awesome - Nadine Artemis its' creator is a goddess and a great example of the raw food lifestyle. I will definitely have to give other products a try - including the "Gum Drops" and a body lotion plus some extra skin care. I can tell already the BSE has made a difference to the aging - yikes - skin on my arms with just a drop or two. It apparently can be used all over and is essential oil based. Nadine and Ron were featured on a documentary last night "Semi Sweet" discussing raw chocolate...they are inspirations.

Further wonderment - "The Encampment" - a Luminato art installation at Fort York. Over 200 tents with art hidden inside exploring the legacy of Canada and the War of 1812 from a multicultural perspective. While you're there you can spy the current residents i.e. groundhogs and their babies and last night two baby skunks frolicking near some bushes on the lower berm near twilight....a great time to go. There is also an installation on Wellington at Portland in the park with people attired in the garb of that era and even some dramatization and a pub.

Since I am still somewhat in a New York state of mind I have read two wonderful tomes - in different eras. The first was "American Eve" - the story of early 20th century "It" girl - Evelyn Nesbitt - whose beauty brought about the downfall of celebrated architect Stanford White at the hands of her millionaire husband Harry K. Thaw. It's a fascinating and tragic tale - especially the aftermath - she was a beautiful and sought after girl who made bad choices and lacked parental support from her mother.

The second book is "Just Kids" by rock icon Patti Smith - a marvellous bio of her time in late 60's and into 70's New York City and her relationship with celebrated bad boy artist Robert Mapplethorpe...including living at the legendary Chelsea Hotel and her growth as an artist plus numerous celebrity encounters...I couldn't put either book down.

Why I'm Veg.....

This is a blog after all about jazz and "luscious vegan musings" so what better platform than to preach the gospel of veg...there is a wonderful series of videos on You Tube and they are so inspiring - everyone from Doug McNish - wonderful vegan chef and author of a fabulous new cookbook, Elizabeth May from the Green Party, Glen De Baeremaeker, hockey player Mike Zigomanis and many others.

I am vegan because I feel better, I lost weight...some 20 pounds and I am don't want the pain and suffering of animals on my conscience or the pain and suffering of the planet i.e. environment on my planet...my next step in these summer months is to transition to more and more raw - so easy with the incredible supply of fruits and vegetables including those from our garden.

People ask what do you eat? Well, I eat everything - except animal products and there is infinite variety - I have found that my cooking over the course of my vegetarian lifestyle of some 15 years has become more varied and adventurous - I'm always trying out new recipes - in fact, sometimes it's overwhelming how many recipes and cookbooks there are out there. I bring in vegan baked goods to Jazz FM on Thursdays when I'm doing "Jazzology" and I can attest those goodies disappear very quickly and in fact are anticipated....

It's not about what you eliminate but more what you embrace.

Please visit www.veg.ca - the website of the Toronto Vegetarian Association for more enlightenment in all ways. Oh, and while you're there maybe consider taking the Veggie Challenge and/or a membership....