I love spring time, the prettiest of flowers are in full bloom, the fresh showers in the early morning and of course the endless amount of animal babies... and the safari is no exception!

One of the first of the year was Orlando, a gorgeous little white Bactrian camel. His dad Doug is extremely protective, and often chases away the rhinos!

Fluffy Orlando

You might go gaa gaa over one baby, but what about twins? Two tiny Ring-tailed lemurs! The fifth litter of mum Hasina and dad Julien these two are just adorable! Both boys but no names yet... one keeper suggested Ant and Dec and I love it! Update: Have since been named Sherlock and Watson!

 

Hasina and her twins

What about a baby that is taller than me or you when it is first born? You cant beat the awww factor of a Rothschilde giraffe calf! She has been named Odele after a staff members sister!

Odele and mum Ella (Photo by Longleat)

Then theres the mums that carry their babies with them in a pouch. Check out this Red-Necked Wallaby carrying around her Joey!

Popping out to say hello

These lion cubs weren't born this year and are now 7 months old, but I had to put in this gorgeous piccie of that cheeky face amongst the bluebells.

Mischief in the bluebells

It wont be long before the deer are calving and the first few naughty monkeys are born.... so keep posted for more adorable photos!

I was quite surprised when my mum told me she was looking at adopting a dog, she has always been a keen breeder of Bernese Mountain Dogs, so this was a little out of the blue.

She had spotted a charity known as Love Underdogs who rescued severely mistreated cats and dogs from Romania, many having been abused and left helplessly wandering the streets. A lot are left with serious behavioral problems and medical conditions. Love Underdogs saves these helpless animals and then brings them to the UK, they spend hours working with them, giving them the treatment they need to find a new home.

My mum had spotted Renata, a playful girl that still bared the scars of her past, her mutilated ears. On inquiring about adopting Renata they explained that unfortunately she was under intensive treatment for a condition and was not ready for re-homing. Sadly after a few weeks they decided it wouldn't be fair to re-home Renata with her condition as it would be a permanent on going expense they could not put on someone else.

 Gorgeous Renata (Photo from Love Underdogs)

My mum then said she would be happy to adopt another, as long as she got along with cats and dogs, so they offered my mum Honey, an incredible quiet and shy girl. My mum set up a spot in the corner next to the sofa with a cosy rug and water bowl so Honey could have a 'safe' place to hide and she quickly retreated to her new spot.

My mum told me that Honey was very very nervous, and she couldn't look anyone in the eye. She would back herself right into the corner and hide away. However slowly but surely she seemed to be getting more confident.

Honey hiding in her safe place (Photo by my mum)

I was eager to meet the new family member, so made a visit down to my mums. I slowly came and sat down next to Honey and gave her a warm stroke. She glanced up at me, then as we made eye contact she turned her head away. She was still very shy. I was eager to make friends though and each time I fussed her that small glance lasted a little longer.

Out on a walk she seemed like a different dog. She would charge off ahead, sniffing and smelling the ground, persistently scent marking wherever she went. When called she would look up briefly then carry on her business, she would only return toward you if you turned your back and started walking in the opposite direction. She definitely needed to build her confidence with people. My mum explained that she had already massively improved at this stage, and she couldn't wait for that moment she wagged her tail.

With the Bernese (Photo by my mum)

Just over a week later I visited my mum again, and as I was greeted with the barking of the Bernese another little bark joined in.... Honey! It was only a week ago but I couldn't believe the change in her! She was now emerging from her hiding spot to say a brief hello, and after she watched the Bernese scoff treat from our hand she also wandered over and took a sneaky snack! Her short glances were now much more elongated, and she would sit comfortably while she received a good stroke. She was definitely more confident with the other dogs around, and in their presence would come and sit in the middle of the room. There was a glint in her eye now!

On her walks she now trotted around with her tail in the air and would come running back when you called her name. This was no longer the shy dog that came to live with my mum. Then I saw that special moment, my mum walked into the room and Honey came rushing over to greet her....tail wagging madly!! Her life had been turned around and she was so happy. After a few days she was running over to greet me as well, wagging her tail. It brought a tear to my eye. What a horrendous past this little doggie must have had and now to greet me in this wonderful manner. Just incredible!

 

 Getting confident!

I would love to adopt a dog, and after looking at the Love Underdogs site have fallen in love with both Liana (who could resist those eyes and that heart on her side) and the stunning Jolie. Unfortunately my full time job means it just wouldn't be fair to have a dog as I would be out from 8-5, 5 days a week. I have all my fingers crossed that they both find a loving forever home like Honey has!

I popped into the shop to pick up some peanut butter for my crumpets when I discovered the Lotus Smooth Caramalised Biscuit Spread on the shelf near the chocolate spread. I remember seeing it over on veganoo and decided to give it a go on my crumpets instead.

On getting home I decided to pop it open and dig in the spoon. It looks identical to smooth peanut butter and it glides onto the spoon just the same. Just a small spoonful I thought...biggest mistake!!!! My mouth filled with the delicious caramel buttery smooth heaven! Wow... I delved back in for another spoonful.... absolutely delicious! Before long I had eaten 1/4 of the tub so I quickly popped the lid back on! Oops!

The next morning I was eager to try it on my crumpets, and practically leaped downstairs to taste that caramel goodness again. I smoothed it over my hot crumpets and it did soften slightly, making it gooey and even tastier! It is definitely one for the sweet tooth, and makes a delicious breakfast treat, a prefect alternative to peanut butter or chocolate spread, be careful though its so moreish! I found myself dipping into the jar on multiple occassions!

I was so amazed at how delicious this was I took it into work to show it off, all my colleagues were digging in until the jar was nearly empty, one colleague had to hide the jar from us so we didn't eat it all!

This would also be great in a Soymilk shake, or perhaps in porridge, or even used in a banoffee pie! I highly recommend trying it, you wont be able to put the jar down!

Appearance 9/10
Taste 10/10
Value 9/10

So it was the morning of the marathon and I had barely slept, nerves had kept me awake, my phone going off woke me up and then the cat decided to use my suitcase as a litter tray... things had not gone well, and to top it off I had woken up with a slight cold! I was so nervous I had been to the toilet 4 times!

Me and my sister awaited our lift from Peyman who ended up turning up a little late, the nerves were increasing! Then on the way there Peyman missed the turning for parking and we ended up the wrong side of the route with all roads closed. Peyman wanted to head back round but the marathon start time was looming so we parked up where we could and headed down to Preston Park.

 

Here we go

The field was full of the hustle and bustle of runners, huge queues for the toilets as peoples nerves increased. We dropped off our bag, joined a toilet queue and had a light stretch while we waited. We managed to get in the toilet just on time and had a few minutes to get to our start corrals. My sister, Jade, and Peyman were in the corral before me (estimated finish time 4 to 4 and a half hours), so they disappeared off while I joined my corral (4 and a half to 5 hours).

Suddenly there was a cheer as the race started, but we hadn't started moving yet! There were so many people running it would take a while for my corral to start moving. We heard another cheer and the elite runners came whizzing past us, so much for a marathon these guys were sprinting! Incredible!  As we eventually started moving I gave a cheer as I passed under the start line.... we were off!!! It felt awkward to start with as there was so many people in such a compressed space, the pace seemed really slow and I found myself dodging round and overtaking people. The first 10 miles were a breeze, I felt really relaxed once I got going. At a few points the route came back on itself and I passed Jade and Peyman, shrieking at each other as we passed.

 

Running well

At 11 miles I started to slow so decided to have a short break and walked for a minute to give my legs a rest. Then I was off again. My mum and her partner Clive had told us they would be at around the half way mark to cheer us on so I kept my eyes peeled as I approached it. I suddenly spotted my mum waving a sign in the air 'Go Karra' and cheering me on, but then I spotted Clive, he'd jumped the railing and was bent down on the floor massaging Jade's ankles. She was leaning on the barrier, red faced with tears on her cheeks. I ran over and put my arms round them all and my mum urged me to carry on so I continued on my way.

As mile 15 approached I really started struggling, my lower back was extremely painful and my hips and knees were screaming at me, I had to stop. From there I was in real pain, and up to mile 20 I had to walk around 50%. Both my dad and my best mate, Kim, and her partner, Craig, were there cheering me on to keep my spirits up though and I soldiered on! The atmosphere was brilliant, people handing out sweets and water, cheering names to make sure everyone remained strong. My mum gave me a call and told me Jade was still running, and was half a mile behind me, phew I was so relieved.

 

The pain at mile 19

Shortly after mile 21 I called Jade to see how close behind she was, she was still only half a mile away so she said she would try and catch me up. I had a quick toilet break (all those energy gels and water points!) and kept a slow steady pace so she could catch me up. Her friends Joy and Joanne had joined her and were running a couple of miles to keep her going and Joanne appeared next to me explaining Jade was just a few meters away. I turned round and spotted her waving madly so stopped and waited.

We were together now and we were finishing this together! We soldiered on, the Brighton pier now in view and edging closer, we were going to do this!! I now felt great, my spirits were lifted and the pain seemed to melt away. Jade was in agony though, explaining the pain was as if her ankles were popping out! Ouch! As we reached the pier the cheers intensified, my mum and Clive were there egging us on as well as Kim and Craig, so close now!

 

Here we come finish line!

As the finish line came into view I felt like I was floating towards it, me and Jade grabbed hands and a huge smile spread across our faces. Raising our hands in the air we crossed the line... wooooohoooo! A time of 5.07 for me and 5.10 for Jade! I immediately wanted to collapse with both the feeling of relief and all the pain pulsing through my body! We grabbed our medals and proudly placed them around our necks.

 

 Amazing achievement

I have never felt pain like it, the next day I couldn't stand up straight with such sever back pain, burning calves, achy knees and very stiff hips. I shuffled around like the Hunchback of Notre-Dame! It may have been painful but it was so worth it. I have managed to raise over £1000 for an incredible charity, Care for the Wild International in their Last Chance for Elephants campaign. You can still donate here if you want to offer your support. The pain I endured will help save these amazing animals, and although it felt good it is not something I want to repeat! A new challenge is definitely on the horizon though, and the task next year is to complete the 'Tough Mudder', a half marathon obstacle course.... who wants to join me??!

    Check out my race photos and video here.   

It is quite difficult to grab a quick snack being vegan, however Holland and Barret have a range called 'veg.out' from pasties to pies with the vegan ones clearly labelled.

I have tried some of their pasties before and bean sorely disappointed, all pastry and no filling, however I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt so picked up a 'Porkless Pie' when it was on offer.

In the bright packaging it looked like a traditional pork pie, and it looked very appealing. It is a decent size and perfect for a lunch time snack. Taking the first bite all I got was dry pastry, extremely unappetizing! I went in for another mouthful to try and get some filling. It was extremely bland, dry and tasteless. I was very disappointed. With each mouthful it got drier and drier and just taste of heavy pastry. I did not enjoy it at all and could not finish it.

The pie may have been nicer warmed up with gravy but as a quick snack it was foul. I would not recommend any of the veg.out products at all, all those I have tried have been dry, tasteless with hardly any filling.

Appearance 6/10
Taste 2/10
Value 4/10

Last year me and my mum headed over to Bristol VegFest to try out some new vegan foods, this time round we decided to check out the one in Brighton on Mothers day.

It was held in The Hove Center, and first impressions were not too good... where the hell were we to park? The parking on the road side was for 2 hours max, so we headed for a multi storey. We had to drive round twice and got lucky just as someone was pulling out.... it was a nightmare! The actual venue itself didn't fare much better either. A confusing labyrinth up and down the stairs in various different rooms. It took us a while to work our what was where! Not a good venue choice!

First thoughts on our mind was lunch. We opted for a tempting chinese... and we were not disappointed! It was delicious, mock duck in a sweet and sour sauce with noodles... yummy! You can find their products online at www.gilliefoods.com.

Next I was determined to find a yummy vegan cake... and down on the lower floor we discovered it... and it went beyond all our expectations. Dozens upon dozens of cream cakes... hello there!! The poor chap looked incredible stressed, with a queue rapidly building he was rushing around like mad. He was definitely the most popular stall there! The selection of cakes was huge, and eventually we chose an eclair and a coconut king doughnut. At only £2.50 each for a huge cream cake they were a bargain! I have come to expect all vegan food to be inflated prices, but these were a lovely surprise. We decided to split them in two and share them. The icing was full of flavour, the pastry was light and the cream was... oh so creamy! Delicious! Wish I had bought a stash to bring home!

We then headed up the the main hall with the majority of the stalls and had a little browse. I searched out the Care for the Wild stall, the charity I am running the marathon for on Sunday, and I got to meet Nigel who I had been communicating with.. It was great to finally put a face to the name and we had a good chat about Sunday! My mum bought a vegan runners t-shirt and we tasted a few samples. There didn't seem to be as many options to taste samples than at Bristol, but then the whole event seemed smaller and a little more disorganized, still enjoyable though! We didn't bother with any of the talks or demos as there was nothing that appealed to us which was a little disappointing.


I would go again however I much preferred the Bristol venue, if Brighton got a better location it would be much better! I would like to try the London venue next

Last year my little sister ran the Brighton marathon and raised money for WWF, it got me thinking, I wanted to do something too. So this Sunday... yes that right.. THIS Sunday I am running the Brighton marathon! Eek!

I have chosen to run for Care for the Wild International to support their 'Last Chance for Elephants' campaign. Elephants are currently facing a poaching crisis, with around 40,000 being killed each year. They are slaughtered for their beautiful tusks, sliced from their faces to use the ivory in bracelets and ornaments. A tusk only looks good on an elephant! If we don't do something now they will disappear from our world!

Care for the Wild are making a stand to stop poaching and are fighting to end the killing. They fund anti-poaching units and have given over £1 million to assist with the rescue and rehabilitation of orphaned elephants. They also help educate generations of the future so they can become custodians of this beautiful creature instead of poachers.

So every mile I run, all the pain I will endure, will be to stop the pain those incredible animals have to suffer, before its too late and they disappear for good! 

My training has gone well, and I managed to complete 16 miles in my training... I hope pure adrenaline will take me the extra 10 miles on the day! I hope to raise £1000 for these incredible animals and have reached nearly 80% of that!

If you would like to support this cause and help me save the elephants you can do so on my JustGiving page here: www.justgiving.com/Karra-BrightonMarathon2014

You can also text Text ROTH88 £3 to 70070. 

Thank you so much!