For the story from the beginning, click here 😀
Well done Mildred!
Mildred and friends will be back to rescue more animals in the future.
Make sure you follow the blog so that you don’t miss it 😀
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This comic was created with Comic Life by Plasq
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vegan, vegan comic, animals, animal rights, animal rescue, cow, calf, cartoon, vegan children’s story, vegan fiction, children’s comic, vegan children’s comic, vegan children
Oh no! Will Mildred get Daisy out in time? 😮
Or is the Flat-Capped Menace going to go back in and find them? 😮
Find out tomorrow!
or read the rest of the story now 😉
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This comic was created with Comic Life by Plasq
***
vegan, vegan comic, animals, animal rights, animal rescue, cow, calf, cartoon, vegan children’s story, vegan fiction, children’s comic, vegan children’s comic, vegan children
Story continues from yesterday:
Come on Girl Scout Twins – think of something! 😮
Come back tomorrow to see what they come up with
or read the rest of the story now 😉
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This comic was created with Comic Life by Plasq
***
vegan, vegan comic, animals, animal rights, animal rescue, cow, calf, cartoon, vegan children’s story, vegan fiction, children’s comic, vegan children’s comic, vegan children
Story continues from yesterday:
Yay! Mildred’s going in! Join us tomorrow to find out what happens,
or if you don’t want to wait, you can read the whole story now 😀
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This comic was created with Comic Life by Plasq
***
vegan, vegan comic, animals, animal rights, animal rescue, cow, calf, cartoon, vegan children’s story, vegan fiction, children’s comic, vegan children’s comic, vegan children
Oh no! Hurry Mildred!
Will they get there in time to save Daisy?
Join us tomorrow to see what happens next,
or if you don’t want to wait, you can read the whole story now 😀
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This comic was created with Comic Life by Plasq
***
vegan, vegan comic, animals, animal rights, animal rescue, cow, calf, cartoon, vegan children’s story, vegan fiction, children’s comic, vegan children’s comic, vegan children
We used to love the old Penelope Pitstop cartoons and Miranda thought it would be great fun to make something similar.
So she did! 😀
She made Marvellous Mildred and the Girl Scout Twins!
So, instead of the Ant Hill Mob:
there’s Marvellous Mildred and the Girl Scout Twins:
And instead of Penelope Pitstop being pursued by the Hooded Claw:
There’s Daisy Dewdrop:
being pursued by the Flat-Capped Menace:
This story’s got it all!
An evil villain with elaborate schemes and contraptions, the defenceless innocents on whom he preys, and the fearless protectors who outwit him in their daring rescues.
Don’t miss Marvellous Mildred and the Girl Scout Twins by Miranda Lemon.
Starts here on Monday! 😀
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vegan, vegan comic, children’s comic, cartoons, vintage cartoons, animals, animal rescue, humour, children’s story,
You know how frustrating it is when you’re doing your best to avoid plastic but even the glass bottle of organic vegetable oil has a plastic insert, plastic lid and sometimes even a plastic neck-sleeve? Well, after spending half an hour trying to cut off this evil neck sleeve the other day I decided, I’m putting my foot down! I am not buying bottles like this ever again! “But what about cake?” argued my alter ego, “how will you make cake without vegetable oil?”
This is how:
All you need is
The sugar is plastic-free too if you get it from a zero-waste filling station or buy Silver Spoon British Sugar (made from home grown sugar beet) which is always wrapped in paper.
First mash the bananas with a fork
Then preheat the oven to 160° C
Then add half a mug of sugar to the bananas and mix well. This will magically make the bananas very runny.
When the sugar and bananas are thoroughly combined, add one and a half mugs full of self raising flour and mix well.
(NB there’s a lot of mixture in that bowl because I doubled the ingredients to make two cakes)
Now you should have a thick, moist cake mixture, ready to put in the tin.
(If You Care parchment paper is unbleached and totally chlorine-free (TCF) greaseproof paper which can be found at most good health food shops)
Line a loaf tin with some eco-friendly greaseproof paper and fill it with your cake mixture.
Put it in the middle of the oven and bake for one and a quarter hours (75 minutes). Carefully remove and insert a sharp knife to test. If the knife comes out clean, it’s done, if it has wet mixture on it, put the cake back in the oven for a few more minutes.
When it’s ready, take it out of the tin and cool it on a wire rack.
Use a serrated knife to cut it as it’ll be crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.
Absolutely scrumptious 😀
No plastic required 😉
Source: I got this recipe years ago from a brilliant homemade book called Grime and Nourishment, (NB this book is not suitable for children).
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vegan, vegan cake, cake recipe, plastic-free, zero waste, nutrition, health, environment,
Here is a wonderful educational colouring book: Colour By Nutrients.
It is at once a resource for artistic indulgence and an educational tool. Divided into chapters of different vitamins and minerals, the book illustrates which foods contain significant amounts of each. The authors are happy for teachers and parents to photocopy the colouring pages for use in the classroom. All in all a delightful way to learn about nutrition.
This 120-page book is approximately 19 x 25 cm.
You can buy it here, it’s not expensive 😀
Or if you’d rather get the e-version and copy or print the pages yourself, it’s free to download here: Colour By Nutrients pdf
We think that learning about good nutrition to build a strong immune system is more important than ever, so we’re thrilled to be able to do this.
Stay well. Stay clean. Stay compassionate ❤
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vegan, plant-based, vegan children, nutrition, school, home-education,
When There Were Witches continues from yesterday:
***
The twins stayed up half the night changing the colour of everything in the house. They put different coloured floorboards in every room, with ceilings to match. They made the roof tiles blue to match the sky, and the outside walls green to match the grass. They changed the colours of their clothes and their bed sheets and both umbrellas. They tried to change their hair colours but that didn’t work. Their hair was essential to who they were. Bertha was red, Brynja was yellow. Nothing could change that.
A little after 4am they collapsed on Brynja’s bed, exhausted and happy.
“I see why you like doing it.” Bertha smiled, “It feels really nice.”
“Really nice,” agreed Brynja, “but you’re right, it is a bit frivolous.” They both laughed. “Tomorrow, we should do spells from the Garden chapter!”
*
By the anniversary of their mother’s departure, the twins were not only proficient at many of the spells in the book, they had learned to make up their own. They wrote a spell to do the dishes, another to sweep the floor. They used magic to plant seeds and water them. They used magic to pick the fruit. They even used magic to cook the dinner. Whatever needed to be done when they didn’t feel like doing it, was done with magic. That left them with a lot of time on their hands.
“I’m bored,” said Brynja.
“Do some painting. It’s fun!” Bertha was painting a portrait of one of their frequent visitors, a pig called Alfred. “Alfred. Alfred, tt-tt-tt – look at me please darling, I’m trying to do your eyes.”
Brynja scrunched up her nose. “Naa. I don’t see the point. I could do it better with magic.”
“Well it doesn’t have to be perfect. In fact I think it’s nicer if …”
“Circumlinisti stibio verus Alfred!”
Alfred vanished.
Bertha gasped. “Alfred! … Where did he go?”
“Here he is!” Brynja, grinning, held up a beautifully framed painting of Alfred which was faultlessly realistic.
Bertha was stunned. “That’s amaz-ing … did he just blink?” Her sister laughed. “Is that Alfred? Did you turn him into a painting?!” Bertha did not think it was funny. “Change him back! You’re frightening him!”
“He’s fine.”
“Change him back! Now!”
Brynja muttered a few more words in Latin and Alfred was back on the armchair momentarily before dropping to the floor and leaving the house.
“How could you do that?” Bertha was really angry.
“He’ll be back tomorrow, you can finish your painting then.”
“I don’t care about the painting! How could you do that to Alfred? He must have been petrified! How would you like it if …?”
“Oh will you, chill, out!”
Bertha glared.
“I didn’t hurt him. He probably doesn’t even have any memory of it. He’s fine!” Brynja left the room and slammed the door behind her.
The following morning at breakfast the atmosphere was still frosty. Both witches ate their toast in silence.
“Refresh!” Bertha opened the window.
“Clausa fenestrae.” Brynja closed it.
Bertha scowled. “You’re such a … witch!”
“Ha! Good one!”
Bertha took another bite of toast and tried to take the high road. But the low road beckoned. “What’s with the Latin all of a sudden? You’re such a show off!”
Brynja smiled coldly. “Just wanted a new challenge I guess, since I’ve mastered the magic.” There was a wicked glint in her eye as she slowly pushed the toast rack across the table. “You can have this, I don’t want any more,” and she left the room.
They didn’t speak to each other for the rest of the day. The next morning Brynja slept in so Bertha had breakfast on her own. Brynja had hers a couple of hours later which meant they weren’t ready for lunch at the same time, or dinner. The distance between them expanded. Eventually, almost a week after the painting incident, Alfred came back to see Bertha.
She could tell right away that he was troubled and, with a swift and gentle magic word, “Speak,” she enabled him to tell her exactly what was on his mind. He warned her that Brynja was upsetting the balance of nature. For her own amusement, she had taken possession of the forest and filled it with plants and animals who didn’t belong there, forcing out those who had always called it home. He feared for the future and told her what she already knew – that Brynja must be stopped.
Bertha finally understood why her mother had kept the spell book from them. Magic had made Brynja arrogant and selfish. She had separated herself from nature and the other beings with whom she shared the world. Magic had made her think she was better than everyone else. But what was more worrying was that Bertha had not been sent the pain when Brynja broke the law. The one law, do naught to others which, if done to thee, would cause thee pain, did not apply to witches.
Bertha rushed upstairs to find the spell book and turned straight to the last chapter: Discipline Spells. There was the spell Ermendrud had taught them, To Punish A Law Breaker, and one other – A Last Resort. The spell’s introduction explained that a witch without self-control was the most dangerous threat a world could face and must be stopped at all costs. Bertha was sickened by detailed descriptions of horrors which had happened on other worlds where errant witches had gone unchecked. Only she could protect her world from such an outcome.
With heavy heart she collected the ingredients needed for the spell: a lock of Brynja’s hair from Mother’s locket, and a black rose. Then she went to find her sister.
Brynja was in the meadow, using magic to make a herd of deer run races for her amusement.
“Please don’t do that,” Bertha tried one more time to appeal to her sister’s better nature.
Brynja turned and scowled. “I want to do it, so I will!”
Bertha was sad. “Why are you doing this? You never used to be like this. Magic’s made you mean.”
“What do you know about magic? You’ve only just dipped your toe in the water. If you embraced it like I have you’d know how small your life is.”
“My life is full. It’s balanced. Yours is dangerous. You are dangerous, and if you don’t stop now, I’ll be forced to stop you.”
“Will you?” Brynja asked with a smirk.
“Yes,” said Bertha sadly, “if you won’t stop now I’ll stop you permanently.”
Brynja threw back her head and laughed. “I’m bored of listening to you now,” and, with a flourish, “Silence!”
In the second before Brynja’s spell hit her, Bertha rubbed a handful of her own hair against the black rose behind her back and whispered the magic word, “Sacrifice!” A moment later she was nothing but a scattering of poppy seeds in the grass.
“Nooo!” Brynja’s heart-rending cry filled the sky. “Bertha! Come back! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to do it!” She dropped to her knees and sobbed. “Please Bertha, please come back. I’ll be good – I promise! Pleease Bertha, please come back!” With her prayer left unanswered, she tried desperately to resurrect Bertha with magic. “Veni domum! Come back! Revive! Resurrect! Revivesco!”
Bertha, unable to bring herself to take her sister’s life, had sacrificed herself in a way that she hoped would fill Brynja with such regret that she would, ever after, restrain her own excessive and frivolous use of magic. What she didn’t anticipate was just how damaging that regret would be.
Thinking that her own selfish and unnecessary abuse of magic had killed her sister, Brynja tore into her house in a violent rage against all magic. Unable to find the spell book where she’d left it, she commanded it to appear before her.
“Ego legere magicae ex hoc mundo!” In that moment the spell book was banished and with it all of Brynja’s magic.
She still feels the pain every time someone breaks the law, but she can’t cast the spell to punish them. So the world has been left to the mercy of people who no longer fear the wrath of a benevolent witch and often don’t take care to do as they would be done by. I’m sure you know what kind of a world that is.
A sad ending 😦 I’m sorry,
but if you want a happy ending check out the other stories on the fairy tales page 😀
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vegan, vegan fairy tale, vegan story, vegan children’s story, juvenile fiction,
When There Were Witches continues from yesterday:
In the subsequent weeks a few more people broke the law, and each time, Brynja cast the spell to punish them. Before long the whole world knew that Brynja was as powerful as her mother and they took care not to break the law.
After six months of no one breaking the law, Brynja missed the euphoria that came with casting a spell.
“Maybe I should cast a different spell,” she wondered aloud.
“Why?” asked Bertha.
“Maybe something needs fixing. Or improving.”
Bertha shook her head. “You know what Mother used to say – you can’t improve on nature.”
“Well,” Brynja felt mischievous, “maybe I can.”
Bertha raised her eyebrows. “Mother couldn’t but you can?”
Brynja grinned. “I’ve found Mother’s spell book.”
“You have?” asked Bertha eagerly. “No, I don’t think you should use it. I don’t think she wanted us to … I mean, she never showed it to us when she was here.”
“You can’t draw any conclusions from that. Maybe she just didn’t get around to it.”
She should have known Bertha wouldn’t be onboard. Bertha liked to play it safe. Bertha had no sense of adventure. What did Bertha know? She wasn’t even a real witch. You couldn’t call yourself a witch if you were too scared to cast a spell. Brynja wasn’t scared. Brynja was powerful. Brynja could definitely improve on nature!
When Bertha went outside to pick the apples, Brynja fetched the spell book, went into her bedroom and locked the door. She sat on the floor behind her bed and began leafing through the book. It was divided into sections. Colour Spells, Garden Spells, Healing Spells, Mood Spells and Discipline Spells. She decided to start at the beginning and successfully turned her fingernails green and her Spider Plant blue. They were only little spells so they didn’t give her quite the exhilaration she was looking for, but it was a nice little buzz. Next she decided to try something more challenging – changing the colour of her eyes.
She collected the necessary ingredients: a pinch of salt, a handful of earth, a single mint leaf and, since she wanted her eyes to be gold like her mother’s, two dandelion blooms. She put them all in the granite mortar and pounded them with the pestle. Then she scooped up the mixture with wet hands and smeared it around her neck.
Brynja laughed. “Yuck. Yuck yuck yuck yuck!” She took care not to drip any of the muddy sludge on the book as she read the spell.
“I pick this colour from this bloom
To be my eyes’ new bright costume.
From birth was green behind my sight
Now make gold while day becomes night.”
She closed her eyes and waited for the buzz, but none came. She went to the mirror and met the same green eyes she always met. In a rage of disappointment she picked up the pestle and threw it across the room, smashing the pink rose vase and spilling its contents onto the floor. Brynja let out a furious squeal and stomped into the bathroom to wash her neck.
That evening at supper, she was less than talkative.
“D’you want some more pie?” asked Bertha.
Brynja shook her head.
“All the more for me!” Bertha grinned as she cut another slice. “The apples are so good this year!”
“Mm.”
“Brynja?”
“What?”
“What’s the matter?”
“Nothing.”
“Something’s put you in a bad mood.”
“Fine. I’m in a bad mood.” Brynja continued to push her half-eaten pie around the plate.
Bertha finished her pie and proceeded to clear the table. “Are you going to eat that?”
Brynja sighed and leaned back in her chair. “No, you can take it.” She looked grumpily at Bertha and pushed the plate towards her.
“Thank you.” Bertha paused to look at her sister.
“What?”
“Your eyes. They’re not green anymore.”
“They’re not?” Brynja was excited. “What colour are they?”
Bertha peered a little closer. “They’re pinkish … with gold around the edges. No, hang on, the gold is spreading.” Brynja tried not to blink. “The gold is nearly covering …. now they’re completely gold! Wow! Your eyes are just like Mother’s! I wonder if mine will change too!” She hurried to the bathroom to look in the mirror.
Brynja grinned. A new tingling sensation in her toes rose through her body. Through the window she noticed the red and orange sky. The sun had just set. Day was slipping into night and it reminded her of the words of the spell – while day becomes night. That’s why the colour didn’t change right away. It needed the sunset to finish the spell. The spell had worked!
Bertha came back into the room a little disappointed. “My eyes are still blue.”
Brynja smiled. “I can make them gold if you like. Or yellow or purple or any colour you want.”
“You did it? With a spell?”
“Yes,” Brynja was glowing. “Don’t look so shocked. I am a witch after all. You should try it.”
“You’re not supposed to use magic for frivolous things.”
“Then why is there a section in the book for colour spells?” Brynja was determined not to let her sister spoil it.
“I don’t know. Maybe for things that need to be changed like … erm,”
“Changing the colour of your fingernails?” She held up her hands to show her green nails. “Or maybe changing the colour of a plant?”
“You changed a plant?”
“Yeah. My Spider Plant’s blue now. It was easy.”
“How many spells have you done?”
“D’you want to see my Spider Plant?”
Bertha smiled nervously. “Erm, okay.”
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Fairy Tale concludes tomorrow, but if you don’t want to wait you can read the whole story here 😀
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Eye illustration by Daniel Hannah of Pixabay
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vegan fairy tale
A long long time ago, long before you or I, or our great grandparents, were born, the world was ruled by a powerful witch called Ermendrud.
Ermendrud was respected and feared because she saw everything and punished those who disobeyed her law. There was only one. For a whole millennium only one was needed. No one broke it. Well, one or two did, at the beginning, but when people saw what happened to them, they were careful, very very careful, not to make the same mistake.
So life in those days was very harmonious. There were no wars. There was no murder. There was no stealing. There was only co-operation, and kindness, and health and happiness.
After a thousand years of being quite content to live alone, Ermendrud decided she wanted baby. So she went out into the poppy field to look for the tallest poppy. She found two that were very tall, more than a head taller than the rest. A red one and a yellow one. She watched them for several minutes but it was impossible to be sure which was the tallest, swaying in the wind as they were. Finally she settled on the red one, for red was her favourite colour. She placed a lock of her hair inside it, folded the petals on top and sealed it with a kiss.
The following morning, as soon as the sun rose, Ermendrud hurried back to the poppy field where she found not one, but two babies. They were both girls. One had bright red hair, the other’s was golden yellow. Ermendrud realised that some of her hair must have blown onto the yellow poppy after she left, and she was very happy it had.
She bent down to kiss the red haired baby. “Welcome to the world baby Bertha,” she said. Then she kissed the yellow haired baby. “Welcome to the world baby Brynja.”
The little witch twins grew up happy and strong until, on their sixteenth birthday, their mother called them to her.
“This world is yours now, my loves,” she told them, “watch it carefully and remember the spell. My time is done.”
Tears pricked their eyes but they didn’t argue. They knew that if their mother said something was true, then it was. Ermendrud faded away in her sleep that night, leaving nothing behind but a handful of poppy seeds.
Autumn came and went. Winter settled in and seemed to last forever. The young witches, mired in grief, were not keeping an eye on the world. One day they were both hit with a short sharp pain between the eyes.
“Aaaagh!” Bertha rubbed her finger over the skin above her nose, “What was that?”
“The sharp pain!” yelled Brynja, jumping to her feet, “someone’s broken the law!”
“Oh no! What do we do?”
“The spell! Mother said we have to do the spell!”
“But we’ve never done it before! I thought we’d be able to watch Mother do it …”
“Well no one broke the law while Mother was here, but now she’s gone they think they can get away with it. We’ve got to show them they can’t!”
“I don’t know …”
“Yes you do! She taught us a hundred times! We have to do it! If we don’t do it in the next four minutes it’ll be too late.”
Brynja rushed to her mother’s room for the ingredients. Bertha waited. Brynja went to the stream behind the house. Bertha followed. Brynja sprinkled lavender into the water, held a seed of Black-eyed Susan in each hand, and recited the spell.
“There is one who did not heed
The law of good and of good deed.
They broke the law, did something bad,
Selfish, cruel or making sad.
So find the one who did offend
And make their ill deed twist and bend
Back on them so they will feel it,
What they gave they now receive it.”
Brynja dropped the seeds into the water and looked at Bertha. “Did it work? D’you think it worked?”
Bertha scanned the sky. “I can’t see a rainbow.” She turned back to Brynja and shook her head.
Three and a half minutes had passed since the pain.
“Your hair!” Bertha pointed frantically, “you forgot your hair!” She grabbed the scissors from her apron pocket and passed them to Brynja.
Brynja cut a curl from her beautiful yellow hair and dropped it into the stream. A rainbow formed over the water for a few seconds, and then dissolved.
“You did it!” cried Bertha.
Brynja’s face flushed and she closed her eyes. She felt vibrant. Full of energy. Wide awake.
She smiled at her sister. “Yes I did.”
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Story continues tomorrow but if you don’t want to wait you can read the whole fairy tale here now 😀
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Flower illustrations by Owantana of Pixabay, Poppies illustration by GreissDesign of Pixabay
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vegan fairy tale
Reflecto Girl #7 is now available in paperback!
And not only does it have a great story,
there’s the added bonus of a yummy cake recipe at the end 😀
Get yours now while stocks last! 😉
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vegan comics, vegan storybooks, vegan children’s books, animal rights comic,
It’s easy to feel hopeless with the state of the world as it is. Every year it gets hotter, animal suffering increases, and the powers that be do nothing to address it. In fact they continue to subsidise it.
But then something comes along to really lift your spirits.
Refarm’d is a new plant-based drink subscription service, sourced lovingly from ex-dairy farmers.
They say:
WE HAVE THIS CRAZY IDEA
We want to turn all dairy farms into animal sanctuaries and we need you to convince these farmers to join the movement.
We work with farmers to transition from milk production to focus on producing plant based drinks and convert their farmland into an animal sanctuary.
We believe that by uniting together with farmers and providing them with the tools they need to move away from the dairy trade, we’re offering a viable new opportunity for their businesses to be part of the growing plant based movement.
We will assist the ex-dairy farms to sustainably and locally source the ingredients to produce plant based drinks on their farms. The farmers’ land will be converted into an animal sanctuary for their cattle that are no longer being used for dairy farming.
Show your interest (no payment, no commitment) in buying fresh plant-based drinks from them and let us do the rest!
As much as the animal agriculture is terrible on multiple aspects, – [the animal suffering, the environmental destruction, the damage to human health] – we cannot forget the farmers in these industries as well.
We believe the big majority of farmers are good people, that do care for their animals, but have just grown in an environment that normalizes animal exploitation so it has become a part of their identity, making it hard to take a step back and make changes.
The industry is in danger and most big companies have noticed it and adapt to the new market in order to survive. Small companies, family businesses however are the ones suffering the most. Lack of money, lack of time and lack of information make it hard on them to go in the right direction. The pressure, the insecurity as well as the very low buying prices (often selling for less than production costs) make for very uncomfortable living conditions.
We want to include helping the farmers in our mission to create the future of farming.
***
ANIMAL SANCTUARY
Farms are actually ideal places to become an animal sanctuary. They already have the land, the animals and the people that care for them [they wouldn’t be short of volunteers – I’d love to help look after the cows!]. No need to move animals, they can stay as a herd, nor to use more resources like land to create a new sanctuary.
Farmers joining our program have to give up any form of animal exploitation totally and to fully transition to an animal sanctuary.
Animals are put under legal protection and farmers under contract. Regular inspections and veterinary checks are performed to make sure of the animals’ well being.
The sanctuary is not working with donations. Instead, a part of the plant-based drinks price is dedicated to sustain these animals.
********
So what Refarm’d need is enough people to tell them they’re interested so that they can go to the farmers and say – look, if you convert to plant-milk production, we’ve got the market ready and waiting for you. It’s scary for farmers to take the plunge, they need to know they can make a living from plant milk.
They need us to tell them “If you make it, we will buy.”
So go on, get over to Refarm’d and tell them you’re interested (there’s a button to click if you scroll down the homepage). Then you fill in a short questionnaire. It asks you what country and town you live in, and how much milk you would want to buy per week, and whether you would want it delivered, or whether you’d pick it up from the farm. Added bonus: it comes in refillable glass bottles! NB VERY IMPORTANT: when filling in the questionnaire you have to click NEXT and it takes you to what looks like a blank page, but it isn’t blank. You have to scroll up to find a couple more questions including name and email address and you can leave a comment or ask a question. Make sure you finish it otherwise they won’t be able to get back to you 😀
This is truly awesome! Please share far and wide!
Save the cows,
the gentle, beautiful cows.
***
vegan for the animals
vegan for the planet
vegan for the humans
vegan for the farmers
EU must help animal farmers transition to plant-crop farming to benefit from plant-based boom, experts tell MEPs
(An article from the Humane Society International/Europe, 6 March 2019)
Brussels – European Union policy makers are being urged to help farmers transition away from animal agriculture and towards plant-crop farming in order to capitalise on the growing trend in plant-based eating. Speaking at an event this week at the European Parliament organised by Humane Society International/Europe, farmers, ecologists and academics agreed there is an urgent need for the EU to support transition farming to help farmers adapt and seize the economic opportunity of consumer diets shifting away from meat, dairy and eggs.
A major report from the Rise Foundation recently warned that Europe’s meat and dairy production must be halved by 2050 in recognition of its significant contribution to environmental degradation such as greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss. The EU currently raises 9 billion farm animals for food each year – with more than 360 million of these animals spending all or part of their lives in intensive cage systems – and globally the figure is an estimated 82 billion animals.
Oxford University’s Dr Marco Springmann, and Harvard University’s Dr Helen Harwatt were joined at the Brussels symposium event by ecologist and rewilding expert Alan Watson Featherstone, and Swedish farmer Adam Arnesson who is transitioning his pig farm to grow oats for a plant-milk company. Policy makers were also treated to Europe’s first public screening of BAFTA 2019 award winning short film 73 Cows about British cattle farmers Jay and Katja Wilde who sent their herd to a sanctuary and switched to crop cultivation instead.
Alexandra Clark, HSI/Europe’s food policy consultant, said
“European consumers are more aware than ever of the animal welfare and environmental impacts of meat, dairy and egg production. The current level of animal production is simply unsustainable, and the continued growth of plant-based alternatives is inevitable. This presents Europe’s farmers with an exciting opportunity to meet this changing demand by transitioning away from industrial animal agriculture to plant-crop production. With the current reform of the EU’s agricultural policy, MEPs have a clear chance to assist farmers in those transition efforts by shifting subsidies away from propping up industrial animal production, and instead supporting farmers switch to fruit, vegetables, fungi, grains and leguminous crops that are growing in demand from an increasingly plant-based public.”
The EU is currently reforming its Common Agricultural Policy, with a crucial vote planned in the Agriculture Committee in early April. Dr Helen Harwatt from Harvard University believes this is a major opportunity for EU policymakers to take leadership in animal to plant protein agricultural shifts.
Dr Harwatt said:
“Repurposing portions of agricultural land to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere will be crucial for limiting warming to 1.5°C. In turn, restoring this land to its natural habitat opens the door for reintroducing animal species, which would help toward tackling the wildlife crisis. Animal to plant protein shifts are essential and policy makers must ensure that policies and support are put in place to help farmers make this transition”
Swedish farmer Adam Arnesson has shifted his farm production from solely animal-based to the cultivation of multiple crops for human consumption including oats for oat milk production. In doing so he has doubled the number of people his output feeds annually and halved the climate impact per calorie.
Farmers Jay and Katja Wilde, who star in Alex Lockwood’s 73 Cows short film, were keen for MEPs to understand that the pressure and fear for the future that many animal farmers feel, could be alleviated if support existed to help them ‘plant for the planet’.
Speaking at the EU Parliament screening of 73 Cows, Jay Wilde said:
“We are thrilled that our film has come to the European Parliament where we hope it inspires politicians to vote for a better future for both farmers and animals. Giving our cows to a sanctuary to live out their years in a safe haven was the best decision of our lives, it became the only decision when sending them to the abattoir was no longer something I could live with. But it’s been a very scary journey too because you’re stepping into the unknown. This shift in farming isn’t just a personal choice, its necessary to protect the environment, so if there was financial and practical support to help farmers like me plant for the planet, it would make life so much easier.”
Spanish MEP Florent Marcellesi said
“We need to leave behind our unsustainable farming model and animal-based diets. Instead, we should turn as soon as possible to ecologic plant-based ones and build a farming model which is sustainable, healthy and respectful to animal welfare.”
Italian MEP Eleonora Evi said
“Climate change is here, it’s already happening. For our sake but also for the sake of every other species on this planet, we need to take action to mitigate its effects by adopting an ‘all hands on deck’ approach. This means opening up the dialogue to different stakeholders. The agriculture sector has one of the highest levels of emissions, and therefore must become part of the solution. The transition to sustainable production methods and re-naturalization of agricultural areas must inevitably be considered.”
Finnish MEP Sirpa Pietikäinen said
“If everyone would shift their diets towards plant-based, it would be beneficial for public health, animal welfare, biodiversity and climate.”
Facts:
I ain’t eatin’ no beef!
‘Cause you know that I’m a vegan!
I ain’t eatin’ no beef!
Compassion’s what I believe in.
I ain’t eatin’ no beef!
‘Cause you know that I’m a vegan!
I ain’t eatin’ no beef!
No my food was never screamin’
***
I ain’t eatin’ no beef!
No pork, no fish, no chicken,
Now people think I’m trippin’
‘Cause
I ain’t eatin’ no dairy, no eggs,
But I stay well fed off the fruits and the veg
‘Cause
I care about the animals and the environment
I care about my health, if it ain’t vegan I ain’t buyin’ it.
I care about the planet, if it dies then we gon’ die with it.
People hating veganism without even trying it.
It is not a diet, if you think it is then you are wrong,
It’s a way of living where we’re choosing to reduce the harm
That we cause to others, not only those in the human form.
‘Cause humane slaughter’s about as real as a unicorn.
But if a unicorn was real he’d be hunted and then killed
By people so they could steal
The horn from his head.
The food that you’re fed
Isn’t food, it’s an animal who’s born to be dead.
Bred to be murdered
Just for a burger.
When you order meat, pain and suffering’s what they serve ya.
Dairy’s no better, actually it may be worse.
Go vegan but first go and do your research.
***
I ain’t eatin’ no beef!
‘Cause you know that I’m a vegan!
I ain’t eatin’ no beef!
Compassion’s what I believe in.
I ain’t eatin’ no beef!
‘Cause you know that I’m a vegan!
I ain’t eatin’ no beef!
No my food was never screamin’
Don’t forget to let us know if you want to share some vegan storybooks 😀
Help us out – put some of our books on shelves in your town. Could ya? It won’t cost you nuthin’ 😀 
It’s a shame covid-19 closed the libraries and bookshops, because we haven’t been able to share as many books this year. We like to leave our books wherever we think children might find them – in libraries, charity shops, cafes, railway stations, doctors’ waiting rooms. We leave them in charity shops so children can buy them for pocket money prices, and when we leave them in libraries we put a book fairy sticker on them.
We’re stealthy. None of the books we leave have the V-word on them. They’re just colourful storybooks and comics which we hope children will see and want.
Sadly the libraries are still closed but we do have a little Book Exchange in an old phone box where we can leave books. So I was thinking, maybe you have something like that in your area. And maybe if we sent you some books you’d leave them on a shelf for children to find. 😀
Will you help us? Do you have a local book exchange or anywhere that would be ideal to leave books for children to find? We’ll send you them for free of course (for as long as funds last). If you can help, please contact us privately on the form below. Help us to inspire a vegan future.
For the animals.
Thank you so much ❤
vegan, animals, animal rights, vegan stories, vegan-friendly stories, children, vegan children, vegan books, vegan children’s books, vegan comics
If you haven’t tried Vego you are missing out!
It is chocolatey deliciousness at its most exquisite. It’s vegan, organic and fair trade: pure guilt-free indulgence.
You should be able to find them at a health food store near you but if you can’t, pop over to the VeganKind Supermarket to mail-order them 😀
As well as the whole hazelnut vegan mylk chocolate bar (pictured), Vego make a dark chocolate nuts and berries bar, a white chocolate bar, a chocolate spread, and chocolate nougat pralines. It’s all absolutely heavenly and, the best part – the company is totally vegan owned and vegan run. So you know when you spend money on Vego, it’ll only be used for good things 😀
So go on – do as Reflecto Girl does: have a Vego! 😀
For the whole of Reflecto Girl episode 7, click here 🙂
And in conclusion:
For earlier Reflecto Girl episodes click here,
and there’s lots more cool stories on the 8 and up page 😀
More coming soon!
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This comic is made with Comic Life by Plasq
vegan, vegan children, vegan comics, vegan children’s story, vegetarian, veggie kids, vegan superhero, animal rights, comics, vegan fiction, juvenile fiction, children’s story, animals,
Purify your body head to toe
Your thoughts inna your mind and slowly make Jah rhythm flow
Nature is the keeper of your body and your soul
Even all of that you’ll never truly own
Brothers sisters watch out what you put in your body
If you are what you eat then think about what you must be
If you still feed yourself upon their industry
They sell the whole world illusion of fertility
Robbing humans, animals and plants of their dignity
To feed the masses but to feed their greed specially
They breed the hybrid and manipulate Jah very seeds
Agro-chemistry is like a war technology
They destroyed all over the Earth the soil microbiology
To bring about a new kind of captivity
Control the food and you control the whole of humanity
Look into infinity, humble before a Tree
And Purify…
Bring a healing to a nation
Give them the seed for plantation
Sovereignty resides in the heart of the land
And what you a go do with the strength inna your hands
The seeds they took away and wiped away all diversity
Testing their madness in the soils of so-called third world countries
To force the people in labor and poverty
Dis a what ya call a modern day slavery
Referenced mostly hybrids in them legal catalog
Made all ancient seeds illegal like any drug
So you must buy their machines and their chemicals
And produce all the food according to their laws.
For the story so far click here 🙂
Reflecto Girl #7 continues from Monday:
😮 To be continued.
[For earlier Reflecto Girl episodes click here]
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This comic is made with Comic Life by Plasq
vegan, vegan children, vegan comics, vegan children’s story, vegetarian, veggie kids, vegan superhero, animal rights, comics, vegan fiction, juvenile fiction, children’s story, animals,
For the story so far click here 🙂
Reflecto Girl #7 continues from last week:
😮 To be continued.
[For earlier Reflecto Girl episodes click here]
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This comic is made with Comic Life by Plasq
vegan, vegan children, vegan comics, vegan children’s story, vegetarian, veggie kids, vegan superhero, animal rights, comics, vegan fiction, juvenile fiction, children’s story, animals,
My dad, who suffers from heart disease, was told to “eat more meat” by his GP as a response to his iron deficiency! And when he went into hospital last year for stent operations there was not a single vegan option on the Coronary Care Unit menu. I complained to the hospital but they ignored me. This is madness! Support and share Plant Based Health Professionals‘ campaign to get meat off hospital menus: Give Bacon The Boot!
Thank you 🙂
[This article is from Euro News]
A group of British doctors has backed a call for the end of factory farming to prevent future pandemics like COVID-19.
Dr Gemma Newman from the non-profit Plant-Based Health Professionals is leading a plea for the public to give up eating meat as part of the ’No Meat May’ campaign. A record number of people are taking part this year with 33,000 sign-ups compared to 10,000 in 2019. Of those who have signed up this year, a survey carried out by the campaign found that 38 per cent did so because of concerns surrounding the meat industry and diseases like Covid-19.
Hannah Bradshaw, one of the 23,000 new participants, says these concerns were certainly a part of her decision to give a plant-based diet a go.
”There is more information about the meat industry causing diseases than ever before,” she said, “and stronger links between the impacts on our health compared to a meat-free diet.”
The campaign has seen a big increase in sign-ups this year.
WHAT’S THE PROBLEM WITH MEAT?
Zoonotic diseases, like Covid-19, are those that can spread between animals and humans. Worldwide they have been the cause of many historic outbreaks including H1N1 and Ebola. There is little evidence, however, to suggest that eating less meat directly reduces the occurrence of deadly disease outbreaks.
The most important factor, according to the UN Environment Program, is instead an increased amount of close contact between humans and animals like pigs, bats or birds which allows pathogens to jump between species. In 2016 it identified increasing encroachment of animal agriculture into natural ecosystems as a driving factor of zoonotic diseases warning that the “livestock revolution” could lead to a potential disaster.
“Some politicians and commentators blame China for Covid-19, but they do not mention that all of the recent major disease outbreaks have been caused by tampering with animals and their habitats,” says Dr Newman, “our chicken salad or pepperoni pizza could be the next big health risk.”
“Industrial-scale factory farms are like a ticking time bomb”, she adds, “and shifting our diets away from meat [and all animal products] could help move towards a safer future”.
IMPROVING OUR OVERALL HEALTH
Consultant Haematologist and Director of Plant-Based Health Professionals UK, Doctor Shireen Kassam also believes there is an urgent need to reduce our meat consumption for both human and planetary health.
“More than 90 per cent of the meat we consume is produced in industrial scale factory farms, which provide the perfect conditions for the generation of novel infections with epidemic and pandemic potential.”
“Factory farming also requires the widespread use of antibiotics,” she adds, “which has contributed to a dramatic rise in the number of antibiotic-resistant infections affecting humans.”
“We have now entered an era where it is not uncommon for doctors to find themselves treating patients with bacterial infections for which there are no effective antibiotics.”
Dr Kassam explains that it is also a matter of overall public health. “We have known for decades that a healthy plant-based diet, which minimises or eliminates meat [and animal products], is associated with some of the lowest rates of chronic disease and a longer and healthier life.”
For the story so far click here 🙂
Reflecto Girl #7 continues from last week:
😮 To be continued.
[For earlier Reflecto Girl episodes click here]
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This comic is made with Comic Life by Plasq
vegan, vegan children, vegan comics, vegan children’s story, vegetarian, veggie kids, vegan superhero, animal rights, comics, vegan fiction, juvenile fiction, children’s story, animals, cows, dairy,
For the story so far click here 🙂
Reflecto Girl #7 continues from Monday:
To be continued. Watch this space! 😀
[For earlier Reflecto Girl episodes click here]
***************************************************************************
This comic is made with Comic Life by Plasq
vegan, vegan children, vegan comics, vegan children’s story, vegetarian, veggie kids, vegan superhero, animal rights, comics, vegan fiction, juvenile fiction, children’s story, animals, cows, dairy,
For the story so far click here 🙂
Reflecto Girl #7 continues from last week:
To be continued. Watch this space! 😀
[For earlier Reflecto Girl episodes click here]
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This comic is made with Comic Life by Plasq
vegan, vegan children, vegan comics, vegan children’s story, vegetarian, veggie kids, vegan superhero, animal rights, comics, vegan fiction, juvenile fiction, children’s story, animals, insects, bees,
For the story so far click here 🙂
Reflecto Girl #7 continues from last week:
To be continued.
[For earlier Reflecto Girl episodes click here]
***************************************************************************
This comic is made with Comic Life by Plasq
vegan, vegan children, vegan comics, vegan children’s story, vegetarian, veggie kids, vegan superhero, animal rights, comics, vegan fiction, juvenile fiction, children’s story,
For the story so far click here 🙂
Reflecto Girl #7 continues:
Story continues next week.
Have a great weekend! 😀
[For earlier Reflecto Girl episodes click here]
***************************************************************************
This comic is made with Comic Life by Plasq
vegan, vegan children, vegan comics, vegan children’s story, vegetarian, veggie kids, vegan superhero, animal rights, comics, vegan fiction, juvenile fiction, children’s story,
For the story so far click here 🙂
Reflecto Girl #7 continues from last week:
To be continued …
[For earlier Reflecto Girl episodes click here]
***************************************************************************
This comic is made with Comic Life by Plasq
vegan, vegan children, vegan comics, vegan children’s story, vegetarian, veggie kids, vegan superhero, animal rights, comics, vegan fiction, juvenile fiction, children’s story,
For the story so far click here 🙂
Reflecto Girl #7 continues from last week:
Story continues next week 😀
[For earlier Reflecto Girl episodes click here]
***************************************************************************
This comic is made with Comic Life by Plasq
vegan, vegan children, vegan comics, vegan children’s story, vegetarian, veggie kids, vegan superhero, animal rights, comics, vegan fiction, juvenile fiction, children’s story,
For the story so far click here 🙂
Reflecto Girl #7 continues:
Story continues next week 😀
[For earlier Reflecto Girl episodes click here]
***************************************************************************
This comic is made with Comic Life by Plasq
vegan, vegan children, vegan comics, vegan children’s story, vegetarian, veggie kids, vegan superhero, animal rights, comics, vegan fiction, juvenile fiction, children’s story,
For the story so far click here 🙂
Reflecto Girl #7 continues:
To be continued, soon hopefully 😀
[For earlier Reflecto Girl episodes click here]
***************************************************************************
This comic is made with Comic Life by Plasq
vegan, vegan children, vegan comics, vegan children’s story, vegetarian, veggie kids, vegan superhero, animal rights, comics, vegan fiction, juvenile fiction, children’s story,
For the story so far click here 🙂
Reflecto Girl #7 continues:
Story continues next week.
Have a great weekend 😀
[For earlier Reflecto Girl episodes click here]
***************************************************************************
This comic is made with Comic Life by Plasq
vegan, vegan children, vegan comics, vegan children’s story, vegetarian, veggie kids, vegan superhero, animal rights, comics, vegan fiction, juvenile fiction, children’s story,
For the story so far click here 🙂
Reflecto Girl #7 continues:
To be continued – later this week hopefully 😉
[For earlier Reflecto Girl episodes click here]
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This comic is made with Comic Life by Plasq
vegan, vegan children, vegan comics, vegan children’s story, vegetarian, veggie kids, vegan superhero, animal rights,
Want to keep your money in the vegan community? Want to make sure what you’re spending doesn’t end up paying for animal abuse? Veebles will help you put your money where your heart is!
Veebles is a new worldwide FREE vegan business directory. Need a new window cleaner or hairdresser or gardener or lawyer or estate agent or bakery or [insert service provider here]? Find a vegan one on Veebles and keep your money in the circle of compassion.
Plus it’s easy and free to register your vegan business or service with Veebles so that more customers will find you.
Veebles.com is the world’s most robust and comprehensive directory of businesses owned by vegans. They exist for your success, and to make compassionate shopping that much easier.
All are welcome.
If you’re vegan and want to offer your products or services to other vegans, – get yourself listed on Veebles! 😀
It’s going to be my first stop every time I need anything.
By the way, it’s only just launched so if you can’t find what you’re looking for in your area, give it time, they’ll get there!
The people at Veebles say:
Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is
Money given to vegan-owned businesses is money flowing towards kindness, compassion, and healing our beautiful planet.
Vegan business owners will likely:
Together, let’s create this circle of really good energy. It’s a perfect example of “intentional commerce.” Put your money where your heart is.
For the story so far click here 🙂
Reflecto Girl #7 continues:
**********************************
Story continues next week. Have a great weekend 😀
[For earlier Reflecto Girl episodes click here]
***************************************************************************
This comic is made with Comic Life by Plasq
vegan, vegan children, vegan comics, vegan children’s story, vegetarian, veggie kids, vegan superhero, animal rights,
For the story so far click here 🙂
Reflecto Girl #7 continues from last week:
**********************************
Story continues soon (Friday I hope 😉 )
[For earlier Reflecto Girl episodes click here]
***************************************************************************
This comic is made with Comic Life by Plasq
vegan, vegan children, vegan comics, vegan children’s story, vegetarian, veggie kids, vegan superhero, animal rights,
For the story so far click here 🙂
Reflecto Girl #7 continues from last week:
**********************************
Story continues next week. Have a great weekend! 🙂
[For earlier Reflecto Girl episodes click here]
***************************************************************************
This comic is made with Comic Life by Plasq
vegan, vegan children, vegan comics, vegan children’s story, vegetarian, veggie kids, vegan superhero, animal rights,
For the story so far click here 🙂
Reflecto Girl #7 continues from Wednesday:
Story continues next week. Have a great weekend! 🙂
[For earlier Reflecto Girl episodes click here]
***************************************************************************
This comic is made with Comic Life by Plasq
vegan, vegan children, vegan comics, vegan children’s story, vegetarian, veggie kids, vegan superhero, animal rights,
For the story so far click here 🙂
Reflecto Girl #7 continues from Monday:
Story continues on Friday 🙂
[For earlier Reflecto Girl episodes click here]
***************************************************************************
This comic is made with Comic Life by Plasq
vegan, vegan children, vegan comics, vegan children’s story, vegetarian, veggie kids, vegan superhero, animal rights,
For the story so far click here 🙂
Reflecto Girl #7 continues from Friday:
Story continues on Wednesday 🙂
[For earlier Reflecto Girl episodes click here]
***************************************************************************
This comic is made with Comic Life by Plasq
vegan, vegan children, vegan comics, vegan children’s story, vegetarian, veggie kids, vegan superhero, animal rights,
For the story so far click here 🙂
Reflecto Girl #7 continues from yesterday:
😮 Shiver
Story continues on Monday. See you then! 😀
[For earlier Reflecto Girl episodes click here]
***************************************************************************
This comic is made with Comic Life by Plasq
vegan, vegan children, vegan comics, vegan children’s story, vegetarian, veggie kids, vegan superhero, animal rights,
For the story so far click here 🙂
Reflecto Girl #7 continues from yesterday:
😮 Story continues tomorrow
[For earlier Reflecto Girl episodes click here]
***************************************************************************
This comic is made with Comic Life by Plasq
vegan, vegan children, vegan comics, vegan children’s story, vegetarian, veggie kids, vegan superhero, animal rights,
For the story so far click here 🙂
Reflecto Girl #7 continues from yesterday:
Story continues tomorrow 😀
[For earlier Reflecto Girl episodes click here]
***************************************************************************
This comic is made with Comic Life by Plasq
vegan, vegan children, vegan comics, vegan children’s story, vegetarian, veggie kids, vegan superhero, animal rights,
For the rest of the Reflecto Girl episodes, click here 😀
Yikes! Story continues tomorrow 😀
***************************************************************************
This comic is made with Comic Life by Plasq
vegan, vegan children, vegan comics, vegan children’s story, vegetarian, veggie kids, vegan superhero,
Our butch friend, Kurt, is eager to share the new Maddicts paperback with you 😀
This portable little A5 book is available from our Lulu shop and, for a limited time only, you can get 40% off!
It can be yours for just £3!!!!
Ok, gotta run – I know a few library shelves that are screaming out for these babies! 😀 Thanks Kurt, you were great 😉
*****************************************************
ps When you go to our Lulu shop, if the prices are not displayed in your country’s currency, just click on the Cart at the top right of the screen and then you can click the flag and select which country you’re shopping from 🙂
Maddicts is a vegan graphic novel, suitable for readers aged 12 and up, also available to read here.
vegan, vegetarian, animals, animal rights, satire, horror, thriller, vegan books, vegan children’s books, vegan story books, books, vegan comics,
Story continues from yesterday
[Maddicts is a dark satire, not recommended for readers under 12]
02:18 HRS, reclaimed nature reserve, Lincs, UK
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Oooh, that’s a lot of tins of beans!
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Maddicts was remade with Comic Life by Plasq
If you missed the beginning, you can read it all here 😀
New story starts on Monday!
vegan, animal rights, vegan comic, vegan graphic novel, animal rights graphic novel, satire, activism, animals, cows, pigs, sheep, chickens, dogs, elephants, mink, turkeys,
Story continues from yesterday
[Maddicts is a dark satire, not recommended for readers under 12]
24 March 2027, 01:54 HRS
Story concludes tomorrow,
but if you don’t want to wait you can read the rest of it now 🙂
*****************************************************************
Maddicts was remade with Comic Life by Plasq
vegan, animal rights, vegan comic, vegan graphic novel, animal rights graphic novel, satire, activism, animals, cows, pigs, sheep, chickens, dogs, elephants, mink, turkeys,
Story continues from yesterday
[Maddicts is a dark satire, not recommended for readers under 12]
20:47 HRS, somewhere north-east of Boston, Lincolnshire
Story continues tomorrow,
but if you don’t want to wait you can read the rest of it now 🙂
*****************************************************************
Maddicts was remade with Comic Life by Plasq
vegan, animal rights, vegan comic, vegan graphic novel, animal rights graphic novel, satire, activism, animals, cows, pigs, sheep, chickens, dogs, elephants, mink, turkeys,
Story continues from Friday
[This is a darkly comic satire not recommended for readers under 12]
18:04 HRS, 17 Brewers Street, Kings Lynn, UK
Miriam Goode and Kevin Ruth conspire.
Story continues tomorrow – unless you want to finish it now 🙂
*****************************************************************
Maddicts was remade with Comic Life by Plasq
vegan, animal rights, vegan comic, vegan graphic novel, animal rights graphic novel, satire, activism, animals, cows, pigs, sheep, chickens, dogs, elephants, mink, turkeys,
