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I don’t know what they were playing at! 🤷‍♂️ There was hardly enough to even tickle a tastebud 🤭😆 Between the showers yesterday, when the sun fought through, Ma and Fleur popped out for a spot of blackberry picking 😋🤤 Judging by the scant haul though, they either munched as they picked or found a park to play in—or perhaps a tree to climb—to take their minds off the job at hand 🙄🤣 We do love a bit of foraging to top up pantry supplies in the galley. There’s just something about blackberrying that makes everything feel right with the world, eh? A tradition passed down the generations ✌️ Anyway! I read an article yesterday in one of the national rags, and lo and behold—I’m on trend with the young folk! 😊 Apparently, there’s a viral thing over on Tock Tock called 'FiberMaxxing' (or in the Queen’s own tongue, ‘Fibre-Maxing’)… You’ll know that I’m on a bit of a health kick of late, aiming to sack off this Crohn’s diagnosis—and this fibre malarkey has been a huge part of that! It’s been about 7 months since I went all in and started this journey, and apart from two blips involving lactose (one from prescribed meds, the other from an innocent-looking naanbread 😬), I’ve felt so much better 🙌 I don’t know how much you know about Crohn’s—or even want to know—but looking back over the past 15 years when my symptoms first began… well, it shakes me to the core how much it affected me. Most of my mental health struggles? Stemmed from it. Imagine having a complete obsession with where the nearest loo was—so much so, it gave me a phobia of bus travel, hiking, cinemas… even the barbershop 😳 Sounds daft, eh? But that’s the thing—it gets in your head and whirls around, making you question everything. It’s a literal pain in the backside that limited so much of my life. I’ve spent many a time tucked away indoors for days, sometimes weeks 😢 But that was then. A big part of healing is acknowledging it… and then turning the page on that chapter 👍 Now, back to being down with the cool kids on Tock Tock 🤟 What’s made a real difference is massively upping my fibre intake! Slowly though, mind you… too fast and it’s like an oompah band in your belly 😳💨😯 They say 30g a day is a good target for the likes of me—but honestly, I’ve often doubled that on the bad days and eaten even more on the good ones 🫡🌱💪 Being vegan with a healthy appetite does make it easier, I’ll admit! Anyway—the long and short of it is: 🌟 Most days are now symptom-free 🌟 My skin is clearing 🌟 And although I still get the odd fatigue flare, it’s maybe once or twice a month instead of every day! Oh—and the bounce-back-rate to chirpiness? Much quicker now, thank goodness! I used to be whacked out for days, but now it’s more like: “Hello fatigue and gurgles… oh you’re off already? Grand!” ✊️ I know it’ll take time to fully heal, but it’s made easier by these daily and weekly wins 🙌 They say crohn's is incurable, but I'm dealing a different drum, inspired by others who have walked this path before 🤟 So it’s high fibre, fermented foods like kimchi and kraut, lashings of water, and (where possible with two scallywags, a loving wife and leaky canals) low stress! 🤭 Ooh—and only real whole foods. None of that factory-made pisch-posh with emulsifiers and additives that sound like they're for a science experiment. Just proper grub our great-grandparents would recognise 👊 I feel blessed to be on this path 🙏 It’s not for everyone—but its right for me! Each to our own paths, eh?✌️ Speaking of blessings… We’re feeling proper chipper with gratitude this morning for Andy, Tim, Robin, Bec, Rachel and Wendy for your blimming gorgeous orders yesterday! 🤗 You’ve chipped into the Galley Fund and stocked us up with: 🥬 cabbages for kraut 🍲 lentils for mujadara 🫘 beans for chilli 🥗 kale, onions and toms for salad 🌾 a shedload of oats and spices! Thank you all so very much 🙏😊🙏😊🙏 We’re back to work this morning: Bob and Fleur are doing maths and English while I’m tapping away on the anvil in Narrowboat Stowaway making some bling! Then this afternoon, we’re tackling another 6 locks as we chug towards our rendezvous with Ed for next week’s big cruise south ✊️ There’s always space in the galley for another order if something catches your eye… every little helps fuel this floating life and keeps the copper singing 🔨✨ But first—Ma’s got the pot on, so let’s have a brew and hear your news ☕️ Had much rain your end yet? 🤔 Much love and blessings, Rich and the Bluebells x✌️