Monday 10th December 07

A slow start after my busy weekend, but had quite a good day as did some writing and some woodchopping and after I got the children home, had a visitor called Friedemann, who's German and I met him at the Greenspeak last week, and he wanted to see the composting and woodstoves. A nice chap, sorry he's leaving to go back to Germany at the end of the week.

Then wrote my paid blog, and my experiences yesterday provided the subject. I thought I coped well with some difficult circumstances, and behaved professionally in the face of unprofessional behaviour. And of course it was lovely to be able to help out the youngsters.

When I downloaded my emails I had two childish comments regarding yesterdays post about my day in Beverley, they were anonymous which was a pity as I'd have loved to reply. They were so puerile that I decided not to publish them, but they were probably from members of or followers of the band who used my spot to set up in. I don't know why they're upset as I described their music positively and their egotistical behaviour honestly. I do not feel that I was in competition with them, and was just a fellow performer. Anyway, the good people at Beverley will be getting a letter thanking them for the well paid day's work and asking that if they do book me again, that I am not put near the Alley Cats, who are obviously no better behaved than... err... alley cats!

After tea (reheat rice and veg, very simple) I went to an anniversary meeting of some York Credit Union diehards who were with me 10 years ago when I started the ball rolling with a public meeting at the Friends Meeting House. Some of us spent 8 years getting the Union launched and now it is going from strength to strength, membership is going up and they are helping loads of York people out of poverty. A success story, and now North Yorkshire County Council is spending some money exploring the idea of extending the Credit Union into the Selby and Scarborough areas, it could end up being the biggest Credit Union in the country, area-wise. I'd be very proud of that if it did happen.

Got home after 10 and spent some more time writing as I have a deadline of the 13th to get a column in for a Community Care 'Green Issue'. Another silly comment left on my blog, what a pity the comment writer doesn't want a dialogue but just wants to say uninformed stuff in a cowardly anonymous way. Give us your email address and I'll enter into a conversation which could benefit us both, instead of ridiculous point-scoring!