Wednesday 19th December 07

A good day, took the kids to school as Gill's doing the late shift, and then back to try to do a load of stuff for other people... tried to get in touch with one of the SUMA recipients, but couldn't. Loaded my trailer with sacks of logs to take to Pauline, and dried fruit for her and Richard at the fruit shop.

I went on the computer to try to do my emails and a message popped up asking me for my password. This has happened a couple of times before but then gone away again and I don't know my password.. so I couldn't get into my emails. I went on the tiscali website and asked them to reset my password.... it'll take 24 hours and for the first time I'm using a different email address to recieve this password. I hate computers sometimes!

So then went to town to see Pauline, who cannot wield an axe to split logs... and she has some logs which need splitting to fit on her small stove... which she got after seeing our big one a long time ago, when we were still in Emerald St. I quite often go to saw stuff or split stuff for her... and in return I get good coffee, excellent chat and time with someone else who is passionate about green issues and sustainability. This time she swapped me the sacks of logs for a bottle of Christmassy Port... yummy!

I left at 1 and slowly came back through town vie Martin's veg emporium and bought a load of stuff and was given more and found even more than that which had been thrown in the bin by the other member of staff who doesn't recycle. So came back with 3 sacks of compostables in the trailer, stuff in the panniers, stuff on the back rack and even a tray of waste grapefruit on the handlebars. I was accosted by a resident of Heslington Road who wants me to remove a large pile of hedge clippings and other garden waste, I said I'd try to make time to do it. Then I met my friend 'Y2' who is a private person and doesn't like being named on a public blog, and had a good little chat with them, and then called in briefly on Debbie who's had her first pay cheque from her new job and was extatic!

Got home at 2pm, at the same time as Gill who'd been to town to do some shopping. She plaitted my hair whilst I had a late lunch and then I got ready for work, loading my bike trailer up and deciding on the route to Clifton Moor. I used the cycle track to get to Wigginton Road, and on the cycle track had an unusual experience.... a squirrel ran out and banged up into my moving wheel, and bounce out again, seemingly unhurt. A bike running over an animal is very unusual, and it took me back to my teens when on one of my 1000 mile cycle rides, I shredded a bird which flew into my spokes. But the squirrel was ok, I think. Just as I left the cycle track near the Rowntrees factory, sorry 'Nestle', I met an old chap just taking his dog onto the cycle track, and I said 'Hi' and he said something to me in a rather odd voice, which I thought about on my way up Wigginton Road. Then over the level crossing up to the pub which might still be called the Bumper Castle, and left into the horrible Clifton Moor which is really only designed for car drivers.

Got to my venue and set up, the kiddies arrived, over 50 of them, and they were extremely excited and noisy, with a handful of them wanting to 'be noticed' and intrude into the show in a way which caused difficulty. So it was a difficult gig, the venue was echo-ey as well so it meant quite a lot of me stopping and saying that they needed to quieten down before the show could continue. But we did the show, there were some talented youngsters too, as well as interfearing ones! Then inflating 60 balloons, by mouth/lungs as quicker than with my pump, and did the balloon show, equally noisy and disrupted by people shouting out and not being a reasonably quiet audience. However, several of them came up afterwards and said they'd enjoyed it and thanked me, which was lovely!

Finished for 6pm and changed, got paid and cycled back the way I came out. On the way onto the cycle track, I met the old chap with the unusual voice, in exactly the same spot that I'd met him before, he'd been walking his dog on the track all the time I'd been doing the party! I stopped to chat with him and wished him a happy Christmas, it was a very jovial meeting!

Zoomed home, tea was the last of the carrot soup and a sandwich. I did a big wash up whilst watching telly, enjoyed 'The Secret Millionaire' on C4, and made more soup... using rescued tomatoes, some parsnips and an onion.... it smells fantastic!

Didn't do emails as still barred! Chatted with K whilst writing blog.

Bed at 1am