Sunday 28th March 10

Another work day, so I started with a shave as I was feeling a bit over-fluffy, and wanted to make a good impression. I'd been invited by James to come and do a Fiddlesticks party for his young daughter, who turned 4 this week. However, this wasn't a usual booking, as James had found me at least a year ago via this blog (I think) as he has a keen interest in green issues, and we'd become facebook friends and chat pretty regularly, comment on each other's posts, etc... but never actually met. So I was looking forward to meeting James.

I left the house with all my kit in the trailer just after 11.30 and got to the station in good time, got my ticket and went to wait for the 12.18 on the usual platform. The train looked like it wasn't going anywhere and I hoped the train strike hadn't started early. I checked the board and whoops, the Harrogate train was leaving from Platform 10, in 2 minutes. I got to it with 30 seconds to spare... phew!

I had lunch on the train and was pleased to see James waiting at Pannal station, as agreed, when I left the train. He took me to Follifoot Village Hall where I met his wife and some friends... I got changed and then his 4 year-old daughter showed up with Granny, and soon lots of party-goers too. Virtually all of the 30 or so children were 3 or 4, with perhaps one older one.. but all the parents stayed and that made it a really good audience. I was very pleased that some of the grown-ups were 'game' and were happy to join in, and the show went well, as expected.

Then birthday tea, and after that, there was the balloon workshop... again, the parents did really well and helped their offspring make balloon animals, and I helped a bit too... The competitions at the end were fun too, and we finished on time, and everybody was happy, especially me, as I enjoyed myself, as usual.

James and family were happy and he took me back to the station in time for the 5.20 train. I slept lightly for most of the way back, as I always find gigs really tiring.

I came home via Country Fresh which was closed and they hadn't left anything out for me, so went to Freshways who had got 4 sacks for me, which I somehow managed to balance on my unicycles, pannier rack and handlebars to get them home... i do like my compost heaps to keep hot, so the more the merrier!

Gill fed me... well, gave me a plate-full of pasta and I fed myself, and soon after 7.30, Will popped round as he had asked me to provide him with a bag of seed compost and some tomato seeds, as he wanted to conduct an experiment using two different growing methods... one using hocus pocus, planting in moonlight and chanting, and the other just 'normal' planting. Well I think that was what he was going to do! Anyway, happy to let him have 10 Yorky's worth of compost, tomato seeds and egg boxes for planting in... and I look forward to the results!

A funny old evening, not sure what I got done but I seemed busy most of the time.