Wednesday 3rd November 10

Another good day, despite being woken by sounds of distress.  So, assorted housework in the morning and not getting time to sort out the leafmould which I was really hoping to do before the 2pm rendezvous at St Nicks with the University of York Green Party.  I'd arranged this a couple of weeks ago, to show a group of students around the Environment Centre and Nature Reserve, and to open it up to others, I'd made a facebook 'event' for the tour. 

I got there at 1.55 and there was also a group of University of the Third Age visitors who were wanting a look round, so I ended up taking them round too.  We started with the 'passive solar design' of the building and the two types of solar panels, rainwater recycling and Sedum roof.  I showed them a sample compost bin and wormery, and inside, the cut-out wheelie bin and the energy balance monitor, displaying the energy generated and used by the building.

Outside, we saw the recycling compound, and went up on the bund to see the James Street office and light industrial buildings which could have covered the St Nicks area too, had the local people not made a fuss.  We saw the John Lally Wood and the older trees which were growing on the surface of the landfill when it was capped with clay.  We went via the stone circle back to the centre, where Jonathan the Volunteer Manager gave a 5 minute presentation about the various volunteering opportunities available.

It was a really nice walk round; I always enjoy showing people round St Nicks.  It is a very special place for me.  One of the people on the tour was Emma, who's a mature undergraduate from Harrogate, who had asked if she could interview me for her Dissertation on Transition Towns.  So she walked back with me and once ensconced on the sofa with a chamomile tea, she asked me a list of questions with a tape recorder going.  This was good too.

But it left no time for doing my leafmould cage.  It was getting dark by the time she left, so I didn't do any more outside, just bits and bobs in the kitchen, and after the children had gone to bed, another load of late-night fruit peeling, slicing and balancing on the drying racks.