Monday 13th December 10

Got a phone call first thing from Gill saying that after the ward round, and the issuing of some paperwork, she'd be getting in a taxi and coming home.  And had I got money to pay the taxi?

So, within an hour or two, Gill appeared and got a very warm welcome, and I payed the happy taxi chap.

I went round to Thomas the Baker for Yesterbake bread... except on Mondays it's Yesteryesterbake, from Saturday.  Still a bargain, still very edible.  Makes great nutloaf midweek.

I hadn't given blood since May 2009 for some reason... the National Blood Service hasn't contacted me in all that time, and I haven't been proactive and prodded them.  But today was my 25th donation, and I hadn't been able to make an appointment so I arrived at the lovely Merchant Taylor's Hall 10 minutes before the session started, and had to wait 10 minutes... but I was first, and was processed quickly, and I squeezed my pint out in 5 minutes 20 seconds.  I was also given my 'Silver Award' for donating 25 times, a certificate, a thank you letter and a tiny badge/lapel pin thing.

I then went to Salisbury's and had a free mince pie, bought bread, marge, goats milk, cheapish sun-dried tomato salad and two cheap Toblerones for the boys' Xmas stockings.  Came home via one of the many logpiles I know about, and then Freshways where I got a huge overloaded sack of stuff, a third of which i had to decant into another plastic sack which i just happened to have in my pannier.  And home, to take a wheelbarrow full of sacks down to the working compost heaps, one of them running at about 20 Celsius, compared to the ambient temperature of zero.

Then I cycled down to the University to pick up the last of the pine logs, a big load, just managed to get them all into the trailer, panniers and pannier rack.  Probably about 100kg.

I made tea.... rice with carrot and squash, boiled together on the back room woodstove, and in the front room, in a frying pan, a mix of leek, onion, red pepper and tomato, all the frying pan materials were completely free, rescued.  (OK, not the olive oil, bouillon or dried basil)  The family enjoyed it when it came, at 5.45pm, and I had mine quite quickly as I had a meeting, a social, at Delphine's, at 6.30.  I wanted to be there in good time as I had another diary entry for 7.30, York in Transition at Edward's.

I enjoyed talking with Delphine, and then others arrived, and Luke, my University of York Green Party friend... but I had to go and cycle over to Edward's.

But Edward had forgotten the meeting, as I think had everybody else.  I chatted with JZ and Edward for a bit and then went, cycling to Heslington via the Millennium Bridge, and picking up MORE logs, spotted on the way back from the earlier logpile expedition.  And these are oak, a good find.

Gill told me that my friend over the road was being terrorised by someone so I went over and tried to give her some confidence and advice, and spent about an hour with her.  The person she is frightened of didn't turn up, fortunately, but had they done so, I would have dealt with the situation.

When I came in, towards 10pm, the boys were just getting ready for bed and I was glad to be able to wind down a bit.  Quite a day.  Good to have Gilly back.