Monday 21st March 11

I had planned to go to Edwina's today with my wrecking bar to dismantle a little low wall which she wants out, and I had checked with her that it would be OK to go.  I had also agreed to deliver something to a friend, and pick up some freecycled bits and bobs.  However, first I went to put in two cheques, bought a pastie for lunch and then cycled out along the Boroughbridge Road to Edwina's.  She'd given me a key to her garage, and said it would not have the bolt across the inside.

But the bolt had been slid across and I couldn't get in.  I texted Edwina and we had a brief conversation, but she was working in Manchester and there was nothing she could do.  Her lodger had bolted the doors.

So I went to my other friend's house, delivered and picked up, and cycled back into town. 

I have been thinking about my forthcoming 'urban composting' gig at UK Aware next weekend, and what props I'll need.  I'd like to take a wormery but they're too big to take on the train.  I do have a 'desktop Bubble House wormery' but it doesn't really demonstrate the tray structure that I want to show, which is seen best in the Can Of Worms stacking wormery or the slightly bigger Worm Cafe.  So I've been wondering about using a seed sprouter. I visited several places in town, and found only one very expensive version (£17) so I gave up.  But then I had a brainwave... I went to Alligator and they had one called the sprouter, which they let me have, as a thank you for the composting help I've been giving.  I was pleased with this, despite it not having a lid which I'll have to make.  I'll also need to paint it black or at least encase it in something dark.  I collected the Alligator biodegradables and got home for 1.30pm.

Lunch was nice... I had the pastie.

I spent the entire afternoon sorting out my untidy composting area, where I had emptied a New Zealand bin into it's next-door neighbour, and then needed to dismantle it, to redo the anti-rat wire netting. I then started to refill it with a lot of accumulated gumph.  I really enjoy this work.  It doesn't provide much of an income, hardly anything for the time I spend on it, but I am preventing LOADS of biodegradable materials going to landfill, and making great compost which is available for anyone who wants it.

I did pop round to Jamie's just before it got too dark to carry on, and picked up the last 3 bags of homefire he didn't want to take down to the live-on-boats area.  There's one or two more loads of wood to pick up and then I'm done.

I did assorted jobs inside after tea (yesterday's pasta with leek/potato soup sauce on top) including stripping some electrical flex to get the copper wire out, and melting a series of larger holes in the seed sprouter to make it into a wormery.

Also getting ready for going to Bristol tomorrow for the Wipe Out Waste Awards.  I'll be on the 11 something train, getting into Bristol soon after 3, then going to Fernhill Farm and will meet Tracey Smith and Dave Hampton for the first time, and then on Wednesday, a day's activities at Lakewood.

Back on Thursday!