The last day of the Little Green Gathering.
I was really looking forward to doing my talk on composting and I had a small handful of people eager to learn. However, I was saddened that a young mum was there and her child was making lots of noise and being distracting, so she soon went as it wasn't fair on those who were trying to concentrate. However, that wasn't fair on her!
I enjoyed lunch and the chats during it, and then Jenny and I went back to Ella and Peter's to see how things were. Both were sober and Peter was a lot more coherent, and Jenny had quite a long conversation with Ella, and then did some ringing round Social Services and got their case registered and a social worker promising to ring back.
We explained to Ella that we would be leaving the area today or tomorrow, but we'd stay in touch and we took their phone number. She was very grateful for our intervention.
From my perspective, this 'stuff' took up a lot of my weekend, time-wise and emotionally. However, being 'Green' isn't all about caring for the environment, harping on about carbon and animal rights. For me, and others, it's about people care, equality and fairness, and what had happened to Peter, although sad and possibly partly his 'fault', was not fair. He had, in his time, paid a lot of tax and contributed to the country, and in his current state, deserves looking after.
We walked back to the site and very soon it was my last Fiddlesticks appearance, doing a balloon modelling show and workshop, which went really well and was a lot of fun.
Fairly soon after this was the 'report back session' to say how we thought it went, and this happened in the outdoor classroom, such a lovely building. It was generally agreed to have been a success, despite the wet weather, and there was discussion about how to improve it if it happens again. This isn't certain, as the main organiser, Tim, dedicated many months to making this one happen, and like many event organisers, is not paid for what he does.
Tim said that as a few people were staying over, after most people had left, that there was space in the hostel, the tepee or yurt, if anybody was fed up with camping. So Serena and I went to look in the tepee, and that didn't look too great, but she took one look at the yurt with the stove and bagged it. I decided to go in the hostel, and I took my tent down during a dry period.
We ate in the hostel, some baked potatoes which were going spare, with hommous and a spicy bean stew. Very filling.
I spent some time in the yurt with Serena and her little boy before going up to the hostel for a really good night's sleep.
I was really looking forward to doing my talk on composting and I had a small handful of people eager to learn. However, I was saddened that a young mum was there and her child was making lots of noise and being distracting, so she soon went as it wasn't fair on those who were trying to concentrate. However, that wasn't fair on her!
I enjoyed lunch and the chats during it, and then Jenny and I went back to Ella and Peter's to see how things were. Both were sober and Peter was a lot more coherent, and Jenny had quite a long conversation with Ella, and then did some ringing round Social Services and got their case registered and a social worker promising to ring back.
We explained to Ella that we would be leaving the area today or tomorrow, but we'd stay in touch and we took their phone number. She was very grateful for our intervention.
From my perspective, this 'stuff' took up a lot of my weekend, time-wise and emotionally. However, being 'Green' isn't all about caring for the environment, harping on about carbon and animal rights. For me, and others, it's about people care, equality and fairness, and what had happened to Peter, although sad and possibly partly his 'fault', was not fair. He had, in his time, paid a lot of tax and contributed to the country, and in his current state, deserves looking after.
We walked back to the site and very soon it was my last Fiddlesticks appearance, doing a balloon modelling show and workshop, which went really well and was a lot of fun.
Fairly soon after this was the 'report back session' to say how we thought it went, and this happened in the outdoor classroom, such a lovely building. It was generally agreed to have been a success, despite the wet weather, and there was discussion about how to improve it if it happens again. This isn't certain, as the main organiser, Tim, dedicated many months to making this one happen, and like many event organisers, is not paid for what he does.
Tim said that as a few people were staying over, after most people had left, that there was space in the hostel, the tepee or yurt, if anybody was fed up with camping. So Serena and I went to look in the tepee, and that didn't look too great, but she took one look at the yurt with the stove and bagged it. I decided to go in the hostel, and I took my tent down during a dry period.
We ate in the hostel, some baked potatoes which were going spare, with hommous and a spicy bean stew. Very filling.
I spent some time in the yurt with Serena and her little boy before going up to the hostel for a really good night's sleep.
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