A pretty low key day for me. Gill and I did quite a bit of sorting out, going through piles of paperwork and trying to find our TV licence demand. It is overdue. I got a phone call from Ben who once again had come to the rescue and helped with my laptop woes. Ages ago the power jack had come loose and recently there was only an occasional connection, and my battery was only lasting 20 minutes (it is an old laptop), so he'd attempted to mend the jack but had been unsuccessful. So I asked if he'd be prepared to find a new power supply and battery pack. Today these had been delivered to him, so I went round to pick them up. The battery looks like it has twice the staying power of the old one did when new, and the jack fits snugly. I paid him and came back home.
After lunch I went down to town to take money out of the building society and put it into the bank so we could pay electronically, but the bank was shut so I couldn't top up our account (depleted because of the washing machine). However, I did check out the Big Green Market and had a nice chat with the organiser, Jane, and discussed its green credentials, as I had seen loads of things with a massive carbon impact (metalwork, ceramics, meat) and imported things, and gifts and extras which are most definitely wants not needs. If we're to achieve an 80% reduction in carbon emissions and resource use, we really have to stop consuming many of the things being offered at this 'green' market. However, I like the fact that they champion fair trade, and artisan crafts, and have over the years stopped some stallholders re-booking because they didn't fit the criteria.
I cycled home and on a short cycle path (Dixon Lane) between Piccadilly and
George St, there were 3 women walking up in the same direction as me, one on the footpath and the other two, one with a pushchair, in the cycle path. I used my bell and they heard me and moved to get out of the way, but quite slowly, so I braked and stopped to let them get onto the pedestrian path. As I cycled away, I got a torrent of abuse; saying 'slow down' and 'f***ing maniac', and worse, so I stopped and got off my bike and told them that I was going slow enough to stop in time, and actually they shouldn't have been in the cycle lane. The all started shouting at me and verbally abusing me, and I answered, probably more loudly than was necessary, and the oldest hag then said she was ringing the police as I was causing a disturbance. She did something with her mobile phone and then either spoke to the police, or more likely pretended to. What I should have done, in retrospect, was to stay with them and wait for the police, as it was they who started the commotion by shouting abuse at me as I accelerated away from them after stopping to let them go onto the pavement. But I cycled away, not wanting to have more cat calls.
The remainder of the day was fine, lots more housework, cooking, fruit drying and the like. The boys went out with a friend to a bonfire/fireworks do. Gill cuddled guinea pigs. I had 15 minutes watching fireworks and Chinese lanterns from the loft window, before making tomato soup for tomorrow.
After lunch I went down to town to take money out of the building society and put it into the bank so we could pay electronically, but the bank was shut so I couldn't top up our account (depleted because of the washing machine). However, I did check out the Big Green Market and had a nice chat with the organiser, Jane, and discussed its green credentials, as I had seen loads of things with a massive carbon impact (metalwork, ceramics, meat) and imported things, and gifts and extras which are most definitely wants not needs. If we're to achieve an 80% reduction in carbon emissions and resource use, we really have to stop consuming many of the things being offered at this 'green' market. However, I like the fact that they champion fair trade, and artisan crafts, and have over the years stopped some stallholders re-booking because they didn't fit the criteria.
I cycled home and on a short cycle path (Dixon Lane) between Piccadilly and
George St, there were 3 women walking up in the same direction as me, one on the footpath and the other two, one with a pushchair, in the cycle path. I used my bell and they heard me and moved to get out of the way, but quite slowly, so I braked and stopped to let them get onto the pedestrian path. As I cycled away, I got a torrent of abuse; saying 'slow down' and 'f***ing maniac', and worse, so I stopped and got off my bike and told them that I was going slow enough to stop in time, and actually they shouldn't have been in the cycle lane. The all started shouting at me and verbally abusing me, and I answered, probably more loudly than was necessary, and the oldest hag then said she was ringing the police as I was causing a disturbance. She did something with her mobile phone and then either spoke to the police, or more likely pretended to. What I should have done, in retrospect, was to stay with them and wait for the police, as it was they who started the commotion by shouting abuse at me as I accelerated away from them after stopping to let them go onto the pavement. But I cycled away, not wanting to have more cat calls.
The remainder of the day was fine, lots more housework, cooking, fruit drying and the like. The boys went out with a friend to a bonfire/fireworks do. Gill cuddled guinea pigs. I had 15 minutes watching fireworks and Chinese lanterns from the loft window, before making tomato soup for tomorrow.
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