Sunday 10th July 11, Disability Awareness Day,

Wow, what a day!  Woken early by Janie as we had to leave the house at about 8am.

Janie had gone to the trouble of getting soya milk for my cereal, very thoughtful.

Mark was too tired after his travels yesterday so he didn't come, it was just Janie and their 14 year old son, and me and my equipment.  Last year, Mark had come to the Disability Awareness Day and had his first game of blind cricket, now he's playing all over the UK and is in the best team, heading for medal-success.

We got to Walton Hall gardens in really good time, and parked in the free 'exhibitors' parking.  I eventually found my little patch of grassy lawn where I was suppose to work; it was in a corner and not a good place, and it started raining and there was no gazebo or anything over the area.  I sensed I'd be doing a lot of unicycle-about today!

I went to the entrance place and picked up a programme and asked where I might find out about a good dry place to work; they suggested the stewards' area.  I went to the Stewards' area and explained my 'issues' and was told that Dave Thompson, the chap in charge, was 'on the case' and was finding a gazebo.  I was shown the performers changing area and I got changed.

The gazebo appeared and a notice went on it saying 'facepainting, circus skills and storytelling'. The facepainters arrived and set up their tables and chairs... definitely no space for circus skills there!

I got started at 10am, and did a fair amount of unicycling around the site, first without devilsticks (as it was raining a bit and they don't work in the rain), then with, and then just walking around with the whirling sticks and giving people balloon models and joking and being daft.  I had a ball, was in my element. I did take a break to watch my friend Laura in her choir, and I met her parents which was good as I've wanted to say hello to them for a while.

Later, when it dried up a bit, I did a bit of workshop which proved very popular and then I had a short break for lunch, just 10 or 15 minutes, watching some lovely dancers, the 'Urban Gypsies'.These were very good: 3 women, one obviously a beginner, all dressed up with post-punk hairstyles and loads of colourful ethnic clothing, looking quite tribal, plus a chap with a mobile sound system playing really good music.  They also had hula hoops but I didn't see them use these, sadly.  I think this was my favourite single act today.

The afternoon was a manic and full-on mix of going around the site and interacting, and doing impromptu workshops and balloon silliness, and posing for photos, and doing all sorts of other things.  I worked continuously as I love the event and wanted to give it my utmost. Also, I don't really like breaks as this slows the day down, makes it drag. I had a regular hanger-on today, a 9 year-old girl who was into circus and had a stage name JoJo I think, and she spent a lot of the day with me, and did all the workshops and I was really impressed with her ability.  I met a wide range of other people, from children with learning difficulties who just wanted to hold the stick or juggling ball, through to groups of deaf people who I communicated with through an interpreter, through to stallholders who were just enjoying working at the event, like I was.  I really really love this event, it's my highlight of the year.

By 4.30 I was flagging a bit and was interviewed on Warrington Radio, and at 5 it was time to finish.  Janie offered to take Laura into Warrington, after which I used the DAD map to get us back onto the motorway back to Stockport, and Janie dropped me off at the station.

The train journeys were very straightforward, a short trip to Manchester (where I made two balloon models for two Manchester Festival organisers) and then the train to York came quite soon, and I found myself chatting with a mum and daughter, heading for a theatre in Newcastle where the daughter was doing a work placement and Mum was a fundraiser.  I was on quite a high from the day's excitement and was perhaps more animated than usual.

I got back home (via Freshways which had 4 sacks for me) at about 7.30, and Gill had made a quiche and pasta salad.

Collapsed and ate and did not do the washing up!

Saturday 9th July 11,

Up early as had an outstanding job to do, to take the cooked cherries and separate the flesh from the stones.  I decided to try to do it using a sieve and wooden spoon.  This meant I got a good lot of cherry juice and some solids, and some flash/stone mix, the stones I extracted manually when I became aware of them, but I didn't have time to remove all of the stones.  I froze an ice-cream tub full of cherry juice and a bag of flesh with a few stones left in it.   Obviously the pile of extracted stones will get composted.

By this time it was midday and I'm due to go to Manchester because tomorrow I'm at the wonderful Disability Awareness Day.

So, time to go offline and get my Fiddlesticks kit together and get down to the station!!!

I got to the station with all my clobber in the trailer and bought a ticket to Stockport.  I got a train in about 5 minutes... lucky!

Met a nice granny on the way over to Huddersfield, and after that read my NewScientist and was soon in Manchester Victoria.  Headed straight over to Night and Day, was pleased to see Sean, Swin, Laura and Colin, Robert, and later Simon and Ian arrived.  I had a mocha and enjoyed chatting.

People started drifting away at 5 so I went back to Piccadilly with Colin, Laura getting a ride on his wheelchair.  I then took the train out to Stockport, where Janie said she'd meet me.  I was very pleased to see her again, it's been a long time.  Her son was waiting at home and it was good to see him too; we get on well.  Her older son and husband Mark were in Cardiff, supposed to be having a game of blind cricket, but they'd got there and it had been rained off.

I had a bowl of soup, really nice carrot and borlotti bean, and then, helped by the younger son, cut their hedge with the electric hedge trimmers.  Janie finds this quite difficult as the machine is a bit unwieldy, and Mark finds it a bit difficult as he's blind.  So I was happy to do it for them.

Janie went to the station to pick up Mark and their eldest, and when we'd settled down for half an hour, Janie and I walked into Marple to get some drinks.  On the way back I suggested looking in a supermarket bin... and there were large numbers of packets of frozen fish fillets and breaded chicken fingers.  We filled Janie's bag with enough to fill her freezer.  I love being a Freegan, even if it's not the sort of stuff I eat!  Miles better than landfill....

So, then had 2 bottles of pear cider and some good chats with Mark and family, and relatively early to bed, and was able to borrow a desktop computer to do my blog and play a bit of Scrabble before sleeping.

Sunday 11th July 10 Disability Awareness Day

One of my favourite events of the entertaining year today, the fantastic DAD at Walton Hall Gardens near Warrington.

I had as close to a usual breakfast as can be had in someone else's house; Janie had even gone out of her way to get soya milk, and there were a good mix of cereals to start me off for a very long day. I was really pleased that all the family decided to come to DAD; Janie drove and Mark and the boys went in the back... with me with my chunky plastic foot sitting in the front. We got to the site just in time, just before the 9.30 cut-off time to go and park in the performers car park at the back of Walton Hall.

I showed them where I was working, in the Arts Marquee, and dumped my equipment and costume and walked down with them to the pedestrian entrance where we picked up a programme which has a map and list of exhibitors and attractions. Then I got back to the Arts Marquee and got changed and launched into a 10am til 5pm shift.... devilsticking, teaching diabolo, encouraging timid kids to try the yoyo balls, showing teenagers how to juggle, letting people try the four wheel and two wheel unicycle, and I got through nearly 100 balloons too. Laura turned up.... I met her at DAD last year and we've been in regular contact ever since. Now she's got her own flower stick (like a devilstick but with tassels on each end) and a twirling staff.

My hosts had a good time too... the best news that I heard was that Mark had somehow got himself involved in a blind cricket match, where the ball is identified with sound... and he turned out to be really good at it, and got invited to join the team. Apparently they train fairly near Stockport and this is a fantastic opportunity. I look forward to hearing updates! Well done Mark!!!

I hope the lads had a good time too, although I didn't get much feedback from them, although both of them did some circus stuff. Oh and Janie is now a juggler too.... she can do a pretty good 3-ball cascade of at least 6 throws in a row, which I was very pleased with.

5pm came and I packed up to go... and Laura invited me to have something to eat before I caught the train home. So we walked down towards the free bus, but stopped to talk to the people who are campaigning for Walton Hall not to be sold to be converted into a posh hotel by the council. This decision would mean that the Gardens around the Hall would be much less likely to be used for events like DAD. If you want this area to remain in public use, please check this website and sign the petition and join this facebook group.

The free bus queue was entertaining but we were soon at the bus station, quite close to a Chinese 'all you can eat for £8.50' restaurant, where we both had a good selection of things. It was lovely to spend this time with Laura, and then at the station afterwards waiting for my train. I feel very lucky to have her as a friend as she is a totally unique and fun individual, wacky sense of humour, very caring, never short of something to say.... hey, a bit like me really!!!

My train came and it was a fairly uneventful journey apart from chatting with Jo, trainee accountant from Leeds, wearing a 10:10 round her neck, which sparked some conversation.

But soon back in York, and home by 10ish.... glad to see my lovely family who had been in the Treasurers House garden watching our youngest perform in a play connected with the Mystery Plays.

Later, I watched 'Bend it like Beckham' on the BBC which is a really good film.

Sunday 12th July 09, Disability Awareness Day

Awoken by a phone call to my hotel room at 8, got up and went to the pub next door for breakfast, where I had a hearty bowl of muesli followed by fruit and croissants, also made myself a marmite sandwich for lunch which fitted neatly into the bran flakes box.

Last night's taxi man had offered to come and collect me so I had asked the hotel to ring him and collect me at 9.30, as the Disability Awareness Day venue, Walton Hall Gardens, was 2 or 3 miles away, just a tad too far to walk whilst carrying all my clobber.

Another £8 spent, but hey, I get receipts so I just file them as expenses... He dropped me at the bottom of the lane as it was completely traffic jammed up, but it is only 5 minutes walk to the entrance and another 5 minutes walk to the arts marquee where I usually have my spot. But this time I'd been given a spot of my own, between a stall giving information about stroke and one providing help and support to disabled parents. I spent some time here but did a lot of unicycling round with devilsticks spinning and a bag of modelling balloons in my pocket ready to dish out as soon as the circumstances suggested that was appropriate. Towards the end of the day I did some circus workshops and had an especially fulfilling time with a 22 year old girl with ADHD who showed considerable promise with the devilsticks, and was not backward in coming forward. I like people like that.

I worked solidly til just after 4 when I decided I'd had enough so packed up and went to catch the bus down to the centre of Warrington to get the train. I rang Gill who had got in from Hebden Bridge and Ali to tell her what time I was due into Sheffield. The train was a bit late but it wasn't a problem as the train person had told me the wrong time that it arrived into Sheffield, which with the delay turned out to be correct....

Ali was there to meet me and we went for La Tasca for something to eat, as Ali had got another of the half-price coupons she is good at finding on the internet. A delicious meal, and only £15 each. Bought some wine and pear ciders on the way to her place and had a good chat with Ali and one of her favourite PAs for nearly an hour when we got back.

Sunday 6th July 08 Disability Awareness Day, Warrington

A ridiculously early start... up at 5am to get the 6.05 to Manchester Piccadilly... where I had a 55 minute wait for the short hop to Oxford Road, then 10 mins wait for the Warrington train, getting there on time at 9.39, in plenty of time to catch the 10am free transfer bus to Walton Hall Gardens where the fantastic annual Disability Awareness Day takes place.

So I spent the next 5 or so hours unicycling and devilsticking and making balloon models, having a whale of a time in an environment where I feel completely at home and amongst friends. It is one of the highlights of my year. The weather was suprisingly kind... only one showere during the event, and one at 5 as it was shutting down, as I went for the bus.

A short wait on the station and a train all the way back to York, getting in at 8.

Sunday 8th July 07

Oh such an early start... I got to the station to catch the 6.58 train to Manchester, but it went the long way round to Leeds because of engineering work, and when we left Leeds we got stuck for 20 mins with some late finishing working so our train was late getting in to Manchester and I missed my connection so had to wait an hour for the next one, so arrived in Warrington at 10.40 not 9.40, so started the event at 11, not at 10 which is when the Disability Awareness Day starts.
However got going and did lots of unicycling aroung and being loud and silly, making people laugh and interacting humourously, devilsticking and greeting people.

Then did some inside stuff, in the Arts Marquee, and did assorted workshops, had sandwiches for lunch and then worked solid all afternoon. It is a brilliant event, so many interesting people and happy kids.

Sabrina's band 'The Heroes' played their last gig and I enjoyed that, and went soon after. The free bus was waiting for me and as I got on several people cheered!

There was just a 20 min wait at the station before the train came, no changes, so got to York at about 7.30. I popped into Out Of This World to see if there were any recyclables, and there were lots of out of date things, and plates, and serving cutlery, and lots of other things, so came home very well loaded.