Monday 11th April 11

Today I only had one appointment, which was to go and give blood at 2.10.  I'd made this booking at the end of the last session, but when I arrived at the Merchant Taylor's Hall, they had no record of it.  However, I was processed quickly and I got as far as the blood iron test, to check I'm not anaemic.  I'd been told at the last session that I could apply to be a platelet donor, so at this juncture I said that I was interested.  So when I was lying down, a nurse came to check my veins, and as they were OK, some blood was taken for testing for platelets.  I was told that if I was accepted for platelet donation, I wouldn't be able to give blood, but would be asked to go to Leeds every 4 weeks and donate platelets... the blood is taken out, the platelets removed and the blood returned.  And, the best thing of all, each platelet donation counts as two blood donations.  This was my 26th blood donation, so in theory, I could be on my 50th in a year's time!!! I think that's cheating, actually!

Anyway, my blood flowed nice and quickly and I had a juice and a biscuit, filled in a complaints/feedback form about the booking procedure and also being called 'Mr', which I don't like, and zoomed off.

At about 4pm I went round to Debbie's with some Green Party leaflets, and we walked down to Fishergate to do a round that someone else wasn't able to do.  We walked back through the allotments, and just as Deb was saying that she'd love some rhubarb, I spotted Carol, working next to her rhubarb patch.  I asked her about her rhubarb and said that Debbie had just been saying she'd like to take some and leave some coins in return... and Carol said she could have some.  This made Debbie's day, apparently!

After tea, I spent some time stacking the very dry wood from John Bibby's tree trunk... I have a phenomenal amount to do, over 2 cubic metres of it. 

Later, I had a phone call from my Aunty, saying she didn't want me to come to my Uncle's funeral on Wednesday.  She was worried that a particular family member who doesn't understand or like my lifestyle would cause a scene, so it would be best if I didn't come.  I was quite upset as I didn't realise how much my perceived lifestyle has threatened this person, but I'll go and visit my Aunty another time.  I certainly don't want to be on the receiving end of loud criticism at a funeral.

Thursday 7th October 10

Up fairly early so I could get round to Debbie before 10am, and go and deliver leaflets with her.  I went at 9.35 and we spent about 2 hours delivering in Badger Hill, using the 'leapfrog' method, going on the same side of the street and staying together and doing alternate houses, sometimes two houses with a shared driveway or no hedge/wall between the properties making it easier for leaflet the postie or political leaflet deliverer.... This method also allows you to chat, and if accosted by someone, to support each other.

So, a lot of walking and was glad to get in at about midday to settle down and have lunch.

Had a busy afternoon but didn't do any more leaflets.  I did do a bit of pallet butchering, and then at 6, Alex and her partner Larry the Freecyclers came round to pick up some pea beans, to plant next year on their allotment.  I gave them some perennial spinach beet seeds too.

Nice warm evening burning pallets and removing nails.

Wednesday 6th October 10

Not too early a start but I soon realised I had an appointment at the RSPCA animal home at 11 to deliver compost to Julia, who's doing a garden there.  So I got 4 sacks of very mature compost plus a sack of leafmould, and cycled it round there.  Julia was waiting for me and she took me to see where she's making raised beds, and showed me her compost bins which she's using to compost animal bedding.  On the way out I asked the person in the office what they suggested I do with any squirrels I caught in my live trap.  They said they wouldn't be able to accept them.

I didn't spend long there but as I left I noticed some clear plastic sacks of garden waste had been dumped in the undergrowth, so I emptied them out (it was all biodegradable) and took the sacks with me... they'll come in useful for something composty...

I cycled back towards town, and passed the Minster Vets in Salisbury Road, and decided to find out if they had a policy on squirrels.  After some discussion, the answer was they would have to kill it or 'put it down' as this is euphemistically called, and charge me £24 for doing so.  A very unsatisfactory situation. This issue of 'pest animals' is a real ethical dilemma for me.  I think I need to write a note about ethical dilemmas.(now done!)

I came back via Country Fresh, and after lunch went to do a load of leafleting in the Tang Hall area.

In the evening I attended a 20s Plenty for York meeting at Anna's, and was glad to meet a York Press reporter who's keen to cover the campaign. I have a few actions against my name.  Our main focus is to persuade people to fill in the consultation, despite it being very poorly worded. The information about the consultation is here, but a pdf of the YourCity is here, with the 20 mph consultation on page 4. The council also provide this information. I'm backing the 20's Plenty for 3 main reasons: lower speeds mean if there is a collision, there is a reduced likelihood of injury or death; reduced speeds mean less acceleration and braking, and therefore reduced fuel use; lower speeds mean quieter roads. Additionally, lower speeds may encourage people currently scared of cycling to get back on their bikes and cycle to work, school or the shops.

I came home via Country Fresh again and brought a broken pallet back.  Not a lot of wood in it, but it would have ended up in a skip if I hadn't have brought it back. It will make good kindling.

Tuesday 5th October 10

A day with a lot of walking... I did some deliveries in the morning, and then got a reminder phone call from Geoff about collecting his bag from the Seahorse and delivering it to the Credit Union, which I did, and then when I got home, John Horsley had put a message through the letterbox saying that a builder was wanting to give me some offcuts, so I cycled to where John said it was but the builder had gone home.  So I delivered some more election leaflets, in Tang Hall.

Then at 6pm, my Election Agent Andy Chase came round and we did most of Badger Hill, til about 8pm, when I needed some tea.  Pasta and broccoli, with other bits.

In the evening one of my facebook friends, Sarah, who runs Moors Wood Environment Centre, told me about a woodstove she's been to see today, and fallen in love with. For some time she had set her heart on a Clearview, but this stove, the Burley t3, looks even better. She'll probably have this installed by early next year.  I want to see one!

Oh, and we had a SUMA delivery at about 10am which was earlier than we expected, and Melody came later in the day to pick up her stuff.

Monday 4th October 10

Quite a good day, despite my having a headache for much of it.  Before lunchtime I did a bit of leafleting, just an hour and a half, and met one of my Press friends, investigating a shed fire which might have been something more sinister.  I spent an hour and a half on that round, and at the end, popped into see Debbie and spent 15 minutes with her... then lunch, then assorted stuff around the house.

Probably the most interesting thing today was that I had a conversation on the phone with Susanne Wiigh-Mäsak , the inventor of Promession.  I'd found an interesting website about high speed, high temperature aerobic decomposition of food waste, called Vertal.  Susanne saw the link and wanted to talk to me about the process, and share her opinion about it, which was very interesting.  We then discussed the latest developments regarding Promession, and it's UK-based competitor Cryomation.  See this blog post for a description of some of the conference last week that I couldn't go to. I wish I'd been able to go... but I was at a York Rotters meeting.  We then had a chat about another 'green funeral' development which I'm involved with, and I was surprised with her feedback on that, but I respect her views as a biologist and as someone who's been researching biological disposal of bodies for years.  I was really glad to have this conversation.

At 6pm, my Green Party friend Will arrived, and he took a load of leaflets and went to deliver them in one of the areas of Hull Road Ward.  I had my tea, pasta and cauliflower with a few other bits, and at 7, went down the garden to find some apples and take them to the YorkLETS meeting. This was, as usual, at the Seahorse Hotel, and the attendance was a 100% increase on last month... there were four of us!  A good meeting, we made a decision about the percentage of sterling allowable in any LETS trade. I sold 3 Yorkys worth of apples.

When I got home, there was a phone call from Geoff, one of the attendees, who'd left his bag at the pub, and asked if I could retrieve it tomorrow.

Through facebook, I had a good conversation with the American woman who's developing the 'green funeral' concept, and we talked through what Susanne had said.  Fascinating subject area. Another good conversation.

Wednesday 28th April 10

I overslept... oh dear. I'd told Debbie that I'd be with her at 9am to go and deliver some Green Party leaflets. She had a meeting at 11 so needed to be back before then, but I woke at 10am and didn't remember about the leaflets til about 11. I popped a note through her door apologising and later she rang and we sorted out another time to deliver them.

Gill got really busy cleaning the downstairs loo, inspiring me to do a job lot of washing up with solar heated water, and some hoovering.

After lunch I was expecting Katalin to come and visit but she rang and said transport was difficult so could she come tomorrow. I had no problem with that and got busy in the garden, riddling yet more material for the large raised bed, and taking worms from this compost to one of the wormeries which I think needs some help... I've found some dead worms in it and some maggots. I wonder what that is about?

At about 5 I walked round to Debbie's and we walked down to Heslington Road to deliver 200 'Vote for Andy Chase' leaflets.

In the evening I met with Tony at the Black Swan to do some more work on the York World Naked Cycle Ride. We finalised the route, decided who was doing what with regards to contacting various people, and it's all coming together pretty well I think.

After this meeting, which took 2 hours, we spent another hour chatting and getting to know each other which was really nice, as although I've known Tony for a while, I've never socialised with him.

I got home just after 11.15 and lit the stove so I could do the washing up from tea time.

Sunday 17th August 08

Most of the day was with activities connected to our German friends... including delivering leaflets for the Green Party with their teenage boy, whom I get on very well with.

I did however have a good hour and a half on the lottie, weeding and digging up spuds... the ground was soft with all the rain we've had, so I was able to pull out big dandelions by hand, the long tap-root coming out easily. All the potatoes have succumbed to the rain but there's a good crop under the soil. The brambles in the boundary areas are burgeoning and many needed chopping back and cutting into short lengths for the compost heap.

Sunday 3rd February 08

Quite a late morning, but after breakfast I went to the lottie to do more tidying and to pick up my seed potatoes and veg seeds. I rejoined the allotment shop society, and was told I had 30% off any purchases as I'd helped build it! I bought some garlic too.

Then I went to do my Green Party leaflet delivery, part of the Fishergate Ward Newsletter, on Heslington Road and some of the roads off it.

Got back home just after 1pm, had lunch and did some sorting of the conservatory... got out my rotary compost sifter out for the first time and sifted the soil from last year's tomatoes and peppers. This 'spent' soil will be put on top of the raised beds in the garden which have sunk down a bit. Got quite a lot done, then at 3, Simon came round to sort out the broadband. Got it going again, then eventually got the security put on so no-one else can use it. However, then discovered that I could not send emails on it... The Phone Co-op has given me a different IP Address which tiscali won't allow emails to be sent from. There doesn't seem to be a problem recieving them... but I did go on the Tiscali website to see if this could be sorted out.

When Simon went I did another hour in the garden, finishing off the soil sifting and putting the kit away.

Weds 27th June 07

As Gill still feeling stiff because of the fall on Sunday, I took the children to school again, and when I got back, went to see if my friend Debbie would do a Green Party leaflet delivery, as the newly elected councillors have done a leaflet thanking the voters of Fishergate ward, and it needs to be delivered. She was able to help out almost immediately, so we got started before 10am, and with the two of us it didn't take long.

Then we walked to St Nicks, I had to deliver a letter from St Paul's Primary School thanking me for my helping out with their healthy living week, and doing a York Rotters talk, and I wanted Catherine our project worker to have this.

Debbie hadn't seen around St Nicks so I gave her a tour, and she was impressed and even enquired about volunteering, and she might go on one of the 'eco-active' days.

She came back for a coffee afterwards and Gill and I had a nice chat with her.

After lunch I waited in for a chap from Yellow Tom dot Com, to talk about advertising, but he rang and said he was stuck in traffic, could he come at 4.30?

So I got on with YGF stuff and then went to get the kids. I shot down to town after, picked ut compostables and was back by 4.20. Max from Yellow Tom was very helpful and offered me a good deal, so I took him up on this.

Gill did tea and I spent most of the evening sorting out YGF stuff, and writing my next Community Care column.

Tuesday 17th April 07

Due to another late night talking with my friend in America on Googletalk, I woke quite late, after 9am, with my wife coming in and talling me the York Press was on the phone. I came down to answer questions on 'ethical death' following the Newsnight programme last week, and I chatted for half an hour about composting cadavers, aerobic vs anaerobic rots, the less ethical approaches to disposing of dead bodies such as burial and cremation. I look forward to the Press article on it.

Then breakfast, and round to Debbie's to fold Green Party leaflets and Castle Area Campaign ones, and then a fairly quick delivery round.

Home for lunch and a quiet afternoon with Gill, a bit of riddling compost and preparation of growing medium, and collected kids at 3.15.

A fairly nondescript day.

Weds 11th April 07

A lovely day weatherwise so got started early with some Green Party local election leaflet deliveries. I went with Debbie who enjoyed the round last time and had asked that she could help again. This delivery was Fishergate Ward, but a different area, someone elses round. It didn't take long with the two of us and we visited some housing we hadn't seen before, new flats and small houses off Hull Road.

I cycled into town to do my Wednesday compostables pick up, and got some vegan ice cream for Gill who reacts badly to cow's milk products. Vegan products also have less of a carbon footprint too, as cows produce loads of methane and use lots of resources such as water and feed, which has it's own carbon footprint. The 'Swedish Glace'ice cream also tastes lovely, but is a lot more expensive than dairy.

I also visited the Yorkshire Museum with the Morel fungus I found over the weekend on the allotment. Pip Strang the expert there says she will identify it... I was suprised to hear from her that there are 18 British species, my book lists just two! She'll contact me with a identification in a couple of weeks.

During the afternoon I did a lot of riddling of finished compost, to make the stuff usable and separate the uncomposted sticks and non-compostables (stones, little bits of plastic) from the fantastic crumbly rich particles of 'humus' or biologically active carbon-rich matter, perfect for adding to growing media for healthy plants and crops. The seeds are in, I need lots of compost to add to leafmold and loam to grow them in. So I'm bagging up the riddled stuff ready for this season. My riddle is a sheet of chicken wire mounted on a wooden frame, about 1.5m square. I also have a 'rotaseive' which is smaller and has smaller holes, producing a finer grained compost.

This afternoon's York Press had our letters published, mine about the lack of response from Lloyds TSB about my offering to help them with reducing waste, and one from Gill saying she considered me an Eco-Lover not an Eco-Warrior.

In the evening I attended the first meeting of York CRAG, Carbon Rationing Action Group. This was interesting and I enjoyed it a lot. The basic idea is to help citizens to reduce their carbon emissions and save resources for future generations. This will be done by offering a carbon calculator to measure annual emissions, and setting a target to try to aim for (or under!). There will be regular meetings to inform, educate and encourage, perhaps themed to get people with different interests involved and on board. We may perhaps set a penalty for those who go over the target, a financial penalty per kilo, which would be paid into an account and used to offset those extra emissions. The offsetting could be local, such as helping to pay for insulation or energy efficient lightbulbs for a CRAG member who's finding the target difficult to attain. We're meeting in a fortnight and will debate and agree Mission, Aims and Objectives plus discuss (and agree?) the structure of the group.

I got home just in time to see the Newsnight 'Ethical Man' special, in which I featured, helping Justin Rowlatt with composting and helping Ethical Man go on his way ethically, by composting him. It was a good programme and I think was a fitting end to his year-long project. And I've benefitted as I now have a column in Community Care magazine (starting at the end of the month) and a new career begnning.

What a day!

Thursday 29th March 07

Well, another busy day. Even though it was a bit damp out, I had a pile of Green Party leaflets to deliver in Fishergate Ward, where we have two Councillors already and want to retain them. Cllr Mark Hill is standing down but Cllr Andy D'Agorne is standing again. Standing with him is Dave Taylor, an experienced activist and a very committed Green and already doing good work representing various interests. I think he'll be a very good Councillor if he gets in. And these leaflets should help him get in. I popped round to my friend Debbie who had offered before to help deliver leaflets and asked if she would be willing to do so this morning.

As she was we set off on foot at about 10.15 and did the 300 leaflets in 40 minutes. We had a cuppa together afterwards, and she offered to do another round when we have one.

After lunch I visited a skip I'd spotted on the delivery round, and asked the builders if I could have some of the contents to reuse. Of course they were happy for me to do this, and I came back with a well loaded cycle trailer, with some building-quality wood, some stove-destined wood and some aluminium cans which I collect and sell to a metal merchant from time to time.

I also visited Alligator for some vegan ice-cream and some emergency peanut butter, as we're out pending our next food co-op delivery, which should be next week.

Our youngest child had come off his bike on the way to school this morning as the chain came off. So before collecting them from school I sorted his bike and then took it to school on the trailer so he could cycle home. On the way back from school there was another skip, again I asked if I could have some of the contents. I got some new turf offcuts, which I stack into a low wall for a year or two and then use for loam in my containers, mixed with garden compost and leafmold.

I did some logging whilst Gill cooked tea, a good cauliflower and broccoli thing with mushroom sauce and mashed potato on top. The boys enjoyed it too, and we all ate together, with French stick warmed on top of the stove wrapped in aluminium foil to prevent it burning.

Then I had to go out as I had a CrUST/ Green Festival meeting. A pleasent guy called Rob turned up, a DJ known as Green Renegade, and keen on having a DJ area within the York Green Festival. He's offered to help co-ordinate this side of things, which is good.

Then went for a rare meeting with my best friend in York, probably my best friend on the planet. When I lived in Emerald Street he was just round the corner and we saw each other often, but now it's only every few months. He works as a nurse, doing 3 nights a week, but loves his work as the artist 'Dexter'. He does text-based pieces, his first was called Dexter's World of the 60s and it has hundreds of words from his experience of the 1960s. He's also done one on the 70s and several private commissions. He used to do something called 'Retro Graffiti', recreating graffiti from the past, but in biodegradable flour and water paint. A very creative chap, and we supped Innocent blueberry and blackberry juice and chatted about our current projects.

And guess what, on the way home I cycled past another skip, wasn't able to ask this time but the planks found their way home for re-use. Down with landfill!

Enjoyed the second offering from the second series of It's Not Easy Being Green which Gill had been good enough to record.