Thursday 27th October 11

Well a bit of a frustrating day in a way, as I spent quite a long time sorting out my laptop, or trying to... I plugged it in near the WiFi box and plugged in the Ethernet cable, and Ian talked me through how to let the machine complete the process of installing the new Ubuntu version, which had got stuck... possibly because my computer switched itself off because of it's problem wobbly jack-plug.  Anyway, Ian got it back to a working computer, but the plug was so wobbly that I still cannot use it and I messaged Ben to ask if he'd sort it out.  I will pay him handsomely when he fixes it, which is probably just a 20 minute job.

At midday the Yellow Pages guy came back, with his colleague who I think was a more senior chap, and had re-done an advert for me with two versions, neither of which I liked.  I like my existing advert, which looks like a bulls-eye, but I said I was happy for him to tweak it to make it stand out more. They spent quite a long time working out a trial Google Ad Words thing for me, and I was prepared to try a 4 month trial at £39.50 per month, but when it came to the crunch, they asked for my bank account number and I don't pay anything for my Fiddlesticks work from my bank account; I use a dedicated Building Society account, and I do not do any Direct Debits.  I said I'd pay for the full 4 months in advance, by cheque, but they apparently can't accept cheques for Google Ad Words.  I said either they should change the rules or I'd have to put £39.50 from my Building Society into my bank to have the DD go out of my bank, and I wasn't prepared to do that.  So I said scrap the Ad Words idea.  They were here for 2 hours, but eventually left as they couldn't get the form to work that they'd have wanted me to sign.  I didn't want to sign today anyway as I wanted to ask Gill about this cost.  He said he'd call tomorrow but I'm going to ring him and ask that he comes next week.

I popped out to get two cheques made out, one for the glass I put my hand through at the gig in Poppleton (cost me £40), and one for my National Insurance contribution.

I made some soup, out of the pumpkin bits I was given yesterday.  I put in onion, butternut squash, a cooking apple, some carrot, and flavoured it with herbs, Balsamic vinegar and a bit of soy sauce.  I had it ready for when Gill and the boys came back at 7pm.  They were glad I'd done that!

The other annoying or frustrating thing today was that I tried to contact someone who has provisionally booked me to work this Saturday in Ashton-Under-Lyne near Manchester.  I'd rung the number which is in my diary, and got a message through to the answerphone, and he'd rung me and left a very fuzzy message on there, and crucially not left his contact number or email address.  In my message I clearly ask that people leave their phone number if they want me to get back to them.  I phoned the number I have got about 30 times during the day, and each time it was engaged.  When I went out to buy bread, ARGH he phoned and once again didn't leave a contact number.  How incredibly frustrating.  I am available to work on Saturday, but I need to know where it is, what it is, and how much I'm going to get paid.

Gill came back at 7 having had a really good time in Norwich with her sister.  The boys were happy too.  I then went out, at about 7.45, to see my favourite local band The Falling Spikes.  I had a lovely evening, one of the tracks they played had me in tears it was so wonderful.  The band they were supporting weren't nearly as good, for me, and I left halfway through their set.

Sunday 4th September 11 York Peace Festival

I got up fairly early as I'd agreed to go down to Rowntree Park and help York Rotters set up.  I got there soon after 10, took nothing with me apart from a couple of large sacks to collect paper plates and waste food, and a bottle of pear cider in case I fancied a drink after my obligations had ended.

St Nicks had just arrived and their tent was up but not pegged in.  I helped a little bit and when they were ready, had a cycle around to say hello to people and see what was up around the park. At 11 I was back at the St Nicks.Rotters stall to do my first hour with them.  This went well, Pat my minder was around, and Ivana and John too, but at midday I went to the main stage to see The Falling Spikes.  I met Richard's mum... she'd never seen her son's band, or heard them.  Randall and Annie dropped by and I sat on their mat to listen to the band, who did a 40 minute set which I really enjoyed.

I then had to get back to the Rotters stall for another hour, after which I'd agreed to do an hour on the Green Party Coconut Shy.  I've never run a coconut shy before, but I really enjoyed it. I made it into a kind of show... and drew people in with my loud voice.  I stayed for 90 minutes and estimate that in that time, made about £60... there were times when there was a queue!

However, I was pleased to be free of the volunteering and enjoyed the Dub Barn Collective, chatting to Vanessa, Sally and Kate, who are also friends from many years ago, and met Jessica, who I vaguely remembered from the late 1980s.  I had a bottle of perry whilst the Dub was on.... made it last a long time, was quite a treat! I enjoyed dancing, and watching others dance.  A really super gig, and the highlight of my day.

The event came to an end at about 6pm, and people started to disappear.  I got my two heavy-duty sacks and started to go through the bins nearest the food stalls, to rescue the paper plates which had been specified by the organisers as the only acceptable plates to use for serving food.  I collected two compacted sackfuls, I estimate about 30kg of plates and waste food, plus a carrier bag of coffee grounds, maybe 5kg.  Great stuff for my Compostumbler! Great it didn't go to landfill.  I didn't have to do any litter picking this year, as Dylan and team had got it organised this time. 

I had been invited to go and see Jennie, back in York to print off her thesis and get it bound, and staying with Peter.   Peter had decided to have a little party and bonfire in her honour.  I popped into the York Beer and Cheese shop near Alligator, and got two small bottles of perry, or 'pear cider' as it seems to have been re-branded.

Peter had created a vegan lasagne which was really nice; I was just in time to have some.  I texted Gill to tell her where I was.  I enjoyed chatting with Jennie and Peter, and then Barry turned up, and a colleague of Jennie's.  The most interesting part of the evening, in some ways, was trying out a new form of making bread, by wrapping dough on a green and whittled stick, and cooking this over the embers of the fire.  I did one lump, it was lovely.  I drank both bottles of perry.

I got home before midnight.  Happy.... perhaps a little too happy!

Friday 1st July 11

A bit of a lie in.  Gill went to school to do her volunteering in the shop.  So, a late start and I then spent an hour finishing off the notes about the WNBR meeting we had ages ago but I got stuck.  I did finish them and send them off, hooray!

I also phoned Sargent Dave Horn, the police officer who looked after the ride, and asked if it was OK for our report to describe how the ride was policed, as what actually happened on the day was so very different to what the other officer said would happen.  I wanted to make sure he didn't get into trouble if I described how the police had controlled the traffic, which according to the ACPO guidelines, they're not supposed to do.  He was quite happy for me to say what happened, as he'd filed his own report on the night of the ride, and what he'd done was to do a risk assessment for each junction as he came to it, and with each non-traffic-lighted junction, he'd decided to get the ride over in one group, and momentarily stopped any motor vehicles getting into the middle of the group, to reduce the possibility of anything dangerous happening. 

So, my next WNBR job is to write a brief post-ride report.  I'll wait until my colleagues get back to me re the meeting notes.

Then I went to buy some bread, and came home to have lunch.

So, then got outside, did some clearing up in the studio, so tomorrow I can get the log splitter out and hopefully Tony Castle will render it well again.  I think it needs some more hydraulic fluid, but he's the best person to know. 

I visited Richard who'd asked me to come and collect a shed-load of compost able materials.

At 6 I was at Davids to take him to City Screen for a coffee and a chance to spot Carolyn on a boat.... we did spot her, waving at us.  After this, I introduced David to Richard, who as about to have an evening as Ray Spike, raising money for Alzheimer's research with his band The Falling Spikes, in the basement of City Screen.  I decided not to go to the gig as I needed to finish off in the Studio, digging out the log splitter, and sorting out the mountain of crap Richard gave me, and I don't need to be hungover tomorrow as I've got work in Haxby.

And I need a bath, so got the stove going for hot water......

Saturday 29th May 10

Well, Gill and I slept in, after a very long drawn-out game of Scrabble til 3am, which Gill won.

But I'd already arranged to meet Sarah or Sarah's housemate Jasmin at midday at the Scarcroft allotments with a trailer load of compost, so I had to get my skates on and have a quick breakfast, go and get the compost from down the garden, and loaded 7 sacks into my trailer. I also got 4 carrier bags of riddled compost for Country Fresh.

My other reason for heading into town today was to try to get a recharger lead for my beard trimmer. On the way into town, I met Ben and Jill and Ben had a quick dive into his room full of cables but found nothing... he suggested Argos, or failing that, eBay.

So, I dropped off the riddled compost at Country Fresh and got to Scarcroft Allotments on the dot of midday, and Jasmin was there waiting for me. It turned out that she is the daughter of a friend of mine, and has memories of having a Fiddlesticks party as a little girl. So I dropped off the compost and visited her allotment, and helped her pull out a bit on encroaching couch grass.

She invited me round to her house, actually a shared house owned by another friend of mine, in order to pay me for the compost. We had a cup of hot chocolate and a chat, and for someone so young, she has a really wise approach to life. She takes after her mother in this respect. I was really pleased to have got to know her a little bit.

Then I cycled into town to go to E. Roy, who has a tiny shop near the market, which sells all manner of electricals. But they didn't have the 240v to 3v dc converter with the 3.5mm jack, and he said I wouldn't be able to find it anywhere. I looked in Argos... but they only sell complete sets, minimum price is £20 for a new beard trimmer.

Called in to Country Fresh on the way back and they had a surfeit of bananas, so I now have a full box of ripe bananas to deal with.

I did a bit in the garden as it wasn't raining too much, and after a pasta-based tea, I went out to see my favourite local band, The Falling Spikes.

They were playing at a night called The Fuzz Club at City Screen. The first support band, Mon Mon, were not to my liking as there was too much shouting. The second band, Insect Guide, were better, with an interesting start. The guitarist got his iPhone which had a recording of a commentary from an Apollo mission or something similar, and he pressed the iPhone against the strings so the recording played through the guitar pickups. He used his effects pedals to do things with the sound too... very inventive! I also liked the fact that they had made their own backing video, which was projected onto the band. But I couldn't hear the female singer's words and I wasn't moved by this band.

However, The Falling Spikes, which is a six-piece... Rich my greengrocer buddy on drums, Moz on synth, 3 guitarists and a singer, they blew me away. I love what they do. There is so much going on... a wall of sound and lots of polyrhythms, an assault on the senses. This has the effect of making me very happy; it transports me to a different level of consciousness. At one stage, all the band walked off, leaving guitars up against the amps, giving shuddering feedback mixing with the synth playing some early Eno-esque or perhaps Kraftwerky noise. Brilliant.

I was pleased to meet Jan whom I met many years ago at Cafe No 8 on Gillygate, and Jenny, who looked happy with Moz, and filmed the whole gig on her mobile phone!

I got home at about half midnight. Tired and needing sleep.

Saturday 16th January 10

A funny day as I got busy with the logpile after I got up, and visited Rich at Country Fresh at lunchtime so I could go to the last hour of the York in Transition Christmas Present Swap, which I thought was 10 til 2, but I arrived at 1pm, just as it was finishing.

But I was able to drop off some compostables and pick up some logs, came home and had lunch... and then an underlying headache which didn't seem to want to go away despite paracetamol meant that I put myself to bed for a few hours.

I got up at 7ish and really didn't feel like going to see my favourite band, The Falling Spikes, on at City Screen Basement. I'd been looking forward to this for quite a while. Bummer.

But later, I had a game of Scrabble with Gill (she won by 6 points) and watched Blue Crush, a good surfing movie.

Sunday 22nd November 09 'Sound Mind' gig

What a day! I got up and packed my juggling stuff, balloons and Fiddlesticks costume ready to get to the station to pick Jess up at 10.30... but got a phone call saying she'd just missed that train but would be on the next one. That gave me a little bit more time and although she didn't get off the train I thought she would, I found her wandering in the portico area and we picked up my bike and walked in to El Piano for a cuppa and some lunch.

At about 12.30 we made our way to The Duchess where I was due to compere a ten-hour fundraiser for York and District Mind, called 'Sound Mind'. I got into my Fiddlesticks attire and pretty soon it was time for the first act to be announced, 18 year old Natalie Clarke. She started by singing a version of 'Fever' whilst playing the bass guitar and then did a handful of songs whilst playing an electric piano. Towards the end of her 20 minute spot, it became clear that the next performer hadn't turned up, so she had the opportunity to do an encore, but decided not to. I announced an open mike... and was surprised to see her 10 year old brother, Peter Clarke, come up on stage and play a piece on the piano. What a brilliant start to the day!

Then there was a poet, Laurie Farnell, followed by the wonderful Chechelele Choir who were too numerous to use the stage so they used the centre of the venue and blew us away. Another poet, Brin Price, followed with five very personal poems, and then, for me, one of the highlights of the afternoon, Calabash Drums. This local group, like Chechelele, couldn't use the stage so sat in front of it and did some very clever pieces with just a large number of hand-drums, bongos, Djembes and perhaps one snare drum. Oh, and a pile of pint beer glasses! Awesome!

Then followed Holly Taymar, one of York's favourite singer songwriters, accompanied by Chris Bilton, who played a percussed box called a cajun. Two unaccompanied singers with guitars followed, first Leesa Mae, then Aimee Ryan. Casee Wilson then sang whilst playing her keyboard.

At 6.30, the first of the bands went on, an new outfit called The Dark Roads, who were good and rocking, and then Player 1 whom I recognised from a York Green Festival. Boss Caine followed... as soon as I'd introduced him, Jess, Helen and I popped out to get some food. We went to the nearest Pizza place and had a pizza and salad to take out... and back to the Duchess where we filled our faces. Yummy!

Then there was a comedian, Sean Wilkinson, after which I pulled raffle tickets out of a bucket and a table's worth of goodies was won, bit by bit.

I was absolutely delighted to introduce my favourite York band, The Falling Spikes, who did a storming set, which took me right back to my heyday of musical enjoyment, in the mid 1980s, Spacemen 3. Well, some of the way back, anyway!

Finally, Faces of Dorian played a good set, and whilst this was going on, the money raised was totted up. The Duchess did reduce their surprise fee, which Sound Mind is very grateful for! One performer works for United Utilities, and 'match funded' the event with a donation of £250, which meant that the event raised £650 profit PLUS a single person promising to pay £10 per month as a standing order.

I enjoyed my 10 hours of 'on duty' work, though the work itself was very easy for me. I was really happy to have the company of Maggie, Helen, Charles, Jess, Brin, Mike, Rich, Moz and lots of others.

I cycled home and got in after 11pm exhausted. But I had to do my blog before going to bed!

Sunday 31st August 08 York Green Festival #2

Well a very early start as I had to be at Rowntree Park by about 8am... but arrived so early that only one gate was open but soon others started to trickle in and I helped put together a marquee.

I was in charge of the stalls area and my role was to direct the various stallholders to their pitches and show them where to park their cars. The BBC bus came and eventually got parked up in the right place. Lots of other activity. I was working with a steward called Qing (pronounced 'Ting') and we walked round the stalls as she was doing photographs and wanted to know about each stall. I wasn't aware of the time, just that there was loads happening... and then there was a call on the walkie talkie for me to go to the BBC bus, so I went up there and they wanted to interview me about green lifestyles and the festival and my bike...

They had a clock and I noticed it had just turned 11... the festival had officially started! The interview didn't take long and I was able to get back to the stalls area. Various family and friends arrived, including Gill and the boys and Ali and Ruthie.

The park started to fill up and at one moment the sun came out... but it was still overcast and potentially wet. The Environmental Health Food Hygiene person came and then radioed through to say she was happy with everything. Before long it was approaching 1pm when I was due to present a balloon modelling workshop so I went to the kids area and blew up a whole unicycle's worth of balloons (I put them into the spokes to hold them) and the marquee filled up... loads of children, and as I was doing the workshop, more and more came.... So I did an hour's worth of balloons, an almost endless queue of expectant children all wanting a balloon of their choice. I was glad when there were no more and I could get back to my Festival organiser duties and by this time it had started raining. But the Festival went on and there was lots to do... a very busy few hours.

At about 3.40 I went to the main stage as my favourite band were due to be on, but everything was running late and The Falling Spikes weren't due to be on for at least half an hour. I knew that the music would overrun so I went to find Baz to discuss this with him and he suggested that the music could continue til 5.30, which I wasn't too happy with as this would probably breach our consent. But I didn't argue for a 5pm finish as the audience were still enjoying the music and were resolutely ignoring the rain.

I started doing some litter duties, sorting out different waste streams into different bags, and taking the paper plates/food for composting and the aluminium cans for recycling. The Falling Spikes just did two, possibly three numbers and finished at 5.30 and the park soon became a lot emptier... but I stayed there til 7, doing assorted tidying duties, litter-picking the main lawn and helping John and Len the park-keepers sort out the last of the mess.

I came home very slowly as my trailer was overloaded but got home shortly before 8 and Gill had some home-grown potato chips ready for me, to which I added a couple of yummy things from Azra's curry stall.

Boys overtired and grouchy but they did eventually get to bed and I watched a brilliant programme on Sculpture on C4+1...

Later collected emails and wrote up this blog.

Sunday 29th June 08

Slept in til 10ish, which was lovely.

However, got up immediately and got ready to have a day out with the family. We'd seen a piece in the Press about there being an 'Insect Week' event at Wyevale Garden Centre in Poppleton, so as it's on the Number 10 bus route which goes past our house, we decided to get the bus out there to see the display.

We got the after midday bus all the way to Poppleton and wandered round the garden centre.. which when it was Challis's, Gill worked at, and I also worked at the nearby Challis Plant Factory, where lots of little plants came in, and ceramic bowls, and mainly went out with three plants in a bowl... a tall one at the back, a stubby one at one side and a trailing one towards the front. I spent nearly two years there. Anyway, Challis was sold and it became Wyevale. It is a lot more than a garden centre, it sells all sorts of stuff including fish and pond stuff, all sorts of outdoor things.

We asked about the Insect Week display but nobody knew anything about it, however it didn't matter too much as we had an interesting time.

Then walked into Poppleton, and as it was beginning to rain, went to the Lord Collingwood pub for a bite of lunch and a drink. They had run out of the vegetarian option for lunch so we just had a portion of chips each and I had a perry (seemingly now called 'pear cider'), Gill had a black coffee and the boys had a fruit juice. We ate in the garden, under an umbrella on a picnic bench in the rain, and had a sandwich too, which we'd brought with us. It was a good little trip out, and we all enjoyed it.

I popped down to Country Fresh immediately we got back, before the shop closed, and bought some veg and picked up a box and a sack of compostables. Richard reminded me about the Falling Spikes gig tonight in the Edinburgh Arms.

When I got back, Gill asked me to go to the Co-op to buy some bread and dairy stuff, and when I got back there was a phone call from K, which was inconvenient. The children were playing havoc during this and when I came off the phone, I went into the room they were in and asked them to please be a bit more respectful towards their mother, whom they were disobeying and ignoring. One of my boys was very angry with me and when I went towards him to tell him to calm down and behave, BLOG CENSORED Parenting is not fun at the moment and our children don't often think about how they affect us. The initial fuss was apparently about homework which we want them to do and they do not want to do.

I went outside to let things calm down, and spent an hour weeding the front garden whilst thinking about how I could respond better to my son, and how to be a better parent generally. When I came back in, all was reasonably calm and I was able to tell my boys that I wasn't happy with my response to CENSORED, and I didn't respect myself for my reaction, nor their behaviour towards their mother or me. I apologised to Gill too, as I should really let her sort out the boys by herself if they are playing up... I shouldn't wade in and try to protect her. But it breaks my heart to hear/see her being treated so shabbily and I find it just about impossible to not come in and try to help her. Very difficult. What I'm supposed to do is to come in and ask her if she wants any help.

I had something to eat and did some computery stuff and at 9.30 went to the Edinburgh Arms to arrive just in time to catch The Falling Spikes do a brilliant set, an hour of loud multilayered guitars, 60s-style synth, drums and vocal... reminiscent of my favourite band, Spacemen 3. My friends Rich, Ivana, Dave and Andrew were there, and I chatted with a friendly woman called Tonya. Had one pint of cider.

Home just after 11, spent some time with Gill and at midnight, had a chat on Skype with K which helped us with our differences and difficulties.

Saturday 31st May 08

What a day! Woke early but the boys left us alone (are they getting the hang of a lie-in at the weekend?) and we eventually got up soon after 9. The boys and Gill headed off to Scarborough and I went down the garden to plant some courgettes and climbing beans.

So I had the whole day to myself... lots of sorting in the garden, and at about 11.30 came in to do emails and at 12 watched part 3 of the either rubbish or excellent (can't decide!) Kyle XY on BBC2 whilst having lunch and preparing a nutloaf for the family to have when they come home. Had to do it by hand as out liquidiser is broken. So it took an hour to grate bread into crumbs and hand cut nuts... however it was eventually ready for the microwave. I also did a lot of apples, making them into rings and laying them on racks on the stove, which I have lit to get plenty of hot water and heat for drying fruit, despite the warm weather.

So a very productive day... family came back at 7ish, ravenous and ready for nutloaf and cauliflower with tomato sauce. They loved it!

Watched Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall on C4 whilst doing more emails and blog, getting ready to go out tonight.

Cycled down to City Screen to an event called the Fuzz Club, a psychedelic night with my favourite band playing, 'The Falling Spikes'. I met up with Dave T which was really good, we spent the whole night together chatting and enjoying the music. The support band was called 'Apply The Brakes', they were a bit American and a bit pretentious, and I was very glad when Spikes came on. They are loud and have a certain sound which they stick to... lots of stuff going on, a bank of guitars and my buddy Richard on drums. I really REALLY enjoyed them. They take me to amazing places, soundscapes, beautiful.

Came home after midnight and went to bed very soon after.

Thursday 6th March 08

A good day... only a little fighting this morning.... but before we set off, the fighter calmed down which was good. Gill and I sighed a big sigh of relief when I got back....

I had a pile of CRAG leaflets to deliver plus the press release to the Press and Radio York... so I went to the Press first and talked to a reporter about the CRAG meeting and the Oxfam competition. Then went up to CVS to put a poster up there, and then to the Council office on North Street, and on to the library which was shut for staff training, which was a disappointment. But on to the St Leonard's Council office and Radio York, Miller's Yard, where I had a good conversation with Claire's grandmother... and then St John's College, Sainsbury's notice board and then Morrisson's notice board. So lots of cycling round and giving out publicity.

Back for lunch... Gill was in town by this time, so I did my emails and had a lot to read.

Gill came in just before 3 but I went to pick up the youngest and very soon after coming back, went to pick up the older one who had enjoyed his drama class.

I had sandwiches for tea and at about 7.30 went out to Fibbers, where there were four bands on, including my favourite band 'The Falling Spikes' who were supporting a Californian band called Dead Meadow. When I arrived there was a pretty grungy outfit called Mantra, too loud, then the Falling Spikes went on and they were excellent.... despite sound problems as they'd not had time to have a soundcheck, but they only had half an hour. Then Youthmovies came on... from Oxford, but they were not as trippy or flowing, they were quite jangly and stop-start and I wasn't into them. Finally, the headline Dead Meadow came on and I went down to the front, and they weren't that special, certainly not as good as the Falling Spikes, so after a couple of tracks I went to the back and sat on the sofa.... and after another couple of numbers I decided to go home. So once again, my favourite band stole the day!

Friday 23rd November 07

A busy day, did a lot of log splitting and then chainsawing after taking the boys into school, and going to the library and bread shop. Gill went to art class. and I eventually got on with working in the front garden, splitting and chopping. Two of my favourite activities.

I let G pick up our youngest and the other one went to play with a friend, and I picked him up at 6.30. Home-made tomato soup for tea.

Then a bit of a treat for me, a night out. Went down to Fibbers and was first in (I arrived at 7.30, doors opened at 7.45) and got a cheaper ticket by presenting a flier which meant a £5 entry rather than £8. The first band were Ishtar, quite good, liked them. Then, for me, the highlight of the night, The Falling Spikes. My greengrocer friend Richard is the drummer and their sound is very psychedelic and guitar driven, soaring multi layered wonderfulness, big noise and good projections too! They were worth the entrance money alone... but the headline band was The Warlocks, who were ok, good n psychedelic, very loud and a bit grungy for me, and not as good as The Falling Spikes. I really enjoyed the evening, felt quite in tune with the feel of the music, and was glad that my friend Will (from Arts Centre days over 10 years ago, and the John Bull pub, now demolished) was there and we were able to share the experience a bit!

Cycled home via the wood where the tree surgeons had left some logs for me, and got back at about 11.30, in time for Jools Holland's music-on-the-telly show.

Friday 21st September 07

As Gill was feeling poorly, I took the kids to school. As it was raining, they went straight in, no standing in line this morning, and I got home before 9am. Lit the stove to dry off my clothes and went back to bed for an hour.

Then got up and got busy with some paperwork, some Fiddlesticks stuff and the usual emailing and blogging.

A quiet day really, and 3pm came oh so quickly and I went to pick up the boys.

As soon as I got back, I cycled down to town to go to pay my phone bill which took ages as the Co-op Bank computer system was down, then went to Out Of This World to give them some posters and pick up compostables, then came back via Martin's, where a present was waiting for me, two CDs of The Falling Spikes, the band which Richard drums for, and my favourite band in York, if not the UK at the moment. When I got home I played the 'commercial' one and I love it. I look forward to making time to play the rough cuts one!

At 5.15, my new friend Sarah came round, after meeting her on Critical Mass and at last night's CRAG meeting, she came to see the compost demonstration garden, and it was lovely to show her around.

During the early evening, when the boys were upstairs, Gill and I had a game of Scrabble, the first we've played for ages, since I've been blogging in the evening, and chatting on Googletalk, we just haven't had time for Scrabble, and we used to play almost every night, so it was lovely to have another game.. should do it more often. I won, but only just, by 4 points!

Later, whilst online, I got a message from the CRAG website, purporting to be from someone using the name 'Professor Fiddlesticks', which is my 'stage' name, and is protected by Equity, the performers' Union (actually protected from being used by other entertainers who try to join Equity). The message was complimentary to me, about the work I'm doing to promote sustainability, but I was upset that someone was using that name. I posted a reply, thanking the individual for their comments, and asking them to not use that username. They posted a reply, saying that they were the 'real' Professor Fiddlesticks, so I replied, suggesting they call themselves PF2, or perhaps use their real name like I do on the CRAG website. There was no answer to this.