Up early as I had a busy day ahead... a full day of entertaining at the CTC Rally (the 'York Cycle Show') and then the Fifth York World Naked Bike Ride at 5pm.
So I left in good time, popping in to see Richard at Country Fresh as I haven't said hello to him for a few days, and then along Fulford Road to Hospital Fields Road and down to the Millennium Bridge.
I was pleased to find that the lovely Racecourse people had left Ebor Way open; the covered pathway with nice smooth concrete, which is ideal for teaching/learning unicycling. But before I got started, I visited the volunteer repair stall, which wasn't for repairing volunteers, but for voluntarily repairing bikes and the like.... so I gave them my unicycle which had a slow puncture, and they repaired it! For free! very kind of them... Then I visited the control tent and said hello, letting them know where I was planning to work. So, by 10.20, I was set up in Ebor Way and was soon busy with lots of children, a few teenagers and the occasional adult.
I worked solidly, without a break, until about 2.30 when, for some reason, the Racecourse management decided to shut the gates at the North end of Ebor Way, so that the flow of pedestrian and cycle traffic stopped, reducing the number of people using my services. But, at this time a young female unicyclist, R, whom I've met on several occasions, turned up and had several spins around on one of my unicycles, which was encouraging for other children her age and size (she's now 12) who were trying to learn by using the 3 sets of '4 wheel unicycles' and the one '2 wheel unicycle' thing (pedal go and fun wheels). However, this activity dried up, leaving me just with R, so I decided to decamp for the last hour onto the main field. But it was REALLY cold and much more windy here, and there were hardly any people wanting to try out stuff, so R and I just unicycled around a bit. The lumpy bumpy field wasn't as easy to unicycle around on, and at one stage I fell off and took the scab off my knee, which started to bleed again.... what a nuisance!
However, that last hour came to an end and at 4pm I was able to say bye to my little friend and cycle off into town to join the World Naked Bike Ride participants. I had brought with me a mask, requested by Melanie, 10 bamboos, for the flags, gaffer tape, for fixing bamboos, the megaphone, and my flagpole and flag. I got some of it set up and met up with Janie (ex Spencer Tunick, ex Manchester WNBR) and her son T, who has not ridden a bike very much, and curiously, was dressed as a mobile phone! Then I had to do some announcing, including Councillor Andrew Waller's message to the group, following his being contacted by a few members of the public unhappy with what we had planned to do. Some people are unhappy with public nudity, others about using Memorial Gardens as a starting point, citing 'disrespect'. So, to try to counter this view, I announced that the ride was dedicated to those who had been killed whilst cycling, especially those serving their country, the cyclist regiments and battalions.
Then Jesse Schust did a bit of an announcement; he's been looking after the UK WNBR for a few years and he's standing down, and I believe it is Tony who is going to keep those wheels turning. Then we moved to the start of the ride, which is a car park quite close to the River Ouse, behind a block of flats or apartments. Councillor Dave Taylor was being Dick Turpin for a while, and he launched the ride.
We'd discussed how the ride would be managed and I was asked to do the 'rear guard' and keep at the back of all the riders, so I kept this position all the way. It was a very slow ride, at walking pace for quite a bit of the way.... just as well for one participant who walked and jogged the whole way round with a skateboard under his arm, completely naked apart from shoes!
Our route went over the River Ouse, to the Minster, down Petergate to Church St and Parliament St, then wriggled round to Coppergate and Clifford St, round the oval road which goes past the Castle Museum, over to Tower Gardens, down river to Blue Bridge and onto Millennium Bridge. The other side of this we continued down river as far as the snicket which leads fairly steeply up to Terrys on Bishopthorpe Road. From here we went towards Bishopthorpe and crossed onto the start of the Route 66 cycle path to Selby, to the place where to occasionally used Racecourse Road crosses the cycle path, and where Ruby Milnes was tragically killed in 2008, when a lorry delivering portaloos to the Racecourse collided with her.
So this was the half way point, and we'd planned to have a 15 minute rest here, but it was REALLY cold and windy, so we had a brief stop of about 5 minutes. I did an announcement about the serious message of the ride; our vulnerability as cyclists, and I mentioned Ruby. We had a one minute's silence. After which people were keen to keep going!
I counted the participants here, and there were 97, and two had left the ride at the Millennium Bridge, so the number as far as I'm concerned was 100 on this ride. My CTC Rally friend R turned up here and so I said goodbye to her again. Our route back was along Albermarle Road, The Mount, Blossom St, Micklegate, Coney St and into Museum Gardens where people dismounted to get to the area where we got back into ordinary mode. There was a bit of discussion about the police presence. They had been understaffed due to other things going on, so we had mainly 'PCSOs', and their role was supposed to be 'observers'. However, when a couple of our stewards 'corked' a junction (stopping traffic to allow the riders to go through all in one block, for safety reasons) the PCSOs intervened and tried to prevent our people doing this. But later in the ride, the police behaved more sensibly and on one occasion corked a junction themselves, on The Mount, and then on Mickelgate, told us to stay as a block and ignore the lights which were changing, and if we'd obeyed them we would have been split as a group. We did get split a couple of times and this did not enhance safety. Ideally we need to be treated as a procession or convoy and kept as a group, and my guess is that next year, we'll try to sort this out beforehand.
So, it was a successful event with no accidents or incidents to speak of, no aggression from motorists and I heard no negative comments from members of the public. I was really impressed by Janie and especially her son who are both pretty novice cyclsts and for them, it was a tough ride.
I cycled back with Michael Nugent, our volunteer CRU... cycling response unit, a self employed ambulance bike rider from Essex who is a keen naturist, and I'd offered to give him somewhere to kip for the night. He'd parked outside our house and cycled in with Jesse, whom he'd given a lift to, and he had a wander down the garden, I picked some spinach and Gill added this to some noodles and other veg which we both enjoyed. After this he said hello to the children and then we had an hour in the Beeswing down the road, good chats.
A few more chats and laughs when we got back, and jolly conversations with Gill, but then he was tired and as he had to get up and go at some ridiculous hour, he went to sleep on the futon in the front room.
I wrote my blog. Which I hope gives you a flavour of an unforgettable day. But only if you were out in it would you know how cold it was!
Showing posts with label Unicycle workshops. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Unicycle workshops. Show all posts
Saturday, 19 June 2010
Saturday, 4 July 2009
Saturday 4th July 09
Another work-day today. I had to be at Headlands School in Haxby by 11am, so I got ready to leave home by about 10.15, with trailer-full of circus gear, unicycles and modelling balloons. I decided to go in costume as it is sometimes easier to arrive and just get going rather than have to change into my performance clothes. It was only about 30 minutes cycle, so I was there in time for the start.
I'd been provided with a little gazebo as cover from sun or possible rain, on the edge of the playground. It was a usual 'school fete' type event... tombola, DJ, Army stall, crazy bike track, beekeeper... BEEKEEPER? That was a first for me... I've never seen a beekeeper at an event like that before! Nice! I had a very busy time, but a 20 minute break when the dance troupes did their performance, so that's when I had my sandwiches.
The rest of the afternoon went smoothly... I was impressed with the perseverance of a 10 year old lad who came to me pretty early on saying he wanted to learn the unicycle. I asked him to start on the 4 wheeler.. which he found very easy, and then the 2 wheel unicycle which he also balanced on really well. So I showed him how to get the pedals in the right position before trying to mount, and the best way to get started by hanging on to a window ledge on the side of the playground. He continued working at it, shared some of the time with another lad and for a short time a girl, but he kept on coming back to it. By 3pm he was unicycling across the playground! Awesome...
At 2ish I scaled down my devilstick tuition and juggling workshops and got the DJ to announce that I'd be making balloon animals for a small donation to Headlands. I had a busy hour and generated over £10 for the school. They were delighted and I was knackered and hot. I was given my cheque, packed and cycled off, stopping by Freshways to load a very heavy sack of compostables onto my pannier rack.
Home at 4pm and Gill announced that the boys had been taken to the cinema by Ros and would be back at 6.30... wow, freedom at the weekend, so Gill and I made best use of the space.
So a happy evening, boys post Ice Age 3 and us feeling contented, a nice tea of cold Bulgar wheat 'salad' with added feta cheese, olives, broad beans. Lovely.
I'd been provided with a little gazebo as cover from sun or possible rain, on the edge of the playground. It was a usual 'school fete' type event... tombola, DJ, Army stall, crazy bike track, beekeeper... BEEKEEPER? That was a first for me... I've never seen a beekeeper at an event like that before! Nice! I had a very busy time, but a 20 minute break when the dance troupes did their performance, so that's when I had my sandwiches.
The rest of the afternoon went smoothly... I was impressed with the perseverance of a 10 year old lad who came to me pretty early on saying he wanted to learn the unicycle. I asked him to start on the 4 wheeler.. which he found very easy, and then the 2 wheel unicycle which he also balanced on really well. So I showed him how to get the pedals in the right position before trying to mount, and the best way to get started by hanging on to a window ledge on the side of the playground. He continued working at it, shared some of the time with another lad and for a short time a girl, but he kept on coming back to it. By 3pm he was unicycling across the playground! Awesome...
At 2ish I scaled down my devilstick tuition and juggling workshops and got the DJ to announce that I'd be making balloon animals for a small donation to Headlands. I had a busy hour and generated over £10 for the school. They were delighted and I was knackered and hot. I was given my cheque, packed and cycled off, stopping by Freshways to load a very heavy sack of compostables onto my pannier rack.
Home at 4pm and Gill announced that the boys had been taken to the cinema by Ros and would be back at 6.30... wow, freedom at the weekend, so Gill and I made best use of the space.
So a happy evening, boys post Ice Age 3 and us feeling contented, a nice tea of cold Bulgar wheat 'salad' with added feta cheese, olives, broad beans. Lovely.
Saturday, 20 June 2009
Saturday 20th June 09
A work day, so up early to get myself ready for the York Cycle Show on the Racecourse.
I got there on the dot of 10.30 with my trailer overloaded with the box of jugglestuff, four Pedal-Go things ('four-wheel unicycles') two Fun Wheels ('two wheel unicycles') and four real (one wheel) unicycles. And my sandwiches.
The weather looked ominous but held off for an hour or so, and my position, near the entrance to the central compound was a good one as had loads of punters wanting to have a go on the various unicycley things.
My old friend Dawn found me, how lovely to see her again; she'd come over on the train with her folding bike from Sheffield. I met loads of other people too, far too many to name individually, but a few who stood out were Rachel, now 18, and a Fiddlesticks fan for years, now not a child and a bonny young woman with a huge smile; R, a very keen child unicyclist whom I met last year and we bonded, and amazingly, Gill and the boys appeared, I hadn't expected to see them.
The weather decided to make my job much harder by raining hard and rendering the firm grass into a soft muddy area, less convivial for unicycling. But I continued where I was, as the Racecourse had sealed off the covered walkway where I have worked on previous years.
I didn't stop for lunch but had bites of sandwich between helping people with their unicycling technique. I worked til just after 4 and then packed up, went to see the HQ tent, and cycled home. I had to spend the best part of an hour cleaning my assorted unicycle equipment as it was covered in mud.
I then went round to Maria's as she was having a birthday party, and Gill, boyos and Dawn were already there. I had a veg kebab and nutloaf, and a good chat with a newly married couple Mark and Sarah, I think. We spent some time discussing Optimists v Pessimists! A relaxing evening.
Got home at about 8pm and planted sweetcorn, nearly too potbound but hopefully will now grow huge and give us some lovely cobs...
I got there on the dot of 10.30 with my trailer overloaded with the box of jugglestuff, four Pedal-Go things ('four-wheel unicycles') two Fun Wheels ('two wheel unicycles') and four real (one wheel) unicycles. And my sandwiches.
The weather looked ominous but held off for an hour or so, and my position, near the entrance to the central compound was a good one as had loads of punters wanting to have a go on the various unicycley things.
My old friend Dawn found me, how lovely to see her again; she'd come over on the train with her folding bike from Sheffield. I met loads of other people too, far too many to name individually, but a few who stood out were Rachel, now 18, and a Fiddlesticks fan for years, now not a child and a bonny young woman with a huge smile; R, a very keen child unicyclist whom I met last year and we bonded, and amazingly, Gill and the boys appeared, I hadn't expected to see them.
The weather decided to make my job much harder by raining hard and rendering the firm grass into a soft muddy area, less convivial for unicycling. But I continued where I was, as the Racecourse had sealed off the covered walkway where I have worked on previous years.
I didn't stop for lunch but had bites of sandwich between helping people with their unicycling technique. I worked til just after 4 and then packed up, went to see the HQ tent, and cycled home. I had to spend the best part of an hour cleaning my assorted unicycle equipment as it was covered in mud.
I then went round to Maria's as she was having a birthday party, and Gill, boyos and Dawn were already there. I had a veg kebab and nutloaf, and a good chat with a newly married couple Mark and Sarah, I think. We spent some time discussing Optimists v Pessimists! A relaxing evening.
Got home at about 8pm and planted sweetcorn, nearly too potbound but hopefully will now grow huge and give us some lovely cobs...
Sunday, 13 July 2008
Sunday 13th July 08
A busy day... two gigs, a two-hour party in Dunnington, and three hours of entertainment at the
Madhyamaka Centre near Pocklington with associated cycling, about 30 miles in total.
So the first was 11-1, a very enthusiastic 7 yr old and 19 of his friends and siblings, and the only difficulty was that the party was in the front room, with a fairly low ceiling and no space for unicycling... however I did my unicycle finale outside, suprising a visiting window cleaner!
I finished there at just after 1 and was cycling to Pocklington by 10 past... and got to the Buddhist Centre on the dot of 2pm, which is when I was contracted to start. I was quite hot after a 14 mile cycle, pulling a trailer full of kit, so changed my teeshirt and had a 10 minute rest with juice to cool off... then did a load more unicycling and circus workshops, finishing after 5pm.
I cycled back quite leisurely, getting in at 7, and Gill had a quiche and potatoes ready which was most welcome. So a busy few days, but all has gone well...
Madhyamaka Centre near Pocklington with associated cycling, about 30 miles in total.
So the first was 11-1, a very enthusiastic 7 yr old and 19 of his friends and siblings, and the only difficulty was that the party was in the front room, with a fairly low ceiling and no space for unicycling... however I did my unicycle finale outside, suprising a visiting window cleaner!
I finished there at just after 1 and was cycling to Pocklington by 10 past... and got to the Buddhist Centre on the dot of 2pm, which is when I was contracted to start. I was quite hot after a 14 mile cycle, pulling a trailer full of kit, so changed my teeshirt and had a 10 minute rest with juice to cool off... then did a load more unicycling and circus workshops, finishing after 5pm.
I cycled back quite leisurely, getting in at 7, and Gill had a quiche and potatoes ready which was most welcome. So a busy few days, but all has gone well...
Monday, 23 June 2008
Sunday 22nd June 08
Another day working... the second day at the CTC rally on the Racecourse. It was very windy and I didn't get to the Minster for the big cycle ride from there to the Knavesmire, but I got to the Knavesmire at the same time as the cyclists, at 10am, and I 'set up shop' and got going with the unicycle workshops. I had a visit from a girl who spent lots of time with me last year, now 10 and still unicycling and turning heads, as it's quite unusual to see such a small person unicycling around! She spent most of the day with me, using both of my kids unicycles (not at the same time!) and helping other children too, which was nice.
I was also joined by a tall 19 year-old chap, who had a few goes on a couple of activities (devilstick, juggling, unicycle, balloon modelling) but did a lot of just standing around watching, so I got several chances to chat to him. College dropout, jobless but hoping to work in a bar, but he was pleasant. Before lunch, my unicycle pedal broke off (the second of the pair, one of which broke last Tuesday!) he either offered or I asked him to go and get a replacement. I gave him a £20 note plus the unicycle and said 'hope to see you soon, or if I don't, you've got yourself a free top-of-the-range unicycle plus £20'. He assured me he'd come back, and soon he did, with a new pedal fixed on and the other of the pair in his hand, plus £16 change.
I took 10 mins off for lunch (sandwiches) and then continued full-on til 3.30, with the wind getting stronger and stronger. My hat kept on blowing off, and then I remembered that I'd found a large elastic band a while ago on the ground, picked it up and put it on my tri-bars... so I put this on my hat and it held it firmly on my head for the rest of the day. However the wind did more damage than blowing my hat off... the event was sponsored by Nokia and they had a large marquee with two large screens in it... the marquee blew down, smashing both screens (I was told) and causing thousands of pounds-worth of damage....
I got packed up for 4pm and went to get paid, was given a coffee at this time too, most welcome.
Lots of branches down on the way home, and something blew into my eye and when i got home it began to really hurt. I tried to wash it out by putting my eye in an egg-cup (bathing it, not taking it out and washing it! lol) but that didn't seem to work. Gill put a patch on it and after tea I cycled cyclops-like along the cycle path to the A+E Department of the York Hospital and presented myself as walking wounded. I waited for an hour and a half, resting my eye but wrote my journal and wrote most of the Community Care column which is due in tomorrow. Then my name was called and after I chatted with the tired young Doc, took my patch off and my eye felt completely normal... how odd! I might have washed it out with the egg-cup trick, but the eye remained hurt and needed to recover. We had a laugh about it and I cycled home, picking up several huge fallen branches on the way so I can shred the twiggy bits and use the sticks as fuel.
I was also joined by a tall 19 year-old chap, who had a few goes on a couple of activities (devilstick, juggling, unicycle, balloon modelling) but did a lot of just standing around watching, so I got several chances to chat to him. College dropout, jobless but hoping to work in a bar, but he was pleasant. Before lunch, my unicycle pedal broke off (the second of the pair, one of which broke last Tuesday!) he either offered or I asked him to go and get a replacement. I gave him a £20 note plus the unicycle and said 'hope to see you soon, or if I don't, you've got yourself a free top-of-the-range unicycle plus £20'. He assured me he'd come back, and soon he did, with a new pedal fixed on and the other of the pair in his hand, plus £16 change.
I took 10 mins off for lunch (sandwiches) and then continued full-on til 3.30, with the wind getting stronger and stronger. My hat kept on blowing off, and then I remembered that I'd found a large elastic band a while ago on the ground, picked it up and put it on my tri-bars... so I put this on my hat and it held it firmly on my head for the rest of the day. However the wind did more damage than blowing my hat off... the event was sponsored by Nokia and they had a large marquee with two large screens in it... the marquee blew down, smashing both screens (I was told) and causing thousands of pounds-worth of damage....
I got packed up for 4pm and went to get paid, was given a coffee at this time too, most welcome.
Lots of branches down on the way home, and something blew into my eye and when i got home it began to really hurt. I tried to wash it out by putting my eye in an egg-cup (bathing it, not taking it out and washing it! lol) but that didn't seem to work. Gill put a patch on it and after tea I cycled cyclops-like along the cycle path to the A+E Department of the York Hospital and presented myself as walking wounded. I waited for an hour and a half, resting my eye but wrote my journal and wrote most of the Community Care column which is due in tomorrow. Then my name was called and after I chatted with the tired young Doc, took my patch off and my eye felt completely normal... how odd! I might have washed it out with the egg-cup trick, but the eye remained hurt and needed to recover. We had a laugh about it and I cycled home, picking up several huge fallen branches on the way so I can shred the twiggy bits and use the sticks as fuel.
Saturday, 21 June 2008
Saturday 21st June 08 Summer Solstice
Busy day working, the CTC rally on the Knavesmire followed by a wedding in Leeds.
Sunday, 24 June 2007
Sunday 24th June 07
A second day at the CTC Rally, I decided to go to the Minster and join the mass cycle from the Minster to the Racecourse, which left at 9.45 after the service for cyclists. There were loads, a throng of different cycles, all sorts, and coulouful too. I enjoyed the ride and when we got to the entrance to the Rally, I got to the front and stopped by the side of the road, and counted them in... there were 600 machines, perhaps 700 people as there were plenty of tandems and multis.
What a sight!
I very soon got going with my workshops and was busy with lots of children and adults wanting to learn the art of unicycling. By 12 I was tired and stopped for lunch, I ate in the cafe marquee and it tipped down. I did more work from about 12.45 til 3.30 when I was truly worn out, so I popped into the mobile police station as they wanted me to give a statement about the stolen unicycle yesterday.
I went to get paid and collected a large bag of coffee grounds from two coffee cars, as I'd asked them to collect it up for my composting. A good day, very social with dozens of people I know stopping by to say hi which was very nice.
On the way home I popped in to see Y but she wasn't in, so I came home via the Hes Rd Veg Emporium and brought back a box full of onion skins and yellowing broccoli...
When I got back, Gill looked like she'd had an argument with a bus... infact she had, when coming back from Pocklington, a lovely day out with the boys, she'd missed her step getting on to the bus and fallen on her nose, scraping all the skin off it and damaging her glasses. There was lots of blood, the boys were very upset but kept it together and when they got back, Gill went next door to our neighbour who is a nurse to have the big flap of skin which was hanging off snipped off. Her face is a mess, but it's only superficial and nothing's severely damaged.
What a sight!
I very soon got going with my workshops and was busy with lots of children and adults wanting to learn the art of unicycling. By 12 I was tired and stopped for lunch, I ate in the cafe marquee and it tipped down. I did more work from about 12.45 til 3.30 when I was truly worn out, so I popped into the mobile police station as they wanted me to give a statement about the stolen unicycle yesterday.
I went to get paid and collected a large bag of coffee grounds from two coffee cars, as I'd asked them to collect it up for my composting. A good day, very social with dozens of people I know stopping by to say hi which was very nice.
On the way home I popped in to see Y but she wasn't in, so I came home via the Hes Rd Veg Emporium and brought back a box full of onion skins and yellowing broccoli...
When I got back, Gill looked like she'd had an argument with a bus... infact she had, when coming back from Pocklington, a lovely day out with the boys, she'd missed her step getting on to the bus and fallen on her nose, scraping all the skin off it and damaging her glasses. There was lots of blood, the boys were very upset but kept it together and when they got back, Gill went next door to our neighbour who is a nurse to have the big flap of skin which was hanging off snipped off. Her face is a mess, but it's only superficial and nothing's severely damaged.
Saturday, 23 June 2007
Saturday 23rd June 07
Woken by torrential rain... and I'm working today at the Cyclist's Touring Club Cycle Rally on the Knavesmire this weekend, so I'm expecting to work in the undercover area with 'hard-standing', because what I do doesn't work on wet grass, so I've already decided where I'll be working.
I got to the site after 10am and set up in the covered dry area, after telling the organisers where I was. I had a busy day, lots of 'punters' to try out the four-wheel-unicycle (pedal-go) and the two-wheel-unicycle (fun wheels) and quite a few had a try at the genuine one wheeler. My brother in law Mike showed up, as he has been a keen cyclist, although hasn't done much over the past couple of years.
At lunchtime Gill and the boys turned up, so I closed the show, locked up my bike and bungeed on my unicycles on top of my trailer, which is how they are transported. Had a good wander around with the family and ate lunch. Enjoyed watching bicycle polo!
Got back to my pitch to find someone had unbungeed my unicycles and removed one of them, the largest of the 3 smaller ones, which is about the right size for large children or adults. I couldn't report this as stolen as I immediately had customers, so I just got on with my work. However a cycling policeman came past and I had a word with him, and he told me that there was a police station on site, and I should report it stolen there. I had a busy afternoon, but at 4pm I packed it in and went to report it to the police and the organisers.
What a bummer, I'm more annoyed that I won't be able to do my full range of workshops without it than the hassle of replacing it.
On the way home I popped into the rail station to get train tickets for my trip to the Big Green Gathering, and came home via the veg shop for a pick up of the usual biodegradables, 2 sacks worth.
Gill made tea, a good rice and veg dish, which was lovely. I did a stint in the garden afterwards, and planted some beans and yams, as well as loading up a dalek composter with 3 sacks worth.
Enjoyed Glastonbury on the telly...
I got to the site after 10am and set up in the covered dry area, after telling the organisers where I was. I had a busy day, lots of 'punters' to try out the four-wheel-unicycle (pedal-go) and the two-wheel-unicycle (fun wheels) and quite a few had a try at the genuine one wheeler. My brother in law Mike showed up, as he has been a keen cyclist, although hasn't done much over the past couple of years.
At lunchtime Gill and the boys turned up, so I closed the show, locked up my bike and bungeed on my unicycles on top of my trailer, which is how they are transported. Had a good wander around with the family and ate lunch. Enjoyed watching bicycle polo!
Got back to my pitch to find someone had unbungeed my unicycles and removed one of them, the largest of the 3 smaller ones, which is about the right size for large children or adults. I couldn't report this as stolen as I immediately had customers, so I just got on with my work. However a cycling policeman came past and I had a word with him, and he told me that there was a police station on site, and I should report it stolen there. I had a busy afternoon, but at 4pm I packed it in and went to report it to the police and the organisers.
What a bummer, I'm more annoyed that I won't be able to do my full range of workshops without it than the hassle of replacing it.
On the way home I popped into the rail station to get train tickets for my trip to the Big Green Gathering, and came home via the veg shop for a pick up of the usual biodegradables, 2 sacks worth.
Gill made tea, a good rice and veg dish, which was lovely. I did a stint in the garden afterwards, and planted some beans and yams, as well as loading up a dalek composter with 3 sacks worth.
Enjoyed Glastonbury on the telly...
Monday, 7 May 2007
Monday May 7th 07, my birthday
Yes my birthday but work anyway, nice to have a bank holiday birthday. I had asked my family to make it a very minimal day, if they wished to celebrate it at all. So when I got up I was given a home-made card from the boys, with a large opening mouth inside and their favourite blowy blob patterns. For a combined present I got a LED torch which lights as you squeeze the handle, and any spare power goes to a rechargable battery or capacitor, and the torch can be switched on for use without squeezing. This was £1.99 from Barnitts, reduced from £2.99, and Gill got both the boys one as well.... a brilliant bargain. I'll be able to use it whilst using the compost loo!
I cycled down to the National Railway Museum with my trailer loaded up with unicycles and both boys in tow. We arrived early and I got started whilst the boys decorated bicycles and played on the assorted bikes and trikes in the try-out area. I had lots of unicycle workshops and loads of interest, loads of happy customers.
During lunch break we had a walk around and at 2pm when I was to resume, Gill arrived to take them back home. At 4pm I got a visit from Lorna, Saturday's unicycling success, and we chatted and after Bernie from Bikerescue had paid me for the two days work, Lorna and I had a hot chocolate together, as we had made friends over the unicycle workshops. A lovely person and her positive feedback was a lovely birthday treat.
Home just after 5pm and Gill had made a veg stew with chickpeas, my creative eldest son had created savoury biscuits to go with the stew, and my youngest had followed a recipe to make buns. Good for mum, teaching my boys to cook!
After tea I planted the rest of the sweetcorn seeds, germinating in a margerine tub.
I cycled down to the National Railway Museum with my trailer loaded up with unicycles and both boys in tow. We arrived early and I got started whilst the boys decorated bicycles and played on the assorted bikes and trikes in the try-out area. I had lots of unicycle workshops and loads of interest, loads of happy customers.
During lunch break we had a walk around and at 2pm when I was to resume, Gill arrived to take them back home. At 4pm I got a visit from Lorna, Saturday's unicycling success, and we chatted and after Bernie from Bikerescue had paid me for the two days work, Lorna and I had a hot chocolate together, as we had made friends over the unicycle workshops. A lovely person and her positive feedback was a lovely birthday treat.
Home just after 5pm and Gill had made a veg stew with chickpeas, my creative eldest son had created savoury biscuits to go with the stew, and my youngest had followed a recipe to make buns. Good for mum, teaching my boys to cook!
After tea I planted the rest of the sweetcorn seeds, germinating in a margerine tub.
Sunday, 6 May 2007
Saturday 5th May 07
A work day.... but a type of work I particularly enjoy, at a cycling event, teaching unicycle and entertaining people with my ability to unicycle and do the devilsticks. The event, 'Cycle Tracks' was at the National Railway Museum and was organised by the Bikerescue team, Bernie and Andy. They had got lots of decorated bicycles, and were decorating more, and had Bo the Clown, who does assorted cycling stuff and a Punch and Judy, stalls inside from a cycle shop and Sustrans and others... a good medium-sized event.
So I arrived, in costume, at about 10.30am and found my way to the South Yard and got set up by 10.55. I did my workshops, mainly with 'Pedal-Go' and 'Fun-Wheels' (four-wheel and two-wheel 'unicycles') and also coached a few people on the four one-wheel (ie normal) unicycles I had taken down on my bike trailer. I particularly enjoyed teaching a 13 year old boy who went from Pedal-Go to being a basic unicyclist in about 25 minutes, and a pair of lovely petite twin ladies (Lorna and Claire) in their 30's who both spent over an hour trying to get the hang of unicycling. Good chats with them afterwards, whilst Bo was doing a show.
So I worked 11 til 1.15 and 2 til 4 and then got off back home feeling tired but happy that it had gone so well.
I was able to do a bit of pottering about, and as the phone line had been mended, catch up on blogging and emails.
So I arrived, in costume, at about 10.30am and found my way to the South Yard and got set up by 10.55. I did my workshops, mainly with 'Pedal-Go' and 'Fun-Wheels' (four-wheel and two-wheel 'unicycles') and also coached a few people on the four one-wheel (ie normal) unicycles I had taken down on my bike trailer. I particularly enjoyed teaching a 13 year old boy who went from Pedal-Go to being a basic unicyclist in about 25 minutes, and a pair of lovely petite twin ladies (Lorna and Claire) in their 30's who both spent over an hour trying to get the hang of unicycling. Good chats with them afterwards, whilst Bo was doing a show.
So I worked 11 til 1.15 and 2 til 4 and then got off back home feeling tired but happy that it had gone so well.
I was able to do a bit of pottering about, and as the phone line had been mended, catch up on blogging and emails.
Monday, 30 April 2007
Monday 30th April 07
Woke late and feeling grotty with throat feeling swollen, but decided to get up and get on without fuss, and as I have so much to do, starting with Fiddlesticks confirmations, as the summer bookings are coming in. I have 4 to reply to today, two which need an invoice and one which also needs a risk assessment.
We had three visitors for coffee in the morning, two residents of Emerald Street where we used to live and one of their young sons who was very cute, even though he wasn't feeling very well.
Then for lunch my friend Jo came and met Gill for the first time and we all had a nice chat over a sandwich.
After lunch I did some washing up and 3pm came so soon, my time to go and get the kids. But immediately I arrived back I cycled down to town and picked up my recyclables and paid in a cheque and also popped in on Bernie at Bikerescue, a bicycle recycling organisation which is organising a 3 day cycle event at the National Railway Museum, and I have been booked as Professor Fiddlesticks the unicycle teacher, on Saturday 5th and Monday 7th May, next weekend.
Nice tea made by Gill, based on bulgar wheat.
We had three visitors for coffee in the morning, two residents of Emerald Street where we used to live and one of their young sons who was very cute, even though he wasn't feeling very well.
Then for lunch my friend Jo came and met Gill for the first time and we all had a nice chat over a sandwich.
After lunch I did some washing up and 3pm came so soon, my time to go and get the kids. But immediately I arrived back I cycled down to town and picked up my recyclables and paid in a cheque and also popped in on Bernie at Bikerescue, a bicycle recycling organisation which is organising a 3 day cycle event at the National Railway Museum, and I have been booked as Professor Fiddlesticks the unicycle teacher, on Saturday 5th and Monday 7th May, next weekend.
Nice tea made by Gill, based on bulgar wheat.
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