Saturday 1st October 11

A busy busy day: cycled up to Haxby in the morning to help with the York Rotters compost bin sale.  I took the jars of different sorts of compost from yesterday with me, and showed lots of people what they might expect to get from the bottom of their bin in a year or two.  I took the leafmould jars and the jar with lots of worms and other beasties.  I stopped at 11 and cycled back, collecting some sticks on the way, and got back at 11.40.

Then at 1pm I set off, in Fiddlesticks costume, to the Central Library, 'Explore' to do the final show for the Summer Reading Challenge 'Circus Stars'. I called into the Anti Gravity Shop to buy a new 'two wheel unicycle' as my old one has got too old to support my weight.  I did my show from 2.10 til 3, and had a lovely response. I'm now in a position to submit an invoice for all my summer's library gigs. 

Came back home via the cobblers to re-stick my Fiddlesticks boot sole, and via another place to get new shoelaces.  Then came home via Richard, and collapsed as I was really hot and tired.

Later I got all my kit together and jumped on a bus to Beverley, and dozed on the bus, got myself booked into the Cross Keys and had a quiet night before the Beverley Food Festival.

Tuesday 16th August 11

A slow start to the day, as didn't need to leave the house til after midday.  I got my kit moved from my bags which I use to carry stuff on the train to the Curver Box which goes in the bike trailer. And then, got the costume put in my pannier and four-wheeled unicycles in the other pannier... had my sandwiches and jumped on my trusty steed and headed to Poppleton Library.

The rain started.  I got soaked.  But it only took 35 minutes to cycle up to Poppy and I got to the library at 1pm.  My show was due to start at 1.30, so plenty of time to dry off, get changed and unpack my gear.

We had a 'full house' with at least 20 children and about 8 mums and dads, and we had a really good show, lots of participation and laughter; I really enjoyed it.  After my routine I did a circle game, throwing and catching, and then 35 minutes of free play.

We finished at 3.30 and by 4 I was cycling round the village to see Kate Houghton, who is an 84 year old who was great friends with Gill's mother, Betty Adelaide.  I had a coffee and a chat, and then another friend of hers popped in and it was 5pm, and time for me to go, as I was supposed to be working for David at 6pm.

I got to Stonegate before I needed to go and see David, so I went to chat with Purpleman, who last week suffered an unprovoked attack.  He's OK though, and resilient, and quoted Gandhi.

I got to David's a bit before 6 and he was pleased to see me and wanted to go to City Screen for a coffee.  There were quite a few people there whom we knew, gathering for a film about the history of railways.  We went to sit upstairs and got a lovely view of the river, and chatted briefly with various people.  But when the film started, we went for a wander, down Coney Street and then retraced our steps to go to Museum Gardens, went through and round onto Marygate and down to the river and back through the Gardens, and then to the Minster, round the back and along past St Williams College and along Goodramgate, where we bumped into Claire from Grace Preserves, and her husband whom I've not met before, and eventually home to David's, where he was very happy to get some tea, which was waiting for me to microwave for him.