Thursday 19th January 12

A really packed and perfect day.  Everything fitted together really well.

I got up just after the boys went to school by taxi and left the house an hour later just after 9am to get a bus sometime before 10.  At the bus stop, something happened which put me in a positive mood for the rest of the day.

I started chatting with a woman who like me was waiting for the bus which was a couple of minutes late.  She was waiting for her mother and they were heading to Leeds.  I told her that I was heading to Seacroft to donate platelets.  She said that I was really lovely to do that, as she had received platelets on several occasions as she had leukaemia. She thanked me for what I was doing.  I nearly cried.

I read some NewScientist on the bus and before long was at Seacroft, a few minutes early.  The donation went normally, 3 units in just over an hour. 

Can't remember if the evening held any highlights.

Friday 23rd December 11

Didn't have to get up TOO early.... about 8.30 so I could leave the house at 9.15 and get the 9.45 bus to Leeds.  My platelets donation appointment was at 10.50, and it all went very smoothly, I gave 3 units in 78 minutes.  The woman next to me, a psychiatrist doing her first donation, was on a timer of 87 minutes to give two units, and the chap beyond her was like me, donating 3 units, but he was doing it in 95 minutes.  I have no idea why I'm so quick.  Is my blood hyperactive too?

I collected quite a few aluminium cans on the way back to the bus stop, and got a message from Glenn saying he was ready to meet me.... I was still in Tadcaster when I got this so I asked if he could hang on til 2.30.  I visited Country Fresh and Freshways on the way home, and got in at 2.25, Glenn arriving 10 minutes later.

It was good to see him, we chatted as I lit the stove, had a sandwich and then after an hour, I had to go out to pick up something from the chemist, so Glenn went on his way... he'd been doing some shopping  in York and was heading back to Scarborough.

I did a few bits and bobs around the house, emptying the vacuum cleaner, washing up, filling log baskets, contributing to the evening meal.... and later, watched 'Titanic' on the telly, which was really good.  Gill's seen it twice before but this was my first time.

Wednesday 23rd November 11

Well today I was due to go to donate platelets at Seacroft Hospital in Leeds... I took pears to Scoop, and spotted the preparation on Walmgate Stray to burn the big pile of brushwood which had been piled up since summer when the new fence was put in, and I'd asked the Council not to burn, but to leave as a wildlife resource.  As I cycled down to Scoop, at about 9.30 the little bulldozer was being taken out of a trailer behind a tractor, and as I cycled past again, the workmen were setting fire to the big pile of brash.  This is bad practice; if having a bonfire, it is far better to move the material to be burnt to an area near the storage pile, which may very well have got wildlife living in it.  The fire should have material added to it from the initial pile, but on Walmgate Stray, the big pile was torched in a very lazy and uncaring manner.  I was quite angry, and started composing a letter complaining about this.

I cycled on to the train station to get a bus. I had a bit of a drippy nose, but thought this might be an allergy, rather than a cold, so I decided it was OK to donate.

I donated 3 units of platelets in 67 minutes. I didn't feel that brilliant during the donation, and the staff asked me if I was well enough to donate.  However, I do get a runny nose fairly often, and have done since childhood.

Bus back, came home, flopped, and went for a lie down.

However, I needed to collect the unsold pears from Scoop, and then there was a seminar on sustainable development, organised by the University International Development Society.  The speaker was Professor Piran White, Deputy Head at the Environment Department.  It was a good overview about what sustainable development entailed.

Later, I wrote to the Press about the Council's bonfire, and copied in Andy D'Agorne, who'd been party to the discussion earlier this year.

Tuesday 11th October 11

I got up at 8am after 5 hours sleep and got slowly ready to go to Leeds to donate platelets.  My appointment was at 10.50 so I aimed to get to the station for 9.45 and get the bus to Seacroft.  I had a nice chat with a guy who'd just arrived from Pakistan whilst waiting at the bus stop, he had an electronic ticket and was concerned that the bus was late.

I dozed on the bus but kept half an eye on where I was; didn't miss my stop.

The platelet donation went very smoothly, I gave 3 units in 67 minutes, which is awesome.

On the bus on the way home Gill texted me to ask if I could pick something up for her so I got home eventually after 2, and had some sandwiches for a very late lunch.

And a fairly quiet day then progressed; sorting out the tomatoes which started drying last night, having the soup which I started making last night which Gill finished this afternoon.  Cracking hazelnuts.... the usual type of evening!

Tuesday 13th September 11

Quite an exhausting day.  I had a platelets appointment at 10.50 so I cycled down to the station to get the 9.53 bus to Seacroft.  I used the new entrance to the station, the one between the river and Leeman Road, which avoids the potentially dangerous roads around the station front.  The only disadvantage is that there's no bike racks around that North end of the station, and I had to walk and scoot down to the other end, along the platform.

However, it is still a better way to get into the station.  I like it.  I went to the bus stop and minutes later, had my £6 return to Leeds and began to read my NewScientist.  But at one of the next stops, my old friend John Redpath, who used to be the Town Cryer of York, got on, and we sat together.  I was pleased to be able to have a conversation with him, as after the Peace Festival, several people said to me that I should be a town cryer, as my voice would easily allow me to do it. He gave me several tips and suggestions about how I could approach becoming the town cryer, if I wanted to!

We were soon on the outskirts of Leeds and I got off at Seacroft, and walked back to the Blood Donor Centre.  I was swiftly processed and on the platelet machine, and this time the needle didn't go through my vein, but properly into it, and I was able to donate 3 units of platelets in 77 minutes... a bit slower than the previous donations, but still 3 units, when most people give only 2.  I like being a superdonor!

I had a bag of crisps, chocolate biscuit and coffee from the Donor Centre for lunch, and got the next bus back.... I felt sleepy and couldn't concentrate on my magazine, and was soon back at the station in York.  I cycled via the Building Society (compost cheque in) and my dentist, who had seemingly forgotten me and not invited me back for a check-up, and Millers Yard (picked up one sack of half oranges) and then home via the cycle path and St Nicks.  When I got in I was surprised to see it was already 3pm, and I was due to collect our youngest at 3.30pm!  I had a quick sandwich and bombed off to Fulford Cross.

I part walked, part cycled with him sitting on the rack, and we were home soon.  I spent an hour relaxing on the computer, before getting ready to go to work for David at 6pm.

We went to City Screen, and met Ceri and Richard, and had some good conversations.  And soon back to put his meal in the microwave and I got away at 7.45, so I could zoom home for my tea, and more pear peeling.

A very busy day, was quite tired during the evening.... but no earlier to bed, sadly!

Friday 8th July 11

Quite an odd day.

I had arranged to do a children's party in the afternoon near Bishopthorpe, but when discussing this I realised I had a platelets donation appointment in the morning.  So what we agreed was that I'd cycle my kit to the venue and then walk over to the bus stop on Tadcaster Road, go to Leeds, donate platelets, come back, walk back to the other side of the Racecourse and then do the party.

Well it didn't work out quite as planned... I left home at about 9.15 and got to my client's house within 20 minutes.  There was no-one around, so I put my bike and trailer in the marquee in the garden and walked over to Tadcaster Road, which took about half an hour I think.  There was a bus stop near the top of Middlethorpe Drive, and I had less than 10 minutes to wait until the bus at 10.18.

Some nice Polish visitors on the bus, and we were soon in Seacroft where it was just starting to rain, but I got to the Blood Donor Centre before it tipped it down.  All went smoothly until the nurse put the needle into my vein to let the blood flow into the centrifuge, and it hurt a bit, which is unusual, as usually it's not uncomfortable at all.

The machine started doing it's pumping and whatnot... and when it got to the returning my blood minus platelets, the nurse noticed a bit of swelling around the needle area, and it became obvious that the pressure of the return had ruptured my vein and some blood was getting into my tissues.  It might have been that when the needle went in, the wall of the vein had got damaged, but impossible to say.  The procedure was stopped, amid sincere apologies.  I invited them to try the other arm but no, they didn't want to do that, or weren't allowed or something.

So I was given a leaflet about bruising and told to have a drink and sit down for a few minutes before leaving.  I was asked to come back in 8 weeks, which would give my arm plenty of time to recover.

Back to the bus, which came in 10 minutes, and I was soon back in York, £6 poorer and nothing to show on my donor record for it.  I walked back over the racecourse through the woods and arrived at the party venue soon after 1pm.  I had a bit to eat with the other guests and at 2 got changed so I could do my show at about 2.30, in the marquee in their garden.  We were lucky to have this, as a thunderstorm arrived, with heavy rain which was so loud on the roof that it was quite difficult to do the show at times. However, the 6 year old birthday boy and his friends all had a good time, and the adults enjoyed it too.

Whilst the cake was being 'done' I blew up plenty of balloons for the second show, which again went as expected, and was fun for all concerned.  Some lovely feedback from children and their parents at the end.  And a cheque from the lad's mother.

I changed and cycled off at about 4.30 and was back home exhausted by 5pm. I took all the circus gear off the trailer and put the bike away, and came in to relax for a while.  Gill microwaved a potato which I had with the last of the nutloaf.

I did an hour in the garden after this, chopping up some comfrey for putting on top of the soil in the planters of tomatoes in the conservatory.  I did a few other jobs too, before it got too dark to do any more.

And another late night, writing, chatting, sorting out my things for the weekend ahead.

Friday 10th June 11

A day dominated by going to Leeds to donate platelets for the second time.

I had an appointment at 11.15 so I got down to the station for soon after 10 and there was a bus at 10.23, which got me to Seacroft Blood Donor Centre for 11.15.  I was on the platelet removal machine by 11.45 and in 61 minutes I donated 3 units of platelets.  Two minutes slower than last time but still much better than the average donation of two units in 70 minutes.  My count from last time was down on the count done when I gave blood and had it tested for platelets, where it was 165,000 per cubic millimetre, down to 135,000... but this is still much higher than the average of 200,000 to 250,000.  I wonder what it will be this time.  I'll only know when I return in July.

I came out of the building at 1pm carrying a bag of crisps and some biscuits, and wandered over to the bus stop.  I collected a load of aluminium cans, and then watched the bus go past.... I was 1 minute late, all for about 20p worth of cans.  Never mind, I had the crisps and biscuit and chatted to a nice chap, and waited just half an hour for the next bus.  I enjoyed reading my NewScientist.

When I got to York I collected my bike and popped in to the building society to put in my cheque from Middleton Park, and visited the bank to see if a cheque had cleared.   I visited Richard to collect compostables and he gave me 4 boxes full and a large pile of strawberries.  When I got home I spent some time on the computer and then in the garden sorting out the compost donation, chopping several tens of kilos of potatoes. 

I came in for a late tea, at about 7, and Gill had done a nice simple rice dish.

Amongst other things I washed about 5kg of strawberries and sorted out some nice ones, and bits of nice ones, and liquidised them with banana, to make a puree which I then wiped through the sieve to get rid of as many seeds as possible.  This filled two trays which I carefully put to dry, balanced on the stove.  Banana and Strawberry fruit leather here we come!

Up til after 3 doing this, washing up and finishing off my writing.

Friday 13th May 11

A bit of a frustrating day, blog-wise, as I was keen to send my Mass Observation post to the website recording the day, but Blogger was down all day, and had lost my post, and was just showing Wednesday's as the last one.  However, I got on with various other things.

One of the things was to get a sack of riddled compost for Kay, and to fill a sack of unriddled out of a compost bin of finished 'raw' compost for her, and load my trailer.

I got a reply from a freecycler saying yes to the microwave.  He'll collect tonight.

I had an early lunch  and at 1pm got going to Kay's in Holgate.  This delivery took a much shorter time than expected, and I arrived at the station to catch my bus at 1.45.... and my bus was 2.38.  But there was an earlier bus, which passed Seacroft Hospital so I caught that.

As I arrived in Leeds it started to rain heavily so on my  short walk to the blood donor centre, I got quite wet. They were happy to deal with me despite my being earlier than expected. I read the standard donor forms and signed the consent, then had another nurse explain about the platelet donation.  I was told that the normal range of platelets in blood was 150,000 to 400,000 per mm3, the average being 200,000 to 250,000.  My count was 370,000 which was why I'd been invited to donate.  Most people donate 2 units in a session lasting between an hour and 90 minutes, but they reckoned I'd be able to give 3 units. If they extract platelets from donated blood, they need 4 units of blood to make one unit of platelets.  They explained about the anticoagulant added to the blood, and the possible side effects.  I signed up to donate.

I was connected up to the machine and it started a cycle of extracting a volume of blood, passing it through a centrifuge to separate red blood cells from the plasma and platelets, and then returned the blood.  I was connected up for an hour, when the machine signalled I'd done... 3 units in 57 minutes.  The nurses were delighted.  They encouraged me to come back in a month.  Whilst having a cuppa afterwards, I got chatting to a chap called John who was an experienced platelet donor, and he lived in York so gave me a lift back to the Tadcaster Road between Tesco and the Cross Keys on St Helen's Road.  I walked into town, taking 20 minutes, and then cycled home, feeling good that I was a special platelet donor. Each time I donate, I'll get two points on my donor record, which so far is 26 units of blood plus today's two units of platelets.  Even though I gave three, I still only get two units on my donor card.

I got in sometime after 6pm and lit the stove, and Gill made me some tea.  The Freecycler collected the microwave.  I had a fairly relaxing evening.... blogger eventually came back and I was able to submit my Mass Observation post.  I didn't get to bed til after 2am.

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.