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.
Monday, 7 May 2007
Sunday, 6 May 2007
Sunday 6th May 07, York Green Carnival day
Another busy day, York Carnival or York Green Carnival. As the rest of the family are not going to see Uncle Tom in Scarborough so I said it would make me happy if the boys would decorate their bikes and come with me to the Carnival procession.
So they wound some ivy prunings around their handlebars and we had an early lunch and headed for the cycle track. I had loaded my trailer with my Fiddlesticks gear as I had a booking for a Christening at 2pm, and was due to do the carnival procession in costume, with loaded trailer.
So got to the Minster in good time and joined in with the unicyclers and jugglers before the procession started. We were following a samba band and choir, and followed by some children from Badger Hill with a chant about recycling, very positive. The procession took about 40 minutes to wind around York and ended up in Parliament Street, where we met Gill and Iwent off to my gig which was in a hotel on Bootham.
They were running late so I had a half hour wait whilst the group had their nosh. But the 24 or so kiddies and a handful of adults came and sat down and watched my show, and took part in the bits of the show where participation is invited, and seemingly enjoyed themselves. I know I did, and this usually means my audience is as well.
The show finished at 4.30 and I loaded up my trailer and went back into York centre, as I'd been asked to do a talk at 5pm on Green living. But the advertising wasn't brilliant and no-one came so I just had some time devilsticking and met a student called Hannah who's a novice devilsticker before packing up and coming home.
In the evening I planted up a lot of germinating sweetcorn seeds that I soaked in water in a margerine tub. I've planted them in single pots which are in blocks of 6, in home-made seed compost.
So they wound some ivy prunings around their handlebars and we had an early lunch and headed for the cycle track. I had loaded my trailer with my Fiddlesticks gear as I had a booking for a Christening at 2pm, and was due to do the carnival procession in costume, with loaded trailer.
So got to the Minster in good time and joined in with the unicyclers and jugglers before the procession started. We were following a samba band and choir, and followed by some children from Badger Hill with a chant about recycling, very positive. The procession took about 40 minutes to wind around York and ended up in Parliament Street, where we met Gill and Iwent off to my gig which was in a hotel on Bootham.
They were running late so I had a half hour wait whilst the group had their nosh. But the 24 or so kiddies and a handful of adults came and sat down and watched my show, and took part in the bits of the show where participation is invited, and seemingly enjoyed themselves. I know I did, and this usually means my audience is as well.
The show finished at 4.30 and I loaded up my trailer and went back into York centre, as I'd been asked to do a talk at 5pm on Green living. But the advertising wasn't brilliant and no-one came so I just had some time devilsticking and met a student called Hannah who's a novice devilsticker before packing up and coming home.
In the evening I planted up a lot of germinating sweetcorn seeds that I soaked in water in a margerine tub. I've planted them in single pots which are in blocks of 6, in home-made seed compost.
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.
Friday 4th May 07, Election Count day
Got up early to try to write a letter but didn't get very far. As soon as Gill came back from the 'school run' (on her bike of course!) I cycled over to Acomb where the count was taking place. The count was in a large sports hall, with all the workers in the centre and the candidates and agents and observers around the outside, watching what was going on. It's quite an exciting process in some ways, and very boring in others, but I enjoy being there and participating in it.
The ballot papers were first sorted into block votes and split votes, these where there were two or three councillors to be voted in. Where someone had voted for both or all 3 of one party's candidates, they were placed in piles for counting. Where a voter had voted for 2 or 3 different parties, these were gone thruogh one by one and the names of the candidate voted for read out and a second election worker marked them off on a special sheet.
When all these figures were added up and ready to be announced, the candidates and agents were asked to come into a corner together and look at the disputed and spoiled ballots, and they were either agreed as good or spoiled or not filled in.
One of the first to be called was Bishopthorpe, where John Galvin (Conservative) had been voted out of last election, and soon after that, I had collared him and asked him if he would be the chair of York Credit Union Study Group. In this role I had got to know him quite well, and had grown to respect and like him, not his party politics, John as a person. So i was happy that this time he was elected back ono the council, the first of 8 Tory councillors, all new after a Tory-free term. Labour did quite well, and the Lib-Dems didn't, as they have generally been viewed as having cocked up badly this term. Fortunately the Fishergate Greens both got elected, Andy D'Agorne for a second term and Dave Taylor for his first, replacing Mark Hill.
We did quite well in some other wards, including increasing our share in my ward, Hull Road, where Andrew Collingwood and I got about 15%. Two Labour councillors got in here.
I went to see the media students during the count and after my result was announced, i think they enjoyed the process and were glad to have got involved, or at least observed it.
I cycled home via my usual compostables collection route and got hiome in time to go and get the boys. Felt quite deflated and down, as not getting in always leaves me feeling like this, even if I don't expect to get in. Also, as the phone still wasn't working, so I was unable to ring from home or do my emails. Gill spent much of the day trying to get it fixed, by going to the public call box round the corner and having to deal with automated messages...
In the evening I went round to a friend's house and used their phone to download emails and let people know what had happened, re electoral stuff and lack of phone stuff.
The ballot papers were first sorted into block votes and split votes, these where there were two or three councillors to be voted in. Where someone had voted for both or all 3 of one party's candidates, they were placed in piles for counting. Where a voter had voted for 2 or 3 different parties, these were gone thruogh one by one and the names of the candidate voted for read out and a second election worker marked them off on a special sheet.
When all these figures were added up and ready to be announced, the candidates and agents were asked to come into a corner together and look at the disputed and spoiled ballots, and they were either agreed as good or spoiled or not filled in.
One of the first to be called was Bishopthorpe, where John Galvin (Conservative) had been voted out of last election, and soon after that, I had collared him and asked him if he would be the chair of York Credit Union Study Group. In this role I had got to know him quite well, and had grown to respect and like him, not his party politics, John as a person. So i was happy that this time he was elected back ono the council, the first of 8 Tory councillors, all new after a Tory-free term. Labour did quite well, and the Lib-Dems didn't, as they have generally been viewed as having cocked up badly this term. Fortunately the Fishergate Greens both got elected, Andy D'Agorne for a second term and Dave Taylor for his first, replacing Mark Hill.
We did quite well in some other wards, including increasing our share in my ward, Hull Road, where Andrew Collingwood and I got about 15%. Two Labour councillors got in here.
I went to see the media students during the count and after my result was announced, i think they enjoyed the process and were glad to have got involved, or at least observed it.
I cycled home via my usual compostables collection route and got hiome in time to go and get the boys. Felt quite deflated and down, as not getting in always leaves me feeling like this, even if I don't expect to get in. Also, as the phone still wasn't working, so I was unable to ring from home or do my emails. Gill spent much of the day trying to get it fixed, by going to the public call box round the corner and having to deal with automated messages...
In the evening I went round to a friend's house and used their phone to download emails and let people know what had happened, re electoral stuff and lack of phone stuff.
Thursday, 3 May 2007
Thursday 3rd May 2007 Local Elections Day
Woke feeling quite excited as the elections are always reasonably exciting, even if I don't have much chance of getting elected, which would be just amazing since I've done no leafletting or canvassing in my ward.
I took the kids to school as Gill wasn't feeling good, and towards 10am the media students arrived, as planned, to film some of the election stuff, me going into the polling station with Gill, and they also wanted to find out how I earned my living so I did some Professor Fiddlesticks practice in the garden, and some of the crew had a go at devilstick, diabolo and 3 ball juggling. Fun!
They left by lunchtime and after lunch, whilst Gill went and sat in the poling station in Fishergate, I went to town and picked up my 'wednesday' composting... which I didn't do yesterday, and also popped in on Miller's Yard, Claire was delighted to give me 3 trays of oranges which she described as sour, and unsuitable to put in their orange squeezing machine. However I had some when I got home and found them just fine, and probably good for making marmalade.
Picked up the kids and then went to the allotment to put in the final two varieties of first earlies, did some compost management and weeding too. Gill provided nice tea, including asparagus soup made from the tips of about 10 bunches picked up yesterday.... I prepared and cooked them at midnight to stop them deteriorating further, and Gill put celery and potato with them and made a good soup.
At 7pm I went to the Fishergate polling station to sit in it for a couple of hours and ask for peoples' electoral roll numbers so Green voters who had promised to vote for us but hadn't visited the polling station could be 'door knocked' and reminded that it was election day.
When I got back I was cold and was happy to sit by the stove and warm up. Watched some late night election tv coverage. Our telephone stopped working, no dialtone, so couldn't do any blogging or emails.
I took the kids to school as Gill wasn't feeling good, and towards 10am the media students arrived, as planned, to film some of the election stuff, me going into the polling station with Gill, and they also wanted to find out how I earned my living so I did some Professor Fiddlesticks practice in the garden, and some of the crew had a go at devilstick, diabolo and 3 ball juggling. Fun!
They left by lunchtime and after lunch, whilst Gill went and sat in the poling station in Fishergate, I went to town and picked up my 'wednesday' composting... which I didn't do yesterday, and also popped in on Miller's Yard, Claire was delighted to give me 3 trays of oranges which she described as sour, and unsuitable to put in their orange squeezing machine. However I had some when I got home and found them just fine, and probably good for making marmalade.
Picked up the kids and then went to the allotment to put in the final two varieties of first earlies, did some compost management and weeding too. Gill provided nice tea, including asparagus soup made from the tips of about 10 bunches picked up yesterday.... I prepared and cooked them at midnight to stop them deteriorating further, and Gill put celery and potato with them and made a good soup.
At 7pm I went to the Fishergate polling station to sit in it for a couple of hours and ask for peoples' electoral roll numbers so Green voters who had promised to vote for us but hadn't visited the polling station could be 'door knocked' and reminded that it was election day.
When I got back I was cold and was happy to sit by the stove and warm up. Watched some late night election tv coverage. Our telephone stopped working, no dialtone, so couldn't do any blogging or emails.
Wednesday, 2 May 2007
Wednesday 2nd May 07, York Rotters Interviews
Up early so that I was able to be at the Council's Ecodepot by 8.45 am, as the Project Manager job interviews start at 9am. We interviewed 5 candidates, all of whom could have done to job. The interviews were very structured, with a list of printed questions with the initials of who was asking the question, and a box for scoring out of 10 the answer given, and a box for notes. There were 11 questions including two relating to the presentation we had asked them to prepare... 'you have a 5 minute presentation to members of the public about the benefits of home composting', one score for presentation and one for content.
There were also a few questions about practical issues, such as a CRB police check, availability to start work etc. After this 'formal' interview the candidates were taken over to St Nicks to meet other Rotters and St Nicks people for the informal part of the interview process.
Once all 5 had been through this, and after lunch, we all met up and we added up the scores and one person came out ahead of the others, with the second close behind. However two of the interviewers had scored the highest overall scorer with the most points, the other two interviewers preferred another candidate. This provoked lots of discussion, especially when the other St Nicks staff came and gave their feedback, it didn't make the process any easier. We discussed and argued for over an hour before managing to decide. A really difficult process, but made possible by the points system which really helped clarify things.
Managed to get home just in time to go and collect the children.
There were also a few questions about practical issues, such as a CRB police check, availability to start work etc. After this 'formal' interview the candidates were taken over to St Nicks to meet other Rotters and St Nicks people for the informal part of the interview process.
Once all 5 had been through this, and after lunch, we all met up and we added up the scores and one person came out ahead of the others, with the second close behind. However two of the interviewers had scored the highest overall scorer with the most points, the other two interviewers preferred another candidate. This provoked lots of discussion, especially when the other St Nicks staff came and gave their feedback, it didn't make the process any easier. We discussed and argued for over an hour before managing to decide. A really difficult process, but made possible by the points system which really helped clarify things.
Managed to get home just in time to go and collect the children.
Tuesday, 1 May 2007
Tuesday 1st May 07
Up at a sensible time, early enough to say bye to the boys, and felt energetic so got out the electric chainsaw and did 20 mins of logging, creating 'rounds' or slices which are the right size to split for stacking. Now the front looks a bit tidier.
Soon after 10, my visitor arrived, Lucy from BBC Inside Out, who wants to do an 8 minute article on my green lifestyle after seeing me on Newsnight. We chatted inside for a while, looking at the stoves and dried fruit, and discussing why I choose to live this way and what caused me to 'turn green'. Then we took a walk down the garden to see the mushrooms in logs, veg patch, fruit trees and compost systems. Then a coffee and more discussion about how the filming would go, and what I would like to be filmed doing. I suggested that as the council has recently threatened me with prosecution for recycling waste placed for collection, that I would really like to be provocative and be filmed taking cans and bottles out of the council litter bin which is outside our house, and putting them in my kerbside recycling box. This is something I do most days, as ordinary people, non recyclers, put allsorts of things in it, as it's on a main road and I delve in there and take out recyclables. This is probably illegal but I am very happy to break this particular law as it is morally the right thing to do. Landfill is wrong, recycling is right, simple, from my perspective!
Lucy asked if they could film my Professor Fiddlesticks activities at a public event, and I told her about a future performance planned at St Nicks. So we went off in her car to visit St Nicks to see if they would be happy to have them filming. St Nicks was very busy with their recycling activities, various people with learning difficulties, people on community service, employees and volunteers, it was very busy. Keely our Rotters manager was there, and Kate the columnist, and I introduced Lucy to lots of people.
After this she dropped me back at home and she shot off to Halifax to see another potential media victim, sorry, star, and I wolfed lunch and cycled straight back to St Nicks as I was wanted to work with the Crossroads people, splitting logs, which they seem to enjoy as it makes them look manly and is quite aggressive yet productive!
Spent an hour and a half at St Nicks and bombed back just in time to go and get the kids. When I got home with them I needed some time alone so I spent some time managing the various composting ops... turning, riddling, building up current ones with stuff in sacks waiting to go on, and feeling at one with my fairly obsessive hobby, and at one with the world as I know and love it.
In for a late tea, which I made myself once I had lit the woodstove, and helped Gill get the kids into bed. Then the usual mix of tv, computer stuff and a bowl of cereal with home-made muesli before bed.
Soon after 10, my visitor arrived, Lucy from BBC Inside Out, who wants to do an 8 minute article on my green lifestyle after seeing me on Newsnight. We chatted inside for a while, looking at the stoves and dried fruit, and discussing why I choose to live this way and what caused me to 'turn green'. Then we took a walk down the garden to see the mushrooms in logs, veg patch, fruit trees and compost systems. Then a coffee and more discussion about how the filming would go, and what I would like to be filmed doing. I suggested that as the council has recently threatened me with prosecution for recycling waste placed for collection, that I would really like to be provocative and be filmed taking cans and bottles out of the council litter bin which is outside our house, and putting them in my kerbside recycling box. This is something I do most days, as ordinary people, non recyclers, put allsorts of things in it, as it's on a main road and I delve in there and take out recyclables. This is probably illegal but I am very happy to break this particular law as it is morally the right thing to do. Landfill is wrong, recycling is right, simple, from my perspective!
Lucy asked if they could film my Professor Fiddlesticks activities at a public event, and I told her about a future performance planned at St Nicks. So we went off in her car to visit St Nicks to see if they would be happy to have them filming. St Nicks was very busy with their recycling activities, various people with learning difficulties, people on community service, employees and volunteers, it was very busy. Keely our Rotters manager was there, and Kate the columnist, and I introduced Lucy to lots of people.
After this she dropped me back at home and she shot off to Halifax to see another potential media victim, sorry, star, and I wolfed lunch and cycled straight back to St Nicks as I was wanted to work with the Crossroads people, splitting logs, which they seem to enjoy as it makes them look manly and is quite aggressive yet productive!
Spent an hour and a half at St Nicks and bombed back just in time to go and get the kids. When I got home with them I needed some time alone so I spent some time managing the various composting ops... turning, riddling, building up current ones with stuff in sacks waiting to go on, and feeling at one with my fairly obsessive hobby, and at one with the world as I know and love it.
In for a late tea, which I made myself once I had lit the woodstove, and helped Gill get the kids into bed. Then the usual mix of tv, computer stuff and a bowl of cereal with home-made muesli before bed.
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