A very full and busy day, including a good session of volunteering at St Nicks, a cycle to town to pick up recyclables and a productive York Green Festival meeting followed by a late night recording it.
The St Nicks stint followed taking the boys to school, I had to be at the Environment Centre by about 10 for a school group, and I took 3 groups and did a composting talk/question and answer session in about 15 mins each. Then they did a game/exercise with John and I was the scribe, writing things down as fast as possible.
Met up with Jo for lunch and we ate at the stone circle and enjoyed the John Lally Wood which is beginning to be a proper wood, with a canopy and a space beneath the trees.
Came home with a bit of time to spare before fetching the kids. Then zoomed down to town and picked up a load of recycling and came home and ate some of it.
After tea, went off to the Blue Bell to pick up the keys for space 109 and spotted something outside Lloyds TSB which I couldn't help but to go back and investigate... a pile of large flat cardboard sheets with large posters in amongst them... perfect for making a placard for the bike ride on Friday! They went in my trailer... reuse!
Then to Space 109 and tiptoed past the community meeting to the back room, where met up with several York Green Festivalers and we had a good meeting... but that's in another blog!
Up til 1.30 on the computer...
Thursday, 7 June 2007
Tuesday, 5 June 2007
Tuesday 5th June 07
Today Gill had a physiotherapy session at the hospital, as her leg is still hurting after being bitten by a dog a long time ago. I spent all of the morning working at the computer, mostly York Green Festival stuff, an invoice to the Co-op for their sponsorship money, a booking letter to Bo Clown and various other bits and bobs. Then at midday I did some garden work... nothing in particular, just to get some fresh air and exercise.
Gill came back for lunch and then soon it was time for me to pick up the boys, but I took down the fork, some climbing french beans desperate to get planted, and some sticks for them to climb up. I used three sacks of compost made at school to prepare the soil and when I mixed this in, I removed uncomposted stuff for putting into the base of the now empty dalek for this term's fruit for schools waste, and uncompostable rubbish for the bin. Then planted the sticks and the beans and cucumber, then collected the boys and took them home.
I spent a bit more time in the back garden before going on a Freecycle cycle trip, to pick up some tomato plants... and was given a tray of sweetcorn plantlets as well. This is fantastic as my sweetcorn has not grown well, the majority has rotted off. Then through town to another Freecycler who has asked me to put ny York Rotters hat on and help sort out her compost bin. I removed it and dug a groove in the soil and resettled it, told her she was doing fine and not to worry about the flies, as they are spider food and blue tit food...
Then onto another Freecycler who has offered some pepper plants, which I was happy to pick up and I offered them some climbing beans if they're passing here in the next week or so.
Home at 8pm, Gill had made some salad and I finished off eating what the boys didn't eat.
I then planted the sweetcorn, over 30 plants, brilliant! In at 10 and watched telly with Gill for an hour before doing emails, blog and chat.
Gill came back for lunch and then soon it was time for me to pick up the boys, but I took down the fork, some climbing french beans desperate to get planted, and some sticks for them to climb up. I used three sacks of compost made at school to prepare the soil and when I mixed this in, I removed uncomposted stuff for putting into the base of the now empty dalek for this term's fruit for schools waste, and uncompostable rubbish for the bin. Then planted the sticks and the beans and cucumber, then collected the boys and took them home.
I spent a bit more time in the back garden before going on a Freecycle cycle trip, to pick up some tomato plants... and was given a tray of sweetcorn plantlets as well. This is fantastic as my sweetcorn has not grown well, the majority has rotted off. Then through town to another Freecycler who has asked me to put ny York Rotters hat on and help sort out her compost bin. I removed it and dug a groove in the soil and resettled it, told her she was doing fine and not to worry about the flies, as they are spider food and blue tit food...
Then onto another Freecycler who has offered some pepper plants, which I was happy to pick up and I offered them some climbing beans if they're passing here in the next week or so.
Home at 8pm, Gill had made some salad and I finished off eating what the boys didn't eat.
I then planted the sweetcorn, over 30 plants, brilliant! In at 10 and watched telly with Gill for an hour before doing emails, blog and chat.
Monday 4th June 07
As the kids had a lot to take to school this morning I took them with the stuff in the trailer. I asked at the office if the school would like some climbing french beans as I have some spare.
Home and had some phone calls to deal with, re York Green Festival publicity and several Fiddlesticks calls. Went back to bed for a while which was lovely, but I had a paid-for blog to do, so I did some research on the net about organ donation etc and typed in a good-un. Then a late lunch and just a few mins in the garden before I went to collect the boys again. Where does the day go?
I zoomed into town and picked up two sacks of halved oranges at Millers Yard, good to meet Jo the Pilates teacher and then picked up at Out Of This World and Hes Rd veg shop, a full load.
Home and unloaded, Gill had made a good tea with tofu and noodles and then it was nearly time for the LETS AGM at 7.30. However my eldest son had an anger fit and I had to calm him and talk to him about civilised behaviour, so I was late and flustered to the meeting.
David chaired and it was a good meeting, just 9 of us and we'd organised a buffet for 10 so there was loads of food. When I got home I had to undo my trousers I felt so fat and full, not comfortable. Watched some TV with Gill and when she watched ER I came to do my emails and blog, and my friend in the US asked if she could send some piccys, which were most welcome and lovely. This time saved all of them!
Bed at 1ish.
Home and had some phone calls to deal with, re York Green Festival publicity and several Fiddlesticks calls. Went back to bed for a while which was lovely, but I had a paid-for blog to do, so I did some research on the net about organ donation etc and typed in a good-un. Then a late lunch and just a few mins in the garden before I went to collect the boys again. Where does the day go?
I zoomed into town and picked up two sacks of halved oranges at Millers Yard, good to meet Jo the Pilates teacher and then picked up at Out Of This World and Hes Rd veg shop, a full load.
Home and unloaded, Gill had made a good tea with tofu and noodles and then it was nearly time for the LETS AGM at 7.30. However my eldest son had an anger fit and I had to calm him and talk to him about civilised behaviour, so I was late and flustered to the meeting.
David chaired and it was a good meeting, just 9 of us and we'd organised a buffet for 10 so there was loads of food. When I got home I had to undo my trousers I felt so fat and full, not comfortable. Watched some TV with Gill and when she watched ER I came to do my emails and blog, and my friend in the US asked if she could send some piccys, which were most welcome and lovely. This time saved all of them!
Bed at 1ish.
Sunday, 3 June 2007
Sunday 3rd June 07
A pretty relaxed day today, but productive as I spent much of it sorting out the conservatory and mixing together differend composts to pot up tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, a couple of courgettes, some beans and yams... a good mix of conservatory plants which will give us fresh food fairly soon, as the tomatoes are flowering and the courgettes are forming.
The planting medium I'm using is a mix of loam (seived soil from turves taken out of skips and stacked for a couple of years), seived leafmould and various composted materials, including garden compost made of garden wastes and fruit and veg, also 'humanure' compost made in 2002/03 with my own poo and sawdust, and some commercial planting media made of composted bark and green waste. About half or 2/3 of the weight of the planting medium is composted stuff, rich and nutritious, and the rest is a mix of leafmould which is similar to peat, holds water, and loam which is heavy and has minerals and nutrients.
Before teatime went to the veg shop with some more finished compost which is greatly appreciated by some of the customers, who don't buy it, just make a voluntary donation.
Gill made tea for all of us, nutloaf patties and potatoes and salad. I finished off in the conservatory and came in to relax.
The planting medium I'm using is a mix of loam (seived soil from turves taken out of skips and stacked for a couple of years), seived leafmould and various composted materials, including garden compost made of garden wastes and fruit and veg, also 'humanure' compost made in 2002/03 with my own poo and sawdust, and some commercial planting media made of composted bark and green waste. About half or 2/3 of the weight of the planting medium is composted stuff, rich and nutritious, and the rest is a mix of leafmould which is similar to peat, holds water, and loam which is heavy and has minerals and nutrients.
Before teatime went to the veg shop with some more finished compost which is greatly appreciated by some of the customers, who don't buy it, just make a voluntary donation.
Gill made tea for all of us, nutloaf patties and potatoes and salad. I finished off in the conservatory and came in to relax.
Saturday 2nd June 07
Woke at 5.30ish and lay listening to my wife breathing, and then we got up at 7, the boys still asleep so we had breakfast and I lit the stove from the embers from last night, to reheat my bathwater for later. When the boys awoke and were rowdy I went back to bed and slept for an hour, then took the bathwater up and washed my hair so I'm clean for my gig today.
We were expecting the BBC Inside Out team to come at 12ish as they're filming me at St Nicks today, but they rang and said could I meet them at St Nicks and they'd film me arriving at 12.45, as the event starts at 1pm.
So an early lunch and got into costume and was on time at Bull Lane, to meet Lucy the producer and Phil the Film. Phil took a couple of takes from different angles of me cycling towards the Environment Centre, and one of me entering the compound. The event was called The Big Recycle Day, or 'Junk Swap'. The idea is that people bring unwanted goods and items to the tables, and then can take stuff they want back with them... simple and very effective for keeping things out of landfill and getting them reused.
My role was to firstly do some 'junk juggling' to entertain the kids, I challenged them to find objects which I could juggle and they found it hilarious when I dropped them! I was 'miked up' before this, so the BBC could 'catch' what I was saying and use the footage in their film about my 'green' lifestyle. I was lucky to find a youngster who started off as a non-juggler, and learned the pattern of three throws quickly but because of his small hands had problems catching them, but he persevered and was well on the way to being a good juggler when I finished that part of the event. Next was the 'Compost Bin Drumming', samba rhythms bashed out on 'daleks' and caddies, again filmed by the Beeb. Then I did a composting talk for children, and then an hour or so of my full Circus Skills Show, with juggling, devilsticks, balancing, 'Derek the Diabolo' and unicycle, lots of participation and fun. I was glad to finish as it was hot, and I then had a look through the junk tables and found a video of Grace Jones, hope it's OK.
The junk swap finished at 4, and then Kate the Columnist held her food tasting which will provide some information for her book on Green Living. She had purchased a range of food, both organic and the same type of food in non-organic. She had labelled these A and B, and made forms for the tasters to make comments about which they preferred. We weren't trying to work out which was organic or not, just our preferences and why. I tried and compared carrot and red pepper, bread and hommous, crisp-breads, cheese, crisps and shortbread, plus some wine and orange juice. An interesting exercise. During this, I was delighted to overhear Kate talking to some of her neighbours whom she'd invited, telling them that they could bring their kitchen scraps round to put in her compost bin. I told her that I was very proud of her, as she's gone from being a non-composter, through the York Rotters training, to being a compost guru herself, just fantastic! I'll write to the Press about that!
Came home and Gill had made tea... more food! So I had a small baked potato and salad, then put together a birthday present for my friend Ste, who is having a 40th birthday party tonight in Barley Hall. I'd asked his wife Helen if some home-made dried fruit would be an acceptable present, so I did a jar of interesting mixed dried fruit.
At 7 I set off for Ste's party with just my balloon modelling stuff and a change of clothes so when I'd done my balloons I could get changed. Ste was around when I arrived and in a medieval costume, and was delighted with the dried fruit. I locked the bike and set up inside Barley Hall where there were already some children with their families, and started doing a selection of balloons and giving people a go doing their own. I suppose this bit lasted an hour, then Ste made a speech thanking people for coming and telling us a bit about Barley Hall and that the food was waiting upstairs. We sang 'Happy Birthday' and went to find the food. As most people were dressed up, I didn't feel the need to change out of my glad rags and stayed colourful and silly all evening. Enjoyed meeting my old friend Deborah, who about 15 years ago made it clear to me that my skills as an entertainer could make me some money. Also Thea and John, and a nice chap Dave who lives just round the corner from us, who is going to install a 'ground source heat pump' in his house and garden to replace his 1960's central heating. I learned from him a little bit more how these work, and I look forward to perhaps seeing this being installed and working. Also Rachel, whom I chatted to and she wants to come and see the composting in the garden.
A lovely social time. At 11, when it was due to close, I gathered together most of the empty bottles and cans and filled my cycle trailer to get them recycled. Helen and Ste were so pleased with my help during the evening they gave me a bottle of Mead that somone had brought along... one of my favourite drinks!
Got back and enjoyed watching a bit of 'Sgt. Pepper revisited' on TV with Gill. Didn't do my blog as too tired and tipsy.
We were expecting the BBC Inside Out team to come at 12ish as they're filming me at St Nicks today, but they rang and said could I meet them at St Nicks and they'd film me arriving at 12.45, as the event starts at 1pm.
So an early lunch and got into costume and was on time at Bull Lane, to meet Lucy the producer and Phil the Film. Phil took a couple of takes from different angles of me cycling towards the Environment Centre, and one of me entering the compound. The event was called The Big Recycle Day, or 'Junk Swap'. The idea is that people bring unwanted goods and items to the tables, and then can take stuff they want back with them... simple and very effective for keeping things out of landfill and getting them reused.
My role was to firstly do some 'junk juggling' to entertain the kids, I challenged them to find objects which I could juggle and they found it hilarious when I dropped them! I was 'miked up' before this, so the BBC could 'catch' what I was saying and use the footage in their film about my 'green' lifestyle. I was lucky to find a youngster who started off as a non-juggler, and learned the pattern of three throws quickly but because of his small hands had problems catching them, but he persevered and was well on the way to being a good juggler when I finished that part of the event. Next was the 'Compost Bin Drumming', samba rhythms bashed out on 'daleks' and caddies, again filmed by the Beeb. Then I did a composting talk for children, and then an hour or so of my full Circus Skills Show, with juggling, devilsticks, balancing, 'Derek the Diabolo' and unicycle, lots of participation and fun. I was glad to finish as it was hot, and I then had a look through the junk tables and found a video of Grace Jones, hope it's OK.
The junk swap finished at 4, and then Kate the Columnist held her food tasting which will provide some information for her book on Green Living. She had purchased a range of food, both organic and the same type of food in non-organic. She had labelled these A and B, and made forms for the tasters to make comments about which they preferred. We weren't trying to work out which was organic or not, just our preferences and why. I tried and compared carrot and red pepper, bread and hommous, crisp-breads, cheese, crisps and shortbread, plus some wine and orange juice. An interesting exercise. During this, I was delighted to overhear Kate talking to some of her neighbours whom she'd invited, telling them that they could bring their kitchen scraps round to put in her compost bin. I told her that I was very proud of her, as she's gone from being a non-composter, through the York Rotters training, to being a compost guru herself, just fantastic! I'll write to the Press about that!
Came home and Gill had made tea... more food! So I had a small baked potato and salad, then put together a birthday present for my friend Ste, who is having a 40th birthday party tonight in Barley Hall. I'd asked his wife Helen if some home-made dried fruit would be an acceptable present, so I did a jar of interesting mixed dried fruit.
At 7 I set off for Ste's party with just my balloon modelling stuff and a change of clothes so when I'd done my balloons I could get changed. Ste was around when I arrived and in a medieval costume, and was delighted with the dried fruit. I locked the bike and set up inside Barley Hall where there were already some children with their families, and started doing a selection of balloons and giving people a go doing their own. I suppose this bit lasted an hour, then Ste made a speech thanking people for coming and telling us a bit about Barley Hall and that the food was waiting upstairs. We sang 'Happy Birthday' and went to find the food. As most people were dressed up, I didn't feel the need to change out of my glad rags and stayed colourful and silly all evening. Enjoyed meeting my old friend Deborah, who about 15 years ago made it clear to me that my skills as an entertainer could make me some money. Also Thea and John, and a nice chap Dave who lives just round the corner from us, who is going to install a 'ground source heat pump' in his house and garden to replace his 1960's central heating. I learned from him a little bit more how these work, and I look forward to perhaps seeing this being installed and working. Also Rachel, whom I chatted to and she wants to come and see the composting in the garden.
A lovely social time. At 11, when it was due to close, I gathered together most of the empty bottles and cans and filled my cycle trailer to get them recycled. Helen and Ste were so pleased with my help during the evening they gave me a bottle of Mead that somone had brought along... one of my favourite drinks!
Got back and enjoyed watching a bit of 'Sgt. Pepper revisited' on TV with Gill. Didn't do my blog as too tired and tipsy.
Friday, 1 June 2007
Friday 1st June 07
An extrordinary day, such a lot happened.
Firstly, the first copy of CommunityCare magazine popped through our letterbox, it has my second column in it which is about household appliances and energy saving, and also an excerpt from my weekly blog... this made me very happy as it is the first time I have seen it in print. Wow! I now feel like a published author... slight delusions of grandeur but I do have a right to feel pleased with myself, not everybody has a column and a blog in a national magazine!
see www.communitycare.co.uk/TheEthicist for my blog, as for the column I'm not sure if it's available on the net, it might only be in the printed mag. I'll find out.
Soon after that arrived I got a phone call from Lucy from the BBC, Inside Out, who are filming at tomorrow's St Nicholas Fields' Junk Swap, sorry, Big Recycle Day! I am performing as Professor Fiddlesticks AND John the Composter, and will be miked up all day. I then popped round to St Nicks to give them my confirmation letter about tomorrow and pick up a NewScientist I left for them to photocopy an article. I took a load of cardboard tubes which i had taken out of a skip a few days ago, as I know somone will use them for an art project or something.
After lunch I did a bit in the garden and then at 1.30 set off for the centre of town with the boys as we all had an eyesight test booked. I have one every year as I have family members with glaucoma and it's heritable, and the boys both had their first sight test. We left our bikes in the Out Of This World carpark and walked round to the opticians. The tests were fun and interesting, and all our sight is OK.
Then picked up a couple of bits from OOTW to take back for recycling, and I was given my monthly honourarium, a small payment to thank me for volunteering to do their recycling for them. As well as compostables, I also take a few glass bottles and steel and aluminium cans home. All but the aluminium cans go in the household recycling kerbside box, but I keep the aluminium as it's valuable and every now and then visit a scrap metal dealer and get a few quid for every sack. When on a low income, every pound counts!
Bought some vegan ice cream for Gill and carefully cycled home. I am so proud of my little boys, cycling on the road and developing good road manners and sense.
Then, within an hour or so of getting back, I set off for the Minster to meet up with folks participating in this month's Critical Mass cycle ride, and whilst I waited I chatted to a woman visiting York from Glasgow, and helped somone who had lost their watch by suggesting going to the De Grey Rooms Tourist Information Centre, as they'd be the nearest help place to perhaps leave a message for the police, incase it was handed in. Then the Critical Mass set off, only about 20 of us but with music playing and bike bells tringing we slowed the traffic down momentarily (ie no more than 5 mins at any time) and pulled over to let buses through. Critical Mass is relatively small in York but very effective in London and bigger cities. Lots of people gave us thumbs up and positive comments, and as always some folks vent their anger and call us names. We always keep smiling and upbeat, it's based on having fun. We ended up going up Huntington Rd, down Haxby Rd and Gillygate, Bootham and Clifton Bridge, through Leeman Road and then down to the Millenium Bridge and up New Walk, a good hour's cycle ride.
I peeled off and came home up the Heslington Road, and as I came onto the Hull Road and got ready to turn right into my house, witnessed a car crash... probably known in the trade as a 'shunt'. What happened was a car driver who had apparently been driving very very cautiously saw me coming down in the opposite direction with my hand out to turn, and perhaps assumed that I was going to suicidally turn in front of them, so they braked sharply. The car behind them braked to avoid a collision with the cautious driver, and the driver behind her, who was far too close, couldn't stop or just didn't, and rammed hard into the bigger tougher car. The driver at fault completely smashed the front of her car... she was young and inexperienced, but the more careful driver just had the bumper taken off. The driver that stopped unneccessarily just drove on and dissappeared, and they were ultimately responsible for poor driving in the first place.
I stopped and said to the driver who had been driven into that I would be a witness, and I then helped the very shocked driver-at-fault by giving her some support and offering her access to the phone in the house. My neighbour's son Graham and I pushed the smashed car onto the pavement and I swept up plastic and glass shards. The front driver was able to drive away but the younger one was offered a lift by Graham back to her house in Fishergate. Much as though I don't like cars (and accidents like this are just one reason!) I would not wish this experience on anyone and felt very sorry for both shocked women. Not a nice thing to happen at all, but no injuries to speak of.
So came in, now 8pm, and made a quick burger from an out of date tofu thingy and some granary bread. My youngest child needed some goats milk as we'd run out (he has this as he's less phlegmy at night using goats' milk) so I went to the shop. The young lady in the queue in front of me tried to pay with a card but it wouldn't work, so I offered to pay for her groceries and said she could pay me back. She and the staff were astonished, but she gratefully accepted so she was able to go home with her £15.40 worth of groceries, plus my business card which has my name and address on. She came round within half an hour saying that she could not draw any money out and couldn't pay me now, very apologetic. I told her not to wory and to pay me back when she could, and we chatted for a few minutes about composting... potentially another convert!
So an amazing day, and late on in the evening a good and friendly chat with my friend in America, and then watched telly with Gill.
Firstly, the first copy of CommunityCare magazine popped through our letterbox, it has my second column in it which is about household appliances and energy saving, and also an excerpt from my weekly blog... this made me very happy as it is the first time I have seen it in print. Wow! I now feel like a published author... slight delusions of grandeur but I do have a right to feel pleased with myself, not everybody has a column and a blog in a national magazine!
see www.communitycare.co.uk/TheEthicist for my blog, as for the column I'm not sure if it's available on the net, it might only be in the printed mag. I'll find out.
Soon after that arrived I got a phone call from Lucy from the BBC, Inside Out, who are filming at tomorrow's St Nicholas Fields' Junk Swap, sorry, Big Recycle Day! I am performing as Professor Fiddlesticks AND John the Composter, and will be miked up all day. I then popped round to St Nicks to give them my confirmation letter about tomorrow and pick up a NewScientist I left for them to photocopy an article. I took a load of cardboard tubes which i had taken out of a skip a few days ago, as I know somone will use them for an art project or something.
After lunch I did a bit in the garden and then at 1.30 set off for the centre of town with the boys as we all had an eyesight test booked. I have one every year as I have family members with glaucoma and it's heritable, and the boys both had their first sight test. We left our bikes in the Out Of This World carpark and walked round to the opticians. The tests were fun and interesting, and all our sight is OK.
Then picked up a couple of bits from OOTW to take back for recycling, and I was given my monthly honourarium, a small payment to thank me for volunteering to do their recycling for them. As well as compostables, I also take a few glass bottles and steel and aluminium cans home. All but the aluminium cans go in the household recycling kerbside box, but I keep the aluminium as it's valuable and every now and then visit a scrap metal dealer and get a few quid for every sack. When on a low income, every pound counts!
Bought some vegan ice cream for Gill and carefully cycled home. I am so proud of my little boys, cycling on the road and developing good road manners and sense.
Then, within an hour or so of getting back, I set off for the Minster to meet up with folks participating in this month's Critical Mass cycle ride, and whilst I waited I chatted to a woman visiting York from Glasgow, and helped somone who had lost their watch by suggesting going to the De Grey Rooms Tourist Information Centre, as they'd be the nearest help place to perhaps leave a message for the police, incase it was handed in. Then the Critical Mass set off, only about 20 of us but with music playing and bike bells tringing we slowed the traffic down momentarily (ie no more than 5 mins at any time) and pulled over to let buses through. Critical Mass is relatively small in York but very effective in London and bigger cities. Lots of people gave us thumbs up and positive comments, and as always some folks vent their anger and call us names. We always keep smiling and upbeat, it's based on having fun. We ended up going up Huntington Rd, down Haxby Rd and Gillygate, Bootham and Clifton Bridge, through Leeman Road and then down to the Millenium Bridge and up New Walk, a good hour's cycle ride.
I peeled off and came home up the Heslington Road, and as I came onto the Hull Road and got ready to turn right into my house, witnessed a car crash... probably known in the trade as a 'shunt'. What happened was a car driver who had apparently been driving very very cautiously saw me coming down in the opposite direction with my hand out to turn, and perhaps assumed that I was going to suicidally turn in front of them, so they braked sharply. The car behind them braked to avoid a collision with the cautious driver, and the driver behind her, who was far too close, couldn't stop or just didn't, and rammed hard into the bigger tougher car. The driver at fault completely smashed the front of her car... she was young and inexperienced, but the more careful driver just had the bumper taken off. The driver that stopped unneccessarily just drove on and dissappeared, and they were ultimately responsible for poor driving in the first place.
I stopped and said to the driver who had been driven into that I would be a witness, and I then helped the very shocked driver-at-fault by giving her some support and offering her access to the phone in the house. My neighbour's son Graham and I pushed the smashed car onto the pavement and I swept up plastic and glass shards. The front driver was able to drive away but the younger one was offered a lift by Graham back to her house in Fishergate. Much as though I don't like cars (and accidents like this are just one reason!) I would not wish this experience on anyone and felt very sorry for both shocked women. Not a nice thing to happen at all, but no injuries to speak of.
So came in, now 8pm, and made a quick burger from an out of date tofu thingy and some granary bread. My youngest child needed some goats milk as we'd run out (he has this as he's less phlegmy at night using goats' milk) so I went to the shop. The young lady in the queue in front of me tried to pay with a card but it wouldn't work, so I offered to pay for her groceries and said she could pay me back. She and the staff were astonished, but she gratefully accepted so she was able to go home with her £15.40 worth of groceries, plus my business card which has my name and address on. She came round within half an hour saying that she could not draw any money out and couldn't pay me now, very apologetic. I told her not to wory and to pay me back when she could, and we chatted for a few minutes about composting... potentially another convert!
So an amazing day, and late on in the evening a good and friendly chat with my friend in America, and then watched telly with Gill.
Thursday 31 May 07
A frustrating day as I had intended to do such a lot but actually got relatively little done. The rest of the family went to visit family in West Yorks so they went at 9 on the bus to get on the 9.44 train to Leeds.
I decided to do my emails and had 25 start to come into my inbox. They seemed to take a long time and then after 30 mins (I'm on dialup) one came through, my friend in the US of A had decided to send me some photos of her weekend in the country, some family snaps and landscape expanses of forests. Unfortunately she sent duplicates and I spent over 3 and a half hours downloading stuff I didnt ask for or want all of. There was only one photo I kept and that was of her and her two children. Several of the photos wouldn't even open, the programme said they were corrupted. So I was pretty unhappy, even though i spent some of the time deleting old stuff and also popped out to buy bread and milk.
Later in the day I had an exchange with her on Googletalk and we fell out briefly, but made up as soon as I admitted that I knew she hadn't done it deliberately and she apologised. I hate my life being ruled by the computer, even though I enjoy doing my blog and communicating by email.
So this download lasted til lunchtime so I had lunch and went to meet my friend Jo for a chat, before going to the lottie and doing some more prep for this year's crops. Dug out a compost heap, turned it and restocked the original pallet bin with weeds and unwanted brambles. Pulled out lots of nettles and thistles where pumpkins will be planted soon.
Came home and prepared tea for the family, did a nutloaf and new potatoes and broccoli. They got in and I fed them. Then I went into the garden and planted some beans and a courgette.
In the evening I went to the Golden Ball to a LETS social, and this was lovely. Met with David the LETS Newsletter writer, and Will who suggested I do this blog and told me about blogspot, his is http://mathsdancer.blogspot.com . Then Chrissie came and then Barry, whom I've not chatted with before and he was very pleasent, and then Ann and four Canadians who are staying with her came in, a really good group and I cheered up considerably.
After a pint and a half I went to the ethical supermarket to pick up my 'Wednesday' compostables, even though it was 10pm (I have the code to get into the carpark at the back) and there, amazingly, was one of the Out Of This World employees whom I'm very fond of, Lorenza. I spent at least half an hour with her and this really picked me up, and I cycled back and arrived in at 11pm.
Fired up with this social stuff, I decided to compose a long email to someone who may be able to help with my book (the one I can't tell anyone about yet) and I was up till 2am.
I decided to do my emails and had 25 start to come into my inbox. They seemed to take a long time and then after 30 mins (I'm on dialup) one came through, my friend in the US of A had decided to send me some photos of her weekend in the country, some family snaps and landscape expanses of forests. Unfortunately she sent duplicates and I spent over 3 and a half hours downloading stuff I didnt ask for or want all of. There was only one photo I kept and that was of her and her two children. Several of the photos wouldn't even open, the programme said they were corrupted. So I was pretty unhappy, even though i spent some of the time deleting old stuff and also popped out to buy bread and milk.
Later in the day I had an exchange with her on Googletalk and we fell out briefly, but made up as soon as I admitted that I knew she hadn't done it deliberately and she apologised. I hate my life being ruled by the computer, even though I enjoy doing my blog and communicating by email.
So this download lasted til lunchtime so I had lunch and went to meet my friend Jo for a chat, before going to the lottie and doing some more prep for this year's crops. Dug out a compost heap, turned it and restocked the original pallet bin with weeds and unwanted brambles. Pulled out lots of nettles and thistles where pumpkins will be planted soon.
Came home and prepared tea for the family, did a nutloaf and new potatoes and broccoli. They got in and I fed them. Then I went into the garden and planted some beans and a courgette.
In the evening I went to the Golden Ball to a LETS social, and this was lovely. Met with David the LETS Newsletter writer, and Will who suggested I do this blog and told me about blogspot, his is http://mathsdancer.blogspot.com . Then Chrissie came and then Barry, whom I've not chatted with before and he was very pleasent, and then Ann and four Canadians who are staying with her came in, a really good group and I cheered up considerably.
After a pint and a half I went to the ethical supermarket to pick up my 'Wednesday' compostables, even though it was 10pm (I have the code to get into the carpark at the back) and there, amazingly, was one of the Out Of This World employees whom I'm very fond of, Lorenza. I spent at least half an hour with her and this really picked me up, and I cycled back and arrived in at 11pm.
Fired up with this social stuff, I decided to compose a long email to someone who may be able to help with my book (the one I can't tell anyone about yet) and I was up till 2am.
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