Saturday 7th July 07

Quite an early start, as going to the Sheffield Green Fair today. Cycled to the station well loaded up and got my ticket before getting the 9.44 (I think!) to Sheffield. I sat next to a pretty young woman and chatted to her. Jane from Newcasle was off to a wedding in Birmingham, a Muslim friend, she worked as a lorry driver. An interesting and unusual woman, we enjoyed the hour we spent together. When got to Sheffers, walked for 15 mins to get to St Mary's, Bramhall Lane, arriving there at about 11am. The event was supposed to start at 12, so I had a good wander round and was happy to meet Jude on a composting stall who has helped John from St Nicks with a funding bid, and reccomended St Nicks for an award, which it got along with £2500!

Other composters there too, including a WRAP chap who works with Isobel Bloomfield, and the gent Richard Clare, who several years ago sold me the Jack Edwards Climbing Pea Beans which I have distributed widely. I told him the story of my Dad, who grudgingly took some dried Pea Beans from me, saying they won't be as good as Runner Beans, but would try them anyway. That year he agreed they grew well and tasted good.. A subsequent year it was too dry for his runners to do well and the Pea Beans did very well, and he was converted, and now grows fewer Runners and more Pea Beans, and he's been distributing them amongst friends and neighbours. This little story made Richard's day, apparently! I bought several more types of self-saved seed from him, which I look forward to trying out.

Towards midday I got changed and did some unicycling around and then did parts of my show and workshop, stopping at 1, when my friend Lorna arrived. It was really good to see her, as she's going through some difficult times and needs the support. My long-term friend Dawn arrived, it's always lovely to see her, and she and Lorna chatted as I started work again and did another batch of circus workshopees. At 2.15 I did my full one-hour show, including working with a young girl with cerebral palsy, which was difficult but the audience gave her a big round of applause, and later in the show I got her back out to do the yoyo balls (Astrojax) which she was able to hold and do, getting more applause. When I got paid at the end of the event, this girl's Mum had told the organisers how pleased the yougster had been to be included, and she was really happy... therefore Mum was too, and thank you very much!

The circus show finished at 3.30, which is when I was due to start the Balloon Show inside, but the inside people were running late so there wasn't a problem, spant 15 mins blowing up balloons and then did about an hour of balloon modelling activities, also went down well (well, most of them stayed up, some popped, only two went down... hahahahaha!) and there was one Mum and daughter in the audience who appeared to really enjoy it, laughing and offering heckles, lovely to see. When I'd finished and walked to the station, they were there, and getting on the same train as Sophia, as Mum was called, lives in Crowle near Doncaster. We had a right laugh on the train, and chatted to another couple Lee and Jill who had been cycling a 300 mile Sustrans 30th anniversary journey near Bristol, and who were going back to Newcastle. They had 2 young kids who'd done the journey with them, so the 'quiet carriage' was actually full of chatter, laughter, childrens noises and eventually it all got too exciting and the children added crying to the noise. There was another person who joined in with the party, Alison from Chesterfield, off to Scarborough , and she also enjoyed the 'up' feel to the journey.

I cycled back home and arrived at about 7pm, Gill had created some cauliflower cheese and this was very welcome!

Enjoyed 'Live Earth' on the TV.

Friday 6th July 07

Woke at 4.30 am and couldn't go back to sleep, as birds noisy outside and my lovely wife snoring, so I got up and got dressed and went into the garden and did some composting for an hour, then came in for breakfast. Whilst watching the early morning news and reading an interesting magazine called sustainedmagazine.com I found myself drifting off so I went back upstairs as Gill was getting up, and I got another couple of hours sleep.

But was awoken by my 9 year old yelling at the top of his voice at Mum that she was an auful mum, so I came down to see if I could help and support and defuse...
He'd been hitting his younger brother, Gill had told him to stop, and he'd continued, so Gill said 'oh I give up' to which he erupted with his hurtful comment. His anger was so intense that I sent him to his room and said he wasn't going to school with mum, so Gill cycled to school with the younger one only. When the shouting had stopped I went to talk to him, to give him a hug and some reassurance, and to see if I could find out what had happened to set him off. Gill came in and took him into our bed, as he'd apparently also been awake very early, and she cuddled him to sleep, he slept for a couple of hours, and had lunch at home and was taken into school at lunchtime. What a todo! What do we do? We need help coping. Help! We have asked for help and are going to be rung up next week by child mental health services.

At about 11am, the producer of ITV's 'Wood you believe it?' (I think it's spelt like this, as presented by Duncan Wood) called Charlie came round to suss out the scene here, as they are filming next week. They are interested in the composting, cycling and woodburning as part of our low-impact lifestyle. The programme will go out in Aug/Sept on ITV1 Yorkshire at 11pm.

She stayed til after 1pm, and then I went on the computer to try to keep on with the risk assessment for York Green Festival, but 3pm came around so soon and I cycled to school to pick up my sons.

When I got back, I went straight into town to do my Friday compostables pick up from Out Of Date World, came back with a trailer full of delights, ate some of them and went immediately into town again to take part in the monthly Critical Mass Cycle Ride, which this month had 17 riders, joined later by another two, was a good ride, with only one appallingly behaved car-driver, in a red car, very aggressive and should have been reported for dangerous driving. We gave him as good as he gave us....

Back by 7pm, boys heading for bed within the hour and I spent the hour clearing up the piles of crap and wet cardboard into a new heap.

Washing up and blogging in the evening, will try to finish risk assessment over weekend... when I don't know, but will try! I went on the Live Earth website and registered my support and pledge, and took a few minutes to do the online carbon calculator, which gave me a 'one tonne' score... quite low. My 'points' score was 126, very low. Not sure what this meant, but it tallies with a couple of other calculators I've done.

Thursday 5th July 07

Another fairly early morning as noisy downstairs so I got up and took the boys to school, although they were pretty horrible before setting out, and both apologised to me when they got to school. My youngest had spent so long not putting on his socks that I put them on him for him, in anger and he wasn't happy, nor was I. But we got to school on time, which is better than some people who are still coming to school when I'm coming back home.

Spent most of the day on the computer trying to sort out the bloody risk assessment which is not easy as I think I should be detailed and include everything which could affect the punters at the festival, and the boss at the council says I should only include those things connected with the Festival and what we bring onto site. I find her difficult to deal with, she's sarcastic and I don't like this approach. But she's the boss and could cancel the Green Festival so I cannot upset her!

Got the kids at 3 and then did some more sorting, this time talking to the PA person about Portable Appliance Testing and how we can ensure that all the musicians get their instruments certificated as electrically safe. Then sometime after 4 went to Scarcroft Green for 'Green on the Green', to see my CRAGger friends, Rotters, St Nicks-ites and other greenies.

At 5pm, when the event finished, Jo, who was working on the York Rotters stall, and she came to the Rowntrees Park with me with the maps she's printed off for me. Walked round in the rain checking out the venues for the live music, stalls, solar cinema and DJ area. Talked to the Park staff about power points and access to water.

Then cycled home and got in shortly after 6pm, and Gill had created a good tea of bulgar wheat, veg and chestnuts.

Went back on the email after this, and bombed into town, picked up the Space 109 keys and went to get on with the meeting. The meeting went well, several stallholders attended and we had a good meeting. This will be reported in my other blogspot blog, the York Green Festival blog, http://ygf2007.blogspot.com/ when I write it up.

Then went to the Blue Bell pub with Martin and Graham, and had some really interesting chats about relationships and the various different styles of relationship which now exist and are named and described. Fascinating, thought provoking.

Came back tipsy and had a good email and Googletalk session with K, didn't get much else done though!

Weds 4th July 07

I took the boys to school and then did housework and some email answers, put some info on the CRAG forum on woodstoves, about wood and its burning characteristics, including a great poem about logs, which I got from a workshop on wood fuel at Askham Bryan College a while ago.

Then at 11 am, Max from YellowTom came to pick up my cheque and we didn't spend much time together but he did demonstrate his brilliant Blues Piano playing skills. He liked out 'honky tonk' type piano and told us it sounded fine, didn't need tuning (for his type of playing anyway!)

Then I went for lunch with Jo, at her house for the first time, and was fed well and we had some good chats until about 2pm.

After lunch I zoomed into town to do my pick ups from Out Of This World and the greengrocers and got back in time to go and pick up the boys. Asked the head-teacher if ITV are allowed to film me next Wednesday doing my usual routine in the school playground after school and cycling back with the boys. I told her that the TV people would be ringing her.

Spent most of the evening trying to do the difficult risk assessment.

However did have some good communication with K. in US of A over Googletalk, which was lovely.

Tuesday 3rd July 07

Gill took the boys to school as I was up late last night, trying to do various work on the computer, and failing dismally, so I think she felt sorry for me. But their protests before leaving awoke me at 8.20 and I came down and did some washing up with last night's hot water from the woodstove, then had an interesting phone call, planned, from an Australian PHd student called Carmel, who's researching environmentalists and their beliefs. This took an hour and twenty minutes, I enjoy being interviewed as it helps me think about my motives, why I do things and whether my values are reflected in my behaviour.

Then I went onto my computer and got on with the risk assessment, which is really difficult. This went on til 3pm when Gill cycled to school and I needed a break and went to the Co-op, and then did a bit of work in the garden. I filled up a dalek and then dug out a large pallet bin with sit n wait compost in, and turned it into the next bay.

Came in at nearly 10pm and had a shower and sat with Gill for a bit, then got on with work.

Monday 2nd July 07

Well, a tough day, I took the boys into school as I won't be able to pick them up, and Gill and I share everything as equally as possible. At about 9.15, a Freecycler called Andrew called, who'd advertised for stuff for his garden, so I'd offered him some compost. He had the tour, and was as suprised as most people are about the range of things which are compostable... and he drove away with a sack of the stuff suitable educated and promising to put more materials on his new heap! Just the outcome I'm wanting.

Then went on the computer and tried to keep going with the Risk Assessment, adding several bits I'd forgotten. Did this for the best part of the morning and then after lunch went into town and picked up my Out Of This World stuff, then at 2 had a meeting with Tim Waudby who's co-ordinating the Children's Festival, and was having a meeting with the providers of the children's activities. Only one provider turned up though, but it was a good meeting anyway, we got some stuff sorted out. However he had been sent an email from Liz, who's in charg of all the Festivals in York, and she had slated my risk assessment, saying it wasn't nearly ready to give in. Oh dear!

Got home at the same time as Gill and the boys got back from school, and I had to get going on the risk assessment to make it more like something acceptable.

I've also got a paid blog to do, so started thinking about this, all I could think of was that I'm under pressure, so late on I logged onto the Community Care site and did my blog. I read it out to Gill, who said it was good, and as I pressed the button for 'save' the screen went blank and 'internet explorer cannot display this page' came up. After a bit of looking into the site a few mins later, I discovered I'd lost it. Felt really down. I had also had a lack of success trying to send a large 'attachment' containing a picture of the Rowntree Park to Baz, who's helping with stewarding, but the email was taking 20 to 30 minutes to send, and the line kept on closing for a second, and the email failed and I had to restart sending. Tried this half a dozen times before giving up. Tiscali dialup connection not brilliant. My mood not brilliant, despondent.

Sunday 1st July 07

No lie-in, cannot seem to sleep much later than 8am so came down and joined the family who weren't warring, as a weekend! However, the boys wanted to do some stuff on the 'Uncle Tom' computer in the loft, so they had 40 mins... and so did we!

Then I had to get ready for my gig which is near Selby, and I had decided to cycle there, so I had an early lunch and got going before 12.30, and went via Elvington, Wheldrake, Thorganby, Skipwith and then Cliffe Common. Between Wheldrake and Thorganby I stopped for five minutes at the Lower Derwent Nature Reserve car park and had a conversation with a gent who'd driven there to try to go for a walk, but found it too flooded. I had a heated discussion with him as he declared that carbon emissions weren't changing the climate and that he was going to keep on driving and eating meat, as he didn't believe the hype! I decided not to get too involved and spoil my cycle ride, and wished him a safe drive and cycled off. In Thorganby it rained hard but I just kept going, and minutes later, the breeze and sun was drying me off again.

Got to Cliffe caravan site at 2.15, and had some nice chats with Christine my employer and her shy 8 yr old daughter and more bolshy 11 yr old son.

The party started at 3, about 60 children came, and 20 grownups, and the show got started with 3 warm-up acts at 3.15. An excellent show, went really well, and finished after one hour, but the sausages hadn't arrived, so I did a bit extra with more unicycle workshops and everybody who wanted to try the unicycle was able to, maybe 30 children.

The food went down well, and I inflated about 80 balloons, just with my lungs, as this is now easy and faster than the pump. At the start of the balloon show, about 7 children tried to inflate a balloon, but couldn't, it was quite funny as they all puffed hard and went really red in the face!

The balloon show went well, but a lot of children didn't want to make their own, so I had at least 20 models to make in 15 mins or so, nimble fingers Fiddlesticks! Finished the competitions on the dot of 6, and then finished off the balloonless stragglers for 5 or 10 mins... a very busy few hours. My work was appreciated as both the children said it had been good and both parents did too, and were generous with the pay packet, which is always good!

A lovely cycle home, wind more behind me and got home at 8pm, after a short skip-stop (sounds like an eco grand prix!) to stock up on wood (fuel!).

Gill had a stew ready for me, which was lovely, and I watched a bit of telly, and after this popped out to pick up more skip contents... then did blog and had a long chat with K in America, really good communication at the moment!