Wednesday 26 September 2007

Wednesday 26th September 07

Gill woke me at 8.10 and asked me if I could take the boys in to school as her shoulder ached, so I leapt to her rescue and got ready for our usual 8.30 lift off. They cycled well, I am always proud of their cycling abilities, and I got back before 9am and spent a bit of time with Gill before she went out, as our youngest has broken his cycle helmet (deliberately, we think) and I did various bits and bobs around the house, before going out to my friend who had borrowed my bowsaw to sort out her woodwormy floorboards. On the way there I called in to Cycle Heaven and found out that my new bike frame has been delivered and it will be assembled tomorrow... so possibly ready by the weekend! When I got to my Freecycling friend, I had a good little chat and loaded up the trailer with floorboards and some of her next-door-neighbour's apple tree which they've started to chop down. I came back via Out Of This World and collected their recyclables, and got home before 2...... Gill had developed a flat tyre and had gone in by bus.

I chatted to my friend on Googletalk, the last scheduled time before she flies over to the UK.

I got the children at 3, and was very pleased to meet up with my friends Marina and Alan, over from the Balkans as Alan has a bit more research to do at the University, so he's brought the family over, and it's lovely to see them. At school, there'd been a ceremony to open the Japanese Garden which IRA Bob has finished. The school investigated my complaint about creosoted sleepers being used, and the City Council expert came down to check it, and said that the sleepers had to be painted with something to reduce the possibility of the tar/creosote coming out, and that had been done. The Japanese garden looked good.... I'd have preferred an organic vegetable garden, but the children chose what they chose, and all in memory of a child who died of cancer, so a memorial garden. I told Bob that it looked good and I was pleased that the sleepers had been painted. He was quite polite!

Marina, Alan and their 9 year-old daughter came back with us and had a chat, hot drink infront of the stove and a quick walk down the garden. We might see them at the weekend, hopefully.

I decided to do some work in the garden, so I got the ladders and pruned the variagated sycamore tree, as it has a load of green-only shoots, and if these aren't pruned out they take over as they are more vigorous. So a half hour's work every year keeps the tree looking lovely and variagated. I shredded the pile of unwanted branches, and made a 'woody' layer in the latest heap. I put the fruit/veg stuff collected today on the top, another compost heap is beginning to grow!

I had a microwaved potato and stir-fried veg in mushroon soup for tea. The children (well one of them.. censored!) broke two things today. An expensive (at least £6) 'paddle' hairbrush and my lovely 'light up' cycle reflector band which goes around my body when out cycling at night. This made me pretty annoyed, as I hate waste and I wish the particular child would be more careful.

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