Wednesday 3 June 2009

Wednesday 3rd June 09

Spent most of the morning doing York Green Festival stuff on the computer, but got up and out and about before midday. Also got an email from the Press with Martin Burton's phone number, from Zippo's Circus, following my letter being published yesterday and a reply due to be published today... I rang Martin Burton and thanked him for his offer of showing me round the circus animals, and he said that my letter didn't have any of the usual rhetoric some of his opponents came out with, and that I had obviously thought about the issues. He invited me to come with a friend or my wife, and to ring him back when I have decided which performance to go and see.

Gill came back from Art with a partly done copy of a Klee, who she described as being not nearly as good as our youngest, who continually draws and doodles, all brilliant stuff.

After lunch I did some more work in the garden... shredding some greenery which Gill had pruned out, putting a load of shredded paper which Ben had brought from work onto various heaps, going to Country Fresh to buy eggs, potatoes and tomatoes, and pick up two boxes of compostables, Freshways for one bag of similar, and then came back to help Gill in the kitchen... peeling potatoes.

Gill watched a trailer for the film Garbage Warrior on my computer and told me I must go and see it, so I headed to Derwent College to the Archetecture Society meeting which was a showing of the film, about Michael Reynolds, the designer of the 'Earthship' concept, homes built with waste materials such as rammed-earth tyres, beer bottles, plastic bottles. It was an excellent film, very inspiring. I had seen various bits of the New Mexico homesteads on other films and programmes, but this film was his story, told by him, including lengthy battles with the authorities to allow the continued building of his projects. The bit I most enjoyed was his discussion of the importance of experimentation and the value of making mistakes.

After the film, I said a little about York in Transition and invited people to take a card and sign up to our newsletter. I also went to the bar with a group of about 6 of them, and had some intense conversation there too.

I got back soon after 10 and later Gill showed me the film she'd got in her camera of the boys and their friend feeding the fish over in Pocklington, and our youngest pretending to be Bill Oddie tracking the 'wild humans'. Very funny!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I remember watching a film about Earthship, I think it would be the same one that you watched at the Architecture Society. It was on very late one night on C4, it was very, very interesting. However Michael Reynolds didn't seems at all interested in being constrained by the planners or conforming. The world needs poeple like him but couldn't manage if everyone was like him!!
Well in my opinion it couldn't.
Glad you enjoyed it.
C

Compost John said...

Although Earthships have featured in various programmes, this film came out in 2007 and I don't think it's been on TV yet.
The DVD is available from the website, and probably other outlets.
I totally agree with your comments about 'people like him'!!!
John (someone a bit like him!)