Another basically good day. A busy morning inside, I made some carrot soup. Then Gill went to town and I responded to a phone call from Keith the Freecycler, who invited me to come and collect a load of wood.
So I soon cycled round to Burnholme and Keith had a really good load of wood... all cut to the same length and just enough to completely fill my trailer and panniers. Perfect. I called in on the Co-op on the way home, and got in before our eldest son came back... and he helped me do some stacking for a few minutes, which was nice, unexpected.
After tea... the carrot, onion, potato, red pepper and celery soup with bread and hommous, I went to the upstairs room of the Golden Fleece to the planning meeting for the September 22nd Car Free Day. This was well attended, 11 of us, and Graham Relton proved a good chair, keeping us more or less focused. We started off with some info about the Car Free Cities Conference and then talked around the run up to the Car Free Day and the day itself. A very inspiring meeting.
I offered to try to find a more accessible venue, as it is possible someone with mobility issues might turn up, and having the meeting in an inaccessible room would be embarrassing and quite frankly, wrong. So I cycled to the Black Swan (they have level access but no accessible toilet) and then the Seahorse (level access, not sure about the loo situation) and both can host us on 20th May. I emailed Graham and asked him to choose between the two.
Showing posts with label Accessibility. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Accessibility. Show all posts
Tuesday, 20 April 2010
Saturday, 20 June 2009
Friday 19th June 09
Got up at a more normal time but Gill returned soon after taking out little one off to school... he cycles on the road with me, but on the pavement with Gill (I do not understand this) and as he was on the pavement, he crashed into a wall and banged his tummy on his handlebar stem and was quite traumatised and upset. So he didn't go to school today. I would have been a lot stricter, but Gill and I do have parenting differences and these days I usually back down instead of argue that my opinion is more valid or better.
I visited Country Fresh and picked up some fruit/veg shopping plus a good load of compostables.
A day or two ago, Ali had suggested that she might come to York today, so she got a train and arrived sometime after midday. I met her and her PA Kaisa off the train and spent the day as a tourist in York. We took a trip on one of the YorkBoats, two of which are wheelchair accessible, via a pontoon at Kings Staith. Kaisa didn't come on this, and had an hour free time (though still being paid!) but then came with us to a coffee shop which had WiFi, as Ali had some Uni work she had to send off, and hadn't had time back at home to do this. Then we went to find a place where we could meet again for tea (Slug and Lettuce) and Kaisa went again and Ali and I went to have a look at Artfulness on Goodramgate, but there was no access ramp available so we couldn't get in. The owner of the shop was very vague and not at all apologetic, and we had a similar response to the situation at Kyi-Po, the vegan shop where Ali would have bought some stuff, had it been easy to get in. I find this situation embarrassing and it makes me angry that shop owners don't think of wheelchair users who wish to get in 'under their own steam' as it were, and make a wooden ramp or have one made. Don't they realise that places with good access get more visits from the increasing numbers of people using wheelchairs (ageing population) and the shop makes more money? Duh! Is it rocket science? No, it's a £20 wooden ramp. And the lack of thought to provide a ramp is discrimination, and verging on illegal.
So we went to another shop which was lucky to have level access, and Ali bought herself something there. We met Jonathan and Charlotte in Kings Square, and chatted until it was time to go to the Slug and lettuce, where we ate for half price as Ali had found a coupon online, and printed it off. Filling and good company. I get on well with Kaisa too, despite her lack of English meaning some things go over her head or need explaining.
Then back to the station where they got the 8.30 train, and I was back home by 9, full and tired from lots of walking.
I visited Country Fresh and picked up some fruit/veg shopping plus a good load of compostables.
A day or two ago, Ali had suggested that she might come to York today, so she got a train and arrived sometime after midday. I met her and her PA Kaisa off the train and spent the day as a tourist in York. We took a trip on one of the YorkBoats, two of which are wheelchair accessible, via a pontoon at Kings Staith. Kaisa didn't come on this, and had an hour free time (though still being paid!) but then came with us to a coffee shop which had WiFi, as Ali had some Uni work she had to send off, and hadn't had time back at home to do this. Then we went to find a place where we could meet again for tea (Slug and Lettuce) and Kaisa went again and Ali and I went to have a look at Artfulness on Goodramgate, but there was no access ramp available so we couldn't get in. The owner of the shop was very vague and not at all apologetic, and we had a similar response to the situation at Kyi-Po, the vegan shop where Ali would have bought some stuff, had it been easy to get in. I find this situation embarrassing and it makes me angry that shop owners don't think of wheelchair users who wish to get in 'under their own steam' as it were, and make a wooden ramp or have one made. Don't they realise that places with good access get more visits from the increasing numbers of people using wheelchairs (ageing population) and the shop makes more money? Duh! Is it rocket science? No, it's a £20 wooden ramp. And the lack of thought to provide a ramp is discrimination, and verging on illegal.
So we went to another shop which was lucky to have level access, and Ali bought herself something there. We met Jonathan and Charlotte in Kings Square, and chatted until it was time to go to the Slug and lettuce, where we ate for half price as Ali had found a coupon online, and printed it off. Filling and good company. I get on well with Kaisa too, despite her lack of English meaning some things go over her head or need explaining.
Then back to the station where they got the 8.30 train, and I was back home by 9, full and tired from lots of walking.
Saturday, 21 March 2009
Saturday 21st March 09
Very busy day mostly inside, but enjoyable nevertheless.
First thing I did was to write an email to the people involved in the access issue about York in Transition meetings. I am determined to get this sorted so that we are open to all.
Then a visitor, an ex YorkLETS member signing the bank forms saying she is happy to stop being a signatory to the sterling account. I'll now be able to go to the Co-op Bank on Monday to get this paperwork checked, and hopefully sent off. That will be a big weight off my mind.
Then lunch and a lot of clearing up... I did a vast pile of washing up and prepared lots of fruit for drying... a load more apples (at least 10) and pears (at least 5). However, I enjoyed listening to some William Orbit and Massive Attack on Jango. This website allows you to play almost any music of your choice, and even have your own 'radio station' which you can access, and other people can too, and listen to your favourite bands or musicians. I only got outside at about 4pm. I did some compost riddling and even got some help with sorting out a load of used envelopes from the boys, which was really nice. I was given a sackful by school... and am composting them, but saving the stamps for charity.
Gill made tea, I washed up.
First thing I did was to write an email to the people involved in the access issue about York in Transition meetings. I am determined to get this sorted so that we are open to all.
Then a visitor, an ex YorkLETS member signing the bank forms saying she is happy to stop being a signatory to the sterling account. I'll now be able to go to the Co-op Bank on Monday to get this paperwork checked, and hopefully sent off. That will be a big weight off my mind.
Then lunch and a lot of clearing up... I did a vast pile of washing up and prepared lots of fruit for drying... a load more apples (at least 10) and pears (at least 5). However, I enjoyed listening to some William Orbit and Massive Attack on Jango. This website allows you to play almost any music of your choice, and even have your own 'radio station' which you can access, and other people can too, and listen to your favourite bands or musicians. I only got outside at about 4pm. I did some compost riddling and even got some help with sorting out a load of used envelopes from the boys, which was really nice. I was given a sackful by school... and am composting them, but saving the stamps for charity.
Gill made tea, I washed up.
Tuesday, 15 May 2007
Monday 14th May 07
Funny old day, didn't get as much done as I would have liked to, but productive enough.
In the morning went to get a cheque ot to pay for the Polish roofer 'Artur' who dealt with some water ingress problems last week, repointing some of the chimney and redoing some flashing which wasn't positioned properly. Then over lunch did some paperwork and after lunch did some seed management, watering, repotting etc and a bout of compostumbler filling.
Got the children at 3.15 and in the evening, before the CRAG meeting, collected the Out Of This World compostables. The CRAG meeting was good, talking about carbon calculators, debating whether we will be Carbon Rationing or Carbon Reduction Action Group and how we should be structured and a bit about future meetings. We agreed to have a working group to work up a proposed structure which would be discussed and agreed at the next open meeting.
Enjoyed the social drink after the end of the meeting too. We meet in the upstairs room of the Golden Fleece on Pavement, but when the smoking in public places ban comes in we'll use a level access venue, probably the Minster Inn (Marygate?) to make it accessible to all. Currently this room is next to a smoking area and several of us hate tobacco smoke that much they wouldn't consider it.
In the morning went to get a cheque ot to pay for the Polish roofer 'Artur' who dealt with some water ingress problems last week, repointing some of the chimney and redoing some flashing which wasn't positioned properly. Then over lunch did some paperwork and after lunch did some seed management, watering, repotting etc and a bout of compostumbler filling.
Got the children at 3.15 and in the evening, before the CRAG meeting, collected the Out Of This World compostables. The CRAG meeting was good, talking about carbon calculators, debating whether we will be Carbon Rationing or Carbon Reduction Action Group and how we should be structured and a bit about future meetings. We agreed to have a working group to work up a proposed structure which would be discussed and agreed at the next open meeting.
Enjoyed the social drink after the end of the meeting too. We meet in the upstairs room of the Golden Fleece on Pavement, but when the smoking in public places ban comes in we'll use a level access venue, probably the Minster Inn (Marygate?) to make it accessible to all. Currently this room is next to a smoking area and several of us hate tobacco smoke that much they wouldn't consider it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
