Awoke not too early and went downstairs to find my sister, Anna, still asleep after her late night at Joseph. The boys were being asked to keep quiet to let her sleep on, but she soon woke up. Weirdly, their late night with an 11pm bed-time didn't result in them sleeping in any later, they were up at 7am.
Anna awoke and she and the boys had pancakes for breakfast, I had my usual habitual cereals and muesli. We had a wander down the garden and Anna requested more compost for her garden, how could I refuse? She had praised it highly and said their border needed more... so she took 2 more bags and we put them in her car and she soon drove back to Sheffield.
I spent some time in the garden, got quite a lot done. Potted on some squash and courgettes, from their seed containers into bigger pots.
Melody came after lunch and we talked about the future of CrUST and its connections with the Green Festival and funding for that.
In the evening I tried to do some work on the computer but had a few problems getting onto the site I wanted, but persevered.
Showing posts with label CrUST. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CrUST. Show all posts
Sunday, 22 April 2007
Thursday, 12 April 2007
Thursday 12th April 07
Up early again, and I have to go to Abbey to sort out the problen they're causing for YorkLETS. I was dealt with swiftly this time, and by an efficient person who understood the problem and hopefully managed to sort it out. Although she was able to provide the paperwork which will enable us to open our Co-op account, she wasn't able to give the passbook back or pay the closing balance, and she said that head office had no record of the passbook being sent to them. I'm afraid I will have to write to the Financial Services Authority about their appalling service. I will do this to try to protect other community groups falling foul of the same poor service and inconvenience and waste of volunteer time.
Anyway, left Abbey with some paperwork to pass onto Co-op. I visited another organisation's office about a book I'm writing (sorry this has to remain secret, but it's too sensative an issue to share in a public diary YET... when published though, it will be public!) After this visit I popped into Out of This World to pick up some items left yesterday, and onto Liz from LETS to drop off the Abbey info, but she wasn't in so I just left it for her.
Then I dropped into Miller's Yard where Dylan and Claire were just opening up. We discussed composting and other aspects of life, and I had a coffee mocha which was nice. The healthy living centre cafe sells Belu bottled water, which I met first at last year's Big Green Gathering. the bottles are made of a biodegradable plastic called PLA, I think polymerised lactic acid, which will rot in 'commercial' heaps which stay warm for ages. I am trying to compost one in my Compostumbler, which does get hot for weeks at a time. I won't be taking the Miller's Yard Belu bottles though, but I did offer to see if I could broker a deal between Yorwaste and Dylan, as I'd have thought that Yorwaste would like to do a trial in their big hot heaps.
Got home and took the compostables down to their destination and had lunch. Had a visit from a Freecycler I'm doing a swap with, he (David) had some blue storage jars and wanted some compost to add to soil to grow some salad in. Freecycle is rapidly becoming a social networking tool! He enjoyed the tour of the garden and we had some interesting chats.
I had to prepare some paperwork for tonight's CrUST meeting, and then go to an anti incinerator demonstration organised by YRAIN, York Residents Against Incineration who are lobbying the City of York Council and North Yorkshire County Council not to put in a PFI bid to build a waste incinerator. We stood next to a scaled-down chimney and I had supplied smoke pellets (from my environmental health training days) and the Press took photos. I personally don't want an incinerator built as they burn fossil fuel (plastics) which should be recycled and conserved for future generations and not added to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. I also think there is more than a chance that human error or mechanical breakdown will allow dioxins to get into the air we all breathe, and we don't need any more carcinogens around us. Finally, having an incinerator alters the economics for recycling, making it less likely that there would be investment in materials recycling. As I'm pro-composting, I feel that putting compostable materials in with the plastics is a waste, and there is still a landfillable proportion left after the incinerator has done its work.
This demo only took 10 minutes, so I bombed off down the Tadcaster Road to pick up more Freecycled stuff, this time some plastic planters from Felicity. They'll be good for tomatoes and other crops.
Got home across the Racecourse, Millennium Bridge and Low Moor for ten to seven, gathered my CrUST stuff together and got to Space 109 on Walmgte for about seven fifteen, just one minute before Tracy who had arranged the venue and had the keys. The meeting went very well, Tracy chaired and there were several new faces and lots of contributions.
Anyway, left Abbey with some paperwork to pass onto Co-op. I visited another organisation's office about a book I'm writing (sorry this has to remain secret, but it's too sensative an issue to share in a public diary YET... when published though, it will be public!) After this visit I popped into Out of This World to pick up some items left yesterday, and onto Liz from LETS to drop off the Abbey info, but she wasn't in so I just left it for her.
Then I dropped into Miller's Yard where Dylan and Claire were just opening up. We discussed composting and other aspects of life, and I had a coffee mocha which was nice. The healthy living centre cafe sells Belu bottled water, which I met first at last year's Big Green Gathering. the bottles are made of a biodegradable plastic called PLA, I think polymerised lactic acid, which will rot in 'commercial' heaps which stay warm for ages. I am trying to compost one in my Compostumbler, which does get hot for weeks at a time. I won't be taking the Miller's Yard Belu bottles though, but I did offer to see if I could broker a deal between Yorwaste and Dylan, as I'd have thought that Yorwaste would like to do a trial in their big hot heaps.
Got home and took the compostables down to their destination and had lunch. Had a visit from a Freecycler I'm doing a swap with, he (David) had some blue storage jars and wanted some compost to add to soil to grow some salad in. Freecycle is rapidly becoming a social networking tool! He enjoyed the tour of the garden and we had some interesting chats.
I had to prepare some paperwork for tonight's CrUST meeting, and then go to an anti incinerator demonstration organised by YRAIN, York Residents Against Incineration who are lobbying the City of York Council and North Yorkshire County Council not to put in a PFI bid to build a waste incinerator. We stood next to a scaled-down chimney and I had supplied smoke pellets (from my environmental health training days) and the Press took photos. I personally don't want an incinerator built as they burn fossil fuel (plastics) which should be recycled and conserved for future generations and not added to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. I also think there is more than a chance that human error or mechanical breakdown will allow dioxins to get into the air we all breathe, and we don't need any more carcinogens around us. Finally, having an incinerator alters the economics for recycling, making it less likely that there would be investment in materials recycling. As I'm pro-composting, I feel that putting compostable materials in with the plastics is a waste, and there is still a landfillable proportion left after the incinerator has done its work.
This demo only took 10 minutes, so I bombed off down the Tadcaster Road to pick up more Freecycled stuff, this time some plastic planters from Felicity. They'll be good for tomatoes and other crops.
Got home across the Racecourse, Millennium Bridge and Low Moor for ten to seven, gathered my CrUST stuff together and got to Space 109 on Walmgte for about seven fifteen, just one minute before Tracy who had arranged the venue and had the keys. The meeting went very well, Tracy chaired and there were several new faces and lots of contributions.
Wednesday, 28 March 2007
Weds 28th March 07
A good day, as I was able to do some essential compost management and have a good meeting after lunch.
I got up at a reasonable time, as Gill got back from taking the kids to school and after spending some time with her, went down to a 'New Zealand Bin' pallet-based composter in the corner of the garden, constructed last autumn as a 'sit and wait' compost heap. I had been given a broken cane and wicker chair to recycle so I put it in this container and put biodegradables all around it. Today I dug this out and put the mostly rotted materials in the octagonal composter put up a few days ago. The chair had rotted apart and was now more manageable, all the wickerwork had rotted off and the legs and framework was easy to pull apart. I'll dry these off and use them to heat bathwater on the stove.
Some of the sit and wait fruit and cardboard had 'mummified' in the bottom of the pile, and was still recognisable as oranges, pineapples and grapes. This is because of its acidity and the fact that it had become rapidly anaerobic under the other materials piled on top. However this is why the compost pile must be turned at least once, as the mixing with other materials, addition of air and breaking apart of compressed layers results in a complete composting. The heap had lots of worms in some of the materials, and the turning and mixing will allow them to work the rest of the heap. Digging out a compost heap is a bit like archaeology, as items can still be recognisable. This one also had an old wooly jumper not yet gone, and of course I remove the inevitable non-biodegradable items, mainly plastic milk bottle tops, which had got in with coffee grounds from Starbucks who give me sacks full of spent grounds and tissue paper towels... with some plastic lids.
All the time I was doing this (about 90 minutes) I had the company of robins, who love the little beasties that I uncover. I expect they have young in the nest somewhere.
I also did some riddling of finished compost, using a sheet of chicken wire mounted on a wooden frame. This seperates the fine crumb from the larger sticks and materials for recomposting. This fine material is used as part of my container compost, mixed with loam and leafmold, and the larger materials are a good mulch for putting on top of soil that Im going to plant vegetables in, or for around permanent plantings like raspberries and fruit trees.
When I wash my hands back at the house, I run perhaps a litre of tap water and use a scrubbing brush to get off most of the garden soil/compost. This composty water I scoop up with a pair of tin cans I keep for this purpose and I water the houseplants with it. This means I don't need to purchase pot-plant feed as this water is nutrient-rich.
Lunch was the usual pile of sandwiches and then a zoom down to the centre of York to meet up with Tim Waudby from the Council's children's services department, regarding the Green Festival and the provision of activities for children and families. He was so helpful, and offered to let all the Out Of School Clubs know about the event, invite them to provide activities and co-ordinate that side of the event. This is excellent news. They also have a marquee, and he is fully up to date with police checks, risk assessments and public liability needs. I'm very happy about this. He seemed to be too as he has to provide childrens activities and he was keen to tie these into the green/sustainability agenda of the day. So we were both happy.
I collected my usual 'ethical supermarket' recyclables and also two sacks worth from the Heslington Road shop, more fuel for my hot heaps!
Home in good time to go and pick up the kids. There was some bad behaviour when they got home, so I stayed around to provide a back-up for Gill. CENSORED His behaviour at school isn't bad. This doesn't make it any easier, but if Gill calls me for help, their behaviour often cools down without need for actual intervention. My presence is enough. They know that I will wade in and make the wrong-doer go to their room and give them a talking to.
A sad email this evening from one of my CrUST colleagues Mark, who says he wants to concentrate on his volunteering for York Credit Union and leave CrUST. This is a blow as he has been good to work with.
My good buddy Simon popped in during the evening and helped me uninstall some unwanted software which he said was slowing my laptop down, stuff I'd never used but was running. Nice one Simon!
I got up at a reasonable time, as Gill got back from taking the kids to school and after spending some time with her, went down to a 'New Zealand Bin' pallet-based composter in the corner of the garden, constructed last autumn as a 'sit and wait' compost heap. I had been given a broken cane and wicker chair to recycle so I put it in this container and put biodegradables all around it. Today I dug this out and put the mostly rotted materials in the octagonal composter put up a few days ago. The chair had rotted apart and was now more manageable, all the wickerwork had rotted off and the legs and framework was easy to pull apart. I'll dry these off and use them to heat bathwater on the stove.
Some of the sit and wait fruit and cardboard had 'mummified' in the bottom of the pile, and was still recognisable as oranges, pineapples and grapes. This is because of its acidity and the fact that it had become rapidly anaerobic under the other materials piled on top. However this is why the compost pile must be turned at least once, as the mixing with other materials, addition of air and breaking apart of compressed layers results in a complete composting. The heap had lots of worms in some of the materials, and the turning and mixing will allow them to work the rest of the heap. Digging out a compost heap is a bit like archaeology, as items can still be recognisable. This one also had an old wooly jumper not yet gone, and of course I remove the inevitable non-biodegradable items, mainly plastic milk bottle tops, which had got in with coffee grounds from Starbucks who give me sacks full of spent grounds and tissue paper towels... with some plastic lids.
All the time I was doing this (about 90 minutes) I had the company of robins, who love the little beasties that I uncover. I expect they have young in the nest somewhere.
I also did some riddling of finished compost, using a sheet of chicken wire mounted on a wooden frame. This seperates the fine crumb from the larger sticks and materials for recomposting. This fine material is used as part of my container compost, mixed with loam and leafmold, and the larger materials are a good mulch for putting on top of soil that Im going to plant vegetables in, or for around permanent plantings like raspberries and fruit trees.
When I wash my hands back at the house, I run perhaps a litre of tap water and use a scrubbing brush to get off most of the garden soil/compost. This composty water I scoop up with a pair of tin cans I keep for this purpose and I water the houseplants with it. This means I don't need to purchase pot-plant feed as this water is nutrient-rich.
Lunch was the usual pile of sandwiches and then a zoom down to the centre of York to meet up with Tim Waudby from the Council's children's services department, regarding the Green Festival and the provision of activities for children and families. He was so helpful, and offered to let all the Out Of School Clubs know about the event, invite them to provide activities and co-ordinate that side of the event. This is excellent news. They also have a marquee, and he is fully up to date with police checks, risk assessments and public liability needs. I'm very happy about this. He seemed to be too as he has to provide childrens activities and he was keen to tie these into the green/sustainability agenda of the day. So we were both happy.
I collected my usual 'ethical supermarket' recyclables and also two sacks worth from the Heslington Road shop, more fuel for my hot heaps!
Home in good time to go and pick up the kids. There was some bad behaviour when they got home, so I stayed around to provide a back-up for Gill. CENSORED His behaviour at school isn't bad. This doesn't make it any easier, but if Gill calls me for help, their behaviour often cools down without need for actual intervention. My presence is enough. They know that I will wade in and make the wrong-doer go to their room and give them a talking to.
A sad email this evening from one of my CrUST colleagues Mark, who says he wants to concentrate on his volunteering for York Credit Union and leave CrUST. This is a blow as he has been good to work with.
My good buddy Simon popped in during the evening and helped me uninstall some unwanted software which he said was slowing my laptop down, stuff I'd never used but was running. Nice one Simon!
Monday, 26 March 2007
Monday 26th March 07
Another busy day. Gilly wasn't feeling well enough to go on the school trip she'd agreed to go on as a parent helper, so I took the boys into school and let the school know about the change of plan. I had agreed to see Pauline, and help her with some things that a big strong bloke can help a petite-ish older lady with... chopping some waste wood for her Clearview smokefree woodstove, clearing up some weeds from the house next door's garden, which she currently manages but it's going to be sold so it's being tidied, and shifting a folding bed and some chairs.
In return, I was given first option on some stuff from the house which was going on Freecycle...and I found a book on antiques for my youngest son, who likes the old cars and toys, a chess set for my eldest and a book about byegone York for my wife, who likes that type of thing. I got a pair of newish shears, and my usual cup of coffee and pleasent chat with Pauline. A fair deal, I'd say. I popped into another couple of friends and then back into town to collect the Out Of This World recyclables, includung a slightly out of date cake which will be enjoyed, I know!
Home via a circuitous route to find Gill had got up for lunch but was still feeling poorly. I collected the kids, the school trip to Tropical World had gone well, although one of the other mums had missed Gill. During the evening I had a lot of e-paperwork to do, re CrUST and the Green Festival.
In return, I was given first option on some stuff from the house which was going on Freecycle...and I found a book on antiques for my youngest son, who likes the old cars and toys, a chess set for my eldest and a book about byegone York for my wife, who likes that type of thing. I got a pair of newish shears, and my usual cup of coffee and pleasent chat with Pauline. A fair deal, I'd say. I popped into another couple of friends and then back into town to collect the Out Of This World recyclables, includung a slightly out of date cake which will be enjoyed, I know!
Home via a circuitous route to find Gill had got up for lunch but was still feeling poorly. I collected the kids, the school trip to Tropical World had gone well, although one of the other mums had missed Gill. During the evening I had a lot of e-paperwork to do, re CrUST and the Green Festival.
Thursday, 22 March 2007
Thursday 22 March 07
A pretty mega day.... lots of activity. When I awoke I got up immediately as I knew I had some preparation still to do... So before breakfast I built o logpile on the side of the porch which ran out last night. The wood I stack there has 'air dried' in the open, uncovered, and needs to spend a short while finishing off in a covered position before coming into the house and drying some more before being converted into heat, or use for bathwater, or fried pumpkin slices. So it's a type of rotation, we're now on the carefully stacked pile on the right of the door as we look out of the front, and I'm rebuilding the left. It's quite tricky, as I have to leave air spaces AND ensure it stands up. I have to interlock and leave gaps... an art. And they still fall down occasionally!
Breakfast, hurried the childern to get ready, another fine art as too much chivvying results in the eldest one shouting back at me and having a paddy, and our youngest also doesn't like being told again and again. But why do we have to tell them several times? Because they seem not to listen, ignore us and carry on doing what they were doing rather than getting dressed, washing face, brushing teeth, shoes on, go and get bikes etc etc. If we didn't push them they wouldn't get to school on time, and that is a parental responsibility. They will sometimes question why they have to go to school at all, or refuse to go, and so the morning routine is rarely easy and chilled. It is most often rushed and bad tempered. However once on their bikes they cycle like the wind and appear to want to get to school. Weird, I don't understand.
So when I came back from delivering them, Gill was just leaving with Jane and Mike, her sister and brother in law's car to go to Scarborough to help her Uncle Tom move out of his sheltered accommodation and into a care home, as he's been in hospital after a fall and cannot go back to where he was before. A sad day for him, it must be difficult realising that you are going downhill, always towards death. He has to sell some of his furniture as it isn't fire resistant, and to raise money for a new armchair. Gill's going to empty a dresser of crockery and catalogue it, ready for sale.
I got on with preparing for the Ethical Man team to come and invade the garden and use me to do a tiny segment of their programme. I took straw and sacks of fruit and veg down to the coffin-like composter I've prepared. Got a phone call from Sara the producer, they were on the train, four of them... two cameramen as they've a boom and tripod this time. I put my huge ladder (6 metres unsupported, or 9 metres propped up against something solid) down the garden in case it would be useful, and waited til midday when the taxi arrived. During the wait I created another load of banana and lime leather, as the first lot seems to be a success, and warmed the soup Gill made last night for their lunch. They enjoyed the soup, and we got to working out what was going to happen. The first take was Justin and I walking towards the Compostumbler and then, in turn, rotating it (no pun intended!) and then with Matt the cameraman off the ladder and at ground level, opening the composter and witnessing the water vapour (it's not steam as steam isn't visible...) and Justin over-reacting to the smell, which was rather strong. Matt was brave and filmed the fruit-fly larvae in close up, he admitted to having a phobia of maggots. Then several takes with Justin trying to get me to explain the difference between aerobic composting and anaerobic rotting, with mentions of methane and the fact that anaerobic decomposition (in absence of oxygen) is more polluting re global warming, whereas composting releases only carbon dioxide and water, and results in a usable material great for gardens.
The next take was walking towards the coffin-composter and Justin getting in and discussing the legalities of this disposal method, and then the fun bit, pouring chopped-up and decomposing fruit and veg all over him, and then layers of shredded twigs and woody materials, with me explaining why the mix is needed. Then the gross bit, at J's request, putting composting worms on his face. This is going to be an image that some people never forget, and I don't think Justin will forget it either. It was so weird a thing to see I couldn't help laughing, especially when the worms tried to go in his mouth and ears.
Finally, when he'd got out and got changed, he brought his suit back down and it was laid out on the coffin, sorry, composter, and a 'fruit-face' was created for him... a humerous 'end of Ethical Man'.
Gill arrived back just as Justin was coping with worms doing lots of takes on his face, and was disgusted. Matt also disgusted as he has a worm phobia too! I'm suprised he was willing to come up here again.
Gill went to school as our eldest was in his class assembly, on The Amazon, and he was a sloth. He had lost his script and was the only child to not read his lines, he did them from memory, good lad!
They came back just as the team were preparing to go, which was nice as they met Justin (famous!) and Sara (sweet).
When the Press came Iread it then scanned the small ads in the back, and someone was offering 4 waterbutts for £20, a bargain. I rang and was pleased to find I was the first person to contact them, ring back at 5.30 when husband home. I popped out and got some signatures for the election, and got back in time to ring the waterbutt man. He was insistant that it would be 'first come, first served' so if I wanted them, I had to visit soon as other people had rung up. They live the other side of York, a good 25 minutes cycle away, but I reckoned I'd have time so at 5.40 I set out. The waterbutts were good, I paid and suprised the chap by fitting two on my bike... one lengthways on the trailer and the other accross the rack on the bike. Home by 6.45!
Wolfed the last of yesterday's nutloaf and by 7.10 set off for the CrUST/ Green Festival meeting in Stonegate. A very nice welcome from Tom in The Evil Eye, and a good meeting with Mark and Tracey. Agreed future dates and several ways forward. Work to do, but it's coming on nicely. I like being an organiser, and I feel that they like working with me.
Home at 915 with a load of nice dry St Nick's logs (St Nicked logs?) (No, John said I could!)
Gill had recorded the first of the new 'It's Not Easy Being Green' with the Strawbridge chaps, but I didn't watch it as I was too engrossed with emails. Several finalising ones with Community Care, Graham being very welcoming and explaining about my blog for them. They have a website, I'll have to visit it! Nice email from my friend K in the US (yes the one who asked about composting in a comment on this blog... I asked her to post a comment to see how it worked, and so far she's the only one to read AND post... this may change!) Good to know there's a CRAG group being started in York, Carbon Rationing Action Group..something I'm keen on. Lots of Green Party stuff too, as elections approach there's always lots of activity.
On computer til well after midnight.
Breakfast, hurried the childern to get ready, another fine art as too much chivvying results in the eldest one shouting back at me and having a paddy, and our youngest also doesn't like being told again and again. But why do we have to tell them several times? Because they seem not to listen, ignore us and carry on doing what they were doing rather than getting dressed, washing face, brushing teeth, shoes on, go and get bikes etc etc. If we didn't push them they wouldn't get to school on time, and that is a parental responsibility. They will sometimes question why they have to go to school at all, or refuse to go, and so the morning routine is rarely easy and chilled. It is most often rushed and bad tempered. However once on their bikes they cycle like the wind and appear to want to get to school. Weird, I don't understand.
So when I came back from delivering them, Gill was just leaving with Jane and Mike, her sister and brother in law's car to go to Scarborough to help her Uncle Tom move out of his sheltered accommodation and into a care home, as he's been in hospital after a fall and cannot go back to where he was before. A sad day for him, it must be difficult realising that you are going downhill, always towards death. He has to sell some of his furniture as it isn't fire resistant, and to raise money for a new armchair. Gill's going to empty a dresser of crockery and catalogue it, ready for sale.
I got on with preparing for the Ethical Man team to come and invade the garden and use me to do a tiny segment of their programme. I took straw and sacks of fruit and veg down to the coffin-like composter I've prepared. Got a phone call from Sara the producer, they were on the train, four of them... two cameramen as they've a boom and tripod this time. I put my huge ladder (6 metres unsupported, or 9 metres propped up against something solid) down the garden in case it would be useful, and waited til midday when the taxi arrived. During the wait I created another load of banana and lime leather, as the first lot seems to be a success, and warmed the soup Gill made last night for their lunch. They enjoyed the soup, and we got to working out what was going to happen. The first take was Justin and I walking towards the Compostumbler and then, in turn, rotating it (no pun intended!) and then with Matt the cameraman off the ladder and at ground level, opening the composter and witnessing the water vapour (it's not steam as steam isn't visible...) and Justin over-reacting to the smell, which was rather strong. Matt was brave and filmed the fruit-fly larvae in close up, he admitted to having a phobia of maggots. Then several takes with Justin trying to get me to explain the difference between aerobic composting and anaerobic rotting, with mentions of methane and the fact that anaerobic decomposition (in absence of oxygen) is more polluting re global warming, whereas composting releases only carbon dioxide and water, and results in a usable material great for gardens.
The next take was walking towards the coffin-composter and Justin getting in and discussing the legalities of this disposal method, and then the fun bit, pouring chopped-up and decomposing fruit and veg all over him, and then layers of shredded twigs and woody materials, with me explaining why the mix is needed. Then the gross bit, at J's request, putting composting worms on his face. This is going to be an image that some people never forget, and I don't think Justin will forget it either. It was so weird a thing to see I couldn't help laughing, especially when the worms tried to go in his mouth and ears.
Finally, when he'd got out and got changed, he brought his suit back down and it was laid out on the coffin, sorry, composter, and a 'fruit-face' was created for him... a humerous 'end of Ethical Man'.
Gill arrived back just as Justin was coping with worms doing lots of takes on his face, and was disgusted. Matt also disgusted as he has a worm phobia too! I'm suprised he was willing to come up here again.
Gill went to school as our eldest was in his class assembly, on The Amazon, and he was a sloth. He had lost his script and was the only child to not read his lines, he did them from memory, good lad!
They came back just as the team were preparing to go, which was nice as they met Justin (famous!) and Sara (sweet).
When the Press came Iread it then scanned the small ads in the back, and someone was offering 4 waterbutts for £20, a bargain. I rang and was pleased to find I was the first person to contact them, ring back at 5.30 when husband home. I popped out and got some signatures for the election, and got back in time to ring the waterbutt man. He was insistant that it would be 'first come, first served' so if I wanted them, I had to visit soon as other people had rung up. They live the other side of York, a good 25 minutes cycle away, but I reckoned I'd have time so at 5.40 I set out. The waterbutts were good, I paid and suprised the chap by fitting two on my bike... one lengthways on the trailer and the other accross the rack on the bike. Home by 6.45!
Wolfed the last of yesterday's nutloaf and by 7.10 set off for the CrUST/ Green Festival meeting in Stonegate. A very nice welcome from Tom in The Evil Eye, and a good meeting with Mark and Tracey. Agreed future dates and several ways forward. Work to do, but it's coming on nicely. I like being an organiser, and I feel that they like working with me.
Home at 915 with a load of nice dry St Nick's logs (St Nicked logs?) (No, John said I could!)
Gill had recorded the first of the new 'It's Not Easy Being Green' with the Strawbridge chaps, but I didn't watch it as I was too engrossed with emails. Several finalising ones with Community Care, Graham being very welcoming and explaining about my blog for them. They have a website, I'll have to visit it! Nice email from my friend K in the US (yes the one who asked about composting in a comment on this blog... I asked her to post a comment to see how it worked, and so far she's the only one to read AND post... this may change!) Good to know there's a CRAG group being started in York, Carbon Rationing Action Group..something I'm keen on. Lots of Green Party stuff too, as elections approach there's always lots of activity.
On computer til well after midnight.
Wednesday, 28 February 2007
28th Feb 07
Another busy day, with a meeting to prepare for a meeting, AVP this time. Alternatives to Violence Project has re-organised its structure and AVP York has joined up with AVP Sheffield, AVP Nottingham and AVP Northumberland to become AVP North East and East Midlands. This new group has its first annual meeting in April or May and it'll be in York, so today a small group of us are planning that meeting.
I cycled up to New Earswick via a Freecycler who has offered my son a CD player. The lady I met was offering it on behalf of a friend in the same sheltered accommodation block ,who thought Freecycle was a great idea but didn't want to do it herself. The CD player was more than that, infact a compact radio, tape and CD system with seperate speakers. It's been in storage for a couple of years. I hope my son is happy with it, my wife and I will check it out tonight to see if it works.
The AVP meeting went well. I facilitated/chaired and took notes and offered to type them up and circulate. Such is the life of a hyperactive overenthusiastic sustainable communities idealist.
Then into York to see one of my favourite people, an unconventional professional and well-off woman who always has time for a coffee and chat. I don't entirely approve of her jet-setting lifestyle, always off to somewhere far-flung, but she intrigues me and we are good friends, just good friends! I moved off to Cycle Heaven to return the Filibus bike and collect mine... but my back wheel was still being built, so I went to Out Of This World to pick up compostables on the Filibus. Home for 2.40, just 20 mins for a late lunch before leaving to pick up the kids. Gill my wife has gone to Scarborough to see her Uncle who's in hospital. She'd made potato salad and quiche for the boys tea before going, so I had little to do when we got in. At about 4.30 my friend Mark came to visit for the first time, and I gave him a cuppa and a tour of our large garden and 30 compost systems. I think he was impressed!
Gill came back and met Mark, which was nice as I'll be working closely with him over the next few months, on the CrUST Green Gala scheduled for July. Mark left and we had tea. The boys wanted to go on the BBC 'Shaun the Sheep' website, so before bedtime I went online and got onto the site, but we couldn't really get it to work properly. A bit of a let-down.
My friend Justin Rowlatt emailed me to say I will be on Panorama next Monday, which is on Justin's 'Ethical Man' experiences as part of his job with BBC Newsnight. I must phone my Mum and Dad to tell them. It's nice to be able to do/be something they can be proud of, as for many years they viewed me as a failure and a dropout, but all that time I was 'incubating' my green-ness, which is now fashionable! Justin came to film last year as he was intrigued by my compost toilet. It's very satisfying to use the BBC media machine to promote sustainability.
Must go, I'm really tired tonight. But I'm loving blogging!
I cycled up to New Earswick via a Freecycler who has offered my son a CD player. The lady I met was offering it on behalf of a friend in the same sheltered accommodation block ,who thought Freecycle was a great idea but didn't want to do it herself. The CD player was more than that, infact a compact radio, tape and CD system with seperate speakers. It's been in storage for a couple of years. I hope my son is happy with it, my wife and I will check it out tonight to see if it works.
The AVP meeting went well. I facilitated/chaired and took notes and offered to type them up and circulate. Such is the life of a hyperactive overenthusiastic sustainable communities idealist.
Then into York to see one of my favourite people, an unconventional professional and well-off woman who always has time for a coffee and chat. I don't entirely approve of her jet-setting lifestyle, always off to somewhere far-flung, but she intrigues me and we are good friends, just good friends! I moved off to Cycle Heaven to return the Filibus bike and collect mine... but my back wheel was still being built, so I went to Out Of This World to pick up compostables on the Filibus. Home for 2.40, just 20 mins for a late lunch before leaving to pick up the kids. Gill my wife has gone to Scarborough to see her Uncle who's in hospital. She'd made potato salad and quiche for the boys tea before going, so I had little to do when we got in. At about 4.30 my friend Mark came to visit for the first time, and I gave him a cuppa and a tour of our large garden and 30 compost systems. I think he was impressed!
Gill came back and met Mark, which was nice as I'll be working closely with him over the next few months, on the CrUST Green Gala scheduled for July. Mark left and we had tea. The boys wanted to go on the BBC 'Shaun the Sheep' website, so before bedtime I went online and got onto the site, but we couldn't really get it to work properly. A bit of a let-down.
My friend Justin Rowlatt emailed me to say I will be on Panorama next Monday, which is on Justin's 'Ethical Man' experiences as part of his job with BBC Newsnight. I must phone my Mum and Dad to tell them. It's nice to be able to do/be something they can be proud of, as for many years they viewed me as a failure and a dropout, but all that time I was 'incubating' my green-ness, which is now fashionable! Justin came to film last year as he was intrigued by my compost toilet. It's very satisfying to use the BBC media machine to promote sustainability.
Must go, I'm really tired tonight. But I'm loving blogging!
Sunday, 25 February 2007
24th Feb 07
It's Saturday and an exciting meeting... for me anyway! At 9.30am at CVS was the first AGM of York Credit Union... exciting for me as I was the person who started the ball rolling back in 1997 and so to get to the first AGM is quite a milestone and makes me very happy. The meeting room was already quite full when I arrived, and soon filled up so much that more chairs had to be put out. The proceedings were very sober and really quite boring, as a CU AGM should be! However the fact that at 9.30 on a wet Saturday morning we could pack out a meeting room with such an event bodes well for the future of the organisation. The info reported was up to last September, so things have moved on somewhat with numbers of members, monies saved and loans taken out.
In AOB I told the assembled about the creation of CrUST, and our plans for a summer Green Gala on 29 July, and on the way out three people gave me their contact details and asked to be kept in touch with proceedings. I was pleased with this.
Cycled home via Richard's greengrocery to collect about 40kg of compostables.
Home-life this Saturday seemed to consist mainly of my boys wanting to 'bundle' with me, ie play fight and roll around trying to overpower me. They're not yet big/strong enough to do this but it won't be long. There is quite a possibility that someone could get hurt in these bundles, but we're sensible enough to hold back and not do anything too violent. Lots of fun, boys need bundles!
In AOB I told the assembled about the creation of CrUST, and our plans for a summer Green Gala on 29 July, and on the way out three people gave me their contact details and asked to be kept in touch with proceedings. I was pleased with this.
Cycled home via Richard's greengrocery to collect about 40kg of compostables.
Home-life this Saturday seemed to consist mainly of my boys wanting to 'bundle' with me, ie play fight and roll around trying to overpower me. They're not yet big/strong enough to do this but it won't be long. There is quite a possibility that someone could get hurt in these bundles, but we're sensible enough to hold back and not do anything too violent. Lots of fun, boys need bundles!
Tuesday, 20 February 2007
20th Feb 07
A good evening. Just returned from the Friends Meeting house where I met up with 4 others who are starting CrUST, Credit Union Support Team. I started the ball rolling with York Credit Union in Dec 1997, and spent 8 years trying to get the Credit Union started, working alongside a wide range of unionists, ecoactivists, social entrepreneurs and greens, even the leading Tory, after he lost his seat... But, when the Credit Union got the go-ahead from the Financial Services Authority I decided not to be a Director as the responsibilities didn't match my lifestyle. But I did want to support what the Credit Union was doing, so I invented CrUST.
We have 3 'Aims and Objectives'; to raise funds for YCU, as it needs funds to run and has to raise money somehow... so far the money raised by interest on loans isn't enough to pay for the staff; to put on social events for YCU members (can also be fundraising); to raise awareness about YCU and tell potential members (who have to live or work in York) why they should become a member and the benefits that they'd get with membership. (see www.ycu.org.uk)
Our one focus at the moment is to organise a summer festival in Rowntree Park, provisionally booked for July 29th 07. This will promote a range of 'lifestyle choices' connected with sustainability, peace, social justice, fair trade, personal and planetary health. We also hope to have local bands and possibly other entertainment. We discussed how we could run the event on renewables, and about sponsorship. We discussed a better name, and 'York Green Gala' was popular. I've now got to fill in the forms provided by the Council and see if they'll say yes to the event. Then the hard work begins. We've a second meeting planned in a fortnight.
We have 3 'Aims and Objectives'; to raise funds for YCU, as it needs funds to run and has to raise money somehow... so far the money raised by interest on loans isn't enough to pay for the staff; to put on social events for YCU members (can also be fundraising); to raise awareness about YCU and tell potential members (who have to live or work in York) why they should become a member and the benefits that they'd get with membership. (see www.ycu.org.uk)
Our one focus at the moment is to organise a summer festival in Rowntree Park, provisionally booked for July 29th 07. This will promote a range of 'lifestyle choices' connected with sustainability, peace, social justice, fair trade, personal and planetary health. We also hope to have local bands and possibly other entertainment. We discussed how we could run the event on renewables, and about sponsorship. We discussed a better name, and 'York Green Gala' was popular. I've now got to fill in the forms provided by the Council and see if they'll say yes to the event. Then the hard work begins. We've a second meeting planned in a fortnight.
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