A relatively quiet day... did my Community Care blog first thing about the morsbag people I saw at Kirkbymoorside. This took til nearly lunchtime, what with emails and the addictive Scrabble.
Although it was raining, I did some logsplitting, some of the big rounds of sticky pine from my neighbour, and then stacking it in the back garden under the logstore cover. This is one of the only places there's space at the moment.
Mid afternoon I made the first part of a nutloaf with breadcrumbs, peanut butter, chopped nuts, onion, leek... and then Gill finished it off.
I also did some work in the composting area, and got a load of purple sprouting broccoli up to the house just before tea... so that's what we all had, nutloaf, lightly steamed broccoli and a few other bits and pieces. Fruit and ice cream followed. Delicious!
The boys did their homework with minimum of fuss and we had a quiet evening.
Showing posts with label Logsplitting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Logsplitting. Show all posts
Monday, 27 April 2009
Wednesday, 3 December 2008
Wednesday 3rd December 08
I took our youngest into school, and then had a quiet day mostly inside doing paperwork and e-paperwork. Wrote to The Maudsley with some forms filled in, and sent that off with a 'signed for' extra cost. Got bread. Did a Facebook 'Event Page' for York Green Festival. Chainsawed and split a few logs, and built the beginning of a logpile outside the front door of dry and ready-to-use fuel. Tidied a pile of paperwork to find out what time tomorrow I can give blood. Found a cheque I received about 2 months ago, and phoned the sender to apologise for not cashing it quickly, and to tell them I'd do it tomorrow... Read my electricity and gas meters for
The Carbon Account and inputted my new data, my graph is pleasingly slim (trying to ignore my adopted massive aircraft spike last month) and I found my old buddy Dave Mansell is also recording his carbon footprint on the site. He's one of the top recycling managers in the country and I really admire him. If I was more organised, I'd like to be doing what he's doing!
Gill did most of the childcare stuff but I spent time with them when they came in from school as Gill had gone to the shops, so I took an interest in their 'Spore' game and cuddled before and after tea.
Later, got a message from Dave 'top recycler' Mansell telling me what he's been up to since leaving York... I'm really pleased to hear he's ok. Currently working for the Somerset Waste Partnership where it looks like he's in top management. Good stuff!
Kept both stoves going, they both make a reassuring clicking sound as they expand and contract over each burn cycle, so they are 'clicking away' which I like.
The Carbon Account and inputted my new data, my graph is pleasingly slim (trying to ignore my adopted massive aircraft spike last month) and I found my old buddy Dave Mansell is also recording his carbon footprint on the site. He's one of the top recycling managers in the country and I really admire him. If I was more organised, I'd like to be doing what he's doing!
Gill did most of the childcare stuff but I spent time with them when they came in from school as Gill had gone to the shops, so I took an interest in their 'Spore' game and cuddled before and after tea.
Later, got a message from Dave 'top recycler' Mansell telling me what he's been up to since leaving York... I'm really pleased to hear he's ok. Currently working for the Somerset Waste Partnership where it looks like he's in top management. Good stuff!
Kept both stoves going, they both make a reassuring clicking sound as they expand and contract over each burn cycle, so they are 'clicking away' which I like.
Tuesday, 2 December 2008
Tuesday 2nd December 08
Woke to find excited children because of snow on the ground, and Gill walked in with our youngest as cycling on ice is not fun.
She got in and went out to get her hair cut as she claims to feel like a haystack, despite my telling her I find her beautiful! She'll be just as pretty with a trim.
I was just getting ready to go to my lunchtime meeting in town when she came in, having slipped over on ice and feeling a bit bruised physically... but mentally much more embarrassed as she'd taken the tumble in full view of all the passengers on the Number 28 bus...
My meeting was a York Green Festival meets City of York Council, to review this year's event and look ahead to any future event. The meeting was with Dave Meigh, the licencee of Rowntree Park, Liz Topi, in charge of events/festivals, and Helen didntcatchhername from Environmental Protection. She'd been doing sound levels around the site on the day, and the meeting was mainly about that. After the event in 2007, the Council received a few noise complaints, so this year they had a duty to have someone on duty to measure the noise. There were just 3 complaints, but one complainant, in a living room in the first floor of a flat the other side of the river facing the main stage, was getting the full works. The complainant, watching a footy match on telly with windows closed and double glazing, could still easily hear every word from the songs... and the EHO decided it was a 'statutory nuisance' which they have a duty to prevent.
So the event next year must not repeat the same offence, or the EHO can order the music to stop and they can 'pull the plug' to stop the nuisance. We discussed possible solutions, which I see as three alternatives. First is to have much quieter music on that stage... the acoustic stuff which isn't nearly as amplified. Second is to have a new sort of speaker system which the Council bods call a 'sprinkler system' with the speakers surrounding the audience, and pointing down at them, so preventing the noise escaping, and the third is to have the event in another venue, and we discussed several. YGF will have to have a meeting to discuss this and other aspects of YGF08 and plan 09.
I got back home at 2.45... I met my friend Isobel inside Nationwide and we chatted outside for about half an hour... Gill went to collect our snow-bound child (she cycled down and walked back with him) and I split a pile of birch logs I chopped up a few weeks ago. Both stoves lit as it was bitter, making the whole house livable in. Gill made pizza dough and we had a good tea all together. A peaceful evening... a smattering of phone calls and the usual activities, washing up, doing my emails, watching a bit of telly, nothing too out of the ordinary.
She got in and went out to get her hair cut as she claims to feel like a haystack, despite my telling her I find her beautiful! She'll be just as pretty with a trim.
I was just getting ready to go to my lunchtime meeting in town when she came in, having slipped over on ice and feeling a bit bruised physically... but mentally much more embarrassed as she'd taken the tumble in full view of all the passengers on the Number 28 bus...
My meeting was a York Green Festival meets City of York Council, to review this year's event and look ahead to any future event. The meeting was with Dave Meigh, the licencee of Rowntree Park, Liz Topi, in charge of events/festivals, and Helen didntcatchhername from Environmental Protection. She'd been doing sound levels around the site on the day, and the meeting was mainly about that. After the event in 2007, the Council received a few noise complaints, so this year they had a duty to have someone on duty to measure the noise. There were just 3 complaints, but one complainant, in a living room in the first floor of a flat the other side of the river facing the main stage, was getting the full works. The complainant, watching a footy match on telly with windows closed and double glazing, could still easily hear every word from the songs... and the EHO decided it was a 'statutory nuisance' which they have a duty to prevent.
So the event next year must not repeat the same offence, or the EHO can order the music to stop and they can 'pull the plug' to stop the nuisance. We discussed possible solutions, which I see as three alternatives. First is to have much quieter music on that stage... the acoustic stuff which isn't nearly as amplified. Second is to have a new sort of speaker system which the Council bods call a 'sprinkler system' with the speakers surrounding the audience, and pointing down at them, so preventing the noise escaping, and the third is to have the event in another venue, and we discussed several. YGF will have to have a meeting to discuss this and other aspects of YGF08 and plan 09.
I got back home at 2.45... I met my friend Isobel inside Nationwide and we chatted outside for about half an hour... Gill went to collect our snow-bound child (she cycled down and walked back with him) and I split a pile of birch logs I chopped up a few weeks ago. Both stoves lit as it was bitter, making the whole house livable in. Gill made pizza dough and we had a good tea all together. A peaceful evening... a smattering of phone calls and the usual activities, washing up, doing my emails, watching a bit of telly, nothing too out of the ordinary.
Thursday, 29 November 2007
Thursday 29th November 07
Managed a bit of a lie-in, til 8.15 anyway! Would have liked more as was up late last night wrestling with attempting to copy and paste yesterday's blog post from notepad into the blog create page.
However, opened it this morning and tried to publish and it did! Why is it temperamental, I wonder? Anyway, crisis over.
I spent most of the day with my logpiles, did some splitting/initial stacking, then a big load of chainsawing.
I picked up our youngest at 3.15, and then our eldest at 4.15 after his Drama Club... then a fairly hasty tea of pasta and broccoli, then at 6 took him to Cubs. Whilst he was here I popped in to see Jo and her husband and son, who live nearby where Cubs meet up. Good coffee and chats.
However, opened it this morning and tried to publish and it did! Why is it temperamental, I wonder? Anyway, crisis over.
I spent most of the day with my logpiles, did some splitting/initial stacking, then a big load of chainsawing.
I picked up our youngest at 3.15, and then our eldest at 4.15 after his Drama Club... then a fairly hasty tea of pasta and broccoli, then at 6 took him to Cubs. Whilst he was here I popped in to see Jo and her husband and son, who live nearby where Cubs meet up. Good coffee and chats.
Saturday, 24 November 2007
Saturday 24th November 07
Oh how good, a lie-in! Not suprising after last night, up til after 2am, so was woken at 11am.
Had breakfast and went outside to complete yesterday's logging, finished building the by-the-door logpile and completed some splitting. Also did a bit of bramble cutting back and compost layering.
Came in to help prepare a nutloaf, which the children say is better if made by me, cheeky monsters! Was a good nutloaf though.
In the evening I went to my old friend Edwin's 40th birthday (OK, he's younger than me...) which was at 1331 Grape Lane off Petergate in York. He'd called the event 'Edstock' as he was previously a 'bit of a hippy' and still plays bass guitar in a number of bands, even though he's had his hair cut...
It was a good do. I met loads of people from the past, people I'd met at gigs such as 'Ramblin' Johnny Stomachpump and the Village Idiots' and 'The Suicidal Flowers'. I lived around the corner from some of the band members, including Fez the drummer, who was there tonight and fronted his band 'The Surf Sluts'. Ed played in a couple of sets, including a stormin' one from a Talking Heads tribute band called 'Slippery People'. It was a very good-natured event, met up with Mark, a very smiley chap I have hazy memories of from gigs, and Will, whom I met last night and told about this birthday do... he brought along his lovely wife Jacqueline, who's from Singapore, is of Indian parentage and dances very well. Oh and loads of others, most of whom I don't know well, not names, but they are sometimes to be passed in the street and there's always a smile of recognition.
I left reasonably early and called in on the woodland which is being pruned, and collected a load of logs, got in before midnight.
Had breakfast and went outside to complete yesterday's logging, finished building the by-the-door logpile and completed some splitting. Also did a bit of bramble cutting back and compost layering.
Came in to help prepare a nutloaf, which the children say is better if made by me, cheeky monsters! Was a good nutloaf though.
In the evening I went to my old friend Edwin's 40th birthday (OK, he's younger than me...) which was at 1331 Grape Lane off Petergate in York. He'd called the event 'Edstock' as he was previously a 'bit of a hippy' and still plays bass guitar in a number of bands, even though he's had his hair cut...
It was a good do. I met loads of people from the past, people I'd met at gigs such as 'Ramblin' Johnny Stomachpump and the Village Idiots' and 'The Suicidal Flowers'. I lived around the corner from some of the band members, including Fez the drummer, who was there tonight and fronted his band 'The Surf Sluts'. Ed played in a couple of sets, including a stormin' one from a Talking Heads tribute band called 'Slippery People'. It was a very good-natured event, met up with Mark, a very smiley chap I have hazy memories of from gigs, and Will, whom I met last night and told about this birthday do... he brought along his lovely wife Jacqueline, who's from Singapore, is of Indian parentage and dances very well. Oh and loads of others, most of whom I don't know well, not names, but they are sometimes to be passed in the street and there's always a smile of recognition.
I left reasonably early and called in on the woodland which is being pruned, and collected a load of logs, got in before midnight.
Friday 23rd November 07
A busy day, did a lot of log splitting and then chainsawing after taking the boys into school, and going to the library and bread shop. Gill went to art class. and I eventually got on with working in the front garden, splitting and chopping. Two of my favourite activities.
I let G pick up our youngest and the other one went to play with a friend, and I picked him up at 6.30. Home-made tomato soup for tea.
Then a bit of a treat for me, a night out. Went down to Fibbers and was first in (I arrived at 7.30, doors opened at 7.45) and got a cheaper ticket by presenting a flier which meant a £5 entry rather than £8. The first band were Ishtar, quite good, liked them. Then, for me, the highlight of the night, The Falling Spikes. My greengrocer friend Richard is the drummer and their sound is very psychedelic and guitar driven, soaring multi layered wonderfulness, big noise and good projections too! They were worth the entrance money alone... but the headline band was The Warlocks, who were ok, good n psychedelic, very loud and a bit grungy for me, and not as good as The Falling Spikes. I really enjoyed the evening, felt quite in tune with the feel of the music, and was glad that my friend Will (from Arts Centre days over 10 years ago, and the John Bull pub, now demolished) was there and we were able to share the experience a bit!
Cycled home via the wood where the tree surgeons had left some logs for me, and got back at about 11.30, in time for Jools Holland's music-on-the-telly show.
I let G pick up our youngest and the other one went to play with a friend, and I picked him up at 6.30. Home-made tomato soup for tea.
Then a bit of a treat for me, a night out. Went down to Fibbers and was first in (I arrived at 7.30, doors opened at 7.45) and got a cheaper ticket by presenting a flier which meant a £5 entry rather than £8. The first band were Ishtar, quite good, liked them. Then, for me, the highlight of the night, The Falling Spikes. My greengrocer friend Richard is the drummer and their sound is very psychedelic and guitar driven, soaring multi layered wonderfulness, big noise and good projections too! They were worth the entrance money alone... but the headline band was The Warlocks, who were ok, good n psychedelic, very loud and a bit grungy for me, and not as good as The Falling Spikes. I really enjoyed the evening, felt quite in tune with the feel of the music, and was glad that my friend Will (from Arts Centre days over 10 years ago, and the John Bull pub, now demolished) was there and we were able to share the experience a bit!
Cycled home via the wood where the tree surgeons had left some logs for me, and got back at about 11.30, in time for Jools Holland's music-on-the-telly show.
Tuesday, 3 April 2007
Tuesday 3rd April 07
An active day, a fair amount of housework during the morning, and a SUMA delivery. Gill and I have for several years been running a food co-op for ourselves and some friends, and we get a few regularly-used items like peanut butter, loo paper, muesli base, pasta. As we buy it in bulk it means we can afford to buy organic, supporting agricultural practices which do less damage to the environment and are better for wildlife, and fair trade, which gives a better deal for the producers.
After lunch went to St Nicks as agreed with John the Centre manager, to chop some logs. I'd suggested I could do this for St Nicks, as I sometimes take logs off the pile which is regularly added to by tree-surgeons offloading their unwanted tree wastes, and it is only fair if I give something back. A poplar had come down and been sawn up into rounds, and needed splitting.
The centre has many visitors, today it had a group of youths, teenagers, who had come into contact with the authorities through anti-social behaviour or misdeeds, and were under the care of 'Crossroads'. I know nothing about this, they seemed like fairly ordinary young adults to me, and I was assigned several volunteers to teach how to split logs and stack them. These tasks may seem simple but there is a knack to both. For instance, rounds with a side branch split best when done in line with the side branch, so it splits too, rather than at right-angles to it which can be more difficult as the knot may extend into the log. Rounds with side branches also split best from the lower cut surface, ie with the log upside-down as the branch leaves the round at an angle and having the split start where the branch begins to leave the trunk seems best to me.
Also stacking a logpile is quite an art if it isn't to fall down. The activity attracted a queue of participants, male and female, all wanting a go at smashing the rounds in two. Even the leaders had a go. We also had to use the centre's 'log grenade' too, a wedge in a sort of pyramid shape which is incredibly effective at blowing apart difficult to split rounds.
We all had a lot of fun, I gave lots of positive feedback and encouragement, and just occasional direction, mainly putting the rounds in the right orientation for easiest splitting, and getting out of the way quick. I was pleased to meet a friendly leader, Chris from Crossroads, who seemed fascinated by my lifestyle and told me he'd invite me out for a drink, I hope he does. He said that the youth service should be paying me for the help I'd given, and I gave him my Professor Fiddlesticks card as I may get some paid work with the group.
I'd cycled to St Nicks with my boys, my mate Simon and his son. Simon spent time with the three boys, playing, exploring, keeping the peace. I am very grateful to Simon for being a lovely responsible grown-up with my boys, I couldn't have done the logsplitting work without his help.
Got home and quickly made a nutloaf with bread, peanut butter, onions, rice, grated carrot and seeds, bound with egg and microwaved and then put in the oven along with a chocolate cake Gill was baking. Had this with a cheese sauce and new potatoes.
Put the boys to bed early as we've a busy day tomorrow with an early start.
Enjoyed learning about the connection between Tourettes and creativity. I have an interest in such disorders as I have many of the traits of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and I am a very active, enthusiastic and creative person. I haven't had a diagnosis but I would love to know if I do have ADHD. Lots of the people who know me think I do, and I feel more comfortable with that label than what I have previously been called, such as 'eccentric'. ADHD is thought to be connected with lowered levels of dopamine in the frontal lobes of the brain, and Tourettes is also connected with dopamine, but increased levels in temporal and frontal lobes. Interesting stuff.
After lunch went to St Nicks as agreed with John the Centre manager, to chop some logs. I'd suggested I could do this for St Nicks, as I sometimes take logs off the pile which is regularly added to by tree-surgeons offloading their unwanted tree wastes, and it is only fair if I give something back. A poplar had come down and been sawn up into rounds, and needed splitting.
The centre has many visitors, today it had a group of youths, teenagers, who had come into contact with the authorities through anti-social behaviour or misdeeds, and were under the care of 'Crossroads'. I know nothing about this, they seemed like fairly ordinary young adults to me, and I was assigned several volunteers to teach how to split logs and stack them. These tasks may seem simple but there is a knack to both. For instance, rounds with a side branch split best when done in line with the side branch, so it splits too, rather than at right-angles to it which can be more difficult as the knot may extend into the log. Rounds with side branches also split best from the lower cut surface, ie with the log upside-down as the branch leaves the round at an angle and having the split start where the branch begins to leave the trunk seems best to me.
Also stacking a logpile is quite an art if it isn't to fall down. The activity attracted a queue of participants, male and female, all wanting a go at smashing the rounds in two. Even the leaders had a go. We also had to use the centre's 'log grenade' too, a wedge in a sort of pyramid shape which is incredibly effective at blowing apart difficult to split rounds.
We all had a lot of fun, I gave lots of positive feedback and encouragement, and just occasional direction, mainly putting the rounds in the right orientation for easiest splitting, and getting out of the way quick. I was pleased to meet a friendly leader, Chris from Crossroads, who seemed fascinated by my lifestyle and told me he'd invite me out for a drink, I hope he does. He said that the youth service should be paying me for the help I'd given, and I gave him my Professor Fiddlesticks card as I may get some paid work with the group.
I'd cycled to St Nicks with my boys, my mate Simon and his son. Simon spent time with the three boys, playing, exploring, keeping the peace. I am very grateful to Simon for being a lovely responsible grown-up with my boys, I couldn't have done the logsplitting work without his help.
Got home and quickly made a nutloaf with bread, peanut butter, onions, rice, grated carrot and seeds, bound with egg and microwaved and then put in the oven along with a chocolate cake Gill was baking. Had this with a cheese sauce and new potatoes.
Put the boys to bed early as we've a busy day tomorrow with an early start.
Enjoyed learning about the connection between Tourettes and creativity. I have an interest in such disorders as I have many of the traits of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and I am a very active, enthusiastic and creative person. I haven't had a diagnosis but I would love to know if I do have ADHD. Lots of the people who know me think I do, and I feel more comfortable with that label than what I have previously been called, such as 'eccentric'. ADHD is thought to be connected with lowered levels of dopamine in the frontal lobes of the brain, and Tourettes is also connected with dopamine, but increased levels in temporal and frontal lobes. Interesting stuff.
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