Saturday 5th February 11

Quite a good day... had no paid work and the weather was mild and initially not rainy, so I riddled yet more sawdust and did quite a bit of chopping stuff up and piling it on a 'New Zealand' heap, and in two tumblers and two daleks.  I must have done about 100 kg.

Inside, I finished making the butternut squash soup, by adding bouillon, a dash of cumin and some mixed herbs, then I whizzed it and put it on the stove to heat through.  It was delicious!  I followed a bowl of that with a slice of nutloaf.

But apart from the sawdust, compost, soup and the inevitable washing up, I had a nothingy day, which was very nice.  Oh, in the evening I had a good chat with Nomy who is feeling a lot better than she did a week or two back.

Monday 3rd January 11

What a comfy bed!  Although Jess's flat was cold, I'd been given two duvets and was therefore nice and warm, and it was a firm mattress so I slept well.

Got up around 10 and had a bowl of Weetabix and a sprinkling of porridge oats with a few bits of dried apple ring broken on top.   Watched YouTube videos, including some blasts from my past, Osibisa and Steve Hillage. I logged in to facebook and saw a friend had posted about the death of Pete Postlethwaite, which made me cry as he was my favourite actor, especially after his wonderful performance in Age of Stupid.  What a shame, he was only 64, and by all accounts a lovely bloke.  This coloured my whole day.

Jess was mending Nomi's handbag which had poorly constructed handles, so Jess was replacing them with several lengths of tough rope and then sewing leather round to make a nice looking handle.  But this meant we didn't leave the flat til well after 11, and I wanted to get the 12.19 train to York so I could be back in time for the opening of the BikeRescue HubStation.  Jess and Nomi were heading over to Leeds to buy material, so they waited for the bus, and I cycled down to the Interchange, which only took about 10 minutes, and I was there in time for the 12.05 train to Leeds.  But I said I'd wait until the later train, but they didn't get to that train so I had that hour quiet enough to read my NewScientist.

However, I met a cyclist with a folded Brompton who was going to the HubStation launch... a volunteer from Sustrans, and friends with my friend Gael.

Once in York I picked up my trailer and then had a toasted sandwich at ?Krunchies and then went to the new HubStation, the latest project from BikeRescue, headed up by Bernie Cullen, whom I have a lot of admiration for. The place was already crowded with York's cycling fraternity, Councillors, dignitaries. The building used to be an electricity sub-station, and in 2006 Bernie requested that the Council let it be used as a Cycling Centre.  It has taken £300,000 and 4 years to get it to what it is now... with space for secure bike storage, repairs, sales of reconditioned bikes, spares and accessories, a cafe, shower, and today, a lovely cake and loads and loads of happy people. One really nice touch is a window which will be permanently used for bike-based art.  It currently has a load of decorated plates in it, and is very pretty. It has been put together by Lu Mason, who I think may be the daughter of Tom Mason, one of my cycling friends who died a few years ago.

I stayed til about 3pm and then came away, I would have liked to take part in the ride through the city but I wanted to get home.  Popped in to Country Fresh on the way home though, and picked up a couple of boxes of compostables.

Back to a happy home, where all was well and our eldest had gone out to a film with friends... coming back having really enjoyed it.  Nice simple tea, and at about 7, I went out to the LETS meeting at the Seahorse... but no-one else turned up apart from two non-member ordinary guys who seemed happy to chat with me until their takeaway next door was ready.  I left at 8.30, cleared up some frosted Nasturtiums from the Edible York raised bed, picked up a pallet and came home. 

Gill was on the phone when I got in, chatting with my old friend Cathryn whom I've known since I was 18.  She is considering replacing her oil-fired central heating with a Dunsley Yorkshire woodburning stove, and wanted my advice or opinion.  Whilst on the phone, Gill suddenly got excited, saying 'Earthquake' but I didn't feel or hear anything.  However, after the phone call had finished, I switched on my laptop and went on facebook... and several other people had felt the tremor.  It was ineed a quake, Gill's third, and smallest.  Her first was in Nort Wales decades ago and it threw her to the ground.  We had one in York a few years ago, which was my first (and only!).  This time, Gill heard the rumble, the crockery on the Delft Rack clink slightly, and felt the tremor.  I was so focused on the phone conversation, I'd not experienced anything.

I rang my Dad at 10pm, to wish him a happy birthday as he's reached 70.  I wanted him to know I've not forgotten him, despite not being in contact for a while.

Sunday 2nd January 11

Not too hurried a start, got the washing up done and made sandwiches so I could have lunch on the train.

Gill wanted me to try to find some soya yoghurt with active acidobifidus or something culture, so I visited Morissons AND Waitrose on my way to town, so if I found what she wanted, I'd cycle back home with the yoghurt.  But no, there wasn't a product available so I went on to the station, locked up my trailer and got a ticket to Bradford. I'd decided the best way to get to Manningham from Bradford Interchange was to use my bike, but as trailers aren't allowed on trains, I left that locked up in York.

Waiting on the platform, I texted Gill with the no yoghurt news.  On the train I chatted with a PhD student called Phil (I think!) who is researching mathematical models of medical conditions in the aging population.  Fascinating stuff.  I love train journeys!  I changed trains at Leeds and then chatted to an Oriental couple from Manchester who were about to explore Bradford, which was only 20 minutes or so from Leeds.

I'd memorised the route from the station to Jess's house, using Googlemaps and Streetview, and I found it very easily.  Nomy was in, Jess had gone to town but was soon back with some provisions for tea.  It was lovely to see them together; I'm the person responsible for introducing them to each other, and now they're a couple, which makes me very happy.

Before tea, we had a game of Scrabble on a homemade Scrabble board, made out of cardboard, and tile racks made of Lego.  How creative Jess is!

Jess cooked a stir fry with noodles which was lovely, followed by ice cream and chocolate sauce.

After this we watched YouTube music videos, and then a great film called Kinky Boots on DVD, which was great, I really enjoyed it.

Saturday 12th June 10

Didn't sleep brilliantly as the bed wasn't that comfy, and then got a message from Laura that she was heading for Manchester to come to the Lowry with me. Then Jess, Nomi's friend turned up too, and we all headed off to Afflecks which Laura thinks is the centre of the Universe in Manchester, but it wasn't my kind of place really (I really don't like shopping!) and after this we got on a tram to go to the Lowry.

Jane had arranged to meet me; she had met me during the Tunick installations, and today she introduced me to her husband Mark and her two sons, and we all went into the Everyday People exhibition. There were relatively few photographs, but they were carefully chosen and were really stunning. More so was the video taken of the making of the installations, especially the Peel Park footage of all the models walking away from the circular flower beds... a beautiful effect.

We had lunch there and I did some balloon animals for a bit of fun, and Janie's youngest developed his skill balancing a 'fighting worm' model on his finger and his nose too! Just before the two parties parted, they wanted a demo of the unicycle so I did that outside, and then our group went to get on the tram back into the centre of Manchester again.

Our next rendezvous was Cafe Nero for another social meet up, which was really good as I met several people whom I've met through the internet but this was the first time I'd met them in the flesh. Some good conversations ensued, and soon after 5pm i took my leave, said goodbye to my friends and headed to Piccadilly Station, and got a 6pm train all the way back to York, and I was home before 8pm.