A good day... up in time to cycle into town to go and see my dental hygienist who is very nice. I went via Morrison's where they have cash machines, as I need to pay for every other visit to the dentist.
So, a good scale and polish, and a chat... as always! Then back to Goodramgate to the newly refurbished Oxfam where I bought a big can of coffee, which has increased in price to £17. Then on to Sainsburys to get one of their delicious loaves and some mayonnaise. Home via Country Fresh where Shirley let me have two sack's worth, and to home, where I did a bit of splitting and stacking.
Lunch was good.. and an active afternoon, preparing some waste nectarines and peaches for stewing, some pears and kiwi fruit for drying, and a butternut to add to tonight's tea.
Later, did more website prep, getting ready to send stuff off to Jamie at Semlyen.net, whilst watching the Winter Olympics. I watched Panorama and was very moved by the stories of abuse directed at disabled people... this needs to be made a criminal offence the same as racist abuse. Currently, it is just 'breach of the peace' or something like that, and not much of what goes on is reported, and there have been very few prosecutions. I'll be writing to my MP about this.
Later still, more exciting snowboarding etc. Part of me wishes I'd given something like this a go when I was younger... but as a child I apparently had 'no stickability' and couldn't focus on anything. Classic ADHD, combined with my fidgeting, talkative nature, ability to annoy people and the rest. Glad I'm normal now... hahahaha!
Showing posts with label Panorama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Panorama. Show all posts
Monday, 15 February 2010
Monday, 5 March 2007
Monday 5th March
Today I'm in the Yorkshire Post, as Justin the Ethical Man had given them my details and suggested that they do a feature on me. Gill took the boys to school and then went to buy the paper. I am always amazed how much of a forehead I have, receeding hairline, shiny and large. The Post had published a photo of the untidiest part of the garden and the best view of my forehead. Never mind, it was a good story with only a few mistakes. I'll write in to them with a letter with the factual corrections.
Soon after getting the paper, Justin rang and asked if it had been published and if I was happy with it. He asked me to buy a second copy and send it to him. Then a media company rang up, saying that they'd be interested in doing a feature about our family in a women's magazine, and were we interested? What they'd do is to send a short synopsis of the article to a number of magazines, and if any were interested they'd agree a deal, as we'd recieve a fee if we respected the contract of exclusivity, ie not giving interviews to any other people/papers/media organisations. I said we'd consider it.
I needed to do some photocopying in town and buy a Yorkshire Post and collect compostables, so I biked it in and did all that, getting back at 1pm hungry for lunch. However, before eating I prepared some seconds butternut squash for soup tonight, chopping out deteriorated bits and steaming the remaining chunks in a pan on the woodstove. Then did some unloading of compostables onto the heap and suddenly it was time for me to pick up the kids.
I had recieved an offer of two bags of logs from a Freecycler the other day, so I cycled over to Heworth and collected them, and elivered a Green Party leaflet requested by the nice lady who gave us the CD player for my son. She seemed very pleased to see me, and I expect we'll meet again.
I enjoyed the squash soup but Gill says that soup is always better a day after it was made, as the texture is smoother and flavour more developed. So perhaps she'll enjoy it more tomorrow!
I cycled off to my monthly LETS meeting, York Local Exchange Trading System has a core group meeting at the Seahorse Hotel near the Barbican on the first Monday of the month, and as I'm on the core group, I had to go.... it's always nice to see my LETSy friends but tonight I had to leave within the hour as I wanted to watch Panorama, as I was on it. The programme was good, and my little bit came accross well. My best buddy Jonathan rang up after, congratulating me! How lovely of him.
Later in the evening I got a good Freecycle message. I had replied to an offer of an old computer that someone was offering, on behalf of a friend of mine who wants to learn computer skills but is jobless, skint, and doesn't have many social contacts. The offerer had had loads of replies but had chosen my message as the deserving one. I rang her number and spoke to her husband, and I'll be able to pick it up on Thursday, and I emailed her with a big thank-you. I popped round to tell my friend, she was very moved and happy.
Soon after getting the paper, Justin rang and asked if it had been published and if I was happy with it. He asked me to buy a second copy and send it to him. Then a media company rang up, saying that they'd be interested in doing a feature about our family in a women's magazine, and were we interested? What they'd do is to send a short synopsis of the article to a number of magazines, and if any were interested they'd agree a deal, as we'd recieve a fee if we respected the contract of exclusivity, ie not giving interviews to any other people/papers/media organisations. I said we'd consider it.
I needed to do some photocopying in town and buy a Yorkshire Post and collect compostables, so I biked it in and did all that, getting back at 1pm hungry for lunch. However, before eating I prepared some seconds butternut squash for soup tonight, chopping out deteriorated bits and steaming the remaining chunks in a pan on the woodstove. Then did some unloading of compostables onto the heap and suddenly it was time for me to pick up the kids.
I had recieved an offer of two bags of logs from a Freecycler the other day, so I cycled over to Heworth and collected them, and elivered a Green Party leaflet requested by the nice lady who gave us the CD player for my son. She seemed very pleased to see me, and I expect we'll meet again.
I enjoyed the squash soup but Gill says that soup is always better a day after it was made, as the texture is smoother and flavour more developed. So perhaps she'll enjoy it more tomorrow!
I cycled off to my monthly LETS meeting, York Local Exchange Trading System has a core group meeting at the Seahorse Hotel near the Barbican on the first Monday of the month, and as I'm on the core group, I had to go.... it's always nice to see my LETSy friends but tonight I had to leave within the hour as I wanted to watch Panorama, as I was on it. The programme was good, and my little bit came accross well. My best buddy Jonathan rang up after, congratulating me! How lovely of him.
Later in the evening I got a good Freecycle message. I had replied to an offer of an old computer that someone was offering, on behalf of a friend of mine who wants to learn computer skills but is jobless, skint, and doesn't have many social contacts. The offerer had had loads of replies but had chosen my message as the deserving one. I rang her number and spoke to her husband, and I'll be able to pick it up on Thursday, and I emailed her with a big thank-you. I popped round to tell my friend, she was very moved and happy.
Thursday, 1 March 2007
1st March 07
Another packed day, starting, for me, with my wife waking me up and telling me it was 8am and time for me to arise and get ready to take the kids to school. Nice to do this as she will be bringing them back this afternoon AND doing both trips tomorrow as I'm in Burnley, leaving at 7am.
Spent some of the morning preparing soup for tea.... a large load of seconds tomatoes had come my way and only some were so bad they had to be composted. All done on the woodstove, of course! The post arrived and it was a good day as I got my quarterly dose of 'The Permaculture Magazine' and my weekly prescription of NewScientist. Both excellent reads, some familliar and easy to digest stuff and usually some challenging and thought-provoking items. I look forward to my next few nightly reads, as I always read for a half hour or so before sleeping, even if I retire at 1 or 2am.
Gill went to school to help with a school trip that our youngest was going on, they took the bendy bus which was apparently a lot of fun as it has CCTV and every time the youngsters saw themselves on it, they cheered and got over-excited. I cycled to Out Of This World and returned some plastic containers which had come home with me yesterday full of gubbins, and Marianne the boss gave me my month's 'honourarium' (is this how it is spelled? is this what it is?) I am a voluntary composter but the company values my services and gives me £25/month for recycling the majority of their biodegradables that can't be recycled in other ways, like cardboard which gets made into more cardboard.
Then onto the Credit Union to save this money, Mike the manager gave me some very good news which I hope to be able to share with Blog-readers in the future.
Then to Cycle Heaven where they swapped my mended and partly rebuilt bike for £165. Feels like new! Lovely, and a swift cycle to Jean out on Poppleton Rd, where I wrote a letter for her as she's too old to write by herself. She couldn't even sign it. I feel so sorry for her, old age and decrepitude isn't nice. She really wants to die, she doesn't see the point of still being alive. It's not a dignified way to spend the last months/years of her life. I really enjoy being with her, though, and was glad to help her keep in touch with an old couple she's fond of. They used to 'do' YHA trips together.
I spent an hour and a half with Jean and bombed home, it always seems downhill from Poppleton Road to Hull Road! Busy times at home as Justin Rowlatt, BBC Newsnight's Ethical Man phoned and suggested that the Yorkshire Post might be interested in my 'story', ie that I'm a keen composter with a low-impact-lifestyle. Then The Yorkshire Post phoned and I chatted/was interviewed for some time, also discussing how/when/where the YP photographer could get a shot of me/my compost bins. This will be on Sunday morning, the article will go out on Monday and Panorama, with Justin's challenge, goes out on Monday evening, so long as no huge story blows up and takes over. Exciting! I'll do anything to promote sustainability!
I went to school with a trailer-load of chainsaw and shredder at 5ish, to assist the school in disposing of a tree which blew over a couple of weeks ago. They're happy for me to have the logs and shredded twigs, as I can use/recycle both. Thank You School!
I sent 54 emails in the evening, telling people about my forthcoming Panorama appearance.
Bed was too late really, but I did get a bit of NewScientist in!
Spent some of the morning preparing soup for tea.... a large load of seconds tomatoes had come my way and only some were so bad they had to be composted. All done on the woodstove, of course! The post arrived and it was a good day as I got my quarterly dose of 'The Permaculture Magazine' and my weekly prescription of NewScientist. Both excellent reads, some familliar and easy to digest stuff and usually some challenging and thought-provoking items. I look forward to my next few nightly reads, as I always read for a half hour or so before sleeping, even if I retire at 1 or 2am.
Gill went to school to help with a school trip that our youngest was going on, they took the bendy bus which was apparently a lot of fun as it has CCTV and every time the youngsters saw themselves on it, they cheered and got over-excited. I cycled to Out Of This World and returned some plastic containers which had come home with me yesterday full of gubbins, and Marianne the boss gave me my month's 'honourarium' (is this how it is spelled? is this what it is?) I am a voluntary composter but the company values my services and gives me £25/month for recycling the majority of their biodegradables that can't be recycled in other ways, like cardboard which gets made into more cardboard.
Then onto the Credit Union to save this money, Mike the manager gave me some very good news which I hope to be able to share with Blog-readers in the future.
Then to Cycle Heaven where they swapped my mended and partly rebuilt bike for £165. Feels like new! Lovely, and a swift cycle to Jean out on Poppleton Rd, where I wrote a letter for her as she's too old to write by herself. She couldn't even sign it. I feel so sorry for her, old age and decrepitude isn't nice. She really wants to die, she doesn't see the point of still being alive. It's not a dignified way to spend the last months/years of her life. I really enjoy being with her, though, and was glad to help her keep in touch with an old couple she's fond of. They used to 'do' YHA trips together.
I spent an hour and a half with Jean and bombed home, it always seems downhill from Poppleton Road to Hull Road! Busy times at home as Justin Rowlatt, BBC Newsnight's Ethical Man phoned and suggested that the Yorkshire Post might be interested in my 'story', ie that I'm a keen composter with a low-impact-lifestyle. Then The Yorkshire Post phoned and I chatted/was interviewed for some time, also discussing how/when/where the YP photographer could get a shot of me/my compost bins. This will be on Sunday morning, the article will go out on Monday and Panorama, with Justin's challenge, goes out on Monday evening, so long as no huge story blows up and takes over. Exciting! I'll do anything to promote sustainability!
I went to school with a trailer-load of chainsaw and shredder at 5ish, to assist the school in disposing of a tree which blew over a couple of weeks ago. They're happy for me to have the logs and shredded twigs, as I can use/recycle both. Thank You School!
I sent 54 emails in the evening, telling people about my forthcoming Panorama appearance.
Bed was too late really, but I did get a bit of NewScientist in!
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!
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