Friday 2nd Sepember 11

A rushed start to the day.  Last night Gill had asked what time I needed to get up.  I said how about 7.30 as I should leave the house at 8.30 to be in Pocklington at 9.30 to start work at 10. She set the alarm for 7pm.  Yes. PM.  So the alarm didn't go off. We woke at 8am.  Therefore I had to get breakfast, pack my bike and get going as soon as possible... I left the house at 8.43, and cycled without stopping to Pocklington, which is about 11.5 miles, and this took 65 minutes.  I had time, just, to get changed, slurp a coffee and start my POP Club entertainment on the dot of 10am.  Phew!

So, I had just under 20 youngsters and I did a show with bits and bobs of workshop, then a free-play workshop.  Then it was lunch, followed by more free-play workshop, and then I prepared for the balloon modelling workshop.  It all went really well.  I was ready to go home at 3pm, and took 70 minutes to get home.

Then after a rest I had to sort out the coconut problem.  I'd asked the guys at Freshways if they could sell me a sack of coconuts, for the Green Party coconut shy at the Peace Festival.  They said yes, come and collect on Friday afternoon.  Then yesterday, I'd popped in and said Eugene would be collecting it.  Anyway, when I got in this afternoon, I got a bit of a garbled message about Eugene not getting the coconuts.  So I cycled down there at about 5, hoping to simply pick it up, take it back home, and get back down to David's for 6pm.  But nothing is ever quite that simple.

They had no coconuts in, but knew a chap who did have a sack for sale.  They rang him up, and said I'd be round soon, and gave me his address and phone number scribbled on a slip of paper.  So I followed the address given and ended up in Fulford, knocking on the door of an empty house.  So I used my mobile and rang the chap... he was in Kilburn Road, off Fulford Road, not ON Fulford Road.  I cycled back towards town and found his house.  He was someone I know a little bit... he'd bought the nuts for a coconut shy a week ago an hadn't used them.  I purchased them.  Then I got a phone call.  It was David.  Where was I? I was supposed to be with him at 6pm, and it was now 6.30pm.  Oh dear.

I bombed into town and met up with David who wasn't too bothered about my being late.  We went out to City Screen and had a nice social time, meeting two of his friends.

Eugene came round at 10pm to collect the coconuts.

A long day!

Sunday 4th July 10

A work day that I was not entirely looking forward to... I was wondering how my ankle would cope and what I'd be able to do. I was happy that my travel arrangements were taken care of by Chris offering to pick me up at 10.15.

So I got ready and packed in good time and was picked up by Chris, who leads meditations, and his wife Collina, who is a very keen gardener, in a hire car.

The journey was quick and easy, with a quick stop in Pocklington for Chris to get some cash out, and on to the Madhyamaka Buddhist Centre, at Kilnwick Percy Hall. I got my gear out of the car quite near the main lawn and found a good place which would accommodate my four-wheel and two-wheel unicycles, and got myself settled to do some workshops and balloons. I was kept busy all day, but was able to sit for much of it. I was offered a vegeburger and salad for lunch, and Collina got me a coffee. It was a very successful day, and the people in charge paid me my agreed fee, despite my not being able to unicycle round. I was very grateful and pleased. The trip home was just as easy and quick, and I was back home at about 5.30.

I had sandwiches for tea, and then at 7.15 cycled off to Anna's to participate in a York in Transition Events Team meeting with Ivana and Andy D'Agorne. I took a few notes and offered to write them up. I'll do that tomorrow, I hope!

Monday 1st September 08

Woke up thinking about making a phone call to the bus company about taking my unicycle on the bus to Pocklington today and to the company who haven't paid me as I told them that if I'd heard nothing by 1st September, I'd start some actions to recover my payment.

The bus situation resolved itself... I did eventually get to speak to someone in charge and they suggested that putting the wheel of the uni in a bin liner would make it a lot more acceptable to have on the bus. So that's what I'll do....

I rang the non-paying company and eventually spoke to someone who knew about the situation and they assured me that the paperwork was being dealt with and that I'd get a cheque 'within a couple of weeks'. So if it's not with me by 14th September I'll have to do something more official. I did thank the lady and asked her to pass on my thanks to everybody who was dealing with it. Hopefully that will help get things moving...

A neighbour came to the door to ask me if I'd like some small conifer trees that they were taking out. I chatted to her about the trunks being useful but the leaves and twigs being less so, but that they were compostable and could go in the green bin or to Hazel Court. I offered to lend them my loppers to strip the twigs off the trunks, and after getting dressed, took them round and did one of the trees for them to show how I'd like to receive the tree trunks (which are only hedge height, 2 metres or so).

I did about half an hour's stacking and then came in to do emails. A friend has contacted me saying the thesis tools website she's tried to contact is not responding... and yes, when I tried, I couldn't get to my questionnaire either which is worrying. I have about 70 responses to my questionnaire on it and this is raw data for my book. I hope it comes back up and I can retrieve the information!

I had an early lunch and got myself ready for the bus to Pocklington. Gill decided to come too, with the boys, as it's a good place to visit and as it's the last day of the holidays Gill wanted to make it a good day. So we all got the X46 at Milson Grove (although it was late and that made me wonder if it was going to come and whether I would be able to get to work...!) We sat on the top deck and the skies were beautiful, clouds and interesting light.

My 'handler' met me at Pocklington bus station and drove me to POP Club which is held in a school building about 5 minutes drive from the bus station. I was welcomed by over 20 very enthusiastic children, as this was the second time I'd visited this summer and the first time it was fantastic! I managed to put my stuff down and go and get changed and within 5 minutes I was starting my show.

As most of the youngsters had seen my show before, I varied my routine a bit and we started with a chap who'd learned to juggle 3 balls since he first saw the show. He was able to just do a 'three-ball flash' (each ball thrown once and caught) and then he did four throws, and next a 'three-ball-cascade' where the balls were each thrown, and caught, at least twice each. When he did this he got a massive round of applause and cheering. Then I asked for a volunteer who could juggle two balls but wanted to be able to do three. The two-ball pattern is what I call 'school-girl-juggling' because the ball is thrown up with one hand, caught with the other and passed to the original hand in a more-or-less circular pattern. With 'proper' juggling, the balls are thrown up with either hand. The girl who volunteered was not able to do the three-ball pattern, but she still got a big round of applause for coming out and demonstrating the two-ball pattern. I also explained a little about the curve being called a parabola and how it is made up of an 'up', an 'accross' and a 'down', the first two being variable depending on how much force the thrower puts into it, and the third is gravity which on Earth is constant.

I then moved on to devilsticks, balancing, Derek the Diabolo, yoyo balls and finally unicycle. The show was very well received and they all enjoyed themselves as much as I did. There was a few minutes after the show and workshop for them to have a drink and a biscuit, and I got the 'freeplay workshop' ready. I laid out most of the equipment and when they were ready, spent a few minutes showing them the things I hadn't explained in the show, mostly diabolo which is really quite complicated to do, as there are three things you have to do simultaneously. Then I let then loose on the stuff, and did 3 minute blocks so everybody could try everything, well, almost!

Whilst we were coming to the end of that I started to inflate balloons for the balloon animal workshop, and at 4.10pm, I got everybody concentrating on the art of balloon modelling... and again, most of them loved it and succeeded in making something, although some of the animals looked a bit mutant. Finished off with the usual competitions to get rid of the animals I made, and by 4.50pm we were finished.

I got changed, was given my cheque, was driven to the bus stop where Gill and the boys were waiting... they'd had a good time at the Burnby Hall Gardens. They'd also done a bit of shopping and were all happy. Lovely bus journey home, nice tea, busy evening at YorkLETS core group meeting and late night on the computer doing a paid blog post on clothes swapping aka swishing.

Wednesday 28th May 08

A day working... after breakfast I did my paid blog, on my favourite subject, composting. Tomorrow the Community Care magazine is publishing my latest column which is on gardening, and to go with that I have a brief why and how with home composting. It just took an hour to put together. After this I had a very brief shower and got my stuff together to go to Pocklington to the POP Club, an out of school club.

I had to walk to Thief Lane to get the bus, which was a service which went through Heslington, not up Hull Road. I had already contacted the bus company about taking my unicycle on the bus... there's apparently a rule which says 'no bicycles on the bus' and on at least one occasion I've been refused onto the bus because the driver has seen the unicycle and thought it was a bicycle. So this time I rang the bus company and asked about bringing the unicycle... and fortunately, I was allowed. So when the bus came to the stop opposite the Retreat, I was suprised to be handed a large black plastic bin bag and told to put the unicycle in that, and take the saddle off! Fortunately the bag was big enough to go around the 36 inch wheel and I didn't take the saddle off (it is really difficult to take off and on anyway) and the driver didn't make a fuss. I remained extremely polite, and when we got to Pocklington, I thanked him for his help.. he didn't want the bag back.

My host was waiting for me to take me to the school where the POP Club was, and all the kiddies were very excited about my visit. I got changed and did my one-hour show, then two half-hour workshops, then the balloon show, finishing on the dot of 5pm. The bus back was at 5.45ish and the driver didn't comment at all about my unusually shaped luggage.

Home nice and quickly, Gill had made tea... stew and dumplings, and I had a quiet evening including a good chat with K and enjoyable 'Ideal', just as surreal as ever.