Wednesday 4th March 09

I woke at 8am and took our youngest to school and came back via the trashed woodland to collect more bits of demolished tree.

Gill had already gone to art, walking up to Osbaldwick to do some 'pointillism'.

I wrote my blog for yesterday, and sent a copy of the letter to the Vicar of Heslington with whom I'm friendly. She asked me to copy her in to anything I was sending to the school when I chatted to her a while back expressing my unhappiness with the School's environmental performance... she is also a Governor or Board member.

Then, a phone call from Councillor Waller, trained Rotter and leader of City of York Council. He said he's received my email and was surprised to hear about this as a school near his house is successfully composting. Later, he sent me an email saying he was taking action! I felt quite elated! I am glad someone is doing something.

I spent a little bit of time in the garden, starting to load up the Compostumbler again. But came in for lunch and then spent some nice times with Gill who was busy in the kitchen and then ironed my work clothes. I loaded up my trailer with all the Fiddlesticks stuff and at 3 set off for Riccall, going exactly the same way as on the 28th January, via Heslington, Fulford, Naburn, and then the cycle track all the way down to Riccall. I arrived at the cycle track at 3.30 and Riccall by 4, and my gig started at 4.30. I had a quick chat with my handler... she confessed that the youngsters had not made juggling balls (as I'd suggested) and they'd not done any circussy practice at all. So I said that I'd just repeat the show, with plenty of participation, and that children were usually completely happy with repeats. There were a few new audience members too, which was good. So, 25 Rainbows and about 10 grown-ups and 3 or 4 pre-Rainbows and younger siblings. The show went well. I finished on time. I got paid for both days work.

And I was on the road again by 5.45 and was soon off the road and onto the Riccall to Naburn cycle track. I stopped several times to pick up litter... mainly aluminium cans, but got home on the dot of 7pm. Gill had made a simple but filling Bulgar wheat meal and I had this whilst watching Inside Out... which had the John Foster living on a pound-a-day piece, and me giving him tips. This is now on iPlayer, I'm on at about 9 mins 28 seconds... just at the beginning of his piece. See:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00j20br/Inside_Out_North_East_and_Cumbria_04_03_2009/

A quiet evening mainly.

Wednesday 28th January 09

Another peaceful morning; lovely. We never know if the boys will get out of bed 'one side' and get ready for school without a murmur, or 'the other side', and be quite resistant and uncooperative. Today was the good side!

Gill went to Art once I'd got back, I took some compostables down to the now steaming heap and saw a heron in the top of a neighbour's tree. It was having hassle from a crow, and soon flew off.

I did some log-management too, in the front, chopping up some big logs recently retrieved from various dumps, and splitting and stacking them.

Gill came back and had lunch, Will came round and we finished off the LETS Awards for All application, to allow us to get the LETS Link UK software which will allow us to become a web-based organisation. I'll now ask Melody to check the application, and I have to get our new bank signatories sorted, and find an independent referee.

I had a rest after lunch as I was suddenly absolutely bushed, but got up at 2.30 as I had to set off for work at about 3pm. I'd had a phone call yesterday to invite me to go and entertain Riccall Rainbows, the youngest of the Brownie/Guide continuum. They meet at 4.30 for an hour every Wednesday, and the client wanted me to go and do two sessions (or was it me that suggested this?), one today and one in a few weeks time. I'd agreed a ridiculously low fee... at this time of year, on a weekday, and in 'these times' of not much money around, I have to take any work I can get. So I decided on a route -Heslington, Fulford, Naburn Lane, Route 65 York-Selby cycle track, Riccall. So most of this ride was off-road, and took me about an hour... I didn't go over fast as I'd given it enough time to cycle steadily and get there in plenty of time. I saw my second interesting bird of the day, a lovely pale barn owl, between the sewage works on Naburn Lane and the cycle track.

I got to Riccall at 4pm and cooled off, waited for the keyholder to arrive and then I went and got changed and ready to rumble! Did my standard show, in 50 minutes, and cycled back, in very dark conditions (took my dynamo off for much of the cycle track bit... exciting cycling in the pitch black!) Arrived home at 7pm, really tired and looking forward to tea... I just had sandwiches as Gill had had her hands full whilst I was out and had not been able to cook for herself or me. The boys had some quiche and potatoes, but then needed a lot of 'looking after' so she was unable to get on. She was very glad to see me! I was able t calm things down and the problem homework got done and both of them got to bed at about 9pm. Phew!

A nice peaceful evening... including a phone call from my Aunty in Norfolk.. we chatted for half an hour and she was most supportive.

Spent quite a bit of time trying to find another speaker for the launch of Transition Town Kirbymoorside, which I've been invited to attend. I suggested finding a more 'normal' person to speak as well as me, as my tiny footprint might be seen as a bit unobtainable and my deep-green lifestyle not very realistic for the majority of ordinary folks trying to reduce their impact by 10 or 20%. I look forward to some replies. Any offers from newbie greenies happily considered, especially if you are not male, middle aged and bearded!