Wednesday 10th November 10

Quite a low mood day today.  However I did get a lovely phone call from someone wanting to book me for a Christmas party in a nursery, and I explained how I could alter my usual show to fit the youthful audience.  We chatted and it turned out she is on the Committee for the village Mayday celebrations, AND she's involved with a school.... so that conversation could lead to a number of gigs.  Let's hope so!

As the weather was nice I did a good hour or so of chainsawing, chopping up all the chunky hazel and some of the recently rescued skipped logs.  I enjoyed doing the chainsawing and splitting... I might do some stacking tomorrow, depending on how bad the weather is.

I made a nutloaf from bread, peanut butter, cooked quinoa, nuts, onions and some finely chopped pumpkin.

In the evening I cycled over to the station to buy my tickets for Cambridge on Friday, but there were no advance tickets left, so it will be a buy-it-on-the-day situation, at a cost of £66.  But that's an off-peak return, so I don't have to get a certain train back... but I may not get a seat.  I called in to see Dylan and did his recycling collection, and then on to Green Drinks at the Three Legged Mare.  It was a fairly quiet meeting, but good to see my friend Tracy and one of her friends, Jenny and her partner, Katie and her partner, June Tranmer, both Green Councillors, a nice chap called Julian, Peter and Edward from Transition, JZ and others.  Andy Chase showed up and asked me to sign the Election Expenses forms.

Towards the end of this jolly social, I noticed that there were four pumpkins/squashes, on a shelf, as decoration.  One of them, the big pumpkin, was going soft and just beginning to leak.  The other 3, winter squash, were sound and wholesome.  I spoke to the bar staff and told the boss-lady that her pumpkin was about to leak all over the place, and would she like me to take it away for composting? She was happy with this offer... and gave me the 3 squashes too.  Excellent!  Apparently they had been props at the Theatre Royal and had been brought in a while ago.  She'd intended to take the squashes home and cook with them, but hadn't had time to do that.  I was surprised that she gave them to me.

So I cycled slowly home with a heavy load, and when inside, started to deal with the pineapples which I've had sitting outside the front door for a few days.  Still feeling a bit grumpy.

Friday 6th June 08

A good start to the day as I took the children into school, pushing the broken mountain bike I found a couple of months ago, and then cycled on to Cycle Heaven over the Millennium Bridge. I reported the found bike to the police on the day I found it, and was told that if no-one claimed it, that it would be mine in a month (28 days?) so today I got it repaired. It needed a new gear-mechanism hanger and a few other bits. When I took it in, one of the knowledgeable employees said they had seen the same bike on sale for £70. I had thought it was worth a lot more, as it has disc brakes and suspension and seemed quite chunky.... but anyway, I spent £50 getting it back into working order and it will be suitable for my son or sons when they grow into it....

I went from the bike shop to the Building Society to put a cheque in, and on to the Tax Office to see if an email I got was genuine. After a phone call from that office to another office, it appears that it was a sophisticated 'phishing' email, trying to get my bank details. It didn't succeed as I don't have a credit card, which it asked for to repay some tax overpayment.

And so to home, where I spent a bit of time doing emails and got a message from my St. Nicks friend Katie who wants to come and see my composting ops etc, and will be here at lunchtime.

I did a little bit of logging out the front waiting for her to arrive, and then gave her the tour and shared lunch with her. Good to inspire someone who is early-on in her path to living a low carbon lifestyle.

Soon enough 3pm came and Katie walked into town and I cycled to school to pick up my little boys. Got some nice feedback from the head about last-night's Green Thumb Gang activities, which was good.

Soon after we got home, the rain started and there was an incredibly heavy downpour.

At about 5pm, despite the continuing rain, cycled in to town via Country Fresh, where I dropped off another 4 carrier bags of riddled compost, and onto Mail Box Etc to do some LETS photocopying, and onto Cycle Heaven to pick up the mountain bike... and then to the Minster to meet up with any other Critical Massers... there were only 5 there... probably because of the weather. Two decided to slink off home and four of us went to the Three Legged Mare for a social, drink, and eat. One of the Massers was Jane G from Scarborough, one of my favourite activists... there was also Gillian and Andy D'Ag for company. I enjoyed the garlic olives and 'pear cider' (which I know as 'perry'!) and especially the conversation.

After an hour and a half there, bungeed the mountain bike onto my trailer and cycled to my LETS friend to deliver the photocopying, and then back home, all in the rain.