Up reasonably early to sort out some fruit which has been hanging around and Gill's asked me to remove. Washed, halved, cored, peeled and sliced a tray-full of pears and melon for drying before breakfast... then had breakfast and went back to bed for 45 minutes to finish off a NewScientist. I'm still a month behind!
Then got up and did more tidying.... why are we so messy? Having children doesn't help, especially if they're either fighting or trailing round after you saying 'I'm bored'. Very frustrating... and when asked to do some simple bit of help, they say 'Don't want to do that' and I then feel like saying 'P*ss off then' but I don't, as swearing at your children isn't a good idea, so I smile sweetly and tell them to go and find something to do in their rooms and not get under our feet.
Rang my parents to see if any of the German part of the family are coming over this morning, but they are undecided and are coming over to York but not this morning, we may get a visit this afternoon. I've asked that they ring first as I may still have my Channel 4 visitor, who's coming at about 12.30. She's from 'Diverse' and they might be making a programme about people who take being 'green' very seriously, as it's all too common to hear people say 'I recycle therefore I'm green' or 'I use public transport instead of my car once a week, therefore I'm green' but obviously they aren't as being green entails many changes, root and branch. But this is an exploratory meeting to see if I'm the right person for the programme.
Lorraine came at 12.40, she'd got a train from London and then the No. 10 bus up here. She chatted and had a herb tea as I had lunch and Gill got the boys ready to go out, and when they eventually went, we did the filming, starting with the woodstoves and then the logpiles and materials recycling, then the composting and food growing, compost toilet... lots to show her and only a short time in which to do it. Hopefully she'll have got some useful stuff and her colleagues at C4 will decide I'm one of the people to be used in the programme. However it doesn't matter really if nothing comes of it, I'm sure someone else could do just as well as me.
She went soon after 4 and I went to the fruit shop... not just any fruit shop but the new! improved!! repainted!!! "Country Fresh" on Heslington Road and picked up a sack of stuff and some mushrooms so the boyos could have something tasty for tea... and of course, I love to have a bit of a cycle every day!
When I got back, the family hadn't come home so I went down the garden and did a little bit of compost management... but had a sneaking suspicion that Uncle Bill and family might be coming.... so I went to the front to be there incase they came. Funnily enough, just half an hour later, I glanced up to see a car going past with waving people in it and a couple of minutes later, my 3 cousins Micky, Christopher and Margarita, and Uncle Bill all trouped in. Micky has been studying in Sheffield so I've seen him recently, and I bumped into Margarita at the Big Green Gathering a couple of years ago, but I haven't seen Christopher for 34 years, apparently. And it's always good to see Bill as we are quite alike. My father tells me that as he goes senile, he'll start to call me William as I'm just like his older brother...
They came in and sat and chatted, then Gill and the boys appeared. Soon I took them for a short tour of the garden and at about 6.30 they went back to Sheffield. I don't see Bill very often as he lives in Germany, I don't know where Margarita lives and Christopher is a lorry driver in London, so might not see him much. However, good to see them all together.
A bready tea and a quiet evening, quick skype call with my friend in the US, with webcams working this time... the first time they have both worked perfectly for a long time. Hers often 'freezes' and she thinks this may be to some of the other things that I've got open on my computer... but nothing was different so I think it could be at her end. Weird. But good to chat and really good to keep it to an hour as I wanted to spend some time with Gill this evening.
Delighted again to see the chaos at Terminal 5 continued today... long may this continue! I want to see FEWER flights!
Showing posts with label air travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label air travel. Show all posts
Friday, 28 March 2008
Thursday, 27 March 2008
Thursday 27th March 08
A good day as Gill's niece Helen came over from Leeds and she's one of our favourite family members. Whilst she was chatting to us, I made soup for this evening out of spring onions, a leek top and an onion (all rejects) and a bought potato and three carrots. I fried the alliums first then added the roots, put in boiling water and herbs, balsamic vinegar and bouillon and cooked it up on the woodstove for several hours. This turned into the best stew/soup I have ever made, it was fantastic!
I cycled round to the bread shop and was reminded that I had found a foreign object in a bread-roll last week, so decided to ring them when I got in and take it in to save them a car-journey out here. No point in them driving here when I can cycle it there!
Later, I did some work in the garden, and after lunch, cycled the bread-roll with a nail in it down to the Environmental Health people at St Leonards Place. I found this last Friday and as the Council folks were on holiday, I popped it in the freezer. So I gave it in and signed a statement prepared by the student EH Professinal (not 'Officers' anymore!) and then visited Dylan at Millers Yard, Macdonalds Furniture Store in Fossgate to get a coatstand, as requested by Gill (had to collect this from James Street warehouse) and then on to what used to be Martin's Country Fresh on Heslington Road, which this morning has been rebranded 'Country Fresh', so that it can be Martin's, Richard's, or even Shirley's Country Fresh.
I picked up several sacks and boxes there, and had a friendly chat with a bricklayer from Leeds called Phil, who was very positive about what I was doing. I hope he visits, I gave him my details, as I think he's a potential 'Green Convert'!!!
The folks were away when I got in so I went down the garden and dug out a sit n wait compost heap, completely filling a builders one-tonne bag, and then rebuilt a new pallet bin, off the ground to discourage rodents. It is on a pallet, raised off the ground, and has four pallets wired together as sides. I broke up the old container and used some of the wooden slats to fill the holes in the base pallet. I'll refill the bin tomorrow.
The two lovely ladies and three boys (our youngest had a friend to play) came back from town where they'd walked down to the walls, walked a section and then got a bus back. Soon after this, Helen had to go. I hope we see her again soon.
Had the fantastic soup for tea, watched a bit of telly whilst doing computery stuff during the evening. My spirits were raised to see the chaos at the new 'Terminal 5' at Heathrow. On the lunchtime news there was film of a 'flashmob' anti airports protest which looked really good, but on the evening news there was nothing about this, just the fact that the whole place had got clogged up with the luggage machinery not working and the staff not being able to cope... and therefore quite a few flights were cancelled. The really good thing was that it was mainly 'short-haul' flights. The lazy greedy bastards who use these should have gone by train instead (much lower carbon emissions). So this kind of chaos makes my happy.
I cycled round to the bread shop and was reminded that I had found a foreign object in a bread-roll last week, so decided to ring them when I got in and take it in to save them a car-journey out here. No point in them driving here when I can cycle it there!
Later, I did some work in the garden, and after lunch, cycled the bread-roll with a nail in it down to the Environmental Health people at St Leonards Place. I found this last Friday and as the Council folks were on holiday, I popped it in the freezer. So I gave it in and signed a statement prepared by the student EH Professinal (not 'Officers' anymore!) and then visited Dylan at Millers Yard, Macdonalds Furniture Store in Fossgate to get a coatstand, as requested by Gill (had to collect this from James Street warehouse) and then on to what used to be Martin's Country Fresh on Heslington Road, which this morning has been rebranded 'Country Fresh', so that it can be Martin's, Richard's, or even Shirley's Country Fresh.
I picked up several sacks and boxes there, and had a friendly chat with a bricklayer from Leeds called Phil, who was very positive about what I was doing. I hope he visits, I gave him my details, as I think he's a potential 'Green Convert'!!!
The folks were away when I got in so I went down the garden and dug out a sit n wait compost heap, completely filling a builders one-tonne bag, and then rebuilt a new pallet bin, off the ground to discourage rodents. It is on a pallet, raised off the ground, and has four pallets wired together as sides. I broke up the old container and used some of the wooden slats to fill the holes in the base pallet. I'll refill the bin tomorrow.
The two lovely ladies and three boys (our youngest had a friend to play) came back from town where they'd walked down to the walls, walked a section and then got a bus back. Soon after this, Helen had to go. I hope we see her again soon.
Had the fantastic soup for tea, watched a bit of telly whilst doing computery stuff during the evening. My spirits were raised to see the chaos at the new 'Terminal 5' at Heathrow. On the lunchtime news there was film of a 'flashmob' anti airports protest which looked really good, but on the evening news there was nothing about this, just the fact that the whole place had got clogged up with the luggage machinery not working and the staff not being able to cope... and therefore quite a few flights were cancelled. The really good thing was that it was mainly 'short-haul' flights. The lazy greedy bastards who use these should have gone by train instead (much lower carbon emissions). So this kind of chaos makes my happy.
Sunday, 24 February 2008
Sunday 24th February 08
Quite a relaxed morning, but before breakfast I unicycled along to the Co-op to buy a copy of The Observer, which has an article about CRAGs and part of the article is an interview with me. I then spent some time thinking about the Gardening Club at school and formulating a list of questions and things to think about for our first meeting, then emailed that off to the chairperson who has let me know we're meeting up on Wednesday.
I rang up my parents to tell them about the Observer article and had a brief chat with my Dad who did his best to upset me by comparing some of my views to those of Scientologists!!! I felt really insulted to be compared to these crackpots! I feel like I can't ring them up because of his behaviour towards me, which does upset me and I tend to 'retaliate' and this doesn't go down at all well! I'll have to do my best to not turn into him, and keep my mind open to other peoples' views... to at least give them the respect of listening to them and not instantly slagging them off and belittling them. It doesn't make you any friends!
Lunch was late but delicious, then did some washing up and listened to Gardener's Question Time on Radio 4.
During the afternoon I went down to the veg shop and then on to the lottie where I composted my valuable collected resources and then went on to my friend in Heslington to wish her a happy 40th birthday. Nice coffee and chat with her and her hubby, then back home.
A relaxed evening, researched my paid blog on Richard Branson's biofuel experiment, the first aeroplane journey using biofuel. Also had a successful skype call with my friend over the pond, which was wonderful.
Typed in my blog but it wouldn't save, so I lost it all after several hours work. Annoying.
I rang up my parents to tell them about the Observer article and had a brief chat with my Dad who did his best to upset me by comparing some of my views to those of Scientologists!!! I felt really insulted to be compared to these crackpots! I feel like I can't ring them up because of his behaviour towards me, which does upset me and I tend to 'retaliate' and this doesn't go down at all well! I'll have to do my best to not turn into him, and keep my mind open to other peoples' views... to at least give them the respect of listening to them and not instantly slagging them off and belittling them. It doesn't make you any friends!
Lunch was late but delicious, then did some washing up and listened to Gardener's Question Time on Radio 4.
During the afternoon I went down to the veg shop and then on to the lottie where I composted my valuable collected resources and then went on to my friend in Heslington to wish her a happy 40th birthday. Nice coffee and chat with her and her hubby, then back home.
A relaxed evening, researched my paid blog on Richard Branson's biofuel experiment, the first aeroplane journey using biofuel. Also had a successful skype call with my friend over the pond, which was wonderful.
Typed in my blog but it wouldn't save, so I lost it all after several hours work. Annoying.
Tuesday, 23 October 2007
Monday 22nd October 07
Early start with a taxi ride to Hebden Bridge and a train to Manchester, change to Salford Crescent, change again to Manchester Airport where I said goodbye to K who is flying back to America.
I had a non-eventful train journey back to York. Picked up my compostables and visited Cycle Heaven who have completed constructing my new bike... and have a bill for me which I'll get for them tomorrow when I'll get my bike home.... Exciting!
Home to find a happy family.
During the evening, researched my paid blog and wrote it, on The Energy Saving Trust and their activities.
I had a non-eventful train journey back to York. Picked up my compostables and visited Cycle Heaven who have completed constructing my new bike... and have a bill for me which I'll get for them tomorrow when I'll get my bike home.... Exciting!
Home to find a happy family.
During the evening, researched my paid blog and wrote it, on The Energy Saving Trust and their activities.
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