Friday 1st January 2016

A quiet and quite good day. No major highlights other than a surprise phone call with a facebook friend with whom I've had limited communication, although all of it warm and friendly. However it was lovely to chat for quite a time.

Friday 12th June 2015, the Ninth Manchester World Naked Bike Ride

A day to remember!

A very quick and easy train trip through to Manchester Oxford Road, and I wasn't *quite* the first there, and helped put up the cordon and signage, helping the organisers. I gave out loads of flyers for the York ride, and collected a few donations to help pay for the flyers. I talked to lots of people about the reasons we were doing the ride... to highlight cyclist vulnerability, the way the roads are dominated by car drivers who actually just own a car, NOT the road, and to celebrate how brilliant bikes and their riders are. 

The park filled up, various people I know by name and more I just know as 'fellow riders'. Then someone came up to me whom I haven't seen since she was 12, Ruth, when I was entertaining at the York Rally and she was an accomplished unicyclist. It took me a moment to remember... but so glad to see her, her first WNBR at 17 years old.

I got a slogan painted onto my back "It's Oil Over". Then I got naked.
And then the Ninth Manchester World Naked Bike Ride started, about 300 riders, a noisy colourful carnival: "a joyous occasion transmitting a deadly serious message" (to quote Emma James).

It was certainly joyous... the people of Manchester seem to love us and cheer and whistle. I saw no evidence whatsoever that anyone was unhappy to see us, or angry, no-one turning their backs on us (I've seen this just once in Manchester), and the motor vehicle drivers all took the protest in their stride, no aggression at all.

I got the 9.07 train back and had some good conversations.

Tuesday 19th May 15

I had a reasonably good day, did a lot in the garden, preparing the raised bed for the rhubarb, and sorting compost.

I cycled into town via St Nicks, and gave Ivana a cheque for £1000 which was the remaining funds from York Green Festival.

I also paid in a cheque from DAD last summer, which somehow hadn't been sent to me, and paid the water bill... and the best thing was that Michelle saw my bike and trailer and came to see me, and we went and sat and chatted, and she's very happy with an exciting relationship, and this made me very happy.

Friday May 8th 15, City of York Council Election Count

Hull Road Ward results, May 7th 2015
Barnes, Neil Labour and Co-Operative Party 1,999 (ELECTED)
Shepherd, Hilary Labour and Co-Operative Party 1,672 (ELECTED)
Levene, David Toby Labour and Co-Operative Party 1,599 (ELECTED)
Cossham, John Scobell Green Party Lead Candidate 1,408
Smith, Cameron Conservative Party 1,256
Wright, Bethany Hannah Conservative Party 1,237
Hennessy, Jordon Conservative Party 1,195
Heawood, John Patrick Green Party 1,031
Maule, Stuart Harry Green Party 857
Anderson, Keith Philip UK Independence Party (UKIP) 667
Edwards, Rachel Sarah Liberal Democrat 609
Davies, Thomas Alexander Liberal Democrat 492
Roberts, Lizzy Liberal Democrat 457
Ollerhead, Megan Jessica Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition 201

Tuesday 31st January 12

A thoughtful day, not feeling 100% positive about myself... it's not a feeling I'm that used to, and recognise it from when I've done something silly or reprehensible.

However, I kept busy, and went to buy bread before lunch.  I cycled back through Hull Road Park to look at the plot which Marie Birbeck from the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust told us about last night.  The plot had been 'done' with a chainsaw gang and there were a few smallish logs on the ground from an elm tree which had been trimmed.  I spoke to a gardener who said that he'd be really happy if I took the logs, as he thought that they were going to be taken away by the chainsaw people.

So I loaded up the trailer and took a load home, and went back with an empty trailer twice.  Later in the day I chopped all this up and split it... elm does not split easily, especially when dry, so doing it whilst green is the best option.  I also split a few more bits of the giant logs delivered last week, and did some stacking too.

I unwrapped the 'hotbin' composter which was delivered yesterday morning.  I now see how it keeps the materials so warm; it is made of an expanded plastic, looking a bit like expanded polystyrene but the much tougher expanded polypropylene.  So the claim that the walls are 96% air I now understand.  I'll start using it later this week.

I cycled up to see Carolyn, who wanted to offload some sacks of leaves my way, and to ask my opinion about a tree which one of her neighbours might want trimming or removing.  I persuaded her to leave the tree for a bit, but offered to do a bit of pruning work.  Also I learned about her electric trip-switch in case she calls on me to rescue her from her lift which she occasionally gets stuck in.

I also visited Debbie over the road and heard about her short trip up to see her folks and I'm glad she's still getting on with Philip, who's back from seeing his parents in the West Country.

I heard a chainsaw down the road and it was a chap trying to chop up the big Beech trunk in the garden just over Milson Grove.  I spoke to him and he suggested I speak to the householder, who's name is Paula, and she said, yes, I could have some of the wood.  The chap attempting to do the log seemed really happy for me to take the job on, so later I contacted Ian, my chainsawing friend, and asked him if he'd help me, or if I could pay him to make the trunk into rounds.... There's a lot of wood there, way over a tonne I'd say.  I do hope he can help.

I finished the day feeling a lot more positive.

Monday 30th January 12

Quite a mixed day... some of it was taken up with dealing with the aftermath of a post I put on facebook without thinking of the consequences.  It was a photo of what is colloquially known as a 'ladyboy'; a person, usually from a far-eastern country such as Thailand, who was born male and has chosen to live as a woman, a situation known as 'transgender'.  I have several transgender friends and therefore I should have known better to share a picture which used an image to get some cheap humour. I got several comments from friends and people I know who were horrified by what I'd done. There were other comments from people who thought it was hilarious.  This only enraged the offended group more.  Others chimed in and said that the Politically Correct crew were over-reacting. The response to this was a claim that trans people suffered more bullying and attacks than any other identifiable group in society, and many trans people commit suicide. I apologised for any offence given and hoped that some good might have come of the discussion, that people might have learned some facts about transgender people.  I have certainly learned to think before sharing things, and to stop and think if it might be offensive.  I don't mind discussing controversial subjects, but I don't set out to upset people... unless I want to deliberately upset people, of course.  The picture was later removed by facebook from everyone's walls who had shared it, probably because of complaints.

More of the day was taken up with organising the York in Transition Energy Event on March 10th, inviting renewable energy installers to come and have a stall.  I rang at least 8 different organisations.

I also got a welcome phone call from The Phone Co-op who said they thought I was spending too much on my phone bill, and that they thought I could, should, change my tariff. How nice of them!

Sunday 29th January 12

A nondescript morning but had been asked to provide balloon entertainment at a social event in Leeds, at A Nation of Shopkeepers from about 1pm.  So I went over on the train and arrived on the dot of 1.  My friend from Manchester, Simon, had come over and we chatted, before Alexa, the main organiser, turned up, and we managed to commandeer a couple of sofas and several chairs, moving a table to enable us all to sit together.

I had some good chats with a chap called Ben, who had a shared interest in compost toilets and green funerals, and his wife Lea who was very nice too.  There was Edafe and Mercedes, Bluebell and Riley, plus about another 10 people who I didn't get to know names of. The balloon models were appreciated, I think most people had a go and it added to the fun.

I left at 5pm and was home by 6.30, having stopped off at a logpile with my trailer, and I had rice for tea, did an enormous pile of washing up and prepared two racks of apples for drying.