Sunday 19th February 17

As I've got work in Sheffield tomorrow I'm going to go through this afternoon and stay with Anna, my sister, for a couple of nights.  I was getting a few things together when Ben and his fiancée Karen turned up.  This was the first time I'd met her and it was so good to see them together.  We chatted about the wedding and a few other things, but they didn't stay long.

I left before 4 to get the 4.25 train which got into Sheffield at 5.15, and it only took me 25 minutes to cycle up to Walkley, despite having a large shrub hanging from the handlebars, my laptop, day-bag and a rucksack with circus stuff in.  Anna cooked up a wholesome pasta dish and we watched a bit of telly and chatted before she got to bed.

I did the washing up and got to bed before 2am. Early for me... but I've a relatively early start tomorrow. I have to be over in Darnall before 10, and I've memorised the map so I know my route. I'll go to the station and up behind it near to where Thomas lives, and the route from there is easy.

Saturday 18th February 17

I had a relaxing but hard working day, trying to get the front garden tidied up, ready for the removal of the pointless 'Spirea' shrubs which have grotty pink flowers on them but don't serve any purpose, so that I can put in some fruit trees.

I took advantage of a Radio Times offer and bought two Victoria Plum trees, a single one was £15 but the offer was to throw in a free one, so including the postage, two trees for under £22. I'm happy with that, and spent some time looking up how to train them along wires.

I also did some composting and log stacking, and had two facebook video conversations in the evening, one planned and the other a surprise.

Friday 17th February 17

Woken early by low flying jet planes which made me think back to my childhood when there was a lot of fear about conflict, with the 'Iron Curtain' between the Communist Bloc countries and the West, and a nuclear arsenal which seemed ready to be used at a moments notice. Over the intervening decades things have become a bit more peaceful, with the fall of the Berlin Wall and a relatively peaceful European situation, despite conflicts in the Balkans.  But with Trump with his finger on the trigger in the US, I'm not feeling as safe as I used to, and the UK 'leaving Europe' doesn't help either.

But they were just planes, not warheads or bombers..........

The rest of the day was peaceful.  I went to buy Yesterbake bread and get something from the chemist, did some log stacking and then took Howard's bike to Cycle Heaven to see if I could get a new back wheel or have the axle replaced, then visited Pauline who was pleased to see me and gave me her compostables to deal with. I picked up more compostables on the way home and did assorted outdoors work.

In the evening I re-arranged this blog a bit and started putting together a new segment for Extinction Radio.

Thursday 16th February 17

Today I only had one appointment, up in Huntington to meet with Jon in the Flag and Whistle, to check out the room they have for hire there.  We spoke to Nathan, one of the staff, and he took down details to discuss with his colleague who does the event nights.

I picked up some wood on the way back.  I did a lot of chainsawing during the day, of the bits I brought home over the past couple of days.

Friday 27th May 16

Another day of frustrating paperwork, including getting the accounts done for 2014/2015, which revealed that due to the number of non-payers last year, I made a loss on my Professor Fiddlesticks work. I've done OK on the Composter work, though.

At 4.30 I cycled down to Priory St to pick up the key so that I could do the Ditch Coal evening.  When that eventually got going it was a fascinating information session about the impacts of coal extraction in Russia, Columbia and the 'mountaintop removal' methods in the USA. This went on til 10pm.

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.