Saturday 30th June 07

Woken by my children fighting. Blimy, being a parent isn't easy.

All too soon it was time for me to go to work, a party on Boroughbridge Road, in a church hall, 11am til 1.30pm. There were about 35 children, a party for two boys aged 5 and 8, I think. The party went well, as usual, lots of people participating in the various activities, and I finished at 1.25 with all the children having made their own balloon model, or having won one, or made one by me. The parents both complimented me on the show, I told them that all the children had been very good and well behaved, and lots of them had been talented. A brilliant way to earn a living.

Called in on my friend Y on the way back, had my sandwiches at her place and then got home for about 3pm having picked up a sack of juicy fruit n veg from the Hes Road shop, so went down the garden to deposit that in a dalek for composting. Rescued some tomatoes from this, which I added to tea.

I escaped from the yukky Dr Who and continued my Risk Assessment, as tomorrow I've got a long cycle ride and won't have much time or energy to do much 'paperwork' in the evening.

Friday 29th June 07

Another day which started early and with difficult children, both bolshy and shouting at me about my trying to get them to hurry up getting ready for school. Didn't need this, I was feeling grotty and a bit more short-tempered than usual but so were they, it's Friday and nearly the end of term.

Anyway, they got to school in time and I apologised for being short-tempered and for hurrying them when it wasn't entirely neccessary, and they went in a bit more reassured, I hope.

Got home and launched myself into my YGF Risk Assessment, and spent the next 3 hours doing this. It's looking good, but is tonight only half finished.

Our Dutch friend Maria came round for a pre-lunch chat, and had lunch. I went to town after and did my compost pick up and visited the Council offices to get a 'Fete' licence for York Green Festival, this allows us to have traders there. Came back via Heslington Rd greengrocers for more compostables.

Then straight to school, with a card for Wangie and Fu who are leaving to go and live in Reading, as Fu has got a Professorship (in telecommunications) at the University. We'll miss them and their lovely son who's good friends with ours.

Gill made tea for the boys, and after that I played rough and tumble with them, but got worn out and went for a sleep, being woken for my tea - pasta - at 7pm.

In the evening I was very pleased that my friend K in Georgia has decided to help form GA Carbon Rationing Action Group, the second CRAG in the US. This after I forwarded the news of the first one forming in Maryland, and their contact details. I'm so proud of her, and happy with my growing international influence! Feels good.

I joined a group called vskips, a 'virtual skip site' who want me to do a piece about my recycling activities for their website. It looks really interesting!

Didn't get much more RA done.

Thursday 28th June 07

Another early start and took the boys to school and got back and went to bed for a bit, but had to get on with various paperworky stuff, insurance for the Green Festival, very complicated, but managed to fill in the forms and get them sent back, and paid with my card, so we are insured and I've paid, as we still haven't got a bank account or any money. It's a bit worrying.

Wrote my column on ethical shopping and typed it in and sent it to Community Care. A difficult subject as such a lot to consider.

Got an email saying the risk assessment is due in by Monday, or the event will not happen ! More pressure, but I am experienced at RA's and will do a good one.

Got the kids at 3, and managed an hour doing my composting, turning a heap and planting yet more squashes.

As a cool evening, lit the stove and got a load of washing up water, also chopped up fruit for drying.

Did a lot of reading to prepare for writing the risk assessment.



Made my own tea, out of date soyaburger in a bap, with rescued onion and tomato and a salad of cabbage, apple from the school bin and raw onion, all lovely. After tea went out and picked a load of loganberries, wonderful.

Weds 27th June 07

As Gill still feeling stiff because of the fall on Sunday, I took the children to school again, and when I got back, went to see if my friend Debbie would do a Green Party leaflet delivery, as the newly elected councillors have done a leaflet thanking the voters of Fishergate ward, and it needs to be delivered. She was able to help out almost immediately, so we got started before 10am, and with the two of us it didn't take long.

Then we walked to St Nicks, I had to deliver a letter from St Paul's Primary School thanking me for my helping out with their healthy living week, and doing a York Rotters talk, and I wanted Catherine our project worker to have this.

Debbie hadn't seen around St Nicks so I gave her a tour, and she was impressed and even enquired about volunteering, and she might go on one of the 'eco-active' days.

She came back for a coffee afterwards and Gill and I had a nice chat with her.

After lunch I waited in for a chap from Yellow Tom dot Com, to talk about advertising, but he rang and said he was stuck in traffic, could he come at 4.30?

So I got on with YGF stuff and then went to get the kids. I shot down to town after, picked ut compostables and was back by 4.20. Max from Yellow Tom was very helpful and offered me a good deal, so I took him up on this.

Gill did tea and I spent most of the evening sorting out YGF stuff, and writing my next Community Care column.

Tuesday 26th June 07

An early start and I took the boys in to school, in the fine rain. I had to do lots of stuff inside, more York Green Festival stuff connected with insurance and licencing.

But as it was a lovely day, I did do some stuff outside, including a lot of hedge cutting, at the front ( I slipped off the logpile whilst standing on it, and bloodied my thumb, not badly though )

Also cut hedge at the back, and did some shredding, whilst Gill started to sort out my accounts from last financial year.

At midday I went to St Nicks and had lunch with Jo, who's had a holiday in the Channel Islands and enjoyed the break, but now back to the grindstone and working very hard. We had a good chat, not long enough really, as had an appointment at 1pm with a student who's moving house and wanted to have some info on moving her compost bin. The new occupants of the house may take it over, though.

Got the kids at 3.15, they bombed home on bikes and I had more time in the garden.

In the evening, I did my emails, chatted to my friend K in America on Googletalk, and blogged, and listened to Radio 4 about Glastonbury, all at the same time.

Monday 25th June 07

I took the children to school in the pouring rain, as Gill isn't feeling good after her fall yesterday, and when we arrived, the bike sheds were empty... everybody else had come 'not on bikes' (can I assume they came by car?) but as I was leaving, one other child arrived on his cycle, so we're not the only Greens in the village...

As Gill's nose was looking wonky, not just scraped, I told her to go to A and E to be checked out, so she called a taxi. I went back to bed as exhausted after weekend, but only dozed for an hour and then came down to do some emailing and washing up. Lit the stove to get hot water for said washing up, and to help dry the sodden clothes, as raining very hard this morning.

Gilly came in after 1pm, and had been to her opticians to sort out her mashed glasses... they twisted them back into a usable shape, but as she has an eye test next week, she'll wait til then to replace the scratched lenses.

I had a domestic afternoon, also thinking about what to write for my Community Care Blog, which should be in today.

Got the kids from school, and then went to town for my usual pick up of compostables, Gill made a lovely tea for us all, a veg stew with broad beans and a mashed potato topping...

I spent some more time in bed snoozing after tea, but at 7 got up and did some writing and then went into the garden to put stuff on heaps and pick some loganberries which are ripening and with this rain will go mouldy if not picked.

A late night as lots to do on the computer...

Sunday 24th June 07

A second day at the CTC Rally, I decided to go to the Minster and join the mass cycle from the Minster to the Racecourse, which left at 9.45 after the service for cyclists. There were loads, a throng of different cycles, all sorts, and coulouful too. I enjoyed the ride and when we got to the entrance to the Rally, I got to the front and stopped by the side of the road, and counted them in... there were 600 machines, perhaps 700 people as there were plenty of tandems and multis.
What a sight!

I very soon got going with my workshops and was busy with lots of children and adults wanting to learn the art of unicycling. By 12 I was tired and stopped for lunch, I ate in the cafe marquee and it tipped down. I did more work from about 12.45 til 3.30 when I was truly worn out, so I popped into the mobile police station as they wanted me to give a statement about the stolen unicycle yesterday.

I went to get paid and collected a large bag of coffee grounds from two coffee cars, as I'd asked them to collect it up for my composting. A good day, very social with dozens of people I know stopping by to say hi which was very nice.

On the way home I popped in to see Y but she wasn't in, so I came home via the Hes Rd Veg Emporium and brought back a box full of onion skins and yellowing broccoli...

When I got back, Gill looked like she'd had an argument with a bus... infact she had, when coming back from Pocklington, a lovely day out with the boys, she'd missed her step getting on to the bus and fallen on her nose, scraping all the skin off it and damaging her glasses. There was lots of blood, the boys were very upset but kept it together and when they got back, Gill went next door to our neighbour who is a nurse to have the big flap of skin which was hanging off snipped off. Her face is a mess, but it's only superficial and nothing's severely damaged.