Lovely lazy morning apart from some hectic emailing and phoning re insuring York Green Festival. However, the chap at the insurers was away so everything will have to be done on Monday.
I popped down to Country Fresh and picked up the stuff which Lynn couldn't as she's not well. There were some slightly damaged nectarines which had 90% good flesh and several tomatoes, so I washed and cubed the nectarines and put them in the fridge for later, and did an initial clean-up of the tomatoes.
So I had lunch and then at 2pm a cycling friend arrived, Sally, to collect some compost and see how I make the dried fruit which I've shared on the Critical Mass cycle rides. She had a cuppa and a chat with Gill and me, and a wander down the garden to pick up three carrier bags of riddled compost and soon she was gone.
During the evening I cooked the tomatoes, about 8 of them, with onion, to make a sauce, on the woodstove. I also sliced some small aubergines and partially fried them. I think I'll make a moussaka tomorrow. I had some very entertaining chats with Laura whom I met at DAD, she sometimes messages me on facebook and I enjoy the chats as she's very open and honest, like me.
Woke wondering about why I hadn't been contacted by the insurers re the York Green Festival. So after breakfast I rang... and found that the email I sent on the 21st hadn't been received. So I resent it and then had a chat to the recipient, who wanted several other bits of info plus a signature, electronic or otherwise. I knew nothing about electronic signatures, and I didn't have the other info either, so I sent out a 'help me' email to the other YGF-ites, and got a reply from Tom who offered to help me do an electronic signature.
Gill went down to the station to collect our eldest and his buddy, they'd travelled up on the train together from Leamington Spa, and immediately they came in the noise levels in the house rose about 100-fold. I soon went out to go to see Tom, who scanned my signature and put it into various formats so I have a chance to add it to documents, like the insurance document I need to send to the insurers. I'll have to have a play around later.
After seeing Tom I called in on Anita who told me that next month she is emigrating to Spain for a couple of years, to live in the house she's refurbished. I will miss her as although I don't see her very often, I am fond of her. She says she'll be back in a couple of years.
I came home via Sainsburys as Gill wanted flour, ice cream and a baguette to make garlic bread with.
I popped in to Freshways on the way back and picked up 3 small sacks of compostables, and then spent an hour or so down the garden sorting them out.
Pasta and home grown veg for tea, and garlic bread, and I then shot out to St Nicks for the AGM and a talk on the National Bee Unit which was really interesting.
Ben Jones is a researcher there and he talked us through the work of the Unit which is based at Sand Hutton. Their role is to ensure the health of the honeybee in England and Wales... there are probably no 'wild' or feral honeybees left, all are managed or farmed, either by commercial beekeepers or by hobbyists. Most people think of bees as responsible for honey, but this is just worth between £10million and £30million a year, but their value as pollinators is somewhere between £120million and £200million.
He told us about the assorted diseases, legislation, how the inspectors identify the problems, the different sorts of beekeepers, and lots more. There were lots of questions asked too, so many that we over-ran and therefore missed the little film that was planned about the tree planting on St Nicks, but there will be another chance to see that.
The AGM was very straightforward. I collected some logs on the way back from a chap round the corner who had invited me to pick them up whenever I wanted, and I got in just before 10pm.
Gill went down to the station to collect our eldest and his buddy, they'd travelled up on the train together from Leamington Spa, and immediately they came in the noise levels in the house rose about 100-fold. I soon went out to go to see Tom, who scanned my signature and put it into various formats so I have a chance to add it to documents, like the insurance document I need to send to the insurers. I'll have to have a play around later.
After seeing Tom I called in on Anita who told me that next month she is emigrating to Spain for a couple of years, to live in the house she's refurbished. I will miss her as although I don't see her very often, I am fond of her. She says she'll be back in a couple of years.
I came home via Sainsburys as Gill wanted flour, ice cream and a baguette to make garlic bread with.
I popped in to Freshways on the way back and picked up 3 small sacks of compostables, and then spent an hour or so down the garden sorting them out.
Pasta and home grown veg for tea, and garlic bread, and I then shot out to St Nicks for the AGM and a talk on the National Bee Unit which was really interesting.
Ben Jones is a researcher there and he talked us through the work of the Unit which is based at Sand Hutton. Their role is to ensure the health of the honeybee in England and Wales... there are probably no 'wild' or feral honeybees left, all are managed or farmed, either by commercial beekeepers or by hobbyists. Most people think of bees as responsible for honey, but this is just worth between £10million and £30million a year, but their value as pollinators is somewhere between £120million and £200million.
He told us about the assorted diseases, legislation, how the inspectors identify the problems, the different sorts of beekeepers, and lots more. There were lots of questions asked too, so many that we over-ran and therefore missed the little film that was planned about the tree planting on St Nicks, but there will be another chance to see that.
The AGM was very straightforward. I collected some logs on the way back from a chap round the corner who had invited me to pick them up whenever I wanted, and I got in just before 10pm.
A hearty but not brilliantly healthy breakfast of toast, scrambled eggs, fried mushrooms, fried potatoes, fried hash browns, baked beans. Coffee, fruit juice. Left at about 9.30 and cycled along the not-very-nice A607 to Grantham. The first few miles seemed slow, gently up onto a sort of plateau, but then it was level with a following wind, and towards Grantham, some wonderful hills, one of which I sped down at at least 30mph, and saw a recent car accident at the bottom... a chap who'd driven his van into a hedge/tree and was walking away from it, phoning someone on a mobile. Then I passed a notice saying how many people had been killed on this stretch of road. I didn't enjoy this cycle ride that much and was glad to soon be in Grantham. I bought a ticket, a single up to York, for just over £30 and waited for the 10.46 to Doncaster. But there'd been a fatality on the line at Stevenage and the train didn't come in til after midday.
I got lunch in Doncaster, a pastie and a sandwich, and then the 1.15 to York, and was home by 2pm. I saw the results of another car smash on the way up the Hull Road... I felt quite lucky to have got home in one piece!
Gill was delighted to see me. But she'd had a phone call from the chap who booked me for Sunday's Sewerby Gala gig in Bridlington. They were seemingly expecting me to do big shows with huge audiences, and I on this occasion did smaller one-to-one and small-group workshops as this seemed more appropriate for the type of event and the space I'd been given. So this is the second complaint about my work I've ever had in 16 years of working! I also made a negative comment about the American Car Rally which was going on next to the Gala to the wife of one of the organisers who'd offered to take me into Bridlington afterwards, and that didn't go down well. So the organisers were not willing to pay me the full fee agreed, and were offering a lower fee, not much less, so I accepted as I want an easy life and don't generally like causing trouble. But I am disappointed that the organisers said nothing during the event, as if they had, I could have done something different, got a different spot in which to perform, with no-one behind me (my original request) and a better 'stage' area. But I won't get another booking there, but I'm happy with that as it was difficult to get to and had lots of additional expenses.
Gill made a super tea, a stew with ciabata bread, and we had a cozy evening.
I got lunch in Doncaster, a pastie and a sandwich, and then the 1.15 to York, and was home by 2pm. I saw the results of another car smash on the way up the Hull Road... I felt quite lucky to have got home in one piece!
Gill was delighted to see me. But she'd had a phone call from the chap who booked me for Sunday's Sewerby Gala gig in Bridlington. They were seemingly expecting me to do big shows with huge audiences, and I on this occasion did smaller one-to-one and small-group workshops as this seemed more appropriate for the type of event and the space I'd been given. So this is the second complaint about my work I've ever had in 16 years of working! I also made a negative comment about the American Car Rally which was going on next to the Gala to the wife of one of the organisers who'd offered to take me into Bridlington afterwards, and that didn't go down well. So the organisers were not willing to pay me the full fee agreed, and were offering a lower fee, not much less, so I accepted as I want an easy life and don't generally like causing trouble. But I am disappointed that the organisers said nothing during the event, as if they had, I could have done something different, got a different spot in which to perform, with no-one behind me (my original request) and a better 'stage' area. But I won't get another booking there, but I'm happy with that as it was difficult to get to and had lots of additional expenses.
Gill made a super tea, a stew with ciabata bread, and we had a cozy evening.
Well, the train journey yesterday went very smoothly... I cycled down to the station with everything I needed, and bought tickets for my son and me from Birmingham to Leamington Spa. Gill came down on the 4pm bus with the boys and got to the station just in time, with only just over a minute to spare... I quickly loaded my bike on and we waved goodbye and the doors closed!
The journey was very easy, and made more enjoyable by meeting a pair of American tourists, one, Colleen, was a keen photographer (and works as a portrait photographer) and I was able to warn her about the spire at Chesterfield which she got some pictures of, from the moving train. The change at Birmingham New Street was easy too, and we arrived in Leamington at 8pm, and were met by Ulrich and his two sons. We cycled back to their place; I gave my lad a lift on the crossbar which he tolerated. When we got back, there was Katarina with their new baby to greet us, and they'd done some tea for us, an interesting German meal of thinly sliced potato baked with a white sauce followed by blueberries and ice cream.
My son was very very pleased to see his friend whom he met in York before the family moved to be nearer Ulrich's workplace, Ryton Organic Gardens just a few miles North of Leamington.
A fairly non-eventful evening... I used Ulrich's tiny and ancient laptop to do my emails on Tiscali Webmail, and Facebook, but the machine wouldn't let me onto my blog.
SO, TUESDAY... Ulrich cycled off to Ryton at 8.30 and I had breakfast and got myself ready to cycle after him. I had contacted my friend Pippa and had arranged to meet her there at 11am, and Ulrich would have his mid-morning break then too, and give us a guided tour!
So I set off at about 10am up the A445 and was soon at Ryton Organic Gardens, and I showed my membership and therefore got in free, and had time to look round The Vegetable Kingdom which is an excellent exhibition with really huge models of vegetables and some good interactive stuff too, lots of good info.
11am came, Pippa arrived and Ulrich met us and introduced us to his colleague Francis, who is a researcher on soil fertility. After a cuppa, a guided tour with Ulrich and Frances, including a look into a couple of polytunnels where there were trials of rock-dust on tomatoes, to see if it increased production or improved taste. I was impressed with the size of the courgette plants too, they were enormous! We saw the trials field, and Francis' dustbin-sized anaerobic digester experiment, and the reedbeds which clean up the toilet water...
But then the two hosts had to get back to work, and after Pippa bought a birthday card for my sons (she never forgets!) she had to get off too. I decided to have lunch at Garden Organic as it was already past 1pm and I imagined that I wouldn't be in Leicester for at least a couple of hours, looking at the distance on the map. So I had a veg lasagne and a baguette.
After lunch which I finished at 2.30, I cycled off up the Fosse Way to Leicester, going through Bretford, over the Oxford Canal and under the West Coast Main Line and then over the M6 motorway. I was impressed by the number and size of mushrooms I saw on the verges. Some were the size of dinner plates, all ordinary field mushrooms, but all mature and therefore full of insect larvae. At the A5 I turned more Eastwards through Claybrooke Magna, Broughton Astley and Countesthorpe, Wigston and Oadby, which is near where I used to live. I cycled along roads I used to walk to school to, and up Knighton Church Road which is where I lived from 1975 to 1984. I visited my old best friend's mum, Yvonne, and another friend's parents, Irene and Don. I called at the house I used to live in, but there was no-one in... a pity as I'd have loved to see the garden. The trees in the front garden my parents planted are doing well, a Rowan and a Ginkgo. Amazingly, the bell-push on the front door still has our family name in the little plastic box under it! My folks left here a long time ago, and I would have thought that the new owners would want their name in this box! I cycled away, through Leicester and a rainstorm, past the first house we lived in there, and via a circuitous route to Scraptoft Lane where we had our second house, and from Scraptoft I went via Beeby, South Croxton, Barsby, Great Dalby and on to Melton Mowbray, arriving at 8pm. I asked a local chap if there was anywhere in Melton where I could get Bed and Breakfast, and he suggested the Noel's Arms.
I had a quick look at the room and it seemed OK to me, so I paid Jackie the Publican and dumped my stuff which I took off my bike and went to find somewhere nice to eat. I was recommended to go to Mamma Mia's and I had a delicious 3 course meal for £20, including the best Tiramasu I've ever had! Nice chats to the staff too.
I had a pint back at the pub, and went upstairs to plan my route for the following day. However I saw the weather forecast and as it was due to rain heavily and be squally and windy, I decided to get the train from Grantham up to York.
So I went to sleep in Noel's Arms, my first and probably only time.... !
The journey was very easy, and made more enjoyable by meeting a pair of American tourists, one, Colleen, was a keen photographer (and works as a portrait photographer) and I was able to warn her about the spire at Chesterfield which she got some pictures of, from the moving train. The change at Birmingham New Street was easy too, and we arrived in Leamington at 8pm, and were met by Ulrich and his two sons. We cycled back to their place; I gave my lad a lift on the crossbar which he tolerated. When we got back, there was Katarina with their new baby to greet us, and they'd done some tea for us, an interesting German meal of thinly sliced potato baked with a white sauce followed by blueberries and ice cream.
My son was very very pleased to see his friend whom he met in York before the family moved to be nearer Ulrich's workplace, Ryton Organic Gardens just a few miles North of Leamington.
A fairly non-eventful evening... I used Ulrich's tiny and ancient laptop to do my emails on Tiscali Webmail, and Facebook, but the machine wouldn't let me onto my blog.
SO, TUESDAY... Ulrich cycled off to Ryton at 8.30 and I had breakfast and got myself ready to cycle after him. I had contacted my friend Pippa and had arranged to meet her there at 11am, and Ulrich would have his mid-morning break then too, and give us a guided tour!
So I set off at about 10am up the A445 and was soon at Ryton Organic Gardens, and I showed my membership and therefore got in free, and had time to look round The Vegetable Kingdom which is an excellent exhibition with really huge models of vegetables and some good interactive stuff too, lots of good info.
11am came, Pippa arrived and Ulrich met us and introduced us to his colleague Francis, who is a researcher on soil fertility. After a cuppa, a guided tour with Ulrich and Frances, including a look into a couple of polytunnels where there were trials of rock-dust on tomatoes, to see if it increased production or improved taste. I was impressed with the size of the courgette plants too, they were enormous! We saw the trials field, and Francis' dustbin-sized anaerobic digester experiment, and the reedbeds which clean up the toilet water...
But then the two hosts had to get back to work, and after Pippa bought a birthday card for my sons (she never forgets!) she had to get off too. I decided to have lunch at Garden Organic as it was already past 1pm and I imagined that I wouldn't be in Leicester for at least a couple of hours, looking at the distance on the map. So I had a veg lasagne and a baguette.
After lunch which I finished at 2.30, I cycled off up the Fosse Way to Leicester, going through Bretford, over the Oxford Canal and under the West Coast Main Line and then over the M6 motorway. I was impressed by the number and size of mushrooms I saw on the verges. Some were the size of dinner plates, all ordinary field mushrooms, but all mature and therefore full of insect larvae. At the A5 I turned more Eastwards through Claybrooke Magna, Broughton Astley and Countesthorpe, Wigston and Oadby, which is near where I used to live. I cycled along roads I used to walk to school to, and up Knighton Church Road which is where I lived from 1975 to 1984. I visited my old best friend's mum, Yvonne, and another friend's parents, Irene and Don. I called at the house I used to live in, but there was no-one in... a pity as I'd have loved to see the garden. The trees in the front garden my parents planted are doing well, a Rowan and a Ginkgo. Amazingly, the bell-push on the front door still has our family name in the little plastic box under it! My folks left here a long time ago, and I would have thought that the new owners would want their name in this box! I cycled away, through Leicester and a rainstorm, past the first house we lived in there, and via a circuitous route to Scraptoft Lane where we had our second house, and from Scraptoft I went via Beeby, South Croxton, Barsby, Great Dalby and on to Melton Mowbray, arriving at 8pm. I asked a local chap if there was anywhere in Melton where I could get Bed and Breakfast, and he suggested the Noel's Arms.
I had a quick look at the room and it seemed OK to me, so I paid Jackie the Publican and dumped my stuff which I took off my bike and went to find somewhere nice to eat. I was recommended to go to Mamma Mia's and I had a delicious 3 course meal for £20, including the best Tiramasu I've ever had! Nice chats to the staff too.
I had a pint back at the pub, and went upstairs to plan my route for the following day. However I saw the weather forecast and as it was due to rain heavily and be squally and windy, I decided to get the train from Grantham up to York.
So I went to sleep in Noel's Arms, my first and probably only time.... !
Planning... what to do instead of the Big Green Gathering.
I rang a friend in Kenilworth and I might visit.
I went down to town to pay in my cheques from this weekend and went to the library to get some maps out, so I can at least have the chance of cycling from Leamington back to York, or some of it.
What I do know is that I'll be away for several days, on my bike, with a tent and very minimal stuff, and will be back in 3, 4 or 5 days. I have no idea, it's very open.
There will almost certainly be no posts on this blog until I get back, as I'll be away from everything, and probably won't feel inclined to pop into a cybercafe to do emails and 'tinterwebby' stuff.
So at 4ish I'll go down to the station and get tickets from Birmingham to Leamington, and Gill will bring our eldest down to put him on the train with me and my bike, and wave us goodbye.
If anyone wants to know more about the closure of the Big Green Gathering, you can do no better than to read Derek Wall's blog : http://another-green-world.blogspot.com/2009/07/cops-ban-big-green-gathering-so-punters.html
I rang a friend in Kenilworth and I might visit.
I went down to town to pay in my cheques from this weekend and went to the library to get some maps out, so I can at least have the chance of cycling from Leamington back to York, or some of it.
What I do know is that I'll be away for several days, on my bike, with a tent and very minimal stuff, and will be back in 3, 4 or 5 days. I have no idea, it's very open.
There will almost certainly be no posts on this blog until I get back, as I'll be away from everything, and probably won't feel inclined to pop into a cybercafe to do emails and 'tinterwebby' stuff.
So at 4ish I'll go down to the station and get tickets from Birmingham to Leamington, and Gill will bring our eldest down to put him on the train with me and my bike, and wave us goodbye.
If anyone wants to know more about the closure of the Big Green Gathering, you can do no better than to read Derek Wall's blog : http://another-green-world.blogspot.com/2009/07/cops-ban-big-green-gathering-so-punters.html
Up reasonably early for a big breakfast of cereals followed by toast, beans and scrambled egg.
Then up to Sewerby Gala which was very close to the Bed and Breakfast, and had to wait for quite a long time to be shown my performance space... which was right next to where I was standing at the entrance! There were some negotiations with the Punch and Judy chap... I like to work continuously as the day goes more quickly, the punters get more of me and the organisers get a better deal. So the P+J went to set up nearby and he was going to do just three half-hour sets. I worked continuously from 10am til 4pm, with 15 minutes sitting down for lunch... peanut butter sandwiches left over from yesterday! By 4pm I was exhausted.
I got a lift from the organiser's wife to the Bridlington Bus station where I got a bus at just after 5pm all the way home.
I had some bad news this evening. On Friday I had a message from my friend Hannah who was planning to work for the Big Green Gathering stewards team... she'd had an email from the BGG security team saying there was some doubt that the event would go ahead, although there were no explanations, and just a request for people to not buy travel tickets. So I'd left on Saturday morning not feeling that confident about the coming week, but chose not to share my concerns with Gill as I didn't want to cause her to worry, as she is prone to this.
Tonight, when I got back, Hannah messaged me and told me to check the website, and yes, the following message has been put on:
"urgent message
Dear Friends,
following threatened injunction proceedings in High Court by Mendip District Council supported by Somerset & Avon Police and having taken extensive advice from a prominent QC and other eminent lawyers, the directors of the Big Green Gathering have been left with no other option than to voluntarily surrender the license for the Big Green Gathering 2009. The event will now not take place and the directors' advice and request is that no one intending to attend the event should attempt to do so, as the site is now closed and they are likely to be turned away by Somerset Police. It is our intention to avoid any form of confrontation or public disorder in regard to this and it is our earnest hope that all those involved will follow this advice. It is with great sadness that we have been forced into this position and we express our profound apologies to all those concerned. The Directors of The Big Green Gathering.
A note to the traders from our markets coordinator: OK you’ve read the reasons why the event has been stopped at such short notice. We have all been fighting it up until this morning. It is with heavy heart that I have accepted the authorities have closed us down. Apologies to all of you who have been trying to phone me. There is one place on site where I can get intermittent signal so long as I don’t move more than half an inch to the left or right, but I've only got one cel left. If you need tips and help with other events to replace your lost trade, please text me. If you do, please put your stall name on the text to help me identify the sender.I am totally happy to talk to all of you and answer any questions about how this happened, but realistically it will be when I am back home on landline. Keep watching this space and I hope to make contact with all of you over the next month. With deep regret and much love, Jennifer Sunday 26th July 2009 3:30pm."
There is a blog post from Jennifer which explains a bit more.
I sat down with my family and explained what had happened. There was sadness, anger, tears, more conversation. We made alternative plans. My son and I will use the train tickets I've bought to get as far as Birmingham, and then get tickets to Leamington Spa where I'll spend the night and then probably cycle back to York. My boy will spend a few nights with his friend in Leamington, then they'll come up to York on the train together.
What a day!
Later, found this post http://www.euskalinfo.org.uk/article/690741 which tells more about the reasons the event has been cancelled.
Then up to Sewerby Gala which was very close to the Bed and Breakfast, and had to wait for quite a long time to be shown my performance space... which was right next to where I was standing at the entrance! There were some negotiations with the Punch and Judy chap... I like to work continuously as the day goes more quickly, the punters get more of me and the organisers get a better deal. So the P+J went to set up nearby and he was going to do just three half-hour sets. I worked continuously from 10am til 4pm, with 15 minutes sitting down for lunch... peanut butter sandwiches left over from yesterday! By 4pm I was exhausted.
I got a lift from the organiser's wife to the Bridlington Bus station where I got a bus at just after 5pm all the way home.
I had some bad news this evening. On Friday I had a message from my friend Hannah who was planning to work for the Big Green Gathering stewards team... she'd had an email from the BGG security team saying there was some doubt that the event would go ahead, although there were no explanations, and just a request for people to not buy travel tickets. So I'd left on Saturday morning not feeling that confident about the coming week, but chose not to share my concerns with Gill as I didn't want to cause her to worry, as she is prone to this.
Tonight, when I got back, Hannah messaged me and told me to check the website, and yes, the following message has been put on:
"urgent message
Dear Friends,
following threatened injunction proceedings in High Court by Mendip District Council supported by Somerset & Avon Police and having taken extensive advice from a prominent QC and other eminent lawyers, the directors of the Big Green Gathering have been left with no other option than to voluntarily surrender the license for the Big Green Gathering 2009. The event will now not take place and the directors' advice and request is that no one intending to attend the event should attempt to do so, as the site is now closed and they are likely to be turned away by Somerset Police. It is our intention to avoid any form of confrontation or public disorder in regard to this and it is our earnest hope that all those involved will follow this advice. It is with great sadness that we have been forced into this position and we express our profound apologies to all those concerned. The Directors of The Big Green Gathering.
A note to the traders from our markets coordinator: OK you’ve read the reasons why the event has been stopped at such short notice. We have all been fighting it up until this morning. It is with heavy heart that I have accepted the authorities have closed us down. Apologies to all of you who have been trying to phone me. There is one place on site where I can get intermittent signal so long as I don’t move more than half an inch to the left or right, but I've only got one cel left. If you need tips and help with other events to replace your lost trade, please text me. If you do, please put your stall name on the text to help me identify the sender.I am totally happy to talk to all of you and answer any questions about how this happened, but realistically it will be when I am back home on landline. Keep watching this space and I hope to make contact with all of you over the next month. With deep regret and much love, Jennifer Sunday 26th July 2009 3:30pm."
There is a blog post from Jennifer which explains a bit more.
I sat down with my family and explained what had happened. There was sadness, anger, tears, more conversation. We made alternative plans. My son and I will use the train tickets I've bought to get as far as Birmingham, and then get tickets to Leamington Spa where I'll spend the night and then probably cycle back to York. My boy will spend a few nights with his friend in Leamington, then they'll come up to York on the train together.
What a day!
Later, found this post http://www.euskalinfo.org.uk/article/690741 which tells more about the reasons the event has been cancelled.
You can not appreciate the true beauty of Purple Fringe (Phacelia sericea) unless you get very close to it and notice that instead of being one large flower, it is composed many small flowers. From the vast distance of a hiker's eye to the ground, all these flowers blend in into a giant bottle-scrubber like plant.
I have only seen this flower twice this year. Once was on the Mesa Trail near Boulder and the other was on the slopes of Mt. Audubon. Both locations were dry and rocky. Purple Fringe blooms from June to August.
Professor Fiddlesticks at Dunnington Playing Fields Fayre, then heading to Bridlington as working there early on Sunday.
Everything went as predicted... I got myself ready to start at 11am, and ordered a taxi to take me up to Dunnington. Gill came along, with our youngest and one of his friends too, as our eldest had gone to the East coast with Simon and his son fossil hunting. Their aim was to find a 'Reighton Shrimp' or perhaps more realistically, some belemnites.
Our taxi took just 10 minutes and I was able to get started on time... working with my back to a conifer hedge. I had a full-on day, always busy, Gill and the boys really enjoyed quite a few hours there, leaving at about 3pm. The event finished at 4pm and I got paid before making my way to Bridlington and to the BnB I'd booked some weeks ago.
I had a pleasant evening, had a curry for tea, and a walk up to the event site at Sewerby Hall Cricket Field to see where it was.
Everything went as predicted... I got myself ready to start at 11am, and ordered a taxi to take me up to Dunnington. Gill came along, with our youngest and one of his friends too, as our eldest had gone to the East coast with Simon and his son fossil hunting. Their aim was to find a 'Reighton Shrimp' or perhaps more realistically, some belemnites.
Our taxi took just 10 minutes and I was able to get started on time... working with my back to a conifer hedge. I had a full-on day, always busy, Gill and the boys really enjoyed quite a few hours there, leaving at about 3pm. The event finished at 4pm and I got paid before making my way to Bridlington and to the BnB I'd booked some weeks ago.
I had a pleasant evening, had a curry for tea, and a walk up to the event site at Sewerby Hall Cricket Field to see where it was.
I went into town in the morning with our eldest son's bike, to get it serviced before out longish cycle ride next week. Also visited the library to get a map, so we can find our way from Weston Super Mare to Cheddar and to the Big Green Gathering. Finally to my building society to get a cheque out to pay a bill.
Had a good day at home, in the garden dealing with compost and logs, chainsawing , splitting, stacking. Very satisfying and enjoyable.
Later, went into town with my eldest to collect his bike... he was needed to get the height right and the brakes in the right position, and he realised that the stand was missing, so they found that and put it back on. So his bike is in tip-top condition for the journey next week.
So, a quiet evening... a nice baked veg tea, aubergines from the compostables, slices of potato, tomato, onion and all smothered with the very delicious sauce I made a day or two ago.
Some interesting chats on the computer during the evening. Had a shave and bath as working tomorrow and Sunday.
Had a good day at home, in the garden dealing with compost and logs, chainsawing , splitting, stacking. Very satisfying and enjoyable.
Later, went into town with my eldest to collect his bike... he was needed to get the height right and the brakes in the right position, and he realised that the stand was missing, so they found that and put it back on. So his bike is in tip-top condition for the journey next week.
So, a quiet evening... a nice baked veg tea, aubergines from the compostables, slices of potato, tomato, onion and all smothered with the very delicious sauce I made a day or two ago.
Some interesting chats on the computer during the evening. Had a shave and bath as working tomorrow and Sunday.
In the morning I cycled round to St Nicks to give back the Rotters stuff from last night, and then popped down to Country Fresh to thank Shirley for the basket of fruit which was the first prize to go in the raffle, and then on to Gladys who had asked me to help her dispose of some rubbish. This turned out to not be rubbish, but two galvanised tubs, 'dolly tubs' used for washing clothes, plus a roll of roofing felt. I put the roofing felt on Freecycle but I'll use the tubs to grow stuff in.
I was surprised by the instant response re the roofing felt... almost immediately there were four responses asking for it, and later, when it appeared on the digest email with 25 messages in, another four enquirers. I had put that I would wait a while to decide who was to receive it, so I left it for today.
I popped round to Lynn to pick up the cash Gill earned with her little quiches, and saw the Yorky checks I earned with the dried fruit. I chatted to Mark on the way back too... a very social day!
I spent quite a bit of time logging with the newly repaired chainsaw.
In the evening I went to St Nicks to the York in Transition meeting; I took the minutes and when I got in, spent ages trying to type them up, but also chatted on facebook instant messaging with a friend who was feeling very low. I cheered her up, she said, which felt good.
I was surprised by the instant response re the roofing felt... almost immediately there were four responses asking for it, and later, when it appeared on the digest email with 25 messages in, another four enquirers. I had put that I would wait a while to decide who was to receive it, so I left it for today.
I popped round to Lynn to pick up the cash Gill earned with her little quiches, and saw the Yorky checks I earned with the dried fruit. I chatted to Mark on the way back too... a very social day!
I spent quite a bit of time logging with the newly repaired chainsaw.
In the evening I went to St Nicks to the York in Transition meeting; I took the minutes and when I got in, spent ages trying to type them up, but also chatted on facebook instant messaging with a friend who was feeling very low. I cheered her up, she said, which felt good.
Distance: 6 miles round trip
Elevation: 8,000 ft - 8,830 ft
Elevation Gain: 830 ft (net), 1,060 ft (cumulative)
The Ponderosa Pine Forest on the Brookside-McCurdy Trail. Ponderosa Pines (Pinus Ponderosa) have long 4-7" needles, dark red trunks, and full canopies. The tree in the right of this picture is a typical example.
The Brookside-McCurdy Trail (BMT) is a 36 mile (one-way) trail that transects the Lost Creek Wilderness. Looking for a doggie outing on a rainy 4th of July weekend, we did just 3 miles (one-way) on this trail to a pleasant outcrop overlooking the peaks on Guanella Pass. There are no killer views on this trail, but there is an amazingly open and living Ponderosa Forest, a beautiful grass-filled meadow, and a stand of old-growth Aspens that majestically tower upwards. I never new Aspens could grow so large.
The trail sign at the parking lot
The trailhead for the Brookside-McCurdy Trail is on County Road 64 near Baily Colorado. Once you get on Hwy 64 it is best to ignore the guide books and just drive until you see the rather large and prominent forest service sign pointing to a large parking area off to the left.
Flowers along the trail
There is no demarcations at the parking area to give you an idea of where you are except for a sign advertising the Lost Creek Wilderness. Don't be fooled by this sign. The wilderness boundary is more than 3 miles up the trail.
A view of the meadow. There were several hikers frolicing amoungst the flowers
We figured that this trail was so obscure, that we would have it to ourselves. This turned not to be the case. The parking lot was almost full when we arrived at 10 AM, so plan accordingly. It seemed to be a popular spot for families with small children.
Some of the old-growth Aspens
The trail itself is amazingly soft on the feet. Absent is the usual gauntlet of rocks that after 6 miles or so make one's feet ache. Instead, the trail was composed of packed earth and pine needles. We managed to walk along at 3.4 miles per hour almost effortlessly. I can envision coming back to run the trail. It seems ideal for that purpose. There are quite a few ups and downs however, so don't be surprised if you loose elevation. I calculated 115 ft one way in additional elevation gain out to 3 miles. Most of the dips are down, over, and up small streams.
The trail transitions into a Lodgepole Pine Forest. Lodgepole Pines (Pinus contorta) have very short 1-3" needles and tall, boughless trunks.
Normally, I hate walking in the trees, being the spoiled tundra-loving Coloradoan that I am, but this trail surprised me. Instead of the trees being dense and foreboding like those on Gold Hill, these trees were actually welcoming. There was a park-like feel to them that reminded me of my childhood camping in the Sierra Nevadas. The light filtering through a Ponderosa Forest and the smell of the sun-warmed pine needles will forever be Summer to me.
Elaine and Abby eat lunch while resting on a pile of rocks. You can see a peak in the distance.
Here are some milestones along our short route.... It is 1.9 miles to the junction with the Payne Creek Trail (8,495 ft), 2.11 miles to the old-growth Aspen forest (8,602 ft), 2.41 miles to the start of the Lodgepole Pine forest (8,712 ft), 2.62 miles to a defunct bridge, 2.82 miles to the turn off for our lunch spot, and 2.93 miles to the rocks where we ate (8,830 ft). Note that our lunch spot is not on the trail but is located off to the right. It should not be difficult to find but in case you have a GPS, it was located at 39° 23.638'N 105° 31.495'W.
The only view on the trail. I took this standing on a rock outcropping. There was no way to get a shot without that pesky tree in the middle.
I have no idea if the views improve farther up the trail or if there is a notable turn around point. Still, if you are looking for a pleasant and easy ramble in the woods, this trail may just fit the bill.
Elevation: 8,000 ft - 8,830 ft
Elevation Gain: 830 ft (net), 1,060 ft (cumulative)
The Ponderosa Pine Forest on the Brookside-McCurdy Trail. Ponderosa Pines (Pinus Ponderosa) have long 4-7" needles, dark red trunks, and full canopies. The tree in the right of this picture is a typical example.The Brookside-McCurdy Trail (BMT) is a 36 mile (one-way) trail that transects the Lost Creek Wilderness. Looking for a doggie outing on a rainy 4th of July weekend, we did just 3 miles (one-way) on this trail to a pleasant outcrop overlooking the peaks on Guanella Pass. There are no killer views on this trail, but there is an amazingly open and living Ponderosa Forest, a beautiful grass-filled meadow, and a stand of old-growth Aspens that majestically tower upwards. I never new Aspens could grow so large.
The trail sign at the parking lotThe trailhead for the Brookside-McCurdy Trail is on County Road 64 near Baily Colorado. Once you get on Hwy 64 it is best to ignore the guide books and just drive until you see the rather large and prominent forest service sign pointing to a large parking area off to the left.
Flowers along the trailThere is no demarcations at the parking area to give you an idea of where you are except for a sign advertising the Lost Creek Wilderness. Don't be fooled by this sign. The wilderness boundary is more than 3 miles up the trail.
A view of the meadow. There were several hikers frolicing amoungst the flowersWe figured that this trail was so obscure, that we would have it to ourselves. This turned not to be the case. The parking lot was almost full when we arrived at 10 AM, so plan accordingly. It seemed to be a popular spot for families with small children.
Some of the old-growth AspensThe trail itself is amazingly soft on the feet. Absent is the usual gauntlet of rocks that after 6 miles or so make one's feet ache. Instead, the trail was composed of packed earth and pine needles. We managed to walk along at 3.4 miles per hour almost effortlessly. I can envision coming back to run the trail. It seems ideal for that purpose. There are quite a few ups and downs however, so don't be surprised if you loose elevation. I calculated 115 ft one way in additional elevation gain out to 3 miles. Most of the dips are down, over, and up small streams.
The trail transitions into a Lodgepole Pine Forest. Lodgepole Pines (Pinus contorta) have very short 1-3" needles and tall, boughless trunks.Normally, I hate walking in the trees, being the spoiled tundra-loving Coloradoan that I am, but this trail surprised me. Instead of the trees being dense and foreboding like those on Gold Hill, these trees were actually welcoming. There was a park-like feel to them that reminded me of my childhood camping in the Sierra Nevadas. The light filtering through a Ponderosa Forest and the smell of the sun-warmed pine needles will forever be Summer to me.
Elaine and Abby eat lunch while resting on a pile of rocks. You can see a peak in the distance.Here are some milestones along our short route.... It is 1.9 miles to the junction with the Payne Creek Trail (8,495 ft), 2.11 miles to the old-growth Aspen forest (8,602 ft), 2.41 miles to the start of the Lodgepole Pine forest (8,712 ft), 2.62 miles to a defunct bridge, 2.82 miles to the turn off for our lunch spot, and 2.93 miles to the rocks where we ate (8,830 ft). Note that our lunch spot is not on the trail but is located off to the right. It should not be difficult to find but in case you have a GPS, it was located at 39° 23.638'N 105° 31.495'W.
The only view on the trail. I took this standing on a rock outcropping. There was no way to get a shot without that pesky tree in the middle.I have no idea if the views improve farther up the trail or if there is a notable turn around point. Still, if you are looking for a pleasant and easy ramble in the woods, this trail may just fit the bill.
Lovely late start... not surprising since Gill and I were up til 3am getting the accounts sorted out. Gill was determined to do it before the Summer Holidays started so we weren't rushing to get them finished for the tax deadline in Autumn.
I had to cycle down to town to put in a pile of cheques, pick up the basket of fruit from Country Fresh (prize for LETS event raffle), pick up the Rotters display stall in my trailer and get back home in time to have tea before the LETS event. I got back in good enough time to make a tomato sauce with totally free ingredients... including the basil I've grown! OK, I bought the olive oil! But not the onion (it had a small area of mould on one side) the rather wrinkled red pepper and the 8 large tomatoes, some of which had damage, easily cut off.
At about 6pm I got together 5 bags of mixed dried fruit, two dozen little quiches which Gill made this afternoon and a packet of balloons just in case, and set off for the St Hilda's Church Hall on Tang Hall Lane. Lynn had put a huge amount of effort into organising this Healthy Living Event, and there were several Complementary Therapists there... Michael the masseur, Rowena the homeopath and Joyce the essential oil lady... There was a trading table with loads of books and videos, a food table with cakes, chocolate crispies, Gill's little quiches, tubs of frozen soup, fresh lettuce and bundles of green beans. The event wasn't very well attended, most of the non-LETS people who came were Lynn's friends, but Roger the ward councillor turned up, the new vicar Tim, and several people off the street.
The raffle was popular, although I've never bought a ticket (or placed a bet or even participated in a tombola) so I didn't join in. All Gill's quiches sold, at 20 pence each or one Yorky for 5. All my bags of fruit sold too. I spoke to 7 people with my Rotters hat on, four non-composters and 3 already composting. All in all, a quite successful evening. Finished at 10pm and I came home with two choco crispies for the boys.
During the evening, sorted out some grapes for blanching and making into raisins.
I had to cycle down to town to put in a pile of cheques, pick up the basket of fruit from Country Fresh (prize for LETS event raffle), pick up the Rotters display stall in my trailer and get back home in time to have tea before the LETS event. I got back in good enough time to make a tomato sauce with totally free ingredients... including the basil I've grown! OK, I bought the olive oil! But not the onion (it had a small area of mould on one side) the rather wrinkled red pepper and the 8 large tomatoes, some of which had damage, easily cut off.
At about 6pm I got together 5 bags of mixed dried fruit, two dozen little quiches which Gill made this afternoon and a packet of balloons just in case, and set off for the St Hilda's Church Hall on Tang Hall Lane. Lynn had put a huge amount of effort into organising this Healthy Living Event, and there were several Complementary Therapists there... Michael the masseur, Rowena the homeopath and Joyce the essential oil lady... There was a trading table with loads of books and videos, a food table with cakes, chocolate crispies, Gill's little quiches, tubs of frozen soup, fresh lettuce and bundles of green beans. The event wasn't very well attended, most of the non-LETS people who came were Lynn's friends, but Roger the ward councillor turned up, the new vicar Tim, and several people off the street.
The raffle was popular, although I've never bought a ticket (or placed a bet or even participated in a tombola) so I didn't join in. All Gill's quiches sold, at 20 pence each or one Yorky for 5. All my bags of fruit sold too. I spoke to 7 people with my Rotters hat on, four non-composters and 3 already composting. All in all, a quite successful evening. Finished at 10pm and I came home with two choco crispies for the boys.
During the evening, sorted out some grapes for blanching and making into raisins.
I have been seeing Alpine Springbeauties (Claytonia megarhiza) all over the high country this season. Their succulent-looking leaves are distinctive and easy to spot. Where they have space, they fan out into a symmetrical rosette. Many, like these specimens from the summit of Mt. Audubon, can be found crammed into the nooks and crannies of rocks.
Another lazy morning. Gill was doing the accounts and I chatted with her, occasionally helping her decipher my scrawly writing in my account book... The boys played happily, first with armies of toys on the landing upstairs, then with virtual armies on the computer.
A very relaxed day, kids enjoying not being at school. I cycled over to Poppleton Road to Kutters/Shannons to collect my chainsaw... the flex going into the machine had fractured and needed to be replaced, this cost me £25, but at least it won't keep on cutting out on me. When I took it in I told them that it was cutting in a gentle curve, and when I phoned yesterday they told me the bar was bent, and would cost £40 to replace. I decided to put up with curved cutting... as the cost of a new chainsaw would be about £100, so spending £65 on cable repair and new bar didn't make a lot of sense. Having a curved cut doesn't matter too much anyway.
Enjoyed the cycle ride, apart from when zooming down the road at about 30mph and the lights changed suddenly to red so I slammed on my brakes, not remembering that I've got new blocks in the discs, and my back wheel locked and I nearly lost it... but I've skidded many times and I controlled it and came to a safe halt at the traffic lights.
Came home via Country Fresh where I bought eggs and veg and picked up three boxes of compostables. Did a stint in the garden loading most of today's haul into the compostumbler.
Tea was nice... a chunk of nutloaf with some home grown cauliflower, coleslaw, olives and other salady bits... and then out to the York Green Festival meeting at St John's.
We had a new attendee, Aaron, who has quite a lot of experience of organising things. This was lucky as Helgi's stage line-up was far too congested and we really needed to cut it in half, give Seize The Day a bigger set and have all the singer-songwriters on another stage. So, Aaron said he'd take this on... which is fantastic, as we're back to TWO stages again. Our second stage will be unamplified apart from 'practice amp' sized rigs, a sort of 'busking stage'.
We got quite a lot sorted and it all looks as if it's coming together... just! But we still have loads to do and putting on an event this size is quite scary. Especially when you're not in charge, and have entrusted others with most of the decisions and work, but still care very much about it happening!
Home at about 10pm and enjoyed one of my favourite films, 'Being John Malkovich' on Film4.
A very relaxed day, kids enjoying not being at school. I cycled over to Poppleton Road to Kutters/Shannons to collect my chainsaw... the flex going into the machine had fractured and needed to be replaced, this cost me £25, but at least it won't keep on cutting out on me. When I took it in I told them that it was cutting in a gentle curve, and when I phoned yesterday they told me the bar was bent, and would cost £40 to replace. I decided to put up with curved cutting... as the cost of a new chainsaw would be about £100, so spending £65 on cable repair and new bar didn't make a lot of sense. Having a curved cut doesn't matter too much anyway.
Enjoyed the cycle ride, apart from when zooming down the road at about 30mph and the lights changed suddenly to red so I slammed on my brakes, not remembering that I've got new blocks in the discs, and my back wheel locked and I nearly lost it... but I've skidded many times and I controlled it and came to a safe halt at the traffic lights.
Came home via Country Fresh where I bought eggs and veg and picked up three boxes of compostables. Did a stint in the garden loading most of today's haul into the compostumbler.
Tea was nice... a chunk of nutloaf with some home grown cauliflower, coleslaw, olives and other salady bits... and then out to the York Green Festival meeting at St John's.
We had a new attendee, Aaron, who has quite a lot of experience of organising things. This was lucky as Helgi's stage line-up was far too congested and we really needed to cut it in half, give Seize The Day a bigger set and have all the singer-songwriters on another stage. So, Aaron said he'd take this on... which is fantastic, as we're back to TWO stages again. Our second stage will be unamplified apart from 'practice amp' sized rigs, a sort of 'busking stage'.
We got quite a lot sorted and it all looks as if it's coming together... just! But we still have loads to do and putting on an event this size is quite scary. Especially when you're not in charge, and have entrusted others with most of the decisions and work, but still care very much about it happening!
Home at about 10pm and enjoyed one of my favourite films, 'Being John Malkovich' on Film4.
A lie-in... lovely. Got up at 10.30 and didn't do much til about midday.
Then I persuaded the boys to come and help me put the tent up, which was quite easy as it is very similar to the previous design I had... except this seems better designed actually. We had a bit of time trying to suss out where to hang some daft pocket things and our nearly 12 year old worked it out.
After lunch Gill and the boys went to the dentist and I completed the York Green Festival insurance documents and sent them to two of my colleagues to check. I really hate Microsoft Office 07, which I have on a trial. It's too complicated, I couldn't work out how to 'save as' and had to just save, then go into my documents folder and alter the name from there. What a faff.
Anyway, they will be on their way tonight or tomorrow.
I made a nutloaf with some old bread, yesterday's rice and a couple of leeks minus their tough flower stalk, grated carrot, a couple of tomatoes, plus some 'bush basil' which is doing really well in the conservatory. This is what I'll grow in the future, it tastes lovely and is easier to grow than the big leafed varieties. This is the first year I've grown it. Oh, I lined the baking dish with slices of a courgette, perhaps our third or fourth this year.
After tea I took the tent down 'all in one' so that when we put it up again we don't have to bother putting the internal compartment in again. Also popped down to Freshways and picked up 2 sacks of assorted unwanted material... including a load of coconuts which don't compost well, but do burn well! There were also a large number of fresh red dates, some with damage and dark-coloured bad bits, but the majority seemed quite acceptable. I wondered how to use these? Fresh they are a bit astringent, but if I blanch them and dry them, they might be useful in something. I might ask Raj how he uses fresh dates.
A busy evening dealing with the York Green Festival insurance documentation, and then trying to sort out how to deal with the compostables which will be generated at the Big Green Gathering... the farmer/festival has been granted 'an exemption' and is allowed to compost on site, but he wants to use the composted material. When I last composted on site, in 2006, there were too many sticks in the pile (which I'd built with several aeration layers using sticks, branches, twigs, cardboard and straw) for him to use it. This year we are going to use Bokashi EM which will mean we don't need to initially aerate it as much... just have it drained. There is another keen composter going to the Gathering, called Chris, and he'll be there from the Thursday before, so he'll be involved in the pre-build.
Last thing at night, I blanched the dates and this got rid of the astringent properties and they tasted sweet, and will be lovely dried.
Then I persuaded the boys to come and help me put the tent up, which was quite easy as it is very similar to the previous design I had... except this seems better designed actually. We had a bit of time trying to suss out where to hang some daft pocket things and our nearly 12 year old worked it out.
After lunch Gill and the boys went to the dentist and I completed the York Green Festival insurance documents and sent them to two of my colleagues to check. I really hate Microsoft Office 07, which I have on a trial. It's too complicated, I couldn't work out how to 'save as' and had to just save, then go into my documents folder and alter the name from there. What a faff.
Anyway, they will be on their way tonight or tomorrow.
I made a nutloaf with some old bread, yesterday's rice and a couple of leeks minus their tough flower stalk, grated carrot, a couple of tomatoes, plus some 'bush basil' which is doing really well in the conservatory. This is what I'll grow in the future, it tastes lovely and is easier to grow than the big leafed varieties. This is the first year I've grown it. Oh, I lined the baking dish with slices of a courgette, perhaps our third or fourth this year.
After tea I took the tent down 'all in one' so that when we put it up again we don't have to bother putting the internal compartment in again. Also popped down to Freshways and picked up 2 sacks of assorted unwanted material... including a load of coconuts which don't compost well, but do burn well! There were also a large number of fresh red dates, some with damage and dark-coloured bad bits, but the majority seemed quite acceptable. I wondered how to use these? Fresh they are a bit astringent, but if I blanch them and dry them, they might be useful in something. I might ask Raj how he uses fresh dates.
A busy evening dealing with the York Green Festival insurance documentation, and then trying to sort out how to deal with the compostables which will be generated at the Big Green Gathering... the farmer/festival has been granted 'an exemption' and is allowed to compost on site, but he wants to use the composted material. When I last composted on site, in 2006, there were too many sticks in the pile (which I'd built with several aeration layers using sticks, branches, twigs, cardboard and straw) for him to use it. This year we are going to use Bokashi EM which will mean we don't need to initially aerate it as much... just have it drained. There is another keen composter going to the Gathering, called Chris, and he'll be there from the Thursday before, so he'll be involved in the pre-build.
Last thing at night, I blanched the dates and this got rid of the astringent properties and they tasted sweet, and will be lovely dried.
Another work day... shouldn't complain! Lucky to have it!
So, started with a shower as yesterdays hour-and-a-half cycle back from Barmby Moor against the wind had rendered me reasonably fragrant. Gill didn't mind of course, but my employers today would have done and I like to try to make a good impression.
So, got to the station for about 10.20 and bought a ticket to Hull and was on the 10.40, where I wrote out my invoice for the day's work. This was for a community event organised by Tesco Extra in the St Stephen's Centre. As it was raining, I decided not to attempt working outside where the rest of the stalls were, so after I got changed, I set up my stuff in the centre against the Tesco window, and immediately was engaged by some youngsters who wanted to see me ride the unicycle (people often assume that I can't!). About 10 minutes later a security man approached me and told me that cycling wasn't allowed in the centre, so I didn't do any more unicycling at all. So, from 11.55 til 3.50 I worked constantly, except for about 7 minutes to eat my sandwiches at about 2pm. I did mainly devilstick workshops and juggling, and had some lovely successes with this with people who said 'I can't do that' and then, with a few minutes coaching, could. At one point a chap came along who was good with the diabolo, so I let him use Derek and that was quite fun as I was able to talk to Derek with someone else making him do tricks... and misbehaving, as usual! It was an instant 'double act'. There were other entertainers around, including stilt walkers, costumed characters, another balloon modeller, facepainters and various others. So it was a fun day.
The Tesco people seemed to like what was going on and were happy to let me go shortly before my official 4pm finish, as my train was due to leave at 4.01, the next one not being til 5.25.
So I was back in York quite soon, and as I came up to my bike, there was an old chap looking intently at my bike in the station racks. He was obviously admiring it, not trying to steal it or damage it, so I explained about my asking Cycle Heaven to build the strongest bike they'd ever built, and we chatted for a while.
On the way home I picked up two sacks of stuff from Country Fresh... and when I got home and got changed, I put a load of this in the compostumbler with a sackful of the shredded material I prepared last week.
I didn't eat until after 7pm, a plate of rice and vegetables, followed by a raspberry, loganberry and gooseberry crumble. Berry tasty!
I was just finishing off my email/facebook session when there was a huge crash outside and Gill, sleeping on the couch next to me, lept up. I immediately knew it was a logpile falling over, but it was quite a spectacular noise. Gill went back to sleep and I spent 20 minutes partly re-doing it and clearing the way for our neighbours to use the shared passage between the houses. Glad it decided to collapse when I was around to sort it out. It may have not coped with several big rainstorms today... Gill says there was a violent hailstorm here today.
So, started with a shower as yesterdays hour-and-a-half cycle back from Barmby Moor against the wind had rendered me reasonably fragrant. Gill didn't mind of course, but my employers today would have done and I like to try to make a good impression.
So, got to the station for about 10.20 and bought a ticket to Hull and was on the 10.40, where I wrote out my invoice for the day's work. This was for a community event organised by Tesco Extra in the St Stephen's Centre. As it was raining, I decided not to attempt working outside where the rest of the stalls were, so after I got changed, I set up my stuff in the centre against the Tesco window, and immediately was engaged by some youngsters who wanted to see me ride the unicycle (people often assume that I can't!). About 10 minutes later a security man approached me and told me that cycling wasn't allowed in the centre, so I didn't do any more unicycling at all. So, from 11.55 til 3.50 I worked constantly, except for about 7 minutes to eat my sandwiches at about 2pm. I did mainly devilstick workshops and juggling, and had some lovely successes with this with people who said 'I can't do that' and then, with a few minutes coaching, could. At one point a chap came along who was good with the diabolo, so I let him use Derek and that was quite fun as I was able to talk to Derek with someone else making him do tricks... and misbehaving, as usual! It was an instant 'double act'. There were other entertainers around, including stilt walkers, costumed characters, another balloon modeller, facepainters and various others. So it was a fun day.
The Tesco people seemed to like what was going on and were happy to let me go shortly before my official 4pm finish, as my train was due to leave at 4.01, the next one not being til 5.25.
So I was back in York quite soon, and as I came up to my bike, there was an old chap looking intently at my bike in the station racks. He was obviously admiring it, not trying to steal it or damage it, so I explained about my asking Cycle Heaven to build the strongest bike they'd ever built, and we chatted for a while.
On the way home I picked up two sacks of stuff from Country Fresh... and when I got home and got changed, I put a load of this in the compostumbler with a sackful of the shredded material I prepared last week.
I didn't eat until after 7pm, a plate of rice and vegetables, followed by a raspberry, loganberry and gooseberry crumble. Berry tasty!
I was just finishing off my email/facebook session when there was a huge crash outside and Gill, sleeping on the couch next to me, lept up. I immediately knew it was a logpile falling over, but it was quite a spectacular noise. Gill went back to sleep and I spent 20 minutes partly re-doing it and clearing the way for our neighbours to use the shared passage between the houses. Glad it decided to collapse when I was around to sort it out. It may have not coped with several big rainstorms today... Gill says there was a violent hailstorm here today.
Distance: 5.22 miles round trip
Elevation: 10,600 ft - 10,935 ft
Elevation Gain: 335 ft
The gentle hills and verdant views of Wilder Gulch
Wilder Gulch, near Vail Pass, is a serene journey through several miles of meadow transected by a melodically flowing stream. In the distance, Ptarmigan Hill (12,143 ft) dominates the view and in late July wildflowers are reported to be stunning.
Vail Pass lower parking lot viewed from the upper
Vail Pass bike path along a more scenic section
The downside of this area is that to get to the trail itself, one must park at the upper lot of the Vail Pass Rest Area since the lower lot has a time limit. From the parking area, one must then travel either 0.86 miles down the bike path or travel 0.76 miles across several rolling hills. The latter route is far more preferable, but is only passable in late summer when the creek that bisects the area has stopped flowing since there is no bridge over it. On this trip, we took the bike path down and took the creek path back since it did not matter if our feet got soaked on the return trip.
The sign for Wilder Gulch on the Vail Pass Bike Path. The underpass for I-70 is in the distance.
The guidebook we used (Colorado's Best Wildflower Hikes: Volume 2) indicates the junction on the bike path route is 0.5 miles but by GPS it was 0.86 miles. The difference may be related to where you have to park. The bike path route is frustrating because it drops significantly through a series of winding turns and, not surprisingly, bikes are zooming by in both directions. We had our dogs with us, which made this doubly frustrating. Parts of the bike path are hidden from I70 and follow a pleasant stream, but other parts are right next to the cars whisking by at 70 miles per hour. You will know you have reached the trail when you see a a brown sign saying "Wilder Gulch" at an underpass for I-70. Without the sign, you might miss the overgrown, narrow trail.
Heading up from the underpass into the Gulch
I did not measure the elevation gain from the underpass to where the alternate route intersects with the trail, but I am guessing it is at least an additional 150 ft of elevation gain over 3 tenths of a mile.
The trail follows the stream until the trail turns into the trees 2.66 miles from the parking lot
From the intersection, the trail seems relatively flat and follows a cut in the hillside about a hundred yards to the right of the stream. The trail is boggy in places but the forest service has put large stone steps on either side of the many intersecting rivulets so it is easy to keep one's feet dry.
A little farther in, the Gulch really opens up and becomes your own personal meadow. Ptarmigan Hill (12,143 ft) is in the distance.
We traveled up the gulch for 2.66 miles, measured from the parking lot, to the point where the trail leaves the meadow heads up into the trees. We weren't interested in walking through the forest and another couple familiar with the trail indicated that the route to Ptarmigan Pass, a worthy destination, would not be clear until late July. Normally, we would not have turned around so early but we had hiked both Lower Crystal Lake and West Hoosier Pass the day before and frankly we were ready to get home.
Looking back down the gulch towards I-70. That is a beaver pond to the right of the trail. We only saw dams and no lodges.
Wilder Gulch is know for its wildflowers, but I don't think they start to appear in great numbers until mid-July. Once you get to the trail, this could be a pleasant outing for those who have trouble with elevation gain. The green grass, open sky, and pleasing sense of solitude will make you want to linger in Wilder Gulch. If you do, be advised the snows come early on Vail Pass.
Near our turn around point. The trail heads up into the trees to the right.
Elevation: 10,600 ft - 10,935 ft
Elevation Gain: 335 ft
The gentle hills and verdant views of Wilder GulchWilder Gulch, near Vail Pass, is a serene journey through several miles of meadow transected by a melodically flowing stream. In the distance, Ptarmigan Hill (12,143 ft) dominates the view and in late July wildflowers are reported to be stunning.
Vail Pass lower parking lot viewed from the upper
Vail Pass bike path along a more scenic sectionThe downside of this area is that to get to the trail itself, one must park at the upper lot of the Vail Pass Rest Area since the lower lot has a time limit. From the parking area, one must then travel either 0.86 miles down the bike path or travel 0.76 miles across several rolling hills. The latter route is far more preferable, but is only passable in late summer when the creek that bisects the area has stopped flowing since there is no bridge over it. On this trip, we took the bike path down and took the creek path back since it did not matter if our feet got soaked on the return trip.
The sign for Wilder Gulch on the Vail Pass Bike Path. The underpass for I-70 is in the distance.The guidebook we used (Colorado's Best Wildflower Hikes: Volume 2) indicates the junction on the bike path route is 0.5 miles but by GPS it was 0.86 miles. The difference may be related to where you have to park. The bike path route is frustrating because it drops significantly through a series of winding turns and, not surprisingly, bikes are zooming by in both directions. We had our dogs with us, which made this doubly frustrating. Parts of the bike path are hidden from I70 and follow a pleasant stream, but other parts are right next to the cars whisking by at 70 miles per hour. You will know you have reached the trail when you see a a brown sign saying "Wilder Gulch" at an underpass for I-70. Without the sign, you might miss the overgrown, narrow trail.
Heading up from the underpass into the GulchI did not measure the elevation gain from the underpass to where the alternate route intersects with the trail, but I am guessing it is at least an additional 150 ft of elevation gain over 3 tenths of a mile.
The trail follows the stream until the trail turns into the trees 2.66 miles from the parking lotFrom the intersection, the trail seems relatively flat and follows a cut in the hillside about a hundred yards to the right of the stream. The trail is boggy in places but the forest service has put large stone steps on either side of the many intersecting rivulets so it is easy to keep one's feet dry.
A little farther in, the Gulch really opens up and becomes your own personal meadow. Ptarmigan Hill (12,143 ft) is in the distance.We traveled up the gulch for 2.66 miles, measured from the parking lot, to the point where the trail leaves the meadow heads up into the trees. We weren't interested in walking through the forest and another couple familiar with the trail indicated that the route to Ptarmigan Pass, a worthy destination, would not be clear until late July. Normally, we would not have turned around so early but we had hiked both Lower Crystal Lake and West Hoosier Pass the day before and frankly we were ready to get home.
Looking back down the gulch towards I-70. That is a beaver pond to the right of the trail. We only saw dams and no lodges.Wilder Gulch is know for its wildflowers, but I don't think they start to appear in great numbers until mid-July. Once you get to the trail, this could be a pleasant outing for those who have trouble with elevation gain. The green grass, open sky, and pleasing sense of solitude will make you want to linger in Wilder Gulch. If you do, be advised the snows come early on Vail Pass.
Near our turn around point. The trail heads up into the trees to the right.
Work day today but didn't need to be in Barmby Moor until 1.30pm, to participate in the procession which precedes their historic 'Feast'.
So I got myself ready to cycle all the way down the A1079 lovely Hull Road to Barmby Moor, and left at 11.30... and I didn't stop and really pushed it, arriving at 12.20pm. There was an insecure door at the Village Hall so I let myself in, had lunch and got changed, and was ready to take my bike up to the show field by the time the marching band arrived to get changed.
As I arrived at the Barmby Moor Feast field, it started raining so I negotiated with my handler to get me a place in the bar marquee to do my show sometime during the afternoon.
But the rain stopped just in time for me to unicycle down to the Village Hall again where the procession was just starting off. I overtook a tractor-trailer float at the back and some yokel-locals thought it was funny to spray me with gunk... a kind of string-out-of-an-aerosol-can stuff and I was pretty annoyed. However, it did brush off and I picked it out of the spokes of my unicycle, then got to a position in the procession which seemed right for me. But I was behind some very slow-walking fancily-dressed kids and it was a challenge to unicycle so slowly. But I managed it, just! The procession wound up at the show field and it started raining again.
I went to the bar marquee and made a few balloon models until it stopped raining again and then I did a series of circuits of the field twirling my devilstick, and unicycling, but not at the same time as when I do that I often drop and I didn't want the sticks to get wet as they stop working when wet. But when I'm walking around devilsticking I rarely drop.
I did my show routine at 3pm and an hour of balloon models afterwards, got paid and set off home. I had the wind against me all the time and I had to stop and rest twice! This journey took me til 6.35, twice as long as the Eastward journey.
I got in, unloaded my stuff and went to bed and slept for two hours.
I had a small tea just after 9pm as I wasn't that hungry but Gill's quiche is very yummy. I hope there'll be some left tomorrow when I get in from Hull.
So I got myself ready to cycle all the way down the A1079 lovely Hull Road to Barmby Moor, and left at 11.30... and I didn't stop and really pushed it, arriving at 12.20pm. There was an insecure door at the Village Hall so I let myself in, had lunch and got changed, and was ready to take my bike up to the show field by the time the marching band arrived to get changed.
As I arrived at the Barmby Moor Feast field, it started raining so I negotiated with my handler to get me a place in the bar marquee to do my show sometime during the afternoon.
But the rain stopped just in time for me to unicycle down to the Village Hall again where the procession was just starting off. I overtook a tractor-trailer float at the back and some yokel-locals thought it was funny to spray me with gunk... a kind of string-out-of-an-aerosol-can stuff and I was pretty annoyed. However, it did brush off and I picked it out of the spokes of my unicycle, then got to a position in the procession which seemed right for me. But I was behind some very slow-walking fancily-dressed kids and it was a challenge to unicycle so slowly. But I managed it, just! The procession wound up at the show field and it started raining again.
I went to the bar marquee and made a few balloon models until it stopped raining again and then I did a series of circuits of the field twirling my devilstick, and unicycling, but not at the same time as when I do that I often drop and I didn't want the sticks to get wet as they stop working when wet. But when I'm walking around devilsticking I rarely drop.
I did my show routine at 3pm and an hour of balloon models afterwards, got paid and set off home. I had the wind against me all the time and I had to stop and rest twice! This journey took me til 6.35, twice as long as the Eastward journey.
I got in, unloaded my stuff and went to bed and slept for two hours.
I had a small tea just after 9pm as I wasn't that hungry but Gill's quiche is very yummy. I hope there'll be some left tomorrow when I get in from Hull.
The Prairie Coneflower (Ratibida columnifera) is common on roadsides and other disturbed areas. It blooms from July to August. Native Americans used it as a remedy for snakebit and Poison-ivy.
These pictures were taken next to the small trail leading out from NCAR's fitness center to the trail on the side of the building.
I got up quite early as I needed to talk to the woman who had booked me to work at her child's school in Cliffe, near Selby, for the leavers' party. She rang me back on her mobile as her landline wasn't making outgoing calls, as the whole village had had a power cut at 1.30am, and the school was closed, so she'd had to cancel. It's a kind of mixed blessing as I was wondering about whether I should actually do this gig as I might have had H1N1 'Flu earlier this week, and if I did have it, I could be still infectious... AND it's raining heavily and I was intending to cycle down there... it's an hour and a quarter away.
So, I was able to peruse my emails and I was interested to find that a new website has been developed, called Real Time Carbon, which shows you how much carbon is being emitted from the mix of generation being used, updated every 5 minutes. Here is how it works:
I think we need to seriously consider this (not that we have £12K to spare!) as our electricity bill is significantly lower than average, so we'd make/save more money than most! I wonder if I could get a loan from the Credit Union?
At about 4pm, despite the rain, I cycled down to town to put in two cheques, pay a bill, give in an invoice and to give in a form to the council. Whilst I was in the Nationwide, I asked if I could borrow £12K to put photovoltaic cells on my roof. I was seen to by a teenager (seemed like it!) who started to go through an eligibility questionnaire. I failed at the first hurdle. I don't earn £750 a month... their minimum requirement. Whilst in the Co-op Bank, I asked the same question, and I was told, after a few details were put into their computer, that I could borrow £11K over 84 months (7 years) and pay back £175 a month, an APR of 8.42%, interest amounting to £3,700. Early repayment penalty of about £44. I felt this was quite a good deal. I got a 0.5% APR discount as I'm a Co-op member!
Came back with a vast amount of stuff from Country Fresh including maybe 40 bananas and a large pile of Asian pears... all will be dried! So lit the stove, dried myself off and did some fruit prep later in the evening.
Boys seem pretty well back to normal. They've had the day off school and may have had Flu.
So, I was able to peruse my emails and I was interested to find that a new website has been developed, called Real Time Carbon, which shows you how much carbon is being emitted from the mix of generation being used, updated every 5 minutes. Here is how it works:
RealtimeCarbon.org screencast from Jamie Andrews on Vimeo.
The other news is that the Government has introduced 'Feed In Tarrifs' which guarantee an income from solar photovoltaic panels and other renewable generation. This means that an average sized system on a domestic roof, costing about £12,500, will give an income of almost £1000 a year for 20 years plus halve an average home's electricity bill. Here's the Green Building Press article on it.I think we need to seriously consider this (not that we have £12K to spare!) as our electricity bill is significantly lower than average, so we'd make/save more money than most! I wonder if I could get a loan from the Credit Union?
At about 4pm, despite the rain, I cycled down to town to put in two cheques, pay a bill, give in an invoice and to give in a form to the council. Whilst I was in the Nationwide, I asked if I could borrow £12K to put photovoltaic cells on my roof. I was seen to by a teenager (seemed like it!) who started to go through an eligibility questionnaire. I failed at the first hurdle. I don't earn £750 a month... their minimum requirement. Whilst in the Co-op Bank, I asked the same question, and I was told, after a few details were put into their computer, that I could borrow £11K over 84 months (7 years) and pay back £175 a month, an APR of 8.42%, interest amounting to £3,700. Early repayment penalty of about £44. I felt this was quite a good deal. I got a 0.5% APR discount as I'm a Co-op member!
Came back with a vast amount of stuff from Country Fresh including maybe 40 bananas and a large pile of Asian pears... all will be dried! So lit the stove, dried myself off and did some fruit prep later in the evening.
Boys seem pretty well back to normal. They've had the day off school and may have had Flu.
Woke feeling quite a bit better. Both boys feeling a bit poorly so they stayed off school. If I have had Swine 'Flu, it was very mild and just affected me for about 24 hours. I phoned my GP as I wanted to chat about whether I should be tested as I've been in indirect contact with Ali's daughter, who has a weak immune system. The NHS Direct website said I had the right range of symptoms for Swine 'Flu, and so did the GP when she rang back, and as I'm taking medication to prevent asthma, she offered me tamiflu. I declined as I was already feeling much better, and I wonder if indeed I have had this virus. The NHS are not testing people anymore, just diagnosing using a tick-list, so I was told to tell Ali that I had exposed her to Swine 'Flu. The GP also suggested looking on the Health Protection Agency website, on their page about H1N1 Influenza.
Ali rang her daughter's doctor. The advice was to wait until she had a temperature and then get some antivirals. A bit worrying, but we're all in the same boat, as even healthy people might get struck down badly.
Ali rang her daughter's doctor. The advice was to wait until she had a temperature and then get some antivirals. A bit worrying, but we're all in the same boat, as even healthy people might get struck down badly.
I did quite a lot outside today, shredding the hedge clippings I chopped yesterday, collecting some garden waste from Gladys round the corner and shredding them, chopping up a huge pallet which a chap with an overfull skip gave me, posting some cardamom tea sachets to a freegan contact over in Ireland, checking the progress of the money I've sent to the Netherlands for my questionnaire, visiting Raj, and more!
Whilst on the laptop, I wrote some of my blog and checked the Feedjit widget and found several referrals from http://www.totalpolitics.com/, and I had a look through this website... it is really good. I enjoyed the blog list by party section, as this is where my blog is, but there's a lot more and I'll be going back there to check it out...
Had a lovely tea, linguine (like spaghetti but slightly thicker and flatter) with quite a bit of home grown veg, including broad beans, broccoli and spinach. Delicious.
A quiet evening, boys still feeling a bit ill, maybe they have Swine 'Flu.
Like i go every two months to Paris i was thinking to make some posts about my favourites places.
the "Musée Nissim de Camondo" is a fantastic place (were i go once a year :-) and big story that has a sad end.
Moïse de Camondo is a son of a Turkish bankersfamily that came to Paris in 1869
He opened a bank in Paris and lived the high life to get noticed, and they did that very well
The family became quickly very very popular, they bought land at the Parc Monceau (village of the rich and powerfull in Paris)
And Moïse builded a nice Hotel Particulier that is very very much inspired from the petit Trianon from Marie Antoinette. During his whole life he was always on the look for the nicest pieces of 18 century furniture.
The house is huge, it's like a dream, it feels like an 18th century house but it has every modern facility's.
The collection of furniture is enourmous, and the best is that this house was really a house that was lived in. Its not a reconstruction, its exactly how Moïse de Camondo left it. Because now come the sad part.
Moïse de Camondo had everything his hart wished, even two nice children, Nissim and Béatrice.
They had all a fantastic life traveling between their different properties. Moïse sold after a while his bank, so he didn't had to work anymore. He did everything so his house in Paris would be preserved like a museum even after his dead. But then dead came on to their door, Nissim got killed during the first world war, he was a pilot. Thats why the museum is called Musée Nissim de Camondo. Moïse never got over it, and closed himself out of society. The famous dinnerparty for the Paris high society were history.
He died in 1935, the last living person of that fantastic period was Béatrice. She was married with Leon Reinach. And they had two children Fanny and Bertrand. One thing i didn't told in the beginning is that the Camondo's where jewish, i suppose you can imagine the rest of the story. Her children and her husband died in 43 and Béatrice died in 45 far away of their beloved Paris property. She was the last of the Camondo's, the protectors of the french 18th century.
Luckely their work is still there to be admired.
So you have to visit this place not only for the nice interiors but also to pay them a tribut.
The Hallway
One of the staircaisses
the second hallway
Moïse bureau
A hallway
The English room
the silver and porcelain room, this is were Moïse took his dinner's alone
The fantastic dinnerroom
First floor landing
the "Musée Nissim de Camondo" is a fantastic place (were i go once a year :-) and big story that has a sad end.
Moïse de Camondo is a son of a Turkish bankersfamily that came to Paris in 1869
He opened a bank in Paris and lived the high life to get noticed, and they did that very well
The family became quickly very very popular, they bought land at the Parc Monceau (village of the rich and powerfull in Paris)
And Moïse builded a nice Hotel Particulier that is very very much inspired from the petit Trianon from Marie Antoinette. During his whole life he was always on the look for the nicest pieces of 18 century furniture.
The house is huge, it's like a dream, it feels like an 18th century house but it has every modern facility's.
The collection of furniture is enourmous, and the best is that this house was really a house that was lived in. Its not a reconstruction, its exactly how Moïse de Camondo left it. Because now come the sad part.
Moïse de Camondo had everything his hart wished, even two nice children, Nissim and Béatrice.
They had all a fantastic life traveling between their different properties. Moïse sold after a while his bank, so he didn't had to work anymore. He did everything so his house in Paris would be preserved like a museum even after his dead. But then dead came on to their door, Nissim got killed during the first world war, he was a pilot. Thats why the museum is called Musée Nissim de Camondo. Moïse never got over it, and closed himself out of society. The famous dinnerparty for the Paris high society were history.
He died in 1935, the last living person of that fantastic period was Béatrice. She was married with Leon Reinach. And they had two children Fanny and Bertrand. One thing i didn't told in the beginning is that the Camondo's where jewish, i suppose you can imagine the rest of the story. Her children and her husband died in 43 and Béatrice died in 45 far away of their beloved Paris property. She was the last of the Camondo's, the protectors of the french 18th century.
Luckely their work is still there to be admired.
So you have to visit this place not only for the nice interiors but also to pay them a tribut.
The Hallway
One of the staircaisses
the second hallway
Moïse bureau
A hallway
The English room
the silver and porcelain room, this is were Moïse took his dinner's alone
The fantastic dinnerroom
First floor landing
camondo
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Not a good night as feeling ill... headache and elevated temperature... obviously I was wondering if I have got H1N1 flu. I slept in til about 10, not good deep sleep and the paracetamol I had at 7am didn't touch the headache.
However, my usual routine of having breakfast wasn't dented, and I chatted with Gill who was sorting out the accounts... and finding several things which I haven't been paid for. One requires me to write an invoice... how tedious! I already wrote a reply letter to them; this is often enough.
Got an email from Peter at York in Transition with a link to a video about the first 'Carbon Neutral Village', Ashton Hayes in Cheshire, and if you've 17 minutes to spare, it is worth watching:
At about 11am the council lorry arrived with my 3 compost bins PLUS the little bin which the school had in the men's toilet for a year. Oh dear... do I take that back? Dilemma.
When I investigated the compost bins in the front garden, two had been delivered without their basal doors and one without the lid. What a nuisance... nothing is ever simple!
After lunch I felt well enough to go and cut a hedge but this just about wiped me out.
A very quiet afternoon and evening, didn't feel that hungry but ate salads and two dolmades anyway, kind of to be sociable. Going to get to bed early.
However, my usual routine of having breakfast wasn't dented, and I chatted with Gill who was sorting out the accounts... and finding several things which I haven't been paid for. One requires me to write an invoice... how tedious! I already wrote a reply letter to them; this is often enough.
Got an email from Peter at York in Transition with a link to a video about the first 'Carbon Neutral Village', Ashton Hayes in Cheshire, and if you've 17 minutes to spare, it is worth watching:
At about 11am the council lorry arrived with my 3 compost bins PLUS the little bin which the school had in the men's toilet for a year. Oh dear... do I take that back? Dilemma.
When I investigated the compost bins in the front garden, two had been delivered without their basal doors and one without the lid. What a nuisance... nothing is ever simple!
After lunch I felt well enough to go and cut a hedge but this just about wiped me out.
A very quiet afternoon and evening, didn't feel that hungry but ate salads and two dolmades anyway, kind of to be sociable. Going to get to bed early.
I woke and was aware that our eldest did go to school but our youngest had a cough and sniff and was very tired, so he stayed at home. I used the good weather to do some tidying up in the garden... a wheelbarrow full of compostables from the greengrocers which needed to be roughly chopped up and loaded onto the latest pallet-heap, also some shredding, hedge material from last week, and some sacks that Gladys from Thief Lane has saved for me, including Berberis which is prickly.
I got a message form Lynn saying that she'd like to ask Freshways for a raffle prize for the LETS Healthy Living Event. I agreed to meet her outside the shop just after 11 to give the letter to Raj; he wasn't at work today but one of his employees said they'd give it to him or his brother. I then went on to Country Fresh with another letter and poster, and Richard said no problem to providing us with a prize. What a generous guy! I'll collect it next Wednesday.
On this leg of the journey I met a chap called Paddy who is an estate worker, who's role it is to do various jobs around the small bungalows between Lawrence St and Heslington Road, and he was cutting up some elder branches with secateurs and putting the bits in a bin bag. I stopped and said hello and asked if I could have the cut stuff, and he was only too happy. I had the cut branches and the sack of chopped up stuff... which was heading for 'the bin'. We had quite a long chat and I gave him my card and invited him to contact me if he was in a similar situation again. I also said I might be able to help him find a solution to this bad situation.
I came home and shredded this material... took about two minutes. It all filled just one small sack when shredded and made a layer on one of the current heaps.
I had a go at deleting loads of emails over lunch and found one from the chap in charge of waste and recycling in York, Geoff Derham. He had taken charge of the sorry situation with Lord Deramore's School's approach to my composting attempts. I sent him an email asking if anything had happened... had there been a meeting? Were the school going to improve their 'eco-credentials'? What had happened to my compost bin the alleged Health and Safety advisor had ordered to be removed? I got a fairly swift reply. There had been a meeting. The school was going to undertake some process of greening, but this would take time. My compost bins will be returned to me by lorry in the next couple of days. I have received no thanks or any communication from the school regarding the years of waste-reduction work and composting, nor the work I put in with Green Thumbs. I do feel hurt and angry, yet I also see this situation as having a potentially positive outcome as this school might, just might develop ways of being a 'shining example of sustainability within the community' which has always been my aim. Just a pity it should happen with them virtually excluding me.
I picked our first two courgettes and we had these for tea, with nutloaf croquettes, potatoes and corn on the cob. I had to rush out to the Hull Road Ward Planning Panel, meeting at the Tang Hall Community Centre, where I was due to hand over the Clerk's role to Vicky... something I'm sure she'll do a much better job of than me. We did go through several applications though, and I got away shortly before 7.30 and headed down to Green Drinks.
This is an idea which started in 1989 in London, where like-minded environmentally conscious people meet up for a drink and a chat. Simple really. This was York's first.. upstairs at the Yorkshire Terrier on Stonegate, made reasonably accessible with a stairlift, but along narrow corridors. It was well attended and I was pleased to meet Susanne, an archaeology support worker, and Pam, a newbie to York but Green Party member, plus various friends including Dave and Andy, Lynn, Rich and Ivana, Bryony, Katie, Jennie, and others. Had some good chats.
I left fairly early... before 10 anyway as I was tired.
I got a message form Lynn saying that she'd like to ask Freshways for a raffle prize for the LETS Healthy Living Event. I agreed to meet her outside the shop just after 11 to give the letter to Raj; he wasn't at work today but one of his employees said they'd give it to him or his brother. I then went on to Country Fresh with another letter and poster, and Richard said no problem to providing us with a prize. What a generous guy! I'll collect it next Wednesday.
On this leg of the journey I met a chap called Paddy who is an estate worker, who's role it is to do various jobs around the small bungalows between Lawrence St and Heslington Road, and he was cutting up some elder branches with secateurs and putting the bits in a bin bag. I stopped and said hello and asked if I could have the cut stuff, and he was only too happy. I had the cut branches and the sack of chopped up stuff... which was heading for 'the bin'. We had quite a long chat and I gave him my card and invited him to contact me if he was in a similar situation again. I also said I might be able to help him find a solution to this bad situation.
I came home and shredded this material... took about two minutes. It all filled just one small sack when shredded and made a layer on one of the current heaps.
I had a go at deleting loads of emails over lunch and found one from the chap in charge of waste and recycling in York, Geoff Derham. He had taken charge of the sorry situation with Lord Deramore's School's approach to my composting attempts. I sent him an email asking if anything had happened... had there been a meeting? Were the school going to improve their 'eco-credentials'? What had happened to my compost bin the alleged Health and Safety advisor had ordered to be removed? I got a fairly swift reply. There had been a meeting. The school was going to undertake some process of greening, but this would take time. My compost bins will be returned to me by lorry in the next couple of days. I have received no thanks or any communication from the school regarding the years of waste-reduction work and composting, nor the work I put in with Green Thumbs. I do feel hurt and angry, yet I also see this situation as having a potentially positive outcome as this school might, just might develop ways of being a 'shining example of sustainability within the community' which has always been my aim. Just a pity it should happen with them virtually excluding me.
I picked our first two courgettes and we had these for tea, with nutloaf croquettes, potatoes and corn on the cob. I had to rush out to the Hull Road Ward Planning Panel, meeting at the Tang Hall Community Centre, where I was due to hand over the Clerk's role to Vicky... something I'm sure she'll do a much better job of than me. We did go through several applications though, and I got away shortly before 7.30 and headed down to Green Drinks.
This is an idea which started in 1989 in London, where like-minded environmentally conscious people meet up for a drink and a chat. Simple really. This was York's first.. upstairs at the Yorkshire Terrier on Stonegate, made reasonably accessible with a stairlift, but along narrow corridors. It was well attended and I was pleased to meet Susanne, an archaeology support worker, and Pam, a newbie to York but Green Party member, plus various friends including Dave and Andy, Lynn, Rich and Ivana, Bryony, Katie, Jennie, and others. Had some good chats.
I left fairly early... before 10 anyway as I was tired.
Distance: 2.6 miles round trip
Elevation: 5,856ft-6,655ft
Elevation Gain: 800 ft
View of the plains from Gregory Canyon
This spring I was in full summer hiking training mode. My three favorite after work training hikes are Gregory Canyon, Royal Arch, and Mount Sanitas. All three of these trails have significant elevation gain and are guaranteed to strengthen your quadriceps. Of the three, Gregory Canyon is the easiest.
The start of the trail is a lush riparian environment. Beware the Poison-ivy!
The main trailhead for Gregory Canyon is at the $3/per car parking lot at the base of Flagstaff Mountain. This fee is waived for cars with Boulder license plates. Be advised, that the parking lot is small and fills up early. An alternative is to park at Chautauqua and walk an extra mile across a pleasant meadow.
Typical Trail Segments
Gregory Canyon starts out low along Gregory Creek where the lush vegetation and Poison-ivy create a humid micro-climate.
It is not long, however, before the trail begins to steadily climb up the canyon wall. The trail alternates between steep step-ups, rock scrambles, and level dirt. As the trail switchbacks upwards the views of Boulder and the surrounding plains become more expansive. It is easy to see how high one has risen by looking down into the canyon itself or marking how high one is in relation to the neighboring flatirons.
Views along the trail
At the top of the canyon, the trail levels out and even descends ever so slightly. Here the trail is packed earth. While in training mode, I usually just continue past the top of the Gregory Canyon trail to the point where the Ranger Trail meets the E.M. Greenman Trail (an additional 0.45 miles one way and 295 ft elevation gain) and then turn around. This is more of a time constraint than anything. If time is not an issue, continuing onto Saddlerock makes for a pleasant loop.
View from the top of the canyon
Elevation: 5,856ft-6,655ft
Elevation Gain: 800 ft
View of the plains from Gregory CanyonThis spring I was in full summer hiking training mode. My three favorite after work training hikes are Gregory Canyon, Royal Arch, and Mount Sanitas. All three of these trails have significant elevation gain and are guaranteed to strengthen your quadriceps. Of the three, Gregory Canyon is the easiest.
The start of the trail is a lush riparian environment. Beware the Poison-ivy!The main trailhead for Gregory Canyon is at the $3/per car parking lot at the base of Flagstaff Mountain. This fee is waived for cars with Boulder license plates. Be advised, that the parking lot is small and fills up early. An alternative is to park at Chautauqua and walk an extra mile across a pleasant meadow.
Typical Trail Segments
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Gregory Canyon starts out low along Gregory Creek where the lush vegetation and Poison-ivy create a humid micro-climate.
It is not long, however, before the trail begins to steadily climb up the canyon wall. The trail alternates between steep step-ups, rock scrambles, and level dirt. As the trail switchbacks upwards the views of Boulder and the surrounding plains become more expansive. It is easy to see how high one has risen by looking down into the canyon itself or marking how high one is in relation to the neighboring flatirons.
Views along the trail
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View from the top of the canyon