Human Lifestyle

I had a 9am start to the day, despite a late night, and caught up with some washing up, as Gill had kept the stoves going and there was hot water.  She got up at 6, as usual!

Our youngest went off to a party and eldest went to have a hair cut, and I got ready to go to Manchester for a regular social I like to attend.  I made sandwiches to have on the train and zoomed into town and got my ticket and got down to Platform 4 to get the train.  I chatted to a musician chap who had two chunky cases with him... probably guitars but I thought at first one was a cello.  We talked about being a performer and all sorts.  He was off to Cheshire to do a gig.

I had my sandwiches and read Resource magazine.  I was soon in Manchester.  I met my friends Laura and Nina, and we went to Night and Day and met another of Laura's friends Colin, and Janie and Jonathan, and Swin and Ellie, and a new attendee Simon, and Fiona and Tess, Sean turned up, and Ian, and plenty of others.  What a lovely crowd.

I had two coffees and lots of conversations and left at about 5.45, and got the 6.11 train back which was a bit late, and I spent the journey chatting to a nice retired couple who were keen to get back to Edinburgh and were slightly worried about getting their connection in York.   They'd been to a nephew's wedding at Manchester Town Hall.

And therefore I got back into the house at 9.30pm and didn't do much apart from get slaughtered at Scrabble by Gill.  She beat me by 108 points.

Although I went to bed at a comparatively early 1.30am, I got up at 5.50 in order to leave the house at 6.35 and get to the station to get a ticket to Preston, and get the 7.06 train all the way there.  As I was settling in to my seat, Robin just got into the train as the doors were closing, he'd got the train down from Darlington.  So I didn't get a peaceful time... Robin is an enthusiastic talker and we had a year to catch up on!

So we were soon in Preston, and we got a taxi to where we thought the venue was, but it wasn't and we got taken down to another part of the campus.  I got changed quickly and proceeded to do a lot of devilsticking and a bit of unicycling in the area where new students were arriving with their parents, luggage, sometimes siblings.  This Freshers Weekend is a regular event at UCLAN... except that this year it's just the Saturday. 

I enjoyed the various bands and musicians, devilsticked to the music, made balloon animals for some of the staff and existing students and Student Union people, as well as the children tagging along with their older brother or sister starting Uni this weekend.  I had a lot of fun greeting the 6 or 10 year old and welcoming them to University, asking them what they were going to be studying, and more silliness.  I had quite a long lunch, 45 minutes, in a room out of the way, before embarking on my second 2 and a half hour slot of zany, clever, silly, colourful, quick-witted and quick moving entertainment.

I got away (in costume) just before 4pm, and scurried down to the station on foot, as I wanted to get the 4.10 train.  I got there and it was cancelled, so got the 4.23 instead.  Once my ticked had been checked, I got changed in the carriage toilet, and then dozed til Manchester... New Scientist sending me to sleep.

At Manchester I went to Cafe Nero and met up with Laura, who was with Ian, and Janie, who had her friend Jonathan there.  It was good to see both my friends and these new friends.  A bit later, Laura took me to the Arndale Food place, where she had noodles and bones and I had a baked potato.

Then back to the station, and I got on the 8 something and was back in York soon after 10pm, after a noisy journey and sympathy from/with my neighbour, Sally, a student of 3D wallpaper!

Later still, had a long type-chat with Ali, whom I haven't chatted with for ages.  Really good to catch up.

One of my favourite events of the entertaining year today, the fantastic DAD at Walton Hall Gardens near Warrington.

I had as close to a usual breakfast as can be had in someone else's house; Janie had even gone out of her way to get soya milk, and there were a good mix of cereals to start me off for a very long day. I was really pleased that all the family decided to come to DAD; Janie drove and Mark and the boys went in the back... with me with my chunky plastic foot sitting in the front. We got to the site just in time, just before the 9.30 cut-off time to go and park in the performers car park at the back of Walton Hall.

I showed them where I was working, in the Arts Marquee, and dumped my equipment and costume and walked down with them to the pedestrian entrance where we picked up a programme which has a map and list of exhibitors and attractions. Then I got back to the Arts Marquee and got changed and launched into a 10am til 5pm shift.... devilsticking, teaching diabolo, encouraging timid kids to try the yoyo balls, showing teenagers how to juggle, letting people try the four wheel and two wheel unicycle, and I got through nearly 100 balloons too. Laura turned up.... I met her at DAD last year and we've been in regular contact ever since. Now she's got her own flower stick (like a devilstick but with tassels on each end) and a twirling staff.

My hosts had a good time too... the best news that I heard was that Mark had somehow got himself involved in a blind cricket match, where the ball is identified with sound... and he turned out to be really good at it, and got invited to join the team. Apparently they train fairly near Stockport and this is a fantastic opportunity. I look forward to hearing updates! Well done Mark!!!

I hope the lads had a good time too, although I didn't get much feedback from them, although both of them did some circus stuff. Oh and Janie is now a juggler too.... she can do a pretty good 3-ball cascade of at least 6 throws in a row, which I was very pleased with.

5pm came and I packed up to go... and Laura invited me to have something to eat before I caught the train home. So we walked down towards the free bus, but stopped to talk to the people who are campaigning for Walton Hall not to be sold to be converted into a posh hotel by the council. This decision would mean that the Gardens around the Hall would be much less likely to be used for events like DAD. If you want this area to remain in public use, please check this website and sign the petition and join this facebook group.

The free bus queue was entertaining but we were soon at the bus station, quite close to a Chinese 'all you can eat for £8.50' restaurant, where we both had a good selection of things. It was lovely to spend this time with Laura, and then at the station afterwards waiting for my train. I feel very lucky to have her as a friend as she is a totally unique and fun individual, wacky sense of humour, very caring, never short of something to say.... hey, a bit like me really!!!

My train came and it was a fairly uneventful journey apart from chatting with Jo, trainee accountant from Leeds, wearing a 10:10 round her neck, which sparked some conversation.

But soon back in York, and home by 10ish.... glad to see my lovely family who had been in the Treasurers House garden watching our youngest perform in a play connected with the Mystery Plays.

Later, I watched 'Bend it like Beckham' on the BBC which is a really good film.

Didn't sleep brilliantly as the bed wasn't that comfy, and then got a message from Laura that she was heading for Manchester to come to the Lowry with me. Then Jess, Nomi's friend turned up too, and we all headed off to Afflecks which Laura thinks is the centre of the Universe in Manchester, but it wasn't my kind of place really (I really don't like shopping!) and after this we got on a tram to go to the Lowry.

Jane had arranged to meet me; she had met me during the Tunick installations, and today she introduced me to her husband Mark and her two sons, and we all went into the Everyday People exhibition. There were relatively few photographs, but they were carefully chosen and were really stunning. More so was the video taken of the making of the installations, especially the Peel Park footage of all the models walking away from the circular flower beds... a beautiful effect.

We had lunch there and I did some balloon animals for a bit of fun, and Janie's youngest developed his skill balancing a 'fighting worm' model on his finger and his nose too! Just before the two parties parted, they wanted a demo of the unicycle so I did that outside, and then our group went to get on the tram back into the centre of Manchester again.

Our next rendezvous was Cafe Nero for another social meet up, which was really good as I met several people whom I've met through the internet but this was the first time I'd met them in the flesh. Some good conversations ensued, and soon after 5pm i took my leave, said goodbye to my friends and headed to Piccadilly Station, and got a 6pm train all the way back to York, and I was home before 8pm.

A peaceful start to the day, and I got ready to leave at 11am to cycle to the station to meet my friend Laura and her parents, who are staying in York for a couple of nights.

They arrived at 11.35 and we walked into town to El Piano via Barley Hall. I had a hot chocolate and the others had drinks too, and discussed where to meet later. Then we split, Laura and I wandering through town via a pastie shop and the market, Anti Gravity Shop and then on to St Nicks where I had my pastie, and then showed Laura around.

On the way home I found some more Oyster mushrooms, and when we got back I fried those immediately. Laura was pleased to meet Gill and the boys, thought the boys were very engrossed in the computer and didn't communicate much, but although Gill and I see Laura as young, they see her as an adult!

We spent an hour or so at home and then went back into town... I cycled with her on my crossbar (a favourite way of transporting someone!) and we ended up at the Minster, which we wandered round. I followed Laura into the shop and was highly amused to see a wealth of 'Green Man' carvings and teeshirts etc... this is a very pagan or Celtic symbol of a man's head with ivy coming out of his mouth, symbolising rebirth (see Wikipedia for info and images). I like the Green Man symbolism... I suppose the rebirth meme is consistent with Christianity, so no actual conflict really.

Then we walked through the Shambles and to the Castle, Clifford's Tower, and up to the Pizza Hut where we ate. As we still had an hour before she needed to meet her parents, we walked down to the Millennium Bridge, over it and back up to King's Staith, where the Ghost Walk was to leave from, and we met up with Laura's parents... and I left her with them. They had been back to Barley Hall where an archaeologist from the Hungate dig was doing a talk, which they had enjoyed immensely.

I came back home, stopping to talk to my friend David, who has had a good photo session with a fairly well known York science writer. When he said her first name, I knew her surname before he said it... I'm a bit of a fan as she writes for NewScientist, and I like her writing. I've never met her but would like to.

I got home at 8.30 and helped put the boys to bed.

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.