Quite a relaxed day, didn't have to hurry to get up as the first appointment was at midday.
So cycled into town to get to Parliament St for about 11.55 and met up with Tash who's organising the Big Freeze, and quite a few other people arrived too, at least 20 which was good. We had a talk through and a bit of a practice of the 10 second delay after Tash blew her whistle, which is how we all know when to freeze. Then when the cameras were ready, we all wandered over to the fountain and Tash did a really quiet whistle and no-one knew whether it was the real thing or just a practice... so I suggested she blow it really hard so we all knew. I froze pushing my bike... near me was Kenny doing up his shoelace and a couple of other people just walking... well, frozen in mid walk. We counted to 180 (3 minutes) and resumed walking... my counting was pretty accurate because I got up to 175 when the others started. One person had frozen looking at his watch so he was the person who started at moving again at 3 minutes, and we all used him as a cue. The reactions of passers by were interesting but I couldn't see many of them as I was facing in the wrong direction... but I look forward to the film being available on YouTube. I was interviewed afterwards about why I had got involved etc.
I came home via the Mail Box Etc shop where I get photocopies, and got a photocopy of my Equity Card which a client wants to see as proof of my insurance as Professor Fiddlesticks. Then to Country Fresh to pick up 2 sacks and a box, bought a cauliflower and some broccoli too.
Home for lunch, and after I went to the lottie to put the compostable materials on my latest heap. After this went on to my agent's house to deliver the photocopy, and doubled back to Anna's to pick up yet another load of cut vegetation to take to Hazel Court. This time no-one stopped me or accosted me... I was able to dump the compostables in the green waste skip without any hassle, which is how it should be. There was a fellow unloading conifer prunings as well, then he opened his boot and revealed a pile of holly logs, which I asked if I could have... so returned home with these!
Home by 5ish, and did a bit of woodpile building followed by tea followed by cutting the front hedge which has become rather shaggy. Some passer-by had pulled a chunk of it and although I tried to push this back before cutting it, when I did cut it, this area became a hole in the hedge which is annoying. It looks as if I'm an incompetent hedge cutter!
I collected all the cuttings on a sheet and shredded them all and was finished by 9.15.
Spent quite a bit of evening dealing with emails and reading the US Composting Council quarterly newsletter which I found very interesting.
Showing posts with label Mail Boxes Etc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mail Boxes Etc. Show all posts
I took the children to school and then spent over 2 hours finishing preparing the compost I took in on Monday (going through it by hand and removing plastic etc for the bin, and uncomposted sticks etc for reinclusion into a current heap) and then shovelling a large pile of soil onto the sheet next to it, mixing them up and shovelling it into 5 large plastic pots that Julia bought so we can plant up our veggies.
Home at 11.35 and there was a message from BBC Radio Northampton asking me to participate in a phone-in regarding the huge amount of food waste which is thrown in bins every day (there's a report out from WRAP which analysed 2000 bins and they have extrapolated those results to suggest daily figures for things like unopened yoghurts and whole chickens just thrown away, see http://www.wrap.org.uk/wrap_corporate/news/wasted_food_now.html and 'Love Food Hate Waste http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/) so they're ringing me at 1.15 to go on the radio, live, re composting.
But it wasn't food waste composting which they were interested in,it was my compost toilet! Daft buggers, always looking for the weird and wacky... Never mind, it's part of the cycle....
So a funny afternoon thinking about the media's preoccupation with the unusual, rather than asking me about food waste composting, which would have been much more useful to their listeners. At 2.50, David came with some LETS paperwork which I was meant to get photocopied and get delivered, and he left his wallet on the table. I went to school to do the Green Thumbs Gang and the pots were still in the after school club area, which is supposed to be for their sole use from 3 til 6, so a Dad went to get one of them, and I helped him get another, and we suffered some abuse from the people running the after school club, very unprofessional and over the top. I was quite upset as they used this language in the presence of children and I think they were being bad role models. I may very well write a letter of complaint... a polite one, but stating that this aggression and use of language was inappropriate.
Anyway, we got 3 of the huge pots of soil into position and the children planted one up with Cara maincrop potatoes and one with Marco garlic. We had a chat about beans and I gave them each a bean to plant, my favourite 'Jack Edwards Climbing Pea Bean' which I grow every year. They planted the beans and some flower seeds, then we went to look at the little greenhouse and last week's seeds... the broccoli and spinach was through, but not the parsnips or spring onions...
Home and soon off to town to go to Mail Boxes Etc where I get my photocopying done. Whilst in there someone came in and overheard me mentioning the Radio interview, and asked me several composting questions.... another excellent opportunity to spread the word... and then my friend Catherine H came in, and she's working in 'Education for Sustainable Development' (ESD) and I offered my services as an exciting presenter in her school. There'd be no payment, but the youngsters would have a chance to work the rotaseive and hear about composting...
Home via David's to give his wallet back but he'd gone out after cancelling his cards, he'd not bothered to ring us up and ask if he'd left it here! He'd shared his distress with his downstairs neighbour and so I left it with her. Later I got a message thanking me for finding it and returning it.....
Tea and soon it was time to go to the York Eco Action meet up at the Black Swan. A well-attended meeting, I wrote an impromptu agenda and facilitated the meeting. Everybody seemed happy with this.
At about 10, closed the meeting and cycled off to see another friend whom I don't know that well, and we soon found ourselves having a very deep talk. This person told me that they were contemplating comitting suicide as life was very tough, had been for 20 or more years and it didn't look like it would ever get better. I was a good listener and offered some possible solutions and I hope that I will be able to find a counsellor/advocate for this person, to help with one of their problems. Because I am very open, some people find it easy to be open with me, and I have some very interesting conversations and relationships. This talk had me in tears as the thought of this person killing themselves was so very sad. I was told when it was time for me to go that talking to me had helped. I offered to be a sounding board whenever I was wanted; I also offered the person the opportunity to visit me and Gill. Now to try to find someone who might be able to help... not too sure where to find a counsellor/advocate person but I'll try.
Home by midnight, a chat with Gilly and then a good chat with K over the water, who has got her compost bins up and running and suprised me by agreeing to recycle her urine on the heap. I didn't think she was the type! Assumptions can be so wrong....
Very late to bed, well after 2am...
Home at 11.35 and there was a message from BBC Radio Northampton asking me to participate in a phone-in regarding the huge amount of food waste which is thrown in bins every day (there's a report out from WRAP which analysed 2000 bins and they have extrapolated those results to suggest daily figures for things like unopened yoghurts and whole chickens just thrown away, see http://www.wrap.org.uk/wrap_corporate/news/wasted_food_now.html and 'Love Food Hate Waste http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/) so they're ringing me at 1.15 to go on the radio, live, re composting.
But it wasn't food waste composting which they were interested in,it was my compost toilet! Daft buggers, always looking for the weird and wacky... Never mind, it's part of the cycle....
So a funny afternoon thinking about the media's preoccupation with the unusual, rather than asking me about food waste composting, which would have been much more useful to their listeners. At 2.50, David came with some LETS paperwork which I was meant to get photocopied and get delivered, and he left his wallet on the table. I went to school to do the Green Thumbs Gang and the pots were still in the after school club area, which is supposed to be for their sole use from 3 til 6, so a Dad went to get one of them, and I helped him get another, and we suffered some abuse from the people running the after school club, very unprofessional and over the top. I was quite upset as they used this language in the presence of children and I think they were being bad role models. I may very well write a letter of complaint... a polite one, but stating that this aggression and use of language was inappropriate.
Anyway, we got 3 of the huge pots of soil into position and the children planted one up with Cara maincrop potatoes and one with Marco garlic. We had a chat about beans and I gave them each a bean to plant, my favourite 'Jack Edwards Climbing Pea Bean' which I grow every year. They planted the beans and some flower seeds, then we went to look at the little greenhouse and last week's seeds... the broccoli and spinach was through, but not the parsnips or spring onions...
Home and soon off to town to go to Mail Boxes Etc where I get my photocopying done. Whilst in there someone came in and overheard me mentioning the Radio interview, and asked me several composting questions.... another excellent opportunity to spread the word... and then my friend Catherine H came in, and she's working in 'Education for Sustainable Development' (ESD) and I offered my services as an exciting presenter in her school. There'd be no payment, but the youngsters would have a chance to work the rotaseive and hear about composting...
Home via David's to give his wallet back but he'd gone out after cancelling his cards, he'd not bothered to ring us up and ask if he'd left it here! He'd shared his distress with his downstairs neighbour and so I left it with her. Later I got a message thanking me for finding it and returning it.....
Tea and soon it was time to go to the York Eco Action meet up at the Black Swan. A well-attended meeting, I wrote an impromptu agenda and facilitated the meeting. Everybody seemed happy with this.
At about 10, closed the meeting and cycled off to see another friend whom I don't know that well, and we soon found ourselves having a very deep talk. This person told me that they were contemplating comitting suicide as life was very tough, had been for 20 or more years and it didn't look like it would ever get better. I was a good listener and offered some possible solutions and I hope that I will be able to find a counsellor/advocate for this person, to help with one of their problems. Because I am very open, some people find it easy to be open with me, and I have some very interesting conversations and relationships. This talk had me in tears as the thought of this person killing themselves was so very sad. I was told when it was time for me to go that talking to me had helped. I offered to be a sounding board whenever I was wanted; I also offered the person the opportunity to visit me and Gill. Now to try to find someone who might be able to help... not too sure where to find a counsellor/advocate person but I'll try.
Home by midnight, a chat with Gilly and then a good chat with K over the water, who has got her compost bins up and running and suprised me by agreeing to recycle her urine on the heap. I didn't think she was the type! Assumptions can be so wrong....
Very late to bed, well after 2am...
Well a good day, did a load of paperwork such as sending the Red Cross booking to them... a bit late but it's all confirmed via the net, and a phone call to the boss in Idle near Bradford confirmed the late paperwork wasn't a problem. Bought stamps, sent various things out.
Tried to have some fun with my boys, as Gill had suggested that I ought to make more of an effort to play with them, so got the circus equipment out, but they just aren't interested really and the attempt to have some fun ended in conflict and tears. Rearing children is so hard.
But they did calm down and peace was made, had lunch and then went to Rowntree Park for 'radio training' with Dave the licencee of the park, who had also got some bright yellow tabards for the stewards. Met up with Jo who is a very level-headed and sensible person (in my eyes anyway) and we had a good chat and I felt quite grounded afterwards.
Visited Cycle Heaven, and saw my bicycle priced up which they're going to build me... expensive but 'the strongest bike they've ever built' will be just perfect for me. I said 'YES' please build me that set-up, will be ready in 2 or 3 weeks. Excited already!
Then a regular pick up from OOTW and saw Marianne about the Festival and she gave me my July honourarium, always nice to be given money for something you enjoy doing!
Then to Mail Boxes Etc who have printed out programme, and it's ok, so cycled home with a box full of them, and picked up some more stuff from Martins.
Did a ring round to find the best deal on fire extinguishers... so buying 2kg of CO2 for £67... weird for a green festival intent on reducing CO2 emissions. Just hope we don't need to use it!
Then made sandwiches and loaded the trailer with Fiddlesticks stuff, Gill plaited my hair and I set off for the station for a gig in Harrogate, at Fairfax Community Centre.
This went well, even though under-attended, and got back here at 10.15 with another load of compostables balanced on the trailer along with the unicycles etc.
Tried to have some fun with my boys, as Gill had suggested that I ought to make more of an effort to play with them, so got the circus equipment out, but they just aren't interested really and the attempt to have some fun ended in conflict and tears. Rearing children is so hard.
But they did calm down and peace was made, had lunch and then went to Rowntree Park for 'radio training' with Dave the licencee of the park, who had also got some bright yellow tabards for the stewards. Met up with Jo who is a very level-headed and sensible person (in my eyes anyway) and we had a good chat and I felt quite grounded afterwards.
Visited Cycle Heaven, and saw my bicycle priced up which they're going to build me... expensive but 'the strongest bike they've ever built' will be just perfect for me. I said 'YES' please build me that set-up, will be ready in 2 or 3 weeks. Excited already!
Then a regular pick up from OOTW and saw Marianne about the Festival and she gave me my July honourarium, always nice to be given money for something you enjoy doing!
Then to Mail Boxes Etc who have printed out programme, and it's ok, so cycled home with a box full of them, and picked up some more stuff from Martins.
Did a ring round to find the best deal on fire extinguishers... so buying 2kg of CO2 for £67... weird for a green festival intent on reducing CO2 emissions. Just hope we don't need to use it!
Then made sandwiches and loaded the trailer with Fiddlesticks stuff, Gill plaited my hair and I set off for the station for a gig in Harrogate, at Fairfax Community Centre.
This went well, even though under-attended, and got back here at 10.15 with another load of compostables balanced on the trailer along with the unicycles etc.
