Straight back to work today, I started with a shower to wash my hair and then loaded my bike trailer up with jugglestuff and my unicycles... the first day with my big unicycle in 8 weeks.
I popped in on Country Fresh to say hi to Rich and then on to the station to park my bike, gather my belongings and get a ticket to Leeds. The 12.15 train was late and due in at 12.37. But there was an earlier train, also late, due in at 12.13, so I went to wait for that. I sat on a seat on the platform and started chatting to a nice older lady, who turned out to be involved in her Transition Town, somewhere near Oxford. She was Ros Kent, and a quick search shows that she is centrally involved in Transition Eynsham Area. We had a really good chat on the platform and then on the train all the way to Leeds.
I had my sandwiches for lunch whilst waiting for Alan to pick me up at the back of the station, and in less than half an hour we were at Middleton Park, and I got ready to perform. It was a very standard show, workshop and balloon show, two hours non-stop, and very enjoyable. The unicycling fitted in with no problems, my ankle breaking 8 weeks ago is now becoming just a bad memory. However, I will try to be more concious in the future and try not to let it happen again.
I especially enjoyed meeting Paul and Margaret, volunteers with FoMP, and my young friend with Aspergers who is doing really well with her Poi, flower sticks and diabolo skills. She's attended all four of my visits to Middleton Park.
4pm came soon and I did the last of the balloon requests, got changed back into 'civvies' and Alan took me back to the station. There was a train within 20 minutes, and I got into York at about 5.30pm. I visited a ripe skip on the way back, and found some electrical cable, which I'll remove the copper wire from, and some lead sheets, which will realise a pound or two at the metal merchant. The skip user gent was happy for me to have these bits and bobs.
Home at 6.10 and I had some quiet time running a blade along some flex and pulling the wire out whilst watching Secret Britain. Gill had created a nice rice-based tea, with home grown tomatoes and home grown beans... totally yummy!
After tea I got the big ladders and picked a big bucket full of pears from our early pear tree. I first put them up in the self-supporting shape, which gets me 6m off the ground, but then I put them into the straight configuration and leant them against the tree, and went up the full 9 metres, my head popping out into the top of the tree! Many of the pears are over-ripe but some are just right for drying, so during the evening I halved, cored and peeled a lot of them and put them on the drying racks over the stove. Dried pears are one of my favourite of all the dried fruits I make. I still have a lot to deal with, and there's more on the tree... and several more trees to deal with, none as big as this one though.
Showing posts with label Middleton Park. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Middleton Park. Show all posts
Another work day, but I didn't have to leave York until the 12.15 train, so I was able to stay in bed until 10am. But after this I had to get everything ready... all the circus kit out of the Curver box it was in yesterday (fits into my trailer) and into my sports bag, which is how I transport it when going somewhere by train.
So, by 11.30 I had got my ironed costume and all the circus gear I needed into their bags and rucksack, my hair plaited, armpits washed, and then the bike sorted, unicycles stowed and by 11.45 I was off and heading for the station.
I met a nice student (Politics and Economics) and we talked about sustainability, co-operatives and other stuff. The journey to Leeds went quickly.
I waited for Alan at the pre-arranged place and ate my sandwiches, and he arrived at 1pm, and took me up to Middleton Park, where I was due to do my stuff from 2pm til 4pm. The Friends of Middleton Park have a really good range of activities this summer, including a Shakespeare production, several bands, and they even had a dog show!
I got changed and ready to work, and before 2pm kids started arriving and wanting to try out the 4 wheel unicycle and 2 wheel unicycle toys, so I did a bit of a workshop before doing my show to about 30 people, which went well, with loads of participation, and the workshop afterwards had nearly everybody involved... I was really pleased. I was especially happy to meet a little Fiddlesticks fan who's seen most or all of my shows in Middleton Park (this is my fifth), and her enthusiasm for devilsticks and poi and other circus/performance skills is really good to see. The balloon show afterwards was equally popular and had everybody having a go. I had quite a queue of children wanting replacement balloons, and didn't get finished til after 4pm. I think Alan was really pleased with the turnout and the interactive nature of what happened. I certainly enjoyed it.
A swift car journey back to Leeds Station and then a 15 minute wait before I got the Glasgow train, and I dozed until York, but also had a nice conversation with a Lesbian lass in a very fetching hat.
I called in on Country Fresh, who had closed but left me their donation to my compost heap, four boxes, which I managed to condense into three... one on top of the unicycles and two on my pannier rack.
When I got in, Gill was with Melody, who had come to pick up some more Chapatti flour and give us some almonds in their shells.
Within half an hour, Gill had a pasta-based meal for me and the boys. I then did a couple of hours work in the garden, lifting hidden paving slabs in the bog garden area, pulling up brambles and ground elder, and using this as a layer of stuff on top of all the Country Fresh rottables in the latest pallet heap.
I came in just before 11pm and then did emails and other electronic stuff....
So, by 11.30 I had got my ironed costume and all the circus gear I needed into their bags and rucksack, my hair plaited, armpits washed, and then the bike sorted, unicycles stowed and by 11.45 I was off and heading for the station.
I met a nice student (Politics and Economics) and we talked about sustainability, co-operatives and other stuff. The journey to Leeds went quickly.
I waited for Alan at the pre-arranged place and ate my sandwiches, and he arrived at 1pm, and took me up to Middleton Park, where I was due to do my stuff from 2pm til 4pm. The Friends of Middleton Park have a really good range of activities this summer, including a Shakespeare production, several bands, and they even had a dog show!
I got changed and ready to work, and before 2pm kids started arriving and wanting to try out the 4 wheel unicycle and 2 wheel unicycle toys, so I did a bit of a workshop before doing my show to about 30 people, which went well, with loads of participation, and the workshop afterwards had nearly everybody involved... I was really pleased. I was especially happy to meet a little Fiddlesticks fan who's seen most or all of my shows in Middleton Park (this is my fifth), and her enthusiasm for devilsticks and poi and other circus/performance skills is really good to see. The balloon show afterwards was equally popular and had everybody having a go. I had quite a queue of children wanting replacement balloons, and didn't get finished til after 4pm. I think Alan was really pleased with the turnout and the interactive nature of what happened. I certainly enjoyed it.
A swift car journey back to Leeds Station and then a 15 minute wait before I got the Glasgow train, and I dozed until York, but also had a nice conversation with a Lesbian lass in a very fetching hat.
I called in on Country Fresh, who had closed but left me their donation to my compost heap, four boxes, which I managed to condense into three... one on top of the unicycles and two on my pannier rack.
When I got in, Gill was with Melody, who had come to pick up some more Chapatti flour and give us some almonds in their shells.
Within half an hour, Gill had a pasta-based meal for me and the boys. I then did a couple of hours work in the garden, lifting hidden paving slabs in the bog garden area, pulling up brambles and ground elder, and using this as a layer of stuff on top of all the Country Fresh rottables in the latest pallet heap.
I came in just before 11pm and then did emails and other electronic stuff....
Up at 9am and had a bath with the two big cans of water I heated on the stove last night. I washed my hair as I like to be clean and shiny when I work...
So, was ready to roll by 11.45am, and got to the station and bought my ticket by just after 12, easily catching the 12.15 to Leeds. I ate my sandwiches whilst sitting at the pick-up turning circle behind Leeds station, where I was due to be picked up by Allan and taken to Middleton Park, for the second time this year.
For me, this was a rather special occasion, as last time I worked with an 8 year-old girl and made quite an impression on her, so much that she has bought a flower stick (like a devilstick but with tassels on each end) and she, her mum Christine and dad Paul have all made me facebook friends! I'm even playing Scrabble with Mother and Daughter... So I was looking forward to meeting them. The daughter has been inventing tricks and was looking forward to showing me what she could do.
The venue was just being set up and I had a coffee before I got changed and got going with a little workshop followed by a show. My new friend turned up; she hasn't had a teacher with her flowersticks and has therefore invented a range of moves which are completely original and unique, tricks which although weren't well-polished, were completely new to me and I was very impressed. Not bad for a 8 year old!
The day went smoothly, everybody seemed to enjoy themselves and the light rain didn't dampen spirits unduly. I finished with loads of balloon give-aways and all-too-soon it was 4pm and time to get changed back into my 'John' costume (!) and get a lift back to the station, where I got the 5.15 train back home.
And a quiet evening, delicious meal, lit the stove so I could wash up and dry fruit, also made carrot soup on the stove too. Lots of York Green Festival stuff to attend to.
So, was ready to roll by 11.45am, and got to the station and bought my ticket by just after 12, easily catching the 12.15 to Leeds. I ate my sandwiches whilst sitting at the pick-up turning circle behind Leeds station, where I was due to be picked up by Allan and taken to Middleton Park, for the second time this year.
For me, this was a rather special occasion, as last time I worked with an 8 year-old girl and made quite an impression on her, so much that she has bought a flower stick (like a devilstick but with tassels on each end) and she, her mum Christine and dad Paul have all made me facebook friends! I'm even playing Scrabble with Mother and Daughter... So I was looking forward to meeting them. The daughter has been inventing tricks and was looking forward to showing me what she could do.
The venue was just being set up and I had a coffee before I got changed and got going with a little workshop followed by a show. My new friend turned up; she hasn't had a teacher with her flowersticks and has therefore invented a range of moves which are completely original and unique, tricks which although weren't well-polished, were completely new to me and I was very impressed. Not bad for a 8 year old!
The day went smoothly, everybody seemed to enjoy themselves and the light rain didn't dampen spirits unduly. I finished with loads of balloon give-aways and all-too-soon it was 4pm and time to get changed back into my 'John' costume (!) and get a lift back to the station, where I got the 5.15 train back home.
And a quiet evening, delicious meal, lit the stove so I could wash up and dry fruit, also made carrot soup on the stove too. Lots of York Green Festival stuff to attend to.
Another work day, but didn't have to leave until 11.30 as I was due to get the 12.15 train to Leeds, and be picked up at 1pm. This went smoothly, as did the rest of the day. Alan my handler from Friends of Middleton Park was waiting at the station pick-up point and drove me to Middleton Park, where I sat under a tree and had my sandwiches before the keyholder arrived to unlock the compound where I worked last year, and where Alan and several volunteers serve refreshments.
I did my show which was enjoyed by a reasonably sized group of children and adults (20?) and then a workshop followed, including some equipment that belongs to the Friends of Middleton Park. I made lots of balloon animals too, whilst people were trying to juggle or ride the fun wheels and pedal go. I had a very jolly time, really enjoyed myself. The session was supposed to finish at 4 but it over-ran a bit, and I didn't get back to the station until nearly 5pm.
Arrived home after 6pm, so a good day's work, for which I've already been paid, something to do with how the group is funded. I'm doing a second session there on 30th August.
Gill had made an asparagus quiche with potatoes and a mushroom and pea thing, which was good, but I had to rush out as I'd agreed to meet Helgi, who's in charge of the music stage at this year's York Green Festival, to see what he'd found out about bands who might perform. We listened to some of them on MySpace and researched others and he banged out emails to them. I enjoyed meeting his two younger brothers who were keen on pillow fighting me, and their parents Lara and Adrian. I'm impressed with Helgi's maturity; he's only just 15, and he's in several bands and is very able. I'm aware I'm breaking my rule of not naming children on this blog by naming him, but in my mind he is an adult already and I know he isn't bothered by this. I have a lot of respect for him, and am enjoying working with him.
I left his place at about 9 and picked up several items from a skip on the way back, and did a bout of Compostumbler filling when I got back. Came in after 10 and settled down to deal with the inevitable pile of emails.
I did my show which was enjoyed by a reasonably sized group of children and adults (20?) and then a workshop followed, including some equipment that belongs to the Friends of Middleton Park. I made lots of balloon animals too, whilst people were trying to juggle or ride the fun wheels and pedal go. I had a very jolly time, really enjoyed myself. The session was supposed to finish at 4 but it over-ran a bit, and I didn't get back to the station until nearly 5pm.
Arrived home after 6pm, so a good day's work, for which I've already been paid, something to do with how the group is funded. I'm doing a second session there on 30th August.
Gill had made an asparagus quiche with potatoes and a mushroom and pea thing, which was good, but I had to rush out as I'd agreed to meet Helgi, who's in charge of the music stage at this year's York Green Festival, to see what he'd found out about bands who might perform. We listened to some of them on MySpace and researched others and he banged out emails to them. I enjoyed meeting his two younger brothers who were keen on pillow fighting me, and their parents Lara and Adrian. I'm impressed with Helgi's maturity; he's only just 15, and he's in several bands and is very able. I'm aware I'm breaking my rule of not naming children on this blog by naming him, but in my mind he is an adult already and I know he isn't bothered by this. I have a lot of respect for him, and am enjoying working with him.
I left his place at about 9 and picked up several items from a skip on the way back, and did a bout of Compostumbler filling when I got back. Came in after 10 and settled down to deal with the inevitable pile of emails.
Another work day... but woke late after a late night... but didn't have to get to the station til midday as I have a gig in Middleton Park in Leeds at 2pm. So I had a shave and wash and got myself to the station to get the 12.13 train to Penzance and met a young(er) woman whom I sort of recognised but couldn't quite place... but it turned out she, Katie, was/is a volunteer at St Nicks so we had a happy chat until Leeds.
I was met by Alan from Friends of Middleton Park and he drove me to the venue which was a building next to a fishing lake in Middleton Park. I was pleased that the group had bought some circus skills equipment to help with the workshop. I'd thought that my activity would be part of a larger event, but it wasn't... it was just me plus four volunteers and Alan serving teas and cakes... It was a lovely, good-natured event, very easy for me to do, and 4pm came soon.
Alan gave me a lift back to the station and there was a train awaiting me(!) and I was home by 5pm.
I was met by Alan from Friends of Middleton Park and he drove me to the venue which was a building next to a fishing lake in Middleton Park. I was pleased that the group had bought some circus skills equipment to help with the workshop. I'd thought that my activity would be part of a larger event, but it wasn't... it was just me plus four volunteers and Alan serving teas and cakes... It was a lovely, good-natured event, very easy for me to do, and 4pm came soon.
Alan gave me a lift back to the station and there was a train awaiting me(!) and I was home by 5pm.
