Human Lifestyle

I had a really good start to the day, a phone call from my friend who'd been in crisis last night telling me that things were better this morning.  I was very relieved to hear this.

I got myself slowly ready to go to work.  I left soon after 12 with my full kit, minus feathers which are useless outside.  I cycled through town and up Boroughbridge Road and stopped briefly at Shannons to deliver some WNBR leaflets. Then on to Poppleton for the annual 'do' which is really well organised, the Poppleton Children's Sports Day.  I found one of the organisers and explained that because it was raining, I'd be a bit restricted with my activities, just unicycling and balloon modelling.

I went to see the plant stall first and bought two courgette plants and 3 tomatoes, costing just £2.  Then I quickly went to get changed and immediately got busy, unicycling round at first then walking round and making balloon models for anyone who wanted them.

During the last half hour it stopped raining and I was able to do some devilsticking, but during the day I must have made nearly 100 balloon animals.  I even taught a young magician how to do a basic dog!

I overshot my 4pm 'official finish' time by over half an hour and went to pick up my payment and then got changed, and was home by 5.15.

I had tea and then did a bit more work in the garden, planted two sweetcorn and pulled a load of weeds out in the front, and pruned some encroaching shrubs in the shared alleyway.

So a busy day, hard work in the poor weather but a success anyway.

A very hard-working day but a real goodie! I got up at a fairly normal time and did my usual thing of breakfast and laptop, and I lit the stove so that I could have a shave and bath before work.

I was all washed and lovely by midday, and due to be at Museum Gardens by 1pm, for the annual Colitis and Crohn's fundraising walk, which has entertainment available for when the sponsored walkers return from their 3 miles around York.  There was a good band  which I enjoyed devilsticking to, and I did a load of unicycling round, hopping off at intervals to make balloon models for assorted children. At 2pm, the band had a break and I was asked by my handler, my friend John Gray, to try out a radio mic, which is something I'm not really used to.

However, it worked well, and I needed it as the audience stretched up the grassy bank quite a way. The strong wind would have made my voice, strong though it is, pretty inaudible for the 'back row'. I sped through the show, doing most of my activities but keeping it to about half an hour.

We finished at 3pm as all the walkers had returned.  There was an estimate that £10,000 had been raised.

I cycled home, and had a fairly short time before my second appointment, with David at 6pm.  However, I did make time to go down to Country Fresh and pick up a trailer full of resources which would have otherwise gone to landfill.

David wanted me to sort out his radios and tune one into Radio 4 (the one on the right of his bed) and one into Radio 3 (on the left) and he also asked me how to work his Pure DAB radio, which I couldn't work out but promised to research on the 'net for him.  We then went out to City Screen and met a nice couple, both Council employees, but as usual we didn't stay a long time, and I took him home to make his tea, and I got off at 8.10.

I had half an hour in the garden, loading up today's stuff into the Compostumbler and the current sit and wait pile.

A quiet evening, the highlight of which was getting my headcamera fixed to my bike helmet, and watching one of my favourite films, Inside I'm Dancing.  I found the info about the Pure Sonus 1xt radio very easily and will show David how to work his radio soon.

A really busy and well organised day, hardly a minute to spare.

I got up at 7, breakfasted, and put all my circus and balloon stuff in the trailer and panniers, and set off at 8.10, first to place my votes (voting for myself and Luke Capps, the other Green candidate, and YES in the AV Referendum) and then on to Huntington, Strensall, Sherriff Hutton and to the bottom of Terrington Bank, a really steep hill.  This 14.5 mile cycle took one hour ten minutes.  The last half mile, up the bank and into Terrington, took 15 minutes.

I'd been booked by the tiny C of E primary school in Terrington, with their sister school Foston.  The idea was that I'd perform in the village hall.  However, as the election was taking up the village hall, Terrington asked the nearby private Prep school if they could use their new sports hall.  The prep school said yes... but could they add a class of children too.  So, I had 70 children, aged 3 to about 7.

I was taken down to the venue and got the hall right for the gig, with drapes pulled across the walls to reduce echo, and one area curtained off to create a performance space.  I got changed, blew up balloons for the afternoon gig, and waited for my audience.

The show went really well... although it overran, as one group were late, so I couldn't do the unicycle workshop at the end.  But it was a good show.  The children and teachers loved it.  I went back to the small school for lunch, but soon back to the venue to continue blowing up 70+ balloons.

The second show also went well, despite the children being young and lots of them.  I was finished by 2.10, and quickly got changed and loaded up to return, stopping briefly to give in an invoice to the school to trigger payment.

The trip back was slower, despite having more downhill, as it was into the wind.  It took me an hour and a half, getting in at 4.10.

I had a few minutes sit-down and then at 4.45, I set out for St Lawrence's Church to be a Green Party 'teller', collecting poll numbers so that voters who had promised to vote Green could be contacted before the polls closed if they had forgotten to vote. I chatted with the Labour Party teller Lesley, who was very pleasant. In the two hours we were there we had over 100 voters come in... the post working-day rush.

So, I was relieved at 7pm by Alison, and I cycled home.  Gill had prepared a plate of pasta.  At 7.45 I cycled off to David's as he had booked me to take him to vote at 8pm.

I walked him over to Marygate where he placed his votes, and back to his house.  I left him at 9.30 and walked along Stonegate to the Yorkshire Terrier where a group of Green Party folks were due to gather.  Stewart was already there, and soon another 10 or so joined us.  I had TWO bottles of Pear Cider, which is a lot for me... I usually stick to just one.  But a good finish to the day.

I look forward to the count tomorrow.

A work-full day...  Yesterday Anne  from S.N.A.P.P.Y. called me as they'd been let down by another activity provider, and asked if I could come in during the morning.  This fitted well with my booking for Knavesmire Kids Club in the afternoon. 

So, at about 10am I set out with my bag of sticks, the big unicycle and a full set of balloon show stuff, heading for The Groves where they have their base. I went in costume, and when I arrived I was shown that the chairs etc had been set out in the playground, outside in the sunshine, which isn't great for balloons.  But never mind, I got busy blowing up balloons and slipping them in the spokes to hold them.  Then when I was ready, and all the audience were assembled, I introduced myself with a bit of devilsticking and then started demonstrating various balloons, including a rocket balloon, which was popular.  As all the people there had moderate to severe disabilities, I wasn't expecting them to be able to do much of the balloon modelling themselves, but some did manage it to some extent.  Most of the youngsters had one-to-one care, so the carers did some balloon bending.  It all went very well, although the nature of some of the behaviour made it quite difficult... for instance, one lad picked up my unicycle and ran with it and threw it.  Fortunately it is designed to take a fair amount of knocks!  So, I finished by 11.30 and Anne took me to the office to give me a cheque.  I cycled home via St Nicks, to ask about it being a venue for Tracey Smith's visit on Saturday, but it will be closed.  I also told Catherine at York Rotters that I wasn't really able to help with most of the Compost Awareness Week stuff, as I'm just about fully booked.

So, home for a while, lunch, and then at about 1.30, set off for South Bank with all my gear for a full playscheme set.  I did my one hour show and workshop, then a session of free play workshop, followed by a balloon workshop.  Three hours, no breaks, was tough, but successful.

I got back at 5.40, Gill gave me tea which was a simple pasta dish, and at 6.15 I bombed into town as I was due to work for David at 6.30.  He was pleased to see me, and I suggested a walk (well, him in the wheelchair, me pushing!) in Museum Gardens, which he agreed to.  This was most enjoyable, with the evening sunlight coming through the copper beech trees, and after a slow circuit, we headed to the library, where the cafe was just closing, and then on to the Theatre Royal, where a very slow lift allowed us access to the cafe, where we had a coffee and cake.  Didn't spend long here, and went on to walk through Dean's Gardens and then back to Coffee Yard via Goodramgate.  I then got him his tea, washed up, chatted and at 8.30, went.

I stopped off at a skip for wood on the way home, and Freshways, and got in well after 9pm.  A long day.

A very busy day and arrived back home too late to be able to do a full blog post.

All day, York in Transition Community Energy Projects conference.

Evening, Professor Fiddlesticks gig at the Suzuki Strings, near Thirsk.

Then, when I got back at 11pm, went to Jennie's leaving party. 

Got back well after 1am, and had over 100 emails to deal with, HELP!

A good day, long day though...  First thing I cycled over to the hospital to give in a stool sample container as a family member isn't well, and needs a bit of investigation.  From here I went to pay in my Edible York cheque and get out a Yell Limited cheque.

On the way to the hospital, on the cycle track, I saw a tree had been partly blown over and chopped into chunks, so I wanted to visit it on the way home.  This fitted well with my next destination; Gill had asked me to go to Sainsburys to get the latest Harry Potter DVD, as it was only £9, compared to some of the other advertised prices.  So, I did this, and then hit the cycle track and came back with a trailer full of willow logs.

I then filled 5 sacks with riddled compost, the last of the current Edible York compost order, which I'll deliver tomorrow morning.  Then I got ready to go to work, a Professor Fiddlesticks show at a wedding at the Lady Anne Middleton's Hotel in York.  I went in costume, and arrived about half an hour early to undergo the short safety induction process, and have a coffee, and be mobbed by the children....

I eventually took the bike and trailer into the semicircular room, and had a reasonably good show; the children were excited and noisy, but most seemed to enjoy it, with good levels of participation.  The balloon show went just as well, and the groom was happy and paid me before I left.

I cycled in costume over to David's.  I'd warned him I might be in costume, and he said he wanted to see me dressed up.  After I got changed, we went to El Piano, as I'd told him about it and he said yes this time.  I bought us both a drink and some onion bhajis, and then later, back at his flat, I made him some food, and by 8 was finished, so only did 90 minutes with him tonight.

Was pleased to get home.  Had a tin of soup and a Gill-made veg pastie.

An enjoyable day spent mostly in the garden, but also with a cycle delivery and a Fiddlesticks gig which went well.

So, once I'd had breakfast and done my usual round of emails and facebook messages, I got outside and put another load of compost through the rotary soil sifter machine.  This results in 6 streams of material.  The highly desirable (I hope!) riddled compost... small particles, hardly any 'contraries' ie bits of plastic, wire, stones, other bits and bobs, and this I bag up into plastic carrier bags.  Then there's the stiff which doesn't go through the riddle, but out the other side... five streams, oversize sticks, avocado stones, roadkill animal bones etc, for re-composting; small sticks etc which are bagged up for a mulch, or woody layer in new heaps; chunks of compost which I'm bagging up for Edible York; stones and bits of pottery, brick, etc; and finally the stuff for landfill... mainly plastic tape, film and glue strips.  I really enjoy working through this and getting the sacks of mature compost screened and sorted through and cleaned up.

By 5pm I had got 5 sacks of compost ready for Edible York so I cycled them down to St Clements.  Met one friend on the way home, stopped off at Country Fresh, and then showed Will next door my soil sifter, and finally got into the house at 6pm.  Gill had made some little rissoles from yesterday's left-over rice, with assorted veg and a potato and chive salad.  Yummy!

Then I got changed into my Fiddlesticks gear, loaded up the bike with all my workshop stuff and headed over Walmgate Stray to the Millennium Bridge and then onto the Scout hut on Lorne Street.  This was the second gig with these youngsters, so I did a 5 minute intro, reminding them of the 'how to' and some basic rules, and then we did a one-hour free play session.  Then, 20 minutes from the end, we did a show, with individual children coming up and performing their trick, or tricks.  Most of them were awarded the Circus Performers badge, and I was very surprised, and honoured, to be given one as well.  I waited around for the kids to go and then my contact, James, paid me and I signed the receipt he'd prepared.

A nice cycle home and a relaxing evening followed.

A good day, busy busy busy....

I wondered if I was going to go to Edwina's but I got a message first thing saying she'd be at home tomorrow, not today, so that meant I had a free day... more or less! 

Gill took our youngest into school by bike, and I waited in for the Suma order to be delivered.  I lit the stove so our eldest could have a bath and hair cut.  I washed up and stacked some wood, visited Jamie and collected another 4 sacks of smoke-free 'Homefire' coal which he wanted me to have.  I initially refused, when he asked about the logpile, saying that I didn't burn coal, so he said he'd take it down to the boat moorings and see if he could sell it there.  But when I saw him yesterday, he asked me if I had a fundamental objection to using coal, and I ummed and erred... he said that he really didn't want to drive it down to the moorings to see if he could flog it, and he'd much rather I had it, 10 sacks for £10.  Well at that price, and with that story, I couldn't refuse.  I do have one sack already, which was rescued from a skip several years ago, and I just haven't got round to using it.  Anyway, this long-lasting coal will supplement the wood, and I'll use it when it's very cold, and to keep the stove going overnight (which I can do with wood anyway!).

I helped do the lugging around of the Suma delivery.  Later, Marian came to pick up her single item, and look at my usable wood collection in the garage; she picked 2 pieces which she'll be able to use.

After lunch I went down to the Steiner School with pliers, wire, screws, Maurice's rawplugs and masonry drills, and some paperwork for the school, and using his battery-driven drill, I made 2 holes in the wall behind where the new compost bin is, to attach it to the wall, so that if/when a Steinery child climbs on the pallets, they don't come away from the wall and fall on the kid.  I hope!  I sorted a bit of roughage into the base prior to dealing with the assorted dalek bins which need wire netting putting underneath... so yes, their contents will be put in layers in the new bin, with the very woody material overflowing from the school's New Zealand bins.

At 3.30 I cycled home with our youngest. We passed a ripe skip and I asked the builder about the piles of wood in it; he was happy for me to have that, so I went back and filled up my trailer twice with lots of planks and dismantled pallets.

I had an early tea, rice-based, and got ready for work.  I had a booking for St Chad's Scouts group from 7.15 til 9pm.  I did a quick show and then there was 50 minutes for free-play workshops.  This all went well.  I'll be doing another session either in a week or 3 weeks, depending on what Tracey Smith comes back to me with about a possible gig next week.

So a good day.... apart from the disturbing news of mass homelessness, thousands killed and now the radiation leaks in Japan.  Very sad, shocking.

I really enjoyed today, despite it being very tiring.

I got up before 9 and after breakfast I went down the garden to find another 5 sacks of compost for the Edible York collector today.  Barry had been tasked to transport 30 sacks to Peaseholme Green and 15 sacks to the Barbican bed; but I'd only got 10 sacks ready for this second delivery.

I found some very mature compost in a builders 'dumpy' bag and dug some of it out and filled 5 sacks with at least 20kg per sack.  These came up the garden in the wheelbarrow, and I brought a carrier bag of riddled mature as well, to show the Edible York volunteers what it's like!

This took about 45 minutes by which time it was rapidly getting towards my next deadline... I had to be in Thorpe Willoughby near Selby for 1.30pm, which meant that I should ideally leave home at about 11.30am, to allow 2 hours cycling to get the 16 or so miles to the Sports Club on Field Lane at the South West corner of the village.  I allow 10 miles per hour and then some time for stops and for cooling off after I arrive!

I had a short stop in Stillingfleet but got to Thorpe Willoughby at 12.50, just an hour and 20 minutes after I set off.  I had lunch sitting on a bench on the green, and arrived at the venue before the partygoers.  I spoke to one of the staff and she opened up a back door to the room and I got my bike into the room.  My employer arrived, with her football playing 7 year old daughter.  She'd invited 17 of her friends.  I got changed and my equipment ready.  I welcomed the guests by being silly, introducing them to the birthday girl and suggesting they might like to be friends.

When all the partygoers were at the venue, I got the grownups to sit on chairs at the back and all the children to sit on the floor in front of them.  I did a fantastic show, really enjoyed it, and as I wasn't doing the balloons, i spent a bit longer with the circus show, including letting a self-confessed diabolo player have a go with my smaller diabolo.  One of the more vocal kids said, towards the end of the show, that it was 'the best party he'd ever been to' which was nice, with his shrill voice quite loud, so everybody could hear!

I finished at about 3.15 and packed up, took the bike out of the back and round to the front, so I could go back into the building and get changed.

Then i cycled home, by the same Cawood, Stillingfleet and Naburn route.  I saw a dead deer (roadkill) and a badger, and a pheasant, plus live hares chasing round a field.

I got in after 5pm, and immediately rang David, whom I'd said I'd go and work for at about 6pm.  I wanted to have a bit of a rest before going to see him, and wanted to get to him at 6.30.  But he'd arranged to meet Geoff at 6, so I had a quick potato salad and cheese sandwich and quickly cycled down to town, getting to his house at 6pm on the dot.  We went round to City Screen and had a coffee, and Geoff arrived. 

We got talking with a nice woman called Alison who's an acupuncturist, and her daughter Erica, a chef from the South of France, and Erica's boyfriend Alan.  David enjoyed chatting with them.  Geoff didn't stay long; for me the highlight of his being there was showing me a tee-shirt which had written on it "Christians Who Fly are Christians Who Kill".  He asked if I'd wear it at the UK Aware event, but I declined.  I don't set out to upset people.... and although I agree that flying (in aeroplanes!) is contributing to climate change and therefore killing people, it's not a teeshirt I would wear as it could be misconstrued.  My agnosticism sets out to respect other peoples' religious leanings.

I took David home and put the wheelchair away, and made him soup and veg.  I also cooked him some fish, as requested. After I'd washed up, David suggested I sit and had a glass of wine, so I said, OK, stop the clock and I'll have a drink and a chat.  I did 2 and a half hours for him this evening, then 40 minutes chat.

I was very pleased to get home... a long day, but a goody!

A good day, took a while to get started but was busy... a phone call inviting me to hand over money to advertise Professor Fiddlesticks in the Yorkshire County Gazette.  I suggested that I might be willing to write an editorial if they gave me a free ad... or indeed, I wouldn't even need an advert, just a mention under the writing about green entertainment.  But when the email came through, they still wanted £52 off me.  Not sure what to do.

Later, I made up a batch of seed compost, 9 bread bags full, and I decided to try to sterilise or at least reduce the numbers of viable weed (and tomato!) seeds in it, by microwaving each bag.  I did 4 bags, and cycled them down to Richard so that growers can have something local and home made to start their plants in.  I used 2 buckets of leafmould, 1 bucket of loam (from skipped turves), and 3/4 of a bucket of rich compost, so a fairly low nutrient and dense growing medium (heavy and dense because of the loam) which is good for starting seeds off in.  I mixed the ingredients on the riddle, and when all was riddled, mixed them in the pile before bagging them up.  Each bag got 2x 5 minutes in the microwave oven, turning it over to do both sides.  I've suggested that they should get a donation of £1.50 or £2 per bag at the shop. I'm not really bothered how much I get really, it's just good to know that growers are avoiding peat, and using recycled materials.

I kept myself reasonably tidy and clean though, as at 7.30 I was due to be ready to work at the Fulfordgate Club.  I actually arrived there shortly after 7, to suss the place out and see where I was due to work.  The event was a British Legion fundraiser, organised by a charismatic old chap called Jack Redfearn.  He'd got a good selection of entertainers for his cabaret, the first to go on was the Main Street Sound, a 'Ladies Barbershop Chorus', who rehearse in Acomb.  They were excellent, I especially enjoyed their version of 'Aquarius' from 'Hair'.  I had initially been told that I'd be going on after the 'Barber Shop Quartet' as Jack called it (there were 17 of them!) but at the last minute, Jack changed the running order and 'squeezed' an accordion player in after Main Street Sound, so my slot of 8.15 to 9pm now started at 8.40.  I got ready during the accordion singalong ('We'll Meet Again' etc etc) and then launched into a truncated version of my show... I knew it would be shorter than my usual one hour, but I managed to do it in 30 minutes.  If it hadn't had been for Lisa and another Main Street member coming out and doing things, it would have been even shorter!  But it seemed to go all right and several people came up afterwards and commented on it, positively.  Several people asked for my business card, so I might get some bookings off it....

I did a few balloon models round the tables and was then persuaded to go and get some food, as there was a good spread provided.  There was beef curry, chicken curry, beef and leek pie, chicken and mushroom pie, and I think even a dish with chicken AND beef in it!!!  I had a small plate of trifle... but I reckon the jelly stuff might also have been gelatine-based.  I got changed, picked up my paperwork, loaded the bike trailer and came home.  I was glad I'd had something to eat before I'd gone off to work.

A late night as I watched a video off Peter Reynolds' blog, which was very good.

A really lovely day... doing one of my favourite activities, working in a 'special school'.

So I had a small lie-in but got up before 10 and packed up all my gear, my backpack with costume, balloons, feathers, 4 wheel and 2 wheel unicycles, my kit bag with sticks, juggling balls and diabolos, my small unicycle and big unicycle, plus my 'handbag' with reading matter, diary, and sandwiches.  Gill plaited my hair, which I washed last night so it was lovely and shiny.

Packed the bike and headed to the station at about 11, as I needed to get my tickets for my trip to London at the end of March.  I am travelling down on the Friday morning and back on Saturday evening; my talk is Saturday afternoon.  I got my ticket to Brough too, and headed to platform 7 for the 11.53 train.  I'd ordered a taxi last night to pick me up from Brough and take me to St Anne's School, and it was waiting for me.

I was ready to do my show by 1.10, and I had about 20 children come along, with a good number of adults with them, as many of them needed support and help; some needed preventing from coming out of the audience area and interfering with the equipment behind me.  However, a core group were happy to watch and interact, I got 4 children up to do devilsticks, maybe 10 to balance feathers, they loved 'Derek the Diabolo' especially when I had to tell him off for misbehaviour, and several volunteers had a go on the 4 wheel unicycle.  The balloon show and workshop was fun too.  We finished sometime after 3pm, I got changed again and Kay sorted out my paperwork, and I got a lift with Carol who was going back into Brough.  I had to wait for the 4.22 but I read my NewScientist. On the train, though, I dozed.

I had been invited to go and see Caroline Lucas on her flying visit to York, scheduled to be at 4.45 at the library.  I knew my train wasn't supposed to get in til 5.15, so I thought I'd miss half of her talk.  We got in early at 5.08, i loaded my trailer and cycled like the wind along to the library, locked up, gathered all my clobber, and as I walked in, Caroline was just walking through the library into the side room where the Green Party meeting was.  She'd just finished giving an interview with Radio York (interview here, 2 hours 6 minutes in).  She spoke very eloquently to the group who had come to hear her speak, about the Green alternative to the ConDem cuts.  The Greens would invest in green jobs, such as the 100 jobs created in Kirklees, insulating peoples' houses and fitting energy efficiency measures, which help people keep warmer for less money.  These workers pay tax and their income means they are able to buy goods, which also raises revenue... the work they are doing cuts carbon emissions and improves quality of life.  This scheme was brought in by Green Councillors.  There are countless other green jobs.... for instance, we have one of the World's best wind and wave resources, and we could be heading towards energy security if we invested heavily.  The Greens would not renew the nuclear submarine Trident scheme, saving £100 billion over 30 years, and would introduce the 'Robin Hood Tax' which wouldn't take away from ordinary people at all, but big financial transactions between banks and traders would have a very very tiny tax slapped on.... raising £20 billion a year, just in this country! 

In the questions at the end, I asked about whether she thought that in the referendum about electoral reform, whether the Alternative Vote system would help the Greens.  Her answer was that it might, to a limited extent, but that if we get AV this time, we are far more likely to get proper fair Proportional Representation in the future.  So I'll be voting for change, for AV, despite not liking AV that much, as it is not nearly as good as PR... but we haven't been given the choice of voting for that.

Caroline left to go and visit Leeds and Wakefield, and after a bit of chatting, loaded up my bike again and cycled over to Bishophill to meet a Freecycler, Tracy, who'd offered a packet of dried kidney beans.  I'd been chosen as the lucky recipient... her reason for giving it away was that whenever she thought to have them, they needed soaking first, and she never got around to doing this the previous day!  Well Gill and I often plan meals a day or two in advance, so this won't be a problem for us.  Thank you Tracy!

Then I came home, via 2 sacks of recycling from Freshways, getting in at 7pm.  For tea I had some rissoles Gill had made from the remains of yesterday's rice, some new potatoes, and the unusual mushrooms found thrown away on Friday night.  They were quite nice.... the texture was rather soft, and I wouldn't buy them, although rescuing them from a bin is a completely different matter!

A happy evening; my New Zealand relative Wendy hasn't been squashed in an earthquake, and I'm deeply saddened for those who have, or rather their families and friends.  So I watched YouTube vids of that quake and the devastation (for instance, this), and other online things, and then caught a programme about David Nash, a sculptor who works in wood, and I think he probably becomes my 3rd favourite sculptor, after Peter Randall-Page and Andy Goldsworthy.

Got up early because of a phone call... various calls then made to sort out a visit to the Jorvik Viking centre, but as there are assorted kids unwell, this was postponed til February.

I remembered that yesterday I had read my meters and had a long phone call with Good Energy, and got all the household energy use logged, so I added that info to yesterday's blog post.  This is 'concrete proof' that we use quite a bit less electricity and gas than many other households. 

I had a fairly quiet morning as I was working this afternoon so I didn't want to get messed up or smelly. In fact I didn't bother to get dressed, until I put on my Fiddlesticks costume after 2.30pm.

My gig was at 3.30pm at Fulford Social Hall, two children celebrating their fifth birthday, and about 30 other children and between 20 and 30 parents.  The parents had agreed that I'd just do the circus show/workshop and that it would be aimed at the younger children, so I made the show funny and silly rather than focusing on the science or the workshops.  It worked well and I held their attention for 55 minutes.  There was one adult and one teenager who participated and got involved,  and I thanked them afterwards as I always value that sort of input. 

On the way home I found a discarded pallet and balanced that on top of my unicycles on the trailer and gingerly cycled home with that.  There were others I could collect too.

Gill had seasoned the tomato soup I made a day or two ago, and we had that plus a quiche and some of yesterday's pasta made into a salad.

I kept the stoves going, washed up, watched telly, dealt with emails and facebook stuff... a fairly normal evening in the house.