A mixed day, woken by yelling so came downstairs to just be around and I didn't have to do anything but be there. Both boys went to school.
Gill went to Physio and I spent some time dealing with emails and then got the chainsaw and chopped up 3 large pallets, and a few branches and logs. I had lunch at the usual time, on the dot of 1pm, and then I got a phone call which changed the mood of the day.
I'm well known for collecting waste wood to replace fossil fuel use, and find untreated timber in skips, and sticks and logs in nearby woodland, and people with gardens sometimes let me have fuel, and tree surgeons sometimes drop stuff off. When I arrived in Hull Road in 2001, I saw that there was a small patch of woodland in the front of the Woodlands MS Respite Care Centre, and I spoke to the grounds managers who said that they put chopped branches and shrubs there, and I could have them if I wanted them. So since then, I've been collecting bits and bobs of sticks and branches from there several times a year. I'd not seen the need to ask every time, taking the gardener's words as good enough. When the Centre was going to fell a tree, I offered to pick up the logs and they were more than happy to save money and let me do the clearing up. This has happened twice.
So, last Thursday, I went into the wood in the afternoon and tidied up some tipped branches, and in the evening, at dusk, went back to pick up a wheelbarrow full of sticks. As I was doing this, one of the volunteer managers, Mel, spotted me in the woodland and asked what I was doing there. I answered truthfully and she went and left me to finish what I was doing.
This afternoon, Rachel, the Volunteering and Fundraising Co-ordinator, phoned me and told me that I hadn't had permission to go in the woodland and that I was trespassing, and what was I doing there in the dark anyway? The upshot of the conversation was that she is no longer wanting me to be a volunteer there, and help the grounds management staff with their clearing up behind the Centre. I feel this is unfair, as I didn't think I was doing anything wrong, and I didn't hear any message from her when we arranged the induction, which was to be on Thursday, about ceasing to use that space... in fact, I didn't mention that arrangement and she claims that she didn't know. So it's a sad situation, as they have lost a potential keen volunteer worker, and I've lost a source of logs which I was looking forward to. All the logs at the back will now be burned on a bonfire, instead of me sorting through them and making a wildlife pile with the smaller bits, and taking bigger bits off site in my own time. Shame, left me feeling sad.
But then Clive my Green Party friend arrived. He'd asked if I wanted help delivering some of the election leaflets, so we walked for nearly 2 hours around the local area and delivered several hundred of them. We got a bit of a chance to chat, and it turns out he worked in the same place as Gill's father, and remembers him. This was nice to come back to Gill with.
I had a quick tea and at 6.15 went to Tang Hall Library for the Hull Road Ward Planning Panel. We had quite a jolly time, and dealt with just 3 applications.
I came home via a skip; I'd spoken to the builders earlier and they were more than happy for me to take some wood out. I got two trailer loads of big roof beams.
Later on, I lit the stove, washed up, chopped apples, watched Ideal and played Scrabble on facebook, which is pretty well back to normal. So, a mixed day.
Showing posts with label Woodlands MS Respite Care Centre. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Woodlands MS Respite Care Centre. Show all posts
I didn't need to get up that early but was up and about before 10am... but as soon as I got downstairs there was a phone call. It was a young chap called Anthony who had found Novaterium and had then found me on facebook. He has an estate on the South Downs and is planting woodland and creating a new area of parkland, and he's interested in a green burial site in the woodland.
So he rang me for a general chat about how to go about the initial process of starting a natural burial site, and we spent well over half an hour chatting through lots of issues. He later messaged me and said it had been a very helpful talk, which was nice of him. He had a link for our website too, a friend of his who has a video streaming service which means the funeral can be 'attended' by people who don't need to travel to it. Very green... it'll be put on Novaterium.com soon!
After lunchtime I popped over to Woodlands to find out about the timetable for me starting the volunteering, now that the CRB stuff is through. Both my referees have sent back a reference which is good, and so 'induction' is next week sometime. I then went to find the groundsman, Richard, but instead found his colleague Gareth, whom i chatted with for a while... he was interested in info about photovoltaic panels so I said I'd send him some links to forthcoming Transition events which will give him all the information he needs.
Then I did some work in the garden, a bit of stacking and some weeding and composting; but Gill called me back up as a Freecycler called Mark had unexpectedly turned up asking about a CD of popular Christmas music that I'd apparently said he could have. So I came up the garden and we looked through a big pile of ex-skip CDs and he took a handful.
Towards 7pm I got washed and changed as the York Rotters 6th Birthday Party was happening, and I got to St Nicks soon after 7. Relatively few people turned up, but it was good to see Chris, Pat and Jean, Ivana of course, and Catherine our Project Officer. There was also Penny, who's the daughter of Gill's Mum's old friend Kate, and Vicky whom I first met at the Transition Ceilidh and she upset me, but now we're friends. I chatted with Julia from Parashoots, who may be making a video of York Rotters. We ended up talking about the RSPCA and all sorts of things! There were a few others there but I didn't get to know them. I enjoyed the buffet and stayed til after 10 so Catherine who was locking up wasn't there on her own.
I had a chat with my friend Laura when I got back, as she was worrying about the health of one of her friends and she wanted to talk. Then i lit the stove to continue drying the Mirabelle plums. A very late evening...
So he rang me for a general chat about how to go about the initial process of starting a natural burial site, and we spent well over half an hour chatting through lots of issues. He later messaged me and said it had been a very helpful talk, which was nice of him. He had a link for our website too, a friend of his who has a video streaming service which means the funeral can be 'attended' by people who don't need to travel to it. Very green... it'll be put on Novaterium.com soon!
After lunchtime I popped over to Woodlands to find out about the timetable for me starting the volunteering, now that the CRB stuff is through. Both my referees have sent back a reference which is good, and so 'induction' is next week sometime. I then went to find the groundsman, Richard, but instead found his colleague Gareth, whom i chatted with for a while... he was interested in info about photovoltaic panels so I said I'd send him some links to forthcoming Transition events which will give him all the information he needs.
Then I did some work in the garden, a bit of stacking and some weeding and composting; but Gill called me back up as a Freecycler called Mark had unexpectedly turned up asking about a CD of popular Christmas music that I'd apparently said he could have. So I came up the garden and we looked through a big pile of ex-skip CDs and he took a handful.
Towards 7pm I got washed and changed as the York Rotters 6th Birthday Party was happening, and I got to St Nicks soon after 7. Relatively few people turned up, but it was good to see Chris, Pat and Jean, Ivana of course, and Catherine our Project Officer. There was also Penny, who's the daughter of Gill's Mum's old friend Kate, and Vicky whom I first met at the Transition Ceilidh and she upset me, but now we're friends. I chatted with Julia from Parashoots, who may be making a video of York Rotters. We ended up talking about the RSPCA and all sorts of things! There were a few others there but I didn't get to know them. I enjoyed the buffet and stayed til after 10 so Catherine who was locking up wasn't there on her own.
I had a chat with my friend Laura when I got back, as she was worrying about the health of one of her friends and she wanted to talk. Then i lit the stove to continue drying the Mirabelle plums. A very late evening...
I had a nice lazy morning but got going after lunch as I'd been booked to perform at the Woodlands MS Respite Care Centre Garden Fete. That was from 3 til 6, so my usual lunch hour from 1 til 2 wasn't affected, and I leisurely got stuff together and left the house at 2.50pm.
At the bottom of the drive there was a group of people gathering to protest the planned closure of the Respite Care Centres by the MS Society, who claim they are not cost effective and patients could be looked after in their own homes for less money than it costs to put them up at the centre, which gives everyone concerned a change of scene. Patients become guests and meet other people with the same condition, and family members back home have a rest from care-giving for a week or two. It is a very good solution for a difficult problem, despite being expensive.
So I went up to Woodlands and got myself organised there, but was asked by a protester to come and join them for a few minutes to have a group photo taken. So I actually started work at about 3.10... but worked solidly all the way through til 6. I started with a show for the children, and had about 20 of them watching and taking part, after which they all disappeared to do some races or something, so I went and sat at different tables and chatted with the guests and their family members or carers, and made balloon models with the usual silly humour. The kids came back in dribs and drabs and I did a few workshops whilst still doing balloons. It was a good day for me, and the other entertainment was good too; a cover-version duo, various stalls, ice cream van, BBQ and bouncy castle. I hope they raised some money!
I bought a veggie burger and salad right at the end, and walked home with that plus my unicycles and juggle-kit. Gill had bought a pizza as the boys had a fussy friend to visit who doesn't eat vegetables (although he did this time eat one potato and one forkful of broccoli) so I had a couple of slices of this with the burger and salads.
Immediately after tea I had a visit from someone I know from LETS, also a Freecycler, who had asked for some wood to make a compost bin out of. I have, over the past few years, collected some treated wood out of skips which I choose not to burn. So Marion and her fella came round and took a pile of assorted tannalised boards off my hands, for which I'm very grateful.
I picked another load of pears after this, right up at the top of the tree... I'm glad Gill wasn't around as she'd have had a fit seeing me right at the top of the ladder, all by myself. It is very high, 30 feet/10 metres. But I am careful how I place it, and do value my life. I'm not a daredevil!
In the evening I watched Richard Dawkins' take on religion and I have to say, once again, he is spot on. Science cannot prove there is no God, but it is always looking for proof which corroborates other proven information, and for me, is a far better way to base a life on than blind faith. I'm still happy being agnostic though, as I cannot be 100% sure there isn't a creator, and so many of the people I know have some version of spirituality, I would feel churlish to dismiss it completely. I wonder how many of my Christian and Muslim friends watched the programme?
Gill and I looked through a good book called 'Pears' by Jim Arbury and Sally Pinhey, and we reckon our huge pear tree is a Jargonelle. I emailed an expert who might be able to confirm this. I'll also message my friend Barry Potter and see if he knows about pear varieties.
I spend quite a bit of time on facebook, and last thing tonight I came accross this video, about plastic bags. It is well worth a watch, it is funny but has an important message.
At the bottom of the drive there was a group of people gathering to protest the planned closure of the Respite Care Centres by the MS Society, who claim they are not cost effective and patients could be looked after in their own homes for less money than it costs to put them up at the centre, which gives everyone concerned a change of scene. Patients become guests and meet other people with the same condition, and family members back home have a rest from care-giving for a week or two. It is a very good solution for a difficult problem, despite being expensive.
So I went up to Woodlands and got myself organised there, but was asked by a protester to come and join them for a few minutes to have a group photo taken. So I actually started work at about 3.10... but worked solidly all the way through til 6. I started with a show for the children, and had about 20 of them watching and taking part, after which they all disappeared to do some races or something, so I went and sat at different tables and chatted with the guests and their family members or carers, and made balloon models with the usual silly humour. The kids came back in dribs and drabs and I did a few workshops whilst still doing balloons. It was a good day for me, and the other entertainment was good too; a cover-version duo, various stalls, ice cream van, BBQ and bouncy castle. I hope they raised some money!
I bought a veggie burger and salad right at the end, and walked home with that plus my unicycles and juggle-kit. Gill had bought a pizza as the boys had a fussy friend to visit who doesn't eat vegetables (although he did this time eat one potato and one forkful of broccoli) so I had a couple of slices of this with the burger and salads.
Immediately after tea I had a visit from someone I know from LETS, also a Freecycler, who had asked for some wood to make a compost bin out of. I have, over the past few years, collected some treated wood out of skips which I choose not to burn. So Marion and her fella came round and took a pile of assorted tannalised boards off my hands, for which I'm very grateful.
I picked another load of pears after this, right up at the top of the tree... I'm glad Gill wasn't around as she'd have had a fit seeing me right at the top of the ladder, all by myself. It is very high, 30 feet/10 metres. But I am careful how I place it, and do value my life. I'm not a daredevil!
In the evening I watched Richard Dawkins' take on religion and I have to say, once again, he is spot on. Science cannot prove there is no God, but it is always looking for proof which corroborates other proven information, and for me, is a far better way to base a life on than blind faith. I'm still happy being agnostic though, as I cannot be 100% sure there isn't a creator, and so many of the people I know have some version of spirituality, I would feel churlish to dismiss it completely. I wonder how many of my Christian and Muslim friends watched the programme?
Gill and I looked through a good book called 'Pears' by Jim Arbury and Sally Pinhey, and we reckon our huge pear tree is a Jargonelle. I emailed an expert who might be able to confirm this. I'll also message my friend Barry Potter and see if he knows about pear varieties.
I spend quite a bit of time on facebook, and last thing tonight I came accross this video, about plastic bags. It is well worth a watch, it is funny but has an important message.
Another good day, very busy though, despite getting up at 10am!
After my usual bowl of cereal and soya milk, I got going with stacking about 5 wheelbarrows worth of split 'green' logs, taking then down into the back garden and onto pallets where they will spend a year or more drying, ready for the stoves. Whilst I was down the garden, someone rang up wanting to talk about green funerals; she'd seen the Novaterium.com advert in The Book of Green.
But she didn't leave her number and when Gill did a 1471 call, it was withheld. She said she'd ring back in half an hour. So I worked out at the front, chopping sticks up with loppers and putting them into wooden fruit boxes for stacking and drying for kindling. Then it was lunchtime so I came in and had my usual pile of sandwiches. At 1.45 the phone rang and it was the Novaterium enquirer, Lynne from Morecambe, who was wanting to know more about green funerals but doesn't have internet access. She wanted to know if I could provide the information on paper. I spent 40 minutes talking her through the various options, explaining what the problems are with 'traditional' disposal and the new developments which should be available soon. She was enquiring as someone she knows has a terminal illness and she was hoping to help organise a greener funeral. She might send me an SAE and I'll send her some information which will help her sort something out.
Then it was 2.30, when I'd got an appointment with the volunteer co-ordinator for Woodlands MS Respite Care Centre, where I'm hoping to volunteer in the grounds, as they have lots of logs and branches which need clearing; the groundsman usually just has a bonfire, but I'd like to use some of them, by cutting the branches off the logs and taking the useful stuff away, replacing fossil fuel use with renewable waste wood. So I want to help, but with a good dose of self interest and environmental issues there too. I took my documents... birth certificate, wedding certificate, bank stuff, tax stuff and a couple of others, so I could get CRB checked. Although I'm not going to have any close contact with the guests, all volunteers need CRB checks.
On the way back from Woodlands, I popped in on Debbie, to tell her that I had a sack of dry wood for her, for Debbie Fricker's memorial, and would she like to come and choose a branch for the memory tree thing she wants to do? I had several Lilac branches which might be good for this, so she came over and chose one, and I took the sack of sticks and logs back over to her. She was very pleased.
Then I loaded my trailer up with 2 sacks of soya milk cartons and others, and Gill gave me a sack of clothing and material only suitable for shoddy, and I cycled them down to Hazel Court, where the notice forbidding cycles up on the top level has now definitely gone. I reckon the 'civil disobedience' and letters to the paper must have worked. I'm very pleased with this.
I went on to a pet shop to get fish food, then off to my building society to get out a cheque for British Telecommunications plc for advertising, and to pay a water bill at the bank. Then I popped in to see Dylan as I knew he'd have some oranges for me, and David, Debbie's brother was there so I chatted with him as Dylan was busy. I took 4 sacks of orange skins and coffee grounds, 2 boxes of mostly mouldy oranges and two sacks of plastic bottles. Then I came home, calling in on Freshways where they had a sack for me, which I had to put on the handlebars and tri-bar to get home.
Then I did some composting, fully loading up the Compostumbler and adding to the SunMar Compostflow.
I had carrot soup for tea, then set out to go to Edward's house for a York in Transition Directors Meeting. This was mainly taken up with Anna's funding stuff again, which is causing us significant problems, as she has not consulted the Directors and we hadn't got any documentation. Edward is going to have to go and chat to the Council people, and I have to write a letter to the Neighbourhood Unit about another issue connected with a different set of Anna's Ward funding approaches. However, we may be able to work with the YiT funding applications she's put in, but we'd have to see if we can find volunteers in all 18 wards she's applied to, or find a volunteer or paid co-ordinator to run the scheme citywide.
We worked on these from 7.30 til well after 9.30pm. I visited two skips on the way home for some scrap wood. Later, at midnight, I mashed all the stewed cherry plums to remove the stones, which I took out one by one with a fork. Gill made a cake for our youngest son's birthday tomorrow. Finished this at about 2am.
After my usual bowl of cereal and soya milk, I got going with stacking about 5 wheelbarrows worth of split 'green' logs, taking then down into the back garden and onto pallets where they will spend a year or more drying, ready for the stoves. Whilst I was down the garden, someone rang up wanting to talk about green funerals; she'd seen the Novaterium.com advert in The Book of Green.
But she didn't leave her number and when Gill did a 1471 call, it was withheld. She said she'd ring back in half an hour. So I worked out at the front, chopping sticks up with loppers and putting them into wooden fruit boxes for stacking and drying for kindling. Then it was lunchtime so I came in and had my usual pile of sandwiches. At 1.45 the phone rang and it was the Novaterium enquirer, Lynne from Morecambe, who was wanting to know more about green funerals but doesn't have internet access. She wanted to know if I could provide the information on paper. I spent 40 minutes talking her through the various options, explaining what the problems are with 'traditional' disposal and the new developments which should be available soon. She was enquiring as someone she knows has a terminal illness and she was hoping to help organise a greener funeral. She might send me an SAE and I'll send her some information which will help her sort something out.
Then it was 2.30, when I'd got an appointment with the volunteer co-ordinator for Woodlands MS Respite Care Centre, where I'm hoping to volunteer in the grounds, as they have lots of logs and branches which need clearing; the groundsman usually just has a bonfire, but I'd like to use some of them, by cutting the branches off the logs and taking the useful stuff away, replacing fossil fuel use with renewable waste wood. So I want to help, but with a good dose of self interest and environmental issues there too. I took my documents... birth certificate, wedding certificate, bank stuff, tax stuff and a couple of others, so I could get CRB checked. Although I'm not going to have any close contact with the guests, all volunteers need CRB checks.
On the way back from Woodlands, I popped in on Debbie, to tell her that I had a sack of dry wood for her, for Debbie Fricker's memorial, and would she like to come and choose a branch for the memory tree thing she wants to do? I had several Lilac branches which might be good for this, so she came over and chose one, and I took the sack of sticks and logs back over to her. She was very pleased.
Then I loaded my trailer up with 2 sacks of soya milk cartons and others, and Gill gave me a sack of clothing and material only suitable for shoddy, and I cycled them down to Hazel Court, where the notice forbidding cycles up on the top level has now definitely gone. I reckon the 'civil disobedience' and letters to the paper must have worked. I'm very pleased with this.
I went on to a pet shop to get fish food, then off to my building society to get out a cheque for British Telecommunications plc for advertising, and to pay a water bill at the bank. Then I popped in to see Dylan as I knew he'd have some oranges for me, and David, Debbie's brother was there so I chatted with him as Dylan was busy. I took 4 sacks of orange skins and coffee grounds, 2 boxes of mostly mouldy oranges and two sacks of plastic bottles. Then I came home, calling in on Freshways where they had a sack for me, which I had to put on the handlebars and tri-bar to get home.
Then I did some composting, fully loading up the Compostumbler and adding to the SunMar Compostflow.
I had carrot soup for tea, then set out to go to Edward's house for a York in Transition Directors Meeting. This was mainly taken up with Anna's funding stuff again, which is causing us significant problems, as she has not consulted the Directors and we hadn't got any documentation. Edward is going to have to go and chat to the Council people, and I have to write a letter to the Neighbourhood Unit about another issue connected with a different set of Anna's Ward funding approaches. However, we may be able to work with the YiT funding applications she's put in, but we'd have to see if we can find volunteers in all 18 wards she's applied to, or find a volunteer or paid co-ordinator to run the scheme citywide.
We worked on these from 7.30 til well after 9.30pm. I visited two skips on the way home for some scrap wood. Later, at midnight, I mashed all the stewed cherry plums to remove the stones, which I took out one by one with a fork. Gill made a cake for our youngest son's birthday tomorrow. Finished this at about 2am.
More paperwork today... but I started by visiting the Woodlands MS Respite Care Centre, over the road, to sort out whether I can help with their logs and trees 'problem'. I had a tour round the back with Richard the Grounds Maintenance chap. He's been overseeing some clearing and there is a lot of usable wood. There is also some 'crown lifting' needed. However, if I'm going to go and do that, I have to go through the volunteer process, and get CRB checked etc. What a bind... but I'm going to go for it. It will be worth it in the long run.
I came back and tried to do some paperwork (including the application to be a volunteer) but got distracted, and ended up outside as it was a nice day, warm and muggy but not raining.
Later in the afternoon I visited Rich at Country Fresh, to get veggies and three or four sacks/boxes of recyclables. I then emptied the medium Compostumbler into a dalek and began to refill the tumbler. I also visited some builders at about 4pm who had said I could have a load of untreated timber offcuts from the extension they were building.
Gill made a pasta and home-grown green bean tea (mostly Jack Edwards Pea Beans) which was enjoyed by all. Our eldest made a lemon cheesecake which I liked.
So, a low key day, lots of recycling and preparation for keeping our logpiles well stocked!
In the evening I watched a film I've been wanting to see for quite a while, on More4, 'The Cove'. This is an excellent film about the unnecessary, cruel and stupid slaughter of tens of thousands of dolphins in the town of Taiji, Japan. Very few people in Japan know about this, but the meat is on sale labelled as whale, and it contains extremely high levels of Mercury, which causes babies exposed 'in utero' to have disabilities (see Minamata). The Japanese do not want this slaughter to be exposed, and local people made it extremely difficult for the film-makers to document the practice. But they managed to do some really well thought out covert filming, including cameras hidden in pretend rocks. The film is exciting, moving, shocking, informative and very memorable. For me, it is just more evidence about how we are mismanaging the Planet, abusing other sentient beings and, in this case, polluting our own species!
If you missed the film, you can buy the DVD (or download) There are also practical actions to try to stop this slaughter, which takes place every September.
I came back and tried to do some paperwork (including the application to be a volunteer) but got distracted, and ended up outside as it was a nice day, warm and muggy but not raining.
Later in the afternoon I visited Rich at Country Fresh, to get veggies and three or four sacks/boxes of recyclables. I then emptied the medium Compostumbler into a dalek and began to refill the tumbler. I also visited some builders at about 4pm who had said I could have a load of untreated timber offcuts from the extension they were building.
Gill made a pasta and home-grown green bean tea (mostly Jack Edwards Pea Beans) which was enjoyed by all. Our eldest made a lemon cheesecake which I liked.
So, a low key day, lots of recycling and preparation for keeping our logpiles well stocked!
In the evening I watched a film I've been wanting to see for quite a while, on More4, 'The Cove'. This is an excellent film about the unnecessary, cruel and stupid slaughter of tens of thousands of dolphins in the town of Taiji, Japan. Very few people in Japan know about this, but the meat is on sale labelled as whale, and it contains extremely high levels of Mercury, which causes babies exposed 'in utero' to have disabilities (see Minamata). The Japanese do not want this slaughter to be exposed, and local people made it extremely difficult for the film-makers to document the practice. But they managed to do some really well thought out covert filming, including cameras hidden in pretend rocks. The film is exciting, moving, shocking, informative and very memorable. For me, it is just more evidence about how we are mismanaging the Planet, abusing other sentient beings and, in this case, polluting our own species!
If you missed the film, you can buy the DVD (or download) There are also practical actions to try to stop this slaughter, which takes place every September.
Bank Holiday Monday... which means I'm working!
So an early start, up at 7.15 to be at Woodlands MS Respite Care Centre over the road for 8.15 where there was the MS Society minibus awaiting to take me and the volunteers to the event at Allerthorpe Park. We had quite an animated chat on the way... a pair of regular volunteers from one of the MS shops, and several French or French speaking people, Simon and Pierre, and a lovely Pakistani PhD-er doing cancer protein stuff called Rubab. They were working on the stall or in the carpark.
Helped get the gazebos up and was shown my place between a clothes stall and a chip van. 10am came and I put my hat on and slowly got into character; soon there were plenty of interested people who wanted to try out devilsticks or juggling. One young teenager, Mark, spent lots of the day trying out the unicycle and by the end of the day at 4pm had mastered it... brilliant! Several other people had learned to juggle and everybody seemed to have had fun. I'd had a MS Society collecting tin hanging on a post near me and had asked for donations for balloon animals, so raising some cash for the charity.
And I had fun AND got a cheque!
Home in the minibus, got in before 5 and the house was empty but pizza dough was proving on top of one of the still-warm 5 gallon pans of water on top of the stove. I got changed (I'd travelled in costume) and did some shredding in the garden, more hedge prunings to add to the hot tumbler...
Gill and the boys came in, they'd been to Fulford Show and stopped over at Melody and Simon's house on the way back.
Lovely home-made pizza for tea with home-grown tomato and cucumber salad.
Tried my first game of Literati on Yahoo during the evening, as an alternative to Scrabulous but it's not as good.
So an early start, up at 7.15 to be at Woodlands MS Respite Care Centre over the road for 8.15 where there was the MS Society minibus awaiting to take me and the volunteers to the event at Allerthorpe Park. We had quite an animated chat on the way... a pair of regular volunteers from one of the MS shops, and several French or French speaking people, Simon and Pierre, and a lovely Pakistani PhD-er doing cancer protein stuff called Rubab. They were working on the stall or in the carpark.
Helped get the gazebos up and was shown my place between a clothes stall and a chip van. 10am came and I put my hat on and slowly got into character; soon there were plenty of interested people who wanted to try out devilsticks or juggling. One young teenager, Mark, spent lots of the day trying out the unicycle and by the end of the day at 4pm had mastered it... brilliant! Several other people had learned to juggle and everybody seemed to have had fun. I'd had a MS Society collecting tin hanging on a post near me and had asked for donations for balloon animals, so raising some cash for the charity.
And I had fun AND got a cheque!
Home in the minibus, got in before 5 and the house was empty but pizza dough was proving on top of one of the still-warm 5 gallon pans of water on top of the stove. I got changed (I'd travelled in costume) and did some shredding in the garden, more hedge prunings to add to the hot tumbler...
Gill and the boys came in, they'd been to Fulford Show and stopped over at Melody and Simon's house on the way back.
Lovely home-made pizza for tea with home-grown tomato and cucumber salad.
Tried my first game of Literati on Yahoo during the evening, as an alternative to Scrabulous but it's not as good.
Awoken by a shouting child unwilling to go to school... so I came down and changed the subject and took them both to school with no further hassle. A very good day followed... some conversation with Gilly and time sorting emails and researching my column, on clothing.
Then at 11 I set off to visit my dentist's, although I had an appointment with Cheryl not Prue, and got a lesson in how to do my teeth properly which apparently I haven't been doing. I promise to do better!
Then to Boots to find some daily anti plaque bacteria mouthwash, as directed.
And home with shiny clean teeth to have lunch with. Then got on with some woodchopping, as I now have a sizable pile of good fuel from Woodlands which needs a bit of management. Took several Fiddlesticks calls, including one firm booking, but managed to get quite a bit done outside too.
I got the kids from school, and Gill made leek and potato soup from the leek tops I rescued yesterday from the 3 sacks of wholesaler's waste. These trimmed leaves are just as good as the white stalky bits... if not better!
During the rest of the afternoon and evening wrote my column on ethical clothing decisions and at 11pm, sent it in to Community Care, in good time for publication next week.
Then at 11 I set off to visit my dentist's, although I had an appointment with Cheryl not Prue, and got a lesson in how to do my teeth properly which apparently I haven't been doing. I promise to do better!
Then to Boots to find some daily anti plaque bacteria mouthwash, as directed.
And home with shiny clean teeth to have lunch with. Then got on with some woodchopping, as I now have a sizable pile of good fuel from Woodlands which needs a bit of management. Took several Fiddlesticks calls, including one firm booking, but managed to get quite a bit done outside too.
I got the kids from school, and Gill made leek and potato soup from the leek tops I rescued yesterday from the 3 sacks of wholesaler's waste. These trimmed leaves are just as good as the white stalky bits... if not better!
During the rest of the afternoon and evening wrote my column on ethical clothing decisions and at 11pm, sent it in to Community Care, in good time for publication next week.
A good day, very sunny and crisp. I went to the allotment pretty early to collect my onion sets which did not come with the rest of the order. Had a chat about the bonfire issue with the person in the office and I plan to write to the lottie officer, local councillors, MP etc to see if something can be changed....
Then back in time to watch Countryfile and do some research for my column which is due in this week. Then lunch, prepared some parsnips for tea, and then some outside stuff, then at 3.30ish I went down to the veg shop to pich up the usual sacks of compostables plus some good fruit for the boys pack ups tomorrow. I took the 4 sacks of compostables to the allotment and put them all on two of the four heaps.
Back towards 5pm, and then went to Woodlands to pick up 4 trailer-loads of wood they've put aside for me. Then came in for tea, which was parsnip and potato and cheese patties with broccoli and a home-made garlic pizza base.
Spent the whole evening on the computer, with the telly on, watching Monty Don in the Amazon and George Melly (who once flirted with Gill at the Arts Centre and put his hand on her thigh!) which was sad as it concentrated on his last months of life. What an amazing man, one of my heros, in a way.
Then back in time to watch Countryfile and do some research for my column which is due in this week. Then lunch, prepared some parsnips for tea, and then some outside stuff, then at 3.30ish I went down to the veg shop to pich up the usual sacks of compostables plus some good fruit for the boys pack ups tomorrow. I took the 4 sacks of compostables to the allotment and put them all on two of the four heaps.
Back towards 5pm, and then went to Woodlands to pick up 4 trailer-loads of wood they've put aside for me. Then came in for tea, which was parsnip and potato and cheese patties with broccoli and a home-made garlic pizza base.
Spent the whole evening on the computer, with the telly on, watching Monty Don in the Amazon and George Melly (who once flirted with Gill at the Arts Centre and put his hand on her thigh!) which was sad as it concentrated on his last months of life. What an amazing man, one of my heros, in a way.
I was woken far too early as had a late night.... and I took the kids to school, as I had agreed to do last night, as Gill was expecting a tough morning, however they were perfectly behaved!
It was good to see some of the good folks at school and wish them a happy new year.. including the head teacher who is happy for me to submit something to the Board of Governors about sustainability, hooray!
I got going with paperwork when I got home, wrote several letters and sorted out a pile of old paperwork looking for booking letters and receipts etc, for the accounts Gill is starting to put together. Then went to the post office and Woodlands to hand-deliver the donation cheque I'm giving back to them as a thank you for all the wood this year!
When I was totally fed up with paperwork, did a stint down the garden and reduced the pile of unprocessed hedge... but added significantly to the pile of sticks to cut up... it's now 2m high and will take hours to cut up and bag up... but useful kindling for years I should think!
I got the boys at 3pm and they came home in good spirits and I did another bit of work in the garden before the light failed.
A pleasent evening, Gill experimented with some spare dough that had been in the fridge for a couple of days, putting it in a heavy iron pan on a low griddle on the hot woodstove... and cooking it to a flatbread consistency, it turned out ok once the alcohol smell had gone... the time in the fridge had allowed it to ferment a bit! Had this as a midnight snack.
It was good to see some of the good folks at school and wish them a happy new year.. including the head teacher who is happy for me to submit something to the Board of Governors about sustainability, hooray!
I got going with paperwork when I got home, wrote several letters and sorted out a pile of old paperwork looking for booking letters and receipts etc, for the accounts Gill is starting to put together. Then went to the post office and Woodlands to hand-deliver the donation cheque I'm giving back to them as a thank you for all the wood this year!
When I was totally fed up with paperwork, did a stint down the garden and reduced the pile of unprocessed hedge... but added significantly to the pile of sticks to cut up... it's now 2m high and will take hours to cut up and bag up... but useful kindling for years I should think!
I got the boys at 3pm and they came home in good spirits and I did another bit of work in the garden before the light failed.
A pleasent evening, Gill experimented with some spare dough that had been in the fridge for a couple of days, putting it in a heavy iron pan on a low griddle on the hot woodstove... and cooking it to a flatbread consistency, it turned out ok once the alcohol smell had gone... the time in the fridge had allowed it to ferment a bit! Had this as a midnight snack.
A bit of a lie-in as went to bed very late last night after avidly enjoying a fab film about big wave surfing, really exciting... another exciting and dangerous activity Id love to have tried but probably never will now I'm 'middle aged'! Did very little in the morning... did mean to go to the lottie but didn't get around to it, so did some stuff in the garden, cutting back last year's growth, mainly blackberries, but did some weeding too.
After lunch did more garden work... reconfigured a compost heap by digging it out and taking up the pallets, tidying up around them and redoing them with wire to hold them together. Started filling the new container with chopped brambles.
My neighbour asked me if I'd like to remove a couple of lengths of hedge which he'll replace with fence, to give more space and light and better soil conditions near the edge of the garden. The hedge is about 3 feet thick and 6 feet high... the deal is that if I remove and 'dispose' of the hedge, he'll pay for and put up the new fence. Sounds fair. There's a lot of work removing the hedge, but it will give me loads of materials for composting and for the stove.
Tea was last night's nutloaf with a cheese sauce on top.
Then got myself ready to do a gig at the MS Respite Care Centre over the road, for the guests who all have Multiple Sclerosis and are staying there as their carers are having some time off. I've entertained there on several previous occasions... the first was really difficult as I couldn't work out how to translate my interactive kids show to one for adult wheelchair users, but managed by going through the show in the form of an advert or run-through of what I do, and they seemed to enjoy it, and I've been invited back so something is working well. This time there were about 15 guests, several of whom were quite vocal and one was well enough to balance a feather and have a go at juggling, which was fun for the others too! I did the circus and the balloons, and took nearly two hours including chat.
Got back here at 9.30 and enjoyed a bottle of perry and some silly telly and chat on Googletalk.
After lunch did more garden work... reconfigured a compost heap by digging it out and taking up the pallets, tidying up around them and redoing them with wire to hold them together. Started filling the new container with chopped brambles.
My neighbour asked me if I'd like to remove a couple of lengths of hedge which he'll replace with fence, to give more space and light and better soil conditions near the edge of the garden. The hedge is about 3 feet thick and 6 feet high... the deal is that if I remove and 'dispose' of the hedge, he'll pay for and put up the new fence. Sounds fair. There's a lot of work removing the hedge, but it will give me loads of materials for composting and for the stove.
Tea was last night's nutloaf with a cheese sauce on top.
Then got myself ready to do a gig at the MS Respite Care Centre over the road, for the guests who all have Multiple Sclerosis and are staying there as their carers are having some time off. I've entertained there on several previous occasions... the first was really difficult as I couldn't work out how to translate my interactive kids show to one for adult wheelchair users, but managed by going through the show in the form of an advert or run-through of what I do, and they seemed to enjoy it, and I've been invited back so something is working well. This time there were about 15 guests, several of whom were quite vocal and one was well enough to balance a feather and have a go at juggling, which was fun for the others too! I did the circus and the balloons, and took nearly two hours including chat.
Got back here at 9.30 and enjoyed a bottle of perry and some silly telly and chat on Googletalk.
A relaxing day... Gill did the morning shift and then came back to bed, we have both got blocked sinuses and are feeling grotty, so soon we were both asleep and slept til after midday!
Between us we finished putting together the SUMA order, the food co-op we run. This time there are just three other parties ordering stuff, but it's good to help these families get access to organic, fair trade and yummy wholefoods and other products at wholesale prices. It's also very convenient getting, for example, a 10kg sack of muesli base delivered rather than having to go and get a kilo at a time.
So Gill phoned that in and I popped into town to put money into our Co-op Bank account we have for the SUMA transactions, and got back just in time to cycle down to the school and get the kiddies.
On the way into town, I had noticed that the stumps left from the treefelling at Woodlands had been ground out, and there was a large pile of woodchips, so after school I went over to shovel a load into sacks as it's perfect compost heap material to balance all the fruit and veg that goes on.
Had a small tea as going out to several parties tonight and there'll probably be nosh at some of them.
The first party was the YorkLETS Christmas Social at Belinda's house in Fulford. I got there at 7.15 and was one of the first there but it soon filled up, and I was happy to meet up with about 20 people I knew and just a few I didn't. At about 8pm I did a little balloon modelling show and workshop for the 8 or 10 kids there, which was appreciated by some of them but a few declined to participate, which was a surprise. I was particularly pleased to meet Maureen who has just got funding to do a project connected with advocacy for people with learning difficulties and other 'Neuro Diverse' ways of being. I'm looking forward to learning more in the new year, and possibly helping her. Also very good to see Rowena, Will, Ann, David, Liz and others.
Soon after 9pm, I cycled off to St Nicks for their party at the Environment Centre... and this was in full swing and I met up with some more of my more eco-conscious friends. I had my second bottle of perry here, and a small slice of Christmas cake, and good chats to Carol, Pat, Catherine , Chris and other Rotters and volunteers at the centre.
Left soon after 10 and cycled back to Fulford through the University to arrive at the Green Party party at Candy and Eugene's, and was pleased to meet Charles, Andy D our Councillor and Denise his wife, Tracy, Will, Andy C and several others... there was some food left which I had a plateful of, leaving after midnight.
Came back through the Uni again, and loaded up with a trailer full of logs and got home safely just before 1am. Watched snowboarding and skiing with Gill to wind down, whilst catching up with blog.
Between us we finished putting together the SUMA order, the food co-op we run. This time there are just three other parties ordering stuff, but it's good to help these families get access to organic, fair trade and yummy wholefoods and other products at wholesale prices. It's also very convenient getting, for example, a 10kg sack of muesli base delivered rather than having to go and get a kilo at a time.
So Gill phoned that in and I popped into town to put money into our Co-op Bank account we have for the SUMA transactions, and got back just in time to cycle down to the school and get the kiddies.
On the way into town, I had noticed that the stumps left from the treefelling at Woodlands had been ground out, and there was a large pile of woodchips, so after school I went over to shovel a load into sacks as it's perfect compost heap material to balance all the fruit and veg that goes on.
Had a small tea as going out to several parties tonight and there'll probably be nosh at some of them.
The first party was the YorkLETS Christmas Social at Belinda's house in Fulford. I got there at 7.15 and was one of the first there but it soon filled up, and I was happy to meet up with about 20 people I knew and just a few I didn't. At about 8pm I did a little balloon modelling show and workshop for the 8 or 10 kids there, which was appreciated by some of them but a few declined to participate, which was a surprise. I was particularly pleased to meet Maureen who has just got funding to do a project connected with advocacy for people with learning difficulties and other 'Neuro Diverse' ways of being. I'm looking forward to learning more in the new year, and possibly helping her. Also very good to see Rowena, Will, Ann, David, Liz and others.
Soon after 9pm, I cycled off to St Nicks for their party at the Environment Centre... and this was in full swing and I met up with some more of my more eco-conscious friends. I had my second bottle of perry here, and a small slice of Christmas cake, and good chats to Carol, Pat, Catherine , Chris and other Rotters and volunteers at the centre.
Left soon after 10 and cycled back to Fulford through the University to arrive at the Green Party party at Candy and Eugene's, and was pleased to meet Charles, Andy D our Councillor and Denise his wife, Tracy, Will, Andy C and several others... there was some food left which I had a plateful of, leaving after midnight.
Came back through the Uni again, and loaded up with a trailer full of logs and got home safely just before 1am. Watched snowboarding and skiing with Gill to wind down, whilst catching up with blog.
Quite a good day, a slow start as had a late night and then a disturbed night with our youngest, who woke me up in the night with 'hot eyeballs' and a fever. He didn't go to school today because of this.
Gill took in a letter to his class teacher who's asked me to bring my circus skills into his class and do a little demo plus a juggling lesson. When I picked up our older one at 3.15, I found out that this will be next week.
I heard chainsaws and a chipping machine nearby... so went to investigate. It was a team of treesurgeons at Woodlands MS Respite Care Home, which is just 2 mins walk from here, and I have a good relationship with them. I have done several Professor Fiddlesticks gigs there for the guests for a very low fee, it's not the easiest gig for a childrens' entertainer, but I didn't want to say 'no' the first time they asked me, so I rose to the challenge. In return, I have first option on the assorted trees which are regularly pruned or removed. They had an extension last year and they took out at least 3 cherries, which I brought back on the bike trailer and have just finished chopping and splitting.
The guys with the chainsaws had been told to cut the tree into rounds, and I checked with Bob from Woodlands if they were for me... and yes, lucky me, another tonne of logs! In return, I will take my little fee and then give it back to them with the tax back thing which gives them a bit extra. A good deal I'd say. I'm doing my gig for them on Boxing Day.
I picked up our eldest and his friend and cycled back home and went to pick up more of the Woodlands logs, there's perhaps 20 0r 30 trips worth.
Enjoyed the BBC programme on Planet Earth about ice.
Had a really good googletalk chat with K, we seemed to get a lot of stuff sorted and understood.
Gill took in a letter to his class teacher who's asked me to bring my circus skills into his class and do a little demo plus a juggling lesson. When I picked up our older one at 3.15, I found out that this will be next week.
I heard chainsaws and a chipping machine nearby... so went to investigate. It was a team of treesurgeons at Woodlands MS Respite Care Home, which is just 2 mins walk from here, and I have a good relationship with them. I have done several Professor Fiddlesticks gigs there for the guests for a very low fee, it's not the easiest gig for a childrens' entertainer, but I didn't want to say 'no' the first time they asked me, so I rose to the challenge. In return, I have first option on the assorted trees which are regularly pruned or removed. They had an extension last year and they took out at least 3 cherries, which I brought back on the bike trailer and have just finished chopping and splitting.
The guys with the chainsaws had been told to cut the tree into rounds, and I checked with Bob from Woodlands if they were for me... and yes, lucky me, another tonne of logs! In return, I will take my little fee and then give it back to them with the tax back thing which gives them a bit extra. A good deal I'd say. I'm doing my gig for them on Boxing Day.
I picked up our eldest and his friend and cycled back home and went to pick up more of the Woodlands logs, there's perhaps 20 0r 30 trips worth.
Enjoyed the BBC programme on Planet Earth about ice.
Had a really good googletalk chat with K, we seemed to get a lot of stuff sorted and understood.
