Up early as I had agreed to speak live to BBC Radio York about a quite sensitive subject. I am going to prepare a 'page' about this, and will link this post to that page to explain.
So I was on soon after 7am, and I stayed up and spent chunks of the day listening to the 'player' to listen to the whole show. I was disappointed with the rest of the programme
I did quite a chunk of work in the garden and also visited Richard and picked up several sacks of compostables and a hand of bananas... not very local or in season but the children like them.
After lunch, Jennie dropped by to give me some Edible York postcards, which I'll deliver in the next few days to houses with big gardens.
I called round on a friend who is desperately fighting alcoholism, to see how they were and I met someone who is helping, and they went off to alcoholics anonymous together. I squashed a huge load of aluminium cider cans and brought them back, the beginning of my new collection! Then I visited a nearby wooded area where some shrubs and small trees had been taken down, and I came back with a trailer load of reasonable sticks and small branches, some of which I chopped up.
I collected a lot of windfalls as it's been windy, and I made space on the stove for more drying. I had an enquiry from ITV about a homes-of-interesting-people programme, but I declined as I don't think it would be a good idea to have cameras round when we're so untidy and chaotic, and also, I don't want to embarrass the children. I had a call from 10:10 about their recent emails to York in Transition and Professor Fiddlesticks being 10:10 organisations. I had a long chat with Heidi, a 10:10 volunteer and I enjoyed this.
I did quite a lot of fruit prep in the evening and had a nice facebook chat with a new Malaysain friend who's into green issues. I half watched a film I've seen before, 'At First Sight' with Val Kilmer. Got my blog done for 1am, which is early for me!!!!
Showing posts with label aluminium can recycling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label aluminium can recycling. Show all posts
Not a bad day, on the whole. I didn't get up that late but had a slow start to the day, and watched a bit of Politics Show and started doing the hazelnuts which have sat in a bucket long enough, and needed to be processed.
After lunch, I got a phone call from Freshways who had a bag of wilted herbs for me, so I collected them. When I got back I noticed that the sacks and bags of aluminium cans I'd put at the front ready to take to the metal merchant had gone. I asked Gill if she'd moved them but she hadn't. So, they'd been taken, stolen, and someone else had got about £20 worth of aluminium. The only consolation was that I know that they will be recycled, and won't be going to landfill.
Then I decided to go down to the Get Cycling show in Rowntree Park, and I called in on Country Fresh on the way there. The Festival of Cycling was excellent. I first looked in at the fixed stage area, where there were a lot of different unusual bikes available, and a queue of mainly families with children waiting to ride them round and round. It looked like a lot of fun.
Then I cycled round to the main field, which had stalls round a couple of the edges and a big jump-landing bag on another, with a ramp and stunt riders demonstrating different types of jump. On the concreted area in front of the toilet block was a toddlers cycling circuit. Then there was a the cycle powered Scalextrix and in the basketball court, a tricycle recumbent racing circuit.
There were the usual burger vans, ice cream vans and inflatable slide and bouncy thing. The whole park was full of children with their parents. It had rained briefly earlier but whilst I was there it was sunny. I met quite a few people I knew, including someone who gave me feedback about their experience of last weekend's Peace Festival. They told a story of a particular Council Officer who had attended the event and made themselves a real nuisance, behaving in a completely unacceptable and unprofessional manner. Amazingly, this person was not even supposed to be there in any official capacity. However, the good news is that this person, who made life difficult for me whilst doing the Green Festival, may be retiring next year. Maybe I should organise a festival to celebrate their going?
As I cycled home, over Millennium Bridge and through the Stray, it rained briefly again, but not enough to make me want to cycle any faster. I found a dead fallen tree, about 6 or 7 metres long, and it found itself attached to the back of my trailer, and I dragged it home.
I didn't do much more work outside after this, just picking up windfalls and putting a bit of shopwaste resources in a tumbler. I helped Gill in the kitchen too, cooking some courgette and some slices of tromboncino squash, and mushrooms, to go with her pasta dish.
During the evening I finished the hazelnut job part one... removing the nuts from their frilly leaf-like sheaths. This resulted in 5 envelopes of hazelnuts, which are now ready for cracking and rendering edible. What a job! I fully understand automation, but in the spirit of self sufficiency and low carbon living, I'm doing it by hand. And anyway, it's only a couple of kilos! Took me an hour or so.
After lunch, I got a phone call from Freshways who had a bag of wilted herbs for me, so I collected them. When I got back I noticed that the sacks and bags of aluminium cans I'd put at the front ready to take to the metal merchant had gone. I asked Gill if she'd moved them but she hadn't. So, they'd been taken, stolen, and someone else had got about £20 worth of aluminium. The only consolation was that I know that they will be recycled, and won't be going to landfill.
Then I decided to go down to the Get Cycling show in Rowntree Park, and I called in on Country Fresh on the way there. The Festival of Cycling was excellent. I first looked in at the fixed stage area, where there were a lot of different unusual bikes available, and a queue of mainly families with children waiting to ride them round and round. It looked like a lot of fun.
Then I cycled round to the main field, which had stalls round a couple of the edges and a big jump-landing bag on another, with a ramp and stunt riders demonstrating different types of jump. On the concreted area in front of the toilet block was a toddlers cycling circuit. Then there was a the cycle powered Scalextrix and in the basketball court, a tricycle recumbent racing circuit.
There were the usual burger vans, ice cream vans and inflatable slide and bouncy thing. The whole park was full of children with their parents. It had rained briefly earlier but whilst I was there it was sunny. I met quite a few people I knew, including someone who gave me feedback about their experience of last weekend's Peace Festival. They told a story of a particular Council Officer who had attended the event and made themselves a real nuisance, behaving in a completely unacceptable and unprofessional manner. Amazingly, this person was not even supposed to be there in any official capacity. However, the good news is that this person, who made life difficult for me whilst doing the Green Festival, may be retiring next year. Maybe I should organise a festival to celebrate their going?
As I cycled home, over Millennium Bridge and through the Stray, it rained briefly again, but not enough to make me want to cycle any faster. I found a dead fallen tree, about 6 or 7 metres long, and it found itself attached to the back of my trailer, and I dragged it home.
I didn't do much more work outside after this, just picking up windfalls and putting a bit of shop
During the evening I finished the hazelnut job part one... removing the nuts from their frilly leaf-like sheaths. This resulted in 5 envelopes of hazelnuts, which are now ready for cracking and rendering edible. What a job! I fully understand automation, but in the spirit of self sufficiency and low carbon living, I'm doing it by hand. And anyway, it's only a couple of kilos! Took me an hour or so.
Gill woke me at 9 asking if I was supposed to be doing anything this morning... my only diary date was that between 11 and 12, Stewart from Freecycle was cycling down from Huntington to pick up 5kg of brown chapatti flour... donated by Freshways, not sure why, as the best before date is 10th May 2010, so it's in date. But we'll never get through 25kg, so I advertised it on Freecycle and got four requests, which is 5kg each, as we'll hang on to some. I've never made chapattis but am going to have a go. Stewart told me how easy it was.
I did some housework and spent time with Gill, had lunch and then at 1.45 met my neighbour outside the front because my Freecycle request for wall capping materials had been answered by the daughter of a woman in Holgate, Julie, who was happy for us to take away some capping tiles. So, we drove in his huge car over to St Paul's Square and found the guest-house car park.
The capping 'blocks' were huge! They might look OK on the wall, but if not, they could also be really useful as planters (in a group of four) or as a retaining wall for a raised bed. The car, despite being a monster, would only take 10 or 12 of them, so the first lot went and I stayed and moved others, cleaned them up and sorted them into good ones for wall capping, ie without damage. There were more than three loads worth, but we took just three, leaving quite a lot for Julie to use for holding back a terrace or for planters.
I got back after 4pm and helped unload. A good haul, let's hope they get used for something worthwhile!
I had tea... the last of yesterday's nutloaf, and a hard-boiled egg sandwich, using an out of date egg which I reclaimed form somewhere, and two boiled carrots.
After tea I popped over the road to a friend who's a drinker, who has collected a load of aluminium cider cans for me... I squashed them all and put them in a bin liner, ready to be taken to the metal merchant and sold.
Then towards 7pm I set off down to St Nicks where Sandra Geere was doing a talk on gardening in small spaces. I was pleased to meet my friends Nick, Tracy and Anneliese as well as the expected St Nicks regulars Ivana, Jean and Catherine, plus Catherine's mum Susan, and a new person Melanie. A reasonable turnout. I enjoyed the talk, and contributed to it a bit but tried to keep my gob shut as much as I could. I was inspired to do more growing. I am more of a composter than a grower, but I should try harder to have more food plants.
I got back at about 9.30 and all was peaceful at home. Gill had met up with another Freecycler called Jo, who was delighted with her 5kg of chapatti flour.
Washing up, 10pm news on TV, Newsnight, computer, stove. A pretty normal evening.
I did some housework and spent time with Gill, had lunch and then at 1.45 met my neighbour outside the front because my Freecycle request for wall capping materials had been answered by the daughter of a woman in Holgate, Julie, who was happy for us to take away some capping tiles. So, we drove in his huge car over to St Paul's Square and found the guest-house car park.
The capping 'blocks' were huge! They might look OK on the wall, but if not, they could also be really useful as planters (in a group of four) or as a retaining wall for a raised bed. The car, despite being a monster, would only take 10 or 12 of them, so the first lot went and I stayed and moved others, cleaned them up and sorted them into good ones for wall capping, ie without damage. There were more than three loads worth, but we took just three, leaving quite a lot for Julie to use for holding back a terrace or for planters.
I got back after 4pm and helped unload. A good haul, let's hope they get used for something worthwhile!
I had tea... the last of yesterday's nutloaf, and a hard-boiled egg sandwich, using an out of date egg which I reclaimed form somewhere, and two boiled carrots.
After tea I popped over the road to a friend who's a drinker, who has collected a load of aluminium cider cans for me... I squashed them all and put them in a bin liner, ready to be taken to the metal merchant and sold.
Then towards 7pm I set off down to St Nicks where Sandra Geere was doing a talk on gardening in small spaces. I was pleased to meet my friends Nick, Tracy and Anneliese as well as the expected St Nicks regulars Ivana, Jean and Catherine, plus Catherine's mum Susan, and a new person Melanie. A reasonable turnout. I enjoyed the talk, and contributed to it a bit but tried to keep my gob shut as much as I could. I was inspired to do more growing. I am more of a composter than a grower, but I should try harder to have more food plants.
I got back at about 9.30 and all was peaceful at home. Gill had met up with another Freecycler called Jo, who was delighted with her 5kg of chapatti flour.
Washing up, 10pm news on TV, Newsnight, computer, stove. A pretty normal evening.
A nice lazy day in many ways. Just did some housework, picked some tomatoes, riddled some compost, did some dried fruit. At 3pm I cycled down to school, and on the way picked up LOADS of aluminium cans, well over 30, which over the summer had been thrown into the long grass and nettles on the verge on Windmill Lane. I picked them all up and bunged them in my trailer, when I got home I had a stamp-fest and squashed them all. I need to go and visit a metal merchant soon.
I had a bright idea about a fundraising stunt. Ask a load of people to collect lots of aluminium cans, unsquashed. Hold a competition to see how many cans can be squashed in 30 seconds. Or, a system with with one point for a can squashed on it's side, and two points for a can squashed so it's just a circle. This latter method is more difficult: put the can on flat ground with the opening downwards, and just gently crinkle the sides of the tin inwards a bit. This reduces the risk of the can popping out from under your foot, and increases the likelihood that it will squash down into a small circle. This stunt would be fun, as can squashing is an art... a bit hit or miss, even for someone experienced like me, and the squashed cans would be left to sell for cash, to raise money for whatever cause you chose. Entrants could pay to enter, or be sponsored, and a prize or prizes awarded for the most done in the allotted time, or most points earned.
Any thoughts folks? Am I just being a daft eco-dreamer or shall I organise something like this?
At about 8pm, I decided to go to the Green Drinks meeting at the Black Swan, which was nice as I had some good chats with Guy, David (who shared some astounding news), Sarah, whom I introduced to several more people she could interview for her PhD, Graham, Rich, Ivana, and Jim who is going to come and see my composting set-up soon I hope.
I got back in time to see Newsnight with Franny Armstrong and Ed Milliband discussing air-travel and carbon emissions. Good to see the Age of Stupid getting another mention and the new campaign 10:10, to get people to commit to reduce their carbon emissions by 10% in 2010... a good start for the vast majority of people who haven't yet begun to act. Possibly a little more difficult for someone like me who has already cut their emissions significantly. It is easy to take a tonne off a footprint of ten tonnes, but more difficult to shave off 100kg from a footprint of a tonne or so... but I've signed up anyway, as I reckon our solar hot water panels will reduce summer gas use and summer evening log use.
Had a nice chat with Ali after midnight...
I had a bright idea about a fundraising stunt. Ask a load of people to collect lots of aluminium cans, unsquashed. Hold a competition to see how many cans can be squashed in 30 seconds. Or, a system with with one point for a can squashed on it's side, and two points for a can squashed so it's just a circle. This latter method is more difficult: put the can on flat ground with the opening downwards, and just gently crinkle the sides of the tin inwards a bit. This reduces the risk of the can popping out from under your foot, and increases the likelihood that it will squash down into a small circle. This stunt would be fun, as can squashing is an art... a bit hit or miss, even for someone experienced like me, and the squashed cans would be left to sell for cash, to raise money for whatever cause you chose. Entrants could pay to enter, or be sponsored, and a prize or prizes awarded for the most done in the allotted time, or most points earned.
Any thoughts folks? Am I just being a daft eco-dreamer or shall I organise something like this?
At about 8pm, I decided to go to the Green Drinks meeting at the Black Swan, which was nice as I had some good chats with Guy, David (who shared some astounding news), Sarah, whom I introduced to several more people she could interview for her PhD, Graham, Rich, Ivana, and Jim who is going to come and see my composting set-up soon I hope.
I got back in time to see Newsnight with Franny Armstrong and Ed Milliband discussing air-travel and carbon emissions. Good to see the Age of Stupid getting another mention and the new campaign 10:10, to get people to commit to reduce their carbon emissions by 10% in 2010... a good start for the vast majority of people who haven't yet begun to act. Possibly a little more difficult for someone like me who has already cut their emissions significantly. It is easy to take a tonne off a footprint of ten tonnes, but more difficult to shave off 100kg from a footprint of a tonne or so... but I've signed up anyway, as I reckon our solar hot water panels will reduce summer gas use and summer evening log use.
Had a nice chat with Ali after midnight...
I got our youngest to school, and whilst coming back picked up loads of beer cans which had been thrown into the hedge bottom on Windmill Lane, nearly all aluminium and therefore worth collecting for cash.
When home, attacked a big pile of paperwork and spent most of the day sorting out stuff, some of which has sat for several weeks, naughty John tut tut. But, tis done now!
Just before Lunch, Damian and David popped in and chatted, and as Gill had planned to go into town (on the bus) they took her in their car. So I had a quiet lunch and then continued doing an invoice for Monk's Cross and a variety of other paperworky stuff.
I collected our youngest and came back and needed a little bit of fresh air so cut up a small load of sticks which someone had dumped, sorry, donated (me grateful!) in the front garden/wooding area. They were apple, mainly about 3 to 7 cm thick, and cut to a length which meant that they needed one or two cuts to get them to stacking length. I tend to cut these in a bit of an unusual way... when you think of cutting wood, you imagine someone drawing the bowsaw over the stick with the saw pretty horizontal. Well, with small sticks like these, holding them still is quite difficult and an easier way to cut them is to put your foot on the base of the bowsaw with the blade vertical and the bow propped up against leg or legs, and take the stick to be cut in both hands and pass it up and down the blade... this is a really quick and easy way of cutting thinner sticks to length. The only drawback is that you have to lean over and that can give some of us backache... I first saw this being done by Girl Guides at a camp I was doing a circus workshop at... and it's an excellent method.
I was disturbed by a chap who introduced himself as Jamie from round the corner... he's been building and living on boats for a while and knows about stoves on boats... but is now a landlubber but wants a woodstove in his house, and was interested in who supplied ours and about the flue. So I chatted, took him inside to see the 8Kw Clearview in action, and as he was talking about foodplant gardening, I gave him a tour of the garden. He was most impressed with our walnut tree.
Gill asked me to go and get goats milk, chocolate chips and frozen peas from Scummerfield and I chatted up one of the workers, Debbie, as she was very friendly with me...
I didn't have any tea at home as I was due to have food at the St Nicks Volunteers Party. However, I had a Hull Road Ward Planning Panel meeting first, in the Tang Hall Community Centre, and Carolyn was waiting for me when I arrived at 6.30. We took just over 30 minutes to agree the responses to the various planning applications and I then went to the nearby St Nicks for the party.
This was excellent... lots of folks to chat with, some old friends including Carole whom I've known for nearly 20 years and assorted other Green, Transition and Rotters people. Drank lots of Westons Organic Still Cider and ate apple crumble and pumpkin muffins... lovely!
Left at 10.30 and visited the newly discovered logpile twice to restore the number of unprocessed logs resplendent in our front garden.... I'll have to get busy with the chainsaw again!
Lovely to see Gill who was doing some sewing, turnups on kids trousers, and had a good chat with Ali who has free evening calls somehow....
When home, attacked a big pile of paperwork and spent most of the day sorting out stuff, some of which has sat for several weeks, naughty John tut tut. But, tis done now!
Just before Lunch, Damian and David popped in and chatted, and as Gill had planned to go into town (on the bus) they took her in their car. So I had a quiet lunch and then continued doing an invoice for Monk's Cross and a variety of other paperworky stuff.
I collected our youngest and came back and needed a little bit of fresh air so cut up a small load of sticks which someone had dumped, sorry, donated (me grateful!) in the front garden/wooding area. They were apple, mainly about 3 to 7 cm thick, and cut to a length which meant that they needed one or two cuts to get them to stacking length. I tend to cut these in a bit of an unusual way... when you think of cutting wood, you imagine someone drawing the bowsaw over the stick with the saw pretty horizontal. Well, with small sticks like these, holding them still is quite difficult and an easier way to cut them is to put your foot on the base of the bowsaw with the blade vertical and the bow propped up against leg or legs, and take the stick to be cut in both hands and pass it up and down the blade... this is a really quick and easy way of cutting thinner sticks to length. The only drawback is that you have to lean over and that can give some of us backache... I first saw this being done by Girl Guides at a camp I was doing a circus workshop at... and it's an excellent method.
I was disturbed by a chap who introduced himself as Jamie from round the corner... he's been building and living on boats for a while and knows about stoves on boats... but is now a landlubber but wants a woodstove in his house, and was interested in who supplied ours and about the flue. So I chatted, took him inside to see the 8Kw Clearview in action, and as he was talking about foodplant gardening, I gave him a tour of the garden. He was most impressed with our walnut tree.
Gill asked me to go and get goats milk, chocolate chips and frozen peas from Scummerfield and I chatted up one of the workers, Debbie, as she was very friendly with me...
I didn't have any tea at home as I was due to have food at the St Nicks Volunteers Party. However, I had a Hull Road Ward Planning Panel meeting first, in the Tang Hall Community Centre, and Carolyn was waiting for me when I arrived at 6.30. We took just over 30 minutes to agree the responses to the various planning applications and I then went to the nearby St Nicks for the party.
This was excellent... lots of folks to chat with, some old friends including Carole whom I've known for nearly 20 years and assorted other Green, Transition and Rotters people. Drank lots of Westons Organic Still Cider and ate apple crumble and pumpkin muffins... lovely!
Left at 10.30 and visited the newly discovered logpile twice to restore the number of unprocessed logs resplendent in our front garden.... I'll have to get busy with the chainsaw again!
Lovely to see Gill who was doing some sewing, turnups on kids trousers, and had a good chat with Ali who has free evening calls somehow....
A very relaxing start to the day but at 10.45 had to get dressed to get on my bike to go into town, to my GPs for a 'flu jab, which I get as I have asthma and I could have a serious illness if I got influenza. So as I'm entitled to a vaccination, I get one every year.
I then went on to Sainsburys for some of their excellent bread and the Building Society to put in a tiny cheque, part of a payment from a gig last weekend, sent to me as a deposit (I never ask for a deposit, but occasionally someone sends one).
Then via Country Fresh to home and lunch. The children were complaining of being bored (!) so Gill and I decided to walk them down to the Castle Museum. We walked down Heslington Road which was a pleasent route, not too busy traffic-wise. However, Gill tripped over a line in the pavement (or something!) and ended up on the ground, but several people stopped to help her up before I got back to her, and within a few minutes she seemed to be ok. So we got to the Museum at 2.45 and spent an hour and a half there. As local residents with a York Card and proof of residence, we get in free. This museum is really good, York's best museum in our combined opinion. It's a museum of everyday life, with period rooms, washing machines and vacuum cleaners, shops and a brilliant cobbled street with a new lighting regime... a 'night-time experience' with thunderstorm, owls, dawn chorus and wake-up calls from 'residents'... a good addition to the experience! We chatted to the toyshop chap and had plenty of sitting down time whilst the kids enjoyed exploring and playing.
I walked back, collecting cans and bottles, whilst the others got the bus. They got back just before me, but I'd found about 30 aluminium cans, three steel cans and two glass bottles, all litter and now set for being recycled. I also found a handful of sweet chestnuts! Foraging rocks!
So a peaceful evening as the children were worn out, a good ploy! Lit both stoves to warm the house up, and blanched another load of grapes. Also cooked up a pumpkin soup (2 onions, chopped and fried in EV olive oil in a large saucepan on the woodstove, 2 sticks of celery, ditto, one half of a big pumpkin de-seeded, skin removed, chopped into chunks and dropped into the pan once the onion/celery was cooked. Added some water which I washed out the last marmite jar with, a cup of red wine and a squirt of balsamic vinegar, topped up with boiling water and simmered for a couple of hours. Tomorrow will whizz it and add herbs.)
Then had a game of Scrabble with Gill which I was lucky to win by one point!
I then went on to Sainsburys for some of their excellent bread and the Building Society to put in a tiny cheque, part of a payment from a gig last weekend, sent to me as a deposit (I never ask for a deposit, but occasionally someone sends one).
Then via Country Fresh to home and lunch. The children were complaining of being bored (!) so Gill and I decided to walk them down to the Castle Museum. We walked down Heslington Road which was a pleasent route, not too busy traffic-wise. However, Gill tripped over a line in the pavement (or something!) and ended up on the ground, but several people stopped to help her up before I got back to her, and within a few minutes she seemed to be ok. So we got to the Museum at 2.45 and spent an hour and a half there. As local residents with a York Card and proof of residence, we get in free. This museum is really good, York's best museum in our combined opinion. It's a museum of everyday life, with period rooms, washing machines and vacuum cleaners, shops and a brilliant cobbled street with a new lighting regime... a 'night-time experience' with thunderstorm, owls, dawn chorus and wake-up calls from 'residents'... a good addition to the experience! We chatted to the toyshop chap and had plenty of sitting down time whilst the kids enjoyed exploring and playing.
I walked back, collecting cans and bottles, whilst the others got the bus. They got back just before me, but I'd found about 30 aluminium cans, three steel cans and two glass bottles, all litter and now set for being recycled. I also found a handful of sweet chestnuts! Foraging rocks!
So a peaceful evening as the children were worn out, a good ploy! Lit both stoves to warm the house up, and blanched another load of grapes. Also cooked up a pumpkin soup (2 onions, chopped and fried in EV olive oil in a large saucepan on the woodstove, 2 sticks of celery, ditto, one half of a big pumpkin de-seeded, skin removed, chopped into chunks and dropped into the pan once the onion/celery was cooked. Added some water which I washed out the last marmite jar with, a cup of red wine and a squirt of balsamic vinegar, topped up with boiling water and simmered for a couple of hours. Tomorrow will whizz it and add herbs.)
Then had a game of Scrabble with Gill which I was lucky to win by one point!
Well a very early start as I had to be at Rowntree Park by about 8am... but arrived so early that only one gate was open but soon others started to trickle in and I helped put together a marquee.
I was in charge of the stalls area and my role was to direct the various stallholders to their pitches and show them where to park their cars. The BBC bus came and eventually got parked up in the right place. Lots of other activity. I was working with a steward called Qing (pronounced 'Ting') and we walked round the stalls as she was doing photographs and wanted to know about each stall. I wasn't aware of the time, just that there was loads happening... and then there was a call on the walkie talkie for me to go to the BBC bus, so I went up there and they wanted to interview me about green lifestyles and the festival and my bike...
They had a clock and I noticed it had just turned 11... the festival had officially started! The interview didn't take long and I was able to get back to the stalls area. Various family and friends arrived, including Gill and the boys and Ali and Ruthie.
The park started to fill up and at one moment the sun came out... but it was still overcast and potentially wet. The Environmental Health Food Hygiene person came and then radioed through to say she was happy with everything. Before long it was approaching 1pm when I was due to present a balloon modelling workshop so I went to the kids area and blew up a whole unicycle's worth of balloons (I put them into the spokes to hold them) and the marquee filled up... loads of children, and as I was doing the workshop, more and more came.... So I did an hour's worth of balloons, an almost endless queue of expectant children all wanting a balloon of their choice. I was glad when there were no more and I could get back to my Festival organiser duties and by this time it had started raining. But the Festival went on and there was lots to do... a very busy few hours.
At about 3.40 I went to the main stage as my favourite band were due to be on, but everything was running late and The Falling Spikes weren't due to be on for at least half an hour. I knew that the music would overrun so I went to find Baz to discuss this with him and he suggested that the music could continue til 5.30, which I wasn't too happy with as this would probably breach our consent. But I didn't argue for a 5pm finish as the audience were still enjoying the music and were resolutely ignoring the rain.
I started doing some litter duties, sorting out different waste streams into different bags, and taking the paper plates/food for composting and the aluminium cans for recycling. The Falling Spikes just did two, possibly three numbers and finished at 5.30 and the park soon became a lot emptier... but I stayed there til 7, doing assorted tidying duties, litter-picking the main lawn and helping John and Len the park-keepers sort out the last of the mess.
I came home very slowly as my trailer was overloaded but got home shortly before 8 and Gill had some home-grown potato chips ready for me, to which I added a couple of yummy things from Azra's curry stall.
Boys overtired and grouchy but they did eventually get to bed and I watched a brilliant programme on Sculpture on C4+1...
Later collected emails and wrote up this blog.
I was in charge of the stalls area and my role was to direct the various stallholders to their pitches and show them where to park their cars. The BBC bus came and eventually got parked up in the right place. Lots of other activity. I was working with a steward called Qing (pronounced 'Ting') and we walked round the stalls as she was doing photographs and wanted to know about each stall. I wasn't aware of the time, just that there was loads happening... and then there was a call on the walkie talkie for me to go to the BBC bus, so I went up there and they wanted to interview me about green lifestyles and the festival and my bike...
They had a clock and I noticed it had just turned 11... the festival had officially started! The interview didn't take long and I was able to get back to the stalls area. Various family and friends arrived, including Gill and the boys and Ali and Ruthie.
The park started to fill up and at one moment the sun came out... but it was still overcast and potentially wet. The Environmental Health Food Hygiene person came and then radioed through to say she was happy with everything. Before long it was approaching 1pm when I was due to present a balloon modelling workshop so I went to the kids area and blew up a whole unicycle's worth of balloons (I put them into the spokes to hold them) and the marquee filled up... loads of children, and as I was doing the workshop, more and more came.... So I did an hour's worth of balloons, an almost endless queue of expectant children all wanting a balloon of their choice. I was glad when there were no more and I could get back to my Festival organiser duties and by this time it had started raining. But the Festival went on and there was lots to do... a very busy few hours.
At about 3.40 I went to the main stage as my favourite band were due to be on, but everything was running late and The Falling Spikes weren't due to be on for at least half an hour. I knew that the music would overrun so I went to find Baz to discuss this with him and he suggested that the music could continue til 5.30, which I wasn't too happy with as this would probably breach our consent. But I didn't argue for a 5pm finish as the audience were still enjoying the music and were resolutely ignoring the rain.
I started doing some litter duties, sorting out different waste streams into different bags, and taking the paper plates/food for composting and the aluminium cans for recycling. The Falling Spikes just did two, possibly three numbers and finished at 5.30 and the park soon became a lot emptier... but I stayed there til 7, doing assorted tidying duties, litter-picking the main lawn and helping John and Len the park-keepers sort out the last of the mess.
I came home very slowly as my trailer was overloaded but got home shortly before 8 and Gill had some home-grown potato chips ready for me, to which I added a couple of yummy things from Azra's curry stall.
Boys overtired and grouchy but they did eventually get to bed and I watched a brilliant programme on Sculpture on C4+1...
Later collected emails and wrote up this blog.
Another busy day... set off for the Dunnington Playing Fields Fayre at about 10.30 to be at work by 11am... and the day was very hot, busy and I had no rest from 11 til 4. I did have a difficult situation when a woman put a chair fairly close to the circus activities and I asked her if she could move for her own safety... and she was quite rude to me but I kept my cool and again explained that the children participating in the activities could on occasion be dangerous, and she eventually walked off, calling me allsorts of names!
But the children enjoyed it... their parents did too, and the organisers were pleased with what I'd done. I had a pint of pear cider once I'd finished, and collected a couple of bags of aluminium cans out of bins, and received my cheque, getting back at 5pm. Gill had taken the boys down to the station as our visitor is booked onto the 5.44 to Leamington Spa, so I had a bit of P+Q which was good!
Folks came back, generally in good moods. Kids ate in the garden whilst I continued with some P+Q... I had home grown potato salad and home grown cucumber for tea, and a cheese sandwich... which wasn't home grown.
During the evening I deleted loads of emails out of my inbox, and complained to Facebook about someone who has posted a York Green Festival page which contains errors and has been put up without permission. I asked the guy to either change the content or to remove the page, and for a while he did take it down. However, it has reappeared with the same misinformation so I've complained.
But the children enjoyed it... their parents did too, and the organisers were pleased with what I'd done. I had a pint of pear cider once I'd finished, and collected a couple of bags of aluminium cans out of bins, and received my cheque, getting back at 5pm. Gill had taken the boys down to the station as our visitor is booked onto the 5.44 to Leamington Spa, so I had a bit of P+Q which was good!
Folks came back, generally in good moods. Kids ate in the garden whilst I continued with some P+Q... I had home grown potato salad and home grown cucumber for tea, and a cheese sandwich... which wasn't home grown.
During the evening I deleted loads of emails out of my inbox, and complained to Facebook about someone who has posted a York Green Festival page which contains errors and has been put up without permission. I asked the guy to either change the content or to remove the page, and for a while he did take it down. However, it has reappeared with the same misinformation so I've complained.
An extrordinary day, such a lot happened.
Firstly, the first copy of CommunityCare magazine popped through our letterbox, it has my second column in it which is about household appliances and energy saving, and also an excerpt from my weekly blog... this made me very happy as it is the first time I have seen it in print. Wow! I now feel like a published author... slight delusions of grandeur but I do have a right to feel pleased with myself, not everybody has a column and a blog in a national magazine!
see www.communitycare.co.uk/TheEthicist for my blog, as for the column I'm not sure if it's available on the net, it might only be in the printed mag. I'll find out.
Soon after that arrived I got a phone call from Lucy from the BBC, Inside Out, who are filming at tomorrow's St Nicholas Fields' Junk Swap, sorry, Big Recycle Day! I am performing as Professor Fiddlesticks AND John the Composter, and will be miked up all day. I then popped round to St Nicks to give them my confirmation letter about tomorrow and pick up a NewScientist I left for them to photocopy an article. I took a load of cardboard tubes which i had taken out of a skip a few days ago, as I know somone will use them for an art project or something.
After lunch I did a bit in the garden and then at 1.30 set off for the centre of town with the boys as we all had an eyesight test booked. I have one every year as I have family members with glaucoma and it's heritable, and the boys both had their first sight test. We left our bikes in the Out Of This World carpark and walked round to the opticians. The tests were fun and interesting, and all our sight is OK.
Then picked up a couple of bits from OOTW to take back for recycling, and I was given my monthly honourarium, a small payment to thank me for volunteering to do their recycling for them. As well as compostables, I also take a few glass bottles and steel and aluminium cans home. All but the aluminium cans go in the household recycling kerbside box, but I keep the aluminium as it's valuable and every now and then visit a scrap metal dealer and get a few quid for every sack. When on a low income, every pound counts!
Bought some vegan ice cream for Gill and carefully cycled home. I am so proud of my little boys, cycling on the road and developing good road manners and sense.
Then, within an hour or so of getting back, I set off for the Minster to meet up with folks participating in this month's Critical Mass cycle ride, and whilst I waited I chatted to a woman visiting York from Glasgow, and helped somone who had lost their watch by suggesting going to the De Grey Rooms Tourist Information Centre, as they'd be the nearest help place to perhaps leave a message for the police, incase it was handed in. Then the Critical Mass set off, only about 20 of us but with music playing and bike bells tringing we slowed the traffic down momentarily (ie no more than 5 mins at any time) and pulled over to let buses through. Critical Mass is relatively small in York but very effective in London and bigger cities. Lots of people gave us thumbs up and positive comments, and as always some folks vent their anger and call us names. We always keep smiling and upbeat, it's based on having fun. We ended up going up Huntington Rd, down Haxby Rd and Gillygate, Bootham and Clifton Bridge, through Leeman Road and then down to the Millenium Bridge and up New Walk, a good hour's cycle ride.
I peeled off and came home up the Heslington Road, and as I came onto the Hull Road and got ready to turn right into my house, witnessed a car crash... probably known in the trade as a 'shunt'. What happened was a car driver who had apparently been driving very very cautiously saw me coming down in the opposite direction with my hand out to turn, and perhaps assumed that I was going to suicidally turn in front of them, so they braked sharply. The car behind them braked to avoid a collision with the cautious driver, and the driver behind her, who was far too close, couldn't stop or just didn't, and rammed hard into the bigger tougher car. The driver at fault completely smashed the front of her car... she was young and inexperienced, but the more careful driver just had the bumper taken off. The driver that stopped unneccessarily just drove on and dissappeared, and they were ultimately responsible for poor driving in the first place.
I stopped and said to the driver who had been driven into that I would be a witness, and I then helped the very shocked driver-at-fault by giving her some support and offering her access to the phone in the house. My neighbour's son Graham and I pushed the smashed car onto the pavement and I swept up plastic and glass shards. The front driver was able to drive away but the younger one was offered a lift by Graham back to her house in Fishergate. Much as though I don't like cars (and accidents like this are just one reason!) I would not wish this experience on anyone and felt very sorry for both shocked women. Not a nice thing to happen at all, but no injuries to speak of.
So came in, now 8pm, and made a quick burger from an out of date tofu thingy and some granary bread. My youngest child needed some goats milk as we'd run out (he has this as he's less phlegmy at night using goats' milk) so I went to the shop. The young lady in the queue in front of me tried to pay with a card but it wouldn't work, so I offered to pay for her groceries and said she could pay me back. She and the staff were astonished, but she gratefully accepted so she was able to go home with her £15.40 worth of groceries, plus my business card which has my name and address on. She came round within half an hour saying that she could not draw any money out and couldn't pay me now, very apologetic. I told her not to wory and to pay me back when she could, and we chatted for a few minutes about composting... potentially another convert!
So an amazing day, and late on in the evening a good and friendly chat with my friend in America, and then watched telly with Gill.
Firstly, the first copy of CommunityCare magazine popped through our letterbox, it has my second column in it which is about household appliances and energy saving, and also an excerpt from my weekly blog... this made me very happy as it is the first time I have seen it in print. Wow! I now feel like a published author... slight delusions of grandeur but I do have a right to feel pleased with myself, not everybody has a column and a blog in a national magazine!
see www.communitycare.co.uk/TheEthicist for my blog, as for the column I'm not sure if it's available on the net, it might only be in the printed mag. I'll find out.
Soon after that arrived I got a phone call from Lucy from the BBC, Inside Out, who are filming at tomorrow's St Nicholas Fields' Junk Swap, sorry, Big Recycle Day! I am performing as Professor Fiddlesticks AND John the Composter, and will be miked up all day. I then popped round to St Nicks to give them my confirmation letter about tomorrow and pick up a NewScientist I left for them to photocopy an article. I took a load of cardboard tubes which i had taken out of a skip a few days ago, as I know somone will use them for an art project or something.
After lunch I did a bit in the garden and then at 1.30 set off for the centre of town with the boys as we all had an eyesight test booked. I have one every year as I have family members with glaucoma and it's heritable, and the boys both had their first sight test. We left our bikes in the Out Of This World carpark and walked round to the opticians. The tests were fun and interesting, and all our sight is OK.
Then picked up a couple of bits from OOTW to take back for recycling, and I was given my monthly honourarium, a small payment to thank me for volunteering to do their recycling for them. As well as compostables, I also take a few glass bottles and steel and aluminium cans home. All but the aluminium cans go in the household recycling kerbside box, but I keep the aluminium as it's valuable and every now and then visit a scrap metal dealer and get a few quid for every sack. When on a low income, every pound counts!
Bought some vegan ice cream for Gill and carefully cycled home. I am so proud of my little boys, cycling on the road and developing good road manners and sense.
Then, within an hour or so of getting back, I set off for the Minster to meet up with folks participating in this month's Critical Mass cycle ride, and whilst I waited I chatted to a woman visiting York from Glasgow, and helped somone who had lost their watch by suggesting going to the De Grey Rooms Tourist Information Centre, as they'd be the nearest help place to perhaps leave a message for the police, incase it was handed in. Then the Critical Mass set off, only about 20 of us but with music playing and bike bells tringing we slowed the traffic down momentarily (ie no more than 5 mins at any time) and pulled over to let buses through. Critical Mass is relatively small in York but very effective in London and bigger cities. Lots of people gave us thumbs up and positive comments, and as always some folks vent their anger and call us names. We always keep smiling and upbeat, it's based on having fun. We ended up going up Huntington Rd, down Haxby Rd and Gillygate, Bootham and Clifton Bridge, through Leeman Road and then down to the Millenium Bridge and up New Walk, a good hour's cycle ride.
I peeled off and came home up the Heslington Road, and as I came onto the Hull Road and got ready to turn right into my house, witnessed a car crash... probably known in the trade as a 'shunt'. What happened was a car driver who had apparently been driving very very cautiously saw me coming down in the opposite direction with my hand out to turn, and perhaps assumed that I was going to suicidally turn in front of them, so they braked sharply. The car behind them braked to avoid a collision with the cautious driver, and the driver behind her, who was far too close, couldn't stop or just didn't, and rammed hard into the bigger tougher car. The driver at fault completely smashed the front of her car... she was young and inexperienced, but the more careful driver just had the bumper taken off. The driver that stopped unneccessarily just drove on and dissappeared, and they were ultimately responsible for poor driving in the first place.
I stopped and said to the driver who had been driven into that I would be a witness, and I then helped the very shocked driver-at-fault by giving her some support and offering her access to the phone in the house. My neighbour's son Graham and I pushed the smashed car onto the pavement and I swept up plastic and glass shards. The front driver was able to drive away but the younger one was offered a lift by Graham back to her house in Fishergate. Much as though I don't like cars (and accidents like this are just one reason!) I would not wish this experience on anyone and felt very sorry for both shocked women. Not a nice thing to happen at all, but no injuries to speak of.
So came in, now 8pm, and made a quick burger from an out of date tofu thingy and some granary bread. My youngest child needed some goats milk as we'd run out (he has this as he's less phlegmy at night using goats' milk) so I went to the shop. The young lady in the queue in front of me tried to pay with a card but it wouldn't work, so I offered to pay for her groceries and said she could pay me back. She and the staff were astonished, but she gratefully accepted so she was able to go home with her £15.40 worth of groceries, plus my business card which has my name and address on. She came round within half an hour saying that she could not draw any money out and couldn't pay me now, very apologetic. I told her not to wory and to pay me back when she could, and we chatted for a few minutes about composting... potentially another convert!
So an amazing day, and late on in the evening a good and friendly chat with my friend in America, and then watched telly with Gill.
