Human Lifestyle: compost riddling

Showing posts with label compost riddling. Show all posts

Friday 22nd April 11

Not sure why I got up early but I was first downstairs and after breakfast, got busy in the garden. I did an ENORMOUS pile of riddled compost with my Scheppach thingy. I loaded my trailer with another 8 carrier bags of freshly riddled compost for my friend in Bishophill. After a thick layer of sticks and peach stones, from the back end of the riddle, I put another layer of limp mooli and fenugreek, chopped green potatoes and wrinkled chillies on the current compost heap.

I came in for lunch at about 12.30. Whilst eating lunch I started doing the risk assessment for this year's York World Naked Bike Ride, the aim of which is to show the police that it would be better if they offered us an escort like happens in Manchester and Sheffield. Then got my knees cleaned up (I do a bit of kneeling whilst doing the compost riddling) and set off with the compost, my silly hat, a bag of small jam jars and a new bag of modelling balloons.... because today was the launch of Yorkshire Truly, headed up by Claire from Grace Preserves. I had offered to go and support this launch by doing some giveaway balloons. Claire's business partner Karen was there, and they'd booked a face painter and a guitarist busker chap called Rod, I think. So it was quite an occasion, and the visitors/customers seemed to enjoy the ambiance.

I had quite a busy time, sitting with the facepainter, and enjoying the music. I stayed longer than planned as a friend who'd suggested a coffee at 3.30 didn't turn up.... but it was OK as I was having a good time. So at about 4.30 I packed up and was given some unsold scones as a thank-you, and I cycled up to Bishophill to deliver the compost. I was due to work for David at 6 but I was ready by 5.15, so I let myself in and met his carer and friend Pauline. David was unsure what to do so I suggested that we could go to Rowntree Park, which he hadn't visited for several years. On the way there, my old pal Julian overtook us on his bike and we chatted, which seemed to make the journey go even more quickly.

In the park we watched a young woman doing poi, and then went to see the skate ramps area, the ex-bandstand area and then I took him over Millennium Bridge and back up the East side of the river. We had an ice cream and watched the boats, and then popped into City Screen for a quick coffee, and back to his flat where I heated up his meal, and left at 7.45.

So a very satisfying day, I was really glad David enjoyed his Rowntree Park trip, and he asked if we could do it again sometime. Suits me.... I am happy pushing the wheelchair and enjoy David's company.

When I got in I had a use-it-up meal and spent some time doing assorted fruit for drying.

Thursday 21st April 11

A really relaxing day on the whole. I got up at 10 as I was expecting a call from a Freecycler who'd asked for some woodchip for her allotment. I'd suggested she could go to the house up Hull Road where a big tree has been taken down and shredded, and I thought she'd ring. She did, and I checked the 3 builder's bags were still there, took another 4 sackfuls for myself, and popped a note through the door to tell them that Emily might be coming to pick some up, plus her contact details.

I didn't have any other bookings or appointments, so I just spent the day mostly in the garden, riddling compost, adding stuff to the current heap and the Compostumbler, moving stuff so Gill could mow the lawn.

I did a bit of chainsawing, stacking and other wooding, collected some logs from a grateful neighbour, and later, visited my friend Debra for a brief chat about her son who went awol but is back now.

Much later, got a notification from Tracey Smith that she'll be popping in to York on Saturday morning, so I organised a meeting for people to attend if they want to chat with her, at El Piano on Grape Lane, at 11.15am. Tracey is the author of The Book of Rubbish Ideas, and founder of International Downshifting Week and a good and inspiring speaker. She's currently involved in a knitting project called a 'Community Blanket'. I'm looking forward to seeing her again.

Thursday 14th April 11

An early start as Peter Tatham came to pick up compost soon after 8am. He was heading for a 'trailer training' session at 9am, held just down the road in Lawrence Street. So, I gave him a quick tour of the garden and showed him the Scheppach soil sifter and the rotasieve.

He had come for a load of potting compost, and took 5 large sacks, plus 6 smaller sacks of unriddled compost, a large sack of riddled leafmould and a very heavy sack of loam. He gave me a sack of spent hops from a brewery, and I swapped this for a loganberry plant, one which rooted last season. He'll work out how much he is able to give me for this load and then I'll invoice him.

I had a bit of time inside and then did more work outside, riddling a load of material out of last year's containers, a large volume of peat-based growing media from the thrown-away pansies etc that I rescued from Country Fresh over winter, and several buckets-worth of fresh loam/leafmould/compost mix. This yielded two big sacks of potting medium and I'll use a mixture of this and the 100% new stuff to grow this year's crops in pots.

I had work, with David, at 2.30; we went to the bank, and then Marks and Sparks, where by chance we met Carolyn, and we arranged to go to have a coffee with her. She suggested the other M+S which has a cafe, so I pushed David there and then he waited at the table whilst I queued, then Carolyn rolled up so I got 3 coffees and we spent the best part of an hour there, chatting.

On the way back to David's flat we met Lynn, which meant that soon after we got in, my two hours was up and I got my bike ready to go home.

Gill was getting ready to go out, as she was attending a focus group about ethical consumerism out on the Tadcaster Road. I split a few logs and had a rice-based tea, then watched a nature programme with both boys which was really nice.

Gill came in just before that finished, I made the boys' supper and a very good-natured and peaceful evening was had by all. I planned bits of my weekend, most of which is going to be very full, and made time to play a few goes of Scrabble.

Wednesday 13th April 11

I had a message yesterday from Peter Tatham (who I spent a day with in Bradford last week) and he's coming to York tomorrow and has asked if he could pick up some potting compost, and some unriddled compost. So today, I spent a lot of time sorting out a very large amount of growing media mix.

However, first I needed to deliver the last 5 sacks of compost to the beds at St Clements Church, and I'd been invited to go to the Green Party Office to stick labels on envelopes. So, the compost was loaded up and when I got there, several people were busy dealing with the compost I'd taken down previously, so I helped them move the sacks to where they were needed, and I brought the empty sacks back with me.

The Green Party office wasn't ready for me to do the envelopes, so after waiting for a while, I came away, via a skip next to Holgate Villas, where a chap who was filling it gave me permission to mine it... in fact, he helped me get some wood out of it. I also got a nice bucket and a load of cloth 'bags for life', 24 in total, which I gave to Richard at Country Fresh, to give out to people instead of plastic ones. I came back with 2 boxes of compostables from there.

Back at home, after lunch, I already had 3 large sacks of mature compost riddled and waiting for something to happen to them. I got a load of leafmould, that had spent a year in the chicken wire enclosure and had been shoved into plastic sacks, and brought that up the garden to the soil sifter, and handful by handful, put it through. The smallest bits fell through, and lumps, sticks, stones, cigarette filters and plastic rubbish all arrived at the other end of the cylinder, and fell into the builders bag, where I was able to sort out the rubbish from the stones and sticks, and put the remaining leafmould into a bag, giving it a rub between my palms, which broke up lumps and un-digested leaves, and this material I put back through the riddle, just once, to extract more powdery stuff. This way, I got 4 really big bags of riddled leafmould, one big bag of still-recognisable leaves, plus a wooden fruit box full of sticks and other re-compostable material, and a few waste stones and bits of plastic string, smokers' litter, chocolate wrappers, etc.

I bagged up all the riddled leafmould and did a similar job with a load of loam. I got 3 wheelbarrows full of old turf from a turf pile, material rescued from a skip several years ago. I bunged this through the riddle, which screened out all the roots and mats of old grass, and stones, etc, but gave me a really large pile of very fine dusty loam.

So these three ingredients were what I needed to make potting compost, or 'container growing medium'. However, I also got some old pots from the conservatory which I'd grown tomatoes in last year, plus a bit of sand which came from the Barbican Beds last year. I then put 3 handfuls of leafmould in a bucket, plus 4 handfuls of compost, 2 handfuls of loam and a small handful of both sand and old soil, and threw this mix into the riddle, which seemed the best way to mix it up. I did this again and again, and ended up with 9 large sacks of home-made growing media. Some of these will go to Peter tomorrow morning, the others will go in our pots for growing veggies this year.

This took all afternoon... I came in for tea at about 7 and then went back out til 8.30, when it got too dark for the work to continue.

Then, after a wash, I went down to Green Drinks at the 3 Legged Mare. Jennie was there, her last one as she's leaving to live in London, and Tom, Tomas and Eleanor, and then Peter Gay arrived, and Melanie, and June and Dave Taylor, and others... it was quite busy!

I came back via Millers Yard, and picked up some logs on the cycle track on the way home.... I got in after midnight.

Tuesday 5th April 11

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

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

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

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

A nice cycle home and a relaxing evening followed.

Monday 4th April 11

I got up at 9; Gill had taken our youngest to school in a taxi and we were expecting Will to come and do maths with our home-schooler.

Gill came back and I got busy in the garden, doing more mechanical riddling and filling sacks with mature compost for Edible York.

I came in for lunch and went out for another short time, to load my trailer... 2 big sacks in the trailer plus the little one's bike, and a sack on my pannier rack.

I cycled down to the Building Society to get out a cheque for Jim Semlyen, to renew http://www.novaterium.com/ and delivered that cheque. Then on to Cycle Heaven to get a new cycle helmet for our youngest, who's grown out of his old one. He wanted a green coloured one, so I picked the only green one. However, this was £54, and I'd wanted to pay only half of this! So he got a red one for £30. I then delivered the compost to St Clements, and headed off to the Millennium Bridge to go to the Steiner School. I did 15 minutes of compost heap management there... the new bin is now ready for some fruity stuff from the daleks next to the playground. So that's my next job.

My son liked the new skid lid, and we cycled home together... but he did the last bit on his own as I wanted to pop in to Freshways to collect compostables.

I did more work in the garden until just after 6 when I came in (with a good crop of Shiitake!) and Gill told me I could do my own tea... so I did. Rice based, with Shiitake mushrooms, home grown and fresh off the log!

Then it was the LETS meeting. I took notes, and wrote them up afterwards. I seem to have a lot to do. Not an early night.

Sunday 3rd April 11

Woke up with a bit of headache but got up as some of the family were going with Simon and Melody to a car boot sale at Murton. Melody arrived and loaded up the few bits and bobs we'd gathered together, and our eldest went in the car with Melody, whilst Gill, Simon and Simon and Melody's son cycled up. I stayed at home with our youngest.

I got my quiet shredder out and mangled-up all the cherry twigs I pruned off yesterday, depositing them into a builder's bag which was easy to haul down the garden. This will make a good few layers of woody, carbon-rich material for my heaps. My headache disappeared.

I came in for 11am and watched Country Tracks whilst preparing apples for drying. I lit the stove and did some washing up. Gill came back and there were tales of assorted sales. One of my parcels of NewScientists had been bought... by Simon and Melody!!!

During the afternoon I got out my Scheppach rotary soil sifter and put several sacks of compost through it, and this made 10 carrier bags of lovely fine riddled compost, a very large sack of medium lumps (maybe 30kg?) and 2 buckets worth of sticks, peach stones, avocado stones and skin, and other bits destined to be a woody layer in a working heap. Oh, and loads of bits of plastic from wrapped cucumbers, fruit labels and glue strips. I worked til 7pm in the garden, loved it, just loved it.

Gill told me to come in then, and sit and have tea whilst watching Countryfile. Later, I researched how I'm going to get to my Uncle's funeral in the depths of Norfolk the week after next. I'll need to make it a day trip... I reckon a train to Peterborough and a bus from there.

Wednesday 23rd February 11

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

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

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

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

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

Friday 28th May 10

Spent most of the morning writing. I did two Press Releases, one for the York World Naked Bike Ride and the other for the forthcoming website launch.

In the afternoon I cycled down to town to get some train tickets for next week, and then went to Boots to see if they had a replacement beard trimmer lead. They didn't, but the assistant gave me the phone number of Remington, who make the trimmer... and when I got home I rang them and was given another number for 'Shaver Spares'. So I rang them...and they didn't have a lead either.

On the way back from town I popped into Country Fresh and Martin was happy to load me up with several boxes and bags of stuff gone mouldy... so after phoning Shaver Spares, I did a lot of compost heap building. I spent quite a bit of time riddling compost too, as the shop needs re-stocking so I filled about 15 carrier bags with good fine rich compost. I'll take it down tomorrow. I might go to town again and see if E.Roy has a charging cable for the trimmer.

So, a quiet day.

Monday 24th May 10

I think it was quite a good day... I did get quite a bit done and nothing terrible happened.

Although I went to bed at 3am last night, I was up just after 9 this morning and feeling fine, and soon got myself on my bike with the paperwork needed to pay our Council Tax and re-subscribe to Resource Magazine, which is always a good read.

So I got cheques out and then went to the City Treasury to pay in half of our annual Council Tax. We have the opportunity to use PayPoint in a local shop, but this would be connected to our bank account, and I don't pay the Council Tax from this... I always pay from my Fiddlesticks income, from the Fiddlesticks Building Society account, so I'll continue to pay twice a year, using a cheque from this account. I did find out though that I could get a cheque out made payable to The Post Office, and use a card (which is being sent to me) to get that paid on to the Council. I had a 20 minute wait at the Council Treasury, as they no longer have the numbers of staff that they used to, so I might use the Post Office option next time.

I visited Dylan at Millers Yard, but someone else had taken his last bag of orange halves, shock horror, for their allotment. I was delighted!

Then back through town, collecting halved lemons from the lemonade stall, and visited Rich at Country Fresh and came home.

After lunch I did some paperwork (an invoice, emails, several phone calls) and sent a reply to the US Composting Council about the Sierra Club's new proposed policy on composting and then outside, yet more foodplant stuff, getting the last tomato plant potted up, and some of the squashes and beans outside in the radiator raised beds.

At teatime I was informed that our eldest had to take 500g of cooking apple into school tomorrow for his 'food technology' so he can make apple crumble, so I cycled down to Country Fresh again and got two cooking apples (550g, allowing 10% waste for peel and core... clever, eh?) plus a large load of blood oranges which are past their best, bruising a pale powdery blue colour... They'll be absolutely fine on my compost heap, though.

So, finance, paperwork of the electronic kind, phone calls, assorted eco activism on the web, making potting mix, planting plants, riddling compost, collecting compostables, building another layer on the heap, seems like a good active day.

During the evening I told all my German friends about the forthcoming screenings of The Age of Stupid in German, had a discussion about vaccination and immunisation on facebook, stimulated by my delight that Andrew Wakefield has been struck off the Medical Register for unethical practices, and played a bit of Scrabble... and washed up, and washed and blanched grapes ready for drying into raisins.

Oh, and watched the Community Channel on Freeview to see assorted Age of Stupid stuff. Which as usual had me in tears. Wonderful, still!

Monday 17th May 10

First thing I popped round to my alcoholic friend who is undergoing a detox today, in an attempt to kick the habit. Gill and I gave a card wishing good luck.

Then a meeting in town then a trip to Sainsbury's to get nice bread, and I met my good friend Jonathan in there and we chatted for at least half an hour. I again visited my friend, and will do so several times over the next few days. Lots of support needed.

Home for lunch. And then a good afternoon preparing compost for sale... three sacks to go down the road to Julie the Freecycler, and a request for two to go to the Chemistry Department to enrich some existing potting media, so a few veggies can be grown in the courtyard. I'm really enjoying my composting... I'm also making a container mix for this year's tomatoes and cucumbers: I have 5 sackfuls already but I need quite a bit more.

I came in just after 6 for tea... bought pizza, sweetcorn and peas, new potatoes.

Then at 7 I left to attend a York In Transition Directors meeting at Barry's house which was a nice ride over the Millennium Bridge and Racecourse. The key thing at this meeting was meeting Mike, who may become our Treasurer. Mike is fairly new to York, but is an experienced Director and Charity Trustee, so we may have a lot to learn from him.

It was a good meeting... I took my laptop and took minutes during it, so when I got back I could just send them out to the participants. I called in on Anna on the way back as I had a donations tub... but it wasn't hers and probably lives at St Nicks, on Ivana's desk. She was pleased to hear of our meeting.

I picked up two pallets on the way home, ripe for conversion into firewood. As I did my emails and blog, I enjoyed a history of the railways on 'Quest'.

Sunday 16th May 10

A good day as I had no appointments or particular jobs to do... so I did a lot of garden work, including sorting out chopped hedge sticks so I can build the raised bed next to the fence in the orchard, weeding, riddling compost and soil for planters.

During part of the day the boys went into the garden and hit lots of plants with sticks, so I then had to spend quite a bit of time tidying this mess up. They were mainly Green Alkanet, which is a bit of a weed in our garden. I quite often pull a load up as it's good bulk for the compost heap, but I like some left as they are good for bees too. The smashed up plants I pulled up to compost, but the long tap root is difficult to remove and it always grows back. But smashed plants aren't good to look at.

So I also cleared up lots of plastic sacks, so it was a mainly tidying day.

I had a big pile of ground elder for tea, with the rems of the nutloaf and some noodles and stir-fried veggies, including the last Shiitake mushroom off the oak log in the garden.

In the evening I had a quite a lot of assorted admin to do, with Naked Bike Ride stuff, York in Transition stuff, and more. I enjoyed Countryfile as it featured a nice chap growing loads of Shiitake in Welsh woods.

Thursday 15th April 10

A good day. Up not too early and got some paperwork done, cheques into envelopes and into the post box.

And then had a busy day in the garden, getting lots done, a bit more shredding and lots of tidying, riddled the last of a builder's bag of very mature compost, bagged it up into about 20 bread bags and 14 carrier bags. All the big bits... sticks, chunks of bark, etc, went back on the new heap. I did a bit of stacking, very green alder logs which I've split to get them dry quickly.

At 3pm, my composting friend Jo came round to borrow both my Rotasieves, as her son is doing a thing with Scouts and they need to riddle lots of compost, in preparation for planting seeds.

I worked in the garden til 6pm and came in for pasta with broccoli and carrot, with home-made tomato soup as a sauce on top. Very welcome and filling.

Then later, something I've been looking forward to doing for ages... I planted the first seeds of the year. I filled about 50 toilet roll inners with home-made seed compost with a spoon... it took quite a long time, but I did then 'in situ' in a stainless steel catering dish, the sort used in ban maries to serve hot food from,which I rescued from a skip years ago. The bog-rolls were put into it, all up against each other, and the growing medium carefully spooned in. Then I put a pea-bean in each one, and a bit of seed-compost on top. Then I got water from the water butt and gave them a good dowsing from the base, so the water soaks up to the beans. I love planting seeds. And especially these climbing beans as they are just about my favourite crop. The toilet rolls will be planted in 4 to 6 weeks without disturbing the roots.

I'll do the pumpkins and squash over the weekend, and sweetcorn, brassicas, and I don't know what else. A lovely time of year. Let's hope the Icelandic volcano doesn't affect the summer temperatures too much... it could make a cool summer. I've enjoyed today partly as I was pleased the volcanic ash has closed all the airports today. One comment on facebook was that Gaia is getting her revenge....

Sunday 20th September 09

A work day, but didn't have to leave til midday. This allowed me to indulge in a lie-in which was good... just til 10am though, nothing exorbitant!

Gill ironed my costume as I had breakfast, and at 11.30 I got my stuff together, but then got a phone call from a friend who had hit rock bottom, wanting a few minutes of my time, so I said I would be able to come round at 11.55 just for a few minutes. My friend suffered some horrible abuse many years ago and hasn't had any counselling or help overcoming or dealing with the memories and the emotions they stir up. This friend has a serious (legal) drug problem and the information I learned today makes that much more understandable. I offered to support them if they wanted to access counselling or get help from their GP, but I could only spend 10 minutes with them as I had to be at Millers Yard by 12.25.

I set up my stuff in the studio there, and walked round towards the ceramic-painting shop, where many of the party-goers had spent some of the morning. They were just coming out and heading for Millers Yard, so I turned round and led the crocodile of children to the venue.

The show went like clockwork, a really good show which I thoroughly enjoyed, as did the kids and their parents. I did the circus first, then prepared the balloon show and had my sandwiches, then did the balloon animal workshop. There were two girls celebrating their birthdays, so I think that my fee was probably shared by the two families, but I'm not sure. I got paid at the end, and several parents told me very complementary things before I cycled off with my trailer full of circus stuff and burst balloons for putting on the compost heap.

I got home at 4pm, via Country Fresh which is looking very nice with a new shop-front. All the old rotten wood has been replaced, but the original huge windows kept, which halved the cost of the job.

I had half an hour on the computer but when I'd dealt with the emails I got changed and went into the garden as I've had my eye on a length of hedge which has got a bit bushy, and needed a radical haircut.

I had nearly finished this job when our neighbour started chatting to me about the proposed removal of this length of hedge, and replacement with a fence, or a low wall and fence. We agreed that in a couple of weeks I would start taking out the hedge, and I would take care of that. My neighbour would put in some foundations and use the bricks I salvaged from when I took the coal-house out. The fence would probably be the one which I was given by another neighbour a few months back, a lovely oak fence.

Putting a wall/fence there will allow my neighbours to grow vegetables up it, and will mean that our veg patch doesn't have such dry soil where it is now depleted by the hedge roots. Removing the hedge will also allow me to remove the Ground Elder which is in the hedge and growing into the raised beds.

I came in at about 7pm, pretty tired but having cut the hedge (which will make it easier to take out) and riddled some more compost.

Tea had been made by our youngest... a rice and noodle nut loaf, with sprouts, carrots and roast potatoes. Impressive stuff! Delicious stuff too...

During the evening I enjoyed a programme on Coldplay, featuring my musical hero, Brian Eno, who produced their most recent album. I also jarred-up loads of dried apple rings and pear slices, and prepared loads more for drying.

Also today I received a phone call from my wonderful activist friend in Scarborough, Jane Gresham, who invited me to go and speak at the Scarborough 10:10 launch on Friday. 10:10 is a project launched by the good people behind The Age of Stupid, the aim of which is to encourage individuals to reduce their carbon emissions by 10% in 2010, AND lobby government to do the same. There is a pledge that people can sign... the movement is supported by a large number of organisations. I'm going through to Scarborough on Friday 26th to the Stephen Joseph Theatre to do a short talk before the film The Age of Stupid (which is having it's global premiere this week), and be on the panel for a Q+A afterwards. It's not a paid-for gig, but my train fare will be covered.

Wednesday 16th September 09

A very busy and good day... maybe because Gill ensured that I had a lie in, and I came downstairs after 9am, and had some good chats over breakfast.

However, I had assorted things to do so I got on and did them.

I cycled down to Lawrence Street and measured three parking spaces which have a two-hour limit, so I could work out how much turf to get. This don, went on to Morrisons to get a big jar of Marmite, and some goats cheese for Gilly. Then on to St Nicks to discuss a job which has been advertised there, with the recycling team. I am wondering whether to apply for it. It's four days a week, 28 hours, and pays £10K. If I got it, it would be a big change for me as I'm used to pretty minimal paid work, and lots of free time to do things which reduce my cost of living. But the Fiddlesticks work is not that busy and I'm missing the writing work, so I might give the recycling job a whirl.

But I also needed to go to St Nicks to sort out the bags of stuff brought back from the Green Festival, all the paper plates and biodegradable containers, cardboard cups, wooden forks etc. I had to take out some plastic and a few cans and other non-compostable bits... but this left me with four sacks of material to bring home and put in assorted tumblers and daleks.

Home for a late lunch and then after that went up to B+Q to find out about the turf, and I easily bought what I needed. I got 12 rolls for £31. I'll collect them on Monday, the day before the stunt.

Then did a little bit of riddling, and dug out a pallet heap into a builders bag so I could re-load the pallet bin... and took some riddled compost down to Richard at Country Fresh, and brought back a huge load of perhaps 80kg. More composting, finished pruning the little cherry tree, and picked some pears. I prepared the pruned cherry wood into a 'magic staff' for one of my boys who desperately needed one.

Gill used the broccoli I bought to add to a lightly spiced curry that one of the boys had requested and we had that with rice and pitta bread.

I then popped out to see Lynn who's been requesting some dried fruit for weeks, and saw that she has got a garden parasol to lend to the Car Free Day event.

So a busy day. Productive, active, feels good.

Wednesday 1st July 09

A late start for me; but I was up in the night as I heard noises outside and had to go and check... after which I lay there listening... how annoying! Then the dawn chorus started. Loud.

The broadband internet wasn't working so I made a few phone calls and found that a BT interchange was down and they were attempting to fix it. It was off all day.

So I did a variety of other things including taking some little yam plants down to Country Fresh to let them go to other people... and collected three boxes of compostables.

Cut a hedge, riddled another 9 carrier-bags worth of mature compost. Cut back more brambles. Watered wilting plants. Drank lots of water so I didn't wilt.

However, during the evening the internet started working again so I spent at least an hour dealing with emails.

Tuesday 30th June 09

Nice slow start to the day... I came down and heated water on the gas-cooker to wash up. Our gas boiler has gone wrong; it needs occasional re-pressurising (I don't understand this) and when Gill twiddled the knob yesterday, it came off. So we're not using the gas boiler at all, even for instant hot water. And of course, it's too hot for the stove, so we have no hot water except for doing it in a saucepan on the cooker.

I don't mind doing the washing up, even before breakfast. There is some sort of satisfaction with rendering a jumbled pile of used plates and mugs into neatly stacked and clean, ready to use crockery. I'm not so keen on doing cutlery, but that has to be done too. Also, I collect the rinse water and water the tomato plants with it. VERY satisfying!

Sorted out various hotel and BnB visits for later this year. This involved a couple of hours phoning and working out logistics.

Anyway, a good day, did quite a bit inside and visited B+Q for Gill who needed some lining paper to do a 'Red Indian' figure as a prop for a play. I also did loads of riddling of some very mature compost... yummy! (almost!)

After lunch the plumber came round and fixed the knob back on the boiler. I think it took less than 5 minutes. The bill will be in the post....

I got an exciting phone call from Mike at York (North Yorkshire!) Credit Union asking me what I was doing on Thursday... as there was a proposed meeting with an important person, and did I want to come to this? I said I was available, and Mike told me that the person was so important that I'd need to be security checked. Wow! I wonder who it is? I have my suspicions but will just have to wait and see.

I cooked tea, rice with onion, celery and some other bits, with added plantain which I cooked yesterday, with fresh home-grown broccoli, and a tomato and onion sauce. I loved the plantain... a really fruity addition to a slightly spicy rice dish. I hope I get some more of those in the compostables!

After tea I popped round to Lynn's to discuss the publicity needed for the LETS Healthy Living event in 3 weeks time, and spent an hour chatting to her.

Back in time for another hour or more in the garden, in at 10 and the internet was down.. I had a phone call from Ben and his was off too, so it must have been the exchange or something.

It came on just after midnight so I caught up then.

Monday 29th June 09

A productive morning as I removed my son's bike back wheel and took the tyre down to Cycle Heaven to get a replacement. I went via Hazel Court civic amenity site, cycling 4 sacks of drinks cartons (including 2 from school) and some electrical equipment rescued from skips and some other metal to get this all recycled. I had a little chat with one of the workers there, and said that officially, cycles were not allowed up there, and I'd been refused a trailer permit. I said I refused to tip all my recycling on the ground at the entrance as had been suggested, and the operative said that taking the recycling from the pedestrian area up to the recycling skips was a health and safety issue in itself.

So, feeling happy about the sensible attitude of the workers there, I went on to put two cheques in and on to Cycle Heaven. There I asked if I could have a large cardboard box, as our youngest needs to make a life-size prop for a school assembly, so I cycled home with a box that a bike was delivered in... excellent! Home via Country Fresh and Freshways, also found some more electrical equipment sticking out of a bin bag left for collection, so that will go for recycling soon!

Enjoyed my lunch and helped Maria with a self-employment query over the phone.

During the afternoon I tried to catch up on a load of paperwork, phoning etc, connected to my Fiddlesticks work. But when it cooled down a bit I went to do some compost riddling and loading up my new pallet bin. My favourite activities, with my robin friend filling its face with centipedes and little beetles. Lovely!

I popped out to the Co-op for some provisions for today's tea, and Gill put them together whilst I did more outside work, including picking loganberries.

On the way home from the shop I stopped to chat to a chap who's skip I'd raided, to thank him for the Freecycling opportunities it had afforded. Ended up having a good chat and he gave me some strawberries from his back garden. I might end up helping Mike with his garden, he's only just moved in and needs some help. Nice chap.

I came in to make some tea for tomorrow... onion and tomato base mix, and some plantain, gently fried in chunks. Probably will add it to rice.

Quiet evening, maybe a bit too warm... and that was without the stove! Enjoyed strawberries and loganberries with vegan ice-cream.... yummy!

Friday 5th June 09

Gill woke me up at 9.30 saying 'aren't you supposed to be somewhere at ten o clock?' and I told her that it was tomorrow that I had the all-dayer as a York Rotter at Askham Bryan, and today only had evening stuff. She came to bed and relaxed, and fell asleep. I got up and did some moving things around in the garden, lit the stove, did washing up and other bits and pieces.

I went into town as I had two complaints from yesterday's election: some illegal Labour Party activity outside a polling station, and the cock up with my receiving Charles's ballot paper and Charles also getting one. So I went to speak to the person in charge of the York Electoral Office, who invited me to put the complaints in writing, also went to my building society and bank, and to Sainsburys.

Gill did a load of lawnmowing before it rained, and I did a load of riddling compost as Richard had requested some more compost at the shop, I took 8 carrier bags down in the trailer and collected a bag and a box of not-yet-composted stuff.

The evening was really good, Critical Mass, A film by the World Development Movement, and a Reggae night Green Party Fundraiser. Got back at midnight...

compost riddling, Euro Elections |

Saturday 9th May 09

A good morning... Gill and I did some gardening together, sorting out one of the raised beds, removing 'poached egg' (Limnanthes douglasii) which is seeding itself all over the place, and some self seeded hawthorn, docks, brambles and other weeds. This bed will soon be ready for the broad beans and possibly some other stuff.

I then riddled a large load of compost, leafmould and loam (from turves from a skip a year or more ago) to make the perfect planting medium for the containers which are going to get the various tomatoes etc in the conservatory.

But all too soon it was lunchtime and soon after that, time to go to the Ruby Milnes Memorial Cycle Ride, which was due to start at 2pm from near Baile Hill in Bishophill, which is where the Milnes family live. Ruby was killed a year ago whilst cycling back from college along the cycle path near the Racecourse. A lorry travelling along the service road which crosses the path hit her and killed her, more or less instantly. She was very well known and loved, although I didn't know her. However, I was very moved by what happened, and I know dozens of people who knew her and loved her. I met David, her father, and Michael Brian Nugent, a cycling paramedic who organised the Facebook group 'RIP Ruby Milnes' and today's ride. He has got to know the family and stayed with them last night. I knew lots of people on the ride, it was good to see so many riders.

We all set off for the spot where the accident happened, and when we got there, David gave a moving speech about Ruby's life and how she died. Someone played 'The Last Post' on a trumpet and there was at least a minute's silence. I counted about 85 cyclists leaving this and head up to Bishopthorpe, but there were pedestrians too. Mike Tipping the Press photographer was there as this was as big an event for York (and for me, more important than York City losing the match in London...). I cycled down to Bishopthorpe with Tony, one of the organisers of the World Naked Cycle Ride. He was clothed.

Had a pint with Dylan and others in Bishopthorpe, but didn't stay long as wanted to get into town to go to the Guildhall where some of Gill's artwork is on show, along with lots of other artists. I met Tim Morrison, her tutor, and had a good chat with him. She'd been in earlier with the boys.

As I left just before 4pm, it began to rain, glad it held off for Ruby's ride. I went to Country Fresh, and then to Peter's house to meet with Andy and discuss the York in Transition Arbitration Group. Good coffee and a very productive meeting. I took some notes and will type these up and send them around. I got home at about 7pm.

Gill had made cauliflower cheese, and a Brazil-nut and rice loaf thing... quite delicious!

We watched a curious film called The Big White with Robin Williams.

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