Gill and I both woke fairly late, 9ish, as our eldest son had requested that he see in his birthday, and stay up til midnight. This meant that his little brother was also up... and they didn't get to sleep for quite a bit after that. Excitement!
So, a birthday, and we now have a teenager! He hadn't wanted to go anywhere or do anything in particular, so it was a low-key day.
I did a variety of jobs... went to get bread from Thomas the Baker, and was lucky with a good selection of Yesterbake, unsold bread from Saturday, available at half price and two for the price of one, essentially quarter price. Better for the company than having to pay to throw it away, though!
On my way back from the baker, I noticed a big branch in Hull Road Park, so a bit later, I cycled round to the 'Fast Pack' shop on Lilac Avenue which sells all sorts of nuts, bolts, tools and much more, as one of my unicycle saddles had lost some nuts fixing it to the metal shaft. I got the right size nuts and then went on to the park to chop up the branch with my bowsaw. This was a trailer-full of nice Ash logs.
Later, I used a climbing rope I found a few months ago on a road near Durham to pull the walnut tree more vertical; Gill asked me to do it as it is leaning over, and there are so many walnuts on it that it is weighed down somewhat. Oh, the squirrel trap has had it's first victim. So, more nuts, fewer predators!
I spent a bit of time pruning the tomatoes in the conservatory... taking out unwanted side shoots and the tops of the plants, so they put more of the energy into fruit. I picked about 20 tomatoes too.
I got a Fiddlesticks booking for late September at a Housing Association do, and got a reminder from Book of Green about a bill for the iPhone application.
After tea, which was a lovely nutloaf, tagliatelle, green beans and tomato sauce creation, I cycled round to Nick, a Freecycler, who had put a large television up for grabs, and we'd asked for it as our small TV in the front room is not that good for doing the Wii with... and this reason was enough for him to choose us as the lucky recipients. I took an old duvet with me and this meant I could balance the huge TV on my trailer.
Later in the evening I chopped up more pears for drying. They are SO tasty!
Showing posts with label logs on cycle trailer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label logs on cycle trailer. Show all posts
We were woken early by an excited little boy who is 11 today... he had woken at 4am and was too excited to go back to sleep, so he'd been reading but was hungry, at 7.40. Gill got up and told me to go back to sleep.... I'm not an early morning person, and am up til 2am, whereas she sleeps in the evening when I'm doing things and she then gets up at 6am.
So, at about 9 I was woken again, the Birthday Boy had held on and wanted desperately to open his presents. So I decamped into his room and sleepily watched him open a box with some Lego figures in it, including a jester and a magician, and his older brother had made him a wand out of a stripped holly stick and in the split handle was a trapped pheasant feather, some kind of (imaginary) 'power' that I don't understand. I don't get make believe, never have really, it's an Aspergery trait.
We all breakfasted and I wrote a letter to the Neighbourhood Unit about the Funding shenanigans I've found myself having to deal with. Then before lunch, their friend came down to join us with a trip into town. I cycled in, stopping at Woodlands as one of my documents hadn't photocopied properly, and they wanted to re do it, and then to chat to some chaps who were taking down an Ash tree.
The boys and Gill caught the bus into town, and I'd arranged to meet them at the Museum Gardens after I'd met up with the Neighbourhood Unit to explain the position of York in Transition about 'sponsoring' another organisation, or rather, not being able to. I met them on the steps of the Yorkshire Museum, which has recently been refurbished. We spent quite a long time in there, and it is improved, although some things aren't yet labelled/numbered, and I spotted at least three mistakes, one was a spelling mistake, another a text layout error and there was a factual error too, but I can't remember what that was.. But I liked the use of the Tempest Anderson Hall as a film theatre, and I liked the more open space with the reference books visible on the floors above the exhibitions.
After this the boys wanted to wander through town looking at shops, my idea of Hell, so I cycled home via the Edible York Raised Bed,where I saw my friend Lizzie talking to the Radio York presenter next to his car with the aerial up. I stopped, and found out they were about the do an interview. Chloe turned up, and all three of us were briefly interviewed on live radio... what a surprise! I talked about the Transition to a low carbon economy where we grew more of our food locally, and the presenter introduced me as Compost John, responsible for 30 sacks of compost getting to this bed.
But I needed to get back, and when I did, I spent an hour getting about 400 or 500 kg of Ash logs onto my trailer, I think I did 6 trips, before the time came for my 4pm appointment, the York Environment Forum which I occasionally attend.
This was at the Guildhall, and was a special meeting to ask questions of Andrew Cousins from the Allerton Waste Recovery Park, or Anaerobic Digester/Incinerator plant. We had a series of questions and I asked a couple of supplementary questions based on the wide-ranging conversations I had with Andrew at The Hospitium. It was a good meeting and we agreed to write a position statement about this development. We also debated our Vision Document. We finished well after 6pm.
I came home and loaded lemon halves into a heap and came in quite tired to have pasta for tea.
So, at about 9 I was woken again, the Birthday Boy had held on and wanted desperately to open his presents. So I decamped into his room and sleepily watched him open a box with some Lego figures in it, including a jester and a magician, and his older brother had made him a wand out of a stripped holly stick and in the split handle was a trapped pheasant feather, some kind of (imaginary) 'power' that I don't understand. I don't get make believe, never have really, it's an Aspergery trait.
We all breakfasted and I wrote a letter to the Neighbourhood Unit about the Funding shenanigans I've found myself having to deal with. Then before lunch, their friend came down to join us with a trip into town. I cycled in, stopping at Woodlands as one of my documents hadn't photocopied properly, and they wanted to re do it, and then to chat to some chaps who were taking down an Ash tree.
The boys and Gill caught the bus into town, and I'd arranged to meet them at the Museum Gardens after I'd met up with the Neighbourhood Unit to explain the position of York in Transition about 'sponsoring' another organisation, or rather, not being able to. I met them on the steps of the Yorkshire Museum, which has recently been refurbished. We spent quite a long time in there, and it is improved, although some things aren't yet labelled/numbered, and I spotted at least three mistakes, one was a spelling mistake, another a text layout error and there was a factual error too, but I can't remember what that was.. But I liked the use of the Tempest Anderson Hall as a film theatre, and I liked the more open space with the reference books visible on the floors above the exhibitions.
After this the boys wanted to wander through town looking at shops, my idea of Hell, so I cycled home via the Edible York Raised Bed,where I saw my friend Lizzie talking to the Radio York presenter next to his car with the aerial up. I stopped, and found out they were about the do an interview. Chloe turned up, and all three of us were briefly interviewed on live radio... what a surprise! I talked about the Transition to a low carbon economy where we grew more of our food locally, and the presenter introduced me as Compost John, responsible for 30 sacks of compost getting to this bed.
But I needed to get back, and when I did, I spent an hour getting about 400 or 500 kg of Ash logs onto my trailer, I think I did 6 trips, before the time came for my 4pm appointment, the York Environment Forum which I occasionally attend.
This was at the Guildhall, and was a special meeting to ask questions of Andrew Cousins from the Allerton Waste Recovery Park, or Anaerobic Digester/Incinerator plant. We had a series of questions and I asked a couple of supplementary questions based on the wide-ranging conversations I had with Andrew at The Hospitium. It was a good meeting and we agreed to write a position statement about this development. We also debated our Vision Document. We finished well after 6pm.
I came home and loaded lemon halves into a heap and came in quite tired to have pasta for tea.
A good day, despite not spending enough of it in the garden. After breakfast I did my emails etc and then at about 10.30, got ready to get to Robin's for 11am, which is when he'd asked me to get to him to help him install his solar water system.
We had a go at this before Christmas... but he found the ?manifold had the sensor doobrey on the different end that he was expecting, so he had to alter things and today, all was ready and in the right place. His plumber/electrician friend Andy was there to help, so Robin did the on the roof stuff, tied on with climbing rope and carabiners. I climbed the ladder with the tubes and reflectors. Andy smeared 'Chinese Toothpaste' on the copper ends (prevents oxidation apparently) and helped clean the tubes.
What a great team! BUT... sad to say, on the 15th and last tube, Robin got a bit over enthusiastic and banged the tube on his knee... not hard, and by accident of course, and it broke. Fortunately he had a spare. These tubes work by heating a copper rod in a vacuum, the rod warms up and the heat is transmitted to the end of the tube which sits in the water flow, warming the water. Despite the day being overcast, these tubes heated up significantly... the tubes themselves didn't, but the copper rod did. Amazing though simple technology. Also, as water doesn't actually flow in the tubes, if one breaks, it can be replaced easily.
I left at just after 1pm and came home via a place where a large number of willow trees have been felled, and conveniently chopped into large chunks and just left... although willow isn't the best wood for fuel, I'll take anything! So, one huge chunk of willow and home.
Lunch. The rest of the afternoon went too fast. I had several Fiddlesticks enquiries.
I did manage to do some outside stuff, keeping me sane.
During the evening I had three long phone calls, one from a Channel 4 researcher who wanted my input to a programme about an interesting approach to reducing supermarket food waste, which I may be able to help with, and two long chats with people I know, all good conversations to have.
We had a go at this before Christmas... but he found the ?manifold had the sensor doobrey on the different end that he was expecting, so he had to alter things and today, all was ready and in the right place. His plumber/electrician friend Andy was there to help, so Robin did the on the roof stuff, tied on with climbing rope and carabiners. I climbed the ladder with the tubes and reflectors. Andy smeared 'Chinese Toothpaste' on the copper ends (prevents oxidation apparently) and helped clean the tubes.
What a great team! BUT... sad to say, on the 15th and last tube, Robin got a bit over enthusiastic and banged the tube on his knee... not hard, and by accident of course, and it broke. Fortunately he had a spare. These tubes work by heating a copper rod in a vacuum, the rod warms up and the heat is transmitted to the end of the tube which sits in the water flow, warming the water. Despite the day being overcast, these tubes heated up significantly... the tubes themselves didn't, but the copper rod did. Amazing though simple technology. Also, as water doesn't actually flow in the tubes, if one breaks, it can be replaced easily.
I left at just after 1pm and came home via a place where a large number of willow trees have been felled, and conveniently chopped into large chunks and just left... although willow isn't the best wood for fuel, I'll take anything! So, one huge chunk of willow and home.
Lunch. The rest of the afternoon went too fast. I had several Fiddlesticks enquiries.
I did manage to do some outside stuff, keeping me sane.
During the evening I had three long phone calls, one from a Channel 4 researcher who wanted my input to a programme about an interesting approach to reducing supermarket food waste, which I may be able to help with, and two long chats with people I know, all good conversations to have.
An easy start to the day and I got the 11.20 train back to York. I managed to delete 130 unwanted emails from my sent folder and inbox. And reply to a few which needed replying to... which I saved as drafts and then sent when I got home.
I got in at 1pm after picking up a sack of compostables from Country Fresh. I had lunch and did emails and then went to the St John's Playing Fields, where the grounds maintenance staff had put a large pile of shreddables from some of the other bits of the campus, and told me that the largest chunks wouldn't go through their shredder so I could have them. Yippee!
I got two loads and there is more to get. An excellent local resource. I also did some chainsawing and stacking. I love my outdoor activities...
Gill did a veg stew with the butternut I rescued a day or so ago and pre-baked in the microwave, and she made scones to go with it. It was delicious.
We had a game of Scrabble later and although Gill slept through bits of the game, she still won. Amazing!
I got in at 1pm after picking up a sack of compostables from Country Fresh. I had lunch and did emails and then went to the St John's Playing Fields, where the grounds maintenance staff had put a large pile of shreddables from some of the other bits of the campus, and told me that the largest chunks wouldn't go through their shredder so I could have them. Yippee!
I got two loads and there is more to get. An excellent local resource. I also did some chainsawing and stacking. I love my outdoor activities...
Gill did a veg stew with the butternut I rescued a day or so ago and pre-baked in the microwave, and she made scones to go with it. It was delicious.
We had a game of Scrabble later and although Gill slept through bits of the game, she still won. Amazing!
Up early, not sure why, but felt the need to get moving and busy.
So I did a load of work in the garden and washed up and then at midday, my visitor Hannah arrived. She found me through a freegan website and is doing her dissertation on reducing consumption as part of her Geography degree in Leeds. She hasn't actually got a title for her dissertation yet, but that will probably crystallise soon, after talking to lots of people about their opinions.
She recorded our conversation and then we had lunch, and a walk down the garden to see the fruit trees and composting.
Then we cycled down to St Nicks... she'd brought her bike over on the train, and we spent a bit of time there and then on to town along the cycle path. I stopped at Oxfam and bought a big can of Fair Trade coffee, and then popped into my GP as I had decided to have the Swine Flu jab I was offered a few weeks ago. I only had to wait about 15 minutes and I had it.
And home, along the cycle track again, picked up some good sized willow logs and came home.
I checked the temperature on the gauge on the solar panel tank, and it was 16.1 degrees Celsius. This is quite a bit warmer than the outside temperature and the incoming water, although I don't actually know the external temperature; I'll have to sort that out. So, with limited winter sunshine, the water in the tank was warmer, and would take less gas to warm it up to a useful temperature coming out of the tap.
Gill used the last of the tomato soup to make a stew thing and it was good. I went out to Green Drinks at the Black Swan at about 7.45 and met up with Neil, then Guy, then Dave, and just as I was leaving, Ivana.
A quiet evening back at home... I took off one of the wheels of my trailer and fixed a puncture.
So I did a load of work in the garden and washed up and then at midday, my visitor Hannah arrived. She found me through a freegan website and is doing her dissertation on reducing consumption as part of her Geography degree in Leeds. She hasn't actually got a title for her dissertation yet, but that will probably crystallise soon, after talking to lots of people about their opinions.
She recorded our conversation and then we had lunch, and a walk down the garden to see the fruit trees and composting.
Then we cycled down to St Nicks... she'd brought her bike over on the train, and we spent a bit of time there and then on to town along the cycle path. I stopped at Oxfam and bought a big can of Fair Trade coffee, and then popped into my GP as I had decided to have the Swine Flu jab I was offered a few weeks ago. I only had to wait about 15 minutes and I had it.
And home, along the cycle track again, picked up some good sized willow logs and came home.
I checked the temperature on the gauge on the solar panel tank, and it was 16.1 degrees Celsius. This is quite a bit warmer than the outside temperature and the incoming water, although I don't actually know the external temperature; I'll have to sort that out. So, with limited winter sunshine, the water in the tank was warmer, and would take less gas to warm it up to a useful temperature coming out of the tap.
Gill used the last of the tomato soup to make a stew thing and it was good. I went out to Green Drinks at the Black Swan at about 7.45 and met up with Neil, then Guy, then Dave, and just as I was leaving, Ivana.
A quiet evening back at home... I took off one of the wheels of my trailer and fixed a puncture.
Woken by anti-school noise but children did go to school.
However, this got me up and I did some moving of broken bricks from our shared driveway down to where the wall/fence is going to be built.
Pauline rang following an email conversation over the past few days and I agreed to go round today and pick up the Freecycle-request credit card holder she has found for me, and to help her with her wooding. So I got 3 sacks of logs together as this is my 'traditional' seasonal gift to her, loaded up my trailer and cycled round for 12.30.
I helped her stack the logs in her outhouse and then used her bow saw to chop a few bits of wood for her Clearview Stove, and brute force to smash up an old chair she found in a skip.
This didn't take long and at just after 1pm I had my sandwiches and Pauline made me a coffee, and we caught up on assorted news. I didn't stay too long as I had to go to the Building Society to put in a cheque from the weekend and take out a big cheque to pay off the last of our Council Tax, which I then went to pay. I cycled back via Country Fresh where I met some fairly old people trying to ineffectively break up a pallet outside the shop. They were happy to accept some help... and I showed them how to do it, by slamming the pallet down on one corner and then on another corner til it falls apart... which i was very glad it did, because it made me look like a veteran pallet smasher (which of course I am!!). Picked up two sacks worth of compostable items and some dryable ones too... includung four 'dragon fruit' which are very expensive and weird, not brilliant to eat but do make an interesting addition to a bag of dried fruit. I'm now thinking ahead to the LETS event in December where I'm going to do a very large number of bags of fruit, and try to do a bit of a clearout.
Got home in reasonable time to load up two of my tumblers with a load of stuff.
For tea I had a veg stew that Gill had done on the woodstove plus half the last slice of quiche and three slices of roast squash. Very filling!
At 8pm there was a meeting at the Yorkshire Terrier on Stonegate to do some planning for the Towards Carfree Cities Conference. This is going to be the 9th international conference run by the World Carfree Network, and it is to be at the end of June 2010 in York. My friend and Green Festival colleague Randall is heading this up (he's been involved in this organisation since their first conference) and Ivana and Richard met in Prague whilst working in the Carbusters office, as far as I gather. I also met Graham Titchener from Cycling City York and Andy from my favourite cycle shop, Cycle Heaven. I think I'll be doing some volunteering with this event, although I don't know exactly what yet.
Home at nearly 11pm, went straight onto the computer to sort out emails and record a good day.
However, this got me up and I did some moving of broken bricks from our shared driveway down to where the wall/fence is going to be built.
Pauline rang following an email conversation over the past few days and I agreed to go round today and pick up the Freecycle-request credit card holder she has found for me, and to help her with her wooding. So I got 3 sacks of logs together as this is my 'traditional' seasonal gift to her, loaded up my trailer and cycled round for 12.30.
I helped her stack the logs in her outhouse and then used her bow saw to chop a few bits of wood for her Clearview Stove, and brute force to smash up an old chair she found in a skip.
This didn't take long and at just after 1pm I had my sandwiches and Pauline made me a coffee, and we caught up on assorted news. I didn't stay too long as I had to go to the Building Society to put in a cheque from the weekend and take out a big cheque to pay off the last of our Council Tax, which I then went to pay. I cycled back via Country Fresh where I met some fairly old people trying to ineffectively break up a pallet outside the shop. They were happy to accept some help... and I showed them how to do it, by slamming the pallet down on one corner and then on another corner til it falls apart... which i was very glad it did, because it made me look like a veteran pallet smasher (which of course I am!!). Picked up two sacks worth of compostable items and some dryable ones too... includung four 'dragon fruit' which are very expensive and weird, not brilliant to eat but do make an interesting addition to a bag of dried fruit. I'm now thinking ahead to the LETS event in December where I'm going to do a very large number of bags of fruit, and try to do a bit of a clearout.
Got home in reasonable time to load up two of my tumblers with a load of stuff.
For tea I had a veg stew that Gill had done on the woodstove plus half the last slice of quiche and three slices of roast squash. Very filling!
At 8pm there was a meeting at the Yorkshire Terrier on Stonegate to do some planning for the Towards Carfree Cities Conference. This is going to be the 9th international conference run by the World Carfree Network, and it is to be at the end of June 2010 in York. My friend and Green Festival colleague Randall is heading this up (he's been involved in this organisation since their first conference) and Ivana and Richard met in Prague whilst working in the Carbusters office, as far as I gather. I also met Graham Titchener from Cycling City York and Andy from my favourite cycle shop, Cycle Heaven. I think I'll be doing some volunteering with this event, although I don't know exactly what yet.
Home at nearly 11pm, went straight onto the computer to sort out emails and record a good day.
A bit of an unusual day as our youngest is heading off to Todmorden to have three days of fieldtrip. So Gill and our little one headed off at 7.50am, on foot, to get to school by 8.15. I spent time with our eldest, and chatted carefully about things which I hoped wouldn't piss him off, and he got out of the house at the normal time.
So at 8.45 I was out in the garden finishing off the shredding of the twiggy bits of hedge... and completed this job! Hooray!
I also unloaded a couple of sacks of compostables from either Country Fresh or Freshways and found a large stash of tomatoes, of which about 25% were compostable and the rest washable and I therefore brought them in and washed them, fried an onion on the stove (in a pan, lol) and added about 40 small to medium tomatoes and a stick of celery, and cooked that up on the stove top to make a delicious soup.
Then I made sandwiches and had them before cycling off to the station to get on the 13.11 to Harrogate for my last acupuncture session with Karen. I fell asleep on the train and again on the acupuncture table. I asked her quite a few questions today, about what she was doing. Few of her answers made any sense to me, but I do come from 'Western medicine' background. I decided not to take her up on a further two sessions as although I've enjoyed this experiment, I haven't really got anything positive out of it. I agreed to fill in her questionnaire at the end of this week.
I cycled quickly back to Harrogate station and got the train to Knaresborough, and then mooched around the tile and stove shop whilst waiting for the York train. I had a fiddle with a Dovre stove and chatted to the shop assistant about flat irons and stoves. Then the York train came and took me and my bike home.
Gill had taken a phone call from a Dave on Windmill Lane, who's taken down a cherry tree and has offered me the branches. He wanted me to go round after 6pm, so I did and picked up a trailer and panniers full of freshly chopped cherry logs. He hadn't managed to take down the trunk and asked me if I had a chainsaw and could do it? So I'll go round in the next few days to help him out. Then I popped down to see Raj as he had asked me to help him with something, and after I'd spent half an hour with him, he gave me two veggie samosas.
Then I came home for tea, at about 7pm. Once again, a good tea... tomato soup followed by cauliflower, macaroni, potatoes, quiche, salad, olives... yummy!
Enjoyed some telly and tried to catch up with emails which are again building up...
So at 8.45 I was out in the garden finishing off the shredding of the twiggy bits of hedge... and completed this job! Hooray!
I also unloaded a couple of sacks of compostables from either Country Fresh or Freshways and found a large stash of tomatoes, of which about 25% were compostable and the rest washable and I therefore brought them in and washed them, fried an onion on the stove (in a pan, lol) and added about 40 small to medium tomatoes and a stick of celery, and cooked that up on the stove top to make a delicious soup.
Then I made sandwiches and had them before cycling off to the station to get on the 13.11 to Harrogate for my last acupuncture session with Karen. I fell asleep on the train and again on the acupuncture table. I asked her quite a few questions today, about what she was doing. Few of her answers made any sense to me, but I do come from 'Western medicine' background. I decided not to take her up on a further two sessions as although I've enjoyed this experiment, I haven't really got anything positive out of it. I agreed to fill in her questionnaire at the end of this week.
I cycled quickly back to Harrogate station and got the train to Knaresborough, and then mooched around the tile and stove shop whilst waiting for the York train. I had a fiddle with a Dovre stove and chatted to the shop assistant about flat irons and stoves. Then the York train came and took me and my bike home.
Gill had taken a phone call from a Dave on Windmill Lane, who's taken down a cherry tree and has offered me the branches. He wanted me to go round after 6pm, so I did and picked up a trailer and panniers full of freshly chopped cherry logs. He hadn't managed to take down the trunk and asked me if I had a chainsaw and could do it? So I'll go round in the next few days to help him out. Then I popped down to see Raj as he had asked me to help him with something, and after I'd spent half an hour with him, he gave me two veggie samosas.
Then I came home for tea, at about 7pm. Once again, a good tea... tomato soup followed by cauliflower, macaroni, potatoes, quiche, salad, olives... yummy!
Enjoyed some telly and tried to catch up with emails which are again building up...
A relaxing day as nothing happening apart from a social visit... well there was a purpose to it, but it was 80% social.
Ben was due to come round at 10 but arrived a bit early and I'd only just got dressed so was happy to sit and have a coffee with him and see the whiteboard he'd accidentally used permanent marker on... and try the solvent I'd offered him to try to remove this. I have both paraffin and Surgical Spirit... the latter is mainly methanol and worked quite well with kitchen tissue and lots of elbow grease.
We had some interesting conversations about astrophysics and X-ray binary star systems before going for a wander down the garden.
I gave him some fresh apples and some dried fruit and he left before lunch. Melody popped round to pick up her SUMA order.
I did assorted jobs in the garden during the afternoon but nothing too strenuous, cycled round to the chemist to get a prescription, went round to a neighbour's to chop a log in two and bring the two lengths back in the trailer.
Tea was a bowl of squash and red pepper soup and the remains of yesterday's Bulgar wheat loaf.
A warm evening with the stove on, washing up, drying fruit, playing facebook scrabble. I submitted my Carbon Account readings. Next month my annual figures will be much better as the aeroplane emissions (1947kg one way Manchester to Atlanta) from my visitor a year ago will be more than a year in the past. Hooray!
Ben was due to come round at 10 but arrived a bit early and I'd only just got dressed so was happy to sit and have a coffee with him and see the whiteboard he'd accidentally used permanent marker on... and try the solvent I'd offered him to try to remove this. I have both paraffin and Surgical Spirit... the latter is mainly methanol and worked quite well with kitchen tissue and lots of elbow grease.
We had some interesting conversations about astrophysics and X-ray binary star systems before going for a wander down the garden.
I gave him some fresh apples and some dried fruit and he left before lunch. Melody popped round to pick up her SUMA order.
I did assorted jobs in the garden during the afternoon but nothing too strenuous, cycled round to the chemist to get a prescription, went round to a neighbour's to chop a log in two and bring the two lengths back in the trailer.
Tea was a bowl of squash and red pepper soup and the remains of yesterday's Bulgar wheat loaf.
A warm evening with the stove on, washing up, drying fruit, playing facebook scrabble. I submitted my Carbon Account readings. Next month my annual figures will be much better as the aeroplane emissions (1947kg one way Manchester to Atlanta) from my visitor a year ago will be more than a year in the past. Hooray!
A nice day with the family. I woke quite late but got busy in the kitchen after breakfast, and it was a peaceful and very productive day.
Gill had cut down some overhanging Lilac and cut back an overenthusiastic willow, and she wanted me to dispose of this cut material. I cut off the smaller branches and shredded them, and put the larger sticks aside to be cut to a stackable length for kindling.
I then got busy further down the garden, pruned the cherry tree... cutting the long branches back to half their length to make it easier to put the net over next year. I also cut several lengths of hedge, including one which had got very long and needed work with secateurs not the shears. I shredded all this to help it rot down more quickly. I have several sacks of this mainly woody material to add to heaps and tumblers which have the mainly fruity and veggie material on them, to help with aeration and carbon-nitrogen balance.
We harvested some potatoes from the woven green sacks where they've been growing all summer, very satisfying. I also picked some Jack Edwards Climbing Pea Beans and some broccoli and a small crook-neck squash, all of which Gilly melded into a lovely meal.
At one stage during the day I got my emails and there was a Freecycle offer from John Bibby, my friend who has had quite a bit of tree work done in his garden, offering a trailer-load of willow sticks. I replied and asked if he had any of the other wood left, the pear, laburnum and better-to-burn wood, and he replied and suggested I cycle round and pick some up.
So when I got there there were quite a few of the good-to-burn logs there, and John suggested that I fill his car up and he drive a load round. I was only expecting to take a bike-trailer's worth, but he was happy to be rid of the stuff as he wanted to clear his garden. So I loaded his car, and my trailer, and I cycled back and John drove round 20 minutes later, and I unloaded his car. I must now have one of the best collections of logs in York! And a heck of a lot of work to do!
Our eldest was also busy today, preparing for his younger brother's birthday tomorrow. He has made a complicated map of the garden and cut it up and hidden the different bits in various different places, so that when all of them are put back together it reveals the whereabouts of some buried treasure. This treasure is the birthday present. So there was various help needed with this task, including keeping his younger brother unaware of the preparations. A fun task.
So, a hard working day, good moods all round, productive, happy.
Gill had cut down some overhanging Lilac and cut back an overenthusiastic willow, and she wanted me to dispose of this cut material. I cut off the smaller branches and shredded them, and put the larger sticks aside to be cut to a stackable length for kindling.
I then got busy further down the garden, pruned the cherry tree... cutting the long branches back to half their length to make it easier to put the net over next year. I also cut several lengths of hedge, including one which had got very long and needed work with secateurs not the shears. I shredded all this to help it rot down more quickly. I have several sacks of this mainly woody material to add to heaps and tumblers which have the mainly fruity and veggie material on them, to help with aeration and carbon-nitrogen balance.
We harvested some potatoes from the woven green sacks where they've been growing all summer, very satisfying. I also picked some Jack Edwards Climbing Pea Beans and some broccoli and a small crook-neck squash, all of which Gilly melded into a lovely meal.
At one stage during the day I got my emails and there was a Freecycle offer from John Bibby, my friend who has had quite a bit of tree work done in his garden, offering a trailer-load of willow sticks. I replied and asked if he had any of the other wood left, the pear, laburnum and better-to-burn wood, and he replied and suggested I cycle round and pick some up.
So when I got there there were quite a few of the good-to-burn logs there, and John suggested that I fill his car up and he drive a load round. I was only expecting to take a bike-trailer's worth, but he was happy to be rid of the stuff as he wanted to clear his garden. So I loaded his car, and my trailer, and I cycled back and John drove round 20 minutes later, and I unloaded his car. I must now have one of the best collections of logs in York! And a heck of a lot of work to do!
Our eldest was also busy today, preparing for his younger brother's birthday tomorrow. He has made a complicated map of the garden and cut it up and hidden the different bits in various different places, so that when all of them are put back together it reveals the whereabouts of some buried treasure. This treasure is the birthday present. So there was various help needed with this task, including keeping his younger brother unaware of the preparations. A fun task.
So, a hard working day, good moods all round, productive, happy.
A productive day, although lots of it was paperwork and sorting things out. Got the train times worked out, more or less, and sent 70 euros over to the Netherlands to pay for my questionnaire to be hosted for this year... and various other bits and bobs. I visited Freshways and stopped to chat to some guys who were chopping down a load of trees on Lilac Avenue, and shredding the branches and putting the shreddings in a skip. They were happy enough for me to go and get some sacks (10) and fill them with shreddings. I also picked up some branches of the beech tree they'd taken out, and they seemed to be having some problems with their hired chainsaw, I told them that I too had a difficulty with mine. They needed a bit of oil to lubricate the chain, so I said they could have some of mine. One of the chaps offered to bring round some more sticks and collect the small volume of oil they needed. So we both benefited.
I really enjoyed my avocado sandwich for lunch.
In the afternoon I had a meeting in town and then cycled up to Cutters/Shannons with my electric chainsaw which has a loose connection, and hopefully they'll be able to repair it. From there I went to find Randy's house, as he wanted help filling in the York Green Festival paperwork. I was impressed with his solar panel set-up, designed to recharge his laptop, phone, radio and LED light they use for bathtimes and breastfeeding. Excellent... a bit complicated, but really interesting.
We spent two hours doing the forms, many of which are exactly the same as last year's, but little details have to be altered.
I got back at 8 and had a big bowl of borscht followed by Gill's aubergine and cauliflower bake which was delicious. Then I popped out to collect the 10 sacks of shreddings and more logs. I met a neighbour (Brian) who overlooked where these trees used to be, and helped him load his wheelbarrow with a huge log, and he helped me with a big one onto my trailer. There are still several enormous logs there. In by 10.15 pretty exhausted.
I really enjoyed my avocado sandwich for lunch.
In the afternoon I had a meeting in town and then cycled up to Cutters/Shannons with my electric chainsaw which has a loose connection, and hopefully they'll be able to repair it. From there I went to find Randy's house, as he wanted help filling in the York Green Festival paperwork. I was impressed with his solar panel set-up, designed to recharge his laptop, phone, radio and LED light they use for bathtimes and breastfeeding. Excellent... a bit complicated, but really interesting.
We spent two hours doing the forms, many of which are exactly the same as last year's, but little details have to be altered.
I got back at 8 and had a big bowl of borscht followed by Gill's aubergine and cauliflower bake which was delicious. Then I popped out to collect the 10 sacks of shreddings and more logs. I met a neighbour (Brian) who overlooked where these trees used to be, and helped him load his wheelbarrow with a huge log, and he helped me with a big one onto my trailer. There are still several enormous logs there. In by 10.15 pretty exhausted.
A nice sunny morning so I got up reasonably early, and at 9.30 got ready to go to John Bibby's again, as yesterday I'd promised to help his wife, Shirley, move her compost bins, as the new development (they've sold a chunk of their garden and a house is due to be built) will be on top of where their compost bins are. I took my 'compost mate' tool as it is the best way to extract the top layers from a dalek bin, so they can be put back in the new empty bin. Once I had a wheelbarrow full of the most recently added stuff, I installed an empty bin in a new place, and put a load of prunings and cardboard in the bottom before putting the semi-rotted stuff on top of this.
The base of the compost bin was full of well-rotted material, so I just lifted it up off the pile, and installed it in the new place, leaving the pile of rich compost for Shirley to use in a new border, which will go in front of a new fence. I shovelled one wheelbarrow's worth into the barrow and left the rest for Shirley to do. I reckoned an hour and a quarter was enough. I filled the trailer, panniers and rack with another batch of logs and cycled home, slowly.
Gill was just getting ready to go out with the boys and one of their friends to Pocklington by bus... there's a lovely garden there, Burnby Hall and Gardens, where there are fish to feed and water lilies to look at. And a Sainsburys.
So they went out and I had lunch and got on with various things in the garden, including log chopping and splitting, sorting out an old compost heap... a pallet version which has finished rotting down and some of it's contents have fallen through the base, so I took it all to pieces, tidied up and put everything in a builders bag. Also did more weeding... green alkanet, ground elder, nettles, all growing much better than any crops!
I did a load of stacking too, round the back under my covered woodpile, and then Gill came back; they'd had a nice time and the bus journeys were easy, and the fish were hungry.
We all had egg, beans and chips for tea, and whilst they watched Robin Hood I did some more wood wrangling, getting in at about 10. I love these light nights.
Late on, I played Scrabble and watched a version of The Midwich Cuckoos, a film called Village of the Damned. John Wyndham was one of my favourite authors when I was a teenager... I gobbled up Jules Verne, Isaac Asimov, lots of science fiction. Now I don't have time (or inclination?) to read fiction... and I prefer science fact anyway now! Some of the stuff I read in NewScientist is stranger than fiction anyway!
Gill went to a little party gathering next door, Diane and her sister, female friends only. She enjoyed the company. It's not often she goes to a party!
The base of the compost bin was full of well-rotted material, so I just lifted it up off the pile, and installed it in the new place, leaving the pile of rich compost for Shirley to use in a new border, which will go in front of a new fence. I shovelled one wheelbarrow's worth into the barrow and left the rest for Shirley to do. I reckoned an hour and a quarter was enough. I filled the trailer, panniers and rack with another batch of logs and cycled home, slowly.
Gill was just getting ready to go out with the boys and one of their friends to Pocklington by bus... there's a lovely garden there, Burnby Hall and Gardens, where there are fish to feed and water lilies to look at. And a Sainsburys.
So they went out and I had lunch and got on with various things in the garden, including log chopping and splitting, sorting out an old compost heap... a pallet version which has finished rotting down and some of it's contents have fallen through the base, so I took it all to pieces, tidied up and put everything in a builders bag. Also did more weeding... green alkanet, ground elder, nettles, all growing much better than any crops!
I did a load of stacking too, round the back under my covered woodpile, and then Gill came back; they'd had a nice time and the bus journeys were easy, and the fish were hungry.
We all had egg, beans and chips for tea, and whilst they watched Robin Hood I did some more wood wrangling, getting in at about 10. I love these light nights.
Late on, I played Scrabble and watched a version of The Midwich Cuckoos, a film called Village of the Damned. John Wyndham was one of my favourite authors when I was a teenager... I gobbled up Jules Verne, Isaac Asimov, lots of science fiction. Now I don't have time (or inclination?) to read fiction... and I prefer science fact anyway now! Some of the stuff I read in NewScientist is stranger than fiction anyway!
Gill went to a little party gathering next door, Diane and her sister, female friends only. She enjoyed the company. It's not often she goes to a party!
Spent most of the morning on the computer, doing washing up, preparing fruit for drying and various other domestic stuff. With the Euro elections approaching, there's a lot of political stuff winging its way around the web, and I found this. I thought it might be fun to see if it predicted my Green intentions. But I couldn't get it to tell me which way to vote. I wonder if others can?
I responded to a Freecycle offer of lots of logs; my friend John Bibby has a neighbour who's taken down a large horse chestnut, an apple, a pear, a huge laburnum and some softwood. I agreed with John that I'd cycle round at 5pm, he'd get his car ready to take some logs over to mine, I'd load and then unload the car, and he'd take me back to pick up my bike with a trailer full. Sounded like a good plan.
I did a bit of work in the garden but it was too hot. I cycled down to Country Fresh with three carrier bags of very mature compost, and picked up a sack and two boxes of compostables plus a bit of shopping.
Came back and tried to make some space in the front garden ready for the log arrival, but my chainsaw is being difficult and only working now and then. I think it has a loose connection, so will have to get it serviced.
At 5 I cycled over to John's and we did two loads, only a small percentage of the large volumes of wood they've got. Arrived back after 7 having done two car-loads and a bike-trailer load. I did a bit of chopping with the chainsaw which seemed to be back working. Weird!
Gill had made Brazil nut sausage things, and cooked some cauliflower, and I was absolutely ready for this.
Later, I spent quite a bit of time doing the York in Transition diary on Facebook.
Ahhh, a lie-in! how nice! I got up at 10 and Gill was already at Art, so I finished off my column on cosmetics and sent it in. This took til lunchtime, mainly because I got distracted by Scrabble on Facebook and chat, and interesting links... but by late lunch, was finished.
Gill came in and got a picnic together and went on the bus down to town to meet her 'Ladies who Lunch' friends, Melody and Alison, and had a picnic with them in Museum Gardens.
I just mooched around, dealt with a couple of phone calls, did some housework and planted some broccoli, calabrese and curly kale seeds.
My friend Robin had made contact with someone who lives near him who has just taken down a holly tree and passed my her details to me, so I rang her and she said it would be OK to go within the next hour. So I refilled my chainsaw with lube oil and got the loppers, and cycled over to near the Hospital along the Route 66 cycle track.
She'd taken down one holly, and I cut up the two trunks which she'd denuded of side branches. But a sizable one metre stump remained and I eventually removed that, leaving a 30cm stump. There was one other job she wanted doing, removing an overhanging branch of a sycamore. This was more difficult as my chainsaw, or perhaps the electric supply to it was malfunctioning. But I did manage to get some of it down.. but after an hour and a half working there, I'd had enough so I loaded up my trailer with some of the holy logs and went. I'll go back in the next week or so and finish the job.
Home to a happy house, nice tea and pleasant evening. I was disappointed that Newsnight focussed on the budget and didn't have Ethical Man on.
Gill came in and got a picnic together and went on the bus down to town to meet her 'Ladies who Lunch' friends, Melody and Alison, and had a picnic with them in Museum Gardens.
I just mooched around, dealt with a couple of phone calls, did some housework and planted some broccoli, calabrese and curly kale seeds.
My friend Robin had made contact with someone who lives near him who has just taken down a holly tree and passed my her details to me, so I rang her and she said it would be OK to go within the next hour. So I refilled my chainsaw with lube oil and got the loppers, and cycled over to near the Hospital along the Route 66 cycle track.
She'd taken down one holly, and I cut up the two trunks which she'd denuded of side branches. But a sizable one metre stump remained and I eventually removed that, leaving a 30cm stump. There was one other job she wanted doing, removing an overhanging branch of a sycamore. This was more difficult as my chainsaw, or perhaps the electric supply to it was malfunctioning. But I did manage to get some of it down.. but after an hour and a half working there, I'd had enough so I loaded up my trailer with some of the holy logs and went. I'll go back in the next week or so and finish the job.
Home to a happy house, nice tea and pleasant evening. I was disappointed that Newsnight focussed on the budget and didn't have Ethical Man on.
Quite an early start, and a trip into town with Gill and our eldest. Ended up going to Millers Yard for a mocha and coffee, and Waterstones to get Asterix books, the current favourite with our boys. Enjoyed the walk back home with son beside me.
And a good day followed too, I did quite a bit of work outside, and finished my arty logpile.
I tidied up some more stuff down the garden, shredded the ivy delivered a day or to ago, with help from one of our youngest son's friends, which was nice.
At 7pm, headed off to St John's to a York Green Festival meeting, Rand chaired and I took notes. It was a good meeting, lots of energy and enthusiasm.
Came home via the cycle track and just manhandled a large tree stump onto my trailer, I took the plastic box out and put that on my pannier rack, filled with woodchips from the shredding the tree surgeons did. A good haul!
Emailing as usual until late, interspersed with a bath as working tomorrow, and no-one likes a smelly entertainer!
And a good day followed too, I did quite a bit of work outside, and finished my arty logpile.
I tidied up some more stuff down the garden, shredded the ivy delivered a day or to ago, with help from one of our youngest son's friends, which was nice.
At 7pm, headed off to St John's to a York Green Festival meeting, Rand chaired and I took notes. It was a good meeting, lots of energy and enthusiasm.
Came home via the cycle track and just manhandled a large tree stump onto my trailer, I took the plastic box out and put that on my pannier rack, filled with woodchips from the shredding the tree surgeons did. A good haul!
Emailing as usual until late, interspersed with a bath as working tomorrow, and no-one likes a smelly entertainer!
Quite a relaxed morning, and as our eldest was at a loose end, we rang one of his friends to see if he could come here or our lad go there. The latter option looked good, and I cycled down to Fulford with him and left him there.
Came back via a logpile and then did some splitting and stacking of the freshly felled softwood that Don left, and spent some time in the garden doing other things. Our youngest had a friend round and they played happily all day.
Gill went down to town to get some birthday presents for a pair of boys who are having a joint party on Friday, I think. When she came back I got veg and eggs from Country Fresh plus some compostables and a nice natter with Rich.
I collected our eldest after 7pm... he'd had a brilliant day, he'd been taken to the City Screen Cinema by one of the Dads, and seen a Pink Panther film. So he was in a good mood, and was patient with me attempting to get a large log home, which I found was quite unwieldy.
Both boys pretty worn out so a relatively easy 'night shift'! A peaceful and pleasant day.
Came back via a logpile and then did some splitting and stacking of the freshly felled softwood that Don left, and spent some time in the garden doing other things. Our youngest had a friend round and they played happily all day.
Gill went down to town to get some birthday presents for a pair of boys who are having a joint party on Friday, I think. When she came back I got veg and eggs from Country Fresh plus some compostables and a nice natter with Rich.
I collected our eldest after 7pm... he'd had a brilliant day, he'd been taken to the City Screen Cinema by one of the Dads, and seen a Pink Panther film. So he was in a good mood, and was patient with me attempting to get a large log home, which I found was quite unwieldy.
Both boys pretty worn out so a relatively easy 'night shift'! A peaceful and pleasant day.
Gill was feeling tired this morning so I took our youngest into school... the ice has more or less gone so he cycled with me rather than taking a lift.
Soon after I came back I zoomed into town to meet Chris from the Jorvik Viking Centre to try on a costume for the Viking Festival launch. The festival looks really good (download this pdf for the festival programme) and I feel much more confident about my role in the launch event on the evening of 17th Feb. I went to the Building Society to get a cheque out to pay for the extra insurance for the fire show.
I decided to take a slight detour and head for the cycle track and was pleased to see yet more logs being harvested from 'weed trees' growing out of the top of the cutting wall (it's an old railway line, with brick-lined cuttings). If these trees were allowed to keep growing, they would slowly destroy the masonry, so although it looks a bit bare without them, it is best that they are removed. The chaps were happy for me to take another load. I saw that one of them was loading up a trailer and I asked him if he would like to deliver some to me, and gave him my business card. I said that I would pay him for a delivery. He said that he was taking some to his mother near Selby and would see if he could fit me in.
So, spent most of the afternoon working on the risk assessment requested by the insurers. I've done loads of risk assessments before but they are still quite tedious, and this one took nearly 2 hours to put together. I just hope the insurers will accept it!
Then went to school and brought our little one home. I then went back to the cycle track... and most of the tree trunks were gone. But some were still available so I took another load... I've had four loads now and that's added considerably to my store for next year's carbon-neutral fuel.
Went to post the paperwork off plus a Wedding Card that Gill's made for her nephew who's getting married over in Australia... she spent the afternoon writing a poem for them and making the card. It is lovely and very humorous.
I made my own tea... a roux-based sauce made with soya milk and some of the everlasting carrot soup, and stove-fried onions and pasta tubes. Filling and wholesome. I love onion... it's my favourite vegetable at the moment, especially as the current lot were free... the benefits of being a composter. I followed this by a pint of perry... not quite as wholesome but nice none the less...
A relaxed evening followed, the children were well behaved and happy and we all enjoyed our Friday night.
Soon after I came back I zoomed into town to meet Chris from the Jorvik Viking Centre to try on a costume for the Viking Festival launch. The festival looks really good (download this pdf for the festival programme) and I feel much more confident about my role in the launch event on the evening of 17th Feb. I went to the Building Society to get a cheque out to pay for the extra insurance for the fire show.
I decided to take a slight detour and head for the cycle track and was pleased to see yet more logs being harvested from 'weed trees' growing out of the top of the cutting wall (it's an old railway line, with brick-lined cuttings). If these trees were allowed to keep growing, they would slowly destroy the masonry, so although it looks a bit bare without them, it is best that they are removed. The chaps were happy for me to take another load. I saw that one of them was loading up a trailer and I asked him if he would like to deliver some to me, and gave him my business card. I said that I would pay him for a delivery. He said that he was taking some to his mother near Selby and would see if he could fit me in.
So, spent most of the afternoon working on the risk assessment requested by the insurers. I've done loads of risk assessments before but they are still quite tedious, and this one took nearly 2 hours to put together. I just hope the insurers will accept it!
Then went to school and brought our little one home. I then went back to the cycle track... and most of the tree trunks were gone. But some were still available so I took another load... I've had four loads now and that's added considerably to my store for next year's carbon-neutral fuel.
Went to post the paperwork off plus a Wedding Card that Gill's made for her nephew who's getting married over in Australia... she spent the afternoon writing a poem for them and making the card. It is lovely and very humorous.
I made my own tea... a roux-based sauce made with soya milk and some of the everlasting carrot soup, and stove-fried onions and pasta tubes. Filling and wholesome. I love onion... it's my favourite vegetable at the moment, especially as the current lot were free... the benefits of being a composter. I followed this by a pint of perry... not quite as wholesome but nice none the less...
A relaxed evening followed, the children were well behaved and happy and we all enjoyed our Friday night.
I was lucky to get a lie-in til about 9.30 which was good, and we had a quite relaxed morning. At midday I set out with our eldest to visit his friend who lives a couple of miles away... perhaps a bit less than this, depending on the route taken. We had a good ride and nice chats whilst doing it. We both acknowledged that cycling together was a good thing to do and we should do more of it.
We cycled through the University and down towards Fulford, and to Candy and Eugene's. Candy was celebrating the near end of her job... she's sick of all the travelling, despite the ethical nature of the work... she is another 'low carbon wannabe' and has been going round businesses and helping them reduce their energy bills. But, it's been a cycle ride to the station, a train journey to Leeds, a 20 minute wait, a train journey to Bramley and then a one mile walk. Too much travelling... so she's jacking it in at the end of this week and is going to write a book.
She was chatting with our mutual friend Denise, and I spent a few minutes with them before cycling back via a well-known logpile. It was agreed that I'd collect my son at 7.30pm.
So, a quiet afternoon... our other son played on the computer and had some nice gentle times with Mum. I did various jobs around the home and garden, and we had a rice stir-fry for tea, containing the home-grown Oca tubers... a wonderful flavour. I wish I'd grown more of them! Trouble is they are daylight sensitive as well as frost sensitive, so they don't start making tubers til about 4 months after midsummer, so the longer after October they can be kept frost-free, the better. These were growing at the side of the house, protected from the worst of the early frosts, so plenty of pretty pink tubers.
7pm came all too soon and I cycled back through the University grounds to Candy and Eugene's, collecting 3 logs on the way. I had another little chat about shared interests before asking my little charge to find his shoes and get ready to come home. On the way out of their house, leaving by the back door, I tripped on a stick or mini-log that Eugene had collected for their Clearview stove (yet another person influenced by seeing ours!) and landed flat on my face in the gravel, with a log or branch somehow pinning my right leg down and wedged into my welly boot, I think. I couldn't move. I lay there for a few seconds mentally checking my limbs for breakages... and decided I was OK, but couldn't move. My son, who had been walking behind me, somehow moved the obstruction off my leg and I was able to get up. Although I knew I was bruised, I needed to get home (needed to get my child home actually) so we continued on our way home, chatting happily. He'd had a good time, with two friends, a variety of activities.
When we got home I told Gill how he'd rescued me and she put an ice pack on my calf, whilst my caring son looked after me. I think he must have been shocked to see me fall over and be unable to get up.
So, a very good day, plenty of bonding activity. And not a good day for my leg which is badly bruised. Listened to a bit of Equinox 107 and then a tear jerking film with Julie Walters playing Dr Anne Turner who after witnessing her husband dying from a degenerative illness, found she was developing something similar. So she decided that when it was almost too much to bear, she would commit suicide, and the drama, 'A Short Stay in Switzerland' was about this. Really powerful, had me in tears several times. Thought provoking too, as it' such a contentious issue. I do believe though, that we have a right to die in certain circumstances... and I would probably consider this option if I found myself in a similar situation. But would I be brave enough to go through with it? The drama alluded to the statistics that many who get the go-ahead from the Swiss Clinic decide not to do it.
Not too late a night as getting up early tomorrow.
We cycled through the University and down towards Fulford, and to Candy and Eugene's. Candy was celebrating the near end of her job... she's sick of all the travelling, despite the ethical nature of the work... she is another 'low carbon wannabe' and has been going round businesses and helping them reduce their energy bills. But, it's been a cycle ride to the station, a train journey to Leeds, a 20 minute wait, a train journey to Bramley and then a one mile walk. Too much travelling... so she's jacking it in at the end of this week and is going to write a book.
She was chatting with our mutual friend Denise, and I spent a few minutes with them before cycling back via a well-known logpile. It was agreed that I'd collect my son at 7.30pm.
So, a quiet afternoon... our other son played on the computer and had some nice gentle times with Mum. I did various jobs around the home and garden, and we had a rice stir-fry for tea, containing the home-grown Oca tubers... a wonderful flavour. I wish I'd grown more of them! Trouble is they are daylight sensitive as well as frost sensitive, so they don't start making tubers til about 4 months after midsummer, so the longer after October they can be kept frost-free, the better. These were growing at the side of the house, protected from the worst of the early frosts, so plenty of pretty pink tubers.
7pm came all too soon and I cycled back through the University grounds to Candy and Eugene's, collecting 3 logs on the way. I had another little chat about shared interests before asking my little charge to find his shoes and get ready to come home. On the way out of their house, leaving by the back door, I tripped on a stick or mini-log that Eugene had collected for their Clearview stove (yet another person influenced by seeing ours!) and landed flat on my face in the gravel, with a log or branch somehow pinning my right leg down and wedged into my welly boot, I think. I couldn't move. I lay there for a few seconds mentally checking my limbs for breakages... and decided I was OK, but couldn't move. My son, who had been walking behind me, somehow moved the obstruction off my leg and I was able to get up. Although I knew I was bruised, I needed to get home (needed to get my child home actually) so we continued on our way home, chatting happily. He'd had a good time, with two friends, a variety of activities.
When we got home I told Gill how he'd rescued me and she put an ice pack on my calf, whilst my caring son looked after me. I think he must have been shocked to see me fall over and be unable to get up.
So, a very good day, plenty of bonding activity. And not a good day for my leg which is badly bruised. Listened to a bit of Equinox 107 and then a tear jerking film with Julie Walters playing Dr Anne Turner who after witnessing her husband dying from a degenerative illness, found she was developing something similar. So she decided that when it was almost too much to bear, she would commit suicide, and the drama, 'A Short Stay in Switzerland' was about this. Really powerful, had me in tears several times. Thought provoking too, as it' such a contentious issue. I do believe though, that we have a right to die in certain circumstances... and I would probably consider this option if I found myself in a similar situation. But would I be brave enough to go through with it? The drama alluded to the statistics that many who get the go-ahead from the Swiss Clinic decide not to do it.
Not too late a night as getting up early tomorrow.
The boys had a lie in til about 9am which was a small but lovely treat. A relatively peaceful morning followed... and I cycled down to town to put in yesterday's cheque and a couple of other bits and pieces. Decided to come back via the cycle track and collect some logs, but when I'd done this I continued along the track which became increasingly icy and slippery and virtually impossible to push my overloaded bike and trailer. It was totally impossible to actually ride the bike on this ice, and so slippery that my feet didn't have enough purchase to push the bike. At one place, I had to unload the trailer, push the bike to a less slippery bit and re-load. I stopped off at St Nicks and chatted to Robin who was looking after the place and warming soup for the eco-active volunteers on their woodstove.
I did eventually get home. Had lunch and tried to persuade both boys to come to St Nicks to attend the Fungus Foray which was being led by my friend Findlay Coopar. However, only our youngest was willing to come. He had a lovely time and played with Simon's son, and afterwards, Simon and offspring came back home for a coffee, natter and play. We found a good selection of fungi on the nature reserve, many of them quite difficult to identify brackets on logs, as there are lots of enormous tree trunks dumped there, making an excellent habitat for a range of organisms. So we found hoof fungus, a type of oyster called pulmonarius, which looks like lung tissue, 'Jews Ear' on Elder trees, Common Coprinus which has a drug called antabuse within it, used to try to help alcoholics stop drinking. There were also candle snuff fungus, 'dead mans fingers, velvet shank, and Simon had spotted some Oyster on the way to St Nicks, which he went to find and bring in to show everybody. Findlay knows a lot about fungi including the encrusting ones which I don't know much about. I really enjoyed myself.
After Simon went, I put three sacks of compostables into the compostumbler and brought a load of apples and garlic back up the garden for preserving. I helped Gill do tea, by preparing some sweetcorn and home-grown potatoes, which needed a lot of work as the slugs and woodlice had got there first, but had left plenty for us as well. A good tea.
Gill and I had a game of Scrabble and I washed, halved, topped and tailed, cored, peeled and sliced about 20 apples which had been thrown away, and put these 80 or so slices on cake racks on the big water cans on the stove to dry... an excellent harvest from the bins! I won the Scrabble.
I did eventually get home. Had lunch and tried to persuade both boys to come to St Nicks to attend the Fungus Foray which was being led by my friend Findlay Coopar. However, only our youngest was willing to come. He had a lovely time and played with Simon's son, and afterwards, Simon and offspring came back home for a coffee, natter and play. We found a good selection of fungi on the nature reserve, many of them quite difficult to identify brackets on logs, as there are lots of enormous tree trunks dumped there, making an excellent habitat for a range of organisms. So we found hoof fungus, a type of oyster called pulmonarius, which looks like lung tissue, 'Jews Ear' on Elder trees, Common Coprinus which has a drug called antabuse within it, used to try to help alcoholics stop drinking. There were also candle snuff fungus, 'dead mans fingers, velvet shank, and Simon had spotted some Oyster on the way to St Nicks, which he went to find and bring in to show everybody. Findlay knows a lot about fungi including the encrusting ones which I don't know much about. I really enjoyed myself.
After Simon went, I put three sacks of compostables into the compostumbler and brought a load of apples and garlic back up the garden for preserving. I helped Gill do tea, by preparing some sweetcorn and home-grown potatoes, which needed a lot of work as the slugs and woodlice had got there first, but had left plenty for us as well. A good tea.
Gill and I had a game of Scrabble and I washed, halved, topped and tailed, cored, peeled and sliced about 20 apples which had been thrown away, and put these 80 or so slices on cake racks on the big water cans on the stove to dry... an excellent harvest from the bins! I won the Scrabble.
Gilly walked down to school with our youngest, in the snow. Then she went into town on the bus to try to get something dry-cleaned, but town was empty and the dry cleaners was closed. So a wasted trip... and she waited at the bus stop for ages to come home, but there'd been some kind of accident West of York and there were no buses coming through, so she walked home and arrived cold and with really wet feet.
I however had a lazy morning, with just a bit of washing up to do and filling the logbaskets. Read some NewScientist and played Facebook Scrabble until Gill came in at nearly midday.
After lunch I cycled into town to pay some bills and get some cheques out... one for another 3 year's NewScientist subscription, my Equity dues and my Chartered Institute of Environmental Health dues.
Got home on the dot of 3pm and got ready to go to Green Thumbs at school, where Julia had printed off the Assembly text I wrote, and we discussed various ideas with the children. Julia and I read through it out loud and most of the children seemed to like it. We also learned the song written by the 6 year old about Mission Nutrition, with the little girl's mum teaching us the choruses first and then the two verses. It's easy to sing, sounds lovely.
I came home via a logpile and brought another trailer's worth home.
We all had tea together, pasta and veg with yessterday's soup as a sauce for those of us who like sauce. Soon after this I got on my bike again and cycled down to the Merchant Adventurers Hall where the Blood Donation service was holding a session, I'd booked myself in for 7.10 and was processed and out by 8.15... quite quick, and as usual, painless.
Then went to visit Anita to collect the SUMA catalogue and her cheque. I met her friend Bruno whom I got on well with, discussing business waste recycling (he owns a shop) and 70s/80s music (he's a DJ) and Anita gave me a humourous book on parenting. I wonder if it might help us?
Home via another logpile (I know all the tree-surgeons' dumping grounds in York!) but the icy cycle paths made the cycling quite exciting (read dangerous!). Home to an 'on tenterhooks' situation, once again sparked off by someone having to do homework and ending up letting fists fly. Completely unneccessary, very difficult to know what to do about it and leaving us completely mystified why this happens. But both boys got a kiss goodnight from me, and then Gill and I settled down to our usual 'post kids bedtime' routine of washing up and relaxing.
I however had a lazy morning, with just a bit of washing up to do and filling the logbaskets. Read some NewScientist and played Facebook Scrabble until Gill came in at nearly midday.
After lunch I cycled into town to pay some bills and get some cheques out... one for another 3 year's NewScientist subscription, my Equity dues and my Chartered Institute of Environmental Health dues.
Got home on the dot of 3pm and got ready to go to Green Thumbs at school, where Julia had printed off the Assembly text I wrote, and we discussed various ideas with the children. Julia and I read through it out loud and most of the children seemed to like it. We also learned the song written by the 6 year old about Mission Nutrition, with the little girl's mum teaching us the choruses first and then the two verses. It's easy to sing, sounds lovely.
I came home via a logpile and brought another trailer's worth home.
We all had tea together, pasta and veg with yessterday's soup as a sauce for those of us who like sauce. Soon after this I got on my bike again and cycled down to the Merchant Adventurers Hall where the Blood Donation service was holding a session, I'd booked myself in for 7.10 and was processed and out by 8.15... quite quick, and as usual, painless.
Then went to visit Anita to collect the SUMA catalogue and her cheque. I met her friend Bruno whom I got on well with, discussing business waste recycling (he owns a shop) and 70s/80s music (he's a DJ) and Anita gave me a humourous book on parenting. I wonder if it might help us?
Home via another logpile (I know all the tree-surgeons' dumping grounds in York!) but the icy cycle paths made the cycling quite exciting (read dangerous!). Home to an 'on tenterhooks' situation, once again sparked off by someone having to do homework and ending up letting fists fly. Completely unneccessary, very difficult to know what to do about it and leaving us completely mystified why this happens. But both boys got a kiss goodnight from me, and then Gill and I settled down to our usual 'post kids bedtime' routine of washing up and relaxing.
