Gill woke me at 10 and reminded me that I was due to go to St Nicks today. I quickly got ready in my smart clothes as I had two things to do today, one of which at least meant that I should be reasonably tidy.
Gill loaded up all the buns she made last night into three containers, and the big cake onto a foil-covered tray, in a fruit box, covered with a bag, and I loaded all this into my trailer.
I cycled very slowly to St Nicks to ensure that the trailer didn't jump around and mess up the icing... Gill had made a pond with vegetation and a frog on the top of the cake, and every bun had '10' on the top.
The centre was already busy, lots of stuff being got ready, and I was immediately press-ganged into helping carry a large picnic table out to the play area, where all the stalls were getting prepared... the National Trust, York LETS, Edible York, Brunswick Organic Nursery, OPAL and several others.
I chatted to various people, was especially glad to see Keely, the first York Rotters project officer, who has been out of circulation for a while. But there were lots of other of my friends and contacts there, too many to list here, even if I could remember all of them!
Sometime after 11am, the welcoming and presentations started and I listened to these... until about 11.55 when I had to get going to Clifton to the Bootham Junior School, for the Quaker Meeting in memoriam of Dinah Peryer, with whom I worked on the Alternatives to Violence Project maybe 10 years ago. My old friend Maggie phoned me last week and told me about Dinah's memorial, and invited me to go with her. So we'd agreed to meet at the traffic lights on Rawcliffe Lane at 12.15, prior to the memorial service starting at 12.30.
We met up and walked up to the school, where Dinah was a Governor. It was a typical Quaker meeting, with the chairs arranged around the perimeter f the room and when we were all seated, some quiet music (probably something that Dinah liked) and then the 'hostess' (I don't know the correct term) said a few words and then there was more silence, until someone else stood up and shared a memory, or an anecdote about Dinah. I wanted to pass on the message from one of the mainstays of the AVP group, that Dinah's contribution was valued. I was the third person to stand up and speak, explaining that the current AVPers were meeting today and several people who might have wished to be at the memorial were unable to, due to the meeting timetabled-in many months ago.
I really like this form of memorial. I would like something like this myself, when the time comes, despite not being a Quaker. I learned about little bits of Dinah's life, and was moved by some of the stories. The quiet times between the speakers give time to think about the person in question, and dwell on memories, and I remembered about the work I did in Dinah and David's garden, and the laying of the floor in their kitchen.
There were sandwiches and scones to follow, and coffee, but I wanted to get back to St Nicks so I didn't hang around. Maggie wanted to come to the St Nicks do as well... so I suggested she had a lift on my bike crossbar. She looked incredulous but is pretty game for anything, and after a few questions, agreed. Half way there she swapped to sitting on the pannier rack, and getting to the Environment Centre was quick and easy... I chose the cycle track as the safest route.
We'd missed the compost bin drumming but there were lots of other things going on... and I managed to get the last slice of Gill's cake... delicious. I bought some squash plants from the Brunswick stall, and chatted to several other stall holders. I wrote a Haiku. I introduced my friend Debbie to John to talk about planting a tree in memory of the other Debbie. I had a go on a static bike to heat a kettle. As the event drew to a close, Maggie and I chatted and she accepted my offer of a hot drink at home... she really wanted to see Gill again, so I took her on my bike back home. An hour later she went to the No. 6 bus stop to get back to her side of town. I visited the Co-op to get cereals and various other bits.
Between about 6.30 and 8pm I listened to my Green/broadcaster friend Tracey Smith on Apple Radio, on the web, and didn't 'do' Dr. Who, but did have a good few goes on Scrabble on facebook and chatted to a number of friends.
Later, Gill and I had a 'real' game of Scrabble, which I just won.
Showing posts with label memorial. Show all posts
Showing posts with label memorial. Show all posts
A really good day, a nice late start, waking slowly and gradually becoming aware of things... I love waking like this! I made up my muesli before having breakfast and it is good to have my home-made cereals again. I use Suma Organic Muesli Base and a wide range of chopped-up home-made dried fruit.. today, apple, pear, banana, pineapple, pumpkin seeds, some out-of-date cranberry and white chocolate muffin topper stuff and some broken walnuts. Delicious! Each time I make up my big jar of muesli I do a different mix... sometimes with sesame seeds, sometimes some leftover chocolate flapjack. Sometimes I have some fresh fruit on top too, and I have a layer of shreddies or shredded wheat, then bran flakes, then my muesli, and often some crunchy cereal on top. I like unsweetened soya milk on this. For me, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
So, I had breakfast and did emails, and was reminded that today at midday there was a commemorative tree planting at St Nicks in memory of a York Rotter called Carol Skelton, who died last year. So I got there on time but was waylaid by a local policeman who was keen to mark my bike with a UV pen with a serial number, so that if it gets stolen, and I report it, anybody caught with a similar looking bike might have it scanned, and there is more chance that I would get it back.
The family arrived, Carol's sister from Harrogate, and quite a handful of nieces and nephews, and others I didn't know their relationship. We all walked over to the Stone Circle and a hole had been dug, and a wheelbarrow of rich soil was ready to put in the Birch tree which had been chosen. The children held the tree and shovelled the soil into the hole over the roots, and some photos were taken. Then we walked back to the centre where there was a lunch... baked potatoes and salads, it was nice to be able to chat to some of them, and show a few around the centre.
On the way back I found some really good Oyster mushrooms, the same log which Simon's been harvesting. I've never seen so many on one log, there were literally hundreds. I picked three small clumps.
Home for about 1.30, and after a coffee I went outside to try to finish off the packing case wood, as it's looking very untidy.
At 3.30, Faith, a media student from Leeds arrived... she had been set a project to find out about 'freeganism' and had found the UK Freegans website, and JD the site supervisor had put her in touch with me. I'd talked to her by email yesterday and this morning she said could she visit this weekend, so I said yes to this afternoon if she wanted.
She recorded her questions and my answers, and then we went round the garden which I think was an eye-opener for her. She recorded some of our conversations round the garden too, so she got plenty of material.
After Faith went to get the bus back to the station, I continued with the firewood situation and got a lot done.
I harvested a bunch of Velvet Shank mushrooms from the garden and added these to the Oyster, and had these with the stir fry which Gill made.
A very nice evening chatting with friends on facebook. And washing up.
So, I had breakfast and did emails, and was reminded that today at midday there was a commemorative tree planting at St Nicks in memory of a York Rotter called Carol Skelton, who died last year. So I got there on time but was waylaid by a local policeman who was keen to mark my bike with a UV pen with a serial number, so that if it gets stolen, and I report it, anybody caught with a similar looking bike might have it scanned, and there is more chance that I would get it back.
The family arrived, Carol's sister from Harrogate, and quite a handful of nieces and nephews, and others I didn't know their relationship. We all walked over to the Stone Circle and a hole had been dug, and a wheelbarrow of rich soil was ready to put in the Birch tree which had been chosen. The children held the tree and shovelled the soil into the hole over the roots, and some photos were taken. Then we walked back to the centre where there was a lunch... baked potatoes and salads, it was nice to be able to chat to some of them, and show a few around the centre.
On the way back I found some really good Oyster mushrooms, the same log which Simon's been harvesting. I've never seen so many on one log, there were literally hundreds. I picked three small clumps.
Home for about 1.30, and after a coffee I went outside to try to finish off the packing case wood, as it's looking very untidy.
At 3.30, Faith, a media student from Leeds arrived... she had been set a project to find out about 'freeganism' and had found the UK Freegans website, and JD the site supervisor had put her in touch with me. I'd talked to her by email yesterday and this morning she said could she visit this weekend, so I said yes to this afternoon if she wanted.
She recorded her questions and my answers, and then we went round the garden which I think was an eye-opener for her. She recorded some of our conversations round the garden too, so she got plenty of material.
After Faith went to get the bus back to the station, I continued with the firewood situation and got a lot done.
I harvested a bunch of Velvet Shank mushrooms from the garden and added these to the Oyster, and had these with the stir fry which Gill made.
A very nice evening chatting with friends on facebook. And washing up.
