I had a fairly chilled Sunday morning, including half-watching Country Tracks, but I had the York in Transition Alternative Energy Event on my mind, and how I could best contribute to this. I had a phone conversation with Anna Semlyen, who has organised this event, and decided to find or create a placard to stand outside the Mansion House.
I got some cardboard and wallpaper lining paper, and secured a stick handle into the card, and after lunch took that on my trailer, plus marker pens, down to The Mansion House on St Helen's Square, arriving at 2.30pm. Anna supplied two posters which I stuck on each side, and I wrote FREE TODAY above the poster and RENEWABLE ENERGY below it.
My self-appointed task was to stand outside the venue and announce: "FREE ENTRY TODAY TO THE MANSION HOUSE, USUALLY £5 ENTRY, TODAY FREE. ALSO FIND OUT HOW TO GET FREE ELECTRICITY" and similar messages. There was plenty of interest, not just from people wanting to find out more about renewable energy, but a few (tourists) wanting to see the Lord Mayor's residence. At about 3.30 Ivana came down and said that Anna had just finished her short talk so it was my turn to do a talk on woodstoves. I had about 6 people listening intently and asking questions afterwards. I went straight back out and continued pulling them in. At about 4.45 I did another talk to just 5 people this time, but all were potential woodstove buyers. The venue closed it's doors at 5pm, and the chap on the door told us we'd had 241 people through... we were delighted! So were the three solar installers who had their info for people to see. I'd been asking people on the way out if it had been worth going in, and most said it had been really useful.
So, in anybody's terms, a highly successful event. About two thirds of the people who came in did look around the stalls and took leaflets from the Energy Saving Trust, who didn't attend but did let us have leaflets. So between 150 and 200 people got information about putting solar photovoltaic panels on their roof, or solar water heating, insulation, heat pumps, woodburning stoves and more. York in Transition got a load more email sign ups to add to the 500+ we have already.
I came home pretty quickly, picking up two bags and a box from Countyr Fresh which had just closed, and some scrap metal out of their bin.
Carrot soup for tea, and a bit of rice the kids didn't eat, and then I sorted out some beans which I'm drying, and some nectarines, and I sliced the membrillo into thick slices as it has dried off and set sufficiently, although the centre of each slice is soft, so I put each slice on it's side to dry further. I tasted it again and it's wonderful. Despite being time consuming to make, I'm sure it is worth it.
Showing posts with label solar hot water. Show all posts
Showing posts with label solar hot water. Show all posts
Up early, as had to be getting going soon after 9am for an appointment, and had an achy neck...the sign of a good gig last night!
Gathered a couple of sacks of compost, to swap for logs, and loaded up the trailer with this, the wrecking bar and fork. I headed over to the other side of town, I thought I'd memorised the route but I missed the turning and had to ask a local who had a map. I soon found Tara's house and she showed me her back garden and told me her vision for it. She trusts my knowledge when it comes to gardens (don't know why!) and I told her that in my view, her vision was do-able. We've known each other for a while but haven't seen each other socially for a couple of years.
Part of her vision is a vegetable patch, currently part of a lawn of couch grass surrounding a large block of concrete which once held a washing line. I'd offered to help break up or remove this concrete. Hence the wrecking bar. So I got busy excavating around the offending lump and dug down until I reached the base, about a foot down, and then I started to lever it up, Tara pushing down on the bar and me inserting bits of broken concrete slab which she conveniently had available. After a bit of time we had the thing out of the hole, and the hole full of bits of broken slabs and half bricks. The lump of concrete was about 2 feet by 2 feet by a foot deep, and I was unable to break it up other than to chip some bits off the edge. I gave up as my hands started to blister. We had lunch, a veg stew, baguette and nutloaf, very nice! We spent a bit of time sorting through some beech hedge offcuts, which provided me with a trailer load of fuel and a green bin of compostables for the Council compost system.
I had to get back as I had other things to do; 4 cheques to put into the building society, a York in Transition cheque to give to the Council re the Mansion House Alternative Energy event in October, and then to Alligator to pick up a lot of not very nice sacks of materials which had sat far too long, and were 'fragrant'.
Home to get them into two tumblers with lots of shredded twigs, and then a bath, as I was going out tonight and working tomorrow. Lovely to have a bath with the gas not kicking in at all, a 100% solar heated bath. Gill wasn't happy with the stuff I'm bringing home, and if I'm to do it, it needs to be regular as it gets horrible quite quickly. I guess my ankle being broken might have affected my collections a bit, but that's no excuse really.
A quick bit to eat and then cycled over to Lord Mayors Walk to St John's, where I'd booked two tickets to see Satish Kumar's lecture called 'Soil, Soul and Society'. Gill didn't feel like going, so I offered my spare ticket to Ivana.
As one would expect in a small city like York and such an inspirational speaker as Satish Kumar, I knew lots of the attendees and it was good to see some old friends, and newer ones!
Satish Kumar was born in India and in 1962 he heard about Bertrand Russel's 8 day protest walk from Aldermaston to London, his response to the Cuban Missile Crisis and the lunacy of the nuclear arms race. He decided he couldn't just let this situation happen, and thought he ought to walk to Moscow, Paris, London and then to Washington to protest about the madness which was/is the nuclear weapon situation.
On the way out of India, crossing the border to Pakistan, a friend wanted to give him money and food, but Kumar refused, as he was determined to do the whole journey without money, and just accepting whatever nourishment was offered. On the way to Moscow, he met a couple of women who worked in a tea factory, who offered him and his friend a cup of tea. Because of their support of his mission, one of them had a bright idea.... and gave him 4 boxes of tea, saying they weren't for him, but for each of the leaders who had their finger on the nuclear button. She asked him to pass on this message: 'If you are about to push the button, please just stop and have a cup of tea and think about what you are about to do.'
So, Kumar walked to Moscow, Paris and London, delivering the tea and message, and in London met Russel, who bought the travellers a ticket to New York on the Queen Mary.
Another unfinished blog post... I WILL write out my notes as this meeting was excellent, but not now.
Gathered a couple of sacks of compost, to swap for logs, and loaded up the trailer with this, the wrecking bar and fork. I headed over to the other side of town, I thought I'd memorised the route but I missed the turning and had to ask a local who had a map. I soon found Tara's house and she showed me her back garden and told me her vision for it. She trusts my knowledge when it comes to gardens (don't know why!) and I told her that in my view, her vision was do-able. We've known each other for a while but haven't seen each other socially for a couple of years.
Part of her vision is a vegetable patch, currently part of a lawn of couch grass surrounding a large block of concrete which once held a washing line. I'd offered to help break up or remove this concrete. Hence the wrecking bar. So I got busy excavating around the offending lump and dug down until I reached the base, about a foot down, and then I started to lever it up, Tara pushing down on the bar and me inserting bits of broken concrete slab which she conveniently had available. After a bit of time we had the thing out of the hole, and the hole full of bits of broken slabs and half bricks. The lump of concrete was about 2 feet by 2 feet by a foot deep, and I was unable to break it up other than to chip some bits off the edge. I gave up as my hands started to blister. We had lunch, a veg stew, baguette and nutloaf, very nice! We spent a bit of time sorting through some beech hedge offcuts, which provided me with a trailer load of fuel and a green bin of compostables for the Council compost system.
I had to get back as I had other things to do; 4 cheques to put into the building society, a York in Transition cheque to give to the Council re the Mansion House Alternative Energy event in October, and then to Alligator to pick up a lot of not very nice sacks of materials which had sat far too long, and were 'fragrant'.
Home to get them into two tumblers with lots of shredded twigs, and then a bath, as I was going out tonight and working tomorrow. Lovely to have a bath with the gas not kicking in at all, a 100% solar heated bath. Gill wasn't happy with the stuff I'm bringing home, and if I'm to do it, it needs to be regular as it gets horrible quite quickly. I guess my ankle being broken might have affected my collections a bit, but that's no excuse really.
A quick bit to eat and then cycled over to Lord Mayors Walk to St John's, where I'd booked two tickets to see Satish Kumar's lecture called 'Soil, Soul and Society'. Gill didn't feel like going, so I offered my spare ticket to Ivana.
As one would expect in a small city like York and such an inspirational speaker as Satish Kumar, I knew lots of the attendees and it was good to see some old friends, and newer ones!
Satish Kumar was born in India and in 1962 he heard about Bertrand Russel's 8 day protest walk from Aldermaston to London, his response to the Cuban Missile Crisis and the lunacy of the nuclear arms race. He decided he couldn't just let this situation happen, and thought he ought to walk to Moscow, Paris, London and then to Washington to protest about the madness which was/is the nuclear weapon situation.
On the way out of India, crossing the border to Pakistan, a friend wanted to give him money and food, but Kumar refused, as he was determined to do the whole journey without money, and just accepting whatever nourishment was offered. On the way to Moscow, he met a couple of women who worked in a tea factory, who offered him and his friend a cup of tea. Because of their support of his mission, one of them had a bright idea.... and gave him 4 boxes of tea, saying they weren't for him, but for each of the leaders who had their finger on the nuclear button. She asked him to pass on this message: 'If you are about to push the button, please just stop and have a cup of tea and think about what you are about to do.'
So, Kumar walked to Moscow, Paris and London, delivering the tea and message, and in London met Russel, who bought the travellers a ticket to New York on the Queen Mary.
Another unfinished blog post... I WILL write out my notes as this meeting was excellent, but not now.
A hard working day in the garden. I finished off the chainsawing which I started yesterday, and split some logs which I liberated from a bonfire pile on a building site last night. I cut a load of hedge with the shears and cut back a huge bush which was towering over our currant bushes, and shredded some of this material but not all. Some of the shrub needs the bigger stems cutting out as they will make good kindling in a year or two.
Around the middle of the day it was too hot to be outside so I used solar hot water to do a load of washing up.
At 6.15 there was a Hull Road Ward Planning Panel at Tang Hall Community Centre, where we faced a large pile of applications, and we didn't stop til 7.45. Some of them were quite complex, and unusually we made quite a few comments on the applications. On the way home I visited a friendly bin and got 75kg of chapati flour, 3 unopened sacks, two brown and one white. Amazing. I'm ashamed of the wasteful society we live in.
I had a bit of tea and then another hour in the garden, but came in at 10.45 when it got too dark to continue.
Around the middle of the day it was too hot to be outside so I used solar hot water to do a load of washing up.
At 6.15 there was a Hull Road Ward Planning Panel at Tang Hall Community Centre, where we faced a large pile of applications, and we didn't stop til 7.45. Some of them were quite complex, and unusually we made quite a few comments on the applications. On the way home I visited a friendly bin and got 75kg of chapati flour, 3 unopened sacks, two brown and one white. Amazing. I'm ashamed of the wasteful society we live in.
I had a bit of tea and then another hour in the garden, but came in at 10.45 when it got too dark to continue.
An incredibly busy day, despite a medium lie in and almost unbearable heat.
I have work tomorrow so I went to put my shaver on charge, but Gill has reorganised the bedroom and the flex to plug it in has gone missing. She spent quite a bit of the day sorting through things trying to find it. It might be that I just have more facial hair than I prefer when I do tomorrow's gig. She's felt frustrated for much of the day.
So whilst Gill was doing things inside, I was busy with foodplants in the garden. I planted 9 beans and 2 cauliflowers and a butternut squash in one of the raised beds. I filled another load of planters and put in a variety of stuff I already had, but then mid-afternoon I cycled over to Brunswick Organic Nursery in Bishopthorpe and spent Gill's two £10 vouchers she got from York Rotters for making a cake or cakes. I got 4 tomatoes, 6 squash, a melon (I've never grown melon before), some basil, 6 purple sprouting broccoli, 6 calabrese and 8 sweetcorn.
I cycled home carefully and slowly and didn't bounce the plants too much. I planted the melon in a tub in the conservatory. I put several beans by the side of the shared path, where they can grow up against my log piles, which won't be used over the summer so they'll make a good support, well I hope so. Gill thinks our neighbour won't be happy about it but I think he won't mind. They aren't in the way.
I had tea upstairs in the bedroom as the family were all wallowing in Dr Who. I had a basic grain and veg dish with crispy-fried Oyster mushrooms. Lovely. I listened to a bit of Tracey Smith's DJ-ing on her Hospital Radio show on Apple AM, and when that finished, I half dozed and half played Scrabble on facebook.
Then I got up and had a solar powered shower... the panel has got the cylinder up to 85 degrees Celsius today, and the shower was lovely and used no gas. Great!
Later, I watched Michael Moore's film on Capitalism in America. Watch this and you'll understand why I do not support the Capitalist status quo. It is a system which generates a huge gap between the rich and poor, squanders resources, peddles false dreams such as stuff makes you happy, more stuff makes you more happy, and it is just wrong. I'm not a Communist wanting everybody to be equal, as Communism didn't work well either. I want a Co-operative Democratic Green revolution.
I have work tomorrow so I went to put my shaver on charge, but Gill has reorganised the bedroom and the flex to plug it in has gone missing. She spent quite a bit of the day sorting through things trying to find it. It might be that I just have more facial hair than I prefer when I do tomorrow's gig. She's felt frustrated for much of the day.
So whilst Gill was doing things inside, I was busy with foodplants in the garden. I planted 9 beans and 2 cauliflowers and a butternut squash in one of the raised beds. I filled another load of planters and put in a variety of stuff I already had, but then mid-afternoon I cycled over to Brunswick Organic Nursery in Bishopthorpe and spent Gill's two £10 vouchers she got from York Rotters for making a cake or cakes. I got 4 tomatoes, 6 squash, a melon (I've never grown melon before), some basil, 6 purple sprouting broccoli, 6 calabrese and 8 sweetcorn.
I cycled home carefully and slowly and didn't bounce the plants too much. I planted the melon in a tub in the conservatory. I put several beans by the side of the shared path, where they can grow up against my log piles, which won't be used over the summer so they'll make a good support, well I hope so. Gill thinks our neighbour won't be happy about it but I think he won't mind. They aren't in the way.
I had tea upstairs in the bedroom as the family were all wallowing in Dr Who. I had a basic grain and veg dish with crispy-fried Oyster mushrooms. Lovely. I listened to a bit of Tracey Smith's DJ-ing on her Hospital Radio show on Apple AM, and when that finished, I half dozed and half played Scrabble on facebook.
Then I got up and had a solar powered shower... the panel has got the cylinder up to 85 degrees Celsius today, and the shower was lovely and used no gas. Great!
Later, I watched Michael Moore's film on Capitalism in America. Watch this and you'll understand why I do not support the Capitalist status quo. It is a system which generates a huge gap between the rich and poor, squanders resources, peddles false dreams such as stuff makes you happy, more stuff makes you more happy, and it is just wrong. I'm not a Communist wanting everybody to be equal, as Communism didn't work well either. I want a Co-operative Democratic Green revolution.
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.
Up before 8.30 in case the builders came whilst Gill was taking our youngest to school... and they walked down as he's achy and bruised from falling over at the ice rink last night.
The plumber, Lee, working with Harris Builders arrived at 8.30 and started checking through the various boxes and packages which have arrived from Solartwin. He found that the large box which contained the cylinder part of the system had been bashed and had a damaged corner. However, this is, I hope, cosmetic damage and is the result of inadequate packaging and mishandling. Although I'm not a fan of excess packaging, it has a purpose... protection... and in this case, some extra polystyrene or thick card on each corner would have protected the contents better. I wonder if we'll get any money back for this?
Fortunately the huge panel was in perfect condition, and all the other bits and bobs seemed to have arrived. Lee's brother Andy arrived and they worked harmoniously til after 5, but they just did the internal work. Tomorrow morning the panel will be hoisted up to the roof and fixed in. I don't think they fancied it in the rain.
I spent the whole day at the house, making sure the chaps were well dosed with tea and anything else they needed. I chopped up another load of apples for drying and did a wash up and made another batch of tomato soup on the woodstove, this time with a slice of pumpkin whizzed up into it. I also started building the logpile on the right hand side of the front door, looking out. With both stoves going now, we are getting through the logs really quickly.
So, pasties and soup for tea... the soup was delicious.
At 7pm I got myself ready to go down to the Seahorse to attend the last LETS core group meeting of the year, and the social and trading afterwards. The meeting was very well attended, probably because of the social. The funniest thing was that Rakesh brought loads of goodies to trade and this generated quite a bit of excitement and more trading than the core group meetings have seen over the whole year... I think anyhow! We did have a short meeting and I took minutes and will write them up. I was pleased to chat with Jini, whom I've not got to know before now. So, an enjoyable meeting and I brought back some interesting edibles.
I got home soon after 10.30 and watched Newsnight which had reports from Copenhagen, and wrote up the YiT emails from last night.
The plumber, Lee, working with Harris Builders arrived at 8.30 and started checking through the various boxes and packages which have arrived from Solartwin. He found that the large box which contained the cylinder part of the system had been bashed and had a damaged corner. However, this is, I hope, cosmetic damage and is the result of inadequate packaging and mishandling. Although I'm not a fan of excess packaging, it has a purpose... protection... and in this case, some extra polystyrene or thick card on each corner would have protected the contents better. I wonder if we'll get any money back for this?
Fortunately the huge panel was in perfect condition, and all the other bits and bobs seemed to have arrived. Lee's brother Andy arrived and they worked harmoniously til after 5, but they just did the internal work. Tomorrow morning the panel will be hoisted up to the roof and fixed in. I don't think they fancied it in the rain.
I spent the whole day at the house, making sure the chaps were well dosed with tea and anything else they needed. I chopped up another load of apples for drying and did a wash up and made another batch of tomato soup on the woodstove, this time with a slice of pumpkin whizzed up into it. I also started building the logpile on the right hand side of the front door, looking out. With both stoves going now, we are getting through the logs really quickly.
So, pasties and soup for tea... the soup was delicious.
At 7pm I got myself ready to go down to the Seahorse to attend the last LETS core group meeting of the year, and the social and trading afterwards. The meeting was very well attended, probably because of the social. The funniest thing was that Rakesh brought loads of goodies to trade and this generated quite a bit of excitement and more trading than the core group meetings have seen over the whole year... I think anyhow! We did have a short meeting and I took minutes and will write them up. I was pleased to chat with Jini, whom I've not got to know before now. So, an enjoyable meeting and I brought back some interesting edibles.
I got home soon after 10.30 and watched Newsnight which had reports from Copenhagen, and wrote up the YiT emails from last night.
Our solar panels and water tank arrived today! They came by separate couriers, the panels (which the delivery person thought was a snooker table top!) and a mystery parcel came in the morning, then the tank, which is smaller than I expected, came just after lunch.
Hopefully, this will all be in place by Monday evening. Exciting!
We had a nondescript day apart from this... I did some washing up (yawn) and some composting work in the garden, and got 5 jars of mixed dried fruit ready for the LETS Christmas Fayre. I did do some internetty stuff and found out about a very interesting looking event on 16th December in London, called Feeding the 5000. This is to highlight food waste, something I feel very strongly about. All the food served on the day will be stuff which would ordinarily have been binned... wonky carrots, unsold bananas, imperfect baking potatoes... Their main partner, Fareshare, does a great job getting supermarket surplus, which would otherwise be wasted, out to needy people, such as hostels and day centres. Through Feeding5k I've discovered This Is Rubbish, another brilliant group.. I'll have to have a read through their website soon! They are my kinda people, methinks...
I set off to the LETS event soon after 3pm with the raffle prizes I'd blagged, sorry, politely asked for from local businesses on Bishopthorpe Road. Lynn was already setting up and there were several trading tables from LETS members' businesses. I put up our new banner outside and some little posters, and at 4pm when we opened, went to give out flyers on Bishy Road to invite people to the event.
Hugh Bayley the MP for York arrived... he'd been invited by Lynn and as he was interested in local trading, he accepted her invite and it was good to chat to him in a more relaxed environment. Most times I meet him, it's a bit confrontational. This was friendly though. And he bought some of my dried fruit! I wonder if he is aware it's stuff which has been thrown away and rescued by me and dried on the woodstove?
Lynn had organised a visit from Santa, who is occasionally Brian, a colleague of Jill Weaver's in Leeds. I had a good chat to him, and then asked his wife Kim what she did. We soon moved on to what she used to do... which was to work for Leeds City Credit Union, where she worked alongside Sue Davenport, and was the person who realised that there was something not quite right. She's writing a book about the experience. I was really shocked to hear about the fraud that Sue had committed, as she'd appeared to be so committed to the Credit Union. I met her on several occasions when I was setting up York Credit Union (now North Yorkshire CU). Sue Davenport has recently been declared bankrupt and is being investigated by the police. So that was an interesting conversation!
There was also a good magician, a four piece choir doing acapella stuff, Stephen doing some puppetry, the raffle and then David arrived to play his guitar just as we were packing up, so I STILL haven't heard him play and sing!
We didn't have many visitors, it was mostly LETS members, but it was really nice and relaxed, and I got to meet some new members and old ones too!
I cycled swiftly home as it was very cold. The family were at the School Xmas Fair. I stoked up the stove with several good logs to warm the place up and got the thing almost glowing red hot! Nice for them to come home to. More home-made soup (out of the reject bins again!) which I followed with a soft avocado (same provenance) and some macaroni (bought, shock-horror!).
So a toastie evening with another glass of the home-made blackberry and elderberry 1994, which is indistinguishable from Port. Delicious!
Hopefully, this will all be in place by Monday evening. Exciting!
We had a nondescript day apart from this... I did some washing up (yawn) and some composting work in the garden, and got 5 jars of mixed dried fruit ready for the LETS Christmas Fayre. I did do some internetty stuff and found out about a very interesting looking event on 16th December in London, called Feeding the 5000. This is to highlight food waste, something I feel very strongly about. All the food served on the day will be stuff which would ordinarily have been binned... wonky carrots, unsold bananas, imperfect baking potatoes... Their main partner, Fareshare, does a great job getting supermarket surplus, which would otherwise be wasted, out to needy people, such as hostels and day centres. Through Feeding5k I've discovered This Is Rubbish, another brilliant group.. I'll have to have a read through their website soon! They are my kinda people, methinks...
I set off to the LETS event soon after 3pm with the raffle prizes I'd blagged, sorry, politely asked for from local businesses on Bishopthorpe Road. Lynn was already setting up and there were several trading tables from LETS members' businesses. I put up our new banner outside and some little posters, and at 4pm when we opened, went to give out flyers on Bishy Road to invite people to the event.
Hugh Bayley the MP for York arrived... he'd been invited by Lynn and as he was interested in local trading, he accepted her invite and it was good to chat to him in a more relaxed environment. Most times I meet him, it's a bit confrontational. This was friendly though. And he bought some of my dried fruit! I wonder if he is aware it's stuff which has been thrown away and rescued by me and dried on the woodstove?
Lynn had organised a visit from Santa, who is occasionally Brian, a colleague of Jill Weaver's in Leeds. I had a good chat to him, and then asked his wife Kim what she did. We soon moved on to what she used to do... which was to work for Leeds City Credit Union, where she worked alongside Sue Davenport, and was the person who realised that there was something not quite right. She's writing a book about the experience. I was really shocked to hear about the fraud that Sue had committed, as she'd appeared to be so committed to the Credit Union. I met her on several occasions when I was setting up York Credit Union (now North Yorkshire CU). Sue Davenport has recently been declared bankrupt and is being investigated by the police. So that was an interesting conversation!
There was also a good magician, a four piece choir doing acapella stuff, Stephen doing some puppetry, the raffle and then David arrived to play his guitar just as we were packing up, so I STILL haven't heard him play and sing!
We didn't have many visitors, it was mostly LETS members, but it was really nice and relaxed, and I got to meet some new members and old ones too!
I cycled swiftly home as it was very cold. The family were at the School Xmas Fair. I stoked up the stove with several good logs to warm the place up and got the thing almost glowing red hot! Nice for them to come home to. More home-made soup (out of the reject bins again!) which I followed with a soft avocado (same provenance) and some macaroni (bought, shock-horror!).
So a toastie evening with another glass of the home-made blackberry and elderberry 1994, which is indistinguishable from Port. Delicious!
My 1000th blog post on Low Carbon Lifestyle. I wonder how much lower carbon my lifestyle would be if I hadn't have done all this blogging?
But hey, no-one's perfect... especially me, as today's events have reminded me.
Today I was due to attend a York Rotters management meeting, but yesterday one of the other managers rang me to tell me that there had been some complaints about me following the Big Green Market last week when I spent over four hours engaging with the public about home composting. So today, instead of the management meeting, I went in to St Nicks to listen to the accusations, and to try to work out how to deal with the issues.
So, what did I do? Well, it was acknowledged that I am an excellent communicator of composting information and there is no-one more enthusiastic and keen. But, on one occasion I was listening to another (novice) Rotter give some (incomplete or incorrect) information and when they had finished, I spoke to the member of the public and said "actually, you CAN compost that", and told them how. The other Rotter felt they had been contradicted and they didn't like it, and complained. So, first complaint, unjustified I think.
The second was more serious... I was talking to another volunteer and we were talking about ethical burials... I'm not sure who initiated the conversation, but that doesn't really matter. The problem, for the complainant, was that I talked about my plans (Gill and I have a burial plot booked in York Cemetery)and was explaining about Promession, which would be my preferred disposal route, and I told the joke which Gill made when we got the plot, that if I died before her, she'd request to be buried face down. Most people find this amusing, but some over sensitive volunteer complained. They thought it was inappropriate as another volunteer Rotter had died the previous week. I am quite matter of fact about death.. I see it as a consequence of life, but I do know that some people are not as comfortable with the thought of this inevitability. So, this complaint was perhaps half justified.
The next one is inexcusable. How I get members of the public engaged is to wait until someone looks at the cut-away compost bin and I then say "Would you like to tell me about your compost bin?" Many people stop and tell me. A few say "No thanks" and on one occasion someone said "I don't bother to compost" and on this occasion I said "So you don't like recycling then" and this I agree was unprofessional of me. Black mark against my name.
The final thing is the thing I'm most sorry about. One volunteer said they wouldn't want to be on the stall with me again, and another said that they felt like not being part of York Rotters after their experience. I am mortified about this as I started York Rotters in 2004 and love the fact we have been so successful, have lots of active volunteers and are a vital part of St Nicks.
So we sat and talked about my behaviour, the fact that I have been diagnosed as on the autistic spectrum, but don't tick quite enough boxes to be given the Aspergers Syndrome label, despite Gill, my mother, my friend Ann and probably others thinking I have all the classic symptoms. And if I do have AS, then it could be classed as a disability, and this puts an interesting spin on the whole situation. However, I am willing to try to improve and learn to be more empathic, more appropriate, and I will again look to try to secure some Cognitive Behavioural Therapy through the NHS, which might help me.
So, the result of this meeting was that I have been suspended from York Rotters for a month to see if we can resolve the situation. I cannot think of any 'quick fix' here. But in the meantime, I won't be wearing the York Rotters teeshirt, won't do any Rotters volunteering, and won't attend any social events. This is sad but if it helps, and enables York Rotters to continue more smoothly, I can accept the situation.
This was a really difficult meeting for my friend and colleague at St Nicks and I don't want to put that person through this again. Nor do I want to upset the other volunteers (whether or not I think they are oversensitive) or members of the public.
Anyway, I cycled home, had an early lunch and cycled off to see Robin who had asked me to help him install his new solar tubes on his roof. We spent an hour getting ready, with the help of his neighbour, and then when I was in his loft poking a sensor wire through the tiles, he realised he had made an assumption about the new set of tube-holders he had bought. His existing set was configured one way round, with water in at one side and hot water out the other, but unfortunately the new set was made the other way around. This means that he will have to replumb his pipework in his loft. What a nuisance. Poor Robin!
I then went into town to pay in a cheque and to get out another to pay for some advertising.
Then back home, via Country Fresh and Freshways.
I had a quiet and fairly subdued evening. I prepared some pears for drying.
But hey, no-one's perfect... especially me, as today's events have reminded me.
Today I was due to attend a York Rotters management meeting, but yesterday one of the other managers rang me to tell me that there had been some complaints about me following the Big Green Market last week when I spent over four hours engaging with the public about home composting. So today, instead of the management meeting, I went in to St Nicks to listen to the accusations, and to try to work out how to deal with the issues.
So, what did I do? Well, it was acknowledged that I am an excellent communicator of composting information and there is no-one more enthusiastic and keen. But, on one occasion I was listening to another (novice) Rotter give some (incomplete or incorrect) information and when they had finished, I spoke to the member of the public and said "actually, you CAN compost that", and told them how. The other Rotter felt they had been contradicted and they didn't like it, and complained. So, first complaint, unjustified I think.
The second was more serious... I was talking to another volunteer and we were talking about ethical burials... I'm not sure who initiated the conversation, but that doesn't really matter. The problem, for the complainant, was that I talked about my plans (Gill and I have a burial plot booked in York Cemetery)and was explaining about Promession, which would be my preferred disposal route, and I told the joke which Gill made when we got the plot, that if I died before her, she'd request to be buried face down. Most people find this amusing, but some over sensitive volunteer complained. They thought it was inappropriate as another volunteer Rotter had died the previous week. I am quite matter of fact about death.. I see it as a consequence of life, but I do know that some people are not as comfortable with the thought of this inevitability. So, this complaint was perhaps half justified.
The next one is inexcusable. How I get members of the public engaged is to wait until someone looks at the cut-away compost bin and I then say "Would you like to tell me about your compost bin?" Many people stop and tell me. A few say "No thanks" and on one occasion someone said "I don't bother to compost" and on this occasion I said "So you don't like recycling then" and this I agree was unprofessional of me. Black mark against my name.
The final thing is the thing I'm most sorry about. One volunteer said they wouldn't want to be on the stall with me again, and another said that they felt like not being part of York Rotters after their experience. I am mortified about this as I started York Rotters in 2004 and love the fact we have been so successful, have lots of active volunteers and are a vital part of St Nicks.
So we sat and talked about my behaviour, the fact that I have been diagnosed as on the autistic spectrum, but don't tick quite enough boxes to be given the Aspergers Syndrome label, despite Gill, my mother, my friend Ann and probably others thinking I have all the classic symptoms. And if I do have AS, then it could be classed as a disability, and this puts an interesting spin on the whole situation. However, I am willing to try to improve and learn to be more empathic, more appropriate, and I will again look to try to secure some Cognitive Behavioural Therapy through the NHS, which might help me.
So, the result of this meeting was that I have been suspended from York Rotters for a month to see if we can resolve the situation. I cannot think of any 'quick fix' here. But in the meantime, I won't be wearing the York Rotters teeshirt, won't do any Rotters volunteering, and won't attend any social events. This is sad but if it helps, and enables York Rotters to continue more smoothly, I can accept the situation.
This was a really difficult meeting for my friend and colleague at St Nicks and I don't want to put that person through this again. Nor do I want to upset the other volunteers (whether or not I think they are oversensitive) or members of the public.
Anyway, I cycled home, had an early lunch and cycled off to see Robin who had asked me to help him install his new solar tubes on his roof. We spent an hour getting ready, with the help of his neighbour, and then when I was in his loft poking a sensor wire through the tiles, he realised he had made an assumption about the new set of tube-holders he had bought. His existing set was configured one way round, with water in at one side and hot water out the other, but unfortunately the new set was made the other way around. This means that he will have to replumb his pipework in his loft. What a nuisance. Poor Robin!
I then went into town to pay in a cheque and to get out another to pay for some advertising.
Then back home, via Country Fresh and Freshways.
I had a quiet and fairly subdued evening. I prepared some pears for drying.
A good day... got the paperwork for the new quote for solar panels, using Solartwin. My friend's worries about the photovoltaic-powered pump being from a car windscreen washing device are unfounded, and the reports from another nearby installation are really good, so we're going for Solartwin. Harris Builders are using the Solartwin installers, and Harris will provide the scaffolding, take down the unused chimney and make good the roof and re-do the fascia boards.
We are pleased we've made this decision. It will fulfill our desire to reduce our already low carbon footprint yet further. We will get some cash back from the Government for putting it in, and also will qualify for a small amount of money off our gas/electric bill from Good Energy. I don't know how much this will be.
So, after dealing with this paperwork, I spent quite a bit of time doing the shredding of the hedge that I've removed so far. Last time I took a load of hedge out, I left all the twiggy bits to the end, and then spent AGES processing them. This time I'm removing hedge, passing the roots on to people who want a Privet hedge, and processing the tops as I go. Much more sensible.
I came in for lunch at 1pm, as usual, and then at about 1.45 cycled down to the station minus my trailer so I could put the bike on the train to Harrogate, and cycle over to Karen who is using me as a subject for her Masters degree on acupuncture and ADHD.
As I experienced in the previous two sessions, I found the lying down on the treatment table to be most relaxing. I'm not sure why this is... proponents of Traditional Chinese Medicine would say something to do with Qi and energies, but I'm not sure. I wonder if it's because I rarely get a chance to lie down in the middle of the afternoon, and usually get only 5 or 6 hours of sleep a night?
Anyway, I'm enjoying the experience. I haven't felt any changes in my energy levels though, nor am I any tidier! Karen thinks I might need 15 to 30 sessions to get any lasting effect.
I got the 5pm train home and was home by 6 via Freshways... and went straight into the garden to do another hour of hedge processing. Beautiful sunset.
Pasta tea. Lover lea.
Quiet evening, did some more plums.
We are pleased we've made this decision. It will fulfill our desire to reduce our already low carbon footprint yet further. We will get some cash back from the Government for putting it in, and also will qualify for a small amount of money off our gas/electric bill from Good Energy. I don't know how much this will be.
So, after dealing with this paperwork, I spent quite a bit of time doing the shredding of the hedge that I've removed so far. Last time I took a load of hedge out, I left all the twiggy bits to the end, and then spent AGES processing them. This time I'm removing hedge, passing the roots on to people who want a Privet hedge, and processing the tops as I go. Much more sensible.
I came in for lunch at 1pm, as usual, and then at about 1.45 cycled down to the station minus my trailer so I could put the bike on the train to Harrogate, and cycle over to Karen who is using me as a subject for her Masters degree on acupuncture and ADHD.
As I experienced in the previous two sessions, I found the lying down on the treatment table to be most relaxing. I'm not sure why this is... proponents of Traditional Chinese Medicine would say something to do with Qi and energies, but I'm not sure. I wonder if it's because I rarely get a chance to lie down in the middle of the afternoon, and usually get only 5 or 6 hours of sleep a night?
Anyway, I'm enjoying the experience. I haven't felt any changes in my energy levels though, nor am I any tidier! Karen thinks I might need 15 to 30 sessions to get any lasting effect.
I got the 5pm train home and was home by 6 via Freshways... and went straight into the garden to do another hour of hedge processing. Beautiful sunset.
Pasta tea. Lover lea.
Quiet evening, did some more plums.
A bit of a wasted morning in some ways. I had been invited to 'participate' in a webinar, a made-up word based on a seminar conducted over tinterweb. This was because of my being involved in organising York Green Festival, and my interest in organising events generally. So, cvent had invited me to get my computer ready to listen to and watch a presentation, and presumably contribute my views/experiences/questions.
So, as requested, 10 minutes before the event, I registered but my registration procedure just went round in circles. At about 5 minutes into the event, I was about to give up and the phone rang, and one of the organisers tried to help me get onto the correct webpage, and sent me an email with a URL, and put the phone call onto the live presentation so I could listen with the phone on loudspeaker, whilst I copied and pasted the URL into my browser but that just sent me to a pdf document. I got increasingly frustrated. I was also finding it difficult to concentrate on the presentation, as the gentleman had an accent which meant that to understand what was being said, I would have had to put all my concentration into the presentation... which I couldn't as the speakerphone isn't the highest quality and I was still going round in circles with the website. Right at the end the presenter asked if anyone had any comments so I decided to speak... and he answered me, was very apologetic and a bit later, he rang me back and I was able to explain the problems I'd had trying to access the presentation.
So, all I got from the presentation was that the organisation offers a wide range of online services which help event organisers run a successful event. Nothing that York Green Festival could use, I think, but who knows, in the future, I may get involved in organising something which might need cvent's help. I'll keep an open mind but hope the webinar software can be improved, as it gives a poor first impression if something doesn't work.
Anyway, the rest of the day was OK, I did quite a bit of housework, nothing outside as it was raining a lot.
I did go to the Hull Road Planning Panel where we dealt with the usual house extensions making three-bedrooms into 5, 6 or even up to 9 in some cases. These are usually for students.
On the way back I decided to pop into a house just down the road which has a SolarTwin hot water panel on it's roof, distinctive because of it's photovoltaic inset which runs the pump. Malcolm was in, a very engaging gent, and was delighted to tell me all about the system, which he is very very happy with. He has kept good records of all his meter readings and bills... Very interesting stuff... the household of two used about 2000 thermal units of gas a year before the installation, but now averages 1500, a reduction of 25% on their annual gas bill. They also now don't use an electric immersion heater and this electricity use has reduced too. Malcolm reported good customer service and was very satisfied.
I came in shortly before Gill and the boys came in from an open day at the secondary school where our youngest is going next year.
As well as doing washing up, I played loads of Scrabble on facebook.
So, as requested, 10 minutes before the event, I registered but my registration procedure just went round in circles. At about 5 minutes into the event, I was about to give up and the phone rang, and one of the organisers tried to help me get onto the correct webpage, and sent me an email with a URL, and put the phone call onto the live presentation so I could listen with the phone on loudspeaker, whilst I copied and pasted the URL into my browser but that just sent me to a pdf document. I got increasingly frustrated. I was also finding it difficult to concentrate on the presentation, as the gentleman had an accent which meant that to understand what was being said, I would have had to put all my concentration into the presentation... which I couldn't as the speakerphone isn't the highest quality and I was still going round in circles with the website. Right at the end the presenter asked if anyone had any comments so I decided to speak... and he answered me, was very apologetic and a bit later, he rang me back and I was able to explain the problems I'd had trying to access the presentation.
So, all I got from the presentation was that the organisation offers a wide range of online services which help event organisers run a successful event. Nothing that York Green Festival could use, I think, but who knows, in the future, I may get involved in organising something which might need cvent's help. I'll keep an open mind but hope the webinar software can be improved, as it gives a poor first impression if something doesn't work.
Anyway, the rest of the day was OK, I did quite a bit of housework, nothing outside as it was raining a lot.
I did go to the Hull Road Planning Panel where we dealt with the usual house extensions making three-bedrooms into 5, 6 or even up to 9 in some cases. These are usually for students.
On the way back I decided to pop into a house just down the road which has a SolarTwin hot water panel on it's roof, distinctive because of it's photovoltaic inset which runs the pump. Malcolm was in, a very engaging gent, and was delighted to tell me all about the system, which he is very very happy with. He has kept good records of all his meter readings and bills... Very interesting stuff... the household of two used about 2000 thermal units of gas a year before the installation, but now averages 1500, a reduction of 25% on their annual gas bill. They also now don't use an electric immersion heater and this electricity use has reduced too. Malcolm reported good customer service and was very satisfied.
I came in shortly before Gill and the boys came in from an open day at the secondary school where our youngest is going next year.
As well as doing washing up, I played loads of Scrabble on facebook.
A very quiet day in many ways.... nothing much happened in the morning, apart from me washing up and Gill cleaning the fridge, and in the afternoon, again, not a lot to report. However, at 3.15 we had visitors... the solar panel people, Harris Construction, with a rep from Solarwall who will supply the panel.
So this chap took a couple of photos of the boiler, roofspace and from outside, the roofline. He said it would be very straightforward to install the hot water panels. We even have a choice between panels made in Germany or in Washington, Tyne and Wear. The UK ones aren't quite as efficient, but they're cheaper. So, we'll get a detailed breakdown of the choices and prices, and hopefully we'll get our system fitted quite quickly. There's only one problem... our loft is rather, err, 'congested' (read: untidy, chaotic, full of stuff) and it will be quite a job to get it sorted out, I estimate several days work.
Anyway, I'm glad we're moving on with this project.
Soon after 4.30 I headed down to Heslington Road, popped in on Country Fresh to pick up compostables, and then locked my bike up outside David's, so I could look at the most recent photos he took of Professor Fiddlesticks, and I could pick out the best ones. Dave will now put together an album of all the best ones taken over the past months, and from that I'll choose the best and most appropriate ones for my new advertising flyer. We agreed a price, in Yorkys and Sterling. Once a proof has been made, I will then get some printed.
This evening, Avaaz posted this video about Monday's myriad of ways in which people all over the Planet participated in the 'Wake Up Call'. What a brilliant stunt.. well done Avaaz and all the people who did these creative things.
We had Bulgar wheat and home grown green beans for tea and I chopped up loads more apples for drying. Enjoyed Question Time on BBC1.
So this chap took a couple of photos of the boiler, roofspace and from outside, the roofline. He said it would be very straightforward to install the hot water panels. We even have a choice between panels made in Germany or in Washington, Tyne and Wear. The UK ones aren't quite as efficient, but they're cheaper. So, we'll get a detailed breakdown of the choices and prices, and hopefully we'll get our system fitted quite quickly. There's only one problem... our loft is rather, err, 'congested' (read: untidy, chaotic, full of stuff) and it will be quite a job to get it sorted out, I estimate several days work.
Anyway, I'm glad we're moving on with this project.
Soon after 4.30 I headed down to Heslington Road, popped in on Country Fresh to pick up compostables, and then locked my bike up outside David's, so I could look at the most recent photos he took of Professor Fiddlesticks, and I could pick out the best ones. Dave will now put together an album of all the best ones taken over the past months, and from that I'll choose the best and most appropriate ones for my new advertising flyer. We agreed a price, in Yorkys and Sterling. Once a proof has been made, I will then get some printed.
This evening, Avaaz posted this video about Monday's myriad of ways in which people all over the Planet participated in the 'Wake Up Call'. What a brilliant stunt.. well done Avaaz and all the people who did these creative things.
We had Bulgar wheat and home grown green beans for tea and I chopped up loads more apples for drying. Enjoyed Question Time on BBC1.
A very busy busy busy day.
But I didn't have to actually get up until just before 11, although I did do a bit of housework in my dressing gown after breakfast.
At 11am the replacement solar panel surveyor man arrived. The chap who looked round a few weeks ago has hurt his back, so someone else has taken over. Alan was a young and enthusiastic chap, and we had some lively conversations whilst he looked at the outside of the house, the boiler in the bathroom and the roof space. I also showed him the solar panel on the house down the road which has an integral photovoltaic panel which runs the pump. That's what I want. Not a 60w pump wired in and using mains power all the time... sort of defeats the object of the exercise.
Then shortly before midday I bombed into town to attend the Avaaz 'Wake Up Call' flashmob which was aiming to give world leaders the message that there are a lot of us who think that the forthcoming Copenhagen talks are possibly the last chance to set firm and binding targets to reduce CO2 emissions. The York Press photographer was there, and BBC Radio York, and I was able to inform listeners that Gordon Brown, our Prime Minister, had decided to attend Copenhagen himself, demonstrating how important he realises it is. This decision is partly due to the rising clamour about this event. Today, people were given Gordon Brown's phone number and asked to ring him up. What good this will do I don't know, but it's worth trying.
Very soon after this I walked my bike through town and as soon as out of the pedestrian zone, cycled quickly to St Nicks where the load-carrying trike was waiting for me. Tom gave me the key to the lock and told me he wanted it back within the hour. It was not easy to ride, as it hugs the road camber and doesn't lean into corners, but I got the hang of it and plodded up to B+Q, parked up, locked it and went to find someone in the gardening section. There was no-one there. I wandered around and found a B+Q staff member in the paint section. I asked her if I could ask her a question and she looked terrified and said that she was on her lunch hour and actually buying paint. I said that I just wanted to know where I could pick up the turf and she smiled and said she was responsible for the garden bit and would take me to the turf waiting for me. She had looked terrified as she thought I was going to ask a technical question about paint!
I loaded up the 12 rolls of turf onto a trolley whilst she did the paperwork, and I scooted it all outside to the tricycle. It was a heavy and slow cycle back to St Nicks, but the whole trip took just 45 minutes.
I came home on my bike, unhitched my trailer and made a sandwich to take down to the station, as I needed to get the 2.11 train to Hornbeam Park. I put my bike on the train, as when in Hornbeam Park I needed to get to the place on Leeds Road just outside Harrogate to meet Karen the acupuncturist for my first session. I got there at 2.55 and she was expecting me, so I was led to her treatment room. She had already done a full history on Saturday, so she just needed to check my tongue (why, I have no idea!) and pulse, then I lay down and she put about 6 pins in me, only one of which was slightly uncomfortable as it went in... the rest I didn't feel at all, just the pressure of the guide tube. The I lay still for between half an hour and 45 minutes which was LOVELY... being told not to move just felt great... and I felt totally relaxed, but I didn't fall asleep, though I think I could have let myself... The session was over all too soon and she took my pulse again (as before it had been racing as I'd just cycled quickly) and off I went, in the rain which had started. I got to Hornbeam Park with loads of time to spare, and waited in the rain feeling very calm and slightly elated.
It didn't take long to get back to York, and home via Sainsburys as I had forgotten to get Danish Pastries this morning from Thomas's Yesterbake for tomorrow's CarFreeDay picnic breakfast.
I came home via Country Fresh and Freshways.
When I got home, with the pastries, and a nice loaf and some cereal, I went straight out again, to the Co-op to get some more bits and bobs for tomorrow's event.
Tea was a pastie and roast potatoes and some sweet potatoes, rescued from the compostables. They had been thrown out as they were beginning to sprout... I cut of the sprouting ends and will try to grow them on, in the conservatory through the winter.
Then out again to a Transition meeting. I went via Lynn's to pick up a parasol for the CarFreeDay demo. The meeting was good as there were two new faces, but it was also a tough meeting as we had a bit of sorting out to do with regards which activities are 'core Transition' activities and which are 'community building' activities which pave the way for the core Transition activities to take place. I took minutes, and also agreed to work with Diane, to help set up a Huntington and New Earswick Transition Initiative.
Home quite tired but had a lot of typing to do, so to bed at the usual time of 2ish.
And here's what Rich filmed today (added a few days later)
But I didn't have to actually get up until just before 11, although I did do a bit of housework in my dressing gown after breakfast.
At 11am the replacement solar panel surveyor man arrived. The chap who looked round a few weeks ago has hurt his back, so someone else has taken over. Alan was a young and enthusiastic chap, and we had some lively conversations whilst he looked at the outside of the house, the boiler in the bathroom and the roof space. I also showed him the solar panel on the house down the road which has an integral photovoltaic panel which runs the pump. That's what I want. Not a 60w pump wired in and using mains power all the time... sort of defeats the object of the exercise.
Then shortly before midday I bombed into town to attend the Avaaz 'Wake Up Call' flashmob which was aiming to give world leaders the message that there are a lot of us who think that the forthcoming Copenhagen talks are possibly the last chance to set firm and binding targets to reduce CO2 emissions. The York Press photographer was there, and BBC Radio York, and I was able to inform listeners that Gordon Brown, our Prime Minister, had decided to attend Copenhagen himself, demonstrating how important he realises it is. This decision is partly due to the rising clamour about this event. Today, people were given Gordon Brown's phone number and asked to ring him up. What good this will do I don't know, but it's worth trying.
Very soon after this I walked my bike through town and as soon as out of the pedestrian zone, cycled quickly to St Nicks where the load-carrying trike was waiting for me. Tom gave me the key to the lock and told me he wanted it back within the hour. It was not easy to ride, as it hugs the road camber and doesn't lean into corners, but I got the hang of it and plodded up to B+Q, parked up, locked it and went to find someone in the gardening section. There was no-one there. I wandered around and found a B+Q staff member in the paint section. I asked her if I could ask her a question and she looked terrified and said that she was on her lunch hour and actually buying paint. I said that I just wanted to know where I could pick up the turf and she smiled and said she was responsible for the garden bit and would take me to the turf waiting for me. She had looked terrified as she thought I was going to ask a technical question about paint!
I loaded up the 12 rolls of turf onto a trolley whilst she did the paperwork, and I scooted it all outside to the tricycle. It was a heavy and slow cycle back to St Nicks, but the whole trip took just 45 minutes.
I came home on my bike, unhitched my trailer and made a sandwich to take down to the station, as I needed to get the 2.11 train to Hornbeam Park. I put my bike on the train, as when in Hornbeam Park I needed to get to the place on Leeds Road just outside Harrogate to meet Karen the acupuncturist for my first session. I got there at 2.55 and she was expecting me, so I was led to her treatment room. She had already done a full history on Saturday, so she just needed to check my tongue (why, I have no idea!) and pulse, then I lay down and she put about 6 pins in me, only one of which was slightly uncomfortable as it went in... the rest I didn't feel at all, just the pressure of the guide tube. The I lay still for between half an hour and 45 minutes which was LOVELY... being told not to move just felt great... and I felt totally relaxed, but I didn't fall asleep, though I think I could have let myself... The session was over all too soon and she took my pulse again (as before it had been racing as I'd just cycled quickly) and off I went, in the rain which had started. I got to Hornbeam Park with loads of time to spare, and waited in the rain feeling very calm and slightly elated.
It didn't take long to get back to York, and home via Sainsburys as I had forgotten to get Danish Pastries this morning from Thomas's Yesterbake for tomorrow's CarFreeDay picnic breakfast.
I came home via Country Fresh and Freshways.
When I got home, with the pastries, and a nice loaf and some cereal, I went straight out again, to the Co-op to get some more bits and bobs for tomorrow's event.
Tea was a pastie and roast potatoes and some sweet potatoes, rescued from the compostables. They had been thrown out as they were beginning to sprout... I cut of the sprouting ends and will try to grow them on, in the conservatory through the winter.
Then out again to a Transition meeting. I went via Lynn's to pick up a parasol for the CarFreeDay demo. The meeting was good as there were two new faces, but it was also a tough meeting as we had a bit of sorting out to do with regards which activities are 'core Transition' activities and which are 'community building' activities which pave the way for the core Transition activities to take place. I took minutes, and also agreed to work with Diane, to help set up a Huntington and New Earswick Transition Initiative.
Home quite tired but had a lot of typing to do, so to bed at the usual time of 2ish.
And here's what Rich filmed today (added a few days later)
Another good day... Up early as another phone call, and then at 11 a visit from Harrison Builders who had a chap walking around yesterday trying to interest people in having solar hot water... so today a team of 3 chaps came round and surveyed the place, looking at where the boiler is, and what kind of boiler it is, and the roof space, and they said it would be relatively simple. They were interested in the stoves, and enjoyed samples of dried fruit. I hope for a low quote!
The system they offer is by Alpha Innovation who offer 'flat plate collectors' ('Solar Smart') and I thought I wanted evacuated tubes... but I still haven't looked at all the possible options, and I've only had a couple of quotes so far. I'm keeping my mind open and wallet closed for the while!
Then sometime after 12, whilst I was riddling sawdust for the compost toilet, my next guests arrived, Ania and Lucas (pronounced Woo Cash, as he's Polish... they both are) who had asked if I might have some wood suitable for producing flavoured smoke. Lucas has got together with a friend and is purchasing a recently slaughtered pig, and is going to make sausages, hams and assorted other porky bits, including smoked stuff. Although I'm vegetarian, and have been now for 25 years or so, I am a realist and accept that 97% of the UK population do eat meat, and there is absolutely nothing I can do to change that, apart from being an 'out' vegetarian and showing people that you can lead a healthy and very active life without eating dead flesh.
So, they wanted some of my recently acquired apple, and I agreed to sort some out for them, and they were delighted that I was happy to barter this for some potatoes and other produce. I gave then a tour and Lucas said he'd be back at 6pm to pick up the wood.
Then I had lunch and continued outside, until Ben arrived as he'd asked how I was and I'd told him about my email woes, so he had a poke around Outlook Express, Mozilla Thunderbird and Tiscali Webmail. My problem was that I'd made a second account on T-bird, one with my name and the other with my email address.. so he sorted that. But, there is still a problem. When I delete an email on T-bird, it doesn't delete on the Tiscali server which means I have to go through and delete on Webmail when I've already deleted on my email client. Bummer. Ben said he'd have a poke around and see if he could find more info.
Then Lucas came back, with a large volume of vegetation for me as a swap for the logs I sorted... about 15 kg of home grown potatoes, dug up today, and some leeks, beetroot, onions, courgettes AND a large jar of raspberry jam! He took away a car boot full of green apple logs, cut and split and ready to, well, burn slowly and smokily!
I cycled down to Country Fresh and picked up 2 sacks and 2 boxes of compostables, and had a good chat to Richard, as well as buying veg off him.
Then towards 7pm, Ivana came round and she had a tour, and we sorted out a bit of help from her... what a very busy day!
Later, I watched a good film with my eldest son, and Gill watched quite a bit of it... a 2007 offering I heard about whilst it was being filmed, called 'Grow Your Own'. Set on a Liverpool allotment, it is a 'human condition' story and was a good 90 minutes. I recommend it.
The system they offer is by Alpha Innovation who offer 'flat plate collectors' ('Solar Smart') and I thought I wanted evacuated tubes... but I still haven't looked at all the possible options, and I've only had a couple of quotes so far. I'm keeping my mind open and wallet closed for the while!
Then sometime after 12, whilst I was riddling sawdust for the compost toilet, my next guests arrived, Ania and Lucas (pronounced Woo Cash, as he's Polish... they both are) who had asked if I might have some wood suitable for producing flavoured smoke. Lucas has got together with a friend and is purchasing a recently slaughtered pig, and is going to make sausages, hams and assorted other porky bits, including smoked stuff. Although I'm vegetarian, and have been now for 25 years or so, I am a realist and accept that 97% of the UK population do eat meat, and there is absolutely nothing I can do to change that, apart from being an 'out' vegetarian and showing people that you can lead a healthy and very active life without eating dead flesh.
So, they wanted some of my recently acquired apple, and I agreed to sort some out for them, and they were delighted that I was happy to barter this for some potatoes and other produce. I gave then a tour and Lucas said he'd be back at 6pm to pick up the wood.
Then I had lunch and continued outside, until Ben arrived as he'd asked how I was and I'd told him about my email woes, so he had a poke around Outlook Express, Mozilla Thunderbird and Tiscali Webmail. My problem was that I'd made a second account on T-bird, one with my name and the other with my email address.. so he sorted that. But, there is still a problem. When I delete an email on T-bird, it doesn't delete on the Tiscali server which means I have to go through and delete on Webmail when I've already deleted on my email client. Bummer. Ben said he'd have a poke around and see if he could find more info.
Then Lucas came back, with a large volume of vegetation for me as a swap for the logs I sorted... about 15 kg of home grown potatoes, dug up today, and some leeks, beetroot, onions, courgettes AND a large jar of raspberry jam! He took away a car boot full of green apple logs, cut and split and ready to, well, burn slowly and smokily!
I cycled down to Country Fresh and picked up 2 sacks and 2 boxes of compostables, and had a good chat to Richard, as well as buying veg off him.
Then towards 7pm, Ivana came round and she had a tour, and we sorted out a bit of help from her... what a very busy day!
Later, I watched a good film with my eldest son, and Gill watched quite a bit of it... a 2007 offering I heard about whilst it was being filmed, called 'Grow Your Own'. Set on a Liverpool allotment, it is a 'human condition' story and was a good 90 minutes. I recommend it.
Quite an early start as had a full day's work ahead of me. Packed my usual Fiddlesticks gear and costume and cycled along to Monk's Cross Shopping Centre, arriving before 10.30 and finding the information place where I met my handlers and was shown where I was to work. I was on a walkway between a coffee shop and a sweet stall, facing an enormous car park. Not my kind of place really, and this was my first visit here. However, I was twiddling my Devilstick by 11am and saying 'hello' and 'morning' to the first trickle of shoppers, and soon I had a lot of interest, mainly youngsters trying out the four-wheeled unicycle and quite a few wanting to learn to juggle... I was extremely busy til just after 1pm, and then managed to pack up and have a lunch break and warm up for half an hour, as it was bitterly cold and I was in my shorts and tee shirt, as I'd thought it was inside, like a shopping centre with undercover walkways and shops off these... but it is a load of shops and partially covered pavements, open to the elements.
So continued to be busy and buzzy and happy to work with allcomers, giving out balloon models to anyone who participated in the circus workshops. Loads of teenagers, some University students too... lots of fun, and I finished at 3.30 as contracted to do. Got changed back into warmer clothes and came home, to a lovely warm house.
However, this evening was the York in Transition Solar Buyers Club first meeting, at Anna's house. I loaded up three potato sacks of seasoned logs for Pauline and got to Anna's for just before 6pm, followed by about 30 more. The 'bring and share' food table wasn't big enough, and Anna's front room was packed for Robin's talk about how his solar water heating system works.
Then there was a short talk from a chap, possibly an Andy, who works for a local firm of solar water installers, but he wasn't the boss and some of the questions were deflected to 'when the boss was back' and we didn't get to talk much about a bulk buying deal. However, the system which Anna has put in, which is from J Lister Electrical Ltd who install Solar UK LaZer2 evacuated tubes was viewable... an amazing looking cylinder in her bathroom which stores the heat gleaned from the tubes on her roof.
There was a leaflet from another supplier, YorkshireEnergySolutions but as they didn't send a speaker to the meeting I have no idea how good they are... but I've no reason to think they may not be competent, and they offer all sorts of different renewable energy solutions!
After this meeting I walked back to Pauline's with her and helped her put the logs in her shed, and had a coffee and chat, but didn't stay long as Pauline was tired and isn't often up late.
Home via Country Fresh to a warm house. Entered a SUMA order via their website.
So continued to be busy and buzzy and happy to work with allcomers, giving out balloon models to anyone who participated in the circus workshops. Loads of teenagers, some University students too... lots of fun, and I finished at 3.30 as contracted to do. Got changed back into warmer clothes and came home, to a lovely warm house.
However, this evening was the York in Transition Solar Buyers Club first meeting, at Anna's house. I loaded up three potato sacks of seasoned logs for Pauline and got to Anna's for just before 6pm, followed by about 30 more. The 'bring and share' food table wasn't big enough, and Anna's front room was packed for Robin's talk about how his solar water heating system works.
Then there was a short talk from a chap, possibly an Andy, who works for a local firm of solar water installers, but he wasn't the boss and some of the questions were deflected to 'when the boss was back' and we didn't get to talk much about a bulk buying deal. However, the system which Anna has put in, which is from J Lister Electrical Ltd who install Solar UK LaZer2 evacuated tubes was viewable... an amazing looking cylinder in her bathroom which stores the heat gleaned from the tubes on her roof.
There was a leaflet from another supplier, YorkshireEnergySolutions but as they didn't send a speaker to the meeting I have no idea how good they are... but I've no reason to think they may not be competent, and they offer all sorts of different renewable energy solutions!
After this meeting I walked back to Pauline's with her and helped her put the logs in her shed, and had a coffee and chat, but didn't stay long as Pauline was tired and isn't often up late.
Home via Country Fresh to a warm house. Entered a SUMA order via their website.
A busy day, lots of visitors and calls.
I had a provisional booking from a stately home for Christmas entertainment through my agent, and a visit from a chap from Listers electrical to size-up our gaff to give us a quote for solar hot water. The company started 30 years ago doing solar systems but they were only getting 15 orders a year so they switched to doing electricals. But recently they've decided to get back into solar hot water, and have got quite a few orders. In the current 'climate' with rising fuel bills, solar hot water systems make a lot of sense. So we look forward to a quote.
I had a visit from Martin the York Green Festival treasurer, for me to sign 5 cheques. Two he took with him to send to their recipients, two were collected by Bob.. one was for him as he'd spent on posters and the other was for Baz for various small items. There was one for me to refund the insurance I paid for weeks ago.
Then the SUMA order arrived, most of it for Phil B who is taking it to France where he goes to visit a community. Later, Phil came to pick it up.
I cycled fast into town in the rain to pay in my cheque, and came back via Country Fresh to do a last pick up before my little break. I am justabout out of space here so I took it to St Nicks to use their composting systems, and layered it with some woody cuttings left by a local resident.
One of my friends rang last night in a distressed state and asked me to visit so I did, but the issues had sorted themselves out so I came away as was very busy.
We had pizza for tea... we rarely have 'ready meals' but we got a coupon from our membership of the Co-op which had to be spent on ready meals, so got that as a treat. It wasn't as good as Gill's pizzas though.
Before 7 I cycled to St Nicks to unload the compostables and prepare for the York in Transition meeting, where we planned to show the film 'The Power of Community' which shows how Cuba coped with 'Peak Oil' in the 90's when the Soviet Union broke up and exports/imports dropped considerably... including oil. It's an excellent film... but the disc we were using stopped playing halfway but that left plenty of time to have some discussions. Was pleased to meet my friend Shan again... but failed to persuade her to buy a compost bin!
Home to pack to go to the Northern Green Gathering tomorrow, where I'm doing the composting as usual! I'm going with my eldest son, which should be good as when we're together without the other family members we get on really well.
Had a reasonably short chat on Skype, but did my blog at the same time.
I had a provisional booking from a stately home for Christmas entertainment through my agent, and a visit from a chap from Listers electrical to size-up our gaff to give us a quote for solar hot water. The company started 30 years ago doing solar systems but they were only getting 15 orders a year so they switched to doing electricals. But recently they've decided to get back into solar hot water, and have got quite a few orders. In the current 'climate' with rising fuel bills, solar hot water systems make a lot of sense. So we look forward to a quote.
I had a visit from Martin the York Green Festival treasurer, for me to sign 5 cheques. Two he took with him to send to their recipients, two were collected by Bob.. one was for him as he'd spent on posters and the other was for Baz for various small items. There was one for me to refund the insurance I paid for weeks ago.
Then the SUMA order arrived, most of it for Phil B who is taking it to France where he goes to visit a community. Later, Phil came to pick it up.
I cycled fast into town in the rain to pay in my cheque, and came back via Country Fresh to do a last pick up before my little break. I am justabout out of space here so I took it to St Nicks to use their composting systems, and layered it with some woody cuttings left by a local resident.
One of my friends rang last night in a distressed state and asked me to visit so I did, but the issues had sorted themselves out so I came away as was very busy.
We had pizza for tea... we rarely have 'ready meals' but we got a coupon from our membership of the Co-op which had to be spent on ready meals, so got that as a treat. It wasn't as good as Gill's pizzas though.
Before 7 I cycled to St Nicks to unload the compostables and prepare for the York in Transition meeting, where we planned to show the film 'The Power of Community' which shows how Cuba coped with 'Peak Oil' in the 90's when the Soviet Union broke up and exports/imports dropped considerably... including oil. It's an excellent film... but the disc we were using stopped playing halfway but that left plenty of time to have some discussions. Was pleased to meet my friend Shan again... but failed to persuade her to buy a compost bin!
Home to pack to go to the Northern Green Gathering tomorrow, where I'm doing the composting as usual! I'm going with my eldest son, which should be good as when we're together without the other family members we get on really well.
Had a reasonably short chat on Skype, but did my blog at the same time.
