Human Lifestyle: train travel

Showing posts with label train travel. Show all posts

Saturday 7th May 11

A slow day, had several visitors though, Loony's mother and a friend, delivering a sofa and two chairs, and her ex partner and 3 year old daughter, who stayed when he went, and then her father and his partner, and a friend/home helper person, Gemma I think... but no-one else came to her housewarming, but glad some did! I did do quite a bit of balloon modelling, Gemma was good and Loony and her little daughter had a go too.

I got the bus into Bristol at 6 and my train left on time at 8.30, got into Birmingham at 10ish, I left there at 10.30 and got into Manchester Piccadilly after midnight, and then walked in the rain across the City centre to Victoria, where I had a good hour's devilsticking before the 1.55am train left for York. Got into York at 3.30, home and soaking wet at 4, amazed at all the lovely birthday greetings that came through facebook (and a few on email) and didn't get to bed until nearly 5.

Bristol, Loonie Leonie, train travel |

Friday 6th May 11

Another busy day, mainly at the count and then a train journey.

The counting of votes was due to take place today, and what is now 'Energise' but I and everyone else in York calls Oaklands Sports Centre. The entrance ticket said 9.30 but there were so many people wanting to get in, and having to get their round-the -neck tags saying 'Candidate' or 'Counting Agent' or 'Guest', that the count didn't really get going until nearly 10am.

The first job was to separate the Referendum grey coloured papers from the white Council Election papers, and this wasn't really a process which allowed any of the party workers to get any information. This happens at the next stage, where individual ballot boxes, which are numbered, have their ballot papers counted and put in bundles of 50, and this number tallied with the number of people who came into the polling station to vote. At this stage, it is possible to do a count of the numbers of ticks or crosses on the ballot paper and see what the voting patterns were in specific geographical areas, as each ballot box serves a part of the ward. This is easiest in areas with just one Councillor, ie one vote. However, it gets more difficult where there are two or three Councillors and you are allowed up to that number of votes. So in Hull Road Ward, where there are two Councillors, there were two crosses on most ballots, and it was less easy to see what the outcome of the poll would be.

So, although some of our party activists were busy scribbling down as many of the details they could during this initial count, I couldn't follow it and there wasn't a party activist giving instructions about what to do. So I just watched the person counting and counted as well, to check they were getting it right! I really didn't need to do this as each bundle of 50 is recounted by another person and initialled by them as well. The referendum ballots were counted too, and bundled up into 50s, and this second lot of counting extended the whole business considerably. At about 10am, Kirsten England, the Chief Executive of the City of York Council said she thought they'd be able to finish the job in a couple of hours, but the first result wasn't announced til 4pm!

So, after the numbers of ballots were tallied with the people who turned up to vote, the Council seat ballots from each ward were sorted into those papers where the voter had voted for both or all three of the same party, and mixed or single votes. The 'block votes' were then counted and checked, and each candidate had their votes noted. Then the mixed and single votes papers were dealt with, by a pair of counters, one reading out the names on the ballot, one by one, and the other with a tally sheet with all the candidates' names on and rows of very small boxes to the right of their names for putting a tiny line through or a cross in, rows of 10 and columns of 5, so each big box when full would add up to 50 votes. This part of the operation was very important to watch, especially with one of the counters, who by chance happened to be a Council officer whom I really don't get on with as they've been rude, unhelpful and unprofessional with me in the past. Several people noticed that this person was making mistakes, and complained, so when done, this operation was checked by another group of counters. All this took MUCH longer than initially planned, or desired.

However, the results started coming in, and one of the most exciting was in Acomb Ward, where the Lib Dem leader of the council, whom I think is a dinosaur who ought to have been put out to grass long ago, and his second in command, whom I think has been weak politically but is a nice guy whom I'm fond of, lost their seats. The cheer from the gathered opposition was huge, my cheer was only for the passing of Steve Galloway, not Andrew Waller. When the Hull Road Ward results came in, I wasn't elected either. That's politics.

The other interesting result was that in another ward to the west of York, Anna Semlyen was voted in. She's been a Green supporter for a long time but was incensed by the unilateral decision by Steve Galloway to say no to a city-wide 20 mile an hour limit in built-up areas, and joined the Labour Party, and has been elected. I now predict a few years of exciting politics.... I predict that Anna will 'make waves' and put a lot of energy into what she wants to do; I hope she remembers that she's representing the citizens in her ward and a good Councillor gets to know the area (if they don't live there, which she doesn't) and the people there. I wish her, and the other new Councillors, and the re-elected ones, a good four years, and hope they can move the City of York to a more sustainable, lower carbon, fairer, more equal society. One day I hope to get elected, in MY ward, for the party I've agreed with for all my adult life, and be a really hard-working Councillor. Maybe next time? It is, as always, up to the local voters.

As soon as our results were announced, I got my stuff and cycled briskly off, as at 6.24 I had to be on a train to Bristol. I got back at 5 and Sue was talking to Gill on the doorstep, having collected an 'emergency' bag of dried fruit for her latest long drive. I hadn't got any time to chat as I had less than hour to get myself ready and packed and off to the station. This I of course I managed to do.

The train left on time and all the way to Birmingham I started working though over 100 unread emails from one of the lists I subscribe to, and once read, I deleted most of them. However, there were still about 60 left, which I thought I might get through between Birmingham and Bristol. But, no, I met a really nice chap on the platform waiting for the Bristol train, which was 40 minutes late, and we talked about Credit Unions, high street loan companies, how to conduct successful relationships, and much much more. He got off at Parkway and I at Temple Meads 5 minutes later. My friend Loony was waiting for me, and as the train was late, we'd missed the bus so we had to get a taxi. She's got a new flat recently and is having a housewarming party tomorrow, which is one reason why she's invited me down, to provide some entertainment.

Thursday24th March 11

I worked late into the night using Lucy's laptop and WiFi to write up the past couple of days events, and went to sleep on their fold-out couch/bed well after 2am.

And was woken up at 7am as I was booked onto the 8.06 from Weston to Bristol. I had some cereal and toast with the children, and Lucy was driving past the station anyway so she dropped me there and came onto the platform for a few minutes to see me off.

In Bristol the 9am train to London was waiting, I had got a cheap route via Reading... a longer journey but cheaper ticket, so got into Reading at just after 10 and then waited for the Newcastle train which came in at 10.35 and left 5 mins later, with me esconced on a reserved seat. Got the laptop out and half dozed, half deleted emails, chatted to Ernie behind me at one stage of the journey, and a lady opposite too, who was interested in my dried fruit and swapped some for a bag of crisps.

The train was early into York, getting in just before 3, and I went down to Cycle Heaven to see if they'd got my bike parts. The brakes had arrived but not the indestructable sprocket ring, and Ash had forgotten to book my bike in for Friday, so Ben dealt with it and said come in on Sunday.

I was pleased to get home and people seemed pleased to see me. I did my emails and had a couple of phone calls, including one from my brother Tom telling me that my Uncle Eddie Potok had died last night. I rang Aunty Lizzie and we had a nice chat.

Gill made spaghetti with a nice mix of vegetables for tea, and later still I had a bath. I spent quite a bit of time getting stuff together for going to London tomorrow, as I'm going to UK Aware. I'm staying with Lisa and Ian and looking forward to that, and may get to see my Oxfam Carbon Footprint friend Anna too. Exciting times!

Cycle Heaven, train travel, UK Aware |

Friday 4th March 11

Quite an early start as I went round to Maria's with my eldest so he could do his science lesson and I moved about 20 sacks of compost in the wheelbarrow from the back garden, through Johan's workshop and tipped them out into the front garden, in piles all over, so that Maria can rake or brush them over the soil. I finished that in about 40 minutes and then carried on digging out the second New Zealand bin and putting it into the third, removing sticks and stones and rubbish... not that there was a lot of rubbish, but a few uncomposted tea-bags, bits of plastic, etc. The sticks went on the top of heap number 1, with all the fresh material on.

Maria and our lad did experiments to see how quickly hot water cooled down in differently insulated receptacles. Simple, but good hands on experiments, good to see scientific technique being done.

We came back at the same time Gill came back from the Steiner School, she'd been volunteering at the shop.

I was sorting out something outside when a neighbour, Jamie, stopped by, and invited me to see his logpile! He was planning on getting a stove; he'd visited me a couple of years ago and seen the stoves. However, he hasn't got round to it, and he's just learned that his wife has a serious illness, so he's selling his logpile for £50. I said yes, because it is a mix of hardwood and softwood, well seasoned, and there's a lot of it. I think £50 is a good price.

I came back for lunch, and arranged to go and see David on Sunday night.

In the afternoon I needed to sort out various things as I'm going to Sheffield tonight to attend the Community Composting Network meal, and tomorrow the AGM and conference. I'll be staying over at my brother's house.

I popped down to see Richard to give him another 5 bags of seed compost, collected 4 sacks of 'resources'. I also collected two trailer loads of logs from Jamie round the corner. Then needed to get ready to go to Sheffield!

I got to the station in good time to get my ticket and take the bike (no trailer!) over to Platform 9 to get onto the Plymouth Train, which went via Leeds and Wakefield to Sheffield. I got into Sheffield just before 7 and it didn't take me long to cycle up to the Blue Moon where the Community Composting Network members were gathering for a social meal.

As usual with Blue Moon, the food was excellent, and I enjoyed meeting the other CCN people, some of whom I knew and others I got to know!

It wasn't far from Blue Moon to where my brother lives, behind the station, and I found myself slowly tacking up a huge hill but it was really only about 5 minutes cycling uphill, the rest was either flat or down a gradient.

I got to Tom's at 10pm, and he and Kate were out at an event, so I knew there were babysitters there. They left as soon as I'd got my bike into the garage, and I went on Tom's computer to chat on facebook, before peeling off to bed and reading more of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, my World Book Night title.

Tuesday 22nd February 11

A really lovely day... doing one of my favourite activities, working in a 'special school'.

So I had a small lie-in but got up before 10 and packed up all my gear, my backpack with costume, balloons, feathers, 4 wheel and 2 wheel unicycles, my kit bag with sticks, juggling balls and diabolos, my small unicycle and big unicycle, plus my 'handbag' with reading matter, diary, and sandwiches. Gill plaited my hair, which I washed last night so it was lovely and shiny.

Packed the bike and headed to the station at about 11, as I needed to get my tickets for my trip to London at the end of March. I am travelling down on the Friday morning and back on Saturday evening; my talk is Saturday afternoon. I got my ticket to Brough too, and headed to platform 7 for the 11.53 train. I'd ordered a taxi last night to pick me up from Brough and take me to St Anne's School, and it was waiting for me.

I was ready to do my show by 1.10, and I had about 20 children come along, with a good number of adults with them, as many of them needed support and help; some needed preventing from coming out of the audience area and interfering with the equipment behind me. However, a core group were happy to watch and interact, I got 4 children up to do devilsticks, maybe 10 to balance feathers, they loved 'Derek the Diabolo' especially when I had to tell him off for misbehaviour, and several volunteers had a go on the 4 wheel unicycle. The balloon show and workshop was fun too. We finished sometime after 3pm, I got changed again and Kay sorted out my paperwork, and I got a lift with Carol who was going back into Brough. I had to wait for the 4.22 but I read my NewScientist. On the train, though, I dozed.

I had been invited to go and see Caroline Lucas on her flying visit to York, scheduled to be at 4.45 at the library. I knew my train wasn't supposed to get in til 5.15, so I thought I'd miss half of her talk. We got in early at 5.08, i loaded my trailer and cycled like the wind along to the library, locked up, gathered all my clobber, and as I walked in, Caroline was just walking through the library into the side room where the Green Party meeting was. She'd just finished giving an interview with Radio York (interview here, 2 hours 6 minutes in). She spoke very eloquently to the group who had come to hear her speak, about the Green alternative to the ConDem cuts. The Greens would invest in green jobs, such as the 100 jobs created in Kirklees, insulating peoples' houses and fitting energy efficiency measures, which help people keep warmer for less money. These workers pay tax and their income means they are able to buy goods, which also raises revenue... the work they are doing cuts carbon emissions and improves quality of life. This scheme was brought in by Green Councillors. There are countless other green jobs.... for instance, we have one of the World's best wind and wave resources, and we could be heading towards energy security if we invested heavily. The Greens would not renew the nuclear submarine Trident scheme, saving £100 billion over 30 years, and would introduce the 'Robin Hood Tax' which wouldn't take away from ordinary people at all, but big financial transactions between banks and traders would have a very very tiny tax slapped on.... raising £20 billion a year, just in this country!

In the questions at the end, I asked about whether she thought that in the referendum about electoral reform, whether the Alternative Vote system would help the Greens. Her answer was that it might, to a limited extent, but that if we get AV this time, we are far more likely to get proper fair Proportional Representation in the future. So I'll be voting for change, for AV, despite not liking AV that much, as it is not nearly as good as PR... but we haven't been given the choice of voting for that.

Caroline left to go and visit Leeds and Wakefield, and after a bit of chatting, loaded up my bike again and cycled over to Bishophill to meet a Freecycler, Tracy, who'd offered a packet of dried kidney beans. I'd been chosen as the lucky recipient... her reason for giving it away was that whenever she thought to have them, they needed soaking first, and she never got around to doing this the previous day! Well Gill and I often plan meals a day or two in advance, so this won't be a problem for us. Thank you Tracy!

Then I came home, via 2 sacks of recycling from Freshways, getting in at 7pm. For tea I had some rissoles Gill had made from the remains of yesterday's rice, some new potatoes, and the unusual mushrooms found thrown away on Friday night. They were quite nice.... the texture was rather soft, and I wouldn't buy them, although rescuing them from a bin is a completely different matter!

A happy evening; my New Zealand relative Wendy hasn't been squashed in an earthquake, and I'm deeply saddened for those who have, or rather their families and friends. So I watched YouTube vids of that quake and the devastation (for instance, this), and other online things, and then caught a programme about David Nash, a sculptor who works in wood, and I think he probably becomes my 3rd favourite sculptor, after Peter Randall-Page and Andy Goldsworthy.

Tuesday 15th February 11

I got up early to leave the house at 8, so I could get the 8.27 to Sheffield. But I had lost my bag with diaries etc in, but I didn't panic, and just set off at ten past. I raced to the station, got there in about 10 minutes and got my ticket and easily got the 8.27.

I met Ali at 9,30 at Sheffield Station; she'd taken her daughter to school and her son to work, and then picked me up.

I did assorted jobs, including cleaning out her Can Of Worms stacking wormery, which had lost it's population over the winter, through lack of food and being frozen. I restocked it with worms I got out of the base of her compost bin, which mainly has rabbit bedding in it... but some was reasonably composted down and I filled a small plastic sack with the stuff out of the base. There were plenty of worms, lots of babies just 5 to 10 mm long. I put a load of bedding into the wormery and some food waste too. Hopefully it will sustain if fed regularly.

Ali took me for lunch at a pub she regularly goes to, and we had some good conversations. She is very sensible and wise; I should take her advice.

Later I cut the beech hedge with a powerful electric hedge trimmer. I enjoyed using this, although it was heavy and made my arms ache, and I got a huge pile of trimmings off it, which I raked up and left in a pile as in Sheffield they don't have a green bin garden compostables collection like there is in York. There might be a 'green sack' collection, though. However, there were no available sacks....

Helena, one of Ali's PAs, cooked a Quorn and vegetable-based shepherd's pie and an apple crumble, and I was invited to stay for tea, which was really nice, and I left for the bus into Sheffield at about 7pm. I chatted to a chap on the bus who had been attacked by a mob with a crowbar about 10 years previously, and left disabled and unable to work. He got off and an old chap got on and desperately wanted to talk to me; he was about to celebrate his 80th birthday and he wanted to know if I supported United or Wednesday, whether I gambled, and much more besides! I got off at the station and I only had 10 minutes to wait for the 7.54 train.

I got home just after 9pm, and all was well at home. I reloaded the log baskets, did some washing up, peeled some old bananas for drying, and caught up with over 50 emails. Gill had found my missing bag left at St Nicks and had collected it for me. What a darling!

Sunday 2nd January 11

Not too hurried a start, got the washing up done and made sandwiches so I could have lunch on the train.

Gill wanted me to try to find some soya yoghurt with active acidobifidus or something culture, so I visited Morissons AND Waitrose on my way to town, so if I found what she wanted, I'd cycle back home with the yoghurt. But no, there wasn't a product available so I went on to the station, locked up my trailer and got a ticket to Bradford. I'd decided the best way to get to Manningham from Bradford Interchange was to use my bike, but as trailers aren't allowed on trains, I left that locked up in York.

Waiting on the platform, I texted Gill with the no yoghurt news. On the train I chatted with a PhD student called Phil (I think!) who is researching mathematical models of medical conditions in the aging population. Fascinating stuff. I love train journeys! I changed trains at Leeds and then chatted to an Oriental couple from Manchester who were about to explore Bradford, which was only 20 minutes or so from Leeds.

I'd memorised the route from the station to Jess's house, using Googlemaps and Streetview, and I found it very easily. Nomy was in, Jess had gone to town but was soon back with some provisions for tea. It was lovely to see them together; I'm the person responsible for introducing them to each other, and now they're a couple, which makes me very happy.

Before tea, we had a game of Scrabble on a homemade Scrabble board, made out of cardboard, and tile racks made of Lego. How creative Jess is!

Jess cooked a stir fry with noodles which was lovely, followed by ice cream and chocolate sauce.

After this we watched YouTube music videos, and then a great film called Kinky Boots on DVD, which was great, I really enjoyed it.

Wednesday 22nd December 10

My final day working for Kirklees Council on their market as Father Christmas. I once again got the 9am train to Dewsbury, and was pleased to see my old Credit Union colleague Simon Brereton and headed towards the market and it's little building with the office upstairs and the grotto downstairs. The temperature sign on the nearby building said -8 C when I arrived, but during the day it got the sun on it and slowly went up, to -6, -3, -1, then -0 which surprised me, and then 0 and for a short time, up to 8 C, but it soon fell again when the sun went away, and by 3.30 pm it was below zero again. In reality, where we were, it never rose above freezing.

However, despite it being cold, I enjoyed my day... it was quiet enough to be almost boring, but the occasional visitor made it just worthwhile. I got on well with my 'Santa's Little Helper' or 'Mrs. Claus', Trish, and we had some good conversations. At the end of the day, at 3.30, I gave her some pea beans I happened to have with me.

An uneventful ride home, had to change trains in Leeds though. I cycled home as quickly as possible.

Gill had made tomato soup for tea and this was delicious, really delicious!

A quiet evening.

Monday 20th December 10

Another early start as had to be in Huddersfield by about 10am, so I got the 9am train, and had a fairly quiet journey. I did chat initially to the people sitting opposite me but they were what I used to call 'plastic people', as they were sad fashion victims going from Sunderland to Manchester to go shopping... ugh. They had nothing to say, empty lives.

Anyway, I got to Huddersfield and briskly walked to the market hall where I had first been sent a few weeks back and as I approached the office, a market official sped out clutching the Santa sacks, recognised me and said to go with him to the other market hall where I'd be working today. We got in his car and had a 5 minute drive to the market very close to the railway station, which is covered but not enclosed, so it was bitterly cold.

I had a walk round with the head of the market and then went to get changed and get walking round with my sack of tiny chocolate footballs and mini chocolate Santas. I enjoyed this a lot... banter and humour and fun, but I was glad to get back to the office at midday and have my sandwiches. I got going again at 12.30 and worked til 1.45 when i had a quick coffee before going to the reindeer enclosure, this time the two reindeer were from Reindeer For Christmas, and they had a sleigh (on casters) which I sat in, and the reindeer pulled it around to different areas of the market. This was quite memorable! When the sleigh came to a halt, various children were placed in the sleigh with me for photo opportunities, and I met a nice lass called Joanne who was really keen on the reindeer and very extrovert.

I did another half hour giving out chocolate balls after this and finished at 3.35, and was soon walking up to the station dressed as John, with no-one taking any notice of me.

There was a train soon after 4pm, and I dozed all the way to York. I took the Cycle Heaven bike down to the shop on Bishopthorpe Road where my mended bike was waiting. However, I was a little shocked at the bill... I'd had my chain de-kinked and lubed, a new mudguard put on, a new pannier rack and new rear tyre... the cost was £113. I had just £115 in notes on me, so I had just enough to pay them. But it was lovely to have my bike back, and on the way back I popped in to Freshways and picked up a sack of tropical veg which was too limp or otherwise unsaleable.

It was good to get home, as I was frozen. I cannot remember being so cold, ever! I'd had a text from Sue asking if she could come round and collect some dried fruit before travelling South for her Christmas break, so she appeared after tea and was really quite entertaining with her stories and recounting of incidents from her past. She stayed til nearly 10pm.

I got on with washing up and a few other bits but generally relaxed. The boys slept downstairs in the front room as it was the warmest place. I wondered whether I'd be able to get up early enough to see the eclipse of the moon in the morning...

Sunday 19th December 10

Not too bad a start this morning, as I didn't have to be on the train til 10.13 to go to Northallerton. However this still meant leaving the house soon after 9.30, as I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get my stuff to the station on the Cycle Heaven bike, which only had a pannier rack. I'd left my trailer at Cycle Heaven, and will pick it up tomorrow.

So I didn't take my one-wheeled unicycles... partly as there's no space at the Black Sheep Brewery to ride the unicycle, so they are there mainly for show, to provide a backdrop for the show and workshop. I managed my sticks, balls and diabolo bag on the pannier rack, and my costume, balloons and 4-wheel and 2-wheel unicycles on my back, in a rucksack.

So, I got the train and chatted to a nice Occupational Therapist from West Yorkshire, whom I'd be really happy to have more conversations with, but Northallerton is only 20 minutes North of York, so our chat was truncated.

I'd booked a taxi last night so Keith was waiting for me, and he drove me all the way to the Black Sheep Brewery in Masham. I got there at about 11am, and was due to be available from 11.30, as people start arriving then. I had a coffee and got changed into Fiddlesticks gear, much preferred to the Father Christmas garb.

Quite a few people are regular Black Sheep Brewery Christmas Lunch attendees, and so some of them have seen me just about every year for I don't know how long... best part of a decade I think. This event attracts lots of families with children, and many of them know what to expect from me. My 'dog's dinner' balloon was the most requested. I did some welcoming whilst devilsticking, then table hopping with balloons and humour, then a circus show and workshop, and worked continuously from 11.30 til 3.30, with no time for my sandwiches.

At 3.30 I quickly got changed and was given an envelope with my payment in it, and I signed for that. The taxi was waiting and I was taken back to Northallerton, paid the taxi driver the £50 for both journeys, and had my sandwiches whilst waiting for the train back to York. The people sitting opposite me on the train were supposed to have caught a flight from Newcastle to London, but due to the snow, Heathrow is shut so they had to catch a train. But this train, supposed to go to Kings Cross, was stopping at Doncaster as there was a problem with the overhead wires near Peterborough and no trains were getting through. So they got off at York as they had the chance of having their tickets refunded, or to resume the journey tomorrow.

I was lucky to be able to get on the bike and cycle home. I didn't need any evening meal as I'd only just eaten lunch at 4.15pm. But I hoovered up a half-plateful left by one of the boys when I was a bit hungry at 8pm. I made up a load of muesli and kept the stove going. Also enjoyed a programme about the origins and history of Father Christmas, appropriate, as in just a few hours I'll be 'doing' him in the streets of Huddersfield.

Saturday 18th December 10

Another early start for me, as due to be in Dewsbury for 10ish, so I got the 8.58 train and chatted with a nice couple, students, heading back to her home village of Giggleswick for a few days over Christmas.

Dewsbury was quite snowy and very cold... there is a big building near the market with a digital display and as well as the time and date, it shows the temperature, which was -7 Celsius, and during the day it got no warmer than -5 C. However, I was in a grotto which had a little electrical fan heater, which kept it slightly warmer, but the grotto was open to the elements and was I think at or below freezing all day. A local animal petting place called Ponderosa supplied two Reindeer, which attracted a bit of attention.

But I did 10.30 til 12.30, and was due to restart at 1pm but was called down as a queue had developed. And I worked on through the afternoon, coming to the doorway when the place was quiet, to wave at passers by and try to attract family groups over to hand their £2.50 per child to have an audience with Santa and be given a pre-wrapped present. Towards the end of the day we had two incidents. Firstly, a woman appeared who had brought an 18 month old girl and a 3 year old boy in, either last week or earlier today, and she had both their presents. The boy had got a board game based on bingo, and the girl a pottery VW campervan moneybox. She was complaining that these weren't appropriate. The woman in charge of me, Trish, dealt with the complaint and gave the complainer her money back. Then at about 3pm, half an hour before our finish time, the rickety fan heater got knocked by my flowing robes and fell on it's front, and burst into flames! The grotto filled with smoke, Trish unplugged it and put the fire out (not sure how) and went to get one of the bosses. This person said that we should finish early as the room was stinking of burnt plastic and kids shouldn't go in there. So I went to get changed and set off for the station at about 3.20.

I dozed on the train as I was very cold, and got into York at about 4.30. My bike chain had been jumping so I decided to pop in to Cycle Heaven to book my bike in for some work... but amazingly, they said I could leave it there and pick it up at 6pm if I wanted. So I borrowed a shop bike and sped round to Peter and Jenny's house, where they were having a party. I explained to them that I'd have to go in less than an hour... but was very grateful of the warm 'port in a storm' which I needed, as I was still cold from the day working in sub-zero temperatures. I had a couple of mugs of home-made mulled cider, the cider was home made from apple concentrate apparently, and two delicious mince pies. This, plus the conversation, all worked to elevate my mood.

At 5.50 I got the bike and cycled back to Cycle Heaven. They'd found that the jumping chain was due to a stiff link in the chain, but whilst finding this, they'd found my pannier rack was not fixed properly, it had broken, and needed replacing. However, this would take another half hour, and the shop was shutting, so could I pick it up tomorrow? I explained that I was going up to Masham tomorrow but should be able to pick it up on Monday, on the way to Huddersfield.

So I cycled home on the shop bike. There was a parcel waiting for me, from Rory in Canada.... he'd found a jester hat, a stripy cap, stripy socks, stripy jumper thing and stripy waistcoat. Oh Wow! A costume rejuvenation! Not sure how I'll use the cap, but all the other things either will or could come in useful, and I love the socks and waistcoat. I have no idea what I've done to deserve this from Rory, but it moves me that he has sent this, and several other gifts.

I had a quiet evening as the rest of the family were watching some dance thing in the other room, and I couldn't get Tracey Smith's radio show to play on Apple am. Never mind, I kept myself occupied and had a reasonable evening.

Saturday 27th November 10

Up early as had to be in Huddersfield working by 10am, so I left the house at 8, cycled slowly though the snow and ice down to the station and got the 8.27 towards Manchester. I met two nice women on he train who were heading to Manchester to meet some old friends, flying in to go shopping. Both were interested in green issues, one had even trained as a York Rotter, but were seemingly not able to convert their concern into significant action. This is not uncommon, and is partly due to lack of knowledge. Hence my blog...see How do I do 'low carbon'?

Anyway, Huddersfield stopped the conversation and I had memorised my route to the market office, and it took me less then 10 minutes to get there. The market office people had purchased a posh Santa outfit last year for the leader of the Council to wear, and they asked me to wear it. I kept my own trousers, red dungarees, and had a tabard thing with a stuffed front, for belly-mass, and then a really nice cloak with hood. And a beard/moustache with two elastics to hold it on, a big improvement on the single elastic that my Santa beard has, which does not stay on very well. They had some welly-boot covers with bells on which were a great idea too.

My role was to walk round the French Market and greet the public and give out Christmassy Chocolate eggs. Before starting I wasn't looking forward to this that much, but as I got down to it, I began to really enjoy it. I especially enjoyed the genuine wide-eyed wonder of some of the children, the play-along-with-it make believe of some of the older children, including teenagers, and helping to overcome the shyness of another group of mainly young children. Only twice did someone say they didn't believe in Father Christmas, shouted at me by a teen, and one lad tried to pull my beard. But the overwhelming response was very positive. I didn't feel the need to alter my voice, and I was able use my verbal humour to make people laugh, which I was pleased with.

This was my first time 'out and about' as Father Christmas... the previous occasions were in a hotel just giving a present or pile of presents to guests at the lunch table, whereas in the street it was a bit more of a natural situation with lots of different sorts of possible meetings. About half a dozen children wanted to hug me (well, my legs!) and quite a few wanted me to pose for a photo with them. I did two and a half hours before I was too cold to continue, and went back to the office for lunch.

I enjoyed the sandwiches Gill made for me and defrosted, and then went out for a 3 hour stint of more of the same. I almost didn't want to finish, but I got back to the office just after 4pm and quickly disrobed, put my fleece back on and got back to the station for the 4.26 train.

When I got back to York and cycled away from the station, my bike lights weren't working very well, in fact the front one wasn't working at all. So I cycled down to Cycle Heaven and a few minutes fiddling revealed that my dynamo had worn out, or gone wrong due to overuse, so I spent £25 on a new one to replace it, and cycled away extremely well lit - much better.

I got in and Gill and the boys were very focused on some telly nonsense (a dancing competition, I think) so I made myself some tea; home grown beans mixed with a bit of tomato soup and cheese, to make a sauce to pour over a big pile of broccoli, all cooked on the woodstove.

I had an extended facebook Scrabble session, playing for over an hour, and enjoyed watching some lightweight TV nonsense... just different nonsense to what the others were into.

Sunday 21st November 10

I slept in late, til 10, and then got breakfast. Went to Temple Meads to meet up with my old friend Lucy whom I've known from my teens, but she wasn't able to get to Bristol til 2.30, so I read my NewScientist and shelled pumpkin seeds in a warm waiting room. I met a delegate from the conference yesterday and went for a coffee. Lucy arrived with her 11 year-old son and we went for a bite to eat and a nice long chat, til after 4.30, when they had to get their train back to Weston Super Mare. I got the 5.30 train and deleted more emails on the laptop, wrote my blog (in an email, so I could just copy/paste into blogger when I got in) and had a few conversations with the people around me. I got back int the house at about 10pm, and was glad to find everybody had had a good weekend.

Lucy Miles, train travel |

Saturday 20th November 10

Up at a horribly early 5am in order to get the 6.09 train to Bristol where I was to attend a conference focusing on relationships. I'd offered to bring my Fiddlesticks stuff down to do a circus skills session, so that if there were any children at the event, parents could leave them at my workshop and go off and do something else. Two CRB-checked people were due to attend to oversee the session,but as it turned out there were no children so the CRB people didn't have to attend... but the workshop went ahead as there were adults there who wanted to participate.

So I got to Bristol at about 10.45 and met a friend, and we made our way to the conference venue which was just 20 minutes walk from Temple Meads. I helped put the chairs out and once people had arrived I blended in and was just another delegate. I did play a part in one of the plenary sessions and my circus workshop went well too, with about 10 people participating. I got a lot from the day; lots to think about in the areas of communication, especially. I met quite a few people that I'd become friends with over the 'net and it was good to meet them in real life. There were a few people I'd met before and a friend from London whom I'm fond of. I met loads of people whom I might now be in contact with and all-in-all it was a great for networking. The event was all good apart from one niggle when someone misunderstood something I was telling someone, and got upset, but they weren't part of the conversation, they had just overheard something and got hold of the wrong end of the stick. No harm done, I offered an apology for any lack of clarity on my behalf and enjoyed the rest of the event. No point in getting upset when the overall tone of the day was pretty jolly and positive.

I stayed over in a hotel about 15 minutes unicycle away... I was glad to be able to glide through the streets quite quickly and got a relatively early night, compared to my usual 2 or 3am crash time.

Saturday 13th November 10

I had a 9am start to the day, despite a late night, and caught up with some washing up, as Gill had kept the stoves going and there was hot water. She got up at 6, as usual!

Our youngest went off to a party and eldest went to have a hair cut, and I got ready to go to Manchester for a regular social I like to attend. I made sandwiches to have on the train and zoomed into town and got my ticket and got down to Platform 4 to get the train. I chatted to a musician chap who had two chunky cases with him... probably guitars but I thought at first one was a cello. We talked about being a performer and all sorts. He was off to Cheshire to do a gig.

I had my sandwiches and read Resource magazine. I was soon in Manchester. I met my friends Laura and Nina, and we went to Night and Day and met another of Laura's friends Colin, and Janie and Jonathan, and Swin and Ellie, and a new attendee Simon, and Fiona and Tess, Sean turned up, and Ian, and plenty of others. What a lovely crowd.

I had two coffees and lots of conversations and left at about 5.45, and got the 6.11 train back which was a bit late, and I spent the journey chatting to a nice retired couple who were keen to get back to Edinburgh and were slightly worried about getting their connection in York. They'd been to a nephew's wedding at Manchester Town Hall.

And therefore I got back into the house at 9.30pm and didn't do much apart from get slaughtered at Scrabble by Gill. She beat me by 108 points.

Sunday 7th November 10

A work day. I got up early and did my laptop catch up, and then got my Professor Fiddlesticks clothes and kit together, making sure I had everything I need. Then packed it into the bike trailer and headed down to the station to get the 11.29 to Doncaster. Here I had a 30 minute wait... and got accosted by a group who were going down to London to some sort of awards ceremony, as one of them, a child, had saved a load of people from dying in a fire. I think it was the Pride of Britain awards, at Grosvenor House. They were asking about my odd-looking equipment and requested balloon models... so I gave them one each.

The train to Brough normally goes to Hull but today, due to engineering on the line, it stopped at Brough, but that was where I was going anyway, so I didn't need to go and get a bus onto Hull, thank goodness.

My lift soon came and Paul, Dad, drove me to the party venue, which was at South Cave. I've performed at this venue before and it's a lovely quite modern community centre. There were already loads of partygoers and their parents, so I quickly got changed and soon the show was getting going, with the usual 'warm up acts' from the audience first, and then my Circus routine which went incredibly smoothly.

So then it was birthday tea... the two children who I'd been booked to do the party for, plus an unexpected extra, a girl with assorted disabilities, who apparently was a neighbour and was approaching a birthday and kind of hitched onto this event. So this meant there were maybe 50 children and perhaps 20 adults there... a good audience, but quite tough for the balloon workshop, as I had a queue of participants who burst their balloon and were asking for another. Not only this, but I only had about 25 minutes for this show, and I usually need 30 to 45 minutes. But it went well, and I finished only 5 minutes late, at 4.05pm. Everybody seemed really happy with the party, and I got paid and got changed and got my kit loaded into Paul's car and got driven back to Brough station, where I only had 5 minutes to wait for the train back to Doncaster, and got back to York just after 6pm.

I had a quick bike ride back home, collecting a box of compostables from Country Fresh, specially left out for me, and Gill had made an interesting tea... baked sweet squash and a kind of shepherd's pie thing with some wonderful ingredients, which included broad beans.

A quiet evening, various laptop stuff going on. Enjoyed 'The Sky At Night' as always.

Friday 22nd October 10 Sunderland Food Waste Day

Wow, what a fab day!!! A very early start, a long day, very stimulating.

So, after 4 hours sleep, got up at 5.30 and before I cycled down to the station, I remembered that I wanted to take some extremely well rotted humanure compost with me, as I thought the children would be interested in that. I'm really glad I did!

So, with a small rucksack and two canvass bags, I set off to get the 06.37 to Newcastle, with the tickets which had been sent to me by the Sunderland Sustainability Team. The trip up was uneventful... I kept on failing to read my NewScientist as I was too tired, and the highlight was pre-dawn Durham, and then the Metro trip to Park Lane, which I got to soon after 8am. David, one of the Sustainability Team people picked me up and drove to an industrial estate where there was an office complex with a large meeting room suitable for the groups of schoolchildren visiting the assorted stalls.

I was pleased to meet Suzanne from Peta, who was doing fruit and veg kebabs and presenting information about Meat Free Mondays. There was also a nice gent called Craig from Groundwork who was making things out of waste... hanging baskets out of plastic milk bottles and paper pots from newspaper. Then there was an excellent project fronted by Richard Smith, called Dig It, They were doing seedling based stuff, parsely seeds I think. Another lovely chap was Paul from Food for Life, he did a little presentation at the end too. There were also people doing a taste test between quorn and beef mince and tasting unusual fruit.

My stall had several items of 'going off' fruit and veg including a mouldy cauliflower and a carrot with black patches, a small collection of other suitable compost items such as a loo roll, a balloon, a bit of wood, some EcoLeaf toilet roll packaging, which is compostable plastic made out of potato starch, and another small collection of non-compostables. Then there was a box of compost beasties... worms, slugs, woodlice, a few centipedes. Always popular, these! I'd prepared two compost bottles (which I think is my invention as I've never seen them elsewhere) (OK, I just found these, but my design is simpler and better!!!) (OK, I've just found loads of similar designs on the net. How could I have thought that I invented these?) I suggested to the groups that they might like to try making compost bottles. I had 3 bags of compost: one with material just a year old, then one with riddled and very mature, and finally, the bag of humanure/sawdust compost. This was just SO popular, with loads of questions and interest. At the question and answer session at the end, most of the questions were on this.

I enjoyed chatting over lunch and loved doing the composting stuff with the small groups of 9 to 11 year olds.

However, I was glad to be packing up at about 4pm, and to get driven to Sunderland train station for the 5.30 Grand Central train back to York. This got in at 7pm and I cycled home quickly, tired but elated.

Later Gill and I watched BBC2's 'Life Without Work' which focussed on York's Seebohm Rowntree's report on poverty about 100 years ago. An excellent programme, and available on iPlayer for a short while.

Sunday 26th September 10 Last day of 'Everyday People' and Participants Reunion

Another early start, bleary eyed, as off to Manchester for the last day of the Spencer Tunick exhibition at The Lowry, and a reunion with some of the participants.

I cycled down to the station for 10am, got a day return and had a very nice journey over there, although it took a bit longer than timetabled as there was working on the track and we had a bit of a diversion. But it was only another 15 minutes. I had a nice conversation with a chap who was recovering from a night out in the Leeds Gay quarter (I didn't know it had a Gay Quarter!) and a sweet Nigerian lady who told me all about her family and we talked about faith and belief and all sorts. I do enjoy train journeys for the interesting conversations I often have on them.

I met Janie at Manchester Piccadilly, and we went to get on a tram to the nearest stop to The Lowry, Harbour City. There were loads of cars parked in the Harbour City area, and I remembered it was the day of the Great Northern Swim, with apparently about 3500 swimmers doing a mile in the Salford Quay. We watched a bunch of them start off and go under the bridge we were on. My facebook friend and fellow greenie Tracey Smith was supposed to be there, but she'd had a cold a couple of days ago, and the organisers ask you to be in tip top condition. She'll do another swim sometime, raising money for her cause, The National Association for Children of Alcoholics.

We were soon at The Lowry and Rosemarie and Martin were there at the entrance, with little blue ribbons to identify participants. I sat with Janie outside for a few minutes and had my sandwiches, and then we went inside to have a final look at the Everyday People exhibition, and I picked up my signed print. We also looked round the LS Lowry paintings and drawings, which was really interesting. He was capable of doing a number of different styles, not just the iconic 'matchstick men' pictures. At 3pm we all gathered outside and several people took photos, with us in various poses, all clothed, but echoing some of the poses we had to do for Tunick.

After this, which was fun (shouts of 'Dont smile', and many other humorous comments) Janie and I went to check out the rest of the artwork on display, a 60s photographer Philip Townsend. And then, a walk back to the tram and we ended up in Piccadilly Gardens, where I eventually found a reasonable looking place which did me a rice dish and a feta salad. Janie wasn't hungry but had something to drink.

Then, after watching some street dancers, we went to the station and Janie got her train back to Stockport and I got the next train back to York. I got in before 10pm, lit the stove, washed up and went on the computer. A good day.

Thursday 16th September 10 Lipoma removal

I got up reasonably early as today I was booked into the Leeds General Infirmary to surgically remove my forehead lipoma. I've had this quite a few years; it's a fatty lump, benign, not harmful, but if it's in a visible place, people do notice it and some ask about it. Mine has looked like I've bumped my head and got a bruise or 'egg' for several years. When I took it to my GP after it became very obvious, he described it as the size of a squashed pea, and told me not to worry about it.

However, as it got bigger, an average of two people a week would ask me if I'd bumped my head. I grew tired of having to explain what a lipoma was. Children especially are really good at just saying what's in their mind, and sometimes have no concept of whether it's appropriate or not to mention strange lumps on people's foreheads. The worst time was when in a committee meeting quite recently, someone kept on looking at it; it was most off putting and I found it difficult to concentrate on the meeting because of that.

So today I cycled down to the station, hopped on a train which got in to Leeds at about 11.45, and walked up to the Art Gallery where I sat and had my sandwiches for lunch, listening to the aural sculptures. Then I walked up to the LGI and followed the signs to the Clarendon Wing. I went to the wrong bit at first, the plastic surgery dressings place (I was sent there by Reception) and they phoned through to Ward 63 to find out if I was on their list, which I was. So once I'd got there I sat and waited, then was called in to have my blood pressure taken and an identification band put on my wrist. Then I went to wait again, and there was friendly chat in the waiting room. Then I was called again and the Doctor drew an arrow above my lump and I signed the consent form. Then more waiting... but not long. I was called again and told to take off mt tee shirt and put on a gown. My canvas bag and bum bag were put in a locker and into the theatre I went.

I was asked to lie on a trolley/table and assorted covers were put on me, my head washed with antiseptic and eyes covered up. I had I think three local anaesthetic injections, which are never nice, but aren't really that awful. Then there was a fair amount of pushing and pulling and I recognised the crackling sound of cauterisation, where a wire is caused to heat up with an electric current, and this is used to seal blood vessels, as the area is well supplied with blood. I guess the operation took about 20 minutes. I'd already said I'd be interested to see what they took out, so when they were done and had taken the tape off my eyes, I was shown the little plastic jar with some clear liquid in it, containing my lipoma, a pink blob, like a Smartie or a Minstrel in shape, and size-wise, somewhere between the two I think. It had been growing between my skull and muscle. Apparently they can appear anywhere, under the skin, within tissues, even within a nerve. So mine was easy to remove. They deal with quite a few. Mine will be sent for analysis, to check it is in fact a lipoma and nothing more serious.

So I had a coffee and 10 minutes rest, and a talk about coming back in a week to have the dressings removed, and about not getting it wet and not doing vigorous exercise for a couple of days. I got my tee shirt back on and gathered my stuff and walked back to the station, leaving the hospital at 2.45. I got back into the house at 4.30.

I was fussed over but didn't want fussing over. I'd bought paracetamol in Leeds Station and that had kicked in and the soreness and pain was gradually going. Gill made tea... microwaved sweet potato and mushrooms in white sauce, with goats cheese, and broccoli.

After this I went to do just a bit of gentle wooding; to the place where the shrubs and trees have been dumped, and I sorted through them, secateuring off twigs and thinner stuff, ending up with another trailer load to bring back. I chopped this up with loppers and put my bike away and came in.

A quiet evening dealing with fruit ensued, with quite a bit of facebook stuff.

Saturday 11th September 10

Although I went to bed at a comparatively early 1.30am, I got up at 5.50 in order to leave the house at 6.35 and get to the station to get a ticket to Preston, and get the 7.06 train all the way there. As I was settling in to my seat, Robin just got into the train as the doors were closing, he'd got the train down from Darlington. So I didn't get a peaceful time... Robin is an enthusiastic talker and we had a year to catch up on!

So we were soon in Preston, and we got a taxi to where we thought the venue was, but it wasn't and we got taken down to another part of the campus. I got changed quickly and proceeded to do a lot of devilsticking and a bit of unicycling in the area where new students were arriving with their parents, luggage, sometimes siblings. This Freshers Weekend is a regular event at UCLAN... except that this year it's just the Saturday.

I enjoyed the various bands and musicians, devilsticked to the music, made balloon animals for some of the staff and existing students and Student Union people, as well as the children tagging along with their older brother or sister starting Uni this weekend. I had a lot of fun greeting the 6 or 10 year old and welcoming them to University, asking them what they were going to be studying, and more silliness. I had quite a long lunch, 45 minutes, in a room out of the way, before embarking on my second 2 and a half hour slot of zany, clever, silly, colourful, quick-witted and quick moving entertainment.

I got away (in costume) just before 4pm, and scurried down to the station on foot, as I wanted to get the 4.10 train. I got there and it was cancelled, so got the 4.23 instead. Once my ticked had been checked, I got changed in the carriage toilet, and then dozed til Manchester... New Scientist sending me to sleep.

At Manchester I went to Cafe Nero and met up with Laura, who was with Ian, and Janie, who had her friend Jonathan there. It was good to see both my friends and these new friends. A bit later, Laura took me to the Arndale Food place, where she had noodles and bones and I had a baked potato.

Then back to the station, and I got on the 8 something and was back in York soon after 10pm, after a noisy journey and sympathy from/with my neighbour, Sally, a student of 3D wallpaper!

Later still, had a long type-chat with Ali, whom I haven't chatted with for ages. Really good to catch up.

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