I have always fancied wearing a high vis vest and directing traffic, my chance came on the Saturday of the Danby Christmas Craft Fair, www.northyorkmoors.org.uk. The car park got very crowded, so I had to check where the spaces were and then wave people into them, at the same time sending 4 wheel drives into the grass field. It was curiously satisfying, helping people and yet telling them where to go! So if anyone near me wants a car director for a charity event let me know!
It's not all earnest being a small society person, before our most recent Fairtrade www.fairtrade.org.uk meeting we all ate together at the pub that kindly lets us have small room for nothing, thank you the Blue Ball in Malton. After the eating and the chat we set to and decided some future events, another Craft Fair in March and a chocolate tasting at the next Fine Food event in Malton, www.welovemalton.co.uk, a pity I will miss this, but I will get it organised and others can help customers taste.
There have been two short stop lassn.org.uk Tuesdays since I last posted, a lot of anxiety one day when almost all my calls went to voicemail, but after several returned calls everyone was placed, including a young man who has slept on the streets of Bradford for several weeks. Our hosts have their own crises, one who had said yes rang me back, their roof was now leaking, I thanked him for being so thoughtful as to let me know, and he carried on trying to get builders out. I rang Pafras www.pafras.org.uk to change the arrangements and all was well.
Another wet Coasties, this time from the non stop rain, not the sea. Once again we were at the alum works, and once again moving stone and old bricks, this time to act as the base for the final flight of steps, they are in a very wet area and this will give a firmer base than earth, a very old form of recycling. After lunch in a cold, but dry barn, we all give in and Coasties finishes early, we are wet through and muddy and cold.
A visit to Leeds to see my friend gives me the opportunity to clarify exactly what back to backs are. Several readers of the blog have queried that surely it can't mean a house which is joined at the back as well as the sides to another house. Well that is what it is, two rows of terraced house, many opening straight off the street, joined at the back! And Leeds, uniquely, still has nearly 20000 occupied. In Birmingham the only ones left are in a museum, www.nationaltrust.org.uk/birmingham-back-to-backs. However she is lucky and is in a through house, however there is a problem with her heating. The problem turns out to be that the thermostat is next to the cooker, so every time she cooks the heating goes off and the rest of the house gets cold; as she is a believer in cooking cheaper food that takes time to cook, this means a cold house for a lot of the day. The helpful gas man and I shake out heads and tell her that she will need to cook with the back door open. What can I say, except it's a good thing that she's not in a back to back with no through ventilation.
I end with a picture of a pile of hawthorn cuttings, not very exciting, but yesterday we had to abandon the alum works as it really was too wet and muddy, and cut back the hawthorn hedge that was intruding onto the pavement into Ravenscar. I should have photographed the curious cows that came to watch us, but thought of that too late!
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| all to burn in the spring |
As I write this I watch the diverted traffic from the local flooding and despair at the still large group of idiot climate change deniers. I am also debating with myself about what to do with my heating allowance, I shouldn't get it and if I do at least it should be taxed. I have a well insulated house, I am fit and active and I have an index linked public sector pension. But no, only pensioners are to be protected from the appalling welfare cuts by the current Government. Don't mention promises, other promises were made that have gone out of the window. OK here endeth the polemic for the day.
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