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alternative lifestyle
trial run on my bike
london belated post as 20six went kaput As is usual after we have got it, we see it available everywhere. I am talking of bicycles. Now I got one, I saw another bike leaning on the rails without any lock on my way to the gym today. Another time, I saw a bike with small wheels and a high handle bar but no seat leaning against the rails near the recycle bin. Funny how after you get something, u see it everywhere. Anyway, yesterday I took the bike for a ride. It was only a short one, to the vauxhall bus station. I wanted to go further but saw the time, close to 4pm, and realise I need to get back, put the bike in the shed and return to the flat to get my gym things or I shall be too late for the gym as my offpeak membership allows me to only get in before 5pm. I walked to the gym, because taking the bike is too much trouble. It is the finding the parking space and locking the bike that I dont like. I dont have a bicycle lock. Am looking for a chain, instead of an expensive D-lock. For one thing, a D-lock is very clunking big and heavy, whilst a chain, and I am thinking of a dog chain, is light (though simon tells me dog chains are short) which I can put in my back pack and lock with combination locks. I shall have to see what I can find on sale in the charity shops. haha. Once, I saw 2 dog chains linked together sold in a charity shop for £7, I thought it was too much and so did not buy it. But maybe that is the best price I can get. Dog chains should be easily available, but strangely not. I wonder why? I find it rather tiring riding a bike, both physically, as well as mentally. The strain of keeping a sharp lookout for traffic is very tiring mentally. The cars pass very close to me, because the green bike lane across the bridge is so narrow and I cannot see them coming as they come behind me.Maybe just as well I cannot see them coming, for they will be much more frightening then. I spent a lot of time dismounting and using the pedestrian traffic lights to cross the street. I prefer to walk, because when I am on the pavement I can let my mind think of other things, and also observe the scenery, most of the time it is looking up at the sky, and noting how nice the weather is, unlike when I am cycling when I cannot do anything else. Still, I daresay once I get used to cycling, I shallbe cycling everywhere and wonder how I ever got on without a bike. I wonder whether that will ever happen. haha. At heart I am a pedestrian person. I like walking. It makes me glad that I waited to find a bike rather than buy one. I know that biking is not really my thing, but now and then for short trips I would like one. (Ian gave me a bike which for years I kept in the bike shed and never used. Finally I gave it away to a friend). So finding one is the best solution to getting a bike, as I would not use it regularly. I still prefer to walk or take the bus. Though come to think of it, going to the tesco in kennington/vauxhall will be easier with a bike. I have yet to take the bike to the battersea park. /Come sunnier and warmer weather, I shall,and then it would be great to be able to go sunbathing naked there and the bike will make the trip quicker. Added 4.45pm I managed to get the bike out to battersea park. Quite a nice ride there, along the north shore of the Thames river, across chelsea bridge . The wild area has been cleared, the wild blackberry bushes tamed, and the grass cut. It would make the place very nice for summer sunbathing, not so secluded but now more grassy areas. And the severely pruned blackberry bushes may ensure a nice harvest come autumn. It is very pleasant to ride around the park especially on a sunny day like this. It can be quite cold with the gusts of wind that occasionally arises. And my bum felt numbed even though this saddle is flat and has springs. But my feet dont feel like their soles are flattened, which is the effect when I walk. Cycling is kinder on the feet, but murder on the bum. haha.
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change of date for the london naked bike ride
london I just got an email, which notifies me of postings in the naked bike ride yahoo group, that the London naked bike ride this year will be on 14june instead of 7june. It is because there is another function in Hyde Park on 7june. So those planning to go, better make a note of this change of date.The Brighton naked ride is still on 7june. So it means people can join in both without having to make a mad rush between the two places on the same day. I will of course be going on the London naked bike ride because i got a free bike to ride now. Anyone with a bike and willing to ride naked can join in. No need to register or anything. Just turn up, and strip off and go. haha.
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smell the flowers
london
Very early this morning 21feb, thursday, was a lunar eclipse. I thought of setting the alarm to waking me up for it, it starts at 3am, but I looked out of the window at the sky the night before and it is cloudy, so I decided I shall wake up naturally. In the end, I slept right through it. haha. Lunar eclipse is not so dramatic as solar eclipse. Last year there was one at 8pm, but I and john were in Malaysia when it happened, sometime in March07, so we missed it. Ah well, looking at things can be very nice but being in UK the weather can play havoc with any plans to watch the sky. There was the comet shower that was a failed show because of the weather. UK is not a good country for watching the sky. I prefer touching and seeing things closer to me, like the daffodils and snowdrops and crocuses that carpet the grass in St James' Park this afternoon. It is very nice to be able to get up close and touch them, much nicer than just seeing any manner of things or people in pictures. I passed by the National Portrait gallery and thought of seeing the Vanity Fair photo exhibition currently on, but I decided I just don't want to see pictures, or paintings for that matter. They are a poor facsimile of the real thing. And in two dimension what's more. No, look all around u at the 3-D, living life all around u in vivid colour, and you will never think a film or photo or painting can ever replace them. Maybe that is why I dont take pictures. They are a poor substitute for the real thing. Last night I had a most delicious hamburger. I made it from mince beef, which I bought because it was reduced at the local supermarket. 'The smell and taste of it was sublime, and I ate it slowly just to savour it fully. How anyone would want to buy a ready made processed one I cannot imagine. I am loving eating meat, and deciding what meat to buy when I go to the supermarket. (I said hamburger, but it is really minced meat in a patty, (I dont know what to call it)eaten without the buns.
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Getting even with British Gas
london This was written about 2-3wks ago. http://20six.co.uk/gametes69/art/29522602/my_gas_bill#comm 20.2.08 Read this article about British Gas profits. Energy supplier British Gas has reported annual profits of £571m at its residential arm, up from £95m in 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7256096.stm Most of you know my strategy to combat the price increases of British Gas, and any gas or electric company, is to reduce usage, so that it will hit them where it hurts most. If we dont use the gas or electricity, there is no profit for them. That is the only answer to them increasing their tariff. However, I have a feeling that they have got wise to it. I think if you use a little gas or electricity they will charge u higher per kwh. If you use a lot, they charge u less. I received the breakdown to my gas bill which i have asked BG to send to me. BG raised their tariff on 18.2.08 by 15%. I sent them a reading on 19.2.08 I am hoping someone out there is a better mathematician than I am. I tried to download the speadsheet with the figures but this weblog wont allow it. before 18jan08 kwh usage of 3624,25 kwh was costed as follows... first 990kwh at 4.66p, next 1634.25 kwh at 2.173p after 18jan08 kwh usage of 2 kwh was costed as follows... first 15 kwh at 6.151p next 47.48 kwh at 2.58 You can see it does not matter how much you use. U are penalised because of that high tariff for the first 15kwh or 990kwh. So I am resorting to the only solution. Switch off the heating. Fortunately, this winter is mild and where previously I would just leave the heating on, even though not needed, I am resolved to switch it off from now. We shall see if others too have come to the same realisation as myself, and switch off too. We shall use hot water bottles under our duvet (it is marvellously warm) and wear warmer clothing indoors. We will not get mad at British gas and all the gas operators, we shall get even.!!! I find this all a lot of fun. It is nice to buck the system. I can do it of course because I live in london, which has a mild mini climate of its own, and also because i have been eating a all meat diet. it certainly enables me to withstand the cold better. Added 22.2.08 london# Another way is to build a passivhaus. 'An alternative approach could be to follow the Swedish/German example of the "passive" house, or Passivhaus which, although not wholly carbon-neutral, refers to ultra-low energy buildings, which require minimal, but "liveable" space heating and energy consumption. The first buildings were constructed and inhabited in the early 90s and conventional heating systems dispensed with. In their place heat-recovery ventilation systems were installed which made use of heat from internal sources, such as low-energy lighting, white goods and body heat. The structure is built so as to be as airtight at possible, with triple glazing, sealed construction joints and "super-insulation". To lessen the effects of electrical appliances, high-efficiency models were used and low-energy lights installed. The homes were said to be three times as energy efficient as UK equivalents. Maybe more British house-builders should take note'.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/ukcorrespondents/hometruths/july07/carbonneutralhomesformortals.htm
Paola Sassi built her own, and used hemp as an insulator.Hemp has very similar thermal properties to its non-sustainable mineral wool alternatives, but has three significant advantages: it uses less energy in manufacture; it "locks in" the CO2 that the plant absorbed as it was growing; and it is entirely recyclable. It has been installed in such a way that when the house is finally demolished, it can just be taken out and used again in another house. http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/paola-sassi-home-is-where-the-hearth-isnt-784826.html
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review of my local tesco supermarket
london my local tesco metro store opened yesterday, 19 feb, and sent me, or rather Simon, a leaflet with vouchers. 3 vouchers spaced over 3wks, offering £4 off if I buy £12 worth in the first week, and £3 off if I buy £10 worth in each of the next two weeks. I hardly buy that much at one go so those vouchers are not much use to me. I visited it, and found they have changed the layout. Before, you go in one end and go out the other. I think they realise security was not good, having one doorman at the entrance, and no one to watch for those people who leave. So they make it one big entrance now. And they have a whole big section devoted to cds right at the beginning. Hmm, must be lucratively profitable to sell cds or are they dvds? I did not look too closely. And they have a bakery now, selling buns and croissants. I think ever since they are able to hike the prices of bread they are beginning to find it profitable. Wheat has gone up by less than 10% but they are able to hike the bread to more than 50%. Clever!!! Well, it does not affect me as I have long ago stopped buying bread. Now I dont even make my own bread since I have gone onto a low carbohydrate diet. I have found a recipe book in the library that make low carbohydrate bread and cakes, but it involves whole almond flour, and I could not find it anywhere except in the Tesco in High St Kensington at about £1.15 for 200mg. They have increased the number of checkout tills, but reduced the space between them. It is now difficult to get between shoppers and that is so even for me, who is quite slim and have only a shopping basket. Well, the store is a small one, and I think their big renovation is simply to make shoppers enter and leave through one entrance so it is easy to guard. And I noticed the 10p butter is no more. It is now 85p. Since I dont make bread, nor cakes, I dont use butter much so that does not affect me anymore. So all I bought was brocolli, and celery. I figured since it just opened, the veg must be fresh. haha. Oh, I forgot to check out their chicken. Wonder whether they sell the £2 chicken or have that gone out of stock. They havent got round to stocking up the whole store yet, the shelf for the budget eggs £1.25 for 15 is empty.
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good posture
london It's quite cold lately. I find it very refreshing and had been out and about, enjoying the sunshine, and cold frosty air. When I got back I find I am hungry. Simon cooked some sphaghetti, and asked me if I want some, so I did. He had used the chicken stock from the roast chicken to make the sauce. I enjoyed it, which makes me think carbohydrates are addictive, as I have been eschewing them recently. Still, it did not assuage my hunger for long,because I got hungry a few hours later. I ate the left-over roast chicken with brocolli for dinner, warming them up by steaming them. That was much more filling and I hope I wont need to eat again tonight. I found a rack for drying clothes today. It was left by the recycling bins. I am always on the look out for them. Another thing that I cannot have enough of are clothes hangers, especially the wire kind given out by dry cleaners. They are excellent for hanging t-shirts for drying clothes. Paul L came to visit me last night and he saw me being very careful with my back when I rise from the sofa. I have sprained it recently. He told me it is muscle spasm. And that is really quite interesting information. I thought it was a detached cartilage. But what he said is more likely to be the cause. Because it is not caused by lifting heavy objects. Just bending down can bring it on. Especially when there is a bit of twisting involved. He said stretching the muscle is a good way of relieving it, very much the way muscle cramp is treated. And the roller ball is a good aid to working the back muscles and the core muscles round the lower torso. I have stopped using it in my workout, but now he mentioned it I shall resume. But simply lying on the back and raising the legs to the chest and clasping both legs with the hands and raising the head towards the legs will cause a good stretch of the back muscles. I wonder whether the cold has something to do with the muscle cramps coming on. Its good to know that I can do something about it rather than be helpless and wait for it to get worse. I am all for doing whatever is necessary to strengthen the muscles or stretch them to alleviate the condition. Rather than rely on drugs or painkillers. I have not taken any pain killers. Pain is all in the mind, and I find I can control it with my mind. When I walk about nowadays, I dont slouch but push my shoulders back, and my chin in, and pretend there is a line holding me up on the top of my head and that my top half is soaring into the sky whilst my bottom half is rooting firmly into the ground. The mountain pose of yoga. I can feel the tension everywhere in my body easing and relaxing.
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my gas bill
london This was written some time ago... Yesterday I checked my bank account online, and saw British gas has taken about £83 direct debit to pay my gas bill. However, I did not receive a bill from them warning me that the amount will be taken on that day. Lucky my account had enough money in it so I am not in the red. I wrote to the BG,(British Gas) to tell them I did not receive any notification and to send me the bill, and not to do this again. Here is their reply 'Thank you for your email about the Direct Debit payment for your gas account.I’m sorry that you had not received any prior notification before the Direct Debit for your gas account. As your gas account is set up for Quarterly Direct Debit, we’ll take the bill amount from your bank within the 14 days after the bill is generated. Thank you for contacting us Yours sincerely Well it wasn't very helpful was it? I consider myself quite fluent in the english written word, but what they said dont quite make sense. I wrote back. "Please clarify. Are you saying ' u have given us permission by direct debit to take money from ur account so that is what we are doing. so there!!' Or are you saying 'We are sorry you did not get notification. We are going to put back the money we took from ur account and then send u the bill, and then only will we take the money out again after 14days.' And I wrote to my bank asking them what is the requirements for money to be taken out from direct debits. We shall see what the answer is. I cannot believe that companies can just take money out without giving notice of the amount and date of the withdrawal. Lucky I have money in the account to pay it without me going into the red. I wanted the bill, as I want to know how much their tariff is now. They have been increasing it lately and I want to know whether they use the old rates or the increased rate. They increased the tariff on 19jan08. update 15.2.08 The latest email I got from them is this.. I have arranged to send a copy of your gas bill dated 22 January 2008, which you will able to receive within 12 working days. This bill of £83.87 is based on the meter reading 8045 provided by you on 19 January 2008 for the period from 31 October 2007 to 19 January 2008. Thank you for contacting us. My bank says they are at fault and I can get a refund. I told them I shall wait a month and see if after i receive my bill BG takes the money again. If so, then i shall ask for my refund. I suppose I am giving BG free use of the money, but I just cannot be arsed about the interest.
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