An apple tree

I'm planning for most of the planting on our allotment in March after I get back from Greece, but on Wednesday Robin, on the plot across the way, and I, arranged a joint delivery from A & D Aquatic and Garden Centre in Oldbury. It included a five foot James Grieve Eating Apple.

Robin's got more fruit bushes; we share some compost; I've bought some seed potatoes which I'll store in dry semi-darkness for getting into the soil in March. Robin and I sat under the veranda of the shed warmed by the sun, reading a book on planting a fruit tree; also discussing his litigation - a civil action between him and the NHS.
"The Judge is quoting Department of Health advice that there is 'no evidence of harm from dental amalgams' a constituting a policy. That suggests they're immune from suit.  Yet it's logically impossible for a statement of science to be a policy."

Following instructions I'd already soaked the root in a bowl of water. Now, while Robin got on with planting his black currants, I dug a hole about two foot square, two foot deep, laid some manure I'd bagged up from the  community plot and spread at the bottom of the hole and topped it with compost, sprinkling about a pound of bone-meal which I covered with more topsoil mixed with compost. I drove a small stake into the middle of the hole then stood the tree against it and filled in around it with more compost and topsoil.

I poured two buckets of water into the hole; gently dug in more earth, heeling it in until all was level. Then I peeled back the black plastic, cutting it to surround the sapling.  Robin returned to see my work.

"Is that all you've done?"
"Heck Robin there's near £30 gone into that hole, not to mention my labour."
I repeated my aim to have all the vegetables on our table next Christmas from the plot."
"Unlikely" he muttered "certainly not apples"
"No. Spuds, sprouts, turnips, carrots."
"I doubt it."
*** *** ***
The policeman in charge says he has no proof there's a connection between the murder of his parents in Friary Road, less than a mile from us, and the fact that their son was part of a police investigation of gangs in the city:

Murder of Avtar and Carole Kolar- Appeal for information Posted: 13 Jan 2012 07:01 AM PST Following the senseless and violent murder of Mr and Mrs Kolar on Wednesday 11th January, West Midlands Police have released the following appeal for information: We would appreciate if you could share this message with family, friends and your local community. Independent charity Crimestoppers have offered a reward of up to £10,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction in connection with the murders of Carole and Avtar Kolar.The couple, who had been married for 40 years, were found dead on Wednesday morning at their home in Friary Road. The police investigation continues at a very fast pace with a team of 60 detectives pursuing several lines of enquiry following numerous calls from the public. Detective Superintendent Richard Baker, who is leading the murder investigation, said: “This has had a truly devastated affect on the family; they now need to be given space and time to grieve. I am confident we will catch those responsible for this terrible crime which has devastated the family and community. “I would like to thank Crimestoppers for offering this reward and say again that local people hold the key to finding who is responsible for this terrible tragedy. If you believe that you have any piece of information that may help our enquiries, I would ask you to call us or Crimestoppers as soon as possible.” West Midlands Regional Manager for Crimestoppers, Pauline Hadley, said: “This is a vile crime where two people have been murdered and their family and community have been left in shock. “Those responsible for this must be brought to justice and I would urge anyone with information that might help to contact Crimestoppers anonymously. Ring 0800 555 111...The reward of up to £10,000 is available to anyone providing information to Crimestoppers, which leads to the arrest and conviction of the persons responsible for this crime. Rewards can only be claimed by calling Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Rewards cannot be claimed if giving information via the online form. Yours faithfully, West Midlands Police

***** ******
Lin and I had called a meeting of Handsworth Helping Hands. Lin reported on her visit to Barry Toon's Selly Oak Handyman project; on the selling of the tipper; the general solvency of 'our' project - the extra money we now have in the kitty. We agreed to sell the Timberwolf chipper

"We're not in the business of chipping. or are we?"
"No, no."
"OK?"
"So where do we go from here?"
Lin cooked as the meeting continued. As Amy, Guy, Matt and Liz trooped in for supper, we'd agreed I'd contact Jo Burrill at Midland Heart in the morning; ask her to pay us to clear out a skip-load of detritus strewn, since last spring, across an entry in Westminster Road and another at its junction with Turville. "We'll do that in early March. A try-out".
We cleared the table of papers and laid it for supper, the comfortable smell of roast beef and Yorkshire suffusing the kitchen. I found a couple of crackers from Christmas to go with the presents for us that Matt and Liz had brought down from Edinburgh.

"Where's Oscar?" said Amy
"We've been trying him out staying three houses down at John's" I said "I took him round this morning. John said the first five minutes is worst. He asked me to leave, to let his Dieter and Oscar sort things out between them."

Oscar and Dieter in John's garden

Dieter wore a muzzle at first. That's how I left them; heading for the allotment. When I got home Lin was working through a pile of paperwork.
"John rang. 'Peace reigns' he says"
I went round. Indeed they'd sorted things out. Now, through John's kindness and the social skills of the two dogs, we've an alternative home for Oscar when we're not able to look after him.
Amy went through the baby presents from her grandmother and Sharon in the Highlands, holding up items one by one, so we could 'ooh' and 'aah' together in happy anticipation.
*** *** ***
Friday late afternoon. I'm packing, running through scribbled checklists, imagining all I've got to get into my 5 kilo allowance on Ryanair tomorrow morning. I catch a train at 0545 to meet a bus at Derby to East Midlands Airport. It's impossible to imagine I'll be on my own in Venice by lunchtime Saturday. I took the family - Richard and Emma and Lin and Matt and Liz - to Cafe Soya in the Chinese Quarter. Lin as ever seeks to monitor my spending - even tho' we're just in time for a lunchtime special. We tease her and choose the special plus some extras.

*** ***
(Reuters NEW YORK | Fri Jan 13, 2012 7:27pm EST) - Standard & Poor's stripped France of its top AAA rating on Friday and carried out a mass downgrade of half the nations in the euro zone, a move that may complicate European efforts to solve a two-year old debt crisis. Germany, the bloc's largest economy, was spared. Nine of the 17 members of the euro area had their credit ratings cut, with Austria joining France in losing its AAA status. Those two, along with Malta, Slovakia and Slovenia had their ratings cut by one notch, while Italy, Portugal, Spain and Cyprus suffered two-notch downgrades. S&P said it feared that initiatives European policymakers have taken to tackle the debt crisis "may be insufficient to fully address ongoing systemic stresses in the euro zone."....

Athens News (same date) Talks between Greece and its creditor banks to slash the country's towering debt pile broke down on Friday, with the government warning of "catastrophic" results if a deal to swap bonds is not reached soon...

Daily Telegraph: S&P downgrade and debt crisis: as it happened January 13, 2012

Press Statement from the Co-Chairmen of the Steering Committee of the Private Creditor-Investor Committee for Greece

Athens, January 13, 2012 — Charles Dallara and Jean Lemierre, Co-Chairs of the Steering Committee of the Private Creditor-Investor Committee (PCIC) for Greece, continued discussions today in Athens with Prime Minister Lucas Papademos and Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos on a voluntary PSI for Greece, against the background of the October 26/27 Agreement with the Euro Area Leaders. Unfortunately, despite the efforts of Greece’s leadership, the proposal put forward by the Steering Committee of the PCIC—which involves an unprecedented 50% nominal reduction of Greece’s sovereign bonds in private investors’ hands and up to €100 billion of debt forgiveness— has not produced a constructive consolidated response by all parties, consistent with a voluntary exchange of Greek sovereign debt and the October 26/27 Agreement.

Under the circumstances, discussions with Greece and the official sector are paused for reflection on the benefits of a voluntary approach. We very much hope, however, that Greece, with the support of the Euro Area, will be in a position to re-engage constructively with the private sector with a view to finalizing a mutually acceptable agreement on a voluntary debt exchange consistent with the October 26/27 Agreement, in the best interest of both Greece and the Euro Area.

Moving things

Yesterday morning I'm up early to arrange to collect the tipper truck from the park compound to drive over to the garage in St Peter's Road where the tools and machinery that belong to the Central Handsworth Practical Care Project have been kept for many years. At last we have an alternative place for them in the secure garage of the compound, thanks to Gary McManus of Birmingham Parks and Nurseries, the arms-length city company that looks after Handsworth and other parks around the city.
I'd walked Oscar over to St Peter's Road the night before and introduced myself to Glynis' husband George, who owns the garage. We made an appointment for Monday's move. At the compound in the park where I cycled I found the tipper truck battery again dead. Not a spark. I tried to phone Ian at Cornwall Road Autos. His phone was engaged. I cycled there - about half a mile. He was working in his little office.
"I'll be over in 10 minutes"
Back at the compound I began moving tools already in the tipper's cabin into the compound's garage. Ian arrived to gave the tipper a jump-lead start from his car. We let the engine run a while,
I drove out - pulling in wing mirrors - through one side of the Holly Road Park Gates (the sibling gate currently sags on its hinges, so not easily opened). In St Peter's Road, a mile away, narrow, lined with parked cars, I found a space near George's lock-up. He let me in through his front door then into the garage where I lifted out the heavy iron bolt bar that guards its doors and began transporting an Aladdin's Cave of tools into the back of the tipper; in the case of hand tools into the cabin. The mowers needed two to lift but I managed on my own to heave them onto the tipper bed with the side flaps down. Loaded with mowers, strimmers, hedge trimmers, chains-saws, a leaf blower, and more, I drove back to the park compound. With help from Imran, who works there and has an allotment near me on the VJA, carried the equipment into the garage, laying them higgledy-piggley on the concrete floor.

I rang my neighbour John Rose - on the advisory group of the project - who I well knew was already busy on phone and computer with other community responsibilities - and asked if he could manage half an hour to help with my second trip - towing a wood chipper that filled a large part of George's garage. John came as busy people do, and we lugged and heaved at the chipper to get it connected to the tipper's tow ball. Waving by or stopping drivers trying to get through St Peter's Road as we worked.

Once back at the Park, Allen Broad took over and expertly reversed chipper and tipper into an assigned space on the compound. We spoke of next steps; neatly storing and securing the tools, planning to sell the truck and the chipper. I'm almost exhausted with small but important details like having the right keys for things and the right cable connections between the tipper and the chipper - one being UK and the other a new European connector for which I must get an adaptor, and as the man at Halfords said "Make sure you're clear which is female and male."

UK - er - transgender?

New European female

There has also to be a break-away cable in case the tow breaks. It's there but with no clear means of attachment to the tipper.
"That's illegal" said Allen mildly - reminding me of how much attention is required to detail when handling equipment - complicated and frustrating for the untrained, but sensible for all the grumbling in which I will often share about our 'risk averse society'. It's sensible Health and Safety, with insurance and legal penalties for non-observance. All these tools are assets if properly managed. I'm confident that the best way forward for Handsworth Helping Hands (our new and streamlined name) is to make ourselves into a smaller operation, rely on our transit van - now repaired and fit for purpose - and fewer tools. The sale of what we don't need, especially the tipper, will give us some working capital while we look for paid work and seek funding for work that vulnerable members of the local community cannot afford.

**** ****
Aftab Rahman who runs a successful business in town asked me to write a support letter for a proposed Heritage Trail through Handsworth and Lozells. I willingly sent him one, composed over the weekend:

Dear Aftab. My family and I have lived in Handsworth since 1979. I’ve worked at Birmingham University since 1973, where I remain a part-time lecturer attached to the Institute of Local Government Studies. I’ve been involved in voluntary work over many years, starting the Handsworth Allotments Information Group, campaigning to save urban growing space. I support campaigns for improved transport and safer streets for walkers and cyclists. I’ve written a history of Handsworth Park, co-founded the Handsworth Park Association in 1992, given evidence to a Parliamentary Sub-committee on ‘Town and Country Parks’ and featured in TV documentaries about the area.
I am enthusiastic about your proposal to develop a Heritage Trail in Lozells and East Handsworth. There are many layers of history in this area – past and in the making. It is important for people’s sense of identity and place, and therefore community, that they should have opportunities to align the trajectories of their own journey to this area with those of people whose journeys preceded theirs.

For participants, from inside and outside Handsworth and East Lozells, a trail of the kind you have in mind – one that can be followed by everyone in ways that include access for those with limited mobility - offers an opportunity to re-create, in a defined area of the city, an account of the industrial revolution, the connections forged here to an emerging global economy, life endured through the ordeals of war, fascinating changes in the composition of the area’s inhabitants, as this inner suburb of ‘a great working city’ became the one we know today.
In recent decades the narrative of this, and other inner suburbs of Birmingham, has often been recounted as urban pathology. We who live in Handsworth and Lozells know its ‘notoriety’ is grossly exaggerated, even groundless; that even with its problems, this place is rich in good surprises. A Heritage Trail through its places and spaces – of which you had room to mention just a few - will be a means of imparting a truer and deeper picture of the area, embedding, in the course of an entertaining tour, wonderful stories about ourselves and our neighbours; our ancestors and theirs.
I am happy to support this initiative, willing to join any steering group that might help the project into fruition, and willing to offer my voluntary support as your proposal is developed.  Yours sincerely,  Simon

*** *** ***
Meantime mindful of Durban's Climate Change talks I thank Corfucius for re-posting this comment by Vivek Chauhan, a young film maker, together with naturalists working with the Sanctuary Asia network.

*** ***
I note the blurb for a book I want for Christmas, World Changing: A user's guide for the 21st century...

Five years after the initial publication of Worldchanging, the landscape of environmentalism and sustainability has changed dramatically...This 2nd edition of the bestselling book is extensively revised to include the latest trends, technologies, and solutions in sustainable living. More than 160 new entries include up-to-the-minute information on the locavore movement, carbon-neutral homes, novel transportation solutions, the growing trend of ecotourism, the concept of food justice, and much more. Additional new sections focus on the role of cities as the catalyst for change in our society. With 50% new content, this overhauled edition incorporates the most recent studies and projects being implemented worldwide....

Meantime news that a Russian research team surveying the East Siberian Arctic Shelf for nearly 20 years, have been ill-surprised at discovering far greater methane gas releases than expected.

Dr Igor Semiletov "Earlier we found torch-like structures like this but they were only tens of metres in diameter. This is the first time that we've found continuous, powerful and impressive seeping structures, more than 1,000 metres in diameter. It's amazing. I was most impressed by the sheer scale and high density of the plumes. Over a relatively small area we found more than 100, but over a wider area there should be thousands of them."
Before long the Merchants of Doubt will be trying to sink their rotting teeth into this depressing news.
**** ****
Tuesday night the Friends of Black Patch Park had their first Christmas lunch together at the Soho Foundry Pub - lamb and roast with gravy and peas and beans and Yorkshire pudding, all for £2 each. Despite the slope up Soho Hill from home it takes me less than 15 minutes to cycle to these meetings - 2 miles there and back via Soho Road. We've been meeting for many years now but this was our first indulgence. Ted Rudge, whose long been a member, was also our guest of honour.

Stacey Dooley, Andrew Simons, Ted Rudge, John Madgwick,  Vera Jones, Harjinder Singh Jeet, Ron Collins (Chair), Sue Goderidge and others from the Friends of Black Patch Park

After eating we started our meeting, focusing on the link between the Gypsies and the Black Patch. Ted announced that the Romany & Traveller Family History Society would like to hold their Annual Open Day on Black Patch Park on Saturday 21 July 2012. We discussed the convergence on Black Patch of the Romany, of Charlie Chaplin born 1889 to Charles and Hannah Chaplin in a caravan on the Black Patch before they moved to London, the Soho Foundry created in 1795 by Matthew Boulton and James Watt at Smethwick, opposite the pub where we were meeting. This is an amazing place, slightly scary at times, haunted, ripe for yarns, a place in space and time. I count myself lucky to be its advocate in such pleasant and interesting company.

The Soho Foundry when I visited in 2007 (Photo: Ted Rudge)

*** ***
In Ano Korakiana people will be bringing their olives - the little black Corfu olives - to be pressed for oil, mainly for household use, in the well equipped mill below the village.

Ξεκίνημα για το συνεταιριστικό ελαιουργείο

Αυλαία για το συνεταιριστικό ελαιουργείο της Άνω Κορακιάνας. Μετά από αρκετές ημέρες εντατικής προετοιμασίας, η ανακοίνωση της νέας Διοίκησης του Συνεταιρισμού καλεί τους ενδιαφερόμενους να προσκομίσουν τον ελαιόκαρπό τους την Τετάρτη 14/12/2011 και από ώρα 14.00 έως 19.00, προκειμένου το ελαιουργείο να αλέσει την επόμενη μέρα Πέμπτη 15/12/2011.
Message from the cooperative mill in Ano Korakiana. After several days of intensive preparation, the new Managing Partnership invites interested parties to bring their harvest to the mill on Wednesday 14 December between 14.00 and 19.00 hours for pressing on Thursday 15 December '11.

Starting anew

Friday saw the Project's tipper truck securely stored at last. This gives the Voluntary Advisory Group, delegated responsibilities by the remains of the old project's management committee, time to formally clear any outstanding sums owed -  reduced over preceding months to a manageable sum - and get on with setting up a proper legal entity - probably a Company Limited by Guarantee or a Community Interest Company - so that a new enterprise can be up and running before December, using the vehicle and machinery of the dissolved project. It's been a slog. The truck's ready for re-use but we still have to recover a rich variety of machinery including a chipper, chain saw, strimmers, mowers, picks, stepladder, spades, shovels and crowbars. Some of the trickiest part of winding up the project, drawing a line under the past is now behind us. Now we have the challenge, in tough times, of restarting it as a transparent accountable enterprise fit to earn money where that's appropriate, and apply for grants - increasingly rare - to help do an endless range of odd-jobs - garden clearing, window and lock repairs, house clearance, removals - to name a few - for the most vulnerable people in Handsworth, as well as communal tasks like litter picks, clearing those urban dead zones beloved of fly-tippers and cutting overgrown foliage by footpaths and alleyways.
*** ***
An old lady, Rodo Metallinou, Ρόδω Μεταλληνού, sits at her window in the narrowest part of Democracy Street - if you ignore the stretch where it runs through Venetia half a mile further up the village. When we pass she smiles and waves, crying out - γειά σου, often adding further blessings we still don't always understand. I admit to peering through her open window at the dark varnished dresser with its shiny decorations, gleaming cosily on dark winter evenings. 

Ο Μάρκου και η κυρά Ρόδω

An entry in the Ano Korakiana website shows Rodo sitting beside our neighbour and friend Mark Jacks, showing her an old black and white photo - η παλιά φωτογραφία - a gathering of her fellow pupils at the village school in the 1930s, an image that might have been thrown away or simply allowed to decay in some abandoned room. Here they sit together as she happily recalls names, nicknames - τα παρατσούκλια τους - and old faces. Mark wrote:...she was sitting on the step with the photo when I happened by and she was talking to a man with a beard who took the photo , I  asked her which schoolgirl she was in the photo and she pointed herself out to me and then burst into fits of laughter ,1930 she reckons , great stuff.  loved the 15 minutes with her and her neighbours,
** ** **
Mark Taylor, a members of my informal JH committee, helping me search for Jack Hargreaves' programmes between the 1950s up to his death in 1994, sent me an old VHS tape of a broadcast in which Jack speaks a commentary written by his colleague and friend Colin Willock over a film about another friend, James Robertson Justice. Tony Herbert took Mark's old tape and transferred it to DVD so's I could float it on Vimeo. The Angler and The Trout appeared in Anglia Television's Survival series, invented by Aubrey Buxton, and broadcast  13 February 1974. Comparing it with one of Jack's films about fishing, made in the early 1980s, it is ever so slightly bothering to hear the shift in rhythm and flow as my stepfather recites someone else's words while different hands and eyes stand behind the camera, sit at the edit desk and insert background music and sound effects. I guess it's a reminder of how much more familiar I've become with JH's material in the last couple of years.