Kettles and Green Deal and Bicycles and…

Our kettle stopped working a few days ago.  And the socket behind the dishwasher that occasionally switches itself off half-way through the wash did just that.

In other news, as a (newly joined) member of Kings Heath Transition Initiative I attended a Green Deal ‘go early’ training session for community recruiters.  The green deal is a scheme for improving the energy efficiency of the UK housing stock, currently the worst in Europe.  The idea of having this promoted by community groups, as opposed to installers prospecting for contracts has obvious benefits and it’s great to be part of putting forward this first wave of assessments, which should lead to a good number of well-advised and heavily subsidised installations.

The screws on the bottom of the kettle required a triangular screwdriver, either to protect the user from removing them and electrocuting themselves, or to make the kettle more difficult to repair.  Maybe a bit of both. The dishwasher’s failing electrical socket is due to a faulty switch, which is frustrating in itself, as we never need to switch the socket off anyway.

Then yesterday I was talking to Richard Shrewsbury about a film I’m making for him.  I told  him a little about my Space Exploration work and he told me about Locality and their community-organisers programme.  This sounds like a great way that I could get support and training to do more of my community work, so now I need to find a host organisation to work with.  All Saints Centre or The Kings Heath Centre Partnership would seem  a good fit, so now I need to talk to them.

Well, I tried a few things; carving a wooden screwdriver, moulding a plastic screw driver, but in the end I found an old damaged electrical screwdriver that did the job.  The self-contained switch unit inside is somewhat like a Blade Runner replicant in that it is beautifully built, but not to last.  Tiny contacts carrying mains current and minuscule plastic pins in the mechanism show that longevity is not design priority.  I easily got the switch working again, that was five minutes of the hour it took to open and reassemble the kettle.  The dishwasher socket was more straightforward, if no more pleasing.  Remove and throw away the faulty socket, replace with a new, un-switched socket.

It’s also bicycle maintenance time, which means a visit to Birmingham Bike Foundry in Stirchley.  In the car, ironically.  New brakes and cables for both the adult bikes in the house, and a new (well, refurbished) bike for our eldest.  This means that the other two boys can now move up a bike, leading to a fresh round of saddle adjustments, the reorganisation of the bike shed and the realisation that one of those bikes needs the brakes seeing to as well.

One of the Architecture students from Birmingham City University who are working with the Centre posted her first blog about the project, and good news arrives from Near Neighbours, they have approved funding for my neighbourhood Space Exploration programme of which, more soon.  This is the first funding application I have made, so it’s great to get a success and thanks are due to Marcus Belben who put me in touch with Near Neighbours and supported me in my application.  Next week I’ll get together with the seed group and start work!

I took the boys to the dentist and myself to a Physio.  I went through the final changes to the film I’m making for Martineau Gardens with the editor and composer.  I made my first batch of pita bread.    I considered starting a not-for-profit electrical refurbishment service, in partnership with John Lewis?  I collected the boys from school.  I started building a new Hill-Daniel Media website, considering a new name; Wellbeing Media? Wellbeing AV?  And I greatly enjoyed singing with CBSO SoVocal Community Choir in our last rehearsal before our Children’s Hospital benefit concert at Saint Phillips Cathedral.

I’m not a natural multi-tasker, and I do feel dizzy most of the time.