Asda Shopping Early Morning

We've been shopping in Asda, early this morning. It was great that there was virtually nobody there. The Christmas rush is well and truly over for another year. We went to look at clothes in the George department. Carol wanted to buy Daniel a hoodie, but it turned out that the one she had wasn't available in his size. Infact, I tried one on. 'Large' isn't large enough for me, and certainly not for Daniel. We bought Carol a pair of leggings and a sweatshirt top, which turned out to cost a mere £5 and a new short-sleeved shirt for myself. We then had breakfast in the cafe and then came home, as Carol was off to her tutoring at 10 o'clock.

Cold, wet, overcast and miserable

We're in that sort of interregnum of the Christmas/New Year's holiday period, where everything is downright boring. The weather is playing silly games; one minute it is bright sunshine and then it goes really dull, and the wind gets up. There's not a lot to do. I am writing this to fill in time. I gave Carol a bird-feeding station, which is set up in the garden. It comes with a central section, made of metal, with a point on one end, which you stick in the ground. Fortunately the grass in the back garden is relatively soft. I'm not going to call it a 'lawn' because it's hardly that. It slopes down towards the house and gets very muddy when it rains. Anyway, the bird-feeding station. From the central section you hang metal arms which take two feeding 'plates' one, which is clear plastic, is intended for water, and the other is made of metal, almost like a sieve, for food. The rather attractive top-mounted arrays take special bird-feeding 'cages' filled with fat balls. We set it up too close to the house at first, but have now moved it further back from the house. I think several birds have visited, but we haven't had too many. I will keep you informed as things develop, so keep reading these posts . . .

As for television . . . this years it's been downright pathetic. Apart from 'Doctor Who' and 'Great Expectations' there's been nothing really worth tuning in for. The 'Doctor Who' Christmas special has become part of the Christmas televison furniture for the past few years, at least, since the show was resurrected in 2005. It was a reasonably good episode, not stuffed full of 'special guests' and at least you were kept guessing with 'what would happen next.'  You would honestly think with all the extra channels with 'multi-channel' digital television that there'd be something worth watching. We only have Freeview, but even then we don't watch too much television. I got a year's subscription to BBC History Magazine, which I've been reading for the past few years. The first copy has just arrived. As part of the subscription I got the new Peter Ackroyd book 'The History of England: Foundation', which is the first part of a six-volume history of England, so I'll have that to read in the next month or two.

A Royal Connection?

We have been hearing (or reading, or listening, depending on how you read the news.) about the Duke Of Edinburgh  (ie: husband, and Consort of The Queen, Elizabeth II,  monarch of  Great Britain.) being taken to Papworth Hospital due to the fact that he had complained of a pain in his chest over the Christmas holiday while staying at Sandringham, the royal Norfolk estate. I only mention this because I went to Papworth for tests after I had my heart attack. He had an operation to insert a stent into a blood vessel to unblock a blood clot. For anyone who doesn't know what a stent is, it's a quite amazing invention, inserted into the vein in the patient's groin and then gradually worked up through the vein, and the surgeon can see this using X-ray. The end of the stent is a tiny umbrella-like construction, which, when in the correct position, is  opened up, thus enlarging the vein and helping the blood to flow properly and preventing a further clot developing. The stent is then removed and the patient allowed to recover.  I have not had this procedure, as I had an angiogram which was done weeks after my heart attack. A dye is injected into the blood-supply, and as a result can be seen by X ray and can then show up exactly were the blood clot that caused a heart attack is. I had a test at Papworth Hospital to show up any further clot and it was decided that I didn't need invasive surgery, but, apparently now, a good 5 and a half years after my original heart attack (or to give it the correct medical name: myocardial infarction.) if you have a heart attack you are automatically given the stent procedure. My  heart condition is controlled by medication.

The Duke of Edinburgh has since been discharged from Papworth Hospital and has returned to Sandringham.

Morrison's Mayhem . . . amongst OTHER Things!

Carol had a tutoring session this morning. She went out at around 10 a.m. and was back by gone 11. We had arranged with Chloe and Steve to meet them in Stony Stratford, at a cafe called Mange Tout. We weren't sure exactly where it was, but, having been there before we knew that, if it was in the High Street, it wouldn't be too difficult to find. We managed to park the car on the street leading into the town centre and parked. We had their Christmas present, purchased from Boot's a few weeks ago and wrapped and ready to give to them. We walked along the High Street, found the cafe and waited as they weren't yet there. After a few minutes Carol saw them walking towards us, together with Jade, Chloe's niece, we went into the cafe. It was very crowded, but managed to find a table. There was little room at the table, but then some customers left and we were able to move to another table with more space. They have managed to arrange a date for their wedding, which will be in August 2012, down in part of the country where Steve's parents live, in Devon. So we have that to look forward to. Makes me proud as her Dad, and the fact that I might not have seen any of this due to my heart attack over 5 years ago. We didn't stay too long, as Louisa, Chloe's half-sister (and Jade's mum) turned up. I presume that she had driven them to Stony, as she and her husband Richard live fairly nearby in Potterspury. We said goodbye and then returned to the car. We had some final bits and pieces to shop for, so Carol suggested Morrison's at Westcroft, so we drove back into Milton Keynes and went to Westcroft. On arrival at the carpark, the place was heaving with cars driving in and out, and the crowds within the supermarket were very extensive, to put it mildly. If things were busy in Asda yesterday, they were even more so in Morrisons. Having purchased a fairly meagre amount of stuff we had to queue for well over 45 MINUTES in order to reach the check-out! I thought the other people in the queue were very patient and I have to say I admire Morrison's staff for their dedication and patience. I think they hnestly deserve a bonus for the work they were doing. By the time we eventually got outside to the car it was raining, and Carol went to get the car while I waited outside the car and then I put the shopping on the back seat of the car and we drove home.  I just hope there isn't anything further we need on the shopping front, as if we have forgotten anything then we won't really want to go out shopping tomorrow.

A Happy Christmas To All My Readers

Well, it's only a day until Christmas Day, so I'd just like to wish all those who take the time and effort to read my blog a happy and relaxed Christmas. I will endeavour to continue with my blog, but can't promise to post something every day.

Bedlam At Asda

As the saying goes 'had to nip out to the shops' this morning, for a couple of items. I went to put petrol in the car at the Shell petrol station in Grafton Street and then went to Asda. It was a huge mistake, as the carpark was virtually full to bursting and I had trouble finding a space. Once I'd parked I realized that the whole place was packed with shoppers, going crazy. Why do people have a sort of siege mentality in the days leading up to Christmas Day? Do they imagine that everything is going to sell out IMMEDIATELY? I think that is very unlikely, particularly on things such as mince pies, wrapping paper, tinsel, Christmas tree lights, baubels and puddings. If you are so desperate for such items, surely you would have purchased them weeks ago. Looking at some of the trolleys which were being pushed around the store, you'd think we were in for some short of invasion. I managed to grab most of the items on my list, but then I couldn't find coleslaw. I wandered up and down the aisles, but to no avail. Had I gone to Sainsbury's, Tesco, Lidl or even Aldi I might have managed to find this item straightaway. I can never work out the logic of the way they manage to put stuff on the shelves in supermarkets, so would coleslaw be in the chilled section? With salads? I gave up in the end, as the place was getting over-crowded. On arriving at the point where I needed to pay, I went round to the tills. The queues were getting longer and longer so I decided to use a self-service check-out. I had to stand in a queue behind a lady who had quite a large amount of items to check trough the till, so I put my items on the conveyer belt. She was having real problems getting the machinery to read the bar-codes on some of her items, so an assistant came to help her. You have to make sure you put scanned items onto the bagging area, as the system doesn't know it's there until it is placed in a bag or in the bagging area. You can't always manage to get the plastic bags opened so that can cause a problem and people behind you get somewhat impatient. Anyway, she managed to scan all her items and pay and I managed to put my few items through, pay and then leave. The self-service tills take ages to 'read' paper banknotes when you feed them into the slot. The lady in front of me had to feed in around £90-worth of notes into the wretched thing, which seem to take quite a while. Made me laugh at the end, though, when the machine said, in it's somewhat patronising tone of voice 'thank you for using the fast-track check-out'. Fast? I think not. It's also the fact that the machine has to tell the whole world when you've made a mistake, usually at the loudest volume possible, which doesn't make things any easier, and you just can't wait to get out of the supermarket.

Colpermin For Muscle Discomfort

I have mentioned before now the muscle discomfort that I have had as a side-effect of taking statins. I mentioned it the other week when I went into a branch of Boots for some other medication, and the dispensing chemist recommended that I try Colpermin. She also said that if I was to drink something like Lucozade it might also help.  She said I might need to drink more and that I might be dehydrated, so recommended Lucozade as it will replace sugars and salts which might explain not only the muscle pain but the fact that I quite often get cramps, and usually at night, and most painfully in the soles of my feet. The Colpermin capsules contain peppermint and are slow-release. I'm not sure why a tablet intended to relieve the effects of I.B.S. should help, but they do seem to work. I have tried Buscopan, but they didn't seem to work.  I have been taking them for several weeks now along with Lucozade and it seems to help. I now discover that I should be able to get these tablets on prescription, so I'm going to make a doctor's appointment and get my doctor to give me a prescription and then add it to the medications I already have. As I'm over 60 I now don't pay, and, as Colpermin are over £5 for 20 capsules, and they are definitely working, then I see now reason to have them on prescription. I have to say that I'm impressed by Boots, as, on several occasions when I've gone to pick up my repeat prescriptions the dispensing pharmacist has talked to me about my medications and what I can do to help myself.

Carol Concert at Milton Keynes Christian Centre

There was a carol concert at Milton Keynes Christian Centre (M.K.C.C. )yesterday evening. Carol and I helped to set up the Father Christmas grotto, and were supposed to be 'shadowing' so as to join the Welcome Team,  (our first official time on the team will be around 16th January) but it turned out that there were more than enough people to help. Apart from Father Christmas, there were lots of other activities going on in the church foyer, for example, photographs being taken, a stall selling christmassy items, someone singing together with a choir, lots to eat and drink, and then at 5.30 the concert began. Sam, Carol's youngest son, came with us. Daniel made some excuse saying that he had to finish a college assignment, but it was a pity he couldn't come. The whole place was heaving and there must have been 100% in the main auditorium.

Daniel has now got his university place at Newcastle. Sam has come home from Nottingham University, having begun an engineering degree, so the house has been busy the past couple of days. 

It is cold, windy and wet outside (as I write this at 2.45).

Snow Overnight

We woke up this morning to an inperceptible fall of snow. Well, on drawing back the bedroom curtains and peering outside we could see that there had been a slight fall of snow, and, looking at the streetlamp on the Redway, that there was a gradual fall of snow. As I write this (at 8.04 a.m.) the garden is covered in a blanket of the White Stuff. Carol has driven off to The Academy, and we had to wipe off snow from the windscreen before she could drive off. It's the final day of the term. Christmas begins this evening! Well, this time last year we had been under several inches of snow for quite a few days, and, if my memory serves right, the Academy was closed for the last few days of the term.

Turned Out Wet and Cold

We haven't had the really bad storms as forecast, but it's cold and wet today. There was a hint of sunshine earlier, but it's raining steadily. Hold on to your hats as the storms are on the way.

Snow On Car

Yes, cold. Definitely. In fact, when I went to drive over to the Academy to collect Carol at around 4.15 this afternoon, there was a thin layer of what I can only describe as snow on the car's windscreen. A howling gale, driving rain/sleet/snow and getting dark.  It didn't remain on the car long, as the heat from the engine melted it off as I drove along, but snow, nevertheless. So, no doubt we'll be under several feet of 'the white stuff' by the end of the week.

Storms on the Way

The weather has taken a turn for the worse. It was very windy and wet last night, the sound of the rain could be heard outside and drumming on the windows. The front door was shaking and we were worried that the wind would open the door. Alfie was barking at it, not understanding what the noise was. We have been warned (on the television weather forecast on B.B.C. television.) that over the next week the weather is going to get worse and by the end of this week we can expect high winds and even snow. They have already had snow in parts of Scotland and the north of England, particularly Yorkshire.

Theatre Visit and Milton Keynes Centre

We went to see a production of "Henry V" by W. Shakespeare performed by Propellor Theatre at Milton Keynes Theatre on Saturday afternoon. We decided to leave the car and went into MK centre by bus, which was a good deal easier and far more stress-free than going by car as we didn't have to worry about where we were going to park, nor the cost of parking. We had imagined that it would be busy, in the build-up to Christmas, and we were absolutely right. We got into the centre with more than enough time to spare, so we walked into the shopping centre (the bus dropped us directly outside the theatre.) and couldn't believe how crowded the place was. It doesn't appear as if there's an 'economic downturn' as people were (supposedly) doing their Christmas shopping and not really taking much notice of the fact that things were so dire. We did notice that a lot of shops had pre-Christmas sales on. We went to W.H.Smith as Carol is interested in getting an E-reader. Smiths have their own one called a Kobo, and we got a good demonstration from a member of Smith's staff. Carol is more interested in the basic model, whilst I'd like the one that is wi-fi connected and colour so you can surf the internet.

We continued to walk through the shopping centre, then visiting Boot's as they have their usual 'Buy 2 items and get one free' and we selected what we'd buy as presents. I have won a £25 voucher from doing on-line surveys, which came at just the right time to spend on presents. We didn't buy the things there and then as it would have meant taking the shopping into the theatre, so we'll buy the items later. Next, we went to Waterstone's, thinking that they would have e-readers in stock. I have an idea that I saw a display of Kindles when we were last in the store in Midsummer Place a couple of weeks ago. We went upstairs and asked an assistant, to be told that, since Waterstone's was taken over by a new company, they no longer stocked Kindles. Very strange, as Kindles (and all brands of E-readers) where the latest 'must-have' gadget, and if that was the case, Waterstone's weren't doing themselves any favours by not stocking them.

We walked back through the shopping centre and ended up in John Lewis, and browsed in the gifts department. Then we walked towards the theatre, which is only a short distance from John Lewis. We had a good forty-five minutes before the play began, so we got coffee from the bar and sat in the foyer.

We could hear music and laughter and raised voices coming from behind a glass partition. I at first thought it might have been something to do with a drama course, as the theatre does have courses for acting and other stage-related business, such as fights, etc. It then turned out to be a rehearsal for the theatre's pantomime "Aladdin" which opens on 9th December. We could see into the rehearsal studios, and Carol got quite excited when she saw the 'star' of the show, Gareth Gates, a former winner/contender on something like 'Pop Idol' or at least, one of those so-called 'reality' television talent shows.  We could glimpse what was going on in the rehearsal room through little glass panels in the partition. It was difficult not to hear what was going on, and occasionally there were children's voices cheering, such as 'he's behind you!' and 'oh yes he is!' etc etc. It's certainly not every day that you get a glimpse into the rehearsal room for any show, and not least a pantomime. Having sat and drunk our coffee, we made our way into the theatre auditorium. We have seen several Shakespeare productions by Propellor. The first was when Carol was teaching at Stantonbury Campus, and we went with a party on a bus to the Old Vic in London to see their production of "The Taming Of The Shrew." This is an all-male ensemble, which means all the parts are played by men, as would have been the case in Shakespeare's day, when women weren't allowed on stage. "Henry V" is modern dress, with the cast dressed in army uniforms as if off to the war in Iraq or Afghanistan. By turns very emotional, funny and quite gripping. We have also seen their production of "Twelfth Night" at the Oxford Playhouse, and the fact that it's an all-male cast is even more effective, as the play involves characters who are not only twins, but one is supposed to be a girl who dresses up as a boy. Which makes it more relevant to the plot, which you certainly don't get if it's a cast of men and women. We last saw their production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" also at Oxford Playhouse, and "Henry V" is the first of their productions to be toured to Milton Keynes Theatre. It was a very sparse audience, unfortunately. Perhaps the people of Milton Keynes don't like Shakespeare or have never heard of this company. Our last visit to the theatre was to see the National Theatre production of "Hamlet" with Rory Kinnear in the lead.

Disorder Sentencing

Disorder Sentencing - Milton Keynes

A dozen people involved in violent disorder in Milton Keynes this summer will spend Christmas behind bars.

Aylesbury Crown Court today (28/11) heard how they were part of a group of more than 20 individuals which damaged cars and buildings and stole from shops and restaurants on the night of 9 August this year.

Those responsible for the disorder have received custodial sentences totalling more than 18 years.

A dozen people involved in violent disorder in Milton Keynes this summer will spend Christmas behind bars.

Aylesbury Crown Court today (28/11) heard how they were part of a group of more than 20 individuals which damaged cars and buildings and stole from shops and restaurants on the night of 9 August this year.

Those responsible for the disorder have received custodial sentences totalling more than 18 years.

Supt Nikki Ross, Milton Keynes LPA Commander, said: “These individuals acted as though they were above the law on the night of August 9 this year. I am pleased to be able to say that they have now felt the full weight of the law as a result of their actions.

“Their behaviour intimidated law-abiding members of the public and the differing lengths of sentence they have received reflects aggravating factors, such as violence, robbery, theft and criminal damage.

“I would like to join with the judge, who praised the actions of a member of the public who took photos of the rioters as they damaged her car and I also want to mention the efforts of my officers who have spent hours looking through CCTV in order to identify those responsible for the disorder.”

A full list of the sentences given today are as follows:

Mahad Abdi, aged 22, of The Hide, Netherfield, 36 months

Nigel Baiden, 18, of Wakefield Close, Neath Hill, 32 months

Nicholas Balibuno, 18, of Diddington Close, Bletchley, 16 months

Resal Bray, 18, of The Boundary, Oldbrook, eight months

Aaron Cunningham, 19, of Westminster Drive, Bletchley, 26 months

Charlie Fisher, 18, of Ramson’s Avenue, Conniburrow, 20 months

Jack Gore 18, of Towan Avenue, Fishermead, 14 months

Spencer Layne, 23, of Faringdon Street, Monkston Park, 26 months

Pius Ofori, 18, of Porthleven Place, Fishermead, 14 months

Tafazwa Sibanda, 20, of St Giles Close, New Bradwell, 15 months

A 16-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy received 12 months and six months in a young offenders’ institute respectively. A 15-year-old boy also received a youth rehabilitation order.

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Meeting at M.K.C.C. and Trip to Central Milton Keynes Shopping Centre

We had a meeting at Milton Keynes Christian Centre at 3.30 yesterday afternoon (Thursday) so I arrived at the Academy really early. I sat and waited in the carpark nearest the exit at the back of the building and  the Science Village where Carol works. Carol came out perfectly on time. On Wednesday,  when I came in to collect her, and sat, as usual in the reception area, she was stopped by various parents for them to speak about their children. She is very popular with the parents (well, most of them) and the children she teaches. We managed to leave in good time and then got to M.K.C.C. which is in Oldbrook (only a short drive from home and over the road from the Academy. We were meeting with the lady who is in charge of the Welcome group at church, as we are joining this team. We have been going to M.K.C.C. for over 18 months and want to get more involved. We were given a run-down on what we can expect and what we have to do. We are on the 'green' team and will be 'shadowing' someone on the 18th December, which is the church carol concert. Carol wants to help decorate the Christmas tree and is looking forward to this concert. As there are just under1,000 members of M.K.C.C.  there is a real need for a really first-rate Welcome team, as well as the fact that there are always new people turning up, so a pleasant attitude and smile are the first requirements of the job. We had tea and the lady in charge came out with  two mugs of tea and a really nice plate of little cakes, and Carol was keen to get the one with the pink icing on it! We thought that the meeting had over-run somewhat, as we had to get home to collect Daniel and drive him to the station as he needed to get to work at Paddington Station in London. This we did and managed to get him to Milton Keynes Central Station. There is a lot of roadworks around the station entrance and it means driving in where you usually come OUT as the usual entrance is closed off as the road has been dug up as part of the roadworks. This, hopefully, should be finished in the New Year.

Having deposited Daniel at the station we decided to go into the shopping centre as the annual Christmas display was on in the Middleton Hall. This has been a highlight of Milton Keynes Central Shopping Centre virtually every Christmas since it opened in 1979. We parked the car at Debenhams. This is a multi-storey car park, and it's quite an effort to drive up the spiral ramp and then then find a parking space. As you drive in you come to a barrier and have to take a ticket out of the machine and remember where you put this ticket as without it you cannot exit. On returning to the carpark you have to put this ticket in another machine which calculates the length of time of your visit and you pay accordingly, and the machine issues you with another ticket which you then use in the barrier when you drive out. It is absolutely essential that you remember all this when you visit otherwise you are going to be trapped within the carpark. Having parked we then walked down the escalator and into Midsummer Place, which is the newest section of the shopping centre. We noticed that the clock which is a major feature of this shopping centre was not working. How can I describe it? I should have taken a photo of it, but didn't think to. It was not working. A pity, as it is quite spectacular, what with a large frog which blows bubbles and a thing which moves along a sort of track-way and the whole thing plays music! Generally it attracts quite a crowd, and children seem to love it. There is a similar one in another shopping centre in Cheltenham (behind the Everyman Theatre, where I worked in the late '60's.) I think it was designed by the same person who did the Milton Keynes one. Anyway, there was a sign up stating that this clock was awaiting repair.

Group of animated chickens in the  Dickensian Christmas display in the Middleton Hall

We wanted to have something to eat. We decided to try the restaurant next door to Debenhams and directly opposite the 'Frog Clock' (for want of a better name.) If you go to YouTube and search for 'Frog Clock Milton Keynes', it does come up and there are several reasonably good videos, but the frog isn't that clearly seen. This is called Caffe Italia. Some while ago we had a couple or marangues there. Quite gigantic and incredibly delicious with cream. We bought some when we watched the Royal Wedding on television a few months ago. This time we selected something a good deal different. Carol had spaghetti bolognaise and I chose lasagne. I have to say, considering what we paid for it (with side salad, which we shared, Pepsi and garlic bread, totalling £21.45, it wasn't very good value as the meal whatn't particularly good in the sense that there were lumps of mince in my lasagne and it didn't seem cooked through properly. We won't be going back there again in a hurry. We went to Waterstone's and browsed the new books on display and Carol bought two pens in the in-store Paperchase concession (we like Paperchase, and Carol loves their pens.) We then walked along the main shopping centre, visiting Body Shop on the way and eventually arriving at the Middleton Hall, just outside John Lewis's department store. This is where the Christmas display has been set up (as it is every year.) This year it has a Dickensian feel to it. There is a 'street' of little stalls selling craft items, and we then arrived in the Christmas display. It is aimed at Children, but the child in both Carol and I were intrigued by the animated characters used in the display. The chickens in the above photograph gave us a laugh!

 The Teddy's teaparty. Sorry, it's not a very good photograph.

We waved at the little train as it went past. I have a feeling we must have gone a little bit over-the-top and this seemed to please the lady who seemed to be in charge of the train. She was a sort of conductor on the train. As it went past she asked if we'd like a ride. To which, of course, we replied that we would. We were her guest on the train, and didn't have to pay! So, when the little train stopped in the station and the passengers had got on, we got on! We went round and round the track, looking at the Christmas display and I took some photographs with our small Olympus digital camera which I just happened to have on me. I have up-loaded some of them here, but I'm afraid some of them aren't very good. I may go back and take some more. Incidentally, we went round the display on the train several times, and each time we were asked if we wanted to stay on the train! It would have cost us £1.50 each time (that is, one circuit, which isn't very big!) and after a while we'd seen all we'd wanted to and it was time to leave, thanking the lady and the train-driver for our free train ride! I think, due to the fact that there were very few shoppers around and even fewer paying passengers on the train, they were pleased to have some company!

 Waving Teddy

 View from the train as it went on it's way around the track

We walked back through the shopping centre, stopping in W.H.Smith to have a browse. And then back towards Midsummer Place and the car, parked near Debenham's. In all it had been a rather pleasant evening, just wandering around the shopping centre, and perhaps, most of all, having a free ride on the little train in the Christmas display!

Dull and Foggy

It's a dull and foggy day today. Taken Carol to the Academy. She has emailed me to tell me that she has a meeting first thing about why she's been off. I have said that it's due to shoving around a trolley full of heavy books, so it's a health and safety issue. Occupational health issues and manual handling come into it, too. Having done manual handling courses I have a good idea what they should have done to help prevent injuries (they haven't done anything. They should have timetabled her classes better.)

Overcast Day

It's a typical early November sort of day; gray, gloomy and over-cast.  It seems very dark, even though it's only 2.15. Went to Asda to buy one or two items. I was surprised how busy it was, but considering it is a Friday, and most people are paid on a Friday, it wasn't such a surprise. Carol is still not feeling too well. The medication she is on makes her feel drowsy. Unfortunately, for this to do it's job properly, she'll have to keep on taking it.

'Flu Jabs

Carol and I have had our 'flu jabs. We'd booked these a few weeks ago. It was done extremely professionally by the practise nurse at the surgery. So that is done for the year. No side effects for either of us (as I write this.) fortunately.

Carol off work

Carol had complained of being in some pain last weekend and on Monday she went to work as usual, but then I got a call from the Academy to pick her up. She was almost doubled up with pain so I insisted we go to the doctor's surgery to make an appointment. It was just 8 a.m. and the surgery would be opened, so immediately we left the Academy we went to the surgery and got an appointment for 8.45. None of the 'what's the matter with you?' at the new surgery that we used to get at the Grove Surgery. The doctor gave her a prescription for pain-relief and did an examination and gave her a two-week sick note.  He said to return to the surgery for a further appointment after the two weeks and she may need physiotherapy. We went to the pharmacy to get the prescription made up (at Asda) and did some shopping whilst we were there. We think the pain might be caused by having to push heavy trolleys of books all over the Academy building. It would appear that she has lessons in different rooms, hence hauling the trolley around, which might have caused a pulled muscle or something.

On Wednesday Daniel was due to go to an Open Day at Loughborough University. Carol was going to drive him there, but after her injury she decided that it wasn't going to be possible to drive any distance so he decided to go by train. It would have been easier, one would have thought, to have gone from Milton Keynes Central Station, but in fact it would be quicker and easier to go via Bedford, so early on Wednesday morning we drove over to Bedford, and dropped him off at Midland Road Station in Ashburnham Road (a relatively short walk from my old flat in Grayfriars, and even closer to Rutland Road Church.) Fortunately we went earlier enough to avoid some really heavy traffic going into Bedford, particularly along Bromham Road. There was a tail-back going over the railway bridge from Bromham and Biddenham, and we managed to reach the station in good time for Daniel to get his train, but on the way out, only around five minutes later, there was a much longer tail-back, going as far as the roundabout onto the Bedford By-Pass. If we'd been in that queue we'd have been too late for Daniel's train. We went home and then, mid-afternoon, Daniel rang to say he wanted picking up from Bletchley station. We went to Tesco in Bletchley as the train wasn't due until around 5.15. We did some shopping and bought a D.V.D. of the Guy Ritchie version of "Sherlock Holmes." We then drove towards the station. Carol wasn't too sure where to park at the station. At Bedford there is a carpark where you can wait for around 10 minutes or so, particularly if you are waiting to collect someone (there is a similar area at Milton Keynes Central Station. We drove on past, hoping to find somewhere to turn the car round. We drove on and into Whalley Drive and made a left turn into what at first appeared like any other opening into a housing estate or side-road. But once we had turned in, it turned out to be the local cemetry! Carol was somewhat horrified, particularly as it was dark and there was a full moon. Rather like a scene from some sort of Hammor horror film, with the moon appearing and disappearing behind a cloud. All it needed was a howling wind, creaking door hinges, wolves howling at the moon, clanking chains etc etc. You get my meaning? And Christopher Lee or someone similar wandering around in a long cloak! No sooner had we driven in, than a vehicle came in following behind. We went on through the rows of gravestones and managed to turn the car around, but we couldn't get out as the van that had followed us in was blocking the exit. What, we wondered, was the van doing there, in the pitch-black? Grave robbers? It was funny, or so we thought, that when we were in Tesco's, filling in time before we had to collect Daniel from the station, we were looking through DVD's, and we had considered buying the film "Burke and Hare"  instead of "Sherlock Holmes"(about body snatching.) and there we were in a grave-yard! Just as we were talking to the gentleman with the white van, the mobile rang and we talked to Daniel, trying not to laugh too much when we told him why we were late, and in the middle of a grave-yard! You couldn't invent the situation. More like something out of a sit-com such as "My Family." The sort of show where the husband is late home from work and has to tell his wife: 'Darling- I'm late. I'm stuck in the grave-yard. A rather dead-end situation!' Anyway, we managed to get out, although there wasn't a great deal of space to get past the van, and Carol was very concerned that she'd drive over someone's grave!
 The medication the doctor gave Carol is Naproxen. Like all the medication you are given it is always advisable to read the enclosed leaflet. Having myself worked as a carer I have some knowledge of medication and have done several courses. You have to be aware of any interactions a new medication might have with anything a patient is already taking (such is the case with my heart meds.) If you read the possible side-effects of some drugs it would put you off taking them (such as my statins, which cause muscle pain, amongst other things.) I does make me laugh, though, when you are given something like a sleeping tablet and it says on the packet 'may cause drowsiness." So, what else is a sleeping tablet going to do but make you fall asleep, and so, make you feel drowsy?? Why do things have to be so literal and obvious?

Changed Doctor's Surgery

Carol and I have changed our doctor's surgery. We were with The Grove Surgery in Netherfield and had decided, after some consideration, that we wanted to change our doctor as The Grove hasn't been exactly pro-active. We haven't been all that impressed with the service we've been having there. For a start, you can never see the same doctor more than a few times in succession, whenever you make an appointment.  I can say that I was annoyed by the lack of action over my blood tests, and when Carol had her recent eye infection the doctor poked her eye with the swab and appeared to make it worse, and also the ridiculous appointments booking procedure that it was time to change.  Whenever you ring up (if you can ever get through on the telephone system) the receptionist asks 'what's the appointment for?' I don't see why you need to tell the receptionist; it should be confidential and between you and the doctor, in the privacy of the surgery. On one occasion Carol and I went in to book an appointment and the receptionist was giving out her details so that everyone waiting could hear. Also, when we first registered with the surgery, it was done in the open reception-area, and not in a private room, away from other people who could hear. We had to change doctors when we moved from Crownhill, which we actually didn't want to, but it appears that it Health Authority rules that when you move away from a certain doctor's catchment area you have to move doctors surgeries, even though we had build up quite a good relationship with Hilltops, the health centre we used to go to in Great Holm.We knew that there was a new surgery, Ashfield Medical Centre, opened in Beanhill,  not far from where we live (actually closer than The Grove Surgery.) so we went to investigate whether we could transfer, and learned that we could, so we got the relevant paperwork and got it filled out, and went back later that morning, together with several forms of identification. At least this interview was done in the privacy of an office, away from the reception area. Once this was done, we had to make further appointments (which could only be made the following day.) as each of us is on repeat medication. So this was done, and new prescriptions issued. At least at Ashfield Medical Centre there is far better parking, and there is a chemists next door which means we can take our prescriptions in immediately to be made up.

Poppy Unwell

Over the weekend Poppy became ill. We couldn't put a finger on what was the matter with her. She was off her food and not responding as she normally does. She was making a sort of wheezing noise, the sort of noise she makes when we take her for a walk and she's on her lead. She pulls considerably and this is when she makes the wheezing noise, but this time it was without the lead on.

Carol was off for a further week, as the Academy has a two-week half term, compared to one week for the rest of the schools in Milton Keynes. We wanted to take the dogs for a walk, and had considered three options, Salcey Forest, Stockgrove Country Park and a walk along the river at Woughton (which is the closest of the tree.) We haven't been to Stockgrove for some time, so we got the dogs organised, with Alfie doing his usual howling and getting really excited and spinning round in circles act, and drove out onto the A5. Stockgrove Park is great as not only do the dogs get a good walk, we can go on several routes, one of which avoids the lake as Poppy is prone to jumping in and disturbing the ducks (which she shouldn't really do, as there are notices to that effect.) Unfortunately, when we got there we were somewhat surprised and not a little annoyed to discover that there was a payment barrier across the entrance, which wasn't there the last time we visited. There was a  voluntary payment scheme there, whereby you can put a £1 coin in a box, but this was something completely new. Also, the spaces along the road outside had been blocked with wooden bollards, thus preventing you to park there. A real shame, as the dogs would have enjoyed their walk and we'd have stopped at the end of our walk to have a coffee in the cafe. So we decided to drive back to Milton Keynes, having wasted time and petrol on getting there.  We decided to take the dogs to Furzton Lakes, one of our regular dog-walking places when we lived at Crownhill. We let the dogs off their leads and walked around the lakes, and immediately we reached the lakes and walked along the raised boardwalk, Poppy jumped in the lake and chased a few ducks and moorhens. She would not come out when called. Alfie doesn't like water much, probably remembering the time he jumped over a wall when we took the dogs along the canal and was somewhat surprised by the water he fell into the other side! He seems to get really concerned for Poppy, running around barking at her, as if to say "Poppy, you really shouldn't be doing that. Get out immediately!" She did eventually come out, and then both dogs made friends with some other, larger, dogs that were being exercised by their owners. Alfie runs up to any dog he meets, regardless of size, and attempts to make friends, and the other dog usually is so surprised by his friendliness that they don't really know what to do. He is so fast and goes up to their faces to lick them, and has a habit of jumping up at people, which he really shouldn't do.

Well, Poppy didn't seem too bad at this time. If she could jump in the lake and have a swim, she obviously wasn't too bad, and definitely not unwell. It was later on in the week she seemed to get worse, and perhaps the swim in the lake didn't help. She is usually a happy little dog, and seems to enjoy her food. She will make sure she gets fed on time and will come up to me and bark when she knows it's time. We usually watch "The One Show" on BBC1 each evening, and as soon as the music starts up at the end, she will come to me and bark and make a fuss. Alfie is fully aware of the time I feed them, and doesn't make much fuss. He's a patient little soul. But over the next few days Poppy was off her food. Carol became concerned and was on the verge of taking her to the vet. She went on the internet and found that dogs of Poppy's size were prone to this breathing problem. She was recommended to give Poppy Asprin and used a couple of the soluble Asprin tablets I have been prescribed to prevent blood clots and ward off another heart attack. This was mixed in with some of her food. We even got some lighter dog food for her, and Poppy did eventually eat this. Gradually she seemed to get better. Carol sat one evening with Alfie on her lap and brushed him. He doesn't mind it too much, infact I think he likes it. He certainly likes the attention, but touch him or brush him in the wrong place and he will growl at you. Usually these are areas of his coat which are matted or tangled, and no doubt the comb or brush gets snagged in his coat and pulls and must hurt considerably. Poppy was hiding behind the sofa. Whenever she hurts herself, say, with a claw that gets pulled or caught or something, she can become a real prima donna and hide under the bed, or, in this case, behind the sofa. We heard her sneeze, and sneeze several times, perhaps six times. As a result, she improved rapidly. We wondered whether she had something lodged in her throat, which made her breath with that horrible noise, the sneezing dislodging whatever it was. But, thankfully, she returned to her old self and got better. She ate her dinner that evening and we were really relieved.

The following day we walked with the dogs to the shop the other side of Eaglestone estate. We let the dogs off their leads in the park, which resulted in them both running around madly. Alfie rushes all over the place, and Poppy noses around under buses and goes into people's front gardens. She saw a cat and chased it across the park, proving that she must have got over her period of being unwell. The cat must have wondered what on earth it was that had hit it! Fortunately Poppy never managed to catch up with it, but she really doesn't like cats!

Holiday In Yorkshire- Part 6

The remainder of the week was spend relaxing. We went to Bempton Cliffs, very close to where we stayed on Flamborough Head. The cliffs are up to 400 feet high, and we were somewhat surprised to find fishermen with all their fishing gear, rods, nets etc. perched on the very edge of the cliffs, fishing! It was a complete surprise and we wondered how dangerous it could be. But Carol spoke to one of these fishermen and discovered that he was fishing for cod, and that he had caught cod up to 10 lb in weight! He was perched on the very edge of the cliff, and was in danger of falling over the edge and into the sea! This area of the coast is an R.S.P.B. reserve (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.). The next day we went to Dane's Dyke, which we had seen signposted on the road between Flamborough Head and Bridlington. We went there with the dogs (having parked, we discovered we would need to pay, and the parking ticket machine was some considerable distance from the actual car park.) and then walked down through the woods towards the beach, and discovered a really beautiful beach, and the sea was as still as a mill-pond and looked like the Mediterranean Sea rather than the North Sea.

Woodland at Dane's Dyke

 Beach at Dane's Dyke.

We found a display board near the beach, and on it we read that the coast around Flamborough Head is a 'No-Take' zone, which means there is no fishing, nothing to be taking at all. There is a limit of so much  going out to sea from the shore-line, but it would appear that those fishermen we came across at Bempton Cliffs are breaking the law. I'm not sure what the legal position is, but I would say they are definitely breaking the 'No-Take' regulations.

Bridlington seen from Dane's Dyke Beach

We came home from Yorkshire on the Friday morning, leaving quite early. We made sure that the cottage was left clean and tidy, loaded up our things in the car and got the two dogs settled in the back. We left around 8 a.m. The journey back to Milton Keynes was relatively uneventful, although once we got on the Motorway the level of traffic increased considerably. There were no hold-ups to speak of and we got home around 2 p.m. Immediately we got in we had an hour's rest and then Carol went with Daniel to Asda to do more shopping. We hadn't used all the food up we'd bought when we were away in Yorkshire, but there were a few items which were needed for the weekend.

Holiday In Yorkshire- Part 5

We went to Bridlington on the Sunday as we'd need more groceries. We use Aldi's in Milton Keynes, as their prices are very reasonable. We'd looked up their address in Bridlington and went there early on Sunday, but we got there far too early as they opened at 10 a.m. on a Sunday. So we had to go off and waste an hour in the centre of Bridlington. We managed to park the car and walked along the sea-front towards the harbour and found people fishing on the harbour wall. It's a busy place, with lots of fishing boats coming and going and boats being loaded and unloaded. There is something fascinating in such places. Although the summer season was over, there was quite a lot of life still going on in the place, although most of the holiday-type attractions were closed up for the season.

Bridlington Beach and breakwaters

Bridlington Harbour

Holiday In Yorkshire- Part 4

We have had several holidays in Yorkshire. We first went there in 2006. We hadn't known each other very long, but we decided that we loved the place. The cottage was in Cowling, further west, along the Pennines and almost on the Yorkshire/Lancashire border. We then went again the following April, and stayed in a village called Slingsby, a short distance from Castle Howard. Our last holiday there was three years ago, when we stayed in a converted barn near Northallerton. We have decided, when the time is right we will move to Yorkshire. Carol had seen a job she was interested in advertised in the T.E.S. (Times Education Supplement) but the job would have started too soon. It would need to have started next September. To be able to apply and give us time to look for accomodation in the area. She read more about this school, Trinity Academy in Halifax, and it sounded the sort of school she would like to teach in. She emailed to say that she would like to visit to have a look round, and that we would be in the area. They eventually emailed back to say that they were interested, having read her C.V. and the fact that they were moving from an old building into a new, a similar situation which Carol has had with working for Milton Keynes Academy, where the school was originally in an old building, the Frank Markham School (now demolished) and moved into a new building and becoming an Academy. On the Monday we went out with the dogs, driving up the coast towards Whitby. The scenery was breathtaking. Having lived in the south of England for most of my life, which is, generally speaking, reasonably flat, to come to Yorkshire and see some 'proper countryside' is really great. On the way back Carol rang  the school in Halifax on the mobile and was told that we could visit the next day (Tuesday) and that there would be someone available there to shows us around at 11.30 on Tuesday morning.

 Old car we saw at petrol station as we were filling up with petrol ourselves. I have no idea what sort of car it is. Any ideas, please let me know. It would be easy if you recognize the shape of the bonnet etc.

 Whitby Abbey, as seen from the road as we drove past.

The next day (Tuesday) we decided to leave early for Halifax. The dogs were left in the cottage with water and food, and we drove away, leaving at around 8.30. We had around 60 miles to Halifax. Most of it was on Motorway. We know the Halifax area reasonably well (Cowling is around 20 miles further north.) and is in the Calder Valley. Coming off the M62 we had a bit of a problem finding the right road for Halifax, and once we got there we had to ask a lady who was walking past for some directions. We found the school alright, and went in, having parked the car. We had to wait in reception until the lady from H.R. came to see us and give us a guided tour. This lasted around 45 minutes. Apparently the school was impressed by Carol's C.V. and said to keep in contact as there are going to be vacancies in the science department when the school moves to the new building (which we saw being constructed, further down the hill from the old building.)
On leaving the school we headed back towards Flamborough Head, but went via Cowling, just to say we'd gone through it, and eventually through such places as Haworth (where the Brontes lived and wrote their novels.) When we'd come to Yorkshire in 2006 we went on a steam train along the Werth Valley (which, incidentally, was used for filming the  Lionel Jeffries film "The Railway Children" in the 1970's and starring, Jenny Agutter, Bernard Cribbins and Dinah Sheridan.) We stopped at Haworth, and walked up the hill to the parsonage, although we did not go inside. We eventually got to Saltaire, just outside Bradford, and visited Salt's Mill. We had a break and went to the restaurant and had soup and a roll.

Salt's Mill, interior. This is a World Heritage Site and was a spinning mill, now turned into a retail centre and art gallery.

This is somewhere we visited on our first Yorkshire trip in 2006.  I was interested to visit, not only from a historical point of view, but also due to the fact that there is a permanent exhibition of paintings by one of my favourite artists in Salt's mill, and also local boy, David Hockney. Carol bought me Hockney's fascinating book when we were here last, "Secret Knowledge." We also visited the National Media Museum, which was well worth a visit. Hopefully, if we move to Yorkshire, all these places will be virtually on our doorstep.

Exterior of Salt's Mill, Saltaire, Bradford, Yorkshire

We left Saltaire and got onto the road out of the area, and eventually met the M62 and crossed Yorkshire back to the cottage on Flamborough Head. 

Holiday In Yorkshire- Part 3

We unloaded the car, and, having explored the cottage, we went back towards Bridlington as we needed to get groceries for the week. We had come past a branch of Co-Operative (as their slogan goes 'good with food.') and decided that we could do our shopping there. The usual basic items like milk, bread and washing-up liquid, which would see us through the week.

 Anyway, the boring bit out of the way, and taken back to the cottage and unloaded, we decided to then take the dogs out in the car, regardless of the fact that we had driven some 250 miles. We went to see the coast-line only a mile or so further up the road from where we were staying. North Landing is a steep cliff-wall down to the beach, and there is a life boat station there where the lifeboats are launched. The dogs had a good time scrambling down the steep incline and Alfie had fun climbing down some metal steps onto the beach. Carol and myself found the slope quite hard going. If you were to run it would have been dangerous, as well as the climb back up the cliff and incline. There are limestone cliffs and in some of these cliffs caves and on one side arches carved out by the wave action of the sea.

Holiday In Yorkshire- Part 2

On Saturday morning we got up really early. It must have been 5-6. We had packed and were ready to go. We had decided that the dogs would come with us. Daniel was prepared to look after them at home (he had a week off work and college was on half-term.) so there would have been no problem in that department. We've taken Poppy before, and we'd specially booked a cottage which allowed pets, but we wouldn't find out the lay-out of the cottage until we got there. Meaning, if we wanted to go out without the dogs, how would we leave them? Was there a room we could leave them in which they wouldn't damage? Neither dogs has a habit of destroying furniture or making any sort of mess. They are thoroughly house-trained, but still there is the likelihood that they will make a mess if not let out regularly. Here they can run in and out to the garden all day. Alfie hasn't been on holiday with us before and doesn't travel well in the car (as mentioned in earlier posts.) although he seems to have settled down more recently when we've taken him out in the car when he goes in the cage in the back of the car.

We continued on our way and eventually found the cottage on Flamborough Head at around midday. We had looked on Google Maps before we'd left so we had a reasonably good idea where we were going, and to be honest, it's not exactly complicated as regards the road network or towns, villages or houses in that area of Yorkshire, so we didn't have much of an excuse. We knew that Flamborough Head Lighthouse wasn't far away, so with that as a landmark, we had no difficulties in finding where we were staying for the week. If we'd driven on, the road would just come to a stop at the edge of a cliff, and we'd have fallen in the North Sea!

Swallow Cottage, Flamborough Head, where we stayed for our week's holiday. Looking the other way you can see Flamborough Head lighthouse.

View of Flamborough Head Lighthouse from Swallow Cottage

Carol managed to get both dogs into the car, with Alfie in the cage and Poppy in the space at the back of the car. With the parcel shelf in place they seemed quite happy. We drove off without any sound from the rear of the car. Alfie doesn't 'do mornings' generally. When he sleeps, he goes off like a light. You daren't disturb him. If you do, it's at your peril, as he will growl at you. I don't think he'd bite you intentionally, but he can become quite snappy. I think he was half asleep when he was put in the car, and I assume he fell asleep. So he would have spend most of the journey north totally out of it. We had to stop at the Shell petrol station to fill up with petrol, and then went to get on the M1 just outside Milton Keynes. We didn't stop until quite some way 'up North.' One of the Service areas, when we used the toilets. We didn't disturb the dogs. We came off the Motorway near York and drove towards Bridlington and found a rather nice picnic area where we got tea and had something to eat, letting the dogs out to stretch their legs. (What the Americans call a 'comfort stop.') There were decent toilets, a kiosk to buy a snack and cuppa and a place to sit and the dogs could have a run. As soon as we opened the back of the car up, Alfie started his yapping, so everyone knew he was around! He can get quite excited and attacks the cage door with his teeth, and tries to catch the lead with his teeth also, and makes a lot of noise. Poppy, on the other hand, takes it all in her stride and doesn't need to make so much noise.

 The old Flamborough Head Lighthouse

Holiday In Yorkshire- Part 1

We've been away for the past week, on holiday in Yorkshire, and Flamborough Head to be more precise. So that will explain to those of you who are regular readers of my meanderings on here, why I have not posted anything. It would have been nice if I had been able to write each day's 'doings' as it were, but the cottage where we stayed, although very pleasant in every other aspect did not have wi-fi, so we were unable to read or send emails or write this blog. We took lots of photographs, so I should be able to amend my jottings with some of these pictures.

We took both dogs with us. We've taken Poppy before, but not Alfie. As I must have mentioned elsewhere in these posts, he doesn't travel well in the car. We got a cage which sits in the back of the car and he's reasonably happy going in that. Carol managed to get both dogs into the car without much fuss. I think perhaps it was so early that Alfie was half asleep when she did it! Poppy seemed really quite happy to sit in the space in the back of the car without making any fuss. Perhaps with the boot closed and the parcel shelf in place both dogs were safe and secure which might explain why they made no noise for most of the journey north to Yorkshire.

We had decided that we would leave for Yorkshire on the Friday, after Carol finished work, but, after some discussion, we thought it would be more sense to go up on the Saturday morning, really early, as it would mean we'd have had a good night's sleep, and we would be driving during daylight. It's a good four-hour drive, if not slightly longer, and going up on the Friday would mean that the last part would be in the dark. When we last drove to Yorkshire, when we'd stayed in a cottage near Northallerton, we'd gone up late and found it quite difficult finding the cottage in the dark.

Bright and Sunny . . .but it's cold outside!

It's a deceptive sort of morning. It looks really bright and sunny, but as soon as you step outside the door, as we did at around 7.30 to drive to The Academy, we discovered how cold it was. There were pink streaks of cloud across the Milton Keynes sky, and there was a full moon, which might explain why it's so cold; there's no cloud-cover. Well, it's the end of this half of the term at The Academy today, so things can't be too bad. We had to clear the moisture from the windows of the car before we drove off. There was a mist hanging along the grid road as we crossed over to The Academy. Almost creepy, in a corny Hollywood horror film sort of way.

Changeable Weather

It's windy and cloudy this morning. The sun keeps coming out and then going behind a cloud. Very unsettling. It has been quite cold in the evening so we had to have the central heating on at around 6 p.m. on Saturday. It's turning wintery, definitely, but there again it's mild. The sort of weather that means you can never be too sure what to wear when you go out. I wore my new red Regatta fleece to church yesterday morning, but then when I got there I took it off as I was far too hot. It looked as if it was going to rain, but then it didn't. Dark clouds building up, making it look as if rain was on the way, then it changed it's mind and the sun came back out.

Broken Washing Line and Unforgiving Female Driver Who Couldn't Park Properly (and other matters.)

The washing line broke. I was in the middle of pegging clothes out when the thing snapped. Everything pegged onto the line went down. I knew this was going to happen as the line was somewhat frayed and it was a matter of time before it would break. I have already put up one new line across the garden, so I just needed to get some fresh line to replace the old, broken line, and a couple of screw eyes or something to put in the wood of the fence to thread the line through. I decided to drive to Homebase and get some fresh washing line and, hopefully, a couple of screw-eyes, or something that would hold the line. I first went into Wickes, which is in the same industrial estate as Homebase, but I could see nothing suitable, so came out and drove the short distance to Homebase. I parked near the entrance and went inside to have a look round. I soon found some washing line (exactly the same as the old line, as I had a good idea where to look.) I spent some time deliberating over some hooks and/or screws but couldn't find anything suitable. I then heard a message over the Tannoy. It was to the effect, could the owner of the green Atoz please come to the front of the shop? I had to listen again to make sure it was for me. This has never happened to me before. I hurried to the front and went to a cash-desk. The cashier there had no idea what I was on about (which wasn't very encouraging.) She insisted on checking out the washing line I had in my hand. I went outside to the carpark, to find two women, who'd parked next to my car, making a great deal of fuss over the fact that their car was parked close to mine, so one of the couldn't get in the car. Rather pathetic, I thought. If it was me, I'd have climbed in through the passenger side door. The woman blamed me for parking too close. I think it should have been the other way round; she parked too close to me. I drove round so she could get out, with no apology and a certain amount of bad temper from the woman.  I have to admit it made me laugh, and was determined to come home and write about the incident on this blog. I re-parked the car and returned to the store. I had to ask an assistant whether they sold anything suitable to attach the washing line and was taken to another area of the store where there were screw-eyes, but not really suitable for the job I wanted. I got some other screw-eyes and said thanks to the member of staff and went back to the check-out. It turned out that the other cashier had wandered off, to goodness knows where, but left the washing-line on the counter with a receipt. I took this to the nearest available cashier and it turned out that the item had been voided by the other cashier. I paid and left the store. I then returned home and was able to put up the new washing-line across the garden, using the screw-eyes by putting them into a couple of points, each on the sheds we have in our garden, take out the old, rotten line and replace it with the new, and managed to end up with quite a lot of line left over and could attach the other end to a screw-eye which was already in the wall of the house near the patio doors. We have far more washing-line now than when I began this project and put a load of laundry on and when it was finished, pegged it out on the new washing line.

Outing to The Cotswolds and Rollrights Stones

Yesterday morning we didn't get up until quite late. It was a reasonably good evening on television, with "Strictly Come Dancing", the finale to the current series of  "Doctor Who", followed by the first in a new series of "Merlin."  We didn't get to bed until fairly late.
The last week or so has been very warm, temperatures reaching heights not normally reached in late September/Early October. We decided to make the most of the sunshine and have an afternoon out. Carol has wanted to visit the Rollright Stones out the other side of Oxford, near Chipping Norton, so we made a sort of picnic up and took the cameras and set out. I have to say that the Cotswolds are my favourite places to visit in this country. Having worked in Cheltenham in the late '60's as a Student A.S.M. at the Everyman Theatre, I know the area well. My mother had relatives around the Cotswolds, and visiting them was always a pleasure. We would have taken the dogs, but it would have meant them spending a lot of time in the car, and Alfie, in particular, doesn't travel well, and he is very susceptible to heat. We went to the Shell petrol station along Grafton Street and then towards the A5 and out towards Towcester. It was a real joy to be getting out of the house and to be out in the countryside. We have found, when travelling west from Milton Keynes, there is (or was) a problem with the M40. It seems to get in the way. It is difficult to cross. This may sound odd, but you try it. We have more recently discovered that you need to go through the village of Aynho and find a bridge that goes UNDER the motorway. We were trying to get to a National Trust property (Hidcote) and spent around 2 hours trying to avoid the motorway and get through Banbury. We have found this route thrrough Aynho and it makes the westerly journey so much easier. Anyway, we had to go through Banbury to get to Chipping Norton and then find the Rollrights Stones (having looked on Google Maps and a print driving atlas we have.) Attempting to get through Banbury and finding the correct road was something of a problem and this happened on the way home. Why can't local authorities do something about signage? It wasn't very good. Neither was signage approaching the Rollright Stones, you had to really concentrate to see where the turning was to get there and then there was a tiny parking space near the stones.There is definitely something mysterious about this place. It has a strange atmosphere, somehow, very similar to that at Stonehenge, which we have also visited. Together with the spectacular scenery, it makes an interesting afternoon. We visited the single stone which is set within it's own field over the road from the ring of stones. We sat on the rocks and ate our picnic. We had to get something to drink when we stopped for petrol at the Shell service station. The heat made us very thirsty. I took photographs of the scenery (and hope to upload them onto this blog later this week after I have sorted out the iMac which has no further space on it's hard-drive, due mainly to having around 12,500 digital photographs on it. We have an external hard drive ordered from Amazon and should arrive by Wednesday.)

Rollright Stone Circle

There are three areas to visit at the Rollright Stones. The first area we went to was opposite the main area of the 'complex' (as you are supposed to term it, apparently, having read the little handbook we later purchased at the near-by garden centre.)  This is called the 'King Stone' and stands within a fenced area. This is, apparently, to disuade people from chipping of chunks of it, as it's supposed to be lucky this stone.) It has all the appearance, from a distance, of a stooping figure, probably covered in material or something. As the legend which surrounds these stones is that a witch turned a king and his nights to stone. That figures.  It really does look like a person. This is where we sat and ate our picnic. Then we walked over the road to the main site, where we came across the ring of stone, 'some 40 strides across' as it says in the handbook.) A legend states that if you count the stones, on each following attempt, the number of the stones will change! We did not immediately take up the challenge, but as we were taking photographs, two couples appeared and one of them began to count the stones. The second couple had a go. Both came up with different totals. Then we had a go. We made the total 81. Who knows the correct number? To the east, at the far edge of a field, are the ruins of a so-called 'Portal-dolemen' called the Whispering Knights. We didn't attempt to walk to this site, as it was some distance from the main site. Having taken enough photographs, we decided to leave. We knew, from reading a sign near the lay-by where we parked the car, that there was a garden centre nearby which sold the handbook and other Rollright-Stone related items, and where we could get a cup of tea. So we left and made for this garden centre. Having had our cup of tea we left, making our way home back through Banbury towards Towcester and onto the A5 and home to Milton Keynes.

I have since learned that the Rollright Stones were used as a location for the filming of a "Doctor Who" story in the '70's, which makes our trip there all the more interesting. The story was called "The Stones Of Blood" and it was quite a good story. Being a "Doctor Who" fan I am more than interested. I do remember the story quite clearly. It was a Tom Baker story, and apparently the 100th serial.

Eye Trouble

Last weekend, and, infact, for several days leading up to last weekend, Carol had been complaining about some problem with one of her eyes. I wasn't sure what it was, whether it was itchy, bloodshot, or whatever, but it got so bad over-night Sunday/Monday, that she phoned in sick to the Academy. I said I'd ring the doctors' surgery and get her an appointment. As mentioned in previous posts, the system for making doctors appointments with the Grove Surgery is a mystery. You can go directly to the surgery (which is open around 8.00 a.m., so you can queue up outside if you so wish.) and then sit and wait until the receptionists open up the appointment bookings for that day. Will some one PLEASE explain to me in words of only a few syllables, why they can't open the bookings at 8.00 a.m.? Why do you have to sit and wait for 15 minutes? What ancient and strange mythological law is it that the N.H.S. has says you have to sit and wait 15 minutes? Does this allow the receptionists time to have coffee, file their nails and generally behave in a non-receptionist kind of way? It seems wasteful in the extreme. Anyway, that is what happens if you turn up in person. If, on the other hand, you decide to telephone, then you are in for a long haul. You get a very snooty recorded voice, which says, usually, that 'the surgery is experiencing heavy volumes of call, and you should ring back at another time.' The system then very unceremoniously cuts you off, without any sort of apology for this somewhat curt behaviour. You can try at regular intervals (all this kicks off at 8.15 a.m. Why? If it's any automated system, why can't you leave a message and they ring you back? There again, why doesn't this surgery have a 'Ring Back' system? This means you can press a special key on your phone's touch-pad (usually 5) and you hang up. When the queue reaches you in the system, it automatically rings you and you can speak to the receptionist and then make an appointment. The doctor's surgery at Hilltops ( our surgery when we live the other side of Milton Keynes, at Crownhill.) had this system. They also had more flexible surgery opening times, opening at 7.30 a.m. and closing at around 7 p.m. as well as opening on Saturday mornings. In fact, times to suit the patients on it's books and not to suit their staff.

I digress. I attempted around half-a-dozen times to try and get through, and then, at around 8.40, I managed to get through and make an appointment.

The appointment was for 10.40. We arrived at the surgery in good time. There weren't that many other people in the waiting room. We didn't actually get into the doctor's surgery until gone 11.00. I know it must be very hard to keep the appointments running to exactly the times you are given, but to have to sit and waste around 20 minutes seems a waste of time. Can the surgery have better reading material whilst you are waiting, perhaps a coffee machine, something to watch on the television screens, instead of the endless information about bowel cancer, not eating salt in your food, and all the material that doesn't concern about 95% of the known universe?

The doctor looked at Carol's eye, and said she'd need to do some sort of test. She produced a sort of  long cotton wool bud thing from out of a drawer and proceeded to stab Carol's eye with this. She didn't say to Carol:' Excuse me while I do this. It may hurt a bit.' She just shoved the thing into poor Carol's eye. I remember when I worked as a home-carer, we were trained to warn our clients fairly well in advance if you were going to do something such as this, although we never did this sort of procedure. It was basically because in some cases you are open to abuse and it's a sort of contract between carer and client. The doctor never did this.  The doctor left things that the surgery would telephone to give the results of the tests from this procedure. She gave Carol a prescription for some drops, and we left the surgery. When we got home, Carol said that her eye hurt. Not from the initial problem, but as a result of the doctor poking the eye with the cotton-wool bud thing. I have to say that I'm not exactly over-joyed by the service given at the surgery, and we've decided that we may try and find another surgery in the area.

Blood test and hot weather

I had yet another blood test at Grove Surgery. I had the results for the last one (it showed I had a low cholesterol level of 4.8.) No explanation as to WHY I needed a second one. A mystery, certainly. If I was going through that stress again I was going to ask to get the same doctor to do it, as it was not as stressful as it could have been before now, due to the fact he used a special thin needle. I went to book the appointment and found that the doctor who took my blood the last time was on leave, so it would be a good two, three weeks in advance, which I was prepared to wait for. So, yesterday, I went to the surgery. I decided to walk there (it's only about a 20-minute walk along the Redway, along the side of Saxon Street and then down beneath Standing Way, using the underpass and into the estate where the surgery is. I took my iPod, and plugged myself in using the earphones. I have plenty to listen to, having downloaded quite a few podcasts from iTunes. In fact, the weather being especially hot and pleasant, the walk there was quite enjoyable. 

You have to sign in at my surgery using the computerised system (I think most surgeries use this system, and if enough use them, will make the rather 'up-themselves' receptionists redundant.) The blood test was scheduled for 9.40, but I didn't actually get called into the surgery until at least 10.00, a wait of at least 20 minutes. I beg the question: why bother to have this system if it can't run to time and you waste 20 minutes just sitting at staring at a load of sick and injured people who inhabit the waiting room? Can they get a better selection of reading material to read, or even have a coffee machine or video on the audio-visual screens, which show such boring a repetative material anyway?

I enter the doctor's surgery. He doesn't seem exactly prepared for the process of blood-letting. He disappears off to find the required surgery, leaving me laying on the couch. He comes back and attempts to take blood. Success! He is able to find a vein, not in the usual place, inside the bed of my elbow, but much further down, almost on my wrist. I feel nothing, but the needle remains in my arm for quite some time. He removes the needle from the vein, places a bit of cotton wool on the place where the needle went in, and tells me to press the cotton wool with my finger, to help stop any bleeding. Meanwhile, he says he's managed to get blood down his shirt, while he tips one half of the blood he's taken into a second vial. I sit up, with my finger still pressed on the cotton wool. He is still fussing about trying to get the blood (mine!) off his shirt front. This has never happened before, not to me, not whilst a nurse or doctor is extracting blood from my arm. One expects a professional to be able to attempt this procedure without blood being spilt. Fortunately he manages to put caps on the vials to prevent any leakage.

He then has to print out labels for the vials, and this seems to cause some sort of problem, as he's not sure which way round the paper goes in the computer printer. I imagine it would need a certain amount of skill, as the label required has a tear-off strip, which must go into the printer drawer the correct way round, otherwise the label will not have the printed area in the right place (which is exactly what happens.) He screws up the mis-printed label and puts a second blank sheet in the printer drawer, but this time it comes out printed correctly. He hands me both blood vials with the labels attached, which I take to the reception desk.

I still don't understand the need to have this second blood test. I have been told nothing as to the reason, although, over the last couple of weeks I have been feeling light-headed, and think it may be something to do with blood pressure. The doctor took my blood pressure after I had the blood taken, and it shows a relatively normal result. It may be something to do with how my body is coping with the medication I am on that the second blood test was done. I won't get a result for a couple of days.

It is exceptionally hot today, very unseasonal for the final day of September.

Celebrity, What Is It, and Why

Why is there such an obsession with celebrity in this country? Why do people get so obsessed over anything on television that has the word ‘celebrity’ in it (such as “Celebrity Big Brother,” “I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here,” or “Celebrity Weakest Link”?) ITV seems to think that it will immediately attract huge ratings for shows with this magic word in it. Let's be perfectly honest in that such shows are easy to produce, they don't cost that much and the public has a liking for them.

What makes a celebrity? Is it merely appearing on television that means someone becomes a celebrity, or is it something more? A mere whiff of scandal, notoriety even, can make someone ‘famous’ in the public’s eyes and they immediately get pages and pages published in the press on their goings-on. I was always under the impression that to achieve some sort of fame, such as appear on television, you had to actually DO something. Jade Goody and Katie Price are two such people, although enough has been said about Ms Goody without having to say anything further. Even in death she seems to have made her mark. Merely appearing on “Big Brother” made her a name. She didn’t appear to have any skills, or any talent to speak of, but she made a career out of being herself. How was this possible? As for Ms Price (or Jordan as the public were more used to calling her.) it must be her large assets (I’m not going to be so obvious here) are her main selling point. But how ON EARTH can she make a career of just being herself? She is like Ms Goody, she has no talent at all, so how can she ever manage to get into the press so frequently?

Was it something to do with the relationship and eventual marriage to Peter Andre which had something to do with it? And then their eventual marriage breakdown and divorce? It's the fact that both sides of the relationship has been reported in microscopic detail in the tabloids which makes them such infamous celebrities.

There was a time when you'd really need to work at being a 'celebrity' in the sense that, if you wanted to become an actor you first went to stage school, then built up your career over quite a few years, and then the big time would come when you made your entry in some television production which caught the public's attention. But now, since the rash of so-called 'reality' shows on television, such as "Big Brother" anyone can appear and then create for themselves a celebrity career. It's the 'instant' personality thing. You don't actually have to work very hard at having the fame and fortune which goes with celebrity that catches people's imagination.

We then get into the thorny area of footballers. I'm not in the least bit interested in this as a game. Who could honestly get interested in a load of grown men running around on a piece of grass kicking a leather ball around for 90 minutes? If I'm going to watch anything I suppose it might be Rugby. At least the players have to actually work hard and there is a lot of skill in that as a game. But most footballers are paid ridiculous amounts of money and then become 'celebrities.' What, falling around drunk having come of of nightclubs and having affairs with other men's wives and then being published all over the Redtop newspapers? I'm not saying that ALL footballers are like that, but you don't ofter hear about the positive things footballers do off the pitch. The 'bad boys' aren't being good role models for the teenagers who should look up to them.