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.