Broken Glasses and Strange Sky

There was a really odd sort of sky yesterday morning. A sort of, how best to describe it?- Strange yellow diffused light through the sky. Really weird. But it didn't last long.

Yesterday I had another mishap with my glasses. One of the lenses just sprung out, and we spent a good half-hour or so looking for it. Fortunately it was found in the kitchen, on the floor, before it was stood on and broken. This is the second time this has happened. I have now been into Boot's Optician in the MK Shopping Centre and they've managed to fix the lens back in the frame, but I'm not convinced that it won't happen again.

Cold Symptoms Persist

I have been taking the medication from the doctor for five days now and I can't say I have seen much improvement. My head still feels as though it's full of cotton wool and my hearing is still dull. I realize that it will take several days for antibiotics to take effect but I was hoping that this would be finished by now. I think if it's still not much improved by Tuesday I will have to make a further doctor's appointment.

Doctor's Appointment

I went to the doctor's surgery before 8 a.m. today to get an appointment. You can book via telephone, but it can take so long to get through that it's far easier to stand outside and queue. Apparently several of the doctors are off ill so it was quite difficult to get an appointment. So, what do doctors do when THEY are ill? Do they manage to prescribe themselves medication of does someone else in the surgery, another doctor, give them the prescription or do medical examinations? Is it a case of 'physician, heal thy self?' I've often wondered. Anyway, got the appointment for 10.10, so I went home and then went out nearer the appointment time. The computerised check-in system was not working. I think most doctors surgeries now have this technology, whereby you check in yourself on the computer screen. I had to give my details to the receptionist and she checked in on the computer system, but what a performance having to go through all the computer 'menus.' Crazy. Anyway, I got into the doctor's surgery and was given a prescription for antibiotics to clear up the problem with my ear. My hearing has gone very 'dull' to say the least. Then went into the next-door chemists to have the prescription made up and then home, just in time to receive our post as the postman was several doors along, pushing his little trolley.We are waiting for an order from Amazon, but the parcel that was handed over with Amazon emblazoned all over it was for Daniel. My free book for being a subscriber to BBC History Magazine had arrived. Last year I had the first volume of Peter Ackroyds History of England: Foundation. This one is the second volume, The Tudors.

Just to say one little thing that somewhat narks me, annoys or whatever. I had parked the car in the carpark behind the doctor's surgery and was somewhat shocked to  come across a pile of cigarette ends around the back of the block  (which also contains a dental surgery and the Cox and Robinson pharmacy.)as I walked back to the car  not just in the gutter that runs along the side of the building but also in the drains and roadside. I know we now have legislation  in Britain which forbids smoking in public places, so those who smoke are forced outside, but do they really, honestly, have to leave the remains of their cigarettes in the road, in the gutter, just on the ground? Can they not place them tidily out of sight, or can their employees arrange for them to have bins to put the stubbed-out cigarette ends in? I have noticed this when going to the central shopping centre in Milton Keynes, you get groups of- presumably- employees of the shops within the shopping centre, standing and smoking just outside in the open, and one imagines, just throwing the remains of their cigarettes on the ground. It looks awful, untidy, and must pose a health risk or hazard of some sort. Also, it just looks plain untidy. I thought, and may or may not be right on this matter, that you can be fined for littering in this way.

Review of Medication

I have done our repeat prescriptions for this month. I thought it might be a good idea to get them done earlier than usual as the Christmas holiday as well as New Year will get in the way. I now put the prescriptions in by using the internet. It's a good deal easier than physically going to the surgery and filling out the relevant forms. It's saved on-line, so all you have to do is check the meds in the list and 'click'. It then should take 48 hours before you can pick up the prescriptions and take to a pharmacy to get them made up.

We have Ashfield Medical Centre in Beanfield  as our doctor's surgery. We used to use a surgery in Netherfield, but the receptionists there were not exactly careful with our privacy, particularly when we were waiting at the reception desk, so we moved to the new surgery. I went to collect the prescriptions early this morning and then went to the Cox and Robinson pharmacy which is next door to have these made up. I had to wait around 10 minutes for this and then the pharmacist came out with the made-up medications and said he wanted to speak to me in the consultation area.

I am used to having my medications reviewed regularly. Usually this is done by my doctor, but I presume they are now farming out this to local pharmacists.  When you have repeat medications, and for long-term health conditions such as a heart condition, which I have it is very important that these drugs are reviewed regularly so as to ensure correct administration and that they are working effectively. Also, with the current economic climate, the N.H.S. will be making sure that there is no unnecessary waste. When I worked as a Support Worker for the Learning Disability Service of the Bedfordshire and Luton N.H.S. Trust I was a keyworker and linkworker for some of the clients in my care, and part of the job was to review their medication. We had to find out if medications they were on would interact and to keep a sharp eye out for any side-effects. We used a standard N.H.S. book called the B.N.F. (British National Formulary) which lists virtually every known prescription drug in use by the N.H.S. as well as alerting professionals such as doctors, carers etc as to the side-effects of these drugs. There is also an on-line version, which you have to register with before you can use, so of you want to find out accurate information about a particular drug, I can recommend it. I have done several drugs administration courses as part of my former job, and also know how to handle and administer medications, including recording of what has been given and when, which is extremely important.

The pharmacist at the chemist went through all my medications with me, asking me what time I took them, and did I know what they did. In all cases I know exactly what they are for, partly as a result of research on the B.N.F. website and partly from asking the professionals I have appointments with as I always ask whenever my medications are changed, including when the dosage is increased or decreased. All dealt with in an extremly professional manner and makes me confident that I'm being dealt with properly. Any information deemed important would be passed on to the surgery.

Unexpected Snow and Ice

We woke this morning to snow and ice. The weather forecast on BBC 1 didn't predict snow this far south, mostly rain. Carol looked on the Academy website to check if the Academy was going to be open, as it seems that it doesn't take much to close that place.  Alfie and Poppy are somewhat surprised by the 'cold white stuff' which has taken over the garden. I think Poppy likes it, because last year, when we had snow, she seemed to relish being in it. Alfie's not so sure, as he doesn't like extremes of temperature, either very hot of cold. He's quite content to get back under the duvet until things warm up.

This photo was taken around 8.15 and shows snow in our garden. Not particularly heavy fall, but enough.

This next is showing the street outside our front door, again at around 8.15 this morning.

Yesterday when I went over to collect her at 3.30 I couldn't work out what was going on. Apparently they'd had an incident with a burst water pipe and there were firemen walking about the place. She later told me that the children had been sent outside as alarms were set off.

Coughs and Sneezes

I'm currently afflicted with the annual cold. Really unpleasant. Blocked up nose, sinuses, hearing very affected, generally under the weather. I know that the 'flu jab won't have any effect on getting a cold as it's caused by a totally different  strain of virus, but it's really annoying s it takes so long to get under control and to clear up. I can't take a lot of medications that you can get 'over the counter' at a chemist's or pharmacy, such as Sudafed, Night Nurse etc, as they contain ingredients that can effect your blood pressure if you are taking any sort of heart medication as I am. I know I can't take Nurofen or Ibuprofen and had a long conversation with the pharmacist in my local branch of Boots. I am currently using Olbas oil as an inhalation, a small drop in boiling water and then breathed in, and Olbas oil on tissues which does help to clear the nose somewhat, but I am now taking Covonia cough mixture three times a day which is gradually easing things. The worst thing is at night when all the phlegm runs onto my chest and makes me cough. I worry that too much coughing might bring on a further heart attack. Anything hot helps, even a cup of tea or coffee, a good soak in a hot bath or a shower does relieve things considerably.

Car Problem Resolved

We have managed to resolve the problem with the car, the fact that the steering-wheel was locked as the ignition key wouldn't turn. It was relieved by a small squirt of WD40. I discovered this when I rang the Hyundai dealer in Stony Stratford. I was told by the mechanic in their workshop that this was a common complain with Hyundai Atos. It usually happens when it is cold and damp, exactly the conditions we've been experiencing over the last couple of weeks. I emailed Carol at work and she bought home a can of WD40 from the Academy.

We decided to go into the Milton Keynes Central Shopping Centre to see the Christmas display in the Middleton Hall.  We parked in the multi-storey carpark near Debenhams and then walked  through the shopping centre. This is an annual event in Milton Keynes, and is usually a major draw for families with children. Very colourful and glittery (see last year's display mention in an earlier post.) I can't say it's the best they've done, because it's not, compared with other years. There's the same little train going round and round (we managed to get a free ride on this last year! See the earlier post.) but it seems a bit 'over the top' not a lot of restrain with the twinkly lights. Some of the fairy and elvish models, the animated ones, might actually scare little children. But it was still worth seeing it.

Car Still Not Repaired

Our friend from church came to have a look at the car on Friday evening, regarding the locked steering wheel. He has no idea how to resolve this problem, although he has a friend in the car maintenence business who may be able to rectify the problem. I await a phone call this evening.

As regards the business of other drivers 'tail gateing' (driving right up close to the rear bumper of the car.) I saw an item on television the other evening where they were discussing a criminal act whereby people deliberately run into cars so as to claim insurance. Sounds very nasty, and could cause serious, even fatal accidents. It makes me wonder, having seeing this, if that is what has been going on with me, drivers deliberately trying to cause accidents by driving too close, so when you break they run into you, and then make a claim on your insurance. No wonder car insurance premiums are so high

Writing Now On-Line

I have now managed to upload some of my writing. It is on the website called Booksie. There are, at the moment, three pieces, which are in draft-stage, and incomplete, but I am keen to get reader's feedback, so if you follow this link www.booksie.com/ShandyHall77 and give it a go, and maybe leave some comments, good or bad. I will upload more as time goes by, so keep an eye on the link.

Car Problems and More Rain

Our car has been playing up, to put it mildly. It started misbehaving when I went to the local shop to buy milk. I went to put the key in the ignition and it wouldn't turn in the lock. Generally, if this happens first time, you jiggle the key (is this an acceptable word? The meaning should be 'to move up and down with short jerky movements.' This, from my Collins English Dictionary, Express Electronic Edition.) I thought I ought to define this word, as there are those in other countries who might not be familiar with some words. I also have to be aware that some words have an entirely different meaning in other cultures. Oscar Wilde made the remark about American and English variations of the language when he said 'two countries divided by one language.' Anyway, I digress. I mean, I fiddled with the key to try to get the ignition to turn. It did not, on this occasion. I tried this several times. I also moved the steering wheel several times, but still the key would not turn, and so turning on the engine of the car thus facilitating the driving of said car. After several more attempts it did eventually start and I was able to drive out to the shop. Unfortunately, on arrival at the carpark, I found there was no room to park (I think I arrived there at the wrong time as the primary school, which is nearby, might have been coming to the end of it's day, and the cars might possibly have been those of the parents of the children at the school.) So, as a result, I returned home.

At around 3.30 I went to the car to drive to collect Carol at the Academy, but I could not get the key to work in the ignition. The steering column eventually locked completely, thus making operation of the car totally impossible. I walked to the Academy to collect Carol.

We tried several times more to try to get the car to start, without success. We have since telephoned someone we know at  the Milton Keynes Christian Centre who is a car mechanic and he will come out to have a look at the problem and hopefully resolve it for us.

The day has begun with dark clouds scudding across the sky. This, foreboding more rain. After yesterdays deluge, I see from last night's local news on BBC1 that there has been quite severe flooding in parts of the country.

Heavy Downpour

As I write this, we are in the middle of a really heavy rainstorm. It has gone very dark, and both our  dogs are somewhat unhappy, particularly Alfie, who has decided to decamp to the sofa in the lounge. It's gone a couple of degrees colder also. I just hope this doesn't last too long, otherwise there is going to be flash flooding. The roads around here are very prone to flooding, basically because when they were built they didn't think to have proper gutters and none of the roads have cambers so the rain water drains off. Consequently, you get large puddles which can cause havoc, and mostly it would seem at the many and various roundabouts and at road junctions.

Wet, Cold, and the first Christmas lights

Another wet and cold day. It's raining heavily. 

Our neighbour a few doors along has been spending the past couple of days putting up Christmas lights on the front of their house. You might say it is somewhat over done, 'in the best possible taste', as the late, great Kenny Everett would have said. Sorry, you have to see it to believe it. Really over done, and now it's switched on, really garish. It must be costing a fortune in electricity, and not entirely environmentally friendly. Nodding reindeer, skateboarding elves and flashing Santas are not my idea of any sort of style. I think all these lights must be a danger to low-flying aircraft, bound for sunnier climes.

Speeding Drivers and Dank Weather

The weather continues miserable. Not raining, but grey and over-cast. There was no ice to scrape off the car this morning, which was all very well, but it is still cold. We have had a few mornings with frost, but nothing to heavy. I bought a can of de-icer spray in Sainsbury's the other week, but it seems to make more mess of the windscreen than if you use just a scraper. It makes visability really bad, as you seem to get a blurry image looking through the windscreen. Also, I'm not to sure of the environmental effects of using this spray. It also has a really pungent smell.

Yesterday I took Sam to work. The roads are a nightmare at around 8-9 a.m. I realise that people are going to work, well, those who are working a 9-5 work-pattern, but some people have really no consideration for other road users. The road along side Eaglestone, that is, from near the Milton Keynes Academy to the hospital, is a 40 miles per hour speed limit. I don't think some people realise this, although it is fairly well signed. There are large signs as you enter and there are sometimes illuminated signs that show the speed you are driving at as you approach, and if you are at the correct speed you get a 'smiling face'. Which is actually, to my way of thinking, better than speed cameras, as these just seem to provoke agression in a lot of drivers. I think you slow down when you see them and then speed up again once you are well past. So, in that sense they defeat the object. Also, it can be said that speed cameras are merely a way to make money, from the fines that they generate. As we drive a relatively small car, a Hyundai Atos, and we don't make a habit of speeding around the place, generally keeping within the speed limit, we have found that you constantly get other car drivers coming up directly behind you as you're driving along, and trying to get you to go faster, or, in a lot of cases, trying to get you to move out of the way. Usually these are the speed freaks who have to drive at full throttle everywhere and seem to disobey every rule of the road, including keeping within the legal speed limits. I have driven around Milton Keynes and had people come up behind me and try to get me to speed up or just attempt to push me off the road so they can go faster and faster. This often happens when I have dropped Carol off at the Academy and I turn out into the road and round the roundabout and back in to Eaglestone, and on several occasions I have had a car come up and virtually touch the rear bumper of the car, just to get me to go faster.

We drove to where Sam works, at around 8.45. There was traffic building up to turn into the carpark at Milton Keynes College (where we park when we go to  M.K.C.C.(Milton Keynes Christian Centre),  as you're not supposed to park in the residential streets around the church and use the bus service to the carpark over to the church, run as a shuttle service.) Then there was quite a queue going onto the roundabout for Grafton Street which we got through fairly rapidly. The along Grafton Street and into the industrial estate where Maplins is (where Sam works.) Having dropped him off, it's quite difficult getting back into the traffic system in Grafton Street at that hour of the morning, but I generally turn left and back to the roundabout and down the other side of the dual carrage way and home along Chaffron Way and home. This particular morning, as I have already mentioned, there was a real bottleneck at the exit into the college carpark, and I had to slow down because I couldn't see clearly what was ahead, due to the volume of traffic. Suddenly a car drew out of the college exit, and if it wasn't for my instant reaction, I would have collided with the car. Thankfully the Atoz has good brakes, but it didn't do a lot for my nerves. A couple of feet more and there would have definitely been an accident.

First post written on Samsung tablet

Well, this is a first. This is going to be the first post on this blog that is written on our newly-acquired Samsung tablet. All the others, up until now, were written on the iMac. I have to say that I'm suitably impressed by this and I would say it's definitely a very good competitor to the iPad.

Foggy and Gloomy

Walked to Netherfield along the Redway this morning. Been to buy milk in the Co-Op there and to post a letter. The trees have still got a lot of their leaves, and those are mostly a variety of browns, yellows and in between. Quite vivid. I have taken some photographs are the colours are stunning. No sun out this morning, as there's a thick fog, although by the time I set out to walk to Netherfield the visability had improved. 

We have recently bought a Samsung Galaxy tablet. We had a demonstration of these devices in the Milton Keynes Shopping Centre a week or two ago, and were most impressed by the performance. We then went to John Lewis and had a similar demonstration of the latest iPad, and afterwards came to the conclusion that the Samsung was the better of the two touch-screen tablets. Apple spends a fortune on advertising and publicity. You cannot turn around without there being something about their gadgetry, whether it's for the latest iPad, iPod or iPhone. I have always been an Apple fan and have used them since university, which is where I first used computers and have always used Apple computers (this is written on an iMac, although not the most up to date model, running the latest version of OSX.) But I have to say the Samsung is a very good machine and is perhaps better than the Apple iPad. You get a lot of software already loaded, such as Photoshop photo editing and word processing. There are plenty of apps that run on it, too, and a lot of them are free. It is wifi-connected, and it's relatively easy to set up. We had the thing up and running within minutes of opening the box when it arrived.

I am continuing with my novel. I have at last found a way of linking some of the story-elements together which I hadn't got previously. As I've said in an earlier post, the plotting and story-construction is probably the most important factor when writing something like this. Once you have it in place, the actual writing is surprisingly easy. Just getting something down on paper means you can sort of 'join up the dots' if you like, and the story takes shape accordingly. With so many 'plots' this is quite important. 

I am currently reading 'Les Miserables.' It is an extremely long book, around 1600 pages or so. A lot of different plots, and the construction is a real influence on my own novel. I have seen the stage musical, which I loved, and I'm really looking forward to the film which is due out around Christmas.  Makes you wonder, having read the novel, how on earth anyone would attempt an adaptation. I have seen the trailer, and, if the it's is anything to go by (some trailers don't do justice to the actual film.) the film should be very good. It would appear to have an 'epic' feel to it. The other film that I can't wait to see is 'The Hobbit' although I can't see how such a slight book can be made into three films. I really loved the 'Lord of The Rings' trilogy, perhaps the most faithful adaptation of a novel that I've seen. I have read this 4 times and each time I find something different in it which I didn't find in the previous reading. I just hope these new films come up to expectations. Again, the trailer would suggest that it's going to be very good.

Alfie Loves Smarties

Our little Yorkie, Alfie, absolutely adores Smarties (alright, for those living outside the United Kingdom, I'm referring to the chocolate-centered sweets which come in a range of different colours and similar to M and M's.) Just bring out the packet and he'll do anything to get one. Or two . . . or three. Or more. Even after you've closed up the packet and told him 'no more' he will get as close as he can and touch it with his nose. He'd open it if he could. He's very artful. He's learnt quite a lot from our other dog, Poppy, who can be a complete control freak. She knows exactly when both dogs get fed, usually at 7.30 p.m. and knows the music that ends the 'One Show' on BBC1 and will sit directly in front of me and if I don't get up at once and move to the kitchen to prepare the food she will either sneeze, bark or come and prod me with her paw. Alfie has got into the habit of doing this, and whenever your eating he expects to get a bit of whatever it is you happen to be eating, such as a biscuit, piece of toast or your dinner, and does this so you give him a morsel. Poppy can do a trick or two, such as dancing around on her back legs. This is instead of begging, ie, sitting up with her body upright. She can do a twirl easily and will continue to do so everytime she is offered a treat. She knows that if she can get into your eye-line and you can see her clearly, her tricks will get noticed and you'll do whatever she wants ie, give her a treat or go and get her dinner ready.

Alfie, our Yorkie

Both dogs have a habit of going into the garden, and when you want them to come back in the house, they totally ignore you for as long as possible. To avoid this, we bought some doggy treats, which we keep in a small plastic box, which is usually kept either on the shelf behind the chair where I sit, or on the larger bookshelf. They will generally come in if you shake the box and make the treats inside it rattle. They get one for being good and doing as they're told. Alfie now has the trick of climbing onto the back of my chair and poking the box of treats with his nose and getting my attention so I will open the box to give him a treat. Or, if the box is the other side of the room, on the bookshelf, for example, he will stand and stare at it until he gets your attention or barks at it until you pick up the box and open it. He will even stand up on his back legs if he can see the box. How artful are our dogs? 

Beta blockers don't work, new study finds

 I came across the following article on the New Scientist website. I reproduce it below. As I am myself on beta blockers since having a heart attack (I am on Bisoprolol Fumarate.) so I am now somewhat concerned that these types of drugs don't actually do what they are supposed to do, or so the newest research would suggest. The article is dated 12th November 2012, so it is pretty recent. The article is fairly complex, but it is worth reading it in full to understand what the content of the report says.

  'Beta  blockers are busted- What Happens Next?'

'They have treated heart disease for 40 years but it now seems that beta blockers don't work. What went wrong?'

'IT IS very rare for new evidence to question or even negate the utility of a well-established class of drugs. But after four decades as a standard therapy for heart disease and high blood pressure, it looks like this fate will befall beta blockers. Two major studies published within about a week of each other suggest that the drugs do not work for these conditions. This is a big surprise, with big implications.

The first beta blocker, Inderal, was launched in 1964 by Imperial Chemical Industries for treatment of angina. This drug has been hailed as one of great medical advances of the 20th century. Its inventor, James Black, was awarded the Nobel prize in medicine in 1988.'

'The 20 or so beta blockers now on the market are very widely used - almost 200 million prescriptions were written for them in the US in 2010. They are standard issue for most people with heart disease or high blood pressure. This may now change.'

'A large study published last month in The Journal of the American Medical Association found that beta blockers did not prolong the lives of patients - a revelation that must have left many cardiologists shaking their. (JAMA, vol 308, p 1340.)'

'The researchers followed almost 45,000 heart patients over three-and-a-half years and found that beta blockers did not reduce the risk of heart attacks, deaths from heart attacks, or stroke.'

'While this is not definitive, it's pretty damning, especially when another study - published just days earlier - found pretty much the same thing.( Journal of the American  Geriatrics Society, vol 60. p1854.)'

'The goal of this second study was to examine the effect of drug compliance on death rates in patients who had had heart attacks. About half of patients complied with their drug regimen. Unsurprisingly, these people were nearly 30 per cent less likely to die than those who did not comply.'

'This was to be expected, but there was one big surprise. While the result held for the standard classes of heart drugs - statins, anticoagulants and antihypertensives - it did not for beta blockers. Regardless of whether or not patients stuck to their regimen, their risk of dying was the same. Taken together with the JAMA study, it becomes very reasonable to question the benefit of beta blockers for treating these conditions.'

'To understand what is going on, consider how they work. Like many drugs, beta blockers target receptors embedded in the surface of cells. Receptors are "molecular switches" - when a specific molecule binds to them, they change shape and send a signal to the cell to perform a certain function. Beta blockers target beta receptors, which respond to the "fight or flight" hormones adrenalin and noradrenalin.'

'In humans, there are two principle types of beta-receptor - beta-1, primarily found in the heart, and beta-2, located at multiple sites, including the smooth-muscle cells of the bronchial tubes and in veins.'

'When adrenalin and noradrenalin bind to beta-1 receptors, they signal the heart to beat faster and pump harder. Binding to beta-2 receptors causes smooth muscle relaxation, especially in the airways, explaining why beta-2 activators are used as asthma drugs.'

'Beta blockers bind to both types of receptor, but do not activate the cellular response. This blocks adrenalin and noradrenalin from reaching their target and activating the response. By preventing the normal hormone-receptor interaction, the beta blockers slow the heart and cause it to pump less forcefully, lowering blood pressure.'

'The premise of beta-blocker therapy has been that giving the heart a rest will diminish the frequency of heart attacks. In the light of the two new studies, it is clearly time to question this.

Which raises the question: why has it taken so long to find out? It is worth noting at this point that this is not yet another case of a drug entering the market only to be withdrawn later because of lack of efficacy or even adverse reactions which could have been noticed with longer or larger trials. It is simply a new medical revelation. The authors of the JAMA paper provide a reasonable explanation of the conflict between their results and earlier studies.'

'The key word is "earlier". Most clinical trials on beta blockers took place before reperfusion therapy became standard treatment following heart attacks. Reperfusion involves opening the blocked artery by surgery or pharmaceuticals, and has been shown to significantly reduce damage to the heart.

Damaged hearts are more prone to fatal irregular beats, and beta blockers are useful in controlling this. But with the advent of reperfusion therapy, people who survived heart attacks suffered less cardiac damage, so the frequency of fatal arrhythmias was lower. Put simply, the beta blocker effect was significant before the advent of this improved treatment, but the beneficial effect has since disappeared.'

'Additionally, newer and better drugs such as anticoagulants, statins and antihypertensives are now routinely used in heart disease. These more effective therapies swamp any smaller benefit that the beta blockers might provide, minimising any measurable effect.'

'What comes next is impossible to predict, but we may well be seeing a rare case of medical wisdom being overturned almost overnight. Beta blockers are not dangerous and have been in use for such a long time that it is unlikely that we will see an immediate cessation. But these results are hard to ignore, and cardiologists will be paying careful attention.'

A Few Days Away- Part 3

On Friday, our final day in the North West, we left the hotel early once again, having packed up everything in the car. We went to Salford Quays, to visit the Lowry Centre. This is a theatre and art gallery, named after the artist L.S. Lowry, who lived locally. We had something to eat in a Cafe Rouge and then went to the Lowry, and then we found that it didn't open until 10 o'clock so we spent some time in the Lowry outlet shopping centre. This is similar to the Galleria in Hertfordshire and the Bicester Village in Oxfordshire, both of which we've visited on several occasions and bought stuff such as shoes.

The Lowry, Salford Quays

The Lowry is a somewhat quirky building, looking as if it's made up of oddments and inside it's all bright colours and at peculiar angles. Even the floor downstairs in at a slight angle, it slopes slightly which is somewhat disconcerting. We eventually went up on the excalator to the gallery area where there is a good exhibition of Lowry's paintings and drawings. I was surprised by the variation in his work, imagining that all his paintings were of 'matchstick men'. Anything but. There are a lot of those familiar scenes of industrial landscapes with the classic 'matchstick' figures, but he did a lot of portraits and scenes that aren't so typical.

Media City UK, Salford Quays

Incidentally, Salford Quays is the location of Media City, UK, which is where BBC Breakfast now comes from. It's a very modern looking building and stands out quite distinctively from the other buildings. Quite a lot of BBC shows are made there, including Blue Peter, In It To Win It etc. ITV is supposed to be relocating later in the year, and the Coronation Street lot (the outdoor set) is being built nearby.

So, on leaving the Lowry, we went back to the car, which we'd parked in a multi-storey carpark, and drove out of Salford towards the M6, Milton Keynes and home. It was a long journey as there were long delays along the motorway, and we got back to Milton Keynes at around 4.30.

A Few Days Away- Part 2

 One of the Anthony Gormley sculptures on Crosby beach, Lancs

We managed to walk out to some of the statues on the Crosby beach, but it was getting colder and colder. We took a couple of photographs of them, but, looking inland, there was a very dark cloud looming over everything. The wind was extremely cold and then the rain started. We walked back towards the leisure centre. We saw that there was a cafe inside and then discovered that it wouldn't be open until 10.30. We waited until it opened and ordered hot chocolate and bacon rolls. So we sat and ate in the public viewing area overlooking the swimming pool, where some of the children who had come in the coaches we'd seen arriving as we'd arrived having swimming lessons. The rain began in earnest. We decided that we'd seen all we had wanted so aimed to drive to Liverpool. I asked at the reception desk if there was a park and drive carpark near Liverpool, to discover that none of the staff knew what 'park-and-ride' was. It would appear that this is a concept almost exclusive to the south of the country, whereby you drive to a town or city and park your car in a carpark near the outskirts and then take a bus into the city or town centre, thereby cutting out having to find car parking in the centre. It's generally cheaper and a good deal easier and cuts out the stress of having to look for a parking space. We were told, though, that it would be easier to use the underground train system, the Metro, and to park the car nearby a station and go into the centre of Liverpool that way. So we drove towards the motorway towards Liverpool. We managed to find a Metro station at Waterloo, and parked the car in a carpark conveniently close to the station. Compared to around here, the cost of the carpark was comparatively cheap, £3 for all day and the Metro ticket for the two of us, a return fare, was a little over £6. It was a pleasant journey into the centre of Liverpool, and we chatted to a couple of other passengers. As we've discovered with our holidays in Yorkshire, people in the Liverpool area are very friendly and always go out of their way to help you if you are in need of help, such  as the direction to a particular place. We got into the centre of Liverpool and walked down one of the shopping streets. As I mentioned earlier we hadn't bought coats with us, so we went into a branch of Primark and bought ourselves a coat each. We're due to have a branch of Primark open in Milton Keynes near the football stadium before the end of 2012, along with a large Marks and Spencer, and with our visit during our Liverpool excursion, no doubt we'll be visiting the local branch.

I worked in Liverpool in the early 1970's, when I was an A.S.M. at the Playhouse. I haven't visited since, but from what I saw it has changed out of all recognition. There are a lot more shops and modern, bright and clean shopping centres.

We were going to a couple of the art galleries or museums whilst we were in Liverpool. It was a long walk to the Walker Art Gallery, which I think I may have visited before, but we found we were closer to Liverpool Tate and the Slavery Museum, which are on the Victoria Docks site, so we began to walk there.

On the way we found the Cavern Club, which is where the Beatles made their first appearance, so we stopped and took photographs. As 2012 is the 50th anniversary of the release of their first single, this seemed quite appropriate. It was raining quite heavily, so we kept walking. We arrived at the Victoria Docks. I recognized this as they were used by I.T.V. as the location for the studio used for their "Good Morning" television show for many years. We went into the Maritime Museum, which had an exhibition in connection with the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic. We spent quite a while wandering around a really interesting exhibition and then left, before we went into the Slavery Museum. I have to say it was very moving and well presented. We then visited Tate Liverpool. We have visited Tate Modern in London, so we had an idea it was going to be modern art on display. We stopped to have a snack and a cup of tea in the cafe before heading back to the Metro station and the car parked at Waterloo.

A Few Days Away- Part 1

Carol has been on Half Term for the past week. We haven't had a full week's holiday away, but  instead we went away on Wednesday and came back on Friday. We stayed in a hotel in Salford, near Manchester. We had a really good drive up on Wednesday morning, and visited  Rufford Old Hall, a National Trust property a good deal further north near Ormskirk. There is a link with William Shakespeare, which interested me as I have an interest in both his plays and his life. He was alleged to have performed in the Great Hall there. It was fairly bright and sunny when we arrived, but when we were inside it had begun to rain and the weather generally deteriated into low mist, rain and gloom. As it was Half Term they were doing Hallow'een things for children, which rather spoilt things for us. We had gone for the historic connections, not some over-blown superstitious nonsense which seems to have taken over in this country at this time of year, unfortunately. It's mainly, if not entirely, to do with shops making money out of the rubbish they sell connected with this so-called festival. When I was a child, November 5th was the thing, or Guy Fawkes Night, but it seems to have been overtaken by the other event, unfortunately.

Rufford Old Hall, National Trust property near Ormskirk, Lancs

Carol wanted to see the Anthony Gormley statues at Crosby Beach. It's something we've both seen photographs of, those mysterious statues staring out to sea, some partially submerged in the sand and others in the sea. As the weather was so awful, we decided to leave it for another day, although it wasn't too far from Rufford Old Hall. Another reason for  not going there immediatley was that the light was going. So we drove back to Sallford to find the hotel.

After driving down the MK motorway and leaving at the exit for Salford, we discovered that the place has a really nightmarish road system. It's one mass of duel carriageways, and the hotel itself is in the centre of a sort of knot of roundabouts. This is within walking distance of Manchester United Football Club's stadium. Sorry, I'm not that interested, but we did go and have a look. Having found the hotel and parked the car, making sure we had a parking permit on display inside the windscreen when we left it (otherwise we we likely to get clamped and would have to pay to have the car released.) we unloaded our luggage and then decided to go out and find something to eat, as there was no food available at the hotel.

We wanted a restaurant, not too expensive. Coming out at the roundabout we saw a  branch of Harry Ramsden's  (one of the famous fish restaurants.) the opposite side, but it then took us around 15 minutes to actually get to it as the traffic was so heavy. We decided that this was where we wanted to eat and so went in and found the place virtually empty except for an older man and a little boy. We had our meal and left and went back to the hotel for the night.

We were up early and out around 8.30, as we wouldn't get breakfast and decided that we could get something to eat as we drove up the M6 away from Salford and Mancester on the way towards Crosby where the Anthony Gormley statues were installed (for want of a better term.) We had found them on Google Maps, so had a vague idea what to expect. We were guided by the Crosby Leisure Centre, which we could see on Google Maps as a quite striking building which looked for all the world like something out of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, a sort of U.F.O. crash-landed on the beach. We found a car park, as we had followed the signs from the main road, but it would mean a long walk along the beach towards the statues. It was by now beginning to look as if there was a rain storm brewing, with very dark clouds drifting in from the land. Also, there was a bitter wind blowing making it very cold, and we hadn't brought coats with us, unfortunately. We drove a little bit further, as we could see the leisure centre in the distance. We got a lot closer and eventually managed to park outside and saw bus-loads of schoolchildren arriving as there is a swimming pool within the leisure centre.

Our dogs and Hallow'en and Guy Fawkes Night

Some kindly soul had the imagination to set of a firework a few days ago. I know, it's a few weeks until 5th November and Hallow'en is on Wednesday. The shops have had fireworks on sale for several weeks now, so presumably someone has bought some and thought it a good idea to set them off regardless of the day, time, or the effect it will have on dogs, cats and other animals, and, no doubt, people. Alfie, our Yorkshire Terrier, has never really bothered with the noise of fireworks around November 5th (Guy Fawkes Night to those living outside Britain.)

Poppy, our other dog, is really terrified of them, but her tactic is to hide somewhere in the house or dive  into your lap, under the bed, behind furniture, etc. Alfie started barking and kept on barking for most of the evening. Now, whenever there's an unusual sound, generally from our neighbours who make all sorts of strange and peculiar sounds at all hours of the day and night, he will start of barking. And he just keeps on barking. He has never bothered about the noise of fireworks before now, so it's odd that he should start this year. Poppy, on the other hand, has always been jumpy with fireworks, however far away they are. We're not exactly sure what happened to her as a very young puppy. She may well have experienced something particularly nasty which frightened her as a pup, which might explain her fear of fireworks.

Alfie has discovered something living in the garden shed. It has nothing of ours in it, just junk which I presume has been left behind by former tenants, or even the landlord; an old bicycle frame, a really ancient mattress and odds and ends. The door doesn't close properly. Well, to be exact, it is off it's hinges and it's extremely difficult to close it properly. The 'something' has turned out to be a cat. Now, cats and our dogs don't mix (well, do dogs and cats get on in normal circumstances? Well, the answer is generally, not very well.)

The other day we couldn't find Alfie. He wasn't in any of his usual places, one of which is sleeping on our bed. We looked all over the house and in the garden. The french windows were open, leading from the kitchen/diner into the garden. Poppy went outside. She appeared to know where he was. One of Alfie's little routines is to go round the fence and check. Well, it appears to be what he does. Poppy was up at the end of the garden near the rickety shed (well, I'm sure a strong gust of wind would knock it over.) She started barking and ran towards the house and I went out to her. She was telling us that Alfie was in the shed. Not difficult to get inside as the door is virtually impossible to close. It is completely off it hinges. I went and managed to get the door open and Alfie was inside, perched on some of the junk in there. At the back of the shed, at a safe distance, was the cat. I managed to get Alfie out and in the house, but it would appear that the cat is what is drawing him to the shed.

Dull, Dank and Dreary

The last couple of days the weather has been typically autumnal; dull, dank and dreary. Foggy and over-cast, with very little sunlight. And the clocks change this weekend, so it's going to be even darker, danker and drearier. And they're now saying it's going to become colder and sunnier in the next couple of days. Well, we are into late October now, so it's to be expected. The trees are changing colour rapidly and there are a lot of leaves on the ground outside. Probably just as well they're outside and not inside, otherwise I'd really worry.

The 300th Post!

Quite a momentous day, this, as this is the 300th post. The first post was written on 27th September 2009. A little over three years. I was writing about 'the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness.' Yes, a very similar day as I write this. The trees are slowly changing colour to every variation of brown, russet, red etc. It's a rather over-cast and dull sort of day. The sun is out and it is fairly bright, but there is quite a keen wind.

I can safely say that I feel a good deal better than I did when I began writing this blog, considering the fact that I had a heart attack in May 2006 (see earlier post for greater detail.)  I had intended the blog to be a discussion of my experiences of having a heart attack, and hope that my thoughts, experiences etc might be of use to anyone else who is going through the same things or has a partner or knows someone who has had a heart attack or has problems with, say, the side-effects of the medication. I think that a lot of my health problems are caused by the side-effects of  the medication, particularly statins (for example, muscle cramps, particularly in the stomach. I have now discovered that drinking some fizzy drinks such as Lucozade, can help relieve these side-effects, along with taking mint capsules, which I have on prescription.) I have not had a really bad angina attack, having been prescribed with isoborbide mononitrate. This working in the same way as the glyceryl trinitrate pump spray which I used to use if I had a really bad paid with an angina attack, as it opens up the arteries and allows better blood flow. I take these tables twice a day, at 8 a.m. and 2 p.m.

As mentioned in an earlier post, I am writing a novel. This, since the beginning of writing this blog. I never thought that it would develop the way it has gone, but I am really getting into my stride now. I'm currently reading Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo (the novel which is the basis for the musical and soon-to-be-released film version.) I'm quite amazed by this. It is an almighty work of fiction, some 1,500 pages. I am being influenced in my own attempts at writing, not necessarily by the story or the characters, but by the construction (ie. multiple storylines and characters that intertwine.)  For those who have not read this novel, I can recommened it, and in particular the version I am reading currently. It in a new translation by Julie Rose, and is in paperback, published by Vintage Classics.  The ISBN number is: 9780099529965 for those of you who want to find it in whatever catalogue or computer system you are likely to use. In Waterstone's, the British bookstore, it is currently on display, or was when we went to the Oxford branch two weeks ago.(no doubt in preparation for the imminent release of the film.) In America it was published by The Modern Library. There are good notes at the back, which are always useful for a novel of this sort.

Mixed Weather and Water Meters

It was quite cold and miserable early this morning, but the sun was out. There was a strange sky, in that the sun seemed to light up the clouds in a sort of pinkish glow. There has been rain, but as I write this, it's stopped.

We now have water meters. There were workmen along the road last week digging up the path along the front of all the houses. I think there was already  plumbing for meters, but they weren't connected. They put up barriers around the work, which have since been moved. We did get notification of this several weeks ago from Anglian Water, so it shouldn't be a surprise.

Thinking about the title for this post: it's somewhat enigmatic. It would make you want to find out more if you read it. What has mixed weather got to do with water meters? If you didn't know what a water meter was, you might want to find out by reading the post. A good title for a short story or even a novel. Perhaps, even a chapter in a novel.

Novel Writing . . .continuing

I've written a quite large section of my novel over the last couple of days. The biggest part of writing a novel is plotting. Once you have some sort of structure, writing is relatively easy. It's a bit like scaffolding for a building, it has to be in place before the brickies can go in and build the walls, put in the windows, doors and roof etc etc. If I know where the plot is going, as I say, the writing is staightforward. 'Story arc' as it's often referred to. As there are several plots that don't seem related, but do have connections, that makes it all the more complicated. I must say I'm really pleased with how it's going.

Noisy Neighbours . . .again!

Strange sounds coming from 'next door.'  Drilling, a weird scraping or scratching sound. What's new? I saw a van draw up outside the house, and, looking out of the window, a load of workmen removing the garden fence next door. It would appear that they are having all new fencing. Will this effect us here? I doubt it. Our landlord doesn't seem too keen to spend a lot of money on fencing, even though it is well past it's best, bits are leaning precariously and need serious attention. You may recall in an earlier post I had trouble with our Yorkshire Terrier, Alfie, escaping through a hole in afore-mentioned fence. If the fence was in a poor condition then, it is far worse, and we've the winter to get through yet. As I write, there is absolutely no fence next door. Bits of old fence laying about (I tell all this as I can see directly into their garden.) and a stack of brand new fence leaning against ours. I hope it doesn't push ours over. Or, on second thoughts, perhaps it should, so we get ours replaced.

Novel Writing

I have been attempting to write a novel for the past two years or so. I haven't mentioned it on here in much detail, as I hadn't got enough to discuss, so it might be of interest to someone reading here. I say 'novel' because it is really a collection of inter-related stories. 

I was inspired, if that's the correct term, having watched such shows on television as 'EastEnders.' I have to admit that I'm not a huge fan, basically because the story-lines and characters are so un-interesting. I began to have an idea to try and produce something of my own, with storylines which connect to one another in some way.

One of the reasons I hate EastEnders, and 'soaps' in particular (television companies like to be somewhat snobbish and refer to them as 'continuing dramas.') is that they tend to rely on stock characters and storylines. In most cases they are so predictable. The same plots are used over and over again, and, with a bit of close observation, you can almost always tell what is going to happen next. I have read a really brilliant book called "The Seven Basic Plots" by Christopher Booker, where he describes what are supposed to be the seven plots that keep being re-cycled in either novels, plays, films or any work of fiction. They include, The Quest, The Comedy, Tragedy,  Overcoming The Monster, Voyage and Return, Rags-To-Riches and Rebirth. (Published by Continuum, and  first published in 2004.) In soap, you can be sure that there will be a big storyline at Christmas, some revelation, some plot detail that will be revealed over Christmas, and it is just a way to boost audience numbers. Whenever a character is to be written out (this usually coincides with an actor deciding they no longer want to stay with the show, or their contract is up for renewal.) the scriptwriters have a field day coming up with a storyline whereby that character meets a sticky end, for example, under the wheels of a tram in Blackpool or dies of some incurable disease (ie. as they did with Pat in EastEnders.) Or, there is some terrible accident and the character ends up in hospital, in intensive care, unconcious, on a life-support machine, with the nearest members of the family at the bedside. Then it is dragged on for weeks on end and eventually the character dies, or if they decide to remain in the show and sign their contract for a further couple of years and they manage to have their pay increased considerably, they come out of the coma and survive.

As I say, this is a collection of inter-related stories and characters. I haven't, as yet, managed to find a way to link them more firmly together, but I'm sure I will eventually find a way to 'bind' them together. There are many novelists who use this technique to create their storylines, most notably Charles Dickens. There is usually a central character, whose life unfolds as the narration develops (such as Oliver Twist and David Copperfield.) Characters come and go throughout the story, and it isn't until around the end of the novel that we discover how they have affected the life of the main character/s. I will post more on here as and when I feel inclined, so keep on reading.

Undecided

The weather, as usual, is being very undecided. It was bright sunshine here yesterday morning, then, mid-afternoon, it rained briefly, but then the sun came out later. We haven't fortunately had the torrential rain other parts of the country have had, but no doubt the local rivers are overflowing. I'm not sure about the Grand Union Canal, which is not far from here. What happens with canals? Do they open sluices as they do with rivers, to let out the excess water? I never know how they keep canals topped up with water. How are they fed with water? What happens in a drought? The technology intrigues me, locks and so on.

As a result of the weather, you never know exactly what to wear, because it's quite chilly first thing in the morning, then, as the day progresses, it seems to get warmer so if you put on a thicker jacket, you get too hot. It's certainly very autumnal. It's now getting darker earlier and it's getting light in the morning a lot later. Also, the leaves on the trees are beginning to change colour, and if past years are to go by, they'll be quite vivid when they do change colour.

Rainy and wet

It's amazing how quickly the weather changes, from a really beautifully warm and sunny day on Saturday, to bleak, gray and wet today. Yesterday wasn't particularly dry. Also, there is quite a breeze blowing. As a consequence of all this, we have had to put the central heating on for the first time this year. A sign that autumn is on it's way, or even that it's arrived.

Visit to Oxford

It's been another really warm and sunny day, so we went to Oxford. We didn't take the car, instead opting for bus travel. I now have my concessionary bus-pass (yes, one is now at the age when one can travel by bus for nothing!) and we caught the bus on Saxon Street which took us into the centre of Milton Keynes next to The Point, and then to the railway station, where we boarded the bus for Oxford, and within around an hour and ten minutes we were at Oxford Bus Station. So the entire journey there and back cost around £12.50, and without the hastle of driving, the cost of petrol, finding somewhere to park, or at least not having to use the park-and-ride system into the centre of Oxford. We have been there on several occasions, usually to visit the theatre, The Oxford Playhouse, or a performance of Creation Theatre (who perform in something called the mirror or spiegeltent.) and we've seen a show based on stories by the Brother's Grim and the theatre set up in the carpark of the B.M.W. car plant, and another show based on Shakespeare's  'Saints and Villains' and performed in a city centre church. The other shows we've seen have been at the Playhouse, and performed by Propellor, and all-male company who stage Shakespeare productions, and we've seen 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' and 'Twelfth Night' there, as well as 'Henry V' at the Milton Keynes Theatre, as well as 'The Taming Of The Shrew' at The Old Vic, when we went with a party from Stantonbury School when Carol worked there.
Oxford on most sunny summer's days must be quite busy, particularly as it is very likely to be one of those places that attracts tourists, from whatever country, as it is a particularly historic place, featuring in many events over the centuries. Also, it has been used in many films and television drama series as well as being the setting for many novel, notably the "Inspector Morse" novels and the television series. C.S. Lewis, author of the "Narnia" books and J.R.R. Tolkein, of "Lord Of The Rings" and "The Hobbit" fame were professors here and were part of a literary group known as "The Inklings." Lewis Carrol was Dean of one of the colleges during the 19th century and wrote the "Alice" books. And also Philip Pullman used a version of Oxford as a background to his "Dark Materials" trilogy of novels. So, it wasn't at all surprising that we saw groups of people being taken on guided tours of the city centre. We also saw a film unit parked in one of the main streets. From experience as a television walk-on and supporting artiste I know what one of these looks like, and the amount of space all the vans, lorries and other paraphernalia looks like. We couldn't see exactly what the film or television series was they were filming, but I have an idea it might have been the "Inspector Morse" spin off, "Lewis."

Autumnal Day

It is certainly feeling much more autumnal. It's bright and sunny first thing in the morning, but there is a definite chill in the air. There are blackberries ripening on the bramble bushes along the Redway, so I will have to go out and see whether they are ready to pick yet. The thought of blackberry and apple pie is very tempting.

Numbers

Today this blog has reached it's 290th post. There have been 6711 page views. Last month there were in total 849 page views. Just though that those who read this on a regular basis might be interested in these figures. I'd just be interested to know who visits this blog, and for whatever purpose. If you read my posts on a regular basis, do please leave a comment, as I'd be really interested to know why you read this, where you are and anything else you care to leave. Thanks.

Back-To-Front

I had instructions from the company through which I did the IKEA catalogue deliveries come in the post yesterday. Makes a great deal of sense that I get the instructions AFTER the job is done and finished. Also, a map of the area, which is a good deal clearer than the one I had printed off Google maps, as it shows the roads together with their names. Also, a list of said roads, with the number of houses in each road. Why didn't I have this last week? Crazy.

Finishing Delivering IKEA catalogues

It's been really warm for the past week or so. Considering what an awful summer we've had, it was certainly great to be able to get outside without worrying whether you were going to get soked. Having said that, though, it has been rather TOO hot for my liking. It's been really difficult to sleep, and with the windows open, the dogs can hear allsorts of stray noises, and keep on barking at other dogs and odd noises outside.

On Saturday we got the IKEA catalogues almost all delivered. We went into the hospital campus and had to deliver to some of the staff houses there, and then the nurses accommodation, but these can't be completed until today as you need to have permission from the accommodation office which is on-site, so I will go and finish there this morning after 9.00 a.m. (in around half-an-hour's time.) There are some places where we're not going to deliver, the secure unit and the carehome (which I was totally unaware of when we moved to this house. I wonder how many other residents are aware of the secure unit not many yards from their homes? Having worked in care I'm very clear about what this place if for and the sort of people who live there! We have a few bundles of the catalogues left, and I reckon we've been given more than we need as nobody has worked out exactly home many homes are in this gridsquare, whether estimated from census records or from Milton Keynes Council tax records.

On the way back into Eaglestone on Saturday morning, we couldn't help but notice a police car turn up with no fewer than four police officers inside it, heading straight for the house which was raided a few days ago. And this morning, as I was coming out of the estate, yet ANOTHER police vehicle was coming in. We are still none the wiser as to what has been going on at the house which was raided, but we noticed piles of chairs and other furniture outside as we drove past. No doubt all this will come out in the media at some time in the future. Whatever has been going on, it all seems extremely mysterious.

New glasses!

I hadn't heard anything from Boot's opticians as regards my new glasses being ready so I went into Milton Keynes Shopping Centre mid-morning. I have continued to deliver the IKEA catalogues, and managed around 60 more along the Chaffron Way side of Eaglestone. It's easier when you have a clear map, which I don't have. Google Maps is useful, but even that doesn't mark all the names of the little alleyways and roads. The photographic version is clearer as you can see the actual houses. I have done another 'block' of houses this morning, so that leaves a block coming back towards home for tomorrow and there's some flats within the hospital grounds that need to be delivered to.

I got to Boots and asked at the reception desk. I had been told that it would take two weeks from the original eye-test for the glasses to be made up, and was told that they would telephone when they were ready for collection, so, when I still hadn't herd anything, I decided to go to the store to find out what was going on. The lady on reception looked on their computer but could find nothing. They seemed to be having trouble getting into the system to track orders. I sat and waited, and after around 10 minutes they told me that my glasses were indeed in. I had to try them on, and they fit perfectly. The old ones, as I've already mentioned in the earlier post, fell apart, and not only that, they had kept slipping down my nose and making life really difficult. These, thankfully, remained on my face and didn't slip down my nose! So, I wore them as I left. Mission accomplished, and now I can see the world clearly again, thankfully.

More police in Eaglestone

I took Carol to work. Printed off some material which will be useful regarding delivering the IKEA catalogues, maps which clear up where exactly I have to deliver as most maps don't show clearly where the little alleyways and so on are in the estate. I drove home, to find a police car at the entrance into the estate, so I decided to come in round near the shops. I can't decide whether this is connected to yesterday's police action at the house further along the road from us, but there were a further two police vehicles outside that house again earlier and further round a policeman was talking to someone in a car. THEN the phone rang, but I couldn't get to it quick enough as it rang off. A couple of seconds later it rang again. It was Carol 'People are saying there's police cars outside as they were coming into the  Milton Keynes Academy.' (They have two day's teacher training, yesterday and today, before the children start back tomorrow.) I tell her I don't know what is going on, but I'm keen to be able to get out to continue the IKEA catalogue deliveries. Strange how gossip spreads. No doubt there will be news of all this in the local media. We would just like to know what is going on, that's all.

Delivering IKEA catalogues

We spent two hours on Saturday morning delivering the IKEA catalogues which I mentioned were delivered to our house on a pallet which came by H.G.V. on Thursday morning. There are around 900 individual catalogues, bound into packs of 20, which are banded with plastic strapping and then over-wrapped in vacuum-packing plastic. We started along our road and did a good deal of the main outer service road which encircles Eaglestone, as well as some of the roads and closes which run off this road. It was generally easy going and we were surprised home much we managed to do. Yesterday, Sunday, we went out after church and did some more further round the estate. The houses have longer gardens with paths up to their front doors, so it took a good deal longer. We took the car with a load of the packs of the catalogues in the back and then transferred some of these packs into the trolley we bought in IKEA. You can get three of these packs into the trolley and we had a carrier bag on the back to take the strapping and plastic wrapping when we undid each bundle, cutting this with scissors we carried in the carrier bag. It took a good deal longer to deliver to this area as not only did the houses have longer paths but also gates to open and close, and there were far more steps to go up and down.

Police Raid on house in Eaglestone

We went shopping in Asda extra early this morning, around 6 a.m. Were we mad, or was it just a way of avoiding the queues? Not really. Just seemed a good idea at the time. Only trouble is, you have to try and avoid all the pallets and trolleys used by the night staff to stack the shelves. I almost broke my leg tripping over one pallet as I attempted to reach something from a shelf along one aisle and I could barely reach the milk in the dairy produce area. I think it's all very well having 24-hour opening, but not so good when customers can't get around the store with their trolleys or reach goods from the shelves. Apart from that it was a relatively short wait at the check-out, and we were back home in time to take Sam to work for 8.30.

We next went to Morrison's at Westcroft and treated ourselves to a full English breakfast. Carol had to have a prescription made up in Boots, and while we were waiting we met Jan, the lady who is on our Welcome Team at our church, Milton Keynes Christian Centre. She told us that there was an offer on ladies' fragrances, if you bought a certain brand or something for the ridiculous sum of £5 you were entitled to £5-worth of Boot's Advantage points, which sounded a good offer. So whilst I waited for the prescription to be made up, Carol went with Jan to have a look. She selected a fragrance called 'So . . .Kiss Me.' Need I say more?

We then went to IKEA as we wanted to get a trolley as we've got a job delivering IKEA catalogues around Eaglestone and the trolley will be useful to transport the catalogues. They arrived yesterday on the back of a HGV and we spent half an hour unloading them into the house as they came on a pallet. Something like 900 catalogues. The fact that the trolley came from IKEA is merely a coincidence.

No sooner than we had turned into Eaglestone than we noticed a couple of police cars parked along the road from our house and a policeman carrying a gadget which I know is used to break down doors. It looked as if a police was raid was in the process of being carried out. I had to post a letter a minute or two later and as the post box was close to all this activity I couldn't help but notice yet another police car turn up and a WPC get out of the car and walk towards the house which now has a 'for let' sign outside. No doubt all this will be covered by the local press and local television this evening, so will have to watch the BBC's 'Look East' programme at 6.30 and Anglia's 'About Anglia' shows.

Noisy Neighbour . . . quiet at last!

Well, no noise has come from next door for a day or two. We feared another onslaught of the drills, hammers, grinders, sanders et al, but it seems our fears were unfounded. We saw their car arrive back from somewhere such as B and Q or Homebase with something on the roof-rack. Maybe some sort of device to help saw wood, a work-mate or whatever it's called. I think the man devours Black and Decker catalogues and loves sales in these D.I.Y. places so as to try out the latest high-powered drill with hammer-attachment, just to try the patience of his neighbours. We await the next onslaught and if that happens, we'll leave him to it and go out for the day . . .

Bank Holiday Monday

A typical Bank Holiday Monday: it's starting to rain and there's next-to nothing on television, and we haven't got much to do . . .

Visit to Leighton Buzzard

Yesterday was yet another one of those days when the weather can't really make it's mind up. Warm one minute, with blazing sunshine, and then it clouds over and the rain starts. Or it just clouds over and it just goes really dull. We'd been shopping really early, and by late afternoon we had nothing else to do. It's really not like us to sit around indoors in the Summer. We're usually visiting somewhere or other, usually a National Trust property, which we did a few weeks ago when we went to Ickworth. We have recently renewed our membership, so we're ready for a further year of visits, and have planned to perhaps visit one more before Carol goes back to work in a little over a week's time and may visit Biddulph Grange in Staffordshire. It's not far if we go up the M1, and just past Stoke-On-Trent and wouldn't take much over 90 minutes or so.

We needed to get out of the house (our neighbour not making any sort of noise, but certainly likely to start up at any moment) so we decided to go to Leighton Buzzard, a short drive down the A5 towards Aylesbury and along the relatively-new by-pass. Not somewhere I'd immediately think of visiting, but we have a number of really interesting small market towns around Milton Keynes, such as Wolverton, Stony Stratford, Newport Pagnell and Olney, all with a lot of history and some quirky independent shops to browse in. It's one of those places you go past but there's no need to visiti as there really isn't a lot to go there for. We got to Leighton Buzzard and eventually parked near the library. I think I recall in the past doing a job working for Bedford Libraries, driving a library van, and I think we might have gone to this library. We walked into the centre of the town, and were surprised how run-down and uncared-for it looked. Particularly the branch of W.H. Smith which had tatty carpeting on the floor which was in desperate need of replacing and a really jumbled-up set of display shelves. Then into a bookshop. It was nearly 4.30 and the sun was shining, and the shopkeeper/owner was fixing posters on the windows. We have a habit of chatting to everyone we meet, if we can strike up a conversation, but she was just plain miserable and seemed far more interested in getting us out of the shop so she could shut the place up. We had intended having a coffee and went into the local branch of Costa's, but there were no free seats, so we bought cold drinks and went back to the carpark to leave for home. The place is really nice, but they could have made more effort to be more welcoming and it was really run down. A real shame and rather a disappointment, to say the least.

It took some time to get out of the town centre. Another town with a complex one-way system and poor signage didn't help us much.
We got onto the A5 heading back to Milton Keynes. It was by now really clouding over, and then the rain began, slowly at first, with a few drops, but by the time we reached the outskirts of Milton Keynes, the heavens opened and there was a deluge. Carol was driving, and she decided to pull into a layby. There was a really fast-flowing stream of water running along the side of the layby, and visability had been really poor as we drove along the road, which meant it was really hard seeing the road clearly and the windscreen wipers couldn't go fast enough to shift the falling water. After barely two minutes it stopped and we continued on our way, coming off the A5 near the football stadium. We noticed that the road was dry, which was a real surprise, considering that no more than a mile earlier it was flowing with water, so that rainstorm must have been incredibly local.

Noisy Neighbour

Carol is still on holiday from the Academy. She would be quite pleased to have some peace and quiet from the stresses of working in that place, so why does our neighbour insist on making loud noises all day, scraping walls, using electric drills, grinders etc etc? It got to such a point that we decided to get out and went for a meal at Caldecotte Arms pub. Nothing to expensive, but just nice to get out as the weather was fairly good. A good excuse to get away from the noise and stress of that stupid neighbour of ours.

Eye Test

I've been into Milton Keynes Centre and had my eyes tested at Boot's Opticians. I parked in Debenham's car park, as I was likely to be some while, having dropped Carol at the Academy, as they were having G.C.S.E. results this morning. I had some time to waste so I walked around the shopping centre, although most of the shops weren't yet opened, although I did go into W.H.Smith and browsed around in the book and magazine section. I got to Boot's at around 8.35, and was surprised to find them open. The eye appointment was at 9.00, but I had to fill in a form first and then had the pre-screening done, which includes the rather nasty test they do to check for glacoma, done with a small puff of air on your eyeball. I have had this done before and it's unpleasant. Even though I know it's coming, and you're expected to keep your eye open and stare at a red dot, I still jump when it comes. They have to do three for each eye, I suppose to get at least one of those three as an average reading. The you do the periperal vision test with a machine with lights that blink on and off and you have to click on a button. I had to sit back in the waiting area and then the actual eyetest began. No real problems, but I haven't had an eye-test for at least five years. Then I had to select a pair of glasses and an assessment was made as to the finished glasses, and I will pick up the finished glasses in a few days time.

Shift work increases chance of heart attack by more than 20%

Having listened to the rantings of the lady outside the doctor's surgery (as mentioned in the previous post.) and mentioning as she did Continental Shift Patterns, I decided to put this into Google, and was somewhat shocked to come across the following item, from The Standard of 27th July, 2012:

Shift work raises the risk of having a heart attack, a major review of working pattern health effects has shown.

Working unsocial hours was found to increase the chances of a heart attack by more than a fifth, with the risk of a stroke rising by 5%.

Shift patterns, especially night shifts, have long been linked to high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and diabetes.

But experts have disagreed about their association with heart and artery disease.

The new research, the largest analysis of shift work and heart risk to date, pulled together evidence from 34 studies involving more than two million people.

Coronary events - including heart attacks and angina chest pains - and strokes were more common among shift workers.

The chances of "any coronary event" were increased by 24%, and of heart attacks by 23%, while stroke risk was raised slightly by 5%.

Despite the relatively small effect, the impact on a large population could be significant, the authors pointed out.

In Canada, where a number of the researchers were based, 7% of heart attacks could be attributed to shift work.

The scientists, led by Dr Daniel Hackam, from Western University in Canada, wrote in the British Medical Journal: "Shift work is associated with vascular events, which may have implications for public policy and occupational medicine."

Night shifts were associated with the steepest increase in risk for coronary events, 41%. But research found no link between shift work and higher death rates from any cause.

All And Sundry

The last time I had a repeat prescription from my doctor's surgery, I noticed that at the end, on the second sheet (the page you tear off before handing it over in the pharmacy.) that it said that I should have a review of my medication. Infact, I should have had one around February/March time. Thinking about it, I was surprised that the surgery didn't send me a letter or even email, or even text, to remind me to make an appointment, but never mind. I wanted to make an advance appointment last week, around Wednesday, so we went into the surgery, to be told that you can't book an appointment in advance, only on the day you want the appointment. Which is annoying, considering my health condition and the fact that I have repeat prescription, but there was nothing I could do about it, except come back on Monday (today) as soon as the surgery opened at 8 a.m. and make the appointment. Sam was on an early at Maplin's, so Carol took me to the surgery and then returned home to collect him and then take him to work, but it turned out he wasn't on shift until 9 a.m., not 8.30. So she returned to the surgery. By which time I'd managed to get my appointment for 8.30.

When I arrived outside the surgery it was around 7.50, and there was quite a queue of people, standing outside, and down the steps and into the carpark. One particular woman was holding forth on all and sundry, really mouthing off about how she was going to have to  move to a smaller flat, because the house  she was in had so many bedrooms, and the Council wanted her to move to a smaller place with fewer bedrooms, then she was off on other people who were on Benefits and she was working and her shift-pattern had changed to the 'Continental Shift-System' or something (whatever that is.) She did '6-2, 2-10, and 10-6' or something. I couldn't work out where she worked or what work she did, but I can recognize the shift-pattern, having worked in care and also working in a warehouse or on a production line. Anway, listening to her moaning on and on, at the top of her voice, was rather like an episode of 'EastEnders' or some such dreary soap. Why do some people have to 'wash their dirty laundry in public' as the saying goes? The rest of the queue of people were fascinated by her rant, and we tried desperately not to laugh.

Anway, it certainly kept us all amused, and certainly me, considering I'm writing material which would benefit no end from this character before me, in full-flow, so all that will be filed in my memory banks for future use.

Anyway, I eventually got into the doctor's surgery without much of a problem. The last time it was around 20-30 minutes after the time the appointment was booked. So I was more than pleased to get in so swiftly. As I sat in the waiting area, the ranting woman was sitting immediately behind me, so I got a further installment of her goings-on. I'm sorry, but when there's such a ripe piece of entertainment going free, which not make the most of it? Life's never boring when you can spend some time observing other people, and even more so when they can be used for one's novel-writing.

The doctor went through all my medications, and I was expecting to get him to print out a prescription, which I could then just take to the pharmacy, which is conventiently next door to the surgery, to have made up. He told me that there was now 'a 48-hour rule' and that I'd have to get it done 'at the reception-desk.' As I had managed to time the medications review to coincide with my medications running out, I was somewhat annoyed by this. I have managed to set thing up so that I can order my repeat prescription 'on-line' meaning that I don't have to fill in a form and then go to the surgery. Even though the surgery is only a short walk, or drive, from home, it is more conventient to do this on-line. So, I went to the receptionist and she managed to go it on her computer, and it should be ready for collection on Wednesday, but possibly it might be ready tomorrow.

Carol came back, to inform me that Sam wasn't on-shift until later than she thought. She managed to take him to work and then return to collect me.

What are flavonoids, and how can they help heart-health?

Some foods, such as grapes, tea and chocolate, contain special components called phytochemicals that may be beneficial to your heart health. Enjoying them in moderation may be doing something healthy for your heart.

Flavonoids are one group of phytochemicals found naturally in red wine, tea, cocoa, soy, citrus fruits, berries, apples, onions and pulses (dried beans, peas and lentils). There are thousands of different flavonoids found in many different foods. For example, there are catechins in tea, flavanols in cocoa and isoflavones in soy. Research shows a variety of flavonoids may be beneficial for your heart health.

Flavonoids act as a shield in plants to protect against toxins and to help repair damage. It is thought that when we eat flavonoids, they act similarly within the body. As antioxidants, they help prevent damage from free radicals that can build up during normal body processes, such as breathing. When flavonoids prevent free radicals from building up, oxidation of "bad" lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol decreases, which prevents atherosclerosis, or plaque formation within the walls of the arteries. Flavonoids also appear to help prevent blood clotting, lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, decrease inflammation and help with insulin sensitivity. Thus, although more research is needed, eating a variety of foods rich in flavonoids may lower your risk of heart disease.

From secondscount.org.

Hottest Day Of The Year

They had forecast this as being possibly the hottest day of the year so far. I can well believe it, because, as I write this (at 10.47 a.m.) the sun is out in full force. Carol and I have been into the Central Shopping Centre (Centre MK as it's called) and parked the car in Debenham's multi-storey car park, as it's the best place to park as you are more or less guaranteed a place, even though you have to pay. It was virtually empty when we arrived at around 8.45, having dropped Sam off at Maplin's where he recently started working. We walked down through Debenhams and out into the shopping centre. We were going to Boot's opticians, and they have a branch outside their main store, but it didn't open until 9.30, so we walked to the main branch and upstairs, where I made an appointment for my eye-test for 9.00 a.m. on Monday. We browsed for new glasses and selected three frames, so I will order these once my eyes are tested. You should get a second pair, for reading, when you get the distance glasses as theres a 'buy one, get one free' offer on in Boot's. We went into Marks and Spencer as Carol was looking for a skirt. We went up several floors on the escalator, and found it exceptionally hot the further up the building you went. There must have been something wrong with the air conditioning in Marks and Spencer, and they had several industrial air conditioning units dotted around the various floors, one of which we stood in front of to get the benefit of the cooling air.
Several other people came to enjoy the breeze from the air conditioning unit. But it was far too hot to remain inside the store, so we left, to find it a good deal cooler at the lowest level. It would be a good idea if Marks and Spencer was to rectify the fault in their cooling system, especially on a Saturday, which would, no doubt, have been their busiest shopping day of the week, and even more so with the current state of the country's economy. We left the building and walked to Gregg's, bakers, confectioners, call it what you will, and purchased two delicious-looking buns, with icing and surmounted with glace cherries, which we later consumed at home with our coffee. We browsed in W.H.Smith and then B.H.S. and then returned to Debenham's and went up on the escalator to the carpark. When you enter the carpark you have to take a ticket at the barrier, which rises to admit your vehicle, and then, on leaving, you put the ticket in another machine which tells you conveneitly how much you have to pay, and it returns the original ticket to you, which you then use in the machine at the barrier to let you out of the carpark.
Both our dogs can't cope with warm weather. Alfie, in particular. I must have mentioned that we took the dogs to Marston Mortaine where there is a country park, when it was exceptionally hot, and Alfie almost collapsed and died because it was so hot. It was very distressing, but we got him home and he got over it. Things are not helped by our neighbours, whose dog barks at our dogs through the fence, which sets Alfie off, barking and generally getting really wound up. So we have to call him into the house, but our beloved neighbours make no attempt to stop their dog behaving in this fashion. Dogs being dogs, I suppose it's in their nature to behave like this, territorial behavior or something, but we don't want our dogs getting over-hot. So, it end up with them having to come indoors and the French windows into the garden shut, to stop them going outside, which is rather unfair on them, particularly as they enjoy pottering around the garden.