13,000 Page Views

As of today, this blog has now had 13,000 page views, according to the stats counter which accompanies this Blogger site. I'm really surprised that so many individuals have visited, for whatever reason. It would be great if some more would leave a comment, just so I have an idea what lead you here. I'd love to hear from you, so please write something in the space provided.

Tree Felling

I went to get my hair cut this morning. I go to a barber's at Monkston Park, which is a relatively short distance from Eaglestone down  Chaffron Way. I don't come out of the estate onto Saxon Street, which is virtually directly opposite to Milton Keynes Academy as it can be very difficult to turn right as the traffic can be very heavy which means you can sit waiting for a long time. So, I come out round near the Eaglestone shops, and onto Chaffron Way there. But this morning I couldn't get through as there was a tree across the road. Not something you see every day. I think the Council workmen (or the employees of the contractors, working on behalf of Milton Keynes Council.) are busily chopping down trees along Saxon Street, probably taking out diseased trees and generally opening up the groves of trees and bushes. Anyway, as I say, I couldn't get through, so I had to drive right round the inner ring road and come out from the Chaffron Way exit. We are really fortunate that whoever laid out Milton Keynes in the late '60's thought it a good idea to plant so many trees, and to bank up the sides of the roads so as to improve the environment and to also leave plenty of green space. For all that a lot of people criticize Milton Keynes for being ultra-modern, a 'blot on the landscape,' etc etc, I can say from the experience of living here that it is actually a very pleasant place to live. For example, the Redway system of cycle tracks or paths which criss-cross the town mean that if you ride a bicycle or want to walk you can do so without having to cross any of the main roads, as there are bridges and under-passes which allow you to do so. I have walked into the City centre along the Redways and it takes no more than 30 minutes.

Car Booked for MoT and Service

I've been spending time looking for a good deal so we can have the car MoT'd and serviced. To those who read this outside the United Kingdom, an MoT is an annual test that all cars are required, by law, to have which are over three years old. It tests for such things as roadworthiness, emissions, brakes, lights etc. I found one garage on the internet which could do the combined MoT/Service for £95, and then rang our usual garage which quoted £146, so you must have guessed which one I went for and have now booked the car in for Thursday morning.

Our car, a Hyundai Atos, has been running really oddly for the past few months, jumping, juddering or however you want to describe it. Hopefully this will be rectified when it is serviced.

The weather has turned wet and miserable. Yesterday it snowed, leaving a powdery snow on the car and along the roadside, a bit like sugar crystals. It has been extremely cold in a wind which has been blowing steadily

Suddenly It's Spring . . . Or is it?

There are bulbs popping up all over the place. The sun is shining and it seems like spring. It really doesn't seem possible that only a couple of days ago it was snowing and there was a thick layer of the white stuff covering the garden and you couldn't venture out without fear of slipping over and landing up on your backside. It's long gone and there would appear to be no sign of snow anywhere.

It's Snowing!

A bit of a shock! Just looked out of the window to find it's snowing heavily. So are we likely to be snowed in by the morning? And it was quite bright and sunny earlier.

Weather Gets Colder

After yesterday's bright and sunny weather, things have got a good deal chillier this morning. The car was clear of ice but Carol used the sprayer on the windscreen and it froze on the glass immediately. It would seem we are in for more snow in the next couple of days. I really hope not, or if we do get it, it doesn't last long.

Warm and Sunny. Is spring on the way?

Today the sun shines. As I write it is really quite warm. After the weeks of snow and ice we've had to endure, this is wonderful. Do I put on a jacket when I go out, or not? Short sleeved shirt or long? Decisions, decisions.

I am currently having problems with my hearing. I have had this before, one ear seems blocked, rather like when you have a cold, but no amount of nose-blowing will shift it.  It is making me really deaf in my right ear, and it's giving me a headache. I have had my ears syringed  around a year ago (not a particularly nice subject, but there you go.) and have been to have this done by the practice nurse at which ever surgery I'm registered with. So, having been into the MK Centre I decided to go to our surgery in Beanhill, Ashfield Medical Centre, and book an appointment. I was told that I couldn't do this direct, as the doctor has to refer me. I can't see why not. Fortunately I don't have to make an actual appointment, the receptionist tells me she can get the doctor to telephone me (between 11 a.m.-1 p.m.) So I imagine this will get the call and have to ring the surgery myself to get the nurses appointment. I have to use olive oil for several days so as to facilitate effective ear-syringing. I just hope that it is successful and I can get my hearing back to normal.

Cinema Visit To see Les Miserables

We went to see the film of 'Les Miserables' yesterday. I've been looking forward to seeing this film for quite some while, and have read reviews of it and been following quite a few blogs on it's making so was more than keen to go and see it. I have seen the stage version, which I really enjoyed, and as a result have  CDs of the music so I'm very familiar with it. I have recently just completed reading the novel by Victor Hugo which is the basis for both the stage and film versions.

We decided to go to an early showing at the Cineworld multiplex within the Excape complex in Milton Keynes. We took Sam to work as he had to be there at 8.30 so we had lots of time spare before the film started. We got into the centre of Milton Keynes and fortunately we parked just opposite the Excape and went to get our tickets in good time and then went to Costa for coffee. Around 9.50 we decided to go into the cinema and found the auditorium completely empty, so it seemed that we'd be the only people watching the film, but a few more turned up, although even then it wasn't very full. The showing began, but not before we had to sit through a good 40 minutes of advertising and trailers for forthcoming films. Why is it that they advertise the film for 10.10  but it doesn't actually begin for a good half hour or so? Had we known, we could have skipped the confounded ads and trailers. 

I have to say that the film was well worth the wait. It exceeded expectations. Hugh Jackman as Jean Jaljean was really good. He managed to convey the character with extreme conviction as well as having a good singing voice, as did Russell Crowe as Javert. When I first learned that he was to be in the film I had my doubts, but he was really good. The film has an epic quality to it, and the sets, costumes and camerawork are excellent and it deserves to win at the Oscar ceremony. In fact I can go as far as saying that I can highly recommend it as a movie. My only criticism is the cost of the cinema tickets, at a little over £9 it seems a very expensive.