Another Visit to Whipsnade

The thought of just sitting indoors all day today because of the awful weather we are currently experiencing was not going to be repeated. Daytime television is so awful. We wanted to get out, at whatever cost. Anywhere was preferable to being in the house. It seems unfair to Carol in particular, that you look forward to your summer holiday and plan things to do and then the weather turns nasty, wet and cold. Infact, too cold for the month of July. So, regardless of the weather (and when we set out mid-morning, it was cloudy and definitely threatening rain.) we decided on another visit to Whipsnade. We put together some items of food so that we didn't have to buy stuff to eat when we got there and went to Tesco's in Oldbrook to buy sandwiches and drink. We actually had a £3 Tesco Clubcard voucher which needed using before it expired. And once we'd been to buy our picnic we drove off out of Milton Keynes on the A5 south towards Dunstable and across the Downs to Whipsnade Zoo. For the first time ever we drove into the zoo, using Carol's new Z.S.L. Fellowship to not only get our entry free but also avoid paying to take the car in (all told about £75.) It was great to be able to drive around and park in the various spaces around the site. We saw a lot of the animals in action due to the fact that the weather was cooler, in particular the lions (took some great pictures of them.) as well as hippos wallowing in their pool, rhinos as well as very close-up views of cheetahs. We ate our picnic sitting on benches near the elephant enclosure.

We couldn't believe how cold it was, considering it was July. We took coats with us and I really didn't think we'd need them. I have recently bought a hooded fleece off Amazon and imagined that I'd not be wearing it until the winter months, but I was really glad I'd taken it to Whipsnade as it was really warm and cozy as we walked around the zoo.

As we were walking through the 'Africa' section of the zoo, having been to see the cheetahs (and, goodness, how close we got to them. I don't think I've ever seen them that close, or, if it comes to that, so active. We also saw a red kite flying overhead. Quite exciting to see these amazing birds as well as the zoo animals.) Carol said she saw Brendan Cole, one of the professional dancers from the B.B.C. Saturday evening show "Strictly Come Dancing." With his wife and children, although I didn't notice as there were so many other families. Apart from that, I'm not a particular fan of this show. Just over-rated, personally, and I don't go for television 'reality' shows stuffed full of 'celebrities.' Several years ago we were on holiday in and around Northumberland and Hadrian's Wall. We drove up to Gretna Green, as we had joked when we were about to get married that we could go there to get married. We were disappointed in how naff and contrived the place was, expecting there to be only one of these places where you got married, something about a blacksmith's forge or something. It turned out that there are numerous places, all making money out of the 'marriage' industry. Anyway, we didn't stay long and then drove away and went to an outlet shopping centre just outside Gretna Green, a bit like the Bicester Village outlet we visit often. As we were walking around the shopping centre, Carol said she saw someone famous sitting and having coffee outside somewhere like a Costa or Starbucks. She said it was Elton John. I wasn't sure and we didn't stand and stare, as most people would do. We could, I suppose, have gone up to him and asked for an autograph and probably a photo, a 'selfie' with him. I wasn't sure whether she had seen him or not, but when we got back to the cottage we were staying at for the week, we turned on the television and apparently Elton John was about to do a concert somewhere in or around Carlisle or a near-by town. So, it was very likely it was him we'd seen, although he had made every effort to not be recognised. Who would imagine he'd have gone to somewhere like the shopping outlet centre for coffee, as a superstar and famous person?  I think he must have been relieved that we didn't break his cover by going and speaking to him or acknowledging him because I reckon we must have been the only people to recognise him as he was dressed in such a way, with a cap on and a scarf around his neck, that without looking closely you wouldn't have known that was who it was and also it was an unlikely place for him to be. Anyway, whatever the reason, it certainly made Carol's day!

A few years ago we managed to get free tickets for a recording of the B.B.C. Television comedy show "Dead Ringers." It was quite an event, not only getting the tickets, but going to Television Centre in Shepherd's Bush in London and being a member of the audience. As we were queued up to go into the studio, who should walk past but Gary Lineker, the former footballer and sports presenter. Carol got quite excited, but to me it was just another bod off the television. I'm not that keen on football, but I suppose he would have been working there on some show such as "A Question Of Sport." 

Early-Morning Swimming

We decided to go for a swim at D.W. Fitness this morning. We went somewhat later than we usually go, in an attempt to avoid the rush that you get at 8 a.m. People going in before they go to work. But even going around 30 minutes later than we usually go, it was busy, with several people ploughing up and down the pool. Some people make so much noise when they swim, and one woman, goodness knows what stroke she was doing. Looked like some sort of doggy paddle. Couldn't but laugh to myself, though. We have to put the car registration number in a computer at reception every time we go, because then if you are a legitimate user of the carpark as a gym member you will not get a parking fine, which is fine by me, I suppose it stops those who use it illegally. Why do people who are exercising have to look so serious? Just plain miserable. The same with those you encounter who are out jogging. It just looks painful. I managed around 20 lengths of the pool as well as five minutes in the hot room ('sweatbox' or 'drying cabinet' if you prefer.) It looks as if they've put new bulbs in there and the music (if you can call that repetitive noise 'music'. Well, it's better than nothing at all, I suppose.) We sat in the jacuzzi for 20 minutes. Carol had got in before me with a group of other women and she said there was one woman who seemed very bossy and was trying to tell the rest of the group how to use it, according to her principles. At least with Carol on holiday we can choose more or less when we use the gym. 

A Wash-Out

From being scaldingly hot to being chilly and wet, our summer is just being normal. I saw on the local B.B.C. television news last night that there was some quite severe flash flooding in parts of East Anglia over the past couple of days. Cars caught in floods on roads, for example. There was water running down the road outside our house, looking more like a river than a road. Just as well we stayed in yesterday and didn't venture out. I just hope the rest of the holiday isn't going to be the same. We'll just have to find something else to do that is indoors somewhere. I'm sure we can, such as visit art galleries and museums. Well, at least we haven't got to endure the awful noise from such things as the Daisy Carnival or whatever it was called which was at the Bowl a week or two ago. It was really awful. Although, mention of noise, our neighbour, or at least one of them, started up making some awful noise just as we were about to head for bed yesterday evening, drilling or something, so loud it would deafen you. I don't know what it was, some sort of drill. It didn't last long, but I can't believe people have to make so much noise at so late an hour and on a Saturday too.

It's not raining at the moment (9.45 a.m.) I was in the bathroom, just about to have a shave, and I opened the window to look out to see what the weather was doing. As I say, it wasn't raining. Just as I did so, a large lorry turned up and parked outside our house. It had 'Knowhow' printed all over it, on a  black background. It was from Currys/Dixon. Two men got out and proceeded to unload something from the back, using a rear lift. One of the men then took the item (it looked like either a washing machine or a cooker, wrapped in plastic sheeting, so I couldn't see properly what the item was.) on a sack barrow to the neighbour's house. I was just so surprised that Curry's, or any company if it comes to that, would be delivering goods on a Sunday. Although it's a good idea to actually deliver something when the customer wants it. No use when you are out or don't particularly want it delivered. Not actually a great fan of either Currys or Dixon's. There staff are generally hopeless. Only seem interested in selling large items so they get their commission. The last time I was in our local branch and we were looking for something quite low-priced, I think a coffee maker or something, the member of staff who came to help was totally useless and didn't go to find the price or something or even stock levels.

10.25 a.m. I'm sorry to say it's raining again. I didn't think the dry weather was going to last. It's certainly just as well we hadn't planned to go anywhere specific today.

7.05 p.m. All day indoors. It's becoming a bit boring. 'Stir Crazy' I think the term is. We sat through two episodes of "New Tricks" on the digital channel, "Alibi." We've always enjoyed this series. They weren't two of the best episodes, and it's clear why they aren't making any further episodes. I think ten seasons was very good and perhaps it had outstayed it's welcome. When cast members leave then you begin to wonder, will it ever be as good as it once was?

It's raining on and off. Our neighbour has been making more loud noises, some sort of drill. I can't think what he's up to, but if he goes on like this, he'll have drilled through into our kitchen. Our dogs don't like it, and who can blame them?

The day has turned out like the famous "Hancock's Half-Hour" episode, "Sunday Afternoon At Home" when Hancock is stuck at home with nothing to do. He even counts the raindrops running down the window. Classic television from 1958 and repeated at one time or another on the  B.B.C. digital radio station Radio 4 Extra.

Swimming and Shopping

The summer holidays begin here! Carol is now officially on holiday from the Academy. Which means we don't have to get up quite so early each morning. It takes at least a week to get used to the idea. She told me that yesterday they had no actual training but instead did clearing up the classrooms ready for the new term in September. It seems a lot of the rubbish was caused by former teachers who have now left and they didn't clean up after themselves. Shameful. Apparently there are some schools in Milton Keynes which don't finish until this Friday. Milton Keynes Academy has a different sort of beginning and ending of their terms to the rest of the schools around here.

We went to D.W. Fitness bright and early. The roadworks near the stadium, as mentioned in an earlier post, are causing hold-ups as there are traffic lights to control the flow of traffic and we got caught up in quite a long queue. I suppose at that hour of the morning there will be people going to work. It's unclear exactly what is going on around there. It looks as if they are constructing another entrance to the football stadium campus, no doubt to allow cars to get in to the new cinema and restaurants which opened recently. 

When we got into D.W. Fitness's reception we had to put our car's registration number into a computer as it's to attempt to prevent non-members of the gym to park in the dedicated car park. No doubt they have a number recognition system on their C.C.T.V. cameras which will tell who is parking there illegally. 

The swimming pool was very busy and I only did a couple of lengths and then went in the steam room (or 'drying cupboard' as I call it.) It was far too crowded with people swimming up and down and we then went into the jacuzzi and spent around 20 minutes just enjoying the warm water and bubbles. Once we had come and and got dressed we returned home to have breakfast and then went out to Sainsbury's to do some grocery shopping. While in Sainsbury's we saw a somewhat suspicious character, dressed in black and with a hood down over his face and Carol felt somewhat nervous as he had a bag with him. She wondered quite unnecessarily that he might have had some sort of weapons in this bag. As you hear so many stories in the news about terrorists and what I would call 'loose cannon' gunmen who run amock, one does winder about someone who looked a bit suspicious. 

We picked up a repeat prescription of my medication from the pharmacy and finished our shopping. When we returned to our car in the underground carpark beneath the supermarket and were leaving we saw a group of policeman either taking off some of their protective clothing in the back of a parked car, which we thought was rather surprising and then, when we were out and driving back home along the grid roads we saw a couple of police vehicles, a police car and then a riot van. It seems as if the police might be out on some sort of exercise or about to raid a property, connected with drugs or something. Not quite clear, but it will no doubt come out on the local news.

When we got home I checked my medications and discovered that one of the meds I have was missing, isoborbide mononitrate. I have enough for a week or so, but it was a bit annoying considering I had supposedly ordered via Sainsbury's pharmacy. I immediately rang them, and I was given an apology, but I think it may be the Ashfield surgery because they have prescribed meds which I no longer use and had to send back. As the N.H.S. is supposed to be cutting back on waste, it seems rather strange that they prescribe things I no longer need or use.

I have mentioned in an earlier post that I was working on a new piece of writing. I had the idea for the plot, and had written the central 'nub' of the piece, as well as some of the opening, although at the moment it doesn't work as I would have hoped. I have got a reasonably good idea how it will develop and I'm making notes. I find that, if a story doesn't work and I put it to one side and keep it, on the back burner, as they say, eventually the plot will come together. Infant, I have several story ideas that are in various stages of development. I should imagine that most writers would identify with this. It's surely better to have a number of ideas to work on and bring them out and work on them once plot construction has been developed. 

Hair Cut, Story Development and Grass Mowing

I went to get my hair cut this morning at Essential Barbers in Monkston Park. As they open at 9.30 I always try to get there as early as possible so I don't have to wait. There was another prospective customer waiting outside and the same sign on the door saying that their chip-and-pin machine was out of order as it was the last time I had my hair cut around a month ago. So I went into the next-door  Co-Operative store and used their cashpoint to withdraw £10. As soon as they opened I was in the chair and having my hair cut by the nice lady who usually does my hair and I was surprised when I only had to pay £6 which is the O.A.P rate (not officially 65 until October.) which was a nice surprise.  As I was driving past Waitrose in Oak Grove, just off Chaffron Way, I decided to go in and buy a few items such as bread and things for our meal tonight. Always very friendly staff in there and excellent customer service.

I am continuing to watch the Channel Four drama series "Humans." It's at episode 6, so there's just two more episodes remaining. A lot of the 'loose threads' are being tied up and it continues to be a very thought provoking series and has definitely got me hooked. No news, as yet, as to whether there's to be a second series. There should be as apparently the ratings have been the highest for a new Channel Four series since they did "The Chamomile Lawn" in 1992. I remember watching it, a somewhat racy series adapted from a novel by Mary Wesley and starring Paul Eddington and Felicity Kendal.

I spent some time around midday mowing the grass. I shall continue to refrain from referring to it as a lawn, as it has as much resemblance to a lawn as it is possible to get. Very uneven piece of ground and the grass is more like the sort of grass you'd find in the average meadow. It would be gratefully eaten by a cow or two or even a goat. I haven't completed it as it's a really exhausting job but will hopefully complete it tomorrow, that is, if it doesn't rain, as it looks at the moment as if it might as there are dark clouds over-head.

Later . . . I was pondering whether I should wait and finish cutting the grass tomorrow, when I was overcome with the idea of finishing it this afternoon. So I plugged the cable back in and got the mower out of the shed and had the job completed within ten minutes or so. It's always with a certain feeling of 'job well done' when this sort of task is finished. I'm not over-keen on the job, but leaving it and just thinking about it isn't my normal mode of action. So, that job is now out of the way for a month or two at least.

I'm beginning to find how I might finish the story I began a couple of weeks ago. It now might possibly have more of an 'arc' to it and hopefully with a bit more work on it and a few more pages of notes I can continue with it once the summer holiday is over at the beginning of September. I must say I'm very pleased with what I've come up with but I'm certainly not revealing anything on here.

Patronising Bus Driver

We went to church this morning. We're not supposed to park at M.K.C.C. because there is limited space in the carpark. Unless you are a volunteer, as we have been, or disabled. Neither are you supposed to park in any of the streets around the church, in or around Strudwick Drive. Instead you are supposed to park at Milton Keynes College, which is just over the road and then either walk the short distance along the Redway, which takes on average a good ten minutes or get on one of the buses which are laid on and take you to and from M.K.C.C. All very good and we have done this regularly since we started attending M.K.C.C. around 5-6 years ago. But this morning we arrived in good time and there were two of the white busses waiting. They used to be green Plus Busses which I remember from working for Guardian Homecare and some of the people I cared for used these forms of transport as they are designed for the use of a wide variety of people, including those who use wheelchairs so there is a lift at the rear which means that anyone who has to use a wheelchair can be lifted up onto the bus and then the wheelchair is anchored to the floor inside by means of several locking devices which are quite difficult to use if you're not given instruction in their use and can be extremely time consuming to fix. So we both drove to park and the decided to get on the first bus. The driver was a woman we haven't met before. She was incredibly patronising. Did we need the steps onto the bus lowering? Well, of course not. She could see quite clearly that we were totally mobile and didn't need the thing lowering. Then when we got on and sat in the front seats she insisted quite categorically that we must fasten our seatbelt. Well, it's been a legal requirement for years now that you use seatbelt when driving a car or any passenger is required to put on seatbelts where fitted. But this woman was so patronising she seemed to be talking to us as if we had a mental age of around 5 or something or even had some sort of disability which was quite clear. we didn't. I had to make sure my clients when I worked in care were carefully strapped in, but most had a disability and might not have been capable of putting on a seatbelt for themselves. We felt quite offended by her attitude and might have left the bus and walked to church instead of putting up with this woman who had taken any health and safety training too far. Anyway, her attitude is enough to put us off every using her bus again and totally unnecessary. Really taking her duties too far. I think you have a right to not wear the seatbelt. I still maintain that, had there been an accident, with the bus hitting something in a forward motion, a seatbelt might cause more problems than it's supposed to solve and might be useless. Even more so if the accident involved a side-impact. Then, what if you are caught up in an accident and you can't remove the seatbelt? Might take the fire and rescue service some time to cut you free.

Saturday Shopping

The first weekend of the school holidays. Well, for the children it is. The teachers, including  Carol, still have to go in to the Academy on Monday and Tuesday because they have training. Unfortunately. We went in to the Milton Keynes Central Shopping Centre early this morning and parked in Debenham's car park near Midsummer Place. A good deal easier if you park in there as I've probably mentioned on this blog before now, as you're more or less guaranteed a parking space and it's cheaper in the long run. I remember when the shopping centre opened back in 1979 and it was quite a novelty to have so many shops under one roof, you could park virtually anywhere and it was free. Now it is divided up into areas which have more expensive charges and not-so expensive and at one time there were a few free spaces if you got there early enough in the morning. But, unfortunately, the Council got greedy and made it paying. The same happened where I used to live in Bedford and the Council there put parking machines on the street so you had to  pay to park. I wonder how much business was lost when they introduced these parking machines? Quite a lot, I should imagine. At least if you park in the Debenham's multi-storey car park you can just walk in through Debenham's store and if the weather is bad it is at least under cover. We went in and went down the escalator and into Debenham's as I want to look in the menswear department as I wanted to buy some shorts. As the weather is so warm at present I wanted to make the most of it, as I don't currently own a decent pair. I had looked on heir website and saw some I rather liked. Tailored one's in particular. We found several pairs on a rail and a very helpful member of staff came to assist and I took a couple of pairs to try on in the changing room and found that the ones I tried on fitted perfectly so we paid and then went out into the shopping centre. We went into Sports Direct and bought several shirts in their 'buy 3 for £10' together with a smart Pierre Cardin polo shirt for myself. Next into Waterston's to look for the new Harper Lee book which has just come out "Go Set A Watchman" which is a sort of prequel to her other novel "To Kill A Mockingbird." I have read this book as part of a G.C.E.  'O' English Literature course I did years ago. Also, we went to see a stage adaptation of the book a couple of months ago, so we were interested in getting a copy of that and the newly-published book. It was a good deal cheaper in Waterstone's and they had a special exclusive hard-bound edition of the first book, which was supposed to be a facsimile of the original edition which came out in the early 1960's. We eventually decided to not buy it at that time. We then went to Marks and Spencer's because Carol wanted to buy a pair of trousers for herself. It took quite a while to find exactly what she wanted. From there we went to Costa coffee to have a break, lattes and a rather tasty chocolate slice to share. Good to sit for a while and rest before walking along the shopping centre and eventually reaching W.H. Smith's where Carol wanted to get a magazine on dolls houses. We found they had the Harper Lee book for around the same price as in Waterston's but we hd got a voucher when we'd paid at the checkout for £5 off when you spent £15 on books so we bought the copy of "Go Set A Watchman" as well as a paperback edition of "To Kill A Mockingbird," together with a copy of a book which has been made into a film, "The Help" and if you bought two paperbacks you got one half-price, so with the £5 off voucher we seemed to get a really good bargain.

Last Day of Term

Carol will be sighing with relief as today is the final day of the school term. Although she will have finished teaching, she still has to go in for two days next week, Monday and Tuesday, as she has got teacher-training, which, from what she tells me, is really very boring but unfortunately compulsory. There are quite a few people leaving her department, so we went to Asda bright and early to buy presents. 

The weather is very hot and clammy at the moment. Which is making sleeping very difficult at night as you need to have an electric fan on in the bedroom as well as having a window open to make a draught and circulate some air in the room. As a result we get the room full of insects, bees and flies in particular, and it means that the dogs can hear other dogs barking and it sets them off barking themselves. There was some lightening in the night and thunder, so I'm told, but I didn't hear it as I must have been fast asleep. I've been using flyspray in some of the rooms in an attempt to get rid of the buzzing flies. It's just annoying when you settle down to read or watch television to then get a lone insect flitting aimlessly against the glass of a window trying to get out or just flying around the room. I have to make sure that the dogs are out of the way first as I don't want them in the room when the place is full of the unpleasant spray. It doesn't smell as nasty as it used to at one time, but I don't like sitting in the room at the same time so I don't see why they should. 

Rubbish Left After 'Electric Daisy' Carnival'

On our way back from our outing to Whispnade we went over to Hobbycraft at Rooksley as Carol wanted to buy a magazine on dolls houses. We looked all over the place within the store and could find nothing regarding the model-making of dollhouses. They have recently up-graded the store, which we visit regularly, and the layout has changed considerably. We could have purchased a magazine about dolls houses in W.H.Smith in the central shopping centre, but it was easier to park outside the store in the retail park rather than going into central Milton Keynes. We found the racks which contained magazines on a variety of hobbyist topics and there was a dolls house magazine, but not actually the one Carol had wanted. We had to queue up at the tills to pay and when we got there and asked the cashier where the dolls house bits and pieces were she told us that they were no longer available in any Hobbycraft store due to the fact that people stole the stuff. They were available, though, through their website. She even said that, it might be that Hobbycraft might close it's bricks-and-mortar stores and only have an on-line presence. Sad if that's the case. It would be awful if traditional stores were to disappear altogether, even though internet shopping is more convenient and easier. The only problem is having to wait for your order to arrive and the possibility of fraud.

We drove back home via Watling Street and then along Chaffron Way and past the National Bowl. We were absolutely horrified by the amount of litter all along the verges and on the side of the grid roads around the bowl, presumably left by the crowds who had attended the Electric Daisy Carnival  concert yesterday. It seems some people have absolutely no thought as regards their care for the environment or the fact that merely dropping their litter is just downright untidy and that someone is going to have to go and pick it up. If the promoters of such events cannot clear up after their concerts then they shouldn't be allowed to put on such events or else employ people to clear up the mess.

Another Visit To Whipsnade Zoo and Loud Music

We went swimming early at D.W. Fitness yesterday morning. Unfortunately there are roadworks along the road near the foootball stadium. There were crowds of people going into the campus which is where the gym is situated (the opposite side near the shopping mall which houses Next, Marks and Spencer as well as the new cinema and a parade of restaurants which opened recently with an IMAX screen.) We couldn't turn right where we usually go as there was a man there making sure we didn't turn in so we had to drive on to the large roundabout near IKEA and come back on the other side of the road. There were even more people going into the stadium and a great many vehicles parked. We couldn't work out what was going on, but it turned out to be something to do with Jehovah's Witnesses. I'm not going to say any more about it, but presumably it was some sort of convention or something. Must have been a fair-sized meeting if they were using the football ground which has a capacity of quite a few thousand. We did eventually manage to get into the gym and park in the normal place which is reserved for members, but we have to now give the reception our car's registration number because some people are parking there who have no right to as they aren't members. From the gym we went to Marks and Spencer's and did some shopping before leaving for home

We had to endure the most appalling noise for most of yesterday. From something called the Electric Daisy Carnival, which was taking place at the National Bowl in Milton Keynes. There have been a few concerts held there over the past few years. Last year we had a really loud concert and a few years. Last year it was 'The Kings of Leon' and the year before that it was 'The Prodigy' and the language that came over the loudpeakers was quite appalling. I'm not a pop fan particularly, although there is some music I enjoy, but I see no reason on earth why we have to endure such loud music. We must live between 3 and 4 miles from the stadium, but the sound carries all this way. At some point in the evening, presumably when it's warm and the air is still, it's like having those speakers in the next garden to us. But yesterday you could hardly call it 'music.' Just his loud thump, thump thump! The noise was just awful and when it's so warm we had to have the windows open to sleep in our bedroom. It started mid-morning, when presumably they were running sound checks, and it didn't finish until 11 p.m., by which time we were tearing our hair out and wishing, in all truth, that we'd gone out for the day. The only problem is, had we done so, we might not have been able to get back into Milton Keynes because of the traffic. 

Today, Sunday, we visited Whipsnade Zoo again. After yesterday's traumatic experience regarding the loud music from the so-called Electric Daisy Carnival, we just needed to get out of Milton Keynes for a few hours. It has been a good deal cooler today, thankfully, but just the right temperature for a day at the zoo. We watched the 'Sealion Splash', which was highly entertaining. We have seen this before when we have visited in the past, but it's always worthwhile. We saw the 'Birds of The World' presentation a few weeks ago and when we come again we want to see the elephant presentation. We had something to eat and drink in one of the restaurants which I must say have improved considerably since we came a few years ago. In general they have managed to improve the facilities, such as the toilets and the shop.

Watching Maxine Peake as 'Hamlet'

I'm currently watching Maxine Peake playing 'Hamlet,' the Manchester Royal Exchange Theatre Company production which has been shown on Sky Arts. This company used to tour their unique theatre-in-the-round theatre 'module' and came to Bedford several times over the years, but seem to have stopped doing so, no doubt due to funding cuts. I saw several of their productions, notably their production of 'A Comedy of Errors', 'Don Juan', 'A View From The Bridge,' 'The Importance of Being Earnest' and the absolutely hilarious Marx Brothers show 'Animal Crackers.  Ben Keaton was Groucho, with Joseph Alessi as Chico and Toby Sedgwick as Harpo. An extremely physical show and if you'd sat on the front row of the audience (I didn't.) then you were in for a surprise as they kept using the audience during the action. A total joy and I wish it would return sometime as I'd really love to take Carol to see it. So memorable. The company set up their theatre in the carpark of what used to be Pilgrim's School in Brickhill Drive in Bedford, but in the past they had used the Alexandra Sports Hall, which used to be part of Bedford Physical Education College, now swallowed up and part of the University of Bedfordshire.

As for Maxine Peake as Hamlet. What can I say? Truly mesermising. I have seen around half-a-dozen productions of Shakespeare's masterpiece, as well as working as an A.S.M. on a production at Liverpool Playhouse in the early 1970's which had John Castle as Hamlet and Joanna David as Ophelia in it. I've never seen the role played by a woman before, but she made it her own. I have my reservations about having the part of Polonius played by a woman, and becoming Polonia. I'm not sure there was much point in the gender-swap.

I have to say I'm a bit surprised by the lighting, or the lack of it. What might have worked well in the theatre certainly doesn't work for a television version. I'd have thought that they might at least have re-lit for the television version. In some scenes you could barely see what was going on. I didn't like the grave-digger scene with all the clothes which suddenly seemed to drop on the stage. And when the funeral began and Laertes was supposed to 'bury' her, the use of just her clothes didn't do it for me somehow. The biggest let-down as the final scene, the 'fencing match' scene. It really had no drama in it at all and when Hamlet eventually dies, the bit where Maxine Peake falls on the floor, just didn't work at all. Pity as the rest of the production was really good.

Alfie Has A Haircut

I had seen a mobile dog-grooming van in Coffee Hall when I had gone to the shop around a month or two ago and we had decided that Alfie needed a trim-up. Poppy does, too, but she's another matter. So I found them on the internet (who doesn't have a website these days? Seems illogical to not if you want to do any sort of business.) They're called Palmer's. So I went to their website and then emailed and had a response. Couldn't fit Alfie in for at least two months ahead. So today the lady arrived. I was getting stressed as I know how Alfie gets when we are about to go for a walk with the dogs (see earlier posts.) I found that, if I had his lead in my pocket and he couldn't see it (which is half of the problem. If he sees the lead he starts getting excited and then we get lots of barking and scratching. I have got scratches on my legs caused by him jumping on my lap. I'm hoping the nails will be trimmed sufficiently to prevent this happening as they are quite sharp.) Anyway, as soon as I saw the van turn up I managed to get his lead on without any noise at all. Quite remarkable. Considering what he can get like. A sort of schizophrenic dog, turning into the Tasmanian Devil or Mr Jekyll turning into Mr Hyde. He's usually very calm and peaceful but can become quite difficult.

Before the Palmer's grooming lady turned up in her van, the Council recycling lorry came to take the old fridge-freezer away. I had booked it a week ago to have it taken.  I went on-line and had to pay £20 to the Council. I was trying to avoid paying, but if it meant getting rid of the wretched thing, so be it. We couldn't possibly take it in our car, apart from it being far to heavy,  it wouldn't have fitted in the back and would have probably damaged the car. and there seemed no other way to get rid of it. We left it out thinking that someone might come past and take it, travellers or somebody or other, as they did with the old bedstead and the old cooker. They were gone within hours of being put out on the grass at the front of the house. Which reminds me, someone has cut the grass for us. There was someone cutting the grass along the road-side in Eaglestone the other day, so it may have been them. It was done a few months ago, much to my surprise and it did need doing again, as there were dandelions growing which is a sure sign that the grass is too long. Gary from next door has a habit of cutting it, as the grass from his garden sort of runs into ours, so he does it. He has a decent petrol mower which makes life easier and simpler. I did the grass in the rear of the house on Monday. It took no more than 20 minutes. I couldn't believe how quickly I managed to do it. I thought it might be a good idea to do it as soon as possible, what with rain and it was relatively short and didn't take a lot of effort. Ours is an electric mower which needs a cable and it isn't probably as efficient as a petrol mower, but considering it's got a  couple of very flimsy looking blades, it's surprisingly effective. I don't think it's designed to cut the sort of rough grass that we have, certainly not high-quality turf that you'd find in the average garden and the ground is incredibly uneven. It's best to keep it short because last year we let it grow far too long and we didn't have a decent mower and had to get a gardener in who had a proper mower. It was so long it was beginning to seed and whenever we let the dogs out they almost got lost in it!

Alfie after his haircut. He was so excited to see me, he kept running around and barking, hence the photograph with his mouth wide open!

About two hours after Alfie began his grooming session, I got a knock on the door and the young lady delivered him back to me! Quite a dramatic transformation. His face is now easier to see (he'll be able to see out better now!) as his fringe was getting in the way. The rest of his coat is nice and neat and very tidy, all the nasty knotty bits have gone, especially the horrible matted mess on his tail and his nails are short and neat. What a great job she's done! We now have to decide about Poppy, as she really needs a trim. She's got a very dense coat and it really needs stripping and her nails are in a definite need of a trim. She won't let you touch her nails and the last time we took her to be groomed at Pets At Home she was very difficult and the groomer wasn't able to do a good job as Poppy tried to bite her. Not an easy job by any means.

Out For Lunch

We were invited to lunch by Carol's work colleague Lois. It has been another really hot day. We went shopping in Sainsbury's really early as we wanted to avoid the crowds you tend to get on a Saturday. It would appear that most people tend to do their shopping later in the day, generally the afternoon in most supermarkets. We managed to get in and out within an hour and got home and unpacked. We managed to have a better night as it wasn't anywhere near as warm as it' been for the past couple of nights. Then we drove over to Lois's home in Bradville as she had invited us to a barbecue in her garden. She goes to our church, Milton Keynes Christian Centre, but we go to the 9 a.m. service so we never seem to meet her. She is a teacher in the science department at Milton Keynes Academy where Carol also works as a science teacher. Lois wasn't in when we arrived. She had gone to the shops to buy meat for the barbecue we were having in the garden. Her daughter let us into the house. She then arrived and spent some time attempting to find the various parts of the barbecue which were necessary to get it going, some grill or something. It was excessively hot outside so we sat in the house drinking fruit juice. She eventually managed to find the bits that made up the barbecue and spent what seemed like a long time lighting the thing with paper and wood as well as charcoal. When it was at the right temperature they began to put the meat on and cook it. We soon at and ate the food and drank the drink whilst watching Wimbledon on the large flat-screen television (a good deal bigger than our set which we got over a year ago. We eventually left as Carol wanted to go to Staple's, the stationary superstore on the way home.

Stormy Night

It has been exceedingly warm these past few days. On Wednesday apparently it was the hottest July day on record. Yesterday it was cooler, but still warm. We went to bed with windows open and electric fan running to cool the bedroom down as much as possible. I did manage to sleep for a couple of hours, but then found it too hot and went downstairs to get a drink in the kitchen. Alfie, our Yorkie, followed me and I let him out into the garden for a while. I then went on-line and was on Facebook for a while and then read for a while. Then at exactly 12.44 there was a flash of lightening and a roll to thunder which made Alfie bark. It was the beginning of an electric storm. Very bright flashes of lightning and thunder and then it rained. Most of the storm there was very little thunder but then it rained and the storm lasted for around an hour-and-a-half.