Saturday Jaunt to Compton Verney

Another Saturday, with the sun making an appearance. Carol had decided to drive to Compton Verney in Warwickshire today. We seem to be making the most of the summer weather. We set the SatNav to take us there and it's great to know that, with this technology, you don't have to bother with maps and direction-finding. The journey took no more than an hour and a half. A very straightforward journey. I think we must have come fairly close to this house when we were last out the other week when we drove to Seizencote. It's also quite near Stratford-Upon-Avon.

On arrival, we found a place in the car park and then walked to the entrance building and found other people waiting patiently because the place had not yet opened.

Compton Verney, Bridge in Capability Brown landscape

Once the doors opened we queued up and eventually paid for our entrance and then walked the relatively short distance to the house. The house, built in 1714, is a Grade I listed building, set in the quite stunning landscape, designed by Capability Brown and since this is the 300th anniversary of his birth, a very good example of his work. It seems amazing to think that he is likely to have never seen his work completed when you think how long it would take for the trees to mature. All set off by a very large lake. We walked along the path leading to the house and discovered a very strange building with a pointed thatched roof which turned out to the an ice-house. We have seen a few of these structures at other properties we've visited over the years.

Ice House at Compton Verney

After a walk around the grounds, we entered the house. It has been redeveloped as an art gallery. It's very well executed, using modern building techniques, glass, and steel. There is a new block at the rear of the building which houses a shop, restaurant, and café. I was expecting the house to be like all the other houses we visit, with the interiors virtually intact from whatever period they were built, including furniture.

We spent some time browsing the galleries which contain art from across several centuries and then went into the café to have a snack  before we went upstairs to see two more exhibitions, one of photographs from the B.B.C. archives and covering a 60-year period and showing performers of comedy programmes such as 'Hancock's Half-Hour', 'Round The Horne', 'The Navy Lark' and also television classics such as 'Dad's Army', 'Are You Being Served' and 'Steptoe and Son.' A very interesting and revealing exhibition and great to see the performers, such as Kenneth Williams, Ken Dodd, Arthur Lowe and others in relaxed mood as well as in rehearsal and performing. Also on display is another exhibition of designs from the 1950's and in particular, from the Festival of Britain held in 1951. We're not particularly interested in that period, but it was interesting all the same. Then we went further up the house to a permanent display of folk art.  We then went back outside for a further wander around the house, finishing up in a meadow looking at an artwork called 'Drift; by Laura Ellen Bacon and woven out of wood.

'Drift' by Laura Ellen Bacon

We walked back to the car park to reset the SatNav for home. We didn't return exactly the same way because when we got near the motorway we could see traffic on it was queued up and at a complete stand-still, so we decided we ought to avoid it so went home via Lemington Spa and on towards Daventry and the M1. 

Dog-Walking, Lawn-Mowing and other Trivial Pursuits

Well, it's now a good deal cooler. We have had some rain, although hardly storm conditions. Certainly enough to lay the dust and freshen the atmosphere. The dogs have had three walks this week. One along the Redway and back along the Grand Union Canal and a couple of rounds of Eaglestone Park. Alfie is like one of those clockwork toys which you wind up and then let it go and it runs until the clockwork runs out. We let each dog off their leads once we reach the open area of grass and Alfie runs off madly, but soon comes back when you call. He likes to know that we're not too far away. Poppy, on the other hand, just potters along. She's really showing her age. But come across another dog and she has to run up to it and make friends. Alfie charges in, no questions asked, and the other dog is taken by surprise. We attempt to get them back on their leads, but it can be a difficulty. Try to get Poppy to respond and she does the opposite. Stubborn little minx that she is. 

I have managed to get the grass cut. Done last Friday. Just as well I did it when it was dry because I certainly wouldn't be able to cut it when it was wet. It would clog up the mower. 

I mentioned that our Hoover packed up a few weeks ago. It has now been replaced by a Vax model. Actually far more efficient in comparison to the Hoover. But now the washing machine has gone into decline. I think I've mentioned this on this blog before. It just will not spin. So we are looking at replacing it. We've been to Curry's to look at a replacement. It is actually owned by our landlord, but considering how long it's likely to take for him to replace the said washing machine, it is easier for us to do this ourselves. You may recall, if you've been following this blog, what happened when he replaced the last machine a couple of years ago and how his so called 'friend' came to install it and over-looked the fact that you had to remove the transit bolts which hold the drum inside the machine and how the machine behaved when it was turned on, pulling out the plumbing from the wall and fracturing the piping and so causing a leak which took some time to be repaired. So much for using unreliable workmen who have absolutely no idea what they're doing. We had to get this damage repaired ourselves at our own expense. Hopefully, we can buy the new washing machine next week and have it installed and the old machine removed .

Outing To Cambridge

Our holiday continues. We are making the most of the warm weather again and this time, we had a trip out to Cambridge. We have been there on a few occasions, but not for a couple of years. We had to put petrol in the car at the Shell station in Grafton Street and then drove away from Milton Keynes, going towards Bedford past the Amazon distribution centre near the M1 junction at Ridgemont. The recently opened stretch of dual carriageway between the M1 and going towards Bedford and eventually the A1 at the Blackcat Roundabout means you no longer go into Bedford at all as it joins up with the Bedford bypass and it takes no more than 20-30 minutes to reach Bedford and then a further 20 minutes or so to reach the A1 and off near St Neots and on towards Cambridge. We soon reached the park-and-ride carpark at Madingley and boarded the bus which took us into the centre of Cambridge. Another relatively short journey and it's so much easier to use the park-and-ride rather than negotiating the centre of Cambridge, looking for a parking space, the frustration that causes, getting stuck in traffic (which, incidentally was quite heavy.) and in the end saving time and money (the cost of a return ticket was £6, not too expensive considering the speed of the journey and the time we spent in the centre of Cambridge.) We got off on Bridge Street, near the Round Church and the walked towards the Market Square and King's Parade. We found a Marks and Spencer's and bought crisps , drink and sandwiches and Carol wanted a coffee so we found a Cafe Nero and bought a take-out latte and then we went off to find somewhere to devour our food and in the end sat on a step in a side-street. I'm surprised there are no more benches that we could have sat on, but never mind. Adequately refreshed we walked to the Fitzwilliam Museum in Trumpington Street and browsed in one of the galleries and looked at some very familiar Pre-Raphaelite paintings which I have only ever seen in books. Also, another favourite painter of mine, Sir Stanley Spencer.
We stood looking at one painting and then a lady, who was viewing the same painting asked us about it. We had a long conversation and it turned out that she was also a teacher, like Carol. She was from Canada, and we then discovered she'd come to England to work with her husband and was working in a school in Milton Keynes and lived only a short distance from where we lived. It seemed quite a coincidence that we should go all the way to Cambridge and then bump into someone who lived only a short distance from us but who worked in another school and was also a teacher! Carol has also worked with several teachers over the past year who came originally from Canada (for example, Kendra, who stayed with us briefly before she moved into her own accommodation.) Just shows what a small world it is.)

We wandered through so more of the galleries before leaving the museum and walking back along Trumpington Street and the centre of Cambridge. Carol suggested we buy some ice cream, which we got from a street vendor and we sat and ate it on the low wall near one of the collages on King's Parade. The place was absolutely teeming with tourists. Cambridge is quite obviously one of the many and various stops that tourists come to when they visit this country.

The Chronophage at Corpus Christi

Carol had said she wanted to see the special clock which is at one of the colleges along King's Parade. We saw it a couple of years ago when we visited Cambridge when we'd been to the botanic garden. It had only recently been installed and we saw it on the local BBC television news programme 'Look East.'It is on the corner of Benet Street, on the outside of Corpus Christi college. It's a large golden clock which has a strange but quite hideous grasshopper-like insect balanced on the top which is made of metal and acts as the escape mechanism and seems to be clawing away time as it moves along. It had crowds of tourists in front of it, making it difficult to see clearly. Mostly Japanese tourists who seemed eager to photograph the thing with either their mobile phones or cameras. It took me some considerable time and effort to get a decent shot as a lot of children would insist on sitting on the sill of the window it was behind. But I eventually managed to get the photograph I wanted.

As much as we love Cambridge, and we've visited quite a few times over the past couple of years, there is one thing that annoys us above all other things. It's those people who throng the main tourist streets, particularly along King's Parade, touting punting trips. We were approached by several as we walked along, minding our own business. These 'trips' aren't cheap, around £20-£30 a time. I'm not sure how exactly they work, but presumably you are taken for a trip, in a punt, controlled (if that's the right word.) by a student or other person, along the Granta or Camb (I'm not sure which name the same river has in the centre of Cambridge. Presumably the Cam. I think it becomes the Granta outside the City.) But to say 'no' to one such tout and then be constantly assaulted (pardon the expression. But it does seem a bit like an assault.) by several more is just too much. Something should be done about it. I think if I, for one, wish to take a punting trip along the river I have a right to choose when I do this, and not be bombarded by these people. The local authority should do something about it, as it's extremely annoying.
We continued on and walked back to Bridge Street to await the arrival of the next bus which would take his back to the park-and-ride car park and our car. 

Kingsman: Golden Circle filming at Althorp when we visited

It was yet another warm but not too sunny day today (Sunday) so we chose to visit Althorp, using our H.H.A. membership  (Historic Houses Association) to gain free entry. It's no more than a 45-minute drive up the M1 and off near Daventry (following the instructions given by our Garmin SatNav.) Carol went there around 10 years ago to see a Bryan Adams concert around the time we first met. An impressive drive into the estate and we were surprised to see a lot of vehicles parked, which then got me thinking it was rather familiar, having worked as a television and film extra and 'Walk-On.' It turned out to be a film unit and we discovered, having asked a member of the crew what it was and it turned out to be for a film called 'Kingsman: The Golden Circle." I have never heard of 'Kingsman' as I'm not a follower, particularly of Hollywood films. I think it must be the sequel and it turns out (having searched on I.M.D.B. that one of the stars is Colin Firth.)

The house and gardens didn't open until 11 a.m and so we had to wait 10 minutes. A number of other people turned up and we stood around until we were let into the grounds. A half-mile walk then followed to the house, quite a pleasant enough walk, but why didn't they put the carpark closer. There was one couple walking along, the husband (I presume he was her husband, but who knows.) seemed in a world of his own. He walked along the middle of the road and a vehicle, presumably from the film unit, came up behind (we were walking along the path next to the road, so we were clear of any vehicles which came along.) and the old man was totally oblivious of any vehicle and one of the men in this vehicle got out because he wouldn't move out of the way, and had to go up to him to get him to move out of the way in order to let the vehicle through.

Althorp House

We got to the house and went into the front hall (or 'Salon' as it was called.) to wait to go on a guided tour of the house. Lots of chandeliers and a very grand staircase leading to the upper floors of the house. About 20-30 people gathered and we sat in a circle waiting for the lady who was going give us the tour and then we moved off around the rooms for about an hour. Interesting what we learned and I wasn't aware that Althorp had so many historic connections. I was aware of course that Diana, Princess of Wales, had lived there, and was buried there, but not that Winston Churchill was connected to the Spencer family. We saw,  no end of paintings of the Spencer family over several generations. I don't think we would have visited if we hadn't been members of the H.H.A. because the cost for an individual adult to enter was £18 which seemed to be a bit steep considering there wasn't really a great deal to see. It is an interesting enough property and we didn't have to drive far to get there, but nothing special. Also, if it hadn't been for the SatNav I doubt we have found it, knowing our inclination to get lost when attempting to find places.
We didn't see any filming. I don't think there was any going on. I reckon they were setting things up for filming later in the week. We saw a lot of cables running across a lawn from a generation truck and black drapes over the windows of one section of the house which presumably was being set up for filming, but that was all. A lot of staff wandering around, with clipboards etc, from the film unit and other paraphernalia.

We sat and had our lunch sitting in a picnic area and left for home. Not over-impressed by the place but a nice enough day out.

Trip to Seizencote

Having spent the past two days indoors avoiding the roasting heat it was great to get in the car and go out for the day. We had planned to go out on Tuesday after Carol had been to Ashfield Medical Centre and had a blood test and a medication review with the doctor. She wanted a repeat prescription and was told by the receptionist that a doctor would ring to speak to her before writing her the required prescription. Actually, this doesn't happen. You don't now usually get a written prescription unless it's more urgent and you need your meds immediately. If that's the case you can take the paper prescription into Cox and Robinson, the chemists, who have a branch a few units along from the surgery in Beanhill and it might take them ten or fifteen minutes to make up the order if you wait. But other than that your prescription can be done electronically if you ring your pre-arranged pharmacy to order over the telephone (as I do. My pharmacy is at Sainsbury's.) and the order is usually made up within a week. Less paperwork or that's what they hope. Having said that I have an additional medication, Lyrinel.  I try to have all my medications ordered at the same time, which makes common sense, but because the Lyrinel doesn't seem to coincide with the rest of my order, I have to order it separately. The petty administration at Ashfield won't allow this, which is becoming annoying. It would surely make their life easier and save time and paperwork. So, as my stock of Lyrinel runs out, I will ring Sainsbury's pharmacy and order, but it means having to make another journey into town for this. No wonder the N.H.S. is in crisis with this sort of petty behaviour from the pen-pushers who run the organisation.

We drove away from Milton Keynes, having set the new SatNav to direct us to Seizencote, a house and garden we haven't visited before and as members of the H.H.A. (Historic Houses Association) allowing us free entry. It took some while to decide where to visit because not everywhere in their handbook is open all week or at least the days we want to visit. There were a number of places we selected but then found they were open on that specific day and then because it has been so hot over the past few days we decided we didn't fancy going out. It's quite nice being able to merely programme the SatNav (a Garmin model which I bought on Amazon.) and just following the nice lady's voice as she directs you along the road. Certainly a good deal less stressful than trying to follow a printed map in a road atlas.

We know the road out towards Buckingham fairly well. We use this road regularly, usually, when we're going to a National Trust property such as Stowe Landscape Garden, which is just outside Buckingham or going towards Bicester, which we visit regularly (as you would know if you read this blog on a regular basis.) The SatNav, interestingly, took us through the centre of Buckingham. Which was strange, as this town has a by-pass? This is the route the bus takes when we have used it when deciding to visit Oxford and leave the car at home.

We were making initially to Moreton-In-Marsh, which is the nearest town to Seizencote. The house and garden weren't due to open until 2 p.m., so it was no good arriving too early. We decided to park in the centre of Moreton and spend some time looking in the shops near the market square. Not an easy matter of finding a space, as the place was already busy with cars. It seems a very busy centre with traffic rumbling through the middle. I know this route well as I drove through it years ago on a very regular basis when I worked at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham. My parents used to visit me on occasions and we often went to such places as Moreton-In-Marsh and Bourton-On-The-Water to visit the attractions such as the model village there or go to a very nice pub. My mother had lots of friends in and around the area who we visited also.

Moreton-In-Marsh main street

There are plenty of really nice shops to browse, some selling toys, gifts, cards and similar. Just the sort of shops you'd expect to find in what I imagine being a tourist-trap. I'm sure it is, because it's slap-bang in the middle of traditional Cotswold territory, and sure enough we saw a coach turn up and disgorge a load of elderly folk who looked the sort of people who would make straight for the nearest tea shop and enjoy cream tea, scones, jam, and cream. We found a Tesco Express ( a pity in a way, they seem to be everywhere, even in a classic Cotswold town centre.) and purchased sandwiches and crisps and found a bench to sit on in a shady place under a tree on a grassy area and munched our sandwiches.

It was then time to move off towards our destination, although we had plenty of time to kill. I had to reset the SatNav for Sezincote and we arrived in the carpark at around 1 p.m., giving us a little under an hour before the house and garden opened. Carol suggested we drive to Broadway Tower to kill the hour before Sezincote opened. We were there in minutes. We have visited it before, a rather imposing folly, built for no real practical purpose, and standing on a hill which means you can see it for miles around. We visited it a few years ago when we'd visited a National Trust property near the village of Broadway, Snowshill Manor. It seems they have developed the site where it stands with a sort of shopping outlet as well as upgrading the parking facilities as well as the paths towards the tower as well as a decent toilet block in what was a shepherd's hut. A really practical use for a traditional item.

Broadway Tower

We drove back to Sezincote and found by the time we returned that it was opened. The carpark had filled up considerably in the time we'd been away.

This property turned out to be really interesting. Very different to any of the other properties we've visited, run and protected by either the National Trust, H.H.A. or English Heritage. The gardens are quite amazing. Lots of little rivers and streams as well as canals and pools. The place has an oriental feel to it and the house itself has an onion dome on its roof. The whole place is reminiscent of the Brighton Pavilion and it's no surprise to learn that the Prince Regent is supposed to have visited Sezincote and it inspired him to have the Pavilion at Brighton designed in a similar style.

Garden at Sezincote

Having meandered about the gardens for approximately an hour and a half we decided we needed a cup of tea or at least some sort of refreshment and so wandered into the Orangery which has been converted into a tea-room and ordered a pot of tea and some very tasty chocolate cake. We had meant to tour the interior of the house and the next guided tour was due at 3 p.m. But once we got inside and the rest of the party were gathered in the entrance hall we found it to be exceptionally hot and so decided to decline and left. We did a bit more wandering in the garden and then returned to the carpark and drove home. It's actually quite a walk from the house and garden to the car park. Most properties have some sort of transport which allows visitors to be taken on a vehicle of some sort, such as at Stowe which has a sort of train arrangement, but no such transport at Sezincote and it's quite a hill walking to the carpark.

The weather has been exceptionally hot and sunny, as I have already mentioned. The scenery through Oxfordshire is quite stunning. The villages throughout and through which we drove are of that beautiful golden-coloured stone and in some respects, they might be considered stereotypical of what you'd think of as 'English,' with many of them thatched. In the countryside, the fields of corn are ready  for harvesting and we saw a few combine harvesters hard at work, usually followed by a cloud of dust as they work. Also, the tractors and trailers which assist in taking the grain from the combines and delivering their loads of wheat, oats or barley to whichever place for storage and in some cases driving slowly and as a result causing long traffic queues which no doubt cause some drivers some frustration.

We arrived back in Milton Keynes at around 4.55.

Hot, Hot Day

So, here it is. Summer. It's arrived. Make the most of it. Because if you blink, it'll be gone. How long will the heatwave last? Probably only a few days.

Anyway, however long it lasts, it's been an extremely hot day and to be honest, I'm not sure I like it. I do like it warm and sunny, but if it's too hot I frankly can't cope with it. Just sweaty and unpleasant. I don't want to be out in it too long and just want to be in the shade. Our dogs don't know how to cope and flop around the house. 

I had to get to the doctor's at Ashfield Medical Centre in Beanhill before 8 a.m. as I had a blood test booked. It was a fasting blood test, which meant I couldn't eat for 12 hours previous, which can be difficult. Carol came with me and there was already a queue outside when the doors eventually opened. I checked in (the computer system you use to self-check-in was working, surprisingly, as it wasn't working last time I came in. 

As you will know, if you follow this blog on a regular basis, you will no doubt know that I have a problem with blood tests. I hate needles. But this time there wasn't a problem and the nurse was able to find a vein in my left arm and it was over very quickly. Efficient and effective. Thank goodness. This blood test was for cholesterol, because when the doctor did my medication review a few weeks ago he said I should have to have a blood test to just keep an eye on my cholesterol levels.

Carol had booked a blood test for herself and had to check when it was on Wednesday. She also had to get a repeat prescription for cream from the doctor. The receptionist said that the doctor would ring during the course of the day to give her a sort of review and have a prescription made up and sent to Sainsbury's pharmacy to have it made up but we waited in all day and no telephone call came which was somewhat annoying. Maybe he will ring tomorrow.

Sunny Summer Sunday

A bright and fairly dry Sunday. I say 'dry' because it makes a change to actually get a summer's day without rain. Carol has broken up from Milton Keynes Academy. We decide fairly early today to take the dogs for a walk. I had suggested taking them to Rushmere, a place we've been with them on quite a few occasions. But we have the problem of Alfie, who, as soon as he realizes we are going out for a walk, even if we don't actually mention the word 'walk', begins to change considerably, barking and running around the house. If you so much as go near the dog's leads, which hang on a hook in the kitchen, he will be more than ever excited and may even try to bite the lead you pick up for him. If we had gone to Rushmere it would mean I would have to put the cage in the back of the car and that is upstairs in the spare bedroom, so he would have to be kept away from being able to see me go out with it. So we abandon that idea so Carol suggests taking them along the Redway towards the Grand Union Canal, about a mile or so's walk. The process of putting both dogs on their leads goes relatively painlessly, even though Alfie makes a considerable amount of noise. Once out onto the Redway behind our house we let the dogs off their leads and they can enjoy their freedom. Poppy ambles along while Alfie runs ahead. We get down to the road near the canal, going under the Marlborough  Street underpass, noting the interesting comments some clever graffiti artist has written along the walls. We have to put the dogs back on their leads briefly. Walking up the incline which leads to the bridge over the canal we have to step aside as a group of cyclists ride past, giving us barely time to get out of the way. I'm not impressed by their behaviour. I think they might at least been a bit more considerate and if we hadn't stepped aside the dogs would have got run over or at least there might have been a nasty accident. We walk on and come out on Woughton Green and see a running approaching. It seems that the place is over-run with people either running or cycling. We then take the path off the road across the green to the left and walk towards the canal. We bought a bag of bread with us and Carol puts the contents on the top of a drain cover and we sit at a picnic table. A large group of geese had gathered in the grassy space under the trees and walk off and swim away along the canal. We sit and watch as a crow comes down and takes a piece of the bread we put down. Several other crows appear and eat the bread. We have sat for ten minutes or so and then walk on along the towpath beside the canal and back to the bridge over the canal and then back along the Redway and home. Both dogs are exhausted by their walk and as it so happens, so are we.

After we have some lunch Carol decides she'd like some icecream as by now it has become quite sunny. It appears that the next few days are going to become quite sunny. A mini heatwave or that was what we were told on the Breakfast weather forecast. We decide to drive to Willen Lake. We had forgotten that for the next ten days or so Milton Keynes will be hosting the annual I.F. (Milton Keynes International Festival of Arts.) and we discover that the carpark at Willen Lake is extremely busy because there is a sort of festival village set up with a wide range of artistic exhibitions to look at. The place is teeming with people wandering about. We walk along the lakeside and find a gym which has a swimming pool attached. As we are currently looking for a new gym with a swimming pool to join since we ended our membership of D.W. Fitness, we enquire. We may or may not join. We find a cafe to buy ice creams and when we finish eating them we return to the car and drive home. As we come out of the carpark Carol mentions Nuffield Health, who has a site at Kent's Hill and I am reminded that I think that was a place I used to take one of the people I used to look after when I was a carer. Indeed it is, and it seems a very suitable place to join and use for swimming. We might join after we've done more research into other facilities around Milton Keynes.

Grandson George's Christening

On Sunday we went to Worcestershire for my grandson George's Christening. I have to come clean and admit that we were late. An hour late and missed the actual Christening. For some reason we thought it was at 2 p.m and not 1 p.m. I know, we should have checked, but we didn't.

We started out at around 9.30 and used the newly-acquired SatNav. It's becoming really helpful, because, if you've been reading any of my earlier posts on here you'll know that our sense of direction if fairly awful and we've spent a lot of time attempting to find a whole lot of places during our outings. It's actually quite assuring to able to rely on this technology to assist in finding places which we haven't been to before.

When we drove to Chloe's graduation in Worcester a few years ago we had to be at Worcester Cathedral (where the ceremony was held.) at something like 9.30 a.m. and we went via the M1/M5 and, as it was early morning we hit a lot of traffic on the way and it took a good deal longer than it ought to have done. The time before last (a couple of weeks ago.) we went on a Friday and went via Buckingham and then onto the Motorway beyond Brackley. It took a little over 2 hours. Had we gone that way on Sunday, even though it was the weekend, we would have got caught up in traffic going to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix, so it was as well the SatNav directed us up the M1. We weren't going directly to Claines, where Steve and Chloe live, but to a National Trust property called Hanbury Hall and Garden as we needed to get something to eat as we weren't likely to get anything to eat until around 3 p.m. (or so we imagined.) This turned out to be a really interesting house and we managed to get in a group which went into the house to hear a presentation by one of the staff on the history of the house and the Vernon family who had lived there for around 250 years. It was very interesting and worth the time to listen to.

Hanbury Hall from the front

The gardens at Hanbury Hall

Pavilion at Hanbury

We had a very pleasant lunch in the restaurant, which was at one time the servants' hall when it was lived in. Reminding us very much of "Downton Abbey." Our meal consisted of cottage pie followed by apple and blackberry crumble and ice cream. We spent a little while wandering around the garden (which is when I took the above photographs.) and we then left to drive the short distance to Claines. It was as we got to the church and saw all the guests outside in the churchyard that we realised that the Christening was over, unfortunately. We then drove to the village hall for a rather pleasant tea (actually, I wasn't in the least bit hungry because we had eaten at Hanbury Hall. It was a pity we missed the actual Christening, but it was a chance to meet up with my brother Robert who I haven't seen in a long time as well as my aunt Jasmine (Aunty Jas as she was always called when we were children. My late mother's sister.)

The tea didn't go on too long and we were soon driving home and got back to Milton Keynes by around 7.30. A long day but worth it.

Nandos Meal , Electric Daisy Carnival Noise and Conking Hoover

The weather has been warm and pleasant today. It's as if summer has decided to arrive at last. I know it's somewhat mundane to mention it, but the Hoover decided to pack up yesterday. I'm in charge of keeping things spick and span while Carol is at work and I was attempting to vacuum the lounge and I was using the Hoover and it just would not pick up properly. I had noticed that it had been playing up for the past few weeks but thought no more about it. I spent some time unblocking it. It soon gets full of fluff and dog hair (Poppy has a particularly long coat which sheds and there is quite a lot of this hair about the house.) The machine was also giving of a rather nasty smell, sort of hot. So, after mentioning this to Carol when she got home from work she thought it might need replacing. Not such an efficient machine as it might have been so we ordered a new cleaner from Very, the on-line company which we have bought quite a few items from over the years. The new vacuum was delivered promptly on Friday morning, barely 24 hours after being ordered. It is a Vax model.

One of Carol's work colleagues was leaving Milton Keynes Academy and returning to Canada, so a table was booked at Nando's in The Hub. We drove there at 6.45. It was a pleasant enough meal but it was so noisy in the restaurant that you couldn't hear anybody talking which really spoilt the evening. I cannot understand why they have loud music playing, which means you have to shout to be heard. As a result we didn't stay long. I was nice to get out for the evening. I'm not sure I'd recommend the place if someone else wanted to go out for a meal. It seems a problem in most of these places. People seem so obsessed by mobile phones, texting and so on, that the art of decent communication seems to have gone out of the window.

We've had to endure another weekend of the most awful din from the National Bowl. The Electric Daisy Carnival were on. I don't personally know why we have to have so much loud noise (not in the slightest can it be described as 'music.' Just bang, bang, bang, thump, thump for must of the afternoon on Saturday and didn't finish until 11 p.m.) A bit difficult when it's so warm and you want to get to sleep, have the window closed because if you don't our two dogs bark when they hear odd noises outside. I know, sorry, I'm not of the age which is supposed to like this sort of thing, but it's so intrusive and unpleasant. I just hope they leave the site of the National Bowl clean and tidy because last year when this event was on and we drove past the following morning, the amount of litter left along the Grid Road near the site was disgraceful.