Christmas In Worcester

On Thursday I got back from Worcester, having stayed with my daughter Chloe, Steve and the children, George, Eddie and the newest grandson, Arthur. I drove there on Christmas Eve (Tuesday), stayed over-night into Christmas Day (yesterday, Wednesday) and drove back today (Boxing Day.) It seemed to take longer than anticipated going and somehow it took less time, or seemed to, driving back to Milton Keynes.

I had intended to leave Milton Keynes around 10 o'clock, but then I decided to leave earlier, around 9.30.  I had to get Alfie safely installed in the cage in the back of the car, with the luggage shelf in place and then loaded up my luggage, managing to take a minimum of stuff with me. I stopped at the Shell petrol station along Grafton Street and put more diesel in the car and then drove off towards Buckingham and eventually got on the M40. Unfortunately the weather changed somewhat. It was dull when I left Milton Keynes, with dark clouds building, but beyond Buckingham the sky cleared and the sun came out, but by the time I got on the M40 it clouded over and rained and the other vehicles threw up a really horrible spray, so it was well that I kept my distance from the vehicles ahead of me, but I kept my windscreen wipers on and they managed to clear off any thrown-up spray.

I got about half-way to Worcester and suddenly realised, far too late to do a anything about it, that I had left the three grandson's Christmas presents behind in the flat. I had ordered books from The Book People and had them delivered by post and they were wrapped up and ready to take, but they were in the bookshelf and there was no way I could go back and pick them up. In my rush to get out and start the journey, I had unfortunately not packed them.

I arrived at Chloe and Steve's around 12.30. Alfie was somewhat over-whelmed by the two boys, my grandsons, George and Eddie, and spent the first hour or so barking loudly, but eventually settled down and was fine for the rest of my visit.

Chloe and Steve are having an extension built to their house. There will be an extra bedroom as well as a utility room and the bathroom will be moved from it's present position. They are hoping to have the work started around May/June 2020 and it is hoped to take a few months to complete. I've slept on a folding bed which was set up in what is called the playroom, downstairs at the front of the house. Last year, when I came for Christmas, I had the small bedroom which Steve used as an office, but this year it is the third grandchild, Arthur's, bedroom.

At around 2.30 Chloe and Steve took the children to what was called the Manger Service at the local church. I remained in the house and they came back at around 3.45.

Once the two grandchildren had gone to bed, Chloe and Steve bought the Christmas presents out of the loft, where they had been hidden. I was shocked by the number of presents (not all for the two boys, you understand!) One present was a bicycle for Eddie, which had to be wrapped with old wallpaper in an attempt to disguise it. Not easy, because of it's shape. But it was placed near the Christmas tree. Chloe had to set up something for Father Christmas to eat when he came during the night to deliver the children's presents, a glass of milk and a mince pie (with a bite taken out of it.) and a carrot for Rudolph (again, with a bite taken out of it.)

The next day, being Christmas Day, the house was a hive of activity, with Christmas lunch being prepared.  George and Eddie came downstairs and began to open their presents, which were under the Christmas tree. Chloe and Steve had got the vegetables ready for preparation and I was detailed to do the Brussel sprouts. Steves parents arrived at around 10.30 and they had bought with them turkey and other foods.  More people arrived at before lunch could be served we had to rearrange the furniture, with the dining table taken into the lounge with one of the sofas removed to the space the table had originally taken and the second sofa moved to a different position. The table has an extension which was put in and then chairs placed around it and eventually the table was laid for 12 people, including two babies and one toddler.

New Medication

I'll be perfectly honest and admit that discussing depression isn't the easiest of subjects. It has hit me quite hard since Carol died. I have had various forms of medication and  it's not just that form of medication I have had, sleeping tablets mostly. I was put on Zopliclone, but, having taken it for around 2 weeks, it hasn't really had much of an effect. I have got a routine to get myself to sleep before going to bed: a soak in a hot bath and then a hot, milky drink, of Ovaltine and then, just before I get into bed, take the medication. But I only sleep a few hours, probably waking at 2a.m. or a bit after and then I'm unable to get back to sleep. Usually I have to get up in the night to go to the toilet (just something you have to live with as you get older, I'm afraid.) I rang my surgery to get an appointment with my doctor on Monday, but then found I couldn't get one until later in the week, on Thursday, when a doctor would ring. It tied in with the delivery of the fridge/freezer. Then I got a call at mid-morning, around 11-11.30. I explained to the doctor what I needed, and he suggested increasing the dosage of the Zopliclone, and explained what was going on with my sleeping, or perhaps, not sleeping. Also, depression reared it's not insubstantial head (what Winston Churchill described as his 'black dog.') He suggested another anti-depressant (I forget which one) and said he'd send the prescription to Lloyd's in Sainsbury's, but after about 5 minutes he rang back to ask me if I was allergic to any medication, or any of the previous anti-depressants I had been prescribed. I said that, years ago, when I was prescribed another brand. it made me feel awful. I found it quite difficult to judge when to cross the road, so I didn't get run over by the passing traffic, and just a feeling of nausea and feeling light-headed. As a result, he suggested I came into the surgery for a proper doctor's appointment, and it was made for the next day, Friday, at 3.40, with my registered doctor. So I went for that appointment. I have now been given Temazepam 10 mg. Tablets to take just before I go to bed and Sertraline 100 mg to take in the morning. I slept reasonably well as a result, but in the morning I was reluctant to take the Sertraline because I wasn't sure what the side-effects would be. Having taken two at around 9.30, it took a while before they had an effect (I know that most medication don't really work for you until you've taken them for a period, probably a month, but I began to feel nauseous and later on I had to rush to the toilet. (There's no point in explaining in too much detail what I mean, but you can guess.) I think the Temazepam left me feeling slightly unsteady on my feet earlier this morning, and as such, I wouldn't have been safe to drive (which is what the warning is on the packet they come in from the pharmacy.) I was earlier put on Diazepam, which isn't a full-blown anti-depressant, but seemed to help me sleep, but, unfortunately, because they can become addictive, you can't take them for much longer than a month. I have to go back and see the doctor mid-january, to discuss any reaction I might have to any of these medications and to probably see if there is an alternative which I can take which isn't addictive or at least have side-effects.

General Election and Fridge/Freezer Delivery

So, we had a General Election yesterday. I took Alfie out as usual after 7 o'clock yesterday and no sooner had I bought him back to the flat, I went back out and walked immediately to the Community Centre in Oldbrook, just opposite the Green and next door to The Cricketer's pub, which was being used as a Polling Station. I was amazed by how many people were coming and going. I don't think, considering the early hour (the polling station would have just opened at 7a.m.) I have seen so many people at a polling station for a General Election.

As mentioned in my last blog post, I had to deal with the fridge/freezer defrosting and failing miserably and, as a result, ruining an entire load of food, which had to be thrown away. I was scratching my head to find a solution and came up with one fairly quickly, by ordering a brand new, full-size fridge/freezer from the on-line retailer, Very.  As a result I could pay it off in instalments, and because it's a larger fridge/freezer (actually twice or even more in size to the pathetic thing I was given, and which has let me down big time by breaking down.) Fortunately I had managed to clear the account and was glad that I hadn't closed it down completely. The replacement fridge/freezer was expected to be delivered on Thursday (yesterday), but when I ordered the thing I was not sure at what time of day it was likely to be delivered.

On Wednesday I got a text message to let me know that the fridge/freezer was scheduled to be delivered between 12.15 and 2.15 on Thursday. Then yesterday, Thursday, I got another text message telling me it was going to arrive at around 12.30. Then, by following a link through an email I was sent by the delivery company, I could actually follow there the lorry was on a map. It arrived at around 12.45.

Having got the new fridge/freezer into the flat, carried by two men from the delivery company, it had to stand for several hours before plugging in. This, in order to allow the refrigerant in the system to settle, because it had been on the lorry and then carried into the flat, on it's side. It was quite a difficult job to unpack it, as it was packaged in cardboard, polystyrene and plastic, leaving a large amount of this packing, which will now have to be disposed of, probably taken to the tidy-tip in Bleak Hall. Having allowed the machine to stand for 4 hours, I plugged it into the power point and  I turned on the mains. I had to store milk and other items in the community kitchen, otherwise it would have gone off if left in the kitchen belonging to the flat.

All day the weather had been appalling. When I first went out with Alfie for his early morning walk on Thursday morning, it was cold and wet. Rain falling and a strong wind. No sooner had Alfie realised that it was raining, wet and miserable, he turned tail at the front door and more or less went back in the flat. But he seriously needed to go out, so we walked along Strudwick Drive towards Oldbrook Green, but before we'd even reached the crossing over Oldbrook Boulevard, he turned round and refused to go any further, and, honestly, who could blame him?

Today, (Friday) it is cold and windy, but it's quite bright and sunny.

Failing Fridge/Freezer

A bit of a disaster this morning. I found the fridge/freezer, which was given to me by the Council when I moved in, had defrosted, which meant all the contents had to be thrown away. A good week's worth of food and my money is running out rapidly before I get my next pension payment next week. I have now ordered a new, larger model on Very and I will pay it off by instalments. Fortunately I cleared the account before I moved to Dexter House. The thing should be delivered by the end of the week and once I am paid I will stock up on food to go in it. The old fridge/freezer was far too small, meaning it was extremely difficult to put larger items, such as frozen vegetables, in it. Also, it's so low that I have to kneel on the floor to be able to see what's inside it. The new model should therefore make life considerably easier. I will need to remove the stupid little fridge/freezer as I can't keep a redundant kitchen appliance in the flat. It will need to be taken to the tidy-tip in Bleak Hall, and they're welcome to it as far as I'm concerned. It's not even 3 months old and conked out. I'm not impressed. Just a load of total junk. The best place for it is in the skip.

Alfie is being his usual self. I went to Lidl to do some shopping and got a sandwich to eat when I got back. Alfie, as ever, sat staring at me from his position on the sofa, almost willing me to give him a bit of the sandwich. I resisted for as long as possible, but Alfie got as close to me as he could, by which time I give in and break off  a corner of the sandwich. He eats this morsel, and I continue to munch, but relent and give him  tiny bit more. He doesn't take it, pokes it with his nose. He often does this when you offer him a bit of food. I put that bit on the sofa, next to him, and he pokes it further with his nose and then pushes it on the floor. He does it with a second piece. How amusing, I think. He doesn't like cushions on the sofa, ether, and he pushes them off, again, with his nose.

I had to ring Ashfield Medical Centre to make a doctor's appointment. I started ringing at around 8.15 and eventually got through. The system would seem to be turned off until the staff can be bothered to have it on and actually answer (probably I'm wrong, but that's how it appears to me.) I had to wait for two people in the queue in front of me (the system tells you how many people are ahead of you in the queue.) How long does it take to explain to the receptionist what you need to see the doctor for? If it's me, it can't be more than 30 seconds at most.) I was told I couldn't have an appointment until a few day's ahead. Eventually they told me a doctor would ring me on Thursday (Which is General Election Day) Then, for some inexplicable reason my imagination took over and I said 'Well, as long as I'm at home because I'm expecting Boris Johnson to ring me as I'm advising him on Brexit and the way his election campaign is going.' I don't know what hit me at that specific moment, but it just came out. And the woman on the other end of the telephone said, 'Oh, really!' as if what I had just said was true- well, of course it wasn't and unlikely to be and I had to say it wasn't true, just in case, to make it clear.
Sometimes these things come into my head and I have to 'go with the flow.' I certainly did on this occasion!

Busy At Camphill

I haven't written a blog post for about a week. There wasn't a great deal to write about, but now, thinking about it, I can tell you what we've been up to at Camphill.

Last week there was a bit of a panic at Camphill, due to the fact that they were to have an inspection (I think it must have been C.Q.C. (Care Quality Commission) who do annual inspections and give a few days notice (I actually think it's rather pointless in that case, because if it was a secret and they just tuned up they would get a more accurate picture.) We had to do something, a piece of learning (for want of a better description.) taking it from the beginning and through to completion and then show evidence for that 'piece.' In this case it was to start by writing an introduction to read to the audience over a microphone and then do just that. We sat around a table to start thinking of what should be said and once it was decided and completed, each resident in the drama workshop had to speak it through the microphone which was set up on the stage. Paul, who is Teo's assistant in the drama workshop, did the first announcement, and the others had to follow, doing it in their own style. Even the Co-Workers had to do this, including myself. I have to say it's not as easy as it might sound, particularly as it's odd having your voice coming back at you through the 'live' speakers in the theatre auditorium. I'm glad I had a chance to try this. As I say, it's odd to hear your voice coming back through loudspeakers. I've recorded my voice onto tape and then heard it back afterwards, but it's unusual to speak on an 'open' microphone and hear your voice come back at you, but it was a good experience and worth doing. Then they had to write a report on each individual resident as evidence of the task being completed.

Not all the co-workers were available last week. A couple of the drama regulars were away or ill. One, who has attached himself to me somewhat, is diabetic and his sugar-levels were too high and didn't come to the drama workshop. I had to read in his lines but he did appear with a co-worker during yesterday's session.

We couldn't use the stage in the Chrysalis Theatre because it was set up for the Milton Keynes Theatre of Comedy production of 'Blackadder's Christmas Carol.' It was therefore important that we didn't disturb the props for this show which were set up around the back-stage area. We had to bring out chairs which are stored either side of the stage. I know, from my own experience of prop-setting, that you don't want anyone to disturb your setting, particularly if actors need to find a specific prop and it's moved to a different position.

This week we had to complete forms which would be used to show how each individual resident who participates in the drama workshop was developing. I had the task of using a MacBook and using the software and inputting details of the various residents. My main concern was that I wasn't going to save each individual resident's details, but one of the co-workers was able to show me where on the programme I could save the work. It was quite a long process and took more or less all day. Then there were a couple of residents who usually join us on a Tuesday where weren't there or at least came in later in the day. Fortunately I have the I.T. skills required to do this work and am so pleased I did something called a C.L.A.I.T. course(Computer Literacy and Information Technology) as well as learning the basics of computing when I did my abortive degree course, one at Luton and then DeMontfort University (both now merged into what is now The University of Bedfordshire. You couldn't hand in work that wasn't word processed in whatever system.

All this material would no doubt be inspected by the C.Q.C. inspectors because they would need to see such things as care plans and these documents would be included as being such material.

After lunch on Tuesday we did three run-throughs of 'Stranger Danger,' but missing out scenes where the actors weren't available. It seems to go really well. It has now been decided that there won't be  performance for Phoenix Rising on the last day the workshop meets before the Christmas break on 17th December, because not all the actors have been available to rehearse, along with some co-workers being on holiday or off ill. Then we sat in a circle and played the game 'fortunately/unfortuntely,' and ended on the game whereby you tell of two real things and one unreal (fictional/non-fiction.) which we've played before. By this time it was around 3.45 so each resident and volunteer or co-worker had to talk about that they were going to do for Christmas. Place tidied up and returned items to their places and by then it was time to go home!

Strange and Disconcerting Meeting

I have been out as usual with Alfie at around 7a.m. We walked along Strudwick Drive and crossed Oldbrook Boulevard, wandered along the path and then back. As I was crossing the road, which at this stage is in two parts, with a reservation in the centre (this is an attempt I imagine to slow the traffic.) I heard a female voice come out of nowhere, 'Can you lend me £1.50?.' I can't say that I'm easily scared, but to have such a voice come out of the dark is quite scary. It was the woman I have mentioned in an earlier post on here, whom I have encountered twice, asking for money from people she meets. It is quite concerning. I don't usually carry cash with me when I'm walking Alfie. I don't know whether she gets any money from the other people she meets. Is this a form of begging? What is her mental state? She appears well dressed, she doesn't look as if she's in any distress, no sign of blood or injury of any kind. I walked back home and immediately rang 999 but then was told to ring 101 and I gave details of this woman to the police as she needs reporting, more for her safety and perhaps more for the fact that she might come from a home somewhere and whoever looks after her needs to know where she is.

My friend Nick has been to visit from Northampton. H'e actually been staying with his mother in Bedford. He texted to say he was arriving on the bus at 11.45, so I drove into the centre of Milton Keynes. It was difficult to find a parking space in the usual car park, but with a bit of patience I found a place, paid for a ticket (the first machine I went to wouldn't take the two 50p coins I put in, for whatever reason. I went into the shopping centre and sat outside Starbucks, which was where we were meeting. The whole place gone crazy, shoppers taking over, it's as if the shops were going to be stripped entirely of their contents by a swarm of locusts. We didn't go into Starbucks as the queue at the counter virtually came out of the door, so we walked along to Costa opposite Marks and Spencer. We had special Christmas drinks, Irish coffee velvet cream latte. Very nice and I'd definitely have again, but I think they're only on the menu over the festive period. Also had cheese and ham toastie (I have these a lot, as you will have realised, if you read my blog posts on a regular basis.)and finally, a slice of rocky road cake. Then, we went into Marks and Spencer's. Nick said he wanted to buy a hat. We went up the escalator to the men's department and we found an array of different hats, ranging from Trilby-style to cloth and eventually wolley hats, one of which Nick chose and we went to pay. Quite a long queue at the till. People going crazy no doubt buying Christmas presents.

We walked along the shopping centre. We went into an opticians as Nick wanted to look at prescription sunglasses. My glasses have Transition lenses in them, which means they go black when I go into bright sunlight, but then return to clear when indoors or it's not sunny. Nick looked at a rather stylish pair of glasses which looked more like sky goggles, with wrap-around lenses which were reflective and with a yellow trim. He wanted to have prescription lenses in them and when he asked the assistant for the price, we were somewhat shocked by the more-than £400 price tag, so they went back in the unit.

We drove back to my flat, as Nick was interested to see where I was now living. He got to meet Alfie and then took him out for a walk around Oldbrook Green.

As regards the strange woman who was asking for money, I have not seen her since I reported her to the Police. I just hope that she is now back home, safe and being cared for.

Haircut and Car Service

(Monday) A bright but chilly morning. I took out Alfie before 6. I rang Bleak Hall Motors a little after 8 and got the car booked in for it's annual service tomorrow (Thursday). I'll have to get it there for 8 tomorrow and get a taxi back to the flat because I don't want to have to sit and wait there for hours and hours whilst it's being done. The Renault has this annoying computerised system with a digital screen right in front of my eyeline as I'm driving, with the annoying message that keeps reading 'Service now due,' with an orange light which remains on with a spanner symbol, in case I'm in any doubt that this work is required. Well, it's not driving at full capacity because of needing work doing, so I'll be glad when it's done, in time to drive to Worcester for Christmas with Chloe, Steve and the grandchildren. I'm looking forward to going, even if it's not for as long as last year.

A little later I drove into the city centre and parked near The Point (it really is looking terrible. I know I've mentioned it before, but this iconic building, which was the pride of Milton Keynes in the 1980's when it was one of the first multiplex cinemas in Britain, but now is an empty wreck, and the pyramid is just a rusting shell. Please, someone, do something with it, even if it's to demolish it and build something else on the site. Driving into Milton Keynes at night from Bedford you could see if from  distance as it was lit up.) I was going to the Central Barbers in the shopping centre to get my hair cut. They don't open until 9.30, so I had a good 15-minute wait, sitting on the seats conveniently placed outside. Getting chilly, but it's interesting to see the people who walk past. The Middleton Hall is now completely taken over with the traditional Christmas display. It seems somewhat mundane. It used to be excellent, with some sort of theme, one year it was pirates, or was it Peter Pan, with  large masted ship, with Peter Pan standing on it. But they seem to have run out of ideas or at least, originality, and it's just a sort of large-scale snow-dome in the middle, with Santa's grotto somewhere and a excuse to make money out of parents when there children insist on visiting.

Eventually got into Central Barbers and was sitting in the chair having my hair cut (so, what else would I be doing? No surprises there.) Very pleased with the result and soon paying and back out and walking back along the shopping centre and taking £20 out of the A.T.M. at the Nationwide Building Society, because I will need the cash to pay for a taxi once I've dropped off the car at Bleak Hall Motors tomorrow morning. Then, once the car is finished being serviced, I can get another taxi back home to the flat.

From the shopping centre I drove to Bradwell Common to do some shopping in Aldi's. Of the two discounters, Lidl and Aldi, I think I prefer Aldi. I'm not sure why, but they have a better range. I like the fact that there's no fiddling about at the checkout. The way they whisk the items through and you can pack your items on a shelf rather than actually at the checkout is a good idea and the way they put larger barcodes on each item is brilliant. They don't spend an age searching for tiny barcodes that you get on the products on any of the larger supermarkets such as Sainsbury or Tesco. And the bill is usually a good deal cheaper. Probably around a third of what it would cost in Sainsbury's.

Then home and unpacking shopping and one small Yorkshire terrier desperate to go out for a walk. You can't really avoid his gaze, or his yapping when he thinks it's time to go out. So, lead on, shoes on and out walking along Srudwick Drive. As we near Oldbrook Green, I notice a large black crow on the grass. It is standing near a discarded  clear plastic package, no doubt containing food that some thoughtless person has thrown there, having eaten the contents and not bothering to put it in a rubbish bin. The crow is having a good time, tapping the package with it's long, sharp beak. I stand and watch, totally intrigued by the antics of the crow. I manages to turn the box over and it attempts to gain entry by stabbing it with it's beak. It doesn't manage to get inside, although from where I'm watching I can't see if it has the remains of food inside. So why is it going through this business? Can it smell the remains of the food, or is it merely playing with this shiny item it has come across? who knows, but it makes good entertainment and I only wish I had my mobile with me to be able to video this incident. We walk on, to traverse the park, but by the time we walk past where I saw the crow with the plastic package, there was no sign of the bird. It probably lost interest and merely flew away. It just goes to show how intelligent these birds are.

(Thursday) I couldn't sleep last night. Nothing wrong, but just awake at around 2 a.m. I have sleeping tablets but the doctor gave me some new ones and says they can be addictive, so I'm reluctant to take them and I was concerned that I would be sleepy this morning because in the leaflet you get with them it says. 'Do not drive or use machinery if you feel sleepy the next morning.' It also makes me laugh when you get the label on the box they come in which say 'Can make you feel drowsy or sleepy.' Well, there's a surprise! Sleeping tablets which make you feel sleepy. Just tell me, what do they put on packets of Viagra? No . . . please don't reply to that! Just amuses me that now you can have Viagra without a prescription (incidentally, I can't have it because of my heart medication. And funnily enough, it was created for the treatment of heart problems, ironically.) Anyway, whenever I go to collect my medication from Lloyd's pharmacy in Sainsbury's, there's advertising all over the place for Viagra. You can't miss it.

I've taken the car to Bleak Hall Motors for it's service, which I managed to book by ringing them yesterday morning, as mentioned above. I got there in good time, gave the keys to reception and got a taxi home, because it's going to take around half a day to do the service. Then, when I got hack I immediately took Alfie out for a walk around Oldbrook Green.

For a couple of days, when I've been out with Alfie around Oldbrook Green, I've been stopped by a woman who keeps asking for money. At first I thought it might be for something like the use of a phone, but there's no telephone box anywhere to be seen. You just don't see the iconic BT telephone boxes any more, probably because most people have a mobile phone. She asked me for £1.50, but at this time I had no change on me. I don't usually carry change of any kind when I'm out with Alfie. Then, yesterday, she was out near the road crossing from Strudwick Drive over Oldbrook Boulevard. This time she wanted £2.50, but, again, I didn't have any change. She was standing in the road and I had to tell her to move out of the way because there were cars attempting to get past. This is when I thought that perhaps she wasn't mentally stable. It made me wonder whether she was from a residential home or perhaps from the Campbell Centre, which is part of Milton Keynes Hospital. By this time she was stopping cars and asking for cash, and there was a build-up of several cars because she was talking to one of the drivers. I don't know whether she got the cash she was asking for. She was well dressed, didn't look in any sort of distress, so it was unclear why she was behaving like this. When I lived in Bedford there were a couple of people who used to stand and constantly ask for cash. One became quite aggressive and had to be given a court order which prevented him being a nuisance, because he was putting off customers to certain businesses in the town centre. I don't know how they managed to stop either of these people being what were, in effect, aggressive beggars. I can't think where the woman came from, but presumably somewhere within the Oldbrook area of Milton Keynes.

Later. I got the call to tell me the car was ready for collection at just gone 11 o'clock. I rang for a taxi so I waited outside in the road and around 5 minutes later it turned up. I was somewhat surprised that the driver couldn't find Bleak Hall Motors. I was always under the impression that taxi drivers knew virtually every place in the town they operated in, but this wasn't the case with this driver. We eventually found it (I usually drive in from the opposite end. It's in a sort of service road and can be tricky to negotiate because of lorries parked all the way along and some pulling out of the various units along it's entire length.) I was somewhat shocked that the cost of the service was considerably more than anticipated, but they have done a good job, changing the oil, topping up water, brake fluid and replacing some parts, so it's done for another year. It will leave me rather short of cash for the rest of the month, but I will have to manage. I can't have the car not running efficiently, breaking down or not working properly, what with the winter weather coming up, so, in the end, it was worth it.

Tuesday at Camphill

I went to Camphill as usual on Tuesday. I leave to drive there a good deal earlier in an attempt to avoid the traffic, which can get really busy at around 8.30a.m. Regardless of this, it can still be extremely busy. Crossing the roundabout where Chaffron Way crosses Marlborough Street as well as Brickhill Street crossing Childs Way and finally Portway, can be really hairy. It's a matter of just being a good deal more aggressive and go for it when the road is clear, but it's not pleasant and a build-up of traffic which can tail back a long way. The journey should take no more than 10 minutes, but at that early hour it can take a good 45 minutes.

Lot of people missing today. Co-workers as well as residents. I had to read in for those who were missing, although it was only a line rehearsal. Then we were sorting out costumes for the actors. We had to go under the stage and into the costume store and bring up rails of the costumes, some of which had carrier bags attached which had hand props and bits and pieces which made up the various costumes. But when we got to the door of the costume store the keys would not unlock the door so we spent a great deal of time trying various keys but still the door would not unlock. It took at least 20 minutes before we were able to find the correct key and then take the rail of costumes up into the theatre.

We have now been told that the final drama workshop session before the Christmas break will be on 17th December. A group who use the Chrysalis Theatre,  Phoenix Rising, will be coming to see what will be, in essence, a dress rehearsal of 'Stranger Danger.'

I've been asked if I would like to work on a Monday with the singing workshop. It would be good to have an additional day's volunteer work. When I went to the Willen Hospice coffee morning in John Lewis I sat with the group that are newly bereaved and separate from the larger group I usually sit with. I spoke to one of the volunteer ladies and we were talking and I mentioned my interest in Shakespeare and she said, had I ever considered being a volunteer at the Shakespeare Globe, the reconstructed theatre on the Southbank of the Thames? I had never even thought of it. She was a volunteer there and said I might be good at that sort of thing. You have to go for an interview and it's not about your knowledge of Shakespeare that would want, more your ability to engage with the public, being a  friendly face that the audience members would see when they visited. I'm not sure I want to go all the way into London (you get your train fare reimbursed, apparently.) And it's likely to be a long day and coming home at night would put me off, crossing London on the Underground and the fact it's noisy, dirty, and generally unpleasant so it might not appeal to me in that respect, even though I would love to be involved.

This And That

I've been doing The Bible Course at church and fortunately it's being run during the day, which is better for me, because if it was run in the evening, as most of these courses are, by about 8 o'clock I'm beginning to flag somewhat and my concentration goes out of the window. There is one more session next week and the 8 weeks is over. I think I'll give it a rest on the course front for a while. I went from the Oaktree Centre to Sainsbury's, because I had been texted by Lloyd's pharmacy that my repeat prescription was ready to collect. I can't believe they had it ready so quickly, because I did the order on line only a couple of days ago. From there, I went home, and had lunch, a sandwich bought in Sainsbury's, sitting and watching Bargain Hunt, something of a habit, I know, but nevertheless, I have learnt quite a bit about antiques from this show. It was being done in aid of Children In Need, with Debbie MaGee and Joe Pasquale and Richard Cadell and the infamous Sooty (in a box. WHY? We all know it's a man with his hand up the backside of a bit of fur fabric, so why the pretence? And why does Sooty never speak??? I've always wondered that, as a child, and even more so as an adult. Well, the wretched Sweep squeaks, so why doesn't the bear talk?) what has happened to Sooty? He looks different. His face is fatter. Has he been stuffing his face on cakes and buns? It's not the same Sooty I remember as a child. Mind you, when I was an A.S.M. at Liverpool Playhouse in the early 1970's I remember Harry Corbett bringing Sooty to the Playhouse for a week of shows, and being disappointed that there was actually more than ONE Sooty! I saw the many and various versions of Sooty as a puppet and it somewhat spoilt the illusion that they used more than one puppet. How soon the innocence of youth can be spoilt by such things.  But, it was for a good cause. Then, with his pleading eyes, Alfie insisted on going for a walk around Oldbrook Green. (Well, he'd been left all alone since I went out at about 9.15, so he did deserve it, poor little mite.)

A lot of really good television drama coming up. 'His Dark Materials' has already got to the second episode, of, how many? Is it eight or ten? Well, at least they're giving it space to breathe and do justice to the really complex storyline. Season two already in the works, so I believe. They're got the feel of the 'alternative Oxford,' Sort of steampunk feel, with airships as a form of transport. The Daemons are C.G.I., photo-realistic and seem to work very well, fitting in to the action very well and don't look as if they've been pasted on as some C.G.I. characters do, such as has happened in the revived 'Doctor Who.' Then, following that series, 'The War of The Worlds.' I'm intrigued to see how they manage to do this, set in the late 19th century, at the time it was written. I read all of H.G.Wells science fiction books when I was a teenager, 'The invisible Man,' 'First Men In The Moon,'The Time Machine' and 'The War of The Worlds.' Wells was amazing in that he was writing far in advance of his time and probably best described as The Father of Science Fiction. His short stories are also worth looking at and some are really creepy. Then 'The Crown' returns on Netflix, with Season 3, which, as far as I can understand, takes up the story in the 1970's and I think covers the Miners' Strike and other matters. Meanwhile, not to be outdone, Amazon concludes 'The Man In The High Castle,' which I've been following and have found to be really intriguing and I'm looking forward to how it all ties up. Can't wait to see what all these channels and other television services come up with. I know Apple TV + has just started and then there's Britbox, which is a joint venture between BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5.

Alfie Has A Trim (Amongst Other Things)

(Monday)I went to the Willen Hospice coffee morning at John Lewis this morning. I haven't been for
quite a while, basically because I've been so busy moving to the flat. I was the second person there and some of the tables we usually sit at were missing. When more of the regulars arrived, they decided to move the tables back so that everyone could sit at them. Logical, really.

I sat next to a man who told me he worked as a supporting artiste/extra, so we had things in common to talk about. I am envious of him because he worked on the film version of 'Les Miserables,' and got to sing in he finale of the film, which was shot in Greenwich.

Alfie has been booked in for an appointment at The Groom Room at the Bletchley branch of Pets Are Home for the past few weeks. His coat was beginning to look really untidy. He could barely see where he was going because of the hair over his eyes and he has a build-up of the horrible mess under his eyes. I do try to remove it, but he doesn't like it. I had to discreetly take the cage, which folds up and is stored under my bed (definitely no room elsewhere in the flat.) and took it out to the car on Sunday afternoon. So, at around 12.40 on Monday I got him ready to go, with the usual barking and yapping which goes with putting on his lead. I got him out to the car, hatch open and the caged door open and he goes in without any problems, with the end of his lead outside the cage (I have learnt all these 'tricks' over the years.) The cage door has to be arranged inside the car facing right, the small end of the cage, which makes it easier for Alfie to enter. Then, cage door shut and firmly closed so he can't push it open from inside, I drive off to Bletchley. With the luggage shelf in place, it makes the cage darker and this seems to suit Alfie and he likes to have calming music playing on the car radio.

On the way home I went to Lidl in Oldbrook Boulevard and then returned home to unpack what I'd bought. I had to be at The Groom Room to collect Alfie so I had plenty of time. You can see the results of the grooming session if you look at the photograph I've attached to this blog at the top of this post. It's great that his eyes are now clear of that nasty gunge which builds up under his eyes and the hair on his face is cut so he can see where he's going. They didn't give him a very short all-over body trim and left it a good deal longer than last time. I bought him a rather smart jacket because I didn't think it was fair to have him clipped when we're about to go into colder weather. Rather nice, with a zip along the back which makes it a good deal easier to put on him.

Foggy and Cold

(Saturday)From a cold, frosty morning yesterday, we now have fog. When I went out to take Alfie for his early-morning walk, I discovered fog no sooner I had gone through the front door. Then, walking along Strudwick Drive, I discovered think fog across Oldbrook Green, which meant I couldn't see the other side and the buildings around The Hub which are usually easy to see from Oldbook.

I went out with Alfie for a second walk at gone 10 o'clock this morning. The fog had lifted and it was quite sunny. We walked part-way around Oldbrook Green, but didn't do the complete circuit because there were two dogs running loose and I wasn't sure how they would deal with Alfie, walking as he was on his lead and behaving himself as he usually does.

During the night I woke as I sometimes do and it took me some while to get back to sleep. Last night I could hear the sound of cars having their engines revved. I'm not certain where they were, somewhere nearby, but possibly being driven, at speed, around Milton Keynes. This morning, when I went out, I was surprised to see a Mini sitting on the side of the road along Strudwick Drive, on a grassy mound, near the roundabout which leads into Dexter Avenue. It would appear that it had been stolen (I assume. No proof of course), no doubt taken by youths (only speculation) and 'Joy Ridden,' before dumped on that grassy mound. When I took out Alfie earlier this morning it was then I spotted it and, having walked Alfie towards Oldbrook Green, I walked back and a couple were there, with one of them on their mobile, no doubt informing the police of the vehicle. Then, a few hours later, Alfie and I went past, this time in pouring rain, which was the reason I cut this walk short, the car had disappeared, no doubt removed by the police and one would hope, returned to it's owner.

The continual sound of coughing from the flat beneath mine is driving me nuts. It wakes me up and then I can't get back to sleep. I think I might buy a pack of cough sweets and stick it through their letter box. Well, if it was me, I'd take some form of cough medication to relieve things. But my solution to the situation is to stick ear plugs in and therefore become totally resilient to the noise of coughing. Simple, really.

Currently reading a book called 'Six Minutes In May: How Churchill Unexpectedly Became Prime Minister,' and written by Nicholas Shakespeare. We get a completely different picture of the great war leader, but not the outstanding man he was to become, botching the leadership of a raid of the Norwegian town of Narvick, which was taken by the Nazis and caused a scare, since there was the possibility that Britain would immediately be invaded. Very well written and researched and adding to my learning of a period of our history of which I am very ignorant.

Fire Alarms Set Off

I was just laying on my bed, spending time doing nothing. A time to relax and think of nothing in particular. Then I was violently woken (no, I wasn't sleep, just dozing, though I wasn't even doing that. Minding my own business.) by the noise of the fire alarms. Boy, did it make me jump! Not only that, but deafen me. Mind you, perhaps it has to be loud, to wake people if they are asleep.) I thought that at first it might have been the weekly test, but when it didn't sop after a few seconds, there were thoughts racing through my mind, is it because of an ACTUAL fire, somewhere in the building? What should I do? You usually get told, leave the building, and go to the assembly point, exit by the marked fire exits (probably gather in the communal garden, which has a door at the bottom of the stairs.) I immediately put Alfie on his lead, which made him start off barking (which he almost always does when we're about to go out for a walk.) I didn't 'stop to collect any belongings,' which is what you also get told, and went out of the front door, locking it behind me. I got to the foot of the stairs and could see along the corridor that the doors had closed, automatically, because the alarms had activated this mechanism which releases the fire doors (to stop any fire spreading.) I went down to the front door of Dexter House, but no other residents there. I saw a sign which mentioned if the Duty Officer wasn't on duty, so I went back to my flat to get my iPhone and then rang the  number, and was told that a fire engine was on it's way. A relief. I went out onto the pavement outside. Nobody else there. I went inside and saw someone standing along the corridor, and she said that 'we have to remain in our flats.' Well, after the Grenfell  Tower fire, where the fire department told residents to stay in their flats, I wasn't doing that, so went outside with Alfie, who continued to bark loudly. After a minute or two I could hear the approaching fire engine and as it hurtled round the corner from Strudwick Drive, it drew up outside the flats and the firemen got out and one entered the building. All the firemen went after him and they were gone for several minutes, during which time the alarms went off and I went back inside. It turned out that someone in one of the flats had had a cooking accident (let some boiled eggs over-cook and no doubt they burnt dry, thus setting off the fire alarms.) What relief! But no some without fire, as they say, and the rather strong smell of burnt toast. I thought if might have been someone's cigarette which had set it all off, but it wasn't.

But throughout all this, a bit of excitement and a large red fire engine, with lights flashing and siren blazing certain livens things up.

Oh dear! Coughing Kate if off again! Probably set off by the fire. Well, I do exaggerate, but it must be caused by something or other. I certainly wouldn't allow a cough to continue unless I took something for it, cough linctus, some sort of pastille or sweet. Something to suck. But no. It continues and it's so annoying. How about i go out and buy a packet of lozenges or other sweets which you suck to elevate coughs? Which is what I get if I have a cough. Then there's Benylin, a good strong cough medicine.

Car Repair

My Renault Captur needed work doing on it. I was told some while ago that it would need the timing
belt replacing. I don't even know what a timing chain is or what it does. I've been driving for 50 years and owned several cars but never come across this item in the engine. Well, I only drive my car and don't entirely understand how the thing works. The same with this MacBook Air, on which I write this blog. How on earth does the internet work? It's beyond me, but all I know is that it does work, miraculously. Anyway, I had to wait until my pension was paid into my account and then I went to Bleak Hall Motors to make an appointment for the car, which was yesterday (Friday). I was told it would take quite a long time, so there was no way I was going to sit in their waiting room until the work was finished, so I called for a taxi and went home and waited. I thought it might be a couple of hours, by which time the garage would phone me to tell me the car was ready to collect. This eventually came at around 4.15, and I then had to get another taxi to convey me back to Bleak Hall.  Bill paid and then I returned in the car, glad that the work is complete. Now the car needs servicing, basically because it's no point in having a car that doesn't operate properly, and anyway, with the computerised read-out on the dashboard constantly telling  me that it needs servicing in 20 days or so, I don't have much choice. It's sort of nagging me to have it done, so I will have to abide by it. I'll either go into Bleak Hall motors to arrange this or I can always ring.

(Saturday) Been out with Alfie at around 6.45. It's light enough at that time in the morning and the poor little dog was eager as ever. A cloud of seagulls on the green near Oldbrook Boulevard. I think they're probably after the worms or something, but they make a lot of noise and it makes me think of the seaside.

Someone coughing their lungs out in a nearby flat. I think it caused by smoking, so it begs the question: if that is the result, why smoke? If I get a load of smoke in my lungs, then it causes me all sorts of problems, and I was told, after I had my first heart attack, that if I'd smoked, then my heart attack might have happened around 5 years earlier.

Last night I heard fireworks being let off. Thank goodness Hallowe'en is over. A really nasty import from America, just a way to make money out of a load of tat which then ends up in land-fill. I think some individuals don't know the difference between Hallowe'en and Bonfire Night (Guy Fawkes Night.) and that you don't have fireworks as part of Hallowe'en. Hopefully the rubbish being sold in the shops will now be gone, but we now have all the Christmas tat in the shops, endless shelves full of mince pies, Christmas puddings and wrapping paper and other stuff you don't need immediately for Christmas.

Later. I've been to Sainsbury's and I wasn't there long. The carpark was virtually empty. The store wasn't busy. I don't think the average shopper goes to a supermarket early on a Saturday. Most are tucked up under their duvets. But I suspect it's more to do with the rugby match in Japan, England v South Africa. I'm not sure what the time difference is between the United Kingdom and Japan. It does interest me, a good deal more than football, but I can take it or leave it.

I got hame and unloaded my shopping and was on the point of taking Alfie out for a walk, but the weather is foul as I write this, raining and there a high wind, but that wouldn't put off our Alfie.

Went to an archaeology exhibition in the Church of The Cornerstone. I've been inside the building, but not inside the actual church and was surprised by how small it was. It seemed an odd place to hold such an exhibition. It would have been better in the Middleton Hall, which is part of the main Milton Keynes shopping centre. Discovered that a Roman villa has been unearthed in a village called Piddington in Northamptonshire. It's just off the Bedford/Northampton road and not a long journey from here. There is a museum attached to it and I may visit in the near future. It's surprising what you discover when you visit such an exhibition and what other archaeology is going on in this area. I think I've driven along that road many times but knew nothing of this discovery, which was made around 40 years ago. Even so, nothing in the local papers to even mention it.

Rainy Day Walk

(Friday)It's been a rather over-cast sort of day today.  The sort of day when it's very low light, almost light early evening, just as the sun is about to set. I can't describe it any other way, but dreadfully dull, to say the least. You just want to go back to bed and pull the duvet over your head. I'm attempting to encourage Alfie to not want to be taken for a walk at 6a.m. For starters, it's dark and you can't see what you're doing, even though there are some street lamps which give some light. And saying that, there were workmen at the junction with Oldbrook Boulevard digging a trench and it looked at if they were replacing a street lamp. I think they're replacing conventional sreetlamps with low-emission LED lamps, if I'm not mistaken. I don't think I am. I went to get fuel for the car from the Shell station on Grafton Street early this morning and then went to Lidl to do a top-up shop. I had my fridge/freezer delivered on Wednesday afternoon, having been told it would come in the morning, but then I had a telephone call to say that they wouldn't be able to come before lunch because they'd had the van's windscreen broken or something. I'm not sure how this happened, I just hope they weren't involved in an accident or worse. I thought perhaps it had been vandalised, but I still don't know what really happened. The fridge/freezer is described as 'under-counter,' which means it's small. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, but so small there is very little space. I can at least keep the milk from going off, which is has been on occasion. Part of the reason being is that the kitchen can get hot and if I don't refrigerate the milk, I can go to make a cup of tea and find the milk has turned to yoghurt, or what appears to be something similar and certainly not suitable to put in tea or breakfast cereal.

(Saturday) It's very windy. As a result I'm experiencing real back pain. I don't normally mention this sort of thing, but I do get this when the weather is severe, cold, wet or when it's windy. I am waking later and later and taking out Alfie a good deal later. The clocks change tonight so things are going to be even more different tomorrow morning. Just try to explain that to a small, very alert Yorkshire terrier.

Having been to Sainsbury's and walked Alfie around Oldbrook Green in the wind and the rain, I got back to the flat and then suddenly realised that I was supposed to go to Ashfield Medical Centre this morning to have my 'flu jab. They are usually open from 8a.m. until 12 noon, so I rushed out and drove there and was surprised by how busy it was. I registered my arrival with the receptionist and sat down to wait and was more than surprised by how quickly my name came up on the digital display and I walked in to the room where I took off my jacket and had the jab in my arm and then had a cup of tea and a couple of biscuits which I don't normally have but this time, due to rushing to the surgery, it seemed a necessity. From Ashfield I drove over to Bletchley and managed to get Alfie booked in for a grooming session at the Groom Room within Pets At Home and the appointment is at 1 p.m. on 11th November. He is in definite need of a trim and hasn't been there for quite a while.

(Sunday) I did remember that clocks went back last night. I did this well before I went to bed. But I have had a reaction to the flu jab and don't feel that good this morning. But I did manage to take out Alfie before 7 o'clock and it was fairly light so we could see what we were doing. I haven't gone to church, but let people know why on Facebook. I think if I hadn't done this they might wonder where I was and why.

(Monday) My turn to use the washing machine and tumble drier. I need to reorder some of my meds and went on line to the Ashfield Medical Centre website and have now found that I can't because I need a review of virtually all my meds. I did attempt to ring the surgery but I spent around an hour to find they weren't going to open up the phone lines and gave up around the time I was scheduled to start my washing. Just annoys me that when you need something such as medication they decide to not open up the lines. I'll have to have another go tomorrow morning. Frustrating!

Alfie Has Fans!

I am absolutely overjoyed by how well Alfie has settled into the flat at Dexter House. I was really concerned that he wouldn't cope with living in a far smaller place, considering we had lived in a much larger, three-bedroom house with a garden, where he could go when 'needs must.' He does get excited when it's time to go out for a walk (he has always done this, barking and generally making a lot of noise when he has his lead put on, for example.) He has met many of the other residents and they seem to love him. Well, he does have a sort of magnetic personality, loving being the centre of attention and all the fuss he gets. We are constantly meeting other dog-walkers, particularly in Oldbrook Green, the rather pleasant open space which is a short walk from the flat. We seem to meet the same people with their dogs, which means we have a sort of ready-made set of regulars. Although most of pleasant, there are one or two who aren't quite so friendly. The other day we came across this young man who had two dogs on leads and which had muzzles on. I think they were Staffordshire terriers, by their size and shape. Is it me, or are a 'certain element' under the impression that such dogs give them a sort of 'hard' edge? I'm thinking mostly, male, sporty types, of a 'certain age,' (probably between 18-35), with a sort of swagger. (I'm building up my character description for an archetype here, but never mind. Probably a character from the BBC1 soap, 'EastEnders. Probably based loosely on one of the Mitchell brothers.) Anyway, we had walked round the park once and had encountered this individual and then, on the second encounter, he saw Alfie, who, by the way was behaving impeccably, and when this individual saw him, he said, 'if he (meaning Alfie) snaps at my dogs, I'll  take their muzzles off!' What was the reason for this? Alfie wouldn't hurt a fly! He's well behaved and would never bite anyone, and certainly not get into a fight with another dog. He always wants to be friends with the dogs he meets, even though he can be a bit 'in your face' with his barking and running around. I suppose it's just that he gets over-excited. This 'individual' was being unnecessarily aggressive (or I suppose he thought he was.) and somewhat threatening (in a rather pathetic manner, so I thought.) He was using his dogs as a sort of protection for his no doubt, fragile masculinity. Somewhat sad and pathetic generally. Why threaten a harmless little Yorkie with aggression and threats in the first place?

I'm Moved and Back On-Line!

I am now back online, having had my internet and telephone line reinstated at Dexter House. It has been an extremely busy and somewhat stressful couple of weeks, not only moving out of Golden
Drive but having to clear a couple of the rooms which were full of stuff which was difficult to dispose of. The smaller of the three bedrooms was the worst to deal with because of the amount of stuff in there. I had to pay £160 to get someone to come in and clear it and he had a licence to dispose of household waste. A couple of Mondays ago three church friends came and helped deal with the middle bedroom. I took a lot of stuff to the Barnado's charity shop in Oldbrook Boulevard. They have had several loads of stuff. Just hope it gets sold and makes some money for them.

The actual move was on Wednesday 9th October, done by a company I found on-line and called Cos Freight. I had gone on a website which allowed you to set up an account and then put in your details, where you lived and where you were moving to etc etc and then companies could send you quotes. One company sent a representative to visit and gave me a quote of over £700 and the lowest, the one I went with, was £450. I then had to give them dates which I wanted to move on, so I said I wanted either a Monday or Wednesday (in an attempt to avoid a Tuesday, when I go to Camphill. As it turned out, I didn't go on the Tuesday of the week I moved as there was so much that had to be done that I wouldn't have had time to do all that was necessary if I had gone to Camphill.) I had to pay a deposit of £50, paid via a telephone conversation, and using my Debit card.

On the Tuesday before the move, Shelley and Garry, neighbours at Golden Drive, helped me sort and dispose of a great deal of what was left in the house. The previous Monday I had three friends from SCF come in and sort and dispose of a lot of stuff in the middle bedroom. Still left with a great deal which was then removed by taking to Barndardo's  centre in Oldbrook Boulevard. About two loads and I'm totally finished because of my heart condition.

On October 9th, the removals men arrived outside 30 Golden Drive in a mid-sized van at around 7.45. They were incredibly efficient and had the stuff in the IKEA unit in the lounge packed in boxes and shifted quickly and as the morning progressed they had that unit as well as the bed (another IKEA piece) dismantled and taken and packed in the van. Later taken to Dexter House and reassembled successfully. These two pieces of furniture were the main things causing me stress as I wasn't sure they would be able to reassemble them successfully. But I needn't have worried because they managed to reassemble these items without any problems, meaning I could unpack the contents of the shelf unit (I think you'd call it a pigeon-hole unit rather than an actual bookshelf, but it's being somewhat pedantic to describe it any other way.) Also, the men were able to disconnect the electric oven and remove it to the flat, but weren't able tor reconnect it, probably because of  not actually being qualified to do so, but Garry did this for me, so at least I have been able to cook meals on it. Also, the sofa went and everything else, but there were boxes of DVDs, CDs and books which took up space (10 boxes in all.) which took up a vast amount of space. I had the problem of where to store all this stuff. I then had a lightbulb moment and decided that a charity should have it, that is, if they could come in a van a take it for me (as Willen Hospice store had done a few weeks ago by taking the two bicycle, dining table and chairs and several other items.) So, I rang Willen Hospice store and a van came last Monday and removed those 10 boxes, as well as a small bookshelf and folding-leaf table which I had bought to the flat, but were taking up very valuable space. I'll be honest and say that this was a great relief to have this stuff removed because those books won't be read again, nor will the DVDs and CDs be played again and haven't been played in a long time, so won't be missed. I have kept the larger, reference books, but I now have what I want and need and even the empty packing boxes have now gone, to someone in SCF who was also moving, so that is another problem solved. Breaking up boxes and taking to the tidy-tip takes up time and energy which, by the end of last week, was more or less used up.

Getting Colder

I had an email from the removal company when I got home from Camphill, telling me that they had reserved Wednesday 9th of October as removal day. The men will be here at 7.30a.m., and they will be able to disassemble my bed and the large pigeon-hole unit in the lounge and reassemble at the flat in Dexter House. Also, they will be able to disconnect the electric oven and reconnect it in the flat, one less thing for me to have to think about. My only concern is not having a fridge/freezer, but that is being sorted out. I may get  grant from the Council to purchase one, and in any case, the old one which is being left behind is really too big for a single person.

I have now heard from Daniel, and he's coming here from Thursday to the weekend and will collect his belongings from what was his bedroom when he lived here. It seems that everything is falling into place and I must say I'll be glad when I am settled in the flat and the long journey to find alternative accommodation is over. I took several boxes of books in the car, a couple of which went to Dexter House, and another couple to the charity shop near Tesco's in Oldbrook Boulevard. Also, some clothes from the wardrobe which I hung in the fitted wardrobe at the flat.

It is getting a lot colder. Autumn is definitely here. There are leaves on the ground when I go to take Alfie for his early morning walk around Eaglestone Park this morning. My FitBit wouldn't charge properly, so I didn't get a step count as I should. I say it wouldn't charge, but it's difficult to know exactly whether it is charging when it's on the charging gadget. You would expect that once it's fitted in the thing there would be some sign that it is charging, such as a sound or a small light, which lit up, indicating power is going into the thing. So I left it off when we went out.

I said it was getting colder. Yesterday evening (Wednesday) I put the central heating on for the first time, but I put it off as soon as I went to bed. Oh well, I suppose it's bound to turn colder now we're into October.

I noticed that there are no curtain tracks in either the bedroom or lounge at the flat. Annoying, because I have to now go and buy some before I can hang the curtains I purchased in The Range this morning. First thing this morning I went to Homebase to buy a measuring tape and then went to the flat to measure both windows.

I have now rung Sky to have my phone and broadband transferred to the flat in Dexter House. Because there is no telephone line there an engineer will come on 17th October to install a line. I don't want to loose my internet connection, otherwise I won't be able to keep this blog going and I rely on it for such things as email and the occasional glance at Facebook, basically to keep in touch with the outside world. 

Moving Out!

I will be ringing the removal company tomorrow to arrange the date for moving. I frankly won't be sorry to leave this house. In the last few months I've be struggling to pay the rent, basically because Housing Benefit won't pay the whole amount and I've had to top it up with savings, most of which was paid from a death grant after Carol's passing. I am somewhat annoyed that I had to raid my savings account this month to pay the rent, but hope that once I've moved out this concern will be gone. It has caused no end of stress. I now learn, from my landlord's son, that he's expecting me to pay a proportion of rent until I go, which is another stress-point. Oh well, let them eat cake, as someone said. I should get one more Housing Benefit payment and that can go part-way towards rent.

I've taken a further couple of boxes of things to the flat. I will have to get some curtain track because I notice the windows in the flat have none. Then I must look for some curtains for the lounge and bedroom.

The broadband fibre installation continues. Just when I thought they had completed the work, I come across another group of workmen making holes in the road or a path. Alfie didn't get his second walk this afternoon because it was raining heavily, not that Alfie is in the least bit bothered by a drop of rain.

The landlord's son is expecting me to pay something like £400 for rent up until the 17th October, when my notice expires. But today (1st October) my rent payment will have gone out by Direct Debit, so if that's a whole month's rent in advance, HE will owe me for the weeks I'm not in the flat up until the end of October. Please don't tell me you pay rent in arrears. I bet he'll attempt to wriggle out of this and not pay me back the deposit. Which, wait a minute! He does or should owe me because of the deposit. Just tying myself in ever decreasing circles over this matter.

Later. I've been to Camphill as usual. During the morning I rang the removal firm and I have said I would like the move to be on either a Monday or Wednesday, because the other days I am engaged elsewhere and I don't want these days interrupted. The coordinator will arrange a day and I will have to pay a £50 deposit and the pay the balance on the day.

We had another run-through of 'Stranger Danger,' Teo is still on holiday, but I think he comes home sometimes this week. A couple of the guys are looking forward to having a holiday in Blackpool. I expect when they come back the following week they will be full of what they did, together with photographs on their mobiles.

We then worked on a proposed script for a video which will be put on the Chrysalis Theatre website. It will show people who come to see a show, or any other event which is put on in the Chrysalis, to explain that they can't park at Camphill, unless they are staff or disabled. We were put into two groups and went through ideas which the drama team came up with. The other group went out to the Peace Pagoda carpark, which is across the road from Camphill, to work out how people would find the theatre as that is the nearest carpark. Also, having to show them the route without crossing the road, Brickhill Street. I'm not sure whether we actually managed to come up with a script or storyboard for this video, which will eventually be made by Jeremy, who made the 'Stranger Danger' video, but at least some ideas were committed to paper.

After lunch we did more improvisations, sitting in a circle and doing 'Fortunately/unfortunately.' The idea being that you start off with someone coming up with a phrase, or a longer sentence, ending or beginning, 'So and so did whatever, and fortunately . . .' and then passing it on when the next person said, 'but unfortunately . . .' and so on around the circle. Some crazy things came out of this and it's quite a good way to start a story.

After lunch we did more improvisation. One exercise was with the drama guys standing on opposite sides of the hall (actually the auditorium of the Chrysalis Theatre.) and speaking their lines to the other person they speak to in the play. It turned out to be an excellent exercise to get them all to project their voices rather than shout and so it turned out.

Next, it was back to the improvisation method we started the previous week. Two groups were formed, each given a subject to work on, which meant devising a situation and then creating characters and the other team had to guess what the subject without it being mentioned. Ours was the seaside and some mimed swimming, playing tennis, and I mimed a 'Punch and Judy' show with the rest of the team sitting on the floor and watching.

The other team did their mime about going to the theatre. We got their subject but they didn't manage to get ours.

The day ended with a line rehearsal, just sitting in the auditorium and for some reason it had a great deal more energy than when it is acted with all the props and furniture. Probably because they can concentrate on their lines and don't have to think about where to enter and exit and move around on the stage.

Things To Do

Well, I have now got a flat sorted out, at last somewhere to move to from this house. I don't mind telling you that it's been a long hard journey and I only wish that someone had told me earlier that I could move to sheltered housing. It's almost as if wires got crossed somewhere. What I mean is, having claimed Housing Benefit at the Council offices, what with Carol dying and me being over the age of 60, someone would have noticed that I was living in a 3-bedroom house and that the Council wasn't paying the entirety of the rent. Well, there it is, just need to find a company to do the removals for me and get the small bedroom emptied of it's contents, sorting out what is worth keeping and what needs taking to the tidy-tip and I'm all done and to be honest, I'll be glad when it's over and done with.

I needed to take the tenancy agreement into the council offices, so that my Housing Benefit could be transferred to the flat in Dexter House along with Council Tax. I had been given this when I went in to collect the keys to the flat on Wednesday. I drove into the centre of Milton Keynes early and was in the Civic offices at just past 9 o'clock.

I had the tenancy agreement with me, because I was expecting this to be needed for the transfer of benefits be completed. I had to get help as I usually do, to use the touch-screen check-in system at the reception area. The young man who helped me wasn't a lot of help because it appeared he didn't know what I was there for. I was given a numbered ticket from the machine and then sat down to wait for the number to appear on the digital screens. After about 20 minutes it came up, and I walked to the desk with the relevant number, but it turned out that I was in the wrong place and was told  that I would need to fill in an on-line application. I could do it there in the office or go home and do it on my own laptop.

I couldn't remember my National Insurance number, so I couldn't complete the on-line application so I had to go home and set it up on my MacBook and THEN had to have the rent account number for the flat in Dexter House. I rang and couldn't speak to the warden lady, so left a message on the voice mail and then she rang about 10 minutes later, gave me the number which meant I could complete the change of address form. The first time I got it wrong and went to 'Change of Circumstances,' but then realised it should have been 'change of address.'

I'm still stuck with all the stuff in the small bedroom. I have been on line and have managed AT LAST to find someone who can actually deal with this situation. They are licensed to deal with material which can be taken to the tip and I rang this morning and they are coming this evening (Friday) to have a look and give me a price. I only hope they can do the job and I have been told that they could clear the room this evening, which will be a huge weight off my mind as this situation has been going on for months now. I have known that I would need to empty the room but how and when was an unknown quantity until I had somewhere to move to, but now I have somewhere to actually move to, the matter of the small bedroom looms large.

I went out yesterday afternoon with Alfie. It was attempting to rain, but only just, but this didn't put me off. I wore my blue Peter Storm jacket, which has a hood. Alfie seems impervious to a little bit of rain. As we walked around Eaglestone Park (well, I walked. Alfie runs.) the skies opened and it just pelted down. We just trudged on and got home before we got to soaked. Alfie shaking himself at regular intervals and once we were indoors, I used a towel to attempt to dry him. As a result of the soaking, Alfie's coat became more than ever curly, looking for all the world as if it had been permed.

The man with the van arrived at around 7.30. He had one look at the bedroom and all the stuff in there and sent a photo to his partner on his mobile. I had at first said I was prepared to pay £60 for the job, but he told me that he wouldn't be able to take everything for that amount and then said it would cost £160. I was reluctant to pay that amount, but if it meant that everything was cleared, the I would pay that amount and as a result I agreed and he started the job, taking everything out to his van which was parked in the space where I usually parked at the front of the house, having moved the car further along the road. He uncovered bits and pieces that I hadn't seen for  long time, and lots of Daniel's computer game discs, as well as a rather nice camera bag I hadn't known was buried in there. But most of it will be dumped, which he can do because he has the relevant licence. I discovered that he lived in Cardington village, where I lived and grew up in and he knew Malting Farm. He managed to finish the job at around 9 o'clock, and all I can say is that I'm relieved that its done, apart from the removal of the single bed which he said he could come back for either today (Saturday) or Monday.

Wild and Wet

(Tuesday)Alfie insisted on going out earlier than usual. It was dark and we could hardly see, but still, it really didn't matter to him. He got to bark as loud as ever and I let him off his lead at the bottom of the path and he had a god run. But there were a few drips of wet and it was close to raining so I didn't intend walking the entire circuit of Eaglestone Park. It was just as well that we didn't, because it soon began to rain in ernest and we got back to the house in time and as I write this at 7.45 it's continuing.

Usually when I drive down Chaffron Way to Camphill on a Tuesday, the traffic is reasonably busy. It can be a bit hairy crossing the roundabout on Marlborough Street and then on down Chaffron it's plain sailing. Generally there is traffic queuing up in the other direction, but the heavy rain caused quite difficult driving, with the water remaining on the road surface and making the possibility of aqua-plaining a possibility, so some cars were driving extra slow (in complete contrast to a dry day, when a lot of drivers speed and you get lot of 'tailgating,' as I've mentioned in previous blog posts. It took  good 15 minutes to reach the exit into the Waitrose carpark and a good 20 further minutes to drive along Brickhill Street and actually arrive in the Camphill carpark. I then had to walk to the Chrysalis, not particularly far, but in the process I got thoroughly wet, my trousers mostly, because I wore my Peter Storm jacket with the hood on, something I haven't worn in probably the past 12 months. The rain didn't ease off until mid-morning, and eventually the sun came out and it because quite sunny by lunchtime.

Teo, the leader of the theatre workshop at Camphill, is still on holiday, so his deputy, Paul was in charge for the day. We did a run-through of 'Stranger Danger' up until teatime and then, when we went back we did something completely different, improvisation. We all sat in a circle (which seems the default.) and the idea was to tell the rest of the gang three things about yourself, two which were fake and one that was true, and then the other way round, two which are true and one fake. We all went off and had to come up with these fake/true things, myself going with one of the guys, Matthew, to the library (more of an office than a library.) and it was quite difficult to get him to say something which wasn't going to be too much of a give-away, because the others would know which was true and which fake.

After lunch we were on a totally different improvisation game. Some were supposed to be in a car. That was it. No more information. My group were supposed to be in a lift. The idea being that the lift started at the bottom of the building and when the doors first open one person gets in and gradually it stops at each floor as it goes up and more people get on at each floor. We managed to develop our own characters but somehow we couldn't get a story to develop, which was a pity. It's no good having a character, but they need to have a reason why they were getting in the lift, where were they going? What was the reason for getting in the lift and so on.

The we did another game (if that's the right word) where we had a partner, and we stood either side of the hall (auditorium of the Chrysalis Theatre) and had to speak without shouting, across at your partner, and make sure they could hear during a conversation. Another worthwhile bit of improvisation.

Then we did a second improvisation which was supposed to be set on a bus, so we had chairs set out in the form of a bus with the seats in rows with an aisle in the middle. We came up with characters on the bus, mine being someone going for a hospital appointment and being stressed that the bus was going to get to Oxford on time. Someone became the driver and someone else the conductor (do they have conductors on busses these days? My experience of going on a bus is that they don't, because you pay the driver when you board the bus, but that's a minor quibble.) As the conductor walked along the bus he asked to see passengers tickets and everyone made an excuse as to why they didn't have one. One of the group improvised being a spy, and when the conductor came to ask for his ticket, he got out all his secret weapons, hidden in a briefcase or bag, and just showed him as not being very good at being a SECRET spy! A good afternoon's work and everyone agreed it was worth doing the improvisations.

(Wednesday) I've tried to put off going out with Alfie as late as possible, because it's far too dark to see clearly, but you try explaining to a very lively Yorkshire Terrier! When I did eventually get dressed and prepared to go out with him, I discovered it was raining, not that hard, but enough to get somewhat damp. So I took young fellow-me-lad down to the bottom of the path where I usually let him off and came back home almost immediately.

Waitrose Café, Service Slipping

I should have had a pension payment in my bank account this weekend. I have a fairly good idea when it should be paid, working backwards from the last payment by going on-line to my Nationwide account and it should be paid every four weeks. But I had checked on Friday and nothing and then Saturday, so I had to have a final look this morning, fairly early, before I took Alfie out for his walk. But, again, nothing. This has caused some stress, as you can imagine, what with bills to pay and the added stress of clearing out this house so I can move to the flat. Fortunately I have managed to save sufficient money in a savings account with Metro, which was intended for he purpose of buying a Yorkshire Terrier puppy which would eventually replace Alfie, not that I see him popping his clogs for a couple of years, hopefully. Also, I needed to have sufficient funds in my other account which is with NatWest and I knew I would have to cover that with a transfer from the Metro bank, but the account is only operational by taking your cash into a branch and having them transfer money from one to another in branch. Annoying that I have to do this, but there is no alternative and thinking about it, the rent payment will be the last to the landlord of this house before I vacate the property.

After church I came home to pick up the bank details necessary to do the transfer as describe above and then to drive to Oakgrove, a relatively short drive down Chaffron Way where there was a branch of the Metro Bank, fortunately open on a Sunday (one of the advantage of being with this bank is they open when the customer needs them and not necessarily to fit round their staff, which is how any business should be run. It's surprising how busy it gets there, what with cars coming into the carpark, which is down quite a steep incline and you have to be careful as you get to the bottom of the slope as there are barriers in the way which I imagine are there for just this purpose. Also, the Metro Bank was ram-raided some months ago and they've put bollards in front of the unit which I imagine are to prevent, or at least deter, further ram-raiding. Whether they would stop this sort of criminal activity is doubtful, because if criminals are determined enough they will just smash the wall of a building and then use whatever it takes to remove the A.T.M. (hole in the wall machine.) with a fork-lift truck or whatever. Anyway, once parked I walked to the bank and the business was done. They recognise me apparently because as soon as you give your details, there is a digital photograph of me on their computer screen to prove my identity. All done and dusted and then a walk along the pavement to Waitrose and a snack in their café. I ordered a hot chocolate with marshmallows, cream and sprinkles for a change from the standard latte as well as a cheese and ham toastie and something rather tasty called a 'Yum-Yum. Is this confection named after a character in the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, 'The Mikado'? I have no idea, but it's worth a try speculating.

I seem to have stood in he queue for some time before a member of staff took my order. It wasn't that busy and when I eventually got my drink and Yum Yum I had handed over the cold ham and cheese toastie to the girl behind the counter for it to be heated, and then took my tray, together with the number 12 which was put on a stand, which would be placed on my table so when the toastie was ready the member of staff who bought it out would find me. I sat at the far end of the café and waited for the toastie to arrive. I drank what was a really lovely hot chocolate (with all the trimmings) and waited  . . . and waited . . . and waited, what seemed forever. It must have been 20 minutes later . . . that I went to the counter to tell the girl on the till that I hadn't yet received my toastie and said, under my breath, but someone must have heard me, that I would knock three stars off my Trip Advisor review when I wrote it (actually not done as I write this.) I returned to my table and waited . . . and waited. The toastie eventually arrived, by which time I had more or less lost interest in eating it, although I did eat it and then the rather delicious toastie. Then a member of staff arrived, and asked me if I would like a drink? I said, 'provided I didn't have to pay,' and I got a bottled apple juice, which I drank and it was tasty. I think this was offered as a sort of apology for the length of time I had waited. Waitrose, if they're going to have the café open on a Sunday, should sort the issue of staff, because there are obviously not enough to cover for the amount of customers they have on a Sunday. It can't be too difficult to recruit staff, or is it? Are some people just not going to lower themselves to do catering work, and on a Sunday? But that's not an excuse. They needed at least two more staff members behind the counter, one on the till, probably one making hot drinks and another, taking orders from customers further back in the queue if it's busy. That's how they seem to run the ship if you go to other similar eating establishments, such as Starbucks or Costa, so why not here at Waitrose? They have a good reputation and the food and drink is good, if a bit pricey, but that's what you expect in a John Lewis or Waitrose store. This business has quite a good reputation for service and quality, but this won't do it a lot of good. They will loose customers because as soon as such things a service slips people go elsewhere and it takes a long time to build that reputation back up again.