Roadmap or Cul-de-Sac?

(Saturday) The sun is out. The wind has dropped and I'm about to drive to my doctor's surgery, Central Milton Keynes Medical Centre in Bradwell Common, to get my second Astra-Zeneca covid-19 vaccination. I want to get there in plenty of time, just in case the traffic is heavy and you have to go through several sets of traffic lights through the centre of Milton Keynes and each takes far too long to change (why?? I often ask that.)

Later. I drove to Bradwell Common this morning. leaving at around 9.45a.m. I was, as usual, concerned that there might be heavy traffic. A bit crazy to even think that because, for a start, it's a Saturday, and most people won't have been out of bed even that late (well, my theory at least, whether it's correct or not I don't know.) No less than three sets of traffic lights to contend with and I wasn't sure that there would be enough parking spaces at CMKM. I shouldn't have worried as there was plenty of room. No queue right down to the Redway this time, just a few people queuing on the path from the carpark. I was told to be in the surgery five minutes before my appointment and it was around 10.05 when I got to the front of the queue and my actual appointment was 10.10. A man at the door asked me if I had any of the symptoms of covid, or if I'd had a test which was positive or if I had a raised temperature, to which I responded 'no.' Then, when the door was clear I went inside and a lady took my temperature with a sort of gun which was aimed at my forehead. I went through to the room where I would be given the vaccine. I was asked if I'd had any other vaccines lately, which I responded with 'no' and then the needle was stuck in my left arm and it was over. Last time, the first vaccine went in my right arm. The upper, more muscled area in each case. So, that was done and I was told that I didn't have to wait fifteen minutes before I could drive away.

(Sunday) The clocks have moved an hour forward. I woke in the night and, because I normally reset my clocks the evening before, I wasn't sure what the correct time was. I moved my wristwatch forward and then realised that it had automatically reset itself. So, I had to set it back! 

As I write, I don't seem to have had any reaction to the covid-19 vaccine, not in the way I did for the first one, waking in the night feeling as if I was going to come down with 'flu. Not even any discomfort in the area of my arm when the vaccine was injected. I just hope it stays that way.

Still windy, but bright and sunny.

(Monday) Today things are being relaxed as regards lockdown restrictions. Two households can meet! Well, the excitement is far too much! 

I've been doing some market research via Zoom this morning. I have signed up with several market research agencies and this was from a company called Podengo. Usually if you have the possibility of being selected for this sort of work you get either a text message or email, but to get a proper phone call which I did on Friday, late afternoon, is a rarity. The session was for an hour, starting at 10.15a.m. I had to evaluate a new app for the NHS for use if you are checking into a venue, such as a restaurant, coffee shop or other venue, and also, if you think you might have any of the symptoms of covid-19, to check and then, if you think you might be infected, to find out how you can get a test and then, once you have a result to let the track and trace system know and whether you have to isolate for whatever length of time. Just want to do some more as I am saving up to get my eyes tested and then get new glasses.

Oh now! Boris and his henchmen are doing a Downing Street press conference on BBC1 at the moment. I want to throw a brick through my television (but I won't, because it wouldn't be such a good idea.) I'm getting somewhat annoyed that 'The Repair Shop' is cancelled to have this on. Why can't it be put on the BBC News channel? Just waffling and most of the data is flawed. Why does nobody ever doubt the numbers? Why do we never hear from other scientists who criticise the numbers or the lockdown? It seems to me as if the mainstream media (BBC, ITV, Sky etc etc.) never question any of this. There are plenty of those who disagree with how this pandemic has been handled and the way the lockdown has been dealt with, without any dissent. I am somewhat amazed that the British people have just rolled over and allowed their civil liberties to be totally removed. It's like living under a dictatorship.

One minute we are being told about the 'Roadmap' out of lockdown, but in the next breath Boris is saying 'stay cautious.' So, it seems the road to freedom might possibly come to a dead end, a cul de sac, or at least a grinding halt. Real mixed messaging and confusing. Why do the four countries of the United Kingdom have different rules regarding lockdown? Would it not be less confusing if there were the same rules within the entire United Kingdom? Must be very confusing if you work in one country and live in another and have to travel between. Crazy.

The World On Hold

 (Friday) It does seem like the whole world is on hold, a bit like when you attempt to telephone someone or something like a business, a broadband provider, delivery company or whatever, and you can't get through immediately, and you get that dreaded music which plays continually, and the voice says, ' Please be patient. your call is important to us. All our agents are busy. You are number 210 in the queue. . . ' All, lockdown does feel somewhat like that, kept eternally 'on hold.' (But without that awful music they play, while you wait . . . and wait . . . and wait, bu then eventually, someone speaks! But in the case of the confounded pandemic lockdown, we are hoping on hope that we might be released from this situation. I have been out, like being released on parole, for good behaviour! I went for a walk with my friend Mike from church. Hopefully it wasn't going to rain, but we went to where we usually go, in Willen, to have a tea and something to eat. Not sure now what the shop is called, but their prices are very reasonable. You have to wear a face covering, as we are supposed to do in all shops and other premises, but you can't sit down to eat your newly purchased food. Even outside they have taken away the tables and chair, so we had to sit on benches in the children's play area. It just seems crazy to me, that you can't sit together, even if it's socially distanced, because surely the virus is more likely to be dispersed in the open air and particularly when there's a fairly strong wind, as there was on this occasion, and it blew away the tops of our cardboard cups we had our tea in, as well as other paper. Understandable if you're inside as the virus would be more likely to be able to spread as the air will be still and such things as ventilation would help it's spread. I just think it's petty bureaucracy in some cases. But we have to just live with all this, unfortunately.

The government has seen fit to vote on a further six months extension of the lockdown legislation. Which takes us up until around August before they are likely to abandon the lockdown altogether. But we are now being told there is a THIRD WAVE of the virus on the continent of Europe. 

Coming back home afterwards from the walk I was amazed by the blossom coming out all around Milton Keynes, especially along Brickhill Street and Chaffron Way. The May, or hawthorn, mostly white, but some pink, and a variation of pink and white, in-between, looking something like clouds. Quite spectacular. No doubt the warmer weather has bought it out. The may referred to William Shakespeare as 'the darling buds of may', in sonnet 18.

I've been out will Alfie It's blowing a gale and it almost blows you off your feet. I thought it a good idea to go out as it had gone very dark and the clouds were gathering . . . sounds ominous and a bit like the opening of some story, probably set in 1939 and 'the storm clouds were gathering over Europe. Poland had been invaded and the chance of war was likely . . . etc etc.' There was even a film called 'The Gathering Storm,' which was about that very piece of history. I have an idea that it was a BBC film, but I can't be sure of that.

Things Can Only Get Better. Or Can They?

Today (Tuesday 23rd March 2021) is the first anniversary of the original lockdown. It hardly seems possible that we'd still be held in the grip of this 'thing.' We're now being told that the rate of infections and deaths in Europe (does that mean the EU?) is increasing, and there's the threat of a third wave of covid-19. Please can we stop running away from this thing and just get on with releasing us all from the prison of lockdown? So can things get better? One would hope so.

I went to Sainsbury's this morning, around 7.45. There were very few other customers so it was easier to get in and out quickly. It helps to have a shopping list and stick to that. There were no people on the manned check-out tills. I don't mind using the self-service tills, but I often think if you don't use the manned tills, supermarkets will see this as an excuse to not keep staff working on the manned tills. 

It's really sunny this afternoon. Warm enough to not have to wear a jacket? I'm not so sure, but getting that way. The daffodils are almost completely out on the grass walking down Strudwick Drive. 

(Wednesday) Not a great deal going on here, but no surprise in that.

Being told on BBC Breakfast that we are likely to get the 'Third Wave' of the coronavirus in Britain. Surely we just need to clamp down on people going abroad and not taking the restrictions seriously, such as quarantining. Let's just hope we can keep this thing out and keep things aiming for a complete removal of lockdown by the summer, if not earlier.

I've had a text message from the NHS to book my second Astra Zeneca covid-19 vaccination. I could have followed the link in the text message, but though it probably better to ring my surgery and got an appointment for Saturday morning at 10.10a.m., so that means once that's done, I should be a little less likely to catch this wretched virus. 

I keep on getting mail for tenants who have lived in this flat. You would have thought that, if and when you moved to a new address, you would take the time and effort to set up a redirection with the Post Office so that your mail is delivered to your new address. I did this when I moved from the house in Eaglestone. It was a simple process, done on line, for a reasonable cost and I had it for around 6 months, by which time all  my post caught up with me at the new address (I have to admit that my Driving Licence didn't get changed, as regarding my new address. But that is now rectified and my new licence arrived the other day, only after some considerable effort on my behalf. I got another piece of post the other day. It arrived late, I think around 2.30pm., which was a bit of a surprise (I have noticed post comes later and later. Possibly caused by the pandemic, but I'm not sure about that.) Anyway, I opened it. But unfortunately it wasn't addressed to me. Well, if it's come through my letterbox I assume it's for me and I will open it. As I have had post sent to a house in Dexter Avenue and not Dexter House, I thought it must have been for that address, so I went over to that house but the gentleman who lives there told me it wasn't for him and that the name of the former tenant which was on the envelope had moved away years ago. Well, it must have been some while ago as I've moved here a good eighteen months ago, more or less. So, what to do with this post? I could just chuck it in the bin, but no, I handed it to the SHO, Barbara, and she can give it to the postman who can send it wherever such post goes (probably in a bin! I only jest.)

Another Week In Lockdown

What more can I say? I have no idea what this week will bring, so we'll simply have to wait and see.

They are now saying (by the way, who is 'they'? Some scientist of government minister?) that wearing face-coverings and social distancing is likely to continue 'for years.' Please, don't let this be true. Our lives have been wrecked enough by this wretched pandemic, being expected to suffer in total isolation for over a year and now this. I can't believe people want this life to continue, if you can even call it 'life,' because it doesn't seem anything like life as it should be lived.

(Sunday) Currently watching something on ITV called 'All Star Musicals,' similar as regards format to 'Strictly Come Dancing', but without the idiotic clapping of the audience. Celebrities (I really can't stand anything with the title 'celebrity' in the title.) have to perform a number from a musical, not just sing in some cases, but dance, and usually with a dance chorus. For instance, Robert Rinder (Judge Rinder) singing 'Be Our Guest', from Disney's 'Beauty and The Beast', Bradley Walsh's son Barney, singing 'Flash, Bang Wallop' from the musical 'Half A Sixpence', (he's very like his dad, by the way.) and  Ranj Singh, the doctor who appears on ITV's 'Good Morning' programme and singing 'Come What May', from 'Moulin Rouge. They are all mentored by musical diva, Elaine Paige. I have a feeling the orchestra is the same that provide the music for the dancers in 'Strictly,' and the whole thing is compered by the ever-present John Barrowman. There is a judging panel and they give each 'act' a score out of ten (similar to 'Strictly' but without the nastiness of some of the judges on that show.) I'm thinking this is the sort of show we need at the moment something to cheer people up. And then Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber comes on promoting his new musical, 'Cinderella', with a performance of 'I Know I have A Heart', sung by Carrie Hope-Fletcher. This being the first time this song has been performed on national television. I won't spoil the result  for those who haven't seen this and might have either recorded it or watching on catch-up, I thought the way the result was given was rather lacking suspense. No build-up, no short list of possible winners, contestants being voted off or the sort of suspense of the announcement. Just read out the over-all winner. Rather a damp squib in my opinion. In fact, why do we need the contest element in the first place?  I have given this much thought as it why this show was very shallow and didn't seem to work. With 'Strictly Come Dancing' you get the contestant's journey, over several weeks and months. They develop their dancing skills, and it's that more than anything which drives the show and what makes it half worth watching (not that I am a fan by the way.)  The build-up to the final result is given some sort of emotional journey. Then the big reveal, giving a heightened sense of 'arrival.' 'All Star Musicals' seemed rushed and it didn't seem to work with only one episode. I have a feeling most of this was due to having to obey lockdown regulations, social distancing etc etc. By the way, in the glimpses of the rehearsals, the dancers had face coverings. Why were none worn in later sequences? And virtually no regard for social distancing? Can we just have entertainment on it's own, as we used to have in the dim and distant past? Just think of the Saturday evening entertainment we had in the 1960's and into the 1970s, such as 'The Two Ronnies.' I suspect it's to do with the cost. Having writers come up with scripts, rehearsals, general studio time etc etc. A contest is presumably a good deal cheaper, with no re-takes etc etc.

(Monday) It has actually been quite sunny and mild today. Daffodills coming out all around Oldbrook Green. I think you can safely say that spring has arrived!

I attempted to ignore Alfie staring at me and poking me with his paw as I lay on my bed. If I let him he will jump on me when I lay flat on the bed and stares at my face. It's actually quite difficult to ignore for any length of time. If I ask him, he will stare at the front door and bark noisily. I get the message and I have to take him out for a walk. Sniffing every blade of grass and leaf as we walk along Strudwick Drive. As we come out of the side door from Dexter House (which, by the way, is being exceptionally difficult to open, necessitating an almighty shove from me, which dislodges the catch.) there are two hi-vis council employees (probably not, come to think of it. They have 'Serco'' emblazoned on the back of their jackets.) they both had rubbish bags in their hands and were picking up litter with tongs with long handles. It's crazy that the council has to employ people to clear up litter, dropped by idiots who should know better.

The EU (who? That lot messing up Europe.) expects Britain to give them some of our vaccines as they completely messed up their own supplies. Are we going to roll over and give them to them? I don't think so. And now they are saying their coronavirus infections and deaths are increasing, whilst ours are falling. I just hope we don't get this 'third wave' in this country or it will scupper our 'roadmap' out of lockdown. They are also threatening (key word here: threatening.) to band exports of some vaccine to Britain. What sort of organisation has it become? Why can't we just pull together and SHARE such things as vaccines in the middle of a pandemic? Thank goodness we left the EU.

Hi Diddle Ho Hum Diddley!

(Friday) 3.40p.m.  I can't think of a title for this blog post, so came up with the ridiculous effort you find here. Sorry it's so idiotic, but there you are! Do I care? Absolutely not!

Just listening to music on Alexa (by the way is Alexa male or female? Just a thought. It sounds vaguely female, but if you ask 'her' she doesn't seem to know.) As I was idly minding my own business, as one does when you listen to music, there was a 'clunk' as something was thrust through my letter box. I got up to find out what it was, and it turned out to be a copy of 'The Phone Book.' Something I haven't seen in years. Is this what the Telephone Directory has become? This rather thin and nondescript book? Not what I remember the Telephone Directory to be. What happened to Yellow Pages? Or Thompson's Directory. I have a glance inside and it's just advertising. Such businesses as drainage contractors, electrical engineers, plumbers, television aerial installers, advertisements for chair lifts and goodness knows what else. I was somewhat amused by the fact that if you get stuck down a cave you can be rescued if you dial 999. Seems a bit odd, because I can think of no caves to get stuck in and need rescuing from in Milton Keynes or thereabouts, but I suppose if you should need rescuing it's good to know you can call to get rescued. Also, coastguard, similarly, if you ring 999. But I don't know how far Milton Keynes is from the coast, but you'd be hard pressed to find a coastline anywhere in this vicinity. Must be at least 90 if not 100 miles if going east. Not sure if going west. Likewise, mountain rescue. Oh well, it's good to know you can be rescued from these areas if needed. 

I just can't believe that the Telephone Book still exists. I don't honestly think I have missed it or even think I've had any use for it, particularly since if you need a telephone number you just go on Google, if you need a plumber or someone to sort out your central heating boiler or MoT your car. As it is, the current copy which was thrust through my letterbox is likely to end up in the recycling. I just wonder if everyone who lives in Dexter House also got a copy, and if not, why did I get a copy. I do have a landline telephone, but not with BT. You used to get a telephone directory in the days when the only telephone provider was British Telecom or, before it was privatised, it was part of the Post Office and you automatically got a copy when you were a customer. That's a good many years ago. The Yellow Pages and Telephone Directory lived next to the telephone and one or the other probably sat UNDER the telephone, one of those old fashioned Bakelite models, black, with a dial (how many children today have any recollection of this type of telephone? Probably none. It had a cord that connected to a point somewhere nearby and this cord, brown, many-stranded, got twisted, because people used to play with it as they talked. In a separate room, which was cold and crafty. Such are  the memories. With a mobile phone you can call from more or less anywhere, inside or out, and have no end of apps, for Twitter, Facebook etc. Also, the Telephone Book or Telephone Directory used to be inches thick. This pathetic effort is thin and rather weedy. Just not very good somehow or other. Do people have their phone numbers in such directories? I my landline number in this? I'll have to have a look. Also, the Yellow Pages was also fairly substantial. I seem to remember at one time I delivered them around the village where I used to live. A car-load of Yellow Pages took up a lot of space, and they were heavy! Try carrying a load of them around with you and then depositing them at each house as you pass! 

(Saturday) I've just got back from taking Alfie out (10.50a.m.) We had gone out for our fist walk at about 6.10a.m. As we walked around Oldbrook Green, Alfie stopping around every couple of yards to have a good old sniff, I found an object laying in the grass. I had to have a closer inspection and it turned out to be a Casio calculator. I wasn't sure if it was working. Having picked it up (probably not such a good thing to do, on reflection, considering covid-19.) It did work, so I decided to keep it and put it in my jacket pocket. No doubt a student from MK College or Milton Keynes Academy dropped it. Oh well, their loss is my gain. Having got it home in the flat, I have wiped it with alcohol wipe, so it should be safe from any viruses or bacteria. I have wanted a calculator for some while, so here it is. Looking on line to discover it must be worth at least £20.

I've just heard the most appalling piece of news, about an 82-year-old woman who lives in sheltered housing in Charlton Kings, near Cheltenham, who decided to have a cup of tea outside with a friend, and some jobsworth (I can think of a worse word here, but I won't.) who had to telephone the police, who turned up at approximately 9.45p.m. The lady was IN BED, to tell her she was BREAKING THE LAW! She was FINED, apparently, which makes this even worse. I trust she gets some sort of apology for such outrageous behaviour.This lady had recently had the vaccine and she and the neighbour were sitting socially distancing outside. What is going on here? It smacks of something out of some dystopian novel or even satire. It hardly sounds real. The person who snitched on her should be ashamed of themselves! Not worthy of the name 'good neighbour.' Why on earth do we have such idiotic legislation which allows this sort of thing? Makes me think it's more like Nazi Germany..We really have a totalitarian regime in power. I would never have believed it if it wasn't real. In fact, if you were to write it into a novel, people would say 'that's not real. It would never happen,' but, unfortunately, it is real. PLEASE don't let this sort of nonsense happen again and PLEASE repeal this crazy legislation IMMEDIATELY! The police had no ID, apparently, and the lady was quite deaf! The whole thing is OUTRAGEOUS! What would have happened if they'd dragged the poor old, deaf lady was clapped in irons, handcuffs, and put in a Black Maria and taken off to be put in the slammer. This whole thing has bought out the absolute worst in people (but more nice and kind, mind you.) I think people have lost the plot. It must be the effect of being confined they way we have been for more than a year. Sounds like something out of some crazy comedy to me or even a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta.

Life, The Universe and Something or Other . . .

(Thursday) My hair is in need of being cut. I can't remember when it was last cut. I know so many businesses are closed due to the confounded coronavirus lockdown, but going without this necessity means my hair is getting really annoying. Under normal circumstances I would have it cut around every 4-6 weeks. I have booked an appointment for 14th April through Central Barbers website. Paid and booked, so all I have to do on the day is merely turn up on time. Don't even have to worry about payment as it's done. A good deal easier and you don't have to wait. I think in the future I shall keep doing this.

Later. I turn on the television with the expectation of watching the latest edition of The Repair Shop, when the announcer says ‘there’s a change to our schedule with another coronavirus press conference.’ My heart sinks, as I really don’t need to listen to the doom mongers droning on relentless. Pointless is transferred to BBC2, but I just switch off the television instead.

I've signed up to a streaming service, much like Netflix, called 'BroadwayHD,' which works through my Fire Stick. As a result of the pandemic lockdown, which means that all live theatres have been closed, I am more than delighted to be able to enjoy recorded theatre performances through this service. I have already enjoyed a performance of Noel Coward's sparkling comedy, 'Private Lives,' and I'm currently watching the RSC's amazing nine-hour version of 'Nicholas Nickleby' which was one of the earliest productions shown on Channel 4 when it opened in 1982. I did watch it then, but am so glad to be able to revisit it now. Ideal material to enjoy, done in 9 parts and a definite binge-worthy piece of theatre or television.

(Friday)12.55a.m. I've woken up. The usual thing, wander to the toilet. I can hear the wind whistling around the building. It's quite an odd sound. No rain, as far as I can tell. I hope it stays dry, but somehow I doubt it. Alfie comes into the bedroom to find a comfortable space next to me. Then I get a sudden urge to cough. I've had this annoying cough for some while, and I'm more than certain that it's caused by one of the medications I'm on, one of the side-effects. Having done a search on-line, I find that it is one of the side-effects. I bought Robitussin, a cough syrup, in Lloyd's in Sainsbury's and it seems to keep it in check so I've just taken a dose, finishing off one bottle and I have another in reserve.

I had to order atorvastatin, one of my medications. I realised when I did my evening meds that the one I took yesterday evening was the last one, so I went on the appropriate app on my iPad and ordered it. I was more than a bit surprised to find a text message from Lloyd's pharmacy telling me the meds were ready to collect this morning so I went to Sainsbury's, where Lloyd's pharmacy is to pick it up. I did a bit of shopping, milk in particular. I parked as normal in the underground carpark (that's not actually correct. It isn't 'underground,' It's underneath the store.) Usually the moving walkway or travelator (I've spent some time on Google trying to find the right word for this.) whisks you up to the store, along with the annoying voice which keeps on telling you that you must 'stand still and hold onto the rail' or whatever it is and reminds you to 'push your trolley off the walkway,' rather like some teacher taking to a classroom full or rather dim primary school-age children. As if you're going to forget to push your trolley 'off the walkway,.' What do they expect you to do, crash onto the floor in a heap? It is somewhat patronising. Never mind. Enough digression. The aforementioned walkway wasn't operating as it should (it seems the lifts and walkway in Sainsbury's has a habit of failing when it shouldn't.) So it was odd walking up the walkway when it wasn't moving. 

When I had finished my shopping, I paid, having used a self-service till (getting quite good at using these things by now, and the thing seemed to work perfectly!) I pushed my trolley towards the top of the travelator and almost got on it, as a member of staff stopped me, so I had to go down in a lift to the carpark. It's virtually impossible to go down on the travelator with a trolley when it's not running, because the wheels get caught in the grooves on the surface and you can't move the trolley off until you get to the bottom.

Another Day Older

(Tuesday) Today is the first anniversary of the beginning of the first lockdown bought in as an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Covid 19. And what a year it has been! It's no exaggeration to say it has had an enormous impact on life in the United Kingdom, although why on earth Scotland and Wales, and possibly Northern Ireland, have different rules and regulations I can't understand. Surely it would be better to have all of the rules and regulations the same throughout the United Kingdom because some people would live in one country, for example, Scotland, but work over the border in England. Nicola Sturgeon would have different rules just to be awkward and because she doesn't like the English and wants desperately to be independent. I should leave it at that and not get into a debate on the pros and cons of Scottish independence.

It's turned out relatively mild today. Thank goodness the wind has calmed down.

I've got to really enjoy a great television show on BBC1 which has been running for a couple of years. I think it began on BBC2, but because it become so popular those in charge of these things at the BBC decided it ought to reach a wider audience, so it transferred to BBC1. It is usually on during daytime, at 4.30pm., where the latest season is currently and on every day during the week. It is also on during peak time, around 8p.m. on a Wednesday. What intrigued me today was an item which was bought into be repaired. a Kenwood Chef food mixer. My mother had one of these exact machines, being given one by my grandmother after she had been married for ten years. There was an earlier model, with a more rounded design, which was replaced by the more modern and squarer model. I do remember that the attachments, which included a mincer, juicer and a bean-slicer, worked on the original model, but when the later model came along the attachments wouldn't fit on the new model because the new model had metric screws, whilst the earlier model had imperial, so the attachments were somewhat redundant.

(Wednesday) 7.10a.m. Mild and dry this morning, but quite foggy nevertheless. I woke up and then went back to sleep and didn't wake up as I usually do and then immediately thought 'I ought to take Alfie Out!' and got dressed. I walked through to the lounge, at which point Alfie would normally have been barking and expecting me to slip the lead on his harness and take him out, tucked under my arm to carry him out, but he was asleep in his bed near the television, but as soon as I got close to him, it set him off on his usual noise.

2.16p.m. At last! After nearly seven months my Driving Licence arrived in the post this afternoon! Very late delivery I must say, but at least it's arrived and sorted out. I didn't think it would ever arrive and it still makes me wonder what on earth happened to the original Licence. Lost most likely.

Oh no! Yet another wretched Coronavirus press conference from Downing Street this afternoon. This means the BBC1 schedule is disrupted so there's no edition of The Repair Shop and Pointless moved to BBC2. I really don't want to have to endure another of these confounded doom-laden conferences, so I prefer to avoid them by watching BBC2 while I eat my evening meal.

(Thursday) Out with Alfie really early, just gone 6a.m. It's mild. Thankfully, none of that horrible wind and no sign of fog. So what does the day have in store? Probably the more of same.

Wild and Windy

 (Thursday) It's blowing a gale outside as I write this at 7a.m. I think even King Lear and his Fool would have had problems on that blasted heath, having to battle this wind. On BBC Breakfast's weather forecast they're saying in some parts of the country the wind speed is in excess of 85m.p.h.

(Friday) It's not as windy this morning, but still chilly.

Because I turned 70 in October I had to reapply for a new Driving Licence. It seemed that the easiest way to deal with this issue was to go to the D.V.L.A. (Driving Vehicle and Licence Agency) and apply there, which I did in September. I was expecting that it would arrive within days, but took into account the fact that they would be working with fewer staff in their office, due to the social distancing regulations for the pandemic. I still hadn't received it up until today, so I decided to try and sort out here it was, so I needed the reference number I was sent via an email and wrote it down, together with my Licence number and then had to find a number which I could ring to, hopefully, discover what was going on. This was extremely difficult to find on their website and when I rang it, I heard a recorded voice and then it ended which was of absolutely no help. I then discovered there was a 'chat bot' which seemed the only alternative to a phone call. It didn't take long to get an agent to respond and I explained what the problem was and it ended with being given another number to ring, which I did. Around a ten minute wait (and the music I had to listen really getting on my nerves.)and when I got through I again explained what my problem was and eventually got told that the licence had been posted out only days after I had applied. So, because I hadn't received the licence, I was informed that a fresh one would be mailed out within the next couple of days and if I didn't receive it to telephone again. I'm just worried that it could have been intercepted by criminals (no doubt someone would be looking out for what they believed would contain a driving licence) and use my data for fraudulent business, no doubt using my ID for illegal use, which is why I needed to get this issue sorted out.

(Saturday) Here I am at 3.20a.m., sitting with my MacBook on my lap, in my armchair in my lounge with the wind howling outside and not able to sleep. It just isn't going to happen so that explains why I'm writing this at the moment, even though there's not much to write about.

7.05a.m. It now not as windy, thankfully.

9.25a.m. I think I might have got the weather wrong. Been out with Alfie for the second time and it's actually as windy as ever. Perhaps it's because the side of the building my flat is, it's far more sheltered from the wind. It was bitterly cold and Alfie was keen to get back inside. The sun keeps on going in and out, as it disappears and reappears behind clouds.

Been into the Centre:MK, the main Milton Keynes shopping centre to meet up with my friend Nick who came over from Northampton by bus, where he lives. We were scheduled to meet at 11a.m. I had to take Alfie out before I left and then drove into the centre of Milton Keynes, parking in my usual car park near The Point. Very few cars so it was easy enough to park, probably because not all the shops in the centre are open. I put my face covering on because you have to wear one in the shopping centre and the shops within it. Big black crows everywhere as I walk through from the carpark. Puts me very much in mind of the Hitchcock film 'The Birds.' They're everywhere, on the ground, in the trees and perched on the roof of the bus shelters and other items of street furniture.

I walk towards Costa which is near Marks and Spencer to wait for Nick to arrive. There's nowhere to sit. All the seating has been removed within the shopping centre. The benches which are dotted around the place, which obviously couldn't be removed, gave been 'blocked' with boards informing you that the bench has been closed off because of social distancing. All right, but when you eventually need a rest from all the walking you have to do to get from one shop and the next, you do occasionally need to sit and rest. When Nick arrived we decided to walk to Starbucks to get coffee and something to eat. On arrival we had to queue as the store was busy, no doubt because it was a Saturday. I ordered a chocolate chip cookie latte and a ham and cheese toastie and we walked around to sit on benches outside near Marks and Spencers. A bit cold and windy but there was nowhere else to sit. A bit difficult to drink and eat walking along but that doesn't matter. We then went into Marks and Spencer, but we had to walk round to the entrance that came out opposite one of the malls. The escalators were not working but we soon realised that it was because non of the floors above were open and the men's department, which we wanted to visit, was on the ground floor and tucked away in a corner and out of the way (why are the men's departments in stores always hidden away and considerably smaller than those for women? It was like a jumble sale, no thought put into presentation and lots of items of clothing shoved on clothing racks. Not the usual Marks and Spencer way of doing things. Nick bought a shirt. I browsed but didn't see anything I liked in the sale.

Nick said he wanted to buy postage stamps, so we walked the length of the shopping centre and crossed over the road going towards the theatre and when we got to the post office we found there was a queue to get in. We had to wait around ten minutes before we could get inside. From there we walked back into the shopping centre to use the toilets and then I walked back to my car because by now all the walking had made me tired and we departed, me to drive home and Nick to remain and then catch his bus back to Northampton

(Monday) Rather cold and windy this morning, which I was not expecting when I took Alfie out earlier. this morning. I've managed to transcribe quite a few pages into word processing, using the speech-to-text function on the iPad. It certainly speeds up the process, although I have to check spelling and some words get mis-heard.

A Glimmer of Light

Yesterday (Sunday 7th March) would have been Carol's 57th birthday. Just doesn't seem possible that she's been gone for over two years. I posted some photographs of her on Facebook. Have plenty and it was difficult selection  to choose those that were the best. 

So, what does the new week bring?

Well, to be honest, probably much the same as last week and the week before and back to around the beginning of all these confounded lockdowns. But there is a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.

(Monday) I've written a considerable amount more and by now I ought to transcribe it into word processing. More editing, but that's to be expected.

The workmen are busily doing whatever it is they're doing around Dexter House. As I write this, at 1.35p.m., there is a very loud sound immediately outside my front door, of what I suspect is an electric drill, a hole being made for whatever purpose I have really no idea. I just wish someone would warn me well in advance, as it is extremely loud and might mean I can't get out until it's finished. Alfie really doesn't like it and he's staring at the door. Any sudden sharp noises he starts barking, so you can imagine what he's like at the moment. I just hope it stops soon.

Later. I've been out with Alfie. I waited until the drilling stopped and then stuck my head out of the door and all the noise was to install new emergency lighting. I think they will be a good deal more effective than the old ones. I just hope that is all the noise for today. I should have spoken (or written) so soon, as there is more drilling going on elsewhere. Oh well! Just have to ignore it.

(Tuesday) The new emergency lights are far more effective than the old ones. It's like daylight and because those outside my front door are on all night (and day, it would seem.) the light comes through my front door and it's almost like having daylight streaming in. Almost pure white light contrasted with the rather yellowy light of the old lights and similar to the light from the reading lamp I bought on Amazon. I think they must be LCD (light emitting diode) lights but not entirely sure.

(Wednesday) I've been out with Alfie as usual and it was cold and wet! Quite a strong wind blowing.

I've just realised that the new ceiling lights along the corridor as I go out are operated by motion sensors! I wasn't sure, but I'm certain. I couldn't understand what the strange clicking was as I walked along the corridor, and now realise that was what it was and the whole array of ceiling lights come on as I passed under them. I suppose it's a good way to save electricity so they don't have to be on all the time and especially when there's nobody around.

I had to wait in this morning because there was an electrician coming from Mears, the company which does the maintenance around Dexter House. Apparently someone was supposed to come a few weeks ago, but unfortunately I forgot, so the appointment was rearranged for today. I wasn't sure what time they would arrive, and someone rang me yesterday to ask me if I'd had covid or had interacted with someone infected by the virus, but I said I hadn't. The window I was given when he would arrive was from 8-12pm, so I couldn't go out. Fortunately he arrived at around 10.30 and what he was going was putting in new fire and carbon monoxide alarms. They can be tested from a remote gadget and as it is I can reach them as I'm tall enough to touch them to test them. One in the entrance, another in the kitchen and another in the sitting room. Poor Alfie had to be shut in the bedroom as it was safer for all concerned and it meant he could sleep on the bed and it would explain why I din't hear a single peep out of him the whole time. So, at least that's done and dusted.

Today he weather has changed considerably. From being really mild and spring-like, today it is a good deal colder, wet and windy. I took Alfie out when I'd been to Sainsbury's (a good deal later than I would normally, due to the fact the electrician came to sort out the fire alarms. Incidentally, why wasn't one put in the bedroom? Or the bathroom if it comes to that?) Once I'd come home and put the shopping away (four bags, and considerably more than I usually buy, but I have several week's worth of food, so I shouldn't have to go shopping for quite a while.) I had a short rest and then took Alfie out, but he didn't want to go far because it was raining, although not particularly heavily.

What On Earth's Happening?

 (Saturday) I've managed to write some more. I always seem to get ideas when I take Alfie out and we're walking around Oldbrook Green. Charles Dickens was supposed to have gone on long walks and at these times he came up with ideas for his writing, so I must be in good company in that respect. I suppose it's because your mind is free from other daily pressures and it's usually quiet. I also seem to come up with ideas when I go to bed and then I have to get up and write the idea down before it gets lost or merely forgotten. Perhaps I should start a new notebook and write things down in that.

I really think some of the lockdown restrictions are really out of order. When two perfectly innocent women, who went for a socially distanced walk somewhere in the Derbyshire Peak District get stopped by police and given a caution and possibly fined is going too far. Not going to spread the virus in any way and they were supposed to have drunk take-away coffees in their cars in a carpark or something is not going to infringe anybody's space. Also, a journalist stopped by police somewhere in London and going for a walk on his own and stopped by police and told to go home is sheer madness. It would appear that the police were more than over-stepping their mark and should have been doing more serious work, such as catching criminals. This whole thing has been exaggerated and to be honest is an infringement of human rights. And what gets me is that British people are just putting up with this sort of thing. Without question. A bit scary if you ask me. I never thought I would see the day when people would allow their basic liberties would be infringed. Without question. When you realise how easily the German nation was easily taken over by Hitler's Nazi government in the 1930's, and it was all perfectly legal, then you begin got wonder how easily it could happen here. Apparently the police later decided that the two women weren't going to be fined £200 and apologised. But it's still really over-the-top.

I had spaghetti bolognaise for my evening meal. Alfie sits on the sofa looking at me and expecting to get something from my plate, as usual. He had already had his dinner, but that didn't seem to deter him from getting something from me. I gave in and took a bit of spaghetti off my plate and gave it to him. It disappeared rapidly and made me think of a bird eating a worm! I gave him several scraps to eat, which he gobbled down greedily. I had some spaghetti and the sauce left on my plate when I'd finished eating and gave the plate to Alfie to eat. I wasn't expecting him to like the sauce, as it was fairly spicy, but he ate it ravenously and I had to take the plate off him as I wasn't sure if he should eat any more as it was likely to be far too rich for him and possibly make him sick, so I took it off to the kitchen. For a little dog, he certainly has a good appetite! Watching him eating the spaghetti put me in mind of the Walt Disney animated film 'Lady and The Tramp.' I'm thinking of the famous scene where the two dogs are at an Italian restaurant and eat a plate of meat balls and spaghetti and at one point they eat the same strand of spaghetti and with each dog on the end, as they eat the spaghetti they get drawn together. It must be one of the most memorable scenes in any Disney animation. Corny and probably a bit of a cliché, but it's extremely well done.

Lockdown Easing?

 (Wednesday) Another mild day but not particularly sunny. I can't think of a great deal to write on here at the moment, but I'm sure I will have something as the day progresses. Oh, I have something! I had one of those irritating telephone calls on my mobile. I'm more than certain that it was a scam. A woman who couldn't make up her mind to speak as soon as I picked up the call. She said I could buy a tablet or phone at a discount. I don't want either, as I already have an iPhone and iPad, so that's the end of that. What I want to know is, where do these people get my telephone number from? How do they know my name? Makes me wonder.

(Thursday) Yesterday I had a surprise. The cabinet I had ordered from Amazon actually arrived! Having contacted the company who sold the item via Amazon, I think they made an effort to get me the item quickly, which they did and I began constructing it yesterday evening and I finished it off this morning. I now have to remove the red IKEA coffee table which I have beside my armchair and put the new cabinet in it's place. It is taller and considerably higher than the table and has a drawer and shelf which means I can store things inside it. As I write this the cabinet awaits it's new position in the room.

(Friday) It's a bit difficult to either write or record at the moment as there are workmen in the adjacent flat making a noise, doing goodness knows what, but with power drills and something else which is making a din. It's not entirely conducive to writing and certainly not for recording, so I will hold off on both until it's quiet. A lot of heavy footsteps up and down the stairs which also doesn't help. I hope all this will finish soon so I can return to writing and recording (which I haven't done in a while, so I have packed up the microphone.)

The coronavirus restrictions are to be relaxed over he next few months, but it doesn't look like it will all be removed any day soon, even with infection rates and deaths declining from what they were a few months ago. I think the issue is that we've been stuck in this 'limbo,' (for want of a term to describe it, but in a sense that's exactly what it is.) for so long, will people prefer the 'safety' of being in isolation in favour of being able to lead a 'normal' life (ie: as lead pre covid pandemic lockdown.)

11.15p.m. Just come back from taking Alfie out. Very insistent that he gets his walk. Staring at me again as I attempt to read. We go out through the door directly into Strudwick Drive. I have put some WD-40 on the lock and other moving pars of the door. (For those who don't know what WD-40 is, it is a light oily substance which comes in a spray can and can be used to ease metal objects such as seized-up locks and protects from damp in your car. I used it on the electric cables on my old cars, from the spark plugs etc, especially when it's cold or damp weather. I believe it's made in Milton Keynes, so if so it's a very local product.) Noticeably considerably colder, but still clear and dry. As we walked along the path towards Oldbrook Green, I saw a pair of horses, the riders in bright day-glow green jackets, also, the horses had similarly coloured coats on. As I got closer I realised they were police horses. They crossed over from the Green and went along Strudwick Drive. I think they must have been going back to their paddock which is along Chaffron Way and can be seen as you drive past.

Intrigued by a red sign on a tree as we came back round to re-cross Oldbrook Boulevard. I went to read it and saw it said 'Keep away: Rodent poison.' I could see within the bushes one of the rodent boxes which are set up to poison rats. I have seen one or two as they scuttle past us on our walk around the Green. They always say that you're always no more than six feet from a rat, which I can well believe.

(Saturday) Just another weekend. Going to have to just let it flow free and watch the world go by . . .it's another mild and relatively sunny day. Not more I can say on the weather at the moment.

Spring-like Weather

(Saturday) It's a really sunny and bright morning. There are even more flowers thrusting their way through the soil. Not just snowdrops, daffodils (though I don't reckon all of them are technically daffodils) but also what look vaguely like bluebells and violets and there are catkins on some of the willow bushes (I imagine they must be because willows have catkins) and there is blossom coming out on the May trees. Well, I think they're May trees or Hawthorn. Since looking via Google I learn that they are one and the same.

(Saturday) From bright and sunny yesterday to being chilly and foggy this morning. I imagine that it will burn off if and when the sun comes out.

(Sunday) Another foggy morning. It hadn't burnt off when I went out with Alfie around 9.15.

I've seen several of the little robotic 'pods' over the last few days. One crossing over Strudwick Drive from the path leading to the primary school. It waited at the kerbside to cross over. How on earth do these things 'know' when it's safe for them to cross the road? I presume they have some sort of sensor which can tell when something or someone is close. But how far away? It then crossed the road and went in the direction of Fishermead. For some unexplained reason I can't use this service as they won't take orders within Oldbrook. Which seems odd, when I see these 'pods' going through the estate. I saw another one further down Oldbrook Boulevard, crossing from Oldbrook Green towards the school. I would like to order something just to give it a try. A newspaper of some sweets. Just seems ridiculous when they come through Oldbrook.

(Monday) Another Monday and a new month. I find it really hard to believe that we're three months into 2021. Christmas, such as it was, seems lightyears behind. It's cold out, and there's a thin fog hanging over Milton Keynes. I imagine it will burn off when, or if, the sun breaks through.

Later. I have managed to transfer all my handwritten material into word processing. I have used speech to text, which saves a good deal of time, as I merely read it out and it appears in more or less perfect word processed text. Mind you, it has a habit of mistaking some words and I need to check it, but apart from that, a few tweeks here and there and it's done. Around 27 pages and 7,000 words.

We're now being informed that there's yet ANOTHER virus variant. So? What do you expect me to do about it? If we keep on running away from this 'virus', in whatever form it's in, we'll never get out of lockdown. We should get some form of herd immunity as we do with any virus, be it from flu or other winter bugs that are flying about. You can't keep running away from it forever. I'm sure mankind has been able to survive for thousands of years with various viruses and bacteria. I remember my mother exposed us to all manner of bugs when we were children, having every sort of ailment going, from flu through mumps (not nice, I can tell you.) so we got through all those illnesses when we were young and built up an immunity. Also, living on a farm exposed us to dirt and muck and must have helped up build up immunity. As it is, today we're far to obsessed with cleanliness, anti bacterial this and that, which, in the end, does more harm than good. Killing off the natural flora which the body needs to fight infection. Look what has happened in hospitals with MRSA, the over-use of antibiotics such as penicillin and other similar drugs.

(Tuesday) A relatively mild morning with no fog. We were out around 6.30, which is great, because it's getting lighter earlier and earlier each morning. Very spring-like. Not much else to report at the moment.