Is It Over And Out?

Monday. 6.00 a.m. So, Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health, has resigned over breaking social distancing regulations that he helped set up. All due because he was caught kissing his aide which was caught on CCTV camera. It wasn't necessarily the kiss that has caused the uproar, but the fact that they were in a clinch and obviously breaking the social distancing regulations. All this makes a mockery of the rules on this and is like rubbing our faces in the dirt, those of us who have gone along with what we've been told, kept strictly to the rules. It's a certain hypocrisy  amount of which is so unbelievable, a case of 'do as I say, but not as I do.' So, it would seem it's definitely 'over and out' for Hancock. The question everyone is asking, was he pushed, or did he jump? 

Well, that's over. Can we now get on with our lives? No, you can't. You've got to be good and do as you're told. Or you'll be arrested and have to pay a fine.

I was surprised that it was raining when we went out at 5.50 a.m. Alfie didn't stay outside too long when he realized it was raining. 

I'm currently watching the recent BBC1 adaptation of 'Les Miserables', the version which was shown over Christmas and New Year 2019. It's adapted by Andrew Davies who has made a successful career out of adaptations for television of classic novels, including the 1995 'Pride and Prejudice', which had Colin Firth as Mr. Darcey in it and has become the definitive version of that novel. Having seen the musical version on stage twice, once in the West End at the Place Theatre and then two years ago when the touring version visited Milton Keynes as well as seeing the 2012 film adaptation as well as reading the Victor Hugo novel (some 1500 pages or so.) I think I know the story very well. This is a more faithful version that has six hours to tell the story and can therefore go a good deal deeper than a 3-hour stage or film musical can possibly manage. 

Tuesday. 6.45 a.m. Another somewhat overcast day. It seemed dry enough when I took out Alfie for his usual walk.

Still in Groundhog Day. Now that Hancock has gone as Health Secretary we have a replacement, Sajid Javid, former Chancellor of The Exchequer. His approach to the pandemic is a good deal less 'Nanny State' and insists that we return to near-enough normality on 19th July. Thank goodness! I just hope that we can at least not have to wear face coverings and social distancing is either entirely removed or somehow relaxed in some way.

Wednesday. 6.00 a.m. I was out with Alfie around 5.30 this morning. Well, if you're awake and you have a very lively Yorkie that's got a need to go out, why not just go for it? Not warm, but still mild and fairly pleasant.

There was a certain amount of noise coming from The Cricketers (well, I presume it was there.) as I did washing up yesterday evening. I think it was because England had just beaten Germany in their game in the Euro football game. I'm not interested in football, as you will have realized if you follow my blog posts. But it's good that there's something positive to give people a lift after near enough eighteen months of lockdown and misery which it's caused. The outside of this pub has been decorated with flags of all nations in celebration of this football competition and certainly adding a touch of colour to the area around Chadwick Drive and Oldbrook Boulevard.

I have a new iPhone 12 arriving sometime today! My contract with Sky Mobile has finished and because Sky had a very good deal on iPhones (other mobiles are available, even if they're not as good as iPhones!) I decided it was too good to miss. I won't be paying much more per month than I am currently with around the same amount of data. I will return the old iPhone 7 back to Sky and get a credit on my new contract and, with the data I have used each month 'rolls over' and can be used to get a discount on the contract. So getting excited about it arriving. Red iPhone 12. Now I have the fun of transferring the SIM card from the old mobile into the new iPhone, which isn't difficult but very fiddly getting that tiny little chip into the little tray that slides out of the side of these mobiles. This is because I will be keeping my phone number as I really don't want to change it. I ordered a case for the new case which had arrived in the post from Amazon. I always get cases for my various gadgets because I want to look after them. My iPad and this MacBook air which this is being written on have their own cases. If you're going to buy expensive gadgets, then it makes sense to me to keep them in good condition.

Life's Little Mysteries

This blog post is the 1550th. I can't believe that I have managed to reach this landmark. I know a lot of what I write on his is just mundane, but I bet Samuel Pepys, who kept a diary, had days when he had to write mundane things to keep his famous journal alive, and just think how valuable that has become to historians, giving a vivid insight into life in London between 1660 and 1669, which included mention of the Great Plague, which in some ways reflects with the current covid-19 pandemic and lockdown. He also mentioned the Great Fire of London. What a time to live through! Can the same be said of this current time? Maybe not, but someone in, say, 200 years will be intrigued by all this.

Why is it, when you do washing, you almost always find one sock that doesn't get washed and is left alone in the basket when you've started the machine? By which time it's too late for it to go into the machine because you can't open the door to put it in? Again, why is it when you do washing up (incidentally, I don't have a washing-up machine, so it has to be done by hand.) there's invariably one or two items of cutlery, usually teaspoons, which get left at the bottom of the washing up bowl once the job is over? Is it some freak of nature that these things happen? 

How many of you out there have trouble with child-proof bottles? They are usually how many medicines are packaged. I bought Robitussin cough syrup a few weeks ago. I think I told you I bought some in Boots (no, not that sort of Boots! I mean the high street chemists. Doh!) I really needed to open the bottle, but you really have to press down on the cap and twist to get it open. If I can't open the thing, what about someone who has arthritic hands or other problems with their hands. No chance of a child would be able to open the bottle. The same on the plastic box in which my washing gel tabs come in. I know you don't want your child to eat these things, but that box is difficult to open.

It's not just child-proof bottles. I had bought some raspberry jam a few days ago and when I came to open it, or at least I attempted to open it, I had real problems. I assume these bottles are put on and tightened by a machine. The only way I could open it was to stab the thing with a sharp knife, which released the pressure inside and the lid was then easy to open.

Why do those wretched television commercials for carpets and furniture have to have voice-overs that shout at you? Is it the only way they can communicate their lowbrow products to people who can't comprehend basic English? Brash, loud and totally horrible. It seems that some of the lesser digital channels have this sort of advertising because they can't get space on any of the other, mainstream channels. Then these companies have obvious names such as Carpets 4 Us or Oakwoodfurniture.co.uk Can't they come up with more original names. Oakland, I think it's the name of a furniture company, presumably sells furniture made of oak. Am I right? Why not call it MDF World or chipboard world. Would that put people off investing in such pieces of furniture. Well, IKEA furniture is made, generally, out of MCF and chipboard, but they don't make a big issue out of the fact. How about Put-it-together-yourself.com, or Flatpackworld.com.  Trymaypatience.com, when you find the instructions which come with the flatpack furniture extremely difficult to understand and when some of the bits go missing, like the screws or bolts which keep the whole thing together.

Just thinking of when they audition for the voice-overs for those furniture adverts where they shout. How does it work, do you think? Do they expect the voice-over actors to stand the opposite side of a field and shout? They wouldn't have to have amplification. Why not get someone like Brian Blessed to do it instead? He has a voice that's so loud he wouldn't need a microphone and if he did, his voice would probably break the recording equipment.

Have A Nice Day!

Tuesday. 10.55 a.m. Alfie and I were out by 5.45 this morning. I think the mild weather is having a positive effect on us both. I'm not one to lounge about when it's mild and sunny. I was bought up on a farm and work usually started early and I would never be allowed to stay in bed, even if I wanted to. My mother would never allow us to stay in the house during the day when it was the summer holidays. Even the thought of daytime television (which wasn't introduced until the 1980s.) would have been heard of. And anyway, there was always something to do outside to keep us occupied.

I had to do some shopping. Running low on stuff like milk, breakfast cereal, and dog food. I can't have Alfie going without his dinner. I have been eating more fruit since lockdown. I have an apple and a couple of what they call 'easy peelers', which are small oranges, which, as the name implies, are easier to peel than ordinary oranges. Some are better than others. It's a case of 'you pay your money and make your choice. Some are juicy and sweet, like the ones from Sainsbury or Waitrose, whilst others can be tasteless, bitter, and just pith. I got some doggy treats, some of which are supposed to keep Alfie's teeth clean and freshen his breath. I got to paying and decided on using a self-service till. The confounded thing was really playing up. It didn't want to play ball (not literally, you understand. It would be interesting to see one of these machines playing tennis or even football.) It wouldn't recognize that I'd put an item in the infamous bagging area, and on at least three occasions I had to get a member of staff to sort things out. I threatened the machine with Alexa. I didn't think it was impressed, that is, if a machine can have any sort of feelings. Really didn't take much notice as far as I was concerned.

Wednesday. 6.30 a.m. Yet another sunny and bright morning. Out before 6 o'clock once again. Let's see how the day develops before I write anything further.

Transcribing of my writing is going well. I just can't do more than about fifteen to twenty minutes at a time as it's quite intense, concentrating and working on the laptop keyboard, but it's getting there.

Thursday. 6.15 a.m. It's cooler this morning. A definite possibility of rain. I have an idea that I felt rain or at least a drop, so we're likely to get a downpour later in the day.

Later. 12.05 p.m. I'm not sure exactly what the weather is doing, but I don't think it's raining at the moment. I suppose that if I stuck my head out of the window I could find out, or just look outside, but at the moment I don't want to.

Friday. 6.25 a.m. I was surprised when I went out with Alfie at 5.45 to discover that there was light rain. As a result, Alfie didn't stay out for long. A couple of spots of rain and he turned tail and took me back indoors.

I've had some problems attempting to order a repeat prescription. I always make sure I don't run out and do a regular check because I know it can take a week for the whole process to go through. I can get my medication a good deal quicker and I get a text message from Lloyd's Pharmacy in Sainsbury's so that I can go and collect it. The problems started when I set up an account with something called Echo. The idea behind it is that you have an app on your phone or tablet and you set up an account, nominating your doctor's surgery and then put in your medication, and Echo, which is part of Lloyd's Pharmacy, will deliver your medication to your home, free of charge. I'm not sure whether it comes via post or whether they deliver via courier. I attempted to put in my medication but several didn't have the right dosage which I require, so I abandoned setting it up. Further problems came when I attempted to order a repeat prescription via the NHS app which I have been using successfully. I usually give at least a week so as to allow for the order to go through my doctor's surgery and then be sent on to Lloyds for them to make it up. I did this last Sunday when I realized that some medications were running low. When I didn't get a notification to say the order was ready for collection, I rang my doctor's surgery, Central Milton Keynes Medical Centre and they said that I couldn't order those particular medications as I had enough, according to their system. After several telephone calls to both Lloyd's and the surgery, I discovered that the repeat prescription had gone via Echo, which I thought had not been connected to the surgery. I imagined it had not linked to the surgery. Lloyd's have made sure that my repeat prescriptions will continue to be made up by them and I have since removed the Echo app from my iPad and through the app, I disconnected it from further connections with the surgery. I had thought that, because Echo was part of Lloyd's, the in-store pharmacy would make up my prescriptions, but that is not the case.

Saturday. 6.40 a.m. A somewhat unsettled day on the weather front. It was relatively dry when I was out with Alfie an hour ago, but I felt a slight drop of rain and Alfie scuttled back indoors when he must have felt a few drops of rain. I think we're in for a wet day head.

More transcribing. It's going really well and I'm making modifications as I go. I'm really pleased how it's going. The whole thing is over 28,000 words long.

Sunday. 6.45 a.m. A sort of undecided day. I'm nut sure whether it's going to rain, but I felt a few drops when I went out with Alfie around  6 o'clock this morning. It was slightly misty over the centre of Milton Keynes, but it will burn away once the sun comes out.

Dryday

Sunday. 2.20 a.m. Here I am, in the middle of the night, sitting in the lounge because I couldn't get back to sleep. Alfie has just come into the room from the bedroom. Probably he can't sleep either. I have ordered a repeat prescription via the Airmid app because I wasn't sure whether I had an adequate supply and it's as well to have it all ordered in good time to make sure I don't run out of anything. It should be ready for collection from Lloyd's Pharmacy in Sainsbury's by Tuesday at the latest.

I am not attending church in person until we don't have to wear masks. It is virtually impossible to sing when you have something over your mouth and nose. Apart from the fact that it steams up my glasses and having to breathe out hot breath so your face ends up as if it's been in a sauna, it sparks off that horrible cough I've mentioned before in these blog posts. I'm not entirely convinced that face-coverings prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Or protects you in any way. Most of those that people wear will be unwashed and not particularly hygienic, and those that are 'medically' serviceable, or of a higher standard, are not as effective as they might be. Also, some people, probably a very small percentage of the population, insist on disposing of them by flinging them on the ground. Very likely to be a cause for environmental problems as well as likely to contaminate water etc because of the chemicals they contain or the materials they are made of.

Later. 6.55 p.m. I've spent a great deal of time over the weekend transcribing my handwritten material into word processing. It's going better than I thought and have cut and pasted some material from elsewhere that had to be put in the correct place for the story to work.

Monday. 6.35 a.m. Another day and still under some form of lockdown. Today should have been 'Freedom Day' but things haven't changed since the so-called 'Delta Variant' is supposedly causing problems. But we have a vaccine  (something like 60 million doses have been given.) and a large percentage of the population has herd immunity. It's almost as if the government doesn't trust it to do its work. On BBC Breakfast (yes, I'm back watching that again.) they are discussing booster vaccines. Which makes sense as they don't know how long the vaccine will remain effective. But I'm thinking, surely, once you've had the two doses, your body will build up natural immunity. Keeping people apart surely prevents this natural ability to build up any immunity.

10.30 a.m. I've been into the city centre intending to apply for an ATM card which I can use with my newly set-up savings account with Nationwide. After parking in my usual place near The Point and paying using the RingGo app and then walking into the centre (which is deathly quiet as there are virtually no other shoppers about. When I see any they are walking the wrong way in the system is set up. You are meant to walk one way up and the other to walk down, but, as I say, some people don't appear to know this. They can hardly ignore the signs that are everywhere unless they have poor eyesight, can't read English, or have no ability to read whatsoever.) I arrive at the Nationwide branch and then I'm told that the account I have set up doesn't have an ATM card, because it was set up online. I wasn't made aware of this when I set it up. Oh, never mind. It's not important, although I could change it to be operated with a card. Such is life!

I then walk to Marks and Spencers. I want to go to the menswear floor but the escalator wasn't working. It looks as if it's being repaired, so I decide to use the stairs. Hidden away to one side of the store and it's quite a hike up to the floor I want. I think I might need oxygen, because of the effort. The irony, oh the irony! Also, a dose of sarcasm here. I hunt around to find polo shirts and discover several which I like and then take photos with my iPhone. The idea being that I will have some M and S vouchers soon, earned from doing online surveys. I can order the required items online and use the vouchers and then 'click and collect', which I have done before. I found the product number on the hang tickets and put these numbers on the M and S website. I know, a lot of effort but a good deal easier than finding and paying for the item in-store. It also means you just go in and collect the items without any more frustrations, such as queuing and paying.

Splish! Splash!

Thursday. 5.30 a.m. Oh, dear! I knew this was going to happen. The title of the last blog post now seems rather out of date. As I write this I can hear rain outside (best place for it, really.) But it has at least cooled things down. It really was far too hot yesterday evening. I don't think Alfie is going to appreciate it when we go out, but out he must go. A quick visit to the green and pleasant area along Strudwick Drive and back inside. Let's wait and see what transpires.

Later. 8.45 a.m. The rain has finished, but it is now overcast. Perhaps we can expect further rain. I'm not actually bothered because it has cooled down and it's a good deal more comfortable.

I'm not entirely sure whether the cough is now caused by hayfever. I don't usually suffer, although several years ago I did suffer. This is usually worse when the weather is hot as it is now and the pollen count is high. I was prescribed Beconase nasal spray by my doctor. I've been taking it for barely a week and I'm not sure whether it is working or not, but the horrible cough seems to have settled down, although I have had a few coughing episodes, but not as unpleasant as they have been in the past. I think I just need to keep on with the medication as I expect it will take a week or two to really take effect.

Later 5.45 p.m. I'm rather pleased with the two pages of dialogue I've managed to write. Dialogue isn't the easiest to write as it can often come over as unrealistic. What you say is never in complete sentences, often in short phrases. it's the same with plays, nobody waits when someone finishes speaking. We usually overlap our speaking or interrupt.

Friday. 5.40 a.m. I'm not sure whether it's been raining overnight. It is considerably cooler than it has been for the past few days. I'm just about to take Alfie out and then I will know.

Alfie has a rather, how should I say it? Rather a naughty habit. Poppy had the same ability, which was to make rather unpleasant smells from his rear end. I think you can describe it as 'silent but deadly.' I immediately thought, 'he needs to go out.' Which may or may not have been true. But, to avoid any accidents I decided it was probably best to take him out. As it was raining at the time, I put on my bright yellow Regatta raincoat. We arrived on the grass immediately outside alongside Strudwick Drive and Alfie obliged with several wees. But he immediately decided, because it was raining, that he would head straight back home in the dry. I couldn't really blame him, but I was determined that he should oblige with the 'other business. But, try as I might, he pulled towards home. Even when we got to the grassy area opposite The Cricketers pub, he did a further couple of weeks but then made a determined effort to get out of the rain and I gave in and we went home. A very strong-willed little dog to say the least!

I have to say I'm not impressed with the shoes I bought, Skechers, which I bought on Amazon. I haven't had them for much more than six months and THEY LEAK! My socks are wet from coming in from the rain and walking on wet grass. Not just the fact that they leak, but the uppers are flaking off. The 'leather' (which can't be genuine.) is coming apart. I really don't expect a £60 pair of shoes to more or less fall apart after such a short length of time. I put it down to the fact that the soles are made of a rubbery substance which just splits, hence the leak. Not impressed.

Later. 10.35 a.m. I've done more writing this morning! Well, as they say, no time like the present. I've had GBN Breakfast this morning. I thought I'd give it a try. It takes a while to get used to something like this. I've always been a BBC Breakfast viewer for I don't know how many years. I think they need to tweak their format. There's no news bulletin which we get on BBC1 and all the other 'traditional channels. Perhaps a sort of headline section. I could also suggest an arts section, which seems to have been forgotten. Sport, as usual, gets all the attention. 

I wanted to get some plastic folders to put the sections of writing in. I had already got some from Sainsbury's several months ago, the idea is to put the handwritten manuscripts into these so that I could refer to them and use them when I transcribe them onto word processing. I decided to drive to Sainsbury's to buy some more and buy milk which had run out, so I couldn't have my customary cup of tea (actually, mug. I haven't got a single cup in the flat, or a saucer to go with it. I have at least half a dozen mugs to choose from.) On arriving at the Sainsburys stationary aisle I discovered they don't seem to stock the same sort of clear plastic sleeves, so got what are called 'popper' sleeves, more substantial than the other sort I had and with a sort of overlapping bit that 'pops' closed. Then I can write on each one with a felt-tip pen so that I can recognize what's in each folder. When I got home I tore each handwritten page out of the notebook which I had numbered carefully and had to tear off the bit along one edge which had holes in and fortunately each has a convenient perforated edge which makes tearing it off easier.

Later. 2.15 p.m. I'm still attempting to get out with Alfie. It's been raining continuously since early morning and there seems to be no sign of it easing off. One single raindrop on his coat and he more or less refuses to stay outside and takes me back home. There's not a lot I can do to convince him to stay out. This is a dog who definitely dislikes rain and getting wet.

Saturday. 5.35 a.m. It would appear to be quite rain-free as I write this. I hope so, as I'm about to take Alfie out. He's currently laying on my bed. Just about to finish this so I can publish it.

Scorchio!

Sorry, more cheap tabloid headline-catching usage. Why am I sorry? Basically, because I can't stand cheap journalism which is basically just sensationalist just to get readers. And some people are stupid enough to fall for cheap journalism and buy the rubbish. For those with a low Gunning Fog Index rating? Okay, you don't know what the Gunning Fog Index is? Never mind. Doesn't matter. Just say, those readers of Red Top Tabloids probably have a low rating.

Monday. 11.05 p.m. I have woken up with some strange sound outside. Well, I presume it's outside. I thought at first it was a hairdryer because it's that sort of noise. The thinking is that someone in a flat either below or at least nearby was using such an electrical item. But it doesn't seem to be and it goes on for far too long. I begin to wonder if it's one of those slow-moving road sweepers you see which crawl along on the left side of the road with a revolving brush-thingy that sweeps up the debris in the gutter, leaves, and anything else which gets into the gutter. But if that's the case, why do it at night? No sense really. In fact, it would be dangerous, slow-moving vehicles are a hazard because of idiots who are impatient and want to get past them. Fifteen minutes have elapsed and I think it's stopped. Will it start up again and be even more annoying? Time will tell. Well, it's got me sitting here writing this, so does it really matter? Oh, for flippin' 'eck. The thing has started up again. Please just go away so I can get back to sleep.

Tuesday. 5.35 a.m. After being woken by the strange noise, as I write this, the only sound I can hear outside is pigeons making their ridiculous noise and the occasional car driving past. 

Later. A trip to Sainsbury's to collect a prescription from Lloyd's pharmacy and a few items for tonight's meal. Chicken salad and all the trimmings. It means I don't have to cook, and because it's so warm at the moment, salad seems a good choice. Just put it on a plate and eat. Nothing could be simpler.

My writing is going spectacularly. Really pleased with the result and will continue when I have worked out the next sequence. 

Football! Football and more football! Sorry, not interested. I just get sick of having it forced on me when I just couldn't care less. I know these big events, such as Euro 2021 or whatever they call it, come round every few years, four years or thereabouts, and the fact that this has been delayed since last year because of the pandemic, but it seems to take over everything, not just television, but the press and everywhere you go. Sainsbury's full of it, products have some sort of connection, whether it's sponsorship or tied in some way or other because these events are big money earners. I won't mention it again. Promise.

Wednesday. 6.15 a.m. We were out at 5.45. Just too warm and pleasant, with the windows open, why would you want to remain indoors? I think Alfie was somewhat surprised when I geared up to take him out. The BBC Breakfast weather forecast says that we can expect high temperatures today but as the week progresses we will get torrential rain. I don't mind, as I find that if it's too hot I can't cope. Just need things to cool down somewhat.

GBN News channel? I watched the opening night of this new news channel. It doesn't do what they call 'rolling news', which most other news channels use as their format. It's supposed to be 'presenter lead, and they keep saying, 'if it's important to you [the viewer} it's important to us!' The only criticism I have is that on Freeview, I have to watch the standard quality pictures. It would be better in full HD, which seems to be on other platforms such as YouView and Sky. There were a lot of problems with sound, some of it was out of sync with the pictures and in particular from their reporters from around the regions. But there's bound to be technical issues when a channel is live starting up. Just hope they get on top of these issues. I will wait and see and give it time to settle in. I will comment further after a week or two. Watch this space.

Please Release Me!

Okay! 'Please Release Me', blog post title is taken from a song title. A song sung by Englebert Humperdink in the 1960s. Very appropriate when considering relaxing lockdown.

Monday. 7.20 a.m. Alfie and I were out around 5.45 this morning, really early I know, but I'm definitely not one to lounge around in bed, particularly when it's sunny and bright with the birds singing their little heads off outside my window, which is wide open. As I write this I can hear pigeons making their stupid noise. 

I was out early because I wanted to be back in time for the opening of the new news channel GBN, which officially came on the air at 8p.m last night but their first breakfast show began at 6 a.m. A totally new way to present news, not with 'rolling news, which is how the BBC News channel works, or Sky News. Interesting to see they have a set that is dark, compared to the light and airy sets chosen for ITV's Good Morning Britain or BBC Breakfast. I think it suggests a more serious approach, with bookshelves filled with books on a range of topics, art, science etc., wine glasses, and other artifacts which subtly reflect the type of audience they want to attract. The presentation style is intelligent but light. I'll have to wait and see how things develop before I can give a more nuanced assessment.

We're being threatened by the thought of yet another month of restrictions being imposed by our totalitarian government. Why is it, with infections falling, a vaccination programme being rolled out and reaching some 60-70% having had either one or two doses, do we now have to endure further lockdown? At this rate, we'll be stuck in this limbo more or less permanently. The scientists who deliver doom and gloom are working with flawed computer modeling, and results from testing aren't exactly accurate. It's the 'risk factor' which is playing such a large part here. The fact of the matter is that all life is a 'risk.' From the moment we are born, we have to encounter 'risk.' Being born is a risk, probably not as much as a risk as, say, if you were born in the Middle Ages, where ideas of hygiene and cleanliness were more or less unknown. Crossing the road is a risk. Getting in a car is a risk. We should be able to make our own  'risk assessments' and just get on with our lives. As things are and have been for the past almost eighteen months, we have managed, to a certain extent, to live with covid and it would seem it's not likely to disappear overnight. Humans have lived with viruses for thousands of years and survived. So, what is different with the coronavirus, covid-19, or whatever you want to call it? It's the fact that it's mutating, so we now get the 'Kent Variant'', the 'Indian' or 'Delta Variant. The virus is going to keep on mutating because that's what they do. Are we going to forever keep running away from it, in a sort of endless race, a sort of marathon of sorts? Just not going to work. Some scientists are now saying that lockdowns don't work. Well, I suppose they might be right. We need a certain amount of what they term 'herd immunity,' which is how we deal with such things as viruses. We've probably got this natural immunity now, which means we will build up natural immunity and probably more so with the various versions of vaccines.

Later. I'm up to episode 5 of 'Clarkson's Farm' on Amazon. I have to say that I have found Jeremy Clarkson incredibly annoying in the first few episodes. He just throws money around on goodness knows what, great big tractors which are really impractical. For example, it's too big to fit in his shed. He grows potatoes and then has to leave them in the ground because he doesn't have anywhere to sell them. He builds a farm shop and doesn't follow the planning rules and puts the wrong sort of roofing material on the building. He opens the farm shop and hasn't got a properly surfaced carpark, so when customers eventually turn up, and they turn up in droves, virtually blocking the surrounding roads with their cars, and then these cars get stuck in the muddy carpark and have to be towed out by Caleb, the young man who is employed by Clarkson and is only 21, but knows more about agricultural practices than men three times his age. In my opinion, he's the sort of hero figure in this show and I trust he gets paid properly by Clarkson because he manages to get him out of no end of problems. But by episode 5 we begin to see Clarkson growing into his job as a born-again farmer. When he has to get stuck in (and, in some ways, literally stuck in.) when the ewes begin to start lambing. He takes a while to get the hang of being a sheep midwife, but I have to admit he eventually becomes rather adept at delivering lambs. He starts off rather badly in episode one but as the series progresses he seems to rather enjoy his newfound place in the world. It's good storytelling. He begins his farming journey not sure whether he will like working as a farmer. He does, however, begin as a complete novice, but by episode five he says he enjoys the life, watching the lambs being born and actually contributing something to society with the food he produces. It's around this point that the pandemic starts and the first lockdown is introduced. It seems that it's the fulcrum around which the rest of the story-arc will be built and Clarkson changes from rank amateur to almost professional.  It's worth watching and because I had ancestors who lived in and around the area where it's filmed, Chipping Norton (some brave ladies, called The Ascott Martyrs were arrested for attempting to get their husbands to join a union and were imprisoned in Oxford Gaol. This was the 1870s and in some ways, things have hardly changed. Decent living wages being only one of them.) I have more than a passing interest in the show.

Everything’s Coming Up Roses

Here we go again! Another post title utilizing a song title from a musical. Any guesses? It’s from ‘Gypsy.’ Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, music by Jule Styne, book by Arthur Laurents. I only recently discovered that it’s based on real people. 

Sunday. 9.50 a.m. It's another really fine and beautiful morning here in Milton Keynes. I was out well before 6 a.m. and since then I have been out again with Alfie. The whole place is heaving with people jogging and exercising. Mind you, it's too hot for that for me and is expected to get even hotter as the week progresses.

I have had ideas of how to continue my writing and thought it best to put pen to paper and get it down before it disappeared like snow in sunshine. I should really say pencil to paper as I never write with a pen. Similar, I find, to Roald Dahl, who always used a specific brand and type of pencil.  The brand was Dixon, Ticonderoga Artist Pencil No 12. They are yellow with an eraser on their tip. He used to have six, ready sharpened, with an electric sharpener, because he didn't want to leave his writing shed once he started writing. He used to throw unused pages of writing in a dustbin that overflowed with paper because he was so finicky about the quality and just wanted to get it perfect. And who can blame him?

I have another three sides of A4 written. Writing is like dealing with the wind. You have to go with the flow before a gust of wind blows your thoughts away and get it down on paper because it's gone if you forget what you had thought of, which is why keeping a notebook of your ideas and thoughts is so important. When I move from the house in Eaglestone I, unfortunately, mislaid two such notebooks, which were full of bits and pieces, jottings, notes, ideas, characters, plot ideas. All of it lost forever unless some kind soul finds them and they are returned to me.

It is definitely hot! Alfie doesn't like it, and I'm not over-fond. I don't mind it being dry and bright, but when it gets too hot, like now, I find it very difficult to keep cool. I think I prefer a more temperate climate, cool, without rain, with a bit of a breeze. Being indoors is really the order of the day.

We are now being told that lockdown restrictions are likely to remain in place until spring! I can't believe our beloved politicians are even listening to the doomsayers, the scientists. Even a month more is too long to wait until Freedom Day, but around NINE MONTHS! I think in all honesty, the population of the United Kingdom will revolt. We have several vaccines and around 60% of adults have had at least one dose, probably more have had two and they're about to vaccinate children. We have good immunity, built up by having the vaccine and probably from herd immunity, and they are considering having more lockdowns??? PLEASE not more! There are some business owners, those who run hospitality, hotels, bars, B and Bs, and similar premises, who are threatening to SUE the government if this happens. They have ordered stock, food, drink, and so on, which would go to waste if they can't sell it. It would be the same in the entertainment industry, where theatres have been dark from late March 2020. Actors, technicians, and all those who are involved in some way in the theatre industry have been building up to reopening on 21st June. Rehearsals for shows which have been closed down because of lockdown restrictions will be all for nothing if there are to be no audiences to watch their shows.

One hopes things are 'coming up roses', but we will know later today whether lockdown will be relaxed. Come on Boris! We want our lives back.

June Is Bustin' Out All Over!

Okay, okay! Another blog post title quiz question. . . Where is this title from? Another musical . . . written by Rogers and Hammerstein. . . It's from their musical 'Carousel.' I actually thought it was from 'Oklahoma!', but after a Goole search, I found out my guess was wrong.

Saturday.7.10 a.m.  Yet another bright and sunny morning. It does seem that June is definitely 'Bustin'' out all over Oldbrook and further afield. Trees in full leaf. Flowers popping up all over the place. Birdies building their nests and fledglings taking their first flight. Goodness knows what else, but things are definitely bustin' out all over!

10.25 a.m. I decided I needed a hand mixer for use with my baking. Something simple, a hand mixer, which would make whisking up cake mix, batter, and other items far quicker and easier. I had a look on the internet, Amazon as a start-off, but so many brands that I haven't heard of, some cheaper than others and some definitely more than I was willing to pay. Then I thought of Argos and the fact I had quite a few Nectar points which I've collected through shopping in Sainsbury's and which I get with having a home contents insurance policy with Sainsbury's Bank. I had a look and then read the reviews of some of those hand mixers, the cheapest not having very good or at least, mixed (sorry about the pun! Just couldn't help it I'm afraid.) one saying it was liable to over-heat, so no good. I expected to pay a bit more, so I found a Kenwood model, a good brand, and supposedly reliable, so I decided on that one and at £22.99 seemingly good value. Multi-speed and you can store it with the whisks disconnected and stand on its flat base. So, it seemed ideal for my kitchen which has limited storage space.

I wanted to pay online and use the Nectar points and buy it through 'Click and Collect,' which I have done with some other items I have bought recently, such as my electric kettle, toaster, and more recently my food processor. It took several attempts to get the website to function and I had to pay 49p with my Debit card as the price of the food mixer was that much more than the number of nectar points would allow. Only possible to use £2.50 worth of points at a time if that makes sense. I eventually got the site to work for me, paid, and then an email to say that I could collect the item after 9 a.m because that was when Argos opened on a Saturday morning.

I needed to go to Lloyd's pharmacy in Sansbury's to collect a ready prescription, Beconase, which my doctor had prescribed when I mentioned the coughing I am experiencing at the moment and discussed during the telephone I had with her on Friday afternoon (I will mention this in the next blog post.) I also needed some shaving gel, because I had reached the end of the current pack and I cannot shave without gel, together with one or two other items. In and out relatively quickly and from there I had intended to drive to Argos, a short trip down Avebury Boulevard, or should have been until I discovered that the road was closed off due to work being done to construct a roundabout and traffic lights on the intersection with Avebury Boulevard and Grafton Street. It took me quite a while to work out a route to Argos, eventually driving further up Child's Way and going 180 degrees round the roundabout on Watling Street and then back towards the city centre and into the turning for Morrisons and through the car parks and park outside Argos. A good 20 minutes wasted in the process and several extra miles are driven somewhat unnecessarily, but I managed to collect the Kenwood hand mixer and return home, having completed the mission. 

later. I had been searching for cardboard bowls. For what purpose? Well, having made those scones I have mentioned in earlier posts, I found what I wanted in Sainsbury's this morning. I am giving them to my neighbours in Dexter House. I am putting the two halves of one scone in each bowl, buttered (actually it's Sainsbury's Olivia spread, but it's about as close to real butter and made of olive oil.) along with a teaspoonful of raspberry jam in an improvised kitchen foil container. I am attempting to be sustainable and environmentally friendly, having my containers fully recyclable wherever possible. My first delivery was to two tenants in the flat below me. I shall continue with further flats as the week progresses.

Now I have the mixer I want to experiment with other recipes. I have done scones before as well as brownies, which I may attempt once again and probably try something slightly more complicated, such as a fruit cake. I've made Victoria sponges, but I will need to buy some new baking tins and I think it's worth buying better quality, made of higher-grade materials because cheap, thin tins rust quickly and don't last as well as better, higher grade tins. It will be worth visiting T.K.Maax or Homesense, which is a subsidiary of T.K.Maax. You can buy some really good quality homeware items in both stores and at great discounts, up to around 60%. Never pay full price on anything if you can get something for a reduced price. 

The Heat Is On

Thursday. 3.15 p.m. Okay! Okay!  Today's 'heat' or 'sun' theme for titles of blog posts. Any guesses where this one is from?  Marks out of ten . . .  no conferring . . . Phone a friend? . . . 50/50? . . .Ask the audience?  . . . The answer is 'Miss Saigon.

The payment for the market research I did yesterday has been paid into my bank account via something called Wish, which is similar to PayPal. You set up an account with a password, your email address, and so on, and details of your bank account, and the money is transferred into your account. Very simple and I was impressed by the whole process.

It's extremely hot and sultry at the moment. Thankfully the flat is far cooler since I've had the windows open and the electric fan on. I have made a further batch of scones that are cooling on the work surface in the kitchen as I write this. They look good! They also taste good, because I have eaten one.

Later. Just been watching 'Clarkson's Farm,' a new documentary series about Jeremy Clarkson, he of 'Top Gear' and charging around being crazy in cars and causing mayhem, attempting to get to grips with all things agricultural on his farm near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire. He doesn't start off too brilliantly, buys a tractor that is far too big for his needs, has no idea what basic implements he needs to set about cultivating some 40 areas of land so that he can plant the seed for his first crop of corn. He is assisted by a very well-informed and practical young man who knows more than most about farming, 21-year-old Caleb Cooper, more knowledgeable and skilled than most people a couple of decades older. Quite hilarious in places and sad and a real revelation in other places. This is on Amazon, and far exceeds what you would expect on a BBC channel, where it would be vetted for political correctness and certainly doesn't tick all the usual boxes. Beware, though, if you are offended by strong language. It is full of expletives and the odd word that might get your granny upset, or, at least Daily Mail readers. One might ask, why Clarkson didn't get some sort of experience of farming before he set out on this adventure, how much money he has wasted on not only buying the farm but also on equipment and other expenses. Then one also ask, does he succeed and can he make a real living out of it? Obviously, you'll need to watch the rest of the series to find out. Is this likely to be the only series? Be a pity if it doesn't go to enough episodes so we see the journey from complete beginner through to making a real success of it.

11.55 p.m. So, it's hot, and I'm sitting here working on this because I couldn't sleep. I have done washing-up in the kitchen. The recycling is in its bag, tied up and the black bin bag out of the bin in the kitchen is likewise tied up, with a new one in the bin. Both bags are now ready to take out to the bin outside in the yard at the rear of Dexter House. Work surfaces wiped and are spotless, Kettle filled ready for tea and I've had a shave. So, at nearly midnight, it's noisy outside. Some idiot is driving around in a vehicle that must have a broken exhaust, speeding around on Strudwick Drive and probably Oldbrook Boulevard. Just crazy and dangerous. It would only take a mistake and he (or even she) could cause a really nasty accident.

Could it be anything to do with football? There's some football event going on at the moment, the Euros or something. The competition was postponed from last year, due to the pandemic. Some games played at Wembley stadium (I may be right, but it could be elsewhere, but I'm not a football fan and take no notice of what's going on. Anyway, what I want to know is, why are we being told we won't be able to get some of our freedoms after 21st June when this is going on? Also, a probably more important event is the G7 conference in Cornwall, with this taking place in St Ives. Just tell me this, how come this event together with the football, hoe is it they're now telling us (the scientists, not the politicians.) that Freedom Day, the day when lockdown restrictions will be removed, will not happen, probably for another month at least, with politicians of the likes of Joe Biden and goodness know how many of his entourage, which will include security staff, as well as many other world leaders, weren't supposed to travel internationally unless we self isolate and take goodness knows how many tests to show we're not infectious? It all sounds very contradictory to me and seems we're being controlled by people (the scientists,) who have no democratic right to turn the country into a totalitarian state. 

A Tropical Heatwave

Wednesday. 6.55 a.m. Bright and sunny again. Apparently, the weather is going to get hotter as the week progresses.

Students at Magdalen College in Oxford have voted to have portraits of H.M. Queen from various facilities removed within their college because they are considered colonial and racist. Do those students not realize that their college was probably established on the proceeds of slavery? We're back on 'cancel culture', which is attempting to remove all mention of colonial or slavery within society, whether it's statues of those who had a connection in some way or other, the first removal of a statue of some historic figure was Edward Colston in the city of Bristol.

Andrew Lloyd-Webber has said that he is quite prepared to go to prison if he can't reopen his West End theatres from 21st June, and to do so without social distancing being in place if the government doesn't restore further restrictions. He says he has scientific proof that the coronavirus isn't spread within a theatre setting. Mind you, I wouldn't fancy going to a theatre and being in the audience if I need to wear a mask. There is no evidence that they make a great deal of difference to being either infectious or spreading it to other people. You would have to wear a clean face mask and also one which is of a certain standard to be of any use to you. It is unlikely that people have clean masks and use them when there of this standard. As it is, when I wear one for any length of time, breathing in my hot breath can be really unpleasant and cause me to cough and it steams up my glasses. I reckon some people only wear them because they give them a sort of feeling of safety, even though it might be misguided. It seems odd that you can fly off on holiday in an aeroplane and be crammed in with other passengers (presumably full social distancing etc etc.), yet you can't go and sit in a well ventilated theatre and enjoy seeing a live performance (this includes other forms of performance, such as ballet, opera, rock music etc etc.) It does seem contradictory to my way of thinking and it doesn't show much sympathy for the performing arts by this government who just don't take it seriously, considering how much they earn for the economy. It's not just the actors and performers who have been put out of work due to lockdown, it's the ancillary jobs that have been effected, such as the wardrobe staff, hire companies who provide costumes and props, scenic builders, make-up, lighting and not forgetting stage management and front of house The there's the whole host of businesses which rely on people going to the theatre who go to restaurants, pubs and bars, or spend money in shops and tourist sites.  The same could be said of our thriving television and film production which is going on at the moment, and only just coming out of lockdown throughout the country. We seem to be very good when it comes to attracting big blockbuster films into Britain and using our facilities, such as Pinewood, Shepperton and Elstree Studios and all the ancillary jobs that go with the making of films, special effects, set building, lighting etc etc. So, if they are  restricted too heavily by lockdown, then that area of the economy is effected, not just financially, but their personnel are effected by mental as well as physical health problems.

Thursday. 4.45 a.m. I'm up out of bed. Alfie is in his bed near the window. I'm not sure if he's asleep, but he's happy curled up there. I have all the windows open in the flat. I have the kitchen door wedged open and with the windows open there is a through draught and as a result the kitchen is cooler by quite a considerable amount of degrees, so much so that I can go in there without it being like a sauna. I will leave the windows open as long as this heatwave goes on. I also have the tower fan on in the lounge.

Yesterday I did another market research session on Zoom for an agency I am signed up for, a focus group discussing ideas for a new television commercial. I won't mention any more as I have to be careful what I discuss away from the focus group. It's interesting being able to influence how something like a commercial before it goes into production. In the middle of all this my MacBook decided to turn itself off. For no good reason I can think of, and this has never happened before. It may have been to upgrade itself, although this usually happens after I have had a warning. I could not get it to start up immediately, so I had to transfer the Zoom session onto my iPad. I don't want to loose out on this sort of work as it pays well enough and the earnings are going into my savings account. I have decided to close the Metro account and transfer to one with the Nationwide, as my main bank is there. In fact, I have been with them for over 20 years. It means I can transfer money between accounts. The interest is virtually non-existent , but the money is really only there to separate it from the main current account. I managed to set up  this new account via the internet and I will go into the Metro and close that account and move the remaining cash in that account to the Nationwide savings account.

Phew! What a Scorcher!

Monday. 6.45 a.m.Oh, dear! I think I've pinched a headline from some tabloid newspaper, possibly The Sun, for my latest blog post title. I could have chosen something better, but as it's so good and appropriate, it can stay as it is.

Watching Good Morning Britain, ITV's answer to BBC Breakfast. Richard Madeley has taken over from Piers Morgan, who walked out in disgust over some racist comment, but I'm not sure what happened exactly. I am rather sick of the BBC's 'we know best' style of journalism, which is why I have decided to watch this today.

What I find crazy is that the BBC sold off Television Centre in White City. Meanwhile, ITV closed their studio down on the Thames, formerly home of London Weekend Television, so that it could be upgraded, bought into the digital age, and ITV moved Good Morning Britain to Television Centre, which has been revamped, with offices and flats in part of the site, but some of the studio space which remains (not sure how many are left since the refurbishing.) is rented by the BBC, through their Studioworks subsidiary, and several independent television companies rent the space for their own productions, many for both BBC and ITV. A really crazy situation and I can't see what the point of all this is. ITV must have sold off quite a few of their studio space all around Britain when the various local companies that used to make up the federated ITV when they all merged to become ITV p.l.c. back in the early 2000s. Not only is it crazy that ITV moved to  Television centre, but BBC Breakfast decamped to Media City in Salford. When Granada used to produce 'This Morning', (yes, I know. This is getting confusing, because Richard Madeley used to present that show with Judy Finnigan as the original presenters.) it used to come from Victoria Docks in Liverpool and THEY moved the whole thing to the former LWT studios on the River Thames when it became the main centre for ITV plc. Confused? You will be after all this! What was the point of all this? Just to decentralise the BBC, make it less London-centric. As for ITV, it's just confused and lost it's heart  and soul,when it was made into one conglomeration of all the smaller companies which it was made up  of, since its inception in 1955.

I've produced a second batch of scones. I made a double quantity of the dough and cut it with a larger, fluted cutter. I set the oven temperature a bit higher than last time and baked them for fractionally longer than the first batch and they came out slightly more golden, but much better generally. I have to say, still well cooked, centre fluffy and the outside slightly crisp. Now stored in a tin. Unfortunately, because the kitchen is so warm, it's not an environment I can work in comfortably, even with the window open.

Tuesday. 6.25 a.m. Yet another bright and sunny morning. Again sitting here with Good Morning Britain on my television. 

Just read on the Daily Telegraph website about how the EU is threatening Britain over imports of sausages to Northern Ireland. It just sounds like something out of one of those brilliant Ealing Comedies, made in the 1950s. Or perhaps it reminds me of 'The Goodies' comedy series, with Tim Brooke-Taylor, Bill Oddie and  Graham Garden, where they used to do very silly things. In one episode, where they sent up 'Northern' things, there was a scene where they played a game called 'Ekkey-Thump,' where they had to hit each other with black puddings. You probably wouldn't get away with it today, what with 'political correctness.' Probably the EU would put an end to it with some crazy directive. I don't think the EU bureaucrats would see the funny side. They have very little sense of humour,, or perhaps none. When did you ever see Angela Merkel laugh, or even break into a smile?

Later. 3.25 p.m. I've been out with Alfie. I was somewhat shocked by the amount of litter as we walked around Oldbrook Green. Going along the path on the Evans Gate side of the Green, there is a couple of picnic tables, and under and on the top, I see a certain amount of discarded packets of what look like crisps, burger boxes and drinks cans. A crow is walking around on the grass and it suddenly hops onto the table. It pecks around and then discovered some discarded snack, what look like Hoola Hoops. It manages to pick a couple up in its beak and flies off and lands on the grass nearby to eat the Hoola Hoops. It returns to the table for another couple of the aforementioned snack. It again flies to the grass, with the Hoola Hoops in its beak. I should say it's quite a difficult operation to pick them up and fly with them. A second crow comes along and must have discovered what the first crow was doing. It seems as if the second crow had learnt from the first crow, that it could get a free meal because some stupid human couldn't be bothered to put their rubbish in the litter bin which is close by. It's just fascinating watching all this going on, as I sat on a bench, but, unfortunately, Alfie isn't going to allow this. Sitting on a bench isn't interesting enough for him, so we leave the crows and walk on around the Green. Just fascinates me watching these highly intelligent birds. Alfie finds sniffing and stopping to have a wee far more entertaining!

Later. Just leant that Twitty and Unbalanced have said that lockdown restrictions being lifted should not happen until at least the beginning of July. I do hope we can just get out of this situation a good deal sooner rather than later. I for one have lost at least 18 months of my life. I haven't seen my grandchildren since Christmas 2019. I think by the time I get to see them they'll be starting university. I haven't seen the newest one at all, born on 10th May. People who don't have the vaccine are being irresponsible and selfish. They may not catch covid, but they are still likely to spread the virus without realising it. No excuses to not have it when offered.

Too Darn Hot

Yet another 'hot' blog post title! Very appropriate, with the weather being so warm. Are we in a heatwave, and, will this title be redundant by the time I have finished writing it in a few days? Who knows, but with British weather so unpredictable, anything is possible. 'Too Darn Hot' is the title of a song in the musical 'Kiss Me, Kate.' I watched a recording of the 2019 production on the streaming service Broadway HD. It's one of those shows I have wanted to see for a long time. I know most of the songs and vaguely know the story, based loosely on Shakespeare's 'Taming of The Shrew', but up unit last weekend when I watched it, I had never seen a stage version. I know there is a film version, but I'm not a fan. It's one of those films where the colour looks over-saturated and it was made in 3D (Not sure about that, but I have a sneaking feeling.), so there's a lot of scenes where it's been set up to have things coming close to the camera, some things thrown to help with the 3D effect. I think it was a gimmick because TV had become available in everyone's home, Stateside, and in Britain, and it was done in an attempt to lure audiences away from the 'square box' in the corner of the room. The film 'South Pacific' is filmed in awful garish Technicolorr® which is plain awful, like one of those photographs you sometimes see which are monochrome but have had colour added. It just looks over-cooked, a bit like how colour television could be when it was introduced in the early 1970s. My father was forever fiddling with the first set we had, usually making the picture look dreadful. It would have been great to watch a programme with him forever altering the colour.

Sunday. 7 a.m. It's hot, and the sun has hardly risen over the horizon. We went out around 6.15. I didn't wake up as early as I usually do, but what does it matter?

The kitchen is hotter than ever. I won't be doing any baking for a while, that is, not until this heat is less intense. It's not made any better when the outside temperature is so high. Apart from anything else, it would make cooking considerably more difficult, particularly with ingredients such as butter, and with the oven on, even more, an impossible environment to work in. I will wait until later in the week and then have a go with scones, but this time I will make twice the amount of ingredients and use a larger cutter and see what a difference it makes. Those scones I made yesterday were a success and tasted excellent. I think even Mary Berry would have been impressed. Good texture, even bakes, good distribution of fruit, and delicious, even though I say so myself. And, dare I say it, no soggy bottoms!

The cough seems to be easing. I reckon the confounded medication which was causing the problem is working its way out of my system. I shall remain at home and won't go to church, but watch the service online as I did last year. 

Later. I have to clear out of the way as we walk down towards Oldbrook Green this morning. A Runner wasn't going to get out of my way and then, further round the path on the Green, a cyclist came up behind me and tinkled her bell, making me almost jump out of my skin. Far enough, I was warned, but I wasn't expecting it. Quite hot so we didn't walk the entire circuit of the Green and came back. I have my electric fan on to cool the lounge down. Even with the windows open, the place is still warm. The kitchen is excessively warm, as I've mentioned before, and with the window open, only slightly, because you can't open any of the windows fully, no doubt because the Council thinks the tenants who live in Dexter House have a habit of falling out, or, for that matter, let people climb in. It was the same in Milton Keynes Hospital when Carol was a patient. Even in the hottest weather, it's virtually impossible to get a draught to cool the place sufficiently. They did bring in portable air conditioning units, which is what's needed here, but I doubt they'd even consider installing them.

Later. As usual, absolutely nothing worth watching on broadcast television. Any more football and I think I shall ask for a refund of my television licence. The BBC seems obsessed with the wretched game. I could go on in this mode, but I won't. Otherwise, it will turn into a rant.

After some consideration as what to watch, I turned to streaming service Broadway HD and watched the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre production of 'Into The Woods.' Stephen Sondheim wrote the music and lyrics and James Lapine wrote the book. I'm a bit of a Sondheim fan, His shows are anything if not inventive and imaginative, and this is very imaginative. Not sure it's his most successful on its original outing, but it seems to have become quite popular and might even be regarded as having something of a cult following. This production has an interesting staging design, multi-storied if that's the correct term. In fact, thinking about it, the plot is 'multi-storied in the sense that it intercuts several well know fairy-stories by The Brothers Grimm.

Some Like It Hot

This blog post's title refers to one of my all-time favourite films, the 1959 comedy starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and the fabulous Marilyn Monroe, 'Some Like It Hot.' (Actually referring to jazz and not the weather.) The Curtis and Lemmon are out of work instrumentalists, Joe and Jerry,  in 1920's Chicago who accidentally witness the Valentine's Day massacre and have to dress up as women in an attempt to outwit the mob. Joe becomes Josephine and Jerry becomes Daphne,. They join an all-girl band and go on tour with them and on the train, they have to travel on to one of their gigs in Florida,  where they meet Sugar Kane Kowalczyk, played by Monroe in one of her most iconic roles. If you want a film that will make you laugh, then this beats a lot of modern comedy. It is in monochrome, so don't be disappointed in that, but it really doesn't matter, as it's fast-paced, funny, and downright crazy.

I was out with Alfie at 5.45 a.m. as we were ready, not bothered in the slightest that it was that early. As I write this (9.00a.m.) It's sunny and warm and likely to get warmer as the week progresses, according to the weather forecast on BBC Breakfast earlier.

I've been making fruit scones! They are currently baking in the oven and have about 3 minutes before they come out of the oven (should be saltanaley rather than currently. Sorry about the pun, but I just couldn't resist.) I have been using the equipment I have purchased on Amazon and in Dunelm, the digital scales, mixing bowl, rolling pin, and so on. It all seemed to go well, and as ever, using Delia Smith's recipe.

2 Minutes later. I have removed the scones from the oven. I'm a bit disappointed that they have come out no bigger than when they went in. Just a bit tiddly. I did follow Delia's recipe quite carefully and she said to use a 5 cm cutter, which I did. I was expecting them to rise a bit more than they did and come out somewhat larger. Oh well, as only the first time I've made them in quite a while, not really bad. As they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

I have a saving account with Metro bank. The only way I can access it is either by visiting a branch or through their app or website. I had been attempting to reset the password but with no success. You are allowed a few attempts and then, if you attempt too many times, I think it's probably six, you are prevented from attempting further, probably to prevent scammers or hackers to pinch your cash. As a last resort, I decided to visit their branch down Chaffron Way, next to Waitrose. I also had a pile of 5p pieces which had been collected in a glass jar which had been steadily increasing to such a point I decided it needed cashing in at the bank. It was around £10 so I could deposit it in the Metro account, but then I wasn't certain if they would accept 5ps. I suppose it would take some time to count, but I had already done that.

It turned out that the bank has a machine which will count your change. All you do is tip your coinage into the hopper and after a while, once all the coins have worked through the machine, it gives you the total and then you put in your bank account number and date of birth and it gets deposited in your account. Ingenious, and certainly did the trick. 

I then had help from a member of the bank staff to reset my online account, and required me to come up with a new password and security number, and hey presto! It worked! Problem solved and it means I can keep an eye on the balance and it makes life simpler if you use the online facility rather than having to go into a bank branch.

All Over The Place

Thursday. 7.10 a.m. I can't think of a title for this post, but no doubt something will come to me in the fullness of time.

It's early and I'm warm. The kitchen, as I must have mentioned in earlier posts, is roasting hot. I am well aware of the remark some American politician said which goes something like this 'if you can't cope with the heat, stay out of the kitchen!' (I'll have to do a Google search and find out who it was and the correct wording.) It's the heating system of Dexter House. They seem to think (they being someone or other in Milton Keynes Council.) that 'old' people need to be kept in accommodation that is so warm that a tropical plant would wilt. I may be over 70, but I don't consider myself old in any way. You can't alter the temperature with a thermostat. It is something to do with the hot water pipe which runs under the sink in the kitchen. It must run very close to the cold water pipe because sometimes when you turn on the cold tap, hot water comes out for a few seconds. When I first moved here, I, unfortunately, left out a bottle of milk and by the morning it had turned sour. You could have made cheese or yogurt out of it!

I have now looked up the phrase 'if you don't like the heat, keep out of the kitchen. It was said by the American President, Harry S. Truman.

Friday. 6.40 a.m. Watching Good Morning Britain on ITV. Richard Madely had taken over from Piers Morgan and he isn't in thrall of the scientists who are keeping us all frozen in time. I just want to know where his wife Judy is. They always worked together as a couple, having been the original presenters of  This Morning and then their own show at teatime on Channel Four. I am really getting tired of being lectured to by the BBC, which is why I've switched over this morning. On 13th June there is a brand new channel opening called GB News, lead by Andrew Neil. Quite a few former BBC reporters have been signed up, including Simon McCoy. It would seem that many BBC presenters are leaving the sinking ship, not just television. Classic FM has now got several former BBC presenters on-air, such as former BBC Breakfast presenter Bill Turnbull, John Humphries, and Moira Stewart, who used to be a new reader.. I think there was a huge tidal wave of BBC personnel jumping ship (sorry about the puns.) when the BBC had to reveal how much they paid their personnel and I presume a commercial channel would be able to pay far higher salaries than the BBC.

Later. 9.05 a.m. I have written around two sides of A4. My 'project', for want of a better term (I don't know really whether it's a novel, or what you'd describe it as.) is growing. I've managed to find a way of linking the various elements together, which was actually quite obvious, but I won't mention it here

Well, we're all over the place (my blog post title coming into its own now.) as regards the variant of the coronavirus. We have the so-called Indian Variant, which is also known as the Delta Variant and now, give a round of applause to . . . the Nepal Variant. They are supposed to be more infectious than earlier variants and scientists are saying that the Government should be cautious of lifting restrictions on 21st June. A great deal of anger from various sections of society about the newest restrictions coming into force regarding traveling abroad. You have to quarantine for ten days if you return to some countries, not actually sure which, as the system of 'traffic lights' to show which are the highest and lowest countries to have levels of infections and so on because of coronavirus, is really confusing, which is probably why there is so much annoyance and anger, which I suppose is going to happen if you had intended travelling abroad for a holiday as well as the airline industry. But if that's the case, why not just stay in Britain and have a holiday here instead of trotting off to wherever increase the carbon emissions of the plane you will fly in and then spend a great deal of money on testing as well as having to isolate for however many days are required when you come home.

All Things Bright and Beautiful

Tuesday. 8.05 a.m. Well, it is another bright and beautiful morning. We were out around 5.45. Must have been the earliest we've done our routine walking experience. It wasn't cold, and there was still a slight mist, although as I write, it should have dissolved in the sun. On the BBC Breakfast weather forecast, Carol Kirkwood used the words 'haar and fret (cold sea fog, mostly seen on the east coast of England.) Also, the rather unscientific term 'murky.' Probably for those who don't have a good scientific vocabulary (which I don't, but I do like to discover new words and meanings as well as word derivations and origins.)

Later. I've been out with Alfie. I actually wore my shorts because it was so sunny and warm. We were walking along the path on the Evans Gate side of Oldbrook Green when I could hear crunching and vague electrical motor sound and I looked around and there was one of the delivery pods rolling along merrily. It went up onto the concrete path and on and then went into the estate. It fascinates me to know how they know where they are going. I presume they have GPS connectivity, the same technology which is used in SatNavs.

Wednesday. 6.40 a.m. Yet another bright and sunny. Sitting here writing this with my MacBook on my lap and with BBC Breakfast on television. 

There were 'zero deaths' from Covid-19 yesterday, which is a real landmark moment in this confounded pandemic. But the scientists are still coming out with we need 'more data' before we can definitely come out of lockdown on 21st June. I get the impression from the BBC that their reporters would happily endure further lockdowns and not get us out of this horrible situation. I know he's not perfect, Boris Johnson, but he has had to make some very tough decisions. He's damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. We have never been through a similar situation in this country before, at least, not in my lifetime and certainly not in many people's lifetime. After the First World War, there was the so-called 'Spanish Flu' pandemic, where thousands upon thousands died, but there was none of the modern technology we now take for granted, no vaccines or any of the health systems we have now. It's almost like a war situation if there is any sort of comparison to be made.

Alfie sitting on the sofa next to me a moment ago, when I ate my cereal and drank my morning cup of tea. He's waiting for me to finish and have what's left in the mug and bowl. He's somewhat 

Later. I've been to Sainsbury's and done shopping for at least two weeks. Well, I hope so. I'm going to do some more baking, and I have got a really rather nice set of metal mixing bowls on Amazon, look stylish, have red plastic handles and the lids have a hole in the centre so you can grate and slice things like potatoes, or grate cheese straight into the bowl and will be useful to store ingredients in as well as to use to make cake batter or other cooking ingredients in. Also, they have bases made of a rubbery material that prevents them from slipping when in use on a kitchen surface. I got a rolling pin, a set of cookie cutters and a sieve in Sainsbury's, so I am all set to make some scones. 

I have signed up to something called Nielsen Shopping Panel, similar to the other panel I belong to, Consumer Pulse, where I have to report everything such as books, clothes, CDs, DVDs and some other items and in return, I get points which can be redeemed for vouchers. I've been on that for around 10 years and have had quite a few vouchers which have gone towards items such as my Hitachi television set, Panasonic Freeview box and much more. More recently I used some Argos vouchers from this to put towards my Bosch food processor. The Nielsen panel requires you to scan the barcodes on your shopping using an app on your iPhone and the points accrue in a similar way to Consumer Pulse and can be converted into Amazon points or a wide range of products from their catalogue, which is on the Neilsen Panel website. I have scanned my shopping from Sainsbury's as soon as I got in from the shopping trip. It can take a fair amount of time, but like most things, you have to put a certain amount of effort into it to get the rewards.

Just heard the news, first via the BBC News website: 'Holby', that heap of rubbish that they claim is 'drama' is to be cancelled after 23 years. Not sorry in the slightest. I think the BBC could and can do better than this tripe. Kept a few actors busy for all that time as well as scriptwriters and other personnel but can we now have something less soapy? It will run until March next years and is the BBC's start to modernize their drama offerings. I think that it might be something to do with the Licence review which is coming up and attempting to compete with the likes of Netflix and other streaming services. 

Bank Holiday Monday

Sunday. 7.00 a.m. It's a cool and misty morning. 

I've now taken Alfie out twice, the first at around 6.15 a.m. and then 9.30 a.m. He did his usual staring at me and what I call 'clucking' sort of chicken noises, which generally alerts me to to the fact that he needs to go out. So, we trotted down Strudwick Drive (I say trotted, but more of an amble and excuse to sniff virtually every leaf and blade of grass and we went along (I mean Alfie and not me, you understand.) He did need to 'go' as I politely refer to 'it' and 'it' was disposed of in its biodegradable bag and put in the bin at the entrance to Oldbrook Green. We walked home and I decided to sit down and read my book. It was then that Alfie began to clank around in his feeding bowl, which is hidden behind the sofa under my desk, along with his drinking water bowl. I attempted to ignore him, but it was virtually impossible, so I put my book down and thought I'd put some food in his bowl. He usually only gets fed in the evening, but on this occasion I thought he must be hungry, attempting to glean a morsel of food from the bowl, which is why he was pushing it about on the floor and making the clanking sound. I put a dry mixer in as I usually do and then food from one of the pouches I keep stored in the kitchen. When I put it back down for him on the floor, he soon scoffed the lot and returned to his place to lay down on the sofa, and as I write this he appears to be asleep. Problem solved and perhaps I should give him food in the morning as well as the evening.

3.40 p.m. I didn't go to church this morning. I would have like to have gone, but wearing a mask isn't exactly helping with the confounded cough I have at the moment. I mentioned this in a few posts back, caused by taking oxybutynin, but now stopped since I mentioned this to my doctor a few weeks ago. I was told that it would take a while for it to disappear completely, as soon as the medication is out of my body. No sign of that at the moment. Wearing a mask means you are breathing in your hot breath and that sets of the cough. Apart from that, it steams up my glasses. Just not pleasant having to wear the things for any length of time. Regardless of all this, I managed to see the service via Facebook. I have discovered that if I set things up correctly if I open Facebook on my iPad and set my television with the Fire Stick set up, then I can 'cast' the live video to the television. Surprising what you discover when you least expect it.

Monday. 5.20 a.m. Well, I'm wide awake and already done all my usual morning routine things, shaved, dressed, done my Bible reading, dressed, and even done washing-up, so the kitchen is tidy. I always feel that if all this is done, I can start my day better. Particularly shaving. I don't feel right if I miss a shave in the morning. When I was in the hospital the last time, after my second heart attack, I had none of my own things with me, not even clothes. I didn't have shaving items, so I had to endure several mornings without having a proper shave. I ended up being given a disposable shaver by one of the nurses on the ward, but it was like shaving with a blunt tin lid! (not that I have actually done that!). It wasn't pleasant. 

6.20 a.m. I took out Alfie at 5.50. It must be the earliest we've ever been out. It's still misty and quite chilly, but I have a feeling it will be warm today, and as it's a Bank Holiday, quite a rarity, as most Bank Holidays are wet and miserable. Add to all that the fact that lockdowns are being lifted gradually, it would appear that tourist areas will be crowded. But then the question is, will that mean that there will be an increase in coronavirus infections as a result? Only time will tell. PLEASE, can we avoid further lockdowns? I don't think the British people can take anymore. Patience is at a low point, but surely with so many people vaccinated we can climb out of this hole and ESCAPE!

4.50 p.m. I'm sitting here writing this with my Macbook Air on my knee. Alfie has had his dinner and has been whittling to get a couple of treats. I asked him what he wanted so he glanced at the tin which is on the top of the bookcase. I took three out of the tin and put two on the edge of the coffee table and another on the back of the sofa. He finds the two on the coffee table. He sticks his nose up over the edge of the coffee table and manages to grab one of the treats but doesn't find the second one. He then jumps up onto the sofa (which can cause him problems, probably showing his age.) and soon discovers where the third treat is. He eventually sniffs it out and has to reach up by standing up on his back legs and snaffles it without any problems.

It's been extremely warm and sunny today. What a real Bank Holiday Monday should be like. Walking around Oldbrook Green earlier this afternoon and there are people all over the place, even laying sunning themselves on the grass. The same old same old, men not having any idea they look ridiculous in shorts (not all by the way.) but that's just my opinion. Shorts only getting worn when the sun shines and they (and myself!) not always brave enough to wear for the first time this summer (I believe we are now in summer, officially.) But those infamous shorts not always in perfect order, often worst for wear and not up to standard in the fashion or sartorial stakes.

6.45 p.m. Just been watching Wallace and Gromit in 'A Close Shave.' I've seen all these brilliant animation films I don't know how many times, but it's so clever and imaginative. All of the Ardman Animation films are so well made and creative. It's all the little details that make them special, some things that you don't notice the first time around and add to the fun, for example, the headlines you see fleetingly in the newspapers that Wallace reads or the books they read.

Watching BBC news, which came on after Wallace and Gromit. There are some scientists who say that the 21st June deadline to end lockdowns may need to be postponed until data suggests that the Indian variant of the coronavirus is under control. Oh please, no! I think that if that happens and for a length of time there will be civil unrest. I think we've had our patience pushed to the limit. Surely, with the vaccines being delivered so successfully and the possibility of people not being infected, then there is no need to have further lockdowns.

I watched an episode of 'Miranda', the sitcom performed and written by Miranda Hart. I have seen it before, but it's so funny. She talks directly to the camera, 'breaking the fourth wall' in much the same way as Lovejoy did in that great series (I worked on quite a few episodes, filmed in and around Norfolk and Suffolk.) She is very self-deprecating, making comedy about her height and tripping over things. A great deal of visual comedy, which we don't get nowadays. They also showed an episode of 'Fawlty Towers.' One of the classic comedies of the 1970s. It must be because the BBC doesn't have enough new material to put out due to the pandemic.