Thursday. 6.10 p.m. I've been to my second talk given by a gentleman from Bedford, who is a local history guide, and his talk was about Glen Miller and Bedford. I had a sort of connection with this because around 30 years ago, when I did a lot of temp work, I used to work as a general assistant in several local firm's canteens, one of them being for Charles Wells brewery in Queens Park, Bedford. The canteen was in what remained of the gas works before it was the brewery and known as the Co-Partners Hall and I discovered that it was used by the BBC as a rehearsal space when they were evacuated to Bedford during the Second World War, and in particular, used by Glen Miller's orchestra. I had been working with a television producer as we attempted to get a project off the ground. He had contacts at Anglia Television and I thought he might be interested in some sort of project, based on Glen Miller and Bedford. This was in the days when Anglia was a single company, when it was possible to get an idea up and running by pitching directly to an individual ITV company, In the days when ITV was run as a federated organization and well before what it would become in the early 2000s when it merged into one conglomerate. As it turned out, it never got beyond being just an idea, but a few years later, much to my annoyance, a documentary was produced, I think, by TVAM, the first breakfast television franchise, and produced, and I think fronted by Margaret Thatcher's daughter, Carol Thatcher.
Saturday. 7.15 a.m. I awoke late this morning, so Alfie was taken somewhat by surprise when I took him out. I think he was probably still asleep before I went to take him out. It was bright daylight, but still chilly. Sort of raining, but that thin drizzly sort today and yesterday.
As I write this, I can hear the wind whistling around the building outside (well, I just hope it's outside.) Please, no more of that awful wind we had a week or two ago. It was just dreadful.
Sunday. 7.00 a.m. It's very quiet this morning. No wind, or if there is, it's very minimal. It's dry, but it's muddy underfoot.
Monday. 7.05 a.m. Today would have been my lovely Carol's 58th birthday. I'm just getting on with my life, but I'm sure she would be pleased by how I have moved on and doing stuff which I didn't think I would be if she was still around. She left a huge legacy when I think of the number of kids who got their GCSEs and A-Levels and those who went on to university.
I have quite a lot of Carol's clothes left here in my flat, especially jackets, blankets and so on. I had been considering giving them to any charity which would like them and use them. Then we had news of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, so I thought of it all going there for any of the refugees I keep seeing on television news. I asked Ross at church if he had any idea of a charity that could have it all. He sent me a text later, and I have the address and have already packed up some clothing and will take it all later this morning.
8.00 a.m. I now have two bags of stuff to take to the pick-up point for charity to take stuff to Ukraine. I will take it later. I don't see the point of it sitting here doing nothing when it could be used by those in need. It now in the back of my car ready to take.
10.35 a.m. I drove across Milton Keynes to find the unit where they were collecting stuff for Ukraine refugees. I find the right area but had to go round the back of the unit to find where they were sorting and loading into a huge HGV which was parked in the road outside. They don't unfortunately want any more clothing but want medical supplies. I will now have to find another charity to give my things to, so the two bin bags will have to be stored in my flat until they find another home. They can go in the bottom of the airing cupboard in my bathroom, as there's plenty of space in there. A wasted space, actually. Why do modern homes still have airing cupboards? What is the point of them? What is 'airing' supposed to mean in this context? I ask, because, surely, being enclosed in a cupboard isn't exactly AIRING clothes. Having them hanging on a clothesline outside is airing, surely? It's therefore a misnomer. And to my way of thinking a waste of space.
Sunny and bright this morning. No end of bulbs coming out, trees with buds on them, blossom and daffodils appearing along the roadside as I drove across Milton Keynes this morning.
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