Worcester, Here We Come!

Thursday. 6.30 a.m. I took Alfie to the couple in Loughton, to find out how he would get on without me. It would appear that he got on well. They have just bought him back, and I will take him to their home before I leave for Worcester mid-morning, tomorrow (Friday). So, after a frustrating summer, the situation is sorted in my attempt to find someone to care for him when I visit Chloe and her family. Hopefully, on a further occasion, I can call on them to look after him for me, probably in a few months, probably around the time of my birthday in October, which usually falls over the school half-term holiday.

Friday. 5.50 a.m. A bit of a shock when I went out with Alfie a few minutes ago, to discover fog all along Strudwick Drive as we went out. You couldn't see across Oldbrook Green. It's not particularly thick and as things warm up as the day progresses, it should disperse. I do hope so, as I don't fancy driving in fog when I drive on the motorway to Worcester.

9.15 a.m. I was more than a little bit surprised to find my pension was paid into my bank account this morning. I went onto the Nationwide website and logged in. This meant I could pay for the various things I have to pay and then I went to Sainsbury's so I had food for when I get back from Worcester.

The fog has gone, thankfully. I trust there will be no fog when I get to the motorway later. I also hope there's no rain because on one occasion when I drove towards Worcester there was a rainstorm and the traffic was throwing up quite an unpleasant mist which made driving somewhat hazardous.

Everything is packed up and in the car. I will drop off Alfie in Loughton and drive on to Worcester afterwards.

Sunday. 8.10 p.m. I have returned from my trip to Worcester. I didn't take my MacBook, which is what I write this blog on. I had decided to take as little as possible, no laptop or iPad, just my iPhone. The intention was to simplify things, which certainly makes life easier. Less to pack and then less to take and bring back, and also more space in the car.

Just before 10 o'clock on Friday morning, I drove with Alfie to Loughton to the couple who would look after him while I was away. I set off for Worcester, driving out on Standing Way. All went well until I met a queue of cars standing still around half a mile out of Buckingham. I wasn't sure what would have caused such a long tailback of traffic. I didn't think it could be anything to do with Silverstone, the motor racing circuit just beyond Stowe Landscape Gardens, which is near Buckingham, then I saw signs for something called the Towersey Festival at the Claydon Estate, so I assumed it was that which was causing the jam.

The jam eventually cleared, once I got through Buckingham and on the road towards the M40. I went into the Cherwell Service area immediately at the intersection with the motorway, as I needed what the Americans euphemistically call a restroom break. (Why do they call a toilet a bathroom when it's so obviously not a bathroom, unless they have baths in what we call toilets in the United Kingdom? ) I was soon on my way again and motoring along the M40. There was very light traffic, fortunately, and the weather was kind to me. No fog or rain, which can make driving hazardous.

I have been to Worcester several times and, I have relied on my satnav to direct me, but for some reason, it wouldn't cooperate. As I approached the exit for Worcester I seemed to leave the M5 at the wrong exit and found myself in unfamiliar surroundings, but I kept on, following signs for Worcester and eventually found the turning to Claines, where Chloe and family life and within barely ten minutes I was at their house.

I went with Chloe and the children into Worcester to visit the library, appropriately called 'The Hive. A busy place, with no end of activities for the children to get involved in. We had tea in the café whilst the children choose books to take out, exchanging the books they took in. There is a system which scans the barcode on each book in a kind of box and then prints a receipt. Ingenious, but I imagine, like a lot of this technology, it puts quite a few people out of work.

That evening, Steve drove to somewhere in Lincolnshire (I think it was near Sleaford.) it collect a tent and didn't get back to Worcester until gone midnight. A long journey there and back. I wasn't aware of him coming back to the house as I was fast asleep.

Rishi Fights Back!?

6.30 a.m. Tuesday. I seem to be waking up later and later each morning, most likely because as we get to the end of August, it gets lighter later and later. 

10.05 a.m. I decided to go to the Esso station in Childs Way to put diesel in my car, so it's ready for the trip to Worcester on Friday. I waited till the traffic was clearer after nine and then I discovered that they were resurfacing the road and there were cones at the entrance to the fuel station, but the actual entrance was clear further on. It was something of a shock to realize how little I managed to put in the car, due to increased fuel costs. The gauge on the pump seemed to rack up the amount very quickly, but if I was driving to Worcester, it was no good leaving Milton Keynes with a fuel tank half empty. But it's now done and one less job to deal with on Friday.

I have managed to find someone to, hopefully, look after Alfie over this weekend. The lady is the sister of my neighbour in Dexter House and lives in Loughton. I took Alfie to her bungalow this afternoon she has a small dog and Alfie seemed happy there, so I am optimistic that I can leave him there so I can drive off on Friday morning.

Wednesday. 10.30 a.m. I was a little shocked and surprised when I got a parcel delivered yesterday containing the replacement FitBit. I spent some time attempting to get it to sync with the app on both my iPad and iPhone. It's all about getting Bluetooth on both devices to communicate with FitBit. This morning, after a further attempt, I did actually get it connected, and, as I write this, the thing is working successfully. There are more apps to set up, but they can wait as they aren't that important at present.

Thursday. 6.15 a.m. What's that wet stuff which is falling from the sky this morning? Could it be . . . . rain? It was certainly a shock to find that it was raining when I took Alfie out at around 5.45. I don't think Alfie was over-impressed by it, as he dislikes getting wet, but we definitely needed it, because everything is so dry and parched. I don't expect it will take longer for the grass to revive, but it will mean we have sustained downpours.

Rishi Sunak, one of the two prospective candidates in the Conservative Party leadership election, (the result of which will be announced at the beginning of September.), has said that he does not think the scientists, who were responsible for the information which the government was given regarding the covid pandemic which lead to two years of lockdown, should have been allowed to have so much power over such matters. He attempted to air his views that such lockdowns were likely to cause financial problems, alongside damaging children's education when schools were closed. He was not allowed to have an opposing viewpoint and was shouted down whenever he attempted to mention the matter at various cabinet meetings. It would appear that this policy, of closing down the economy and putting companies' employees on furlough, is what is partly responsible for the rise in inflation, rising fuel prices and businesses struggling, along with millions of households. Not only that, but by 'protecting the NHS' so it wasn't overwhelmed by people with what I will refer to as 'Wuflu', it put off people going to their doctors to check out symptoms of cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. My view is, those scientists who were, in effect, controlling the government, weren't democratically elected, so why were they given so much control over matters? 

Now some firms are finding it difficult to persuade their staff to return to work, even with the successful delivery of several doses of the vaccine. The government used 'nudge' tactics to get the public to conform to the various regulations which were bought in to control the virus. Psychological use of fear in particular, with such terms as 'don't kill your granny' and other fear-filled propaganda. You can't expect one minute to have your population gripped with fear,  stay in what was more or less 'house arrest' and then, once things are considerably safer(which I don't in any way believe was 'unsafe' in the first place.) to suddenly revert to a new normal and immediately return to their workplace. If Sunak had his doubts about the lockdown consequences, why on earth didn't he do something about it, for example, go to the media? No, on second thoughts, if he had, it would have fallen on deaf ears, because most, if not, all the media, BBC, ITV and most of our press, were in favour of more tight lockdown restrictions. So, when people start complaining about the rise in inflation, they should stop and think, if we hadn't had two years of lockdowns, we might not be in this situation.

On The Street Where You Live

Saturday. 10.30 a.m. I have just returned from Morrisons, at Westcroft, where we had our monthly Men's Breakfast in what is called the 'Community Room.' It's scheduled to begin at 8.30, but there seems to be a hold-up regarding the food which we have to order and then have brought through by the café staff. That is fine normally, but as the session is only 90 minutes, it does rather eat into the time and so we don't get our full time together.

Earlier, when I took Alfie out for his first outing of the day, we were walking along the path that leads to the crossing onto Oldbrook Green. Alfie was doing his usual meander, sniffing every leaf, blade of grass and occasional weed which sticks out of the wall outside the S.I.A. building (Spinal Injuries Association), when a male rider on one of those electric scooters came shooting past. I didn't hear it, but, had I been standing a few feet further out on the path, I'm almost sure he would have collided with me. No sign of slowing down, making a sound to warn me of his approach, or anything. I think he drove onto the grass and then was off, crossing Strudwick Drive at 35-40 miles per hour. It was all over in a few seconds, but it was somewhat frightening. An older, probably more unstable on their legs, person, might have been knocked down and seriously injured, or even killed, by such an incident. Yesterday I saw a couple riding on one of these scooters, along the road. I don't know whether this is legal or not, but it does seem somewhat foolhardy or people to ride these things on the road, as there is no sort of safety feature on these things. If you were hit by a vehicle, the likelihood of you being killed would be quite possible.

Sunday. 6.05 a.m. Yet another mild and bright morning. One of those electric scooters almost collided with me in exactly the same place as it did yesterday on the path alongside Strudwick Drive when I took out Alfie. There was no warning from the rider and the thing was almost silent, so I couldn't hear it coming. I managed to get out of the way in time, before it was likely to run into me.

Monday. 7.40 a.m. A bright and sunny morning. My digital thermometer reads 72ºF, so a temperature it's easier to live with. All the trees along Strudwick Drive are losing their leaves. It's because of the dry weather and the fact they have had virtually no rain for weeks and are stressed. The whole of Milton Keynes, along the verges of the grid roads, looked so parched and brown as I drove to church yesterday morning.

Printer Problems Resolved!

Thursday. 10.30 a.m. Another much cooler day, thank goodness. My digital thermometer currently reads 76ºF.

I have been absolutely determined to get my HP printer up and running. I have been going through the set-up process with a helpline engineer at HP. It turns out that my MacBook didn't have the small bit of software called drivers installed, which was partly responsible for the thing not working. Then one of the ink cartridges was found to be damaged or not allowing the printer to function, so I am being sent a replacement. I bought the printer back in around April, so that's at least five months without it performing. It now means I can AT LAST print out some of my writing material and begin to edit it.

4.00 p.m. The printer works! I have run off several pages, including a part of the longer bit of writing. It is working using Wi-Fi, so there's no need to use the cable, meaning I can keep the printer in my bedroom on the newly-acquired unit I got from Amazon, and connect from my MacBook in the lounge.

Friday. 9.05 a.m. It's a bright and sunny morning. In this flat, this time with the window closed and the electric fan on, my digital thermometer reads 80ºF.

We are hearing, on BBC Breakfast this morning (although I expect other media are carrying the story.) about the 87-year-old man who collapsed in his garden and his family constructed a shelter for him as he has fractured his pelvis, and had to wait a staggering 15 HOURS for the ambulance to arrive. I know it's terrible, but why doesn't someone do something to remedy such a situation? I know it might be due to what is called 'bed blocking', where there is nowhere for patients to go, once they have been discharged from A and E, for example, into a care home, or have nobody at home to look after them when they leave the hospital. In the case of ambulances not being able to reach a patient who collapses at home, such as the gentleman mentioned above, why don't they use 'rapid response' paramedics, who have cars and not ambulances, to deal with such cases? Surely this is one solution, even if a patient needs hospital treatment, the paramedics can give that person some practical help until they can be moved to a hospital. Then, why not have a sort of reservoir, a ward where people can go, to wait until they are moved to a care home or other place? This was done when I had my first heart attack. I went onto a ward after I had been through A and E and was then released to the C.C.U. (Coronary Care Unit.) sometime later.

Saturday. 6.30 a.m. Another fine and sunny morning. My digital thermometer is currently reading 69ºF. The window is open, so at least the air that is being brought in is cooling the room.

The Rain In Spain

Tuesday. 6.40 p.m. I'm not sure whether they have actually had 'Rain In Spain' recently, which I very much doubt, but the title, if of course, you didn't know, comes from one of the best musicals of the past 60-70 years, 'My Fair Lady', which in turn is based on George Bernard Shaw's play, 'Pygmalion.' Well, you can see I'm desperately trying to find titles for my blog posts with some sort of weather connection, and songs seemed an obvious area for this.

I have a feeling there was some rain overnight. It seemed that the ground was slightly wet as Alfie and I walked along the path beside Strudwick Drive. But it was only slightly damp. I ran into a frond of leaves which released some moisture as I walked past, so that would suggest damping at least. But we desperately need more.

10.45 a.m. I have had another attempt to get the HP printer to work, but still, nothing is happening. I went online and found the HP helpline and rang through. I spent around an hour with a technician who went through several procedures to try and get the thing connected to my Wi-Fi system, but even then, nothing worked. I decided to abandon the call, but he will phone back at 2 p.m. 

3.15 p.m. I have actually managed to get the smart app, which is supposed to link the HP printer to my iPad, and, I presume, my MacBook. But I haven't, as yet, got the printer to print. I haven't managed to speak to the man at the helpline, as I think I will be able to get the thing to work, given time.

Around 1.15 p.m. there was the merry sound of the fire alarm in Dexter House. What's new? Some people are not safe with matches. I have no idea what set the thing off.  I thought at first it was one of the regular tests which are done, but it continued for a full twenty minutes. Whilst all this was going on, lo and behold, there was the sound of thunder, and we had RAIN! it was very heavy, but, as a result, the air has been freshened. My digital thermometer now reads 79ºF, which is quite a fall in temperature since yesterday evening.

Wednesday. 7.45 a.m. The temperature has dropped considerably. My digital thermometer currently reads 74ºF. I just hope it continues to fall. This is the sort of temperature I can deal with. I don't have either of the electric fans on at the moment.

Printer Frustrations

Sunday. 6.20 a.m. A good deal cooler this morning, thankfully. My digital thermometer reads 81ºF as I write this post.

I received two books on Saturday morning,  which I had ordered via Amazon, but they were both identical and hardback versions.  I don't want them in hardback form, and why would I order two? They will have to be returned, which isn't difficult because you only need to print off a return label and there's no charge. But my HP printer will not play ball. I can't fathom the confounded thing out and after around half a dozen attempts, I gave up. I still can't see why I had two books sent. Something must have gone wrong during the ordering process. At this rate, if the printer doesn't behave and function as it is supposed to, I may be forced to defenestrate it. It's possible, but not entirely, the only solution to the problem. Why do computer printers behave in this way? 

3.45 p.m. I have had several printers over the years, and they have all caused similar problems. I thought I'd try a different tack this afternoon and try replacing the ink cartridges, but that has made no difference. I have moved the whole printer on its new trolley, into the lounge so that I can sit and fiddle with the thing, which I hoped might make things easier, but nothing has happened. I am gradually running out of options.

The current temperature of the flat is 89ºF. I can't wait for the weather to break, which is what they are forecasting for the next couple of days. It's not often we are only too pleased to get rain, but the heat is becoming intolerable.

Monday. 4.05 a.m. It's not often I'm awake and out of bed at this hour, but, what with the heat and not being able to sleep,  I had my obligatory shave, which was enough to wake me up, and then I thought I'd get on here. The digital thermometer currently reads 84ºF. Crazy sort of temperature for this time of the day. I just hope that today sees the temperature fall considerably and even the chance of some rain.

8.45 a.m. I have packed up the two books I mentioned earlier in this post. You have to print off a label, which has the company address the books came from on it, along with a bar code. Because I can't get my HP printer to function, I emailed it to Barbara, SHO of Dexter House, and she printed it off for me. The label was stuck onto the parcel, which was securely taped up with Sellotape, and then I drove to Tesco Express in Oldbrook Boulevard. Oh, dear! The woman I handed it to must have got out of her bed on the wrong side (as my mum would have said. Why does getting out of bed on the wrong side make people miserable?) Well, the face of this particular woman, behind the till in Tesco, was enough to turn your milk sour.  She scanned the barcode with a sort of mobile phone device, although I doubt it was a mobile phone, and then I had to put my name into the device, not easy when the thing is so small. Then, sign, equally difficult, as you can't write with your finger. Do companies really expect you to sign a legible signature on these things? I think not. I got handed a receipt, and that was it. The delivery company is or was called Hermes, but now it's called Evri, which makes it even more confusing. The grumpy old woman could then get on with whatever she was doing before I entered the store. But she wasn't a good advertisement for Tesco or exactly inspiring any sort of sense of being professional or able to deal with a crisis. I rather got the impression that she would have preferred to be anywhere but working in the local Tesco.

Hotter and Hotter

 Friday. 6.15 a.m. A fresher night. It has been really difficult to sleep during the current heatwave.

Saturday. 6.33 a.m. It looks as if I didn't do a great deal yesterday, looking at what I have written above. Well, that might be correct, up to a point. My main concern was keeping out of the excessive heat. I have been drinking plenty and will go to Sainsbury's this morning to top up with more drinks. I ordered several books from Amazon, which will complete my reading of the history of Great Britain from the 1870s through to the early 2000s. This has been an eye-opening experience and I think it has been well worth it. The first of these books arrived mid-afternoon. The second delivery will no doubt take longer, as they are coming from booksellers actually independent of Amazon and are second-hand books.

I am sitting here, writing on my MacBook, with the window of my lounge open, which is keeping the room cool, and the digital thermometer is currently reading 81ºF. According to the weather forecast on BBC Breakfast a few minutes ago, we can expect showers over the next week. I don't think we've had a decent shower of rain for months, which explains why everything is looking so parched, the grass along the side of Strudwick Drive and on Oldbrook Green is looking particularly shrivelled and brown. Mind you, no sooner has it received the first drops of rain, grass has a remarkable ability to revive and I imagine the next thing we'll have to experience will be flooding, as drains and sewers have become blocked with leaves and other debris.

1.45 a.m. I have to turn the television news off at the moment. I know there are huge problems in the world at the moment, such as the war in Ukraine, the cost of living crisis, rising temperatures and so-called 'Climate Change' and a host of other issues. But why does the media have to make such a thing out of the 'gloom and doom' scenario? They did a piece the other morning on BBC Breakfast, of a woman who was struggling to 'make ends meet' by selling off her possessions to pay for electricity etc. Then a piece on how difficult it is to find an NHS dentist. So, there was this person who had problems with their teeth, having to find a way to pull them out, one person making teeth out of modelling clay or something. It was just as bad during the pandemic, with even more 'gloom and doom.' The government used 'nudge' techniques to get people to comply with the rules and regulations about social distancing and staying at home, and even introduced fines if people didn't obey. Nothing was said about anything positive. What about having to obey all these rules to 'protect the NHS'? Too much concentration of protecting people from the so-called coronavirus thing and nothing at all for those who have been diagnosed with cancer and have to abandon chemotherapy treatments. Scaring people rigid by not allowing people to have face-to-face appointments with their doctors or consultants. The big issue I have with all that is that the government only listened to one set of scientists and if you disagreed, you were closed down, and your voice was drowned out. No room for dissent of any kind. 

As regards 'climate change', surely the climate has been changing for millennia? It isn't a fixed thing. There have been huge climate events over the centuries. Think when it was so cold, during the 18th Century, I think,  the River Thames froze over, and they had what were called 'frost fairs' on the ice. Or, more recently, extremely wet winters or summers, the extreme snow we had in the winter of 1962-63 when the country was frozen solid for weeks on end, freeze, thaw, freeze, thaw. None of what you get nowadays, with so-called 'snow days', with schools closed down for days on end when there were a few inches of snow on the ground. None of that when I was at school. You just got on with it and school was never closed when there was snow on the ground or things were frozen solid.

6.45 p.m. I am rather keen on chocolate digestive biscuits. I also rather like Chocolate Hobnobs. So, when I was in Sainsbury's the other day, I saw they were on offer, so I decided to put a packet of each in my shopping trolley. Unfortunately, I didn't put either packet in the fridge when I got home, so when I was in desperate need of a snack and my recollection of those chocolatey treats entered my head, I went to the cupboard, but when opening the packet, I discovered that the chocolate had melted. Which made eating them difficult, without getting molten chocolate on my hands, clothes and other surfaces. But, it made eating them even more pleasurable as their sticky state made them taste better.

Just to report, as I'm writing this post, my digital thermometer reads a staggering 89ºF. Just crazy.

You Are My Sunshine!

Wednesday. 10.25 a.m. The heat is rising. The temperature in my flat as I compose this is 77ºF.

I have just returned from shopping in Sainsbury's. Hardly any other shoppers.

This often happens to me, someone wants something off a shelf which is out of reach, so I'm asked to get it for them. A short lady in one of the aisles.'Please, could you reach it for me?' I should charge £1 and give it to charity at this rate.

The rearranged store is still causing havoc. I wanted chocolate sauce (which is great on ice cream, particularly at the moment with temperatures rising.) It has been in the same position for years and suddenly it's moved, but search as I might, I can't find it anywhere. What on earth is the point of all this? 

6.40 p.m. We had another tea party in the community lounge, here at Dexter House. Plenty of tea, scones and cakes. You could almost say, 'lashings of tea and cake', some sort of conversation, but not a lot. Pleasant. Attempting to get any sort of intelligent conversation going is a bit like extracting blood out of the proverbial stone, drawing teeth, or some other idiom. The only problem is, that stuffing my face full of cake, scones and tea at that time of day, ruins my appetite for my evening meal. So, I have it at around 7 o'clock. Meaning the balance of things is put out. It's no a big issue, but as I get used to my routine, it's thrown out considerably.

The two items I had ordered from Amazon, an ice pack and a unit to take my printer, arrived around 4.45. I have managed to construct the printer unit. Made of metal pieces which is constructed with the aid of an Allen key. A bit fiddly to get some bolts to go through two layers of metal, but, with a bit of effort and a lot of patience, it is now done and in roughly the position I want it in my bedroom. I will sort it out tomorrow. 

The ice pack was put in my freezer for an hour. It contains a gel that absorbs cold and goes into a bag which you then fix around the particular body part you have pain in, such as my left knee, and then just leaves it to do its job. I can feel a definite improvement, so, hopefully, after about a month of use, I trust it will alleviate the pain I have been experiencing with bursitis over the last month or so. 

I just learnt that bursitis is another name for housemaid's knee, but probably it's not PC to use that term, and probably a lot of young people wouldn't know what a housemaid was.

Thursday. 6.40 a.m. I am continuing with using Voltarol on my knee and I've just had a ten-minute session with the icepack. Both these treatments seem to be working, and I can bend my left leg with reduced discomfort.

11.30 a.m. The thermometer currently reads 82ºF. It's going to get hotter and, according to Carol Kirkwood, the BBC Breakfast weather lady, the Met Office has announced that there will be the first-ever Red warning for extreme heat during the next few days, until at least Sunday.

We're Having A Heatwave!

Tuesday. 10.30 a.m.Okay, okay. The post title comes from that of a song, written by Irving Berlin and sung by the amazing Ethel Merman and various other singers, first appearing in the film 'Alexander's Ragtime Band', which was released in 1938.

I have been experiencing real pain in my left knee. I don't tend to make a fuss about such things, but it has been going on for around a month or six weeks or so. I was reluctant to go to my doctor's, basically because it's not easy, generally, to get an appointment, then there was the possibility of having to wear a mask and all that nonsense about 'social distancing', (a stupid term. It's an oxymoron, for goodness’s sake. If you don't know what that is, look it up on Google.) I wondered if it was related to something which happened when I was a D.S.M. at Ipswich Theatre in the 1970s. We did a Christmas show, not a pantomime, based on the John Ryan children's television show called 'Sir Prancelot.' I was part of a team who worked on the fly floor, hauling up bits of scenery and making sure the flying went smoothly. Unfortunately, as it was Christmastime, we were messing around, as often happens, but probably not the best place to mess around. In the process, I banged my knee on one of the cleats which were used to tie off the flying hemps `(or ropes.) It hurt at the time, as you'd expect if you have had such an injury. I didn't think any more about it, and had a few twinges, but nothing more. Then, around 48 years later, this discomfort came back. I could have just ignored it, but as you get older, it's probably best to deal with things such as an injury. I can hardly bend the knee, kneeling is out and bending down to do up laces is quite uncomfortable. 

Yesterday I decided that enough was enough, and with several issues sorted out, for example, the renovation work on my kitchen and the car with its MoT (which, by the way, it passed, fortunately.) I could go ahead and attempt to make an appointment at my doctor's surgery. Ringing around 8.20 a.m., I just got the infamous menu, asking which area you wanted, so I pressed '1' for appointments, but the system just came back to where I began. It was obvious that there was something wrong with the technology. I could not get through to speak to a receptionist. But around 20 minutes later I got through and this time I was able to get an appointment with a practice nurse. It was at 9 a.m. this morning.

I left in good time to get to the surgery in Bradwell Common. Unfortunately, there are at least three sets of traffic lights you have to go through in order to reach the surgery. There is generally very light traffic at that time of the morning, and even less than there would be when schools are open. These confounded lights seem to take an eternity to change. I can see absolutely no reason for them to take so long and they really need resetting.

On arriving at the car park at the surgery, there was no problem finding a space, and then I walked inside, and as I had taken a face mask with me, found there was no need for it. All the chairs were back as they should be, with no social distancing. I signed in, using the computerized system, and then sat down to wait for my appointment to come up on the digital screen. 

There was a message which came up on the screen, telling patients that, if they were in the wrong waiting area, they might miss their appointment. This is because the surgery has a waiting area downstairs, near reception, and another, upstairs. As it was by now about five minutes past the time of my appointment, which was actually 9 o'clock, I went back to the computerized screen and did a check. It didn't appear that I had actually managed to register that I had arrived, so I checked with one of the receptionists and it wasn't clear whether it had actually registered. So I went back to the waiting area.

Around 9.30 I got my call to go into the practice nurse's room. It turns out the problem with my left knee is caused by the soft tissue in the knee joint, called bursa, which are fluid-filled sacs situated near your knee joint. They reduce friction and cushion pressure points between your bones and tendons, muscles and skin near your joints. Any of the bursa in your knee can become inflamed, but knee bursitis most commonly occurs over the kneecap on the inner side of your knee below the joint.

The nurse told me it was unlikely to be in any way connected to the incident when my need came into contact with the cleat on the fly floor in Ipswich. Unlikely, as that was around fifty years ago.

I was told that Voltorol gel would help relieve the discomfort and reduce the inflammation. Also, putting an ice pack on it for ten minutes would also help. The nurse said that a bag of frozen peas would do just as well as an ice pack, but I would rather not use frozen peas, so I intend buying a reusable ice pack.

From the doctor's surgery, I went into the Boots branch, which is immediately next door. They didn't have an ice pack, but I did manage to buy a tube of Voltorol.

On the way home, I was thinking about where I could get an ice pack. I could have gone into the central shopping centre and tried the main branch of Boots, but it would have meant parking and paying, and I didn't have my mobile, so I couldn't pay using the parking app, and, anyway, there was no guarantee that they would even have such a thing as an ice pack. Then it occurred to me, why not try Amazon? So, on arriving home, I looked on the Amazon website and, lo and behold! A vast selection to choose from, and I found a reusable one and ordered it. It should arrive tomorrow. I started using the Voltarol, so I'll have to wait and see if it reduces the pain of bursitis.

6.30 p.m. I'm currently watching the weather on BBC 6 O'clock News, and the weather forecast says there will be extreme heat from this Thursday to Sunday, and the Met Office has issued an Amber Warning.

Wednesday. 5.45 a.m. Awake early and Alfie was barking madly in the lounge. It is relatively mild and as I write this, my digital thermometer reads 75ºF. 

1.45 p.m. We were told that we could expect a team of workmen to come and test the water in each of the flats in Dexter House. If we weren't going to be available to let them in, then we could rearrange times for this. I'm not sure what it was for. Testing for temperature or something. Around 1.30 I got a knock on my front door and two men stood on the doorstep. They were for something with the totally original title of WET. It made me laugh, why would you have such an original name for your business, which deals with water, and call it WET? Initials for 'Water Engineering Testing' maybe? 'We Envision Testing', or 'Water Engineering Testers'? I can't imagine. But how ridiculous. I showed them the bathroom, they took a fleeting glance, and were gone. I really thought they would have complicated instruments, to test the water, the flow, the temperature, take samples for analysis. But no . . . Just a glance and they were gone. 

Oh, What A Beautiful Morning!

Sunday. 5.25 p.m. Did you notice that many of the titles for my posts are taken from those of songs in musicals? This one comes from the opening number of the Rodgers and Hammerstein show, 'Oklahoma!' 

I bought The Sunday Times this morning. I went to Tesco Metro in Oldbrook Boulevard. I haven't had any Sunday papers for I don't know how long, well, at least in the traditional, print form. I have a digital subscription to The Daily Telegraph, so I can read it on their website and on the app on my iPad. I was shocked that The Sunday Times now costs £3.50, which shows how long ago I had it when it was probably less than £1, but maybe £2. 

There's an article which interested me, about the boom in television and filmmaking in the United Kingdom, and how there is a desperate need for more studio space because most of what's available, at, say Pinewood or Shepperton, is already booked solid by the likes of Disney and Netflix. The Hollywood studios seem to prefer to make their blockbusters, such as 'Star Wars' and 'Mission Impossible' in this country because we have some of the best facilities as well as the personnel to make them and also companies based here who create the special effects, provide the costumes, set-building, makeup and a whole host of associated creative material.

The Edinburgh Festival has just started. I am totally amazed that theatre companies, who appear there, now have to give a warning about anything that might offend audiences. How crazy is that? Are people so pathetic that they have to be warned if there's any mention of anything sexual, outrageous political matters, anything about gender, Britain's past, such as our empire, slavery, nationality or whatever? It seems people can become 'outrage about more or less anything. Also, there's an article in the 'Culture' section of The Sunday Times about Terry Gilliam, who happens to be one of my favourite film directors. He was the animator, as part of the 'Monty Python' comedy group.  I love the films he has directed, such as 'The Time Bandits', 'Brazil' and 'Baron Munchausen.' He was scheduled to direct a production of Stephen Sondheim's musical 'Into The Woods' at the Old Vic, but, due to his views on transgender and the     #met oo campaign, staff didn't want to work with him, so he has been 'cancelled.' It seems you can't have an opinion about anything unless it's someone else's opinion. He has taken the entire production to a theatre in Bath, where it is about to open. I am so hoping that this production might go on tour and come close to Milton Keynes, probably not to Milton Keynes Theatre, but possibly to the Royal Theatre in Northampton or the Oxford Playhouse.

Monday. 2.10 p.m. I have been experimenting with the animation app I bought from the Apple app store. I have spent around an hour this morning playing around with the set-up, using the piece of card I got in Hobbycraft the other morning and using the Rode device to clamp my iPhone to because you need to have your camera or phone steady before you can even think of any form of animation. I have now done a very short piece which runs for a mere 19 seconds, of a group of bits of Plasticine, and I'm rather pleased with the result. Now I will have to devise something a bit more imaginative and give that a go.

Happy, Happy Talk!

Saturday. 6.20 a.m. If you read my blog posts regularly, then you would know that I have been attempting to find someone to look after Alfie when I visit my daughter and grandchildren in Worcester, because Alfie doesn't get on well and makes a lot of noise. There has been a bit of a cul de sac as regards one attempt, but now it seems I have found someone who can look after him, who has dogs. I suddenly had a brainwave. I had the idea that someone at Dexter House might be able to help if I were to go to Worcester and leave Alfie in the flat, but to have someone go in and feed him and take him out several times a day. I thought of Dave, who is a neighbour. I met him when I was about to go somewhere in my car, as he parks his car next to mine. He told me it might be difficult for him to look after Alfie, but his sister might. She loves dogs and has a small one herself, so Alfie would possibly fit in and settle if I left him for a long weekend.

Sunday. 5.50 a.m. It took quite a while to wake up properly this morning, which meant it was somewhat difficult to focus so that I could take Alfie out. He was wide awake and barking loudly, which is why I had the lounge door firmly closed whilst I got myself organized, dressed and ready to go out. It is a mild but somewhat overcast morning. We are being told that for the next couple of weeks we can expect another heatwave. I just hope it's not going to be as hot as it was a few weeks ago. My digital thermometer currently reads 71ºF.

12.50 p.m. There was no church this morning, but there was a picnic at Furzton Lake, but I decided not to go. I had intended to watch the M.K.C.C. service via YouTube, but, having got it all set up through my Fire Stick, it just buffered, so unfortunately I gave up. It just froze, which made it impossible to watch. I've been reading, more of 'Modernity Britain', David Kynaston's book on the later '50s and early 1960s. Very informative, particularly as I can remember vaguely some of the details, as I would have been around 10-11 during that period. He mentions the opening of the Lionel Bart musical, 'Oliver!' which opened at the then, New, Theatre, (Now, I believe, called the Gielgud Theatre. I was at Rushmoor School in Bedford, and we were taken up to London by the English Teacher to see the show. I was very much inspired by it, and it would have been my first experience of a West End musical.  It must have been quite radical in some ways, because the book on which it's based is quite dark in places, think the murder of Nancy by Bill Sykes. The set, designed by Shaun Kenny was very distinctive, imaginative and probably unlike anything a West End audience would have seen up until that point in time. I think it must have coincided with the marriage of Princess Margaret to Lord Snowdon. If I remember correctly, we saw decorations in the street which must have been for this momentous occasion, but, at such a young age, it might not have meant much to me. I do recall going to a Lyon's corner house, of which there were many, not just in London, but in all the major towns and cities throughout Britain at the time, but, now, long since closed. I think this branch was somewhere in the vicinity of the Houses of Parliament. We were all allowed to order whatever we wanted, and one boy being very bold and having a Knickerbocker glory, one of those sweet concoctions, created in a long, stemmed glass, and consisting of brightly coloured jelly, in layers, with fruit cocktail and topped with whipped cream and that completed by a glacé cherry. Very pretentious. Which is probably why I remember it, some 60-plus years later. It must have been that school trip to London, where we were waiting on an Underground station platform, and a train came in, and everyone got on it but it turned out to be the wrong train, so we all had to get on, otherwise some of the group would have gone without us. I don't know how it turned out, but no doubt we had to go back to the same station and start again, getting on the correct train.  The following year we were taken to see 'Pickwick', another musical based on a Charles Dickens novel. It starred Harry Secombe, but it didn't have the same impact or long West End run as 'Oliver!' had. That show was staged at the Scala Theatre in Shaftsbury Avenue, but now converted into a cinema.

I am gradually returning the stuff which was removed from the kitchen units before the refurbishment was started. I just want things back as more or less what they were before the work began. I have lugged two large plastic boxes which have been parked in the bedroom. More or less all the stuff under the sink is back, and I find quite a lot of stuff is duplicated, such as furniture polish. A lot needs throwing away. I have found a really great-looking unit on Amazon which would be ideal to take my HP printer. If I get it, the printer can be moved from the IKEA unit where it lives at present. It comes with wheels and can be pushed around and has space underneath to store printer-related stuff like paper and ink cartridges and even has a handy drawer.

Time and Time Again!

Friday.7.00 a.m. I woke a lot later than usual, so it took me longer to get going. You know what I mean, not exactly 'with it', but, there again, not 'without it', either. Alfie barked and made a strange noise, which sounded as if he had bronchitis. Not his usual loud barking, but we still managed to get outside.

Friday. 8.20. Another bright, but not necessarily warm, morning. 

Yesterday morning I had a bit of survey work to do. I do many of these online, and I've earned quite a bit in either cash or vouchers, mostly Amazon vouchers. This was actually done in a place in the centre of Milton Keynes, Margaret Powell House. (Incidentally, who was or is Margaret Powell? Her name seems to pop up all over the place around Milton Keynes. I will have to do some research and then let you know here.) Anyway, this session was to test pizza (I'm not going to go into any more detail than that.) There were quite a few other people signed up, and we were given pieces of pizza to taste and then evaluate via a survey done online (as most of these are done.) It took around an hour, and I've been paid with a £20 Amazon voucher, which came in an email earlier this morning. I participated in two online communities during the past week, one on insurance and another on pet food. Again, I won't give any more details than that. I have done several of these, where you spend a week or a few days discussing things, uploading videos or photographs and answering questions. I am still waiting for payment for both of these, but I trust they will send me my vouchers within the next week or so.

I have been looking for a new digital camera that will not only take still photographs, but also video. It seems that these cameras have developed to such an extent that the quality is incredibly good. I bought a Canon digital camera at the time I officially retired, as a sort of present to myself. It is good, but being over seven years old, it is somewhat limited. It will take digital video, but I haven't really tried it out to push it to its full potential. Now there are people who vlog, that is, upload videos to YouTube. I have watched a lot of this material and can show it on my  Hitachi HD television by using an Amazon Fire Stick.   I have looked at Canon and Sony digital cameras, some come as part of a kit, whereby you get a camera, but also a microphone, a special light and a tripod, so you are more or less ready to shoot 'out of the box.' 

I have since found that you can have a similar kit for your mobile phone, which comes with a mini tripod which allows you to attach your phone and connect a small LCD light and microphone. So, I found one on Amazon, the brand being Rode, a reputable brand and I ordered it, and it was delivered yesterday evening. I have to say, when you buy on Amazon, particularly this type of item, you are inundated with a vast array of similar items, not just the more reputable brands, such as Rode. There is the temptation to buy a cheaper, possibly, unknown brand, which, once you receive it, turns out to be of very cheap quality, most likely made in China, and not up to scratch. They seem to think it's fine to make an inferior copy of a reputable brand, without any respect for patents or copyright. You then discover that it doesn't deliver on quality in any area, and probably fails miserably, probably falling apart after only a couple of uses, probably because they cut corners and use poor quality materials. The Rode vlogger kit I ordered seems made of quality materials and engineered to high standards.

As with so much of what you buy these days, the instructions you get are very basic. In some cases, if you go on YouTube, you can find a video which gives good instructions on how to set up most gadgets. I managed to put the Rode vlogger kit, but not to complete it. But this morning I found out how to finish it and I'm more than pleased with it. Now to do some filming. I'm not sure what as I write this.

Earlier in the week, my FitBit failed. At first, I thought it hadn't got enough power, but the screen went like an old-fashioned television, with lots of lines and the clock face showing up behind these lines. It just wasn't going to resolve itself, so I went on the FitBit website. I wasn't entirely sure whether it had been registered, but I discovered I had bought it back in February, having got it through the Argos website and, fortunately, there was a record. I didn't have a paper receipt. I got on the live 'chat' and the agent told me I could have a replacement. So I filled out my address via an email I was sent and will now await the replacement's delivery. But now I am without any sort of wristwatch because I have been using the FitBit's time-keeping facility and I don't know where my red Casio G-Shock wristwatch has gone.

All In A Day's Work!

Wednesday. 6.30 a.m. It's another mild and pleasant morning. Alfie was ready and waiting for me to take him out, barking at me madly.

Yesterday evening I appeared to have got into something of a time-slip, or so it seemed. I fell asleep on my bed and woke up under the impression that it was morning. It's odd what your mind does to you when you're half asleep. Not so much sleep, just groggy. I got dressed and took Alfie out, and I was intrigued to know why there were children playing on Oldbrook Green. It wasn't until I got back inside that I realized it was 8.30 p.m. Not having my FitBit working and on my wrist, nor any sort of timepiece, it was difficult to know the correct time. Well, for all that, at least Alfie got an outing, even when he didn't want or need one.

I have found a great app on the Apple App Store for doing animation. I have paid for it, around £5 and you can do stop frame animation, a bit like Aardman, the Wallace and Gromit people. I now need some sort of rig to support my iPhone and have ordered a gadget on Amazon which does just that and also comes with a microphone for doing videos. I can't wait for it to arrive tomorrow so I can try it out. I have even done a test bit of animation, of one of my rubbers moving across the top of my coffee table. It worked!

Yesterday, one of the buttons came off my shorts. They are by Weird Fish, if you know the brand. Without a button in a strategic place, I'm reluctant to wear them, as you can imagine. I have sewing thread and needles, which I bought in John Lewis a few months ago when I had a similar incident with a pair of chinos. But could I remember when I put either of them? Having moved so much out of the kitchen so that renovations could take place, it's difficult to find anything much. I will eventually return a lot of the things to their rightful places in the new kitchen units, but as regards sewing things, forget it. I did find the needles and decided to go to Hobbycraft to attempt to find sewing thread. I also bought some card and some Plasticine, which I intend to use for the animation I mentioned. The card will become the background which I will construct and the Plasticine will be made into some sort of character which will be the star of the movie I will attempt to make. I bought a cafetière in Sainsbury's yesterday, along with some ground coffee. I love proper coffee and making it in either a filter coffee maker of cafetière is, to me, the best way to make it. I just needed an air-tight container to store it. So, on the way back from Hobbycraft I had intended to go into The Range to have a look and see if they had anything suitable, but when I got down as far as  Childs Way and had hoped to turn right onto the roundabout which leads into the retail park where The Range is situated, the road was coned off, conveniently blocking my exit and therefore preventing my getting to where I had wanted to go, so I changed course and ended up back at Sainsbury's and managed to get exactly what I was looking for regarding an airtight container for my ground coffee. 

On returning to Dexter House, I then intended to sew the loose button back on my shorts, but it was then that I discovered that the aforementioned button was broken, so when I attempted to attach it back to the shorts, it just came off. It then occurred to me that a pair of trousers I had in my wardrobe had conveniently got spare buttons sewn inside the lining, and on removing one of these buttons, it turned out to be exactly the right size to replace the one that had come off. I was then able to sew this spare button on, after some considerable effort, because the material where it was to be sewn, was quite thick, with several layers, but after some effort, the job was done

1,700th Blog Post!!

Tuesday. 6.20 a.m. Yet another milestone for my blog! This is the 1,700th post. I can't believe I have managed to keep it going for so long. I know that a lot of what I post is totally mundane, but who knows, in years to come some historians might find my meanderings useful. I am currently reading a set of books (not actually linked by their authors.) taking me through the history of Great Britain from around 1870 up until the early 21st century. Many of the later books rely on people's personal diaries and something called 'Mass Observation, which utilized ordinary citizens completing surveys about everyday living.

My FitBit Versa 2 has gone somewhat haywire. You have to keep these things charged regularly. If I have a complaint about them, it's the fact that you have to charge them around every five days or so. They don't have a battery which you replace every couple of years, so it has to go on its charging base unit and a full charge will take about two-three hours or so. But then the face when peculiar, a bit like an old television set, with lines and flashing. The clock face came back on, at which point I thought it was back to normal, but I was wrong. It just kept on flashing and behaving oddly. Anyway, as I don't think I registered it as I should have done, to set up the guarantee/warranty, I went on the Argos website, which is where I purchased it, and found it was purchased in February, so it would still be under its year's guarantee/warranty. I then went on the FitBit website and used the chat function, and the agent asked me to reset it, back to the basic factory settings. But it would not work, so I'm being sent a replacement. This is the second FitBit I've had which has failed like this. Apparently, it has got corrupted, which I don't fully understand how that could happen unless it got near a magnetic field of some sort. So, I will await the replacement coming in the post.

I'll mention what I have been watching on television as well as what I've been reading. To be honest, there's not a great deal to watch on broadcast television at the moment, unless you like sport, which I'm not particularly. We have the Commonwealth Games on virtually all the BBC television channels at the moment, which is fine by me. The BBC is the main broadcaster for this, so it makes sense. Then the Women's Euro games, which England won, and it's fantastic, but not my thing, but it definitely needs a lot of support, and again, it's fine by me. 

I'm currently reading 'Modernity Britain: 1957-62', written by David  Kynaston, as part of my journey through the 20th Century. It covers such things as the beginning of what you might call the 'Television Revolution', two years after the introduction of ITV, BBC television's programmes such as 'Hancock's Half-Hour', 'Tonight' and 'Juke Box Jury.' I think I vaguely remember some of these programmes. Also, 'Blue Peter' and 'Watch With Mother.'

Any Old Day Of The WeeK!

Thursday. 8.25 a.m. I have used my Vax steamer on the new kitchen floor. So, it looks clean (well, that's  the general idea, so I hope so!)

3.40 p.m. I've been into the Milton Keynes central shopping centre to get my hair cut at Central Barbers. I had booked and paid via their website on Tuesday and my appointment was at 10.20, but I got there in good time so I didn't have to wait. Its a good idea to book like this because it means you are guaranteed to be seen immediately without waiting. I then went to Lakeland, the shop which is in Middleton Hall and bought a plate rack for my sink drainer. The old one is too big for the drainer and because the new taps make it difficult to push the drainer back sufficiently I thought it would be an idea to replace it and the new one is ideal

Friday. 9.35 a.m. Alfie was more or less asleep when I was about to take him out. 

My washing is almost done. I'm about to go down and check if it's dry in the drier.

I have booked the car in for its MOT on Monday at 11.45 a.m. I rang Bleakhall Motors just after 8 o'clock to book it in.

Saturday. 12.50 p.m. I drove to Kingston because I was attempting to find shampoo. Now, I know that sounds totally crazy, but I have used Elvive dandruff shampoo for men, and it works, and I actually like it. I think I first bought it in Sainsbury's but for some reason, I can't find it again. There are so many versions of Elvive, virtually every permutation on the same product, for women mostly, I presume, but this particular variation seems unavailable. I went into Boots, but no sign of it there, but a whole section in the shampoo shelving, of all the Elvive variations, but not the particular one I would like. I know, you're saying, but just buy any shampoo, they're all the same. But I was determined to get that one. I eventually ended up buying a Tesco dandruff shampoo. Not a particularly good substitute for what I really wanted, but it will do I suppose.

Sunday. 5.55 p.m. I have signed up for Digital Theatre. I've been watching David Tennant and Catherine Tate as Beatrice and Benedick in Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing.' A really lively and inventive production, setting the play in Gibraltar in the 1980s. I always wonder about the 'Hero' plot line, which somehow doesn't seem to work. If you know the play, you might know what I mean. It's as if Shakespeare had finished the play, and then found it didn't run long enough, and the subplot with Hero being accused by Don John of not being a maiden (a virgin), seems incredibly contrived and put in to get the play to run longer. For all that, the interplay between David Tennant and Catherine Tate is what makes the whole show work. They are so good. I can see why they would be cast, because of their television work, particularly Tennant as a former 'Doctor Who' and Tate, because of her sketch show.  Just shows that clearly they are capable of a wide range of acting, not just television or film, and can flip from classical to contemporary. The clever set design, which utilizes a revolve, means that the scene changes are smooth and effortless.

Monday. 6.20 a.m. A relatively mild morning. Alfie was fast asleep when I was about to take him out.

10.25 a.m. The temperature, according to my digital thermometer, is 78ºF. That is probably because I have one of the electric fans on full blast.

1.25 p.m. I took the Renault to Bleak Hall Motors for its MoT which had been booked for 11.45. They are incredibly busy there, and you could tell this by the number of cars waiting in the yard when I turned up. The car was soon being taken into the workshop, barely minutes after I arrived. Then, around 12.35 I got the result. It had passed! One of the tyres might need replacing, but it was a real relief that it had passed, and I wasn't going to have to pay out for work to get it through the MoT. I will book it in for a full service in November, which should keep it in good running order.