Tuesday. 7.17 a.m. It's a rather drab and dreary day. 'Quite cold generally', which is how Carol Kirkwood is describing today's weather, as I am watching BBC Breakfast as I write this.
4.35 p.m. I have only this minute got back from another day at Camphill, working in the performing arts workshop in the Chrysalis Theatre. Terrie, who is the leader, wasn't in charge today, because her father is ill, and she was with him. Paul was in charge. One or two of the regular team didn't come, for whatever reason. A new young lady came to work in the workshop. She is a regular support worker at Camphill. I don't know what she thought of the theatre workshop, but she seemed to fit in really well.
The morning got started with the usual 'check-in,' when every member of the team talks about what they've been up to and how they feel. This can take some time.
Then we did several games, the famous EastEnders game, which I've mentioned in an earlier post and 'Bananas' (which I won't attempt to describe on here.) All I can say, very good to break the ice, and they can be a bit daunting if you've never done anything such as this before, but it certainly gets everyone 'warmed up.' A great deal of this is to get people's voices ready for any speaking they are likely to do, which can be good for anyone with a learning disability. When I rejoined the theatre workshop back in November, after almost two years of being away because of the various lockdowns bought in because of the coronavirus pandemic, I was a bit overwhelmed when I started to interact with the group in these games, particularly as I didn't know how they were played. I intend to get involved in as much of this sort of activity as possible, although some of the games I withdraw from.
The rest of the day was spent watching a range of silent films, a couple with Laurel and Hardy, one of which was the famous film, ''The Music Box,' where they have to deliver a piano to a house up some steps and the series of blunders they make in the process. Typical Laurel and Hardly material. Then, some films with Buster Keaton and then Harold Lloyd.
After Lunch, we had yet another 'check in' and then we watched one of Morecambe and Wise's famous sketches, the one where they are having breakfast, and all their actions are done to the music of 'The Stripper.' Then, we did some exercises whereby we emulated Laurel and Hardy, with the scene in 'The Music Box', where they are clearing up after the disaster in the house they are delivering to, where Ollie is shifting wood from one place to another and Stan puts it back in exactly the same place, so it ends up with them not getting anywhere with the clearing up. We did it with two teams, with moving chairs and it turns out that they end up back where they started and then another with washing up, with the washed-up dishes are being endlessly recycled and washed. We then had to enact what we'd developed to watch the other team's efforts and then they watched ours.
Wednesday. 7.05 a.m. It is getting light earlier and earlier each morning and this morning, as a result of it being light out, I was out with Alfie at around 6.40 this morning. We did a circuit of Oldbrook Green, because I didn't see the point of wasting the early hour to not build up some footsteps with my FitBit. Looking at the FitBit I have on my wrist, it reads 2081 steps.
10 20 a.m. I've just been to Sainsbury's mainly to pick up a repeat prescription from Lloyd's, whose pharmacy is within the store. I now learn that this pharmacy is going to close in July. We have been ordering our medication from Lloyd's for I don't know how many years and know the staff well. They have been very supportive, particularly when Carol was diagnosed with cancer in 2017 and always manage to get whatever medication we need. So it will be such a shame for this facility to close. I can move to another pharmacy, but it's so easy to park, with the car park underneath the store. There is the option to set up delivery from Lloyd's and have my meds delivered direct to my flat, but it won't be the same without the personal touch. It seems so many companies are disappearing altogether or moving their businesses online. Argos is owned by Sainsbury and its head office is in Milton Keynes, just a stone's throw from Sainsbury's. Many of their high street stores are closing, and Sainsbury's will have Argos pick-up points in their stores. No doubt all this is as a result of the infamous pandemic lockdowns as well as Brexit. I will be able to adapt to the new way of receiving my medications, but there will be some people, of a 'certain age' who will prefer to have the human contact of going into a store to pick up their medication and might not be able to use the internet to set up their accounts to have their medication delivered directly.
2.05 p.m. I am continuing to transfer handwritten material into word processing. This particular piece of writing was written some while ago, but it seems to fit as the backstory of the new character I want to bring into the project. It may need to be slightly adapted for that use, but, as it hadn't been used or transcribed, it seemed a good idea to use it.
No comments:
Post a Comment