Garden Work Completed

 Thursday. 8.10 a.m. The work in the community garden here at Dexter House has been finished. The workmen were tidying up late yesterday afternoon, and now we have neat and tidy, tarmac-covered paths which should be suitable for those who have electric scooters to drive along and actually gain access to the sheds, which were installed around 3–4 years ago and had remained unused until the work was completed. There are also lights installed all along the paths, no doubt installed in case there is a fire in the building and the residents have to evacuate.

My FitBit has fallen apart. No, that isn't actually correct. What happened was that I was putting on my shirt as I was getting dressed, and the strap got caught somehow, and then the strap came apart. The metal pin which secures the device's body to the strap came out, and I managed to retrieve it from the floor. But, I have to be honest, the thing has begun to annoy me because the strap, which I bought on Amazon, is metal. Although it looks good, it has a magnetic connection instead of a buckle, but it keeps on coming apart, and often at the most inconvenient moments, such as when I am driving. It sometimes makes the watch part fall around on my wrist, and at one point, I almost lost the thing. The actual Fitbit is good, but the other fact is that you have to keep charging it, which is usually once a week or so. So, because of all this, I decided to buy a cheap digital watch on Amazon, which should arrive by Saturday.

Friday. 7.10 a.m. I have only just woken up. Barely 15 minutes ago. Probably the latest for a long time. Alfie has been out, and the weather seems quiet.

Monday. 10.05 a.m. I have been to get milk and a few other bits that were running out from Sainsbury's. I must have milk for my cereal and tea for breakfast. I was surprised that there was ice on the car's windows when I went out after 9 a.m., so I had to spray the defroster and scrape the ice with the scraper. As I write this, it's sunny and bright. 

Saturday. 9.50 a.m. It's getting light earlier and earlier each morning. Which means I can take Alfie out a good deal earlier.

I've been to Sainsbury's. Milk was needed as well as bread. I could go to Lidl, but they don't have the bread I like. It's made 'in-house.' I'm not a fan of your traditional white sliced loaf. This bread is malty and wholemeal.

I've mentioned about the work done in the community garden, here at Dexter House. This was done so that those who use electric scooters could store them in the sheds which were completed several years ago, but could not be accessed because the surface of the paths are unsuitable, and it would have been difficult to get into the sheds. Now this is possible, but as I write this, there are no scooters in the sheds. I would have thought people would have flocked to use the sheds and try out the newly surfaced paths.  The whole idea of all that work was because the fire officer said, I don't know how long ago, that the electric scooters should not be stored in the communal areas in Dexter House, as they are a hazard, if there was a fire. But they are still parked within Dexter House. Crazy situation.

Miracles Do Happen!

 Thursday. 2.25 p.m. It's sunny and bright today, but it's not as it seems. It's actually been quite chilly. I went to the Thursday Morning Life Group as usual, and, although the car wasn't iced up, the inside of the windscreen was misty, and it took some time for me to clear it before I could drive out.

The new Lidl has opened on Oldbrook Boulevard. I must have mentioned that the old store had closed and the row of shops with a Tesco Express. There was an A.T.M. outside, which could be useful if you needed cash in a hurry. I went to look around earlier this afternoon and was surprised by how many cars were in the car park and inside the store it was heaving. I did buy a few things and used a self-service till to pay. You must keep hold of your receipt at the end because you need it to scan to exit the store.

Saturday. 9.20 a.m. It's relatively mild but overcast. Never mind. Get used to it.

As usual, I took a sleepy Alfie out onto the grass along Strudwick Drive around 6.45 this morning It has been made into something of a mud patch, a ploughed field or whatever you want to call it, created by the workmen who are doing the work in the community garden at Dexter House. I just don't like getting my shoes covered in thick mud, but it really can't be helped. It was dark, and it was difficult to see clearly, but as I was dealing with Alfie, I saw something moving in the greenery which grew alongside the wall of Dexter House. I looked again, and to my horror, I saw two rats fighting. It is not something I am keen on seeing or being near. Having had the rather horrible experience of the rats we had running about the house when Carol and I lived in Crownhill. (I think I have mentioned this saga in an earlier blog post.). I shouted at the rats, and they soon disappeared. But that wasn't the end of it. About two hours later, I sorted out the recycling and the various bags of rubbish which had to be taken out to the bin store. I opened the lid of the receptacle which takes the bags, and in amongst the bags were two more rats! I quickly put in the rubbish and slammed down the lid. 

Sunday. 8.25 a.m. No rats were seen when Alfie and I went out earlier this morning. It wasn't excessively cold, but I have a feeling it was slightly frosty, because the grass had a sort of glitter on it which is always a sign.

Wednesday. 10.20 a.m. It's sunny but chilly.

I've been to Lidl. I love it when you can get in and out quickly. The only problem is, finding what you want. I have a good idea where everything I want is, when I go to Sainsbury's. I have set up the  Lidl app on my phone, so I can scan and get points, a bit like Nectar, but you get instant treats, such as cakes and fruit, which was a surprise. If I have a gripe, it's the fact that, when you've done your shopping, taken it out to your car and unloaded it, you have to return the trolley to the parking space near the store. It's when you push your trolley into the parked trolleys, that you get your token back for your next trip. I imagine that this is so they don't have to employ someone to retrieve the trolleys (which they have at Sainsbury's. One less employee means they can cut prices. The staff work hard in Lidl, because they not only have to work on the tills, but stack shelves. Again, another way to have fewer staff and keep costs down.

Tuesday, 7:20 a.m. I've taken my usual walk with Alfie. We strolled along the grass by Strudwick Drive, which has become muddy due to the workmen driving vehicles for the community garden project. Their tyres have churned up the grass, creating this mess. I'm hoping things return to normal once they complete their work. 

I was at the point where I was about to pick up Alfie, to avoid him walking in the mud, and go back into Dexter House, when an electric scooter shot past. If I had taken probably another step or two, I would have been in a direct line with this scooter. There was no noise, nothing to warn me. The rider seemed totally ignorant of my presence. A bit of a shock. This is why I don't like these things.

I have mentioned elsewhere that I had changed my broadband provider. I'm now with Vodafone Fibre Broadband. I have managed to reset the various devices I have, so they are once again connected to broadband, but the password you have to enter to connect is long and complicated. The only device I  needed to set up was my Canon Pixma printer. I spent all yesterday trying to fathom out how to achieve this. I even bought a cable from Amazon, intending to use that to connect my MacBook to the printer, but I could not get it to work. As these things don't come with a full instruction manual, you have to do a search on the internet. I have the Canon print app on my iPad, so, as a final attempt, I thought I would try and see if that would work. It was relatively easy to put in the password, and, thankfully, it worked! These things are so frustrating. I even went to Argos to buy a black ink cartridge, as I was sure there wasn't sufficient ink in the cartridge that was in the printer. Everything fell into place, and I have been printing a document, which is some of my writing project, which I can now read and begin to make edits and amendments. I now need a suitable file to put the pages in.

So, the title of this blog post is pretty well accurate!