Everything's Coming Up Roses! (Or Is It? Probably not . . . )

 Friday. 2.00 p.m. It's been sunny and pleasant so far today. When I took Alfie out at around 6.15 there was a rosy-red sky.

I wanted to go to Lidl after 9 o'clock this morning. I usually drive around the block and onto Oldbrook Boulevard along Truman Place, which runs alongside Dexter House, but, on arrival at the roundabout on Oldbrook Boulevard, I discovered that the road was closed and an army of workmen in bright orange overalls. This meant I had to return to Dexter Avenue and then onto Strudwick Drive, turn right onto Chaffron Way, go right around the grid, and enter Oldbrook from Grafton Street. No real problem in all this, but a bit annoying as I wasn't aware of the road closure until I got to it. This seems to happen regularly all around Milton Keynes, mainly when they have been resurfacing parts of the grid road network.

I took Alfie out again a few minutes ago and I could see the workmen with a large lorry with 'Tarmac' written on it and another machine which I believe lays the new surface. I have to say I quite like the smell of tar. Is that odd? I seem to remember a play I did in Liverpool in the 1970's, which I think was called 'June Evening' (I covered the book for this production.) and one of the characters talked about tar being used to clear the chest of a baby, who was held over a barrel of hot tar. Strange how such things come back as a memory.

When I had completed my shopping in Lidl, I had to use a self-service till (they had only one manned till open, even though the store was busy.) I had problems getting items to scan, but a young lady who is there for such an incident managed to scan my shopping. I don't know why this happens. It's odd, though, that you are supposed to scan from right to left, which isn't the standard way of doing things. Or is it just me? Most things are operated from left to right, which seems more logical.

Saturday. 7.50 a.m. Another bright and sunny but cold, which I discovered earlier when Alfie and I went outside.

Sunday. 7.25 a.m. I had no idea that the clocks went forward today. I think it happened at 1 a.m., so I suppose that means it's today. There was nothing about it on the news yesterday, and no sort of reminder. Also, it's Mothering Sunday. Please, not Mother's Day, which is an American institution. Whatever it is, it's yet another way for businesses to make money, similar to Valentine's Day or, dare I say it, Hallow'een. 

I have a subscription to The Daily Telegraph. It's for digital, meaning I don't have the print paper and can read via the app and also the website. My current subscription ends in April and I had an email to inform me the next year's subscription would be around £200. I was keen that this amount didn't come out of my bank account and was prepared at that point to cancel the subscription. So, yesterday morning I rang the callcentre to discuss cancellation. The friendly man the other end was understanding but then wanted to offer me a cheaper deal. He first said '£150', but I refused that. The £99.' Again, I refused. Gradually it went down until it was £39, which I accepted. It just goes to show, you don't need to go with the first offer on something like this and it makes you wonder how many people take the first offer, not knowing that you can beat them down. I presume he didn't want me to disappear and not have a subscription, but it was worth it in the end.

Sunny and Pleasant

 Thursday. 7.30 a.m. The weather continues to be sunny and bright. I just hope it stays that way.

Excitement! I cleaned my fridge out yesterday morning. It is a fridge/freezer, but I didn't touch the freezer part. It has been in need of a cleaning for a while, but, like a lot of domestic jobs, it gets forgotten or avoided. It was running with water, but I have a dredging kit, which has a sort of syringe mechanism and a tube which you insert into the drainage hole at the back of the fridge. It will suck out any water which is in the unit and then you use a metal, spring-like device with a small brush on the end and this clears out a small amount of muck. It worked! You never get told that this will help with the matter of water engulfing your fridge. All now clean and fresh! Time and effort are very well spent.

Saturday. 10.15 a.m. I've got an Apple Watch. I bought it via Very. It was ordered last Sunday and it arrived via Royal Mail on Thursday lunchtime. It was easy enough to set up and does far more than I expected. I am pleased with it, and it connects to my MacbookPro, my iPhone and my iPad. My only gripe is, to charge, you have to plug the charger device into the Macbook, which is fine, but I need to charge it away from the laptop, so I will need to invest in a new charger which will plug in to various ports I have around the flat.

I've been doing more domestic work. Cleaning the bathroom floor and washing the mats. I took out the rubbish earlier this morning and had another encounter with a rat in the bin store. It jumped out and ran out through the gate. Eeek! A bit of a shock, as you might imagine. Someone on Facebook has posted a solution to a rat problem. Get an owl, as they will leave as they are scared of owls. What a great idea, and totally environmental. No poison or other noxious material. This matter was bought up on Wednesday afternoon at the Tenant's meeting.

Sunday. 7.10 a.m. A really rather pleasant, sunny morning.

The digital thermometer currently reads 24˚C. Things are definitely hotting up. I have had my electric fan on for the past couple of days.

I have a parking space outside Dexter House. There are several along the street. It is a 'first come, first served' sort of arrangement. I prefer to have my car off the street as I always think it is safer. I can see my car from my flat window. But recently there has been a problem, caused by a large flatbed lorry which is often parked where I need to get in and out of my parking space. Some mornings it can be so close that it makes it virtually impossible to get out without scraping it. I really don't think this sort of vehicle should be parked in a residential street.

Spring Is In The Air!

 Monday. 7.05 a.m. Spring is here. It officially begins around the 20th of March, but metrological spring begins on 1st of March. It's chilly out, with a light frost.

Tuesday. 10.20 a.m. I have been out this morning to shoot some more videos. It was bright and sunny, as it has been for the past few days. I was using my iPhone, connected to the rig which takes the DJI camera and has a reserve power pack and, when required, a tripod, which screws onto the base. Using the DJI app, it means I get a far better idea of what I'm filming. I had the thing set correctly and I have already looked at the footage on my iPad. I'm very pleased with the result.

Saturday. 6.10 a.m. I went to get my hair cut yesterday at ROK Barbers in Unity Place. It definitely needed a good trim.

Chloe rang me the other evening, and she hoped I would be able to visit them all in Worcester sooner rather than later. I have rung the lady who looked after Alfie so well last time I went and everything is in place to go over the Easter weekend. So I have that to look forward to.

As I write this, it's bright and sunny, so it looks like 'Spring is in the air'! Crocuses and daffodils, as well as a host of primroses, are blooming along the sides of Chaffron Way.

Monday. 7.10 a.m. It's colder this morning, and there was a light mist over Milton Keynes when I took Alfie out around 30 minutes ago.

Tuesday. 7.10 a.m. It might be bright and relatively sunny, but it's chilly.

Saturday. 8.55 a.m. It's bright and sunny, but chilly.

I've been to Lidl. At this time of year, I always have daffodils because Carol loved them, and it would have been her 61st birthday last week, as you will know if you read my posts regularly. Lidl is so much easier to get to and have a quick shop. I still get a few items from Sainsbury's, such as bread.

Sunday. 6.40 a.m. Another mild morning on the weather front. But there was a light frost on the grass when Alfie came out with me around 10 minutes ago.

Trapped!

 Sunday. 8.20 a.m. I've been cleaning up my kitchen. I have got rid of a lot of bottles and glass items. They went to the bin store for removal by the dustman, which will probably be next Tuesday, which is bin day in Oldbrook. Then I attacked my fridge (not literally, you understand. I'm not that crazy.) Some food was well past it's 'sell-by' date, so it went in a black bin bag. I decided to put it out this morning, so it was tied up, and I carried it to the bin store. You have to go through an inner door which opens into the corridor and through an outer room and then unlock an outer door which is bolted shut most of the time. I went through this door and put the bag in the rubbish container, but then there was a gust of wind and the outer door slammed shut, leaving me outside in the yard and no way to get back in. I did try the door several times, but no luck. I did attempt to climb out over the padlocked gate and into the road, but it was impossible, even if I tried to climb on a wheely bin. Eventually, I saw one of the Dexter House residents passing by the gate, and he came round through Dexter House and let me in. Not a nice experience. I really don't want to repeat it. I don't like being shut in. I'm not good in small spaces, and this was such a situation. I really don't intend to repeat it if I can help it.

Monday. 2.30 a.m. We had a violent rainstorm earlier this morning, but it went over quickly and as I write this, it's bright and sunny.

Wednesday. 7.25 a.m. It's relatively mild this morning. A red sky when I took a very sleepy Alfie out at around 6.45. Do you know what they say about a red sky? Or, at least you should: 'red sky at night, shepherd's delight. Red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning!' It must be more or less right, because Carol Kirkwood, the weather presenter on BBC Breakfast this morning, was saying there was a possibility of rain sometime today. Let's wait and see.

10.25 a.m. I have just been to Lidl. One or two things were needed, which included dog food. Alfie would not have thanked me if he didn't get his dinner/ It was raining heavily, so the above would prove to be true.

Friday. 7.00 a.m. It's foggy this morning, which was something of a surprise. It should disperse as the day progresses.

Saturday. 7.55 a.m. It's sunny and bright as I write this, but earlier, when I took Alfie out, it was chilly with a light frost on the grass.