Autumnal Days

 Monday. 1.05 p.m. A new week. Currently, the digital thermometer reads 21ºc.

I have been to a Shakespeare session at Dovecote in Newport Pagnall. I used to go, quite some time ago, but for some reason, I stopped going. I think it was probably because the person who used to be in charge of the group left, but I made contact via the U3A website, hence today's session.

I haven't driven to Newport Pagnall for some time, and the road has been improved, and there are warehouses built on one side and houses being built on the other and a new roundabout on the main road which comes in from Bedford, with traffic lights which make it safer and easier.

Tuesday. 7.20 a.m. It is another dull and ordinary November day. The digital thermometer currently reads 21ºc, so , stuck at the same temperature recorded yesterday.

I have bought an Osmo Pocket 3 digital video camera. I am getting to know all the features, and, similar to the Pocket 2, which I also have, but with more features, including a touch screen which swivels round to turn the thing on and set up the camera.

1.55 p.m. I was scheduled to have blood taken this morning for a blood test. It's meant for my annual diabetic prevention review. I was due at the surgery at 10.55. I got there in plenty of time and, once logged in on the computer system, I had to go upstairs.

There was a problem with giving blood, and today was no exception. The nurse tried my right arm, but with no success. Then my left, but still, no success. I was somewhat annoyed, not with the nurse, who was incredibly patient and professional, but I just wanted the procedure done and out of the way. I have another attempt booked for 1st December. I just hope that this time it is successful.

As the saying goes, 'you can't get blood out of a stone.' Yes, but you can't get blood out of my arm. 

Wednesday. 12.55 p.m. I went to Sainsbury's after 9 this morning, but there was ice on all the windows of the car, so I spent around 10 minutes scraping it off before driving away. It has been sunny for most of the morning, even there it was cold. The digital thermometer currently reads 23ºc.

No-vember!

 Wednesday. 7.30 a.m. A somewhat wintry morning here in Milton Keynes. Rain with snow mixed in, which I noticed as I looked out of the kitchen window earlier. I doubt it will settle, but still icy and snowy.

The digital thermometer currently reads 21ºc.

I went to see the musical 'Mary Poppins' at Milton Keynes Theatre yesterday evening. I parked my car in the carpark near the Xcape and walked through to the theatre, but never expected to see a huge queue of customers waiting to enter the theatre. I purchased a programme and a souvenir brochure in the foyer and then went up several stories to my seat and entered at door 10. That area is called The Slips (don't ask me why. I have no idea. I got a really good view of the stage and actually a lot better than I expected, as, on the website, when I booked, it said 'restricted view.' An absolutely fantastic show, not a complete copy of the 1964 Disney film, with some dark moments in the plot. There are a lot of new songs, which blend in well with the film's original songs. The overall show was energetic, to say the least, very colourful, and the dance numbers were overwhelming. Mary Poppins flies out at one point, and at the end, flies off through the auditorium. I'm not entirely sure how this was achieved, but I imagine there is a cable running across the auditorium and the actor playing Mary Poppins wearing some sort of harness under her costume.

8.20 a.m. The snow has stopped falling, and there is a sprinkling of the white stuff across the community garden and on some of the cars in Dexter Avenue, including mine. I doubt it will remain

4.15 p.m. There is now absolutely no sign of snow. 

Thursday. 5.35 p.m. It has been bitterly cold today. There was some ice on the car windows when I drove off to go to Life Group this morning, but the sun melted it off, although I did wipe some mist off with a cloth.

Friday. 8.40 a.m. It's bright and sunny out this morning, but I doubt it's warm. The digital thermometer currently reads 21ºc.

I have my washing in the machine as I write. I plan to try making tomato soup again. The washing up is done, giving me space to work in the kitchen.

Saturday. 9.55 a.m. It's a bit wet and miserable this morning. I suppose you could say it's a typical November day. The digital thermometer currently reads 21ºc.

I've just come back from Sainsbury's. Nothing really much to report, but it's definitely the best time of the day to go there on a Saturday, as there are fewer shoppers about.

Sunday. 9.20 a.m. The sun is out this morning, although rather weakly. 

The digital thermometer currently reads 21ºc.

Nil November

 Wednesday. 10.25 a.m. Yesterday I didn't feel all that well. I had what seemed to be a migraine, which I rarely get. It seemed like the flu or possibly covid. This morning it seems to be gone, but it wasn't pleasant. A short time lying on my bed did help, but not entirely.

There was quite a heavy rainstorm early this morning, around the time I woke up, but at the moment, there is no sign of rain. The Environment Agency has declared a flood warning for Milton Keynes and the area, no doubt because the River Ouse flows through Newport Pagnall.

I've just come back from a shopping tip to Sainsbury's, and it looks as if Christmas, or at least, the run-up to the festive season, is in full swing. There are Christmas trees everywhere, of varying sizes and presents, or at least, the options for presents, very much in evidence.

Thursday. 4.10 p.m. I now have the bookcase I was given screwed securely to the wall. I am slowly moving the piles of books I have around the flat into the bookcase. I am so glad I was given this, and I have the chest of drawers parked in the entrance hall of the flat, and that will be moved into my bedroom once I have cleared a space on the furthest side of my bed.

Friday. 10.40 a.m. It's a bit miserable and wet. It's pouring with rain and not good out. Just as well it's rain and not tea or orange juice! I know, I'm silly, but after all, why not?

I'm gradually moving the piles of books into the new bookcase. The place looks so much better, but actually not particularly tidy!

Saturday. 12.25 p.m. It's a very grey and gloomy day. It makes me think of this poem, called 'November' and very appropriate for the sort of day it is. When I was at school, we learnt poetry and sometimes had to read it aloud.

No sun — no moon!
No morn — no noon —
No dawn — no dusk — no proper time of day.
 
No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member —
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds! —
November!

It was written by Thomas Hood.

There is a fog, not exactly thick, but as I look out of the kitchen window, I can see that this fog is obscuring a good deal of the view. Some of it has been Tippexed out, as you would if you made a mistake on a typed letter, long before computers and word processing.

Happy Bunny!

 Friday. 8.35 a.m. I mentioned that I was having problems getting Blogger to work, so I could write more posts. The problem is now solved. I used to use Safari to work on my posts, but I realised that Google owns Blogger, so I used their browser, Chrome, and it works perfectly. It makes sense, as you would want all your products to work together.

Saturday. 9.20 a.m. It's the 1st of November. The sun is shining, but I'm not sure how warm it is out. I will go out later. I have a regular prayer triplet on WhatsApp at 10. 

The digital thermometer currently reads 23ºc.

2.45 p.m. For some reason, probably technical, Mike was not able to join the prayer triplet at 10 o'clock this morning, but my friend Richard was able to make it, and we had a long chat. Technology is great when it works, but it's not so good when it goes wrong and causes a certain amount of frustration and stress.

Tuesday. 1.50 p.m. It's quite mild and sunny at the moment. How long it's likely to last is anyone's guess.

The digital thermometer currently reads 24ºc.

I am currently transferring my writing into word processing, as I mentioned earlier in recent blog posts. I am editing as I go and adding new stuff. It's going well, and the fact that I leave it for a few days helps me to come up with new ideas. I'm cutting out a significant portion of what I originally wrote and rearranging the order in some cases.

Saturday. 11.15 a.m. It's unseasonably mild at the moment. The digital thermometer currently reads 23ºc.

We had our monthly men's breakfast this morning at the Oaktree Centre. As usual, plenty of eggs, bacon and all the trimmings and then a discussion around the table.

The trees are rapidly turning colour, a wide range of browns and yellows. The leaves are falling fast.