Lockdown Fallout

 Thursday. 7.05 a.m. I've been out with Alfie.

2.15 p.m. I've been to the Oaktree Centre as I have for quite a few months now, helping to set up and pack away the gear for the Acorns playgroup. Then, at 10 o'clock, into one of the side rooms for Bible study. I drove home and had some lunch, watching an episode of Bargain Hunt, which I hadn't seen in ages. It's been running on BBC1 since about 2000. Two teams of two have one hour to find three antiques at an antique fair or in an antique shop and then sell the items for a profit, which, if they win, they keep. Each team has an antique expert who helps them decide which items to buy and then, once the teams have bought their three items, the experts go off with what cash they have left and then buy another bonus item which the teams can either decide to sell or reject. The profit, or loss, is added to the cost of what they sell. More challenging than it seems. Along the way you learn about various items and at the midpoint of the show the presenter, in this show, it was Charlie Ross, goes somewhere local to the site of the antiques fair, such as a country house, museum or other historic site and gives a talk about some aspect of that place or a style of antiques, furniture, pottery or whatever.

Friday. 5.15 a.m. I'm wide awake because there is a sound coming from one of the nearby flats. I can hear music, possibly a television on, and a voice. I look out of my door and a man comes out of the flat. I thought I could hear the sound of one of the alarms going off, which all the flats in Dexter House have. I don't know what is going on. I will no doubt discover during the course of the day.

6.05 a.m. I've done some more transcribing my handwritten writing onto word processing. I was awake, so  I thought I'd do some more. It's going well. Now I need to find a way to incorporate this into the rest of my writing. I have some ideas, but at the moment I'm not sure where it's going. Time will tell.

7.20 a.m. So, we're now being able to read the WhatsApp messages which were sent to the then Health Secretary, Matt Hancock to various members of the government during the COVID-19 lockdowns. And which are currently being published in The Daily Telegraph.  It would appear that some ministers as well as government scientists attempted to stop lockdowns because they believed that they would not help the spread of the virus. Also, the use of face masks was said to not be effective. It seems we've been treated like infants and the collateral damage caused by lockdowns, not least the financial damage, caused by closing down businesses, such as pubs, shops, theatres and a whole host of other places of work, not least the mental health damage which has been caused and the destruction of school children's education as well as their mental well-being. We became a police state at one point, with police having the power to fine members of the public for doing innocent things such as taking their dog for a walk, having a picnic or merely having a cup of coffee. There really was no logic to this, because the virus would surely be dispersed by the breeze in the open air. It wasn't like having people crowded together in a confined space, such as a room in a house, an office, or even a lift in a tall building, where people could be in close quarters with other people.  I think people became like sheep, they didn't question any of the lockdown restrictions or lockdown in general. All of these smack of Nazi Germany or life under Stalin or any communist regime. Then we read that certain members of the government, who should have known better, were contemptuous of those who got caught contravening the lockdown regulations. Of course, we then had to find out that Boris Johnson, when he was Prime Minister, along with many other members of his Government, was caught holding parties in 10 Downing Street. Johnson had to own up to all of this and had to pay a fine, although he did his utmost to wriggle out of the truth of all this. You would imagine that members of the government, which forced through the various bits of legislation which set up the regulations, which included people not meeting in groups of around six, with no parties allowed etc would have known that such a party was illegal. Or did they wave it through without thinking and then, if they had a party, no one would find out? Except someone took photographs which proved they did. Shows even more contempt for the public.

All this had a marked effect on my mental health. I lost my lovely wife, Carol, to cancer in December 2018. I spent most of 2019 attempting to come to terms with being on my own and building a new life for myself, starting volunteering at Camphill (which I have mentioned in these posts on many occasions.) But then, having everything held in suspended animation in the early part of 2020 when the first lockdown was introduced. I ended up having to use antidepressants (which, incidentally, I have stopped taking.) Being shut in my flat, not seeing anyone, not being able to go to church, although services were relayed via Facebook, and we had Zoom meetings (although, having access to Zoom was brilliant, and I learned very fast how to use it, and I still do, for certain events which are put on  Zoom.) But, generally, it was very difficult for me, not to be able to interact with other people.

This And That

I've been doing The Bible Course at church and fortunately it's being run during the day, which is better for me, because if it was run in the evening, as most of these courses are, by about 8 o'clock I'm beginning to flag somewhat and my concentration goes out of the window. There is one more session next week and the 8 weeks is over. I think I'll give it a rest on the course front for a while. I went from the Oaktree Centre to Sainsbury's, because I had been texted by Lloyd's pharmacy that my repeat prescription was ready to collect. I can't believe they had it ready so quickly, because I did the order on line only a couple of days ago. From there, I went home, and had lunch, a sandwich bought in Sainsbury's, sitting and watching Bargain Hunt, something of a habit, I know, but nevertheless, I have learnt quite a bit about antiques from this show. It was being done in aid of Children In Need, with Debbie MaGee and Joe Pasquale and Richard Cadell and the infamous Sooty (in a box. WHY? We all know it's a man with his hand up the backside of a bit of fur fabric, so why the pretence? And why does Sooty never speak??? I've always wondered that, as a child, and even more so as an adult. Well, the wretched Sweep squeaks, so why doesn't the bear talk?) what has happened to Sooty? He looks different. His face is fatter. Has he been stuffing his face on cakes and buns? It's not the same Sooty I remember as a child. Mind you, when I was an A.S.M. at Liverpool Playhouse in the early 1970's I remember Harry Corbett bringing Sooty to the Playhouse for a week of shows, and being disappointed that there was actually more than ONE Sooty! I saw the many and various versions of Sooty as a puppet and it somewhat spoilt the illusion that they used more than one puppet. How soon the innocence of youth can be spoilt by such things.  But, it was for a good cause. Then, with his pleading eyes, Alfie insisted on going for a walk around Oldbrook Green. (Well, he'd been left all alone since I went out at about 9.15, so he did deserve it, poor little mite.)

A lot of really good television drama coming up. 'His Dark Materials' has already got to the second episode, of, how many? Is it eight or ten? Well, at least they're giving it space to breathe and do justice to the really complex storyline. Season two already in the works, so I believe. They're got the feel of the 'alternative Oxford,' Sort of steampunk feel, with airships as a form of transport. The Daemons are C.G.I., photo-realistic and seem to work very well, fitting in to the action very well and don't look as if they've been pasted on as some C.G.I. characters do, such as has happened in the revived 'Doctor Who.' Then, following that series, 'The War of The Worlds.' I'm intrigued to see how they manage to do this, set in the late 19th century, at the time it was written. I read all of H.G.Wells science fiction books when I was a teenager, 'The invisible Man,' 'First Men In The Moon,'The Time Machine' and 'The War of The Worlds.' Wells was amazing in that he was writing far in advance of his time and probably best described as The Father of Science Fiction. His short stories are also worth looking at and some are really creepy. Then 'The Crown' returns on Netflix, with Season 3, which, as far as I can understand, takes up the story in the 1970's and I think covers the Miners' Strike and other matters. Meanwhile, not to be outdone, Amazon concludes 'The Man In The High Castle,' which I've been following and have found to be really intriguing and I'm looking forward to how it all ties up. Can't wait to see what all these channels and other television services come up with. I know Apple TV + has just started and then there's Britbox, which is a joint venture between BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5.

Cakes and Sunshine

(Friday)I had to go out to Waitrose a little after 9 this morning because I wanted to make two more sponge cakes for tomorrow's musical evening at church. I seem to have started something with my baking efforts, because so many people have been asking about my cakes and some are a bit disappointed when I don't have any to offer them. It's a bit of a bind having to cut out greaseproof paper to line each tin, the base has to be cut into a circle and the paper is on a roll and it wants to keep curling up, but I managed to make enough for two cakes, two top and two bottom layers. As I write this I've managed to make enough for two layers and they're in the oven, cooking. They have about 10 minutes left before I open the oven to check how they're doing.

Later. The sponges have come out of the oven are perfect! I'm really pleased with them. Now to make the second couple of sponges, meaning both layers. There's not a great deal of room in the kitchen, so I have to shift things about in order to manage. The more equipment I buy, along with ingredients for cakes and so on, I need more and more space.

I'm currently watching 'Bargain Hunt,' which I've been watching more or less since it first appeared on BBC1 at lunchtime back at the beginning of the millennium (12.15 p.m.) when it was originally presented by David Dickinson. Then when he left, he was replaced by Tim Wannacott and since he left, they have different presenters for each episode. Now they have changed the format. On today's episode the contestants had to find items of a particular type, or genre, one team had to find something which was kitchenalia and the other, guardianalia. Also, each had to find an item for over £75. They still have a budget of £300 each to spend on three items and have an hour to find each item in an antiques fair or shop. Then they have to sell them at auction and make a profit. Not easy. Most times the contestants don't make any money but it is rare if they make any real profit. If they manage to make a profit on all three items then they get awarded what they call a 'Golden Gavel,' which is really a pin or badge. Also, each of the experts who helps them choose each item, buys a bonus item, which they can choose to accept or decline and if it makes a profit they have the cash to add to their total profit fund. Perhaps it's success is down to the fact that it's on around lunchtime, when people like to sit down with their food and watch something that's entertaining and instructive. I have learnt a lot about antiques from watching this (and other shows, such as Flog It and Antiques Road Trip.) I would never have heard of Moorcroft , Poole Pottery, or Lalique if it hadn't been for Bargain Hunt (and many other 'brands' or 'types,' or whatever you want to call them, such as 'treen.')

The second two-layer Victoria sponge has been an even greater success than the first! The two sections have risen even more than the first couple and even lighter than ever. I just have to trim the bottom layer so the top layer sits perfectly on it and then fill with raspberry jam and a drifting of icing sugar on each and they're finished.

Myocardial Perfusion Imaging Test At John Radcliffe

I've mentioned that I had a Myocardial Perfusion Imaging Test procedure booked at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford today. (Monday) I was taken by James, a good friend at Shenley Christian Fellowship. He wasn't due to pick me up until 12 midday as the procedure was at 2p.m. and it wasn't going to take 2 hours to get to Oxford. Generally, with light traffic it wouldn't normally take more than an hour. I wasn't over-keen on driving myself, due to the stress it was likely to cause and I certainly didn't need any more, what with Carol already being in hospital and also the state of other drivers attitude of other motorists, being tail-gated and generally not being in a fit state to drive that far at the moment. Also, I don't think Carol would have been happy if I had gone on my own. I was ready to leave well before 12 noon. He phoned me to say he'd be ten minutes late. When he got here he had to set his satnav and we left for Oxford.

The journey was relatively straightforward, but still I'm glad I didn't have to drive. We had to stop on the A34 because the satnav wasn't working or something, so James used his mobile phone as a satnav.

We got to the John Radcliffe but then we weren't entirely sure where the department was that I was going to, the Nuclear Cardiology department. The John Radcliffe is an enormous hospital, spread across a really large campus and it can be extremely difficult to find the particular department you need when you don't know the exact layout of the place. Then we had a problem with parking the car, a vast carpark but absolutely no vacant spaces. So I had to get out of the car, having got James's mobile number so we could keep in contact. I went into the main reception entrance and asked at a desk, and was given instructions as to the exact place I should go to, along a very long corridor (why do hospitals always have at least on long corridor? Is it something that the architects work into their masterplans or something, just to keep patients and visitors fit with all the walking?) Even then I didn't know the department was on Level 1, so I had to go down in a lift, which, when I got in one, insisted on going up first before delivering to the correct floor. But then I had to walk a considerable distance before finding the right department although I had to ask at two further desks before eventually ending up where I should have been. I can't say it was particularly well signed, just endless corridors and stairs to reach it.

All the while James texted me. He said he would attempt to park outside the hospital and then, later, said he was going to go to a library. One was going to be closing at 1 o'clock, so obviously no use, and then he said he was going to Bicester, which we had come through on the way over from Milton Keynes, and he said he'd head back to the hospital to pick me up at 5.30.

I reported to the reception in the department and then had to wait in the waiting area, but I didn't have to sit there long because a nurse soon came to get me and went through to one of the preparation rooms where I had to have a canala inserted in my right arm. As usual with me I had to lay down on the bed because I have a problem with needles, usually with giving blood, as you will have discovered if you read my blog posts regularly. The nurse had a real problem finding a vein, and at one point wanted to put the thing in my hand, which I refused. It's not the pain of the needle, it's mostly when whoever is attempting to put a needle in is fiddling around, looking for a vein, try one area, then another, then they tap your skin to raise a vein, it won't work here, then there, they might start to put a needle in, it takes too long, at which point I'm feeling queasy and sick. But eventually the canala was inserted and eventually the radio-active substance put into my bloodstream. My blood pressure was taken, which was low. I don't have a problem with that. I had to remain laying down for a minute or two. I began to feel better and eventually stood up and had to go and wait out in the waiting area for an hour before they could do the fist scan. I was shown what the machine was like,  through a window into the main room and how I would lie on the bed with my head out though the end of the machine as the camera revolved around me. I have to admit I don't like being enclosed in a small space and get mildly claustrophobic as a result.

So, I sat and waited for the hour. I had to drink water, for whatever reason. I could have eaten something, but I wasn't hungry but I currently don't have an appetite. I had eaten earlier, before I had left home, at around 10.45. Some people waiting with me had bought food with them but I just couldn't face a thing. They had a television on to watch, an ancient edition of 'Bargain Hunt' on the Really channel, not a channel I would normally watch, and then what seemed like endless episodes of 'Homes Under The Hammer.' I attempted to read, as I had a book with me, but I couldn't concentrate on it, so I gave up.

When the hour was up (and goodness, how it did drag. Really boring, unfortunately.) I was called in to the next room for the scan. I had my blood pressure taken. I had to lay on the bed within the scanning machine. They put something under my legs to raise them slightly. I think I had pads put on my chest, that connect you to an E.C.G. I had to slide right back and put my head out the other side of the machine and raise my arms and put my hands behind my head. To be honest, I didn't like it. I don't like enclosed spaces. The actual camera part of the machine encircled the whole bed with me on it and my chest had to be under the camera. Fortunately they had music playing, from Classic FM, so as the machine started I could concentrate on that and not on the humming, whirring machine as it kept circling me. Also, the whole procedure took around 10 minutes, not a moment more or a moment less. I had to lay completely still. My arms began to get cramp and I wanted to stretch my legs, but I had to keep perfectly still. Then one of the nurses said that the procedure was over. Thank goodness. The thing began to stop revolving and I was able to be moved down the bed so that I could sit up. I then sat on the edge of the bed and the pads were removed from my chest and I could leave the room, and had to drink water as I sat outside. I was told I should eat something, but I didn't feel hungry and really had no appetite, although someone sitting near me in the waiting room had food with him in a bag and kept eating fruit and other things.

So, another hour elapsed. Again, watching television and being generally bored. Once the hour was over I hd to go into another room. I had to take off my shirt while they connected me to more pads, which went to a computer which showed E.C.G. readings. I had to stand on a treadmill and walk, at first at a slow pace and then they gradually increased the speed. I had to hold on to a handrail, and walk steadily. The speed of the treadmill was increased and I managed to keep walking steadily, but I began to feel a tightness in my chest, but they made me keep on walking. One of the nurses put something into my arm through the canula in my right arm. No doubt more radioactive substance but I think it was more likely something to make my heart beat faster, probably adrenaline, but I'm not sure. I had a stress test done at Milton Keynes hospital in the cardiology department several years ago and they did something similar whilst doing a sonic scan of my heart and the adrenaline or whatever it was made my heart beat faster. I think this new test was similar to that. As I got more and more tightness in my chest they slowed down the treadmill until it stopped, but frankly it was stressing me somewhat and I was relieved when it was over. I know when I'm out walking when to slow down or stop to rest, whenever I feel some tightness in my chest, so it was with this test.

I got off the treadmill and they took the pads off my chest and I went back to the waiting area.

Another hour to wait. Or perhaps a bit more. I attempted to text James, but by now my mobile showed that I had little battery-life in it. I decided to turn the thing off, otherwise if the battery failed I wouldn't have enough power to text James to let him know I had finished and where to pick me up from.

It was well over an hour by the time I went into the room with the gamma camera in it (I've been looking at the literature I was sent prior to going for this procedure and that is what the machine is called.) I had my blood pressure done again. By now (it was around 5.15p.m.) I was heavily sick of the whole thing, feeling really tired (which is an effect of having had a heart attack, so nothing new there.) I had to lay on the bed thing in the machine and my legs were lifted it up with a sort of bolster thing. Not sure why, although perhaps it helps my blood circulate better for the camera. Then I had to put my head back as far as I could out the back of the machine and put my hands behind my head. Again the machine started. But this time the operator left the room. I didn't get far into the procedure, unfortunately. I had my eyes closed as I had the first time round, but then I opened them and saw how close the camera thing was to me and I'm afraid to say on here that I got a horrible panic attack. I just can't stand being enclosed, I've mentioned it on here earlier. I just freaked out and in the process I move my position. I continued with the procedure, but when it had finished the nurse said that because I'm moved it had ruined the results of the scan. I would need to do it again. I explained that I'd had an awful panic attack and the staff did understand. I didn't want to have gone all the way to Oxford for this procedure and then not have it completed successfully. They said to me that next time someone would be with me during the next run with the gamma camera, and it wouldn't be so long, perhaps seven minutes. So, I agreed to have a second attempt and this time it went well, with the nurse talking to me throughout. The earlier attempt wasn't pleasant and I just hope that I don't have to have another scan like it. Just don't like being in enclosed spaces like that.

So, that was the final scan, thank goodness. I packed up my things and had to open up my mobile, which even than had very little battery power. I managed to text James (by now it was about 5.35 p.m.) and attempted to walk to the hospital reception area, where I'd come in earlier. I walked along a really long corridor, expecting it to lead out of the building, but I came to a set of double doors which I couldn't open, it requiring a card to swipe to get it to open, which I didn't have. No doubt a member of the hospital staff would have such a card, but I obviously didn't. I walked back the way I'd come, a long walk, and I wasn't feeling 100%, so it was hard work. I used a lift and hoped I would get back to the level which lead out to the reception area. I eventually got there, James having said earlier in a text that he was now back on the hospital site. I decided to walk out of the building and thankfully I saw his car drawing up down at the road-level. So I got into his car and we began the journey home, arriving back at our house at around 7.15. I was so grateful to James for his kindness to drive me to Oxford and for the successful conclusion of what was a very long and tiring day.

What's so awful about daytime television?

Generally, daytime television seems to get a bad press, that it's cheap, lazy, time-filling programming, watched only by the elderly, house-bound, students, the unemployed and those who have nothing better to do with their time during the day. Which may be true, up to a point. The BBC doesn't do a copy of what ITV does with their programming, and manages to put out a fairly wide range of programmes from when Breakfast ends at 9.15 a.m. to around when the evening news is broadcast at 6p.m. If anything there seems to be an over-abundance of shows related to antiques and selling houses and make-overs. 'Homes Under The Hammer' is at least worth watching if only to see how prospective developers manage to make a good (or bad) job of restoring and decorating houses that at first glance are little more than disaster areas. It does at least encourage people to do up properties which were wrecks and so add to the housing stock instead of green space being built on. It's always interesting to see the results of developer's hard work and effort and it's not all about making vast profits from selling the properties in question. On the other hand, another house-selling show comes on mid-afternoon on BBC1, 'Escape To The Country,' where couples with more money than sense, having decided they want to give up city living and sell their homes and move away to some idyllic spot in the countryside. The presenters show them three properties which fit certain criteria, such as it has to has space for granny or grandpa, room for a herd of alpacas to graze, or perhaps have stabling for several horses or ponies as well have an ample-sized kitchen and perhaps views over rolling hills, meadows or the sea. I often wonder if they're just keen to show off their homes to their friends and family, and buy somewhere they can retire to which has far too much space and umpteen bedrooms which their guests can use when they visit perhaps once a year. Do they never think, when they're viewing these fantastic country properties, how far the nearest supermarket is, or the doctor's surgery or indeed, the nearest urban settlement, how much farm traffic they're likely to encounter on their way to work (wherever that may be) when they're very likely to be stuck behind a slow-moving combine harvester, tractor and trailer or herds of sheep being moved from one field to another, or even what it's like mid-winter then there's six foot of snow and the roads around their beloved property are closed off due to drifting show or there's ungritted road surfaces to deal with.

The BBC has a couple of shows which use recycling as the basis for their format, such as 'Money For Nothing' where the presenter, who is usually a designer/maker, visits a tidy-tip or recycling centre in a town and search out pieces of furniture and other material which people are bringing in to be scrapped and manages to remove these items before they are skipped. Then it is taken away to be restored and redesigned into new and improved pieces of furniture or whatever. What makes it remarkable is that these items, once they're tarted up, are sold on at profit and the money made is given to the people who dumped the items at the tidy-tip in the first place. A good example to us all that what we throw away and might find useless can become amazing once restored and given a new life, so saving them from land-fill.

There are some daytime television programmes which are useful, not merely in the schedules to fill up space. One such might be 'Fake Britain' which is sometimes shown in peak viewing time. It deals with consumer matters, mostly about items which are fake (hence the title, obviously) and some are items which you wouldn't otherwise think of as being faked, such as passports, electrical equipment such as hair straighteners, mobile chargers as well as websites which offer tickets for concerts and shows at knockdown prices but which turn out to be worthless. Also, all manner of scams which would go unnoticed until shows such as these alert the public to them.

Antiques seem to be something of an obsession on daytime television. 'Bargain Hunt' has been around for what seems like ages, first presented by David Dickinson and then Tim Wannacott, and more recently, since he left, it has been presented by a wide range of antiques experts which keeps it fresh and lively. Two teams of couples are given £300 to spend in an hour on antiques at various venues across the country and then attempt to make a profit at auction. Each team has an expert who helps them select their items and then, once they've bought their three items the expert spends what's remaining of the £300 on a bonus items which the teams can either accept or reject at auction. You can actually learn quite a lot from these sorts of shows as the experts discuss the various antique items the teams select. I had never heard of many of makers such as Lalique, Moorcroft or Clarice Cliff before I began watching this show. Later in the day there's 'Flog It' and later still, 'Antiques Road Trip' which is a programme where to antiques experts cross the country and stop at various towns with antique shops in them to buy items which are then sold at auction. The profit made is then given to charity.

There are now far too many gameshows on both channels. ITV has three which run one after the other, 'Tenable,' 'Tipping Point,' and 'The Chase.' It just seems cheap and simple for them to churn out this stuff, nothing wrong with either, although some of the questions on 'Tipping Point' and embarrassingly easy and an insult to anyone's intelligence, for example, 'what colour is the sky?' or' which month does Christmas fall?' Why do so many of the gameshows have such garish sets? The set for 'Tenable,' for example, is a really bright green. All have similar digital graphics and almost all have equally annoying sound effects, particularly when contestants win or something else happens during the course of game-play. Repetitive sounds which really get on your nerves, to say the least. 

Tedious and Lack-Lustre Telly

It's spring and the birdies are singing their hearts out. It's warm and pleasant, but for reasons I won't go into in too much detail (but which would become apparent if you read my blog posts on a regular basis) we're stuck indoors. Under different circumstances, we'd be out and about visiting various properties managed by either the National Trust, English Heritage of the H.H.A. (Historic Houses Association). Instead, we're enduring some of the most unimaginative and positively tedious television to pass the time of day. I can't think why, with endless channels on Sky, there is such a total lack of imagination in programme-making at the present. All days on the main channels (BBC1, BBC2, ITV and Channel Four are identical (although, of the free-to-air channels, Channel Four is perhaps the least tied to it's regular daily line-up of programmes.) I mean, when I was a good deal younger, each day in telly land was different. You had different programmes for each day of the week, for example, a sitcom at 7.30 in the evening on a Monday, then a Tuesday probably a gameshow, Wednesday, probably a documentary and so on. Also, things like Play For Today or the Wednesday Play, which could often be hard-hitting, from a range of writers such as Dennis Potter or Alan Bleasdale. These would be one-offs. There were series and serials, such as The Onedin Line or The Brothers or going back further in time to the 1960's, Adam Adamant Lives and probably one of my favourites of all-time, The Avengers. Totally imaginative and very original. Now we just get the same shows on every day. Bargain Hunt is in the same slot on every day of the week, including Saturday and Sunday. Admittedly we do get quite a few good programmes, some excellent drama series and documentaries. But why do we have to have endless antiques, cookery and selling things shows? Why because something is popular do the schedulers think we're going to love more and more? Everything has to be ghettoised. Some of the best stuff the BBC does is on BBC Four. This stuff would have been put on BBC2, but even that has been overrun with endless gameshows and antiques shows. It was set up I seem to recall as being a sort of place for 'distinctive' programming. So where's it all gone wrong? Why don't we get such programmes as 'Not The Nine O'clock News' which could be quite biting satirically. We don't get satire any more, particularly when we have such an awful set of politicians who need to be satirised. Donald Trump is one such, but would you believe in him? Not really, as he's just one big comic character really ripe for satire.

I read all of Gerald Durrell's books when I was a teenager. I read the first one 'My Family and Other Animals' when i bought a second-hand copy of it as a paperback from a stall at Cardington church fetê. I loved it and read almost everything else Durrell wrote. I was more than excited when the BBC did an adaptation of the books back in the 1980's. A fairly reasonable and accurate adaptation. I think they might have done a sort of 'one-off' movie version sometime later, but I can't exactly say when or if that's true. Then ITV announced that they were doing a series based on the 'Corfu Trilogy,' (I think I'm right in saying, unless it's just based on 'My Family and Other Animals.' We watched the first two series of this, and I have to say it was reasonable. But I can't say I recognise any of the books from these adaptations. They've taken incredible liberties with the stories and characters. The books are centred very much on Gerry, the youngest of the Durrell children, but in the television version he has a much smaller role to play, intact he's quite a minor character in these shows. The wildlife doesn't play such a central role in this ITV version. But I've given up on watching the third series because it really has wandered away from what I remember of the books. They have just not held my attention so I'd ratter invest my time and effort of something else, such as reading. I wrote about the first series in an earlier post when this show first aired. But I'm afraid it has deteriorated considerably since the first season which is a great pity. I don't think I'll bother to watch any more.

Crazy Daytime Television

Watching a great deal of daytime television over the months, it's made me think of new formats for programmes. There are lots of shows about buying and selling, antiques as well as houses. People with an obsession about moving to the country as well as Australia. There's probably far too many, but that's another story. Just turn these formats on their head and you get some interesting ideas. 'Pointless', the gameshow, which is on at teatime, took the idea of people knowing about obscure answers, and thus, getting the lowest score,  unlike 'Family Fortunes' which was the opposite, getting as many points on answers to certain questions got higher scores and if so, you'd be a winner. Why not a show where people who've moved to Australia suddenly decide they want to move back to the United Kingdom? In 'Wanted Down Under,' families put themselves through the hoop travelling all that way and deciding whether it's a good idea to leave family and friends behind in Britain to move all that way, find a job and then a home to live in. I just wonder if some people are just going on the show so they get a free holiday to Australia, a nice week stooging around, looking at houses and talking to people who might or might not give you a job. All that emotional upset, leaving granny or grandpa behind, missing friends and neighbours, but think of all the problems of moving to the other side of the world. Then there's the other shows, 'Escape To The Country.' Instead of selling up and moving to a rural cottage, with a kitchen which is far too big, with acres of land, room to keep a pony, a tennis court and a huge lawn which needs mowing every couple of weeks, Do these people who go through all this trouble take into consideration what living in the countryside consists of? How far is the nearest Tesco branch, or Sainsbury's? How far away is it to the nearest shop if you run out of milk, what is it going to be like if you move to a house half-way up a hill in the Yorkshire Dales, how are you going to cope when you get woken at 6 o'clock in the morning by a cockerel crows, a cow moos or sheep start bleating? Or, if you are late home from work in the evening, caught behind a tractor and trailer or a herd of sheep or cows being moved along the narrow lanes around where you live? So, let's have a television show about people who get fed up with life in the country and decide that they want to 'Escape To The City.' They just long for a home where you can stand up straight and not hit your head on low beams, long to be able to walk on nice, clean pavements instead of muddy pathways, have lots of choice when it comes to finding ideal places to buy their milk, don't have to worry about having a broadband connection, and don't have to be woken in the early hours of the morning by cows mooing to be milked or cockerels crowing. Instead, they're woken by car alarms going off and not being turned off. They don't mind having to find a place to park and getting a parking ticket.  Oh, the joys of being oh so ironic!

We'd come up with another sort of 'buying and selling' show. Instead of buying something and selling it at auction and attempting to make a profit (such as in 'Bargain Hunt, 'Flog It,' or 'Antiques Road Trip.) the contestants have to either 'skip it or sell it.' Some of the stuff people buy in these shows is really good quality, but you could buy real tat, something worthless, kitch, and you have a panel of people who have to decide whether the item is worth keeping or whether it goes in a  skip or is crushed in a crusher. You could go through someone's' home selecting the items to be skipped or sold. A good way to clear a home of clutter. Perhaps, instead of having a skip, you could shoot the item out of a canon into space, or you could put it on a wall and throw balls at it until it breaks. Just think of the worst-possible gift someone has been given and is sitting at the back of a cupboard and they don't every use it. This could be a good way to get rid of it. It might have horrible memories in some way or other. 

Road-Trip To Oxford Possibly The Worst-Ever

Carol had to go to the Churchill Hospital in Oxford this morning for what's called a P.E.T. scan. I had to be at Milton Keynes Hospital really early. Infact I was there at 7.45. We were to be taken by transport, not an ambulance but a minibus. The driver arrived in Carol's room with a wheelchair at about 7.50, a good deal earlier than expected. I had imagined we would have the minibus all to ourselves, but I must have been deluded, considering this was N.H.S. transport. Carol was taken in the wheelchair down to the exit on the floor below and we were loaded into the vehicle (loaded is perhaps the best way to describe it. It was somewhat like being treated like a load of baggage and not a human.) Carol had a special air cushion to sit on and was strapped in with a seatbelt and I sat facing backwards, not a position I am keen on as it's an odd experience, travelling along and getting a view of the road behind, not facing forward. I'm not all that good at being driven and can get travel sick, but it wasn't too bad this time. We left Milton Keynes via Standing Way and had to pick up a lady from her home somewhere in Emerson Valley, and fairly near Morrison's at Westcroft. From there we drove out towards Buckingham to pick up an elderly lady. But the driver didn't hang about, driving at a great speed. Unfortunately the vehicle had virtually no suspension, and we bounced about all over the place, flung about inside that vehicle and Carol didn't feel in the least bit comfortable as a result. I was just as uncomfortable, being flung about in such a wild fashion. I realise we had to get to Oxford on time for the various people on board to attend their appointments, but there was certainly no need to be treated in such a callous manner.

We arrived at the first hospital, John Radcliffee, to find that the place where ambulances and other hospital transport arrived was taken over by vehicles which had no right to be there, such as taxi cabs. The area just blocked up with traffic. It seems that cab drivers imagine they can do as they please and ignore notices which clearly state that the area is for dropping off and collecting only and not a sort of private taxi rank. Anyway, it took some while before the driver could find out where the elderly lady had to be delivered. He'd unloaded her from the vehicle in her wheelchair, using the lift on the tail of the vehicle, pushed her into the entrance of the hospital to discover he was in the wrong place, so had to wheel her back out and reload her into the vehicle. Yes, it does sound as if she was a bag of potatoes, the way she was bundled about. Poor woman, it must have been very uncomfortable for her, but she didn't complain. Probably because she had no choice. So we were rushed around the hospital site (at such speed it felt the vehicle was likely to loose bits on the way) and ended up at a different part of the hospital complex and the poor lady was again unloaded and wheeled into yet another department.

The other lady, whom we had collected first on our journey out of Milton Keynes, was then taken to the John Radcliffe hospital which was a short drive from the first hospital. I don't know which department it was, but she was an MS patient. Carol was then taken to the Churchill Hospital (I think I'm beginning to get somewhat confused by all this and can't remember clearly what happened, even though it was barely 24 hours ago, but all this was done so fast, it's become something of a blur, as you can imagine.) At the Churchill it took the driver quite a long time to find the right entrance and the right department. To be honest with you, I don't think he had the faintest idea where anything was or where he was going. But Carol was taken out of the vehicle in a wheelchair and pushed into the hospital, a fairly long walk, with me attempting to keep up. The driver went at such a speed it took me quite an effort to keep them in sight as they eventually disappeared into the main hospital entrance and along a lot of corridors (hospitals have far too many for my liking) and we ended up in the scanning department.

Carol was registered. A lengthy questionnaire and then we had to sit and wait in a rater soulless waiting room. I'm sorry, but a little more effort could me made to make these places a bit more interesting. A pile of ancient and tattered magazines and a television on showing daytime programmes. (Incidentally, returning to this from an earlier post. How come they have televisions on in these areas of hospitals which are free to view, whilst the one's over the beds you have to pay for? Doesn't make sense to me.)

The scan was going to take two hours, so I had a choice; to wait where I was and read a magazine and watch television, or to wander off and find something to eat and drink. There is a range of options in the entrance, similar to what there is at Milton Keynes hospital, except I saw a W.H. Smith and even an M & S at one of the other entrances (I'm lost now. I'm not sure which hospital is which, we were flung about so rapidly.) But in the end I decided to remain in the waiting room as I have a propensity for getting lost and if I'd gone off in search of food and drink I'd most likely not have found my way back. I read a few of the magazines (I should have taken a book to read with me, but that's my fault.) and 'Bargain Hunt' came on at it's usual time-stop of 12.15, which is what we'd watch if we were at home. I also chatted to some of the other people waiting with me, which also helped to pass the time. Carol went off with a nurse (I presume she was a nurse.) as they had to prepare her for the P.E.T. scan (I'll have to do a Google to find out more, particularly what the initials stand for.) It stands for Positron Emmission Tomography, although knowing that isn't much help to me.

They injected her with what, apparently, was a radioactive dye, which goes into the bloodstream and is what shows up on the scan. As I don't understand the technology, I can't describe any of it on here, and I wasn't allowed anywhere near the machine that was used. A nurse came back after a while to say that Carol would be back out after two hours, so the wait began. By about 1.40 she came back, sitting in a wheelchair. Apparently she had to wait for an hour-and-a-half before the scan could begin, because the dye needed time to circulate in her blood stream.  She wasn't supposed to sit in the main waiting area or use the toilet. Presumably because of the radioactive dye in her bloodstream. Why? Was she going to contaminate any other people sitting in the waiting area? What about me? Didn't it matter that I was going to be in close contact with her? The radioactivity was supposed to wear off after a couple of hours (not exactly sure how long and I was never told.) So, she was going to be sitting in the minibus with other people returning to Milton Keynes, so didn't they matter? Also, what about the driver? None of this makes sense. Anyway, we were taken (by another driver. I don't know what happened to the first one.) back to the minibus and reloaded. We picked up two more people (one of whom, a lady, was already installed in one of the seats on the minibus, looking totally perturbed and not exactly happy.) Then we were whisked off to collect another person, a man, and were on our way. We stopped at one point as the driver thought he had somewhere else to go to collect someone else, but then we just left Oxford (at around 2 o'clock.) and headed back to Milton Keynes, but not using the exact same route we had used on the wait out earlier in the morning. We got back to Milton Keynes at around 3.15. The driver wanted to follow the computerised list he had been given, and the lady who was on the bus, who lived in Tinker's Bridge (and area virtually next door to the hospital.) thought she was going to be dropped off first, but because Carol was in a great deal of pain by  now, due mostly to the rough ride in the vehicle, the driver decided to divert and drop her off before the other lady, who was complaining of being cold and making other noises. She hadn't bought a coat with her, which was a bit stupid in my opinion, due to the fact that it's mid-November and the weather is very likely to be cold at this time of year. Anyway, Carol was unloaded (yes, again, made to feel like a parcel or bag of King Edward's.) and we went into the hospital and back up to the ward. Poor Carol was hungry, she hadn't had a bite to eat, wasn't so much as offered a cup of tea in Oxford after the scan, and there was nothing so much as a coffee machine in the department we were in. She asked a nurse if she could have toast and marmalade to eat, which didn't appear. Then, to add insult to injury, she had to remain in the side-room, and had to use a commode when she needed the toilet. All down to the fact that she was radioactive and wasn't allowed to use the communal toilets in the ward. Still, didn't it matter that I was with her? Or the driver? Or the other passengers on the minibus? Will someone explain all this to me, as it is such a mystery.

Even More Television Annoyances

Why do the credits at the end of so many television shows have to be rushed through so fast? How on earth are you supposed to be able to read at that speed? Then, not only do they insist on speeding the credits through at high speed, but they have to shrink them down by putting them in a narrow window at the same time and you get a voice-over which tells you what the next programme is or some other television show. So why do they have to treat the credits in this way? It seems something of an insult to all those who have contributed to the making of the programme that has just ended, not just the actors but the production staff and other creative personnel. It's almost as if they're not important enough to be given some sort of recognition for the work they've done as regards the production that has just finished.

At one time dramas on television used a minimal amount of music in their productions. Obviously you'd get music as the programme started, the opening titles and at the end, over the credits. You didn't get a lot of music used as incidental to the action. Probably such shows as 'The Onedin Line' had the very distinctive music at it's opening and closing and it probably had quite a lot of music over scenes of ships and the sea. But today we seem to have far too much music. Is this another bit of American television's influence on our productions? It can be over-used and in some ways it's become something of a cliche to have a hidden orchestra bursting forth as the action on screen gets dramatic. It's almost as if the director can't allow the audience to think for itself. The problem with all this music is that in some cases it can drown out dialogue. There was much controversy some while ago over the BBC production of 'Jamaica Inn' where viewers were complaining about the actors not speaking clearly. I find it difficult to believe that actors were unable to be understood because they weren't speaking clearly. I know from working in theatre that it's one of the most important things that an actor has to do and that is to be able to speak clearly and be heard. When I worked in rep (and, yes, it's around 45 or so years ago) none of the theatres I worked in used microphones for the use of the actors. Most big musicals use amplified sound and the actors have tiny microphones hidden in their costumes and sometimes in their hair or even stuck to their faces. As a result it means that the sound engineers can balance the singing voices with the orchestra or band. It means that nowadays actors don't have to worry about speaking clearly or to be able to project their voices to the back of the auditorium so every audience member can hear them. It also means that if actors have no real experience of working in theatre and only concentrate on television and film work they can then rely on sound engineering and all the paraphernalia of sound production without worrying about their ability to project properly.

I seem to have wandered slightly from the main subject of this blog post, but the matter of actors being able to speak clearly does connect with television sound and the over-use of music and the reliance of sound being over-used in dramas and other television productions.

My final moan is regarding the use of what I imagine must be library music. In a lot of shows, particularly documentaries and lifestyle shows, particularly those about antiques, is the repetitive use of some very familiar music. No doubt it's because they might not have to pay a composer to write original music and then fall back on using library or 'stock' music which doesn't require the production company to pay a royalty. But the same bits of music seem to appear regularly on things like 'Antiques Road Trip,' 'Flog It,' 'Bargain Hunt', and 'Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.' Just becoming very annoying and repetitive. I bet if you watch a lot of these shows, usually shown during the day, you will notice this music and how it's over-used. Come on producers and other people, do give us a break from this monotony.

More Niggles: Television- Part 2

What's next on my list of niggles regarding television? How about the over-abundance of similar shows, such as antiques and cookery? One or two would be fine, but why do schedulers think that the viewer is going to relish the possibility of a rash of the same sort of show? Crazy. All the fuss about Great British Bake Off transferring to Channel 4 was totally over-the-top. I can't honestly see how it can be worth £75 million or thereabout, even if it's for five years. There are a couple of antique shows we watch and enjoy, such as Bargain Hunt and Flog It! Well, they just happen to be on at the right time, when we have lunch or tea and at least you learn something about antiques. Then there's 'lifestyle' shows, doing up houses, 'Escape To The Country' as well as 'Homes Under The Hammer.' Why do the people who go on something like 'Escape To The Country' want to move to the middle of nowhere, North Yorkshire or somewhere in Cornwall, miles from anywhere, a long drive to the nearest supermarket or a hospital or doctor? They generally have more money than sense and they want a huge house with more bedrooms than they really need. If you're going to move once you retire, why not just down-size and spend the money you have left over because you've gone for a smaller, more economical house? It's just so you can invite your friends and family and impress them with your new, huge home.

Day-time television is awash with selling things. Virtually every programme has some aspect of selling, such as houses to antiques. It's the same thing as I've already mentioned. Once a show is found to be a success with an audience they seem to think that we'll want more and more of the same.

Why do these shows have the same music on their soundtracks? I can't understand why, when they make some programmes, usually documentaries, they have to use the SAME music which gets recycled endlessly. Perhaps the budgets for these shows don't allow for original scores and they use royalty-free library music. It's the most likely reason, but the same rather clichéd music seems to do the rounds of such shows as 'Antiques Road Trip.'

Not just antiques and cooking, but during the afternoon there seem to be endless gameshows. There's nothing wrong with a really good gameshow. 'The Chase' is currently a huge hit on I.T.V. at teatime. It's main selling-point would be that Bradley Walsh is the questionmaster. He has a good repport with the contestants and can, occasionally, corpse when a rather risqué answer comes up on the three answers the contestants have to select. Then there's The Chasers, who are usually good value for money. Then the questions are quite difficult. I hate those gameshows which have questions that are, frankly, an insult to one's intelligence. The worst offender in that department is 'Tipping Point.' We've watched this addictive show, but some of the questions are, to be honest, an insult. Such questions as 'What month is Christmas?', 'What colour is the sky?' Doh! Who really thought that a gameshow that is really a version of those machines that you'd find at the fair or on a seaside pier, where you put a few pennies in a slot and the machine has different shelves or 'layers' that move backwards and forward and you have to get the coins to fall over the edge to win? Crazy.

Day-time television is awash with selling things. Virtually every programme has some aspect of selling, such as houses to antiques. It's the same thing as I've already mentioned. Once a show is found to be a success with an audience they seem to think that we'll want more and more of the same.

Why do these shows have the same music on their soundtracks? I can't understand why, when they make some programmes, usually documentaries, they have to use the SAME music which gets recycled endlessly. Perhaps the budgets for these shows don't allow for original scores and they use royalty-free library music. It's the most likely reason, but the same rather clichéd music seems to do the rounds of such shows as 'Antiques Road Trip.'

Something that really gets on my nerve and that's the need for producers of television shows to have 'what's coming next' at the beginning of a show. 'Bargain Hunt' does this. I quite like this show, but why do I need to get a glimpse of what's going to happen? I'm quite capable of staying with a programme to find out. I don't need this stupid element. It's taking up valuable running-time. Then, most drama series have to have 'Next time . . .' and you get a glimpse of the next episode. Totally unnecessary. Something pinched from American television which is best off being ditched. I know that a lot of our shows are either sold to American television or are co-productions, but it's as if you're not going to stick with a long-running series (or 'season' as we have to call a long-running drama series, also pinched from America.) And a great deal of fuss is made out of the final episode of a run of shows, or 'series' or 'season.' Now called 'Finale.' Which sort of separates it from the rest of the run of shows.

Road Trip

A really sunny and bright day today. We've been on a road-trip, visiting some really interesting and quirky places. We have so many strange and interesting places around this country, those little gems that are often hidden away and get missed, but often get highlighted on television programmes such as 'Bargain Hunt' and 'Antiques Road Trip' or a number of history or other types of programmes. The other day on 'Antiques Road Show' they had an item which purported to have been written by someone who had experienced performances of some of Shakespeare's plays and had made copious notes in a tiny note book. At first I had seen this on Facebook and, because it was April 1st, thought it was an April Fool's hoax, but when it came up on this television show the expert who discussed it with the man who bought it along to the show, it seemed as if it was a genuine item.

Anyway, we packed up some rolls and drinks and drove away on the A5 towards High Wycombe, visiting West Wycombe  and visiting the hill on which can be found the mausoleum of the Dashwood family as well as the interesting church with the golden ball on the top of the tower. The view from the top of this hill is quite impressive. You can see down into West Wycombe and Wycombe Park which is a National Trust property (which we have visited in the past but wasn't open today, unfortunately.)  In the other direction you get a good view along the road towards High Wycombe and the hills in the distance towards London.To get to the car park near the church you have to drive up a road which is quite steep but it saves having to walk there, which we have done in the past when we had our dogs with us. The drive towards Wycombe goes through the Chiltern Hills and is really beautiful and made even more so at this time of the year with the trees beginning to put on their leaves and daffodils and other flowers in full bloom.

View of West Wycombe Park from the hill.

From West Wycombe we went to a village called Nettlebed. The very name sounds intriguing. What does the name conjure up to you? To me, a vast area of stinging nettles, the very bane of my life as a child, because wherever we used to go when we were playing, in and around the farm where I grew up, there were always great areas of these plants, and if you so much as went near them, you got stung, on your hands mostly, or your arms, or legs. Not necessarily painful, but you got nasty raised rashes which irritated considerably. Anyway, the reason for visiting this place was to see a bottle kiln, a strange-shaped structure, looking very out of place in a cup-de-sac which had modern houses in it. How on earth this strange structure survived, I have no idea.

Bottle Kiln at Nettlebed

We had bought our SatNav with us, which was just as well, because without it we would never have found this place. From there we went to Turville, a charming village which has been used as a location for three very well known films and television shows. We parked some way out of the village as we couldn't find anywhere else to park. It was near a wood which I think would be covered in bluebells in a few weeks time. We must come back to have a look and take some photographs. There is a windmill on a hill over looking the village, used years ago as the home of Caractacus Potts in the film "Chitty, Chitty Bang Bang" and then the home of Jonathan Creek in the BBC 1 television show which starred Alan Davies. One of my favourite all-time television shows, incidentally. The village was used as a location for the situation comedy which starred Dawn French, "The Vicar of Dibley." I'm not sure they used any of the houses as the vicarage in the show, but what we saw looked very familiar and no doubt the interiors were modelled on one of the cottages we saw, which would have been filmed in a television studio, I think at Pinewood or Elstree, not too far distant from Turville.  It was really funny as we walked into the village, as we saw a lady who said 'hello' to us as we walked along. She was a lady vicar. Somewhat of a coincidence, as "The Vicar of Dibley" is about a lady vicar, as played by Dawn French, that is, if you didn't already know that. We went into the church, a really charming little building. Again, not too sure it was used in the television show. From Turville we travelled a few miles to a village called Stoke Row, to visit a really unique construction, called The Maharajah's Well, apparently funded by an Indian Maharaja, of Benares, Ishee Pershad Naryan Singh. I had never heard of this, but Carol had discovered it whilst doing a Google search, and it seemed a rather strange and intriguing thing to visit and photograph. We had a coffee in the local shop/café and then sat and had our rolls, sitting on a bench near the well.

The Marahraja's Well at Stoke Row

We drove home, the day being quite exquisite, the weather behaving itself and giving  us a fine and sunny day to enjoy or road trip. We drove back towards Milton Keynes and stopped at a branch of Tesco near Bicester and bought drinks, used the toilets and bought a rather nice Easter egg and continued on our way home.

Reading and Viewing- Part 2

We probably get most enjoyment out of factual programming on television than from drama, although, if you've read the earlier post on here, we watch a considerable amount of television drama as there is such a wealth of choice at the moment, across all channels, including streaming services. We are National Trust members, and have been for quite a few years now. I think if you read my blog posts regularly you will already know that, because I mention the properties we mention on here. Sky Arts have been running Portrait Artist of The Year as well as Landscape Artist of The Year for a few years now. They started one for Photographers last year. I hope it continues. The painting competitions are done in association with the National Trust, because they use their properties as locations for the painters to get inspired to do their paintings. Also, the winner gets a prize of £10,000 and the winning painting is put in their permanent collection at one of the properties. This year it was Petworth House. We stayed in a cottage not far from Petworth during the Easter break in 2016, although our time was cut short because of really bad weather. As it was, we didn't get to actually visit Petworth because they closed it to the public more for safety reasons because of the high wind. Hopefully we can visit at a later date. A couple of episodes of the 2016 Landscape Artist shows were filmed at Stowe Landscape Gardens and the previous year Waddesdon Manor was used. Both these properties are close to us in Milton Keynes, perhaps no more than a 45 minute drive to Waddesdon and 30 minutes to Stowe. Visiting these places is far more rewarding if you know a bit more about their history and background. It's surprising how many of the places we visit are featured in television programmes we watch, such as Bargain Hunt and other antique shows such as Antiques Road Trip and Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

The BBC does a lot of history documentaries. I am a subscriber to BBC History Magazine and some of the articles in that magazine are linked to television documentaries on all channels. Channel Four does a few history documentaries as well. One particularly good series was called 'Walking Through History' which was presented by Tony Robinson (actually knighted fairly recently, so I'd better refer to him as 'Sir Anthony,' although I doubt he'd want to be called 'Anthony.' Better know by the average television viewer for his portrayal of Baldrick in the comedy show 'Blackadder.') He spends his time in this series walking through some English landscape which has something historic to discover, as well as another series of documentaries on 'Britain's Ancient Tracks.' He visited somewhere we visited during 2016, Avebury. He is also know as a presenter of the archaeology programme 'Time Team' which is, alas, no more. It ran for 20 years and was an inspiration to not only myself but many others. I imagine it had run it's course and no doubt there were no more places for them to dig. I enjoy anything presented by Lucy Worsley. She recently did a BBC documentary series on the Six Wives of Henry VIII. Mary Beard did another series during 2016 about the history of Rome and called S.P.Q.R. I subsequently read the book which went with the series. Quite heavy going but nonetheless an interesting read. 

Visit To Brackley

A fine sunny Saturday morning, which meant we didn't want to be stuck indoors. After some consideration as to where we could visit, we decided to visit Brackley, which is where we were heading last weekend when we ended up at Buckingham Garden Centre just as the weather became stormy and we got no further. Brackley is one of those places that we shoot past on the dual-carriageway and seem to ignore. You see it signposted but never seem to visit. I think it would have been one of the places you would have driven through in days past. We are surprised at how much petrol costs at the moment: around 99p a litre, so we filled up at Morrison's service station on the way past. I think everyone else was doing the same when we got there as there was quite a queue of vehicles when we turned in.

A rather attractive door which caught my eye and photographed for no other particular reason in Brackley.

So we drove away from Milton Keynes along Standing Way and eventually to Buckingham and out on the road to Brackley. This is a town we haven't visited before, but I had an idea it would suit us as it is one of the locations used in many of the television antiques shows we watch on television, such as Bargain Hunt and Antiques Road Trip. We managed to park the car just off the main street and walked towards the centre of this attractive town, first visiting a very well-stocked book shop. Try and keep either of us out of such places is quite difficult as we always seem to gravitate towards books and bookshops. We could have spent quite a bit in there, but we resisted the temptation. At least, we know another independent bookshop when we want one. As much as we like Amazon and being able to buy books online, and the ease of finding what you want, nothing really beats being able to browse books in a bricks-and-mortar bookshop. We then went into a branch of Costa, which was virtually opposite the bookshop and then found a rather convenient map of the town in a square outside Costa. We had an idea that there was a large antique centre somewhere in the town (used in Bargain Hunt.) and found it on the map, so we followed the directions on the map and found it wasn't far. It turned out to be a particularly large and very well stocked place and Carol saw and then purchase a rather nice glass rabbit ornament, similar in style to Lalique glass, and for a very reasonable price. On our way back to the car we found a really nice shop which sold all manner of original artwork and had a chat with the young lady who owned it. She told us about Brackley Artisan Market which was coming up on the 3rd April from 10 a.m to 3 p.m. in the market Square and something we might very well come back to visit as it sounded the sort of thing we'd enjoy.

Gas Boiler Replaced

On Saturday morning, I decided I needed to find out what the position was regarding the boiler being replaced or repaired so I rang the landlord. His wife replied and said we'd be telephoned when he came back. No doubt going to the different plumbing stores to get prices for a new boiler. We had been told that it wasn't actually worth repairing and as such wouldn't get the safety certificate in it's current state. We got a call around 45 minutes later to tell us that he had got a company to come out for Monday morning to install the new boiler. We were keeping our fingers crossed that this was actually happening. As a result, we decided we needed to get out of the house. Carol's week off, for Half-Term has been somewhat spoilt by the problems we've had regarding the boiler. If we hadn't had to search around to find the landlord, wait for him to find a gas company to check the old installation and then find someone to install a new boiler, we might have done far more, going out and about as we usually do during school breaks. Just hope things will have improved for the next holiday period in the next few weeks, which will be  the Easter break.

We did what we often do when we need a refresher, and that was to drive out of Milton Keynes and find somewhere to visit and possibly get a spot to eat and drink. We had favoured Brackley, which is on road west of Buckingham and a place now by-passed so you miss easily when you drive past, so it seemed an ideal place to visit and wander around as it is supposed to have antique shops and is used occasionally on television shows such as Antiques Road Trip and Bargain Hunt, two television shows we watch and quite enjoy. By the time we reached Buckingham, the weather was rapidly changing, the rain-clouds were gathering and a rain storm was imminent. Beyond Buckingham, we came to a garden centre, which we have visited before and been into the restaurant. This was Buckingham Garden Centre. I know, a not exactly imaginative name, but I suppose it accurately incorporates the name of the town into it's name. We were not disappointed with the restaurant and were glad we went in as the rain began to pour down outside.

Moving on toMonday: the gasfitters arrived to install the new boiler. The dogs became somewhat confused by the appearance of the strangers in the house. Alfie spent most of the day really stressed out, whining and barking. I had hoped to keep both dogs in the lounge, but during the morning, Poppy got out through the front door. How she escaped without being detected I have no idea, but I went out into the estate and couldn't see her anywhere. I had looked in all the usual places she goes when she wants to be on her own, for example, under our bed, in the garden and behind the sofa. But no signs. Fortunately our neighbour, Gary, came go my assistance, and we eventually tracked her down to the park and she was returned safely to our house. Alfie meanwhile had been put on his lead and put in the bedroom, which he didn't like and made an awful noise until I went to stay with him for an hour or two which made him calm down, fortunately.
It took until around 6 o'clock for the workmen to complete the installation of the new boiler and to tidy up and leave by which time Carol had returned to work and she had a bath. Thankfully we now can say the job is complete after a very nerve-wracking week. 

Spring-Like Weather

For the past couple of days we've been experiencing almost spring-like weather. Carol was on Half-Term Holiday last week. She had to make a doctor's appointment early last week. We didn't go to the surgery on the Monday because from experience we knew that it was likely to be busy, with a long queue outside (I was only the second person in the queue the week before at around 7.45 a.m. when I'd gone to make an appointment myself.) So we'd gone on the Tuesday. It turned out that she would have to have a blood test, so had to go back the next day, at around 9.20 for that. 

The weather was mixed. Some days it was bright and sunny, whilst others it rained. On the Thursday we went to the Heart of the Shires shopping village at Weedon, which is up the A5. We had gone to another a few months ago, on the major roundabout on the A5/A43, just beyond Towcester, called Bell Plantation Garden. We'd had a nice meal in what's called the Plantation Cafe. But when we'd arrived this time we discovered that there was major roadworks on the roundabout. It looked as if they were widening the road and making the roundabout a good deal wider, putting in several new lanes for traffic. We have shopped in the Aldi branch which is nearby in the past. So we had travelled on until we came to the shopping village at Weedon. We'd discovered these places quite by chance as we've been up and down the A5 as it's a good deal less stressful than using the nearby M1 which is only a short distance away. There is so much more to see as you drive along the A5. There are several quite pleasant garden centres and shopping villages and you pass through a few really interesting villages and towns along the way, one being Towcester. Weedon is at the crossing-place of the A45 which goes on towards Birmingham, Warwick and Leamington Spa and is the way we drive whenever we go to Kenilworth Castle. The east direction heads towards Northampton and eventually Bedford. There are some really interesting shops and outlets at the shopping village, selling a range of items such as housewares, antiques, clothes and gardening items. We had a coffee in the cafe and then drove home slowly. Not an entirely over-exciting outing, but considering we hadn't been out all week it was quite a pleasant little outing. We did have a browse in the antiques centre but decided that most of what they had on offer was really over-priced. Our knowledge of antiques has been acquired as a result of watching such television programmes as Bargain Hunt, Flog It and Antiques Roadshow. I had never heard of Lalique, Famille Rose, or many of the more famous makers until I'd watched these shows.

On Saturday we decided that the dogs needed a well-earned outing, and wanted to take them for a walk. As mentioned in earlier posts, it's quite a military operation as you have to be properly organised for these outings as Alfie, our Yorkshire terrier gets very wound up when he knows we're going out. Fortunately this time he didn't get quite so stressed out, but I had to put the cage into the back of the car without him seeing we doing it. It started out quite fine and sunny, but it began to cloud over as we drove up the A5 as we were going to Salcey Forest, somewhere we haven't visited in quite a while. It turned out that there was building work going at the carpark. It looks as if they are building a new visitor centre. The cafe which is there currently is only wooden, a sort of temporary construction. Also, it was extremely muddy as we walked along the paths, which didn't bother either dog, but when they jumped up on us we became extremely covered in mud. Not a real problem because our clothes could be washed easily in the washing machine later. But, again, it was a nice outing. No sooner had we got back home than the rain began so it was as well we went out when we did and had made the best of the day.

From Bad To Worse

We went to Asda early this morning to do a bit of shopping and then Carol went to work. I had an appointment booked at the doctors' surgery in Beanhill at 8 and got there with plenty of time to spare; a good 15 minutes in fact. One lady ahead of me had even bought a shooting stick thing to sit on. Seemed a good idea to me. Then the doors opened and we went inside the surgery. The computerised check-in system is still not working. It's been inoperative for a good week or two now. Rather defeats the point of having this elaborate system if it doesn't work, but I managed to check in with one of the two receptionists. I sat down to wait as my appointment was at 8 and by now it was around 10 minutes past so I had expected to go in (having my ears syringed as I have been having real problems hearing. See earlier posts as this has developed into something of a long-running soap opera or saga.) Then I got called over to the desk by the receptionist to be told that she had made a mistake when she made the appointment. The nurse I was supposed to have seen couldn't do the precedure so another appointment was made for 11.15. A bit of an inconvenience, but no problem. Just as well I wasn't planning to do anything else of any consequence this morning. So I went home. By now the traffic was backed up from the Standing Way roundabout well past the entrance into the road in which the surgery is, but some kind van driver let me in. I drove to Eaglestone shops as I needed to top up our gas and electricity cards. Went into the shop and did exactly that, but when I got back to the car it wouldn't start. A repetition of the old problem. On a further attempt it still would not spark into life so I decided to walk home through the estate. There was some shopping in the car from the Asda shopping trip so I took a couple of bags with me except for a large pack of toilet rolls and tins of dog food. I decided to come back a later after my doctor's surgery appointment and take the trolley I used to deliver the IKEA catalogues last summer.
I got to the surgery for the second time this morning at around 11.00, having walked. It's not such a bad walk as the weather has been pleasant for the past couple of days and it generally takes no more than 20 minutes. I checked in and waited. And waited. And waited. You know the sort of thing. You get to your appointment well on time and then you see people being called in before you. It got to around 11.40 and I was still not seen. I suppose I went into the nurses room about 11.45, a good 30  minutes after the time I was booked for. I now have my hearing back but I just hope it doesn't get all woolly again. Walked home and watched Bargain Hunt (one of my favourite shows and the only daytime television show I watch, by  the way.) I decided to walk to the Eaglestone shops to see whether the car would start and took the trolley with me just in case, to bring the remaining shopping. The car wouldn't start the first time I tried. I loaded some of the things into the trolley from the boot, but fortunately I tried it again and on the third attempt it started so I loaded the trolley back into the car and went home. The car is becoming something of a nuisance as it works when it wants to and then doesn't start. So unreliable.

Beautiful Sunny Day!

Carol did some tutoring this morning, and when she came home we were due to go shopping, but, because it was so warm and sunny we decided to drive to Woburn. We are fans of many antiques shows on television, such as Bargain Hunt, Antiques Road trip etc and parked the car and went to one antique shop on the market-square which has featured in Antiques Road Trip, Woburn Antiques Centre (I believe Charlie Ross, who appears regularly on this show has an interest in it, or may even own it.) It was interesting looking around, particularly a fine collection of Moorcroft pottery, which we both love, but at the prices they were asking, well out of our  price range, unfortuntely.

From there we walked along the High Street  and found a really nice coffee shop and went in and had coffee and cake. Very nice. We went back to the car and then drove through Woburn Park, as we like to look at the deer.