The Whole Darn Thing

 Wednesday, 5:00 a.m. Well, I'm wide awake and thought I might as well do some more blogging.

I have mentioned in previous posts about the infamous electric scooter sheds (the scooters are electric, not the sheds. Well, I don't think they are. Oh, just being somewhat sarcastic.) The reason for them, so that these devices aren't in the way inside Dexter House and a hazard if there's a fire. We now have beautifully resurfaced paths, all with lighting and access to these lovely sheds (irony here.) has been completed at huge expense.  Workmen have been working on the external gates which open onto Strudwick Drive (or, at least, the path, which runs alongside the Dexter House garden, and where the scooters will get into the garden and, hence, the store sheds. But STILL, the work isn't completed! This whole situation has become farcical, to say the least. I don't think you can make any of this us, but if you did, nobody would believe it. 

I've been watching episodes of the BBC sitcom 'Yes, Minister', and the above situation could come straight out of one of the episodes. It may be over 40 years since this show was first shown, but I think it's probably more relevant now than it was then.

7.25 a.m. It's bright and sunny as I write this. The digital thermometer currently reads 21˚c. 

Yesterday morning, I went out again with my DJI Pocket video camera. I went back to Campbell Wharf, which is on the Grand Union Canal where there is a marina, pub and flats. It looks as if it's being developed, with more buildings going on, a cycle shop and a One-Stop convenience store, a coffee shop and a barber's, which appears to have only just opened recently. There were workmen outside, putting up the sign.

I took some good footage, but I still haven't got the settings absolutely right with the gimbal. Having my iPhone connected to the camera on the new rig makes it easier to view what you are filming, by using the Mimo app. When I got home I managed to view the footage through the app and discovered you can even edit what you have filmed and also watch through my Apple Watch with the app.

5.50 p.m. It's been warm and sunny all day.

Alfie was due for a haircut at The Groom Room at midday, so I drove across Milton Keynes to the Pets At Home store in Bletchley. I took him into the store and got him registered. A trim around his face and body and then I went to Greggs, further along the parade of stores, for a drink and filled roll and then returned to my car to eat it. I went to T.K.Maax to have a browse. It seems the upstairs departments have been moved around and, as usual, there were no end of items I liked, but didn't buy. I went back to the car and a minute or two later the Groom Room phoned to say Alfie was done and I could collect him.

Whatever Next?

 Thursday. 6.15 a.m. I was in Sainsbury's yesterday and, having been round the store with my trolley and had finished my shopping. I was at the point where I wanted to pay, but couldn't find a till open. It's obvious that Sainsbury's are determined to get their customers to use self-service tills, because many of the traditional, manned, tills have been removed and there are two areas with self-service tills, one for customers with baskets, another for those who have shopped with a trolley, which included me, and another for the hand held scanners. I pushed my trolley into the area with the self-service tills, which are meant for those customers who used a trolley and therefore had a larger amount of items to scan. But there were very few working tills, so I had to leave the area and go to a till which was manned. (sorry, but most of them have women working on them, so is the term 'manned' acceptable these days? Is it politically correct to say 'manned'? Should it be 'personed'? Just me being a bit sarcastic.)

I thought the idea was that you used the self-service tills, and they had one or two manned tills for those who don't want to use them. So it seemed strange that so many of the self-service tills were either closed or were out of order. It is obvious that they have laid off many of their staff, those who operated the manned tills, so they could cut their prices. They keep advertising that their prices are checked against those at Aldi, but in the process, their customer service has deteriorated, which is a pity.

6.05 p.m. Alfie was due to go to The Groom Room at Pets At Home at 5 o'clock. I was going to leave at around 4.40, but then I got a call from the groomer to say that they were able to take him immediately, so I drove over to Bletchley and took him straight in to Pets At Home. I was told that Alfie would be finished at around 5.45, so I went into Costa to have a latte and I got more points on my Costa card, which now means that next time I go in any Costa I get a free drink. You collect 'Beans' and when you have 10 of these 'beans' then you get your free drink.

Having had my latte in Costa, and went into T.K. Maax, which is further along the parade of stores. I think, if you read my blog posts regularly, you will have discovered that I love T.K. Maax. I had a good browse and bought a couple of items, one was a door-stop in the shape of a man, which rather appealed to me as it looks so humorous. The other item was an LED torch which can be charged and has a cable to plug into a USB port, meaning it doesn't need batteries. I was looking for a new torch. so it was fortunate I found it.

From T.K. Maax, I walked to Home Bargains and had yet another browse. They have a good selection of well priced items, including dog food and I may go back next time I need dog food. It was whilst I was browsing that I got a phone call from the Groom Room, to inform me that Alfie was ready for collection, which pleased me as it meant we could get home and I could then have my evening meal.So, Alfie collected, payment made and Alfie put in the cage in the rear of the car and then driven home to Dexter House.

Unseasonable Weather

 Monday. 6.10 a.m. It's a somewhat wild and windy day. It's not cold, but the wind is quite strong. Yesterday there was a light frost and on Friday morning, when I drove to Sainsbury. there was a thin layer of ice on the windows which had to be scraped off before I drove off.

Alfie is beginning to look a bit untidy. Because I wasn't sure of the weather, I hadn't arranged a grooming session for him, because he suffers from the cold, and we haven't had snow or exceptionally low temperatures recently. So, because of this, I thought it was probably a good idea to go over to Pets At Home and visit the Groom Room, which is inside the store. 

I drove over to Bletchley just after 9, the idea being that there was likely to be less traffic than going later. I was right, and it was easy to cross over Standing Way and that horrible roundabout near Pets At Home. I got Alfie an appointment in The Groom Room. It's at 5 o'clock on 14th March. 

I wanted to get Alfie a new bed. I had a browse at dog beds in Pets At Home, but I wasn't that impressed with what they had on offer, so I walked along the parade of shops to T.K.Maax. It took me a while to choose the right bed, because I had to consider Alfie's size. It was no good being too small or too big. I eventually chose a bed and took it home. When I got back to the flat, I took out the old bedding, which is in a space between the unit on which the television sits and my desk, and then put the new bed in it's place. It was amusing to see how Alfie reacted to it. He didn't immediately get into it. I think it's because he likes his routine. Changing his bed would be quite an upheaval. When he did eventually explore the bed, he climbed in and then got stuck! It was so funny, but he managed to get in, and it was clear that he liked it.

The following morning, when I went to take him out, I found Alfie sleeping in the bed, but on one end of the tipped-up bed! It looked so funny. I think he likes it, because it's his own little world, and it's draught-free and comfortable. I think it's a real success and I'm so glad I got it for him.

Wednesday. 10.20 a.m. I've just got back from Sainsbury's. The revelator is not working on the downside, so you have to use the lift. These bits of technology are constantly being repaired. I think it must be about the third time the thing has been out of action in the last six months or so. I have bought a couple of pillows. Yesterday I went over to Kingston and visited Homesense and bought another King sized duvet cover. I wanted a flat sheet (I don't like fitted sheets, because they never seem to stay fitted and they're difficult to fold.) I didn't find one, so I went on Amazon, and you're spoilt for choice and it should arrive sometime tomorrow.

The weather is still unseasonable and it was foggy when I took out Alfie earlier.

Back Home

Tuesday. 1.35 p.m. I mentioned the fact that my washing got stuck inside the tumble drier on Friday before I was due to drive to Worcester. Well, the good news is that it has all been removed from the machine, although the drier isn't repaired. 

It's bright and sunny out. Thankfully, no wind or pouring rain. Let's just hope it stays that way, at least for a couple of weeks or so.

Thursday. 8.15 a.m. A wind and rain-free morning. I just hope it remains that way for at least the weekend.

I wasn't going to mention this, but I think I ought to. Two Tuesdays ago, which was Hallowe'en, I wasn't going to go to Camphill. But then I decided that I would go and drive there after 9 o'clock. As I walked into the Chrysalis Theatre, people were unloading pumpkins from a car parked outside. It was obvious that Halloween was going to be the centre of things and no work on drama was going to take place. So, I said to Terrie, the lady who leads the performing arts workshop, that, as a Christian, I 'didn't do Halloween.' She replied that it would be all Halloween stuff and that, if that was the case, I had better go home, which is what I did.

I didn't think any more about this situation until I got to Worcester on Friday evening and was looking at emails on my phone when I came across an email from the lady in charge of volunteers. It said that being a 'diverse' community, all 'religions' were included, and that my reaction was 'inappropriate.' The email was something of a shock and made me really upset. I don't remember that Halloween was a religion, but that doesn't seem to make a difference. I have given five years of my time (excluding lockdowns) for nothing, as a volunteer. I have no end of experience which the theatre group has benefitted from, and many relationships made and built on since I started there. The email said that maybe 'Camphill isn't the place for you.' Not true. I have set up an interview with Julia, the lady in charge of volunteers on 27th November, and I will apologize, even though I can't see that I've done anything wrong by stating my feelings towards Halloween. I can't be a true Christian and be dabbling in Halloween and all it stands for.

I have since contacted Bridge Builders, which is based in Milton Keynes and have an interview this Tuesday, to discuss being a volunteer for them. I will wait and see what this interview produces, which will mean I won't be going back to Camphill.

1.45 p.m. We prayed about the above situation at Camphill. The prayer group knows the situation. I have to walk away from Camphill without any sort of ill feeling, which is necessary if I am to expect a reference from them.

I have been to find Bridge Builder's office in Bletchley, just opposite IKEA. Very easy to find, and it makes it easier to know exactly where it is when I go for my interview there on Tuesday afternoon.

Friday. 1.00 p.m. I have been to Central Milton Keynes Medical Centre to have blood taken, so it can be tested for cholesterol. As I may have mentioned in an earlier post here, I have a problem with this procedure, because the nurse usually has a problem finding a vein. It went well, and I should get the result in about a week.

Hot And Humid

 Friday. 10.25 a.m. The summer is back in full force. It's almost as if it never went away, even though, officially, we are now into autumn. I have both fans running at full force, one in the bedroom and the other in the lounge. The digital thermometer currently reads 27ºC, although, on BBC Breakfast earlier, there was mentioned the possibility that the temperature would reach at least 30ºC. 

Alfie went to have a haircut yesterday. He was booked in at the Groom Room in Bletchley several weeks ago, in fact, I went directly there to enquire about a booking after I had taken my car to Anglo Motors. The appointment was at 4.30. So I left in good time, hoping to arrive at around 4.15. The problem was, when I got to the roundabout which intersects with Saxon Street and Standing Way, I discovered that the road ahead was closed, and without any warning further back I could find an alternative route to Bletchley. I turned right onto Standing Way and discovered a more or less solid traffic jam towards Watling Street. I got to the car park outside Pets At Home, where the Groom Room is based and managed to calm down, because of the stress caused by the detour to get there.

Having dropped off Alfie for his haircut, I then went along the parade of shops to Costa to have a cool drink. I had at least an hour to fill until I had to go back to collect Alfie. When I eventually left Costa and walked out through the door I was hit by the heat, a bit like opening an oven door. I don't get on well in heat, and it's particularly dangerous for me, having a heart condition and having had two heart attacks.

5.15 p.m. As I write this, the digital thermometer currently reads 32ºC, which must be some sort of record. I know that is indoors, but I have an electric fan on and all the windows in the flat are wide open.

Sunday. 7.55 a.m. It wasn't quite as hot and humid as it has been overnight for the past couple of nights, but still, the digital thermometer reads 27ºC. Hopefully, we will get a rainstorm which will relieve the heat, but with storms will come flash floods.

Monday. 4.05 p.m. The temperature had dropped considerably, thank goodness. The temperature outside is a good deal lower than indoors. Even with the windows open and an electric fan running, the digital thermometer reads 28ºC. I imagine this is because the heat we have had over the past week or so has kept buildings hot and will take a few days to cool down to a reasonable temperature.

Tuesday. 7.00 a.m. Thankfully, it's a good deal cooler this morning. The digital thermometer currently reads 25ºC. I slept somewhat better than for the past week or so of this heatwave.

Wednesday. 8.40 a.m. A bright and sunny morning as I write this. The digital thermometer currently reads 22ºC, so a far cooler temperature compared to the last week or so. I can sleep better in this sort of temperature.

A really good day at Camphill in the P.A.W department (Performing Arts Workshop.) yesterday (Tuesday.) We are developing material for the World War 2 project, which will be a play, running around 30-45 minutes. Many of the group went to Milton Keynes Museum to see the WW2 event. I went, but I wasn't feeling too well. As it turned out, I eventually had several days of a flu bug (which I mentioned in an earlier blog post) and I didn't stay at the museum long, unfortunately. I did manage to take some photographs with my Canon digital camera, but I have still got to transfer them onto a memory stick.

We had a long check-in. It went on almost to tea break at 10.30. Once back in the theatre after the tea break, Terrie set up a flipchart and the group was asked to give any information they had gleaned from the Museum visit regarding the Second World War. All these ideas and bits of information, however gleaned, would be put together to create some sort of script for the play.

After lunch, we got to the bit I have been waiting for for months, the first preview of the silent movies. Other Camphilll residents and staff came to see the films, projected onto the cinema screen. The first two films were created by a different group who meet on a Monday. The first was 'How To Rob A Bank', very much in the style of an early silent comedy. The second one, I don't remember the name of, and then we got to see the first of the three silent movies which we've been working on since around February, the first was a Western. Very amusing and I was intrigued by how the green screen process was utilized to create backgrounds, mostly sourced from what you would call 'stock footage', such as Western town backgrounds and steam trains. The second film was The Pirate Saga, in which I had a very small cameo appearance, although, at first, I did not recognize myself! Then we saw the third film, the science fiction 'time travel' epic, which I had been involved in from it's development and some of my ideas actually appeared on-screen. It was a somewhat complicated storyline involving, would you believe, Goldilocks, of traditional pantomime and fairy-story fame, time-travelling porridge (yes, you read that correctly!) space pirates (for want of a better word!) and in the past, zombies dancing to a rather weird version of The Macarena! But it all ended with the villains being defeated and everyone living 'happily ever after!'

Spring Is In The Air!

Thursday. 7.45 a.m. Alfie and I were out at around 7.10 this morning. It's getting lighter each morning. 

Spring is definitely in the air! Not only is it now a good deal milder, but bulbs are coming up, which I noticed when I was at Camphill on Tuesday. Also, blossoms come out, and many trees have the first signs of leaves.

2.40 p.m. I have been to The Oaktree Centre to assist with setting up and clearing up the playgroup this morning and then to take part in a Bible study. I have wanted to get Alfie an appointment at The Groom Room in Bletchley in order to get him trimmed, as he is beginning to look scruffy. I think a groom every six months or so is usually enough, not just a trim, but to have his nails trimmed and the build-up of mess under his eyes to be removed. I thought I could drive over to Bletchley from Shenley and then come home for some lunch, but then I decided the lunch should come first and then drive to Bletchley. Unfortunately, when I got there, I went into Pets At Home, which houses The Groom Room and discovered they were closed until 2 o'clock, so I had to fill in the time browsing in T.K.Maax, Sports Direct and Home Bargains, all of which are in the same parade as Pets At Home. I also went into Boots to buy vitamin D tablets and cod liver oil capsules, which I take every day and  I found if I bought an extra packet I could have one free, so it was a good offer.  I then needed the loo and walked over to Tesco to avail myself of their facilities. 

Once all this had been done, it was approaching 2 o'clock and I managed to get Alfie booked for his appointment on 23rd March at 2p.m., which was the earliest slot I could get.

5.05 p.m. I notice that the workmen working on the roof have packed up the scaffolding and it is gone. I thought I could hear a lot of banging and clanking but didn't realize it was them dismantling the scaffolding. There is still quite a bit of their equipment left on the grass below my kitchen window. No doubt it will be removed in the next day or so.

Friday. 8.30 a.m. It's a rather mixed sort of day on the weather front. Alfie insisted on going out at around 6.45. I got dressed hurriedly, and we went out on the grass alongside Strudwick Drive I found it was frosty, although it wasn't particularly hard. I have to take my small electric torch with me as it's difficult to see otherwise to pick up after Alfie.

I have my washing in the machine and on at around 7.45. I'm now waiting for it to finish, so it can go in the tumble drier.

1.40 p.m. Washing done, some hanging in the wardrobe, dried, and some on the airer.

We had the second poetry session this morning. Five of us in attendance. I was expecting more Dexter House residents to appear, but no one else came. Pity. This is, as I think I mentioned in an earlier post, a part of the U3A of which I am a member. We have to spring at least two poems to read and discuss. The theme this month was 'love' and no doubt is connected to it being Valentine's Day on 14th February. The theme for the next one is 'birds'. I am currently looking on Google for any poems on that subject, hopefully at least one will be amusing.

Saturday. 6.25 a.m. I have had the windows in my flat open, to attempt to remove the cigarette smoke. It does seem to work, but I need to have the window in the lounge open to create a through draught. I have mentioned the matter regarding this smoke, which comes from the flat below me, but I have been told that the flat door should be closed to prevent the smoke seeing out. It certainly shouldn't come into my flat, or anyone else's if it comes to that.

Gridlocked!

Tuesday. 9.30 a.m. Yet another typical autumn day, sunny but chilly.

Alfie and I have been out and walked around Oldbrook Green. I'm shocked to see so much litter related to fireworks, which I could hear last night being let off. It seemed to go on for several hours and, looking at the rubbish, someone had spent a small fortune on them. No thought though, to take their rubbish away with them. The sign for Oldbrook Green (which is under the umbrella of Campbell Park Parish Council.) clearly states 'no fireworks'. I think it was more to do with Diwali rather than Guy Fawkes Night, but it's still a lot of noise and upsets animals. Alfie doesn't seem to take any notice, and then we have Halloween to contend with next Monday. I'd love to know who the people that left the rubbish expect to clear it up. There are plenty of bins around the Green, so why not place some of it there, or, at least, take it home with you.

2.35 p.m. For the last year or so (I think it may be longer, but I'm not sure exactly.) I have been having a weekly telephone call from someone who is a volunteer at Age UK. His name is David, and we have an hour's chat for around an hour. I have never met him, until today. I had thought some while ago that he should have my mobile number and possibly my email address because he rings me on my landline number. The last time he phoned last week he said that someone had suggested to him that we meet up for a coffee so I came up with some possible places to meet, one being Costa at the retail park in Bletchley (along with Pets At Home, which is where Alfie goes to have his regular haircut (sorry, but the term 'groom' has another, negative connotation these days, although not the same as dog-grooming.) It was strange meeting someone who you'd spoken to but never actually met. He said he knew what I looked like because when I emailed him, my photo came up, which I wasn't aware of. David was waiting outside Costa as I drew up in the car and then we went inside Costa. It was something of a shock to discover it virtually empty. I say this, because if you go to one of the two Costa branches in the central Milton Keynes shopping centre, at the end of the shopping centre opposite Marks and Spencer and the other, which is on Middleton Hall and near John Lewis, you will no doubt find each one busy and will have to queue. I have often glanced into each one before deciding whether to queue up and then often leave to find another place to eat and have coffee, such as Cafe Nero or Pret A Manger which are also in Middleton Hall. As I say, it was virtually empty of other customers and it didn't take long to order my latte and ham and cheese toastie.

We spent around two hours chatting and by one o'clock I thought it was time to return home. I know that the car park is likely to have around a two-hour limit on how long you can remain parked and if you're not careful you can be fined. They have cameras which record your car's registration number and from that, they can find your address, and then you get a lovely letter asking you to pay a hefty fine, which I really don't want.

It was well I came out of Costa when I did because the whole car park was clogged up with cars attempting to leave, and it took me some time to get out of my space. Not many drivers were willing to let me into the queue and the queue moved at a snail's pace towards the exit. It then took a good deal of time to get into the traffic on Bletcham Way and eventually onto the large roundabout, which was more than ever clogged up. I could not discover what had caused this chaos. Possibly either there had been an accident nearby, possibly on the A5 or M1, or it was the result of roadworks, which are currently ongoing throughout the Milton Keynes grid road system, much of it for resurfacing works.

Things Can Only Get Better?

With such things as rising inflation, gas and electricity prices going through the roof and possibly going even higher, and the war in Ukraine continuing, are things going to get better? One would hope so. What difference will having a new Prime Minister make (the announcement of which of the two candidates it will be, announced this Monday.) what else is going to happen, to possibly improve things? 

Friday. 6.40 a.m. I mentioned that I'd had problems with my FitBit and that I had to contact the company and had been sent a replacement. I set the thing up, connecting it to my iPhone, and it seemed to work well enough, until it started behaving as it had done originally, with the screen going into lines like an old television set. Then, on Wednesday, it occurred to me that I might have set up the wrong device. Well, with two identical devices, it was difficult to work out which was the new one. The new one had been put away in its envelope in a drawer. So I bought it out and got it set up using my iPhone, and it worked! It was, by now, obvious that I had set up the wrong device. Because of this, I decided it needed a new strap, so I found one on Amazon and this new strap, made of leather and with a buckle, arrived yesterday. This is now fitted to the device and the FitBit is working well.

On Tuesday, I was determined to get Alfie booked to have a haircut. I went on the Groom Room website to book an appointment through the booking page, but it said you could only book via telephone. As a result, I decided instead to drive to their branch at the Bletchley retail park. As a result, he has an appointment on Tuesday morning.

Saturday. 3.00 p.m. I've been to the 1940s event at Milton Keynes Museum this morning. I had intended to go some while ago when I learnt it was on from an email I had from the Milton Keynes Heritage Association because I am on their mailing list. It opened at 10.00 a.m. but I didn't see the point of getting to the Museum too early because most of these events don't really get underway until around an hour later. I drove across Milton Keynes via Grafton Street and then encountered roadworks on the roundabout at Monk's Way, meaning I had to do a detour and then double back to get to the Museum. This was somewhat annoying as I wasn't aware of this further back on my journey across Milton Keynes. 

As I had been to another weekend event some months ago, which covered a variety of historic periods, including Roman and Anglo-Saxon, I paid my entrance fee and the ticket I bought meant I could come back for a year without having to pay again. I spent some time wandering around the various displays on the grounds of the museum and went into the café and had tea, a sandwich and a rather tasty coffee sponge. I bought a book I had seen in the shop on the way out on the history of Milton Keynes, which builds on my knowledge of the history of Milton Keynes.

I got back to Dexter House and as I parked my car I saw an ambulance parked outside. When I eventually took Alfie out for a walk, I saw one of the residents being wheeled out on a trolley and loaded into the ambulance. 

Alfie Has A Trim (Amongst Other Things)

(Monday)I went to the Willen Hospice coffee morning at John Lewis this morning. I haven't been for
quite a while, basically because I've been so busy moving to the flat. I was the second person there and some of the tables we usually sit at were missing. When more of the regulars arrived, they decided to move the tables back so that everyone could sit at them. Logical, really.

I sat next to a man who told me he worked as a supporting artiste/extra, so we had things in common to talk about. I am envious of him because he worked on the film version of 'Les Miserables,' and got to sing in he finale of the film, which was shot in Greenwich.

Alfie has been booked in for an appointment at The Groom Room at the Bletchley branch of Pets Are Home for the past few weeks. His coat was beginning to look really untidy. He could barely see where he was going because of the hair over his eyes and he has a build-up of the horrible mess under his eyes. I do try to remove it, but he doesn't like it. I had to discreetly take the cage, which folds up and is stored under my bed (definitely no room elsewhere in the flat.) and took it out to the car on Sunday afternoon. So, at around 12.40 on Monday I got him ready to go, with the usual barking and yapping which goes with putting on his lead. I got him out to the car, hatch open and the caged door open and he goes in without any problems, with the end of his lead outside the cage (I have learnt all these 'tricks' over the years.) The cage door has to be arranged inside the car facing right, the small end of the cage, which makes it easier for Alfie to enter. Then, cage door shut and firmly closed so he can't push it open from inside, I drive off to Bletchley. With the luggage shelf in place, it makes the cage darker and this seems to suit Alfie and he likes to have calming music playing on the car radio.

On the way home I went to Lidl in Oldbrook Boulevard and then returned home to unpack what I'd bought. I had to be at The Groom Room to collect Alfie so I had plenty of time. You can see the results of the grooming session if you look at the photograph I've attached to this blog at the top of this post. It's great that his eyes are now clear of that nasty gunge which builds up under his eyes and the hair on his face is cut so he can see where he's going. They didn't give him a very short all-over body trim and left it a good deal longer than last time. I bought him a rather smart jacket because I didn't think it was fair to have him clipped when we're about to go into colder weather. Rather nice, with a zip along the back which makes it a good deal easier to put on him.

Alfie Has A Haircut

I've had Alfie booked in to have a grooming session at Pets At Home in Bletchley today for about two weeks. I don't know how he knew we were going out, because I had put the cage in the back of the car earlier in the day. I had to do this without him seeing me lifting this thing out of the house, otherwise he would have started making a lot of noise, as he does before we go out in the morning.

We arrived in good time at the retail park where Pets At Home has a branch. As soon as I parked the car, Alfie was off, barking madly. When the car is moving, he's quiet, except for a couple of yaps. With the parcel shelf in place, it must be safe and cozy. Not pitch black, but safe. He was like that when I took him to Worcester at Christmas. Wed didn't stop on the way, although we should have done. I managed to park right outside Pets At Home, and in such a position that the car faced forward so driving out wouldn't be a problem. Then I got out of the car and opened the hatch at the back. Alfie rattled the cage to be let out. Now I know where the expression 'who rattled your cage?' comes from. I think, if he could, he would have opened the gate on the cage and would have been out. I had to make sure I was holding tightly to the lead, which I always manage to have outside so I can grab hold of it before I open the gate and he bounds out.

Alfie barked all the way through the store and into the Groom Room, which is at the rear of the store. He got quite a reception from other customers and store staff. Well, a small, barking and very lively little Yorkshire terrier, who was very eager was likely to get such a reaction.

I left Alfie in the capable hands of the staff in the Groom Room and drove home. I was told that he would be ready for collection by 3.45. There was no point in me waiting around the retail park where Pets At Home is situated. It's no more than a 10-minute drive home, although it was really busy on the traffic front. Probably because it's the Easter holiday. The roundabout on Standing Way can be really difficult to cross because of the volume of traffic. Certainly not my favourite place to cross.

About 15 minutes after I arrived home I got a telephone call from The Groom Room. I was told that, unfortunately, Alfie had an infestation of the little persons, in other words, fleas. I was horrified. I was totally unaware of them. He has been scratching a lot recently, but it never occurred to me that it might be cause by fleas! I was told that they would have to use a anti-flea shampoo and that Alfie would need a flea treatment. I had already used a treatment but it obviously not effective enough. I would need to buy an over-the-counter treatment which I could buy at Pets At Home and also use a strong, spray, treatment in the house, because there was a likelihood that the house was infected with fleas, although I have seen none. It would take some while to spray around each room, from top to bottom, and have to use a facemark, as the treatment is quite toxic. Alfie wouldn't be able to stay in the house. So, on going back later I was given the two treatments and I went home to wash Alfie's two blankets which he often sleeps on which are on the sofa. I began the first course of the anti-flea treatment which I put on Alfie's back. There are two more to give him which I should use every month.

 This morning I put Alfie in the cage in the back of the car and ,putting on the face mask I was given at The Groom Room, I began spraying round all the rooms in the house. Then, we went out of the house in the car. We went to Campbell Park and walked along the tow path along the side of the Grand Union Canal. So, in the midst of all this, Alfie had a treat, a second long walk which he wasn't expecting. We had to stay out of the house for at least an hour, which, hopefully, went to work killing off any fleas that might be lurking in the house.

Unsettled Weather

(Tuesday)It's really warm and sunny today. I was out a good deal earlier with Alfie this morning, probably arrow 6.45. It seemed a waste to not get out because it's getting light earlier and earlier each day and he has this habit, which I've mentioned on here before, of sitting and staring at me. He simply can't wait to get out. He loves to be let off his lead and to have a run. Fo a little dog he's got lots of energy. Runs like a little rabbit.

Alfie wears a harness. It's to protect his neck, because if you connect his lead to his collar, which he wears permanently, when he pulls, it can damage his throat. So a collar is far better because you connect the lead to a D ring which is on his back, at the centre of the harness. I went to Pets At Home at the Bletchley retail park yesterday morning because I wanted to get peanut kernels to put in the empty feeder on the bird feeding station. When I was in there I decided to look for a replacement for Alfie's rather tatty harness, which I wanted to replace. I picked up one which seemed to be the right size for him, but when I got home and tried it on Alfie it was far too big. So this morning I went back to Pets At Home and it was an easy matter of taking the harness to the pay desk and the lady let me pick up a smaller, and actually, a much nicer harness than the one I was replacing. 

I had to go and look in T.K. Maax while I was in the retail park. It's one of those stores which you have to keep going to look in because their stock changes on almost a daily basis and the prices are so good, you almost always manage to pick up a bargain. Not just clothes, but homeware items. They have another store called Homesense, and there's a branch at Kingston. I wandered around the kitchen department and picked up a really nice mixing bowl and a silicone spatula, which I wanted because I have also bought some non-stick saucepans and I don't want to scratch the surface in them using metal utensils. 

I walked to Tesco, which is a short walk across the main Fenny Stratford road. I wanted to get some daffodils, because I'm keeping them going in two vases, because Carol always loved them and I would buy them for her when she came home from work. I got some long-stemmed daffs as well as two bunches of the short-stemmed variety.

I drove back home along Saxon Street. There has been some roadworks the last couple of days along Standing Way, and when I drove through the roundabout that crosses Standing Way yesterday you were prevented from turning left which would cause chaos is you wanted to go to the hospital, which is several hundred yards further along Standing Way. Fortunately not a problem this morning. This roundabout can be difficult when it's busy, and I'm of the opinion that there ought to be traffic lights here when it's busy. Some drivers are not content to just wait patiently and seem to think they can cross without bothering to stop, which is dangerous and could cause a nasty accident.

I got home and managed to get Alfie into the new harness. It fits him perfectly. The old one has now been consigned to the rubbish bin. It has done it's job, but it was well past it's best.

I am somewhat disappointed that there have been no birds come to visit the bird feeding station. I can't think why they haven't been to visit it. I would have thought that they would have flocked to it since it had been restocked and new feeders put up. It's been filled up since the weekend. I know it can take a day or two for birds to get used to having food put out for them and there can be issues regarding cats or other predators, but it's been out long enough for them to get used to it. A bit disappointing, to say the least.

(Wednesday) As I write this, at 4.50 a.m. on Wednesday, I can hear rain rattling on the lounge window. I expect Alfie will want to go for his routine walk across the park, but I don't fancy going out to get wet, so he is going to have to be patient (not the easiest thing for him.) and wait for it to stop.

Alfie Visits The Vet

(Thursday)Well, the day got off to a difficult start. I looked out of the bathroom window as I was shaving this morning and I saw it was raining. So I thought that there was absolutely no way I could take Alfie out for his customary walk across Eaglestone Park. It was far too dark at that moment to go out, and when I had another look through the kitchen window I saw snowflakes falling.  Just a smattering or a scattering. It didn't settle, nor did it last long, fortunately, so we soon got outside, having gone through the routine of getting dressed without Alfie being aware. I kept him in the lounge so he couldn't see me putting on my shoes and jacket. Once outside it was relatively mild.

I have been concerned with the nasty mess which has built up under each of Alfie's eyes. It had become quite unsightly. I think it's caused by his eyes weeping, or at least, it's a bit like tears and builds up beneath each eye and over time it builds up and can be quite unsightly. It should be removed by merely wiping with a damp piece of cotton wool. Because of concentrating on other things over the past few months, I had neglected this. Under different circumstances I would have dealt with it. I took him to the vets within Pets At Home at the retail park at Bletchley, having been there earlier in the week to book an appointment. I took him in the cage in the back of the car, because he won't travel within the main body of the car without making problems. He just won't sit still. On arriving at the retail park, I parked the car and went to open the rear hatch where the cage with Alfie in it was. As soon as I raised the hatch he was out of the cage. Fortunately I managed to catch him. I had obviously not secured the gate properly, but he would have been off across the carpark if I hadn't been quick. I carried him inside the Pets At Home store and towards the vets section. Alfie, in his usual fashion, made an almighty sound as I carried him into the store. His barking echoed around the vastness of the warehouse-sized building. I got to the reception desk of the Vets For Pets section of the store. I had to wait with Alfie in the 'Dogs' waiting area (as opposed to the 'Cats' section. I don't think Alfie would have approved of sitting there, or if we had, he would have wanted to chase any pussycats away, as he does when any enter our garden!) It was some time before we were shown into the consulting room by one of the vets, called Bruno. I put Alfie on the metal-topped table so the vet could examine Alfie. He had to weight Alfie, and put a digital scales on the table and Alfie was placed on this device.

Alfie doesn't like me touching the mess under either of his eyes. I had hoped I could soften the mass of debris under his eyes, by using cotton wool soaked in water. I had imagined that, with time and effort, I could soften each area and it would eventually come away easily. But he only wriggled about and he growled at me. I don't think he would bite me, but he was getting really stressed each time I attempted to do this. Which was the reason why I had to take him to a vet to have the problem resolved. I was hoping that there would be a simple method of removing the built-up mess under Alfie's eyes. I was expecting the vet to have some sort of method to do this. Perhaps something which could be applied and would gradually dissolve the built-up matter. But he didn't suggest anything, but said that perhaps he would need to sedate Alfie to prevent him getting stressed so that he could remove the built-up matter. He then told me I would need to leave Alfie at the surgery and he would need to have a nurse to assist him to remove the built-up matter from Alfie's face. I was somewhat concerned, because if a sedative was used I was concerned for Alfie's safety, not that I'm suggesting that the vet didn't know his job and that Alfie would be in any danger if he had a sedative. But considering the last few months, any thought of loosing my best companion would deal me an enormous blow. He's been such good company during the time I had to go through with Carol being in hospital and her eventual death. So, I left Alfie with the vet and I was told that the surgery would telephone me when Alfie was ready to be collected.

I left the store and went to the car and drove home. I must say, entering the house, it was really strange not having Alfie there, to be greeted by him with his loud barking and yapping and coming up to meet me. Probably no stranger than not having Carol's presence in the house. It is taking a long time to come to terms with the fact that she won't be coming home. Particularly in the evening, when she would be coming home from work at Milton Keynes Academy and I would have our evening meal ready for her when she came in and we'd sit down together to watch television, usually the gameshow 'Pointless' on BBC1.

I got home and spent time resting. After about an hour I got a call from the vets to say Alfie was ready to collect. I drove back to the retail park and was glad to see Alfie with the horrible built-up mess gone, but each place where it had been pink and somewhat raw-looking. I paid the bill and was given a pack of antibiotics tablets. I have to give Alfie a quarter of each tablets twice a day and I should also keep cleaning each wound at least once a day with cotton wool and water which should prevent a further build-up of the weeping matter. Alfie, as usual, gave us a rendition of his barking and yapping and I put him in the cage in the back of the car and drove home.

I gave Alfie the first dose of the antibiotics. I have to give him a quarter of a tablet. They are large and you have to cut them with a knife which is quite difficult and then the section of tablet has to be crushed before it's mixed in with his food. You have to be careful when you cut a tablet, that pieces don't shoot out when they are cut and then crushed. 

Alfie Has A Haircut

We've been looking for a dog groomer for Alfie. It's not the simplest of things finding someone who can do the job. I kept ringing numbers found through the internet. Most seem to be fully booked well into the summer months. It would have been easier to get a mobile groomer as it would mean less stress for him. We had someone do this a few years ago, but Poppy was very difficult to get groomed as she didn't like being handled, particularly her paws. It got to the stage where her nails got really bad. Alfie, on the other hand, seems to relish being pampered and made a fuss of. We took them to the Grooming Room which is within Pets At Home, there being two branches within easy reach, one at Bletchley and the other at Rooksley. I attempted to book Alfie in at the Bletchley branch but they were over-subscribed. Anyway, his coat was beginning to look very untidy, his claws needed trimming as they were getting caught in various bits of clothing and bedding and the build-up of black mess under his eyes was looking really horrible and was getting really serious. Anyway, I eventually found someone who who do the job, booked about a month in advance. The lady in question was put in the diary for 2 o'clock today.

We went to Waitrose to do a bit of shopping earlier in the morning. We went to Newport Pagnall because Carol's mum and dad are coming up from Bournemouth and staying in a hotel in Tickford Street. Carol wanted to drive over to find it. We went down Chaffron Way and then cut across towards Monks Way. There were signs up at the Eaglestone end that the road was going to be closed off for resurfacing work (well, I assumed it was resurfacing, as they are doing most of the Milton Keynes grid roads.) On the way back we found we couldn't get into Oakgrove, where Waitrose is located, as the Chaffron Way section was closed off for the resurfacing. We managed to get in via Brickhill Street. On arrival at the Waitrose carpark, the place was virtually empty, likewise the actual store. I imagine they will be loosing a lot of custom due to the roadworks. But it meant we got what we wanted in the store a good deal faster than we normally would. I also took out cash to pay the groomer lady from the Metro Bank A.T.M. near Waitrose.

We got home and unpacked the shopping in the kitchen and then I did some washing up. As I stood at the sink, the telephone rang. It was the groomer lady. Would it alright if she came earlier? I said, fine. She would be with us in around 45 minutes, making it about 11.45.  Carol had Alfie on his lead, and had intended taking him out for a walk, but he gets so stressed out whenever he realises he's going out for a walk, that it wasn't going to happen because the groomer lady knocked on the door and we handed over Alfie to be sorted.

So, about 90 minutes later, another knock on the door, the sound of a very distinctive bark, and Alfie is handed back over, shorn, looking very different. None of his curly coat left, we can see his eyes, so he can see where he's going and the horrible mess on his face- gone- but the skin underneath looking very red and raw. He looked somewhat shocked, his ears laid back on his head. But he does look better and far neater. Really worth the wait and effort expended. We'll have to make sure that he doesn't get into such a bad state before he has his nest haircut.

890th blog post! . . . Car Problem . . . Solved!

I rang O.K. Garage just after 9 this morning. I described the noise and the lady said that someone would come to see the car later during the morning. As good as her word she rang again to say that someone was on their way. A van drew up abut ten minutes later and I tried the car to let them hear the unpleasant grinding noise. They said they'd take it away and find out what the problem was. I wasn't sure that they heard the sound, but as soon as they drove out of the drive I heard it quite distinctly. About half-an-hour later they called me to say they'd found the problem. The front coil-springs were corroded or something. The same things that were replaced when the car was Mot's a few weeks ago. I'm now a bit annoyed that these weren't spotted needing attention at that time. It's going to cost around £200, but I told them to go ahead and do the work, even though we wouldn't be able to pay for the work until Friday. There's no rush for the car to come back as we can manage without it until then. At least if it's roadworthy again we can get out and about next week when Carol is on Holiday for Easter. We have some trips organised so at least we can use the car, hopefully. Just another expense we don't need, but it's one of the things you have to contend with when you have a car. 

On Friday I can walk down to Peartree Bridge where O.K. Garage is situated to collect the car. It is about a ten-minute walk along the Redway from home. At least having a garage so close, it's easy to reach without to many problems.

I'm more than certain that the problems with the car are caused by all the potholes and speed-bumps around here. I may have mentioned this before, but the condition of the roads in and around Milton Keynes are a disgrace. For a modern city it's appalling that the roads are so pot-holed. The local authority should be hanging their heads in shame letting the roads get so bad. It's not doing anyone's car's sub-frame any good, having to drive over so many rough surfaces. Goodness only knows what it does to the tyres and axels of your car and it's no wonder the coil springs on our vehicle have needed to be replaced. If you remember from my earlier post where I mentioned the damage a jolt in a pothole had on our car when we returned from a visit to Ascott a couple of years ago and the fact it set of the alarm which is connected to what is called the E.S.P. device (Electronic Stability Programme.) and how we had to get it repaired a great expense. I think the Council around here should pay compensation when your vehicle is damaged in this way. Or if not, spend more on getting the road surfaces around here bought up to a decent standard. Unfortunately, the more sophisticated cars become, with such things as this E.S.P. thing, computer-assisted mechanical devices, remote door opening, sliding doors (which our car has.) and so on and so forth, then there's far more to go wrong and cause untold problems.

The last couple of days have started off foggy and cold, but as the days have continued we've had some sunshine. It was like that yesterday, but it's a good deal more over-cast this morning. I think the sun is making a vain attempt to shine as I write this.

Daniel is returning home tomorrow.  He has a job interview on Friday, well, I think it's Friday. Somewhere in Bletchley. I have been clearing space in the spare room, which has been used as something of a dumping ground for all manner of items. We'll have to collect him from the bus station as he's coming back from Newcastle by coach. Carol says we can order a taxi cab and go over to collect him then. Not entirely sure what time he's due in.

Calm after the storm

Today it's sunshine and calm. Not particularly warm, but the sun is out. When I walked to the Academy to meet Carol at around 4.45 yesterday afternoon it was somewhat unsettled. Windy. Not just windy. Very gusty.  Storm Doris causing havoc. Bits of rubbish blown along the road. Bits of branch blown down along the Redway, as well as fences hanging off at odd angles at the back of houses along from our house. Which reminds me of last year when a large section of our garden fence was completely blow down (now repaired as it belonged to the house which is owned by the Council. They have since repaired it.) We had our rear garden fence replaced. No sign of our stingy landlord refunding the cost. I'm surprised we don't have any more repairs needing, such as tiles off the roof of the house. It is time that our house was given a make-over, things do need repairing and I don't honestly see why we have to fork out good cash when it's not our property. 

I've been to make an appointment for Alfie to have a hair-cut at Pets At Home at Bletchley this morning. It's for 10 a.m. on 30th March. I've got a voucher for 25% off so that's going to be a good saving. He's really in need of being groomed. Last time he had the whole works, including having his nails clipped and they did something to his paw pads. He hurt his leg a couple of weeks ago when Carol took him out across the park for a run. I'm not exactly sure what he did. He keeps limping on that leg, one of his rear legs. Probably did something to a tendon or muscle, he doesn't mind you touching it, so it can't be too bad. He's got a build-up of nasty mess near his eyes, which I think most dogs seem to get. He doesn't like it if you attempt to pull it off. He can't possibly see properly with that in the way. Carol has given him a bit of a trip with the scissors around his face, but it's not easy as he growls and doesn't like it much, so it will be good to get the groomer to sort this out as they did the last time he was given a trim. It was well to get this done in late March because it's getting so much warmer. He tends to suffer with the cold as well as the heat, so it's a bit unfair to get his coat cut when it's cold, poor little thing.

I'm not sure how Alfie has reacted to Poppy no longer being here. I'm not sure whether he notices she's gone. Perhaps he thinks she's gone somewhere and will return. Unlikely. He was very quiet the first day, and he's become very close to me, wanting to sit on my knee. It's difficult to know how they related to each other. She's always been here since he was a puppy. They were company for each other when we weren't here, of course. Not sure whether they lay together to sleep, but perhaps they did. I didn't see much of that when they were together.

I couldn't understand the weird noises when I drove into the carpark near Pets At Home. Then I noticed that something was going on across the road near the now vacant B and Q warehouse. It was a machine starting to demolish this building.  A sort of pneumatic drill-thing on a sort of arm on a tractor thing which was making the sort of weird banging, mechanical nose as it was smashing up part of the old building.They had close this old branch of B and Q and redeveloped the other warehouse the other side of Milton Keynes at Rooksley. This old branch was really difficult to get to where it is situated so it's not a great surprise that it closed and is now being demolished. I'd be interested to see what replaces it.

Aggressive Driving

I may have made some mention of this on more than one blog post, but I'm going to mention it again. Drivers in and around Milton Keynes can be excessively aggressive. I have on more than one occasion had to contend with drivers coming up behind me when I'm out in the car, and attempting to get me to go faster. When I was learning to drive (and it's a good many years since I past my Driving Test.) was taught to drive within my safe limits, for example, not driving at such a speed that I'd feel out of control or too fast. Obviously you would attempt to drive within the legal speed limits (i.e. 30 mp.p.h. in a built up area and up to 70 m.p.h. on open country roads and Motorways.) Around Milton Keynes the speed limit on the Grid Roads is 70 m.p.h. which is a shock to me. There are very few long stretches of road between the various roundabouts which would allow you enough distance to get up to a relatively high speed before you have to slow down at a roundabout. Some drivers seem to think that they don't need to slow down at a roundabout when they arrive and can just speed across, taking very little heed of traffic coming onto the right, giving way etc etc as you are supposed to do (according to the Highway Code.) If you just happen to drive with any care and attention and stop at a roundabout and obey the rules and check before attempting to enter the said roundabout, and a somewhat aggressive drive comes up behind you, some have the idea that they can intimidate you in such a way that you will risk your life  by moving into the traffic when you are sure it is unsafe to do so. Some will even hoot you in order to make you move, even if you are only a fraction of a second late in moving, according to them. Which can be very off-putting.

When I worked as a home carer and used to spend a lot of my time driving from one 'call' to another, I had the misfortune to come across quite a bit of aggressive driving. I was on my way to one evening call, driving along Fulmer Street towards Bletchley at a safe speed. A large van came up behind me, with three young men inside it, or so I could see in my rear-view mirror. They didn't seem to appreciate the speed I was driving nor the fact that I was simply in their way. The driver came right up behind me and seemed to be attempting to get me to move faster, which I refused to do. Then he began moving from side to side across the road behind me, ziz-zagging about across the road, weaving too and from across the road. I found it somewhat frightening and, considering I had had a heart attack, not doing my blood pressure a lot of good. In fact, I had to find a lay-by and pull over to let them pass. Very intimidating experience and totally unacceptable behaviour.

On three occasions I was run into by drivers on roundabouts which had a very detrimental effect on me. In all the years I have driven a car I have never been run into. On each occasion it was not pleasant. My car was damaged and only on one of the three occasions did the driver stop to see whether I was alright.

Last Sunday we drove to Waitrose, which is about  two miles from home down Chaffron Way. On the way out we had to circulate the carpark to get out and came across a car coming in. It was going at an excessive speed and unless we'd stopped when we did we'd have hit it. The female driver was so fixated on getting where she was going, she had no intention of slowing down. It seems that these people who behave in this way are being selfish. We seem to have produced more and more people, and particular car drivers, who have become self-centred. It appears that they are becoming more and more selfish. We are producing even more people, particularly on the internet, on social media such as Facebook and Twitter, who can say quite unpleasant things to people, particularly contestants on such things as 'Strictly Come Dancing' or 'The Great British Bakeoff', which they would never say face to face. It seems it's O.K. to say these unpleasant things on-line, in writing, but not in a direct way to their face. It's as if it wouldn't hurt that person, but actually it does have a psychological effect. A gradual build up of nastiness probably has more effect on someone like this rather than to their face, and this is the same thing as drivers out on the roads. Getting cut up on a roundabout (which has happened to me and Carol on quite a few instances.) does have a marked effect on your confidence as a driver.

Then, on two more occasions on driving out of Waitrose's car park, and in barely two minutes, we came across more of this aggressive driving from other people. We had to come out of their carpark and head left towards the roundabout at Monkston Park and another driver, yet another female, hooted at us to get out of the way because we didn't move fast enough for her. Just plain rudeness in my opinion and then one more, similar, as we approached the roundabout at Eaglestone, at what is called 'Four Bridges.' (So named because of the four foot bridges over the Grid Roads at this point in the road system.)

Several years ago Carol was involved in a car accident at one of the roundabouts on Fulmer Street early one morning. She was waiting in a queue of vehicles at the roundabout when a taxi cab came crashing into the queue. The force of the car crashing into the car at the back of the queue was so great that it forced the car she was driving to cause it to run into the car immediately in front that it got caught onto the tow bar. It gave Carol fairly a serious whiplash injury.  The driver of the car that caused the accident was not paying what they called 'undue care and attention.' No doubt he was using his mobile phone at the time, but certainly not concentrating. I see quite a lot of drivers using their mobiles as they're driving. The most disturbing was when we were driving up the M1 a few years ago and got caught behind a lorry, but as we passed we could see the driver using his mobile. I think he was texting. It doesn't bear thinking the sort of accident he might have caused had he wobbled as he was driving that lorry.

The other concern is what I hear in the news on television about people deliberately causing accidents on the roads in order to make insurance claims. It makes me wonder at time, knowing this sort of information, whether that is what a great many of the cases I've mentioned of 'aggressive driving' is deliberate so as to cause such an accident and then claim on insurance. When people cut you up on a roundabout or those that don't stop at a roundabout, it makes me wonder whether it's deliberate to make a fraudulent insurance claim. Then there's cases of 'road rage', caused when a driver is driving too slow and then being assaulted by a driver who couldn't wait for that slower driver to move out of the way. When knives are used, fists fly and so on, it can be quite scary.

Another recent incident happened the other morning. We drove to Tesco's at Oldbrook. It would have been around 7.15-7.20. We turned into Oldbrook Boulevarde from Strudwick Drive and had just turned left from the roundabout. We were driving through a section of road where there were two carriage-ways, the road being divided down the centre with a paved area. We drove at a reasonable speed, considering it was a built-up area, so the speed was 30 m.p.h. Then a car appeared at speed behind us. It would have been reasonable to expect the driver to merely follow us at 30, but now, he couldn't wait, and shot past us at at least 50-60 m.p.h. All I can say is, thank goodness that there wasn't another vehicle coming in the opposite direction. It was very scary. The driver was laughing as he drove past. It took us quite a while to recover from the shock. Just another incident where it was aggressive driving. It was a pity that there were no speed cameras to record the incident. This is what it needs to stop this sort of behaviour, but, unfortunately, these drivers get away with this behaviour because there are never any police around to see what is going on and then charge them with reckless driving. It's the innocent driver or passer-by who gets injured when things go wrong and an accident occurs.

Alfie- Trimmed!

Alfie has been in  desperate need of a trim at the grooming parlour. His coat grows quickly and needs trimming at least every six months or so. He gets a rather nasty matted bit on each of his eyes (I think most dogs seem to get this, for whatever reason.) Try doing this yourself and he growls. It must be rather uncomfortable if you do manage to remove it. I expect it stings. I had him booked in at Pets At Home in Bletchley this morning at 9 o'clock. I managed to get him into the cage in the back of the car without too much trouble. (How does he know that something is going on, even when I'm extra-careful to get the cage out of the spare bedroom and into the car, which I did yesterday afternoon, and have his lead in my trousers pocket where he couldn't possibly see it? He's so clever. I think he'd worked something out when I eventually got the lead on him.) I left at 8.40 which gave me more than enough time to get to the retail park at Bletchley. There were other dogs arriving with their owners as I parked the car opposite Pets At Home and then managed to get in at a little bit before 9. It was going to take the groomers an hour to do their work, so I decided to stay a the retail park as it wasn't really worth going home and then driving back, so I had a wander around T.K. Maxx to look at their selection of clothes and then got a coffee and bit of cake in Gregg's and sat in my car to eat and drink. Then, just before 10 I returned to Pets At Home. 

Alfie- after his grooming session today

There was a family with their large boxer dog waiting in the place where customers wait for their pets to be collected. I know it was best not to open the door (I could see this beast through the glass door.) and as the dog wasn't on its lead, I thought it best to wait as I didn't want to be responsible for it running off if I opened the door. Also, I was being careful not to let Alfie see me as he would respond with yapping and barking is he saw me. It could make the staff's job even more difficult if he began responding accordingly. I eventually got inside and saw Alfie and he looked really neat and tidy, with a bandana around his neck (which each customer's dog gets after they've been groomed. The last time he got a bow tie.) I paid and then we left, Alfie leading the way back to the car. We drove home and Alfie was silent. He does make a certain amount of noise when he first goes in the cage, making little yaps. I got him home and took the above photographs.  Not the easiest subject for a photograph. He just won't sit still. As soon as I get the camera out he seems to know he'll get attention. He kept coming towards the camera, which made it difficult to frame a decent shot. As you can see from the above photographs. Without his fringe, he can now see clearly and I have to say he looks a good deal tidier. Not too short because he needs his coat during the cold winter months.

Alfie, shorn!

I've been attempting to find a dog groomer to have Alfie, our Yorkshire Terrier, clipped. He has quite a long coat and it gets matted easily. He had one or two quite nasty tangles. He also gets really horrible 'bits' under his eyes, sort of clogged-up hair, that look particularly nasty. Most dogs seem to get these and he doesn't like it if you try to remove them. His nails needed trimming. Just don't attempt this as he'd nip you. I don't like doing it as I'd worry I'd hurt him. Last year I booked a mobile grooming service, a lady who came in a really well-equipped van which she parked at the front of the house. She did a good job and it seemed the most stress-free way to get him groomed. I attempted to get her to come again this year, but she was totally booked up. I then went on the internet to try and find another, I think I contacted three more mobile groomers, but they were all booked solid. We have taken both dogs to Pets At home and used the Grooming Room there. There is another branch at the Beacon Retail Park at Bletchley, where there is also a Boots, Brantano, Greggs, Argos and T.K. Maax. I went in there about a month ago and managed to book Alfie in for a trim and it was at 1 p.m. yesterday. We went to Sainsbury's to do our weekly shop at around 9 o'clock and came home and then the process of getting Alfie loaded up to take out later began. I had to get the cage into the back of the car without him seeing, because, being a very sharp, intelligent little dog, he soon picks up that we are planning to take him out. Having dropped him off we had two hours to fill, so we went to have a lunch at The Caldecotte Arms, a favourite place for us. It's a really popular place, and at lunchtime on a Saturday, no more so, heaving with young families. Set beside a lake, quite a pleasant enough spot to have a bite to eat and a walk in the spring sunshine. It has a windmill set in the middle of the building and you can sit inside and you get quite a good view, although I'm not sure whether it's a genuine windmill. You can't miss it as you drive past and it can be seen from the A5 and as you drive along the Grid Road that runs past. This is a Fayre and Square restaurant, a bit like a Wetherspoon's, which we use regularly, having good value meals which you order at the bar along with your drinks. We went for the 2 meals for £10. I ordered lasagne and Carol had a burger. We also had garlic bread which we shared. It was quite difficult to find a table that was free but eventually found one as far away in the corner as it was possible. We thought it was going to be quiet, but I went to the toilet (why are such conveniences hidden away where you least expect them to be, although it was reasonably well signposted.) and by the time I got back there was a family with a couple of children on the next table. It was alright, but they were rather noisy. Looking out of the window we could see the lake and a great many geese and ducks. The ducks had youngsters, and we could see a couple of boys who were looking at them and we thought that they were going to upset the duckings, but fortunately this didn't happen. We ate our meal and when we left we had around three-quarters of an hour before Alfie was due to be finished at the groomers. We drove back to the retail park at Bletchley and parked. It was quite difficult to find a space as it was really busy. We spent some time browsing in Boots. Carol was looking for a present for a colleague at work who is leaving at the end of a week to have a baby, but she didn't see exactly what she wanted although she had to see how much cash was in the collection they had made in her department at Milton Keynes Academy before making a definite decision.

Alfie, back home, after he'd been to the grooming parlour.

We went to Pets At Home to browse further and then went to pick up Alfie. Really quite shocked by how much hair they had removed. Actually much better as his coat had got really matted and untidy. The last time we had him groomed at the other branch in Rooksley Alfie was totally silent when he collected him. No doubt the whole process of being groomed was too traumatic for him. They did some extra work, I'm not exactly sure what, but giving his paws a polish or something and his nails were nice and short. He rode back in the cage in the car, totally silent.

Macbook Decides to Open

Having had problems with this Macbook, which I use to compose these blog posts on, the confounded thing has now decided to open quite happily when I plugged it in to keep it charged up. I will still take it in for the free half-hour session at the Apple store on Tuesday morning just to have it checked out for a virus or whatever, but it is really quite annoying after all the problems I have had. Oh well, I just hope it remains in a working state.

We went to IKEA in Bletchley yesterday afternoon, Saturday, and bought two bedside cabinets as well as some magazine racks which I will use to file editions of BBC History Magazine. We came home and proceeded to construct the first of the cabinets and made up the second one this morning and both are in place either side of our bed. Carol gave Poppy a bath and haircut this morning which she desperately needed as her coat had become very shaggy and it was a wonder she could see out as her eyes were quite hidden under a fringe of hair. I mowed around half of the grass at the rear of the house (I can hardly call it a 'lawn' as it is such an uneven piece of ground.) and will attempt to finish the job off over the next week. I think the rain we've had over the past few days has meant the grass has grown quite considerably which lead to me getting out the mower.

MoT, Swimming and House Inspection

As mentioned in my last post, the car had to go for it's MoT last Wednesday. It wasn't quite so straightforward in order for it to pass as the garage (D and A Autos in Mount Farm), rang during Wednesday to tell us that it had failed on one or two minor points, one being that it would need a couple of new tyres. I have mentioned the rather strange running of the car's engine, the times it has cut out and the juddering we have experienced as we'd driven along in it. They told us it would need to stay in their workshop overnight to have the work completed, and the total bill would cost around £400. A bit of a shock, to say the least, but we had some idea that it was going to need quite a bit of work done in order for it to pass it's MoT. Also, the car needed it's Road Fund Licence and we weren't going to get this done without an MoT certificate and the licence had run out on 31st March. As Carol was on Easter holiday we were planning to go back to collect the car on Thursday evening after the garage telephoned to tell us it was ready to collect.  We said we'd collect the car on Friday morning as the garage would be closed at around 5.30 when they rang. The next morning at around 8.30 I rang for a taxi on my mobile and we soon got our lift over to Mount Farm. The taxi company has a 'text-back' system, provided you phone them from your mobile, which tells you the registration number and time the taxi will arrive, quite  good idea if you are unsure which is the right vehicle coming to give you a lift to wherever, particularly for late night taxi rides. An added security for all concerned. The taxi was very quick to arrive and we soon got to the garage in Mount Farm. Having paid the bill for the work on the car we then had to drive to Swinton's office in Bletchley to get the replacement insurance certificate (having looked in vain for this document in our usual places for such documents and not finding it.) We had rung on Thursday to say that they would be able to print off a copy for us to collect. Having managed to collect the insurance document we then went into the Central Post Office in Milton Keynes (it has moved from it's original place in the Central Shopping Centre to the Theatre District recently, meaning we could park the car nearby in a free parking space. We were then told that we wouldn't need the insurance certificate after all, so all that running about was actually for nothing. We got the licence disc and managed to fix it to the car windscreen. Apparently you will no longer need to buy a licence disc as the Government has said that this is no longer a necessity. So, if that is the case, how will the Police be able to check which cars are licenced or not? Presumably using some sort of check on car registration numbers or something, and no doubt using number recognition software. No doubt they will have a list of car's registration numbers which aren't licences or at least, up to date with their licence payments. Perhaps it's a good thing as it will mean less paperwork, but I have to say it will be odd not having that little disc of paper stuck to the inside of the car's windscreen. Although it will be great not having to run about from pillar to post whenever it runs out. Although we have bought the licence on-line and it makes me wonder how they check the documentation, although it is done from data stored somewhere 'in the cloud.' Another area of technology which I just don't actually understand but I have to say, having paid for this on-line, it is the most efficient and easiest way to buy this.

Yesterday, early,Monday morning. Carol has a further week off for Easter. We haven't been for a swim for a couple of weeks so we decided to go to D.W. early. We were there a little before 8 and it was great that the place was virtually empty except for a couple of people. One of the jacuzzis was ou of action for repair but apart from that it was really relaxing and I did around 25 lengths of the pool. We were in there for a good hour and a half. It was strange coming out and it was sunny and bright as we usually go in the evening which means we come out when it is quite dark outside. We had to go to Sainsbury's as Carol had a repeat prescription which needed collecting and at the same time we needed some shopping for the evening's meal. We noticed that in Sainsbury's they have been altering the homewards department and so we had a look around before buying things for our meal as well as picking up the prescription.

I have mentioned the creative writing course at Milton Keynes Art Centre I did in November and that I had been signed up to do a ten-week course which was cancelled when the lady who was leading was taken ill. I am somewhat disappointed as I was really looking forward to this and still await it being re-sheduled but at the moment there seems that this isn't going to happen. I have been looking around to find something elsewhere but with no success but I have now signed up to an on-line daily writing email which sends me a daily 'prompt' so that I can do a ten-minute writing exercise. This I have been doing for around the past three weeks. The idea is that you get the 'prompt' by email each morning and you have to use that for a piece of writing which you mustn't spend too much time thinking about and not stop writing until the ten minutes is up. I now have quite a few of these ten-minute pieces, some good and some not so good but it does at least mean I get into the habit of writing something, very much in the same way writing this blog is a writing exercise.

Having got the car sorted we now have to contend with a house inspection. Smart Move, the rental agency, rang yesterday morning (Monday) to say they wanted to do an inspection on Wednesday. They said they would come at 2, then rang back to say could it be 3, and then rang again to say they'd come on Thursday at 3. I jut hope they do arrive as the landlord was supposed to come for an inspection several weeks ago (more like months) one Saturday but they never turned up, after we'd made a lot of effort cleaning he house and having it ready. So we're going to have to spend the next couple of days cleaning and tidying the place.