Don't Rain On My Parade!

Sunday. 5.20 a.m. Yet another song from a musical used as a blog post title. It comes from 'Funny Girl', and the central part of Fanny Brice played by Barbra Streisand. I don't think Fanny Brice was as well known on this side of the Atlantic as she would have been in America. 

2.00 p.m. For the past couple of weeks I have had to endure the most unpleasant itching (I know, it's not something to have to mention, but there it is.) It's on my back and nothing much will relieve it. I was searching in my medication's drawer, when I realized that I had some Piriton, which is for the relief of hay fever. On reading the packet, it mentioned skin irritations and allergies. I wasn't sure if what I had was an allergy. I don't usually suffer from hay fever, but I thought I would take a tablet to see if it would work and, hopefully, bring some relief. So, I took one and then, after a couple of hours, I had the side effect, which they mention on the packet; it made me feel drowsy. It also states, if that happened, to not drive or operate machinery. Which is why I didn't go to church this morning. It does seem to have relieved the symptoms, so I will keep on with it today, with one more tablet, and then leave it for the next couple of days.

5.30 p.m. I've mentioned the George Foreman grill I have, and the fact that, when I have used it, the smoke and steam it produces sets off the fire alarms within Dexter House. I have waited for the best part of a year to have an extractor fan installed in the kitchen window, which is now up and running. So, this evening I was going to use the grill to cook pork chops. All is well and good. Everything went according to plan, but then. . .  The fire alarms went off! I had the fan on full, so I assumed that the steam and smoke would be taken out, but it didn't seem to make any difference. Which meant I had to experience the total embarrassment of having a fire engine arrive outside and having firemen knocking on my door and having to explain what had happened. I  hadn't set anything on fire, no burnt toast, just attempting to live my life. I don't know what to do next. It's such a good gadget and cooks chops quickly and effortlessly.

Monday. 8.50 a.m. I didn't get up quite so early this morning, which means I wasn't out with Alfie as early as I have for the past few weeks.

It's bright and sunny as I write this and the digital thermometer reads 23ºC, so a good deal more comfortable and better for sleeping. In fact, I seem to be sleeping a good deal better than of late.

The skin irritation seems to have gone. Well, not entirely, but I'm not going to take the Piriton if it means I feel drowsy and can't drive. I'll just have to see how it improves or not.

3.45 p.m. I went to Sainsbury's and looked in the healthcare section for non-drowsy hay fever medication, but I couldn't find exactly what I wanted. But as I was driving into Sainsbury's car park, it occurred to me that the small Boots the Chemist branch near my doctor's surgery in Bradwell Boulevard might be a better place to find this sort of medication, so, having finished in Sainsbury's, I drove there and got exactly what I needed. I took one of the tablets (it's a one-a-day medication) and as far as I can tell, I don't feel drowsy.

I've just got back from the Monday Club session at the Oaktree Centre. Good conversation, cake and tea for all.

Currently, the digital thermometer reads 25ºC. 

Baking Cakes (and the Art of Avoiding Life's Little Frustrations)

Monday. 6.30 a.m. It's Monday, and at 2 o'clock this afternoon there'll be the second Monday Club at the Oaktree Centre. Last week was well attended, not by Shenley Christian Fellowship members, but by several community members who are regular attendees. Plenty of cake and tea. Yesterday, after church, I was asked if I could make cakes for today's session. I have been checking ingredients in my cupboards and setting things up, as I will have to go out and stock up on some ingredients. I will go to Lidl later this morning. I have also printed out a recipe for Victoria sponge cake from Delia Smith's website.

11.00 a.m. I went to Lidl at just after 9 o'clock and stocked up on ingredients as I mentioned above. I really have to organize my kitchen, as there is a definite shortage of space. I had set a lot of it up around 6 o'clock, even before I'd taken Alfie out, but I wasn't going to do the circuit of Oldbrook Green because yesterday I walked at least, 11500 steps and was quite exhausted, but I am attempting to do far more steps. Anyway, as I write, the Victoria Sponge is finished, with raspberry jam as a filling and a sprinkling of icing sugar on top and it's in it's tin, ready to take to the Monday Club just before 2 o'clock. 

Tuesday. 3.05 a.m. Oh, dear! Alfie isn't very well. I thought he needed to go out, so I hurriedly got dressed and we were out on the grass (this was around 10 o'clock last night.) But he didn't do anything, just walking along the grass. We went back indoors and he did a mess. He seems to have the runs. Cleared it up. Not nice. But he'd done another, which I have just cleared up. I have had to change my duvet, due to another accident. I don't know what caused this mishap. I have decided to stay at home and not go to Camphill and sent an email. I feel disappointed, but I really can't leave him on his own all day in the flat.

2.30 p.m. As I have already reported, in above, Alfie hasn't been very well, which meant I didn't go to Camphill this morning, unfortunately. I thought it wasn't such a good idea to leave him on his own. I had a £25 Marks and Spencer voucher to spend, which had been earned from doing online surveys for a company called Maximiles. I wanted to spend it and decided to drive into the Central Shopping Centre. I got to my usual car park in Secklow Gate. I had hoped to pay using the RingoGo app on my iPhone, which I have used on quite a few occasions. It means you don't have to fiddle about with change and use the ticket machines and, if you need extra time to park you don't need to return to your car and can use the app to add your time and pay. But the app wouldn't open and for some unaccountable reason wanted the password to continue. This was somewhat exasperating, so I paid with a £1 coin I had in my pocket for such an eventuality. Having parked and paid I went into the shopping centre, first going to Boots to buy liquid Feroglobin which I have been taking for several months as a supplement. It has 14 minerals and nutrients in it. It's quite difficult to find it on the shelves, and had to ask an assistant to show me where it was. Having paid, I came out into the walkway and went to Nationwide to take out some money from my account and I walked towards NatWest to pay the cash into my account there. This NatWest branch has been there in all the time I have lived in Milton Keynes, but I discovered, much to my disappointment, that it had closed. It was then that I realized that there was a new branch at the other end of the shopping centre, opposite John Lewis and near Middleton Hall.

I crossed over the road from what had been NatWest and re-entered the shopping centre and went into Marks and Spencer, going up on the escalator to the menswear department and bought a set of shortie pyjamas and long pyjama bottoms. Easy and straightforward.

 If you know the shopping centre, you will know it must be a good half mile or so. On arrival outside, I found a machine which would allow me to pay through a slot, provided I used my debit card and my P.I.N. I couldn't get the machine to work, so I went inside the branch. I asked a member of staff whether I could pay the cash into my account via a teller. Yes, upstairs, I was told, although there was a queue. When I arrived upstairs there was indeed a queue, but the cashier/teller wasn't in place. Goodness knows, what was going on? Was it a tea break or something? The queue wasn't moving. I wanted to make a simple payment, that was all. It was at this point I thought to myself 'I'm turning into Victor Meldrew, the character in the sitcom 'One Foot In The Grave', who is constantly being frustrated by life's little upsets and is known for his line 'I don't believe it!'

There were several more ATMs nearby which could be used to pay in cash. I had to ask a bank staff member to help me operate the machine. You can use your card and your P.I.N. and then insert your banknotes through a slot. I then discovered that you can put them in a bundle and don't have to insert the notes individually.

After all the frustrations of A.T.M's and other things, it was time for a break, so I went into Costa on Middleton Hall. The other week I had a really great hot chocolate which had cream and bits of Kit Kat sprinkled on top. But, unfortunately, when I asked at the counter for another, I was told it was a special edition and they no longer sold them. So, I settled for a hot chocolate and cream. Well, why not? The after experiences of the day I think I deserved it.

So, that was my shopping trip! Nothing much else to report here. 

Forgotten Medication

When Carol was discharged from Ward 20 on Friday, she was given a carrier bag full of all the medication she needed to manage her condition. A nurse had sat on her bed and went through a list she had of everything. But Carol has been in more pain since being at home. We were hoping that, having had the operation to unblock her bowel and having been in hospital for very nearly three weeks (together with several days when she went in and was on Ward 19.) the pain would be more under control. But it seems that two lots of medication, antibiotics, were left off this list. Most likely because of this being left out, the pain has not been reduced. Just annoyed that someone didn't deal with this to then avoid more pain, distress and for me, a lot off annoyance, and as it turned out, inconvenience. I realise that the nurses (and other healthcare professionals) were over-worked and put under a great deal of pressure on Ward 20, but to forget or 'mislay' some of Carol's medication does show a certain lapse of, I don't know, concentration on someone's behalf, or at least, not being up to scratch in some respects, which has left myself and Carol feeling a bit let down.

 I went to church on Sunday, but when I got home, I hadn't changed my clothes or taken my shoes off before Carol told me that I'd have to go out again. Someone had telephoned from Ward 20 to say that Carol needed these two extra medications and that they had a prescription made out for these two medications. I had to go in and pick them up immediately and have them made up. You can imagine that I wasn't exactly over-pleased as I was about to sit down and spend the rest of Sunday afternoon relaxing. So I had to get back in the car and drive to the hospital, park in the multi-storey carpark and then walk all the way to Ward 20 (something that is incredibly exhausting as it quite a way.) I soon got to the ward and the nurses knew exactly what I was there for and then I had to decide which pharmacy would be open in order to make up the prescription. I decided to drive to the shopping centre at Kingston as there is a Boot's chemist as well as a pharmacy with the Tesco Extra which is also there. If one wasn't open, or couldn't provide the medications on the prescription, surely the other would have them. Fortunately I didn't have to pay anything to park. I had taken a ticket from the machine when I drove into the multi-storey carpark, and when before I drove out I put the ticket in one of the ticket machines and it showed 'no payment' which was at least a relief as I was expecting to pay something, but I imagine because I hadn't been there for much more than 20 minutes, it hadn't registered a payment. I then drove out of the hospital campus and decided to drive towards Kingston. I have to say I went considerably faster than was probably wise, but, as I was keen to get the prescription made up for Carol, I wasn't that bothered. Just a good thing there are no speed cameras or no police around at the time. 

I got to the Kingston Centre and found it was very busy. No doubt people doing their Christmas shopping. Hardly able to move. I went into Boots (fortunately open, together with the pharmacy) and handed over the prescription. I was told that they had both medications and that it would take 10 minutes to complete. So I went away to kill the time, having a browse in Next, and then into another shop further along the parade of shops. Home Sense, which is full of an incredible range of furnishing items.

I returned to Boots to find they'd completed the prescription. I had to walk across the carpark to return to the car. It always seems to me, whenever I've been to the Kingston Centre, that it's not designed to make your life easy as there's no path across this carpark. For some ridiculous reason they had to put barriers in your way, fences and hedges which mean you can't get a clear path to get from one side to the other. They obviously intend for you to walk right round and this takes far too long. Well, I eventually got back to the car and then, having driven out, I then had to spend around 15 minutes standing still in the car because of a very long queue of vehicles also leaving and back to Chaffron Way. Other drivers getting very annoyed, but, lets be perfectly honest, they only had themselves to blame. What were they expecting, in the build-up to the festive holiday, with other people doing Christmas shopping. Sunday has become very much like any other day of the week, since they relaxed the opening hours of shops and other businesses. I eventually got over the roundabout at Tongwell Street (one of the busiest roads in Milton Keynes) put my foot down and shot across as I made my way home. Thank goodness I'd completed my mission and was able to get back with the medications which I'd gone to get for Carol.

Red Sky In The Morning

There was an intensely bright red sky this morning. You know what they always say, ' red sky at night, shepherd's delight. Red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning.' So, does that mean we are in for some severe weather? More snow? Really hard frosts? Snow drifts? Who knows. Just have to put up with it if it is really bad. 

 We drove to the Shell petrol station in Grafton Street early this morning to fill the car up with £30 worth of petrol. The sky was really beautiful and I would have gone back home and collected my Canon digital camera and gone out to take some photographs of it, but it was changing so rapidly, unfortunately, that it didn't seem worthwhile. A pity, because it would have made a great shot, or more than one shot, which I would have posted on here.

It was also cold and frosty. Not over-keen to get chilled to the bone, so sprayed the car's windscreen and windows before we drove out. Nothing worse, or for that matter, dangerous, than driving with partially misted or iced-up windows. My gloves and hat came in handy. 

Over the Christmas period I have been working on the plot line for another section of my writing project which I've been developing over the past couple of years. I had written this out in note-form several times and yesterday I transferred it to word processing. I have finished it off this morning and printed it out, two pages of it. It does seem to work and there's a fairly good story arc. Now I just have to sit down and write the piece, using the framework of the plot line as reference.

I shall revise this blog as the day goes on, so do come back to see what else I write.

11.30 a.m.

I've been into Milton Keynes Central Shopping Centre. It's turned out to be quite a bright and sunny day, so it's pleasant driving in and parking and then walking into the shopping centre. It was around 9.15 when I eventually got there. I wanted to buy new swimming shorts and I'd seen some in Marks and Spencer when I visited the other day. I thought £10 was a reasonable price to pay and they're a rather pleasant red-colour. Supposed to be quick drying. Not sure how they can be any different to any other swimwear. I suppose it's because they're made of polyester or something. We'll be going to Nuffield this evening once Carol gets in from work, so I'll wear them then. The old ones I have been wearing are beginning to get a bit tatty which is why I wanted new ones. We bought them from Very when we went to Chloe and Steve's wedding in August 2013 and we were staying at a holiday centre in Ilfracombe where there was a swimming pool. We then joined D.W. Health when we came back after the holiday.

I then walked along the shopping mall and went into Boots. I wanted to buy a G.T.N. spray because the one I have has more or less finished. I have one on order, through the repeat prescription, but, to avoid an angina attack when we go swimming I wanted one to put in my bag and use before going into the pool this evening. I was amazed by how much cheaper this one was compared to when I bought a spare a few months ago. It was a little over £3 compared to around £7 elsewhere. I shall be going back to buy this medication from Boots again in future.

On the way along the shopping centre I arrived at Middleton Hall, the large open space near John Lewis. This is where the annual Christmas display is held and also other events such as trade shows, exhibitions and so on. There is currently a really interesting exhibition to mark the 50th anniversary of the building of Milton Keynes. A number of large maps, one being of the area that became the city in around the middle of the 19th century and another which shows archaeological finds. Also, models of buildings, such as the Civic Centre and others to show how bridges would be constructed and fit into the landscape.

It's Carol's birthday in March, and as a treat we were planning to go and see the musical 'Funny Girl' which is on the week of her birthday. I had hoped to buy two tickets for the Saturday matinee. I walked all the way to the theatre (Milton Keynes Theatre. You would think they could have come up with a more exciting name, would you not? Even the new theatre in Aylesbury is called the 'Waterside Theatre.'), quite a good hike along the shopping centre and then over the road near Campbell Park. The theatre was dark, no sign of life. The box office wasn't open, but then I saw that it didn't open until 10.00 a.m. I only had ten minutes or so to wait. Once I got inside, I went to the next available ticket person. I asked for two tickets for the matinee I wanted to book for, but was told that that performance was fully booked. Then the girl looked and saw that they had two returns, right up in 'The Gods,' the top-most tier of seating. I was then shocked to learn that these tickets were £45 each. That meant that the two seats would be £90. Far more than I'd intended paying and also, being in that position in the auditorium, having a really poor view of the stage. When we've been to see shows before we've usually had seats in the middle tier of seating, where you get a relatively good view of the stage. We'd been to see 'Guys and Dolls' a few years ago and sat in the top-most tier of seats and it had really poor visibility of the stage, which is why I didn't want to pay so much for rather inferior seating. I'm afraid we'll have to find something else to do that week, as, frankly I don't want to pay over-the-top prices for an out-of-town touring production of a show. It's around the same price of a West End show, which is all well and good, but my opinion is it's just a way of making a profit out of provincial audiences.

I walked back towards Marks and Spencer's and went into Waterstones. Why is it they dropped the apostrophe off their name? It makes me laugh when you think that as they are a book shop, you'd think they'd attempt to have such things as spelling and punctuation, particularly of their company name, written correctly. Anyway, there was a book on offer for half price which I wanted to check out. I shalln't say any more, just in case Carol is reading this, as I got it as a birthday present. It means I will have to hide it away somewhere so she can't see it. My sock drawer for example. I was also looking for Alan Bennet's Diaries, not literally, I mean, published. The latest selection has gone on sale in hardback, called 'Getting On, Getting On,' I want the earlier selection. I want to read the latest selection, but not having read his earlier jottings, it would be a good idea to read the earlier one's before proceeding to the latest. I wasn't sure where to look. It wouldn't be in the fiction section, so I went upstairs. The more academic books. No staff around. Nobody up there to ask, so I went downstairs and asked at the central pay desk. The young girl had a look on the computer. I said I had seen 'The Lady In The Van' which is a film based on Alan Bennet's relationship with an elderly lady, called Miss Shepherd, who came to live in his driveway, in an ancient yellow van. If you haven't seen it, you should. It stars the amazing Dame Maggie Smith. In a portrayal of a character very far removed from the character she plays in "Downton Abbey." Anyway, I didn't seem to elicit any sort of anything from this Waterstones employee, except to tell me the biography section upstairs had any books by Mr Bennett. The newer book was on display on the tables downstairs, but, as I say, it wasn't the actual book I was after, and anyway, I would wait for it to be released in paperback before I purchased it. So, armed with the information I was given I returned upstairs and there, in the biography section (even though, in actual fact, the book is autobiography) was one of Alan Bennett's books entitled "Untold Stories." I returned downstairs with the book and went to pay at the cash desk. The young woman was as distant and far away as it was possible. I do attempt to converse with shop staff, but she wasn't going to respond, unfortunately. I do think Waterstones should at least employ people who have some sort of conversational ability, or is it just, what with social media such as Facebook and Twitter, people don't need to actual converse anymore. Pity, because usually when I go into Waterstones, I get some sort of response when I try to speak to their staff. Some sort of interest in what they are selling, which isn't a great deal to ask, surely. I know that times are hard, or so we keep being told, but why are there so few staff in that shop? They've given it a facelift and there are actually two branches in Milton Keynes. The shops are much more bright and modern, not so dark and dingy as they used to be. It's a pity that the branch in Midsummer Place got rid of the Costa coffee shop upstairs. It has been replaced by what would appear to be Waterstone's own coffee shop, but last time Carol went in there for coffee we weren't exactly over-impressed. It's on the ground floor, which is probably better. I think the idea is that you choose your books and then take them to the coffee shop to browse through as you sip your latte or cappuccino. 

Colpermin For Muscle Discomfort

I have mentioned before now the muscle discomfort that I have had as a side-effect of taking statins. I mentioned it the other week when I went into a branch of Boots for some other medication, and the dispensing chemist recommended that I try Colpermin. She also said that if I was to drink something like Lucozade it might also help.  She said I might need to drink more and that I might be dehydrated, so recommended Lucozade as it will replace sugars and salts which might explain not only the muscle pain but the fact that I quite often get cramps, and usually at night, and most painfully in the soles of my feet. The Colpermin capsules contain peppermint and are slow-release. I'm not sure why a tablet intended to relieve the effects of I.B.S. should help, but they do seem to work. I have tried Buscopan, but they didn't seem to work.  I have been taking them for several weeks now along with Lucozade and it seems to help. I now discover that I should be able to get these tablets on prescription, so I'm going to make a doctor's appointment and get my doctor to give me a prescription and then add it to the medications I already have. As I'm over 60 I now don't pay, and, as Colpermin are over £5 for 20 capsules, and they are definitely working, then I see now reason to have them on prescription. I have to say that I'm impressed by Boots, as, on several occasions when I've gone to pick up my repeat prescriptions the dispensing pharmacist has talked to me about my medications and what I can do to help myself.