How Time Flies!

 Monday 7.40 a.m. The weeks fly by. Goodness! It's Monday again. Tempus Fugit, as the Romans would say. 

Still and mild as Alfie and I went out at around 7 this morning.

Yesterday, Mike and Margaret collected me to take me to church. I took the fuel can with me and then afterwards we went to Morrisons and I managed to fill the can sufficiently to then decant into my car when I got back to Dexter House. I trust when I go out later this morning, I can top the tank up enough to resolve the fuel issue. I am trusting that the ESSO fuel station on Child's Way will have sufficient fuel, or if not the Shell station in Grafton Street.

12.40 p.m. I have now been able to fuel the car sufficiently with diesel at the ESSO filling station in Childs Way. I think it must be the first time in many months that I have had a completely full tank. Furthermore, I just hope I don't have to go through another similar situation, and I trust I have learnt to keep the car fully fuelled in case of a similar emergency.

Tuesday. 8.45 a.m. Another seemingly mild and undistinguishable sort of autumn's day. I'm going to get my booster covid vaccine later this afternoon. I had one booked, but then, because of the issue of fuelling the car, I had to cancel it.

1.45 p.m. I have just got back from Milton Keynes centre. I was scheduled to have my covid-19 booster vaccination at 11.45. I made the mistake of thinking it was at the Council offices next door to the NatWest branch, but when I asked at the front desk I was told that the Saxon Court was opposite the former Debenhams store (now Next Home and Beauty.) This didn't exactly help my stress levels, because I am rarely later for anything, probably always the first person at anything, theatre performances, doctors appointments or anything else. So it was a good twenty-minute trek back through the shopping centre and inside the building, where I had to sign in, using my registration number from the text message I had received, having booked online yesterday. First I had to wait with dozens of other people in what I would refer to as a holding area, and then we were herded through to the main vaccine area where, again, we had to sit and wait. People coming and going and some going through to the 'Observation Area' once they'd had their vaccine, as you have to wait fifteen minutes, just in case you have any sort of reaction to the vaccine.

Having spent fifteen minutes in the observation area, no reactions such as my hair turning green or developing boils all over my face, so I left and walked into the shopping centre, deciding to buy something to eat from Boots. I am more than a bit surprised that they no longer have manned tills (am I allowed to say that? Personed?? If so, it sounds crazy.) Using the self-service till, I then found I couldn't use my Advantage card to put points on. I don't know why. Just awkward. I also bought some paracetamol in Boots as the nurse said that, if I felt as if I had 'flu, to take it if necessary

So, I returned to my car and drove home, to eat my sandwich and watch the midday news on BBC 1.

Wednesday. 10.40 a.m. I can report that I began to feel exhausted and that the point in my upper arm, where the vaccine was injected, began to hurt somewhat. Nothing serious, but it was uncomfortable to lay on in bed at night. As I write this, the discomfort has more or less worn off. Nothing unpleasant to report.

Thursday. 12.25 p.m. It was foggy when I took Alfie out for his usual walk at around 7.20 this morning. But it had dispersed when we went out at 9.30. It's quite mild, but the heating in this flat is so overpowering I have got all the windows on and even the electric fan. I have ordered a smart room thermometer from Amazon, which should arrive tomorrow. I need to keep a record of exactly how warm it gets. It's crazy to have to keep the windows open to let out the heat! Just sweat pouring down my face. It seems such a total waste of energy. I have mentioned it to Barbara, but it seems nobody is interested, which is annoying and totally idiotic.

There have been a couple of thefts within Dexter House, so someone has put together a petition so that the tenants in this unit can get the Council to install C.C.T.V. to keep a watch on those who enter and leave the premises. I have signed the petition.

Restrictions On, Then Off and Then . .

Some of the pandemic lockdown restrictions have been lifted. We can now visit 'non-essential' shops, get our hair cut and a certain number of attractions, gardens and so on, have re-opened (I think these include National Trust properties, zoos, etc etc.) But if you visit a shop you need to wear a face covering (supposed to cover your nose and mouth.)

I went into the Milton Keynes main shopping centre to meet my friend Nick who lives in Northampton. Unfortunately not everyone is obeying the social distancing regulations nor is everyone wearing a face mask. I took mine, one of the handful I purchased in Lidl a few weeks ago. I don't particularly like having to wear one as it makes my face hot and my glasses steam up. You can't see people's faces clearly and it would be easy for someone, if they were inclined, to do something criminal, say, rob a bank or be objectionable to staff in a shop, and nobody would be able to recognise them, for example, on C.C.T.V. cameras.

Church is having a picnic on Sunday near Furzton Lakes. I have been attempting to find some sort of folding chair to take with me and went on the internet to have a look. I had hoped that Argos might have had some in stock. I looked at there website and sure enough they had quite a range but when I attempted to buy I kept being told that the Milton Keynes store had none in stock. I had an idea that Tesco would have these types of chairs. Whatever I buy needs to be folding, so that it will fit into the back of the car and then be stored in the flat in a corner.

(Friday) The Renault Captur was due for it's MoT in August. I rang Bleakhall Motors on Wednesday to book it in for this annual test and got an appointment for 4.45 yesterday afternoon. I drove there and the test went ahead. I waited in the waiting area and it was completed by 5.30. Thank goodness it passed without any further expense being necessary but they said that it would need the diesel emissions looking at before next year's test. I imagine it has something to do with the exhaust filter or something so I may ring them and ask what it entails. So, that's another year of driving. The tyres may need air in them, but considering that it hasn't been far in the last five or so months since lockdown, it's no surprise as there can't be much wear on the car in that time.

(Saturday) It seems there is an increase in infections of the coronavirus in some areas of the north of England, so some of the lockdown restrictions have been reintroduced. Some people are unhappy about this, but if we're to return to any semblance of normality then this has to be done. Five months of lockdown and a gradual reduction in infections nationwide. People must just adhere to the regulations and not become lazy, particularly with social distancing.

Bomb Hoax in Bletchley

Thursday 26 January 2012, 1:19pm

Thames Valley Police has arrested two men in connection with a bomb hoax in Bletchley yesterday (25/1).

Police were called at 1.20pm, to reports that a suspicious package had been left in the middle of the Brunel Centre in Bletchley. Shortly afterwards, there was also a report that a similar package had been left outside Sainsbury's in the same shopping centre.

Officers were dispatched, the centre was evacuated and sealed off and army bomb disposal experts were called.

The suspect bags were confirmed safe at 3.15pm and the area was reopened.

Two men, aged 20 and 24 from Bletchley, have been arrested on suspicion of placing or dispatching articles to cause a bomb hoax.

Det Insp Kelly Glister, investigating, said: "We are taking this incident extremely seriously. It caused a considerable amount of disruption and local businesses lost earnings while the area was closed off.

"We have reviewed the CCTV of the area and have arrested two suspects who are currently in custody and being interviewed by detectives."

Supt Nikki Ross, Milton Keynes LPA Commander, said: "We have established protocols and procedures which have to be followed in the event of a suspicious package being found in a shopping centre.

"As a result, a considerable amount of police resources were called upon to deal with this hoax and anyone who thinks about carrying one out can expect to be dealt with robustly.

"However, I was extremely pleased by the way in which all the emergency services involved in the incident worked efficiently and quickly together to ensure everyone in Bletchley remained safe."

Walking Home

I walked over to the Academy to fetch Carol from work at around 4 p.m. yesterday. It's getting dark at that time and she doesn't feel 100% safe. You have to buzz reception at the gate to get in, and you are being constantly watched by surveillance cameras, as a security precaution. Carol has a card which she swipes to open the gate as she's a staff member, but I don't have a card, not being a staff member. I waited in the reception foyer when I got inside the building. Carol appeared after about 15 minutes and we walked out of the Academy campus. There was a group of students leaving as we left, and they were walking ahead of us. They were somewhat abusive to a man who was about to enter the campus, calling him all sorts of names and  and we walked in the same direction back towards home and across the footbridge over Saxon Street. The group of students were gathered near the bridge and going down steps towards the bus stop on Saxon Street and they were shouting abuse at Carol. Then, as we got to the middle of the footbridge and looked down at the road, there was a boy running backwards and forwards across the road. There was fairly heavy traffic passing, including busses. It appeared as if the children were playing some sort of 'chicken' game and at one point one of them, a boy whom Carol knew from teaching him, looked as if he was very nearly run into by a passing car. When we got home Carol telephoned someone at the Academy telling them about the incident with the man entering the campus as well as the 'chicken' game the children were playing in the road. Apparently the abusive behaviour was caught on the C.C.T.V. cameras and would have been recorded. The 'chicken' behaviour was definitely a safety issue and if it was ignored there could be a fatal accident. Further round, on   Chaffron Way there is a small model lighthouse at the side of the road, with plastic flowers on it, and I had wondered what it was there for. People leave flowers and messages at the site of fatal accidents as a sort of memorial. Carol told me this was where a child from the Frank Markham school (the school she worked at before the Academy replaced it around 18 months ago) was run over and killed because he attempted to cross the road. There are perfectly good under-passes and footbridges across these roads around Milton Keynes, so there is absolutely no need to cross the busy grid roads at all.