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.

Fine and Sunny Weather

Having said in yesterday's post that it was getting chilly, today it's fine and sunny. Typical for this time of year when it can be chilly one moment and the next sunny and warm.

 Carol was due to have an appointment with Dr Saka at the Macmillan Unit this morning, but there was a telephone call from his secretary to say, because Dr Saka was on holiday they'd have to reschedule the appointment. It made sense really, because a week on Saturday Carol has another scan it it seemed more sense having the consultant's appointment after the results of the scan were available for him to look at rather than having the appointment before the scan. So, as we didn't have to go to the hospital we decided on a visit to Milton Keynes shopping centre. We parked in the multi-storey carpark near Debenhams. It is currently undergoing renovations so we couldn't park on the lower floor and had to drive to the top to park. The whole place is gradually looking spick and span with generous amounts of paint being used and the whole surface of each floor relaid. Much better as a result. We couldn't use the escalator to go down within Debenham's and had to use a lift. We were surprised how busy the whole place was, perhaps due to the weather being warmer or no doubt because it will be the last day of the school holidays. As we walked past several shops, notably Clark's shoe shop, many were heaving with parents and children being fitted out with new shoes or school uniforms ready for the new term which begins on Monday.

We walked as far as Middleton Hall, by which time we were ready for a refreshment break and went to Cafe Nero and we queued up to order lattes and chocolate slices. I was somewhat shocked by the attitude of the girl who served me. Scowling and not interested in what she was doing. Carol noticed so it wasn't just me. I don't think this girl was a good example of good customer care and if I'd been doing a secret shop I'd have mentioned it and she would have been disciplined by her manager. Miserable girl. It was more than obvious to me that she really would have rather been anywhere else but where she was at that precise moment. If that was the case she should let someone else do her job and at least concentrate on what she was doing.

We sat near a window so we could watch as people passed by in the shopping mall. The coffee wasn't by any means the best we'd had. Far too strong and not as good as what we'd had the other day in Frost's garden centre in Woburn Sands. By comparison their cafe was far better. I stood and watched as a member of their staff made us lattes. The girl who did this job was being very accurate with the way the lattes were being made as well as even cleaning the saucers and placing the rather nice design in the froth on the top of the lattes as well as wiping the cups and placing biscuits in the saucers as well as spoons. They have very well run restaurants and cafe's which are staffed by people who seem to take a great pride in their work, unlike the girl in that branch of Cafe Nero.

When we'd finished in Cafe Nero we walked back the opposite side of the shopping centre, visiting The Works to have a browse and then walking back towards Debenham's and the multi storey carpark.

Bright, Sunny but Chilly

We have snow on the ground, but the sun is out and it's quite a pleasant morning. Let's hope the snow thaws and things begin to warm up a bit.

I've been out to the Milton Keynes main shopping centre. I parked near The Point (although, in all honesty, it's in an appealing state. Can nobody do something to it, restore it, or just demolish it? It seems a waste of a building, which could surely be used for something. Considering it's a sort of iconic structure, which almost represents Milton Keynes, you'd think something could be done with it.) It may be bright and sunny, but there was a chill wind blowing as I walked from the car into Midsummer Place. I had a browse in Waterstone's. They always have tables with books on, almost directly inside the door as you enter. Almost always have offers, such as 'buy one, get one half price.' Very tempting, but in the end I didn't pick up anything and buy it. I think that's the idea; once you've touched a product, you sort of 'own it,' so you then buy it. I went upstairs to the history centre and there are quite a few books that I will buy in the future, whether from Waterstone's or Amazon, I don't know. As we have Amazon Prime, we get free postage and packing, so it's generally cheaper to buy from them. I know it seems unfair on some 'bricks-and-mortar' bookshops, but if they're going to survive they'll have to make it more attractive to shop there as well as lowering their prices. I must say the Waterstone's in Midsummer Place has been upgraded quite successfully. They have a new coffee shop on the ground floor, whereas they used to have a branch of Costa coffee on the upper floor. Now there seems more shelf space and they also did away with Paperchase (much to Carol's dismay as she's a fan of that companies stationary items.) The new owners of Waterstone's have obviously realised that the stores needed a well-needed facelift to meet 21st shopper's requirements.

I was in real need of refreshment. I had considered the coffee shop in Waterstone's but having looked at the food on offer I gave it a miss. I walked through the main shopping centre. I walked the full length of the mall and then down the opposite walk-way. I had a glimpse in The Works (always good for a bargain book or two.) but nothing appealed. I went into Nationwide Building Society, because I had attempted to order a binder for my set of BBC History Magazines, but for some odd reason the order has not gone through, although the £7 has registered on my statement. When I rang to query this they did not have it shown on their system. I will have to ring and order the binder again and in Nationwide I was given a number to ring to get a refund of the £7. I don't understand what has happened and why things haven't gone as they should have.

Having walked back towards Midsummer Place, I decided to go into Marks and Spencer to have a break in their café. Not too much of a queue, which was preventing me going to several other outlets, such as Cafe Nero, opposite John Lewis. I had a decent latte, ham and cheese sandwich and a piece of Bakewell tart, and then went to have a browse in the men's clothing department and then back down to the main shopping mall. Just as I was walking past the second Waterstone's store I was aware of a male security guard chasing someone along the mall. I couldn't see who he was following, but as I got to about Starbuck's I saw a group of other security personnel. They approached this woman who was carrying a back-pack. She seemed more than a little reluctant to comply with their demands. I wasn't sure where she had been apprehended (no doubt shop-lifting). I wasn't going to hang about to find out, and didn't know whether she was searched to find out what she had lifted. Surely it wouldn't be too difficult to ascertain whether she had paid for whatever it was, proof of purchase being required, such as a receipt, or C.C.T.V. footage of her lifting whatever it was. But she appeared to be in something of a bad temper with the security personnel, shouting and making a scene. I still don't know what the outcome of this incident was and wasn't over-keen to find out. I always think in such circumstances it's probably best to not get too involved as it can only lead to problems. But it was quite eventful when it lasted.

I returned to the car and drove first to Sainsbury's for some shopping and then home.

I have a fitness tracker. Not a Fitbit. It measures the number of footsteps taken as well as heart rate, as well as other measurements. Carol got one off Amazon and I decided to get one myself. Having walked the full length of the shopping centre, down one side and back along the other, I did over 3000 steps. My heart rate comes out at around 60-70 beats a minute. It links up to my iPhone with an app so you can see your progress or otherwise.

It looks as if the snow has gone completely, although, saying that, there were a few stray patches I saw along the side of the road driving back to Eaglestone.

MoT'd Car and Snow

The car had been booked in for it's annual MoT on Friday at O.K. Garage, which is where  Mick the mechanic who repaired the car after we broke down on the M1. worked. It's only a short drive from Eaglestone to Peartree Bridge. We walked back along the Redway once it had been left and we got a call at around 10.30 to say it had some work needing doing, a ball-joint on one of the wheels or something, nothing too expensive to fix and they did the work and we returned just after lunch. We have got it booked in again for next Friday as we're having a couple of new tyres fitted before we go away on holiday.

Considering the state of the roads around Milton Keynes, it's no wonder the ball-joints on the car need repairing or at least replacing. You may recall (that is if you follow these blog posts.) that back in the early part of 2015 we had a problem with the car when we drove home after visiting Ascott, (a National Trust property on the road towards Aylesbury and close to Wing village.) We drove over a pothole in the road which, in turn, set off an alarm in the car, because the E.S.P. (Electronic Stability Programme) mechanism was damaged. This has since been repaired, under our insurance, although we had to pay the excess on the insurance ourselves, a hefty £350. When we were driving the other day (and, actually, most times we are out and about in the car and on local roads around this area.) we seem to spend a considerable amount of time attempting to avoid potholes. The road surfaces in and around Milton Keynes are considerably pot-holed, although, to be fair to Milton Keynes Council, they are attempting to re-surface a great deal of the Grid Roads, but still the roads are in a poor condition, which is really appalling considering that Milton Keynes is a modern city and no more than 40 years old. So it's no surprise that our car, or any other car for that matter, should have the suspension, tyres and the ball-joints in need of replacement and repair. Every time you drive over any of the speed bumps around here you are putting stress on not only the car's suspension but wear and tear on the tyres.

Early this morning it was snowing heavily as I looked out of the window. The car had a layer of snow on it, but it didn't last and by mid-morning it had completely disappeared. We had considered going out in the car for a drive, but as Carol has been off work for the past few days with a heavy cold and wasn't feeling too brilliant, we decided instead to go into the city centre so parked in the multi-storey carpark near Debenhams, arriving before most of the shops had opened. We walked through the shopping centre and found that there was a handmade and vintage market on in Middleton Hall, just outside John Lewis. We were intending to visit Lewis's, but the store wasn't due to open for a good half hour or so, which meant we had time to go into Cafe Nero and have coffee and croissants and then returned to browse the market which had a lot of interesting stalls. Monday is Carol's birthday so we wandered along the malls and went into the Disney store. The music was excessively loud, that awful song 'Let It Go," if you can call it a song, from 'Frozen', was being played, which put me off and if it hadn't been for Carol, I would have left. She saw a toy from a new film 'Zootopia' a sloth, and I bought it as a birthday present. We've seen the trailer for this animation film and the sloth had a prominent part and Carol had said she'd like to get the soft toy if one was available. We then walked along to H.M.V. and bought D.V.D.'S of "Jurassic World" and "Suffragette" and then went to Marks and Spencer's to buy food for this evening's meal and then to Debenham's to browse in the men's clothing department and finally back to the carpark and home.

Just Another Weekend?

On Friday, after Carol finished work, we went into the Milton Keynes Central Shopping Centre. We had a need to break our rather ordinary routine and get out of the house. We parked in Debenham's multi-storey car park and we had a good idea that it would be easy to park there. We met a queue of cars going into the town centre, most likely because it was Black Friday, which would mean a lot of shops would have pre-Christmas bargains. It seems that everyone has to go totally mad whenever there is any chance of a bargain but we were just keen to get out. We walked through Debenhams and the place was seething with shoppers. We went out into Midsummer Place and ended up in Waterston's and it was in the middle of being revamped which seemed amazing considering it was so close to Christmas. I don't think the shop has been modernised in all the time I have been coming to Milton Keynes. It will be a good deal brighter and modern once the work is completed. There used to be a Costa coffee shop upstairs as well as a Paperchase concession on the ground floor, both gone, so no doubt these were taken out due to the store being under new ownership. We did spend some time browsing and I have some ideas for book I would like to buy. Both Carol and I have done our Christmas present lists which makes it easier for us to buy each other presents. I am going to buy myself a new digital camera in the New Year, a Canon, which I have seen in Jessop's, the camera shop in the shopping centre, but may wait until then because it is bound to be a good deal cheaper in the January sales. I don't mind buying the camera in Jessops as the staff are very helpful and it was one of the businesses which very nearly collapsed when the economy was in a nose-dive and was rescued by one of the 'Dragon's', Peter Jones. If you've never seen the BBC2 show "Dragon's Den" no doubt you won't know who I mean, but anyone who rescues a good business from financial collapse and manages to turn it round to become a profitable business earns not only my total respect but my loyal custom. I can't wait to get the new camera and it will be a sort of joint retirement/birthday and Christmas present to myself!

The main shopping centre was seething with shoppers. I don't think I have seen it so busy, even in the build-up to Christmas. We went into W.H. Smith as Carol wanted a folder for work. We then decided we needed a break, with a coffee and something to eat. We had intended going into Costa near John Lewis but then went to Pret A Manger. There is a lot of choice regarding places to get a drink and something to eat and we've been to Cafe Nero which is the opposite side of Middleton Hall, where the Christmas display is currently on. We were surprised when we went to get our drinks in Pret A Manger when the young man on the till said it was free. We had hot chocolate and mince pies which were very good. A shock to get something without having to pay, but apparently, according to Carol, they are expected to give away some food and drink free to customers. No doubt a sort of 'good will' gesture or something. I can't imagine many businesses doing that sort of thing.

We did have a cursory glance at the Christmas display, but to be totally honest it is a real disappointment. I don't know what it is, but it's certainly not the best effort. The usual little train they have every year is there, but the whole thing lacks any sort of imagination. A load of snow, a few mechanical penguins and Father Christmas doesn't make for a particularly entertaining experience, but I suppose as it's aimed at very little chidren, that's all that matters, but in past years they've had a theme, such as 'Peter Pan', 'Pirates ' or 'Pantomime.' Don't ask me what the theme of this year's extravaganza is as it doesn't appear to have one and it's a shame you have to pay to see most of it. So, as a result, we didn't bother, unfortunately.

Our outing ended with us going home towards Eaglestone and going to the fish and chip shop as we usually do on a Friday evening. You really can't beat the fish and chips from the Brothers Fish Bar in Eaglestone.

Visit to Milton Keynes Centre

We were again without our car so we went by bus into the Milton Keynes Central Shopping Centre. It's surprising how quickly you can get there. We were at the bus stop around 9.15 on Saturday morning. We walked through the entrance near John Lewis and then towards Cafe Nero as we needed some sort of refreshment. I am currently in the process of looking for a new mobile phone and want a 'smart' model, touch-screen and capable to being able to use apps on it, so we went into the 3 store near W.H. Smith's. We looked at a wide variety of models, particularly Samsung Galaxy mobiles, but to be honest it's a difficult decision to make as you not only have to decide which model to go for but then to choose the tariff, pay-as-you-go or pay monthly. I think it would make a change to have a contract as it means not having to buy credit and putting it on the mobile each month. I think that in the end a pay-monthly mobile package would be better, but it depends on whether we get through the credit check, because our credit rating has been virtually non-existent due to what Sam did to our bank account more than 5 years ago. As we have now managed to pay off all that debt there is a far better chance of us being accepted. We'll just have to wait and see. We have left the choice until the New Year as we have other things to sort out before we get involved in anything financial such as a mobile contract. The motor mechanic is coming on Monday evening to start work on the car, although he won't be able to finish the work until well into October as he is going away on holiday so won't be able to complete the work until he gets back.

We walked slowly towards Marks and Spencer at the far end of the shopping centre. We did look at the £10 meal offer in their foodhall, but won't that impressed, so we decided to continue our way to Sainsbury's near the Hub. Not too far from the main shopping centre. I had to pick up a repeat prescription from the pharmacy and we completed our shopping which filled three re-usable bags and then I rang for a taxi which came within around 10 minutes and were whisked home and we unpacked our groceries and then collapsed on the sofa and bed as it was quite a tiring outing involving a fair amount of walking.

Today (Sunday) neither of us felt up to walking to church, unfortunately. But there is an alternative, meaning we can still catch the services even though we won't be able to visit. It's now possible to watch a 'live' feed directly from Milton Keynes Christian Centre, using your computer. I'm surprised how clear and un-fuzzy the picture is, as well as the sound, although this morning it did freeze for a few seconds a couple of times.

Bus Trip To Oxford

Being without the car certainly has it's problems, but in some ways it has it's up-side. It means that we have to find some other way to get out and about if we want an outing. So we decided on taking the bus to Oxford, a city we've visited on several occasions. But, before we left the house we did out shopping on-line through Sainsbury's website. Another job which is made easier because they do all the hard work for us, pick the items we order for us and deliver when we want. What could be better? We had a discount voucher which was emailed soon after our last order, for £9, that is, if we spent £60 or more. Which is what we managed to do, and then booked a delivery slot on Saturday for 6.30 p.m. It's surprising how quickly you can do the order now we've got a 'favourites' list on the website and it craftily knows our 'likes' from what we buy the most often. From using our Nectar card which collects data every time we shop using the thing.

We left the house at around 9.15 and caught the bus into central Milton Keynes. I didn't realise that my bus-pass wasn't valid for free transport before 9.30, so I had to pay 90p which was a surprise. We got into the shopping centre and just managed to miss the Oxford bus, the X5. The next one was due to leave from outside the Point at around 9.45, so it gave us just enough time to nip into the shopping centre to get some cash out of a cash machine and then go into Boot's as Carol wanted some travel sickness tablets. Last time we went on the bus to Oxford, for some reason she felt travel-sick, so some sort of tablet was the solution. But in Boot's we could see anything on the shelves and had to go to the pharmacy counter as it was probably going to be the sort of tablet you could only purchase 'over the counter.' There was one woman at the till, seemingly gossiping to the assistant who was really not interested in speeding up the transaction and was more interested in the conversation that worrying about us standing behind. The time was approaching rapidly for us to get back to the bus stop, probably less than 10 minutes, so we left the two gossiping. Not the sort of thing I would have expected from Boots as they generally seem to employ staff who do a good job. Bu this particular staff-member wasn't interested in customer care, more in the conversation with her friend. We hot-footed it from the premises and got to the bus stop ready to board the bus.

It took a good deal longer than the last time we used the X5, probably because of the amount of traffic on the road.  Did it really matter if it did, as we were just pleased to be out of the house and able to enjoy the sunshine. After the rain we've had over the past few days, it was a real pleasure, and we intended to make the most of it. But it's a great journey, and, being a good deal higher up than the car, you see things that you wouldn't otherwise see. I must say we are spoilt around her with some fantastic landscape. Probably not as dramatic as, for example, Yorkshire or Devon or Dorset, but, all the same, really beautiful. We wanted a snack on arriving in Oxford. We managed to find the perfect place in a small cafe called Taylor's of Oxford (apparently it's a chain of cafes and they have a few other branches throughout Oxford, we later learned) and had coffee and filled toasties. It's in Gloucester Green, just behind the bus station. Don't ask me why it's called that. It's a large square which has shops and restaurants all around it and nothing to indicate 'green' in the slightest. No grass or even trees. Never mind. We shall remember this place and use it again when we visit Oxford again in the future. Not to be confused with another Taylor's, the tea and coffee people who are related to Betty's in Harrogate, another fantastic catering establishment we enjoy when we visit Yorkshire. Having revived ourselves after our journey we made our way to the Ashmolean Museum and spent some time meandering around this fantastic place. You can get quite lost within this museum and forget the time it is so enthralling. More wandering and ending up in the covered market which Carol had wanted to visit. She is currently looking for a new handbag to replace the one she has at the moment which is not large enough to carry everything she wants. She saw one she liked but may look around to see what else is on offer. Then we found a shop and cafe called Pieminister, which sells really amazing and tasty pies of different descriptions. We tried some of these pies some while ago when we went to Bicester Avenue garden centre and I didn't know they had cafes as well as selling through Sainsbury's. We bought a couple of their pies with different fillings for our evening meal. another wander around the city, ending up in  Blackwell's, one of those bookshops in which you can loose yourself and you go up and down stairs and into so many different departments that it's a sort of maze. I managed to come across a good selection of books which I would probably buy and read, but not on this occasion. So time was indeed marching on so we decided we'd seen all we wanted but before we left Oxford we found a Cafe Nero branch and had a cold drink each and got back to the bus station and caught the next X5 back home to Milton Keynes. The traffic was getting quite busy as we left Oxford and got back on the main road out of the city and were only too glad that we neither of us had to drive! The bus arrived at the railway station and, once we'd alighted we had to find a number 5 going towards Bletchley. This duly arrived and we found it almost completely crowded and had to sit at the rear, which meant over the engine. A clapped-out bus it turned out to be and it was hot where we had to sit, do doubt because it was over the engine. I was surprised by how jerky and uncomfortable the ride was back home to Eaglestone and it seemed that every bump, pot-hole in the road and jolt made by the road-surface contributed to a really uncomfortable ride. This, not helped by the speed bumps around the city centre. It seems amazing that the roads around Milton Keynes, which is supposed to be a modern city, should be in such a poor state of repair.