Thursday. 2.25 p.m. It's sunny and bright today, but it's not as it seems. It's actually been quite chilly. I went to the Thursday Morning Life Group as usual, and, although the car wasn't iced up, the inside of the windscreen was misty, and it took some time for me to clear it before I could drive out.
The new Lidl has opened on Oldbrook Boulevard. I must have mentioned that the old store had closed and the row of shops with a Tesco Express. There was an A.T.M. outside, which could be useful if you needed cash in a hurry. I went to look around earlier this afternoon and was surprised by how many cars were in the car park and inside the store it was heaving. I did buy a few things and used a self-service till to pay. You must keep hold of your receipt at the end because you need it to scan to exit the store.
Saturday. 9.20 a.m. It's relatively mild but overcast. Never mind. Get used to it.
As usual, I took a sleepy Alfie out onto the grass along Strudwick Drive around 6.45 this morning It has been made into something of a mud patch, a ploughed field or whatever you want to call it, created by the workmen who are doing the work in the community garden at Dexter House. I just don't like getting my shoes covered in thick mud, but it really can't be helped. It was dark, and it was difficult to see clearly, but as I was dealing with Alfie, I saw something moving in the greenery which grew alongside the wall of Dexter House. I looked again, and to my horror, I saw two rats fighting. It is not something I am keen on seeing or being near. Having had the rather horrible experience of the rats we had running about the house when Carol and I lived in Crownhill. (I think I have mentioned this saga in an earlier blog post.). I shouted at the rats, and they soon disappeared. But that wasn't the end of it. About two hours later, I sorted out the recycling and the various bags of rubbish which had to be taken out to the bin store. I opened the lid of the receptacle which takes the bags, and in amongst the bags were two more rats! I quickly put in the rubbish and slammed down the lid.
Sunday. 8.25 a.m. No rats were seen when Alfie and I went out earlier this morning. It wasn't excessively cold, but I have a feeling it was slightly frosty, because the grass had a sort of glitter on it which is always a sign.
Wednesday. 10.20 a.m. It's sunny but chilly.
I've been to Lidl. I love it when you can get in and out quickly. The only problem is, finding what you want. I have a good idea where everything I want is, when I go to Sainsbury's. I have set up the Lidl app on my phone, so I can scan and get points, a bit like Nectar, but you get instant treats, such as cakes and fruit, which was a surprise. If I have a gripe, it's the fact that, when you've done your shopping, taken it out to your car and unloaded it, you have to return the trolley to the parking space near the store. It's when you push your trolley into the parked trolleys, that you get your token back for your next trip. I imagine that this is so they don't have to employ someone to retrieve the trolleys (which they have at Sainsbury's. One less employee means they can cut prices. The staff work hard in Lidl, because they not only have to work on the tills, but stack shelves. Again, another way to have fewer staff and keep costs down.
Tuesday, 7:20 a.m. I've taken my usual walk with Alfie. We strolled along the grass by Strudwick Drive, which has become muddy due to the workmen driving vehicles for the community garden project. Their tyres have churned up the grass, creating this mess. I'm hoping things return to normal once they complete their work.
I was at the point where I was about to pick up Alfie, to avoid him walking in the mud, and go back into Dexter House, when an electric scooter shot past. If I had taken probably another step or two, I would have been in a direct line with this scooter. There was no noise, nothing to warn me. The rider seemed totally ignorant of my presence. A bit of a shock. This is why I don't like these things.
I have mentioned elsewhere that I had changed my broadband provider. I'm now with Vodafone Fibre Broadband. I have managed to reset the various devices I have, so they are once again connected to broadband, but the password you have to enter to connect is long and complicated. The only device I needed to set up was my Canon Pixma printer. I spent all yesterday trying to fathom out how to achieve this. I even bought a cable from Amazon, intending to use that to connect my MacBook to the printer, but I could not get it to work. As these things don't come with a full instruction manual, you have to do a search on the internet. I have the Canon print app on my iPad, so, as a final attempt, I thought I would try and see if that would work. It was relatively easy to put in the password, and, thankfully, it worked! These things are so frustrating. I even went to Argos to buy a black ink cartridge, as I was sure there wasn't sufficient ink in the cartridge that was in the printer. Everything fell into place, and I have been printing a document, which is some of my writing project, which I can now read and begin to make edits and amendments. I now need a suitable file to put the pages in.
So, the title of this blog post is pretty well accurate!
