Into A New Year!

Monday. 1st January. 9.55 a.m. I didn't SEE the New Year exactly, but I definitely HEARD it. Fireworks were going off outside and being set off until the very early morning hours. They should last at most 10-15 minutes after midnight. I have only just got back from taking Alfie out around Oldbrook Green and there were the remains of many fireworks scattered all over the grass. There are several quite prominent notices which have been put up by Campbell Park Parish Council, who administer Oldbrook Green and the surrounding area, stating quite clearly that it is an offence to let off fireworks and that you can be fined quite heavily and even imprisoned for so doing. But some people will never obey such rules. But, saying that, there is really no point in having such rules and regulations if you don't enforce them.

4.15 p.m. If you read these blog posts regularly, and there's every chance that you might have read at least some of the 1,800-odd posts, (and believe me, some of them are very odd,!) you will have discovered that I am a creative sort of individual, writing, theatre, film, animation. I bought myself an iPad with a fair-sized capacity and downloaded an app called 'Procreate' which, with the addition of an Apple Pencil, allows me to do all sorts of art, not just drawing, but painting. But now, the company who developed 'Procreate' has introduced the world to 'Procreate Dreams' which will allow you to do 2D animation on your iPad (incidentally, these two apps will only work on an iPad. I don't think they intend rewriting the software to work on Android tablet computers.) The only problem is, that they never bring out a print manual to help you learn these software packages, so the only thing you have to guide you and discover all that these amazing apps will do is to look at videos on YouTube.

Tuesday. 1.20 p.m. It's a really overcast and dull day. Wet and not pleasant underfoot.

Wednesday. 10.40 a.m. I have been attempting to get through to my doctor's surgery. You aren't supposed to telephone to book an appointment and you are supposed to go online, having set up a username and password and make your booking from the appointments which should be shown there, but, even after all the rigmarole of password and username there were no appointments to book. The medication I'm on has to be reviewed, after three months. I at last got through to a receptionist, and she managed to book me a pharmacist's phone call tomorrow, so I will have to see what that person suggests.

The reason for all this was that the medication I was put on, Mirtzapine, was supposed to be for three months and after that time, I was to have a review, basically, to find out how I was getting on with it. The truth is, they are antidepressants and when I first took them, I felt a bit woozy, to put it mildly. When I was at Chloe's in Worcester, on Saturday afternoon, when we went out for a walk, I felt really awful. Over the next few days, things settled down, but last night I woke at around 4 a.m. and I could not get to sleep. Then, as the morning progressed, I felt more and more drowsy and it was quite pronounced and unpleasant. 

Thursday. 10.05 a.m. I have discovered an organisation called Simply Forward, which has outings and events for my particular age group. I have been sent their application form via email, but now the confounded printer refuses to function! As Victor Meldew would put it so succinctly, 'I don't believe it!'

Friday. 10.15 a.m. My Canon printer has been playing up. So, what's new? It doesn't get used much and sits on it's unit, all ready for when I need it. It's plugged in to the mains, connected via Wi-Fi to my laptop and when I require printing, it's easy enough to set it up. So, yesterday I needed an email printing, so I can join Simply Forward, the group that I discovered via AgeUK. I had the email sent which had the application form and a list of activities they do for a few months ahead. The idea was that I could print this off with my printer as well as the application form. Then, for some stupid reason, I thought it a bright idea to delete some of my emails. Well, they do mount up and it seems a good idea to do a bit of housekeeping sometimes. But I also deleted the email from Simply Forward so I had to text the lady who had sent it in the first place.

The printer would not work properly when I went to attempt to print the email. I kept getting a message on the digital display, telling me that the ink was running out. I thought at this point to buy a new cartridge. Which you will imagine to be a relatively easy process. I looked on the Argos website, which is where the printer had come from originally, but I got a message on there which said 'out of stock.' Then it occurred to me that John Lewis would be a good point of call so I looked on their website and it showed they stocked them. So, on Friday morning I went into the shopping centre and in to John Lewis, but they had none in stock! So the only alternative was Amazon, which had the right cartridges (black and colour, in the same package.) So I ordered it and I couldn't believe it arrived that evening, barely hours since I had ordered it!

God Save The King!

Saturday. Coronation Day. 10.20 a.m. I have my television on, with King Charles III's Coronation in progress. As I write this, Charles has left Buckingham Palace with Camilla, on their way to Westminster Abbey in a gold-encrusted coach (The Diamond Jubilee State Coach.) Apparently, it has been fitted out with air conditioning and decent suspension, giving a far more comfortable ride. 

So many horses. I noticed that one or two weren't behaving particularly well, one being the large one with a mounted drum on its back.

Surprisingly emotional and really spectacular.

Sunday. 5.30 a.m. After the excitement and razzmatazz of yesterday, a more subdued day ahead. Alfie was in fine form when I went to take him out this morning, barking and not asleep. 

5.15 p.m. I was on duty with setting out the chairs at church this morning. I wasn't actually on the rota, but someone asked me to do a swap. The service was led by the youth group. They did incredibly well. Then, once the service was over, it was all changed, as there would be a Coronation tea party. Lots of food, which people had bought, as well as tea and cakes which were put on cake stands. This was followed by a quiz, all about the Royal family.

I think I have got the gimbal sorted out. It has been easier than it might have been, considering it is a relatively new technology. I am so pleased that I sent the gimbal I purchased from Amazon went back, and I got a refund. Most of this has been because I followed video instructions on YouTube.

9.20 p.m. I am currently watching the Coronation concert from Windsor Castle. It is quite spectacular and better than I expected. An excellent mixture of acts and is very diverse. I appreciated the musical piece involving Gareth Malone, which had one group which used B.S.L. (British Sign Language).

Coronation Bank Holiday Monday. 5.30 a.m. A bright and mild morning, although the BBC weather is forecasting some rain later. 

8.45 a.m. I have at last managed to buy ink cartridges for my Canon printer. How difficult, you may be asking, can it be to purchase such mundane but necessary items? If you have been reading my posts from a few days ago, you will have learnt how many places I have been in order to get them. I had avoided Amazon, but because of the difficulties I have endured, I, at last, gave in and ordered these things on that website. They have been delivered, yesterday evening, and they are now available in the drawer of the unit where the printer sits, ready for when the current cartridges expire. I keep getting an 'ink low' message, when I attempt to print, which was the initial reason for ordering fresh ones.

Tuesday. 5.30 a.m. I've been out and I'm back, having taken Alfie out. He came to me, barking madly, unlike the last couple of days, when he was asleep when I went to take him out. I washed up from last evening's meal and the kitchen is now clean and tidy.

It has been raining overnight because there is standing water in and around the children's playground. A great deal of litter, a lot of it falling out of the rubbish bin as you get onto Oldbrook Green.

Spring Has Sprung

Sunday. 6.15 a.m. I don't think Alfie was in the least bit interested in going out this morning. He was in his bed next to the television in the lounge and behind the trolley on which my Canon printer sits. I had to pick him up to take him out. No sound, no barking or anything. We did an Oldbrook Green circuit and then returned to the flat.

Bank Holiday Monday. 6.15 a.m. It's another warm and mild morning here in Milton Keynes. I think I must put on my electric fan to cool down the flat. Yet another circuit of Oldbrook Green with Alfie. I am shocked by the amount of litter which is all over the grass around the place. The rubbish bins are overflowing. It is really unpleasant.

Tuesday. 5.10 a.m. I had the electric fan on all yesterday. I also had the lounge and bathroom windows open and the flat is now a good deal cooler.

I have had a refund for the gimbal, which I returned to Amazon. I was surprised at how quickly the refund was made and in my Amazon account. I have just ordered a replacement and it should arrive tomorrow. I just could not get that model gimbal to work as it was supposed to. The one I have ordered is a completely different make and model. I had considered ordering it last night, but I have to be at home in order to sign for it, as it is quite expensive. I should be going to Camphill today, which is why I've delayed the order. I think this is to assure that they deliver to the correct person. You get sent a code which you have to give to the delivery driver. It assures security, and I'm fine with that.

6.10 p.m. I have been to Camphill as I normally do, and worked in the theatre workshop. I had missed the previous week, and the gang knew that it was because Alfie hadn't been well last Tuesday. 

The morning was taken up with fire training. How to recognize fire hazards and how to deal with incidents of fire. The theatre workshop group sat in the 'gods' section of the seating, whilst the Camphill care staff sat below in the body of the hall. At the end of the morning, staff had the opportunity to operate a couple of fire extinguishers. I have done this type of course before, which was done at Bromham Hospital when I started working as a support worker for the  Bedford Hospital N.H.S. back in the late 1990s. As a result of all this, although very necessary, we did no work on the silent comedies we are developing. 

After lunch, Terrie (the leader of the workshop.) produced some props from her own collection, which could be used in the silent comedy films we are creating. 

Later on, my group went downstairs to the costume room to select costumes for our films. The guys seem to find suitable costumes for themselves, but I was searching for a suit. There is a whole rack of suits, but nothing in my size, so I will go to a charity shop and see if I can find something there. It's quite likely I can get something for around £10-£15.

Wednesday. 6.00 a.m. I was wide awake at 4.45 and couldn't get back to sleep. This is quite normal for me. I decided to clear up the kitchen from last night and sorted my recycling and rubbish. Tied up both bags and took them out to the bins later on. Then I took out Alfie at around 5.20. Another circuit of Oldbrook Green.

10.30 a.m. I purchased ink cartridges for my Canon printer. As it gets a fair amount of use, and it was likely that the ink would get used up rapidly, I thought it might be a good idea to have some set by in storage for the moment the ink was running low. You used to be able to buy these cartridges from Sainsbury's, but they no longer have them on the shelves. The reason I was told, by a member of staff, was that they get stolen by shoppers. It's the same with Gillette Pro and Mach cartridge blades, which are quite expensive. It would appear that some people will steal anything if they imagine they can get away with it, which is why this sort of item tends to be fitted with an electronic device that will sound an alarm if they don't go through the check-outs in a correct manner. I ordered a couple of these cartridges from Viking, an online retailer which sells stationery items. The ink cartridges have remained in the drawer of the printer unit for a couple of months. I have used the printer several times and the ink cartridges which came with it when I bought it have not been replaced. Until yesterday, when I wanted to print and the printer showed that the ink was running low. It wasn't until I opened up the printer, ready to put in the new cartridges, that I discovered that they were the wrong type and wouldn't work in the printer. I really wanted to be able to use the printer, and it's no point in having the thing if it doesn't work. I imagined that Argos would have ink cartridges, the reasoning being because that was where the printer came from. 

I drove to Argos and went inside the store and had to look for the ink cartridges on one of the computer screens to then discover that they didn't have any of the types I wanted in stock. I then decided to drive to the shopping centre to go to W.H. Smith's to find out if they had ink cartridges. I made a mistake and had to drive around the centre of Milton Keynes to arrive at the car park close to The Point and had intended to use the Ring Go app on my iPhone, but for some reason, I needed to put in the password and when I     attempted this, it wouldn't work. Frustrated by this, I decided to return home and think about where else I could obtain the ink cartridges.

I will have to leave the purchase of the ink cartridges until I can find somewhere that stocks them. There is no 'bricks and mortar' stationer anywhere in this area, unfortunately.

Weekend Writing and Printer Hitches (and other matters)

 Saturday. 4.00 a.m. So, here I am once more, not being able to sleep and feeling really hungry. So I decide to make myself toast and put some of the raspberry conserve on it which I had I bought in Sainsbury's about a week ago. (Incidentally, conserve isn't jam, because it has a higher concentration of fruit compared to jam. I'm not sure of the percentage, but its a good deal higher, which means it's got more fruity flavour.) So, I organize my workspace in the kitchen and get out the toaster and make three slices of bread into, what else? Toast! As well as toast, a mug of tea. Then I go into the lounge and decide, after some consideration, to watch something on BBC iPlayer and watch an old episode of 'W1A', the spoof documentary series which stars Hugh Bonneville amongst other actors. Actually, it's not ''old' in the sense of being old, or ancient, in the sense that it's 30-40 or more years old. If you get what I mean. Or from the BBC archives, such as something by Frankie Howerd or Harry Secombe. I love this show. It's not going to appeal to a lot of people. I think you have to appreciate the wordplay, the dialogue is almost circuitous. People speak in a sort of new speak (the language used in Orwells '1984.' They go to meetings which never seem to produce anything. They have jobs which have titles which don't have any real function. Its management for management's sake. The show is what I think you'd call a docudrama, or, at least a spoof of one. Dramady, (ie: Drama/comedy.) David Tennant does a rather fine job of providing the voice-over, which is what you always get in these 'reality' documentaries. Even that has a hint of mangled words, and twisted language, for want of a better word. It's interesting that he is used as he does a lot of genuine voice-over work on other 'real' documentaries, which gives a sort of realism to the fiction.

7.15 a.m. I've been out with Alfie. We did the obligatory circuit of Oldbrook Green and I now have 2480 sets registered on my FitBit. It's quite chilly, and we have been warned, on BBC Breakfast, that its going to become colder over the next few days, and there will even be snow in parts of the United Kingdom.

10.10 a.m. I have given Alfie a bath! He was getting rather smelly, and it seemed a good idea to clean him up. He goes for a haircut on 23rd March, which is quite a long time to wait. I have to organize things before he goes in the bath, for example, closing the bedroom door, because I don't want a wet dog on my bed. I have to take off his harness and collar before he goes in the water. I run a few inches of warm water into the bath before he goes in and use a plastic jug, bought for the purpose, to rinse off the shampoo, which is a product intended for use when bathing dogs. It doesn't create too much lather, which is easy to rinse off. I also use the shower, taking off the device which fits on the wall, to help rinse off the lather. He was filthy and the water showed how dirty he was. I think he likes being made a fuss off, particularly when I work the shampoo into his coat. Once he's washed, he comes out of the bath and I towel him dry, as much as possible, but, like all dogs who get wet, he shakes himself to take off most of the water. I then gave him a bit of a brush, and he's now settled down on the sofa, smelling a good deal better than before the bath!

Sunday. 7.15 a.m. Alfie came to me in bed and keep staring at me. I didn't pick up what he was doing and why, but then I thought he might need to go out. He barked, so I confined him to the lounge by closing the door and then went into the bathroom to get dressed. By the time I came out, dressed and ready to go out, I realized he'd had a 'little accident' on the floor. I managed to clear it up, and I now realize that the treats I gave him might have had 'consequences' such as the accident. Then I scooped him up, and we went out and onto the grass alongside Strudwick Drive. 

I have completed the transfer of the handwritten piece of writing onto word processing. I wanted to read it on a printed copy, so I set up the MacBook and the Canon printer, but the printer steadfastly refused to function. So, we're back on the 'dysfunctional printer' mode, which I thought had been rectified with the new Canon, but obviously not. I have a feeling that it might be possible to sort this out by resetting the printer, by whatever means, like a factory reset. I have attempted, but during this, the printer decided to print out two copies of what I had wanted. How, I don't know, as it wasn't connected to the Wi-Fi or the MacBook. I think it may have been enabled because the printer would supposedly have all the print data stored within itself and so could print those two copies. There is no other explanation for this. But I have now managed to read the print copy of the new piece of writing, and I am more than pleased with it and now I can continue with my writing. But still, the printer is causing a headache.

4.25 p.m. I'm watching the 'Great British Pottery Throw Down, which is on Channel 4, but I watch via catch-up. I'm not a great lover of some of the competitions on television, especially 'Strictly Come Dancing.' It's too hyped for my liking and anything with so-called 'celebrities' is a turn-off and some of the things which the judges say can be really nasty. That's not so with the pottery 'Throw Down.' No celebrities in sight, and the judges don't come out with nasty comments. Having attempted pottery at college, I found it very difficult to throw anything on a wheel and didn't succeed with it. I'm better at other areas of art, photography and creative writing are my thing.

Irksome Inking

Wednesday. 7.15 a.m. My Canon printer is being annoying. I don't think it's just my printer that plays up relentlessly. I have been fiddling with it to get it to work, but it still won't play ball. All I want it to do is print out some of my work, but it refuses. As a result, I have decided to replace it and have looked on the Argos website and have found what I think is a better printer, also a Canon, which can be connected to my MacBook via Wi-Fi and will also connect to my iPhone and iPad via an app. Just shows that if you upgrade technology, there are benefits. I have been looking for a way of connecting my iPad in particular to a printer, as there is material on there that I would like to print out.

Still no word from Mears regarding my bathroom being upgraded. I live in hope that something might happen regarding this, but I don't put a lot of faith in any of the organizations involved.

Thursday 7.20 a.m. It's icy this morning. My digital thermometer currently reads 55ºF. It was well over 70ºF up until only a couple of days ago. Mind you, that's indoors. It was something of a shock to find it bitterly cold when I took Alfie out around an hour ago. Then I discover ice on my kitchen window, which is left open to, ironically, let the heat out, because the flat is so over-heated. 

I have now purchased a new inkjet Canon printer. I am signed up to something where I use an app on my iPhone and scan the barcodes of everything I buy, and I earn points which can be redeemed for vouchers and other items and I had enough to transfer into Argos vouchers, which I did yesterday and ordered the new printer on the Argos website and collected the printer from the Argos store. This printer will work using wifi and can be connected to my iPad and iPhone, but I have only managed to get it to work via a cable. I hope to eventually get it connected to Wi-Fi, which would mean not going into the bedroom, where the printer is set up and being able to print from the lounge via Wi-Fi.

9.00 a.m. Goodness, gracious! It's now snowing. I think it's a good idea to turn the heating up and probably diving back under the duvet for the rest of the day. I can't take Alfie out in this. He won't like the wet or the cold, and neither will I.

4.50 p.m. We had a tenant's meeting this afternoon. There was a lady there who is from an independent organization researching tenants' grievances about Mears, the maintenance company who are supposed to look after Dexter House. They don't seem to have a very good reputation, and it's not just this project which is having problems with them.

Clearing Out

(Wednesday)I've managed to take two boxes of paperbacks and DVDs to the Barnado's donation centre in Oldbrook. They were more than happy to receive all these items. But there's quite a considerable amount yet to sort and possibly dispose of. I should have a lot more space to play around with. It is stuff that has either been watched once, such as DVDs, and books that have been read- once- and probably won't be read again. But I'm not getting rid of any of my history books, paperback or hardback, as they are good reference material.

I've been looking at some of the written material I have saved on my laptop. I am beginning to continue with what I started, but had been delayed, for want of a better word, when Carol was diagnosed and then spent so much time in hospital, that I didn't have the time or either inspiration to continue with it. Having read a lot of it back, and in particular, a lot of the notes, I'm going to pick up where I left off. I wanted to print out some of this material, because it's easier to read as hard copy rather than on a computer screen. The problem was that I couldn't get the Canon printer to print, basically because the ink cartridges had run low or had barely enough ink to do the job. Then I wasn't sure how to open the printer to gain access to the cartridges, but after some effort I managed to open the printer and extract the empty cartridges. I decided to visit what used to be Staples, but has since become Stationary Outlet. When this transformation happened I don't know, but it was the only place I could think of where I could obtain the ink cartridges. I then got close to the store and the road was blocked off with a temporary fence and a large 'Road Closed' sign in place. Did they not want my custom? Why the need to close off access? What annoys me most of all is that there's no sign of any roadworks, no men with picks or shovels, wearing hard hats and hi-viz jackets, no sign of any sort of work. So, I had to go back the way I had come, turning round in the road and going into the estate where Stationary Outlet was situated. On parking the car and walking in through the entrance, the whole place has changed. Shrunk, more like. I don't know what was going on. Presumably they didn't required such a large store or 'footprint' as I think the term is, but I managed to find the two appropriate ink cartridges, but somewhat shocked at the cost of them, but as they are a necessity, there's no point in complaining.

Anyway, I got home and managed o put the cartridges into the printer and it's now working successfully.

I've been for the last bereavement counselling session at Willen Hospice. The lady who has been helping doesn't think I need any more support in that respect. I think she is right. I'm definitely moving on. The first time I went there it was quite difficult but this time it seemed easier. She rang last evening to tell me about the appointment today, but I knew we'd arranged it to be the 6th March, because it's the day before what would be Carol's 55th birthday. I had an idea it was wrong but it didn't matter particularly. Because it has been so sunny and warm and there are no end of daffodils out, it made it so much easier. Carol loved daffodils, which is why I'm putting cut daffodils in the vase on the widnowsill in the lounge because that is what she loved. I will keep them going until they finish and they're nearly always displayed in the supermarket near the till so there's no excuse not to buy them.

I came home from Willen and took Alfie out for a walk. We came across a lady walking to little terriers (I think they were terriers of some sort.) Alfie was off his lead and ran rings around them, but they didn't seem in the least bit interested. Alfie always wants to make friends with the dogs he comes across in Eaglestone Park, but it seems not many want to be friends with him, which is a real pity.