This, That and The Other . . .

 Saturday. 8.50 a.m. A bright and relatively sunny morning. You could almost say that spring is here!

10.10 a.m. I had a few bits and pieces to buy in Sainsbury's. I always think, that if I go early enough, I will escape the crowds, but it was quite busy. A lot of men with bunches of flowers, which would suggest, because it's Mother's Day tomorrow (actually, Mothering Sunday, but never mind.) they would have to buy their mothers at least a bunch of supermarket flowers. There is an entire aisle of Mother's Day presents, all done out in pink. Why? Do mothers generally like pink? Carol didn't like roses, so woe betide me if I got her any. I have daffodils, because they were perhaps her favourite, and Thursday would have been her 60th birthday. 

The travelator was working on the upside, but the down one looks almost finished and should be open again shortly, so no having to go down in the lift as I have to do at the moment.

I have mentioned on several occasions in these blog posts how Sainsbury's has changed the locations of various items I have intended to buy. Some things have been in the same place in the store since I first shopped there several years ago, and it's so annoying when you go to the original location to find that item no longer there. This happened more recently when I intended to buy pate. I have at last found its new home and bought some today!

Tuesday. 9.30 a.m. I have a FitBit. I replaced the strap it came with originally and bought a leather one on Amazon. The original strap was made of plastic or at least, a cheap material which didn't wear well.  It had a proper buckle, so it stayed put on my wrist, but it was cheap and, frankly, not up to much wear and tear. In fact, it came apart so I decided on replacing it with a metal one. I looked on the Amazon website and found one which I thought would be perfect. On arrival, I put it on the FitBit, even though it is quite a fiddle because it has tiny pins which are used, which go through the strap and then into small holes on the body of the FitBit. Unfortunately, this strap had a magnetic clip, which isn't up to the job of keeping the FitBit on my wrist. Whoever thought that a magnet would be strong enough to keep a Fitbit, or other similar device, on your wrist? Because the thing wasn't much use, I decided to go on Amazon and have another look for a replacement. I found what I thought would be a good replacement, metal, with, hopefully, a decent buckle, black, and looked good, but when it arrived, a day or so after I'd ordered it, it turned out to be another strap with a magnetic fastening! It was difficult to see, looking at the images on the Amazon website, what the fastening was. As a result, I was going to return the thing for a refund.

It used to be relatively easy to return an item to Amazon. You could print a return label, with no postage required, and then pack up the item stick the label on the parcel and take it to the nearest post office or put it in a letterbox. There is a new system, which uses a QR code which you can have on your mobile phone, but I managed to print it out on my Canon printer and then, when you find the nearest Post Office which will accept your Amazon package and then have the QR code scanned and the parcel input in a bag which gets sent to Amazon's returns department. 

I have seen an email from Amazon, and I've discovered that the cost of the strap has been returned to my account. I can't believe how quickly this has been done. I expected the refund to only happen once the item reached the Amazon warehouse and was checked in.

3.00 p.m. I took Alfie out earlier and was surprised to find it was raining, quite heavily.

Arrival of Autumn

 Sunday. 8.25 a.m. I've been out twice this morning, first, as I usually do, with Alfie, at around 7.00. Then, I went out again and we did a circuit of Oldbrook Green. Basically, I have my FitBit working properly again and it does motivate me to walk and build up my step count. Unfortunately, some selfish person has seen fit to break bottles near the bin when I cross over from Strudwick Drive and onto Oldbrook Green and then, further along the path, near the skatepark there is more broken glass on the path. I saw a lady with several dogs further on, so I had to tell her about the glass, as like me with Alfie, I wouldn't want her dogs getting their feet cut on this broken glass. 

Besides the glass, there is a great deal of litter all around that area, near the seating 'hub' (for want of any other term for it.) which is where a lot of youths gather and sit, not that I'm blaming them entirely for the litter, but there is a great deal of this mess.

Monday. 7.55 a.m. Another very close, stuffy, humid night, making sleeping difficult. The digital thermometer reads 24ºC as I write this.

Tuesday. 6.05 a.m. It's too dark to take Alfie out. I should be light enough to go out in around an hour.

Yesterday I thought it a good idea to check the tyre pressures on my car. This is a bit of an issue with me, because once, when I went to a petrol station when I lived in Bedford, I let out more air in the tyres than I put in, probably because the air-line at the petrol station was faulty. I did manage eventually get air into the tyre and the right pressure. Not something I want to repeat! 

To use these air machines (free air? It's not.) you have to have a £1 coin. I wasn't sure whether it used a £1 coin, several 20p pieces or even a 50p piece, but, fortunately, the thing used £1 coin, and I fortunately had one with me. You have to drive into the space provided and then take off the caps on the tyres, put the coin in the machine and then you have all of FIVE MINUTES to use the hose, after you have set the tyre pressure on the machine's control panel. It's when you pull out the hose that you realise it won't be easy to put air in the tyres and prevent the thing winding itself back into the machine. It actually needs two people to do the actual job, one to prevent the hose rewinding itself back into the machine and checking the pressure as the other person connects the end of the hose to each tyre. Regardless of all this, I did manage to not only check the tyre pressures, but to put some more air into each tyre, although they still had a good pressure in each one.

Wednesday. 7.45 a.m. I went to Camphill as usual for a Wednesday. Terrie, the leader, was on leave, so things were somewhat different. We started off with check-in, which seemed to go a good deal faster than usual and then a few games, some of which I have not come across before, but never mind. Then we had a brainstorming session on 'letters from home' for the World War two project. I discovered a lot from this. Then, after lunch we watch the remainder of the 'Dads Army' film which we started watching last week. It's not as good as the original television series and a good deal better than the more recent film, which didn't have any of the original cast in it.

Thursday. 6.15 a.m. I woke up in the night and could hear torrential rain. Thankfully it has relieved the heat, and it's now a much lower temperature, making sleeping better. 

The digital thermometer is currently reading 22ºC.

Anything Goes!

 Thursday. 4.00 p.m. The Acorns playgroup, which meets at The Oaktree Centre, and the which I help set up and clear away on a Thursday morning, met for the last time until September. Around eight of the children were leaving, probably going on to reception classes in local primary schools.

6.25 p.m. As I write this, it's pouring rain. It's reasonably heavy, and I have a feeling that we will now have to endure flooding. As the grid roads in Milton Keynes don't have cambers, that is, the traditional method which is used elsewhere, and even used by the Romans when they built roads, there is more likely to be flooding, especially on roundabouts.

Friday. 5.00 a.m. I've only just come back indoors, having taken Alfie out. It's dry and reasonably pleasant, weather-wise.

We had a Church Family Meeting yesterday evening at the Oaktree Centre. It was mostly about finance. Not particularly well attended.

As I came in from driving back from the meeting, I noticed a large pantechnicon parked further along Strudwick Drive. I couldn't see exactly what it was doing where it was, because I had turned into Dexter Avenue before I got a chance, but this morning I could see it was a removal vehicle, with the words 'Bussy's Removals, painted on its side. I imagine it was full of furniture for a family moving into the area. 

Saturday.  5.05 a.m. It rained yesterday, but not heavy. Just thin and a bit pathetic, so it put paid to any more videoing by me. Today is the Grand Car Boot Sale at the Oaktree Centre, so any rain will not only put off customers but would make things extremely difficult. Then, on Sunday, we have the annual church picnic, so that would also be affected by the inclement weather. I just hope the weather holds off for the entire weekend, but having been out a few moments ago with Alfie, it was dry, although looking decidedly unsettled, looking at a somewhat dark and cloudy sky.

2.15 p.m. I got a message via Facebook to say that the Car boot sale had been cancelled due to the weather. But no sooner had I seen this message, than the rain stopped, and the sun came out. Typical British weather! Supposedly it will be run at a later date.

3.55. p.m. I've been out with Alfie. I have now hit the 10,000 steps target, wearing my FitBit. We walked around Oldbrook Green and met several dogs. Today is Alfie's 16th birthday!

It's windy out, so, what with cancelling today's car boot sale at the Oaktree Centre, I doubt that the church picnic will go ahead because the wind is strong and might be dangerous. We will have to wait and see what the weather does tomorrow.

Christmas Is Coming!

Sunday.10.15 a.m. I am making an effort to reach my 10,000 steps today and, hopefully, exceed that target. As I write this, the FitBit shows I have done 4132 steps. I have been out with Alfie around 7 a.m. and we have also been out at around 9.15 and did two circuits of Oldbrook Green.

4.55p.m. I have exceeded 11,000 steps (the actual reading from my FitBit is 11,647.) I took Alfie out and we did another two circuits of Oldbrook Green and went around Oldbrook, some way along Strudwick Drive and some other roads. I'm now knackered.

Monday. 10.35 a.m. Here's a thing. I've been to Sainsbury's. I bought some brandy butter. Well, you can't NOT have brandy butter at Christmas, with your mince pies or Christmas pud. On the label, it says 'contains alcohol.' Now, THERE'S a surprise! It's got brandy in it, so it's bound to have alcohol in it. Or is it? I suppose it could have brandy FLAVOUR in it, perhaps essence or something. But what do you expect from it? Tea? Coffee? It really makes you wonder who has the idea of putting obvious labels on things, such as cups of coffee that state, 'hot. May cause burns.' Or a glass bottle, 'will break if dropped.' Doh!

2.45 p.m. The weather has changed considerably. As I write this it's raining and was tipping it down when I went out with Alfie just after lunch.

Tuesday. 7.40 a.m. Fairly mild this morning. Not a lot more to report as I write this

It didn't seem quite as busy on the road, driving to Camphill yesterday morning. There wasn't the great long queue of cars at the roundabout just before the Camphill entrance, thank goodness. Another super day with the theatre workshop guys. The morning was spent with some of the guys being interviewed on video, talking about a show they had done earlier in the year, particularly how much they had achieved, what they had learnt and how it had grown their confidence. I'm not sure where this video will be shown, most likely on YouTube and other online sites and used to show the way drama helps people with learning disabilities and particularly to help with funding and making sure it carries on. A few drama exercises to get limbered up and to help with speech and after lunch Terrie, the leader of the group began working with the group on rehearsing the first few scenes of 'Twelfth Night.' The group are allowed to put their own stamp on things and add their own ideas. It looks very good at the moment. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this show develops.

Wednesday. 7.50 a.m. The weather is changing. I wasn't expecting rain when Alfie and I went out. He soon took me back indoors and is now merrily curled up on the sofa.

9.35 a.m. It's windy. In fact, looking out of the kitchen window, I can see the branches of the trees moving quite vigorously. The sun is now shining, but I don't expect it means it's very warm out.

Thursday. 7.45 a.m. Mild and calm this morning on the weather front. 

12.50 p.m. I've been to the Oaktree Centre this morning to help set up the playgroup. I left Dexter House a good deal later than usual, and as a result I managed to avoid the gridlock which I have to experience in earlier weeks. Then, on the way home at around 11.45 I had to go on a somewhat circuitous diversion because Chaffron Way was closed off at Watling Street. It was really annoying and there was no sign that this was going to happen further back towards Shenley.

5.05 p.m. As you may know (or, for that matter, maybe not) I have an iPad. I bought it during lockdown and it has been used quite a bit and I have uploaded quite a few apps, Facebook, Twitter as well as having The Telegraph app and a subscription which means I don't have to buy a print copy. I had intended using the iPad with an Apple Pencil, so I could use an app called Procreate. I downloaded it and had a look at it, but it turned out the iPad didn't work with the Apple Pencil. I just assumed that all iPads would work with such a device. Both were bought through the online store, Very, so I could pay by instalments. You never get told the basics for such things. I wasn't aware, until a few days ago, that there were so many different iPads in the range. They range from a mini version up to around a 12.5 inch version. Mine is 10.2 and, after some research to discover which version it is, that mine is a seventh generation model and doesn't work with Apple Pencil. I am therefore planning to buy a new iPad which will work with the Apple Pencil. I went into the Apple Store in Midsummer Place and spoke with a staff member, showing her the Apple Pencil I have, which has the special tip missing. It turns out it's a second generation pencil and only works with later iPad models. I had hoped to buy new tips, but they didn't have any in stock. At home I went on Amazon and have ordered some (a good deal cheaper than the Apple store.) and they should arrive sometime tomorrow. I will now order a new iPad and hopefully, the Apple pencil will work with it. (I will be more careful that I order a model with is compatible.)

Mild November

Saturday. 6.20 a.m. I'm awake (well, almost!) and BBC Breakfast is on television. On the weather forecast, I've been told it's 19ºc (what's that in Fahrenheit? I can only really recognize Fahrenheit. I can't spell it, so my spell-checker has done it for me. I have Grammarly installed on this MacBook.

My MacBook has now upgraded the operating system. It now has Ventura 3.01 installed. It was done on Thursday when I went to help set up the playgroup at the Oaktree Centre. It took two hours, so I left the laptop downloading and installed the new OS when I returned to the flat at around midday.

9.30 a.m. I've been to Sainsbury's. Going early saves all the bother of queuing at the checkout, although you have alternative methods, self-service as well as scan-and-go (or whatever they call it.) I don't always trust the self-service machinery to not break down or something going wrong, so I have always preferred to use manned checkouts (are we allowed to say 'manned'? They are usually operated by women, although 'manned' should refer to men or women. Well, I know what I mean.

Sunday. 6.40 a.m. Wide awake (well, almost.) I have tidied the kitchen. Washing-up done. I can't stand coming home from something and finding a load of dirty dishes in the sink, so it's done and dusted. Meds took and waiting around 15 minutes before I take Alfie out as it is far too dark at the moment. 

8.40 a.m. I have now had breakfast and my regulatory cup of tea (well, mug, actually. Who on earth has cups and saucers in this day and age?) We went out, Alfie and I, and we walked around Oldbrook Green. I am attempting to get my number of steps in. Currently, my FitBit tells me I've done 1847 steps.

Monday. 7.30 a.m. A surprise this morning to discover it's foggy outside. 

I managed to exceed my 10,000 steps yesterday. Great! I must keep this going. I have lost quite a bit of weight, although I'm not so sure if it's all down to walking. 100.03 kg, although I can never really know what that is in stone. I'll have to do a conversion and find out. (That converts to 15 stone. Not so sure, I wanted to know that.)

10.45 a.m. I had intended to take Alfie out at around 10.15. We went out through the side door into Strudwick Drive and immediately outside was a 'men at work' sign in the middle of the path (you could hardly miss it. I think you would probably trip over it.) Looking towards Oldbrook Green, I could see a large tractor parked on the grass and two workmen in day-glow yellow suits, discussing cutting the hedge (which I had thought was due for a trim at some stage.) I had heard a strange sound, a sort of mechanical hum, earlier, so it may have been the cutter making the noise. As I write this, I can hear nothing, so perhaps the machinery needed repairs or adjusting to cut the hedge. Maybe it will be done later. Anyway, we didn't walk any further and returned to the flat.

4.25 p.m. I have done a bit more writing. I have been working on this particular sequence for quite a while and it has gone through several drafts. I get some of the dialogue in my head, and it seems to go round and round until I manage to actually get it down on paper. I find I get most ideas when laying on my bed and sometimes when I'm out walking with Alfie. It's said that Charles Dickens would go on long walks and it was at these times he got the inspiration for his writing, so I can see why and how this would work. This bit of writing is now on word processing and saved onto a memory stick. The only problem I have with memory sticks is that they are so small and easily mislaid. The one I have is so tiny it is easily lost. I have three in a plastic box SOMEWHERE in the flat and I can't find them.

Tuesday. 7.35 a.m. I wasn't expecting rain when we went out early. Alfie not over-keen on remaining outside and more than happy to rush back to the warmth and comfort of the flat. I think he's currently tucked up within the confines of the duvet on my bed! Who can blame him?

Wet and Windy Weather

Thursday. 7.35 a.m. I could hear the rain and the wind during the night. As I write this, it's a good deal calmer, but when I took Alfie out, it was raining. 

Friday. 6.00 a.m. Where did yesterday go? Is that really all I wrote? Just one and a half lines? Well, let's see what today brings.

It's freezing and miserable, and I can hear the wind howling around the building.

12.15 p.m. You may recall, that is, if you read my blog posts regularly, that I bought a shelf unit from Amazon and then constructed it, the intention being that it would go in the pantry cupboard (for want of a better name for it.) and then it would be used to store a lot of cooking materials which wouldn't fit in the newly-fitted kitchen cupboards. The things that were removed from the old kitchen cupboards before the workmen did the work on the kitchen at the beginning of July (I can't now believe it's that long ago that the work was done.) have been stored in a variety of boxes and bags on the floor of my bedroom. I cleared out the collection of boxes that were used to deliver things from Amazon and have been cluttering up the pantry cupboard and could have been taken to the tidy-tip in Bleak Hall. But I thought of an alternative way to dispose of them: to break up the boxes and put the pieces in recycling bags which can be taken away by the dustman on their weekly visits to Dexter House. I began this around 7 o'clock this morning, as it seemed a good idea to get them out of the way. Now done and taken to the bin storage area. The shelf unit is now in place in the pantry cupboard and a lot of extraneous stuff taken out and will be sorted through and stuff selected for either keeping or disposal in some way or the other. So, as you can imagine, I'm very pleased to have done the work and the results seem very good. Now I can begin the job of sorting out the remainder of the stuff in my bedroom and then put it on the new shelf unit.

2.30 p.m. I have steam-mopped the kitchen floor. I haven't done it in ages, and it now looks spotless. The Vax steam mop is really efficient and far better than using an unhygienic mop and bucket. It dries so much quicker and you don't have to deal with a smelly mop and then empty the dirty water out.

Saturday. 7.00 p.m. I've been sorting out some of the stuff which has been parked in my bedroom. Quite a lot has made its way onto the new shelving unit, although some of this stuff has been binned as it has gone past its 'best before or 'sell by dates. 

There's not much else to report, except I have started watching the first film in the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy, 'The Fellowship of The Ring' which I have been meaning to watch as I'm something of a Tolkien fan. I must have read the books at least four times, probably reading the entire trilogy at least once every decade since the 1970s, and recall reading it when I was an A.S.M. at Liverpool Playhouse in 1971. I had a paperback edition and have owned the trilogy in various editions over the years, but don't have any of them now. The Peter Jackson films really do the books complete justice and are more than satisfying, more or less achieve the impossible and the whole look and feel of all three films portray the characters more or less how I imagined them to be. Ian McKellen as Gandalf was born to play the part, and the CGI work on Gollum is brilliant.

Sunday. 3.05 p.m. A very mixed sort of day on the weather front today. It has been raining this afternoon but then the sun came out, and I managed to get to my target of 10,000 steps, recorded on my Fitbit. That's around 5 miles, which is a good amount of steps. 

Rishi Fights Back!?

6.30 a.m. Tuesday. I seem to be waking up later and later each morning, most likely because as we get to the end of August, it gets lighter later and later. 

10.05 a.m. I decided to go to the Esso station in Childs Way to put diesel in my car, so it's ready for the trip to Worcester on Friday. I waited till the traffic was clearer after nine and then I discovered that they were resurfacing the road and there were cones at the entrance to the fuel station, but the actual entrance was clear further on. It was something of a shock to realize how little I managed to put in the car, due to increased fuel costs. The gauge on the pump seemed to rack up the amount very quickly, but if I was driving to Worcester, it was no good leaving Milton Keynes with a fuel tank half empty. But it's now done and one less job to deal with on Friday.

I have managed to find someone to, hopefully, look after Alfie over this weekend. The lady is the sister of my neighbour in Dexter House and lives in Loughton. I took Alfie to her bungalow this afternoon she has a small dog and Alfie seemed happy there, so I am optimistic that I can leave him there so I can drive off on Friday morning.

Wednesday. 10.30 a.m. I was a little shocked and surprised when I got a parcel delivered yesterday containing the replacement FitBit. I spent some time attempting to get it to sync with the app on both my iPad and iPhone. It's all about getting Bluetooth on both devices to communicate with FitBit. This morning, after a further attempt, I did actually get it connected, and, as I write this, the thing is working successfully. There are more apps to set up, but they can wait as they aren't that important at present.

Thursday. 6.15 a.m. What's that wet stuff which is falling from the sky this morning? Could it be . . . . rain? It was certainly a shock to find that it was raining when I took Alfie out at around 5.45. I don't think Alfie was over-impressed by it, as he dislikes getting wet, but we definitely needed it, because everything is so dry and parched. I don't expect it will take longer for the grass to revive, but it will mean we have sustained downpours.

Rishi Sunak, one of the two prospective candidates in the Conservative Party leadership election, (the result of which will be announced at the beginning of September.), has said that he does not think the scientists, who were responsible for the information which the government was given regarding the covid pandemic which lead to two years of lockdown, should have been allowed to have so much power over such matters. He attempted to air his views that such lockdowns were likely to cause financial problems, alongside damaging children's education when schools were closed. He was not allowed to have an opposing viewpoint and was shouted down whenever he attempted to mention the matter at various cabinet meetings. It would appear that this policy, of closing down the economy and putting companies' employees on furlough, is what is partly responsible for the rise in inflation, rising fuel prices and businesses struggling, along with millions of households. Not only that, but by 'protecting the NHS' so it wasn't overwhelmed by people with what I will refer to as 'Wuflu', it put off people going to their doctors to check out symptoms of cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. My view is, those scientists who were, in effect, controlling the government, weren't democratically elected, so why were they given so much control over matters? 

Now some firms are finding it difficult to persuade their staff to return to work, even with the successful delivery of several doses of the vaccine. The government used 'nudge' tactics to get the public to conform to the various regulations which were bought in to control the virus. Psychological use of fear in particular, with such terms as 'don't kill your granny' and other fear-filled propaganda. You can't expect one minute to have your population gripped with fear,  stay in what was more or less 'house arrest' and then, once things are considerably safer(which I don't in any way believe was 'unsafe' in the first place.) to suddenly revert to a new normal and immediately return to their workplace. If Sunak had his doubts about the lockdown consequences, why on earth didn't he do something about it, for example, go to the media? No, on second thoughts, if he had, it would have fallen on deaf ears, because most, if not, all the media, BBC, ITV and most of our press, were in favour of more tight lockdown restrictions. So, when people start complaining about the rise in inflation, they should stop and think, if we hadn't had two years of lockdowns, we might not be in this situation.

Time and Time Again!

Friday.7.00 a.m. I woke a lot later than usual, so it took me longer to get going. You know what I mean, not exactly 'with it', but, there again, not 'without it', either. Alfie barked and made a strange noise, which sounded as if he had bronchitis. Not his usual loud barking, but we still managed to get outside.

Friday. 8.20. Another bright, but not necessarily warm, morning. 

Yesterday morning I had a bit of survey work to do. I do many of these online, and I've earned quite a bit in either cash or vouchers, mostly Amazon vouchers. This was actually done in a place in the centre of Milton Keynes, Margaret Powell House. (Incidentally, who was or is Margaret Powell? Her name seems to pop up all over the place around Milton Keynes. I will have to do some research and then let you know here.) Anyway, this session was to test pizza (I'm not going to go into any more detail than that.) There were quite a few other people signed up, and we were given pieces of pizza to taste and then evaluate via a survey done online (as most of these are done.) It took around an hour, and I've been paid with a £20 Amazon voucher, which came in an email earlier this morning. I participated in two online communities during the past week, one on insurance and another on pet food. Again, I won't give any more details than that. I have done several of these, where you spend a week or a few days discussing things, uploading videos or photographs and answering questions. I am still waiting for payment for both of these, but I trust they will send me my vouchers within the next week or so.

I have been looking for a new digital camera that will not only take still photographs, but also video. It seems that these cameras have developed to such an extent that the quality is incredibly good. I bought a Canon digital camera at the time I officially retired, as a sort of present to myself. It is good, but being over seven years old, it is somewhat limited. It will take digital video, but I haven't really tried it out to push it to its full potential. Now there are people who vlog, that is, upload videos to YouTube. I have watched a lot of this material and can show it on my  Hitachi HD television by using an Amazon Fire Stick.   I have looked at Canon and Sony digital cameras, some come as part of a kit, whereby you get a camera, but also a microphone, a special light and a tripod, so you are more or less ready to shoot 'out of the box.' 

I have since found that you can have a similar kit for your mobile phone, which comes with a mini tripod which allows you to attach your phone and connect a small LCD light and microphone. So, I found one on Amazon, the brand being Rode, a reputable brand and I ordered it, and it was delivered yesterday evening. I have to say, when you buy on Amazon, particularly this type of item, you are inundated with a vast array of similar items, not just the more reputable brands, such as Rode. There is the temptation to buy a cheaper, possibly, unknown brand, which, once you receive it, turns out to be of very cheap quality, most likely made in China, and not up to scratch. They seem to think it's fine to make an inferior copy of a reputable brand, without any respect for patents or copyright. You then discover that it doesn't deliver on quality in any area, and probably fails miserably, probably falling apart after only a couple of uses, probably because they cut corners and use poor quality materials. The Rode vlogger kit I ordered seems made of quality materials and engineered to high standards.

As with so much of what you buy these days, the instructions you get are very basic. In some cases, if you go on YouTube, you can find a video which gives good instructions on how to set up most gadgets. I managed to put the Rode vlogger kit, but not to complete it. But this morning I found out how to finish it and I'm more than pleased with it. Now to do some filming. I'm not sure what as I write this.

Earlier in the week, my FitBit failed. At first, I thought it hadn't got enough power, but the screen went like an old-fashioned television, with lots of lines and the clock face showing up behind these lines. It just wasn't going to resolve itself, so I went on the FitBit website. I wasn't entirely sure whether it had been registered, but I discovered I had bought it back in February, having got it through the Argos website and, fortunately, there was a record. I didn't have a paper receipt. I got on the live 'chat' and the agent told me I could have a replacement. So I filled out my address via an email I was sent and will now await the replacement's delivery. But now I am without any sort of wristwatch because I have been using the FitBit's time-keeping facility and I don't know where my red Casio G-Shock wristwatch has gone.

All In A Day's Work!

Wednesday. 6.30 a.m. It's another mild and pleasant morning. Alfie was ready and waiting for me to take him out, barking at me madly.

Yesterday evening I appeared to have got into something of a time-slip, or so it seemed. I fell asleep on my bed and woke up under the impression that it was morning. It's odd what your mind does to you when you're half asleep. Not so much sleep, just groggy. I got dressed and took Alfie out, and I was intrigued to know why there were children playing on Oldbrook Green. It wasn't until I got back inside that I realized it was 8.30 p.m. Not having my FitBit working and on my wrist, nor any sort of timepiece, it was difficult to know the correct time. Well, for all that, at least Alfie got an outing, even when he didn't want or need one.

I have found a great app on the Apple App Store for doing animation. I have paid for it, around £5 and you can do stop frame animation, a bit like Aardman, the Wallace and Gromit people. I now need some sort of rig to support my iPhone and have ordered a gadget on Amazon which does just that and also comes with a microphone for doing videos. I can't wait for it to arrive tomorrow so I can try it out. I have even done a test bit of animation, of one of my rubbers moving across the top of my coffee table. It worked!

Yesterday, one of the buttons came off my shorts. They are by Weird Fish, if you know the brand. Without a button in a strategic place, I'm reluctant to wear them, as you can imagine. I have sewing thread and needles, which I bought in John Lewis a few months ago when I had a similar incident with a pair of chinos. But could I remember when I put either of them? Having moved so much out of the kitchen so that renovations could take place, it's difficult to find anything much. I will eventually return a lot of the things to their rightful places in the new kitchen units, but as regards sewing things, forget it. I did find the needles and decided to go to Hobbycraft to attempt to find sewing thread. I also bought some card and some Plasticine, which I intend to use for the animation I mentioned. The card will become the background which I will construct and the Plasticine will be made into some sort of character which will be the star of the movie I will attempt to make. I bought a cafetière in Sainsbury's yesterday, along with some ground coffee. I love proper coffee and making it in either a filter coffee maker of cafetière is, to me, the best way to make it. I just needed an air-tight container to store it. So, on the way back from Hobbycraft I had intended to go into The Range to have a look and see if they had anything suitable, but when I got down as far as  Childs Way and had hoped to turn right onto the roundabout which leads into the retail park where The Range is situated, the road was coned off, conveniently blocking my exit and therefore preventing my getting to where I had wanted to go, so I changed course and ended up back at Sainsbury's and managed to get exactly what I was looking for regarding an airtight container for my ground coffee. 

On returning to Dexter House, I then intended to sew the loose button back on my shorts, but it was then that I discovered that the aforementioned button was broken, so when I attempted to attach it back to the shorts, it just came off. It then occurred to me that a pair of trousers I had in my wardrobe had conveniently got spare buttons sewn inside the lining, and on removing one of these buttons, it turned out to be exactly the right size to replace the one that had come off. I was then able to sew this spare button on, after some considerable effort, because the material where it was to be sewn, was quite thick, with several layers, but after some effort, the job was done

Here We Go Again

Friday. 10.25 p.m. I've just come back from the Oaktree Centre. We had a quiz evening. It's just great to be able to have this type of event after the confounded lockdowns restricted everything. There were around eight teams and my team won! After the first round we were at the bottom, so it was great that we managed to win. We won a bucket (!) with smaller items, such as single-serving bottles of wine and chocolates. I got a bottle of wine. There was also the famous (or probably, more likely, infamous) 'Roll-A-Coin' game. Prizes are laid out at one end of the room, things such as bottles of wine, chocolates, candles and other things, and you stand some distance from the items and you rolled a pound coin at the items. If your coin hit an item, you win it!  As the whole idea of the evening was to raise money for the building of phase two of the completion of the Oaktree Centre, it was very successful. Anyway, I managed to win a bottle of wine.

Another 10,000 steps were done according to FitBit. I looked at it as I came through the door, and it rolled over to 10,000 at that precise moment.

Saturday. 6.45 a.m. I was up, dressed and out with Alfie at 5.20 a.m. It is, as I write this, overcast, but dry and relatively mild. We did a circuit of Oldbrook Green, and then I drove to Oakgrove to take some cash out of the cash machine outside the Metro Bank next door to Waitrose. I am going to the men's breakfast at the Fountain in Loughton and we will have breakfast there, which means I don't have to cook. Good fellowship and excellent time together. We last met a few months ago, and I must have mentioned it in these blog posts.

12.25 p.m. I've been to the men's breakfast at The Fountain in Loughton. We've met there before. People arrived just as I drew into the car park, and then we went inside the pub. We had the same set-up as last time, several tables pushed together in the same part of the restaurant area. Around 15 people and some people came in late. I ordered a cooked breakfast, and it was great to fellowship with others from SCF.

From there I drove to Sainsbury's to get a few items and then home. I think Alfie was somewhat bemused that he hadn't been able to come with me.

In Sainsbury's, I used one of the self-service tills. Why do I always have a problem with these things? Whatever you do, however careful you scan each item and put it in the correct place, the thing will inevitably stop functioning and a horrible electronic voice will scream at you so everyone in the vicinity hears that you've messed up yet again! Can they just cut that voice? So, a staff member comes to help and you feel such an idiot that feel you're incapable of doing the most simple of tasks.

Sunday. 6.10 a.m. I was out around 5.20 this morning. Good gracious! Whatever next? Lounging around in bed? Not me. I then had a real surprise. As we started walking towards Oldbrook Green I saw a fox standing on the surrounding path a hundred yards ahead of us. It stood and stared at us for about twenty seconds and then turned and went into the bushes that fill the area between the Dexter House garden and the next unit, SIA (Spine Injury Association.) Something of a shock and a real surprise. We did a circuit of Oldbrook Green, which Alfie wasn't keen on and tried to take us home, but I refused. Well, he can just snuggle back into bed or lie on the sofa. But I insisted. Then, on arriving back in the flat, I was washing up in the kitchen and I saw the fox in the garden below my window. It even lay on the grass and seemed to be having a great time.

Is It A Wonderful Life?

Thursday. 7.45 a.m. Out a bit after 5.30 a.m., basically because I woke up and then immediately went back to sleep. Not such a good idea, but we did a circuit of Oldbrook Green as I am determined to get back to doing at least 10,000 steps. The FitBit is a good motivator, particularly as you get a weekly report emailed to your inbox every week. According to that, I am not doing as many steps as I have done previously. 

I am attempting to do more recording, using the MacBook Pro. I am doing various well-known poems, but making sure they are well out of copyright. Such pieces as 'The Hunting of The Snark', 'Matilda,' (No, not the Roald Dahl story, but the one about the girl who couldn't stop telling lies.) It has to be one of my favourites. I have already got one uploaded onto Soundcloud, so let's see what else I can record and upload. I have found that this flat has good acoustics for recording, thankfully, but I think I will have to wait until the workmen have finished around Dexter House. I don't want banging and crashing noises in the background of my recordings. I don't know if the microphone will pick it up, but for me, it's very distracting.

4.00 p.m. We still have workmen banking and crashing all over Dexter House. I think they are upgrading the doors between the different areas along the corridors. It's just noisy, and it will be great when it is completed. Would be better if they used rubber hammers.

I'm going to Worcester next weekend, but Alfie isn't coming with me. It's very difficult to concentrate on the grandchildren or have a decent conversation with Chloe and Steve because Alfie takes over, barking and generally wanting attention all the time. It was difficult when I went there at Christmas, and even with him corralled in the utility room with a childproof gate installed so he couldn't get out, he still made a lot of noise. I think most of this is because we've been on lockdown together for two years, and he's had me to himself and he's become more determined to get my attention. So, I wanted to find someone to look after him for the duration of my time away. I eventually got an email put out from church and someone came forward and I took Alfie to meet her this evening. I have written a sort of care plan, giving details of his needs and requirements, as well as his quirks. So he will be taken there next Friday and I can drive to Worcester on my own. Mind you, it will be strange not having him around, but certainly, be good to have time to relax without being barked at!

Friday. 6.20 a.m. A rather overcast morning, but it's still warm here in Milton Keynes. Alfie and did a circuit of Oldbrook Green.

8.10 a.m. We now have a second replacement washing machine! Oh, the excitement-not! I went to do a load of washing and found the new machine in place, but I had absolutely no idea how to operate it. It has a digital touch-screen, but I was wary of the wrong setting, and as a result, possibly ruining my clothes by setting the wrong temperature, so I had to ask Barbara to show me. The first setting was for an hour, but I wanted a shorter programme, and it was set for 20 minutes. I just don't want to have to wait an hour before I can unload the machine and put everything in the tumble drier.

10.25 a.m. A man has been to my flat to do a survey for asbestos, which is being done as a preliminary for a new kitchen to be fitted. So, hopefully, and I definitely mean hopefully, if all goes according to plan, I should get a shiny new fitted kitchen. The floor leaves a lot to be desired, as there is an area where the tiles are coming up and is, frankly, a trip hazard. Let's just hold our breath until I get some sort of notification that work is going to be done. Well, if other people within Dexter House have had their kitchens done, I think I can safely say that I can't be too far up the list to have mine done. Then, possibly, hopefully, they might come and sort out my bathroom.

Once the man had finished doing the survey of the flat, I took Alfie out. It has been raining, but hardly a heavy downpour, but, nevertheless, we got a bit of a wetting.

A Little Win

 Monday. 8.55 a.m. I haven't done the National Lottery in a long time. I can't even remember when I last played it. When I lived in Bedford, I used to buy a ticket in W.H.Smith in Midland Road. You had to buy a paper ticket and you held on to it and didn't lose it (some people did and then their numbers came up and then panicked when they couldn't find it to prove they had the all-important winning numbers. How crazy! To loose out on a life-changing amount of cash!) I have downloaded the app and have played once. It is so much easier as you don't even have to leave your home to play. You have to sign up and create an account and use your bank card (credit or debit card.) and then put money on your account (up to a limit of £500, although I don't put much more than £5 on mine.) As the price of a ticket has increased from £1 to £2 and I think some games are probably £1.50.) I decided this week to play. I had tickets for the main game, Lotto, and another for the Set For Life game, where you can win something like £10,000 per month for 30 years or something. I forgot all about it until Sunday morning when I looked at my emails as normal and there was an email from the National Lottery to inform me that I had won! I was excited as you can imagine and it took a while to sign in to the app. I had won £5! But My earnings were reapplied to my account and I got a free 'Lucky Dip' draw for later in the week. I remember the very first draw, I think, back in around 1994. I won £10! I won several of these £10s, but nothing higher. I think it would be better to let people win smaller amounts rather than millions of pounds going to one winner, just a few thousands, particularly when there's a roll-over or even several roll-overs.

Oh well, there's always next time, of course. . . 

Thursday. 10.15 a.m. I haven't posted anything for the past couple of days, as you will have noticed. Just discussing the same old seemed a bit pointless, so I didn't, but here I am again.

It's been really warm the last couple of days. I packed away my shorts and though to myself that autumn was upon us, but, lo and behold! It's been bright and sunny, so got them out again. It was actually too hot for me at one point. I took Alfie out, and we didn't get far, well, not much further than the start of the circuit of Oldbrook Green, when I developed a really horrible headache, so we returned home. I have worn my sun hat, but it didn't make a lot of difference.

My FitBit isn't functioning properly. I had it working successfully, but it has decided not to work correctly. The time is totally out. It is supposed to communicate with my iPhone via Bluetooth. It decides it will connect but then nothing more happens. It's getting to the point that I can't be bothered with it. I keep attempting to sort it out, but it might just as well be at the bottom of a drawer if it can't behave itself.

3.25 p.m. I've been out with Alfie. It was dark overhead and I think I felt a few drops of rain. If it wasn't, then I really ought to know what it was. 

My writing is still at the planning stage. I think I now have the scaffolding and can hopefully start the actual writing. That's the bit I enjoy most, but, as I've said in earlier blog posts, I can't begin the process of writing until I have a sort of roadmap in place. A bit like going on a car journey without knowing where you're going. Making sure you have a route planned out. But I still don't know how it will end.

Monday. 8.50 a.m. Goodness gracious! It's Monday again! What is going on? We seem to be spinning out of control. As Hamlet says, 'the time is out of joint.' Very much so. I can't believe we're halfway through September. We'll soon be seeing the usual junk in the shops, ready for Christmas. But we have to endure the total rubbish which is sold for Hallow'een first. The things that shops attempt to flog us just to make a quick buck is appalling. 

I had another attempt at the National Lottery. And hey presto! I draw another couple of numbers which have already been entered for a lucky dip. I just hope that eventually I might win more than a few quid, not a lot, a few hundred would be nice. Just top up my bank account somewhat. The thing is, with the app it's far easier to have a go at the Lottery rather than going out to buy a paper ticket. You don't even have to leave your home.

Step On It!

Tuesday. 2.10 p.m. I've managed to exceed my step count this afternoon! Well over 10,000 steps, which equates to a little over five miles. I am somewhat pleased, as you might imagine. I just need to keep this up. The Fitbit doesn't just count your steps, it gives your heart rate, BMI, and far more. You can log your liquid intake as well as your food and weight. It has taken long enough to get the thing set up and running, but now it's set properly I can keep on keeping an eye on my steps and so on. It's a good motivational tool in that respect. That's no less than six circuits of Oldbrook Green!

Wednesday. 6.25 a.m. Slight rain when took Alfie out just before 6 this morning. Very dark clouds looming over Milton Keynes, which suggests heavy rain later today.

Television seems keen on copying successful formats, the basic premise/idea for programmes. It was cookery shows at one time (and probably still is.) They get one successful show and it has to spawn a slew of similar shows. Antiques have been the staple of daytime television, with shows such as Bargain Hunt, Flog it, Antiques Roadshow, which is probably the great-granddaddy of them all. Cookery shows include Masterchef and Can't Cook, Won't Cook; Ready, Steady Cook. Now they're going mad on recycling and make-over shows. It began with Money For Nothing, The Repair Shop and continued with the likes of Saved and Remade on BBC1 and Find It, Fix It, Flog It! on Channel 4. Each of them seems to play on the emotional element, particularly The Repair Shop, when people take items which have a connection with someone in their lives, usually deceased, a friend or family member, and want the item repaired and restored as usually, that item is in a poor condition. At the end of the show, when the owner of the item returns to collect it, the producers seem to delight in seeing the emotions revealed by the owner when they see the restored and repaired item. In some ways, it is rather overdone, somewhat contrived. I think it is  More than a bit nauseating. It seems that television companies are more than happy to churn out the same thing relentlessly. Too many crime series, with grumpy detectives at the centre of things, staring endlessly at the sea, having relationship problems, and loving to drive around in Jaguars or other up-market vehicles, with classical music or opera blaring out of the radio or in-car CD player. Just another cliche. Anyway, all it's about is easy television. A great deal of it is just lazy because it's not going to demand much attention on behalf of the producers or the audience.

Thursday. 6.30 a.m. Alfie seems very reluctant to do a walk around Oldbrook Green this morning. I can't think why. Usually, he's more than happy to go for his regular walk, but for the past couple of days, he just insists on taking me back to the flat. As I write this, he's curled up on the sofa. Not his usual mode, insisting on being taken out and walking endlessly. I am attempting to maintain my step count, but with a small Yorkshire terrier who is very strong, just pulling in the direction of home, not chance is doing anywhere near ten-thousand steps!

Friday. 6.45 a.m. I woke up a good deal later than normal. The mornings are getting darker and darker as we move towards autumn. Alfie was more enthusiastic about doing the circuit of Oldbrook Green, which suits me as I am intent on doing the 10,000 steps.

Saturday. 10.35 a.m. I woke a lot later than normal. I think it's because the days are beginning to draw in. It was darker for longer, so I didn't take out Munchkin until around 6.45. I just didn't see the point of going out if we couldn't see properly. As we walked along the path towards Oldbrook Green, I saw a large cat cross the road. I think it came out of the entrance to The Cricketers carpark. Perhaps it had been in for a swift 'alf. Who knows? I saw it gradually approaching our side of the road and then cross the path towards Fishermead. Alfie, fortunately, didn't see it. Just as well, otherwise, he would have been very noisy!

We went out again at around 9.15. I am afraid I have to report seeing two girls walking several dogs across the Green and one dog did its business, but they never picked it up. This brazen behaviour is really not acceptable. I always have several doggy bags in my pocket, so I could have given them one if I had been nearer. I blame the Council for not having doggy bags in the space provided by the doggy bins. It seems a false economy to not have them, expecting people who have dogs to have them (most do, but it would appear that a lot don't.) There is supposed to be a £100 spot fine if you don't clear up after your dog, but what is the point of the fine if nobody polices the policy? People are getting away with this sort of thing without being fined.

Sunday. 8.00 a.m. There was torrential rain yesterday evening as I ate my meal. I had to go and look out of the kitchen window to see as it was quite noisy. It didn't last long, but Alfie and I went out for a final walk around Oldbrook Green because I was short of the number of steps and was determined to reach my target of ten thousand. It has rained in the night, but as I write this, it's reasonably bright and sunny.

An Ordinary Week

Wednesday. 6.45 a.m. It's relatively still and quiet on the weather front at the moment. Not a great deal to report, so I'll leave it there until I have more to discuss.

As I reported in yesterday's blog post, I went to Sainsbury's to collect a repeat prescription from Lloyd's pharmacy within the store. I was handed two bags containing the medication and did my shopping around the store and then went to pay using a self-service till. I paid and then went to load everything into my car in the car park below the store. Not only that, but I unloaded it all on return to my flat and then discovered that part of the repeat prescription order was missing. I had only one of the two bags with me. I hunted all over the place for it, including in the back of the car. Likewise, I distinctly remembered putting it in one of my 'bags for life' when I was at the self-service till. But no sign of it anywhere. I looked at the app which I use to order my repeat prescriptions, and it was clear on there that I had ordered all the medications I needed, always done on time before they run out. There was nothing for it but to ring the pharmacy, which I did after 9 o'clock this morning, to be told they had it. I had unfortunately left it by the self-service till. But at least it had been retrieved by Sainsbury's staff and taken to Lloyd's pharmacy. Now been to collect it with some further items for lunch and now panic over. Just shows that a slip of concentration can lead to such problems, but, thinking about it now, it wasn't really a problem at all.

There was a ginormous great big grey concrete mixing lorry parked in Strudwick Drive, opposite The Cricketers pub when I took Alfie out at around 1.15 this afternoon. One of the workmen involved in the construction of the scooter sheds was ferrying wet concrete from the lorry and into the community garden and pouring it into what will be the foundations for these sheds. More time and effort it seems to be spent in the construction of these than the ancient Egyptians spent on building the pyramids!

Thursday. 6.20 a.m. There is a pad of drying cement where these exciting scooter sheds are to be constructed (do you sense a slightly ironic tone to my words? I can't in all honesty think of them as EXCITING!) I am tempted to put my foot on it and so be immortalized in concrete. Note: Is it concrete when it's set and cement when it's in its liquid state or is it the other way round? All answers on a postcard please . . .) 

I had another strange dream last night. Well, most dreams are strange in some way or another. I have mentioned that I've been doing family history research and got back around 12 generations. The dream was about me going to New Zealand to meet some of my relations (I don't know how many times removed as I'm not good at that sort of thing.) But so realistic and almost like I had gone there. Talking about fish and chips amongst other things. But, in reality, I wouldn't have been able to go there at the moment, because, watching BBC Breakfast this morning, they've closed their borders to incoming flights due to the pandemic.

Friday. 6.25 a.m. The week is virtually over. Things are very much the same as they were at the beginning of the week. I'm attempting to increase how far I walk and get my number of steps to increase. I went out with Alfie as usual and we did a complete circuit of Oldbrook Green. I may have to do two circuits instead of one to get to the target. All this is recorded by my FitBit, which I have set up correctly.

Pandemic . . . Over and Out?

So, is that the end of the covid-19 pandemic? Is it now an epidemic rather than a pandemic? Boris has always said that he would 'follow the science.' The data shows that infections have fallen.

Sunday 6.30 a.m. I woke a good deal later than usual. I waited to take Alfie out and when we did, we found it quite windy. Alfie obviously doesn't like the wind, so he took us back home. When he doesn't want to do something, he makes sure he gets what he wants and that includes not getting wet or enduring wind. Funny little person!

I arrived at church at around 9.50 this morning and I was somewhat surprised that there were no chairs put out. So myself and several other people were drafted in to bring them in on the trolleys. It's surprising how quickly this was completed when everyone works together. No restrictions! No horrible masks! Ability to sing properly! Just great to have things almost back to some sort of normal. Then, after the service had finished, we had to remain to clear up the chairs and put them away on the trolleys. Twenty-two on each.

Monday. 6.20 a.m. Alfie was just not bothered about walking this morning. He's just becoming rather lazy. Not like him at all. I found him on the bed, in my usual place. Curled up and fast asleep. I attempted to move him but he growled at me. Not his usual behaviour.

I've spent most of the morning moving half of the furniture in the lounge so that I could sweep up the dust and other bits off the floor and then steam mop the floor with the Vax steam mop. It's quite a military exercise as the armchair was quite difficult to get through the door and put it into the hallway. No end of cables for such things as the floor light, the wifi router, and the chargers for the iPhone and iPad. I've already cleared out a lot of paperwork and generally cleared away clutter. It now means I have the second half of the room to clean, which will mean moving the television unit, the desk, and the sofa. 

Tuesday. 6.36 a.m. Another relatively mild and pleasant morning. But, saying that, just as I settled down to go to sleep at around 10.30 yesterday evening, there was an almighty rainstorm. It seemed to go on for quite a while, but there wasn't much to suggest rain when Alfie and I went out before 6 o'clock this morning. He really is getting reluctant to walk the entire circuit of Oldbrook Gree, but I am really determined to do the steps which are being recorded on my FitBit.

11.10 a.m. I've been to Sainsbury's this morning. I had to collect a  repeat prescription which was ready and pick up some bits and pieces, particularly milk and dog food. I can't have Alfie going without, now can I? I was surprised by how many gaps there were in the aisles, breakfast cereal being one. No doubt this is because of people being 'pinged' by the ridiculous app which tells you to self-isolate if you've been near someone who has been found to be infectious with covid or whatever. No end of the staff in various industries have had this happen, in what is called the 'pingdemic.' Crazy. 

Cakes and Bakes

Tuesday. 8.20 a.m. I took Alfie out for his usual outing along Strudwick Drive at around 5.25. It was relatively mild thank goodness. No rain or excessive sunshine. On the way towards Oldbrook Green, there is an oak tree on the grassed area with bushes around in, just behind the bus stop. Alfie always stops there to have a sniff and a wee, but fortunately, he didn't see the black and white cat hiding behind some of the foliage. If he had there would most definitely have been a great deal of barking. The cat was very still and quiet. I think it must have realized that moving with a very vociferous dog was not in its own interests.

I'm back in the kitchen, baking cakes. I have just this minute put two tins of Victoria Sponge into the oven. They should be ready to remove in around 20 minutes. Closely following Delia Smith's recipe. I have actually doubled up the quantities as the first time I made a sponge it came out really think. Probably because I didn't include baking powder in the mixture. I presume it produces more air and that would make it rise far more. Just have to wait and see how this turns out.

Currently working on the plot for a new storyline. This will, hopefully, run concurrently with what I've already written. 

Later. 4.40 p.m. The Victoria sponge didn't come out quite as it should have done. Unfortunately, it hadn't been in the oven long enough. Either the oven wasn't set to quite the right temperature or the bake wasn't long enough. Just a couple more minutes I would have said. It tasted fine, but not up to my usual standards.

Wednesday. 6.00 a.m. Alfie and I did our usual thing and were out around 5.35 but he didn't intend to walk any further than he needed to, determinedly took me home to the flat when he'd done what he needed to. So that was that.

Milk went off again! I wanted to make a cup of tea yesterday evening and when I poured it out into my mug, it came out as yogurt, not that I would want to eat it. The 'best before' date was 4th August, so it should have lasted a good deal longer than it did, so that means no tea or breakfast cereal this morning- yet again! Why is this? I reckon it's a good deal older when it's dated at the dairy, so by the time you buy it, it's virtually out of date. Mystery, nevertheless.

I've been grappling with setting up my FitBit, which has been laying on the unit in my bedroom for months. I've managed to charge it (it is a Charge 3, for those who are interested.) which is something of an annoyance as I'm never sure it is charging when I put it in the charging device. You have to get the gold contacts to connect with those in the charging device and it should vibrate to show it's working. I have also managed to reset the time on it by using the app on my iPhone and it now seems fine. You can change the clock face and I have managed to set a new one, so it's up and running and I can keep a track of the number of steps walked during the day. So, another box ticked.

The Excitement Continues

(Sunday) Do you sense a somewhat sarcastic tone to my title for this blog post? Probably, you say. Well, you would be right in some respects.

My Fitbit has ceased to function. It is an ex Fitbit, it has ceased to be, to quote the famous Monty Python 'Parrot' sketch. I had it charging on it's charging station (for want of a better term to describe it.) It isn't always clear whether it charges and it should vibrate when it's inserted properly and apparently you should get a smiling face appear on it's face/screen (or whatever it's called.) But none of this happened. I repeated all this over several days and then decided, this afternoon, to visit the Fitbit website and used the 'chat' system to describe to one of the agents what the problem was.

(Wednesday) Yesterday I got my printer to work! Which was a relief, considering the amount of effort it has taken to get it to work. I can't think what prevented it functioning. I printed off the plot line which was written long before Carol was diagnosed and I haven't managed to do any work on it since then and continues the plot of the spine plot of the writing project which runs to over 80 pages, which came as a surprise when I printed it out yesterday. It needs a great deal of editing, but, considering it's a first draft, it's not surprising. A lot of spelling mistakes for example and general glitches, grammatical and so on.

The replacement Fitbit arrived during the morning. I went to pick up the old one to find it working! So I have two Fitbits, although the one which came in the post doesn't have a strap, which I might buy in John Lewis and keep it as a spare. How perverse are these gadgets? Take ages to fathom out and set up as well as charge and then you never know whether it's going to work or not.

(Thursday) A somewhat overcast morning. Not sure what the day has in store.

1.15 approximately. I have just been out with Alfie and I'm shocked to see no less than five large caravans parked on Oldbrook Green. A car was driving off and over the kerb as I got to the crossing point. There are certainly not supposed to be on there. The weight of the caravans and the vehicles which tow them will break up the surface of the green. Fortunately it is dry at the moment but when it's wet there is often water standing on the surface and it can be like walking on wet carpet or more like a marsh and if it's like that the surface will be damaged beyond repair. I got home and went on the Next-door site and see that several people have already seen the caravans and the local authority have been informed.

(Friday) The caravans parked on Oldbrook Green have gone, thank goodness. I imagine some official from the Council have dealt with the matter. A few tyre marks are visible on the grass, but apart from that there is really no sign of the caravans ever being there.

(Monday) I'm seriously finding it increasingly more and more difficult to find anything worth writing about on this blog. Which is why you won't find me posting as often as in the past. It does get somewhat monotonous, which is a good enough excuse to not bother posting. Although there are many writers who can whittle on about next to nothing and manage quite nicely and probably get paid into the bargain. Probably paid by the word or number of words. Think of the pages and pages of description in many of Dickens novels. I expect, because they were written in instalments, be had so many words he had to write in order to fullfill the number required for an instalment. hence the sometimes tedious rambling on relentlessly.

The Sainsbury Shuffle

I have attempted to avoid going out to shop too many times, but there comes a point where I simply need some basic items, such as milk, bread and potatoes. I did some washing this morning and had things back, dried and put away by around 9.30, so it seemed a good idea to go to Sainsbury's as early as possible. On arrival at the underground carpark, I found a space on the upper level and had to join the queue that had formed around the outer edge of the carpark. I had thought the end was part-way back from where I had parked the car, but I was wrong. I had to walk down the slope to the lower level and was shocked to see the end was a good way further back, where I stood with everyone else, with the recommended 2-metre (six feet) gap between myself and people in front of and behind me. The queue shuffled along, hence the term 'Sainsbury Shuffle' which I have used as this post's title. It makes me wonder what a docile nation we are in Great Britain. We seem to put up with a great deal, including queuing. But today people don't seem to have the patience. If the coronavirus pandemic is to be bought under control, people need to obey the social distancing advice in order to prevent the virus spreading. I think it's asking a great deal of people if the government expects everyone to just sit at home and do very little, even though the weather is fine. It is, as I write this. The sun is out and there's no wind. Let's just hope and pray that this situation improves or, better still, comes to an end.

My FitBit has been playing up. I can't get it to function, even though it appears to have a charge. My only real complaint about it is that it only keeps a full charged battery for a week. Why can't it be for longer? You never know exactly if it has started charging when you put it on the charging device. There are three metal pins (Brass? I'm not sure.) which are supposed to align with pins (prongs?) on the actual device. If it was a Apple device it would make a very decisive sound, which my MacBook does as it starts up, but the FitBit only makes a sort of shiver or vibrate which should denote it is charging, but the screen makes no sign of life. I haven't therefore been able to wear it when I take Alfie out for the past couple of days (more like, a week or so.) I emailed FitBit and got a response and have had the thing charging connected to the MacBook. It is now showing 99% charge, so something must be happening, so it would appear that all is well, or so I hope.

Later. The FitBit is back at full charge and is on my wrist and working as it should.

The sun is shining and we're stuck indoors. We're not supposed to go out. What? Indoors on a bright sunny day? That's awful. It may be to prevent the spread of the dreaded virus, but how long does the government honestly think the average person is going to endure this lockdown? Let's be perfectly honest, not long I would imagine.

Alfie can't seem to understand why we're cooped up indoors. I am sitting and watching a programme about Waitrose and he sits on the sofa next to me, staring. It's actually quite intimidating (how can a small Yorkshire Terrier be intimidating, you may ask? Well, when that dog stares and whenever you move, he follows.) In the end, once the programme was over, I just gave in and put him on his lead and took him out.

(Sunday) It's bright and sunny and we're still locked inside. We mustn't go out . . . But I hear the police, who have been given powers under new legislation which has recently been bought in by the government, to make sure people don't gather in groups, in an attempt to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. But I am hearing reports that the police have been somewhat heavy-handed over this.

We're now being told that the government may even prevent us going out to exercise. My goodness, we're slowly but surely becoming a police state! So, how on earth will this be policed? Doesn't bare thinking about. . .

(Monday) I've found it difficult to know what day of the week is is, as they are beginning to blur into one another. Having my Tuesday as a sort of focus of my week, and now that it's gone (but I quite intend continuing there as soon as things get back to normal, whatever 'normal' is now.) that focus has disappeared.

I have been out with Alfie, at around 7.15, and I found it quite over-cast and it would appear that it must have been raining, if only slightly, over night.

Boris Johnson has been admitted to hospital, as he has tested positive with the coronavirus. We haven't been told what he's been admitted for, but he is still in charge of the government and presumably keeping in contact with the cabinet and other politicians.

Keir Starmer has now been elected as leader of the Labour Party. An improvement on Jeremy Corbyn, who, quite frankly, wasn't Prime Minister material. He had a sort of 'couldn't-care-less' sort of attitude, well, at least that's how he came across. Untidy. His scruffy appearance didn't help. Remember what happened to Michael Foot and his donkey jacket? Well, I do and it's similar with Corbyn. Also, his crazy financial policies didn't help, particularly as he had no idea how to pay for them. Tax those who make wealth, those who set up businesses which create jobs, not a particularly good move.

I'm getting on with my writing. I seem to have found a way forward and as I write this I'm doing some research and have done quite a few pages which I'm writing in pencil, as I usually do and it will eventually get transcribed into word processing.

It is reasonably sunny at the moment and I will make something to eat for lunch and probably watch 'Bargain Hunt' as I eat. I hope it's a new episode rather than a repeat, but I suspect they will have suspended production because of the pandemic.

Later still. We may be in what is being called 'unprecedented times,' which is becoming something of a cliche and, frankly, rather an annoying term to describe the lockdown, due to the coronavirus pandemic, but we may be able to watch free presentations of theatre productions as a result. Most have been recorded with the intention of them then being broadcast in cinemas, although some have been 'live' broadcast. As all theatres are closed due to the pandemic, this is a good chance to see many of these theatre productions, and this evening I am watching a production of 'Hamlet,' which is a recording made at the Shakespeare Globe Theatre.

Getting Colder

I had an email from the removal company when I got home from Camphill, telling me that they had reserved Wednesday 9th of October as removal day. The men will be here at 7.30a.m., and they will be able to disassemble my bed and the large pigeon-hole unit in the lounge and reassemble at the flat in Dexter House. Also, they will be able to disconnect the electric oven and reconnect it in the flat, one less thing for me to have to think about. My only concern is not having a fridge/freezer, but that is being sorted out. I may get  grant from the Council to purchase one, and in any case, the old one which is being left behind is really too big for a single person.

I have now heard from Daniel, and he's coming here from Thursday to the weekend and will collect his belongings from what was his bedroom when he lived here. It seems that everything is falling into place and I must say I'll be glad when I am settled in the flat and the long journey to find alternative accommodation is over. I took several boxes of books in the car, a couple of which went to Dexter House, and another couple to the charity shop near Tesco's in Oldbrook Boulevard. Also, some clothes from the wardrobe which I hung in the fitted wardrobe at the flat.

It is getting a lot colder. Autumn is definitely here. There are leaves on the ground when I go to take Alfie for his early morning walk around Eaglestone Park this morning. My FitBit wouldn't charge properly, so I didn't get a step count as I should. I say it wouldn't charge, but it's difficult to know exactly whether it is charging when it's on the charging gadget. You would expect that once it's fitted in the thing there would be some sign that it is charging, such as a sound or a small light, which lit up, indicating power is going into the thing. So I left it off when we went out.

I said it was getting colder. Yesterday evening (Wednesday) I put the central heating on for the first time, but I put it off as soon as I went to bed. Oh well, I suppose it's bound to turn colder now we're into October.

I noticed that there are no curtain tracks in either the bedroom or lounge at the flat. Annoying, because I have to now go and buy some before I can hang the curtains I purchased in The Range this morning. First thing this morning I went to Homebase to buy a measuring tape and then went to the flat to measure both windows.

I have now rung Sky to have my phone and broadband transferred to the flat in Dexter House. Because there is no telephone line there an engineer will come on 17th October to install a line. I don't want to loose my internet connection, otherwise I won't be able to keep this blog going and I rely on it for such things as email and the occasional glance at Facebook, basically to keep in touch with the outside world. 

Technology Troubles

The Fitbit, which I've mentioned in these blog posts, has failed. It wouldn't charge. I have rung the helpline and run through some things that might have been causing it not to charge, like cleaning the contacts which take the charge on the charging station, but still nothing. I have been given a special number which I shall take with me when I go to John Lewis in Milton Keynes, which is where it came from, and they should give me a replacement or I can have a refund, which I don't want. I have to say, as this brand is supposed to be a leader in this type of technology, that I'm more than a little bit disappointed. It may do more things than the cheap model (not a Fitbit) and purchased through Amazon, lasted a good deal longer, even though the strap broke. I expect these things to last a lot longer than a week. Just have to wait and see when I return it.

I had to get to Ashfield Medical Centre for 10 o'clock because my appointment with Doctor Haye was scheduled for then. I needn't' have bothered to get there so early, because 10 o'clock came and went and I still wasn't called by 10.15 so I went to the receptionist and told her that I was still waiting. I think some people spend the 10 minutes, (which I believe is the average time your doctor's appointment is supposed to be.) spend far too long talking and don't think that there are other people waiting. I may be wrong, but I'm not one to over-spend my time with my doctor.) It was around 10.30 when my name came up on the digital screen. I have been re-prescribed diazepam, but the doctor is trying to get me off them because they can become addictive. I did manage to get through last night without taking the one I have left. He wants me to take them alternate nights, or at least, every third night, so I will take one tonight (the one which is left.) I had attempted to take the tablet a good deal later, around 10, rather than earlier, usually around 8. But I am still waking in the early hours of the morning. I have just seven in the current course so I'll have to wait and see what happens with them this time. I was out of his office within around 3 minutes, annoying as I don't get a chance to discuss anything with him. Perhaps that's because I now have the Integrated Community Team to call on if necessary. As I walked back along the corridor on my way out, I noticed they had their names on a door and there is a social worker in the team.

I could have taken the prescription to Cox and Robinson, the pharmacy a couple of doors along from the Ashfield Medical Centre, but because I was going into the centre of Milton Keynes to take the Fitbit back to John Lewis I thought I might go into Boots. Having driven in and parked near The Point, I walked into the shopping centre. In Boots there was a long queue at the pharmacy, so I didn't bother waiting and then walked through the shopping centre. I headed for Central Barbers, right next to John Lewis to get my hair cut. Jade cut my hair, the young lady who goes to Shenley Christian Centre. There was a really odd conversation going on as I was having my hair cut, begun by another of the hair stylists, about horses. I think he knew what he was talking about, but it was somewhat surreal, a bit like a Monty Python sketch, or from a play by N.F.Simpson. Really strange, but nonetheless, fascinating. I only wish I'd had a tape recorder, because it was something that would make the basis for a piece of writing.

I went into John Lewis and made my way up to the electronics department, which is one floor below the restaurant where we meet for the Willen coffee mornings on a Monday. I took the Fitbit in it's packaging. along with the code which I'd been given by the helpline when I'd rung yesterday and explained to the assistant at the counter what was wrong, the fact that it wouldn't charge. He plugged in the charging gadget and put the Fitbit into this and, lo and behold! It showed it was charging! I don't know what's wrong with it, or, indeed, whether it was actually faulty. It might have been that I hadn't put the thing in the charger gadget correctly, with the three contacts touching the contacts on the charger. Makes you wonder. It isn't entirely clear when the thing is set correctly.

Coming out of John Lewis and walking across Middleton Hall (correction: I couldn't actually walk across Middleton Hall because workmen are currently dismantling the summer attraction, which had at the heart of it a beach with sand. I saw them scooping it up the other day, and had wondered how on earth they would deal with its removal. There was a collection of those heavy-duty builder's bags scattered across the floor, so I imagine someone has the unenviable task of actually scooping it up with a shovel, into these bags, which are then loaded on to a lorry, probably taken outside the shopping centre on fork lift trucks.) I saw a display which turned out to show the proposed redevelopment of the former Food Centre. The old Sainsbury's unit has been empty for years. This is where the Age UK office is, and when I was in there several months ago, a couple of the volunteer ladies were discussing this proposed redevelopment and I was wondering where Age UK was going to transfer to once they start moving out and the demolition work begins. I had a good look at the designs, a mixture of commercial buildings with shops and offices. The multi-storey carpark is to remain and there are to be several storeys to some of the buildings, which seems to go against the original concept for Milton Keynes when it was originally proposed in the late 1960s, buildings weren't supposed to be much higher than the average tree, probably no more than three storeys. I had a chat with a lady who made notes of my suggestions, one of them being that there should be a concert hall included (not that it's likely to be built.) but that's the whole point of a consultation.

I went to Sainsbury's, because I had the diazepam prescription and I had asked at reception if the other repeat prescriptions had gone to Lloyd's pharmacy in Sainsbury's and they had apparently, so  drove there after my trip into town and I had a bight to eat in the café whilst I was there.

Having done my shopping and gone through the checkout, I had to go down to the carpark on the travelator, the moving walk-way or whatever you prefer to call it. Anyway, the moving slope which allows you to be whisked down to the carpark levels. It can be rather a bumpy ride. Something must be wrong with the mechanism, because part-way down you sort of lurch forward. This time it stopped dead, about three-quarters of the way down. I couldn't budge the trolley, try as I might to push it. What was I to do? Some kind man came and helped, but lifting the front of the trolley the remaining few yards of the, by now, stationary walk-way. The wheels of your trolley lock into grooves in the surface I imagine to keep it steady as you move down. I'm not sure whether they manage to get this moving once I'd left the carpark, but it was somewhat comical to say the least. But  not all this technology can be expected to work according to plan, the amount of work it gets, probably running for quite a few hours continuously when the store is open.

Then I drove home, unpacked the few bits I had bought and then put the Fitbit on charge. This time it seemed to charge without a problem. I have to say it's not easy to know exactly whether it's charging. With some items when on charge, such as the bluetooth speaker I have, you know it's charging because it has a red light that glows, the same with the Canon digital camera battery, the charger has a light that is red for discharged and green for charged. With the Fitbit it has no indication of whether it's actually taking the charge, but as I write this, it's on my wrist and working.

The bird feeding station is extra-busy at the moment. I have managed to keep it topped up with food, usually peanuts, but unfortunately it seems that the local squirrels seem to think it's a free-for-all for their use and the little blue tits (I imagine that's what they are, but perhaps I should do a more accurate identification.) come and around 6-8 of them are constantly feeding. I think perhaps I should get a disc which fits around the stand of the feeding station and prevents squirrels climbing up. Amazing that they can do this, but I really don't want them to.

At the end of all this, I had a problem of another sort. I have mentioned that I can no longer order my repeat prescriptions by merely ringing Lloyd's pharmacy in Sainsbury's and giving them the list of items required to be ordered, and then they contact Ashfield Medical Centre and it's all done electronically. But some bright spark, some bureaucrat within the N.H.S. has decided that this is inefficient use of their resources and that we now have to order direct from our doctor's surgery. We can take our order to the surgery and fill in the required order form and the repeat prescription will be signed off by the doctor and then sent electronically to our pharmacy (as was the case originally.) But, if you have access to the internet, you can order on-line, provided you set up an account (and this is through the surgery website.) I already had an account set up but needed to have a new password (you have a username and then put in the password when prompted.) But I have attempted to do this several times, having been given a fresh password by reception at Ashfield, but on each occasion it will come up when it doesn't work with 'unrecognised' or 'wrong password and username.' Let's be honest, it just doesn't want to work and no amount of resetting will allow it to work, adding further to the frustration. So, I beg the question, why do they have to change something which was working perfectly well??? What is the benefit of all this? Words fail me. I certainly don't trust this new set-up and wish they'd left it well alone. Not a happy bunny when I just want to make sure my meds don't run out.