Mystery Lorries, Foggy Mornings and Fixing Drips

 A very large H.G.V. was parked up just opposite the house last night. (Thursday) I could  see something from the bathroom window and there was one of those orange flashing lights which drew my attention to whatever it was that was going on. The lorry had garden fencing and goodness knows what on the back of it. I don't think lorries of that size and weight should really be parked in the estate. Apart from the size and weight of it, they would take up valuable parking spaces for residents. I couldn't work out what was going on and opened the window, because I couldn't see clearly through the frosted glass of the bathroom window. There was a second vehicle, a van, with the back open, and a man in overalls doing something or other. I thought at first he was filling in potholes, but it occurred to me, why would anyone be doing that sort of work at around 10p.m. on a Thursday in February? It was the fact that I couldn't get to sleep and had gone downstairs to make myself a hot drink, Ovaltine, which helps me to get to sleep. It was when I needed to go to the loo that I decided to go upstairs to the bathroom that I then noticed the flashing orange light through the frosted glass. I wondered at first if it was an emergency vehicle, such as a police car or even an ambulance, which was what got my curiosity raised that I had to open the window to get a closer look. I gave up on what was going on and went back to bed.

This morning (Friday) I got myself ready to take Alfie out and had to again use the bathroom. Not going into too much detail, but I couldn't understand why the bathmat was so wet as I stood minding my own business at the loo. I thought perhaps I had got the mat too wet when I'd got out of the bath last night, but it couldn't have been that. The mat was really wringing wet so I moved it out of the bathroom to deal with later. Alfie was confined to the lounge, as I usually have him as he gets so over-wrought when he knows he's about to go out. It was when I'd moved the mat that I found a large puddle on the floor and soon found the source of the leak. A junction in the plumbing under the toilet cistern was leaking slowly but gradually. I think it may just require a spanner taking to it to tighten the connection. But I don't have any tools to do this job and I know that if I ring my landlord he'll only get himself in a stress and it'll be an age before he sends a plumber to fix it, so I texted Garry next door because I know he has the required knowledge and the tools to fix the problem. So I've put towels on the floor to absorb the water and just have to leave it until it can be fixed successfully.

All was revealed to me as to the situation regarding the large lorry when I got to take Alfie out this morning. It was very foggy out and you could barely see across the road, but the fog has since gone as I write this at 7.35a.m. on Friday morning. Alfie made his usual din as I opened the door. As Alfie game out of the house, barking crazily, that the drive of the H.G.V. came across the road from his vehicle to speak to me and make a fuss of the loudly-barking little dog. He told me that he'd had a tyre blow-out as he was driving past on Saxon Street. He made the comment that the other vehicles were driving fast and he needed somewhere to park up safely, hence the vehicle being left over-night opposite my home. The van I saw from the bathroom window, as described above, had been from a firm which had managed to replace the blown-out tyre and he had to spend the night asleep in his cab. I took Alfie across Eaglestone Park as normal and by the time I came back to enter the house, the H.G.V. had gone. The H.G.V. driver commented on the speed of the traffic, to which I agree, making the response that I thought the speed limit was far too high and really ought to be lowered to between 40-60 m.p.h.

Later. I went next door and asked Garry if he could deal with the leak for me and he came round. Fortunately he was on a late shift and wouldn't be at home later. The leak if from a junction between two pipes and it was a worn washer that was causing the problem. So it's fixed and the bath mats and towels are in the washing machine ready to wash and the floor mopped. Not completely dry but it's a least not one large puddle!

I had a fairly substantial amount of cash arrive in my Nationwide account a few days ago. No explanatory letter to give details of what it was for except the initials 'TP' next to it. I assumed it would be for Teachers' Pensions. I had no idea how to access Carol's pensions until I got a telephone call from the caseworker at the N.A.S.U.W.T (I still don't know what the initials stand for.) I was told that I could download a form from the Teacher's Pensions website, which I did, and then had to get Carol's employee number from the Academy and I think her National Insurance number, which I duly put on the form which was completed and sent off. I had only meant to go to the Nationwide account to look at the balance, as I often do, otherwise I would never have known it was there.

Having had the money appear in my bank account I would have expected to have had a letter or at least some sort of statement from Teacher's Pensions to give me an idea how they worked out these amounts (there was a smaller amount also on the statement on line). So I had this morning rung Teachers' Pensions and I have been told that a letter should have been sent out, but obviously wasn't but one will now be sent to me. Whether this monthly payment will make up the difference of the rent payments with Housing Benefit, I'm not sure, but at least it means I have some more cash to play around with, to pay bills and general living expenses. I was expecting there to be some sort of need for me to identify myself, but I just gave them Carol's National Insurance number and that was all.

I went into our local Waitrose. A loaf of bread and a few other comestibles. I walked past the newspapers on display and saw the headline in the Daily Telegraph 'Churches can scrap Sunday Services.' Did make it read a bit like bus companies not running services on a Sunday. No, wait a minute. So, what exactly is the good old C of E going to put on instead? Bingo, or community sing-a-longs? What are the vicars going to be up to on a Sunday? I didn't even realise they were legally required to put on services, the General Synod voted to end the law that has existed since the 17th Century.

It's been a bright and sunny day here today, which was great, considering the day started out foggy. It's generally a sign at this time of year, that the weather will improve as the day progresses, if it starts foggy or over-cast. So, as a treat for Alfie, I decided to take him for a second walk. It must have taken him by surprise, as we don't usually go for a second walk. As a result I've done well over 7000 steps. It's interesting to see different people, although none speak. A weird youth wandering the path, looking as if he's got nothing better to do. No doubt would be in school, but as it's Half-Term, looking lost. Several other rather lost souls. Discovering a lot of bits of Eaglestone I've never been to before, some looking somewhat run down.I think quite a few of th properties are rented, and don't look as if their tenants look after them particularly well. A lot of litter and the front gardens full of broken machinery, old cars which have been repaired or had parts taken from them and then left to rot. Not particularly encouraging if you were looking to buy or rent a property and to see that as you drove up for the first time.

Alfie's Problem and Carol's Medication Review

I've been giving Alfie the two lots of medication I was given by the vet on Monday. He has antibiotics, which come in the form of a tablet which has to be halved and then crushed and then mixed in with his food. Also, a small phial of what is a pain killer and has to be drawn up in to a sort of needless hypodermic gadget and also mixed in with his food. But we have to keep his face clean. Attempting to wipe the built-up gunge from underneath both of his eyes is difficult because he resists at every attempt to wipe it off with a wet bath flannel. He's already scratched my hand with his claws and growls really loudly. For a small dog he's very strong but I don't know if he'd actually bite me. The two places under each eye are very red and raw, but I think it is beginning to clear up. At least the antibiotics should prevent any real infection.

Carol has to have a review of her medication. The doctor at Ashfield Medical Centre has to do this, otherwise she can't have any more repeated prescribed medication. We attempted to ring the surgery this morning but couldn't get through. So we had no choice but to drive there. At 8.40 the roundabout at Standing Way was clogged up with traffic. Drivers shouldn't have gone into the roundabout if their exit wasn't clear. I don't exactly enjoy driving through this roundabout at the best of times and I wasn't going to risk entering the roundabout when large H.G.V. vehicles were thundering through. When we got over the roundabout the entrance into the road where Ashfield M.C. is wasn't clear but a nice driver had no choice but to let us in.

We went inside the surgery and then got to the reception desk. There were very few other people in the waiting area so there was no waiting. Even now Carol has to go home and wait for a call from the doctor to then be allowed to have a face-to-face appointment to discuss her medication review. So we had to drive home and battle our way through the traffic through the horrible roundabout at Standing Way.

The doctor rang back an hour or two later. There's no need to make an actual appointment, but the particular medication that had to be reviewed is a sleeping tablet and they will only do a prescription for no more than seven days at a time, but this time he'll do it for 14 days and suggests she might take them every alternate night. We're not exactly over-joyed about the fact he said he thought it was for a different patient. Rather worrying. Doesn't exactly give you much confidence. I realise they have a great many patients on their books, but he could have at least looked at Carol's medical notes which would have been on the computerised system. Not even sure that our doctor was totally aware that Carol is on chemotherapy or what sort of treatment she's on.

As it's been such a sunny and warm day (so far) we decided to take a picnic and go down to the Grand Union Canal. We went to Tesco in Oldbrook to get sandwiches, crisps and drink and then drove to the Peartree Bridge pub to park and then walked along the canal towpath. We took our cameras with us and when we got to the picnic table where we've been before with the dogs (we didn't take Alfie on this occasion) we sat and ate our sandwiches. Along the canal were a couple of young men, fishing. We stopped to see what they'd caught. What they had caught they'd apparently put back in the canal. Lots of ducks and a couple of geese swimming gracefully along and we wanted to take a series of photographs to record our walk. Which we both did. Several canal boats drifting past. The trees coming out in leaf. Spring has been late in coming this year, after such a cold and quite horrible winter.

Large Lorry With Fencing On Parked Outside Our House

We really thought we were going to get our long-promised fence. There was a very large truck (H.G.V.) Heavy Goods Vehicle (a large lorry or truck to my overseas readers) parked right opposite our house overnight. It had 'fencing' written all over it and pallets on the back. It wasn't clear when I looked whether it had actual fence panels on it, but by the time I noticed it this morning it had gone. So, no chance that our beloved landlord has purchased and actually had them ready to replace the crumbling wreck of a fence we have surrounding our garden. No such luck. After yesterday's ordeal early with Alfie our Yorkie doing his disappearing act through the hole, it might have solved this particular problem. Never mind. One lives in hope. I have come to the firm conclusion that they have now forgotten all about the fence being repaired.

It's again another overcast day. Grey and gloomy is about all I can describe it as, unfortunately.