A Miserable Wet Day

We went into the Central MK shopping Centre this morning (Wednesday). It's been a miserable wet day so there wasn't nothing much else to do. At least it's undercover, which is one good reason to go there, rather than sitting indoors watching depressing daytime television. Well, it seems Carol has come a long way since her cancer diagnosis, when we couldn't go anywhere last summer, and she's walking a long way as well as driving the car.

Arriving at the multi-storey carpark next to Debenhams far too early, because Debenham's wasn't yet open (at 9.30, we discovered) we found that they're currently refurbishing the carpark, areas under cover and weird noised emanating from this area. Scaffolding is up as you'd drive up the ramp and into the carpark. There were plenty of spaces and once we'd parked we came down into the shopping centre on the escalator. We walked through the mall and went into Waterstone's and browsed as we were looking g for a book of study notes and guide to 'The Woman In White.' We've been watching the BBC1 adaptation and wanted to learn more about the novel. You can find plenty of study notes on Amazon, but for once we wanted to buy from a bricks-and-mortar shop. A staff member went out of his way to help and even went on Amazon to find something suitable, but unfortunately we didn't find exactly what we wanted. We bought a set of CDs of Alan Bennet reading some of his stories. We can listen to them in bed as we have a digital radio with a CD player in it which is ideal for listening to not only digital radio, usually BBC Radio 4Extra, but also this type of thing.

We walked through Midsummer place and into the main shopping centre. Several of the shops have moved into different units. W.H.Smith moved from where they've been for years, no doubt from when the centre originally opened, into a new, smaller unit. On one floor. They gave up selling CDs and DVDs so didn't need the upper floor. We went in to see whether they had the study notes we wanted. This area is at the back of the store, hidden away in a corner. Probably if 'The Woman In White' was a set text for A Level they'd have it, but no sign of anything related to it. Probably go on the W.H. Smith website and have a look.

Patisserie Valerie has moved. They were up the end nearer Marks and Spencer and House of Fraser. When we saw the old unit boarded up the other week, we assumed that they had closed down completely, but this morning we saw the new unit they've moved into, further along from the old W.H. Smith's unit. Also, River Island, gone to where H.M.V. used to be. Infact, H.M.V. gone into a much smaller unit. Also, Holland and Barrett, which used to be in one of the malls that run between the main malls, a newer and bigger unit along from Boot's.

We walked as far as Middleton Hall and had lattes and croissants in Pret-A-Manger. Not busy, but as it was a Wednesday morning, not really surprising. Plenty of places to sit and eat. We eventually reached John Lewis and walked through the store until we got to the escalators and went up to the top floor, near the restaurant, as Carol wanted to look in the haberdashery department for something for one of the felt fairies she's making, some sort of crimped wool. I'm not exactly sure what it is but they didn't have any of what she was looking for. The staff in these shops must be bored stiff as there were so few customers to keep them occupied.

From John Lewis we wandered out into Middleton Hall and then on to The Works where you can always discover a bargain in books and other items. Carol had a browse in the craft section and I went to look at the history section. Quite a few I'd like, but at the moment I have plenty of books which I have to read when I've done with my current reading material. Carol came to join me and had a large item which turned out to be a jigsaw puzzle mat. A Porta-Puzzle mat. She's bought a jigsaw on Amazon and it means she can keep all the pieces together and as I write this, it's slid under the television unit and can be bought out and continued without any trouble. At £20 a good deal cheaper than elsewhere, including Amazon.

We began to walk back through the shopping centre and arrived back in Midsummer Place and got back to Debenhams and went downstairs as Carol wanted to look in the Manraray clothing range. There's currently a sale on but if we buy anything we'll come back to purchase something. Then we went back to the car and went home. By this time it was really raining hard.

As I write this at 5.30 in the evening, the weather has improved. It's sunny and bright, but I somehow doubt it will remain dry and we get rain over-night.

Better NOT go to SpecSavers, but Happy 50th Birthday Milton Keynes!

Yesterday was Milton Keynes 50th Birthday. Not sure exactly what actually happened on 23rd January 1967, but I think it was when the Milton Keynes Development Corporation was set up. It was decommissioned by the Government of the day 25 years later. I have been living in the City (is it a town or a city? It has never received City status. It is has always been the butt of many jokes, particularly over such things as the number of roundabouts and the famous or infamous 'Concrete Cows.' It's an easy place to find your way around, because the grid roads have so many roundabouts that if you loose your way you can always go to the next roundabout, which are at approximately every mile and merely turn round. It can be difficult to imagine that it has so many people living here because of all the trees and driving through the place you can never always see the houses as they are screened by trees which line the roads and then the banks that run along the grid roads are where most of the trees grow.

On Saturday morning we went into the City centre, specifically to visit the Central Shopping Centre. We were looking for flip-flop footwear. It probably sounds strange to learn that we wanted them because, at Nuffield, walking back and forth between the changing rooms and the swimming pool, it is quite slippery. It seems that most of the other people wear something on their feet, such as flip-flops. We walked the length of the shopping centre, stopping at several shops on the way to try and buy myself and Carol our own pair. No success. Probably because they are a seasonal item, which most people buy when they go on holiday, for use on the beach or at the pool-side. We eventually ended up in John Lewis, but no flip-flops of any kind could be discover. We went to their cafe to have lattes and cake, as by the time we'd arrived at John Lewis's we were exhausted. We eventually visited Sports Direct, which has a branch in Midsummer place and it was here that we discovered the flip-flops we wanted. On trying mine on at home, I found that I couldn't wear them as the central 'bar' that goes between my big toe and next toe was hurting my foot so decided that I really needed to purchase what are called 'Sliders.' These are made of a similar material as flip-flops, but are more like backless slippers, but made of water resistant material, a sort of plastic/rubber combination. I have since been to the Sports Direct branch at Bletchley, the retail park on perhaps the worst roundabout combination in the area and got a pair of 'sliders' there.

There is currently work going on in the Central Shopping Central. It's being renovated. The entrance we went into near Marks and Spencer has been given a real spruce-up. It has new flooring, and there are areas which are currently screened off, where the old flooring has been taken up, no doubt ready for new tiling to be laid. Along the malls at one end, there are new seating areas and it seems that a lot of the plants that used to be set into raised beds have been removed. Well, to be honest, some of the plants were beginning to look a bit tired. Quite a few died. They've been in position since the shopping centre was opened by H.M. The Queen, in 1979. It seems amazing that this is Grade II Listed and it can't be altered substantially. It would appear that the rest of the shopping centre (which must be one of the first covered shopping centres in Great Britain, probably after the Brent Cross shopping centre just outside London.) H.M.V.'s store is about to close. They have a sale on, due to 'relocation.' No doubt because they don't need such a big unit. Also W.H.Smith's did the same. They have now moved into a much smaller unit, I think it was where the Post Office was originally when the shopping centre opened. That then moved to a unit in one of the 'Walks' which link the two sides of the centre, but has since transferred to a new unit near the theatre, which has been open a few years now. It would make sense that, instead of closing a store to refurbish, the company moves to a new unit, which would allow the old unit to remain until the new unit was completed. B.H.S. has been closed down since the company ceased trading last year. Also, Woolworth's, the old unit they had opposite W.H.Smith's old shop is now a T.K.Maax.

This morning I went back into the City centre as I had an appointment at SpecSavers. If you've read my earlier blog post, you will know that I had my eyes tested in November. I had gone to Boot's opticians, but took the prescription to SpecSavers to have the glasses made up there. I wish I hadn't bothered. The staff in this place is either dumb or just plain stupid. Just being fair and reasonable, but speaking the truth. I wanted TWO pairs of glasses made up, under their 'Two pairs for £69.' Not too difficult to explain, surely. A week later I go back to collect the order and discover the stupid girl who took the order had got it wrong and given me TWO PAIRS of the same glasses, for distance. Doh! So I had to get them to get it right, and a few days later I get the correct order and then discover that the reading glasses are not suitable  for close reading as well as working on the computer (as now). I went back today to have a re-test. The optician did a good job, but the staff at reception or front's-house, or what ever, who take the prescription to have it made up into glasses, well, another really dump girl who couldn't get what I wanted and I had to explain I don't know how many time that I wanted reading glasses made up for more distant reading work. Dumb or what? Not particularly on-the-ball. I don't trust them to do exactly what I required and will not in future be going to SpecSavers. I think they ought to train their staff better. Just poor customer service in my opinion.

MoT'd Car and Snow

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

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

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

Easter Holiday

Carol is now on Easter holiday, the Academy breaking up last Friday.

Yesterday we went into the Milton Keynes Central Shopping Centre. We parked in Debenham's carpark, arriving a little after 9 a.m. and finding the place virtually deserted. We went down the escalator into Midsummer Place shopping centre, with the sun streaming in through the windows, although we found it was chilly. The weather is somewhat deceptive at the moment. We were somewhat shocked to discover how many shops have closed down, presumably as a result of the recession. Game was on the verge of closing, but apparently has found a buyer. They have, or had, two shops in the shopping centre, one was closed up. It makes you wonder why companys have two branches in the same town. Barrets shoes has gone, including the cafe Let's Eat, down opposite W.H.Smith. That has been there ever since the shopping centre opened in the late '70's and was a good place for a snack. Pity it has gone. There are several other vacant units, including Pumpkin Patch, which sold children's clothing.  Virgin Megastore, which sold CDs, DVDs and so on went ages ago and became Zavvi, but even that has now gone. I begin to wonder where all this is going to end and how many shops we are going to end up with. We eventually got to Waterstone's, which used to be part of H.M.V. but has now been sold to another company, Russian I believe, but I'm not sure. They also  have two branches in the shopping centre. We had a browse and then had coffee in the in-store Costa's. A clever idea to have a coffee shop inside a book shop as you can browse the books over a latte as you decide which books to buy. Carol bought a book on teaching learning disabilities, and I have seen several books I'd like, but may eventually buy them on Amazon, as they are cheaper (with Amazon you pay one lot of postage and packing to cover however many books are in one order. They have their U.K. warehouse just up the road from here at Ridgmont, on the intersection with the Milton Keynes/Bedford road and junction 13 of the M1 Motorway, and we see it regularly whenever we go past.) Carol had a look at the in-store branch of Paperchase, as she love their products and bought a couple of pens. Having finished in the shopping centre we went to Sainsbury's and bought some items for lunch and then came home.