Time and Tide

 Saturday. 7.40 a.m. It's another rather pleasant morning. Alfie and I did our usual walk around Oldbrook Green. There are daffodils blooming and blossom coming out all around Milton Keynes and suggesting quite clearly that spring is in the air.

1.00 p.m. We had our monthly men's breakfast at the Oaktree Centre this morning. I had to get some cash out of a cash point and needed help figuring out where to go. There are a number of these machines, also known as A.T. Ms (Automated Teller Machines) to be found around Milton Keynes and I wanted to have the cash with me to pay for the food we would get. In the end, I chose the ATM outside the Tesco Express in Oldbrook Boulevard.

Sunday. 7.20 a.m. Alfie and I went out at around 5.50 this morning. It was light, so I didn't see the point of hanging about in bed. 

3.50 p.m. I have resubscribed to two streaming services which I had been subscribed to but had cancelled a few months ago, basically because I had problems when they didn't work properly. I think the problems have been resolved sufficiently. The first was Britbox, the app on which it is viewed on my Amazon  Firestick, which now doesn't seem to crash like it did before. I watched several episodes of the original 'Doctor Who', 'Planet of Giants,' which was shown in October 1964, and was the ninth story from the very first incarnation of this BBC science fiction series. I remember the very early days of 'Doctor Who' and must have seen it when it was originally shown. I suppose I would have been about 14 when it was shown and probably the right age to be the audience it was aimed at. I was intrigued by the whole concept, the idea of time travel and the fact that every few weeks, when the Doctor and his companions arrived at a new planet at the beginning of each story, to discover where they were and what they would meet. I think it was what made 'Doctor Who' such a clever format, changing so often and keeping it fresh. The show was made on a shoestring, but it didn't make a lot of difference to the quality of the storytelling. A bit ropey in the special effects department, but the novelty of the whole show was what made it so watchable. This particular story had a slight 'eco' element to it (which I won't give away here.) which makes it relevant to a modern audience. I am surprised by how good it is, and I'm so glad to be able to see it after almost 60 years.

The other subscription is to 'National Theatre At Home', which streams recordings of National Theatre productions, which have been captured at 'live' performances, and some were shown 'live' in cinemas. The production I have just watched was 'Jack Absolute Flies Again' which is a reworking of the Richard Brinsley Sheridan 1775 play 'The Rivals'  by Oliver Chris and Richard Bean, who wrote 'One Man, Two Guvnors', which was a reworking of the Goldoni play 'The Servant of Two Masters and has Caroline Quentin in the role of Mrs Malaprop. A rip-roaring production and hilarious. Some of Mrs Malaprop's malapropisms don't always work and are somewhat over-egged, but I think you can forgive that some are somewhat rude, especially for a family audience, but that doesn't detract from the sheer energy of the production.

Monday. 6.45 a.m. Out earlier than yesterday with Alfie. We again did the circuit of Oldbrook Green, but not a lot to report.

Drama Workshop At Camphill (And A Few Minor Matters!)

Monday. 7.55 a.m. It's a somewhat blustery morning as I write this blog post. Alfie and I ventured forth, as we usually do early morning, to find plastic bags being blown along the path as we walked towards Oldbrook Green. Only a day ago I remember almost slipping over on the paving slabs on the path in more or less the same place where the plastic bag was being wafted about in the breeze. 

A blustery day makes me think of Winnie The Pooh. Disney made an animated film of the A.A. Milne story, Winnie The Pooh and The Blustery Day. I think it was shown in cinemas with a full-length Disney film, but I have no idea what it was.

10.45 a.m. I have had a letter from Milton Keynes Council regarding my rent, which is going up. I couldn't make head nor tail about how much I was actually going to pay, and then I was told that my account was actually in credit by a considerable amount. I had been paying too much. This is good news, but you would think, someone would let you know, probably giving a statement or similar which broke down how much I had paid.

I've taken Alfe out again, and we walked around Oldbrook Green. We bumped into Woody, one of Alfie's friends, a large rather ugly dog, with a flat face, which resembled the dog which appears in the 'Tom and Jerry cartoons. Big, stupid and with a loud bark. Sort of, his bark was worse than his bite. Anyway, Woody comes up to me and gives me a look and thinks he's going to get a treat from me, but I rarely have dog treats in my pockets, so he was somewhat disappointed when I didn't produce one. We walked on around the Green, but it threatened to rain, so we needed to get back quickly. It is really windy and there's a definite chill in the air, almost enough to freeze your face. I think it's very likely we'll get another load of snow.

Tuesday. 6.35 a.m. I was awake in the night. I'm not entirely sure what time it was, but probably around 1.30. There was a sudden rainstorm. I could hear it rattling on the windows, and then I could see raindrops running down the glass outside. As I write this, it's relatively calm and dry, but I expect there to be puddles along the road and possible flash floods around Milton Keynes.

4.30 p.m. I have just got home from a day at Camphill. It's been a really packed day. Terrie has been away for several weeks as her father is ill and has been in hospital. But she was back in charge today. As usual,, we had the regular check-in, which seems to take longer and longer each time. Last week they had videoed an improvised silent film (I wasn't at Camphill last week.) which was shown projected onto the large cinema screen, which is electronically bought in from above the stage level.

Mitchell, who is a third member of the leadership team in the theatre workshop, and who is a musician who created music for 'Twelfth Night', is currently on holiday in Bulgaria with his girlfriend. The holiday was delayed because of the travel restrictions which came in due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The holiday is at a skiing resort, but Mitchell damaged a leg so can't partake in any skiing, so is spending time relaxing in the hotel where they are staying. He had sent Terrie pictures which obviously showed that he was bored, having to sit around in the hotel, so she decided to send him photographs of the drama group on 'holiday', but constructed out of photographs found on the internet and then projected onto the cinema screen and with members of the drama team standing in front of the screen. It may sound crazy, and everyone had fun deciding where they would like to go on holiday. Then Terrie took photographs of the team standing in front of these photographs and in a variety of poses. 

After tea break, Terrie gets us all doing an exercise based on character archetypes, the sort of characters you would find in a silent film, and in turn, as seen in traditional melodramas in theatre, such as 'The Villain', 'The Hero', and 'The Damsel In Distress.' 

After lunch, we had to mime the archetypes, all without speaking. Actually quite difficult.

The final session of the day, this time, after the afternoon tea break, we were broken into groups of about five or six and had to improvise a short sketch, based on what we learnt. I lead one of the groups and the improvisation was about a couple living in a house and not being able to afford to pay their rent and the landlord, the 'Evil Villain' came in and demanded they pay their rent, which had presumably been increased., The 'The Hero' came in, who was going to pay their rent for them. It ended with 'The Hero' coming back and having a fight with 'The Villain' and winning with the two 'Damsels In Distress' (the tenants, smashing 'The Villain' over the head with a saucepan (mimed!) and throwing 'The Villain' out! All through this, I directed the piece.

All In A Day's Work

 Saturday. 7.20 a.m. I woke up really late for me, around 6.30. 

8.55 a.m. The sun is out. It would appear that it's warm, but I have a feeling, when I go out, it will most likely be chilly, so I will need to put on a fleece or something. It's very deceptive.

5.15 p.m. I have no end of 'bits' of my manuscript, which are the various elements of the writing project I have mentioned in these blog posts. I use what is called 'clip' folders, which means you don't have to punch holes into the printed pages which you have to do if you use a ring binder, which I absolutely hate because the pages get torn and then look tatty. I remember from my days in college, years ago now, and my problems with the ring binders I used for the notes I had from the different classes I went to. So, being able to put my printed pages into the clip folder and no need to punch holes in the pages they are helped securely with a sliding metal clip and come in a neat and professional plastic folder with a transparent cover so you can see the title page through this clear cover. Problem solved. I have been searching all over the place to buy these folders, in W.H.Smith, Sainsbury's, Asda and anywhere else I could think of. We used to have a branch of Staples in Milton Keynes, but that has since closed down and gone online only. I think Staples merged with Office World, which had a warehouse which I used to past when I used to drive to Milton Keynes when I lived in Bedford. I'm not entirely sure if they still exist. I have bought stationary from a company called Viking, so I looked on their site, and, hey presto! They had clip files, so I have ordered a few and hopefully, they will arrive in the next couple of days.

Sunday. 12.40 p.m. There wasn't any worship as such at The Oaktree Centre this morning. Instead, we had what's called 'Café church, which could be described as 'open fellowship', with coffee, tea, pastries and biscuits and a chance to chat with anyone and everyone. The idea is to invite the 'unchurched' and be in a relaxed situation. It certainly was all that, and more. So much so, that there were so many people around in the café area that at one point you couldn't hear your own voice. Not that I'm complaining. It was good.

Monday. 7.25 a.m. A very mild and pleasant morning. The trees around Milton Keynes are rapidly changing colour, with amazing browns, yellows and a whole host of variations in between. Looking back towards Dexter House as I walked along the path beside Strudwick Drive, I could see the sky, which was a beautiful red. Where does the old saying go? 'Red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning?' It also goes on 'Red sky at night. Shepherd's delight.' We'll just have to wait and see if all that is accurate as the day progresses.

10.25 a.m. I may have mentioned in these posts, the fact that I was supposed to have an extractor fan fitted in the kitchen window when my kitchen was refitted. As I write this, no extractor fan has been fitted. It was at the beginning of July that the work was done on the kitchen and a good month or so before that, the two ladies who did the initial assessment for the refit came to see me and I mentioned the possibility of having an extractor fan installed, basically because without one, when I cook and there is the possibility of smoke or steam being produced, it sets off the fire alarm with all that entails, the arrival of a fire engine and the annoyance and embarrassment that causes. I rang the company responsible for this work around a month ago and I was informed that they would contact the installers, but nothing happened. I have this morning contacted Mears yet again and this time they tell me 'an order has been raised.' So, let's hope that this time something eventually gets done. But don't hold your breath.

What's It All About, Alfie?

Thursday.6.00 p.m. I went to the Oaktree Centre this morning to help set up Acorns playgroup. I left around 8.40, which should have given me plenty of time to get there for 9. I left Dexter House and drove out of Oldbrook along Strudwick Drive and then found there was a queue of around six cars at the junction onto Chaffron Way. It's virtually impossible to get out onto the road to the right, due to heavy traffic so, as usual, I went left and drove around the roundabout near Eaglestone (commonly known as Four Bridges, for obvious reasons, and then doubled back on myself to drive along Chaffron Way. Then there was a jam only metres away, just before the turning into Rainbow Drive. Many cars appeared to be parked within the immediate entry, and I wondered if they were parents dropping off children going to either the college or Milton Keynes Academy. These parents (if indeed it is parents) don't seem to care about anyone else, just blocking the entrance and not getting out of the way. The other entrance into MK Academy in Saxon Street was always being clogged up with cars, by parents either leaving their children or collecting them and also not taking a blind bit of notice that it was dangerous, likely causing collisions with vehicles, even though the school had made it clear to them not to do so. People just seem to do as they please, regardless of being told not to do something. 

Beyond the roundabout where Chaffron Way meets Grafton Street, the traffic was nose-to-tail more or less all the way to Shenley. All I can say is, I was more than glad that I was driving in the opposite direction and I wouldn't want to put up with that sort of traffic daily, to and from work. I can't think what had caused the traffic to be so snarled up unless there was an accident on either the M1 or the A5 and traffic was being diverted through Milton Keynes or maybe there was resurfacing of some of the grid roads which might cause such problems.

Saturday. 6.05 a.m. Alfie came to me and prodded me. I had to force myself to respond and wake up. It wasn't easy, waking up, getting dressed and then taking him out, as I knew he was in desperate need to get out and I really didn't want a mess to clear up. So I carried him out (just as well he's small. I can't imagine doing that with a bigger dog, an Irish wolf-hound or Labrador.) This was at around 2.30 a.m., so you can imagine that it was very dark, even with a few street lamps illuminating things. But it was a success, and we were soon back indoors and back in bed a couple of minutes later.

We met up for the men's breakfast at Morrison's at Westcroft this morning. It was something of a disaster, although it was sorted out. We have met there to use the community room for several months and it seems a good enough venue, it's quiet, and we can have a cooked breakfast,, provided by Morrison's café. But I don't know what happened as regards getting the room set up and making it ready for us. You would imagine that if they had a regular booking, they would have known we were due there. But no. The staff had no idea. It was eventually sorted out and the meeting went ahead, but we could have just as easily gone to Costa which is right next door to Morrison's. 

I had planned to go to my creative writing group, which meets monthly in Waterstones in Midsummer Place. I should have left to drive a good deal earlier because when I got as far as the road opposite The escape, the traffic was backed up almost as far as the roundabout on Childs Way. It took some while to reach the carpark I usually go to when I drive into Milton Keynes centre and found it absolutely chocker-block, with not a single space vacant, although I did drive round with the hope that I would find a space, but no luck. I then drove out and thought I might be able to park in the adjacent carpark, but when I attempted to use the RingGo app it would not work. A similar situation happened when I came in earlier in the week to have my covid booster vaccine jab. It simply refused to work. I don't understand why it won't work, it won't connect or something. One of those confounded spinning wheel things, so I gave up and came home, unfortunately, abandoning any possibility of getting to the meet-up. I will just have to drive in a good deal earlier when the group next meets.

The Rain It Raineth Every Day

Monday. 3.20 p.m. The weather has changed considerably. This is quite normal for British weather. One day, dry and sunny, the next, pouring with rain. Which it's doing at the moment. If you could hear, which is obvious because you can't, it is raining quite hard. It rained earlier this afternoon and we had quite a heavy downpour around fifteen minutes later, it was dry and sunny, almost as if it hadn't been raining. As the proverb states quite clearly 'nay cast a clout 'til May be out.' Now, whether that refers to the month of May or may the shrub, I don't know. Shakespeare mentions May in the Sonnet 18, 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?/Thou art more lovely and more temperate./Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,/And summer's lease hath all too short a date.' As I've discussed in an earlier blog post, Shakespeare uses many weather metaphors in his plays. King Lear and his Fool wander the blasted heath in a howling gale. Feste mentions rain  in Twelfth Night (the title of this post is from one of his songs). The Three Witches in Macbeth talk about ' . . .   foul is fair, hover through the fog and filthy air.' I could go on.

I am attempting to find some sort of doggy care for Alfie so that I can visit Worcester to see my grandchildren. As you should have read in an earlier post, I didn't go to Worcester as arranged on Friday. I don't want him to go into a kennel. The thought of him being put in a cage upsets me, and it would really upset him. I would prefer him to go to someone who would care for him in their home. I have discovered people who do this through a search online. Having read their requirements and the cost (approximately £25-£30 a day.) they also require owners to have their dogs vaccinated or the vaccines they already have topped up. Further enquiries I have made reveal that this costs around £75, covering kennel cough. It's because you have to protect your dog and other dogs that may be cared for. Just another expense. 

Tuesday. 6.10 a.m. Another mild morning, but not as warm as it has been lately.

2.05 p.m.The excitement is palpable! The bunting is up. A pile of cakes has appeared in the community kitchen. Tea and cakes are ready for the Platinum Jubilee tea party. What more can I say? Nothing. It all gets underway in one hour! Just fancy!

I'm not sure, but I think I might have just heard a thunderclap. Or something very similar to the sound of thunder. The weather is somewhat wet at the moment, so it might very well be thunder. 

4.50 p.m. We've just had the Platinum Jubilee tea party, Plenty of tea, sandwiches and cakes. HM Queen turned up (okay, it was one of the carers who comes into Dexter House, wearing a Queen mask. Funny. Yes. But slightly sinister. The sort of mask often used by bank robbers.  Also, there was a quiz, 19 questions about Her Majesty, and I won, the prize being a box of Thornton's chocolates. So, the second quiz I've won in two weeks. (Okay, the first one I was in a team.) But even so, not bad to have won, and all my reading of the history of the 20th century came in handy. 

12.35 p.m. I've been to Sainsbury's this morning. I have to say that I find it more than a little annoying that they had to move around many items which have been in the same position on the shelves for more or less all the time I have been shopping there, and now some bright spark seems fit to rearrange more or less everything and make it hard to find some things. What is the point of all this? It's just to annoy your local customers and drive them to probably shop elsewhere. There IS no point. Or, if you're going to do it, at least have some sort of sign up to tell you where a particular item has been moved to.

5.00. I've been into the shopping centre to get my hair cut at Central Barbers. I parked where I usually park and no sooner had I parked than the heavens opened and there was a heavy downpour. I, fortunately, had one of my Regatta jackets in the car, which I put on before walking into the shopping centre, but around two minutes later the rain had stopped, and the sun came out.  I had booked online yesterday so at least I knew I had an appointment, and it was paid. I was really surprised how busy it was in the centre. I imagine it's because it's half-term this week in Milton Keynes and the fact the Queen's Platinum Jubilee festivities are this week. A definite sort of atmosphere in the air. Thank goodness, because the country needs some sort of light-heartedness after two years of crazy lockdowns. 

Scorchio!

Good old tabloid newspaper headline for my post title. Well, why not?

Last night it was again excessively hot. This morning I decided it would be a good idea to get an electric fan for the bedroom, so I've been to Sainsbury's and bought one. It is now set up and Alfie is making full advantage of it. It should make sleeping better, but we will have to wait and see.

Tuesday. 7.20 p.m. I can hear thunder as I write this. I have been looking out of the kitchen window and it looks as if it's raining. Goodness, quite a lot more thunder rolling around Milton Keynes. It seems to be approaching and will most likely relive the heat. 

I watched the launch of the Blue Origin rocket which has been funded by Amazon boss Geoff Bezos. One of the astronauts/passengers was 82-year-old Wally Funk who had trained as a cosmonaut but never made it into space because they said women couldn't go, for whatever reason. Just sexist. The journey to the edge of space and back to earth lasted for no more than 12 minutes. 

Wednesday. 8.00 a.m. I woke as normal at around 5.15. Alfie and I did our usual outing and it seemed as if it had been raining because of definite signs of the ground being given a real wetting. I had my usual bowl of cereal and tea and then went back to bed. I went back to sleep, which is unlike me. I've now done all the washing up in the kitchen and currently sitting here writing this. It seems my blog post reports are getting shorter and shorter. Oh well, such is life! I am so glad I got the fan yesterday as it's making sleeping better and Alfie seems to enjoy the breeze it produces.

Thursday. 6.15 a.m. Another bright and sunny morning, but it's likely to be warmer than ever.

I've been doing some more baking I went to get additional ingredients and have made a batch of brownies which have come out better than expected. Crunchy on the outside and soft and chocolatey on the inside. Not really baking weather. The heat isn't exactly conducive for this sort of work. I may do more once it's cooler.

Friday. 6.40 a.m. Well, the week is slipping by quickly. I can't believe it's Friday again. The excitement is too much. Do you sense a sort of irony in my words, a sense of sarcasm? Well, you might be right. Just running out of anything original to put in these posts.

Later. 4.25 p.m. I've taken Alfie out, as per usual. We walked down Strudwick Drive towards the crossing point onto Oldbrook Green. There was a somewhat large, rather undisciplined dog with its owner, who was sitting on the bench in the area you arrive in when you first get onto Oldbrook Green. I was reluctant to walk past as the dog looked likely to be unwelcoming of Alfie. Its owner shouted to me, asking if I had a light, but I replied that I didn't, as I don't smoke. I really had to struggle to get Alfie to walk around the Green, but he just would not. It was so unlike him, as he usually is more than happy to do the usual circular walk. I can't think what it was, but he was determined to take me home. For a little dog, he can be very determined and, in some ways, stubborn, and pulled me to cross the road and back to the flat.

February Fun?

Is February generally a fun month? I can't say one way or the other. I think it's made worse at the moment because of the pandemic and being incarcerated in my flat. I have to say I feel a bit like a battery chicken, cooped up in one of those small cages, with little room to move (not true to some extent, but not being able to get out and about as before the first lockdown, definitely.) Days getting longer and lighter earlier, definitely makes things better. Do you not get a feeling of irony with my blog post title? Yes, definitely. But we do need something to relieve the boredom and have a good laugh. 

Pancake day, Shrove Tuesday, is on it's way!  Anything to cheer things up. Pancakes just happen to be one of my favourite dishes. I like to think I'm good at making them, and the preparation of the batter is the most important part of creating them. Using plain flour which is airiated by being put through a sieve which is held hight over the bowl and also with melted butter added along with a couple of eggs, which, when milk is added together with a pinch of salt and then beaten together until the whole becomes fairly runny, but not too runny for it to run out of the pan you cook in. It should just run off the spoon, but not too much (if that makes sense.) The next is to cover and let it stand for a few hours before making. This allows all the ingredients to settle and as a result the batter will thicken, so before you make the pancakes, add a little more milk to make the mixture more runny.

(Wednesday) Out early with Alfie and at gone 9 o'clock I went to Homebase, as I was searching for a bradawl. Before you ask, it's a handled device for making holes in a wooden surface. I wanted one so I can make holes in the construction of the coffee table so that the screws can better screw in tighter. If that makes sense. I had a good look in the tools section but I could see nothing suitable, so I left and went over the road to The Range and fortunately I found one, shown me by a member of staff. A really confusing display and it's not very clear what is what so you can find things easily. The same could be said of the Homebase display.  I can't believe such a simple item would be so difficult to find. But I got it!

I then went to Sainsbury's. I can't believe how long I was in there. I don't know what it was this morning, but it seemed to take forever to get round. I always take a well researched list so I don't forget anything and that generally makes things easier because I don't want to be in there longer than necessary, but perhaps my visits to Homebase and The Range have something to do with it.

(Thursday) Been out earlier than usual. Alfie fast asleep in his bed. It was frosty and crunchy underfoot as we walked along the grass beside the path. Good thing we weren't out too long as my hands go blue if they get cold and it can be really uncomfortable. I should remember to wear my gloves. 

I needed to get a fresh supply of vitamin D tablets. I was told by my doctor that I ought to take vitamin D after I had the results of my last blood test, so I bought some in Sainsbury's, but when I was in there yesterday I couldn't find any. Every other permutation of vitamins, minerals etc etc but not vitamin D. This morning I drove over to Bletchley to visit Boots and managed to get a pack in there. 180, one a day, which is what I was already taking. So, that problem solved. I had hoped to visit T.K. Maax, which is further along the parade from Boots, but I found it boarded up, due to covid restrictions, but Greggs was open. So, what's so difference, if Boots and Greggs can be open, why not T.K. Maax? Just wanted a browse through the men's department, but definitely not going to happen for a while at least.

Later. Been out at around 2.15 this afternoon and there's been a definite drop in the temperature. Really cold and I couldn't wait to get back inside as my hands were turning blue. Also not good to be in the cold with a heart condition.

(Friday) I woke at around 1.30 and couldn't get back to sleep. Had a shave and then sorted the rubbish into black bag and tied it up, ready to take out to the dustbins and put new bag on the kitchen bin. Did some washing up and the kitchen now looks neat and tidy.  Sorted washing into washing basket, ready to take to the laundry room just before 8a.m.Did my Bible reading (one year with Nicky Gumble through the You Version app on my iPad.) Alfie is fast asleep in his bed, although he had been in bed with me up until the time I got out of bed. It is now 3.00a.m and sitting here in the lounge writing this. What's the day going to be like, on the weather-front? Seems calm at the moment, but I think the wind was blowing a gale in the night.

A good deal later. Out with his nibs at 7.15. Not as cold as yesterday, but still chilly. Got washing on and now back in the flat. There was an amazing red sky over Milton Keynes. I would have done a photograph but it's virtually impossible to get a good vantage point around Oldbrook without getting buildings in the way. I would need to get up a lot higher to get a good shot, unfortunately.

It's 7.55a.m. Just not a lot to say at the moment, but watch this space.

A Very Merry (Bah! Humbug) Lockdown Christmas!

(Saturday) I went to Aldi this morning, the branch in Bradwell Common and opposite my doctor's surgery. There are things they sell which I can't get elsewhere and as their prices are around a third of the major 4 supermarkets, then I thought it was worth going. I also had a £1 coin for the trolley which I don't always have on me, otherwise I couldn't shop there. I was in and out so quickly, and going so early made it easier as there were very few other shoppers in the store, making social distancing easier as well as being able to find a parking space in the car park

(Sunday) So the pandemic lockdown rules have been changed. Bah! Humbug! As Scrooge would have said so succinctly. Boris Scrooge Johnson as he should now be known. This area, the South East of England, which includes Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes, will move into a new Tier 4 tomorrow (Sunday) which means tighter regulations around meeting other people and no travel in and out of other areas with different tiers. And Boris is now considering a THIRD lockdown! All I can say is, lockdowns don't work. Or so it would seem. So, with data regarding those who are infected with the virus and those who have died, which is inaccurate, I'm inclined to not believe what we are told. As it is, restricting people's liberty, the whole thing should be debated in Parliament and given these restrictions scrutiny.

I went out with Alfie at around 9.15 this morning. As usual we walked along Strudwick Drive (or, I should be more specific, the pavement, or is it actually a path. Don't be so pedantic, Murdoch!.I'm not so stupid as to walk on the actual road.) We crossed over Oldbrook Boulevard as usual and walked around the Green. Alfie takes ages as he has to sniff every lamppost and tree, and then we came back to where we started and crossed back over Oldbrook Boulevard and as we did so I saw one of the Starship 'pods' coming towards us along the pavement. It had its lights on and as we approached we stopped directly in front of it and it stopped. It made me think of something out of a science fiction movie, 'Star Wars,' 'Star Trek' or even 'Doctor Who.' (Strangely similar to 'K9', the robot dog which was The Doctor's companion in the early, original version of the show, although he did return in one of the episodes of the rebooted version.) Then I stood back and the pod (for want of a better name.) trundled on and I watched it stop at the kerb, as if undecided what to do. It was obviously waiting to make sure the road was clear and then moved forward, but then stopped on the island in the centre of the road and, again, seemed to be checking for any vehicle and then moved forward and disappeared off along the path around Oldbrook Green. I could see it's yellow flag as it went off from the other side of the road. Funny little thing. They are a bit like miniature refrigerators on wheels or those cool boxes you can get to put your food in to keep it fresh on a hot summer's day when you go out for a picnic, but with wheels and a bit of an attitude. They do have personalities. Well I think so.

(Monday) Alfie kept wanting to sit on my knee and hanging about under my feet. This was around 6.30a.m. I was busy on my iPad and was ignoring him, but it suddenly dawned on me that he was desperate to go outside, so I quickly got dressed and we went out onto the grass area along the side of Strudwick Drive. Poor little dog, he would otherwise have had an accident (do I have to describe exactly what? No I don't.) Fortunately I took my little torch with me, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to clear up things. Its been really useful. It was raining (it probably is still as I write this.)and we had to go to the bin on Oldbrook Green before returning home. Alfie, totally bedraggled, looking like a wrong-out mop, went totally bonkers, attempting to get dry by charging around the flat. His coat goes crinkly when he's wet, looking as if he's been permed. Never mind, problem solved and back in front of the television watching BBC Breakfast on television.

Even More Rain

This is beginning to get a bit repetitive, but looking out of the window into the space which purports to be a garden (!), it's raining. It's raining as I type this, at 6.40 a.m. And it doesn't look as if it's going to stop any day soon.

Shelley and Gary, our neighbours, have given us their old garden swing. They were clearing out, and it would have been taken to be dumped at the tidy-tip. No doubt it would have been re-cycled in some way or other, but we were offered it. It was passed over the fence and is now ensconced in the newly-barked (!) section of the garden near the lounge window. I had the foresight to bring the padded seat into the house as I didn't want it to get wet when it rained, which it has done for the past couple of days. Gary has offered to come round and cut the grass with his far more powerful mower, but, as yet, due to the rain, he hasn't been able to. The grass is getting far too long for our poor little mower to get through it. Unfortunately, some of the grass is seeding and if it doesn't get cut soon will be virtually impossible to mow.

I got my hair cut yesterday morning. I know, exciting, but it was in real need of a trim. The last time I had it cut was in February and I usually have it cut every four to six weeks. There was no point going to Monkston Park, because the barbers there has closed down, so, for a change, I decided to go to the barbers in the Food Centre near the Milton Keynes shopping centre. Fortunately I had the sense to get there just as they were opening up, so I didn't have to wait too long. It's no good letting my hair get too long before I get it cut and most certainly won't wait so long before I next have it done.

It's turned out really hot and clammy so I expect we'll have a further downpour before the night's out.

Alfie hasn't been feeling himself this afternoon. Just not behaving in his usual way, with his ears laid back, which usually indicates that he's not feeling well. Hw sat on my knee and then moved over to Carol. He hasn't been moving around very well, so we suspect it might be his joints, possibly his back hip joint. Well, he is 11 years old, or will be in August. I gave him some of the ibuprofen liquid we had left over when he went to the vet's. I mixed it in with his dinner and now he seems quite happy, moving about as normal and behaving as he normally does.