The Land Where The Bong Trees Grow

 Tuesday. 7.30 a.m. I know, the title is crazy and will have nothing whatever to do with the contents of this post. But why not?

12.25 p.m. It's bright and sunny today. It may look warm and inviting, but I think it's likely to be cold outside. The digital thermometer currently reads 24 ºC.

I have had a visit from some Council staff, doing a survey about my impressions of living in Dexter House and other matters. I really don't see the point of all this. I seem to get sent endless surveys, although there is the incentive of possibly winning a draw for £150.

I have been continuing with my writing. I have spent a lot of time researching so that the information is accurate and convincing.

Thursday. 7.10 a.m. Alfie died last night. I'm devastated. He's been a huge part of my life. He has been a real companion and a source of support since Carol's death. Not only that, but he adapted so well when I moved to the flat. What more can I say? He has been mentioned so much in these posts. 

12.10 p.m. I rang the vet at 8.30 and took Alfie to be cremated. I needed to get this done as soon as possible. I don't like leaving things that need doing undone. I can relax now, even though it was heartbreaking. It is odd coming back to a flat without him there. I will give his things, bowls, and remaining food to a couple at church who have dogs.

Friday, 7.10 a.m. So, the first morning waking up without Alfie. It's strange, as there's none of his sounds, the hollow breathing, his tap-tap-tap of his feet on the floor. It will take a lot of adjusting.

Yesterday afternoon I went for lunch with my friends Mike and Margaret. On the way back, and driving along the part of Chaffron Way running past Oldbrook, I noticed that there was one of those digital displays that tells you to slow down. It has a smiley face that comes on when you reach the correct speed. The whole section has been resurfaced, and the speed limit has been reduced to 40. But then, when you go further on, past Eaglestone and on to the roundabout on Marlborough Street, there is no 40 M.P.H speed limit. Then, along Saxon Street, running past the Milton Keynes Academy and Milton Keynes Hospital, there is a further 40 m.p.h. speed limit, which a lot of people ignore, or pretend to, because when I have turned off the roundabout, there is almost always a car directly behind me, attempting, or so it seems to me, to get me to speed up.

Wild and Windy

 Wednesday. 7.30 a.m. The weather has changed for the worse. It's really windy and wet out this morning. 

Thursday. 7.25 a.m. A shade murky this morning. The digital thermometer currently reads 23ºc.

Yesterday, I went to my friend Mike, who has Parkinson's, whilst his wife Margaret went to a meeting. Driving there, I had to cross Marlborough Street, and roadworks were going on, with red barriers up. I'm not exactly clear what they're doing, but, as there's been a lot of resurfacing work going on across Milton Keynes recently, I thought it might be something to do with that. On the way back after 4 o'clock, I came up Chaffron Way and got to the roundabout crossing Marlborough Street. I would normally have continued on along Chaffron Way, but it was closed off, so I had to turn left into Marlborough Street and continue on and round near the hospital and on to Oldbrook and home. I realise they have to do maintenance of the road system, but you very rarely get an advance warning of these works, and then have to do a somewhat circuitous detour around the place to get to wherever you were intending to go.

We were told that a yellow weather warning was in place yesterday. The possibility of torrential rain and then flash flooding. It started to get dark when I was at Mike and Margaret's, and then it began to rain, but certainly not the heavy rain as forecast. It was over in around 10 minutes, and then the sun came out. Driving home, there was absolutely no sign that it had been raining. No puddles, nothing. We were watching television, which is supplied by Freesat. The television signal began to break up, and for a while it shut down completely. It came back eventually.

Friday. 1.45 p.m. I had ordered a trowel on Amazon, as I mentioned a day or two ago. Unfortunately, for some reason, it had to be signed for. You had to be over 18. Well, I'm well over 18! It was supposed to have been delivered on Wednesday, and I was expecting it to come during the evening. I got a message from Amazon to tell me that they had attempted to deliver it at around 3 p.m., but couldn't deliver it because there was no answer. Well, I was sitting with Mike at that time, and then they said it would come yesterday at 1 p.m. I was out again! I gave up and cancelled the trowel and should get a refund. I can't think why you would need to sign for the thing. I can understand if it was a knife, but a trowel? Hardly a dangerous item. You could hardly use it to stab someone. I do realise they have a responsibility for making sure some items don't get into the wrong hands. But a trowel?? So, this morning I went to The Range and bought a trowel and a hand fork. I only wish now that I had gone there in the first place.

Another Week (So, What's New?)

Monday 9.40 a.m. It continues to be relatively fine but chilly. It's that time of year when you never know whether to wear a coat or leave it at home. I suppose it's the transition from summer into autumn. Not just a coat, but also an umbrella. Unfortunately, I'm hopeless with umbrellas. I either leave them somewhere or other, get the thing caught in something, like an overhanging branch of a tree, stuck in a sliding door or there's a gust of wind, and it gets blown inside out. How many umbrellas have I seen on my walks around Oldbrook Green, the wrecks of such instruments which have become torn from their user's grasp by a sudden blast?

Driving towards Camphill was crazy. Crossing the roundabout along Chaffron Way which intersects with Marlborough Street can be somewhat hairy, to say the least. It can be somewhat tricky as you can't see vehicles coming around one side and then all the way along Chaffron Way towards the roundabout at Brickhill Street it's a fairly straight run, but in the opposite lane the traffic is stationary, more or less nose-to-tail. There are two more roundabouts, one at Childs Way and the last, Portway, which is the busiest of the lot before I can reach the car park at Camphill.

As with more or less everything which happens in the theatre workshop, the day began with a 'check-in', which is when everyone involved put the chairs into a circle and each person talks about their day, what they have been doing and how they are feeling.

Some drama games were played, some of which I got involved in. One, called EastEnders, is a game based on the infamous BBC soap. I'm not altogether sure of the rules, but everyone stands in a circle, and you start off shouting 'Oi!' at the next person in the circle, and this gets passed around until someone says another phrase (I can't remember this phrase.) Then someone says 'get out of my pub!' or 'You're not my mother!' (all based on incidents in the soap.) It's quite noisy, as you can imagine, but it gets everyone working. The basic idea is to get people who generally have a problem with communicating and, can have a problem with speech, to boost their confidence and increase the power of their voices. It's certainly a good way to get the group to communicate. I'm not so sure if it's something I'm overconfident with, but mostly, for me, it's learning the rules! It's just great to be back at Camphill on a Tuesday and out of the flat for most of the day.

Terri, who is the new drama leader, has started the guys off on rehearsing and devising a panto version of Shakespeare's play 'Twelfth Night.' The guys have their characters and are working on developing their characters. Terri goes through the text of the play and then adapts the Shakespeare lines into something the gang can speak. Some of the scenes are very funny and I can't wait to see how it all develops.

Tuesday. 7.10 a.m. I could hear the wind in the middle of the night. It sounded very powerful and possibly enough to cause quite a bit of damage, with trees being torn down and branches falling. As I write this, it's a good deal calmer, but, when I took Alfie out we had to contend with rain which we weren't expecting.

I was cold when I woke earlier in the night, so I had to put on the much thicker duvet which is kept in the wardrobe. I will need to put in the duvet cover and change my bedding as a result of all this. Not actually one job I enjoy.

1.15 p.m. I have changed the bedding for the thicker, winter, duvet, which was a real effort. Why is this job so difficult? It's easy if you know the trick of putting corners to corners, the corners of the duvet to the corners of the cover. The buttons which do up are a pain, but it's worthwhile and done for a while.

Wednesday. 6.45 a.m. It appears to be a good deal calmer this morning. I can't hear the roaring wind like I did the other night when I woke up. I did one circuit of Oldbrook Green at around 7 o'clock as it was a good deal lighter by then. I don't think Alfie appreciated the walk and came back indoors and went to sleep on my bed.

Thursday. 7.20 a.m. Another totally untypical November morning. It's incredibly mild, with very little wind and no sign of rain.

Friday. 6.25 p.m. Not a lot has happened today. Well, that's life at Dexter House for you. If you want to vegetate, then you can just sit in your flat and bore yourself stupid with daytime television. (There can't possibly be many more programmes about selling antiques or houses that an intelligent person can take, surely? I think 'Homes Under The Hammer' really needs scrapping.) There is a Wednesday afternoon tea-and-biscuits get-together (for want of a name for it.) But it's really not my idea of fun. Attempted to get some sort of conversation going at the first one, but it was a bit like banging my head against a brick wall.

I have joined the Buckingham branch of the Historical Association, which I heard about when I went to the archaeological conference two weeks ago. I am booked for several Zoom lectures as a result of this membership and one Zoom call in December on Capability Brown in Bedfordshire.

Summer and Sunshine

Wednesday. 7.50 a.m.  I realized that I had no milk for breakfast yesterday evening but I didn't go out to buy some, so this morning I had to go out because I can't start my day without my cup of tea or cereal. My car was running low on fuel, so I decided that I could get that done and buy milk from the ESSO station on Childs Way. I went out before 7 o'clock. Easy enough to drive there as the roads are more or less clear, another positive of lockdown. Usually Marlborough Street would be nose-to-tail at that time until around 9 o'clock, but it was a straightforward journey there and back. I can't really go anywhere else, such as shopping in Sainsbury's, which I must do later in the day, because I'm awaiting the arrival of my new iPhone 12 which is due sometime today. I should get a text message from the DPD driver who will deliver the phone and will let me know approximately what time it will be delivered.

Later.  11.15 a.m I was about to go out to Sainsbury's when I checked my emails and found one from DPD, who will deliver the iPhone and it informed me that it would be delivered between 2.10 and 3.10. So at least I know not to go out during that time slot.

Later. The iPhone arrived at around 2.40 p.m. I soon had it set up and working. Removing the SIM card from the old iPhone wasn't that easy because there wasn't the little key that opens the tiny tray on the side of the phone, which you normally get when you buy your iPhone, so I had to improvise with a darning needle. But putting the SIM into the new iPhone wasn't as difficult as it could have been. Because of having iCloud my apps were automatically transferred to the new phone and I got it connected to my broadband router and things were virtually complete.

Thursday. 11.00 a.m. I've managed to clear old data from the old iPhone, including apps and I had it packed up in the Jiffy Bag which came with the new phone and it has been taken to the post office in Coffee Hall and handed over. I should get a credit on my account and it means I don't have it laying around the flat unused and at least it will be refurbished and get a new life elsewhere. It was in really good condition when I removed it from its case, although I did wipe it with a wet wipe before putting it in the packaging.

Alfie was in his element when we went out at 10.15. I saw the lady who has Toto, the little shitzu, in the middle of Oldbrook Green. I let Alfie off his lead and it was like one of those romantic films where the lovers see one another from afar and run to each other in slow-motion, with soft focus, the music swells and it's 'happily ever after', and such cliches they use in rom-com. It wasn't just Toto and Alfie, we were joined by several other dogs and they had a good run around, including a few treats, which Alfie really appreciated.

Yet Another Week of Lockdown

(Thursday) I've been to Waitrose this morning. There's things I can't get elsewhere, such as soap and I like their bath foam. Good value, considering it's  a Waitrose Essentials product. There was the obligatory queue system to get in, similar to that at Sainsbury's. I was in and out quickly and I used a manned checkout as I'm not sure about the self-service machines. It was a clear run down Chaffron Way and it was odd that there was virtually no traffic, as Marlborough Street, where it crosses Chaffron Way, is usually chocker-block at around 8.30a.m, which is around the time I'm driving to Camphill on a Tuesday morning. None of the nose-to-tail along the road, people obviously going to work. At the moment they will do doubt be on lockdown.

(Friday) Seems amazing to think it's 1st May. How did we get here so quickly? It doesn't seem that long ago that we were celebrating Christmas.

I'm having a bit of a Shakespeare festival currently. I know it was The Bard's birthday last week (how old would he have been? I think around 456 or something like that.) and I watched the National Theatre's production of Twelfth Night with Tamsin Greig as Malvolia, The Globe's version of Romeo and Juliet and, on BBC iPlayer, 'Hamlet.' As for other productions, available, free, on YouTube, I saw the National Theatre's 'Frankenstein' with Benedict Cumberbatch as 'The Monster.' It was a good production (I say 'was' because it's no longer in the National's repertoire. I'm not entirely sure how long ago it was on. I believe Twelfth Night was around five years ago.) but the only problem I have with watching via YouTube is that it doesn't work too well. I suppose I shouldn't look the proverbial gift-horse in the mouth, but generally speaking you don't get the full 'live' theatre experience seeing these plays on television. Well, you can't expect too, but it's great that they are recording these performance because once a live show finishes, there's usually no record of it for future viewing or for future generations to enjoy or for those who wouldn't normally go to the theatre.

(Saturday) It doesn't feel like the weekend. It doesn't feel like any particular day of the week. It's probably due to the lockdown, when each day seems to melt into one another. There's no focus to the week, such as going to Camphill on a Tuesday or church on Sunday.

I have been watching 'The A Word' and today watched two more episodes of the first season. I know there's a new, third, season due to start in a week or two so I want to have watched the second run before getting to the new season. Having worked almost exclusively with people with autism, I can identify with the problems of the family it's about. The little lad who plays Joe is amazing. I can't think how they get such a brilliant performance out of a child of around 5 or 6. They must have a great deal of patience.

(Sunday) I was out with Alfie before 6 o'clock this morning. He kept looking at me, which is usually his way of telling me he needs to go out. It was quite mild, thankfully. I usually do washing up from the night before, so I did that and the kitchen is again sparkling clean.

I have now seen the final episode of the first run of 'The A Word,' and I will start on season 2, probably this afternoon. I don't watch episodes back-to-back, but iPlayer almost insists that you with the next episode as soon as the previous episode is finished.

Having the windows open has it's disadvantages. Some delightful person drive up in their car and parked right below my window and had thumping pop music playing on their radio (it might have been a CD or from a mobile, but never mind.) This sort of thing is annoying. Please don't do this at such an hour of the morning. But Noel Coward was right when he said 'strange how potent cheap music is,' which is a line from his comedy 'Private Lives.' Just awful thumping news. People never play something calm, a bit of Beethoven or other classical music, and why play it so loud that it interferes with out people's lives, and in my case, concentration?

Having had a scan of what's on iPlayer, there is no excuse to say 'there's nothing much to watch.' Just overwhelming by the stuff you can watch.

Alfie insisted on another outing, as he was staring in his usual way so I felt obliged to take him out as soon as I'd finished watching 'The A Word.' I have to say, having worked with people with autism, it seems a very accurate portrait of someone with the disability. I'd be interested to know whether the writer had first hand experience of life with an autistic.

Calmer Weather and Camphill Days

I'm now taking Alfie out for his early morning walk a good deal earlier now that it's light by 7.30. I had to wake him up, which is unusual because it's usually the other way round. I was surprised that there was some ice on the car's rear window when we walked past and it was good that the howling wind had gone and no rain! The puddle along the path which we walk along towards Oldbrook Green was gone and I am glad we don't have to walk through it. By the time we'd crossed Oldbrook Boulevard and went to the doggy bin I saw the 'Mystery Lady' walking along the road near The Cricketers public house. She was hardly dressed appropriately for such a cold morning, although I don't see her stop any vehicles.

I went to Camphill as usual. We did a rehearsal of 'Stranger Danger' and I stood in for one of the regulars who doesn't always appear in the morning. I got into trouble from one of the ladies. I'm not sure exactly what I was supposed to have done wrong, but anyway, we didn't rehearse for long because after last week, when we had the visitors and things were disordered as a result of not knowing they were coming, this week we watched more of 'Oliver!' and then began to work on the improvisation that Teo had suggested. We still have to more of the films to watch, which I expect we will get round to next week.

(Thursday) Another calm day on the weather front. I'm going to Camphill this morning, helping with a teacher's conference which is being run in the Chrysalis Theatre. I'm not leaving home until after 9 o'clock in an attempt to avoid the aggressive driving I have to endure as I drive there and the volume of traffic should hopefully be very much reduced.

I left for Camphill a good deal later than usual and the traffic wasn't as hectic as it is if I go earlier. Cross the roundabouts at Marlborough Street, Childs Way and Portway, before I eventually reached Camphill was a good deal easier than on other occasions.

Three tables had been set up in the foyer of the Chrysalis Theatre, with coffee and tea and cups as well as biscuits and other snacks ready for the conference delegates. A couple of the residents who are part of the Tuesday drama workshop were already in attendance behind one of the two bars, organising coffee and tea, but Matthew, who has latched on to me since I started volunteering with the group, wasn't around and I soon learned that he was in hospital. He is diabetic and he doesn't take control of his blood sugar levels, which often get dangerously high. So, because he wasn't there, I had to help serve tea and coffee and make sure that there were adequate supplies when they ran low. The delegates arrived around 9.45 and we started to serve them their tea and coffee. The first session the delegates had was at 10.30 and two of the residents did the introduction to The Chrysalis Theatre, which we had done several weeks ago as a practice and it reminds those who use the Chrysalis things such as fire safety and where the toilets are. This gave us time to get the cups washed and they were stacked in the washing machine behind one of the bars and then taken out when finished and repositioned on the tables ready for when the delegates came out (which was around 12.15.) I had been wondering what they were going to eat for lunch and discovered that they were having pizza, but I imagined that they would order from Domino or Pizza Hut and have them delivered, but I soon discovered that they were being made in the Camphill bakery and that we would have to go and collect them with two trolleys. We went over to the bakery with the trolleys and, walking into the bakery kitchen, there was a delicious aroma, of pizzas and on several metal serving platters were the pizza slices, which were placed on the trolleys and then taken over to the Chrysalis. Unfortunately they had to be put on tables which had been set up on the stage, behind the screen which had been lowered for the conference, being used for the computer projector. We had to sneak into the theatre with the trolley and put the pizza on the tables, but we weren't actually supposed to go in with the conference still in progress, but there was no other way to get in and set the platters up. It has only just occurred to me that the Chrysalis doesn't have dock doors which would allow scenery to be taken in or out and very little space to store scenery as you would normally have in a theatre, something I have used and seen in the theatres I've worked in. This would normally been how we could have got backstage without disturbing the conference.

A lot of the pizzas didn't get eaten. There were several platters which came back to the foyer and it meant that we could eat some of them! The remainder were taken to the various homes within the Camphill community. I just don't think the teachers who came to the conference were all that keen on pizza, but Camphill and in particular, the Chrysalis, doesn't have a professional kitchen to prepare food, with the main consideration being storage of food in refrigerators to keep food at the correct temperature.

The conference came to a close at 2.30. We were wondering if the delegates would come out and spend time in the foyer chatting and want coffee and tea, so we were ready, but nobody wanted a drink although some gathered in the foyer area but gradually dispersed. One the theatre was clear we began clearing up, folding the tables, folding the table cloths and generally tidying and I was finished by 3.30.

Wild and Wet

(Tuesday)Alfie insisted on going out earlier than usual. It was dark and we could hardly see, but still, it really didn't matter to him. He got to bark as loud as ever and I let him off his lead at the bottom of the path and he had a god run. But there were a few drips of wet and it was close to raining so I didn't intend walking the entire circuit of Eaglestone Park. It was just as well that we didn't, because it soon began to rain in ernest and we got back to the house in time and as I write this at 7.45 it's continuing.

Usually when I drive down Chaffron Way to Camphill on a Tuesday, the traffic is reasonably busy. It can be a bit hairy crossing the roundabout on Marlborough Street and then on down Chaffron it's plain sailing. Generally there is traffic queuing up in the other direction, but the heavy rain caused quite difficult driving, with the water remaining on the road surface and making the possibility of aqua-plaining a possibility, so some cars were driving extra slow (in complete contrast to a dry day, when a lot of drivers speed and you get lot of 'tailgating,' as I've mentioned in previous blog posts. It took  good 15 minutes to reach the exit into the Waitrose carpark and a good 20 further minutes to drive along Brickhill Street and actually arrive in the Camphill carpark. I then had to walk to the Chrysalis, not particularly far, but in the process I got thoroughly wet, my trousers mostly, because I wore my Peter Storm jacket with the hood on, something I haven't worn in probably the past 12 months. The rain didn't ease off until mid-morning, and eventually the sun came out and it because quite sunny by lunchtime.

Teo, the leader of the theatre workshop at Camphill, is still on holiday, so his deputy, Paul was in charge for the day. We did a run-through of 'Stranger Danger' up until teatime and then, when we went back we did something completely different, improvisation. We all sat in a circle (which seems the default.) and the idea was to tell the rest of the gang three things about yourself, two which were fake and one that was true, and then the other way round, two which are true and one fake. We all went off and had to come up with these fake/true things, myself going with one of the guys, Matthew, to the library (more of an office than a library.) and it was quite difficult to get him to say something which wasn't going to be too much of a give-away, because the others would know which was true and which fake.

After lunch we were on a totally different improvisation game. Some were supposed to be in a car. That was it. No more information. My group were supposed to be in a lift. The idea being that the lift started at the bottom of the building and when the doors first open one person gets in and gradually it stops at each floor as it goes up and more people get on at each floor. We managed to develop our own characters but somehow we couldn't get a story to develop, which was a pity. It's no good having a character, but they need to have a reason why they were getting in the lift, where were they going? What was the reason for getting in the lift and so on.

The we did another game (if that's the right word) where we had a partner, and we stood either side of the hall (auditorium of the Chrysalis Theatre) and had to speak without shouting, across at your partner, and make sure they could hear during a conversation. Another worthwhile bit of improvisation.

Then we did a second improvisation which was supposed to be set on a bus, so we had chairs set out in the form of a bus with the seats in rows with an aisle in the middle. We came up with characters on the bus, mine being someone going for a hospital appointment and being stressed that the bus was going to get to Oxford on time. Someone became the driver and someone else the conductor (do they have conductors on busses these days? My experience of going on a bus is that they don't, because you pay the driver when you board the bus, but that's a minor quibble.) As the conductor walked along the bus he asked to see passengers tickets and everyone made an excuse as to why they didn't have one. One of the group improvised being a spy, and when the conductor came to ask for his ticket, he got out all his secret weapons, hidden in a briefcase or bag, and just showed him as not being very good at being a SECRET spy! A good afternoon's work and everyone agreed it was worth doing the improvisations.

(Wednesday) I've tried to put off going out with Alfie as late as possible, because it's far too dark to see clearly, but you try explaining to a very lively Yorkshire Terrier! When I did eventually get dressed and prepared to go out with him, I discovered it was raining, not that hard, but enough to get somewhat damp. So I took young fellow-me-lad down to the bottom of the path where I usually let him off and came back home almost immediately.

Walking The Dog (and Sundry Matters)

(Saturday) A really lovely warm day today. As a result of hearing the weather forecast I decided to take off the bedding, duvet cover, sheet and pillow slips, and have them in the washing machine early this morning. Bedding changed and sorted and took Alfie out for his routine walk around Eaglestone Park. We met a large labrador also being walked and as usual Alfie wanted to be friends but I wasn't sure whether the other dog was that interested. Poor Alfie! We did the longer route back through the estate going towards Marlborough Street and came back along the Redway. I had a package to collect from Marks and Spencer, a short sleeved Henley top which was on their website and with 20% discount because I have a Sparks card (the Marks and Spencer loyalty card.) it seemed to good an opportunity to add to my wardrobe, particularly with the warm weather. I went into town after 9 o'clock and parked where I normally do near the Point.

I walked through to Marks and Spencer's. Hardly anybody about. Well, as it's a Saturday, a lot of people who would be shopping in this shopping centre aren't even out of bed yet. I go up on the escalator to the first floor, to the department where you pick up your 'Click and Collect' orders. It's a simple system, go on-line to order and pay and then wait a few days to get an email and then go in and pick your order up, beautifully packaged and even on a hanger. It means you don't have to wade through racks in the store or spend ages trying to find that particular item in your size. I then had a look at sort sleeve shirts. Marks have a good range, in lovely colours and fabrics and found what I wanted, but it wasn't in my size, so I had to ask a member of staff if they had it in stock. She looked on a computer screen and said they could order it for me. I wanted an XL size, and a regular fit, not what they call 'slim fit.' I don't like clothes that are too tight and I usually take a size L, but find if I have XL then there's a bit more room, if you know what I mean. I have lost a fair amount of weight, but putting some of it back on. I lost no end of weight when Carol was diagnosed and going through that awful time before she died. I had to put several more holes in the belt on my trousers. I don't wear jeans, I never have done since I was around 17-18. I much prefer Chinos as they fit better and don't go all baggy in the backside. Generally more comfortable. Anyway, the lady on the till said that the shirt I wanted would be available to pick up, on Monday. So, when I go to the Willen coffee morning in John Lewis, I can go and pick it up then.

So, order collected, I walked back through the shopping centre and returned to the car. By this time it was beginning to get busy. I'm glad I came in when I did. From there I drove to Sainsbury's to do some shopping and mainly to collect a repeat prescription from the Lloyd's in-store pharmacy.

I have a mystery. When I got home I checked to see if the washing was dry. It was. I'm so glad I had it out on the line so early. I want to know is this: why is it whenever you wash a duvet cover and you put it in the machine the right way round, when you come to remove it, how come it's inside out? There's no reason why it should. And why do you nearly always find, when you peg out socks, in particular, you always get one sock that doesn't have a mate, a matching one? It then either gets left inside the machine, so you have to spin the drum with your hand to see what is left, or it might just not even make the wash, and remain in the laundry basket, or you find you left it on the bedroom floor. The laundry elves must have something to do with it . . . .

It was bright and sunny as the day progressed. After lunch I took Alfie out for a second walk. He was more than happy to oblige and must have thought all his birthdays had come at once. We walked down the Redway towards the Grand Union Canal and walked along one side and then came back over the other, crossing over the canal at one of the bridges and then came back round and walked back along the Redway and home. I was quite exhausted when I got back, but never mind, it was worth it, just to have Alfie happy and for me to get some good exercise.

I forgot to mention. On Thursday, about half an hour before I left the house to drive to the theatre to see 'Les Miz,' I got a telephone call on my mobile. It was from Universal Extras, an agency which I have started applying to work for on their website. I have already uploaded two photos, one of which has been approved and the second, one of the full-length shots that John did for me the other week, was awaiting approval. It wasn't that which the call was about. Apparently they need proof of my right to work in the United Kingdom. A bit of a shock, because I have never been asked this by anyone before because I was born and have only ever lived in the UK, and, secondly, I don't have a passport. I was told I could use my birth certificate, a copy of which I don't currently have. Once these documents have been seen, uploaded or whatever, then I can be offered work by them. So, on Friday I went to the Bedford County Council website and applied on-line, as most things seem to be done these days. I at first thought I could have to drive to Bedford and apply 'over-the-counter,' but, no, it's just a question of filling in an on-line form and paying using my debit card and hopefully the certificate copy will be posted to me and should arrive in a couple of days.

A Marathon To Get To Church (and Other Matters)

(Sunday) I hadn't remembered that there was going to be a marathon run around Milton Keynes today and tomorrow (Monday.) So, when I realised that I might be stuck in Eaglestone with runners going along the road in front of my home, I panicked because I wanted to get to church. I came out of the estate near the Eaglestone shops, because the exit onto Saxon Street (opposite Milton Keynes Academy) was closed off with signs and barriers and there were people with high vis jackets on. Then, when I came out onto Chaffron Way, I found I couldn't turn left and had to turn right and then down and onto Marlborough Street.

Now, don't get me wrong. I have nothing against marathons, so long as you don't expect me to take part. Just not my thing.  Just the thought of having to possibly wear Lycra doesn't appeal to me somehow. There's noting wrong with people doing what they enjoy. And a lot of cash is raised for various charities and it's a community thing. There's not enough 'community' going on in this country as it is, we need events that bring people together. What with Brexit and all the divisions that's caused, it would be wrong to oppose something such as a marathon which brings people closer. My only objection is that it has to come down the road where I live and it means, if I want to get out in my car, I can't. O.k., you say, but it's only a few days in the year and then only a couple of hours on a Bank Holiday or a weekend. Well, yes, true. But if it's the only time you have with your partner or other members of your family, why do we have to be inconvenienced by this event? It could be easily be re-routed along the Redway, which is only a few yards away. Then I notice it comes along Golden Drive and then, further along, goes onto the Redway, so why not all the way along the Redway? If I so much make a comment to this effect on Facebook, I get the full force of someone or other's complaints. It's as if I'm not allowed to make a simple comment, a statement of common sense, I get shot down in flames. Oh dear, even say something in opposition. But the fact is, this person is easy to wind up. He/she has no sense of the irony. Doesn't take much to get them upset, riled I think the word is (must look that one up. I have just had a look. Perhaps I've spelt it wrong. Perhaps it's spelt with a 'y' instead of an 'i'.) I'm quite good at winding people up. Just need someone to take the bait and get them started, ranting and raving! Quite a few people out there like that. Just put the word 'Brexit' into the conversation and light blue touch-paper. Probably best to retire to a safe place and stick your fingers in your ears . . .

To more mundane matters . . .

I'm going to have to defrost the fridge/freezer. What excitement. Not. It has built up a great deal of ice and the fridge part has water that runs down the sides and gathers on the floor and when you open the door it tends to gush out. The freeze temperature probably needs adjusting. It hasn't been defrosted since it was first installed, I can't remember how long ago. The plastic drawers in the freezer section cause a problem, because with the amount of ice, some of them don't close properly. I have a problem that, if the door isn't closed properly, then there is a tendency for there to be a certain amount of thawing of the food inside. I have, unfortuntely, broken a couple of these drawers, because of the difficulty of pushing the drawers back inside. As a consequence, several have got severely broken. One has now got a large piece broken off completely and there is  danger of food inside the drawer falling out. I need to get these drawers replaced as soon as possible. So I found the manufacturer's website on-line yesterday and their telephone number, which, fortunately, being a Sunday, they were open for business. The manufcturer of the fridge/freezer is Candy, which I didn't realise was part of Hoover. I had to find the details of the fride/freezer on a label inside the fridge section, in the 'crisper' department. I spoke to someone at the call centre and, when he was given the relevant details of the fridge/freezer, was able to look up whether they could supply replaceent drawers. They can, but they don't have all the drawers in stock at he moment, and if I ring back in a couple of week's time, they will hopefully have the relevant items in stock and can dispatch them to me. Once they arrive, I can empty the fridge/freezer, get it defrosted and cleaned and the whole thing back in proper working order once again.

Later. I can't get out  in the car at the moment (11.15a.m.) because the Milton Keynes marathon is going past. Odd assortment of humanity, all shapes, sizes, colours, genders (to be 'diverse.') Why do some men have absolutely no idea of what they look like? Dressed in inappropriate clothing. I'll say no more. Just that, in the summer, when it's hot, why do men have no idea (not every man, of course.) that sometimes they look awful in shorts and tee shirts. Just not going there . . . Don't their women-folk tell them off when they get the horrible baggy shorts out? Go and by some better-fitting shorts. Not difficult to find. I have a vague idea what I look like. Just USE A MIRROR before going out!

Someone, somewhere near is using a Strimmer or a similar gadget in their garden. It's making a horrible noise. Why is it people insist on making this sort of noise whenever it's a Bank Holiday and all I want myself is to be quiet and relax? The D.I.Y companies, such as B and Q and Homebase, seem to think they can make more money by having offers of things like lawnmowers, Strimmers and other grass cutters, not realizing that they are condemning the rest of us to the dreadful noise they create.

There is a mystery. A white mattress has appeared just opposite my kitchen window. I'm intrigued as to where it's come from, and why someone would think it a good idea to dump it at the side of the road. There is really no need to just dump anything. You can take such items which have no further use or are just worn out or broken, to the tidy-tip in Bleak Hall. I took a photo with my iPhone and sent it with an email to the council so that they would be aware of this item. It is actually fly-tipping and as such it's an offence and whoever dumped it there can be fined heavily, and they deserve to be done for this.

Saturday Musical Evening (and other things)

(Saturday)I was going to get ready to go to the musical evening at around 6.30 on Saturday evening. I went into my bedroom and for some unaccountable reason, I thought the wardrobe was going to collapse. There has been a problem with one of the doors on the front of this IKEA unit. One of the hinges has broken and it hangs on just one. It wouldn't take much to repair this, but, on going to our local IKEA to get a replacement hinge, I was informed that they don't use that type of hinge any more. Just typical that they don't stock such things as hinges or other items that don't get used on more modern pieces of furniture they sell. Anyway, it doesn't make a lot of sense probably now, but it occurred to me that the wardrobe was leaning forward. I don't know why I got that impression, but it looked like that and there was no way I was going to allow it to collapse. I think it gave this impression because of the door which doesn't close properly. Well, it didn't collapse, fortunately, and I was able to get dressed and then drive to Shenley to go to the Oaktree Centre for the musical evening, remembering to take the two Victoria sponges with me. I put them on the floor, in the footwell on the passenger-side in the front because I wasn't going to have the cakes ruined if I put them on the back seat and then shooting forward if I had to brake suddenly.

My two Victoria sponges were given pride of place on the counter at church and had clear plastic covers put over them. I did actually manage to eat a slice, and, although I say it myself, they turned out really well, light and fluffy. What would Paul Hollywood, Mary Berry or Prue Leith, judges on 'Great Britsh Bake-Off' have to say? I'll have to try other cake recipes. The very last slice was eaten on Sunday morning during the break between the two services. Made me very pleased to think that both cakes were consumed and not a piece left, so it must have been enjoyed, which is the best reason of all to make cakes!

As regards the musical evening. I'm just amazed at the talent on show, playing a wide range of different styles of music. Very enjoyable. There is going to be another of these evenings in a few month's time.

(Monday)I've been into the Milton Keynes Council offices this morning, because I had an appointment with the Homeless Prevention officer. It turns out I'm not actually homeless because I have a house to live in, but I'm not going to be able to remain in this house because of the cost of rent. They won't pay me the full amount of rent as housing benefit and I've now learnt that I'm not going to have the Death In Service payment because Carol came out of the system, no doubt at the time we lost the house in Crownhill and had to pay the debt off because of what Sam did to our bank account (I'm not going into any more detail than that, but I have described it all in an earlier blog post.) I rang Teachers' Pensions this morning to be told this. So I now know what my financial situation is and as a result will have to look for accommodation myself, having been given a list of agencies who might be able to help. I need a one-bedroom house or bungalow, with a bit of enclosed garden for Alfie. I really no longer need a three-bedroom property, so it makes a lot of sense.

I got back from the city centre and had something to eat. I had been into Greggs and bought a ploughman's lunch roll, some egg custard tarts and a small bottle of fresh orange juice. Very crafty, Greggs, because you queue up right next to all the enticing food items, so you can't avoid jam doughnuts or sausage rolls. Or other very fattening food which you shouldn't really eat if you're diabetic or have a health problem. They never put how much fat or sugar they contain or the number of calories, but generally Greggs are good, fairly cheap and good value and they've managed to put their stores in places where they know the public will go to buy their lunch or whatever.

Having eaten my lunch, sitting down in front of the television and watching the BBC lunchtime news, but wishing I hadn't bothered, because it was more about Brexit, which is about as enticing as having your eyes piked with a sharp stick. Boring and negative. I think I'll attempt to avoid any more television news until this thing has been resolved or MP's can get their act together and vote so the ting can move on and we can at least leave the EU, for good or ill.

It was such a warm and sunny afternoon I couldn't possibly spend the rest of the day indoors, so I decided to take Alfie out for a second walk. I think it was something of a surprise, as I very rarely take him out a second time. It causes such a stir and I see the other side of Alfie as soon as I make moves to take him out. Trying to clip his lead to the harness he wears causes him to turn into a sort of Tasmanian Devil, barking and jumping around. Anyhow, we did get outside and walked down the medway towards the Grand Union Canal, going under  the bridge at Marlborough Street, then walking along the tow path that runs besides the canal and back over the canal at the next bridge. 

Scratching Dog

Alfie has been scratching a lot lately. I know that all dogs do this, and it can usually be caused by fleas. He hasn't got any nasty raw patches on his skin and his coat hasn't gone dull which is usually a sign of the presence of fleas, but just in case he had any little visitors, I went into Morrison's and had a look in the pet section for some sort of treatment. I chose Bob Martin Clear Spot-On. I think we've used this before when we had two dogs, but having spent so much time in hospitals with Carol over more than eighteen months, unfortunately Alfie has been neglected to a certain extent. Which was the same regarding having him groomed and the rather unpleasant matter which had built up under his eyes, which is more or less now under control. He doesn't like me touching either areas when I attempt to clean these areas with cotton wool soaked in water. I think he enjoys the fuss and readily comes to sit on my knee, then growls noisily when I go near with the cotton wool. Strange little dog that he is! Take his collar and harness off Alfie and he wonders what on earth is going on. You have to take them off because the flea treatment won't work properly. I went to put his collar on and he started barking and yapping, no doubt thinking he was going out for a walk or something else. But no.

(Monday)I've been into the Council offices to give them details of the Teachers' Pension payments. I had to because otherwise if they knew I had it without them knowing I could be done for fraud. I had to sign in at the touch-screen computer at the reception and then took the ticket with the number on and had to just sit and wait. It was probably around 45 minutes before I got seen.

I'm supposed to get what is called a 'Death In Service' payment. I didn't know about this until Chloe mentioned it, because she is an art teacher. The HR department kept badgering Carol to get her to be 'medically retired.' I can see why now. Even though she was on 'Sick Pay' and supposedly still on their books as an employee, as soon as she signed anything so that she was no longer officially an employee of Milton Keynes Academy, then they could avoid paying me anything such as the 'Death In Service' payment. I have given various bits of information to Chloe who is passing it on to the finance department at the school where she works and they will deal with this for me. I'm just annoyed that nobody let me know what I was entitled to. You don't get any sort of support to find out what benefits you can apply for (except, of course, the C.A.B. lady who works for Macmillan.)

I've got to clear out a lot of stuff if I'm to ever move from this house. There's loads of stuff in the smaller bedroom. It's piled on top of the bed and if you move some of it there'll be an avalanche. I can't deal with Carol's clothes. I'm going to have to get someone to help me. It's all far to personal. I know it sounds crazy, but that's what usually happens when someone dies and there are clothes and other items left behind. It can go in bin bags and go to a charity shop or somewhere where it can be recycled or sent to places where this stuff can be used. I'm sure that's what Carol would want. Just writing about this on here is sort of therapeutic and I can deal with it. It is taking time. I know we have lots of books. I do tend to hoard to some extent. Paperbacks can be given to a charity shop, particularly those books that I've read once and won't ever likely read again. A lot of hardbacks are useful, a lot of art books, particularly Dorling Kindersley stuff, and history books or those connected to my interests regarding cinema, animation, history or similar.

I would never have known how to get this payment unless I'd contacted Carol's union, the N.A.S.U.W.T. I had no idea how I would go about claiming anything, so I rang the area office and they sent out the relevant paperwork for me to fill out. It wasn't until I got a more recent telephone call from a caseworker that I was told that if I went to the Teachers' Pensions website and downloaded the form to fill in and then printed off that I was able to take things further. I had to get Carol's employee number from Milton Keynes Academy and put this on the form and then post off that things began to move. I only knew I had received a payment when I went to my bank account on line to discover the money had been put into the account. No letter at this point to inform me of how they had worked out the payment, so I rang Teachers' Pensions and they told me that a letter had been posted out, and quite by chance I got the letter in the post a couple of hours later. Just a coincidence really.

(Tuesday) I took out Alfie as usual this morning. He just won't let me forget him. He sits on the sofa when I'm working on the laptop and stares at me. When we eventually went out, we did the longer walk, ending up walking along the redway that runs alongside Marlborough Street and then back home along the redway from the hospital and going behind the house. It was still chilly but the sun did eventually make an appearance.

I've been out this morning, to Homebase. I wanted to get some plastic boxes in which I could pack such things as books, DVDs and other items, so that it can be taken to a charity shop or shops. I wasn't expecting to find such a good selection in the area where you walk in. A larger, deeper, box and a set of several shallower boxes, which are ideal for packing paperbacks. They have lids and should fit in the back of the car quite comfortably.

I have done the first shift, for want of a better word, clearing out some of the stuff in the small spare room. I have two boxes of paperbacks packed up. I can't spend too much time on this. I'm not really supposed to lift heavy items, but there's no other way of getting this job done. If by chance I move from this house, all this will need to be done, so I've decided I have to start on it. I can do all this is small stages which means it's likely to take some time to complete. Some paperbacks taken off the shelves in the living room, which means I now have some vacant space. Just great to have started on this job. I've been thinking about it for some time, but hadn't thought how to go about it. But I still have to sort out Carol's clothes, shoes and other things which I just can't touch. I know it sounds crazy, but it's too personal. I will get around to it eventually, but not at the moment.

Pothole Repairs, Oncology and Oxford P.E.T. Scan

I just had to mention this. We were going out in the car the other morning, I forget where, but it doesn't matter. We were going out at the Saxon Street exit. We saw a man in one of those hi-vis jackets. He had some sort of paint spray device in his hands. I had to look twice. He'd been spraying paint around some of the potholes around the entrance. We've been mentioning the fact that the road on which we live is full of potholes and the fact that they need repairing. Most are along the centre, the point where the two sections of the tarmac meet. No doubt this was a cheap method of constructing road surfaces back when the estate was built, must've been in the 1970's. But the 'seams' (I can think of no better way to describe it.) are coming apart. It's like driving in some sort of Rift Valley. The surface is worse when you come round from the Marlborough Street entrance where we usually come back from Oncology or other hospital appointments. It's just really awful. So, at a later time when we came back home we saw the man (and no doubt a partner in crime) had been really busy as there was some considerable amount of spray paint along the road which would be to show the workmen where to fill in the holes. But the fact is, most of the road surface needs completely resurfacing and not merely patched. It needs doing properly and not just a 'quick fix.' Saying that, some sort of repair is better than none at all, and it's far better to do it in the summer because if it's left until the winter, when it's likely to freeze, the road surface will break up even more.

Another bright and sunny morning. We went to the oncology department for gone 10 o'clock. The place was virtually deserted and Carol was dealt with for her final blood test. They are reducing some of the chemotherapy to help prevent her numbing fingers which should help.

We went to the Shell filling station in Grafton Street on the way back from the hospital. It's surprising how far you can go without filling the Renault. It seems very economical, thankfully.

We were scheduled to go to  Churchill Hospital in Oxford for Carol's 3.30 p.m. P.E.T. scan and we were all set up to go. Then we got a telephone call to say that they had a cancellation and could we make 2 p.m.? We could, and were out of the house within 15 minutes. We took the SatNav (which has been christened Dora, after Dora The Explorer, but it was quite difficult to set it up as we were driving along, but we stopped in a lay-bay on Standing Way and managed to get the postcode of the Churchill and then set off in earnest to get to Oxford on time.

We got to the hospital with barely 10 minutes to spare. The problem was parking, as is generally the case. We drove around the site and found several carparks, but full. Not a single space. Then we drove around to what must have been the furthest point of the site and managed to find two spaces and then rushed round to the reception area. We walked through the hospital to where Carol had her first P.E.T. scan. You have to telephone a special number to register your arrival. Why no human on these reception desks? Is it a way of not employing a human to do this job? You don't always manage to get through. Making things quite frustrating and stressful. Why not have a computer touch screen as they have at our doctors' surgery or at the In-Patient clinics at Milton Keynes hospital. Not that they always work successfully. Just as we were waiting and I was about to settle down to sit and wait in the waiting room, a small nurse turned up to tell us we needed to be in another building, possibly because one of the scanners wasn't working. So she led us outside and we got to this other building and had to enter using a keypad on the door. Carol had to fill in a form before she was taken through to the scanner and I was left to my own devices for a good two and a half hours.

What amuses me is that, because they inject you with a radioactive substance so that the scanner can do it's job properly, patients who are injected with this substance are not supposed to mix with other people for a few hours afterwards. They use separate toilet facilities and so on, and must not sit in the waiting area after being scanned. Last time Carol had the journey back to Milton Keynes in that awful ambulance, driving at speed and being treated more like a sack of potatoes than as a patient with feeling and at the same time very uncomfortable. You aren't supposed to sit next to anyone more than six feet apart or something. But then she was right next to me all the way out of the hospital, walking along the corridors and out to the carpark and then sitting next to me in the car. A rather crazy ruling, did it not matter about me becoming contaminated by radioactive material? Taking Health and Safety rules too far and I bet the radioactivity had far less strength than is already in the environment, in, say, a luminous watch face or other electronic gadgetry. What about a computer screen, such as the MacBook Air I'm using to write this?

Having left the scanning department we walked towards the entrance along a long corridor. Hospitals always seem to have endless corridors. I know they have lots of departments and they need to be linked together, but endless corridors are just, well, endless. Then when we got outside, having been into the coffee shop to have lattes and a nice iced bun, we were confronted by the prospect of wrestling with a parking ticket machine. We extricated the ticket which was issued when we entered the car park when we arrived, but we didn't have sufficient change to put into the machine to pay. It was similar to the system in Milton Keynes hospital, whereby you put your parking ticket into the machine and it tells you how much to pay on a digital screen and then either pay with coins or use your debit or credit card. Simple. We went into the reception area to see if we could find an A.T.M. but the one in W.H.Smith was either out of order or had no cash in it. Nowhere else would come up with a solution to our problem. Smith's also didn't do 'cash-back' which some shops do. We went back to the ticket machine and spoke to the gentleman who was on the end of a switchboard somewhere in cyber-space and said he'd let us out with paying. Which was what happened when we eventually got back to the car and drove out, with the barrier lifting when we spoke into the machine.

By the time we got out onto the roads of Oxford and were driving back to Milton Keynes, things were getting very busy. The traffic was building up as people were leaving work to return home. We decided to stop to have something to eat at a K.F.C. on one of the main roundabouts on the outskirts of Oxford. The point where the A44 meets the A34. The build-up of traffic was quite intense and it took us some time to wend our way round the roundabout and get into the carpark near a Travel Lodge and next door to the Peartree park-and-ride carpark which we've used on a couple of occasions when we've visited Oxford in the past. It was a relief to be out of the traffic and to sit down and have something to eat. Carol hadn't been able to eat or drink since breakfast (she'd had something to eat at about 8 o'clock and then she had a KitKat chocolate bar which I'd bought at the Shell garage when we'd bought diesel there.

By the time we'd finished in K.F.C. the roads were calming down and we got on the A34 and then onto the M40 for a few miles until we reached the road back towards Buckingham and then home to Milton Keynes.

A Sunny Bank Holiday!

At last, a Bank Holiday weekend with some sunshine! Usually we get rain and misery.

To get to Shenley Christian Fellowship on Sunday morning I had to negotiate a somewhat out-of-the-way route in order to avoid any of the road closures, due to yet another marathon. The exit out of Eaglestone, onto Saxon Street, which would have been my most obvious route out, was coned off. I had to drive around to come out near the Eaglestone shop and onto Chaffron Way, turning right and then down to the roundabout on Marlborough Street and then  round and onto Portway and eventually getting to Childs Way near Morrisons and then round onto Fulmer Street and back onto Chsffron Way. I don't think those who organise the Milton Keynes marathons we have to endure how much inconvenice is caused when so many of the central roads are closed off.  all very well, but those who do these things are somewhat narrow-mined and only focussed on what they want and not what perhaps the majority want.

Today we'll have to endure yet another load of roads being closed off if we want to go out, as we will, because it's forecast to be a bright and sunny day.

Later. We did go out- to Whipsnade Zoo. Carol made up a picnic and we drove off, with the intention of getting on to the A5 near the stadium, but as we approached along Grafton Street, we encountered a queue of cars, backing up past Beanhill. No doubt something to do with the marathon, or, because it was such a hot day as well as being a Bank Holiday, people were just determined to get out of Milton Keynes.

We drove along the top of Dunstable Downs and then further on into Whipsnade village, crossing the green and then we came upon another queue of cars. By now it was about 9.50, so we knew we would't have to wait long as the zoo opens at 10 o'clock. Because Carol has Z.S.L. Fellowship we wouldn't need to wait long at the entrance. The queue moved forward fairly quickly, which was just as well, as it was beginning to get really hot. The queue at the entrance didn't take long and we passed through into the zoo.

Even at 10 o'clock it was busy. Perhaps the busiest we've seen it in all the years we've been visiting. We drove around the zoo, as we always do.  Usually we would park near the bear enclosure, but there were cars parked all along the side of the road. Right round near the rhinos it was solid parking. We parked near the hippos and walked to several of the exhibits, the cheetahs, lions and hippos. We got some really good views of the cheetahs, which were right up near the fence. Usually they are hidden away in the far distance, but, no doubt because of the heat, one was against the fence and another was in a more open area. Even the lions were up near the glass viewing area, enabling me to take some stunning photographs through the glass.

We're just dismayed by the attitude of some of the visitors to Whipsnade Zoo. Driving around, it's quite difficult to avoid other people, but some people seem to think it's fine to walk in the middle of the road. We had to slow down to walking pace to make sure we don't run into anyone, but why would you choose to walk in the centre of the road when there's a good path? People just being dumb and almost defiantly refusing to get out of the way. No common sense when there's a car approaching.
We eventually decided to park near to the elephants and have our picnic sitting on a bench. It was as we sat and ate our food that we heard one of the baby elephants making a noise, something we've never heard before. It was trying to get through a gate which was closed and the mother was attempting to move it away, but the mother eventually got it to move into the centre of the enclosure, but it kept returning to the gate. Then some of the elephants began playing around with the water in the pool where there was a sprinkler on. It was interesting to see how one of the elephants drank using it's trunk.

Overhearing conversations and watching people walking past: one child said 'look at the rhinos!' How could you confuse an elephant for a rhino? Would a child not know the difference? A woman then looked over at some other animals, antelopes with great big horns and referred to them as horses. But horses do not have horns! Crazy.

We drove out of the zoo. By now it was getting too crowded and hot. Carol said she wanted ice-cream, so we drove back across Dunstable Downs and stopped at the National Trust carpark. We walked to the visitor centre, heaving with humanity. We managed to buy ice creams in the shop and walked back outside to sit on a mound of earth and looked at the view. Lots of people flying kites, walking their dogs and cycling along the paths. Ice-cream eaten, we returned to our car and drove home.

We had the television news on later when we got home, and learnt that today had been the hottest May Bank Holiday in some 40 years.

Signs of Spring, MoT and Crazy Cyclists

We've had the car booked in for it's MoT. At the O.K. Garage at Peartree Bridge, the grid square just over the other side of Marlborough Street. It was supposed to be there at 8.30. No problem with that, as the sooner the car is done the better as far as I'm concerned. I have to drive out of Eaglestone by going round the circular route and leave next to the shops. I then have to turn left onto Chaffron Way, as I have met with a queue of traffic going right (which is the route I have to take) and then round the roundabout and return onto Chaffron Way and then meet more traffic queuing to get onto the roundabout on Marlborough Street. I just wish most drivers would respect other road-users, and not insist on driving right up my rear bumper, in an attempt to get me to speed up or just get out of their way. It's quite nerve-wracking. Other drivers are under the impression that they don't have to stop when they meet a roundabout and merely continue on without any need to stop and wait for other road-users to go through the roundabout. Anyway, I continue on and come off Marlborough Street where there's a sign for 'Marina' and the OK Garage is a short way off the road. I can't drive straight into the carpark as there are several cars in the way, so I wait until they've moved. When I do eventually drive in I have to leave the car in a position which is obviously blocking other vehicles but then, once I've been in to tell the reception that I've arrived with the car, they have the car keys so they can drive it so that they can do the MoT. I'm told it might be ready by 10, which is fine by me. I don't see the point of waiting, as it's only a relatively short walk along the Redway back home to Eaglestone. I had the presence of mind to bring my G.T.N. spray with me, concealed in one of the very convenient pockets in the sleeve of my fleece hoodie. It's quite a cold and windy morning and the cold brings on a mild angina attack, but a couple of sprays under my tongue and a few minutes pause in my walk relieves the slight pain in my chest.

There are definite signs of spring as I walk along the Redway. Quite a bit of blossom beginning to come out. It's white and I think it's probably may. Also, buds coming out on a lot of the trees and buses and the grass looks a good deal greener.

I have to move out of the way as a couple of cyclists come straight at me. They might not be intentionally aiming themselves at me as I walk, but it seems like it. One, dressed in the brightest and most gariest green imaginable, with a blinking light-thing on his helmet. You wouldn't miss him in a fog and very easy to see, but to me he just looks very amusing, Lycra, the full bit, helmet and gloves. It must cost a fortune, and he looks so serious. EVEN got this little camera on his brightly coloured helmet to take a lovely video to show his friends on Facebook or whatever. But be keeping the shareholders of Halfords well and truly happy and living in the style they rather enjoy. Must have spend several hundred pounds on all this gear. These people don't seem to realise how crazy they look. You wouldn't get me into Lycra at any price. When we were at Salcey Forest on Sunday morning, as we sat and drank our hot chocolate outside the café, a group of middle aged men turned up with their bicycles, clad in Lycra, helmets on heads (although some did carry them). So, this is what they do on the average Sunday morning? "Where are you off to, dear?" one wife to her husband. "A long ride out into the Northamptonshire countryside. Be a couple of hours. Have the lunch on ready for when I get home." Or words to that effect. No likelihood of them actually going more than a couple of miles up the road. Just sitting and eating a sausage roll or two, together with a nicely-filled baguette or bread roll, with a cup of coffee and a few bags of crisps and then off to a pub to drink a couple of pints of best bitter. No actual time-trials on their beloved bicycles at all, just an excuse to get out of the way of the children who are charging around the house making all sorts of noises which wifey spends her time in the kitchen preparing the potatoes for roasting with Yorkshire Pudding and roast beef etc etc. Mind you, I don't expect any of that lot had a little camera on their helmets to show the wives at home where they've  REALLY been. But no doubt they'd have a satnav which might conveniently give a trace of the route they've cycled.

A little later in the day . . .

I had expected to hear back from the garage regarding the MoT. I had been told that they would ring me around 10 o'clock. I hadn't heard by 11.30, so I decided to ring them. I had to find their phone number on their website so I had to go on line. I was told, when I got through, that the car had failed. Something called the 'coil spring' which is part of the suspension system. It was going to cost around £150. They had to find the part to fit in the car. The car was no use having back if it had to have work done on it and, without it's MoT certificate we couldn't legally drive it, so I told them they had better get the part and then fit it. So, once that was done, it was legal to drive with it's MoT certificate in place. Then there was the problem of the car's door. It has sliding doors. The passenger side door is fine. It works, using the remote, but the driver's side door has been faulty for some time now. We've just put up with it, but it's annoying, it doesn't work using the remote, or the controls within the car. We asked if the garage could give us a quote for parts and labour. As I write this they haven't come back on any of this, although Carol found something called an 'actuator' on Amazon for around £50. Don't ask me how this works as I have no idea. No doubt it's got something to do with the remote control system which opens and closes the door. I will come back and write up further on this matter as and when I have it. They may be able to fix the car this afternoon but it all depends on whether they can get the parts, but it may have to stay at the garage until tomorrow when they can complete the job. It really doesn't matter as we don't need the car immediately and it's only a ten-minute walk down to O.K Garage.

Later still . . .

I hadn't heard a thing from O.K. Garage. until around 4.50. Once Carol had come home I decided to ring them again. They were having problems with the car door. Something to do with some electrical device in the dashboard. I'm not sure exactly what it was or even what it does, but it's the thing that has been causing all the problems with the wretched sliding door. They would need to take off the dashboard cover. They would have it ready by 5.30, which I imagine was when they shut up shop. Carol suggested we walk down, taking Alfie with us. It seemed a good idea. After we'd had a drink of tea we set off down the Redway. Alfie was released from being on his lead and seemed in his element, running ahead as he always does. We came into contact with cyclists, two of whom I'd encountered earlier that morning. The bright green of one of their outfits making him stand out. Why is it that cyclists on the Redway can never slow down when they come to pedestrians? Nearly ran into us and one almost ran over poor Alfie.

We arrived at O.K. Garage and they had got the car ready for us. It has to go back tomorrow morning for around half-an-hour so they can find the correct part number for the electronic piece inside the dashboard and then the car can go back in a few week's time after I get my pension money to have the part put into the car.  We paid for the work the garage had done. £183 which included the MoT and the spring coil (still never heard of it.) So at least we had the car back and the overall cost wasn't as much as I had anticipated, fortunately.

We drove out of the garage carpark and then we discovered the car was low on petrol. By now the traffic was building up, as it was home time for most people. We had to fill up at the Shell station in Grafton Street. Carol drove the car and I had Alfie perched on my lap. A new experience for him, as usually when we take him out in the car, as we did last Sunday when we went to Salcey Forest, he has to travel in the cage in the back of the car. It was worthwhile as he sat still (up to a point) with me holding him tight with his collar. When we got to the Shell petrol station I handed him over to Carol to hold whilst I filled the car with petrol. Then we drove to the Brother's fish and chip shop in Eaglestone. I went in to order our food and Carol walked home with Alfie through Eaglestone Park. By the time I'd got the order and drove home, they had arrived at the house and had the plates and cutlery ready so we could eat immediately I got back.

Sunny Summer Sunday

A bright and fairly dry Sunday. I say 'dry' because it makes a change to actually get a summer's day without rain. Carol has broken up from Milton Keynes Academy. We decide fairly early today to take the dogs for a walk. I had suggested taking them to Rushmere, a place we've been with them on quite a few occasions. But we have the problem of Alfie, who, as soon as he realizes we are going out for a walk, even if we don't actually mention the word 'walk', begins to change considerably, barking and running around the house. If you so much as go near the dog's leads, which hang on a hook in the kitchen, he will be more than ever excited and may even try to bite the lead you pick up for him. If we had gone to Rushmere it would mean I would have to put the cage in the back of the car and that is upstairs in the spare bedroom, so he would have to be kept away from being able to see me go out with it. So we abandon that idea so Carol suggests taking them along the Redway towards the Grand Union Canal, about a mile or so's walk. The process of putting both dogs on their leads goes relatively painlessly, even though Alfie makes a considerable amount of noise. Once out onto the Redway behind our house we let the dogs off their leads and they can enjoy their freedom. Poppy ambles along while Alfie runs ahead. We get down to the road near the canal, going under the Marlborough  Street underpass, noting the interesting comments some clever graffiti artist has written along the walls. We have to put the dogs back on their leads briefly. Walking up the incline which leads to the bridge over the canal we have to step aside as a group of cyclists ride past, giving us barely time to get out of the way. I'm not impressed by their behaviour. I think they might at least been a bit more considerate and if we hadn't stepped aside the dogs would have got run over or at least there might have been a nasty accident. We walk on and come out on Woughton Green and see a running approaching. It seems that the place is over-run with people either running or cycling. We then take the path off the road across the green to the left and walk towards the canal. We bought a bag of bread with us and Carol puts the contents on the top of a drain cover and we sit at a picnic table. A large group of geese had gathered in the grassy space under the trees and walk off and swim away along the canal. We sit and watch as a crow comes down and takes a piece of the bread we put down. Several other crows appear and eat the bread. We have sat for ten minutes or so and then walk on along the towpath beside the canal and back to the bridge over the canal and then back along the Redway and home. Both dogs are exhausted by their walk and as it so happens, so are we.

After we have some lunch Carol decides she'd like some icecream as by now it has become quite sunny. It appears that the next few days are going to become quite sunny. A mini heatwave or that was what we were told on the Breakfast weather forecast. We decide to drive to Willen Lake. We had forgotten that for the next ten days or so Milton Keynes will be hosting the annual I.F. (Milton Keynes International Festival of Arts.) and we discover that the carpark at Willen Lake is extremely busy because there is a sort of festival village set up with a wide range of artistic exhibitions to look at. The place is teeming with people wandering about. We walk along the lakeside and find a gym which has a swimming pool attached. As we are currently looking for a new gym with a swimming pool to join since we ended our membership of D.W. Fitness, we enquire. We may or may not join. We find a cafe to buy ice creams and when we finish eating them we return to the car and drive home. As we come out of the carpark Carol mentions Nuffield Health, who has a site at Kent's Hill and I am reminded that I think that was a place I used to take one of the people I used to look after when I was a carer. Indeed it is, and it seems a very suitable place to join and use for swimming. We might join after we've done more research into other facilities around Milton Keynes.

Car Starts

We've had a busy day. Doing not much at all, really. Carol wanted a doctor's appointment and she got one booked at 3.50. We had heard nothing from Mark, the car mechanic so we sent a text message. He said he'd come as soon as he could, between 4 and 5. We booked a taxi to take us to the doctor's in Beanhill. We had texted Mark to say that we'd be gone to the doctor's and that we'd leave the car open and with the keys in so that he could have a look at the car. We also told our neighbours, Gary and Shelly, as we didn't want them thinking Mark was trying to steal the car if they saw him looking at the car. It could have resulted in all sorts of misunderstandings hence them being told. The taxi arrived in good time, by 3.20 so we got to the surgery with plenty of time to spare. Fortunately Carol was seen within 10 minutes of arriving, and came out of the surgery with a prescription which we too immediately to the pharmacy next door. Quite a few people in there waiting, but no sooner had we got the made-up prescription we went out and phoned for a taxi for home. Meanwhile Mark phoned to say that the car had no oil in it which was why it wouldn't start but he had managed to get it going. Then a taxi cab arrived but it turned out not to be for us but the correct one came and we got home. It's barely a five-minute journey if there is little traffic. On arriving home Mark told us we needed to put oil in the car and I was surprised it was so low. Not just low, but non-existent. I went with him to get oil from a near-by petrol station but on the way his van ran out of diesel. We had to leave the van on the side of the road, with traffic hurtling past as full speed as by now it was going-home time. A somewhat hairy experience walking along the grass verge and crossing the dual carriageway but we got the diesel and the oil at the nearby BP service station. We got back to the van and Mark put the diesel into the fuel tank and we drove home.  On the way back to Eaglestone we drove along Marlborough Street and saw a lot of flashing blue lights and two cars had a quid spectacular crash quite near the hospital turning and police and other emergency vehicles nearby. No sign of any injured people but from the state of the two cars more than likely some casualties. No doubt it will be in he local media tomorrow. Oil put into car and it seems to be running fine. Just now trust that this is the last problem with the car for a while and we can enjoy the remainder of Carol's summer holiday.