June Is Bustin' Out All Over!

 Thursday. 5.35 p.m. Yesterday afternoon we had a tea party in the community lounge. It was provided by my friends John and Margaret who now go to Milton Keynes Christian Centre, which is along Strudwick Drive from Dexter House. We had a great selection of food, which included chicken drumsticks, sandwiches, cakes, sausage rolls, and pork pie. There was also a quiz, which I won. I seem to make a habit of this, and one of the residents said I must have cheated as I always seem to win. I don't think it would have been possible to cheat, even if I had wanted to. I got a prize of a box of After Eight mint chocolate, which I rather like.

Friday. 3.45 p.m. It's been a relatively mild sort of day today. The sun hasn't shone, but still quite pleasant.

Sunday. 7.30 a.m. It's the 1st of June. How quickly we seem to have got here. Time seems to be going quickly, and, appropriately, Doctor Who is in the news, Billie Piper is taking over from Naguti Gatwa. The ratings for the last season, or even the season before last, have been poor, probably because of the woke storylines. I reckon he only took on the role of The Doctor, as a stepping stone to a Hollywood career. He was in a production of 'The Importance of Being Earnest' at the National Theatre, which I haven't seen, and really don't want to. It will be interesting to see how Doctor Who develops once the next series is shown.

It's sunny and bright outside. My digital thermometer currently reads  25ºC.

Monday. 10.25 a.m. Warm and sunny again this morning. I've been to Lidl for a few things. 

It has taken a while to get used to the layout of the  new store. There's a good deal more new products and a lot of branded items, such as PG Tips teabags. Stlll a good deal cheaper than elsewhere and you can be in and out quickly.

As usual, there were problems with the self-service till. I now know you scan using scanner in the base of the thing. No label on one item, so the girl in attendance had to help me. 

6.45 p.m. I have managed some writing. I had the next section written some while ago, but I am redrafting it. I have spent some time developing characters and from those characters I can give them a back story and it's easier to write with this new material. I even think I could develop a sort of spin-off project from these characters.

I have still not managed to get the new Sony camera to connect to the grip with Bluetooth. This situation is becoming somewhat annoying and very frustrating. I really need to find someone who has knowledge of such things to help we deal with the problem.

Tuesday. 6.15 a.m. It's a good deal cooler this morning and there's a breeze blowing.

1,800th Blog Post!

 Friday. 7.00 a.m. Today, this blog reaches the momentous milestone of 1,800 posts! It never occurred to me, back when I wrote the first post back on 27th September 2009 at 4 p.m., that  I would still be reporting on the goings-on around Milton Keynes, and in particular, in my life, so many years later. I manage to report on some of the absurdities of life, some plain crazy, some downright outrageous and some just plain monotonous, some laughable and some downright sad, particularly the passing of my lovely wife, Carol. Fourteen years! How many other blogs can you mention have survived that long?

11.00 a.m. I've just been out with Alfie. It looks very much as if it's going to rain, so we weren't out very long. A lot of dark clouds and I think I felt a drop of rain.

4.25 a.m. I bought a gimbal for my iPhone, which was supposed to be used for video and the idea would be to enable you to take video. The gimbal would keep the phone steady, and you should be able to do a series of camera moves with it. The thing works through an app and connects to your phone using Bluetooth, but, after more than a week, I hadn't been able to get the thing to work, so I have sent it back to Amazon. Returning items to Amazon used to be relatively easy. You could print off a return label from the Amazon website and just take it to a Post Office for it to be posted. But now you have to use Evri (the new name for Hermes.) You have to take the parcel to a specific shop locally. I took it to Tesco's in Oldbrook Boulevard, but it turned out that they weren't a 'sending' only a 'receiving' store. I had to take it to a One Stop store in Bradwell Common Boulevard, which is just along the road from my Doctor's surgery. I had to scan a QR code at a machine within this store, which I had printer off from the email I got from Amazon, and this allowed a label to be printed which I attached to the parcel which I then handed over to the assistant on the till, and she gave me a receipt.

Saturday. 6.00 a.m. Yesterday afternoon we had a tea party, given by members of M.K.C.C. (Milton Keynes Christian Centre) and organized by two friends from Shenley Christian Centre, who also go to M.K.C.C., which, incidentally, is just along Strudwick Drive from Dexter House. There were plenty of sandwiches and cakes as well as tea, and we had a quiz, which I won! I got a box of Maltesers as a prize!

I was out really early this morning, at 5.20. Alfie and I did our, by now, regular circuit of Oldbrook Green. 

7.40 a.m. Excitement! I have cleaned out my fridge. It was getting to the point where it really did need a clean. Taking everything it contained out and onto the kitchen counters and then all the shelves and the tray in which I keep fruit and vegetables, wash in the sink with soapy water, dry and then replace, throwing out anything which is past its 'best before' date, and then returning to the fridge. The sort of job which you tend to put off until it becomes necessary. So I can safely say, 'job done'! The freezer section could do with defrosting, but that isn't the easiest job, as you need to have somewhere to put the frozen food, such as another freezer until the freezer is defrosted and working again.

10.30 a.m. It's surprisingly warm and sunny today. As it's a Bank Holiday weekend (well, technically Monday is a Bank Holiday.) So, will it remain so warm? I say this because it is almost traditional to have bad weather on a Bank Holiday. So, let's wait and see. Then, next Saturday, we have the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla. Quite historic in some respects, as we're certainly not likely to get another within my lifetime (that is, of course, unless Charles turns up his toes within only a few years, which I hope doesn't happen. 

11.10 a.m. I went to Sainsbury's to buy one or two items. It wasn't busy, just after 9.00 a.m. I presume most people don't go shopping early at the weekend, which might explain things. I then came home and took Alfie out around Oldbrook Green. Not only that, but I didn't put my jacket on, so that's a first this year! I will next be getting my shorts out, as it's rapidly approaching knee-showing-off time around here. I remember last year, particularly during that extremely hot period when temperatures reached record levels, I lived in my shorts.

It's 'Sno' Surprise!

(Sunday) I watched church on-line from Milton Keynes Christian Centre, which is actually only a short walk from where I live in Oldbrook. I can watch via my Firestick in my Hitachi television and it has a YouTube app on it, so it has widescreen and sound through the sound bar connected to the television. At the end there was a Zoom hang-out which was a first, but seemed a good idea to get a chance to chat. I'm beginning to get the hang of Zoom. Afterwards I had to take Alfie out. I was somewhat surprised when I looked out of the kitchen window later to find heavy snow falling, and the garden below my window covered in a fairly thick layer of the white stuff. I got dressed up which included the dayglo yellow Regatta raincoat and got Alfie togged up in his Regatta jacket and we proceeded to exit Dexter House. I don't think he was particularly bothered by the snow, although, as I've mentioned on here before, he doesn't like rain and getting wet, but we walked towards Oldbrook Green and did our usual perambulation all the way round.

But it was really no surprise that we got snow over night because of the weather forecast yesterday which made sure people knew what was coming. I imagine there will be people who don't bother to watch or even listen to the weather forecast, rather like those who say they never listen to any news, particularly about the pandemic, and are surprised when they get fined for breaching the various regulations which have been bought in by the government.

(Monday) There's still snow on the ground. It's quite slippery on the path leading to Oldbrook Green. It is actually sunny as I write this, but still quite chilly out. It could be worse.

(Tuesday) Just wish I could be going to Camphill, as I would have been if things were normal, whatever 'normal' is with this confounded pandemic. I really miss those guys in the drama workshop. I just hope that it won't be much longer now there's a vaccine against the virus. I hope they are alright at Camphill. I have an idea they've all had the first vaccine injection.

It's another snowy morning, but it looks to me as if it's thawing. Still a bit slippery on the path towards Oldbrook Green.

(Wednesday) The snow is . . . gone! Not that I'm sorry to see it go. Scraping ice of the car is a real chore, generally getting the car going for example. Slipping and sliding all over the place as we walk along the path towards Oldbrook Green, getting togged up. Looking for hats and gloves. Well, there are worse things but snow is just a nuisance. Alright for children I suppose. Lovely to see my three grandsons, George, Eddie and Arthur, having fun building snowmen and other creatures, as Chloe sends me photos and videos of them.

(Later) I've been to Sainsbury's to do a shop. Virtually no other shoppers at 9a.m. on a Wednesday. That suits me. Having written a list, it means I don't waste time thinking what to buy which definitely speeds things up.

I have got the bolt and other bits which were missing from the coffee table. There was a package on the doorstep when I came back home from taking Alfie for a walk. I have also bought an electric screwdriver from Argos. I wasn't sure if such a thing was available and I was surprised to find it was. I had some of the voucher left on the Argos website so I ordered it. I then went to Argos to collect it before I went to shop in Sainsbury's and when I got home I charged it up as it comes with it's own charger as well as a set of interchangeable screwdriver heads. I was going to say drill bits, but it's not a drill. I have been able to put the drawer together and tighten up the screws, which was the whole point of the chargeable screwdriver. You can do it far more efficiently with this piece of kit rather than attempting to do it with an ordinary manual screwdriver. And I have completed the drawer with it's metal handle as well as finishing off tightening the screws holding the coffee table together. I have to say I'm really pleased with the coffee table. It's a good deal wider than the old IKEA coffee table I had when I first moved in, and came with me from the house in Eaglestone. I now want to get a replacement for the table next to my armchair which houses the wifi modem and telephone. 

I've managed to do a bit more writing. Been lazy really. I have a sort of storyline written and it's been on my computer for goodness knows how long, probably long before I moved out of the house in Eaglestone. It's just a matter of sitting down and making a serious effort to write, using the storyline as a sort of framework or even the scaffolding of a piece of writing. Glad I have as it went better than I'd hoped and the style is how I want it, if that makes sense. It may not to anyone reading this, but it does to me.

Better Together Campaign

Last Sunday Milton Keynes Christian Centre began a campaign called "Better Together." It's actually based on Rick Warren's campaign. He's an American pastor at Saddleback Church in California. It's aimed at getting church out into the community. Each Sunday for six weeks we'll have a message from one of the Elders which is the basis for a weekly small group in homes all over Milton Keynes. I signed up on the first Sunday, with the intention of eventually having my own Life Group (called 'Cells' or 'House Groups' in other churches. They meet once a week, or sometimes monthly or bi-monthly, to do Bible studies and usually connected to what we've heard in church the previous Sunday. A good way to build fellowship with other Christians.) Unfortunately most of these groups are in the evening, usually starting at 7-7.30 p.m. As Carol and I get up at around 6 a.m. each morning, and Carol finishes work at 4.45 each evening, it is very difficult, if not totally impossible, to get to one of these groups. I'm generally unwinding and wouldn't manage to stay awake for a 2-hour session, what with my heart condition as well as the effects my medication has on me. So this was a good opportunity to set up a day-time course of some sort, to hopefully attract other retired people, or, at least, those who do shift work and can't possibly get to a Life Group due to work commitments. I'd signed up to run mine mid-week, on a Wednesday, and beginning at 2.30. The Better Together campaign uses video messages, recorded by Rick Warren, and members of the group can follow using a book, similar in some ways to the Alpha Course, which we had running at M.K.C.C.C. last September (in actual fact, I've now done the course twice at M.K.C.C., first time round as a helper, setting up the evening, and dismantling, and the second time, last year, as a participant. But I have done the course several times before, a couple of times at Rutland Road Church in Bedford, and once at Brickhill Baptist Church.)

I wasn't sure whether I was going to get anyone to join a group. I wasn't really that sure whether there was any demand for a group to be run during the day. I then had an email from church informing me that a lady called Maria had signed up. I then attempted to contact her, just to let her know I'd received her inquiry. It took some while before I get a response. I had emailed and got nothing back and then I sent a text message. Some people had this technology, computers, smartphones etc etc and are on them constantly. Then there are those who have them, sign up to have email, text etc etc but hardly use them. They don't check their emails or text messages regularly. I know that some people are addicted to these things. You see it out on the street, some people who don't communicate with the world around them, constantly looking at their mobiles. Obsessive-Compulsive in some cases. Sad, really. But there again, the technology has it's uses.

Anyway, after a few days I decided to ring Maria's phone number. I didn't get a response. not even a voicemail service, so I couldn't even leave a recorded message. There again, it's no use having this technology if you don't listen to it. So I had to leave things for a little longer. It was beginning to get closer to the day (yesterday) when the course was going to begin. I had been given the DVD with all the video talks on it as well as the book which goes with the course. Because I was hosting the course in my home I wasn't expected to pay for the materials.

I decided to have another go at phoning Maria. On this occasion she did answer, thank goodness. She had to pass the call over to her husband, Ted so he could write down my address. So, at least that was set up and I didn't have to concern myself with non-communication.

I had a second prospective attendee. I had their name and mobile number in an email from church, but when I called she didn't realise the starting-time of the group was during the day, so she couldn't come along, unfortunately. There is, of course, a good chance that more people might join, but it would have to be within the first couple of weeks, otherwise they wouldn't be able to catch up with the video talks.

Yesterday I got myself all ready for the first session at 2.30. I had cleaned the lounge, got some biscuits in for refreshment and got the kettle filled and ready. It got closer and closer to the time. If I'd been going to someone's house for the first time I would have got there a good ten minutes before the time the session was due to begin. 2.30 came and went. I thought, 'she's not going to come now.' Then it was 2.40 or there about and then Josh, from M.K.C.C. (It was him who gave me the lift to Sainsbury's a month or so ago when our car broke down, you might remember, if you read these posts on a regular basis.) He said that he had Maria and her husband there at church. They had got to my door and were knocking, but I wasn't answering. Well, they couldn't have done, because if they had, I would have seen them. I had been standing in the kitchen, looking out of the window, and no car had drawn outside and no one had got out and certainly hadn't knocked on the door. If I had seen them and they'd been there, I would obviously have let them in. It turned out that they'd been knocking on the wrong door, another house entirely, further along the road! I couldn't believe it. He asked for my house number, so I gave it (which I clearly gave to them when they'd rung a few days previously.) Josh said that they'd be with me in about 15 minutes.

So they turned up and parked on the drive at the front of the house. Maria was initially set to attend the session on her own, but Ted, her husband, came in and we ran through the session together, so I hope they are both able to come for the next five weeks of the course. Unfortunately, because they had been around 20 minutes late, we didn't manage to get through all the questions in the book, but at least we managed to run the two videos on the DVD. My television set has a built-in DVD player and we had a problem getting the videos to run as we wanted. It was difficult finding the first session on the disc, but we eventually got it running correctly after a few false starts.

I had to keep Alfie, our Yorkie, in the kitchen. It was clear that Maria wasn't that fond of dogs, and I would never expect to have him in with us as we did the course. Unfortunately Alfie doesn't like being shut in on his own, perhaps even more since Poppy has died. He kept scratching on the door, so I gave in and let him in. He becomes very determined to get attention and can manipulate you to get what he wants. So he sat with us, mostly sitting on Ted's knee. Not what I would have wanted, but it was far better than him constantly scratching on the door and doing more damage to the paintwork and apart from anything else, making it quite difficult to concentrate on the video talks.

So, all in all a positive afternoon and I hope it builds over the next few weeks. Keep watching my blog posts for further details as the weeks progress.

Fresh problems with car

Another foggy morning. It doesn't look as if it's going to clear up. I was hoping the sun was going to come out. Really no sign of that, unfortunately.  The past couple of days have been really warm and pleasant. You just have to make the most of the warm weather when we get it. I was supposed to go to Sainsbury's this morning  to collect my repeat prescription which has been on order for a week. It got to 9 o'clock and I was getting ready to drive there, I got in the car which was parked on the drive in front of the house, but unfortunately, as I'm trying to start the car, there was a really unpleasant sound coming from underneath the car. It sounded like a sort of grating noise. I'm not sure what it was, but it was certainly not pleasant. It could possibly be the brake system but I'm not sure. Considering we had the car MOTd only a few weeks ago and we had some work done to replace some part which I forget what it was at this particular moment, and considering the facts that we had used the car over the weekend, driving all that way to Kinver Rocks on Saturday, as well as me driving to church and then shopping at Aldi, it's annoying that the car should develop yet another fault. As my medication was running out, particularly one of the several medications I take called Bisoprolol, which is one of the major ones I take which is a beta-blocker, I couldn't really afford not to take it as i'm not sure what would happen if I didn't take it. I was now stuck not being able to get to Sainsburys, so I had to come up with an alternative method of transport to get there. I considered catching the bus as I have a bus pass which allows me free transport on the buses around this area. Then I thought, if I go next door I could ask, if they were in, if they would be able to give me a lift to Sainsburys to collect my medication. I went around and rang the doorbell, but I got no response, so I would have to find an alternative. And it occurred to me to try church, as Milton Keynes Christian Centre is only a short distance away in Oldbrook. Unfortunately I didn't have the phone number immediately to hand, so I had to go online and look on the website. I rang the number and got the reception, and then she put me through to Bev Searle and she told me that someone would come and give me a lift do Sainsbury's. So I went outside Weight to the front of the house. About five minutes later a car drove up driven by Josh Verity who is Youth pastor at Milton Keynes Christian Centre. Very soon we were driving into the centre of Milton Keynes, and I was able to get to Sainsburys and collect the package of medication which I needed. He soon managed to drive me home, mission accomplished. I must say that I very grateful for his help this morning.

When Carol came home from work I told her about the car. We wanted to open the bonnet of the car to try and find out what was causing the noise. More than ever it sounds like something either come adrift or caught underneath the vehicle. I was not over-keen to go out for a drive in it as I wasn't sure whether it was safe. Then we couldn't find the catch which releases the bonnet. Odd, as I've always managed to find it. The flashing inside the car (for want of a better work. I'm not sure that's correct, but the plastic lining which covers the inside of the cabin of the car.) came adrift from it's moorings the other day when I was in the carpark at Waitrose, but it pushed back on without any problems. It makes me wonder what they did with the car when it was at the garage the other week. Not fitted back properly, which is somewhat annoying. Once we got inside the bonnet we couldn't see anything that suggested what was making the unpleasant grinding noise. I'm going to have to get in touch with the garage and get them to check it out as I've a suspicion it has something to do with the work they did to get the car through it's MoT.

After Christmas and Pre-New Year

Well, Christmas is over. It was on a Sunday this year and it seemed somewhat odd. No services at Milton Keynes Christian Centre. There were a couple of Carol services on Saturday afternoon, Christmas Eve, but it was decided not to have Christmas Day services, I think because they didn't think enough people would attend. We stayed at home and opened our presents. We watched a DVD, something that Carol wanted to see, 'The Secret Life of Pets,' a computer animated movie which was quite enjoyable. We'd been to see 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' on Thursday at the new Odeon cinema at the Milton Keynes Stadium. It's a sort of prequel to the Harry Potter movies and stars Eddie Redmayne. Hugely enjoyable and the special effects are amazing. Carol bought me a book on the art of the film, which I shall read with great pleasure.

Yesterday we visited Whipsnade Zoo as the weather was so mild. We went to a talk on giraffes at the giraffe house which was fascinating and all six of the giraffes, including the youngest were inside the shed where the talk was done, given by one of the keepers. It makes it so much more interesting if you know a bit more on a subject like this. We've visited Whipsnade on quite a few occasions as you will know if you read these blog posts. We had coffee and cake in one of the cafes. As Carol is a Fellow of the Z.S.L. (Zoological Society of London), who operate Whipsnade and London Zoos) and which allows us free access to these places, we also get a discount in their cafes and shops. We got some superb views of some of the animals and this was somewhat frustrating because my Canon camera is currently being repaired, otherwise we would have got some really great photographs to add to our ever-expanding collection.

On Monday we had a free trial session at Nuffield Health. We cancelled our membership of DW quite some time ago and we were eager to find a replacement. A much quieter and far more private health club with a good swimming pool, which is a good deal deeper than the swimming pool at DW, as well as a jacuzzi, sauna and steam room. We even get given towels which means they are always clean and dry. Generally a good deal more pleasant. So we decided we will join at the end of the month. Great to have somewhere to relax and swim every week.

Plenty to watch on television, as there always is over the Christmas period. We watched the Great British Bake Off Christmas special (although I can't say it was particularly special.) I avoided Strictly Come Dancing as I can't stand the audience noise (why on earth do they have to clap along to the music all the time? It's annoying and stupid. Also, the plain nasty comments made by certain members of the judging panel.) It's over hyped in the tabloid press and social media such as Facebook. At least Bake Off is more gentle, it's not full of so-called celebrities and it doesn't have a live audience who are wound up to react accordingly. It's as well we have a Sky Q box as otherwise we wouldn't be able to watch all the decent programmes. You can record at least four shows which are on at the same time as well as catch-up which is such a brilliant idea.

We've just been watching the documentary about Alan Bennet and his diary (the latest instalment called 'Keeping On Keeping On' has just been published and I will have to buy it, but it can wait until it comes out in paperback. I will need to read his earlier instalments so that's quite a lot of reading to get through.)

Wild, Wet and Windy Weekend

It wouldn't be a normal August Bank Holiday if it didn't have rain, and we had rain here in bucket-loads. Stair-rods. We had wanted to go out somewhere as it's the last week of Carol's holidays. We have had some outings as already mentioned in earlier blogs on here, but it turned out that we'd be stuck in watching television instead.

I haven't mentioned that I am booked onto a creative writing course. I have mentioned the one-day course I did back in November at the Milton Keynes Art Centre and how it had sparked me off on quite a bit of writing. I had then booked on to a ten-week course, again at the Arts Centre and again lead by the same leader who lead the one-day course and it was intended as a Christmas present and running from mid-January. Unfortunately it was cancelled due to ill health of Deborah Fielding, the leader. I had hoped that it would be re-scheduled but nothing came of it and the money that was paid out was refunded. I had been looking around to do a similar course elsewhere and had found nothing suitable. Then Carol did some searching on the internet and found this Beginners Novel-Writing course which just happened to be starting on September 23rd and on in the evenings at the Milton Keynes Academy for 8 weeks. Just too good to be true as it means that I don't have to worry about parking as it's only a short walk there and a complete coincidence as Carol works there so it has worked out well. Just a bit annoying that I don't get any sort of discount but never mind. It's now paid for and all things are settled.

At Milton Keynes Christian Centre we're having an Alpha course starting the Monday before my writing course starts. I've been on one of the courses before when I lived in Bedford and went to Brickhill Baptist Church and then as a helper when I went to Rutland Road Church. So it looks as if I'm going to be busy staring in September. The Alpha course runs for eleven weeks and you get food at the beginning of the evening which is good enough reason to go. And knowing M.K.C.C. the food should be good!

Three Sunday Services at Milton Keynes Christian Centre

Starting today there are now three services on a Sunday morning at our church, Milton Keynes Christian Centre. We have been going there for a good 3-4 years. When we began there services were held in the original auditorium, but since then a new auditorium has been built which can hold around 500 people. Numbers have been steadily growing with around 1,000 people visiting and enjoying worship on a Sunday. So this is why an extra service was put on and we went to the very first one at 9 a.m. today. The other two are at 10.45 and 12.30. Strudwicks coffee shop is part of M.K.C.C. and is to be found in the foyer. All those who came to the 9 a.m. service got a free coffee and a mini muffin and we were allowed to take this into the service. Normally you're not supposed to take food or drink into the auditorium, but this was such a monumental occasion it was obviously felt necessary as a sort of 'carrot' to get people to come so early on a Sunday morning.
The service ended at around 10.25. We stayed to chat with several people and then we left. You have to park away from the church precinct as there isn't really room for too many cars and you mustn't park on the near-by streets in Oldbrook, so you have to park at Milton Keynes college carpark and either walk to M.K.C.C. along the Redway or take one of the Plus Busses which are put on to ferry people to and from the carpark. Those little green busses are a familiar sight around Milton Keynes and are intended for those with a disability, are elderly or can't access the regular public transport system. We decided to walk back to the car and then Carol had to take a book to a young girl she tutors who lives not far from M.K.C.C. Then we went home and then, as we got into Eaglestone estate Carol asked me whether I wanted a sunday paper. I said I did want one so we were on our way to Waitrose in Chaffron Way and were coming out of the estate and driving round the inner-ring road that encircles Eaglestone and about to come out onto Marlborough Street when we both saw a man lying on the grass at the side of the road. At first it wasn't clear whether he was asleep or injured so we had to stop the car and get out so we could approach him in order to verity whether he needed help. Having been trained in First Aid all my training began to snap into action. I was wondering whether he was dead at first as when we stopped the car he didn't make any movement.  In no way could we drive on without stopping. I was unsure whether he had had some sort of epileptic seizure or had fallen over and hit his head or been injured in some other way, but on getting nearer its was very obvious that he had been drinking due to the strong smell of alcohol on his breath. His speech was extremely slurred and when he eventually stood up he could barely walk. We didn't know whether he needed to go to Accident and Emergency, which after a short while it was clear that he didn't need to go to the hospital, but  he said he wanted to be taken home. He told us he lived in Broughton, and was able to direct us to his home, when he eventually got into the front of the car with me sitting in he rear. We drove down Chaffron Way and eventually found his home and left him knocking on the door. He said that his wife would be very annoyed with him as he presumably had gone out alone drinking somewhere in Milton Keynes, whether he had met up with friends the previous night it wasn't clear and we didn't remain outside his house to discover whether he was able to gain access to his home. It was good enough that we were able to give him a lift home after a very heavy drinking night but with so many strange people about he could easily have been injured so I'm glad we were able to help him.

Morning Swim

As Carol is on half-term this week we decided to make the best use of our gym membership and so went to D.W. just before 9 a.m. to have a swim this morning. It was virtually empty, apart from one woman swimming up and down and making quite a noise about it. I did around 20 lengths of the pool and then went in the steam room for 5-10 minutes and we then both went in the jacuzzi for 15 minutes. Both very chilled out and relaxed by the time we left. A good hour or so there. Next we drove to M.K.C.C (Milton Keynes Christian Centre) and had coffee in the coffee shop, Strudwick's, and ordered panninis (cheese and ham) which were really tasty. Considering we hadn't had breakfast which, on a school day we have at 6.15, meant we were quite hungry after the swimming session. Good value and well worth a visit. Really surprised how busy it was in there.

The sun has been out most of the day. Certainly makes  change from the awful weather we've been having lately. Good that there's no wind as it was getting quite scary. Part of the roof of the Xcape centre was blown off a few days ago. No real signs of wind-damage as compared to other parts of the country as seen on television news, but it has been a bit scary, what with trees being torn up and crashing to to cars and power lines. We haven't been out much in the car apart from going to Morrisons for shopping on Saturday morning.

A Bright and Sunny Day

Well, after all the rain and wind of the past few weeks it makes a change to have at least one day when the sun shone. I went to church alone this morning as Carol hasn't been feeling well for the past few days. M.K.C.C.  (Milton Keynes Christian Centre) has two services currently on a Sunday at 10 a.m and 12 noon, but from Sunday 2nd March there will be three services, at 9 a.m., 10.45 a.m. and 12.30 p.m. I got home having been to the 10 a.m. service and, seeing how it was so bright and sunny, we decided to go out to Dobbie's garden centre at Fenny Stratford. We got onto the A5 and going down towards the roundabout which goes into  Watling Street we encountered a queue of cars backed up as there is a large amount of roadworks there as the road is being widened for the instillation of traffic lights. Carol unfortunately took the wrong turn off the roundabout (which at the best of times can be quite a difficult place to get though due to a high volume of traffic at peak times of the day) and we ended up going on to the next roundabout on the rod towards Aylesbury and came through Water Eaton and then into the centre of Fenny Stratford and then down Wating Street to Dobbie's. It was just nice to get out for once instead of being stuck indoors over the weekend due to rain and high winds. We had coffee and toasted cheese sandwiches in the restaurant and may come back another weeekend as there is a really good Sunday roast on offer.

I think, in general, we have been lucky with the weather in this part of the country, when we see what has happened with flooding, particularly in the Somerset Levels and along the coast. We seem to have escaped the worst although we have had a fair amount of rain and wind, particularly the day when  a section  of the garden fence was blown down.

As I write this we have had no further notification as to when we can expect to have the landlord visit for an inspection. Last weekend we were supposed to have a visit at 3 p.m. on Saturday, but it was cancelled at the last minute, somewhat annoying considering the amount of time and effort we put into cleaning the house ready.

Milton Keynes Half Marathon

We knew that today the Milton Keynes Half Marathon was on, and that some of the roads round this area were to be closed off for several hours. The organisers had even gone to the trouble of leafletting houses along the course, but we didn't realize it was going directly past our house. We were on duty at the 10 a.m. service at Milton Keynes Christian Centre and had to be there for 9.20, so it's as well we did leave early, and found we couldn't get out of Eaglestone by the exit which is directly opposite the Academy, having to go out on to Chaffron Way near the shops. The weather had turned decidedly wintery, and by the time we got to the church carpark in Oldbrook it was beginning to snow. As I write this mid-afternoon, there is absolutely no sign of any snow having settled, so we may have to wait and see if we get more and have a white-out like we had earlier in the winter.

Car Problems and More Rain

Our car has been playing up, to put it mildly. It started misbehaving when I went to the local shop to buy milk. I went to put the key in the ignition and it wouldn't turn in the lock. Generally, if this happens first time, you jiggle the key (is this an acceptable word? The meaning should be 'to move up and down with short jerky movements.' This, from my Collins English Dictionary, Express Electronic Edition.) I thought I ought to define this word, as there are those in other countries who might not be familiar with some words. I also have to be aware that some words have an entirely different meaning in other cultures. Oscar Wilde made the remark about American and English variations of the language when he said 'two countries divided by one language.' Anyway, I digress. I mean, I fiddled with the key to try to get the ignition to turn. It did not, on this occasion. I tried this several times. I also moved the steering wheel several times, but still the key would not turn, and so turning on the engine of the car thus facilitating the driving of said car. After several more attempts it did eventually start and I was able to drive out to the shop. Unfortunately, on arrival at the carpark, I found there was no room to park (I think I arrived there at the wrong time as the primary school, which is nearby, might have been coming to the end of it's day, and the cars might possibly have been those of the parents of the children at the school.) So, as a result, I returned home.

At around 3.30 I went to the car to drive to collect Carol at the Academy, but I could not get the key to work in the ignition. The steering column eventually locked completely, thus making operation of the car totally impossible. I walked to the Academy to collect Carol.

We tried several times more to try to get the car to start, without success. We have since telephoned someone we know at  the Milton Keynes Christian Centre who is a car mechanic and he will come out to have a look at the problem and hopefully resolve it for us.

The day has begun with dark clouds scudding across the sky. This, foreboding more rain. After yesterdays deluge, I see from last night's local news on BBC1 that there has been quite severe flooding in parts of the country.

Speeding Drivers and Dank Weather

The weather continues miserable. Not raining, but grey and over-cast. There was no ice to scrape off the car this morning, which was all very well, but it is still cold. We have had a few mornings with frost, but nothing to heavy. I bought a can of de-icer spray in Sainsbury's the other week, but it seems to make more mess of the windscreen than if you use just a scraper. It makes visability really bad, as you seem to get a blurry image looking through the windscreen. Also, I'm not to sure of the environmental effects of using this spray. It also has a really pungent smell.

Yesterday I took Sam to work. The roads are a nightmare at around 8-9 a.m. I realise that people are going to work, well, those who are working a 9-5 work-pattern, but some people have really no consideration for other road users. The road along side Eaglestone, that is, from near the Milton Keynes Academy to the hospital, is a 40 miles per hour speed limit. I don't think some people realise this, although it is fairly well signed. There are large signs as you enter and there are sometimes illuminated signs that show the speed you are driving at as you approach, and if you are at the correct speed you get a 'smiling face'. Which is actually, to my way of thinking, better than speed cameras, as these just seem to provoke agression in a lot of drivers. I think you slow down when you see them and then speed up again once you are well past. So, in that sense they defeat the object. Also, it can be said that speed cameras are merely a way to make money, from the fines that they generate. As we drive a relatively small car, a Hyundai Atos, and we don't make a habit of speeding around the place, generally keeping within the speed limit, we have found that you constantly get other car drivers coming up directly behind you as you're driving along, and trying to get you to go faster, or, in a lot of cases, trying to get you to move out of the way. Usually these are the speed freaks who have to drive at full throttle everywhere and seem to disobey every rule of the road, including keeping within the legal speed limits. I have driven around Milton Keynes and had people come up behind me and try to get me to speed up or just attempt to push me off the road so they can go faster and faster. This often happens when I have dropped Carol off at the Academy and I turn out into the road and round the roundabout and back in to Eaglestone, and on several occasions I have had a car come up and virtually touch the rear bumper of the car, just to get me to go faster.

We drove to where Sam works, at around 8.45. There was traffic building up to turn into the carpark at Milton Keynes College (where we park when we go to  M.K.C.C.(Milton Keynes Christian Centre),  as you're not supposed to park in the residential streets around the church and use the bus service to the carpark over to the church, run as a shuttle service.) Then there was quite a queue going onto the roundabout for Grafton Street which we got through fairly rapidly. The along Grafton Street and into the industrial estate where Maplins is (where Sam works.) Having dropped him off, it's quite difficult getting back into the traffic system in Grafton Street at that hour of the morning, but I generally turn left and back to the roundabout and down the other side of the dual carrage way and home along Chaffron Way and home. This particular morning, as I have already mentioned, there was a real bottleneck at the exit into the college carpark, and I had to slow down because I couldn't see clearly what was ahead, due to the volume of traffic. Suddenly a car drew out of the college exit, and if it wasn't for my instant reaction, I would have collided with the car. Thankfully the Atoz has good brakes, but it didn't do a lot for my nerves. A couple of feet more and there would have definitely been an accident.

Carol Concert at Milton Keynes Christian Centre

There was a carol concert at Milton Keynes Christian Centre (M.K.C.C. )yesterday evening. Carol and I helped to set up the Father Christmas grotto, and were supposed to be 'shadowing' so as to join the Welcome Team,  (our first official time on the team will be around 16th January) but it turned out that there were more than enough people to help. Apart from Father Christmas, there were lots of other activities going on in the church foyer, for example, photographs being taken, a stall selling christmassy items, someone singing together with a choir, lots to eat and drink, and then at 5.30 the concert began. Sam, Carol's youngest son, came with us. Daniel made some excuse saying that he had to finish a college assignment, but it was a pity he couldn't come. The whole place was heaving and there must have been 100% in the main auditorium.

Daniel has now got his university place at Newcastle. Sam has come home from Nottingham University, having begun an engineering degree, so the house has been busy the past couple of days. 

It is cold, windy and wet outside (as I write this at 2.45).