Return of Winter?

Saturday. 10.15 a.m. It might be bright and sunny, but there's a chill wind blowing. As the old proverb goes, 'it's an ill wind that blows no good,' which is true in relation to Boris Johnson. We're now into February and I just wonder whether we will escape a freezing and snow-covered rest of winter. It seems possible that we might, but let's see how things turn out.

3.15 p.m. I've been for a walk at the Ouzel Valley Park, which is just down Chaffron Way from where I live in Oldbrook. I let Alfie off his lead in one of the meadows, checking beforehand that there was no livestock, as there is often either sheep or cattle in these places. I know he wouldn't annoy them, but cattle can be quite territorial when dogs are near. It was extremely windy, which is still is as I write this. I clocked up a little over 8,000 steps, as recorded on my new Fitbit Versa 2, so when I got back to Dexter House I wanted to get to my daily target of 10,000, so I took Alfie around Oldbrook Green and I managed to get to the target. 

Sunday. 3.40 a.m. I woke to hear wind howling outside. I went to the loo and shaved. Just no possibility of getting back to sleep now with that wind making that noise.

Last night I watched Billy Elliot: The Musical on Broadway HD. All I can say is, 'wow'! Not disappointed in the slightest. It's truly amazing. I always wanted to go and see it when it was either on in the West End or the tour when it came to the Milton Keynes Theatre (has anyone never come up with a decent name for the local theatre here in Milton Keynes? The recently opened theatre in Aylesbury is called 'The Waterside Theatre,' does at least have some sort of originality, but ours? Lacking some sort of originality, I must say. I would warn you that the show has quite a lot of expletives in it, which, in context, do make it more realistic, but can become somewhat contentious, especially if you were to take young children to see it, although it's not really suitable for children below, say, the age of around 12-13. I'm not sure, but I think the original film had a rating of around 13.

9.25 a.m. It has been raining. I have been keeping a watch-out to see if it had stopped, but just in case I decided to get Alfie rigged out in his Regatta rain jacket, and I put my bright yellow raincoat on. We went out and Alfie wasn't sure of the weather, although at that time it had stopped raining.

4.45 p.m. I went to church. There seem to be more people there than ever. It almost always happens that when the service starts there are quite a few seats available and then people arrive. Just the way it is. I usually get to church about half an hour before the start time, but it seems strange to me that people don't get themselves sorted out so they have to arrive late, just after things start.

On the way home I went into Morrisons to buy something for lunch because the service finished later than usual and then there was coffee. It seems as busy as ever. Once I'd had my sandwich and drink when I got home I took Alfie out around Oldbrook Green. It was exceptionally windy so I didn't intend spending any more than necessary out. As I write this, I can hear the wind whistling around the building outside.

Pouring Rain!

As I wake up this morning (Wednesday) I can hear the sound of rain on the bedroom window. I am attempting to get up a good deal later, regardless of what Alfie thinks. So, for the first time ever, we haven't been out for the routine early-morning jaunt around Eaglestone Park. Alfie is laying on the sofa as I'm sitting here in my armchair with the MacBook on my lap, writing this, and no doubt wondering if we will ever go outside and go for a walk! Some hope, because it's still raining and I don't want to get wet and, even worse, Alfie when wet is a sad little dog. He doesn't like water and doesn't like rain, so why does he expect to go out in pouring rain? I hope it stops before the day is much older. But it doesn't look as if it is going to stop any time soon.

I had an email from A.T.G., that's the Ambassadors Theatre Group, the company who manages Milton Keynes Theatre a few days ago. I have already booked my ticket for Les Miserables, which visits Milton Keynes later this month. I didn't have to think twice about booking a ticket, even though it cost considerably more than I would normally be prepared to pay. I'm going to a Thursday matinee on 30th May. I know the show well, having seen the West End production at the Palace Theatre, and enjoyed it thoroughly, have seen the film and have the 25th Anniversary DVD. I know most of the songs so the thought of missing it when it was on tour didn't come into it. I usually receive the Milton Keynes There brochure when it comes out twice a year, and it seems I haven't received the most current one which features Les Miserables on the cover. I was therefore somewhat surprised when I received an email from ATG two days ago and, glancing at it, I noticed that Bernadette Peters was going to be touring her one-woman concert to Great Britain and only five concerts where to be performed, one of them in Milton Keynes. I am something of a fan, as she's a definite legend, a Broadway superstar you might say, and I was determined to see if I could get a ticket, but I wasn't prepared to pay top prices for such a ticket. I want to bed thinking about it, but had to come downstairs to the lounge and have a look at the theatre website and see what availability there was. I did attempt to buy a ticket at the lower end of the price range but couldn't get the site to work, so this morning I decided to go into the centre of Milton Keynes and visit the theatre.

I knew the theatre wouldn't be open until quite late in the morning, so I went to Sainsbury's to pick up one or two items and to order a repeat prescription at Lloyd's pharmacy, which is within the store. Poor Alfie was expecting his usual walk and was looking at me as I put on my jacket and shoes in preparation to leave the house for Sainsbury's and must have been thinking 'I thought we were going for a walk. Why isn't he taking me?' Well, as it was still pouring with rain, it didn't seem such a good idea. I came back after the shopping trip and put the few items away and then got in the car to go into the shopping centre. I took some cash out of my Nationwide account to put into my recently-opened Metro savings account, which is there to eventually buy a new puppy when the time is right. Hopefully another Yorkshire Terrier similar to Alfie. Then I walked the length of the shopping centre and went across towards the theatre, only to discover that they weren't open until 12 midday. I was a bit annoyed, having walked all that way. The last time I went to book the Les Miserables ticket, they opened at 10a.m., so a good hour and a half later or thereabouts (probably near enough 2 hours. I had fortunately put 2 hours on the parking ticket when I had parked the car, so sufficient to not have to go back and put more on the car in the carpark. Not that difficult as I have a Ring-Go app on my iPhone so I don't need to use cash or put a paper ticket on the car.) So I returned to the shopping centre and walked through, stopping at several stores on the way, one being HMV, as I wanted to find the DVD of the first series of Game of Thrones as I haven't seen any of this television series. No luck, so I walked on. I went into W.H.Smith and then on towards Pret A Manger where I had something to eat and drink, which meant I could waste the time before heading back along the shopping centre to arrive at the theatre again where I had to wait outside until they were open. I was surprised to see a notice on the door telling customers for the need to not abuse staff and other paying customers. What is it with people these days? Why is there so much abuse of other people? Can't you even go to the theatre these days without someone being abusive or aggressive to other people? I hope if that happens, the theatre staff have those awful people thrown out. It really isn't acceptable behaviour. I managed to get a seat for the Bernadette Peters concert, but it was way up in the top tier of the circle, although I'm not really bothered where it is because I just want to see her concert.

I finished in the shopping centre and returned to the car. I seemed to have walked miles today. I checked my step counter and found it was near enough 4,000 steps. About double, or even treble, the number I walk on a normal day.

It was threatening further rain and I thought, as I drew into the drive at home, that a small Yorkshire Terrier would love to have a stroll across the park. So that is what I did and he seemed to enjoy the walk. Though, I say 'walk,' it was more of a 'trot,' and as we walked along a large rottweiler was being exercised and Alfie just HAD to rush up and say 'hello!' I was eager to retrieve Alfie, even though he is always keen to make friends with the dogs he meets, it's perhaps best to be a bit cautious, because, who knows? The other dog might not appreciate a smaller dog like Alfie, sniffling and wanting to make friends. After all, this dog was considerably larger than Alfie, so one snap and Alfie could be dinner. So, I swept up Alfie, not an easy matter, as he wasn't in the mood for being caught and held. And he was somewhat damp, having run about in long, wet grass. The wriggled, and once the other dog was out of the way, I was able to put him back on the ground.

Hair Cut

It's been quite cold today. I was surprised by how cold it actually was when I stepped out of the front door with Alfie on his lead at about 6.35 this morning. Quite a layer of ice of the car's windscreen. I made sure I was well and truly wrapped up with my gloves on my hands. Alfie couldn't care less, so long as he got a good run and a sniff around all the trees and lamp posts .

I'm currently cleaning the house. Not the most exciting or stimulating of tasks, but it has to be done. It had been allowed to let slip when Carol was diagnosed and I really wasn't in any mood to don rubber gloves and scour the bath or scrub floors. As a result the kitchen floor had become quite dirty so I decided to give it a mop. It's easy enough the end near the sink, but the rest of what is actually a kitchen/diner, needed things such as a table, drying frame, chairs, stools and so on, moving out so that the floor underneath could be mopped. I did the sink end yesterday and then, around 8.30 this morning, began to move the items from the patio-door end into the other end so that I could give the floor a good mop. I left the sliding patio doors open to allow the air to dry the floor and had to keep Alfie corralled in the lounge as I didn't want little paw marks all over my nice clean floor. A squirt of Sainsbury's best floor cleaning product, with a hint of lemon in it (actually about half the price of Flash, virtually the same product and a little bit further along the shelf when I went to buy more a little later.) and the job's done. Amazingly hard work slinging a mop about, but worth the effort when I see how clean the floor is now.

Items now replaced in their original places and I'm about to leave the house for the centre of Milton Keynes to go and get my hair cut at Central Barbers, which has recently moved from the food centre to the main shopping centre next to John Lewis.

Really quite cold as I park the car near The Point. I now have an app on my iPhone, RingGo, which allows me to pay for parking. It means I don't have to bother with coins and it reminds me when my parking time is about to run out and I can pay if I want to increase my parking time. Quite handy if you don't carry loads of coins with you or you forget.

I walk through the shopping centre and arrive outside Central Barbers, near John Lewis. It's around 9.20 and this means I will have to wait 10 minutes as they don't open until 9.30. I'm sitting looking at my iPhone and then an alar goes off. I think it was the test of a fire alarm, but I'm not sure where it's going off. I think it's within Central Barbers shop. I can see the staff inside, and a couple of them have their hands tightly clasped over their ears. I'm sure the alarm-test is going on too long. It makes me laugh when these things go off, not just fire alarms, when people take totally no notice of them, they don't attempt to stop the alarm or go to whoever is in need of an alarm. Just a waste of time.

Colourful and eye-catching signpost near Milton Keynes Theatre. No excuses to loosing your way around Milton Keynes.

Having finished at Central Barbers, I decided I wanted to see what had been happening at the art gallery near Milton Keynes Theatre (they could have come up with a better name for the theatre, surely. Not very original. Are they ever likely to come up with something more memorable?) It's not a long walk, but when I got there, I discovered that it didn't open until 11a.m., so it was a bit of a waste of my time so I decided that I'd go back into the shopping centre and plan to visit the art gallery on a day and at a time when it's open.

Sunday, Monday, Weather

(Sunday)It was a bit wet when I took out Alfie this morning. Not drenching, but wet enough. We didn't do the entire circuit of Eaglestone Park, but nevertheless, we managed to get out by 6.30. I do't think Alfie could wait a minute longer. He came back looking really wet and bedraggled, and it took him a while to dry off. As I write this, there is a howling wind outside. It seems to have got up by the time I got to Shenley Christian Fellowship a good deal earlier than usual, because I am now on what's called the Genesis Team, and we're there to set up for the day's services. Not actually a great deal to do. I shan't be on the rota for another month or so, but one Sunday in perhaps 4 or 6 won't make  great deal of difference to me. Anyway, the wind was so strong that it blew over the sign which is put up outside the building, just before the service begins and also the poster which was pinned to it was blown across the carpark.

(Monday) I had intended having at least an extra hour in bed this morning. I hadn't seen the necessity to be up and dressed so early, but it didn't work out that way. Alfie didn't appreciate the fact that he wasn't going to get his early-morning walk around Eaglestone Park. I straightened out the duvet and refused to move, but it didn't prevent Alfie coming and prodding me with a paw to remind me of my obligations to him. Still, I did have around another 20 minutes of shut-eye. I knew it was quite sunny outside with the sun streaming in at the bedroom window. Alfie shuffled about in the bed. He sometimes gets in under the duvet and pushes himself up against me, which he did this time, but he just couldn't settle. He knew it was past the time we usually go out. So, with a deep sigh, I slid out of the bed and sorted out my clothes and got dressed and went downstairs. The minute Alfie realised I was about to take him out, he started barking and making his usual din. I popped my medication out of their packets and took it all, put on my shoes and we went out. Trying to attach his lead to the D rings on his harness is difficult because he wriggles about but I managed it and we got through the front door. Although it was sunny and bright, there was a keen wind blowing, almost wintery. Yesterday I saw a few flurries of snow, which was something of a surprise.

For the last couple of days there's been a car parked more or less opposite our driveway. Not really a driveway, just the bay where I park my car. I hadn't really paid it much attention. It was a grey/silver Peugeot 208 I think. I'm not very good at types of cars, their numbers etc. It was parked in an annoying place, because when I wanted to reverse into the road it was in such a position I had to manoeuvre in such a way so as to avoid hitting it. Together with the fact that a white van was parked on the footpath opposite and blocking my sight to the left when I came out with the car. Anyway, this silver car had been in exactly the same position for some considerable time. I assumed it belonged to someone living nearby, probably in one of the bungalows opposite my house. Then, the other morning, when I was standing at the sink doing some washing up, my eye was caught by the sight of a low-loading breakdown truck that was parked behind this silver car, with the slope down and the driver attaching cables to the car and about to winch the car onto the back of the low loader. So, it would appear from what I saw, that this silver car had probably broken down somewhere or other, probably on Saxon Street, and had been left where it was parked until a breakdown company could come and remove it. Not entirely sure why it was there, but this might be the explanation.

Later. I had a letter from NatWest about the car loan this morning. Because it was taken out in Carol's name it will be written off since she passed away. I'm quite overwhelmed by this, because I had been concerned about paying for the loan because I'd never be able to afford the repayments. The letter this morning was under the terms of the Consumer Credit Act of 1974. Something do with arrears on the account. I rang and spoke to someone and apparently I do not owe this sum of money, in the region of a little over £500. I have been told that this letter is just a formality which they have to send out. The loan will be written off officially after nine months have passed since Carol's death. All this is a weight off my mind. I was concerned that I would have to give the car back and then be without it. I suppose I could survive without a car, but it would have made life difficult if it had been surrendered.

Once I'd dealt with the bank (incidentally, all this is done via a phone call. I couldn't deal with it in the NatWest branch in Milton Keynes which I use most often, although the account is actual held in the High Street Bedford branch where it was originally set up.) I went into Milton Keynes centre because I was going to the Willen Hospice support group which meets in John Lewis every Monday morning at 10 a.m. Because I got parked and was too early to go to the John Lewis café where the group meets, I decided to walk to Milton Keynes Theatre, because I was intent on booking myself a ticket to see 'Les Miserables' which is due to vast Milton Keynes in a couple of months time. I walked all the way there and discovered that the box office didn't open until 12 midday. Which was annoying, but nevertheless, I decided that I would return later when it was open.

I went to John Lewis and had a rather tasty caramel latte and a blueberry muffin and met up with the rest of the Willen Hospice group. I suppose I was there for an hour and a half, but I had forgotten that my carpark ticket would run out at 11.30, so I had to leave  before I got a fine, because I've seen the parking wardens checking cars for either expired tickets or none at all. Fortunately no such parking wardens around when I got back to the car and put a further £1 on the car so I could walk back to the theatre to attempt to get my Les Miz ticket.

I walked the length of the shopping centre again and arrived at the theatre. A lot of building going on. Some workmen putting up a new signpost, and work going on ready for the art gallery to reopen, which is next to the theatre, which has been given a revamp. Apparently it's going to be reopened on the 16th March, which I saw on a poster when I was walking through the shopping centre. Anyway, a group of people waiting outside the theatre, about to buy tickets like me, it turned out. The doors were opened and I had to stand in line at the box office and managed to get my ticket for 'Les Miserables' on 30th May, for the matinee at 2.30 p.m. I saw the original West End production at the Palace Theatre, loved it then, and have also seen the film version. So, having paid for my ticket, I left the theatre a happy man and walked back into the shopping centre.

By now I was feeling somewhat hungry. I walked past Costa near Middleton Hall, but there was too much of a queue, so I walked on and saw that there was no long queue in Caffe Nero. I ordered a Passion Fruit and Mango Booster, a cold drink, because I just didn't fancy a hot drink because I'd had a latte when I was in the John Lewis cafe earlier. Also, a smoked salmon and cheese sandwich. All rather pleasant. I must say I'm a little more positive of this particular branch of Caffe Nero, because the last time I was in here I had to say the girl on the till was not in a very good mood and didn't impress with her style of customer service. I like the fact they play jazz over their sound system, a good deal better than the usual awful noise you have to contend with in some places. I was also impressed with the couple who had two babies in a double buggy, presumably the babies were twins. They sat at the next table to me, and the amount of equipment they had for the children would have needed a large vehicle to carry it about. Both babies seemed in fine form, giggling and gurgling and wiggling about in the buggy. Must have been  real effort for the parents and presumably the babies grandfather who was with them.

I am currently looking for some new shoes. I had been into Sports Direct, where my Adidas trainers were purchased, but nothing I have seen appeal. I walked past the Clark's shoe shop window in the shopping centre and have seen some of their new styles of shoe and they do look the sort of thing I'm after, although they are quite expensive. Having taken the cost of them into account, and the fact that I have bought Clark's shoes in the past, they are a good brand and last well, being well constructed and comfortable, so may go back to try on a pair before making a decision.

Red Sky In The Morning

There was an intensely bright red sky this morning. You know what they always say, ' red sky at night, shepherd's delight. Red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning.' So, does that mean we are in for some severe weather? More snow? Really hard frosts? Snow drifts? Who knows. Just have to put up with it if it is really bad. 

 We drove to the Shell petrol station in Grafton Street early this morning to fill the car up with £30 worth of petrol. The sky was really beautiful and I would have gone back home and collected my Canon digital camera and gone out to take some photographs of it, but it was changing so rapidly, unfortunately, that it didn't seem worthwhile. A pity, because it would have made a great shot, or more than one shot, which I would have posted on here.

It was also cold and frosty. Not over-keen to get chilled to the bone, so sprayed the car's windscreen and windows before we drove out. Nothing worse, or for that matter, dangerous, than driving with partially misted or iced-up windows. My gloves and hat came in handy. 

Over the Christmas period I have been working on the plot line for another section of my writing project which I've been developing over the past couple of years. I had written this out in note-form several times and yesterday I transferred it to word processing. I have finished it off this morning and printed it out, two pages of it. It does seem to work and there's a fairly good story arc. Now I just have to sit down and write the piece, using the framework of the plot line as reference.

I shall revise this blog as the day goes on, so do come back to see what else I write.

11.30 a.m.

I've been into Milton Keynes Central Shopping Centre. It's turned out to be quite a bright and sunny day, so it's pleasant driving in and parking and then walking into the shopping centre. It was around 9.15 when I eventually got there. I wanted to buy new swimming shorts and I'd seen some in Marks and Spencer when I visited the other day. I thought £10 was a reasonable price to pay and they're a rather pleasant red-colour. Supposed to be quick drying. Not sure how they can be any different to any other swimwear. I suppose it's because they're made of polyester or something. We'll be going to Nuffield this evening once Carol gets in from work, so I'll wear them then. The old ones I have been wearing are beginning to get a bit tatty which is why I wanted new ones. We bought them from Very when we went to Chloe and Steve's wedding in August 2013 and we were staying at a holiday centre in Ilfracombe where there was a swimming pool. We then joined D.W. Health when we came back after the holiday.

I then walked along the shopping mall and went into Boots. I wanted to buy a G.T.N. spray because the one I have has more or less finished. I have one on order, through the repeat prescription, but, to avoid an angina attack when we go swimming I wanted one to put in my bag and use before going into the pool this evening. I was amazed by how much cheaper this one was compared to when I bought a spare a few months ago. It was a little over £3 compared to around £7 elsewhere. I shall be going back to buy this medication from Boots again in future.

On the way along the shopping centre I arrived at Middleton Hall, the large open space near John Lewis. This is where the annual Christmas display is held and also other events such as trade shows, exhibitions and so on. There is currently a really interesting exhibition to mark the 50th anniversary of the building of Milton Keynes. A number of large maps, one being of the area that became the city in around the middle of the 19th century and another which shows archaeological finds. Also, models of buildings, such as the Civic Centre and others to show how bridges would be constructed and fit into the landscape.

It's Carol's birthday in March, and as a treat we were planning to go and see the musical 'Funny Girl' which is on the week of her birthday. I had hoped to buy two tickets for the Saturday matinee. I walked all the way to the theatre (Milton Keynes Theatre. You would think they could have come up with a more exciting name, would you not? Even the new theatre in Aylesbury is called the 'Waterside Theatre.'), quite a good hike along the shopping centre and then over the road near Campbell Park. The theatre was dark, no sign of life. The box office wasn't open, but then I saw that it didn't open until 10.00 a.m. I only had ten minutes or so to wait. Once I got inside, I went to the next available ticket person. I asked for two tickets for the matinee I wanted to book for, but was told that that performance was fully booked. Then the girl looked and saw that they had two returns, right up in 'The Gods,' the top-most tier of seating. I was then shocked to learn that these tickets were £45 each. That meant that the two seats would be £90. Far more than I'd intended paying and also, being in that position in the auditorium, having a really poor view of the stage. When we've been to see shows before we've usually had seats in the middle tier of seating, where you get a relatively good view of the stage. We'd been to see 'Guys and Dolls' a few years ago and sat in the top-most tier of seats and it had really poor visibility of the stage, which is why I didn't want to pay so much for rather inferior seating. I'm afraid we'll have to find something else to do that week, as, frankly I don't want to pay over-the-top prices for an out-of-town touring production of a show. It's around the same price of a West End show, which is all well and good, but my opinion is it's just a way of making a profit out of provincial audiences.

I walked back towards Marks and Spencer's and went into Waterstones. Why is it they dropped the apostrophe off their name? It makes me laugh when you think that as they are a book shop, you'd think they'd attempt to have such things as spelling and punctuation, particularly of their company name, written correctly. Anyway, there was a book on offer for half price which I wanted to check out. I shalln't say any more, just in case Carol is reading this, as I got it as a birthday present. It means I will have to hide it away somewhere so she can't see it. My sock drawer for example. I was also looking for Alan Bennet's Diaries, not literally, I mean, published. The latest selection has gone on sale in hardback, called 'Getting On, Getting On,' I want the earlier selection. I want to read the latest selection, but not having read his earlier jottings, it would be a good idea to read the earlier one's before proceeding to the latest. I wasn't sure where to look. It wouldn't be in the fiction section, so I went upstairs. The more academic books. No staff around. Nobody up there to ask, so I went downstairs and asked at the central pay desk. The young girl had a look on the computer. I said I had seen 'The Lady In The Van' which is a film based on Alan Bennet's relationship with an elderly lady, called Miss Shepherd, who came to live in his driveway, in an ancient yellow van. If you haven't seen it, you should. It stars the amazing Dame Maggie Smith. In a portrayal of a character very far removed from the character she plays in "Downton Abbey." Anyway, I didn't seem to elicit any sort of anything from this Waterstones employee, except to tell me the biography section upstairs had any books by Mr Bennett. The newer book was on display on the tables downstairs, but, as I say, it wasn't the actual book I was after, and anyway, I would wait for it to be released in paperback before I purchased it. So, armed with the information I was given I returned upstairs and there, in the biography section (even though, in actual fact, the book is autobiography) was one of Alan Bennett's books entitled "Untold Stories." I returned downstairs with the book and went to pay at the cash desk. The young woman was as distant and far away as it was possible. I do attempt to converse with shop staff, but she wasn't going to respond, unfortunately. I do think Waterstones should at least employ people who have some sort of conversational ability, or is it just, what with social media such as Facebook and Twitter, people don't need to actual converse anymore. Pity, because usually when I go into Waterstones, I get some sort of response when I try to speak to their staff. Some sort of interest in what they are selling, which isn't a great deal to ask, surely. I know that times are hard, or so we keep being told, but why are there so few staff in that shop? They've given it a facelift and there are actually two branches in Milton Keynes. The shops are much more bright and modern, not so dark and dingy as they used to be. It's a pity that the branch in Midsummer Place got rid of the Costa coffee shop upstairs. It has been replaced by what would appear to be Waterstone's own coffee shop, but last time Carol went in there for coffee we weren't exactly over-impressed. It's on the ground floor, which is probably better. I think the idea is that you choose your books and then take them to the coffee shop to browse through as you sip your latte or cappuccino. 

Wild, Wet and Windy Wednesday

Carol is on Half-Term from the Academy this week. We had planned to have a day out in London and had spent quite a lot of time researching where we wanted to go when we got there. We would have gone by train and booked via the internet, but when the day broke it was a very wet and wild morning that greeted us as we peered out of the bedroom window. We had seen trailers for the Disney animated film 'Zootopia' and being Disney fans Carol went on-line and found that there was a showing at 10.50 a.m. at the new Odeon  cinema complex at the MK Stadium which we had yet to visit. We drove towards the stadium and parked nearby. It was reasonably early and the car park was filling up fast, surprisingly. I suppose the reason being that it was Half Term and parents were taking their children out. We entered the Odeon complex which is in the centre of the newest parade of businesses within the Milton Keynes stadium complex. This is a bright and breezy building with all modern conveniences within. We were able to book our tickets on a sort of A.T.M. and as a result, we got the tickets printed out immediately. We could have booked on-line in the same way we had booked our rail tickets a couple of months ago when we went to Southampton to visit Carol's mum and dad. We had some time to spare before the film began and had coffee and pastries in the branch of Costa which is in the cinema complex. We went into the cinema auditorium, number 8, around ten minutes before the programme was due to start. We had booked Premium seats, which meant we had far more leg-room to sit, which suited me because I'm 6ft 2in tall and usually, whenever we go to the cinema, which is rare, or the theatre, which is far more frequent, there is barely enough leg-room. Milton Keynes Theatre has very little leg room in any of the areas of their auditorium and it is annoying in a modern theatre that you can't sit without having to stand up to let other people through. This wasn't the case in this new cinema. The sound quality when the film began was excellent (7.1 Dolby sound I believe) and a pin-sharp image. The film was good, but quite honestly it was far too long and they could have trimmed around 20 minutes off the running time. It couldn't decide what sort of audience it was aimed at. If it was mainly for children a lot of the gags would have gone over the children's head, frankly. But considering the number of times we've been to the cinema over the last few years it didn't matter as it was good to have some quality time together. The last film we saw was "Les Miserables" and that was 2012. We then went to T.G.I. Friday's which was a few doors along from the Odeon cinema and had a meal.

Trip to Milton Keynes Theatre

Yesterday afternoon we went to Milton Keynes Theatre to see a production of "To Kill A Mockingbird." A touring production which started life at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre in London. The show didn't start until 2.30 so we went in by car and parked in the multi-storey carpark directly behind the theatre. I have never parked in there before and it meant we didn't have to walk far  to the theatre. We had more than enough time before the show started so we went into the Weatherspoons pub near the theatre and had a snack and then wandered into the shopping centre for a stroll before making our way into the theatre. We had booked our tickets on-line so we had to go and pick them up at the box office.

I studied "To Kill A Mockingbird" for G.C.E. 'O' Level, so I had a good idea what the story was about, which did help, but it was a very good production. A cast of around 12 actors played all the characters, many doubling and even trebling up on parts. The children in particular were good in the central children's roles as Scout, Dill and Jem. A very simple set, and few props. It's just goes to show that you don't need elaborate sets, costumes and so on to put on a play. An over-use of stage machinery and setting seems pointless. Just think of films in the same way; C.G.I. effects and elaborate effects don't a movie make. Decent story-telling and acting is all it takes.

When we left the theatre we walked back to the car-park. One entering we had to take a ticket out of the machine at the barrier. When you are about to leave the car-park you have to go to a ticket machine, put it in and it works out how long you have been in the car-park and you pay what it says on the screen and then, when you drive out you put the ticket in the machine at the barrier to get out. There were two machines. One was out of order and the other one wouldn't take card payment. We got there just in time as there was a queue forming to use the machine. By the time we'd walked up to the 7th floor to collect our car and we'd driven down we went back past the ticket machine and the queue had lengthened considerably. We had avoided this queue by getting back to the carpark as quickly as we had, thankfully.

Theatre Visit and Milton Keynes Centre

We went to see a production of "Henry V" by W. Shakespeare performed by Propellor Theatre at Milton Keynes Theatre on Saturday afternoon. We decided to leave the car and went into MK centre by bus, which was a good deal easier and far more stress-free than going by car as we didn't have to worry about where we were going to park, nor the cost of parking. We had imagined that it would be busy, in the build-up to Christmas, and we were absolutely right. We got into the centre with more than enough time to spare, so we walked into the shopping centre (the bus dropped us directly outside the theatre.) and couldn't believe how crowded the place was. It doesn't appear as if there's an 'economic downturn' as people were (supposedly) doing their Christmas shopping and not really taking much notice of the fact that things were so dire. We did notice that a lot of shops had pre-Christmas sales on. We went to W.H.Smith as Carol is interested in getting an E-reader. Smiths have their own one called a Kobo, and we got a good demonstration from a member of Smith's staff. Carol is more interested in the basic model, whilst I'd like the one that is wi-fi connected and colour so you can surf the internet.

We continued to walk through the shopping centre, then visiting Boot's as they have their usual 'Buy 2 items and get one free' and we selected what we'd buy as presents. I have won a £25 voucher from doing on-line surveys, which came at just the right time to spend on presents. We didn't buy the things there and then as it would have meant taking the shopping into the theatre, so we'll buy the items later. Next, we went to Waterstone's, thinking that they would have e-readers in stock. I have an idea that I saw a display of Kindles when we were last in the store in Midsummer Place a couple of weeks ago. We went upstairs and asked an assistant, to be told that, since Waterstone's was taken over by a new company, they no longer stocked Kindles. Very strange, as Kindles (and all brands of E-readers) where the latest 'must-have' gadget, and if that was the case, Waterstone's weren't doing themselves any favours by not stocking them.

We walked back through the shopping centre and ended up in John Lewis, and browsed in the gifts department. Then we walked towards the theatre, which is only a short distance from John Lewis. We had a good forty-five minutes before the play began, so we got coffee from the bar and sat in the foyer.

We could hear music and laughter and raised voices coming from behind a glass partition. I at first thought it might have been something to do with a drama course, as the theatre does have courses for acting and other stage-related business, such as fights, etc. It then turned out to be a rehearsal for the theatre's pantomime "Aladdin" which opens on 9th December. We could see into the rehearsal studios, and Carol got quite excited when she saw the 'star' of the show, Gareth Gates, a former winner/contender on something like 'Pop Idol' or at least, one of those so-called 'reality' television talent shows.  We could glimpse what was going on in the rehearsal room through little glass panels in the partition. It was difficult not to hear what was going on, and occasionally there were children's voices cheering, such as 'he's behind you!' and 'oh yes he is!' etc etc. It's certainly not every day that you get a glimpse into the rehearsal room for any show, and not least a pantomime. Having sat and drunk our coffee, we made our way into the theatre auditorium. We have seen several Shakespeare productions by Propellor. The first was when Carol was teaching at Stantonbury Campus, and we went with a party on a bus to the Old Vic in London to see their production of "The Taming Of The Shrew." This is an all-male ensemble, which means all the parts are played by men, as would have been the case in Shakespeare's day, when women weren't allowed on stage. "Henry V" is modern dress, with the cast dressed in army uniforms as if off to the war in Iraq or Afghanistan. By turns very emotional, funny and quite gripping. We have also seen their production of "Twelfth Night" at the Oxford Playhouse, and the fact that it's an all-male cast is even more effective, as the play involves characters who are not only twins, but one is supposed to be a girl who dresses up as a boy. Which makes it more relevant to the plot, which you certainly don't get if it's a cast of men and women. We last saw their production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" also at Oxford Playhouse, and "Henry V" is the first of their productions to be toured to Milton Keynes Theatre. It was a very sparse audience, unfortunately. Perhaps the people of Milton Keynes don't like Shakespeare or have never heard of this company. Our last visit to the theatre was to see the National Theatre production of "Hamlet" with Rory Kinnear in the lead.