Good Day Sunshine

 Monday 2nd March. 7.40 a.m. It's bright and sunny as I write this!  I only hope it stays that way. Please, no rain! We really have had enough.

The digital thermometer currently reads 20ºc.

6.45 p.m. The digital thermometer currently reads 23ºc. It has been exceptionally warm and sunny all day. Dare I say it, Spring-like? I think so.

I've been to Monday Club this afternoon. A great deal of cake, coffee and tea. One of the ladies, Wendy, goes to another similar club elsewhere, and there was a lot of food left over, so she brought it to the Oaktree Centre this afternoon. People definitely dug in and ate!

Tuesday 3rd March. 6.20 p.m. It's been a mild and sunny day. As a result, I decided to go out and walk around Oldbrook Green with the Osmo Pocket camera. It's odd going out with no Alfie. He is so missed! A lot of dafodils out and more to come, although some aren't actually daffodils, they are more likely narcissi, those with the orange centres. I may be right, but then I might be wrong! A lot of work has been done by council workers to clean up the rough areas, with bushes pruned or at least cut back, and it looks so much better.

The digital thermometer currently reads 24ºc.

12.05 p.m. I've been to Sainsbury's this morning. I wanted cash from the A.T.M and expected to go out through the front entrance, but the shutter was down. This meant that once I had completed my shopping and put it in the car, I had to walk out of the underground carpark and go out on the street and go round the building to get to the A.T.M. 

Friday 6th March. 7.10 a.m.

The digital thermometer currently reads 24ºc. 

Yesterday afternoon I had to go to Milton Keynes Central Medical Centre to have a vaccine. I won't say 'jab' because it never is a 'jab.' It is called RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) vaccine. It's to prevent getting a quite serious flu-like illness, which can be serious for people my age and also with a heart problem. So, when I was offered it, I thought it good idea to have it.

Saturday 7th March.  8.05 a.m.Today would have been Carol's 62nd birthday. Greatly missed and loved, but I am getting on with things she would have approved. I'm so glad the dafodils I planted for her memory are in full bloom and far better than I had hoped for.

Yesterday evening, there was another quiz night at The Oaktree Centre. A good time was had by all and my team won! Yippee!

Rainy Days and Mondays

 Thursday 5th February. 6.55 a.m. I went to sit with my friend Mike yesterday afternoon, so his wife could go out. I have mentioned doing this before.

It was a wonderful and sunny afternoon as I drove across Milton Keynes. Almost spring-like. I do hope that it remains sunny today.

The digital thermometer currently reads 20ºc.

1.30 p.m. After yesterday's spring-like weather, today it's raining and miserable.

Friday February 6th, 8:,20 a.m. A wet and rather gloomy morning.

Washing in the machine, and it should be done around 8.55.

The digital thermometer seems stuck on 20ºc.

Apparently, there has been rain in some part of the United Kingdom every day so far since January. I don't think the ground can take much more.

Monday 9th February. 8.00 a.m. Not a great deal to write about at the moment.

Tuesday 10th February, 9.30 a.m. It seems to be another overcast and unremarkable day.

The digital thermometer currently reads 21ºc.

Yesterday afternoon I went out wearing the ear pods. I was suitably impressed by the quality of the sound, connected via Bluetooth to my iPhone, which was in my trousers pocket. I listened to Katherine Jenkins. Her voice is totally amazing. I walked around Oldbrook Green, which I haven't be around in quite a while. A great deal of work has been done on clearing up a lot of growth around the place, There are snowdrops on the opposite side to the Cricketers pub. 

There were a lot of teenagers around, playing in the netball area and generally hanging around. Why weren't they in school? Then I wondered if it was what they call an 'inset day.' I think it's probably a training day for teachers.

Later, I went to the Monday Club at the Oaktree Centre. Lots of cake and tea. I sat on the sofa in the lounge area, and was warned that Wendy, one of the regulars, sat there. We remarked how people of a certain age insist on sitting in the same place every time they visit, and you will get into a certain amount of trouble if you do so.

We played a game, guessing the idioms, such as 'Make hay while the sun shines', 'Putting all your eggs in one basket', and 'Out of the frying pan and into the fire' and what they meant and where they probably originated.

Sunny Saturday

 Saturday. 8.25 a.m. I haven't quite got the hang of using and operating the DJI Pocket. I didn't actually record any footage when I walked around Oldbrook Green, but I have since discovered that you have to give the record button a couple of presses to make it work. I know it sounds simple, but you only discover this sort of detail when you find YouTube videos which teach you how to operate the camera. You get an extremely basic instruction leaflet with the gadget (I think this is the case with most devices today.) Also, merely playing with the various buttons on the device to find out which one does what. I am now discovering how the wireless microphone connects to the camera. It uses Bluetooth and WiFi to connect. Another YouTube video explains the procedure.

As the title of this post suggests, it's a sunny day. What more can I say on the subject?

4.00 p.m. I have been out once more with the DJI Pocket and been around Oldbrook Green. I have now viewed the footage, and I'm more than pleased with the result. I didn't have the wireless microphone attached, although I have discovered how to connect it, having viewed a YouTube video on the subject. The secret of using a camera with a gimbal is that, don't play around with the settings. Once you have it how you want it, leave it alone. I had the camera facing away from myself, and the gimbal managed to keep the horizon level. Perhaps I should hold the device a little bit higher, but that's a minor point. I think if the manufacturers were going to make any adjustments to the DJI Pocket, or any of their next generation, to make the handle more rounded, so it's comfortable to hold.

Sunday. 8.25 a.m. I have now managed to extract the microcard from the DJI Pocket 2 put it into the adaptor and into the reader, and then plug that into my MacBook. I have to say that removing the card is very fiddly and because it's so tiny, no bigger than the nail of my little finger, and, if you're not careful, it could easily spring out and then shoot across the room and get lost. But I have managed to watch the footage I took when I walked around Oldbrook Green yesterday, and I'm more than pleased with the result. For a first attempt, it's better than expected, and I have high hopes for using it for future work.

4.05 p.m. We had Café Church this morning. I was doing the usual refreshment thing. There is a new coffee machine installed in the café area. It produces a range of coffee, latte, Americano etc. It's easy enough to use. It has coffee syrup in cartons inside and a touch screen to select what a customer wants, so it's easy to use and more or less foolproof.

Monday. 3.00 p.m. I need to have video editing software so that I can manipulate the footage I film on the DJI Pocket. I did a Google search and I discovered that my MacBook has it's own software for that purpose, called iMovie. 

Tuesday. 7.45 a.m. I am definitely sleeping a good deal better than I have been. I think the sertraline tablets are partly responsible. 

Yesterday I started to transfer some handwritten material into word processing. I was looking through all that I had written, which is in various notebooks, and I discovered some which hadn't been transferred. I'm editing as I go through it.

The day has begun and the conditions on the weather-front looks as if it's overcast and, according to BBC Breakfast weather, it looks as if we can expect rain later in the day.

Covid Causing Havoc

 Monday. 9.15 a.m. I have done a second covid test, and it's positive, which means that Camphill is definitely out tomorrow as well as Monday Club at the Oaktree Centre. I was convinced that it would be negative, as some of the symptoms have reduced, but I still have a temperature.

12.00 p.m. I have now been told I should have done my test tomorrow and not today! If I need to do further tests, I will have to buy them. I can go out and don't really need to isolate, but I definitely can't go to Camphill and won't be going to Monday Club this afternoon at the Oaktree Centre. Well, this doesn't make a lot of sense to me, because I wouldn't want to infect others and certainly not a vulnerable group, such as the residents at Camphill.

Tuesday. 5.40 a.m. I'm not feeling quite as bad as when this covid thing first struck. My temperature has more or less fallen to normal levels, but, as I don't have a thermometer, I can't say for certain what it is currently. But I still have brain fog and doing things seems to take forever. 

Wednesday. 5.15 a.m. I've been out with Alfie. It seems quite mild and somewhat overcast. Nothing else to report at the moment.

1.25 p.m. I've booked my car to have the work done on one of the rear breaks, which bind, according to the report which was done when it was given its MoT three weeks ago. It's going to be done a week tomorrow (3rd August.) 

I bought a covid test kit from the branch of Boots next to Central Milton Keynes Medical Centre. It is easier to go there as you can park directly outside. I have now done a test, and it was negative, which is good news.

Thursday. 7.40 a.m. I may have tested negative for covid, but I feel downright awful. In some pain in my lower back and as a result, it took me considerably longer than normal to get dressed, so I could take Alfie out. I have now taken paracetamol and will just stay in the flat and see how this develops. I will take paracetamol every four hours as recommended.

Friday. 7.30 a.m. Another day. Been out with Alfie as usual and we walked around Oldbrook Green. A couple of dogs were being walked at the same time, but no communication, although I reckon Alfie might have liked to say hello to them.

Covid Rears It's Ugly Head . . .

Tuesday. 5.20 a.m. A reluctant Alfie came out with me for our early morning jaunt around Oldbrook Green. It was worth it, if just to see a really amazing cloud formation over the centre of Milton Keynes, straight out of a J.M.W. Turner painting, who just happens to be one of my favourite artists. Anyway, I di around 1800 steps, as measured by my FitBit, which tells me, via the app, which is on my iPad and iPhone, that I do on average around 40,000 steps per week, which is approximately 30 miles, which can't be bad. I have worked out my B.M.I. (Body Mass Index), which is 29.6, which suggests that I am somewhat overweight. I put the blame on the so-called pandemic, being shut up like a prisoner for approximately two years, and eating stuff which I shouldn't have, for example, cake and biscuits. Definitely one of the minuses of such an event.

4.40 p.m. Another really great day at Camphill, in the performing arts workshop.

A longer than usual check-in. It took around an hour. Some people can spend around ten minutes discussing what they've been doing. I think there should be something like an egg timer, so people keep to a set length of time when they are talking.

A warming up session, to get the day started, but barely enough time before it was tea break. You can't possibly NOT have a tea break! Some of the group would be mortified if they were told they couldn't have a tea break, but no tea bags! Disasterville! So, someone goes off to find some.

Back to work, having to set up the green screen for our 'pirates' 'video. Terrie had managed to hang the main cloth on one of the bars on stage, which are usually there to suspend bits of scenery, curtains (technically called 'tabs', short for 'tableau.') Also, we have to put a green cloth on the stage floor. This is done so that backgrounds in scenes for the video can be edited into the footage to give the illusion of such things as being on a beach, in a shop or another place, without actually being there.

A great deal of hanging around, waiting to sort out costumes, some of the actors have makeup applied and our leading lady was involved in the 'western' video, which was being shot elsewhere, on location somewhere in Milton Keynes. We did manage to do some filming on the stage, the fight between the two pirate gangs. This means that, with only a small amount of footage needed, our video will be finished, apart from the editing.

Meanwhile . . .  The 'time travel' video, which was the original video I was working on and was supposed to have a part . . . It was being edited in another part of the theatre. It appears that they have the first third of their video editing.

So, things are going really well. Hopefully next week we will get to see the completed videos!

Thursday. 7.10 a.m. I have currently got an unpleasant cough, which includes really unpleasant phlegm at the back of my throat. It kept me awake most of the night and nothing seems to shift it, although sucking on a Ricola sweet relieved it somewhat.

1.20 p.m. I was shaving early this morning and looking at myself in the mirror and thought, 'Your hair looks as if it could do with cutting!' which prompted me to go online to Central Barbers and book an appointment for 10.30 a.m., so that is exactly what I did, and it was done, and I feel a good deal better for it. I took a couple of Paracetamol tablets before I drove into the centre and I think they did the trick. I had been feeling lousy, what with the cough and a slight flu sort of feeling.

4.15 p.m.I am still feeling fluey. I have taken two more Paracetamol and have just done a COVID-19 test. It has come out positive, so I think I will need to isolate for five days.

Time and Time Again

 Monday. 6.35 a.m. What about the title of this blog post? Attempting to put something across to someone and having to repeat it over and over again. Perhaps that person not understanding something and having to keep on repeating it. It is the title of a play by Alan Ayckbourn. I did the book for it when I was D.S.M. at Ipswich in the 1970s. The lead actor, Chris Godwin, created the part when the play was premiered in Scarborough. Alan Ayckbourn came to see our production and said that he thought it was far better than the West End production, which must have said something, considering the limitations of the stage at the Arts Theatre. (They actually dropped 'Arts' when I was there in 1973.) There was space off-stage on the prompt side, but the opposite side was extremely limited, and you had to get off the stage through a sliding door and to get from one side of the stage to the other, you had to go through that door and outside and round through an alleyway and then came back through the stage door to arrive prompt side. This could be problematic when ladies wore long dresses, particularly when we did a production of 'Great Expectations' and it was winter, with snow on the ground, and they come to pick up snow on the bottom of their dresses if they forget to lift them enough to not get covered.

11.40 a.m. I have been out attempting to make a video, walking along the towpath beside the Grand Union Canal at Peartree Bridge. Unfortunately, the Hohem gimbal began to play up. I did a test video along the path towards Oldbrook Green yesterday morning (and mentioned in yesterday's post.) All seemed to go well, apart from the microphone not working because it wasn't set up correctly. That was resolved this morning, but then the gimbal kept locking and spinning around (it was supposed to be set for POV (Point Of View.) and then kept spinning around. It eventually resolved itself and I managed to walk between two of the bridges over the canal and at one point saw a heron and got really close to this amazing bird, until it flew away, unfortunately not on video. It just moved too quickly for me to catch it on video. I walked back to Peartree Bridge and then into Jeeves Close, which is where I had parked my car.

I have now got my car booked in for its MOT on Wednesday, at Anglo Motors, which is in Mount Farm, on a road near the football stadium. I didn't go with Bleakhall Motors, because someone at church told me they had a bad experience with them, (which I have never had.), but I thought I would try them.

4.30 p.m. I've been to Monday Club at the Oaktree Centre. There weren't as many there as there have been in the past couple of weeks. Perhaps the weather has put people off. 

I  came home and took Alfie out, and we walked around Oldbrook Green. In fact, we did two circuits and a bit more, so I hit the 10,000 steps. 

I got back inside the flat because it started raining. The weather has changed considerably, which might or might not be such a good thing. (The flat temperature, according to the digital thermometer, is 23ºC. Just as I was removing Alfie's lead, I heard my phone ring and it was Mears. The lady I was speaking to me said they wanted to know when they could come to fit the extractor fan, and it's booked for Wednesday morning at around 9.30. After all the effort, it looks like it's about to actually happen!

Tuesday. 5.05 a.m. I awoke in the night. I think it was around 1-2 o'clock. It's the usual thing of having to go to the loo. No good pretending these things happen, particularly as you get older. I could hear what at first might have been an aeroplane, the engine sound did make me think that. But it didn't go away, at speed. It droned on, seemingly circulating Milton Keynes. Then it occurred to me- it could have been an airship. I know the sound, having lived in Cardington Village and close to the airship sheds just across the fields from where I lived at Malting Farm. You can hardly miss these two vast sheds, as they stand out in the landscape and can be seen for miles around. It was from here in 1930 that the ill-fated R101 took off for its flight to India, but, basically, because it was overloaded, it crashed in flames on a hillside near Beauvais, France, killing all the passengers and crew. The remains of some of those people are buried in a special area of the Cardington graveyard.

Anyway, I could still hear the sound of whatever it was, but I was more or less convinced it was an airship. I had to go and see, but, looking out of my bedroom window I could only see lights, and it was certainly, well, to me anyway, most likely to have been an airship. You can usually tell, because they float, rather than fly like a conventional aircraft. Then I was thinking, what was it doing over Milton Keynes, at night, in the dark? It possibly is on a test flight, because Cardington (and more precisely, Shortstown, the village which was built up around the airship hangers), is only around 15–20 miles from Milton Keynes, as the proverbial crow flies. It might have been flown at night to keep it hidden by the dark. I don't know, but it made me think it might have been that. One of the two airship sheds is used for filming, and quite a few well-known Hollywood blockbusters have been made there, including sections of the Star Wars and Batman movies.

7.45p.m. Another Tuesday at Camphill, in the performance art workshop in the Chrysalis Theatre. The day was a mishmash. The filming for the silent movie which I had originally been with, about time travel, had been completed, apart from a tiny scene which will be shot next week. We were supposed to go off to a location in Milton Keynes to film scenes for the pirates' film, but in the afternoon the weather changed, and it started to rain slightly, so it didn't seem such a good idea to go out. Instead, it was decided to use green screen to eventually mix in backgrounds and the green material was set up to allow filming in front of it.

Little Grey Cells

Tuesday. 5.05 a.m. I'm wide awake again. The kitchen tidied and washed up and I've even prepared the chilli con carne for my evening meal. Am I crazy? No, I just can't stand wasting time. Bright daylight outside and I took my lovely Alfie out.  As we walked along the path towards Oldbrook Green, my attention was drawn to the sight of a police car parked in Olbdrook Boulevard, going towards Tesco's further down and opposite The Cricketers pub. As We got closer, I then noticed it was parked on the grass verge. Being an observant sort of person and also having a vivid imagination, I was constructing a narrative for why they were there. Hercule Poirot, Endeavour Morse and countless other criminal investigators which have done the same. Then, on the grass near their car, a black object was seen. What was it? Then, as we were about to cross over the road onto Oldbrook Green, a second police car went past from the direction of Fishermead. It stopped briefly near the first police car and then drove off. Then, no sooner had we crossed over the road and were heading in the direction of the skateboard park, I heard a noise above me. Looking up I could see what at first I took to be possibly a microlite or similar object. Then it became obvious that it was a drone. It had that distinctive sound these things make, and I saw one of the police officers operating the thing with a remote device. She brought the thing down to ground level and appeared to pack it away in the black object, which was obviously the carrying case for the drone. I was attempting to get a closer look but then walked on. By the time we got to the corner of Oldbrook Green and turned back to go home, the police car was driving away. So, what were they doing with the drone? Were they using it to attempt to find a person, wanted for something? An escapee from prison or wanted for questioning? Or, some other thing which could be best seen from the height only managed from a higher altitude? Or, were they merely playing with a new gadget they had been given to use for detection purposes? And Oldbrook Green at 5 a.m. was the best place to play with it? I don't know, and it made me have all these questions going on in my mind as we walked past.

As we walked back towards Dexter House, I could see the vapour trail of what appeared to be an aircraft, possibly coming to land at Luton Airport, which isn't that far from Milton Keynes. Mind you, it appeared to be coming in at a rather steep angle if it was an aircraft. Usually, they come in at a far less steep angle. In my imagination, I was thinking it could be a rocket or item returning from a space mission and was going to hit the Earth. But it did make me wonder what it was, although its speed appeared quite slow so it probably was an aircraft. I then thought, at that angle, the passengers would find it somewhat uncomfortable at that sharp angle.

8.05 a.m. I have now had a text from Mears. Someone is coming to see the bathroom floor on Thursday morning at 10, so it looks as if my efforts the other morning have paid off.

4.50 p.m. Another great day at Camphill in the Chrysalis Theatre. Little did I know that there was going to be a rehearsal for Maypole dancing. I had seen the maypole on the green outside the theatre, but never did I expect to actually act as the maypole, standing in the centre of the circle of the theatre workshop team and having to hold lengths of ribbon in the air with one arm. It was great to be at the centre of the whole thing, although it was quite an effort to keep my arm up in the air as well as hold on to the ribbons. It didn't quite work. I don't know why Terrie didn't do the rehearsal on the green outside. During the tea break, she tied the ribbons on the railing of the upper level of the seating and when they did another rehearsal, things went a good deal better. 

I should explain about the seating in the Chrysalis Theatre. It's quite ingenious. The main body of the hall has to serve as not just an auditorium, We use it for the performing arts workshop, and for doing the various activities which are part of the workshop. Then it has to be used for other Camphill activities, as a community hub for meetings, and discos for the Camphill residents, and then it's hired out for such things as craft markets. When there are theatre performances, whether by the Performing Arts Workshop or outside companies, then the auditorium is transformed by the raked seating which is able to be set up and can accommodate 220 people. But when not used, it folds into itself to allow the space to be used for other activities, as described above. 

After lunch, we spent time discussing the 'time travel' silent movie we are creating. Then we did a rehearsal and one of the other groups (there are three groups making movies. Mine, which is the 'time travel' story, another, which is a Western and the third, which is a pirate 'swashbuckler.' ) went off to 'scout' for locations for their movie. 

God Save The King!

Saturday. Coronation Day. 10.20 a.m. I have my television on, with King Charles III's Coronation in progress. As I write this, Charles has left Buckingham Palace with Camilla, on their way to Westminster Abbey in a gold-encrusted coach (The Diamond Jubilee State Coach.) Apparently, it has been fitted out with air conditioning and decent suspension, giving a far more comfortable ride. 

So many horses. I noticed that one or two weren't behaving particularly well, one being the large one with a mounted drum on its back.

Surprisingly emotional and really spectacular.

Sunday. 5.30 a.m. After the excitement and razzmatazz of yesterday, a more subdued day ahead. Alfie was in fine form when I went to take him out this morning, barking and not asleep. 

5.15 p.m. I was on duty with setting out the chairs at church this morning. I wasn't actually on the rota, but someone asked me to do a swap. The service was led by the youth group. They did incredibly well. Then, once the service was over, it was all changed, as there would be a Coronation tea party. Lots of food, which people had bought, as well as tea and cakes which were put on cake stands. This was followed by a quiz, all about the Royal family.

I think I have got the gimbal sorted out. It has been easier than it might have been, considering it is a relatively new technology. I am so pleased that I sent the gimbal I purchased from Amazon went back, and I got a refund. Most of this has been because I followed video instructions on YouTube.

9.20 p.m. I am currently watching the Coronation concert from Windsor Castle. It is quite spectacular and better than I expected. An excellent mixture of acts and is very diverse. I appreciated the musical piece involving Gareth Malone, which had one group which used B.S.L. (British Sign Language).

Coronation Bank Holiday Monday. 5.30 a.m. A bright and mild morning, although the BBC weather is forecasting some rain later. 

8.45 a.m. I have at last managed to buy ink cartridges for my Canon printer. How difficult, you may be asking, can it be to purchase such mundane but necessary items? If you have been reading my posts from a few days ago, you will have learnt how many places I have been in order to get them. I had avoided Amazon, but because of the difficulties I have endured, I, at last, gave in and ordered these things on that website. They have been delivered, yesterday evening, and they are now available in the drawer of the unit where the printer sits, ready for when the current cartridges expire. I keep getting an 'ink low' message, when I attempt to print, which was the initial reason for ordering fresh ones.

Tuesday. 5.30 a.m. I've been out and I'm back, having taken Alfie out. He came to me, barking madly, unlike the last couple of days, when he was asleep when I went to take him out. I washed up from last evening's meal and the kitchen is now clean and tidy.

It has been raining overnight because there is standing water in and around the children's playground. A great deal of litter, a lot of it falling out of the rubbish bin as you get onto Oldbrook Green.

Another Day In Paradise? (No, It's Dexter House)

 Thursday. 5.40 p.m. Another mild and pleasant morning and I have already been out with Alfie.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I'd bought a gimbal which works with a mobile phone, the idea being that you can make videos and take steady photographs because of the mechanism within the gimbal. I had bought one from Amazon, but, going through the set-up procedure and following what manual which came with the device, I could not get it to function properly. I decided to return it to Amazon for a refund (read the previous post where I described all this.) I was surprised when the refund went through and appeared on my Amazon account. I was expecting it to take at least a week. As a result, I looked at a replacement on Amazon. It is really difficult to decide, unlike in a shop where you can pick up an item and try it out (which I have done in John Lewis's Milton Keynes store, with several of their cameras.) So I took the plunge and selected a Hohem gimbal (having seen a video on YouTube which was a review of the model I chose.) It cost quite a bit more than the price I had paid for the earlier gimbal, but I thought I would make up the difference. It was ordered early yesterday morning and the device was delivered yesterday evening at around 5.30. It was easy enough to set up, and I've had it working successfully. If you are interested, the model is an iSteady M6 and comes in a kit which includes the case and fill light and AI movement sensor, which fits on the device with a powerful magnet.

Friday. 5.30 a.m. Yet another mild and relatively pleasant morning. It took Alfie a while to wake up, which isn't something I thought I'd ever write on here. We were out briefly and I have now come back to the flat and have the television on with talk going on about the local elections. 

10.50 a.m. When I went out with Alfie, it was dry and mild, but at just after 9.30, when I went out to go to Sainsbury's, it was drizzling, that is, a very light rain. As it's Coronation Day tomorrow, there is the prospect of rain in central London, so those people who have camped along The Mall, as seen on BBC Breakfast early this morning, they are likely to get a soaking.

4.30 p.m. I have been out around  Oldbrook Green with the gimbal set up and videoed around 20 minutes of footage. I have downloaded it onto the MacBook and have been viewing it. Considering it was my first attempt to use it, it wasn't too bad. I am getting to grips with the various functions, which take a while to fathom. It is considerably better than the gimbal I returned to Amazon. The manufacturers have included a manual which is easy to understand, and I have been viewing YouTube videos on how to use it, so it is likely to take a few more attempts using it to get a better result.

Saturday. 1.40 a.m. I have woken up. I couldn't sleep. This is quite normal for me. I did my Bible reading. (Actually, a good time to do this, because there are no distractions, no noise, Alfie not staring at me or prodding me.) I make a cup of tea (not a cup, a mug. I don't have any cups or saucers, and, thinking about it, who on earth, in this day and age, has a tea set, with cups and saucers? Everyone uses mugs. Thinking further, nobody makes tea in a teapot. Just a teabag in your mug, pour on hot water, give it a few seconds, and take out the teabag, milk and sugar (optional) and that's it. Life made simple, or is it laziness? You decide.

I digress. I put on the television, with a mug of tea, a bag of crisps and a few chocolate digestive. BBC News channel. There are Americans, those who are obsessed with the Royal family and are going to be watching the Coronation. Then a piece on people who are camping along the Mall, towards Buckingham Palace. King Charles actually did a 'walk-about' and chatted with some of the people. Then a piece about people who either remember the late Queen's Coronation in 1953, either watching it on television or being part of it. A lady, who was 17 at the time, and did some of the embroidery which was on Her Majesty's wedding dress and a man who was a trumpeter in Westminster Abbey on the day. 

Saturday. Coronation Day. 5.35 a.m. It's here! Today is Coronation Day. It's something that is historic and as far as I'm concerned, and possibly quite a lot of people, I'm not likely to see it again (unless, of course, God forbid, Charles falls off his perch and William takes over.) I would have been 2 when Elizabeth II was crowned in 1953, although at that tender age, I wouldn't have been aware of what was going on.

I took a sleepy Alfie out as normal and we walked around Oldbrook Green. There must have been a very light rain overnight as there were dry patches below the trees near the Green.

Spring Has Sprung

Sunday. 6.15 a.m. I don't think Alfie was in the least bit interested in going out this morning. He was in his bed next to the television in the lounge and behind the trolley on which my Canon printer sits. I had to pick him up to take him out. No sound, no barking or anything. We did an Oldbrook Green circuit and then returned to the flat.

Bank Holiday Monday. 6.15 a.m. It's another warm and mild morning here in Milton Keynes. I think I must put on my electric fan to cool down the flat. Yet another circuit of Oldbrook Green with Alfie. I am shocked by the amount of litter which is all over the grass around the place. The rubbish bins are overflowing. It is really unpleasant.

Tuesday. 5.10 a.m. I had the electric fan on all yesterday. I also had the lounge and bathroom windows open and the flat is now a good deal cooler.

I have had a refund for the gimbal, which I returned to Amazon. I was surprised at how quickly the refund was made and in my Amazon account. I have just ordered a replacement and it should arrive tomorrow. I just could not get that model gimbal to work as it was supposed to. The one I have ordered is a completely different make and model. I had considered ordering it last night, but I have to be at home in order to sign for it, as it is quite expensive. I should be going to Camphill today, which is why I've delayed the order. I think this is to assure that they deliver to the correct person. You get sent a code which you have to give to the delivery driver. It assures security, and I'm fine with that.

6.10 p.m. I have been to Camphill as I normally do, and worked in the theatre workshop. I had missed the previous week, and the gang knew that it was because Alfie hadn't been well last Tuesday. 

The morning was taken up with fire training. How to recognize fire hazards and how to deal with incidents of fire. The theatre workshop group sat in the 'gods' section of the seating, whilst the Camphill care staff sat below in the body of the hall. At the end of the morning, staff had the opportunity to operate a couple of fire extinguishers. I have done this type of course before, which was done at Bromham Hospital when I started working as a support worker for the  Bedford Hospital N.H.S. back in the late 1990s. As a result of all this, although very necessary, we did no work on the silent comedies we are developing. 

After lunch, Terrie (the leader of the workshop.) produced some props from her own collection, which could be used in the silent comedy films we are creating. 

Later on, my group went downstairs to the costume room to select costumes for our films. The guys seem to find suitable costumes for themselves, but I was searching for a suit. There is a whole rack of suits, but nothing in my size, so I will go to a charity shop and see if I can find something there. It's quite likely I can get something for around £10-£15.

Wednesday. 6.00 a.m. I was wide awake at 4.45 and couldn't get back to sleep. This is quite normal for me. I decided to clear up the kitchen from last night and sorted my recycling and rubbish. Tied up both bags and took them out to the bins later on. Then I took out Alfie at around 5.20. Another circuit of Oldbrook Green.

10.30 a.m. I purchased ink cartridges for my Canon printer. As it gets a fair amount of use, and it was likely that the ink would get used up rapidly, I thought it might be a good idea to have some set by in storage for the moment the ink was running low. You used to be able to buy these cartridges from Sainsbury's, but they no longer have them on the shelves. The reason I was told, by a member of staff, was that they get stolen by shoppers. It's the same with Gillette Pro and Mach cartridge blades, which are quite expensive. It would appear that some people will steal anything if they imagine they can get away with it, which is why this sort of item tends to be fitted with an electronic device that will sound an alarm if they don't go through the check-outs in a correct manner. I ordered a couple of these cartridges from Viking, an online retailer which sells stationery items. The ink cartridges have remained in the drawer of the printer unit for a couple of months. I have used the printer several times and the ink cartridges which came with it when I bought it have not been replaced. Until yesterday, when I wanted to print and the printer showed that the ink was running low. It wasn't until I opened up the printer, ready to put in the new cartridges, that I discovered that they were the wrong type and wouldn't work in the printer. I really wanted to be able to use the printer, and it's no point in having the thing if it doesn't work. I imagined that Argos would have ink cartridges, the reasoning being because that was where the printer came from. 

I drove to Argos and went inside the store and had to look for the ink cartridges on one of the computer screens to then discover that they didn't have any of the types I wanted in stock. I then decided to drive to the shopping centre to go to W.H. Smith's to find out if they had ink cartridges. I made a mistake and had to drive around the centre of Milton Keynes to arrive at the car park close to The Point and had intended to use the Ring Go app on my iPhone, but for some reason, I needed to put in the password and when I     attempted this, it wouldn't work. Frustrated by this, I decided to return home and think about where else I could obtain the ink cartridges.

I will have to leave the purchase of the ink cartridges until I can find somewhere that stocks them. There is no 'bricks and mortar' stationer anywhere in this area, unfortunately.

Day By Day

 Monday. 7.10 a.m. I have been out with Alfie. I've only just come back indoors. There's been a further incident with another thoughtless person. We were walking down the path towards Oldbrook Green and I had just picked up after Alfie. Almost before I could stand up, a red bicycle (I think it was one of the Santander electric bicycles.) came roaring past, giving me barely a second to stand aside. The rider was wearing a hood, so absolutely no sight of his/her face. Then they shot over Oldbrook Boulevard and then into Fishermead. No slowing down to let me get out of the way, or any word of apology. It really took me by surprise and I was left reeling. Why not just slow down when someone is in your way? At least apologize. People are always in such a hurry. Look at what happened to me yesterday, with the driver who tailgated me on the way home from church. (see yesterday's blog post.) 

Tuesday. 7.00 a.m. It's quite chilly this morning.

4.30 p.m. Another great day at Camphill, in the theatre workshop.

As usual, the morning began with a check-in. The chairs are arranged in a circle and Terrie goes around to see how everyone is feeling and what they have been up to. It gets everyone talking and if there are any problems they can be sorted out. In August, there is to be a 'play in a week' event, which is, as the title suggests, going to create and perform a play in a week.

The group is now developing stories and characters for silent movies. We did a really great exercise to create stories. We were broken up into pairs and one of the pair started telling a story, a fairytale or well-known story and as we told the story, the other person kept butting in and saying, 'what happened next?' or 'that's not correct', the idea being to change the plot and get things moving in a different direction.

Not only that, but we did an exercise to show how a particular type of character would move, based on commedia  del'arte, which would be the basis for any character that will appear in the silent movies we are going to create. Then Terrie bought out a large white sheet of paper to write down suggestions members of the group had on the type of stories they wanted to create for their movies. In other words, a brainstorming session. This went down a storm and produced some great ideas. Over the lunch period, Terrie worked on and used the information she had got to create three separate storylines which would be the basis for three separate movies. It will be interesting to see what comes of all our work today and next week we will start developing the characters further into some sort of workable script for each movie.

Quite an exhausting day, particularly as we did so much movement, but certainly a great success.

Wednesday. 7.30 a.m. Yet another really bright and sunny morning. There was a real sound of a bird singing which I could hear even before I got outside with Alfie at about 5.50. 

1.45 p.m. I went to Sainsbury's for a few items this morning. I was there just after nine o'clock. I used one of the self-service tills to check out and pay. There were plenty free to use. I'm not over-enthusiastic about their use, as you will have realized if you read my blog regularly. I found one, but the one next to the machine I intended to use was making odd noises to itself. Sort of sounding like it was going to burst into life. The one I was on decided that one item wasn't going to go in the bagging area without a problem, so a member of staff had to come and sort it out. I reckon these machines are sentient. They certainly have a way of breaking down at the least provocation.

I am completing a piece of writing that links two bits which are already written and means I can introduce the new character I have already got devised. Things are really ramping up, and I have ideas for a further story arc.

Spring Is Sprung? (But Not Quite)

Wednesday. 6.25 a.m. I was awake at 5 o'clock, so I decided to change my duvet cover and all my bedding. Not my favourite occupation and so, rather than merely thinking about it, I got on with it. So, all the bedding taken off can go in the wash at 2 o'clock this afternoon.

Alfie and I were out around 5.45 this morning. Am I crazy? (Please don't answer that.) But it is light at that time, so it seemed a good idea to take his nibs out. Another trot around Oldbrook Green.l It's been raining overnight, as there is clear evidence by the fact the ground is wet and a very thin drizzle falling.

Thursday. 6.15 a.m. Much the same as yesterday. Out at around 5.45.

12.30 p.m. I've been to the Oaktree Centre to help set up and pack up the Acorn's playgroup, as I usually do  on a Thursday morning. Driving along Chaffron Way I encountered another tailgating driver in a BMW. I was driving at a reasonable speed, which, as far as I am concerned is safe, probably 45-50 mph. Suddenly, the drive of the car decided that I wasn't moving fast enough for him and overtook me, which meant he had to drive on the section of the road which had chevrons on it. I think it's the same part of the road where I had a similar experience of a driver deciding I wasn't getting out of the way for him, but driving in the other direction when I was a driving home from home a few weeks ago. It is somewhat unsettling, and I don't think these tailgaters really care about the effect it has on you. Speeding fast and not caring about anyone else is unacceptable. Many drivers around Milton Keynes are under the mistaken impression that you don't need to slow down and stop when you get to a roundabout. At a later roundabout, a car narrowly missed me as I drove through. I don't like the idea that you signal with your indicators when you are driving ahead on a roundabout. When I was learning to drive, which was in the late 1960s, you used your indicators to turn either right or left, certainly not to go ahead. Mind you, in those days, you used hand signals to show where you intended to move. You stuck your hand out of the driving side window and if you were slowing down, your moved your hand in a circular motion and if right, you stuck your hand out. Not sure how you indicated left, probably stuck your foot out of the passenger side window (only joking!) It seems crazy, thinking about it now. I think if you were to do that today, you would get your arm knocked off! It just shows how driving has changed over the last 50 or so years.

It's quite windy today, even though the sun is shining.

4.35 p.m. The Postman came mid-morning (they seem to be coming a good deal earlier than they usually deliver.) and within the usual junk mail, I got my repeat prescription from Lloyd's Direct, which has come from my app order. I have mentioned that Lloyd's in Sainsbury's is closing down and I would need to find a different pharmacy to make up my medications. I set the app up to take my order and this was a trial to see whether it was going to work. I assumed that the delivery would be made by a van, but isn't. It comes via Royal Mail.

Alfie was booked into Pets At Home in Bletchley to have a grooming session. I left Dexter House at around 1.40 to drive there, and it was easy enough to park outside as usual. I had to wait a few minutes before I could let the groomers get to work as the place was extremely busy. We wandered around the store and they returned. I had found lumps on Alfie's head and on his body, which look as if they might be bites or perhaps warts. I had to tell the groomer because I was concerned that they might cut into them when it was clipped. I left him and then went across to Tesco's to use the toilet and then to Timpson, who has a unit outside, to buy some heel grips for a pair of shoes I bought on Amazon. I almost always find that, when I buy new shoes, the heels can rub until they are broken in, and these adhesive grips help with this problem. 

I collected Alfie at 3.30. I went back into Pets At Home and I could see that they were still working on grooming Alfie, so I didn't want to go into the grooming parlour because I knew if he saw me, he would probably bark, and it would make the groomers work difficult. So I went and wandered about the store for a bit longer before going in to collect Alfie. 

I have to say, he looked so much better for being clipped. He always does. You can see his face properly because they managed to tidy up around his eyes. He was looking really unkempt, and I don't like to see him untidy. We drove back home and I discovered a parcel from Amazon on the doorstep. I had ordered an electric pencil sharpener and a podiatry set. This is because my toenails need cutting and the set of clippers isn't very good. The set is excellent and comes with a set of various instruments for not just your toenails but also your fingernails. As usual, something which I wouldn't have found elsewhere.

8.10 p.m. As I write this, it's raining quite hard.

Time and Tide

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Once More Unto The Breach!

 Sunday. 8.00 a.m. Alfie and I were out well before 7 o'clock this morning. It was light, so there seemed no point in hanging around in bed (that is, if you can literally 'hang around' in bed. But never mind.) It is reasonably mild and spring-like. The trees are coming out in leaf. The hedge alongside the path we walk down to Oldbrook Green has a scattering of leaves. No doubt it is the mild weather which inspires them to start shooting.

I have been to the car to start it and see whether yesterday's problem had returned. There didn't seem to be a problem with the power steering. I just think it was a freak, a glitch you might say, with the computer system in the car. When the car is resting, with the key card removed, the steering wheel is locked, presumably to prevent anyone from stealing it. When you insert the key card, it releases the steering wheel, so you are able to drive off. I can think of nothing else that could have caused it. I have AA breakdown cover, so if there is another problem, I can use that.

12.55 a.m. I am back from church. On the way, around the halfway point, driving up Chaffron Way, I could see a vehicle behind me. It was green, and I wasn't sure whether it was a van or a car, but what caught my eye was the fact that it had a face on it. I came closer and it had eyes, where the windscreen would be, a nose and a grinning mouth with teeth. As it was so close, I thought it might represent Shrek, the ogre who appears in the Dreamworks animated film. It was actually quite scary, and the sort of thing that dreams are made of. I know there's a musical based on 'Shrek', so I wondered if it was something to do with publicity for a tour and whether it was coming to the theatre in Milton Keynes. If so, it would certainly get a reaction, as it did for me.

The number of those attending Shenley Christian Centre is growing. The hall was virtually full to capacity, this morning and the other week extra chairs had to be bought in. The car park is more or less at capacity. Attendees aren't supposed to park on the surrounding residential roads. If necessary, people can park at Shenley Upper School, which is directly next to SCF's home at Oaktree Centre. The second phase of the centre is more than ever needed.

I have still got some of Carol's things left. I know it seems odd, but why would I keep coats, gloves and other items after she had passed away? I didn't know what to do. I also have several coats of hers and mine. Last year, after the start of the war between Russia and Ukraine, there was a call put out for warm clothing for refugees. I went to the address of a warehouse where they were collecting warm clothing items, but then I discovered, on arriving there, that they had enough at that time. At church last week, a call went out for warm clothing for those having problems due to the cost of living crisis, so this morning, having already put two bags of clothing into my car, I took it into the Oaktree Centre. I had these two bin bags, full of clothing and other bits and pieces, in my airing cupboard, taking up valuable space, so it was something of a relief to take them out and hopefully, they can be more useful to those in need.

A Cold and Frosty Morning

Thursday. 8.10 a.m. It's another cold morning. The car windows are again frozen up, and I have been down to spray it so that it is easier to defrost when I drive off to the Oaktree Centre in about an hour.

Friday. 6.20 p.m. I am continuing with some more writing. I have done a first, although incomplete, draft, and then I did a second (also incomplete) and managed to put it all into word processing and by then I managed to edit it slightly, actually merging both drafts as I went along. I have changed one of the characters' names, which I have been meaning to do for a while, and I think it works better than the original name.

Saturday. 8.00 a.m. It was something of a surprise to discover it was foggy when Alfie and I ventured out at around 7.25 this morning. It was a little thick and gave a very subtle and attractive view across Oldbrook Green, with the lights in and around the green and along Strudwick Drive giving a blurry glow.

1.20 p.m. We had another mens' breakfast at The Fountain in Loughton. As usual, most of us met up in the carpark. As it was cold, icy as well as foggy, we soon went inside and the table we usually have was ready. The staff seem a good deal more 'on the ball' and we were able to order our breakfasts relatively quickly. I think we had around 15 people, which is more than we usually have. It's the fourth year of my being part of the SCF Mens' Breakfast and the first I went to was the Saturday after Carol's funeral, 11th January 2018, which isn't something I will forget in a hurry.

After men's Breakfast, I went home, basically because I needed the loo! Then I went to Aldi and did some shopping. I am attempting to wean myself off Sainsbury's, not that there's anything wrong with Sainsbury's, except it's cheaper in Aldi. I do like a specific type of bread I can only get in Sainsbury's, a malt loaf with multi-grains, and their fruit and vegetables are better. I bought easy peelers in Aldi a few weeks ago, and they went off really quickly, rendering them inedible and most had to be thrown away (for those who don't know what easy peelers are, they are small oranges, like satsumas or tangerines, which have thin skin, making them easy to peel. I have at leat two a day and I've been eating them since the beginning of the pandemic. I think that eating them daily has helped keep my cholesterol level low, as mentioned in an earlier blog post.

Wild and Windy

Friday. 9.10 a.m. It's quite mild and pleasant today. I'd almost go as far as saying it's almost spring-like. That being the case, there are signs of green shoots coming out all along the hedge as we walk towards Oldbrook Green. (No, no signs of economic revival. You know, the cliché that is used during times of depression. I won't use it here.) But it does look like spring, even though, officially, it hasn't. Well, it is only the 6th of January. This reminds me, my Christmas decorations have to come down today, as it's Twelfth Night.

Saturday. 7.20 a.m. I'm sitting here, writing this, waiting to take Alfie out. I can hear the wind roaring away outside (well, I'm glad it's outside. I'd be worrying if it was inside this flat!)

10.10 a.m. I ordered a case for my new iPad Pro on Amazon on Thursday, and it arrived around midday. It's made of fairly substantial material and has a Van Gogh painting on its cover, the one with swirly clouds. Its title is 'The Starry Night.' I simply cannot have a plain and boring cover for any of my devices, and I really like Van Gogh's paintings. The iPad fits inside perfectly and there's a convenient space for the Apple Pencil, which remains fully charged and doesn't fall out. I can use the iPad flat or in a position which raises it up, which is convenient for such things as Zoom or Facetime calls. I am really pleased with the cover, and it should keep the iPad reasonably protected, and safe.

I've been to Waitrose to buy one or two items. On the way along Chaffron Way I had another driver tailgating me. I was driving at what I would call a reasonable speed, no more than 50, but this driver insisted on coming up behind me and then putting his headlights on full (I assume it was a male, I couldn't see the face of the driver.) I refuse to be intimidated by such people and I'm not putting myself at risk of an accident. There are a few people that simply don't like having a car in front of them.

It's still wild and windy outside. I came back from Waitrose and took Alfie out, but he didn't intend to remain out for long and did a wee on the grass and immediately came back inside. Who can blame him?

When we went out around 7.30 this morning, I noticed that the rubbish left by those who were letting off fireworks the other evening has now been removed. It's good to see it gone and no doubt Council workers picked it up, but there's still the thought that those responsible should have dealt with it.

Sunday. 6.30 a.m. I can hear the wind, but I don't think its as strong as it was earlier in the week.

8.20. I went out an walked around Oldbrook Green at around 7.35. It's now a good deal lighter earlier and earlier as we get further into January which was the reason for the circuit of the green.

4.15 p.m. The wind has stopped. It's a good deal calmer now.

6.20 p.m. I've been working on further developments of my writing project. I had an idea, which came to me whilst walking around Oldbrook Green, and then got somewhat stuck with it (I won't mention any details here, for obvious reasons.) and then came up with further ideas when I was laying in bed. I think it's because I can relax when laying down and let my mind wander. I am now beginning to write using these new ideas. 

Another Year Older. . .

Monday. 10.40 a.m. I've just come back from taking Alfie out, and the amount of rubbish left after the fireworks is more than ever. Do the people who are responsible for the appalling racket the other night think it's acceptable to leave that amount of rubbish? Well, of course not. There is broken glass across the path at one point, and I'm certainly not walking across it with Alfie. I don't want his feet cut. 

Tuesday. 9.30 a.m. It's a rather wet and cold morning here in Milton Keynes. Alfie really didn't appreciate it one little bit when we went out at around 7.30. Never mind. He's back inside now and curled up on my bed, which, incidentally, I changed yesterday, not a job I relish. Putting a rather thick duvet back in a clean cover takes a great deal of work.

1.20 p.m. Almost exactly the same as in the last paragraph when I took Alfie out. 

Wednesday. 2.35 p.m. Mid-morning, I took Alfie out around Oldbrook Green. I saw a man taking photographs, with his mobile, of the litter which has been left by those responsible for the fireworks. There's still a great deal of rubbish all over the grass and by the bins. I spoke to him and his wife and they said they would send a photograph to the Council via email. I doubt anything will be done about this rubbish, but it seems a bit pointless having notices which clearly state that there should be no fireworks on Oldbrook Green, similar to picking up after your dogs. There is still an element among dog walkers who deliberately ignore the signs regarding this.

I was in Sainsbury's. Most of the Christmas stuff has gone. No Christmas trees or decorations to be seen, although there might be some decorations at a reduced price, hidden away at the back of the gift and stationery department. But it was a shock to find Easter stuff already out on display, bunnies and other items, including Cadbury's cream eggs. So, just days after the festive season comes to an end, they can hardly wait to stuff the shelves with Easter things. How crazy is that? How about hot cross buns?

Thursday. 8.15 a.m. A mild morning on the weather front.

1.15 p.m. I had intended to take Alfie out at around 9 o'clock this morning, but when I heard a strange noise somewhere along Strudwick Drive I decided to leave it a good deal later. I could see from the kitchen window strange lights flashing and then I saw one of the Council machines, probably a tractor, moving around. It was cutting the hedge around the tree which is in the middle of the grass area along Strudwick Drive. The Council has cut the hedge along the fence which encloses the garden of Dexter House. Actually, not so much cut as a tear, because the stumps of the branches of the hedge are left as if they've been torn off or at least broken. I think the intention is to promote new growth, but I have to say it does look rather ragged.

I had a telephone call mid-morning, from Central Milton Keynes Medical Centre, inviting me to a doctor's appointment on Saturday 14th January. It's because I have a heart condition. She said it was because I'd had heart failure, but I said I had had two heart attacks. I don't think it made a lot of difference, but it's great to get some sort of checkup to see how I'm doing. I had a blood test a few weeks ago, as mentioned in an earlier blog post, but it would appear that nothing untoward showed up from that. 

It Was Christmas Day In The Workhouse . . .

The title for this post may seem a bit over-the-top, but, you have to admit, it's quite appropriate. For the time of year. But this isn't a workhouse. They went out sometime in the middle of the 19th century. Oh well, I did try. It mentions Christmas, but that's all.

Thursday. 10.25 a.m. I'm not doing anything in particular today. I've no need to go shopping, as I went to Aldi yesterday. I'm trying to wean myself off Sainsbury's because it seems ridiculous to spend more than I need to when Aldi (and, for that matter, Lidl.) is so much cheaper. Also, thinking about it, you get more for less in some cases. You need to have a £1 coin to use their trolleys at Aldi, which I had, and I made sure I rescued the coin from the trolley when I'd finished. You have fewer choices than in any of the big four supermarkets, making it faster to shop, not having to decide on, for example, what brand of instant coffee or breakfast cereal to choose. It's so much quieter, which was the first thing I noticed when I went through the door. No distractions, no loud music blaring out. You get through their checkouts so much quicker, because all of their products have large barcodes which the operators can scan really quickly and if you set up your shopping bags and put them in your empty trolley you can put your groceries straight into the bags and then pay and be out loading them into your car really quickly. It's a wonder none of the big main supermarkets doesn't use this system. If you compare, for example, Sainsbury's products, they have very small barcodes, which take some time to find, which slows down checkout.

Friday. 7.45 a.m. It's a bit wet and rainy this morning. I took Alfie out a bit earlier than usual, which meant I had to take my small torch to see what we were doing. I went out earlier because I have to get my washing in the machine before 8 o'clock.

9.20 a.m. My washing is now in the dryer. The rain is falling heavily. No sign of it stopping, and it's dull and overcast. In other words, a typical December day.

The sun did come out later in the day. Whoopee!

Christmas Eve. Saturday. 7.20 a.m. My goodness! My Friday blog post must have been the shortest on record! Well, the fact is, I did very little, so not much to write about.

9.55 a.m. I've been to Sainsbury's to get some last-minute bits and pieces. (I know, I said I wasn't going to go shopping there, but there were items I knew they'd have.) I thought it was a good idea to go early because it was likely to get crowded, with people following my example and shopping earlier rather than later. It wasn't particularly busy.

11.00 a.m. I bought Alfie some Christmassy treats. They look like bacon, but when I gave him one, he sniffed it, played with it for a while, and then tasted it. It took him a minute or two, and then he ate it. He's such a fussy little dog! I think it's because it was new. I give him the same food and the same treats, but try anything different and he doesn't appreciate it. A year ago I bought him mince pie-shaped treats, but he just wouldn't eat them. I have a feeling they are on the bookshelf, uneaten. I know, before you tell me off, I should never give a dog mince-pies, because the sultanas and mixed fruit they contain can be toxic and even lethal to them because they can't digest them.

I've just returned from taking out Alfie, and we walked around Oldbrook Green. The first time in a while, due to the weather. The sun was shining, although rather weakly.

Christmas Cheer?

 Saturday. 8.25 a.m. It's cold and frosty. I was out with my little mate, Alfie, just after  7.30. A frost on the grass and a large moon hovering in the chill sky. It was really large the other morning. I'm not sure of the name it gets at this time of year. I'll have to do a Google search. 

Done the Google search. It's called a Cold Moon. Boring really. It's because the weather gets colder. Not very original, then. 

So, we get more football coverage, due to England meeting France in the quarter-finals at the World Cup in Qatar at 7.00 this evening. No, I'm not interested, so won't be watching. There's far too much coverage, and it looks as if the whole country is totally obsessed with football. I know why, it's about money. Too much riding on it all, with adverting and sponsorship tied up with the sport. Going into Sainsbury's the other morning, it was shocking to see how many products are tied into it. They want you to make sure you have plenty of food to eat during the various games, particularly pizza, crisps, lager, and soft drinks such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi. It's not just in supermarkets, either. Turn on any of the commercial television stations, and the advertising connected to the World Cup is more or less at saturation point. If you want to avoid any form of advertising by watching catch-up, you can't avoid it as these forms of television viewing aren't free from commercial overkill. I suppose you can't blame the companies, because they're paid for by advertising, not just during programmes, but they have sponsorship wrapping around each programme, beginning and end and during the commercial breaks. 

10.40 a.m. I've been attempting to move my writing project forward. I think it's more of a serial instead of a novel, and it should be released in episodes, which is more or less how he began life. I wanted to create something, rather in the mould of a television soap, with multiple characters and storylines which interact with one another, but more likely weave in and out of a central storyline, which is how it's developing. 

I have taken Alfie out and have just got back indoors. It's cold enough for gloves and my Oddballs woolly hat (Oddballs being a company that sells clothing items, underwear, pyjamas, gloves and so on, and the profits go towards initially,  research for a cure for prostate cancer, but have also helped fund other cancer research for both men and women.) I wanted to walk around Oldbrook Green, although Alfie had other ideas and was determined to get home in the warm, but I had other ideas and insisted on our circular walk continuing. I had the idea to be thinking about how my writing project could move forward and come up with some sort of storyline which would introduce a new character who would be able to create some tension. So, I am using the method which Charles Dickens used, as he would walk for miles around London and this would be when he came up with storylines and characters. I can see that would be a good method and might suggest why so many of his novels are set in London. 

Sunday. 7.15 a.m. Did I say Christmas cheer in the title of this post? I can't say I'm particularly in any sort of mood for Christmas, particularly as today is the fourth anniversary of the passing of my lovely wife, Carol. She is sorely missed, and she was too young to die at 54. We had such a good life together and were always doing things together, laughing and visiting various places, going to National Trust properties, museums, theatres and many more places. Cancer is so cruel. More research needs to be done to find a cure for the various forms it takes. Far too many people have either died of cancer or not been diagnosed by the NHS due to the pandemic when the various cancer facilities were shut down. Totally crazy and not acceptable.