Lockdown Changes

(Monday)The government is changing the slogan regarding coronavirus advice from 'stay at home' to 'stay alert,' and now people are saying that the public will be 'puzzled' by the change? How? Is it just more nanny state? Do we really take notice of slogans, almost what you get for brands, sound bites, for example, for Sainsbury's it's  'making life taste better'  and with Tesco it's 'every little helps' or for KFC, 'Finger licking' good.' Are we sucked in to this sort of stuff? I don't honestly think so. It's politicising this pandemic just to score points. We know that the government has made mistakes, but it's understandable, and whatever they do is going to be criticised and the BBC is the worst offender. Just listen to the questions thrown at by the BBC reporters during the daily press conferences to the politicians and science advisers. Always attempting to make trouble just to make a story, to stir up trouble. Never anything positive, almost always negative. Which ever party was in government, there would always be some sort of mistake, we haven't been down this road before in living memory, when did we have a lockdown because of a pandemic like this? It's totally new territory.

I am attempting to encourage Alfie to go out a good deal later and we have done up until now, so we went out at gone 7.30 this morning and he didn't seem to object, thankfully, so I get a bit longer in bed.

The weather was bright and sunny this morning, but as the day progressed it became windy and wet. Fortunately I went on a further photography expedition early enough to avoid the rain which swept in around lunchtime. I have watched a further episode of 'The A Word' via BBC iPlayer and have done some more work on my writing. Research rather than actual pen-to-paper and uploaded some more photographs onto Facebook. I kept an eye of the weather and we went out for another walk but no sooner had Alfie realised that it was wet and not to his liking, he turned tail and took me home. He just doesn't appreciate rain at any price.

(Tuesday) A good deal brighter and warmer this morning.

I've been looking around on the internet for shorts. I wanted another pair and went on the Weird Fish website as a result of reading one of their emails. I have ordered cargo shorts in a light beige colour. The extra pockets will be useful for change, spare batteries or small items when I'm out and about with the camera.

I haven't been out to give the car a run for the past couple of days so I've driven down Chaffron Way as if I was going to Camphill (I wish I was because it's Tuesday and I would have been going there under different circumstances.) I went past Waitrose and was about to turn into the entrance but then decided that there was likely to be a 40-minute wait because of the queuing arrangements. By the time I turned off at the roundabout near Oakgrove school, I decided to have a look near the carpark and I found nobody queueing so I parked the car and went in as I needed more fruit and some sweets. Just can't resist a Rownstree's fruit pastille. I drove off along Brickhill Street and then onto Childs Way and then back onto Chaffron Way and up towards Morrison's at Westcroft and then round the roundabout and back to Oldbrook and home. At least its keeping the car battery charged up and preventing it from needing a jump start which is what I'm attempting to avoid.

(Wednesday) I'm writing this at 6.60a.m. I've been reading The Age of Decadence by Simon Heffer. I think I've mentioned this book and the earlier book by the same historian/suthor before in earlier blog posts. I'm reading the chapter on Edwardian literature, covering such authors as Conan-Doyle, H.G.Wells, Rudyard Kipling and Arnold Bennett. I've read Conan-Doyle, as I love Sherlock Holmes, and the Granada Television adaptations which starred Jeremy Brett as Holmes. I actually worked as a supporting artiste on one of those episodes, 'The Man With The Twisted Lip.' I did see the Benedict Cumberbatch modernised version, which was cleverly done, but it did become somewhat self indulgent in the later episodes. In that respect I'm a bit of a purist and prefer the stories set in the era they were originally set. I have read most of Well's novels, 'The Time Machine,' 'The Invisible Man' and 'The First Men In The Moon,' but none of what are described as 'romantic,' 'Kipps,' (The basis for the musical 'Half A Sixpence.') 'Ann Veronica,' and  'The History of Mr Polly.' Perhaps I should buy them in paperback and give them a go. Also, the 'Clayhanger' novels by Bennett. I think perhaps it's time that television did adaptations of them, that is, if we are to get fresh interperetatons of period novels, not the somewhat over warmed adaptations of Jane Austen which have now been done to death.

Fourth Chemotherapy Cycle

We had a visit from Carol's cousin Andrew yesterday morning. We were interested to hear about his ministry working with children in Romania. Carol is going to be able to help with some teaching material which will be great to give her a focus away from chemotherapy and it's side effects. She has been making some cakes, a really tasty Victoria sponge as well as some cup-cakes. We may buy an electric  hand mixer which should make things quicker and easier. The only problem is, once the cakes are made, resisting the temptation to actually eat them is quite difficult as they are very tasty and somewhat moorish!

This blog post is being written as I'm sitting with Carol in the Oncology Unit at Milton Keynes hospital. I'm making the most of having free wi-fi within the hospital. Writing as things are actually happening allows the post to be a good deal more fresh in my mind that it would have been if I'd written it completely from memory as it might have been if i'd written it later when I'd got home.

We had to be at the oncology suite at 11 a.m. Alfie insisted on running upstair when we were about to leave the house. It would have been better for him to be left in the kitchen but as soon as we said 'kitchen, Alfie!' he ran upstairs to our bedroom and wouldn't be budged. I closed the door, but as soon as I got downstairs he began barking and it was obvious he didn't like being shut in. And who, in all honesty, could blame him?

We gave ourselves plenty of time as it's not always easy to get a parking space later in the day. Which was true when we arrived at the carpark behind the oncology department. I drove in but absolutely no spaces so I immediately drove out and left Carol to take our bags of things in and report to the reception in the Oncology department. So I had to drive round the ring road and find a space at the front of the hospital in the ground-level carpark. I then had to walk round the hospital site to get to the oncology department. You would think that there would be a dedicated carpark for those using the oncology department or at least who use the facilities on a more regular basis. But that would be far too easy.

 It's been a a particularly windy day, which we noticed when we left the house earlier. All manner of bits of paper and rubbish being blown around.

Trying to keep oneself occupied while Carol has her chemotherapy is the main thing about spending several hours in the oncology department. Carol was soon connected to the various drips and was plugged in when I got back from parking the car. Carol has her crochet. She's even made a lovely cover for this MacBook, and is making some sort of bag which can be sold in the Macmillan unit to raise funds. I'm writing this, obviously, as well as reading 'Goodbye Christopher Robin,' by Anne Thwaite, about how A.A. Milne came to write the 'Winnie The Pooh' books in the 1920s. He had been a relatively successful playwright and contributor to such magazines as 'Punch,' but nowadays the plays are almost forgotten, and 'Pooh' is what he's best remembered for today. Rather like J.M. Barrie who's playwriting efforts were over-shadowed by Peter Pan. Even Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle was stuck with Sherlock Holmes, who he killed off at the Reichenbach Falls but had to bring him back eventually because of public pressure.