More Of The Same

 Saturday. 4.00 p.m. It's a rather dull and overcast sort of afternoon. The morning started relatively sunny and pleasant, but as the day progressed it gradually became more and more overcast. I had hoped that I could go out with the video camera and do some filming, but it didn't seem such a good idea. I am gradually getting to grips with the various settings, thanks mostly to the various YouTube videos I have been watching.

I have been doing some housework. I have a Vax steam mop, which is extremely good for cleaning the floors in the flat, but it does take a great deal of effort to use. I have avoided getting a traditional mop and bucket but decided that the kitchen floor needed a decent cleaning, so I bought a Vileda mop and a bucket at Sainsbury's the other day. I put some Flash liquid in the hot water in the bucket, and I was surprised at how effective it was. I have cleaned the kitchen floor, and the bathroom, which has now got a new floor (I must have mentioned this in an earlier post.) Also, the entrance hall. It was whilst cleaning the bathroom floor that I thought I could get some new mats for the bathroom. The old ones were falling apart. I attempted to give them a machine wash a few weeks ago, but unfortunately, the sponge rubber backing came off and caused a real mess in the machine when I'd finished, and it took quite a lot of time and effort to remove it. Also in the tumble drier. So, yesterday morning I went to The Range, to buy replacement bath mats. Usually, you get a bath mat and a matching mat for the toilet, with a bit cut out to go around the pedestal. I wandered around the store, and it took me a long time to find any bath mats. What I eventually found was really not my taste, and when I did find something suitable, there was no matching mat for the toilet. I gave up and then went into Homebase, and, again, after some time wandering around the store, I left with absolutely nothing. I drove away and then went into Dunelm, which is close by. Again, a good deal of searching of the store, but, regrettably, absolutely nothing that even vaguely resembled a bath mat. By this point my patience was beginning to expire and, because my mission to purchase these items had produced nothing, I then decided, to return to my flat, to have a look on the Amazon website and, sure enough, there were plenty to choose from.  I eventually found what I thought to be perfect for the job and ordered a set and hopefully, they will be delivered this evening.

It only shows how it is so easy to find what you want on Amazon (other online stores are available.) Such a wide choice. In fact, it can often be extremely difficult to decide on an item when there is so much to choose from. Because I have Amazon Prime, I don't have to pay for post and packaging, and the item will usually be delivered the next day. 

5.00 p.m. The bath mats have been delivered from Amazon. They are a great colour and are exactly what I wanted.

Here We Go Again!

Tuesday, 9.15 a.m. I have been putting off a job for a while now, It was to clean the kitchen floor. I have to admit, it was getting dirty. I have a Vax steam cleaner, and it's a good deal more effective than your traditional mop-and-bucket. If I were to use that method to clean the floor, it would require hot water and some sort of detergent and the mop would require rinsing out and, at the end of the process, disposing of the dirty water. Probably down the toilet. Then you get left with a really smelly mop to find somewhere to store it, along with the bucket. I don't have space for them. The Vax steam cleaner uses water and a special detergent, which you put in two separate tanks. Relatively easy to fill, as the whole unit comes off the handle of the steamer. If I have a fault with this, it's the fact that the tank filler is on the side which means you can never fill up with either detergent or water, which go in separate tanks, because as soon as you turn the unit on it's side to clip it onto the handle, water and/or detergent leaks out. It would be far better if they'd designed the tank filler to be on the top of the unit. Just a minor fault with an otherwise great piece of kit. You have to give the steamer enough time to heat up and then produce steam. It's of no use using it like a conventional mop and just pushing it across the floor quickly. It doesn't work in the same way, because it's the heat of the steam which removes any dirt and stains. The steamer doesn't leave the floor soaking wet. Of course, there is a certain amount of moisture, but this takes about ten minutes to evaporate and you are left with a clean floor.

Wednesday.  10.20 a.m.I've been to Sainsbury's again. The down travelator is still not running, although but it appears to be in a near-complete state, with workmen still working on it. Let's hope it is running soon.

A mild and sunny morning. No sooner had I got in from shopping in Sainsbury's and unpacked, than I took Alfie out. I didn't put a coat or top on, and it's the first time this year I've been out without either piece of clothing. The daffodils are out on the piece of grass opposite The Cricketers' pub.

Friday. 6.15 a.m. I was supposed to have a doctor's appointment on Wednesday. I wasn't aware of this fact and only discovered it when I got a text message. I wasn't sure whether it was going to be a face-to-face appointment or a phone call. I have had several phone calls from the surgery's pharmacist, and this was actually what I was expecting. Once I had learnt about the prospective appointment, I left a message on the Central Milton Keynes Medical Centre website. You aren't supposed to telephone now, because of the triage system they now have. I was hoping the surgery would either text me or phone me to let me know what type of appointment it was. The appointment was supposed to be at 11.10 a.m., but the time came and went, and no call. 

A good deal later, I got a telephone call from the surgery. They had only just seen the message I'd left on the website, and a fresh face-to-face appointment was made for the 11th of April. The appointment is to review my medical situation (i.e.: concerning my 'incident' when I collapsed and went to hospital.)

The weather is somewhat dull. Overcast, I suppose you'd call it, with a thin rain falling.

Wet and Windy Weather

Thursday. 7.35 a.m. I could hear the rain and the wind during the night. As I write this, it's a good deal calmer, but when I took Alfie out, it was raining. 

Friday. 6.00 a.m. Where did yesterday go? Is that really all I wrote? Just one and a half lines? Well, let's see what today brings.

It's freezing and miserable, and I can hear the wind howling around the building.

12.15 p.m. You may recall, that is, if you read my blog posts regularly, that I bought a shelf unit from Amazon and then constructed it, the intention being that it would go in the pantry cupboard (for want of a better name for it.) and then it would be used to store a lot of cooking materials which wouldn't fit in the newly-fitted kitchen cupboards. The things that were removed from the old kitchen cupboards before the workmen did the work on the kitchen at the beginning of July (I can't now believe it's that long ago that the work was done.) have been stored in a variety of boxes and bags on the floor of my bedroom. I cleared out the collection of boxes that were used to deliver things from Amazon and have been cluttering up the pantry cupboard and could have been taken to the tidy-tip in Bleak Hall. But I thought of an alternative way to dispose of them: to break up the boxes and put the pieces in recycling bags which can be taken away by the dustman on their weekly visits to Dexter House. I began this around 7 o'clock this morning, as it seemed a good idea to get them out of the way. Now done and taken to the bin storage area. The shelf unit is now in place in the pantry cupboard and a lot of extraneous stuff taken out and will be sorted through and stuff selected for either keeping or disposal in some way or the other. So, as you can imagine, I'm very pleased to have done the work and the results seem very good. Now I can begin the job of sorting out the remainder of the stuff in my bedroom and then put it on the new shelf unit.

2.30 p.m. I have steam-mopped the kitchen floor. I haven't done it in ages, and it now looks spotless. The Vax steam mop is really efficient and far better than using an unhygienic mop and bucket. It dries so much quicker and you don't have to deal with a smelly mop and then empty the dirty water out.

Saturday. 7.00 p.m. I've been sorting out some of the stuff which has been parked in my bedroom. Quite a lot has made its way onto the new shelving unit, although some of this stuff has been binned as it has gone past its 'best before or 'sell by dates. 

There's not much else to report, except I have started watching the first film in the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy, 'The Fellowship of The Ring' which I have been meaning to watch as I'm something of a Tolkien fan. I must have read the books at least four times, probably reading the entire trilogy at least once every decade since the 1970s, and recall reading it when I was an A.S.M. at Liverpool Playhouse in 1971. I had a paperback edition and have owned the trilogy in various editions over the years, but don't have any of them now. The Peter Jackson films really do the books complete justice and are more than satisfying, more or less achieve the impossible and the whole look and feel of all three films portray the characters more or less how I imagined them to be. Ian McKellen as Gandalf was born to play the part, and the CGI work on Gollum is brilliant.

Sunday. 3.05 p.m. A very mixed sort of day on the weather front today. It has been raining this afternoon but then the sun came out, and I managed to get to my target of 10,000 steps, recorded on my Fitbit. That's around 5 miles, which is a good amount of steps. 

Any Old Day Of The WeeK!

Thursday. 8.25 a.m. I have used my Vax steamer on the new kitchen floor. So, it looks clean (well, that's  the general idea, so I hope so!)

3.40 p.m. I've been into the Milton Keynes central shopping centre to get my hair cut at Central Barbers. I had booked and paid via their website on Tuesday and my appointment was at 10.20, but I got there in good time so I didn't have to wait. Its a good idea to book like this because it means you are guaranteed to be seen immediately without waiting. I then went to Lakeland, the shop which is in Middleton Hall and bought a plate rack for my sink drainer. The old one is too big for the drainer and because the new taps make it difficult to push the drainer back sufficiently I thought it would be an idea to replace it and the new one is ideal

Friday. 9.35 a.m. Alfie was more or less asleep when I was about to take him out. 

My washing is almost done. I'm about to go down and check if it's dry in the drier.

I have booked the car in for its MOT on Monday at 11.45 a.m. I rang Bleakhall Motors just after 8 o'clock to book it in.

Saturday. 12.50 p.m. I drove to Kingston because I was attempting to find shampoo. Now, I know that sounds totally crazy, but I have used Elvive dandruff shampoo for men, and it works, and I actually like it. I think I first bought it in Sainsbury's but for some reason, I can't find it again. There are so many versions of Elvive, virtually every permutation on the same product, for women mostly, I presume, but this particular variation seems unavailable. I went into Boots, but no sign of it there, but a whole section in the shampoo shelving, of all the Elvive variations, but not the particular one I would like. I know, you're saying, but just buy any shampoo, they're all the same. But I was determined to get that one. I eventually ended up buying a Tesco dandruff shampoo. Not a particularly good substitute for what I really wanted, but it will do I suppose.

Sunday. 5.55 p.m. I have signed up for Digital Theatre. I've been watching David Tennant and Catherine Tate as Beatrice and Benedick in Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing.' A really lively and inventive production, setting the play in Gibraltar in the 1980s. I always wonder about the 'Hero' plot line, which somehow doesn't seem to work. If you know the play, you might know what I mean. It's as if Shakespeare had finished the play, and then found it didn't run long enough, and the subplot with Hero being accused by Don John of not being a maiden (a virgin), seems incredibly contrived and put in to get the play to run longer. For all that, the interplay between David Tennant and Catherine Tate is what makes the whole show work. They are so good. I can see why they would be cast, because of their television work, particularly Tennant as a former 'Doctor Who' and Tate, because of her sketch show.  Just shows that clearly they are capable of a wide range of acting, not just television or film, and can flip from classical to contemporary. The clever set design, which utilizes a revolve, means that the scene changes are smooth and effortless.

Monday. 6.20 a.m. A relatively mild morning. Alfie was fast asleep when I was about to take him out.

10.25 a.m. The temperature, according to my digital thermometer, is 78ºF. That is probably because I have one of the electric fans on full blast.

1.25 p.m. I took the Renault to Bleak Hall Motors for its MoT which had been booked for 11.45. They are incredibly busy there, and you could tell this by the number of cars waiting in the yard when I turned up. The car was soon being taken into the workshop, barely minutes after I arrived. Then, around 12.35 I got the result. It had passed! One of the tyres might need replacing, but it was a real relief that it had passed, and I wasn't going to have to pay out for work to get it through the MoT. I will book it in for a full service in November, which should keep it in good running order.

Welcome To 2022!

Sunday 2nd January. Here we are, Christmas the  New Year are over and a brand-new year. I just only hope that it can be better than the past two years. Being cooped up in a small flat with just a small Yorkshire Terrier isn't really my idea of any sort of life. Although I should just point out that Alfie has been and is still an excellent little companion, although he has become very demanding, probably because we spend so much time together.

 It doesn't seem like a week has flown by since we went to Worcester for the Christmas weekend. We left on the Friday morning (Christmas Eve) and came back on Sunday (Boxing Day.) It was quite foggy on the motorway, but we made good time, arriving in Worcester just after midday. The three grandsons, George, Eddie and Arthur, were watching my arrival through the window as I drew up. I am called 'Grandad and Alfie Dog' almost as if we are an attached couple, although in some ways I suppose we are. Alfie just doesn't understand young children, probably because they move around faster than the average adult, have higher pitched voices and have a tendency to grab and stroke. This is entirely understandable since we have been leading a somewhat simple life since the pandemic and definitely since Carol's death. Chloe and Steve put a childproof stair gate across the entrance to the utility room, which is off the kitchen at their house in Worcester. Alfie had his bed, water and food if he needed to have a feed and the back door could be opened so he could get out into the garden. He did not like it, although he did settle down eventually and made little noise, but we did let him come out and wander around the house once the children went to bed in the evening. During this time he was quiet and seemed far more settled, wandering around after me like a shadow, even following me to the toilet.

We came home on Sunday afternoon and got back to the flat at around 5 o'clock. I'm so glad I didn't leave any later as I didn't want to drive on the Motorway in the dark, or at least, in reduced light. I'm not too keen driving in lights. On both the journey out and the journey back home I needed to stop at the  Moto Cherwell Valley service area. I had a need to use the toilets. It's a long walk into the building where all the shops and restaurants are. But it fulfilled my needs and I was soon back in the car completing the journey. Alfie is quiet minutes after being placed in the cage in the rear of the car, with the parcel shelf down which must make it dark, and he feels safe. But as soon as I draw the car up in a carpark or the drive at home, he starts barking and getting excited. 

Monday 3rd January. 11.00 a.m. I have turfed out the Christmas tree, which has been shedding it's needles for the past week or so and consequently looking somewhat thin and a real mess. I then vacuumed up the needles and have since given the floor a mop with the Vax steamer, and it's beginning to look a good deal better for the work it has entailed. 

For some unaccountable reason, my Panasonic Free view box stopped connecting to the internet. Without this connection, you cannot get any of the catch-up services such as BBC iPlayer to work or Netflix or other streaming services to work via this piece of kit. I had problems with it a few months ago. I simply wouldn't connect via Wi-Fi. I bought some cable from Amazon and used that to connect directly via the Wi-Fi hub. Furthermore, I attempted to reconnect via the hub once I got my Sky upgrade, and duly reconnected the cable via the back of the hub and into the Panasonic box. I seemed fine for a week or so, but then it decided to stop. I have since reconfigured the wifi connection with the new hub and used the password, and it now works. The thing was just being difficult for the sake of it, but at least it's working, thankfully. Yet another problem solved.

Pandemic . . . Over and Out?

So, is that the end of the covid-19 pandemic? Is it now an epidemic rather than a pandemic? Boris has always said that he would 'follow the science.' The data shows that infections have fallen.

Sunday 6.30 a.m. I woke a good deal later than usual. I waited to take Alfie out and when we did, we found it quite windy. Alfie obviously doesn't like the wind, so he took us back home. When he doesn't want to do something, he makes sure he gets what he wants and that includes not getting wet or enduring wind. Funny little person!

I arrived at church at around 9.50 this morning and I was somewhat surprised that there were no chairs put out. So myself and several other people were drafted in to bring them in on the trolleys. It's surprising how quickly this was completed when everyone works together. No restrictions! No horrible masks! Ability to sing properly! Just great to have things almost back to some sort of normal. Then, after the service had finished, we had to remain to clear up the chairs and put them away on the trolleys. Twenty-two on each.

Monday. 6.20 a.m. Alfie was just not bothered about walking this morning. He's just becoming rather lazy. Not like him at all. I found him on the bed, in my usual place. Curled up and fast asleep. I attempted to move him but he growled at me. Not his usual behaviour.

I've spent most of the morning moving half of the furniture in the lounge so that I could sweep up the dust and other bits off the floor and then steam mop the floor with the Vax steam mop. It's quite a military exercise as the armchair was quite difficult to get through the door and put it into the hallway. No end of cables for such things as the floor light, the wifi router, and the chargers for the iPhone and iPad. I've already cleared out a lot of paperwork and generally cleared away clutter. It now means I have the second half of the room to clean, which will mean moving the television unit, the desk, and the sofa. 

Tuesday. 6.36 a.m. Another relatively mild and pleasant morning. But, saying that, just as I settled down to go to sleep at around 10.30 yesterday evening, there was an almighty rainstorm. It seemed to go on for quite a while, but there wasn't much to suggest rain when Alfie and I went out before 6 o'clock this morning. He really is getting reluctant to walk the entire circuit of Oldbrook Gree, but I am really determined to do the steps which are being recorded on my FitBit.

11.10 a.m. I've been to Sainsbury's this morning. I had to collect a  repeat prescription which was ready and pick up some bits and pieces, particularly milk and dog food. I can't have Alfie going without, now can I? I was surprised by how many gaps there were in the aisles, breakfast cereal being one. No doubt this is because of people being 'pinged' by the ridiculous app which tells you to self-isolate if you've been near someone who has been found to be infectious with covid or whatever. No end of the staff in various industries have had this happen, in what is called the 'pingdemic.' Crazy. 

A Little Rain

Tuesday. 7.00 a.m.  I woke a good deal later than normal. I seem to be sleeping better since the weather has cooled down. So, after several days of scorching heat, we now have rain. Not exactly heavy, although some areas of the country have had torrential storms and severe flooding. So it was a bit of a surprise to find it dribbling when I took Alfie out. His Nibs didn't seem in the least bit bothered by it.

I have bought a Vax steam cleaner. No, not some sort of steam engine cleaner, but a general domestic appliance to help clean the flat. I ordered it from Very on Friday and it arrived on Monday afternoon. It was straightforward to put the various pieces and I had it running within twenty minutes or so. I gave it a trial, having filled the water tank and I found it very effective in removing grime from the kitchen floor. Far more effective than just a mop and bucket. You know how it is, you spend an age slogging away with a mop,  cleaning the floor, to find when you've finished, that it doesn't look much different than when you started. It takes a fair amount of effort, but I have to say I'm pleased and all done with steam, although you can put detergent liquid in the second tank which helps make its job more efficient.

Wednesday. 3.35 a.m. Another case of waking up in the night and not getting back to sleep. I checked my bank account online to see whether my pension was in. It was. So some payments were made. It just makes you wonder how much easier it is to do these sorts of transactions when you have the internet. How did we manage before the internet? Even being able to check your balance using an A.T.M. was quite revolutionary. I remember the only way to get at your cash in your bank account at one time was to write a cheque and hand it over to the cashier in the bank. In those days the banks closed at 3.30 p.m. and certainly not open on a Saturday morning as they are now (well, probably some aren't. I'm not so sure about that.)

6.15 a.m. It's dry this morning, but I think I heard rain earlier. There was no sign that it had been raining when we went out at around 5.35 a.m. As we walked along the path towards Oldbrook Green I saw one of those electric scooters just left in the way. It seems crazy that they get left in such idiotic places. This one would be in the way for those who can't see properly, anyone with a child in a buggy or even a bicycle being ridden along the path. It was making a buzzing sound as we walked past and then, on the way back it has a flashing light. I presume that these scooters send out a wireless message which tells those that come to pick them up their location.

2.20 p.m. I have got my car booked in for its MoT tomorrow at Bleak Hall Motors at 2.30 p.m. tomorrow, I phoned then just after 8 this morning and I was so pleased that I could get it booked so quickly and for so soon. The test is an hour so I will remain there until it's done. I trust there are no problems, but I was told last year that the emissions would need doing this year in order to pass. I see no reason why it shouldn't. I haven't driven much over the past eighteen or so months, at least, since this pandemic started. Just the occasional jaunt out to church or Sainsbury's, but that's all. The only thing that might be a problem could be the tyres as its been sitting on the drive for so long. I'll just have to wait and see.

 I was surprised yesterday to see a couple of workmen drive up in Strudwick Drive yesterday and unload an assortment of items and then put up a metal fence around it all. I thought it looked like a dinosaur cage, but that was just being rather too imaginative. Then today some day-glow dressed workmen were seen opening up the gates from Strudwick Drive into the community garden belonging to Dexter House. They had a mini digger and a small dumper truck and were starting work on what will be sheds for tenants' electric scooters (no, before you ask, not THAT sort of scooter. The sit-on type.) This work, to build shelters for these machines, was done because the local fire officer has said that these scooters can't be kept within Dexter House. I suppose it makes sense as they could be seen as causing danger if they are in the way if there was a fire. A great deal of too-ing and froing with the dumper truck as the earth was removed and dumped in a huge heap on the grass along Strudwick Drive. It looked to me rather like a very large molehill. Although you'd have to have had a very large mole to create such a molehill, probably the size of a rhinoceros. Much vegetation was also being removed as well as a small shed which was in the area immediately in front of the area below my flat.