Stupid Late Delivery

 Wednesday 21st October. 5.15 p.m. I am supposed to be having someone coming from Milton Keynes Council to help me possibly claim more benefits, to hopefully boost my income. I had a letter this morning in the post, but it gave me the time and date for the appointment, but it for last Monday. So, it was really not sensible to be sent a letter with an appointment which was PAST! It sees our wonderful (do you get a hint of irony in my words here?) Post Office is incapable of delivering mail, on time, so you don't miss an important appointment. Would have been better to send it by snail, tortoise of any other high-speed delivery system, bot your average Postie on a bicylce or on his flat feet.

Friday. 23rd October. 8.30 a.m. The usual routine here at Fun Central (I have called it Fogeyville, because of the oldsters who dwell here. I have just had my 76th birthday, but I certainly don't think of myself as old.) Anyway, the washing machine is doing my laundry and I will go back and put most of it in the tumble drier in around 30 minutes.

I was supposed to have flu vaccine last Saturday. I knew it was at around 1.30 p.m, or thereabouts. I had to go shopping in Sainsbury's and we'd had our monthly Prayer Triplet via WhatsApp. But I spent so long in Sainsburys, just daudling along, that I clean forget the vaccine appointment. I have since bookd another appointent for this Saturday, tomorrow, so I will have to keep an eye on the time and make sure I get to the medical centre for the appointment.

4.15 p.m. The weather has changed dramatically. There is a strong wind raging, and they have named the storm Austen. Why? Goodness knows. Is it an Austen Mini, a Metro or whatever type of car. I doubt it.

I have now managed to print the first play I wrote, called 'Hiding In The Smoke.' I thought it was going to take almost all of the morning, but it took a little over 30 minutes, which, considering it is over 60 pages, seems a reasonable length of time.

Tuesday 27th October. 7.55 a.m. I have been having problems with my laptop, a MacBookPro. I have never had any real problems with it, but this one was quite substantial. I managed to print the play, as I mentioned earlier. But his started when the confounded 'Beachball Of Death' struck. I am referring to every computer user's nightmare, which is a constant revolving golden ball, which shows up when there's some sort of issue. I could not remove it, or get into any folder on the laptop. The only answer would be to return to the Apple store and hopefully, someone there would be able to resolve the situation.

I drove into the shopping centre and parked where I usually do, next to the scrap-heap which used to be The Point and then walked into Midsummer Place and landed up at the Apple Store. Unfortunately, I could not have an appointment immediately and the next available slot was in around an hour, so I had to go away and fill up an hour or so, wandering around the shopping centre. So, I did just that. Not easy for me to waste time like that, but I managed. It turned out that the computer had little or no memory left and they suggested shifting most of the stuff onto iCloud, which I have a subscription to. So, I had to sit and stare at the MacBook's screen as a good deal, if not all, the data was moved to iCloud. Around an hour later it was done (probably a good deal longer, but does it really matter.) I had to drive to Sainsbury's for a few items and then returned to Dexter House. This morning I have been removing further stuff onto iCloud and I have to say, the desktop looks far tidier and less cluttered and the MacBook seems to be running far better.

I have now printed out the second play and it is safely stored in it's own folder. That must be the quickest I have produced a play, from the concept to writing and then printing. It's the one I mention a few posts back, inspired by the woman who came into our Wednesday afternoon tea party and similar to 'Abigail's Party, created by Mike Leigh. I say 'created' because most of his plays are created by the cast, improvised during rehearsal. 

Wednesday 28th October. 1.10 p.m. My pension has not gone into my bank account this morning. Which puts me in a very difficult position. I have never had this happen before, and if I checked my account just after midnight, I would have had the money there, ready for me to go to Sainsbury's, as I have done more or less every week since I retired. I cannot think what has caused this situation, but I need it to be resolved quickly, otherwise I will be up the preverbial river without a paddle, or any other suitable expression.

Thurdsay 29th October 1.15 p.m. The pension I mantioned above wasn't mine. It was from Carol's Teacher's pension. I have found a telephone number on the internet and rung and it would appear that these payments are transferring to a new provider and this should be completed at the beginning of next week, so I am hoping and trusting that I will get paid as soon as this is completed. It would have been great if they could have informed me that this was about to happen. Just a quick text message, letter or even a telephone call, but nothing.

A Happy New Year!

 Tuesday. New Year's Eve. 9.50 a.m. Yet another mild but rather dull and overcast sort of day. The weather is expected to get worse, with more wind and rain, and in Scotland, Hogmanay has been cancelled in Edinburgh, due to the weather which is forecast. I simply can't imagine Scotland foregoing their New Year's Eve celebrations.

I needed to do a top-up shop in Sainsbury's. Christmas is over, although stuff like mince pies are on offer, or, at least, they are very much in evidence. But there are Valentine's Day cards already on sale. No doubt there will be Easter eggs on sale soon.

I had a package arrive via Royal Mail this morning. It was the Bisoprolol tablets which I have been waiting for and which were actually ordered when I went to the surgery on Friday morning. It just goes to show that Pharmacu2U can deliver quickly when needed.

Wednesday. 9 a.m. I did see the New Year in. I watched the Jools Holland show on BBC 1.

This morning it is very windy. I took Alfie out, and it was difficult opening the door with the wind pushing against it and making weird noises. The strength of the wind was almost enough to blow you over.

Friday. 8.10 a.m. It's getting a good deal colder. Snow is forecast. An Amber alert has been given, meaning that temperatures below zero can be dangerous for those over a certain age (probably me included.) Also, danger of slips and falls, and dangerous driving conditions are expected.

Saturday. 7.35 a.m. I had the foresight to buy an extra bottle of antifreeze spray for my car. I got it when I was in Sainsbury's a couple of weeks ago. I also bought a large bottle of spray which you have to spray on your car's windows the night before and it is supposed to prevent them freezing over. I did this yesterday evening but I'm yet to find out if it has worked.

When I went out with Alfie about an hour ago, I found it was frosty, but as yet, no sign of snow. It seems that the north of England and Scotland have had snow, and it is causing problems with transport. I'm not so sure if we will get it this far south.

Sunday. 7.15 a.m. There was a scattering of snow overn night, but it's more like a dusting than what they have had in the north of England. I'm yet to take Alfie out, as he's fast asleep, so it seems unfair to wake him up.

9.05 a.m. I think Alfie was somewhat shocked by the cold when I eventually took him out.

I wasn't feeling very good when I got up. A bit light-headed and wobbly. I was scheduled to do refreshments at church, so I have sent a message via WhatsApp and someone will step in. I didn't think it was a good idea to continue, because of the blackout I had a year ago as well as the heart attack I had in church six years ago. Better to be safe than sorry.

Monday. 7.45 a.m. The snow has gone, but there's a thin fall of rain, if you can call it that.

I decided to come off the refreshment rota at church. I have been involved in this for well over a year, so it's time for others to step forward. I am still on the rota to set up communion, which I shall continue with.

3.15 p.m. I was doing my washing up at the kitchen sink this morning, when I notice a group of men in the community garden. They were all dressed in overalls, and I remembered that work was to be carried out, including the scooter stores which have been in place for around 3-4 years, but cannot be accessed from the main building here at Dexter House, because there is no ramp or specially adapted doors to allow the scooters to be taken out into the stores. An orange digger appeared and there is a fenced off area further over which is no doubt where equipment will be stored. Later, when I took Alfie out onto the grass along Strudwick Drive, I noticed a small truck being unloaded and the gate open and another larger lorry parked in Dexter Avenue, just below where the door comes out of Dexter House and I imagine it had further equipemt to be used by the workmen. Oh, the excitemnt of all this (Not. Scarcasm I'm afraid.) I will keep my readers imformed as this work progresses, or not.

Health Issues

 Thursday. 3.00 p.m. I have a cold. I haven't had one in years. In all the time I was with Carol, I didn't have one cold. I can't think where it has come from, presumably caught from someone at church or perhaps in Sainsbury's or the shopping centre. It's not heavy, but I keep sneezing and have a sore throat, and it's just unpleasant and makes sleeping at night difficult, because of a really unpleasant cough. I have sweets to suck and I've taken Paracetamol. I'll just have to put up with it until it clears up.

6.30 p.m. I have been for an appointment at Central Milton Keynes Medical Centre. It was scheduled for 4.30, but I was still waiting at 4.50, so I asked the receptionist and was told that they were running late. I eventually got called to go to Room 16, which came up on the digital screen. I had assumed that I was going to have an appointment with a doctor, but when I walked through the door, I then discovered that I was seeing the pharmacist. I was to have my blood pressure taken.  The pharmacist lady did my blood pressure sitting down, but, after looking at the results, I had to stand up for the second test. It was shown that there was a difference in the readings between when I sat down and then stood up to have my blood pressure taken. It would have been blood pressure which was the cause of my collapsing on the floor and then being taken to hospital.

It was odd seeing my writing on the computer screen when the pharmacist had a look at the blood test results when I had to check it over a week.

As a result of the blood test results, I am going to have to wear a blood pressure cuff for 24 hours, and this will begin next Tuesday. It doesn't concern me, but it will be quite difficult to have to wear it in bed. Then I will have to go back to the Medical Centre to give the pharmacist the device so it can be checked to see what the results find and have an E.C.G. done, which will check my heart health.

Friday. 7.30 a.m. I have put my washing in the machine. It's supposed to start at 8 o'clock, but I can't be bothered waiting. Just get on with it and start the machine. No point waiting, I say!

It looks like another mild morning. Please, no rain or wind!

Saturday. 12.25 p.m. It's bright and sunny. I can say, for the first time this year, that I've gone out WITHOUT A JACKET ON!

This morning we had Men's Breakfast at the Oaktree Centre. I arrived at 8.40 and the smell of frying bacon as I approached the building. So, a superb cooked breakfast of fried eggs, bacon, sausage and tea. I rarely eat fried food, so it is a treat and great to not have to cook it myself.

Richard, who usually leads this event, wasn't in attendance, so someone else was leading.

Sunday. 1.15 p.m. I haven't been to church this morning and attempted to watch the service via Facebook. I say 'attempted', because of technical issues. I have a Portal, which sits on the top of my television set and has a camera and microphone in it. It should allow you to communicate using Facebook (it is a product of Meta, the company which owns Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram. At one time you could view video from Facebook on it, but for some reason, this feature has been removed. You can use Zoom on it and other apps, which was handy during the Covid pandemic, when we weren't supposed to meet 'face-to-face.' 

I started watching the service through my iPad, but part way through things went pear-shaped, I lost video and only had sound and then that went, by which time I gave up, unfortunately.

Lockdown Fallout

 Thursday. 7.05 a.m. I've been out with Alfie.

2.15 p.m. I've been to the Oaktree Centre as I have for quite a few months now, helping to set up and pack away the gear for the Acorns playgroup. Then, at 10 o'clock, into one of the side rooms for Bible study. I drove home and had some lunch, watching an episode of Bargain Hunt, which I hadn't seen in ages. It's been running on BBC1 since about 2000. Two teams of two have one hour to find three antiques at an antique fair or in an antique shop and then sell the items for a profit, which, if they win, they keep. Each team has an antique expert who helps them decide which items to buy and then, once the teams have bought their three items, the experts go off with what cash they have left and then buy another bonus item which the teams can either decide to sell or reject. The profit, or loss, is added to the cost of what they sell. More challenging than it seems. Along the way you learn about various items and at the midpoint of the show the presenter, in this show, it was Charlie Ross, goes somewhere local to the site of the antiques fair, such as a country house, museum or other historic site and gives a talk about some aspect of that place or a style of antiques, furniture, pottery or whatever.

Friday. 5.15 a.m. I'm wide awake because there is a sound coming from one of the nearby flats. I can hear music, possibly a television on, and a voice. I look out of my door and a man comes out of the flat. I thought I could hear the sound of one of the alarms going off, which all the flats in Dexter House have. I don't know what is going on. I will no doubt discover during the course of the day.

6.05 a.m. I've done some more transcribing my handwritten writing onto word processing. I was awake, so  I thought I'd do some more. It's going well. Now I need to find a way to incorporate this into the rest of my writing. I have some ideas, but at the moment I'm not sure where it's going. Time will tell.

7.20 a.m. So, we're now being able to read the WhatsApp messages which were sent to the then Health Secretary, Matt Hancock to various members of the government during the COVID-19 lockdowns. And which are currently being published in The Daily Telegraph.  It would appear that some ministers as well as government scientists attempted to stop lockdowns because they believed that they would not help the spread of the virus. Also, the use of face masks was said to not be effective. It seems we've been treated like infants and the collateral damage caused by lockdowns, not least the financial damage, caused by closing down businesses, such as pubs, shops, theatres and a whole host of other places of work, not least the mental health damage which has been caused and the destruction of school children's education as well as their mental well-being. We became a police state at one point, with police having the power to fine members of the public for doing innocent things such as taking their dog for a walk, having a picnic or merely having a cup of coffee. There really was no logic to this, because the virus would surely be dispersed by the breeze in the open air. It wasn't like having people crowded together in a confined space, such as a room in a house, an office, or even a lift in a tall building, where people could be in close quarters with other people.  I think people became like sheep, they didn't question any of the lockdown restrictions or lockdown in general. All of these smack of Nazi Germany or life under Stalin or any communist regime. Then we read that certain members of the government, who should have known better, were contemptuous of those who got caught contravening the lockdown regulations. Of course, we then had to find out that Boris Johnson, when he was Prime Minister, along with many other members of his Government, was caught holding parties in 10 Downing Street. Johnson had to own up to all of this and had to pay a fine, although he did his utmost to wriggle out of the truth of all this. You would imagine that members of the government, which forced through the various bits of legislation which set up the regulations, which included people not meeting in groups of around six, with no parties allowed etc would have known that such a party was illegal. Or did they wave it through without thinking and then, if they had a party, no one would find out? Except someone took photographs which proved they did. Shows even more contempt for the public.

All this had a marked effect on my mental health. I lost my lovely wife, Carol, to cancer in December 2018. I spent most of 2019 attempting to come to terms with being on my own and building a new life for myself, starting volunteering at Camphill (which I have mentioned in these posts on many occasions.) But then, having everything held in suspended animation in the early part of 2020 when the first lockdown was introduced. I ended up having to use antidepressants (which, incidentally, I have stopped taking.) Being shut in my flat, not seeing anyone, not being able to go to church, although services were relayed via Facebook, and we had Zoom meetings (although, having access to Zoom was brilliant, and I learned very fast how to use it, and I still do, for certain events which are put on  Zoom.) But, generally, it was very difficult for me, not to be able to interact with other people.