A New US President and Flooding

(Thursday) Quite chilly when we went out at 7.30 this morning, but it wasn't raining. A cold wind blowing.

On BBC Breakfast, reports on the flooding, particularly in Didsbury, near the River Mersey. Water levels quite dramatically high and people's homes completely submerged. The situation is made more difficult when people have to be evacuated and issues regarding the pandemic, especially with social distancing and the fact that there was heavy snow falling which is really hampering any sort of work.

Joe Biden, the new President of the U.S.A., reversing a lot of Donald Trump's legislation and orders, particularly those involving climate change and no doubt at some stage, that connected with what's called 'Obama Care.' The big question everyone is asking is, will Trump be impeached for a second time? The American Senate has agreed he should be, after the awful storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters on January 6th, being motivated by Donald Trump. He will be the only President of the United States to be impeached twice, but it seems a bit odd if this second impeachment goes ahead now he has left the White House.

I've taken Alfie out again, around 2.30. We crossed over Oldbrook Boulevard and no sooner had I begun walking around the Green than an idiot on a bicycle almost collided with me. More interested in his mobile than the safety of others walking along. It's crazy that anyone would even consider fiddling with their mobile phone as they were cycling along. Just dangerous. For all that, it's been quite windy but the sun has been out.

On BBC News this evening, Boris Johnson has said that lockdown is likely to continue until the summer. I realise that it's necessary to control the spread of coronavirus, but we do need some sort of plan put in place or at least considered, how we will get out of this situation. If things aren't to return to as near normal as possible, I foresee more mental health issues as a result of uncertainty, what with not knowing what is going to happen, how jobs can be protected, particularly in the hospitality industry. I know I'm biased in this respect, but what about theatre? We hear a lot (in my opinion, far too much) about football and how it has been effected by lockdown, but theatre as well as other related industries, such as film and television production, is a vital part of this country's economy. Currently we have a large number of Hollywood films being made in British film studios, such as Pinewood, Shepperton and Elstree. Not only are actors out of work, many are self employed. Then there are the ancillary jobs which are connected to these industries, make-up, wardrobe, set construction, props, box office and so on. Then, consider all the restaurants and bars which are in the vicinity of a theatre which would be visited by theatre audiences. Add to that, companies who supply hospitality outlets, breweries, food, fruit and vegetable, meat and fish. The list goes on and on.

There's another variant of the coronavirus which is said to be more dangerous, although the R-number has fallen. They are now saying the epidemic is slowing down. Let's hope it just fizzles out and we can all get back to some sort of normal.

I've managed to complete the coffee table by building the drawer. One of the side panels was the wrong way round and I have now dismantled it and it's now the right way round. I then found that the handle for the drawer has a missing bolt which holds the thing together. I managed to email the manufacturer, through their website. I wasn't expecting such a quick response. They will post me a bolt and it should arrive within three days. Just means with  that in place  the coffee table will be complete. 

Travellers Return to Oldbrook Green

(Monday) I took Alfie out around 6 o'clock this morning, and as we approached the crossing onto Oldbrook Green, I was shocked to see a group of travellers caravans on the furthest side, along with tethered ponies. It's not that we should mind what people do, it's the fact that they think it's perfectly fine to come along and set up camp on a piece of grass which isn't suitable to take caravans. I expect they will eventually be moved on by Milton Keynes Council. I will keep posting on this matter as things develop.

(Wednesday) The travellers have gone. Thank goodness. They have left a good lot of rhubarb fertiliser behind, so someone can go and collect it. But if they were under the impression that Oldbrook Green was common land I think they were very much mistaken.

(Thursday) Council workers were out mowing Oldbrook Green when I went out this morning with Alfie. We had to avoid being mown down and they went straight over the horse manure which was left by the travellers (not them personally, but the ponies or horses!) I just wonder where they went to.

(Friday) It's supposed to be a record heatwave today. As I write this it's sunny and bright, I have the windows open and the electric fan is on full blast.

When we approached Oldbrook Green this morning, just after 6 o'clock, I saw a mist hanging over the grass. It looked really odd, to say the least.

(Sunday) we had a socially distanced service at S.C.F. this morning, on the grass at the rear of the Oaktree Centre. We had to wear face coverings, had to use hand sanitiser as well as give our telephone numbers just in case anyone later showed signs of having the virus. It was odd not being able to sing, which was crazy as well as the fact that you couldn't see people's faces properly, but if this is how things are going to be, then it's better than nothing I suppose.

I went out as usual with Alfie as soon as I got back from church. We did our usual walk down Strudwick Drive and then onto Oldbrook Green. As we were walking across the grass, a motor scooter/bike came hurtling around the grass, totally heedless of those walking around or exercising or playing various forms of sport, including young families. I very nearly got run into, but they continued to encircle the grass. Neither youths, the one driving the scooter or the one riding pillion on the back, wore helmets and the whole didn't look safe or particularly road-worthy. I doubt very much whether they had adequate insurance or even  a road fund licence for this vehicle, if that's a good way to describe it, but, as with the latest electric scooters which people ride around the various paths and pavements and even on the public highway, a definite accident waiting to happen.

Restrictions On, Then Off and Then . .

Some of the pandemic lockdown restrictions have been lifted. We can now visit 'non-essential' shops, get our hair cut and a certain number of attractions, gardens and so on, have re-opened (I think these include National Trust properties, zoos, etc etc.) But if you visit a shop you need to wear a face covering (supposed to cover your nose and mouth.)

I went into the Milton Keynes main shopping centre to meet my friend Nick who lives in Northampton. Unfortunately not everyone is obeying the social distancing regulations nor is everyone wearing a face mask. I took mine, one of the handful I purchased in Lidl a few weeks ago. I don't particularly like having to wear one as it makes my face hot and my glasses steam up. You can't see people's faces clearly and it would be easy for someone, if they were inclined, to do something criminal, say, rob a bank or be objectionable to staff in a shop, and nobody would be able to recognise them, for example, on C.C.T.V. cameras.

Church is having a picnic on Sunday near Furzton Lakes. I have been attempting to find some sort of folding chair to take with me and went on the internet to have a look. I had hoped that Argos might have had some in stock. I looked at there website and sure enough they had quite a range but when I attempted to buy I kept being told that the Milton Keynes store had none in stock. I had an idea that Tesco would have these types of chairs. Whatever I buy needs to be folding, so that it will fit into the back of the car and then be stored in the flat in a corner.

(Friday) The Renault Captur was due for it's MoT in August. I rang Bleakhall Motors on Wednesday to book it in for this annual test and got an appointment for 4.45 yesterday afternoon. I drove there and the test went ahead. I waited in the waiting area and it was completed by 5.30. Thank goodness it passed without any further expense being necessary but they said that it would need the diesel emissions looking at before next year's test. I imagine it has something to do with the exhaust filter or something so I may ring them and ask what it entails. So, that's another year of driving. The tyres may need air in them, but considering that it hasn't been far in the last five or so months since lockdown, it's no surprise as there can't be much wear on the car in that time.

(Saturday) It seems there is an increase in infections of the coronavirus in some areas of the north of England, so some of the lockdown restrictions have been reintroduced. Some people are unhappy about this, but if we're to return to any semblance of normality then this has to be done. Five months of lockdown and a gradual reduction in infections nationwide. People must just adhere to the regulations and not become lazy, particularly with social distancing.

Easing Lockdown

(Wednesday) So our dear Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announces in the Commons, that some of the lockdown restrictions have beed eased. The two metre social distancing regulations have been lowered to one metre, but the thought of going to a pub or restaurant is not something I would bother with as it's so complex I'd rather stay at home, thank you.

Blogger, which is owned by Google, and which is what this blog is created on, is to be upgraded, if that's what it's supposed to be called. I have been using it for a good many years and have got on well with it, so why does it suddenly have to be changed so radically? It's the same with Facebook, which has been changed dramatically and is now more difficult to use. I really don't like it and why change things when the work well? You never get any sort of help with how to use any of these sites. It just because they can change things that problems occur. As the saying goes if it ain't broken, don't fix it. You have to learn yourself what the various 'buttons' and gizmos do without any sort of instruction, which is the same with most things you buy, which includes computers. When I bought my iPad recently went of YouTube to learn how to do things.

Out walking with Alfie this morning at about 9.30. We stopped for a rest on the furthest side of Oldbrook Green and sat on the very conveniently placed bench. I was shocked by the amount of litter strewn all over the ground nearby. Somebody had sat and eaten a takeaway meal and there was definite evidence, paper, polystyrene containers, Pepsi bottles and goodness knows what else. As there was a litter bin nearby, within arms reach, it would have taken long to put their debris in this when they had finished, just laziness. I have also seen disposable gloves thrown on the ground, also near a bin. It's not just the fact they were thrown aside, expecting someone else to deal with them, but environmentally harmful, especially if small mammals get stuck in them or try to eat them. I digress- as I seem in the habit of doing, and as I sat with Alfie on my lap, I saw a large lorry moving along Oldbrook Boulevard and turn into Strudwick Avenue and then into the yard behind The Cricketers pub. Obviously about to make a delivery, ready for the pub to reopen since the pandemic restrictions have been lifted. A definite positive sign that things are going to improve.

Later. It's far too hot. Wait a minute. This is crazy. We wait most of the year so we have some warm and pleasant weather, and all we do is complain that it's TOO HOT! The problem I have is I'm more of a temperate person. I don't like getting too hot. As a result of the weather, I decided to pack Alfie into the cage in the back of the car and drive the short distance down Chaffron Way to the Ouzel Country Park. I knew the moment I opened up the car that it was going to be far too much for Alfie and certainly not good for me. I put on sun block, the sort you spray on and donned my sun hat. Alfie was really suffering and so was I. We walked along the gravel path and met a group of ladies pushing someone in a wheelchair and they weren't sure whether they could go through the gates, which I told them it would be fine, so long as they shut them behind them. Some have cattle grids to stop livestock going through. There were sheep in the meadow we were walking through, several groups sheltering under the trees and Alfie started to bark so I decided to walk in a different direction. The sheep began to stir. I don't think they like dogs. I suppose they think of them as a threat. I didn't want Alfie to cause them stress, so I walked on.

I don't think it was such a good idea to bring Alfie out in such heat, or, if it comes to that, it wasn't good for me either. I was told by one of the cardiology nurses who looked after me when I went to a rehab session after my first heart attack in 2006, that I should keep out of the sun and always wear a hat. At one session, when it was really hot, about as hot as it has been today, I very nearly passed out and had to have first aid, which really frightened me.

Same Old Same

(Monday) Another fun filled week in store. Oh, the excitement is too much! Note the ironic tone of this blog post.  Cooped up in my flat like a battery chicken when it's really sunny and warm. I am hoping and even praying that the government will reduce the social distancing. It's a bit of a joke when I went out yesterday evening with Alfie and seeing people definitely not social distancing, children playing on the equipment in the playground at Oldbrook Green. The 'Rate of Transmission' of the infection rate of the coronavirus has been reduced to whatever number, I think it's 3, moved down from 4. I'm not entirely sure.

People on Oldbrook Green flying a kite. The wind was more or less perfect for such an occupation. There is something fascinating about kites. I really like them. We took Sam and Emerline to Dunstable Downs to fly his kite many years ago, although not entirely successfully. When we used to go on holiday to Frinton-On-Sea I used to fly a rather incredible box kite, which wasn't mine. It belonged to my younger brother, Sandy, who had been given it as a present, I think, by his godmother, Jane, but he wasn't in the least bit interested, so I got the pleasure of flying it. Quite high, from what I remember, on the Greensward, the grassed area between the road, The Esplanade I believe, and the promenade where the beach huts were. Quite a strong wind off the sea and it took some effort to get it to fly to the furthest extent of it's string.  A lot of effort to keep hold of it and probably a danger to low-flying aircraft. More on holidays to Frinton-On-Sea in an earlier blog post but I may write more in a future blog post.

(Tuesday) 4.02a.m. I haven't slept much. Someone in a flat below me has a television or radio on with a voice that never stops. I can't think what it can be. Not BBC or Sky News because there's no music, advertising or those 'stings' or whatever they cal them, the bits of music between items or over credits or the opening of programmes. Whatever it is, it's difficult to get to sleep. I turn on BBC News and have a cup of tea. Something to watch or listen to. They have an item about a digital television channel calle 'Talking Pictures' which has seen it's ratings rise since the start of the pandemic lockdown. It shows old programmes, most of which are black and white and run by a handful of staff. Apparently the main channels don't show black and white material. Why? Does that mean some of the classic films of the early days of the film industry aren't important because they aren't in COLOUR? So, that means that Laurel and Hardy, the Marx Brothers, Buster Keaton and a whole host of other comedy films are worthless? Absolutely not. Then how about: Casablanca, Sunset Boulevard, and probably the best film comedy of all, Some Like It Hot aren't worth bothering with? Are audiences so dumb that they can't be doing with black and white films? I don't think so. Surely it's the story, characters and just plain charm of these early films which makes them what they are. They survive because they are so brilliant. Oh, and then, how about the priceless Ealing comedies such as Passport to Pimlico (which is on tomorrow as I have looked at the EPG (Electronic Programme Guide), Kind Hearts and Coronets and The Ladykillers (I think the only Ealing comedy to be made in colour and also the last one made.)

The social distancing is likely to be reduced from 2 metres to 1 metre today, after the Cabinet has met this morning. It has to happen. BBC Breakfast has said that we can expect high temperatures in the next few days, possibly the highest temperatures of the year, towards the end of the week. Heat kills viruses, so it's going to wipe out the coronavirus. Just wait and see.

Later. 'I just don't believe it!' as Victor Meldew would say repeatedly in the brilliant sitcom 'One Foot In The Grave.' I have mentioned the problems I have had regarding my Television Licence. If you need a reminder, when I moved into Dexter House I made sure I had this set up so that I was 'legal , decent, honest and truthful' (an advertising slogan which was used by the Advertising Standards Authority.) I'm rambling. Going off-topic. Not keeping to the script.  Digression is the word I'm looking forAnyway, I discovered that I didn't need to pay a full licence living at Dexter House. Don't ask me how or why. You can, but you won't get an answer. I paid by cheque and it must have cleared as it shows up on my bank statement so the licensing people have proof. But I keep getting letters, beautifully printed and posted, no doubt at great expense. So . . . what on earth is going on? Making a mockery of the whole confounded TV licence business and must cost a fortune, money which could be going to the BBC to pay some hard up celebrity on their payroll who needs to probably put petrol in his/her Rolls Royce or to buy more caviare or pate de foie gras from Harrods or Fortnum and Masons.

Later still. So, that's it. Boris Johnson says the social distancing can be reduced to one metre and that more businesses can reopen. Thank goodness! Being a prisoner in your own home is no joke. But lockdown can be reenforced if there's any new infections, or something, I'm not sure of the exact words. But it's not going to happen. It's summer, the sun is out and viruses don't survive in a hot climate.

(Wednesday) A hot and humid night and I found it difficult to sleep, but the kitchen is as hot as ever. Why on earth can't the heating be reduced? It just doesn't make sense and I have mentioned it but it seemed impossible to get anyone to deal with this situation.

No Social Distancing

I was out with Alfie quite late yesterday afternoon.  (Monday)Well, when I mean late, I don't mean it was dark, with the sun going down. I mean, around 4.45.  Oldbrook Green was busy, but any sense of social distancing had been totally disregarded. There were youths in the skateboard park, using it to . . . skateboard. People sitting on the grass in groups. We walked around and one boy was on a bicycle, attempting to ride it on its rear wheel. He came up behind me on the final lap, near the children's playground, and didn't make any sort of sound, which made me jump somewhat. What would have happened if he had come off and hit his head, requiring hospitalization? There were a couple of girls climbing over the fence into the children's playground, which was locked and had a notice clearly stating it was banned from use, due to the coronavirus pandemic, but it was obvious that they wouldn't have seen this notice and then proceeded to sit on the swings, not designed for people of their size.

I had a telephone call this afternoon. Wow! That's a thing. From the cardiology department of Milton Keynes Hospital. I am going to get a call on Thursday at 3 p.m. from one of the cardiology doctors to see how I'm getting on. Not bad, just bored and sick of the lockdown, but I don't suppose they can do anything about that. Or maybe they can. Would be good if they could.

(Tuesday) Here I am, wide awake at 4.55a.m. I have had a shave, and done all the washing up (my kitchen must be the tidiest in the country.) Lockdown has turned my world upside down. It's no use sleeping, as I just can't get back to sleep. I have watched a further episode of the Peter Ackroyd 'Thames' documentary series on History Hit. It's fascinating. Read a bit more of the Simon Heffer book, 'The Age of Decadence,' and currently reading the chapter on the Suffragettes. What a brave lot of women. When people say that they don't intend to vote in an election, they should bear in mind all those who fought to get them the right to have a vote, not just women, but men as well. The force-feeding of women in prison would be considered abuse by today's standards.

I needed a different place to take Alfie for a walk this afternoon, so I put the cage in the back of the car and installed his nibs in it and we drove down Chaffron Way to the Ouzel Valley Park, which Carol and I visited on many occasions with the dogs. I was able to let Alfie have a run, and he seemed to appreciate the fact that he could run free, but I made sure that there was no livestock in the meadow we were walking across, although there were cattle in the adjoining meadow. There were lots of other people who had the same idea as myself, many with dogs, in family groups and many with children in various forms of pram and buggy. We walked through several kissing gates. This is how Wikipedia describes kissing gate:

'A Kissing gate is a type of gate that allows people, but not livestock, to pass through.

The normal construction is a half-round, rectangular, trapezoid or V-shaped part-enclosure with the free end of a hinged gate trapped between its arms. When the gate is touching an arm, it must be pulled or pushed to pass through. The gate may need to be pushed to give access to the small enclosure, and when in the enclosure, the person pulls the gate past the bulk of the enclosure to exit. Some examples have latches. Most are installed self-enclosing, to the side away from the pasture (livestock field), by hinge geometry, a spring or weight.'

So, if you didn't know, now you should. They are usually installed where livestock are in a meadow and allow people to move through without allowing the livestock to go through, usually where there is a cattle grid. (no, I'm not going to explain what they are here.)

We went through several kissing gates and then began the walk back towards the car. Several more people with dogs and then as we approached the car park, a couple was coming towards me with a large dog. Alfie was on his lead and when we got closer Alfie began barking and the dog came at him, attempting, well it seemed to me, that it wanted to pick him up in its mouth. I scooped up Alfie in my arms and the couple were most apologetic. Alfie was just as much to blame, barking as he always does, but he always wants to be friends with every dog he meets, as he has virtually no fear. The other dog continued to growl. Probably because it didn't like Alfie's aggressive noise, or so it probably was thinking. What do dogs think? That's a matter of dispute. I was upset, as anyone would be who has their dog attacked by another dog. But it probably wasn't. The bigger dog was probably just putting Alfie in his place, a big dog telling off a smaller one. We walked on and I put Alfie in the cage in the car and drove him.

(Wednesday) It has been raining, although very lightly, this morning, and we didn't remain out very long. I think Alfie was quite happy to return home quickly when he discovered that he was getting wet. We needed the rain, whatever the amount. It didn't last long, and it barely laid the dust. The grass is beginning to look very brown and parched in many areas.

I have managed to stitch together various parts of my writing project and it is now over eighty pages long. I cut and pasted these elements into the 'core' storyline, and I'm grateful to the technology because I can't imagine writing it in longhand or on a typewriter. 

Another Sunny Day

(Thursday) So, we're allowed to meet up with family and friends outside, since some of the pandemic lockdown restrictions have been lifted. Thank goodness. It's like being locked up in solitary confinement. Well, let's be perfectly honest, it is solitary confinement in some ways. I took Alfie out for his last walk around Oldbrook Green and there were far more people around than there have been in ages. Youths playing football and others in what appears to be family groups but some not adhering to the 2 metre social distancing regulations. Several of the notices which had been attached to various  bits of exercise equipment were laying on the ground and people sitting in the covered shelter  but it would appear that things are gradually going to return to some sort of normal.

(Friday) It's 7.10a.m. I'm waiting to take Alfie out, but I'm trying to avoid him making a noise because a certain person who lives in Dexter House again complained about his barking (Alfie, not this idiot. Although, thinking about it, Alfie behaves better.) It's sunny and warm and I don't want to have BBC Breakfast on when all they go on about is the pandemic, which seems to have totally engulfed their news broadcasts. There must surely be more to report on in the news. This 'person' (for want of a better description.) leaning out of his flat window when I came back with Alfie yesterday afternoon, and hurling abuse at me. Just not acceptable and almost like something out of a Shakespeare play or even Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.

I have had a delivery from Staples of a paper rack and a couple of pads of paper which came yesterday lunchtime. Ordered on Wednesday and surprised that the parcel was delivered barely 24 hours after the order was made, on line. I'm still waiting for the Apple pencil, which was ordered via Very almost a week ago. No notification from Very to let me know where the item is in the system, not even that it's not in stock. The iPad came within two days of ordering, so I don't see what the problem is. I realise that these businesses are working within social distancing guidelines, so some deliveries are likely to be a lot longer in arriving, but not being kept informed is not very good customer care in my opinion, The order from Weird Fish, of the shorts I ordered through their website was supposed to have arrived yesterday before 6 o'clock, but still nothing, so I assume that is on it's way.

The paper rack is now put together, but causing problems because the screws that hold it together won't tighten sufficiently so I have had to improvise making cardboard washers and putting them on the screws and tightening the screws with a Phillips screwdriver and it seems to have done the trick. It now means I can organise the handwritten pages of my writing which need putting into order so I can transcribe it all onto my MacBook and in the process make some amendments.

Later. I have 'Good Morning Britain' on, ITV's answer to the BBC's breakfast programme. I'm not sure which is better, but I think their set is a bit more imaginative. It make me laugh that it comes to the former BBC's Television Centre, which they rent from the new owners and then re-rent to ITV. It seems bonkers.

Walking with Alfie around Oldbrook Green, there was a ride-on mower cutting the grass. It seems they cut the grass several times in succession. The only problem is that they leave the cut grass and it has a tendency to get on your shoes and then walk it into the flat and there's piles of cuttings all over the floor. Nothing much you can do about it except sweep it up or pick up with the vacuum cleaner.

I have begun to sort out the handwritten pages of my written material. It's got really muddled and I will need to get some plastic wallets to put these collated pages in otherwise they will get muddled up again. Some were numbered but other are not which makes it far more difficult to sort out. I have begun to transcribe more of these hand-written pages into word processing.

(Saturday) 6.15a.m. It's another reasonably bright and sunny morning. The flat window is open and I can hear the birdies singing merrily. Alfie is expecting to be taken out, but I must wait because it will only upset someone who shall remain nameless. Just doesn't need winding up, but it's so easy. I have managed to get Alfie out by carrying him until we get round the corner into Strudwick Drive. It's preventing him making a noise and if you carry him (which he doesn't like) he can't, or simply won't, bark. It's restricting his natural tendency because that's what makes his character and I don't like stopping him. I have written a shopping list which sits on the coffee table and I intend going to Sainsbury's after 8 o'clock as there's no point going earlier because of the queuing system and I know that NHS frontline staff get preference between 7a.m and 8a.m.

Later. I was at Sainsbury's at around 8.15 this morning. The queue didn't stretch as far as when I first went when the lockdown restrictions were first put in place, when the queue was right back to the lower level of the carpark. This morning things moved reasonably quickly and I was inside the store and finished within about 30 minutes. I think it may actually have been less. I'm getting far better at using the self-service checkouts and I have a feeling that since the pandemic they are keeping them in better order so you don't get so many glitches, none of that 'unknown item in bagging area.' I'm definitely more confident and can scan each item faster. The trick I find is being able to discover where the bar code is on each item so it's easier to scan.  I have  now got the wallets so that I can sort out the different stories I have written which are in handwritten form, some of which need collating into their correct order, which, hopefully, these wallets should help with.

I got back to the flat and put all groceries away, most importantly the frozen things which needed putting in the freezer section of the fridge/freezer. I took Alfie out for a walk around Oldbrook Green and then started watching the video of 'Cats' which is being shown for 24 hours via YouTube as part of the 'Show Must Go On' project. I didn't watch the entire show but paused it and completed watching an hour or so later when I was eating my lunch. I saw the original London production at the New Theatre probably only weeks after it opened in 1981. I saw the touring production which came to the Derngate in Northampton a couple of years ago.

Nothing Changes. Or Does It?

(Thursday)This is getting somewhat boring, monotonous, call it what you will. I'm awake at 5.40a.m. I have been up earlier, reading and on the internet. I now have some idea why I'm feeling so awake when I should be asleep. Something in The Telegraph about this, how your body clock gets thrown into confusion when we are indoors without proper daylight. It makes you feel groggy, almost the feeling you have when you are hung over from drinking alcohol, you can't think straight and most certainly shouldn't be driving a car or operating machinery.  I think it's similar to how I used to feel when I worked in care and had to to night shifts. I would go home afterwards and wouldn't be able to sleep for more than a few hours and my body clock was thrown into totally confusion. I used to hate those shifts.

(Friday) Today is the 75th Anniversary of VE Day. The BBC is making the best of a difficult situation because of the pandemic lockdown. I don't think using Zoom to make television programmes makes for very good television as you just have people facing forward to the camera all the time and it's a bit like having talking portraits in an art gallery. I know it's difficult because of social distancing, but it's not going to add anything. BBC Breakfast seems to be stuffed full of this sort of material, mostly doctors talking. Frankly, dreary and unimaginative.

Yesterday afternoon I took Alfie out around  Oldbrook Green and it was quite busy, people exercising, sitting on the grass and a lot of them ignoring the social distancing. There were children playing on the equipment in the fenced-off children's playground who wouldn't have been there and also in the skateboard park, totally in defiance of the notices which are put on the various items intended for the public to use for exercise. The white-and-blue tape which was wound round the seated, covered shelter has been totally removed and there were people sitting inside. It makes me wonder whether these people don't read English, whether they are able to read and understand the notices which tell us that these places are banned from use. If so, why are the notices not written in different languages, because this area is home to a wide range of different ethnic groups who obviously have English as their first language.

I've been out to give the car a bit of a run so that the battery remains charged and that I don't find the car won't start. I went to Waitrose and there was a longer queue to get in. It took around 20 minutes to reach the door inside. I wanted so sweets, chocolate and 'afters' for my evening meal, and there was a tannoy message which I couldn't hear properly and then there was a 2-minute silence at 11a.m., but I was unaware that it was because today is the 75th anniversary of VE Day. Nobody told me. I had no idea. Anyway, from Waitrose I did a round trip of Milton Keynes, going towards Camphill and then round through the centre of Milton Keynes and along Chaffron Way up towards Morrisons at Westcroft and around the roundabout and back to Oldbrook.

It's really warm. The flat is stuffy, even with the windows open. The kitchen is far too hot. For some reason, which I can't fathom, the heating is on all the year round. It's excessively hot and it can't be turned down. I can understand if it was mid winter with snow and ice on the ground, but it's early May, the sun is shining and it's actually pleasant out. The heating pipes run through my kitchen and are under the sink and the kitchen is more like one of the sweat rooms we used to inhabit at the gyms we used to be members of. It means I have to have the kitchen window open permanently otherwise the fridge/freezer will not function properly and probably break down. But for some reason I have to just put up with this craziness. A waste of resources and not exactly environmentally friendly. Goodness knows how much carbon this project produces, but I imagine quite a large amount. Under other circumstances I would merely turn the heating off, but that isn't possible. Then, with the windows open I have to endure noises from outside.

(Monday) It's not warm and stuffy this morning. A real change in the weather. It might be sunny, but it's windy and chilly. I have the BBC Breakfast weather forecast on as I write this and I'm being told that there's frost likely but warming up later in the week.

I've been watching a really fascinating documentary series that's been running for a few series on BBC television, called 'Inside The Factory.' It's presented by Gregg Wallace and Cherry Healey. They visit the factories to discover how various products are produced, going through the processes which go into the making of such products as biscuits, soup, breakfast cereals, cooking pots and the recent one was about the making of cereal bars. There was a sequence which explained the background and invention of these bars presented by the historian Ruth Goodman and I had imagined that they were quite an old product, probably going back a hundred years or so, but that's not the case. She visited the Bedfordshire base of Jordan's mill near Biggleswade and it turned out that they invented the idea of cereal bars when Bill Jordan used to go to music festivals and he trialled a new product called Crunchy G and this in turn was used to make the first cereal bars. My father was a farmer and we lived in Cardington, outside Bedford, and grain from our farm was sent to Jordan's mill, which would have been used to make Jordan's flour. My dad had an interest in cars and most things mechanical and at that time (the 1960's) John Jordan, who set up Jordan's mill several decades before the 1960's was motoring fanatic and my dad knew him personally. We even were allowed to swim in jordan's private swimming pool at their home near Biggleswade and next door to the famous mill, which is now a visitor attraction. You can visit and buy Jordan's products in their factory shop and see the workings of the mill.

I've been searching around for home contents insurance. I've been on the Compare The Market website and decided to go with Sainsbury's. I went on their website and got a good quote but when I got to the point where I went ahead and made the transaction, the next page wouldn't load after I clicked. I attempted this around half-a-dozen times and eventually gave up. I tried to get through to their call centre but it appeared to not be operational due to the coronavirus pandemic. Not good, since I want to be covered. I have items in my flat which I don't want stolen or otherwise damaged, such as the television, iPad or MacBook or the fridge/freezer. I have this morning got through and it's now set up and I'm covered from today and I will get double Nectar points when I shop in Sainsbury's.

Another Week Of Lockdown

(Tuesday) They're saying that the first peak of the coronavirus pandemic has probably been reached. It's still not possible to ease the lockdown restrictions, which means that shops selling 'non-essential' items are going to still be closed. It seems odd that D.I.Y. centres, such as B and;Q and Homebase can reopen, as long as they have social distancing measures in place, but garden centres cannot. This doesn't make any sort of sense and if things are relaxed it looks as if a lot of plants will be destroyed once they reach the point where they can't be sold. In that case a lot of growers are going to go out of business, as will many retail outlets, particularly those that sell clothing. Debenhams have already gone into administration, and a lot of overseas suppliers have been told they won't be paid for orders which had already been taken. Things look in a precarious stage at the moment.

Boris Johnson is back in Downing Street, having been in hospital recovering from coronavirus infection. I think it will inform how things now develop, having experienced firsthand how the NHS is coping. We should now get some idea how the lockdown will be lifted, probably gradually, allowing for more businesses to re-open, provided they use social distancing.

The weather has done a u turn. From being bright and sunny, it’s become wet and cold, which I noticed when I peered out of the window in the kitchen this morning. Alfie was as keen as ever to get out, but as soon as we got outside and were walking along Dexter Avenue, he wasn’t so keen as he got a bit wet. We got to the grass along Strudwick Drive, spent some time sniffing the grass, did a wee, and immediately headed home as fast as his little feet could carry him! No time to hang about and  consider ‘other matters.’ He couldn’t wait to get back into the flat, and I can hardly blame him.

I'm not watching much television news at present because it seems all they can discuss is the pandemic and to be honest it's becoming somewhat tiring having it thrust down your throat every time you turn on the television. I watch perhaps a few minutes at the beginning, to get the headlines, but there's no other sort of news, so I have either switched to another channel, such as BBC2 in the evening, where they have moved Pointless at this time, or I watch something on BBC iPlayer and on Tuesday I watched the first episode of a new series presented by Mary Beard about Rome, called 'Meet The Romans,' in which she discovers the 'real' Romans, the ordinary people who lived at street level. It's a revelation, and she doesn't mince her words, some of it down and dirty. What annoys me is that I didn't know that this series was on until I was trawling through the E.P.G. (Electronic Programme Guide) on my Freeview box. It hasn't been trailed on the other channels and I would have missed it otherwise. Thank goodness for the BBC iPlayer.

I've been to Sainsbury's again this morning, arriving at the carpark at around 8.15, to discover the queue further round the carpark than the last time I was there. Even so it didn't seem to take as long to get into the store. I had made a detailed list on Monday, which made the job easier and quicker as I had worked out well in advance what I needed. No point dithering around trying to think and being stuck in the store longer than usual. I was in and out of the store within around 40 minutes and used a self-service till to pay. I'm actually getting quite good at operating these self-service tills and it's probably best to use them and use my debit card with either contactless or 'chip and pin' to pay.

Another series I have only just discovered, about the Renaissance, and presented by Waldemar Januszak and called 'The Renaissance Unchained' in which he challenges the traditional views of art's most important epoch. Another brilliant documentary series which the BBC seems to insist on burying and not bothering to trail and I only discovered it when I accidentally came across it on the E.P.G. There are three more episodes and thank goodness for the ability to either record or view on iPlayer through my Freeview box. All the junk television such as Holby and EastEnders as well as reality shows get all the attention but the better stuff, the intelligent stuff, gets forgotten. They are not adhering to John Reith's three founding principles of the BBC, to inform, to entertain and to educate, probably in some form, but not entirely. I think it's because everything is ghettoised on different channels, because at one time, when there were fewer channels, BBC1, BBC 2 and ITV, you had a more mixed schedule and you were more likely to come across something such as a programme on the arts or history, by accident. Now it's just become very boring, and every day is identical, the same programmes on at the same time every day. I remember a time. probably when I was at school in the 1960s, when you would, for example, have a classic play on Sunday evening, when the BBC did 'Play of The Month,' and you could see a play by, for example, Shaw, Ibsen, Chekov or Shakespeare, or when they did 'Play For Today,' written by playwrights such as Alan Bleasedale or John Mortimer and directors of the calibre of Stephen Frears, Mike Leigh or John Slesinger. I don't think the BBC or ITV ever do what they term the 'single play' in a similar vein, except the BBC afternoon drama 'strand' called 'Moving On.' Everything has to be part of a series, probably because they don't imagine an audience being able to cope with material that ties up within the running-time and only managing to deal with on-going plots in a run of episodes.

(Wednesday) It's rather wet and dull today. But, saying that, it is mild. Alfie isn't keen to be out as he really doesn't appreciate getting wet, even if slightly. I only have to say to him 'Alfie, home,' and he immediately changes course and heads back to the flat. I got a belt for my shorts when I was in Sainsbury's yesterday, with the idea that I could start wearing those shorts, but as the weather has now changed, there is no likelihood of me wearing them for the foreseeable future. In some ways it's good that the weather has gone like this as it means people aren't tempted to go out and start gathering but remain in isolation and keep the social distancing going.

The news is that Boris Johnson's fiancee, Carrie Symonds, has given birth to a baby boy. In the midst of all the awful news regarding the pandemic, it's good to have something positive, but it must be a rather traumatic experience, when you think of the possibility of contracting the coronavirus.

We have had a church meeting using Zoom. It's a strange experience. We have had a sort of coffee morning and a communion service using Zoom and Pastor Ross does a devotional each morning at 10 o'clock on Facebook. I can watching through an app called Facebook Video on my Fire Stick on television which means at least that it's on a bigger screen and not just peering at the MacBook screen or iPad, or, if it comes to that, my iPhone, but in that case it would be far too small.

Yet Another Day

Well, it's getting somewhat boring. Just being in the flat because of lockdown. Trumpy has said that the rules can be relaxed in America. Has he been let out of his playpen? Does he listen to advice? Well, I don't think he listens to anyone. Let's forget the crazy man. . . and people are protesting about lockdown in various parts of the good ol' U.S of A. They seem to think (most likely Trumpety's supporters) that they don't need to 'self-isolate' because it, no doubt, contravenes something in the American constitution. They probably don't think they'll contract the covid 19 virus which is causing all the havoc across the world. Just stay at home and prevent the spread of the virus.

I don't think some people are adhering to the social distancing regulations. I've just got back from taking Alfie out for what should be the last walk around Oldbrook Green and there are several groups of people sitting on the grass and the benches in the area near the children's playground. I have a feeling they might not have English as their first language or might even speak English. If that is the case, how would they know about the government rules?

(Monday) It's surprisingly bright and sunny this morning. The fact that it is so sunny makes it far easier to put up with this confounded lockdown, although, for some people it might be more of a problem because when its sunny they have to be outside, when they shouldn't (if that makes sense, which it probably doesn't.)

I have another Futurelearn course to keep me busy, starting today, called 'Lives In The Factories and Mills' which is being run by Strathclyde University. As many of my paternal ancestors came from Scotland, this is more than just a little bit interesting to me, having an interest in history. I may have mentioned Futurelearn before, but these courses are free and I've done several before and are always worth doing. I have done a couple on Shakespeare and one (which I loved so much I have done it again.) about Hadrian's Wall. I can recommend these course and it doesn't take much effort to sign up to and will at least keep you occupied during this current lockdown situation.

(Tuesday) Each day seems much the same as any other. I think it's because there's no focus on the things I normally do, such as going to church on Sunday and then on a Tuesday going to work with the drama workshop guys at Camphill. I really miss these focus points of my week. I just hope this 'thing' isn't going to go on for much longer. Turning on the television news, all we get is pandemic, pandemic. It's getting somewhat monotonous. There must be other news to cover. Not just repetition, but negative.There's a lot of blame being thrown about, why the N.H.S. isn't getting the P.P.E. (personal protection equipment) it should.

I went to Sainsbury's because I discovered, when I was sorting out my medication, that I had run out of soluble aspirin, so I went to Lloyd's pharmacy in Sainsbury's to buy some more and to get a few other items. The queue wasn't as long as last time and it seemed to move a lot quicker so I was in the store with my shopping list. I always make sure I have a list, written in advance of going, which makes it easier and quicker when I'm in the store. I'm using their self-service checkouts because it means there is less risk of any sort of contact as social distancing is easier. I notice that they have turned off alternate machines which means there is a wider space between them which allows for social distancing and after each customer has finished they clean them with spray, presumably alcohol-based, which they do with the trolleys when customers have finished with them.

(Wednesday) I mentioned I have bought an iPad. I had been looking at them on line and have also been into the Apple store in Midsummer Place in Milton Keynes (this well before the current situation with lockdown because of the corvid 19 outbreak (I don't understand this virus. It's called covid 19 as well as coronavirus. I need to find out what they mean by both.) to had a look at the various models and found out about iPencil and then that you can do graphics on your iPad if you have the right app/software, and, also being something of a fan of David Hockney, I learnt fairly recently that he does a lot of his artwork using an iPad. I then did some research and found that an app called Procreate works on an iPad (the one that Hockney uses is called something like Painter but when I looked on the Apple App Store it wasn't available. With further research on line I learnt about Procreate and was then surprised by how much it cost, £9.99, which seemed good value, so I have now downloaded it and have it installed and I'm learning how to use it by watching videos on YouTube. 

The Sainsbury Shuffle

I have attempted to avoid going out to shop too many times, but there comes a point where I simply need some basic items, such as milk, bread and potatoes. I did some washing this morning and had things back, dried and put away by around 9.30, so it seemed a good idea to go to Sainsbury's as early as possible. On arrival at the underground carpark, I found a space on the upper level and had to join the queue that had formed around the outer edge of the carpark. I had thought the end was part-way back from where I had parked the car, but I was wrong. I had to walk down the slope to the lower level and was shocked to see the end was a good way further back, where I stood with everyone else, with the recommended 2-metre (six feet) gap between myself and people in front of and behind me. The queue shuffled along, hence the term 'Sainsbury Shuffle' which I have used as this post's title. It makes me wonder what a docile nation we are in Great Britain. We seem to put up with a great deal, including queuing. But today people don't seem to have the patience. If the coronavirus pandemic is to be bought under control, people need to obey the social distancing advice in order to prevent the virus spreading. I think it's asking a great deal of people if the government expects everyone to just sit at home and do very little, even though the weather is fine. It is, as I write this. The sun is out and there's no wind. Let's just hope and pray that this situation improves or, better still, comes to an end.

My FitBit has been playing up. I can't get it to function, even though it appears to have a charge. My only real complaint about it is that it only keeps a full charged battery for a week. Why can't it be for longer? You never know exactly if it has started charging when you put it on the charging device. There are three metal pins (Brass? I'm not sure.) which are supposed to align with pins (prongs?) on the actual device. If it was a Apple device it would make a very decisive sound, which my MacBook does as it starts up, but the FitBit only makes a sort of shiver or vibrate which should denote it is charging, but the screen makes no sign of life. I haven't therefore been able to wear it when I take Alfie out for the past couple of days (more like, a week or so.) I emailed FitBit and got a response and have had the thing charging connected to the MacBook. It is now showing 99% charge, so something must be happening, so it would appear that all is well, or so I hope.

Later. The FitBit is back at full charge and is on my wrist and working as it should.

The sun is shining and we're stuck indoors. We're not supposed to go out. What? Indoors on a bright sunny day? That's awful. It may be to prevent the spread of the dreaded virus, but how long does the government honestly think the average person is going to endure this lockdown? Let's be perfectly honest, not long I would imagine.

Alfie can't seem to understand why we're cooped up indoors. I am sitting and watching a programme about Waitrose and he sits on the sofa next to me, staring. It's actually quite intimidating (how can a small Yorkshire Terrier be intimidating, you may ask? Well, when that dog stares and whenever you move, he follows.) In the end, once the programme was over, I just gave in and put him on his lead and took him out.

(Sunday) It's bright and sunny and we're still locked inside. We mustn't go out . . . But I hear the police, who have been given powers under new legislation which has recently been bought in by the government, to make sure people don't gather in groups, in an attempt to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. But I am hearing reports that the police have been somewhat heavy-handed over this.

We're now being told that the government may even prevent us going out to exercise. My goodness, we're slowly but surely becoming a police state! So, how on earth will this be policed? Doesn't bare thinking about. . .

(Monday) I've found it difficult to know what day of the week is is, as they are beginning to blur into one another. Having my Tuesday as a sort of focus of my week, and now that it's gone (but I quite intend continuing there as soon as things get back to normal, whatever 'normal' is now.) that focus has disappeared.

I have been out with Alfie, at around 7.15, and I found it quite over-cast and it would appear that it must have been raining, if only slightly, over night.

Boris Johnson has been admitted to hospital, as he has tested positive with the coronavirus. We haven't been told what he's been admitted for, but he is still in charge of the government and presumably keeping in contact with the cabinet and other politicians.

Keir Starmer has now been elected as leader of the Labour Party. An improvement on Jeremy Corbyn, who, quite frankly, wasn't Prime Minister material. He had a sort of 'couldn't-care-less' sort of attitude, well, at least that's how he came across. Untidy. His scruffy appearance didn't help. Remember what happened to Michael Foot and his donkey jacket? Well, I do and it's similar with Corbyn. Also, his crazy financial policies didn't help, particularly as he had no idea how to pay for them. Tax those who make wealth, those who set up businesses which create jobs, not a particularly good move.

I'm getting on with my writing. I seem to have found a way forward and as I write this I'm doing some research and have done quite a few pages which I'm writing in pencil, as I usually do and it will eventually get transcribed into word processing.

It is reasonably sunny at the moment and I will make something to eat for lunch and probably watch 'Bargain Hunt' as I eat. I hope it's a new episode rather than a repeat, but I suspect they will have suspended production because of the pandemic.

Later still. We may be in what is being called 'unprecedented times,' which is becoming something of a cliche and, frankly, rather an annoying term to describe the lockdown, due to the coronavirus pandemic, but we may be able to watch free presentations of theatre productions as a result. Most have been recorded with the intention of them then being broadcast in cinemas, although some have been 'live' broadcast. As all theatres are closed due to the pandemic, this is a good chance to see many of these theatre productions, and this evening I am watching a production of 'Hamlet,' which is a recording made at the Shakespeare Globe Theatre.