Annoying Roadworks and Troublesome Tech

 Thursday 15th October. 8.15 p.m. We had our usual Thursday Morning Lifegroup Meeting, and, when I got home I wanted to go shopping and drove to Sainsbury's. But things did not go to plan, becaue there is a great deal of roadworks going on around the area where Sainsbury's store is located. I had gone to the Mobil filling station in Childs Way and then on through the centre towards Sainsburys. driving along Avebury Boulevard, where I encountered a traffic blockage. I cannot fathom out what the roadworks are for and there were traffic cones along the road near Sainsbury's. What really annoys me is, they cone off large swaythes of road which you can't use, but no sign of workmen actually working. So why cone it off if there's no work going on? I drive into Sainsbbury's underground carpark and then discover that I don't have the token to release a trolley. Somehow or other this has disappeared from my key chain, where it has been kept for such a use, so that I always have one for use at any supermarket and meaning I don't have to scrabble around for a £1 coin. So it meant I had to drive all the way back to Dexter House to hopefully find another token. I had to make a detour around the town to get back to Dexter house and there I could not find  the second token for the shopping trolley. I decided to go to Aldi instead and it took a further detour to get there.

Having done my shopping in Aldi, I thought it a good idea to walk along the parade of units to Curry's, because I wanted to by a cable to plug into my MacBook so it can be charged. It's a good chance to have a browse and look at the latest tech.

Saturday 17th October. 5.15 p.m. Yesterday morning I couldn't get the laptop to open. All I got when I opened it up was a completely blank screen. So, you can imagine the total stress I was under, because all my work, all my plays, are stored on the thing, although I have been gradually copying much of this material onto the new external hard drive. I was totally dumbfounded, and did not know how to resolve the issue. It obviously meant I was unable to do any work on any of the plays. 

I had the idea that, if I took the Macbook to the Apple store in Midsummer Place, the shopping centre next to the main Milton Keynes shopping centre, someone in there would be able to help fix the problem of the Macbook refusing to open up. So, I left it, sitting on it's usual table, next to my armchair. It had plenty of power. On Saturday morning, I think mid-way through, the thing opened up. I have an idea what the problem was; it had over-heated and it closed down until it was cool enough to work properly. But, even then, it closed down, this time becuse it didn't hqve enough power! So, I left it to charge. Later, I ordered ink cartridges from Argos and went and collected the thing a few minutes later. This does make life easier. 

Monday Club

Tuesday 13th October. 3.40 a.m. I wasn't going to go to Monday Club at the Oaktreee Centre on Monday afternoon (strange that, it's called the 'Monday Club', and by coincidence, it's held on a Monday.), but, because I have been working so hard on my play-writing, I decided to go. On arrival, all the chairs were arranged in a circle, and my first though was, we could play musical chairs. You know, the kid's party game, where you sit in a circle, play music and, pass around a parcel, wrapped in many layers of paper, and whoever has the parcel,  when the music stops, has to rip off a layer of paper. When the last layer is removed, the person who has the parcel, wins the item inside.

I'm sorry to say, I am put off going to this over 60s group, basically because, all they want to talk about is, their hip-replacements, boils on their bum, bunions and being, frankly, just dead boring. Someone went on about, how cold it was getting. They had the heating on permanently and I suppose it is going to get colder, now we're in October. But I haven't got the heating on in my flat. Infact, this flat gets too hot, and I open the window open, to let the heat out. Well, if you're cold, move about a bit, go for a walk, do anything to get your blood circulating.

There is plenty of cake. Probably far too much. But, looking at the arrangement of the chairs, the idea of a play called simply 'Musical Chairs' comes to mind. Then, as the session continues, and a couple comes in and they hvae a small dog, I think a Pekenise, but whatever breed it is, it's small and they can carry it. Very friendly and loves being made a fuss of, just like Alfie. I have the idea for a new play, set in a similar club, held in a village hall, so I have the entire concept, so when I get home, I begin to develop the characters, writing it all in a large hard-bound notebook I forgot I had. Within barely an hour I have all the characters developed in note form and programmed into my Macbook Pro and act one completed. Even the little dog which I mentioned has a small part in this play, by now called 'Raising The Roof.'

I have now begun working on 'Musical Chairs' a second piece of theatre, sprung out of Monday Club. I don't think it's a full-length play, but probably a shorter piece, so it could be combined with other, shorter pieces, to make a full evening's worth of theatre. Fit probably for small-scale venues, with 200 seats or even less. So, to get two pieces of theatre from Monday afternoon is something of a miracle, so it goes to show, theatre doesn't have to be about big things, big issues, kings, rich people, but can be found in the smaller places, about those at the bottom of the pile, the grafters, those don't usually show up in the headlines, the back-room boys, and girls.

A Touch of Class

•  Friday 9th October. 6.40 p.m. We are now in autumn, or fall, as it is known in America. There is a definite chill in the air and I am putting my shorts away and now wearing my full length trousers.
• Saturday 10th October. 8.50 p.m. I am pleased to report that my first play 'Hiding In The Smoke' is now edited and is a complete document, ready for printing. It will need some further work, for example, making sure all character names are consistent, basically, because some of them changed durng the course of writing and some will need to be cut completely. Also, it is likely to run far too long, so some pruning will need to take place, otherwise I can imagine it running to close on six hours!
• Sunday 11th October. 3.45 a.m. Far too early to be sitting here, writing this, but so what? I am just bursting with excitement, and I should come down out of the clouds, but someone on Linkedin has communciated and says he might be able to assist in getting my plays edited and prepared for possible staging. I know it will be a very long and complex journey, but, after all my efforts, this could be the beginning of something truly awesome, so watch this space!
• He is part of a literary agency and connected to one of the big London schools of acting. I am not going to say any more at this stage, except to say I now have that feeling in my stomach, the old 'butterflies in the tummy'feeling, which I used to get when I did 'The Book' on shows, when I was a D.S.M., and the entire play was in my hands, the actors' prompting, setting of props, timing the show and generally in charge of the entire thing.

7.30 p.m. I am currently watching the Amazon series 'Clarkson's Farm.' We must be at around season 5, and it gets really interesting. I was intrigued by it, because of the location of Chipping Norton, because many of my mother's family came from around that area. I think I mentioned somewhere in these posts, referring to the Ascott Martyrs, a group of women who lived in and sround the Ascott-Under Wychood area of Oxforedshire, duirng 1873 and were sent to Oxford Gaol, because they dared to picket a field, when the locql fqrmer bought in cheqp labour. Chipping norton was very much central to the incident. 

I mentioned about my brothers in an earlier post. I don't know whether I mentioned I never worked for my father, nor became involved in the farm, not that I didn'tl ike the country life, but I don't think I could have worked with my two elder brothers. One reason would be that they were almost permanently bad tempered, and they could be quite unpleasant, never seemed to be in a good mood over anything amd, I honestly don't think I would hae wanted to be permanently moaned at and, frankly, when they weere in full flow, they could be quitye intimidating.

Lively Love Lunch

 Wednesdy 7th October. 6.10 a.m. Yesterday was another fine autumnal day, not too warm, but warm enough for me to continue wearing my shorts. Well, we may have moved officilly into autumn (Fall, if you're in America.) and I was waiting outside Dexter house, for the minibus to come and collect me for the drive to Wolverton, to  be part of the Love Lunch. It takes around 40 minutes for the journey, collecting other members who attend. I will say one thing, and thst is, I would never want to drive the minibus, because I would more than likely get lost, although, driving around Milton Keynes, even if you do get lost, you can always go to the next roundabout and then start all over again. Although, with a satnave, it can make it considerably easier.

I am still attempting to get my prostate exam. I have attempted to fill in the on-line form, but I have not been shown which is the correct way to do this and got s further telling off, in a text message, so this morning I shall drive cross Milton Keynes and visit Central Milton Keynes Medicsl Centre and confron the receptionist, and hopefully get the appointment.

10.05 a.m. I have been to the medical centre and I have returned and I have an appointment at 4.10 p.m. Which means that after this prostate exam (and there's no need to explain how this is done, but it's fairly obvious.) so that I can get whatever medication is necessary to slow down the number of times I have to run to the loo.

Then, on returning to Dexter House, I discover that we now have a new S.H.O., permanent and, as far as I can gather, working part time with someone else. I did like Vashti, but it would appear she is no longer coming back, for whatever reason. Having been a carer, I know what the work entails, but this is not a nursing home or a residential home, which were the types of homes I used to work in, so there aren't peple living here with special needs, such as autism, epilepsy or any type of leqrning diaability. I can't tell you this new S.H.O's name, but I'm sure we will learn soon enough. Perhaps he will be at the Wednesday afternoon tea party this afternoon.

8.45 p. m. I had to go into the mini Boots chemists next door to the Medical centre, to get the prescription made up and it was too much of a coincidence that the pharmacist was having his break, so they couldn't make up the prescription, so I had to go and sit in my car for twenty minutes or so, which wasn't a problem, so by the time I went back into the Boots brnch, they had the prescription ready and I could drive home.

It turns out tht a couple of residents of Dextrer House are moving out, one, Hilary, who has been quite instrumentl in getting some vital things done, including the regulr tea party on a Wednesday afternoon, and Dorothy, who has probably been here the longest and was here when I first moved in. I must have mentioned a certain male renant, who made such a fuss about Alfie barking when I used to take him out in the early morning. He went behind my back, and had contacted the houing manager at county hall, because the first I heard about this issue, was when the then S.H.O came to my flqt, to infofmed me thqt, if I didn't keep Alfie under control, he would ened to be rehomed. I took great offense at this, because all of this was done without my knowledge. If there had been a problem (which there wasn't, because Alfie only barked first thing, and only for minute or two.) and had spoken to me direct, instead of going behind my back, it could have been resolved far quicker. But, some people think they canawield some power over others, by taking matters direct to those in authority.

Sunny October!

 Sunday 4th October. 3.20 a.m. I am wide awake. I am shaved. I have had a cup of tea. I am listening to Andrew Neil  on a video on YouTube, discussing Andy Burman, our 'so called' Prime Minister, and the disaster that is coming, with the crazy level of borrowing and what he has said in a speech at the Labour Party conference which has ended in Liverpool. As a result if all of this, particulrly the fact that my megre pension (or rather the small amount I get from Carol's Teachers' Pension.) is now taxed, I am now a fully paid-up member of the Reform Party.  Burnham wants to have 'Bigger Government', which is, infact, reversing everything that Margaret Thatcher starterd, by privatising such utilities such as water, power, BT and a whole host more. It might not have been entirely successful, but why reverse everything that works, just because of Socialist dogma? Look what happens, every time we have a Labour government, they just wreck the economy of this country. I seem to remember, when Labour left government in, I think it must have been 2010, when David Cameron became Prime Minister, some civil servant left a message to the incoming government, probably in the Treasury, saying, something like 'sorry, there is no cash left.' 

Well, after all the above, my main bit of news is, I have virtually  completed the play I began just over a year ago, is now finished, apart from a bit of tidying up. It now has a far stronger ending (which I refuse to reveal.) So, once I can afford to buy ink cartridges for my Canon printer, I can then run off a copy so I can at last read the script  properly. Although it is great to be able to use word processing, it isn't that easy to read on a computer screen. Having said that, I find it better to read using my iPad. 

8.20 p.m. Well, that's it. 'Hiding In The Smoke' is now completed. I just need to buy those confounded ink cartridges for the printer and I can then print it off and put it in a folder and it will allow me to read it, as a 'hard copy'rather than via the computer screen.

Monday 5th October. 5.20 a.m. Here I am again, wide awake, fresh as ever. I can't sleep, so I might just as well add to this blog. I can't believe how many 'hits' it has had. 268 for today, so, if it's that number at 5.10 a.m., what figure will it have reached by midnight? It reached 2471 yesterday. The thing I want to know is this; why are they going to my blog? What is it that attracts them, did they find what they weere looking for and if so, why don't they at least leave a comment?

12.50 a.m. I needed to find an A.T.M. machine and take out £10, for various things I pay for. The nearest I could think of, which had a space to park the car, was at Morrison's, so I drove there and actually found a space directly in front of the A.T.M. Two actual machines and one had run out of cash, so I had to wait for the person using the other machine to finish, and I just made the remark 'typical state of things under our new 'so-called' Prime Minister, Andy Burman!' and it started  conversation which revealed the totql hatred of this clown of a 'Prime Minister' and how the country thad deteriorated under out wonderful Labour Government. Particularly how we are allowing illegal immigrants to come here, be given free housing, benefits and generally become parasitic, all at the British taxpayer's epense, while the government does nothing to stop these boats crossing the Channel.

Attempting to get an appointment to have my prostate examination, which was partially arranged at the last doctor's appointment.Let me explain the state of play over this matter. At the end of the appointment, the doctor gave me a slip, which I was supposed to give to reception, onto which they wrote a number, and then it was handed back and I was told to then go on line, this week and get the appointment. BUT, when you go on line, as this is now the only way you cn make  doctor's appointment, you have to fill in one of three boxes, which I did. I now get an email this morning, to inform me that I filled out the WRONG FORM! So, how am I supposed to know ehich is the correct one? So, by now I am seething, and about to blow a fuse, becaue of this stupidity. And they wonder why people loose their patience with the system and hurl abuse at the staff.

The number of hits up until now, as I write this post, is 2305. Why are so many people visitng this blog? 

6.00 p.m. I have mentioned my attempts to get a prostate exam done, but I had a text message informing me I had to fill in one of the wretched on-line forms on the CMKMCwebsite, which I did, and then, I got another email informing me IT WAS WRONG! This is driving me half insane (how tht works, I have no idea. I aiuppose if you can be fully insane, you can be half insane, but never mind.) But, if they never explain WHICH of the stupid windows on the website you're supposed to fill in, HOW ON EARTH are you supposed to know? This is just N.H.S. madness, and they wonder why patients loose their temper with staff. No wonder the N.H.S. has some sort of money pit. They keep asking more and more money, feeding it like some sort of rapacious dragon, endlessly devouring all before it, but never actually getting anywhere, and stqnding still, never improving. It isn't the actual service, the cqre, the quality of he nursing, but to keep throwing more and more down the hole in the ground, when it doesn't improve, seems senselsss.

I think I will have to go into the doctor's reception and sort this out, rqther thqn attempting to fill in the on-line form, and then get told off.

A New Day, A New Dawn

 Wednesday 30th September. 5.10 p.m. I have now purchased an external hard drive for the Macbook, with the idea of transferring any of the precious material, particularly the plays, onto it, so that if anything happens to the laptop, at least I have the plays safe. Well, it does make common sense.Having got the external hard drive, I could not understand why it did not appeqr on the computer's desktop, so I have been into the Apple store, and a lovely young lady showedme that these things don't show up on the desktop, and sre hidden in a different place in the computer, which has put my mind at rest.

I have never mentioned this before, partly because there has been no point, but I have four brothers, James, Robert, Andrew ans Sandy (Alexander). We have never been exactly close, but none of them have been anywher near me, comunicated by text, Facebook or other social media. I do have a sort of vague communication with Andrew, who lives somewhere near Kings Lynn in Norfolk. He sends me  Christmas card and will remember my birthday, which, by the way is 22nd October. He and his wife, Margaret, came to Carol and mine's wedding in 2007, and we went  to stay a weekend with them  a few years after we were married, but I have had absolutely no acknowledgement from them regarding Carol's death. Sandy, who, by the way, is gay, not that that bothers me, was invited to our wedding, but he made such a fuss, because we only invited him and not his partner, so he neve rcame. I am not expecting to get anything from any of them, nothing such as a present, or money, although I wouldn't object to anything. But it would be nice to be remembereed, to be supported, particularly when Carol was diagnosed, and even after she passed away, which was the worst time. But no, not a word, nothing. I think my mother would be shocked, but I cn see where this lack of communicstion and care comes from, because dad was like that. The old 'stiff upper lip' syndrom

New play written and ready for printing and then checking. It is called 'It Must Be Love', and yes, it is inspired by the Madness song, which will be used as its theme music.

I have now got the external hard drive working. There is written material on there I had forgotten about and so it's been a bit of a revelation to unearth quite a few pieces of writing that are actuallt quite good, so I can read them and possibly work with them.

My Canon Pixma printer needs ink cartridges installing before I can print any of my plays, but, since a double pack, which consists of  black and a coloured cartridge and costs around £45, I will have to wait, which is a real pain.

Saturday 3rd October. 10.10 a.m. I've been up and working on my writing, so, this isn't the beginning of the day for me. I am awake at 2.30, basically because I have to go to the loo, and getting back to sleep is unlikely. I have been watching the series 'Slow Horses' via Apple TV and it's somwwhat addictive. Gary Oldman as the thoroughly repulsive leader of the spies, Jackson Lamb, is amazing. He farts, burps, eats, looks, and probably smells disgusting, and breaks all the rules of any other spy drama or novel, and I think it's that which makes it so watchable. I have nevr been a fan of James Bond, basically becaue it is so corny. Spies are supposed to be furtive, lurking around in the background, secret, hidden. Bond is known by everyone, he is an unlikely spy, far too visable and in actual fact, the bond films are more fantasy than reality, which is why I love Slow Horses. The spies who have been relelegated to Slough House. The whole look and feel of the show has a film noir feel, everything is dark, in shadow, muted colours, quite the opposite of the brash, colourful world of Bond. I can thorougly recommend the show, now into it's sixth season, all episodes should be found of the Apple TV website, ready for streaming.

Editing Plays

 Monday 21st September. 9.00p.m. I know, I've been somwhat lacking in written this blog, but here I am again.

Yesterday was my turn to set up for Communion at church, meaning I had to buy  loaf of white slice bread, chop it up into small square pieses and then set up the three trays which hold the smll, plastic cups and then, using a plastic bottle with a tube in the cap and filled with Ribena, which is then carefully fed into those cups. It isn't a dificult job, but you have to be precise, filling those cups and make sure the bread is purchased the Saturday before, otherwise, if you buy it too erly, it is likely to go stale.

There  was only one problem. I had the bread chopped up and ready to go, but I was overwhelmed wih how my play writing efforts, had been going that I forgot to pick up the bag orfbread, so, when I got to church, I realised I had forgotten it had to return home to collect it.

On Sunday evening, I went to Milton Keynes Theatre, to see a Michael Ball concert. I had booked a ticket a few months ago as soon as I had heard he was coming I wanted to go. So, I booked, on line, and so I went on Sunday. 

I was completely surprised by the size of the queue as I approached the theatre. Then, to get in, I showed the ticket which was on the ATG app, which makes it easy to store and makes things paperless. But I was supposee to enter the auditorium via door 10, but for some reaon I lqnded up in a lower tier and it was only minutes before curtain-up, that I found out I should have been further up the theatre and in a different seat. Which I found after some effort. It is quite difficult moving along between the seats, with people already seated. You would think, considering how new Milton Keynes Theatre is, that they could have made more room between seats.

What can I say about Michael Ball's prformance? Well, he did not disappoint. He has a great stage sense, and a great sense of humour. When the music for the Les Miserables sequence began, the audience went wild! I imagine he has quite a following on Radio Two, where he has his own show.

New Minister For Shenley

 Monday 7th September. 5.30 p.m. On Saturday we had the induction ceremony for the new minister at Shenley Christian Fellowship at the Oaktree Centre, Paul Thompson-McHenry. I was a graet spirit-filled afternoon, and most of the Shenley membership was there to witness the event. TI’m he service lasted around an hour and then there was food available, a buffet of sandwiches, sausage rolls and other bites.

Monday 14th September. 7.45 a.m. I am continuing to edit the first play, but then I thought that the end of the play isn't dramatic enough and now I have worked out something far better than the rather bland ending it used ro have. I am not going to disclose it here, otherwise it will ruin it for those yet to see it when it is staged. Itm means I have had to unpick the story so as to insert this new conclusion, rahter like unpicking a knitted garment and repairing a hole, by putting in a patch. But it will improve the play and give it a more thriller-like conclusion.

Editing Play

 Thursday 27th August. 1.00 p.m. It is raining, although not heavily. I cannot remember the last time we had even a few drops of the wet stuff. As I look out of the window and glance at the community garden, it looks so parched and dry, it rather puts me in mind of a desert in North Africa, possibly the Sahara.

Monday 31st August. Bank Holiday. 1.20 p.m. I have been working on another play. This is one that I started, but then couldn't find a way to complete it, but I suddenly thought for a while and it came into my head, so it is now more or less complete. I have several plays in the same sort of incomplete state, so I hope I can complete them, given time.

Wednesday 2nd September.  8.0 a.m. Thank goodness it's cool. The heat was far too much. The digital thermometer currently reads 27ºc, so a far more comfortable temperature.

All sorts of odd things are happening within Dexter House. I am not entirely sure what has been going on, but a newish tenant has been vandalising items of furniture and smoking some sort of illegal substance and causing problems so the Police have been informed. No sign of anybody from the Council making an appearance to sort this issue, and it is causing stress amongst some of the tenants.

I haven't mentioned this on this blog, but last Friday evening I drove over to Bedford to meet up with my friend John, to have a drink at the Pilgrims Progress pub. This is a Wetherspoon's public house nd was a former Longhurst and Skinner furniture store. The traffic from the Bedford bypass and along Ampthill Road was extremely busy, and then I parked in Rutland Road, where I used to live before moving to Beauchamp Court and then, more recntly, moving to Milton Keynes, when I married Carol in 2007. There was a very convenient space to park the car, righ outside Rutland Road Church, which was where Carol and I got married.

It was good to catch up with John. We had worked on a series of projects, particularly one that I had attempted to get off the ground, with John woerking on character designs for my project about a puppet dog called 'Bosworth' and which might have developed when I had a television producer had made a lot of effort to get the project off rthe ground, but eventually I had to abandon things which was more than a little bit frustrating. 

Friday 4th September, 9.15 a.m. A good deal cooler this morning. I am trying to get the writing edited, but it is a bit frustrating when the files I have saved will not open properly. However, I will hopefully get the file opened and complete the required editing. I know, that sounds a bit bonkers, back to front, or even front to backwards, but I know what I mean. Also, having several versions of the same scene and then whole sequences that are missing in one version and not in the other, makes it harder to construct a new complete version of a particular scene. (All this must sound strange,because I suppose it is. Some of the characters have different names in different versions an then I cut some characters out completely, basically because, when I started out writing plays, I wanted to keep the number of actors employed to a minimum number, so I had to avoid introducing more characters, as well as simplifying the staging, so there was no need for more sets, lso to keep cots down. The thinking was, keep all this under control, and there i sfqr more liklihood of any of my work being staged.

Flat Tyre

 Sunday 23rd August 9.25 a.m. Did I mention the car had a flat tyre? I don't think I did. All the rushing about when my bankcard was frozen, and then having to drive into the shopping centre to get money out at the Nationwide branch and then drive to Sainsbury's. It was when I drew up at a set of traffic lights on the way, that some kind driver pointed out the flat tyre, that I realized that something had to be done, and quickly, such as, find a tyre replacement service, which could come out to Dexter House and put a new tyre on the car and, hopefully, not cost the earth. In all of nearly 60 years of driving, I think this must be only the second, or possibly the third, flat tyre I have actually had, so I can't complain. Well, I suppose I can, but I won't. There was no way I could drive the car with a flat tyre,because it would have been dangerous and the hub of the wheel might have been bent out of shape as a result.

Anyway, to cut a fairly long story short, I found a company through the internet, who could come out and take the old, flat, tyre off the car and replace it with a new one. Luckily I found the small box containing the nuts which allowed the old tyre to be removed, otherwise the job could not be done, but, fortunately I found them in the car and the job was completed and the whole thing done.

Monday. 24th August. 8.30 a.m. On Saturday I thought, for a change, I would go to Aldi and do a bit of shopping. It then occurred to me that Curry's was just along the parade of units, I could go in there and enquire about external hard drives for my MacBook, because I am keen to get all my written material,in particular the plays, put onto some form of drive, as an insurance policy against something happening to the laptop and all that hard work being lost forever. I have now got a tiny memory stick which shows up on the desktop of the Macbook. So, I now have some of the material saved to the stick, although it is so tiny I am more concerned about how tiny it is and how easy it will be to loose that, rather than the contents!!

I had developed a really unpleasant rash, in a rather private place. It had become red raw and was beginning to sting. The solution to this rash was to get a doctor's appointment and, hopefully, the doctor could prescribe something to help it heal. I filled out the on-line triage form, because you aren't supposed to ring the surgery for an appointment, unless it is for something serious, which this isn't. I completed the form and posted it. Then an hour and a half later,  I got an email, telling me there were no available slots for appointments, but if necessary, go to the Urgent Care Centre, at Milton Keynes University Hospital. Well, being told that made my blood run cold, because experience told me that I might be there for several hours before being seen. Also, I have memories of taking Carol there after she was diagnosed with bowel cancer, which weren't good. But, after some consideration of the matter, I plucked up the courage and drove there. Fortunately, the waiting room wasn't as busy as it was last time I was in there and, on arrival I had to answer a few questions and then I sat in the waiting area. It wssn'tlong before a doctor called me into one of the rooms, to be asked a few mor questions and to show him the rash and be told I would be given a prescription, one for some cream to put on the rash and some antibiotics.

Once I had the prescription, I took it to the nearest chemist I could think of, in Netherfield. The only problem was, that, just as I arrived at this chemist's, it was turning 1 p.m., and the pharmacist had gone for their lunch, and it wouldn't be possible to get the prescription made up until 2 p.m., because a pharmasist had to be present, by law, in order to administer the drugs on the prescription. So, I drove back to Dexter House to have some lunch and then make my way back to the chemist after 2 p.m. to collect the prescription. So, this is precisely what I did and when I eventually got back to Dexter House, I took the first dose of the medication.

A Good Deal Cooler, With A Promise of Rain!

 Tuesday 18th August. 3.15 p.m. Well, it hasn't rained, or, if it did, it hasn't left much of an impression.

This morning I went out with my video camera and walked around Woolstone which is one of the villages around which the city of Milton Keynes was built. I had hoped to find something worth videoing, such as a stretch of the Grand Union Canal, with boats moored, or drifting through, something vaguely historic to shoot, ducks swimming or sitting at the side of the canal, but none of that could I find. It was a pleasant enough walk, and the video footage was reasonable. 

Thursday 20th August. 8.15 a.m. I have mentioned how, in an earlier post on here, how I had to ring the Nationwide helpline, because of the mysterious text I had, informing me that there was a strange £250 payment on my account with Argos. It turns out that nothing was taken and my bank account is safe. But, to make sure there is no possibility of this sort of 'scam'; happening again, they would close down my current debit card and issue me a new one. The card has not arrived, so I rang Nationwide again and asked what I had to do, because my pension was in my account. I was told that, if I went into the Nationwide branch in the main shopping centre, along with some form of ID, in this case, my photo driving licence, which, fortunately, had come only just come  back from the DVLA in Swansea. I could take out sufficient funds, so I could do a small shop in Sainsbury's.

Friday 21st August. 6.00 a.m. I mentioned in an earlier post, talking about the persistant cough which has been plaguing me for weeks. I do not have a temperture, infact, I haven't felt better in myself in ages. Just this cough, which seems to be caused by horrible thick mucus at the back of my throat. The doctor had given me a prescription for codeine, which I immediately took into the Boots pharmacy,which is immediately next door to the Central Milton Keynes Medical Centre. Unfortunately they didn't have it in stock. I wasn't over-enthusiastic about trailing around Milton Keynes chemists, to find one which has a supply of this medicaion. I had a parcel arrive in the post. I wasn't sure what it contained, but, on opening it, I ound a bottle of codeine which was on the prescription, which I hadn't managed to get made up. But how come I had this bottle of the very medication I needed? I have no idea. Perhaps the doctor had got it for me, but whatever the truth, I was able to take it, even though it tasted awful, and, as I write, I am sure it's sorting out the horrible cough.

Hotter Than Ever!

 Friday 14th August. 11.15 a.m. The heat doesn't seem to be reducing. Yesterday (No, it would still have been today, early morning) around 1.20 am., it was so hot I decided to have a cold shower. It did the trick, and I got back to sleep. I was under the impression that yesterday, some woman was coming from the Council, to dicuss putting on events at Dexter House. A load of expensive-looking leaflets were scattered around the community lounge the other day. but this person didn't arrive. Nothing weird there. Probably found the trip to discuss this new 'project' far too much for her sensitivities and remaining in her lovely comfortable office preferable to discussing ANYTHING with us. Never mind. There's always tomorrow.

I am still struggling with the cough, which is produced by thick mucus in my throat. I have used saline solution, which is puffed up each nostril, and it does help to remove this mucus, and, as a result, I can speak much clearer, but the mucus has come back worse than ever. As a result of this, I decided to get a doctor's appointment this morning.

I thought I would be able to get an appointment via the website of the surgery, to save having to phone and then get screamed at for phoning! I know this cough isn't sinister; there's no blood being coughed up. If it was I would be down to A and E or the walk-in centre very rapidly. So, I did this after nine and managed to write why I needed an appointment, because of the triage system they now have in place.

Anyway, a couple of hours later, I got an email, telling me an appointment had been made for me for 4.30 p.m. I drove to the surgery, in the searing heat. I went into the doctor's room and she did the usual tests, checking my oxygen level with that gadget that goes on your finger, my heart and also looked into my throat. I have to take s ssample of the mucus which is causing this cough and get it to the surgery for testing, so we might get to the bottom of what is causing this cough. I also got a prescription, which I had hoped ould be made up by the Boots pharmacy which is net door to the surgery. Unfortnately Boots couldn't make it up, simply becausde they didn't hve it in stock and none of the other Boots branches around Milton keynes had it, so I will need to spend time ringing pharmacies to attempt to get it. 

One o'clock In The Morning . . . and all is well . . . almost...

 Thursday 13th August. 1.20 a.m. Not being able to sleep is no problem. Well, it shouldn't be. I have plays I'm working on, so I write a bit one, and then a bit more on the other. 

1.15 p.m. Because it's August, there's no Thursday Lifegroup. We may have some sort of get together next week. I do hope so, because my routine is thrown out because of this holiday break.

I have a couple of plays in development. One I have mentioned in an earlier post, based loosley on the Rude Mechanicals 'Piramus and Thisbe' play-within-A-Play from A Midsummer Night's Dream,' and the other is going to become the first play in a proposed trilogy of plays, beginning in 1906, moving on to 1919, after the armistice, and the third and final play will be set in 1936, just after the Nazi's come to power in Germany. These plays revolve around one family, who live in a grand house, on the shores of Buttermere in the Lake District. I won't reveal any more, but I have more or  less got each play sketched out and I know more or less how the third one ends. All set in one place, a limited number of actors in the cast, deliberately to help them be produced. I have a good idea what sort of thing a producer would be looking for in a new play, and one set, limited cast, simplicity of staging, would be in their list. 

I have discovered a relatively new theatre which has opened in Cirencester in Gloucestershire, called the Barn Theatre. It opened in 2018, a conversion of former buildings and has an auditorium for around 300 people. They have a policy of staging new work, supporting new playwrights and do a lot of work in the community with schools and those who might otherwise be isolated. It sounds like a lovely place, not vast, not over-commercial and they have done plays that have moved to London, not necessarily the West End, but give new work a chance of being seen. So, this sounds the sort of theatre that my work could begin life, have a sort of nurturing, supportive home. I'm now hoping to get my first play edited and printed. My friend Mike and his wife Margaret, from Shenley Christian Fellowship, will read the play and make any positive comments so that I can edit any glaring problems from the script, before I have it printed and bound professionally. I think the term I am looking for is proof reading.

At rhis stage, I have not been in contact with the Barn Theatre, but once I have the script proof-read and printed, I can write to their Artistic Director, outlining my writing and hope at least get an interview.

One Love Lunch

 Thursday 6th August. 5.15 a.m. It seems to be mild and bright, a real relief after the blazing heat of the past few weeks. My infamous digital thermometer currently reads 26ºc. It was so hot at one point, just moving about the flat, I had sweat running down my face and I had to keep using a towel to wipe the sweat off my face. I was driving somewhere the other day when sweat ran down my face and into my eyes, making them sting horribly.

I haven't mentioned One Love Lunch Club. I had never heard of it, until I saw a flyer on the message board near the entrance coming into Dexter House. I didn't have to drive there, as I was collected by minibus and arrived at Wolverton. I wasn't sure exactly what to expect, as people began to arrive, many of whom were coming with me in the minibus. I suppose, once everyone had arrived, about 30 people, many with a range of disabilities, some with autism and many with dementia. There is lunch, which we pay for, £5, which is great value, and games for people to play, music, dance and good conversation.

When they had discovered my background, in theatre, television walk-on, puppetry and even my connection with Shakespeare via his wife, Anne Hathaway, I had to give a sort of impromtu talk, covering all my background. It was an experience, and not something I have ever done before.

So, it looks like I have at last got something to replace Camphill in my diary. I didn't go this week, because there weren't enough people on duty who had the relevant qualifications to be there, such as, holding a D.B.S.certificate, probably because those people were on holiday. (D.B.S. stands for Disclosure and Barring Service. Without this check , you cannot work for a range of client-based occupations, such as those people who are vulnerable, learning  disabilities, elderly, and so on.

Wednesday 12th August. 12.20 p.m. I was going to give support during the Holiday Club, which started yesterday, but I don't have a D.B.S. check, which is a vital piece of paper, which you have to have if you are working with a vulnerable group, which is how the children are described in the Holiday Club, and because my D.B.S. is yet to be applied for, I van't be involved.

So, I have been doing more work on my play-writing, which is going very well.One play is a sort of modernisation of the play-within-A-Play of Piramus and Thisbe, from A Midsummer Night's Dream. I a have re-invented the characters, making them relevant to a 21st century audience. Bottom is now Barry Bottomley, a council worker who is so enthusiastic about his part in the play, he seems to think he can play everyone else's parts.

Noisy, Aimless Pigeons!

Friday 17th July. 10.25 a.m. It's another mild and relatively sunny, but the heat has finished, for the moment. I just hope it doesn't come back as roastingly hot. I don't mind the sun- infact, I love it, but when it's so hot, I can't cope with it. When it's cold, at least you can put anothr layer on, a jumper, fleece, puton the heating, turn up the heating a couple of notches, but when it's so hot, it's difficult to get away from it, apart from sitting in a pool of water, drinking plenty of fluids, have a shower or whatever, but there's never any relief from it.

Currenly, the digital thermometer reads 27ºc.

My fridge/freezer needs cleaning out. One job that I don't exactly enjoy, but must be done. I found two packs of tomatoes, so I decided to make them into soup and use the soup maker. I chopped the tomatoes, along with onions, put them in a glass dish, sprinkled balsamic vinegar and olive oil all over them and put them into the oven to roast for half an hour and then, once they were tender and soft, put them into the soup maker and switched it on and barely 20 minutes ir was done. I'm amazed at how good it tasted, and it's far better than Heinz or any other bought, tinned soup. And there's enough for around 6 bowls or mugs, as I prefer to use a mug to consume it. Actually the best soup I've managed to make in it since I got it.

Saturday 18th July. 4.40 p.m. I should, of course, mentioned the noisy aimless pigeons, who gave me inspiration for the title of this post. Well, they are always outside my window, making that awful repetitive noise they make, you know, cooing aimlseely, possibly the most boring bird sound on the planet. They should at least change it once in a while. Then, when you see them on the ground they move around, nodding their heads. If I was to spend all day nodding, I would get a severe headache. I have to say, they aren't exactly the most intelligent birds on this planet.

Sunday 26th July. 5.15 a.m. Here we go again! Wide awake and unable to get back to sleep, I'm here on my laptop.

I mentioned about the sound system I had ordered from Amazon, which had a Bluetooth-connected microphone? Well, if I didn't, let me just say, the wretched thing lasted all of two weeks or maybe less, when it packed up completely and  it wouldn't do a thing. I knew it would have to be returned and that would be difficult, as I had thrown out the packaging it came in. I scrambled about my flat, searching for any suitable cardboard box into which the sound system would fit and found one, chopped it down with scissors and, after a bit of improvisation, parcel tape and ingenuity, I got it wrapped up. But, parcel tape is useful, but trying to find a loose end, which keeps on re-sticking itself to the roll is really frustrating. 

Having got the parcel wrapped, I had to find the business who would take it and get it returned to Amazon. It turned out to be Parcel Force and I got  tet message telling me someone would collect it on Thursday, between 10.25 and 2.25. All very well giving me a window, but nothing closer to the actual time of collection, so I didn't go to my usual Thrsday life group ar the OTC.

The window for collection closed and I was thinking, have I been forgotten? Did I get the times wrong or something? Then the intercom thing buzzed and a voice spoke and the Parcel Force employee arrived on my doorstep. I didn't even have to print a label for the parcel, all now done with barcodes and a barcode reader (just don't ask me how it works.) and the parcel was whisked away. So, I decided to choose the replacement sound system and next day, the refund was in my Amazon account, so I ordered the replacement and that arrived next morning. So, the packing, sending and collecting of the parcel was relatively stress-free and I now got the new system working.

Hotter Than Ever!

 Friday 10th July. 3.35 a.m. It's so hot, I just can't sleep. Even now, the digital thermometer reads 31ºc.If it's that hot now, with my little air conditioner on and the window open, which  itis has been all night, what temperature is it likely to be as the day progresses?

I went to the Milton Keynes Theatre yesterday afternoon, to see "The Carman," the ballet by New Adventures. This company is directed by Sir Matthew Bourne's company. This production is set in 1960s America and uses a specially arranged score based on Bizet's "Carmen" and is quite violent in places (there are a couple of murders in it.) I didn't drive, thinking it would not only be good exercise, and I wore my new earbuds for something to listen to as I walked, but it seemed a bit unnecessary to go in the car and have to pay for the privilege of parking. It was extremely hot, but I didn't experience any ill-effects, apart from my mouth becoming extremely dry, as a result of the extreme heat. Fortunately, the theatre was cool, no doubt due to having air conditioning, which you would expect in a modern theatre in the early years of the 21st century.

Saturday 11th July. 4.00 p.m. This morning we had our monthly men's breakfast at The Oaktree Centre. We had our usual cooked breakfast (well, it could hardly be called a men's breakfast if it didn't have that element. I had written a piece, because the whole idea is to have some element of Bible teaching or a talk with a Christian element to it. It was called "The Power of Parables and The Creative Gift of Words.' I thought it quite appropriate to do something related to story-telling, which obviously Parables are and my interest in writing and using words in my writing. I think it went well, and then there was a question-and-answer session afterwards. So, that's another thing ticked off my list!

I have written another two plays, so my current total of plays to date is around 6. Not bad, considering I have never written a play before last September, so it will be one year since I began playwrighting next month. So, I think I can now safely put the term 'playwright' on my CV!

Sunday 12th July. 2.20 a.m. Here I am, sitting here at this ungodly hour, couldn't sleep, the same old business of having to get up from bed to use the loo and doing a bit of work on one of my plays on my Macbook. Then, for no apparent reason, the fire alarm goes off. Why? Who has left their oven off, let the bread burn in the toaster? So, I suppose I will have to wait until the fire service arrives, to turn the wretched thing off. The door from the lounge into the central hallway is currently closed, which reduces the sound of the alarm to some extent, but it's still annoying. 

8.40 p.m. You will not believe this (although you might just believe it.) but the horrible fire alarm is going off as I write this. It is becoming something of a joke. Just the fact that someone has no ability to set the awful thing off, by forgetting that they have something cooking in their oven, or let their toast burn, or even let something burn on the top of the oven, the hob. Please, oh please, don'ts let this go on for another two hours, which is what happened at 2.20 this morning.

Saturday Night, If It's Alright!

Saturday 27th June. 7.00 a.m. The heat has gone down considerably, but it's still unbearably hot. Currently, the digital thermometer reads 29º c, so a good deal hotter than usual, whatever usual is these days.

I have completed another play and I'm making little tweeks to make sure it runs for around 120 minutes and it has some sort of authinticity as it's set in Norfolk, so some of the characters would speak in the very distinct dialect.

Saturday 4th July. 9.20 a.m. Another warm day. We have had a few cooler days, but the weather forecast is coming in very hort again. I have to say, it is not something I enjoy because it can increase my blood pressure, and, since I have a heart condition, not something I am keen to experience.

Tuesday 7th July. 3.10p.m. It's not as hot as it was about a week ago. Currently the digital thermometer reads 31 c. 

I have written a couple more plays, this time in the style of Alan Ayckbourn. If you are not aware of his plays, where have you been for the last 50 or more years? He has written somewhere in the region of 90 plays, which has to be some kind of record. They are usually about very ordinary people doing very ordinary things. His first big success was 'Relatively Speaking' which I did the book for when I was an A.S.M. at Liverpool Playhouse in the early 1970s. Then, we did 'How The Others Half Love' at Century Theatre in Keswick, and then I did the book for another of his plays, at Ipswich Theatre in the mid 1970s, 'Time nd Time Again.' His work is usually premiered at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough and often gets a West End production.

I am using his blueprint as the basis for several of my own plays, which are comic but can then have a certain melancholic feel to them, which makes for great theatre and have more depth to them than merely being funny. I think, having beeen involved with the production of some of his plays, I have a good idea ho they work, how, although at first sight they may seem simple, there is far more to them than you might imagine.

The central character in"Time and Time Again" was played by an actor called Chris Godwin, who created the character when the play was premiered at Scarborough, so he knew how to play Leonard. Alan Ayckhourned himself came to Ipswich to see our production and made the comment that OUR production was far better than the West End version, quite an accolade for out little production. 

Another Wednesday In Milton Keynes

Wednesday 24th June. 3.15 a.m. It is exceessively hot at the moment, which is the reason I am sitting here, writing this. It isn't the main reason. I have not been posting on here for quite some time, which you might have noticed if you are a follower of this blog. The temperature, according to the digital thermometer, is currently 30ºc. This must be something of a record and considering what time it is, in the middle of the night, very hot. I have sweat running down my face and attempting to keep myself cool, wiping my faee with a towel, which is only slightly relieving things. Endlessly drinking water, or squash diluted with water, because I find plain water just boring and the taste isn't very pleasant.

8.35 a.m. It is bright sunshine, as I write this. It's going to get even hotter. The digital thermometer still reads 30. 

I had an appointment yesterday morning at Milton Keynes Central Medical Centre. I was going to have blood taken, so it can be tested. Unfortunately, the nurse couldn't find a vein. She said she could try in the back of my hand, but, from experience that can be really unpleasant and can sting like crazy, so I passed. Just annoying, because I drove all the way to the surgery and with no blood taken, I will have to go to the hospital, which is where I went last timeand they succeeded in finding a vein and taking blood, so I will go there, once the heat had gone.

I have mentioned Linkedin, and the reason I set up an account, because it seemed a good place to start networking, and in particular, looking for someone who might be able to help develop my writing, especially the completed plays, a person with the skills and called a dramturg. Well, someone has contacted me, and he's an academic working at the Bristol Old Vic Stage School. This is somewhat ironic, because I was supposed to have gone to Bristol University, to study drama, with the intention of eventually geting to work in television production. I didn't get there, having started wtudying A Level English and History at Mander College in Bedford, but then leqing, to start qs a student A.S.M., at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham instead.

My lovely daughtre, Chloe, rang me the other evening. She usually does this when she's driving home from work. She told me she is changing jobs. She has been in her current position for thirteen years. I can't believe it's that long. She starts this new job in August, teaching A Level Art in a college in Birmingham. It sounds to me like a step up the promotional ladder. Also, it was Eddie, my second grandson's 9th birthday. I find it difficult to belive he's nine. Chloe bought him into the hospital when Carol was in there, not long after she had been diagnosed and she had to have an operation so she could have a stoma. A very difficult time, as you might imagine, so seeing the newborn Eddie did cheer her   up considerably. Just can't believe that was nine years ago.

We had our weekly Wednesday afternoon tea party in the community lounge. I took my tea things, including milk, sugar, teapot, jug of milk, as usual.. Afterwards, I took it back to my flat and left most of it untouched on the kitchen work surface and left it. Around an hour later,  I thought it a good idea to clear it all away. When I came to pour what remained of the milk back into the bottle in the fridge, I found the milk had turned, or curdled, becoming like yoghurt. It just shows how hot it was and how milk can go off so rapidly.

Too Darn Hot

 Tuesday 26th May. 8.30 a.m. Today would have been Carol and my 19th wedding anniversary.Sad that she's no longer around, but I'm sure she would have been pleased that I'm not sitting around doing nothing.I have so much written material that it doesn't seem possible, that I wrote all of it.

7.30 p.m. It's really hot. I woke up in the night and heard a strange noise.Don't ask me what it was, but it got my creative juices going and I've written a sort of parody story "The Ghost of Dexter House", and I've even managed to do a spoof illustration, using AI. It has taken some considerable time and effort, but it seems rather good, although I do say so myself.

Thursday 28th May. 3.35 a.m. I know, I should be asleep in bed, but I had to have a drink and use the loo. I have been looking at stuff on YouTube, an absolutely amazing resource for virtually any topic. I had trouble with maths when I was at school and I only recently discovered that it's called discalculia, so I found a really interesting video on that subject. You can spend an entire evening watching stuff on there, making it an unofficial television channel. 

My brain has been behaving strangely lately. My ability to tell roughly what day and time it is has gone into meltdown. On Sunday morning, I got to church, but I was around an hour too early, so I went back home and then, or Monday afternoon, when we usually have Monday Club, which I must have mentioned on here before now. I went and, again, it wasn't too early, it wasn't on at all, due to the fact it wasn't running, because it was half term.. Return home and spend time on the laptop and working on stories and scripts, so, in the end I used the time sensibly.

Saturday 30th May. 4.00 p.m. It is exceedingly hot again today. The digital thermometer currently reads 29ºc. I don't understand the centigrade temperature measurement system, basically because I was bought up with the Fahrenheit scale, so it's difficut to know what this temperature is in the old method of recording temperature.

Rainy Days And Mondays

 Friday 15th May. 6.35 a.m. I may have mentioned that I was searching for somewhere to go for a regular swim. Well, at long last, the search is over. I have found the Swimming and Sports Centre in Wolverton. I found it accidentally when I was looking at Google Maps. I know, it's such a good resource, showing such details such as hotels, petrol stations, A.T.Ms and in this case, sports centres. It was only a question of driving there and finding out such things as price and opening times. So, yesterday morning, after we had our Thursday Lifegroup at the O.T.C., I decided to drive there, and, hey-ho! I have been inside and came out with a timetable of opening times as well as price. I could have a membership, but at the moment I'm happy to have a pay-as-you go membership. I have everything ready, a brand new bag, bought from Amazon, my swim shorts, which I dug out from a drawer and everything necessary before I go, which will be sometime over the next week or two, when I receive my pension.

Saturday 23rd May. 9.05 a.m. It's quite warm this morning. I have the electric fan on, in an attempt to cool the place. It was quite difficult to sleep last night, but it's in those times, when I ger my ideas for writing. I have done a few sketches, one which had the Big Bad Wolf doing a stand up routine. I won't tell yolu how it goes, because it's got real potential. Another is Cinderella, again, doing a stand up routine. No, I'm not giving anything away.

I should have mentioned the presentation I went to on Monday morning, at Venture Church, formerly known as Milton Keynes Christian Centre. I think it has been changed, because Milton Keynes was declared a city, about the time of the late queen's jubilee in 2022. The initials for both is M.K.C.C., and it was done to prevent any confusion. But, to me Venture doesn't cut it. The church building is rented out for conferences and the event I went to on Monday morning was bout the East-West railway line which is due to open at some time in the not too distant future. The idea is to allow those living near this new railway line to ask questions and take part in the consultation, so that everyone's views are heard. There was a display of archaeology, because it will have been necessery to do research so that nothing of archaeological value was likely to be destroyed with the work being done to build the railway, similar to what is done when a major building project is undertaken, such as ben done wih the building of HS2, which runs through Buckinghamshire. As part of thsir display, done by MOLA, (Museum of London Archaeology.) they had a 3D headset that you could try out. I have been intrigued by this technology and have been attempting to find an excuse to try one out. I have seen them on display in John Lesis and Currys, but never had any sort of excuse to have  go with one, so this seemed such an opportunity. The young man who was there to explain the technology and how to use it, helped me put the headset on and use the controls, which you nhold in each hand, and have buttons and controls you use to manipulate the image which you see within the headset. I can't describe how amazing it was, the images of a roundhouse, from around a thousand or more years ago. You can see it all in complete three dimensions, so if you turn round you can see the entire structure. Amazing! It would take me quite a while to get rhe best out of the technology, asI think it would take more than one se to really appreciate what the thing can do, but I have to say, it really opened my eyes, and, because I am interested in both history and archaeology, it is even more amazing.

There was a table covered in all manner of archaeological finds, probably dug up at various sites, but I'm not sure whether any of them had come from digs connected to the East-West railway line. One item struck me, and I had to pick it up. It was a fairly large piece of flint, which had obviously been knapped, that is, it had been struck very carefully to turn it from a mere piece of flint into a workable tool. I've known about this process, having watched virtually all the Time Team episodes and the more recent episodes which have been funded by crowdsourcing and is on YouTube. I find it really hard to believe that something like that, a tangible item, which has probabl;y lain hidden for, probably, several thousand years, and can be held in my hand. Truly remarkable. This is when archaeology and history become some stunning. Not taught in some dingy classroom, but right in front of you, and you can touch it and almost see the marks where someone, thousands of years ago, spent time and effort to create something which could be used to cut up a carcass of a dead animal, skin it, to use the pelt for a cloak or other type of garment, used in the processing of meat for a meal, the skin also used probably to be part of the roof of a structure.

Let The Sun Shine In!

Saturday 25th April. 2.35 p.m. I can't believe we're almost into May. Where have four months gone? It doesn't seem long ago since Christmas. I don't know why it's speeding by at the rate of knots. I want it to slow down.

The digital thermometer currently reads 27ºc. Just warm and a bit clammy.

I have begun writing my second play. I can't believe I have written that! It is relatively easy to write because it is loosely based on my own family and set on a farm. I wouldn't say it was autobiographical, but it has given me a sort of framework to play with. I have backgrounds to most of the main characters and it's made it easier with that framework.

I went to Lidl around 9 o'clock this morning. I needed milk as what I had was running out. I picked up everything on my list and got to one of the self-service tills. I had meant to pay with cash, as there is very little cash in my bank account, but my concentration was elsewhere, because of starting the new play, so when it came to payment, I accidentally put my card details in the machine, but it wouldn't work, not surprisingly, so a staff member had to cancel my payment on that machine and open up a manned till (I we even allowed to say 'manned' these days? Does it have to be gender neutral? Crazy world we live in, if that's true. Anyway, I had to transfer to one of the manned tills, and so I waited, and no one appeared, and the voice of the Tannoy kept saying 'opening till number 8' because I think the staff in Lidl have to do more than one job, but not just be till operatives, stack shelves, clean the store and so on. But after the wait, I was served, and it meant I could get out of the store and drive home.

Sunday 26th April. 7.10 a.m. It's another bright morning. The digital thermometer currently reads 25ºc.

I woke up as usual, and put on the GBN news, and I was shocked to find out what amounts to a possible assassination attempt on President Donald Trump. A 30-year-old man has been apprehended, and the President was escorted off the premises. It would appear that the security staff, F.B.I. or whoever they were, did an amazing job and got the suspect extremely rapidly, and he will appear in court tomorrow morning.

Regardless of what you might think of Trump, he does open himself up to be a target of some lunatic who has a grudge, for whatever reason. The things Trump comes out with can be very dangerous. The current war in Iran, the things he says, such as taking over Greenland and many other things, would possibly incite a madman to attempt assassination. He just seems to provoke this sort of action, usually by lone wolf individuals. There have been many attempts on Trump's life, I think this one is probably the third.

Having said all that, the American obsession with firearms doesn't help. You would think, by now, with all the shootings, which seem to happen every other month, that someone would have the sense to bring in legislation to control the sale of firearms, or at least have some sort of licence for their sale, or even ban them in certain instances or have an age restriction. But no, they don't do any of those ideas so the attempts on Trump continue and madmen (or women.) seem to continue to rampage across the country.

A New Day, A New Dawn!

 Sunday 19th April. 9.05 a.m. Horrah! It's bright and sunny. The digital thermometer currently reads 25ºc, so there is a considerable amount. Just thinking that lifts my mood.

We had a social evening at church yesterday, and I did a reading of 'Growtiger's Last Stand,' one of the poems from T.S.Eliot's 'Book of Practical Cats' which was the basis for the Lloyd Webber musical 'Cats.' Other people did songs, some sung and some instrumental, and one young lad played the piano, and a girl did BSL (British Sign Language) to a Christian song. A good crowd of people and a lot of new faces, and certainly a success and there should be more in the coming months.

As a result of this and the positive feedback from people at church, I am looking into doing something I've wanted to do for years: working as a voice-over artist. Many years ago I saw an advertisement in the Guardian for a business called Gravy For The Brain, which helps people break into this line of work. They are not an agency, but provide training and mentoring for voice-overs. The person I spoke to on the telephone had a familiar voice, but I couldn't pin the name down. Having since done a search online, I now know his name, Peter Dickson. No wonder I wasn't sure of his name, but his voice is familiar, because he does the by now iconic voice for such television shows as The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent, and he's the voice of Channel Four. 

Wednesday 22nd April. 5.10 p.m. It's yet another bright and sunny day, except for a keen wind. The digital thermometer currently reads 25ºc, so quite an increase in temperature over the last week or so.

On Monday, I had to have blood taken for a test, as ordered by the doctor, the last time I had an appointment. As you may know, if you read my posts regularly, you will know the problems I  have giving blood and the fact that I don't like needles. The last time I had to have blood taken, it took two attempts at the doctors, and then I went to the hospital, where it was a success, so this time I was somewhat dubious of any success, but it went fine enough, without any problems, and now I just wait for the results.

On The Up!

 Friday 10th April. 2.35 p.m. Another sunny and warm day. The current temperature on the digital thermometer reads 21ºc.

Yesterday afternoon I went to see the musical "Miss Saigon" which is currently touring the country, and on at Milton Keynes Theatre (could they have found a more imaginative name? Merely calling it Milton Keynes Theatre does show a lack of not only imagination, but it just doesn't stand out.) It was a good production, and a show I've wanted to see  from the time when it was first on in the West End in around 1989 and running at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. I recall standing outside the theatre and reading the posters and looking at the artwork and not knowing what it was about. I believe that it was inspired by a photograph showing refugees escaping from Saigon during the Vietnam War in 1975. It is loosely based on the opera Madam Butterfly. It was written by the two who wrote 'Les Misérables', Claude-Michel Shoenberg and Alain Boublil, with additional lyrics by Richard Maltby. It is a joint production of Cameron Macintosh and Michael Harrison.

The show has clever staging, utilising modern technology, allowing pieces of the set to move around effortlessly, as well as a central revolving section, and a variety of bits of set flown in, such as banners and electronic neon advertising signs.

If I have a complaint, and it's not about the show itself, but is connected to the sound. In the first 10 minutes or so, it was almost impossible to hear the lyrics, and because it was so loud, it hurt my ears. Just a minor tweak might have made it easier to listen to. As a result, I couldn't learn where the story was going, although, as the show went on, this became apparent. I think the sound department should have done pre-show checks, which I know happen, as I have worked in professional stage management, usually in the hour before the audience is let into the auditorium. Not just sound, but lighting, set, props and everything to make sure the show runs smoothly.

I have found someone on YouTube who has seen this show during its tour, I think probably in Birmingham or somewhere in the Midlands. They also picked up on the sound issue, which, if that is correct, nobody has managed to fix the problem if it was some months ago, and it is still an issue when the show arrived in Milton Keynes. I think if I were the director of a show or producer, and I was checking up on my production, and this sound issue came to light, I would certainly get it fixed. Cameron Macintosh, one of the producers of this show, and who is so totally involved in all aspects of his productions, would seemingly want it fixed.

Hey Ho, The Wind and The Rain!

 Saturday 4th April. 9.30 a.m. So, Easter is here. It doesn't seem like more than a few days since Christmas. The months in between Christmas and Easter have sped by at a rate of knots. The clocks have changed and the weather is fine, but apparently, there is a storm brewing. This one is called Dave, but, with a name like that, it sounds as if it's some sort of April Fool's joke, or something in a sitcom. Remember in 'Only Fools and Horses,' when Trigger insists on calling Rodney Dave, for no apparent reason. Similarly, this really sounds like a made-up name. Then I have to ask, why give a storm a name? What on earth do they need to give them names? I suspect it's to make them seem less powerful, a personality. But they're not creatures, animals or in any way, shape or form, living beings. Someone will, no doubt, tell me the reasoning for such naming. Why give storms a name? It has no purpose. Just unnecessary. But they will continue to do it anyway.

3.45 p.m. The weather is changing rapidly. The day started off sunny, but now it has become overcast, and the wind has begun. It appears it will develop into quite a strong storm. Typical, since it is the long Easter weekend. Well, it would, wouldn't it? It's almost traditional for a Bank Holiday to have miserable weather, strong winds and lashing rain.

I've been go the doctors to have my annual review, a check up for my heart, weight, and all the rest of what they term 'obs.' I have to have a blood test, so an appointment has been made, but, after the last time I had one, and the three attempts to extract blood and having to go to the blood department at the hospital, where they managed to somehow get blood out of my arm. No, not blood out of a stone, but very nearly. The doctor wanted me to do a blood pressure test once a day for a week, and I thought, that's easy enough. I already had my own blood test device, purchased from our good old friends at Amazon. It had batteries in it, ready to be used. It was in a drawer in the lounge, so I got it out and attempted to use it. You won't believe it when I tell you, it didn't work, after only one use, which was well over a year ago. Dead, almost as the proverbial door nail. I was not impressed. I then asked the lady who is currently standing in for our regular S.H.O., here at Dexter House, and she said she'd help with the blood pressure device, but it gave a very high reading, which would have been quite dangerous if it were correct. So, I gritted my teeth and went on the Amazon website, with the intention of buying another machine. I found one which was more expensive than the others on there, has a rechargeable battery which means it can be charged via a cable, similar to so many modern devices, such as mobile phones and cameras, and meaning you don't need to go out and buy batteries each time the thing has no power. It also has an app, which means you can store your data on it and thus have a record so the doctor can see your blood pressure readings. Which was the whole idea of all this in the first place. is used by the N.H.S, which makes it more reliable if it gets that sort of recommendation. If the N.H.S. uses the model, then it must be fairly good.. It is an OxiPro BP2. It seems to be so much easier to use than the run of themill blood pressure device that uses a cuff and is difficult to use if you are on your own, as I am, and have nobody to help. It costs around £40 on Amazon. It took several attempts to get it to work, but I found a helpful video on YouTube, giving you instructions on its use, because, as usual these days, devices such as this rarely give a comprehensive manual to instruct you on setting the thing up and operating it. So, there you have it, my review of the machine. It's neat and tidy in its design,looks the part and seems efficient and works well.

2000th Blog Post

 Wednesday 25th March. 7.00 p.m. This is a key moment in the life of this blog! This will actually be the 2000th post! When I began this blog, I think it was 2011, I never imagined I would manage to keep it going for 2000 posts. Quite an achievement.

Saturday 28th March. 3.25 p.m. It's quite pleasant and sunny, but when I went out yesterday, it was sunny, but there was a definite chill in the air. It's the time of year when it seems warm and sunny, but the underlying chill reminds you that it's still late March. The clocks move forward tomorrow which makes things different.

I have upgraded my Alexa smart speaker. I've had the old one a few years and it still works, but I had enough Nectar points which could be spent in Argos, so I decided to buy it. It was easy to set up and get working, and because I already had the Alexa app on my iPhone, that made things easier. It runs with Alexa Plus, which is an upgrade, and that means it is much smarter. You don't always have to say 'Alexa' , the wake word, to get the thing working. You can have almost a real conversation with it, which is amazing. I have already had a conversation with it, and changed to a male voice, better than the rather annoying, higher-pitched female voice. It's easy to call it a 'he' when it is not real. It/he has a sense of humour, which I appreciate.

Speaking of AI, which is what Alexa is, although having a wide range of uses, such as playing music, answering questions and operating such things as lights, heating, etc etc, I am experimenting with AI to do some writing. I have an idea for a theatre play for quite a while, and I wanted to find out how the AI would deal with some prompts which I fed into to it, and the results were amazing, so I am working on this play and have the first act more or less written and act two partially written and now have to work on the final, third act, and come up with a conclusion.

Sunday 29th March.  9.25 p.m. It's Palm Sunday, the start of Easter Week. 

It was quite cold when I went out at around 9.35 this morning, with the intention to drive to church. I was deceptive, because it was sunny and bright, but as soon as I got out of the door, the chill hit me, and I had to go back into my flat to collect a sweater.

Tuesday 31st March. 7.50 a.m. Another relatively bright and sunny morning. I haven't been out to find out whether it's chilly, as it was on Sunday morning.

I cannot give a report of the temperature, because the digital thermometer is out of action, as the batteries have died. I will have to buy some more, when I go to Sainsbury's next time, probably tomorrow morning.

I have completed the play! My goodness, my very first attempt at writing a play! Next, I will have to edit it, as I think there is too much. The end scene works, but it's imperfect and I'm doing rewrites. It lacks the power I want. I'm not going to reveal the premise or any details. It's to precious to do that at this stage. I'm just glad to have the piece in some form that can now be tweaked.

Now, something straight out of Yes, Prime Minister or one of those crazy comedies. Here goes. My state pension is increasing. Great, because any increase is a good thing, particularly because of rising costs, and with a government that simply doesn't know how to deal with the economy, particularly rising fuel prices, mostly due to the war in Iran and Ukraine. But then, the blow. I get something from my lovely Carol's teacher's pension. Not much, but it has helped considerably. It would have been considerably more, if it hadn't been for a certain step son inerfering with our bank account. I won't go into details. Surfice it to say, because my income goes over the tax threshold (I can'ts say what exactly what's the exact amount) I will now have to pay tax. Crazy, I know. The government gives with one hand- the pension increase- and then takes with the other. Totally ridiculous. I have spoken to the Inland Revenue people, and the tax will be taken at source, directly from the teachers' pension pot, so I would not even see anything about this. What annoys me more is that you get your usual tax code for the year ahead, but because of the gobbledegook in this form, it doesn't tell you all that I have mentioned above.If I hadn't had the presence of mind to ring Inland Revenue, I would never have known. Further to that, it would have been really nice if they could write a letter to me, at least explaining all this, and the amount I will now lose. Oh well, as they say, shouldn't grumble. Strange old world, nevertheless.

The Sun Has Got His Hat On!

 Monday 9th March. 3.55 p.m. It has been a rather murky sort of day. No rain or sunshine, but earlier there was a slight fog, if you can really call it that. As I write, it has cleared.

Currently, the digital thermometer reads 22ºc.

I have been to the Monday Club as the Oaktree Centre. More tea, cakes and quizzes.

Tuesday March 10th. 7.25 a.m. Hurrah! The sun is shining. Put out the flags!

The digital thermometer currently reads 22ºc.

Sunday 15th March.  8.20 a.m. The sun is shining and I'm planning to go out with the Pocket 3 camera to do some filming. I haven't decided where yet, but it's too good to waste. I've been waiting for some decent weather for ages.

The digital thermometer currently reads 22ºc.

Thursday 19th March. 8.15 a.m. It's been bright and sunny for the past few days. Spring has more than definitely arrived!

The digital thermometer currently reads 21ºc.

Sunday 22nd March 9.05 a.m. I'm slipping a bit. I haven't posted anything for the last couple of days. I'll attempt to make up for this lapse.

It's foggy out this morning. It has been like this for the past few days, but as the day progresses, the sun has shone, and the temperature rises.

As I write, the digital thermometer reads 22ºc, although it hit 25ºc at one point yesterday.

Wednesday 25th March. 9.50 a.m. The temperature has dropped considerably. The sun is going in and out, but there are dark clouds looming and there is a definite chill in the air.

The digital thermometer currently reads 21ºc.

I am currently attempting to find a decent swimming pool to use, somewhere within Milton Keynes. I think I have found somewhere suitable. It's in Wolverton and I was going to look for it this morning. Unfortunately, the road which leads to it was blocked off, which seems to be a recurring situation around Milton Keynes. They are resurfacing the roads around here and I know it's often necessary to close of roads, but there was no advance warning that there was a closure, so I ended up driving all that way and not finding the swimming pool. Oh, the best laid plans of mice and men, as someone said.. It was Robert Burns, and it was originally in a Gaelic accent (is that right, or more likely, Scottish.) Never mind. I know what I meant, and as I'm half Scottish, I suppose I should mention him. Just don't ask which half!

Good Day Sunshine

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

The digital thermometer currently reads 20ºc.

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

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

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

The digital thermometer currently reads 24ºc.

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

Friday 6th March. 7.10 a.m.

The digital thermometer currently reads 24ºc. 

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

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

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

Things Can Only Get Better!

 Tuesday 24th February. 8.05 a.m. Yes, with the economy in a bad state and unemployment getting worse, things are not looking good at the moment in this country. We have Mr Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, being arrested on suspicion of giving away state secrets to the late sex offender, Geoffrey Epstein (but later released on bail) and now our former Ambassador to the United States, Lord Peter Mandelson, being arrested on similar charges by the police. Things can't get much worse. Or can they?

Yesterday morning I went to my Shakespeare group in Newport Pagnell. We were looking at Shakespeare's sonnets. I don't know a great deal about them. We each read one and discussed it. Later. I went to the Monday Club at the Oaktree Centre. Cake, coffee and tea, chat and ridiculous games.

Thursday 26th February. 6.50 p.m. I went to the Thursday Morning Life Group as usual. I wasn't expecting the surprise when I walked in the room. People have been clearing out the shipping container, which is next to the Oaktree Centre and contains all sorts of items connected with various activities that go on in the church building. I was told a week or so ago that some puppets were found, but I never managed to see them. Until this morning, sitting on several of the chairs! They will definitely fit in with what I am planning, similar in style to the Zoomer puppet I bought recently. They are 'Muppet Style', in that they have a body through which you put your arm and use your hand to operate the mouth and should have rods for the hands. At present, I am trying to find a way to connect arm rods, which will then give more realism and expression to the puppets. On Sunday, there is to be a family service, and I have been asked to contribute, with other people, with the puppets. I am going to plan what next and devise scripts and plots to utilise these puppets.

Sunday 1st March. 8.25 a.m. Good morning! We've had really mixed weather for the past few days. On Thursday, it was quite spring-like, but yesterday afternoon there was a really heavy rain storm, but at the moment it is relatively quiet. Let's hope it stays that way.

Currently, the digital thermometer reads 21ºc.

Carol's daffodils are beginning to bloom! When they are all open, the display should be very good. I intend to buy more bulbs to add to what I planted last September.

6.35 p.m. There was a family service at church this morning. As planned, I took the Zoomer puppet and some of the puppets which were found in the shipping container and I went to the front and took Zoomer while several other people had some of the other puppets and we joined in with a song.

Murkey Morning!

Thursday 19th February. 1.50 p.m. It was a surprise to find it was quite cold when I drove off to The Oaktree Centre for the Thursday Morning Life Group. There was a certain amount of very thin rain as well, and a mist in the distance. In other words, somewhat murky and dismal.

On the way into Dexter Avenue, when I returned from the Oaktree Centre, I was somewhat shocked to find an ice cream van in the process of leaving. I can't imagine eating ice cream in such cold weather. I heard the merry tinkle of the annoying sound that vans give off, to attract customers(I'm being extremely ironic here, dear reader!) You would think that in the winter months, the drivers of these vehicles would be selling hot dogs, mugs of hot steaming cocoa and other hot beverages and foods. But not, ply you freezing wares in the midst of winter, with ice and snow swirling around, with high winds whistling around and temperatures well below freezing.

I've just been to Lidl to top up with milk and other bits and pieces. I had two trolley tokens, which I had ordered from Amazon. Unfortunately, I have now lost both, but not putting them into the correct trolley in the stack in Sainsbury's and Lidl. Just a rather stupid mistake. It should go in the FRONT trolley and not the next one! I will order some more and make sure to put the token in the correct trolley.

As a result of not being able to use a metal trolley, I was resigned to using one of the blue, plastic trolleys, which I really don't like, because you have to drag them around the store. On completing my shopping, scanning the bar code on my receipt so that the gate opened to let me out, I then set off an alarm because I had the plastic trolley with me. Just embarrassing, but you don't get warned that this will happen.

Saturday 21st February. 8.30 a.m. It's a good deal warmer and brighter than it was for the last couple of days. I'm hoping the sun might shine and there is no rain.

The digital thermometer currently reads 21ºc.

Monday 23rd February. 8.20 a.m. It's a good deal milder this morning. The digital thermometer currently reads 22ºc, so it's clearly edging up gradually.

Tuesday 24th February. 8.05 a.m. It appears to be sunny as I write this. I say 'appears', because the sun comes out and then two minutes later it goes behind a cloud.

The digital thermometer currently reads 22ºc.

Don't Rain On My Parade

 Wednesday 11th February. 5.50 a.m. I know it's too early, but I have changed all the bedding. It's most definitely not one of my favourite jobs, but my next slot on the washing machine rota is this afternoon. I keep putting it off, and my thinking is, 'don't put off doing what you could do today, or words to that effect. Putting on a duvet cover is my worst job, but it is done, and the old bedding is now in the laundry basket and in the hallway.

Thursday 12th February. 9.10 a.m. The digital thermometer currently reads 22ºc. It seems yet another soulless sort of day, slightly overcast, no sun.

Friday 13th. 6.20 p.m. Yesterday morning, I took the Zoomer puppet to the Thursday Life Group to introduce him to the members of the group. The idea is to use puppets at church for the children's ministry. I hope to find other people to work on this, because, basically, I can only operate one puppet at a time. It won't be just the performance, but the making of the puppets as well as the staging that will be needed.

An unsettled day. It's been raining. almost constantly. The weather forecast tells us that snow is on the way.

Sunday 15th February. 2.35 p.m. It rained really heavily when I left to drive to church this morning. As I write this, it has stopped raining, but it's now overcast.

Monday 16th February. 9.50 a.m. On this day in 1969, I began my first stage management job, as a Student A.S.M., at the Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham. The first production was an adaptation of 'Jane Eyre.' 

It is bright and sunny as I write this. It just shows how fickle the weather can be in this country. I hope it stays that way.

The digital thermometer reads 22ºc. 

Tuesday 17th February. 10.20 a.m. It's 'Pancake Day' or, to give it its proper name, 'Shrove Tuesday.' It's 40 days before Easter.

I have made batter for pancakes. I always got to make batter for pancakes and Yorkshire pudding when I lived at the farm. I think my mother must have shown me how to make it. It's not exactly difficult, but I make it several hours before I cook the pancakes, as it's important to let it stand and let it thicken. I put butter in it which makes the pancakes taste far better.

We live only a short distance from Olney, famed for it's pancake race. I'd love to go, except it would be extremely difficult to park, knowing that a lot of people would turn up to watch.