Getting Colder?

There is a definite nip in the air. Considering how warm it got during the Great 2018 Heatwave, I'm not surprised that I now notice that it's getting colder in the morning, especially when I take Alfie out for his morning run in Eaglestone Park. I went out in a short-sleeved polo shirt when we went to Whipsnade, but considering how much colder it gets up there on Dunstable Downs I'm not surprised and had to eventually put on my jacket as I began to feel cold when we were looking at the penguins. We're now in the, sad to say it folks, what I would call without too much hesitation, the run-up to Christmas. We've already seen hints of the impending Festive Season, with bits and pieces in some shops, crafting things in one of the shops, I think The Range, the other day, and possibly The Works. Well, I suppose some people make their Christmas cards and decorations and need time to make them well in advance.

Having said it was cold, a couple of hours after I'd written the above paragraph, the sun is out and it's quite warm. Just typical for this time of year.

We went to Hobbycraft because Carol is looking for more crafting materials. I'm not over-keen on this vast warehouse of stuff. Over-priced. Carol bought a stamp and then we went to Sainsbury's. Ordered my repeat prescription and collected another repeated prescription. Later we went for a walk round Furzton Lake, somewhere we haven't visited in a long time, certainly not since our other dog, Poppy, died. It's somewhere that she'd quite happily love to swim, in the lake, although, having been on the Parks Trust website and on boards around the area of the lake, dogs are not supposed to swim in the lakes or other areas of water. Well, it would have been no use trying to stop her, because she'd have been in whether she was supposed to or not. Quite a long way round the lake and the park and we spent some time sitting on a bench and just enjoying the scenery and the warm weather. There were quite a lot of people walking, or cycling, around the lakes. It was especially nice to see families together, which makes a change that they weren't arguing or spending too much time on mobile phones.

A lot of children we saw at Whipsnade have those scooter-things, which I don't think are appropriate for use in such a place. They seem to be everywhere. Use them supervised (as most of them are there, with parents and other adults they were with somewhere around) but they could be dangerous and get run over by vehicles moving along the zoo roads, or collide with other zoo visitors on foot.) 

Sunday Sunshine

We woke this morning to more news of a terrorist attack in London. Only a few weeks ago another similar attack happened at a concert in Manchester. It makes the heart sink. Our immediate response was to text our children to see whether they were alright. None of them were anywhere near London at the time of the incidents. Just needed reassurance that they were fine. It's getting to the point that you don't really want to switch on the television news as the BBC and other television companies seem to insist on blanket coverage of such incidents.

The day began bright and sunny. Then we had the merry sound of hammering next door. I can't imagine what on earth they're doing. Laying a patio or something and there's a large pile of tiles or bricks for the purpose of patio-laying. On Friday we came back from shopping in town and found a large flat-bed H.G.V. parked opposite the house next door with rolls of turf on the back. I'm not sure if it was intended for 'next door' or not. It's not just the hammering and banging we have to contend with, it's the added music which we have to endure. People can't seem to work without pop music blasting. Well, it's not exactly blasting. As Nöel Coward so succinctly put it 'strange how potent cheap music is.' From his brilliant play, "Private Lives," and actually about his own composition 'Some Day I'll Find You" which was supposed to be playing in the distance, so it was a sort of side-swipe at himself in a way. Irony. Never mind. I digress.

As the morning progressed, we had another load of banging and hammering. Not immediately from next door. Carol said that someone was dismantling a shed a few doors further down. Things can't get any worse, we thought to ourselves. Carol suggested packing things up, a few rugs, cushions, food, books and so on, and de-camping to a secluded spot, possibly in a field, away from the hustle and bustle of the town, in the country somewhere. In other words, somewhere as far from all this noise and annoyance. I suggested Campbell Park. Carol, not too keen. Then we decided to go to Nuffield Health. 

It was a great idea to just swim up and down the pool at Nuffield. Not too many people there, fortunately. I have to say it's a far more friendly environment than D.W. Fitness, which we used to be members of. No children are allowed to this branch at Kent's Hill. You get a towel as you enter. There's no loud booming pop music. The jacuzzi and other facilities are always in good order. Unfortunately, at D.W., the two jacuzzis (spa pools) were invariably out of order or at least one was closed off for some reason. The place was beginning to look tatty, even though it was a fairly new building. At Nuffield there's a spa pool, a steam room and a sauna (D.W. didn't have one).  Anyway, the outing to Nuffield was a good idea. At least we got away from the noise for a while. The shed-dismantling was complete but unfortunately the other sounds continue.

I attempted to read my book. I'm currently reading the fourth book in Peter Ackroyd's series "The History of England." It's called "Revolution" and covers what is called the 'Glorious Revolution' and covers such things as the foundation of the Bank Of England, the beginning os coffee houses, invention of the novel as a form of literature and many other things. But I found it quite difficult concentrating with the constant noise from next door.