Miracles Do Happen!

 Thursday. 2.25 p.m. It's sunny and bright today, but it's not as it seems. It's actually been quite chilly. I went to the Thursday Morning Life Group as usual, and, although the car wasn't iced up, the inside of the windscreen was misty, and it took some time for me to clear it before I could drive out.

The new Lidl has opened on Oldbrook Boulevard. I must have mentioned that the old store had closed and the row of shops with a Tesco Express. There was an A.T.M. outside, which could be useful if you needed cash in a hurry. I went to look around earlier this afternoon and was surprised by how many cars were in the car park and inside the store it was heaving. I did buy a few things and used a self-service till to pay. You must keep hold of your receipt at the end because you need it to scan to exit the store.

Saturday. 9.20 a.m. It's relatively mild but overcast. Never mind. Get used to it.

As usual, I took a sleepy Alfie out onto the grass along Strudwick Drive around 6.45 this morning It has been made into something of a mud patch, a ploughed field or whatever you want to call it, created by the workmen who are doing the work in the community garden at Dexter House. I just don't like getting my shoes covered in thick mud, but it really can't be helped. It was dark, and it was difficult to see clearly, but as I was dealing with Alfie, I saw something moving in the greenery which grew alongside the wall of Dexter House. I looked again, and to my horror, I saw two rats fighting. It is not something I am keen on seeing or being near. Having had the rather horrible experience of the rats we had running about the house when Carol and I lived in Crownhill. (I think I have mentioned this saga in an earlier blog post.). I shouted at the rats, and they soon disappeared. But that wasn't the end of it. About two hours later, I sorted out the recycling and the various bags of rubbish which had to be taken out to the bin store. I opened the lid of the receptacle which takes the bags, and in amongst the bags were two more rats! I quickly put in the rubbish and slammed down the lid. 

Sunday. 8.25 a.m. No rats were seen when Alfie and I went out earlier this morning. It wasn't excessively cold, but I have a feeling it was slightly frosty, because the grass had a sort of glitter on it which is always a sign.

Wednesday. 10.20 a.m. It's sunny but chilly.

I've been to Lidl. I love it when you can get in and out quickly. The only problem is, finding what you want. I have a good idea where everything I want is, when I go to Sainsbury's. I have set up the  Lidl app on my phone, so I can scan and get points, a bit like Nectar, but you get instant treats, such as cakes and fruit, which was a surprise. If I have a gripe, it's the fact that, when you've done your shopping, taken it out to your car and unloaded it, you have to return the trolley to the parking space near the store. It's when you push your trolley into the parked trolleys, that you get your token back for your next trip. I imagine that this is so they don't have to employ someone to retrieve the trolleys (which they have at Sainsbury's. One less employee means they can cut prices. The staff work hard in Lidl, because they not only have to work on the tills, but stack shelves. Again, another way to have fewer staff and keep costs down.

Tuesday, 7:20 a.m. I've taken my usual walk with Alfie. We strolled along the grass by Strudwick Drive, which has become muddy due to the workmen driving vehicles for the community garden project. Their tyres have churned up the grass, creating this mess. I'm hoping things return to normal once they complete their work. 

I was at the point where I was about to pick up Alfie, to avoid him walking in the mud, and go back into Dexter House, when an electric scooter shot past. If I had taken probably another step or two, I would have been in a direct line with this scooter. There was no noise, nothing to warn me. The rider seemed totally ignorant of my presence. A bit of a shock. This is why I don't like these things.

I have mentioned elsewhere that I had changed my broadband provider. I'm now with Vodafone Fibre Broadband. I have managed to reset the various devices I have, so they are once again connected to broadband, but the password you have to enter to connect is long and complicated. The only device I  needed to set up was my Canon Pixma printer. I spent all yesterday trying to fathom out how to achieve this. I even bought a cable from Amazon, intending to use that to connect my MacBook to the printer, but I could not get it to work. As these things don't come with a full instruction manual, you have to do a search on the internet. I have the Canon print app on my iPad, so, as a final attempt, I thought I would try and see if that would work. It was relatively easy to put in the password, and, thankfully, it worked! These things are so frustrating. I even went to Argos to buy a black ink cartridge, as I was sure there wasn't sufficient ink in the cartridge that was in the printer. Everything fell into place, and I have been printing a document, which is some of my writing project, which I can now read and begin to make edits and amendments. I now need a suitable file to put the pages in.

So, the title of this blog post is pretty well accurate!

Baking Cakes (and the Art of Avoiding Life's Little Frustrations)

Monday. 6.30 a.m. It's Monday, and at 2 o'clock this afternoon there'll be the second Monday Club at the Oaktree Centre. Last week was well attended, not by Shenley Christian Fellowship members, but by several community members who are regular attendees. Plenty of cake and tea. Yesterday, after church, I was asked if I could make cakes for today's session. I have been checking ingredients in my cupboards and setting things up, as I will have to go out and stock up on some ingredients. I will go to Lidl later this morning. I have also printed out a recipe for Victoria sponge cake from Delia Smith's website.

11.00 a.m. I went to Lidl at just after 9 o'clock and stocked up on ingredients as I mentioned above. I really have to organize my kitchen, as there is a definite shortage of space. I had set a lot of it up around 6 o'clock, even before I'd taken Alfie out, but I wasn't going to do the circuit of Oldbrook Green because yesterday I walked at least, 11500 steps and was quite exhausted, but I am attempting to do far more steps. Anyway, as I write, the Victoria Sponge is finished, with raspberry jam as a filling and a sprinkling of icing sugar on top and it's in it's tin, ready to take to the Monday Club just before 2 o'clock. 

Tuesday. 3.05 a.m. Oh, dear! Alfie isn't very well. I thought he needed to go out, so I hurriedly got dressed and we were out on the grass (this was around 10 o'clock last night.) But he didn't do anything, just walking along the grass. We went back indoors and he did a mess. He seems to have the runs. Cleared it up. Not nice. But he'd done another, which I have just cleared up. I have had to change my duvet, due to another accident. I don't know what caused this mishap. I have decided to stay at home and not go to Camphill and sent an email. I feel disappointed, but I really can't leave him on his own all day in the flat.

2.30 p.m. As I have already reported, in above, Alfie hasn't been very well, which meant I didn't go to Camphill this morning, unfortunately. I thought it wasn't such a good idea to leave him on his own. I had a £25 Marks and Spencer voucher to spend, which had been earned from doing online surveys for a company called Maximiles. I wanted to spend it and decided to drive into the Central Shopping Centre. I got to my usual car park in Secklow Gate. I had hoped to pay using the RingoGo app on my iPhone, which I have used on quite a few occasions. It means you don't have to fiddle about with change and use the ticket machines and, if you need extra time to park you don't need to return to your car and can use the app to add your time and pay. But the app wouldn't open and for some unaccountable reason wanted the password to continue. This was somewhat exasperating, so I paid with a £1 coin I had in my pocket for such an eventuality. Having parked and paid I went into the shopping centre, first going to Boots to buy liquid Feroglobin which I have been taking for several months as a supplement. It has 14 minerals and nutrients in it. It's quite difficult to find it on the shelves, and had to ask an assistant to show me where it was. Having paid, I came out into the walkway and went to Nationwide to take out some money from my account and I walked towards NatWest to pay the cash into my account there. This NatWest branch has been there in all the time I have lived in Milton Keynes, but I discovered, much to my disappointment, that it had closed. It was then that I realized that there was a new branch at the other end of the shopping centre, opposite John Lewis and near Middleton Hall.

I crossed over the road from what had been NatWest and re-entered the shopping centre and went into Marks and Spencer, going up on the escalator to the menswear department and bought a set of shortie pyjamas and long pyjama bottoms. Easy and straightforward.

 If you know the shopping centre, you will know it must be a good half mile or so. On arrival outside, I found a machine which would allow me to pay through a slot, provided I used my debit card and my P.I.N. I couldn't get the machine to work, so I went inside the branch. I asked a member of staff whether I could pay the cash into my account via a teller. Yes, upstairs, I was told, although there was a queue. When I arrived upstairs there was indeed a queue, but the cashier/teller wasn't in place. Goodness knows, what was going on? Was it a tea break or something? The queue wasn't moving. I wanted to make a simple payment, that was all. It was at this point I thought to myself 'I'm turning into Victor Meldrew, the character in the sitcom 'One Foot In The Grave', who is constantly being frustrated by life's little upsets and is known for his line 'I don't believe it!'

There were several more ATMs nearby which could be used to pay in cash. I had to ask a bank staff member to help me operate the machine. You can use your card and your P.I.N. and then insert your banknotes through a slot. I then discovered that you can put them in a bundle and don't have to insert the notes individually.

After all the frustrations of A.T.M's and other things, it was time for a break, so I went into Costa on Middleton Hall. The other week I had a really great hot chocolate which had cream and bits of Kit Kat sprinkled on top. But, unfortunately, when I asked at the counter for another, I was told it was a special edition and they no longer sold them. So, I settled for a hot chocolate and cream. Well, why not? The after experiences of the day I think I deserved it.

So, that was my shopping trip! Nothing much else to report here. 

Windy City!

Saturday. 11.20 a.m. I have a Nationwide Building Society account. Well, in actual fact I have two, one a current account and the other a savings account. I manage them via the Nationwide website and their app. This morning I wanted to check the balance of the current account, so I went onto the website. But I couldn't get into my account because the customer number wasn't saved. I can usually manage to get further and actually see my balance and check payments in and out, and the basic information is usually saved, meaning I didn't need to input the customer number associated with the account. I don't have it written anywhere, so I had no alternative but to go into the branch in the Milton Keynes central shopping centre. I managed to get the all-important customer number from a nice gentleman in the Nationwide branch and then went to wander around the shopping centre. Well, I had walked all that way in, so there was no point going home until I had achieved something.

Part-way around one side of the shopping centre, it occurred to me I ought to get some one-pound coins. You need one if you go shopping in some supermarkets, to allow you to use a trolley or to park your car, and so I went back to Nationwide and intended to take a £10 note out of the A.T.M. outside the branch. But it had an 'out of order' sign taped to it, so I went back inside to use another machine. With my £10 note clutched in my hand, I went to queue up at the tills, not something I am used to because I usually either use an A.T.M. or the website or app. On getting to a free window, I asked the nice lady behind the counter whether I could have my nice, crisp, clean £10 note changed into one-pound coins. I was, told, not unless I paid it into my account. This seemed somewhat nonsensical, but apparently, you now can merely expect to have your ready cash transformed into coinage without having an account (which I have.) So, this is what I did. She told me it was because they have to have a 'paper trail', which is certainly a new approach to this whole business. I didn't argue, and she went through the process of paying it back into my account, for which I had to sign (!) and then she took £10 of one-pound coins out of her till, put it into a plastic bag, and handed it to me. Job done, but what a load of unnecessary bother, even faff!

Sunday. 12.05 p.m. Due to taking the Piriton, which leave you feeling drowsy, I didn't go to church this morning and watched via Facebook and viewed on the Portal TV gadget which is connected to my Hitachi television set. No problem with the sound, and I could hear everything loud and clear, but the video was very blurry. I don't understand the technology, so I can't say why the picture was so low tech. It is generally fairly good quality. Probably has something to do with the speed of the wi-fi somewhere between Shenley and Oldbrook.

Busy Doing Nothing!

Friday. 8.a.m. Bright and sunny. Virtually no clouds in the sky, and, according to the BBC weather forecast this morning, we can expect more similar days. 

Actually, the title for this post isn't accurate, as I have plenty to keep me going. My family history research is going well. The My Heritage site works best on the app on the iPad. Got back around 9-10 generations. Baking at a standstill at the moment, but I intend to do more soon. Writing going well, although I'm doing the research before I continue. Reading, still on the Juliet Gardiner book. It's around 600-700 pages, so I don't expect to get through it much before the autumn.

Witty is saying 'we're not out of the woods' in regards to the pandemic. But the data says otherwise. The stupid NHS app is flawed and people are being 'pinged' because the idiot thing is sending messages saying people should isolate when there is no need to. It's just scare-mongering once more. Crazy. 

I got the quote from my current car insurance provider, Swinton. Am I glad I did some research before going with them again? The quote is an eye-watering £759.95! The new quote, which is already set up and the deposit paid, is £329. Just shows how important it is to shop around to get a better quote and with a breakdown cover from the RAC. This is from Dial Direct, which I found through Go Compare.

Saturday. 6.45 a.m. It's bright and sunny this morning. The BBC weather forecast is telling me that it's likely to be the hottest day of the year. I just need to keep out of the heat if that's the case, as it can be dangerous with a heart problem.

Later. 2.40 p.m. I am part of what is called a 'Prayer Triplet' which is part of SCF. We met for the first time this morning. The idea being that we are mentored and supported, probably quite necessary considering the current situation regarding the pandemic as well as the effects of Carol's death. Good to be able to talk about things that are going on in your life and then pray it through. I had to drive to Conniburrow, which isn't much more than a ten-minute drive from home. I had been there before, to a barbecue, but still, I needed to refresh my memory and then decided to use Google Maps on my iPhone, which acted as a satnav. Amazingly very good and a clear voice, as I had the mobile sitting on the passenger seat beside me. Just crazy how this technology works and I soon got there.

It's really hot today. I've been out with Alfie who didn't get his mid-morning outing because of me being out for the morning. I just can't cope with the heat and neither can Alfie.

Sunday. 8.55 a.m. I've been out twice with Alfie. I didn't wake up until 5.45, which isn't my usual time to wake up. It's usually a good deal earlier. So I had to really struggle to get out of bed and then get dressed and take Alfie out. I can't think what was different. 

It's really hot and it's only barely 9 o'clock, so I'm glad we went out when we did. I would rather stay indoors out of the heat as it's not safe if it's too hot when you have a heart problem. Alfie doesn't like it either and I think he prefers it cooler.

I had a shower, which isn't my usual time to have one, but I am a good deal cooler than when I came indoors. I have a drink of cranberry cordial with ice in it. I have plenty of ice in the fridge.

Been to get milk from Tesco Express on Oldbrook Boulevard. I don't want to have none for my early-morning cup of tea and bowl of breakfast cereal.  I noticed that the Dominos Pizza and Bernados charity shop have closed. I have a sneaking suspicion that the whole block is to be demolished to make way for a new, larger Lidl branch to be built, with this being the opposite end to where it is currently. Presumably, Lidl has bought the entire site, which might explain all this. I have since discovered that Dominos has moved across the road into Duckworth Court, where there is already a Pizza Hut. I'm not sure when all this is due to be started, but I just wonder what will become of the mini Tesco branch which is so handy for buying milk and last-minute things. Also, it has an A.T.M. outside when you need cash or to at least check your bank balance. I hope that Lidl will have one when all this is completed.

Signs Of Spring

It's still windy, but not quite as windy it has been lately. The sun is shining. It's getting light earlier each day and it's light till quite late.

Having said all that, it's gone very overcast as I compose this. The dark clouds are gathering. What with coronavirus, Ireland in (almost) in 'lockdown (well, schools closed. The children must be losing it! Probably not so the parents.), Italy in 'lockdown,' (I feel somewhat sorry for the tourist industry, which must be a large part of their economy.) and the United Kingdom moving from 'containing' to 'delaying,' amid criticism of this move (there's always someone who has to complain about things.) Whatever the government does, then someone will pick holes in it, whether right or wrong.

There are daffodils blooming or at least beginning to bloom all around Oldbrook at the moment, along the grassy areas which edge in particular Strudwick Drive and then there's a different yellow flower blooming on the opposite side of Oldbrook Green to The Cricketers public house. I don't actually think they are daffodils, but Alfie likes wandering in them whenever we go out.

The 'mystery building,' which has been built on the opposite side of Oldbrook Green and which I have walked past since it was begun several months ago is now complete. I'm still somewhat intrigued to know what it's purpose is. It has a wall which encloses a yard with a metal gate and the wall has metal spikes along it's top surface, giving a somewhat sinister and almost militaristic feel to the structure, so if that's there then no doubt it is intended to house something of value.

(Saturday) I've been to the Men's Breakfast at the Oaktree Centre this morning. I needed to get some cash out. Well, £5 for a great cooked breakfast can't be bad. I thought I'd go to the cashpoint outside Tesco's in Oldbrook Boulevard, which must be the closest. I got there and parked and then went to the machine, put my card in, and nothing happened, a lot of whirring and strange noises. No cash appeared and I began to get a bit concerned. You usually get you card back before the thing spits out your money, but still nothing after around 5 minutes. I press 'Cancel,' and the card is regurgitated. much to my relief. It did make me wonder if it was some sort of scam. I don't know, you have to guard your P.I.N. number when using an A.T.M., who knows if some criminal has the where with all to 'clone' your card if you put it in a cashpoint machine? I then went to the A.T.M. machine at the Shell petrol station along Grafton Street, but worked fine and I was able to drive off to Shenley without any problems. There was no sign on the machine at Tesco to say it was out of order and whatever. Although that did come up after I took my cash.

We had our usually fantastic cooked breakfast at the Oaktree Centre and then we watched a video (I have an idea it was on YouTube) which had Eugene Petersen talking to Bono about the Psalms.

(Sunday) Having said at the beginning of this post that the weather is becoming 'spring-like,' as I write this at 4.30a.m., I can hear a howling wind outside, together with a little dog snoring his head off on the sofa next to me. Alfie is stretched out fast asleep and for such a small dog he can't half make a lot of noise!

(Later) I went to church as normal. There's meant to be a quiz night on Friday, but with the threat of coronavirus there is a vague possibility of it being cancelled. I hope not, because I was looking forward to this event. It was postponed from just before Christmas when there was a low number of people signing up. I'll just have to wait and see whether it goes ahead. From the Oaktree Centre I drove to Sainsbury's. I had to endure a car tailgating me all the way down Chaffron Way. She, for it was a female driver, was virtually touching the back bumper of my car, but I wasn't moving out of the way for her. Arriving at Sainsbury's, I was really surprised by the volume of cars entering the underground carpark. I have never seen such numbers of cars arriving. It seems that Sunday is very much a normal shopping day for some people and there were even more people going up on the travelator into the store and then even more customers pushing trolleys and many with large packs of toilet rolls in them, even though there was a sign up at the entrance reminding customers to buy more realistic amounts of 'certain products,' which would be referring to hand sanitiser as well as toilet rolls. But it seems people don't read these notices or just become selfish (there would be plenty of everything if people would purchase at a reasonable level.

1360th Blog post. Still Sunny!

This will be my 1360th blog post! Why should that be so important? Well, it isn't, but it's quite an achievement to have kept this blog going for so long.

The sun is shining, the birds are singing! What more can one want? I can do without wasps, flies and other insects which invade the house. I can also do without pop music blasted at me from whatever quarter. People have their windows open, which means there is a leakage of boom-diddy-boom-diddy-boom-bom-boom. You know, or perhaps you don't, that drum beat that a lot of pop music seems to have. It's right what Noel Coward said, 'strange how potent cheap music is!' which is a line from his play 'Private Lives.' The joke is, if you know this play, that the music which is playing in the background is 'Some Day I'll Find You,' which he wrote! So it's sort of turning things on itself. But, regardless of all that, I do agree. I suppose that the sentiment in that line is that popular music has to be potent, in the sense of probably, a drug or alcohol, it has to work it's magic by being repetitive or overwhelming. Anyway, my thing is that drum beating in the distance can be just annoying and puts me off whatever I'd doing, probably attempting to plot a piece I happen to be writing. Then there's those crazed individuals who insist on having pop music blasting from the speakers in their cars as they speed by. So loud it makes the car vibrate and all you get is the booming sound, no music to speak of. Why can it never be Beethoven or Mozart of any other composer's music you care to mention? But if that's the case, why have it so loud that everyone else has to put up with it, regardless of whether they want to or not.

Later. Yesterday evening (Thursday) I went to S.C.F. for another session of The Bible Course. There are three more to go. I was undecided as to what to wear and in the end I didn't wear my new shorts and short-sleeved shirt. As I left the house, I was suddenly hit by the heat. I was around 6.45 and it was quite intense, not helped by the fact that when I got in the car I found the interior hotter still, by quite a few degrees. It made my heart rate increase. I was feeling quite unwell, not exactly helped by the other drivers who insist on tailgating me as I drove up Chaffron Way to the Oaktree Centre. I had to have a drink of water on arrival and I found the main hall cooler than the café area and by the time we started the course I was feeling better. But I think it's a warning to be more careful when the sun is so hot and I was shocked by how hot it was so late in the day.

(Friday) I was quite insistent that I get a lie-in. I was more than determined that I wouldn't get up before 6a.m. I actually took Alfie out at 7 this morning! He wasn't exactly pleased, but it was worth the extra time asleep. I hope to continue with this regime.

Too good to stay indoors today. I had to get out, even if it was just a trip into central Milton Keynes. I had to first go to get some change for the carpark. I do have the RingGo app on my iPhone, but it doesn't always work, so I had to have change for the machine. I went to the Eaglestone shop to use the A.T.M. outside but when I got there, it wasn't working. No cash in it. I know these machines have a tendency to run out of cash, but it was somewhat annoying because I then had to drive all the way to the One Stop shop in Coffee Hall. Fortunately the machine was working, but because the sun was so strong it was next to impossible to read the screen, but fortunately I was able to extract £30 from the maws of the mighty machine and then go into the shop to buy two bags of wine gums and fruit pastilles in order to get change.

I arrived at the carpark and then I found the RingGo app wouldn't work, so I was glad that I'd had the foresight to get change for the parking meter. This technology can be great when it works, but when it doesn't, it's just a waste of time. So it's as well to not always rely on it and use a different method of payment. I walked into the shopping centre and paid some money into my Metro Bank savings account. From there I went into Midsummer Place and as I was waking through I heard my name 'John!' but at first I didn't respond. Then one of the guys from Campbell ran up to me. He said he was about to catch a bus to Peterborough. It's great that they can respond to me and we have long chats when I'm there. I told him he'd better not miss his bus, so he went off, presumably outside to the bus stop. No doubt I'll hear more about his visit (which I believe is where his parents live.) when I'm at Camphill on Tuesday.

Next. Something to eat. Waterstones was near so I went in and as there was nobody queuing I decided to order a latte, toastier and a bun. Very efficient staff and I was soon sitting at a table. As I had my iPhone with me I was able to connect to the internet and look at Facebook and Twitter. Are these devices such a good idea? In some respects, yes, but when people spend a long time on them and disregard those around them, for example, in a work situation, with family and friends, they are more of a distraction and aren't really a replacement for face-to-face conversation, but can be useful for keeping in contact with family and friends and if you want to be easily contacted, ideal. But being in a bookshop it's an ideal place to have a café. Put me near books and I'm quite happy, so once I'd finished my snack I had a browse of the tables that Waterstone so craftily has set up which entices you to look at the books on display and then I went upstairs to the history section to have a further browse. I left before I purchased a book. I have to be honest that I have more than enough books in my bookshelf and could easily buy more. I have several which are waiting in a queue to be read.

From Waterstones I went into the main shopping centre and walked along the mall towards John Lewis and was interested in a store which is going to open soon, called Typo which I have discovered sells stationary. As Staples has since disappeared from Milton Keynes, which is a disappointment because where am I to buy fresh stocks of computer ink cartridges, paper and all the other paraphernalia, pens, pencils etc etc? I'm not sure when it's due to open, but I will have to visit once it's up and running. Also, I had to go into The Works, because they're stock changes rapidly and you have to buy whatever catches your eye when you're there because otherwise it's gone and by the time you return it will be gone, which is the same with T.K. Maax, another store I love browsing in as well as their partner store called Homesense. A good place to go if you're looking for kitchen items, such as saucepans, baking tins etc. 

It's 'Ot!

Goodness gracious! It's a really hot day! I may actually get a chance to wear my new shorts which I bought in Marks and Spencers the other week! So, knees and other areas below will be on display, hopefully not too pale.

I had made a chocolate fudge cake last week and took it to the Mens' Breakfast on Saturday morning with the intention that we ate some of it, if not, all. I was looking forward to trying it out. After the disaster of the one I had made a few weeks earlier, I decided to follow one of Delia Smith's recipes and made the two sections and then made the chocolate fudge to cover the cake as well as the filling. It didn't get touched by any of the men and landed up being put in the fridge in the café area, basically to keep it chilled and out of harms way. I was then hoping (note: hoping!) to get a slice when I returned for Sunday service. It didn't appear and then I was told that it had been eaten by the women who came to the Ladies' get together which follows on after the Mens' Breakfast. To say I was shocked would be untrue! I was expecting some of the men to have a go at tasting, but not to expect the ladies to EAT ALL OF IT! Shocked, to say the least, and disappointed that I didn't get to sample it, although it was made to share and I never make cakes to sit and eat on my own. So from the fact that it was eaten entirely I am pleased as that was made for eating and not staring at! I shall have to make more, and not just cakes.

Anyway, regardless of that, I went to the Willen Hospice coffee morning in John Lewis's store in Milton Keynes. I haven't been for the past couple of weeks, last week was May Bank Holiday and what with one thing and another, just didn't manage to make it. A lovely lot of people, who've been through the similar experience as me with a loved one dying of cancer and being a patient at such an amazing place as Willen. During the morning some ladies from Willen presented the lady who is the liason officer for John Lewis who is responsible for having the coffee morning at Lewis's and she was presented with a certificate and a huge bouquet of flowers to thank her for her work.

I've been into the Nationwide Building Society's branch in the main shopping centre to check that my bank account is safe after the 'business' I had to endure regarding the scam last Friday. It would appear that it is safe, thank goodness. I then went to the NatWest to check my account there, and it is also fine. I did all this just to reassure myself that all is as it should be. The main reason for going to the Nationwide, which is the account I use most, was because they have frozen my debit card and will be issuing me with a new one. I now pay for parking using the RingGo app on my iPhone, but this morning, when I want to use it, my payment was declined so I had to walk into the shopping centre, take out some cash from an A.T.M. machine and go into the Metro bank to get change, £1 coins, which I used to pay for my parking ticket. I am assured that the new debit card will be sent to me by the end of the week.

I  then went into Marks and Spencer because I needed something to eat as it was fast approaching lunch time. I found a cheese and salad baguette near the entrance and a pack of Welsh cakes, which I have to admit I haven't eaten for goodness knows how many years. I then went to pay at a checkout and stood in line at one which was being operated by a young lady who clearly had a learning disability. I think she might have been moderately down syndrome, but seemed very capable. I'm so pleased that companies such as Marks and Spencer give these people a chance to prove themselves. She was busily chatting to customers as they were going through with their shopping. I only had a few items and handed over a £10 note, but she unfortunately keyed in her till for a £20 note and had to get assistance from a supervisor. It wasn't really a problem, and it just needed a bit of patience but she managed the situation very well.

Driving and other Motoring Matters

I needed to buy fuel for the car as the tank has run quite low, with all the driving to Willen and other places over the past few weeks. The Renault Captur is an extremely economical car and a full tank usually lasts over a month or more. So I decided to drive to the Shell station on Grafton Street, at around 9.15 this morning, making sure that most of the morning traffic had subsided. It's surprising how busy it gets around Milton Keynes just before 9 o'clock. Almost gridlock along many of the roads around Eaglestone and into the centre.

I drove out of the estate and came out near the Eaglestone shops. It's easier than trying to get out onto Saxon Street which is actually the nearest exit, but to turn right can be an impossibility when the traffic is heaviest. Usually if you turn left and then get to the roundabout on Standing Way, you can double back on yourself and came back onto Saxon Street, but it can be very busy on Standing Way, but in Milton Keynes you can always do this manoeuvre if you get lost, just get to th next roundabout and go back the way you came. So, I came out onto Chaffron Way and drove towards Grafton Street with the intention of getting to the Shell petrol station. But when i got there I discovered it was closed off 'for renovations,' or 'modernisation.' I had no alternative, I needed fuel, so I decided to drive on to the Shell station directly opposite so drove on to the roundabout on Standing Way and so drove around to the other Shell station. On arriving there, I had to drive to the furthest pump, but then discovered that the diesel pump had a notice on it, saying, out of use. Somewhat frustrating, I had no alternative but to try a pump further back on the forecourt, but it's a 'one-way' system in these petrol stations. You can't reverse to get to the pumps further back, so I chose to drive out back onto Grafton Street and drive to the next roundabout on Chaffron Way and then double back onto Grafton Street and drive back round the roundabout on Standing Way and end up at the first pumps at the Shell station, only to find that all pumps that served diesel were 'out of use.' Where else was I to obtain diesel? I chose to drive towards the city centre and use the BP station next to the Xcape on Childs Way. So, quite a long detour around Milton Keynes, along Saxon street and then right onto Childs Way. When I got there I could hear the most appalling sound, someone using one of those leaf-blowing machines. A rather pointless exercise, in my opinion. Just blowing leaves and other rubbish, out of the way, and not picking anything up.

I managed to fill up sufficiently with diesel and then returned home. I had to collect some things before heading off to Willen to see Carol.

The car has been playing up for quite some time. A light has been coming on and a digital message on the dashboard, telling me the car is in need of a service. I'm not getting full power from the car. It's not responding as it should. The journey over to Willen, although not particularly long, is quite difficult. I realise the car is in need of some sort of maintenance, perhaps a service, with a change of oil, filters and a retune. So when I leave Willen at about 1.40 I decide to check the bank balance at the Eaglestone shops where there's a convenient A.T.M. machine and then drive to Bleak Hall Motors, who did the MoT. On arrival I explain what the problem is with the car and one of the mechanics says  that, because it's a diesel car, it might be something to do with driving on short journeys. Not sure how they could fix this. He takes it out for a test run to find out what I'm on abut, and when he comes back he says, because the light is on permanently on the dashboard, it just needs a service, so I manage to book it in for this Saturday at 8 a.m. I'm surprised that they remember my name, which is what you don't often get nowadays with any business, which makes me feel a bit more comfortable with taking the car to this particular garage. So I feel happier that they can resolve the problems with the running of the car and it will hopefully be fixed on Saturday, probably taking two hours or so after which I can go over to see Carol in Willan Hospice.

It's quite foggy today when I drive to Garroways later this morning. An almost typical November morning. The weather forecast on BBC Breakfast says that we can expect it to get colder as the week progresses. Oh well, what do you expect as the winter draws on? 

Carol Moves Wards

Friday began fairly mild and not a great deal of sun, but as the day progressed, the sun came out and we were back on hight temperatures. The heatwave doesn't look as if it's going to end soon. As much as I like sunshine, I don't like it this hot. Just doesn't suit me.

I drove the car to the hospital, the same as I did yesterday. My thoughts were that possibly Carol would be discharged and we could at last go home, but, unfortunately, the issue of her blood sugar level and her temperature is still causing problems. It is odd that her temperature was around 37.5 only a few days ago and shot up to dangerous levels over a very short space of time as well as her blood sugar levels, which seem to have shot up also. 

The doctors have decided that she needs to remain in hospital for a few more days, to make sure the temperature and blood sugar levels are reduced considerably before she can be allowed home. She was to be moved on to Ward 22 during the afternoon when a bed became vacant there.

Carol had an M.R.I. scan booked for 12 noon. When no porter arrived a before the time, we began to wonder whether she would be going for the scan or not, but by around 12.20 a porter did arrive and she was whisked out of the ward and a short distance along the corridor to the imaging department and around to wait outside the M.R.I. scanner room. I sat in the waiting area outside the doors which had warning signs to 'Not Enter. High risk of radiation.' The whole process took a little under 15 minutes. When the scanning was progressing, the doors automatically locked themselves and lights came on, rather in the manner of when they were filming for television and you got 'Red light and bell' before a 'take.' She soon reemerged and we returned to the ward.

There was a lot going on in Ward 1, during the morning. Lots of patients leaving and new ones arriving. It must be quite difficult for the staff, because they bring new patients in on their beds and there is little enough space to manoeuvre beds around, beds having to be taken out first before new ones can be bought in.

Finally, after a couple of days waiting, Carol was informed that she was going to be moved to Ward 22. We began clearing up her belongings, but we still weren't given an exact time. We just sat and waited, and waited. Bur eventually we were given the go-ahead and   a porter arriving on  the Ward1.

Ward 22 is where we had to go to get the pump removed at the end of one of Carol's chemotherapy cycles, so it was at least familiar to us. Compared with Ward 1, it differs in that the 'bays' are separated into male and female and each 'bay' has only four beds. As a result there's a good deal more room for each patient and each 'bay' has separate toilets and shower rooms. The first thing you notice is how quiet it is. Which makes a change from the constant noise on Ward 1, although, having said that, that ward was relatively quiet compared with some of the other wards we've been on. But on Ward 22 there isn't the constant coming and going of the patients being brought in and taken out. And the patients we came across seem eager to at least chat to you.

Saturday morning. It's started out sunny and bright. I'd decided a few days ago that Alfie needed a treat. He's been locked up in the house every day this week when I'v been to the hospital.  I wanted to take him for a walk before leaving the house. But with one thing and another I forget, but this morning I got myself organised and managed to get him on his lead. Even then he made a great deal of noise, barking and generally getting excited. We got out into the road outside the house and made for Eaglestone Park, where I let him off his lead and he bounded off, running like a little hare. I couldn't see any problems with his back leg which he has previously had a problem with, none of the holding it in the air or anything. Barking madly as usual. We did a complete circuit of the park but when we came down the Redway section near the shops I saw glass in the path. It might well have been as a result of an accident, but the way it looked, with a large and rather nasty larger piece of glass in the centre it looked like it had been put there deliberately to puncture some passing cyclist's tyres. I don't know what sort of idiot would brazenly set up this sort of thing, some mindless fool who should have known better. Even if you were to accidentally step on it with trainers, as I was wearing, it could cause a really nasty accident, with cuts to the soles of your feet, or if you fell on it, you'd need to go directly to the A and E department of the hospital. Also, all around the bench I was hoping to sit on and rest with Alfie during our walk, no end of litter, mostly drinks cans and cigarette butts. How disgusting are people? There is a great deal of litter around the park and it just shows that there is a certain element who live in this area who simply don't care about keeping things clean and tidy, regardless of the fact that there are no end of water bins to put there rubbish. A couple of squirrels running for cover as we walked on, but fortunately Alfie didn't notice them, otherwise he'd have run off in hot pursuit.

I've been up to the One Stop shop at Garraways in Coffee Hall. Just after 7 a.m. once they'd opened. I had to top-up electricity and gas. There's an A.T.M. machine outside so it's easy to check both bank accounts. A few extra bits bought, sandwiches and drink to take with me to the hospital ward which will mean I don't have to go to the shop at lunchtime. From Coffee Hall I drove to the Shell filling station in Grafton Street and put in £40-worth of diesel. One thing I can say about the Renault Captur, it's easy on fuel. The road has been resurfaced , which might explain all the  yellow diversion signs around the area. No road markings, but I suppose those sort of things put back at a later date. They are slowly managing to resurface most of the grid roads in and around Milton Keynes.

Two Hospital Appointments

Carol was due to have an appointment with the stoma nurse on Thursday morning at around 10.15. We arrived in good time, deciding to walk as the weather was fine. We got to out-patients in plenty of time and Carol signed in at one of the self-service screens. Well, the one that was actually working as sometimes they don't function. We were sent through to the correct area. You get assigned a place nearest where your appointment is booked. There were two staff members on the reception area and there were very few patients waiting. One man near us, filling in a form. Another man in the next area doing the same. Presumably you have to fill in these forms if you are a new patient. Why don't they send them out in the post, or via email (for those who have access to a computer of some sort.) so that you have the form filled in when you arrived at your appointment? They probably had, but it does seem far more logical if you arrived with the form already completed. Carol attempted to join in the conversation the two staff were having, but one of them, a really cross-looking of woman in her late 40's or early 50's totally ignored her. A lady came in with a child and needed some assistance, but this staff member was somewhat abrasive with her. Well, I thought so. Not exactly the sort of manner you expect from N.H.S. staff. Most are extremely polite and pleasant, but this woman was really rude.

Carol was eventually called in by the nurse. She knows us well, so it was quite an easy appointment. Afterwards we went to have coffee in Costa, which is in the new entrance area of the hospital. Nice to be able to relax after the appointment.

Before we left, Carol walked back towards the main area of the hospital through the long corridor and we ended up at the hairdressers. I've walked past on several occasions and noticed this. She managed to book a hair appointment for 3 o'clock this afternoon. It has been quite difficult to make such an appointment, when she has so many various hospital appointments, along with chemotherapy sessions.

We went back to the hospital for Carol's hair appointment. The lady who did the hair-trim was very efficient and the job was done very quickly. Carol had looked on-line to find a hair style that suited her and eventually found exactly what she wanted and we printed it out to take to the appointment. Unfortunately we didn't have the correct money to pay for the haircut, and they didn't have a chip-and-pin machine to pay and didn't have the cash on us, so I had to go to an A.T.M. machine. The machine at the hospital entrance was 'out of order,' and I realised that there was a machine near the restaurant which was a long walk through those endless corridors, but I managed to get the cash out and walk back to the hairdresser's salon. Done and paid.

On Friday Carol had a further appointment with one of the oncology consultants at the Macmillan Unit at Milton Keynes Hospital. It was another bright and fairly sunny day so it seemed a sensible idea to again walk, avoiding having to park the car.  We got to the Macmillan unit far too early. We saw the colorectal nurse we've seen on many occasions. Infact she was there at the time of Carol's original diagnosis but we haven't seen her that many times over the past year or so. Then we were called in to see the consultant. We had been told that things were going well, that the chemotherapy was successful, that the tumors were shrinking considerably. We had been told that Carol was to have two operations, one in Milton Keynes to deal with the lower bowel tumors and then she would go to Oxford for the liver operation and that some radiotherapy would be used. That was what we were expecting when we went to the Churchill in Oxford a few weeks ago. But when Carol mentioned all this on Friday she was told that they had never promised an use of an operation. We are beginning to get very conflicting responses from both Oxford and Milton Keynes. Carol was told that she needed to have a P.E.T. can in Oxford, and that they had attempted to ring her during the week but couldn't get through, hence the cancer coordinator who rang the other day. She had been told that Oxford wanted the scan done before her next Chemotherapy cycle (which will be the final, twelfth, one, starting this Tuesday.) before they can go ahead with the liver operation. But then the consultant in Milton Keynes said he knew nothing about this. We are going to Oxford on Monday, having got the scan appointment there at about 3.30 in the afternoon. (On Monday morning Carol has to go to the Milton Keynes oncology department as usual to have another blood test to check that she can continue with chemotherapy on Tuesday.) So you can see why we are so confused as to what is actually going on and what the next stage of treatment will be. I would say that both sides need to sort out any communication issues which is what is causing all the confusion. We spoke to a nurse who has now gone out of her way to attempt to find out what is going on and we will have a meeting with the lead consultant who will be able to rectify any confusion which should put our minds at rest. Unfortunately after the consultant's meeting on Friday, we left feeling somewhat negative about things, which didn't exactly help matters.
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Alfie Has A Haircut

We've been looking for a dog groomer for Alfie. It's not the simplest of things finding someone who can do the job. I kept ringing numbers found through the internet. Most seem to be fully booked well into the summer months. It would have been easier to get a mobile groomer as it would mean less stress for him. We had someone do this a few years ago, but Poppy was very difficult to get groomed as she didn't like being handled, particularly her paws. It got to the stage where her nails got really bad. Alfie, on the other hand, seems to relish being pampered and made a fuss of. We took them to the Grooming Room which is within Pets At Home, there being two branches within easy reach, one at Bletchley and the other at Rooksley. I attempted to book Alfie in at the Bletchley branch but they were over-subscribed. Anyway, his coat was beginning to look very untidy, his claws needed trimming as they were getting caught in various bits of clothing and bedding and the build-up of black mess under his eyes was looking really horrible and was getting really serious. Anyway, I eventually found someone who who do the job, booked about a month in advance. The lady in question was put in the diary for 2 o'clock today.

We went to Waitrose to do a bit of shopping earlier in the morning. We went to Newport Pagnall because Carol's mum and dad are coming up from Bournemouth and staying in a hotel in Tickford Street. Carol wanted to drive over to find it. We went down Chaffron Way and then cut across towards Monks Way. There were signs up at the Eaglestone end that the road was going to be closed off for resurfacing work (well, I assumed it was resurfacing, as they are doing most of the Milton Keynes grid roads.) On the way back we found we couldn't get into Oakgrove, where Waitrose is located, as the Chaffron Way section was closed off for the resurfacing. We managed to get in via Brickhill Street. On arrival at the Waitrose carpark, the place was virtually empty, likewise the actual store. I imagine they will be loosing a lot of custom due to the roadworks. But it meant we got what we wanted in the store a good deal faster than we normally would. I also took out cash to pay the groomer lady from the Metro Bank A.T.M. near Waitrose.

We got home and unpacked the shopping in the kitchen and then I did some washing up. As I stood at the sink, the telephone rang. It was the groomer lady. Would it alright if she came earlier? I said, fine. She would be with us in around 45 minutes, making it about 11.45.  Carol had Alfie on his lead, and had intended taking him out for a walk, but he gets so stressed out whenever he realises he's going out for a walk, that it wasn't going to happen because the groomer lady knocked on the door and we handed over Alfie to be sorted.

So, about 90 minutes later, another knock on the door, the sound of a very distinctive bark, and Alfie is handed back over, shorn, looking very different. None of his curly coat left, we can see his eyes, so he can see where he's going and the horrible mess on his face- gone- but the skin underneath looking very red and raw. He looked somewhat shocked, his ears laid back on his head. But he does look better and far neater. Really worth the wait and effort expended. We'll have to make sure that he doesn't get into such a bad state before he has his nest haircut.

Out-Patient Appointment

Carol was scheduled to have an out-patients appointment with the stoma nurse at 11 o'clock this morning. Having arrived at the multi-storey carpark it took some time to find a space. A queue of cars winding through the different levels, some cars stationary on the ramp up to the first floor. It was as well we arrived when we did. We eventually found a space and then walked across to the entrance building. We spent some time in Costa coffee, having vanilla lattes and some rather good cakes. As I queued at the counter, I was really shocked to read a notice aimed at customers. It said that any behaviour towards staff would not be tolerated. It seems appalling that staff in any capacity should be treated badly by customers. Similar notices are up around the hospital which say that none of the staff will tolerate aggression of any sort and if patients or those related to them are aggressive or violent to staff then the police will be called and those who ill-treat staff or damage N.H.S. property will be prosecuted. Sad to think that things have got to that situation.  We then walked through to the out-patients' department.

A really helpful receptionist showed us where we had to wait and even bleeped the stoma nurse to say we had arrived. I call that above and beyond the call of duty, more than can be said of the receptionists at Ashfield Medical Centre. Other patients coming and going, as usual. People reluctant to make eye-contact with anyone. Fiddling with mobile phones. One woman looking as if she had a plumb in her mouth, trying to get her to crack her face a complete impossibility. A load of ancient magazines to read. None actually of any interest or of some sort of intellectual content. Is it asking much to have something decent to read? Please, not Hello or O.K. or other celebrity rubbish!

Having completed her appointment, Carol appeared and we left the out-patients department. On the way out, Carol said she fancied a sausage roll for lunch. We wandered into the Little Fresh shop in the entrance building. But the hot food unit was totally empty. We bought some milkshakes, the one's I used to buy Carol when she was in ward 20 before Christmas and called Moo Milk. We then went into the Friends shop, which is back in the out-patients department and somewhat invisible to most people. You would never know it was there unless you had been told. Having searched the shelves for sausage rolls and finding none, we asked at the counter and the lady on the till said they could provide warm sausage rolls. But when we came to pay with our debit card, we were told that the sale had to be £5 or more. So we made our sale up with biscuits, sweets and other bits and pieces. Then I saw a poster on the wall saying that this shop was closing at the end of March. Their profits had gone down, not making it worth continuing, mostly due to the Little Fresh shop which has taken the custom away. It seems such a shame because the Friends shops in Milton Keynes Hospital are run by volunteers and the profits go to the hospital. No doubt Little Fresh profits go to some private company, similar to the profits from hospital parking.

So, we had a bundle of items to carry with us, hot sausage rolls amongst our shopping. We had to pay for our parking. The ticket machine inside the hospital entrance wouldn't take debit cards, only change, so we went to the near-by A.T.M. to withdraw £20. Two £10 notes so we had to go back into the Little Fresh shop and buy something so as to have change for the carpark ticket machine. From there we walked over to the multi-storey car park. I put the parking ticket into the machine, having queued up as there were several other people before me. I paid £3.50 and then went up to the car on the first floor. On driving out we then discovered that the barrier was up and we didn't need to use the ticket, so, to make things even more annoying, we'd wasted £3.50 for nothing, so you have some idea how frustrating it had been to get to this point. So, can we expect a refund? I doubt it. I just want to know why, if these carpark barriers are raised, allowing you to leave without needing to put your ticket in the machine, they can't put notices on the payment machine to let innocent motorists know that they don't have to pay. Just making money for some individual somewhere. All of this just adding to unnecessary stress and annoyance for all concerned.

When we got back home and were parked on the front drive (if it's really a drive. I don't know how else to describe it. More likely it's a 'dedicated parking space'.) Carol said she could see a red kite flying over the house. It's somewhat remarkable to think these fantastic birds are living around Milton Keynes. Our only worry is that they might scare off the different species of birds which visit the bird feeding station in our garden. As we sat and ate lunch we could see quite a variety of little birds coming to the feeding station. I don't know what became of the red kite, which are seen on the road out towards Aylesbury and at West Wycombe.

The sun has been out most of the morning. As a result it's quite warm. We've actually managed to turn the central heating down. With the sun out, the lounge is now pleasantly cosy. Let's just hope things stay that way, although on the BBC Breakfast weather forecast this morning they were saying we could expect snow. I'm not sure if it's for this area. I hope not, as we don't want to have a repetition of last week's events.

Wednesday is supposed to be bin-day. So, why did I make a lot of effort yesterday morning, as I usually do, to sort out the recycling into a pink sack, and tie up the black rubbish bag in the bin in the kitchen and haul out the already full and tied-up black bag of rubbish and place it  all at the front of the house at around 6.30 a.m. yesterday, to have it all (hopefully) taken away by the Council binmen sometime during the day?  It's supposed to be out by 7 a.m., but it's very rarely taken much before midday. When we came back from the hospital appointment yesterday evening, around 6.45, and drove back into Eaglestone along Golden Drive, were there many black and pink rubbish bags all over the road, some in the road and difficult to avoid, and all along the side of the road? Why were they still there? It wasn't a bank holiday, which meant the rubbish collection being delayed by one day, usually a Thursday? What is the reason for this delay? Surely not the recent snow. If it was snowing, I can excuse the delay, but it has all gone now. Not a trace left. Then, mid-morning, the sound of a Council dustcart being driven along the road in front of our house. But it doesn't stop to collect the rubbish, as expected. By the time we get back from this morning's hospital appointment, all the rubbish bags had gone. No doubt the Council were obeying some Health and Safety regulation regarding workmen in the snow (or lack of it.) I can think of no other reason for the delay in collecting the rubbish. Does it matter? I think not.

Carol's Birthday and M.R.I. Scan

Today is Carol's birthday. Unfortunately she has her scan at 6.30 this evening. She can't eat anything after three hours before, so it will make things difficult as regards our evening meal. It won't matter one bit to me, of course. We're likely to get back around 7.30, depending, of course on if the scanning department is running to schedule. We were determined to go out somewhere at lunchtime, so we had to think of a place to eat, have coffee, had easy parking and didn't require too much walking. So we chose to go to Marks and Spencers at MK Stadium. It's not too far away and is relatively easy to get to. On arrival there was a fairly long queue and we couldn't avoid the fantastic selection of cakes on display. Who couldn't resist cake? We chose a piece of chocolate fudge cake and a piece of carrot cake. Also, sandwiches from a display unit.  A female member of staff came along the queue asking people what hot drinks they wanted. When I was about to say, she walked away! So what was the point of this exercise? As this was Marks and Spencer, I was surprised by the rather odd bit of customer care (or lack of.) Carol went to sit at a table whilst I got the order (eventually taken by the man on the till) and I had to gingerly walk over to the table with the tray of things, attempting to not spill the coffees (I ordered mediums, but the size of the cups were more like large. No complaints though.) The café was extremely busy. Mostly retired people (or I imagine so) and families with children. No doubt grandparents looking after grandchildren. One little girl sitting at the table next to us, probably no more than 3, very capable of opening one of those drinks that come with a straw. They can be difficult for me to open, to remove the straw from the side of the cardboard packaging and remove plastic wrapping and then straighten out the straw (why do they have to bend them in the first place?) but her grandad had to help her put the straw in the hole in the top of the packaging.

Our cake was pleasant. Along with the sandwiches, although somewhat over-priced. Never mind, it was a birthday outing, so the cost didn't matter.

I had intended buying some flowers for Carol. We went into the food section of Marks and Spencers on the way out of the store. She likes daffodils and tulips. They had some daffs near the tills, but they looked a bit bedraggled. No use buying flowers that are too well advanced, opened. They need to have closed buds, allowing for  few days for them to open. We selected a few items to eat later and then, when we got to the till there were several buckets of tulips, so I selected the least advanced bunch and paid.

We had to buy top-up for our electricity meter. So we drove to Garroways to go to the One Stop shop. I went to the till, and, having waited for a customer to be served ahead of me, was told that they would only take cash so I couldn't use my debit card to pay. So I had to go outside to use the A.T.M., and by the time I went back inside the shop there was a queue of several people. I must remember that they will only accept cash next time I have to top up our electricity meter.

We were due at the hospital for 6.30 this evening.  Fortunately we knew precisely where we had to go. One of the advantages of now knowing our way around the hospital site. The carpark had plenty of vacant spaces and the barrier was up so we drove in and out without the need for a ticket or to have to pay on exit. We got to the M.R.I. department  in plenty of time. I'm glad we did, as Carol was soon called in to be prepped for the scan. A good 15-20 minutes before the scheduled time. I had to sit in the waiting area. I suppose the scan took around 20 minutes. You can hear a computerised voice say 'you can breath properly now' or something, which indicated that it was over. Carol was bought out, not looking 100%. She had to be helped by a member of staff and the nurse went off to get a drink of water for her. Carol sat next to me for a while and then another member of staff came to clean up the cannula she has in her arm for the chemotherapy.  This was soon dealt with and we were soon walking back to the carpark and driving home. We should get the results of the scan on Monday when Carol goes to the oncology department for the beginning of the seventh chemotherapy cycle.

Hospicom: Poor Quality Hospital TV

Here we go again. After all the problems of attempting to get credit so that Carol could have the hospital television service in her ward, I have had a very frustrating time this afternoon trying to get her card topped up so she can watch television. I had taken a £10 note out of the A.T.M. in the foyer area as you walk in through the main hospital entrance. As Carol was asleep when I arrived on the ward, I thought it worth my while topping up the card for her as it was down to about £2 (it costs £5 per day)and it was likely to expire around 9 p.m. Would I find a vending machine that A) was actually operational B) took my £10 note and C) actually credited the money to the card. The first machine, just along the corridor from Ward 20, would not take the £10 note. It merely spat it out in what I can only describe as a fit of temper. I tried it the other way round, in fact, I tried it in as many permutations as I could think, but still it would not take it. I did wonder whether it might be because I was using the new version of £10. I wasn't going to be defeated by a machine and was determined to get this card topped up and then went to the next machine which I knew was in the corridor  on the floor below. But this machine was working but it wouldn't accept the £10 note. I was beginning by now to feel somewhat annoyed, as you can imagine and had to walk back towards the main entrance, a good long way along more corridors (why is it that there are so many corridors at Milton Keynes Hospital? It has to be one of the most appallingly poorly designed place, no sensible person would have it spread out over such a large area. Why on earth didn't they merely build a couple of multi-storey blocks and use the space better with fewer corridors and make those visiting a good deal easier and simplify the place) The next vending machine I came to was exactly the same as the other two but this time I came across a man who was attempting to do exactly as I was. His mother was in the hospital having had a stroke, He had put his card into the machine but it hadn't returned it to him complete with £10 of credit on it. It was by now that I decided that I would have to find somewhere to give me change for the note and give me ten one-pound pieces and so feed these individually into one of the working machines. Having walked all the way back to the main entrance I first tried the Costa branch which is one of three units selling food, drink, newspapers and other items. But, no, Costa couldn't change the note for me. Next I went into Subway, again, no joy and finally, the grocery/newsagents, called Little Fresh. But no change there either. I was beginning to get a bit annoyed, as you can imagine. I then went to the reception desk. Then the man who had lost his card in one of the vending machines turned up and we both either wanted cash or at least a telephone number to ring which would get us through to someone who had responsibility for these machines. The helpline which Hospicom had wasn't in the least bit helpful. We discovered it was just an answering service and it looked as if they wouldn't respond as it was the weekend. Nobody on the hospital site was able to help us with our problem. The receptionist on the front desk contacted the security manager as apparently he had the keys to the vending machines (although why on earth he would be responsible for these wretched machines.) It was actually the Site Manager who should have been able to deal with this matter, but being a weekend there was no one available to solve the problem. After some considerable time the security manager arrived and it turned out he was standing in for the actual person and didn't seem able to deal with the situation until pushed by the gentleman who had his card swallowed by the vending machine. The security man was able to put an 'out of order' sign on the offending machine and I think he gave the man a fully charged card to replace the lost card, which solved that problem.

One of the reception staff went to the Little Fresh shop to attempt to get me £10 of change from the note, with little success. I eventually went and the man on the counter took coins out of the float tin they had which solved the problem for me and I was able to top up the card at the vending machine on the lower floor I'd attempted to use earlier. The whole situation had taken well over an hour and had been very frustrating and annoying but it did at least have a resolution, thankfully.

Frustrating Hospicom Television Service

Carol is stuck in hospital, as you will be aware, and as a result she is finding it increasingly more and more boring as the days go by. I am perfectly aware that you are there to be made better, but it seems really unfair that you are not allowed to have access to television, even if it's to alleviate the boredom. I remember when I was in hospital there was a television on the ward even if it had the basic channels, which today it would be Freeview, which requires no subscription. But in Milton Keynes Hospital they have what is called Hospicom, which is fed into the wards via a unit which is on a wall-mounted device which you can pull down so that you can view from the comfort of your bed. This unit also includes a telephone, no doubt a bit defunct today when everyone has their own personal mobile phone.

This service is not free to use. So what's new? In order to use the system you need to purchase a card from one of the cash machines which are dotted around the corridors of the hospital. Carol wanted to watch something this afternoon and she loves The Chase which is a gameshow on ITV in the afternoon. So I went out of the ward in an attempt to find one of the cash machines and so get a card to operate this television system. I walked some considerable distance and found a machine and then found it would only take cash, either coins or notes. I had no cash of any description in my wallet so had to walk all the way back to the hospital entrance where there was an A.T.M. machine. Having walked all the way to this machine I had to return to the machine nearest to the ward where Carol is a patient. I then put one of the £10 notes into the machine, but it was rejected. I tried it several more times as I thought perhaps it had to be inserted in a different way. But how many different variations are there with regards inserting a £10 note into such a device? Perhaps not many. It then occurred to me that perhaps the machine didn't take the new £10 notes. I tried a £5 note, but again no job. I was getting somewhat frustrated and found another machine, but this would not accept the notes. I asked a member of staff where there might be a working machine and was directed to one on the lower floor, but this one turned out to be 'out of order.' So I gave up trying and returned to Carol on Ward 20, but why on earth are these machines out of order or why do they not accept the new £10 notes? They should be up-dated to take the new notes.

I don't usually add more to a blog once it's published, but for once I'll make an exception. Carol's friend Pauline visited again last night and she managed to get a card for the Hospicom system for Carol. When I came in on Thursday morning I had enough in £1 coins to be able to top up the card so Carol could watch television. It apparently costs £5 a day, so I walked to the nearest vending machine which was along the corridor from Ward 20. It was a real effort to insert each coins separately and thus manage to top up the card to £10. But on completing the transaction (SO long-winded. You couldn't put all the coins in at once, only one at a time.) At the end the digital read-out told me there was £6 on the card, which made me wonder there the lost £4 had gone. Very odd. On returning to the ward I went into the side room where Carol is and told her and one of the nurses told me a representative from Hospicom was in the ward, so I told her and she managed to ring the company base and the remaining £4 was duly added to the total on the card. so things were rectified and all were happy, but what a palaver and bother! Why is this thing so complicated? Why can't you pay using a debit or credit card, similar to one of the options when you pay for parking or other similar transactions? Why do you have to put the coins in one by one and not all together? No rhyme or reason.

Pouring Rain and Hospital Parking

I woke up last night to hear absolutely torrential rain outside. It seemed to go on for ever. I imagine there'll be flash-flooding. No doubt the road coming round the Four Bridges roundabout near Eaglestone will be flooded. Well, with Carol still in hospital, there's absolutely no chance of us getting out and about as we had planned. I think they are getting to the reason for her health-problems at last. I'm going to see her at 10 o'clock this morning and I'm hoping the doctors will be able to tell us what's going on and how they can sort things out.

I'm appalled by the cost of hospital parking. When we first went the other morning, early, we went in the car and at Milton Keynes Hospital you have to go into the carpark and take a ticket from the machine. When you leave, you have to use the ticket machine across the road. You put your ticket in and you're told how much the charge is. You can use coins or notes (but the machine won't take 5p pieces) and can use your credit or debit card to pay. Trouble is, you can barely read the digital display. It's very faint and rather like some older A.T.M. machines which have displays that are unclear, particularly when the sun shines on them. Also, the screen is very low and not at a height that makes it easy for someone as tall as myself. I was shocked that I was charged £4.50 that first day, even though I'd been at the hospital since well before 6 a.m. Yesterday it was £3.50, and I was only there barely two hours. Considering you don't really want to be at the hospital, it seems a bit of a liberty to charge for parking. It just seems to be just another way to make money. I realise that the carpark needs maintaining, but why does it have to be paid for from car parking? There's even a branch of Costa coffee in the new reception area of the hospital. I suppose it's a good idea and great to have such a facility at a hospital, but I begin to wonder whether it's just another money-making scheme. I presume that Costa pays rent for the site and the hospital takes  some of the profits. Having been to Addenbrook's Hospital in Cambridge, I've seen the mini shopping centre in their reception, with a W.H.Smith and other high street shops.

I don't know whether people who don't know about the parking arrangements at Milton Keynes Hospital that you need change to use the machine or whether you can use your card to pay, but it's a good idea to have enough change to allow you to pay, otherwise if you don't, you'll be stuck in the carpark as you need to put the ticket you got when you entered to get out as there is a barrier at the exit which will only rise once you put the ticket in the machine. You won't be able to get change from anywhere in the hospital and even if you go to reception you won't be able to get change.

Another annoying factor is that they're currently upgrading the hospital. The former reception has moved around to be opposite the multi-storey carpark and it's quite a long walk there from the ground-level carpark. Also, if you're new to the hospital, it's not entirely clear where you have to go as signage is a bit vague or if there is any, it's not exactly prominent.

Eerie Birds, Building Sheds and Banks

I had to go into the main Milton Keynes shopping centre this morning. I was going to NatWest to close down some direct debits we had for things we no longer needed. It's always a good idea to review such things in an attempt to save some cash. I had parked the car near The Point and as I walked towards the shopping centre I could not help but notice a large amount of big black crows sitting in the trees. I'm not one to take notice of omens, but it was similar to the famous Hitchcock film 'The Birds.' I suppose they are used in film to present something ominous about to happen and are a bit of a cliché in that respect, but for all that they are rather scary.

I was far to early to get into Nationwide building society and I had to sit outside as the shutters were down. A good excuse to check my emails on my new iPhone. I wasn't in there too long and sorted out some direct debits on that account and then had to cross the road to visit the NatWest bank which is under the Milton Keynes Council offices. Unfortunately they weren't due to open until 10.00, so I had to go away and waste a good 20 minutes in the shopping centre. A lot of new work going on in the centre, it's being up-graded with new entrances and given a real smart look. I suppose it must be a good 40 years old and was certainly beginning to look it's age. 

The toilets ar being up-graded. Not such a bad thing I suppose. Then I walked back to the NatWest and found them open, but I then had to queue up for a good 10 minutes. The door squeaked horribly and it was annoying as I stood and waited. You'd think they could get an oil can out and give it a squirt, just to stop the irritating noise, but never mind. The place is gradually being taken over by automation. You can take money out via 'hole-in-the-wall- machines, or A.T.M.'s, but you can also pay money in, cheques as well as notes. So the job of tellers must be on the line. I suppose it gives you an alternative to standing in line to pay in by the traditional method, and they aren't that difficult to use. They can even give a receipt, a copy of a cheque if you pay in that way. Both my banks have them now. How on earth they manage to read the cheque without you having to key in the amount is beyond me. Just goes to show how clever technology is becoming.

Our dearly-beloved neighbour is making hammering noises once again. Over the last weekend we had to contend with him working on his new shed. Well, I call it 'new' in the sense that it's new to the garden next door, but from viewing it from our bedroom window and slight glimpses when I've looked over the fence, it looks ancient. I can't for the life of me think where he got it. Someone else no doubt wanted to be rid of it and he took it off them. Then I'm wondering, how on earth did he get it here? Was it taken apart and then re-assembled in next door's garden? That can be the only answer, but we never saw any of this work. But now he's nailing wood all over the thing as the edge of the roof was somewhat rotten, or at least that's how it looked to me. The whole of their garden looks for all the world like a building site, with bricks, wood and other material stacked up all over the place. No doubt Shelley (Gary's wife) got sick to death of all his tools and bits and pieces and told him he needed a shed to store it all. Which is my only suggestion. Unfortunately it is us who have to contend with the hammering and other extraneous noises as he builds the confounded thing.

Wild, Wet and Windy Wednesday

Carol is on Half-Term from the Academy this week. We had planned to have a day out in London and had spent quite a lot of time researching where we wanted to go when we got there. We would have gone by train and booked via the internet, but when the day broke it was a very wet and wild morning that greeted us as we peered out of the bedroom window. We had seen trailers for the Disney animated film 'Zootopia' and being Disney fans Carol went on-line and found that there was a showing at 10.50 a.m. at the new Odeon  cinema complex at the MK Stadium which we had yet to visit. We drove towards the stadium and parked nearby. It was reasonably early and the car park was filling up fast, surprisingly. I suppose the reason being that it was Half Term and parents were taking their children out. We entered the Odeon complex which is in the centre of the newest parade of businesses within the Milton Keynes stadium complex. This is a bright and breezy building with all modern conveniences within. We were able to book our tickets on a sort of A.T.M. and as a result, we got the tickets printed out immediately. We could have booked on-line in the same way we had booked our rail tickets a couple of months ago when we went to Southampton to visit Carol's mum and dad. We had some time to spare before the film began and had coffee and pastries in the branch of Costa which is in the cinema complex. We went into the cinema auditorium, number 8, around ten minutes before the programme was due to start. We had booked Premium seats, which meant we had far more leg-room to sit, which suited me because I'm 6ft 2in tall and usually, whenever we go to the cinema, which is rare, or the theatre, which is far more frequent, there is barely enough leg-room. Milton Keynes Theatre has very little leg room in any of the areas of their auditorium and it is annoying in a modern theatre that you can't sit without having to stand up to let other people through. This wasn't the case in this new cinema. The sound quality when the film began was excellent (7.1 Dolby sound I believe) and a pin-sharp image. The film was good, but quite honestly it was far too long and they could have trimmed around 20 minutes off the running time. It couldn't decide what sort of audience it was aimed at. If it was mainly for children a lot of the gags would have gone over the children's head, frankly. But considering the number of times we've been to the cinema over the last few years it didn't matter as it was good to have some quality time together. The last film we saw was "Les Miserables" and that was 2012. We then went to T.G.I. Friday's which was a few doors along from the Odeon cinema and had a meal.

Repaired Fence and Leaking Washing Machine

We are supposed to be having the fence repaired today at long  last. Well, we found someone through the internet who could do the work for us. As I write this at 8.50 there is no sign of the man. We have even been to the A.T.M. to take out the cash to pay for it. So, when is he going to appear? I wait with baited breath, because, if you've followed this blog for any length of time, you will know that this matter has been a cause for some sort of concern for quite a while. Even when we were with Smartmove, the rental agency, someone had come to have a look at the fence with a view to having it all repaired. That was a good FIVE YEARS ago, and the state of the fence is, well, words fail me. I have even been out with the new Canon digital camera and taken some photographs so we can have 'before and after' shots when the work is completed. If it's completed, because I was expecting the workman to be here by now. At least by 9 o'clock.

Then there's the other problem. I did two loads of washing on Monday, and after the second load, I discovered some water on the floor near the machine. In the slot where the recycling bin and rubbish bin stands. I have a sneaking suspicion that it's coming from the outflow pipe because it has a really poor connection with the pipe which takes the waste water from the sink and the washing machine. It looks like a really botched, amateurish job, no doubt done by our landlord who has to get the cheapest job on this sort of thing. Which means that it will cause the sort of problem I have already described. Just to save a couple of pounds. So, I have someone coming later in the morning, again, found through the internet. Never mind. These things are sent to cause us the most problems. Just have to sort it out even though it is the landlord's job to get it fixed. If I had rung him, it would be days before it was done and we need to use the washing machine again soon.

It's now 9.03 and still no sign of the fence man. Is he going to turn up? Keep reading to find out. The excitement is too much.

I have put the dogs in our bedroom because I don't want a repeat of what happened when the workmen came to replace the boiler and Alfie got out. He was easy to get into the room upstairs, but Poppy, being her usual stubborn self, refused to comply. I had to pick her up and carry her. But least they are in there and safe until the work is done. That is if it is done. I do hope so.

The workmen arrived a few minutes later. Three of them. As I write this they are carrying fence panels around to the rear of he house.

It turns out that they also do plumbing and one of the men has been looking at the plumbing behind the sink and the washing machine and what he has said about it is worrying, to say the least. The piping needs replacing. Another botched job in order to save a few pounds. It must be done, so I will have to get them to come back at a later date. It isn't actually the washing machine which is leaking. It's because there is a back-up of water and muck caught in the pipes because there is insufficient fall to allow the water to drain away as it should.

I have had another plumber come and look at the leaking pipe, as contacted earlier this morning. He had a look and now tells me it should be dealt with by the company who installed the new boiler. So I have rung them and they should come and look at the problem and should repair it for nothing as it's their fault there is a leak. I'm somewhat annoyed that the joint (where the boiler is plumbed into the outflow pipe) is so poorly finished hence the leak.

Some time later. The gas boiler fitter came out and looked at the leaking problem and then said that the pipe is most likely blocked. I'm not surprised, looking at the weird arrangement of plumbing. It needs to be unblocked. It is the pressure of any water building up inside, and particularly when the washing machine is emptying, which is putting a strain on the joint which is where the leak is coming from. So it looks as if I'll have to ring our landlord and get him to find a plumber himself to sort this thing out. I only know that he's going to get a cheap job just to save money, but without the thing fixed we can't use the washing machine which is really out of the question.

Now that the fence is restored to some sort of normality, we're intrigued by Alfie's reaction to it. He went out as soon as the workmen had left and he had to go out and see what all the fuss and commotion was about. He had been in the bedroom with Poppy but couldn't see anybody but could obviously hear. He stood and looked at the fence and seemed to be saying 'What's that thing? It wasn't there yesterday. I seem to remember I could see things through there.' Very comical, to say the least. And he keeps on going out and staring at it. A Very sharp little dog is Alfie.

Writing and Raining

The day began wet and over-cast. I could hear the rain rattling on the windows in the night. There is a fresh water-feature just outside the patio doors from the kitchen when I let the dogs out earlier ( meaning a puddle, which I didn't want either dog to get in and create paw-print all over the kitchen floor.)  and quite a torrent rushing down the road outside the house at the front, as seen from the window when I was washing up at the sink.

I've been doing quite a bit of writing this morning, as well as sorting out some of my earlier writing. I have been putting most of it into a ring-binder, but I had to buy a second one because the first was chocker-block full. I had to number the pages and use different coloured pens to make sure they don't get muddled up. I have got stuff in my pad of paper which I had forgotten I'd written and I'm quite pleased how it reads and will have to use for future stories.

I put a cheque in our bank account last week. I took it into the NatWest branch in the centre of Milton Keynes. How come it used to take no more than three working days for a cheque to clear? I have been to an A.T.M. to check to see whether the cash had cleared, and it still hasn't. I can't see why it takes longer for a cheque to clear, rather than shorter. Surely, with modern technology, computers and so on, it would take less time. What's the excuse? We rarely get cheques, and most things are paid through B.A.C.S., so any payment goes directly into our bank account, so it seems quite strange for it to take such a long time. Admittedly, there was a weekend in the middle, but that's still no reason for it to take so long to clear.