Working Technology!!

Monday. 8.40 a.m. Yet another mild and sunny, although not particularly warm, day. Dare I say 'springlike'? Probably tempting providence if I say that. Alfie and I were out well before 7 o'clock. He had to be woken up, as he was fast asleep in his bed.

I have printed off the first twenty pages of my writing project. I'm not sure whether to call it a novel. It was never really intended to be a 'novel' in the strictest sense. I think it should be issued in 'episodes' or 'instalments' which is how many novels were published in the 19th century, most notably Dickens'. I will now edit and modify what I have written and, having begun some research, be able to continue what I have been working on gradually over the last couple of years.

The Canon printer is working well! After all the issues I had with the HP printer, it's great to have a printer which does what it's supposed to do. The Wi-Fi connection works exceptionally well, meaning I can be in the lounge with the MacBook and the printer, which is in my bedroom, basically, because there's no space in the lounge for the printer, which is set up on the unit I got from Amazon. Definitely a good buy, having wheels and space underneath to store paper and other supplies. The printer will print on both sides of the paper, which is good, as it saves on paper. It's fascinating watching it work. When a page is printing, and it gets to the end of one side, the printer stops for a second or two, presumably to give the ink a chance to dry, and then the sheet is drawn back inside the printer so that the second side can be printed. The HP printer wouldn't do this. Considering all the problems I have had with the various printers I've owned, it's great to have at last got one who actually WORKS!

10.30 a.m. I've been to Sainsbury's, and at last done the shopping (or I should say, the rest of my list. I could only manage to carry one bag of shopping back home after my trip on Saturday, due to having to walk when I'd had problems with the power steering. See the last blog post for more details. I bought daffodils. It's approaching Carol's birthday. It's 7th March, and she would have been 59. So, in memory of my lovely lady, I have cut daffodils, which are replaced in the vase I have. The current bunch is at a very early stage, so they will gradually open as the days pass.

Tuesday. 7.15 a.m. I've only just got back from going out with Alfie. It's another fine morning. I've done all the washing-up and the kitchen is tidy. I've also done my pack-up to take with me to Camphill. This is why I went to Sainsbury's yesterday. I have pork pie because I have got tired of boring sandwiches. 

5.40 p.m. I had almost forgotten that today was Shrove Tuesday, better known as Pancake Day. Arriving at Camphill, I soon discovered that things weren't going to be the normal sort of format for the day. As it was Pancake Day, the theatre workshop team were going to have an outing to Campbell Park, as there was scheduled to be a pancake race event, with one of the leaders of the group running to represent Camphill. Some people were going to walk, whilst some were to be ferried to the site via minibus, some were going in Terrie's vehicle and I was going on my own and wouldn't be able to take anyone, because my car isn't insured for such work, only having private insurance. All this wasn't going to kick into action until after tea break.

Terrie had a meeting with me. She told me that, because the theatre group was growing, with quite a few people coming from outside the Camphill Community in Milton Keynes, the ratio of clients to staff was being eroded. She told me that she and Julia had been discussing the need for there to be another member of staff in the theatre and that she would like me to have more of a role in the group, which would probably mean me leading some of the sessions, because, with so many in the theatre group, it might eventually be possible to run separate teams within the workshop. I am now going to consider how I could see my role, but still remain a volunteer. This really makes me so pleased as I want to be able to give as much as I can to the theatre workshop.

Around 11.20, I drove off to Campbell Park, not knowing exactly where I was going to park. I remember going to a history festival there in 2019 (which is how I made contact with various groups, such as the Bucks Archaeology Society and Milton Keynes Heritage Association.) I couldn't remember whether I had parked nearer the park (where the pancake race was to be held.) and then realised, during my drive, that I had parked nearer the shopping centre, probably near the Xcape. At which point I decided that I would need cash to pay to park and then drove back to Dexter House to collect my wallet.

Having done the journey back to Dexter House and then return to park near Xcape, I walked over to Campbell Park and, as I crossed the road, I could see in the distance the encampment which had been set u for the pancake race. As I got closer, I saw the Camphill stand, with staff selling food and some of them cooking pancakes. There were several heats of pancake races, run as relays, one of which was a Camphill team of staff and one member was Mitchell, who works in the theatre workshop. There was also a special race for those with disabilities, in particular, Camphill and something called Snap (Special Needs Advancement Project) which is a day-services organization. Some of the Camphill residents go there. It was one of the organizations I had considered volunteering at before I discovered Camphill and the theatre workshop. This race was run with the circuit broken into quarters and each team only running each quarter. I'm not sure, but I think Snap won. 

The group who had walked from Camphill arrived long before Terrie arrived, no doubt because she had to park her vehicle and then walk over from near the shopping centre as I had done.

There was plenty to eat, as well as drink. I got a free pancake from the Camphill stall as well as a latte which I paid for at a nearby coffee stall. I think I recognize this mobile coffee van, possibly from the Bucks agricultural show from several years ago.

After all the races were won and prizes distributed, the event was over, so I walked back to my car and drove back to Milton Keynes. On arrival, I discovered that the car park was full, so I had to park in an area outside the Camphill campus I sat in the car and ate my pack-up, which I had put in the car well before leaving Camphill earlier in the morning.

After lunch, we watched a couple of silent films on YouTube, although it was projected onto the cinema screen in the Chrysalis Theatre. There was a bit of a problem getting the laptop to connect to the internet, but it eventually worked. One was a very early French film, made in around 1903 called 'From The Earth To The Moon.' Probably the first science fiction film. The second one was from around 1922, based loosely on Lewis Carroll's 'Alice in Wonderland', and utilized all sorts of visual effects, both films were restored (as far as it was possible.) by the British Film Institute.

After a short tea break, everyone went outside into the forecourt area of Camphill, because there were to be some further pancake races. I think my last visit to Camphill, before the pandemic lockdowns in 2020, was coincidental with pancake day, and I  have seen video footage of it on Vimeo.

Jam Yesterday, Jam Tomorrow, But Never Jam Today

 The title for this blog post, that is, if you weren't aware, is from the Lewis Carroll book, 'Through The Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There.' It seemed somewhat appropriate for the current 'Partygate' situation. But more likely in Boris Johnson's case, 'Cake yesterday, cake tomorrow, but never cake today.' Just thinking about the absurdity of so-called 'Partygate' makes me think of Alice in Wonderland,  and the craziness of the world created by Lewis Carroll. Perhaps a never-ending tea party, with the Mad Hatter (definitely Boris Johnson.) in charge, with the March Hare and Dormouse in attendance. They kept moving around the table, and the Mad Hatter screaming at Alice 'No room! No room!' when there obviously was plenty of room.  The idea of making a promise, in this case, jam, or any sort of promise made by a politician, which is just hot air and they know full well that it can't be kept, in the case of Mr Johnson, how he will deal with Brexit and the aftermath. Remember the infamous bus with the slogan emblazoned on its side 'We send £350 million to the EU every week' which he must have known wasn't accurate. Then there's 'Levelling Up.' The less said about that the better. But who remembers the dying days of the John Major administration in the late 1990s? The so-called 'Back to basics' campaign, went belly-up when several of his ministers were found to be not quite as morally clean as they should have been. I think Mr Major would have liked to put the genie back in the bottle over that one. 

I actually attended a tenants meeting on Thursday! I have been to once since I moved to Dexter House. Barbara, our S.H.O. (Sheltered Housing Officer) took minutes and chaired the meeting. There is a leak in the roof along the corridor leading to the door out into Strudwick Drive. It has to be fixed before the workmen can start work on painting the walls, as it would be pointless to paint and then have water leaking down the paintwork. There's something wrong with the drains here and they have to investigate down one of the pipes which run through the building. I had a shower the other evening and the water took an age to drain away, so I suspect that is connected to a blockage somewhere. The paintwork is soon to be redone, including the stairs which lead up to our flats. Nothing else of any great interest or excitement.

Saturday. 2.20 p.m. It's overcast and windy today. There was a brief sunny period, but it didn't last long. Alfie was doing his prodding thing when I was laying on my bed, so I felt a necessity to take him out and around Oldbrook Green.

Sunday. 8.05 a.m. I didn't wake up until well past 7.30 this morning. It's bright and sunny, but some frost formed ice on the car. I'm going to have to defrost it before I leave to go to church.

Storm Malik caused havoc across the north of England. We seem to have avoided the strength of this storm which is now passing through the country, but there's another storm brewing. I would say both metaphorically and in reality.

2.45 p.m. I have been to church. We have the choice of whether to wear a face mask or muzzle, as I prefer to call them.  The restrictions are slowly being lifted. The hall was full. It seems that more and more people are beginning to return, although there is still the option to watch online via Facebook.

I took Alfie out once I'd had lunch. I notice that there are bulbs beginning to come up as I walk back into Dexter House, in the community garden. Is this a sign of spring? It's getting light a good deal earlier each morning. 

Monday. 8.45 a.m. It's bitterly cold this morning, with a high wind blowing. It might be sunny, but that's deceptive. It still seems though that this area of the country has avoided the worst of Storm Malik. 

Bored Silly

The days seem to blur one into the other. It's difficult to know which day is which. The weekends are more or less the same as the rest of the week. As a result, life at the moment is just plain BORING! I have managed to make a recording of the Lewis Carroll nonsense poem 'The Walrus and The Carpenter,' which features in his book 'Through The Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There,' which is a sequel to his earlier fantasy novel, 'Alice In Wonderland.' I have managed to upload it to Soundcloud as a test to see if it world work, and it does! It's not an entirely perfect recording (there is a slight glitch, made by myself, part-way through the 'take.' ) But I am pleased that I have something new to work on, sitting in this flat.

(Saturday) Really surprised by fairly thick fog this morning when I took Alfie out for his walk. You could barely see across Oldbrook Green.

I have watched the final episode of season four of 'The Crown' on Netflix. Beautifully done, photography, music, general productions design and the acting is strong. I think a few BAFTAs and other awards should go to many of the cast, but I don't think it's as strong as the last couple of seasons. Still worth watching and in particular the background stories (ie, Margaret Thatcher's rise and fall etc.)  I'm wondering how they are going to film season five in line with government pandemic regulations. It's going to be very difficult to make television or film productions when you have to have social distancing. But no doubt they will manage somehow or other.

(Sunday) A good deal milder today.

I've been thinking about how the  Downing Street news conferences are presented since the pandemic started. They are saying that the age group from around 18-35ish are the the group most likely not to follow any of the regulations, from self isolating to social distancing. They are the group who don't always watch traditional broadcast television (ITV, BBC1, BBC2, Channel 4, Channel 5 etc.) If they watch anything at all it's most likely to be on catch-up services or On Demand, such as Netflix. They probably don't watch news or get involved in politics. They are therefore the most difficult to reach with anything regarding the pandemic. They would be bored silly watching any of the news conferences from Downing Street when there is something to be discussed or any announcements to be made. Well, they are so boring, I don't think many youngsters would watch. Grey suited talking heads, standing in front of brown wooden panelled walls. The whole thing needs a make-over. Chris Whitty is about as exciting as watching the proverbial paint drying. Admittedly Boris Johnson has a certain sort of charisma, but generally the rest of them are yawn-inducing. Someone needs to give the whole thing a design rethink and have someone a bit more lively leading, someone the younger generation can identify with. Dress them in jeans and a T shirt, someone who has medical training or at least a background in medicine, who can put the information over in a more dynamic way. Think Brian Cox or Harry Hill who was trained as a doctor but then decided that comedy was to be his career. On the female front, how about Jo Brand, who was a psychiatric nurse before she changed careers, or some of the presenters of the BBC programme 'Bang Goes The Theory.' Liz Bonnin springs to mind or Dallas Campbell. These are only suggestions, but there must be a good deal more. I'm not just thinking the dreary press conferences (enough to put you off bothering to watch.) Too full of facts and figures. Whoever was to take over could also lead the advertising and make those awfully po-faced ads become a bit more lively. Get a half decent advertising agency involved. You don't have to go far to find one, with decent imagination and flair. Britain does, after all, lead the world in this area. With a good director and creative director I'm sure they could reach the generation who are not taking notice of the government's advice. Just kick out old gloomy Witty. The government must be spending vast amounts on advertising and they want this pandemic to come to and end as quickly as possible so it's surely worth a shot. May even get the virus under control so we can get back to normal, when ever that's likely to happen, but hopefully a lot quicker.

Coronavirus Panic, Camphill and Television Viewing

Just been watching the penultimate episode of the latest season of 'Doctor Who,' and I have to say it's really rather good. It would appear they've thrown everything into this story, with better special effects and generally a better story and all the assistants had plenty to do. I still don't understand the second story, presumably set in Ireland. Then (spoiler alert!) a central enemy of the Doctor appears in the closing moments and there's the finale episode of the season still to be seen . . .

(Tuesday) I've now seen the final episode of he season and it's good! But there's rumours that some of the actors who play the assistants are leaving, notably Bradley Walsh, due to other work commitments.

(Saturday) Today would be my lovely Carol's 56th birthday. I'm upset and I miss her, but I know she wouldn't want me to dwell on things and I'm getting on with my life. It's ironic to think that, had I not been driving to Willen Hospice to see Carol when she was there and going past the entrance to Camphill, I might not have thought to become a volunteer there and make so many friends with the group of residents in the drama workshop. I'm sure she'd be so pleased to think I'm doing something I enjoy and using what skills I have to benefit that group of people.

(Sunday) It's bright and sunny. There was a fairly strong wind blowing when I took Alfie out and we walked partially around Oldbrook Boulevard, but it was still chilly.

(Tuesday) Only at Camphill until 12 o'clock because they were having training and then community assembly. We did a line-run of 'Stranger Danger.' It's getting better and stronger each time the guys perform it. Every line very clear and you could hear each word spoken. I again was a 'Little Piggy,' because one of the residents, who never seems to appear before midday, wasn't with us. Then we watched part of 'The Sound of Music.' Another film I remember going to see when it was originally released, probably around 1965, and going with my father instead of my grandmother, and all he did was complain about the cost of the cinema seats, no doubt shown at the Granada cinema in St Peters Street, now demolished and the site now a branch of Lidl. Great pity. At one point it had the second largest cinema screen after the Odeon Marble Arch in London. Just one question I have to ask about the 'Sound of Music.' How come Captain Von Trapp (played by Christopher Plummer) is a sea captain, because if the film is set in Austria, which has no coastline, how come they had a navy? Or did they? Which navy was he a sea captain of? Then we did an improvisation, based loosely on the scene where the children march out when the Captain blows his whistle. I'm not sure it worked but we will need to rehearse it some more before it's perfect.

The residents at Camphill have done some sort of training since the coronavirus outbreak. They mustn't shake hands but touch elbows. Although i'm not sure that isn't as bad as hand-shaking as it's still touching. Wearing of face masks, which we see a lot of on television news since this epidemic began, somewhere in China, because these things are mean't to be worn once and then only for a shot time and then, if you touch them on the outside when you take them off, that would spread the virus, so in that case they are pointless.

(Wednesday) I've been shopping in Sainsbury's this morning and I saw the aisle where the toilet rolls are and a lot of shelf space is empty, due,  no doubt, to total panic buying. I can't see why particularly toilet rolls. Pasta as well, apparently. No doubt some crazy item in one of the more reactionary newspapers, such as the Daily Mail or Express. It's a sort of siege mentality.

It's nowhere near as blustery and cold today. Do I get a sense of it being almost spring-like, or is that being a bit too optimistic?

I've discovered that there's going to be an 'Alice In Wonderland' exhibition to be staged at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, starting in June. I am something of an 'Alice' fanatic and read it avidly when I was a child and it has really fascinated me even as an adult, so it's a must for me to visit an exhibition which is going to have some of the original artwork which was done by the illustrator Sir John Tenniel as well as preliminary artwork for the 1950's Walt Disney animated cartoon as well as a good deal more, so I will have to get my ticket on-line, which is the only way it would seem you can get to see the exhibition, timed-ticket only. I only found out about this exhibition whilst listening to Classic FM which I had on when I was driving to Camphill the other day, so thanks to them and whoever was the presenter, I think probably John Suchet. I think I may wait until the coronavirus situation is under control before deciding whether I go to this exhibition. I don't fancy going into London and putting myself at risk of catching the thing. I don't want to, but it makes sense.