Jam Yesterday, Jam Tomorrow, But Never Jam Today

Friday. 1.40 a.m. Yet another case of nothing being able to sleep. Never mind. I can always find something to keep myself busy, such as washing up, tidying the kitchen, sorting out the recycling and tying up the bags to take to the bin room. I did my Bible reading, which is 'Through The Bible In A Year, with Nicky Gumble.' I do this on my iPad. Then I feel hungry, and so I made several pieces of toast and had a really nice Lidl raspberry conserve on it. (Conserve, having a higher percentage of fruit in it than jam.) And far better value than other brands.

10.40 a.m. It's a bit overcast and dull. Where has the sun gone? I can hear the wind, making wind-like noises (!) The sort of whistling, yet not whistling noise. The sort of wind you'd expect in a rather clichéd production of 'Wuthering Heights.' You know what I mean, at least, I imagine you do, with Kathy outside and shouting to be let in, in the middle of a moor somewhere in Yorkshire. Sad, really, but very corny and the acting is somewhat over-the-top. Melodramatic.

2.30 p.m. I was about to take Alfie out at around 1 p.m, only to discover that it was pouring rain, so we only went out fleetingly. As I write this, the wind continues to howl around the building.

Saturday. 5.50 p.m. Where did the rest of the day go? Well, it began early, with me taking Alfie as usual around 5.00 a.m. We didn't do our usual circuit of Oldbrook Green, but I had all the recycling and rubbish bagged up and ready to take out to the bins. Washing up done and the kitchen tidied.

We had our monthly men's breakfast at the Oaktree Centre this morning. I thought it started at 8 o'clock, so I was there bright and early. There was nobody else waiting, so I sat in the car, listening to Classic FM, with the overture to 'The Flying Dutchman' blaring out of the car radio. I was listening as I drove up Chaffron Way, and, although I'm not a keen Wagner fan, it was very motivational, so I had to sit and listen to it in the car park outside the Oaktree Centre.  I have to admit, I was wondering if I had the day or the time wrong, but then Richard, who organizes the men's breakfast, arrived, with a load of what looked like bread rolls. The building was locked, so we had to wait for someone to come and open the place up.

A couple arrived to do the cooking of the food. They set up two gas-fired barbecue pans and proceeded to fry sausages and bacon. 

The group began to arrive and it turned out that it wasn't supposed to start at the usual time of 8 o'clock but an hour later at 9, which I didn't know.

We ate our bacon, eggs and sausage and drank tea (or coffee) and then we had a talk from someone who used to be involved with S.C.F., on advanced driving, which was very informative and instructive. 

I was planning to go to the history festival at Milton Keynes Museum directly after the men's breakfast, but, because it concluded later than expected, I decided to leave it until Sunday. As a result, and because I didn't want to be cooped up in the flat all Saturday, I drove into the Central Milton Keynes Shopping Centre and had a browse and went into John Lewis as I'm looking for a cable which would allow me to link certain peripherals to my iPhone, iPad and MacBook because Apple has changed the ports from lightening to Thunderbolt/USB 4. I didn't find what I was looking for, unfortunately. I may end up going to the Apple Store to find what I want, but, being a Saturday, the store is likely to be very busy, so I decided to leave it for another day.

I walked through the shopping centre and went to Waterstone's and purchased two books, one on 'How To Be a Victorian,' and the other about 'Peterloo.'

Sunday. 12.45 p.m. My goodness! What's going on? The sun is shining and it's really bright. Almost (Note: I said 'almost'!) like spring!

Came out of church early. Miss having my usual cup of tea, so that I could be ready to go to Milton Keynes Museum for the history festival. There were just TWO spare spaces in the church car park! 

My friend Nick (hello Nick, if you're reading this!) was coming over to Milton Keynes from Northampton on the bus so that we could go to the history festival at Milton Keynes Museum. At around 1.30, he texted me to say he was at the centre, so I drove in and he was waiting near The Point. We drove to the museum and managed to park, although the car park was very full and there were few spaces. Luckily I managed to find a place.

Because I had been to the museum some months ago, and paid and kept the ticket, I was able to enter, free. I have a few months left on the card, so I can go again. Today's history festival covered a vast timescale, from around the time of the Romans, the Medieval period right up to the time of the Suffragettes. There was a gladiator fight (quite scary) as well as a knight's battle from the time of the Wars of The Roses. 

We went into the café and had tea. I was ready for a drink, as by now I was thirsty. Then we went into the main museum building, which was the farmhouse, built in C.1840, at the time well before Milton Keynes was built. We learnt about the railway and Wolverton's part in the history of the railway in the mid-19th century.  We saw a display of Victorian music boxes, a pianola and a gadget which displayed photographs stereoscopically, When we emerged from that exhibition it was time to leave. I took Nick back to the bus stop in the city centre and said goodbye. There is to be a Victorian history festival in June, so no doubt I will be attending that and possibly Nick will come over from Northampton.

Monday. 4.05 p.m. I have done all the usual walks with Alfie and when I took him out at around 5.20 a.m. there was broken glass along the path leading to Oldbrook Green, which some delightful person felt it necessary to drop in our path. Fortunately, I avoided it before Alfie got his feet cut and I moved it out of the way. Not just his feet, but it would have punctured the tyres of anyone cycling along that stretch of path.

I went out, alone this time, with the gimbal and noticed a blue tractor cutting the grass, which I haven't seen before. I think it would be a good deal quicker than the usual mowers they use for this job. I got the gimbal set correctly and the results were a good deal better I have got the video to work on my iPad.

Time and Tide

 Friday. 6.15 a.m. I can't believe Alfie and I were out well before 6 o'clock this morning. The weather seems very settled as I write this.

Saturday. 6.40 a.m. What's going on? Is that all I wrote for yesterday? I usually write far more.

Alfie and I were out at 6 o'clock, and it's been raining overnight. Quite chilly.

3.20 p.m. I have been to meet up with my friend Nick, who I knew from my time living in Bedford (hi Nick, if you're reading this.) He lives in Northampton and comes to Milton Keynes on the bus. I was due to meet him at midday. I drove in and parked in Secklow Gate car park, where I normally park, which is next door to the somewhat dilapidated Point. It's not always easy to find space later on a Saturday. I then walked in and through the shopping centre. It was surprisingly busy. We met outside Starbucks. I ordered an ice-cold cold drink made with oats. Surprisingly good. Also, a cheese and ham toastie. From Starbucks, we walked to John Lewis and went up to the electrical department. We spent time browsing the television sets, some with huge screen sizes, some over 60 inches and costing in the region of £4,000. That size would be far too big for my flat, in fact, such a size screen would probably not fit in. The quality of the picture on these sets is amazing. We looked at Samsung mobiles and then Apple products.

From John Lewis we went to browse in T.K. Maax and then we walked through the shopping centre and eventually went into Costa opposite M and S. I had a rather tasty chocolate drink which was made with bits of Kit Kat and cream on top. Then, into Marks and Spencer's to look at clothes in the menswear department. Nick doesn't like escalators, which take you to the various levels of the store, so went up via the lift. A few quite decent items I may come back and purchase, as I have a voucher coming from doing some online surveys. This should come in the post in the next few days. Then Nick came to the car park as I was leaving and we said our goodbyes and I drove off.

12.45 p.m. If you know me and if you read these blog posts, you will know I am a lover of theatre, I have worked in professional stage management, amongst other things. I have a subscription to National Theatre At Home, which is a streaming service which streams 'live' recordings of plays. I have seen several shows at the South Bank home of the National Theatre and it's probably the leading subsidised theatre company in this country. Amongst the plays I've seen was the 1980's production of Guys and Dolls as well as On The Razzle, which was a play written by Tom Stoppard and based on the play which eventually became the Thornton Wilder play 'The Matchmaker' which then formed the basis for the musical 'Hello Dolly.' (I did 'The Book' for  a production of 'The Matchmaker' when I was D.S.M. at Ipswich Theatre in the mid-1970's. ) But I digress. . .

There are quite a few fantastic shows to stream on NT At Home. 'Treasure Island', a reimagining of the Restoration comedy, 'The Rivals', retitled 'Jack Absolute Flies Again' and set the play in the Second World War. Last night I watched 'All About Eve', which is based on the 1950's film which starred Bette Davis and Anne Baxter. This stage version isn't actually a National Theatre production. It was produced by Sonia Friedman Productions and Fox Stage Productions. I haven't seen the film, but I know about it. I believe it was made into a musical called 'Applause.' This stage version uses 'live' video, so you can see two scenes simultaneously and could see the camera operators. I don't know whether this added anything to the action or whether it was just a gimmick. Just because you can do something, doesn't necessarily mean you have to use it. Like, in films, where they use C.G.I. It doesn't always add anything. In fact, if used too often, it just becomes a distraction. You shouldn't actually be able to notice any special effects.

5.50 p.m. I have now managed to complete the piece of writing which will connect two sections of my writing project, which means I can introduce a new character.

'They Think It's All Over'?

Thursday. 6.50 a.m. I wasn't aware of the euphoria of England getting through to the final of the Euro 2021 football championship last night. I have no interest in football, as you will realize, but even so, it has to be quite an historic achievement, comparable to the 1966 World Cup win (although England hasn't won- yet.) So, the infamous quote by Kenneth Wolstenholme, 'They think it's all over . . . ' seems appropriate, although not . . . quite. Watch this space. I heard no crowds cheering, as I did the other evening, coming from the pub on the corner of Strudwick Drive and Oldbrook Boulevard, 'The Cricketers.' But, it isn't over until the final on Sunday evening . . .

I had to laugh the other day. I was walking back towards the flat with Alfie along Strudwick Drive when a youth shot past on one of those electric scooters, but he was looking at his mobile as he did so. He went to cross the road and as he did so he stopped on the island in the centre of the road and then dropped his mobile. I just thought it was just as well it didn't fall in the path of the next car or lorry which passes by as it would have been flattened. 

I sent the iPhone 7 back to Sky, having removed the apps. But I then got an email saying they couldn't credit my account until iCloud was disconnected. I really had no idea how to do this, but went on the Sky website and managed to click on what I thought was where I was supposed to, but it turned out not to be correct. Having rung Sky, after a lot of searching on the website (why bury this number? It should be in a far more prominent position.), and was told I would need to ring Apple. The same thing happened with this as I had problems finding the phone number, but eventually, I found it and got through.

I spoke to an Apple engineer how managed to talk me through the process of deactivating iCloud from the iPhone 7. Quite amazed that he could 'see' my iPad screen and direct me using the cursor, which made it considerably easier. So, problem solved and I trust that is the end of the matter. Why on earth they can't give you instructions regarding this type of thing that would make life so much easier. You always used to get an instruction manual with most things, but not with mobile phones and computers. I think they expect you to find anything from manuals to resolving issues via the internet.

Friday.7.15 a.m. It's really humid at the moment. I just hope it rains and clears the air. Not the best for me, but never mind.

My car insurance runs out at the beginning of August. I wanted to see if I could get a lower quote, so I went on several comparison websites, Compare The Market, Go Compare, and one other. I've been with Swinton for years. I pay in monthly installments and it was around £52 a month. I didn't get any extras for that, no breakdown cover or the use of a courtesy car. I did a search, putting in all my details, years of no-claims, etc and I have got what I think is a far better deal, at around £32 per month, with breakdown cover and courtesy car. I have paid a deposit and the next payment will be in August. Just seems crazy to pay more for less. Just a question of having a look for a better deal. As I'm not driving much more than a few thousand miles a year, which was taken into consideration when coming up with a quote. But it seems I get more for less, which doesn't make sense, but it's true. 

I have something called Grammarly installed on my MacBook. It isn't the full version, and it's useful to check not just my grammar but also my spelling. But I do object to it insisting I spell words the American way, for example, 'centre' for 'center.' When you've written a passage, it underlines the offending word and a window pops up and you get an alternate spelling. It's doing it now, as I save this section and it's insisting I spell centre as center. I know you don't have to agree with the alternative spelling, but it's still useful. A grammatical error it attempts to change is 'an historic' which is to change to 'a historic.' Which is correct? I wonder what my English teacher would say when I was at school.

Positives Of Lockdown

This pandemic we're currently experiencing, because of the coronavirus pandemic may be extremely difficult for some, having to be isolated from friends and family and other people, but for me it means I can get on with some of my writing. I have done more in recent days than I think I would do in a month or more. I have written several A4 pages in pencil and I'm gradually transferring it onto my MacBook. But now, with the iPad, it's possible to dictate what I've written and not touch the keyboard. It has taken a while for it to accept my voice and come up with the correct word, for example, character names. It is going a good deal faster than if I had used the manual keyboard and because of having iCloud, all the documents can be edited on all devices, which includes my iPhone, an advantage of having all Apple gadgets. Being a writer is, generally, a somewhat lonely occupation. It can't fail to be. You need to be on your own, so that you can concentrate on your writing. I expect there are other creative occupations that require you to be alone, for example, poets, painters and musical composers (of different disciplines, either orchestral, popular or theatrical). If you have other people sapping your concentration then it would be virtually impossible to do any work.

A positive to all this, well, at least one, is that we're given the chance of seeing much theatre, free, on-line. So much has been broadcast 'live' in cinemas, the National Theatre has done this through 'National Theatre Live' but with the current pandemic, and theatres being closed to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, many of these productions are being streamed on-line through YouTube. I watched 'One Man Two Guvnors,' which jump-started James Corden's acting career. Really brilliant production and really laugh-out-loud stuff. Other productions are to follow, with 'Jane Eyre' and their version of 'Treasure Island' to follow. That looks to me (from seeing clips on YouTube) as if it's going to be worth seeing because it utilises the more or less unique drum revolve in the stage of the Olivier Theatre (too complicated to explain what it is on here.) and the set and general staging looks amazing. This should be worth seeing for me because we're working on a version of Robert Louis Stevenson's novel at Camphill, as part of the drama workshop (currently closed because of the pandemic.) I'm researching pantomime as part of something I'm writing, so it has been useful to find a lot of stuff on YouTube, entire productions of recent pantomimes, performed all around Britain, and a good way to see how different productions vary, the style of acting, performance generally as well as stagings and design, costume and so on. Some very good but some just not up to much. If you were to visit these productions you would need to travel miles around the country, as well as the cost of tickets, so to be able to watch completely free is a real bonus, but, obviously, a recording can't entirely replace the 'live' aspect of a pantomime, which relies very heavily on the audience participation. Live theatre, whether a straight play or an audience-driven pantomime, does need the live aspect otherwise it might just as well just be a film or a video, which can't be the same at all.

When I worked in stage management many moons ago (well, the 1970's) I worked on a number of pantomimes. Really hard work, doing probably 3 performances in a day, usually 10.30, 2.30 and 7.30, extremely exhausting, hauling scenery about, and just generally keeping the thing going, with very little time for a break between performance, probably having to get the actors sandwiches or other food between shows and then, having to re-set the set and props in time for the next performance. I'm not actually a fan of pantomime, because I find most are corny, cliched and just downright awful. I think I prefer something a bit less predictable and I don't really go in for the audience participation stuff. You know, 'it's behind you! Oh yes it is, oh no it isn't,' and all that. But that is part of the pantomime tradition and I suppose it's what audiences expect. I prefer a proper musical. Then they have to cast with television soap stars or 'celebrities' which are cast merely to attract the public who would never otherwise set foot in a theatre. A pity, when there is such a wealth of good theatre out there. Generally a child's first experience of any form of theatre.

(Tuesday) I'm really missing my Tuesdays at Camphill with the drama workshop guys. I know things will get back to some sort of normal once this pandemic is either under control or completely done with, but my time there was a definite focus for my week.

It's been cold when we've been out first thing in the morning. I had started wearing my shorts as it has been relatively warm up until two days ago, but I have gone back to wearing my fleece when I go out with Alfie.

I ordered some meds I have on repeat prescription, by going on line on Sunday when I realised I was running very low. In fact, I ran out that evening so it was vital to have a supply because I'm not going without when I really need them and I'm not keen to find out what happens if I stop taking them for a long period. So, I was rather surprised to get a text message yesterday to say the meds were ready to collect. This morning I somewhat reluctantly went to Sainsbury's to pick them up. I learnt from Friday's foray into Sainsbury when I got there before 7 o'clock, which is when the store is supposed to open, but due to the lockdown, they are allowing N.H.S. staff and other front-line staff to have priority. So I went at a little bit after 8 o'clock and the queue was moving relatively quickly so I got into the store, picked up the repeat prescription and then got some essential items of food and made a quick get-away, even managing to use one of their self-service tills without to much effort.

Not Well and A Scam!

For the past couple of weeks I haven't been feeling what you would call 100%. I've had a really bad lower back pain. I can't really explain it, but at times I've been bent double the pain has been so bad. I've tried to endure it. I thought it would go away of it's own accord, but no, it comes back. If I sit for any lenght of time, such as watching television, when I go to stand up, then the pain comes back. It goes whenever I lie down in bed at night. It's not so bad in the morning and is fine when I go out with Alfie around Eaglestone Park. It got so bad this morning that I just had to get a doctor's appointment and try and get something to stop it, or at least, get the pain under control. I didn't really want to phone for an appointment, because it's such an effort, first getting through, which can take 45 minutes or so, then you have to explain to the receptionist what the problem is and then wait for a doctor to ring back to give you the time of your appointment. I was surprised that, when I got through, there was only one other person in the queue in front of me. So I was speaking to a receptionist and explaining things within minutes. Then it was around an hour before doctor rang. I got an appointment at 10.20. I got there in plenty of time. Surprisingly, there were very few other waiting patients. It wasn't long before I was called into the doctor's room and I was given a prescription for co-codamol and took it next door to the pharmacy, which I noticed was now called Peak Pharmacy, having been Cox and Robinson for all the time I've lived in Milton Keynes.

Later in the afternoon I had a telephone call from someone who said they worked for BT (British Telecom) to say they'd discovered that my computer had been hacked. It sounded so genuine. They always do. I told him that I didn't have my broadband through BT, but he disregarded this. They needed to check my computer wasn't violated and had to install a piece of software on my MacBook to clean off malware and check for viruses. Little did I realise that this whole thing in itself was a scam! I'm sorry folks, I fell for it. Later in the afternoon  I rang Apple and the helpful lady showed me how to download a piece of software that checks for malware and viruses and it definitely showed that my laptop was indeed infected and the offending software was removed. Not very pleasant to realise that I had been scammed. I have to admit it. It's so easy to fall for this sort of thing and I had to check my NatWest account to check they hadn't hacked into it but then, when I attempted to get into my Nationwide account I couldn't get into it on-line and had to ring the telephone number that came up on their website. They eventually managed to see that a quite considerable amount of money had been taken from my account, but they knew it had been taken in a scam and it has now been returned, thankfully. I will now have to have the MacBook cleaned and any remaining malicious software removed so I will go into Currys and get them to do this for me. I think I've learned from this whole horrible incident and will make sure in the future to ignore any similar telephone calls. If you read this, please be waring of such telephone calls and don't fall for their sales patter. Check that whoever it is, regardless if they say they're from such-and-such company, that they are genuine before you divulge anything, but never passwords, bank details or whatever sensitive data.

Saturday morning. I have been to Curry's and they didn't have a computer engineer available today to deal with the MacBook and clean out the computer, checking for any viruses and malware. They couldn't fit me in until Tuesday, so it's booked in and I have to take it to leave on Monday evening. It's paid for, so all I have to do is check it in on Monday and then wait over Tuesday to see whether they ring to give me any information. I really hope not because I want it back in good working order. I have Carol's MacBook I can use so I am still connected to the internet and the outside world. I'm not using the larger MacBook until it is back up and running. I did notice that Safari was working properly once the malware was removed, so it now makes me realise that it had been tampered with sometime ago by the hackers in an attempt to get me to use another browser. If nothing else, at least that problem has been resolved, but I wish it had been solved some other way.

Rest of Fence Replaced

I had to drive to Sainsbury's early yesterday morning for some shopping that we needed. On the way along Saxon Street I noticed that the major pothole which is just one of many in and around the Eaglestone area, and which it's quite difficult and dangerous to avoid in order to not damage the car, has now been marked with green paint. No doubt the Council has actually admitted that it's a major problem and will no doubt, in due course, get round to repairing it. I'm fairly certain that the state of the roads in and around Milton Keynes have had a detrimental effect on our car which meant we had to have certain parts replaced at great cost, namely, the coil springs, which would be made to deteriorate gradually as a result of having to drive over not just potholes, but speed bumps, a number of which are in and around Eaglestone. It wouldn't be just my vehicle that has been effected, but probably quite a few other drivers' vehicles who also use the road system around Milton Keynes.

Gary began working on replacing the fence that separates our garden from his. The work began mid-morning and went on for the rest of the afternoon, which meant I had to close the lounge curtains as I had the second Better Together session beginning at 2.30. A vast improvement on what was there before. I'm surprised the old bit of fence survived the winter and looking at it after it was removed, just a crumbling, rotting disaster. It was rickety, to say the least, and a gale, such as we had a couple of winters ago and which blew out the fence the opposite side of the garden (and which was replaced by Council workers, because  the house on that side is owned by the Council) might have destroyed it completely. 

Having now got myself an iPhone, we have now ordered one for Carol. We had a telephone call from Sky, as we are already Sky customers. They have recently added mobile phones to their expanding portfolio. It only seemed a question of time before this was done. We ordered another iPhone 5 (similar to mine) and it comes with a SIM card and you get a rolling data contract, which means that you don't loose your data at the end of a month and goes on to the next. It's for a 30-month contract and the payment is added to our Sky bill, which now means we don't have to buy top-up credit each month, which is simpler in the long run and probably cheaper. You also get the option to up-grade your mobile when a new model comes out and send the old one back when they are offered. The whole process of setting it up and ordering was done very efficiently by the lady on the telephone and the mobile is expected to arrive by courier sometime this morning. I have to say, even though the iPhone is a good deal more expensive than other mobiles, it is a good mobile and works as you would hope. It makes the Samsung Galaxy mobile i had seem fairly feeble by comparison. Much faster and more 'user-friendly' which is what you'd expect from an Apple product.

Some time later

I knew vaguely when the iPhone was going to be delivered. Sky very conveniently emailed me to say that it would be delivered by the courier company D.P.D., and with modern technology it was possible to 'track' the parcel from it's journey from the company depot in Raunds, near Wellingborough and if you put the consignment number in their website you could even see a photograph of the driver. (Looked a bit grumpy to me. Why couldn't he smile?) Using Google maps it was even possible to have a vague idea when the van was and at one point it showed up as being approximately 30 minutes from our house. I expect it's linked to G.P.S. and SatNav technology and when a parcel is signed for, using a touch-screen keypad device, a signal is sent to a computer system that tracks the parcel. I was also given an indication that the parcel would be delivered between 9.50-10.50. In the end it arrived at around 10.20 so I wasn't at all surprised when the very distinctive van drew up outside the house and the driver walked up the path to the front door and I was waiting with the door open. You then have to show some photographic identity (in this case my Driving Licence) and he handed over the parcel. Delivery completed when I signed the digital screen on the device I was handed.

It's another warm and sunny day today. Just hope it remains this sunny for the weekend and we don't suddenly get a downpour when we want to go out for the day.

Another Annoying and Totally Pointless Phone call

I have now got a new mobile. We bought a Samsung Galaxy just over a year ago. A smart phone. I have never had one before, always having a fairly basic model, but it seemed a reasonably good idea to 'upgrade' to a mobile which meant you can have 'apps' on it, are able to get onto the internet etc etc. So we got a fairly basic model from Sainsbury's and went with a 'sim' card which you put into the mobile yourself, which is great, it means you can change your provider when you want and aren't tied to one particular company. It is an 02 sim and you have a 'bundle' of minutes and data for £10 a month (I'm not exactly sure what amount of data it has or the number of minutes for 'talking.' It's strange that it's referred to as a telephone, but most people seem to use these devices more for texting, going on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc etc than using the thing to actually speak to someone. But the Samsung Galaxy wasn't up to much, unfortunately. It didn't have nearly enough memory (0r whatever.) to allow you to have a whole selection of downloadable 'apps' on it. When we joined the A.A. a year or two back, after we broke down on the M1 when we came back from visiting Calke Abbey, we found that you could have an insurance policy, through the A.A., which meant, if you broke down you would not only get rescued by the A.A. (which they have always done since time immemorial; what the organisation was set up to do.) but also, with a reasonable monthly payment, you could have your car repaired, free, up to the value of £500. Which seemed reasonable. Considering the cost of car repairs and the fact that we broke down when we were up in Newcastle-On-Tyne around two years ago, when we went to move Daniel from one flat to another when he was at university there. And it was around a week later that we broke down- again- this time, as I mentioned earlier- on the return journey from visiting Calke Abbey. It was somewhat traumatic, to say the least. Standing and waiting to be rescued, within the area where there were roadworks going on. We had a free rescue and were then deposited in a layby just off the  Motorway, somewhere near Daventry, or was it Northampton? We were with Swinton Insurance and had additional breakdown cover with them, so they came and took us the rest of the way home. (All this mentioned in an earlier blog post on here.) What I am attempting to say, in a very long-winded and roundabout way, is, that, with the A.A. you can have an 'app' on your phone, which you use when necessary, if you break down, as it will show the service where you are exactly. No doubt using some sort of G.P.S. technology, which is good, because when you breakdown (which, in around 45 years of driving has only happened i think, perhaps twice.) you never always know exactly where you are, in order to let the rescue service find you.

Taking an age to get to the point of this post, but it's coming up in the next bit. I needed to explain the 'how's and why's of things before I got to the main point. A sort of Ronnie Corbett, monologue-moment. If you don't know what I'm on about, just Google 'Two Ronnies' comedy monologue or something.

So, we decided to upgrade the mobile again, this time with an iPhone. Not the latest, an iPhone 5. It has a good deal more reliable and has a good deal more memory than the Samsung has.

I have removed the sim card from the Samsung and put it in the iPhone. I notice that it's easier to get at the sim card as Apple see fit to make this simpler by having a little drawer at the side of the phone which you gain access to by the use of a little metal device, little more than a glorified paper clip. But if you have to remove the sim card from the Samsung you have to remove the back of the phone and then it's not that easy to find where the sim is. I discovered this by going on Google and finding a handy video on YouTube.

Well, no sooner had I got the thing up-and-running (not managing to get the passwords for various apps to work, but that's a completely other story.) I had several phone calls during the afternoon. One just rang and rang and I didn't bother to answer because they're usually just for P.P.I. or at least they don't sound too genuine. Telling me my computer needs up-grading and they're from the Microsoft office or something. Which is crazy, as this is a Macintosh and doesn't use Microsoft software. So they are more than likely just a scam, eager to get into my computer and all manner of nasty things. I saw that I had two calls from Liverpool, I don't know from whom, but they didn't ring for long enough to allow me to reach the phone to answer. Crazy, as it takes long enough if I don't have the mobile within arms length in order to pick the thing up before it rang off. But this afternoon I decided to ring back. I got a bit of music, the Minute Waltz, the music they use on the Radio 4 show 'Just A Minute.' I eventually got an answer, and it was about the accident we had a couple of years ago, when we went to Ascott, the National Trust property outside Leighton Buzzard, and when we drove home we bumped the car into a pot-hole which set the alarm off, something to do with keeping the car on track, I don't know how it worked exactly. But these insurance people think I was injured as a passenger, which I wasn't. I think it's just a crafty way to get people to claim thousands of pounds of compensation so that they can get commission out of it. I was not injured and just wish they'd stop ringing about this incident. 

Christmas, New Canon camera and Greeting Grandson George

Well, that's another Christmas come and gone. A bit of an anti-climax I always think. All that build-up, money spent, food eaten, excessive television schedule and all that and it's gone in 24 hours. I think it's the fact that the shops are stuffed to the rafters with merchandise to tempt you to part with your hard-earned cash and then within another 24 hours they re-open and the self-same stuff is around 75% discounted. You can't win, either way, it's to make you feel guilty that you didn't spend your money in such-and-such a store or on-line.

I've had my eye on a brand new digital camera for quite some while and had looked at a new Canon D.S.L.R. model, a 100D, which is one of their E.O.S. cameras, which was within my budget of £350. I'd seen it on-line at various retailers, Amzon, Jessops, John Lewis and Argos and was able to get a fairly good idea of it's specifications. We've had a couple of Fuji 'bridge' cameras and, for the money, they've been good value. But we have wanted to expand into S.L.R. territory, with a much more sophisticated camera which would allow us to change lenses, use the range of exposures and other refinements which a digital S.L.R. camera would allow. I started off around 12 years ago with a very basic Sony 'point-and-shoot' camera (which I still have, incidentally.) when I wanted to try out what, at the time, was a relatively new type of photography. I wasn't sure that digital could possibly be as good as traditional, film, photography. Before long I was using the camera to do all my photography tasks and, when I bought a new Apple computer, was able to up-load my photographs on to that and edit them and publish them on such sites as Flickr and then the relatively new social media site (at the time), Facebook. Then I met Carol and I found that she was as interested in digital photography as me and that she had a Fuji 'bridge' camera which we took with us when we visited National Trust properties and also when we went on holiday to Yorkshire together. We then bought a second Fuji camera in a sale in Jessops's in Northampton. Both these cameras were in Fuji's Finepix range, and, for the money, were exceptional value and produced some good photographs.

So,  last Wednesday,after all the research, we went into the Jessop's branch in Milton Keynes Shopping Centre to buy the camera. It turned out that the one they had in the shop on display was the only one they had in stock, so that is what we bought. Having purchased it we spent some time wandering around the shopping centre before we drove over to Stony Stratford because Chloe and Steve were staying with Chloe's half sister Louisa and her husband Richard and we would at last get to meet my grandson George for the first time. I mentioned that he was born on the evening we had our rare evening out at a restaurant back in October. We had planned to visit them in Worcester, but we have both had bouts of illness which meant we couldn't drive all the way there and hence the meeting, in a pub, The Cock, in Stony Stratford.

Proud grandparents with new grandson George.

As we had the new camera with us, it was a chance to try it out, hence the picture I have posted above. Quite an emotional moment, to say the least. Considering the fact I had my heart attack nine years ago I am so fortunate to be well enough to enjoy 'the moment.' Things might be very different if I hadn't come out of it, and might not have been around to meet him. 

Chloe with my son-in-law Steve and baby George.

On Boxing Day (26th December, the day after Christmas Day in Great Britain, for those not in this country.) it was surprisingly mild and warm weather-wise. ( WweInfact, up until now, we've had an exceptionally mild winter.) We needed to get out of the house. Being stuck indoors for any length of time begins to pall. A large amount of television-watching does begin to make you googly-eyed.. We considered several places and ended up on Whipsnade. After all we can visit without paying with Carol's Fellowship membership. So we drove there, no more than a 30-minute drive down the A5 towards Dunstable and across The Downs. We were surprised how many people were out walking along the paths as we went past the visitor centre run by the National Trust. We were further surprised by the number of people at Whipsnade Zoo, no doubt visiting as we were, making the most of the weather. It was certainly strange visiting so close to Christmas. We managed to get some good photographs of the flamingoes, as we saw them a good deal closer than we are usually able to see them.

Flamingoes at Whipsnade Zoo

We had bought a picnic with us, and ate this sitting in the car, overlooking the view from the carpark, the valley below where the zoo is situated. Fortunately the weather behaved itself although it looked very over-cast. 

Unable to Login To The Internet

Yesterday morning I was unable to get into the Mac Laptop yesterday morning, unfortunately, which means that I couldn't get on here to write up a blog post. I am now writing this on our second little laptop, which may not be an Apple, considerably slower, but it at least works and I'm able to do all the work I need to do on a computer, including this blog and reading and writing emails. It is taking a lot to re-learn as it doesn't work anywhere near the same as an Apple.

Yesterday, Thursday 7th March, was General Election Day here in the United Kingdom. Seeing how the S.N.P. seemed to take virtually every seat in Scotland it makes you wonder how much longer we will be a United Kingdom, because I imagine there will now be a second Scottish Independence Referendum. Elsewhere, it looks as if David Cameron will continue as Prime Minister and no doubt Ed Miliband will resign as Labour Party leader as Labour didn't do very well, particularly in Scotland where the S.N.P. took most of the previously Labour-held seats. I spent most of the night watching the Election results coming in on BBC Television.

I rang Apple earlier this morning regarding the problems with the MacBook Air laptop. I thought I was actually ringing the Apple store in Midsummer Place in the Milton Keynes Central shopping centre but it seemed to be a call centre. I had to go through a voice-activated menu, which knew my name, even though I hadn't mentioned it. A bit creepy. It's difficult to know whether the system has actually respond, as you have to repeat some words which it's unclear to know whether it has understood, but the very idea of a machine 'understanding' you seems creepy. I eventually go through to a human, and I had to go through a few system-checks to find out whether the laptop was working, which it plainly isn't, but it's difficult to take instructions over the phone, hear the instructions whilst attempting to use the keyboard, but in the end I decided it was easier to go into their showroom and get someone to check it out and if they can fix it there and then, then O.K. So I made an appointment for Tuesday at 11.45 a,m. I just hope it it done there and then and doesn't incur any sort of expence, as, what with the car needing repair as well at the moment, we don't need this sort of expence also.

Foggy and Gloomy

Walked to Netherfield along the Redway this morning. Been to buy milk in the Co-Op there and to post a letter. The trees have still got a lot of their leaves, and those are mostly a variety of browns, yellows and in between. Quite vivid. I have taken some photographs are the colours are stunning. No sun out this morning, as there's a thick fog, although by the time I set out to walk to Netherfield the visability had improved. 

We have recently bought a Samsung Galaxy tablet. We had a demonstration of these devices in the Milton Keynes Shopping Centre a week or two ago, and were most impressed by the performance. We then went to John Lewis and had a similar demonstration of the latest iPad, and afterwards came to the conclusion that the Samsung was the better of the two touch-screen tablets. Apple spends a fortune on advertising and publicity. You cannot turn around without there being something about their gadgetry, whether it's for the latest iPad, iPod or iPhone. I have always been an Apple fan and have used them since university, which is where I first used computers and have always used Apple computers (this is written on an iMac, although not the most up to date model, running the latest version of OSX.) But I have to say the Samsung is a very good machine and is perhaps better than the Apple iPad. You get a lot of software already loaded, such as Photoshop photo editing and word processing. There are plenty of apps that run on it, too, and a lot of them are free. It is wifi-connected, and it's relatively easy to set up. We had the thing up and running within minutes of opening the box when it arrived.

I am continuing with my novel. I have at last found a way of linking some of the story-elements together which I hadn't got previously. As I've said in an earlier post, the plotting and story-construction is probably the most important factor when writing something like this. Once you have it in place, the actual writing is surprisingly easy. Just getting something down on paper means you can sort of 'join up the dots' if you like, and the story takes shape accordingly. With so many 'plots' this is quite important. 

I am currently reading 'Les Miserables.' It is an extremely long book, around 1600 pages or so. A lot of different plots, and the construction is a real influence on my own novel. I have seen the stage musical, which I loved, and I'm really looking forward to the film which is due out around Christmas.  Makes you wonder, having read the novel, how on earth anyone would attempt an adaptation. I have seen the trailer, and, if the it's is anything to go by (some trailers don't do justice to the actual film.) the film should be very good. It would appear to have an 'epic' feel to it. The other film that I can't wait to see is 'The Hobbit' although I can't see how such a slight book can be made into three films. I really loved the 'Lord of The Rings' trilogy, perhaps the most faithful adaptation of a novel that I've seen. I have read this 4 times and each time I find something different in it which I didn't find in the previous reading. I just hope these new films come up to expectations. Again, the trailer would suggest that it's going to be very good.