Autumn Stuff

Wednesday. 8.15 a.m. Another really great day yesterday at Camphill, in the P.A.W., in the Chrysalis Theatre. Games played on the stage, one called 'Splat' (which I won't explain on here at the moment.) and other game called 'Who Stole The Cookie?" and then some voice warm-ups, then discussing characters and storylines for the World War two play project.

We sat on the stage. The front curtain was closed and the lights turned off. Then, a recording of Neville Chamberlain was heard, a recording of the 1939 speech in which war is declared on Germany after they invade Poland. It was really moving, listening in silence and hearing this speech, broadcast on BBC radio.

After tea break, Terrie came up with the idea for a game show, which was actually a furtive exercise to show call-up of troops and others for the wall. Everyone was give a slip of paper with a character on it, age, job and some other detail, and then you were called forward by the recruiting officer and had answer relevant questions to find out if you were suitable to be called up, if not for one of the services, but whether you had skills that might benefit the war effort, or whether you worked in a reserved occupation. It seemed a good idea to create possible characters for the play.

After lunch, a bit more work on story and character and at the end of the day, company work, which means drilling and marching.

Friday. 8.15 a.m. Autumn is definitely here, even though clocks change on Saturday night and Summer officially ends. I took Alfie out at around 7.20 and there was fog, although not particularly thick, and shrouding the city centre, seen from across Oldbrook Green. It's also noticeably chilly.

I bought myself a new waterproof jacket from the Regatta website.It's a men's Bosfield waterproof jacket, full price £130, and I paid £33, which has to be a bargain. I wanted a jacket that had zipped pockets and a hood, which this has. I need a jacket or coat with zipped pockets, so I can put my keys in the pockets as well as my wallet. This has all that I need, as well as being lightweight. If it's exceptionally cold, I can always layer up with a fleece underneath, which this will allow.

2.10 p.m. It's sunny but chilly. I have been out with Alfie. He was reluctant to walk far, although I can't blame him.

I haven't mentioned the fact that one of the two metal benches that are on the walk around Oldbrook Green is missing. It had a plate on it, in memory of some local councillor who was connected to the area. It had a rather nice design on the back of the seat. The one further round has been designed with soldiers, presumably of the First World War, on it in silhouette along with several poppies. I think it was probably put there for the centenary of the start of that war in 2014, although I may be wrong. 

It's Getting Colder

(Sunday) It rained early this morning. so there was no question of me taking Alfie for his walk across Eaglestone Park, even though he kept staring at me when I was eating my breakfast as I watched BBC Breakfast at around 7.30. For a start, Alfie doesn't like getting wet, so there was no point in us both getting deluged. If you open the patio door to let him out into the garden, if it's raining, he won't go out unless he absolutely has to, he will poke his head out and decide that he won't bother, thank you very much.

I was determined to go to Shenley Christian Fellowship this morning. I needed to return, three weeks after my heart attack. Obviously I didn't want a repetition of that Sunday morning.

It's been raining most of the morning, but by the time I got to the hospital the sun was shining.

On arriving back home after visiting Carol, I found the house somewhat cold so I put my fleece on, the first time this autumn.

(Monday) As I've said in the last bit, it is considerably colder. Alfie was quite insistent that he was going to get his routine morning's walk across Eaglestone Park. I took it slowly, but I was fine, considering things. I put my red Regatta fleece on and we went out, with a weak sun shining, but there was a definite nip in the air as we walked down the path and into the open space where I usually let Alfie off. No chance that anyone will be allowed to sleep, with Alfie yapping and barking madly. We cut across the park, not going the full circuit. I rested briefly on one of the pieces of outdoor gym machinery, and texted Carol on my mobile, just to give a brief word or two about Alfie's walk with me. Not so much a walk for Alfie, as he runs madly about, but always comes back when I call him. He still must wonder where Carol is at the moment. He must have wondered where on earth I was when I was whisked off to the John Radcliffe in Oxford three weeks ago.

I got back to the house and suddenly found that it was really cold. I think it will be necessary to put on the central heating for the first time this autumn when I get back from the hospital late when I've seen Carol.

Later on Monday. It's quite sunny and pleasant now. The weather at this time of the year can be really strange. It may be cold one moment and then warm and sunny the next, although even with the sun out it can be deceptive, seeming warm but underlying it can be quite chilly.

Weird Sort Of Weather

It's currently raining (as I write this it's 6.45 a.m. on Monday morning, 25th September), which is has been more or less all night. But at the same time it's been really warm. We put the extra-thick duvet on our bed, as soon as it got colder, but it's now far too warm to be swathed in that duvet. What on earth is going on with the weather? I went to church wearing a short sleeved polo shirt and then decided to wear a thick pullover. But the weather played funny tricks, as it always seems to do at this time of the year; the sun came out and it turned out really warm so the pullover was making me far too hot. I suppose you can really come to expect this sort of weather when we reach autumn. Never mind, just don't complain as we'd prefer it warm than cold.

Later. At approximately 8.45 the rain has ceased.

Signs of Autumn

The weather's getting colder. The trees are changing colour. The days are getting shorter. Definite signs that autumn is well and truly here. Infact it was so cold we put the central heating on and I started wearing my long pyjamas for the first time.  We didn't want to have it on, but Carol said she was feeling cold. We just didn't want to start having the heating on until at least the end of October. It hasn't exactly been a warm and sunny summer, and we've had more rain than usual. What with Carol's health issues we haven't had the outings we would have normally had. Last year was exceptionally warm and sunny and we spent a good deal of our time visiting various National Trust and other properties as well as regular visits to Z.S.L. Whipsnade Zoo. I have been picking blackberries which have been abundant all along the Redway behind the house, no doubt because we've had a good combination of the right conditions for a bumper harvest with plenty of sun as well as rain. I was out early Sunday morning picking them and I made blackberry and apple crumble which we had with our evening meal.

The shops are beginning to stock up with the usual Christmas tat. Christmas cards were seen in Frost's garden centre the other day but in The Range (all mentioned in my previous post.) had Hallowe'en stuff as we walked through the door the other day. It's confusing, having all this 'seasonal' stuff on display at the same time. Can't we get one load of stuff out of the way before the next batch of tat is put on display? I can't believe that anyone would want to buy a Christmas tree months in advance of the festive season. Or mince pies, wrapping paper or decorations. I suppose it would be fine if you lived in a house with enough space to store it. Mention of Christmas trees brings me to ours from last year. It's still in it's pot in the garden, happily continuing to grow. It was bought in Dobbie's last year and hopefully will be fine when this year's festive season comes round and we can just bring it in the house and decorate it. Great, because it means we don't have to buy a new one when the time comes.

Sunny but cold

Today is one of those typical autumn days. It's bright and sunny, but underneath it's quite chilly. There is a nasty wind which makes it a good deal colder. The trees are rapidly loosing their leaves, but at the same time the leaves are turning the most amazing range of colours. One of the wonders of Milton Keynes. Whoever laid out this city in the late 1960's-1970's had the foresight to plant many trees. As you drive around this place it's often difficult to imagine that there are so many houses as most are hidden by trees growing along the grid roads.

Getting Colder

There's a really sharp drop in the temperature over the past couple of days. I suppose we had an exceptionally warm summer this year, so any drop in temperature will be noticeable. It certainly seems very autumnal this morning, although the sun is out. The beginnings of changes to tree-colour. This is generally very striking in Milton Keynes. For a modern city, we are very fortunate to have so many trees, and so many varieties, so when autumn comes around, we get a lot of different colours as the trees begin to loose their foliage.

Wild, Wet and Windy

September swept in with a vengeance. It's very windy and wet this morning, with very dark clouds covering the sky. The trees behind the house are swaying in the wind and no doubt we will have the first leaves falling to denote that Autumn has well and truly arrived.