Freaky Friday

Friday. 9.30 a.m. It's bright and sunny. The digital thermometer reads 24ºc.

I was resting on my bed. I'm waiting for my washing to finish. It's in the dryer. I hear the sound of a large vehicle arriving in the street. I'm intrigued to find out what it can be; perhaps a removal lorry? A delivery of something like an oven or fridge/freezer? Who knows? A neighbour is having a delivery of something. But no, it's none of those. I look out of the window and find it's a large car transporter, with one car on the top deck. The engine is running, but I can't see what it's there for. The ramp it down at the back. The vehicle has red lettering on it, saying 'Redcorn. Scrap vehicle specialists.' More and more intriguing. Is it there to take someone's car away? Yes, it would appear so. The driver has lowered an extension of the ramp to street level. Then, the car, which is on the top level, is tipped up. It's now at a rather precarious angle. Just don't ever ask me to drive such a vehicle with a car on top, at an angle of around 45º. Then, the driver goes to the forecourt of one of the houses further along the street and gets into a car which is parked there and drives it onto the car transporter. As I write, it is being secured with some sort of mechanism, which, hopefully, will prevent it from rolling off the lorry. It all looks incredibly precarious. 

So, why is this car being taken away? Has someone failed to pay the instalments on his/her car loan? Is it being reprocessed? I'm only guessing. Now the car is being lowered onto the lorry. Perhaps the driver has more vehicles to collect. This, of course, is only speculation.

The lorry has left Dexter Avenue. That was very quick and efficient. I reckon the car was being taken for scrap. Just a guess, but it looked fairly new, and t that might only be a guess.

Saturday. 8.15 p.m. It's been yet another mild day. It wasn't particularly sunny, but at least we didn't get rain, although we could do with a good downpour.

I have a new DJI gimbal for my recently acquired Sony digital camera. It is quite difficult to set up. There is an app which you download to your mobile phone, and it's supposed to be used to manage the device. I have managed to download it, but it is proving extremely difficult to set up with a password.

Monday. 10.25 a.m. It's bright and sunny again today. The digital thermometer currently reads 27ºc and, according to Carol Kirkwood on this morning's edition of BBC Breakfast, informed us that there was a fourth heatwave on the way.

9.15 p.m. I have now managed to get the app for the DJI gimbal to work on my iPad. I am in the process of setting it up. As usual with gadgets you buy these days, the instruction manual that came with is extremely basic. You can usually find information such as this on YouTube and after an online search, I have found a far more detailed instruction manual which I have managed to print out, using my Canon printer. 

Happy Days Are Here Again

Monday. 4.05 p.m. It's been a good deal cooler today, although Carol Kirkwood, the weather lady on BBC Breakfast this morning, said that we can expect another heatwave by next week. The digital thermometer currently reads 24ºc, so considerably lower than this time last week.

Tuesday. 7.40 a.m. It's a sunny morning, although it appears to be a good deal cooler of late. The digital thermometer currently reads 22ºc.

12.00 p.m.I use Nivea for Men shaving gel. I have used it for a good many years now. Compared to similar products, it is far better, and you get a good foam from a very small amount. The other day, I went to Sainsbury's to buy a new pack, as the current one was about to run out. On attempting to use the new pack, I could not get it to work. The button on the top of the pack was faulty, and, as a result, no get would come out. I was then forced to shave using Avon shaving gel, which I wasn't entirely pleased with, as it was cheap and not up to the job. I have since been back to Sainsbury's and purchased a new pack, which has worked properly. I have to say, in all the years I have been using this product, I have never had a problem of any sort. I had only managed to pick up a faulty one when I went to the store.

Wednesday. 12.00 p.m. I have been watching a documentary on Netflix, called 'London: Hunting the 7/7 Bombers.' Quite horrifying, and it goes into an enormous amount of detail of how the young men responsible were discovered, although they died at the scene of each incident. The forensics then had to sift through the evidence to find out what material was used in the making of each bomb. This led to a neighbourhood in Yorkshire, and eventually, the names of the three men were discovered.

At the same time as I've been watching that documentary series (and I have yet to watch two more episodes.) I am watching a drama series on Apple TV, called 'Slow Horses.' This is based on a series of s thriller spy novels written by Mick Herron. It is in no way, shape or form like the fantasy world of espionage, which is the basis for James Bond. This is set in a very ordinary world where the characters are misfits and belong to a dysfunctional group of MI5 agents. I have to admit, when I watched the first episode, I had to spend some time discovering what it was actually about, and it's certainly not your average spy series. It is set in present-day London, and we see it from the viewpoint of the dark, sleazy areas of the city, the more or less underground life, if you like. Having just watched an episode of the 7/7 bombings, there are similarities in the camera work, the colour palette used and the editing, the placing of characters in the frame and the use of graphics. 

Thursday. 8.25 p.m. It's been a really hot day. Even at this hour of the evening, my digital thermometer reads 32ºc. 

I have bought a sun hat from Amazon. As is quite usual on Amazon, the choice is overwhelming. I needed one which was a good fit and not to tight on my head, because, from experience, a hat which is too tight causes a headache. I thought it a good idea to get a hat because of the current heatwave, and after my first heart attack in 2006, I was advised by a heart nurse to always wear a hat in hot weather. I ordered the hat and hoped it would be suitable. It was ordered around 7 a.m. on Tuesday, and it arrived around 5 p.m. I was impressed that it was delivered so quickly.

Saturday. 5.50 a.m. I have spent most of the night attempting to sleep. The heat has been intense, and it must be that which has caused the itchy back. I had a shower at around 10 o'clock, but it didn't really have much effect. I have now discovered that I have small raised spots on my back, which would be the cause of the itching.

8.05 a.m. If you follow my blogs regularly, you will know about my little dog, Alfie. He is a Yorkshire terrier and he is now 17 years old. You will know that I take him out regularly throughout the day, starting at around 6.30-7.00 a.m. But this morning I couldn't find him. As it's a small one-bedroom flat, there aren't many places he can hide. I looked in all the usual places, even under my bed, but still I couldn't find him. Eventually, I found him, under my desk, but in such a position it was impossible to get to him. I just left him to sleep. I think he found it cooler to sleep there. I have since managed to scoop him up and take him outside.

A New Day, A New Dawn!

 Tuesday. 6.20 a.m. What a cliché! I couldn't resist today's post title. I think I will see if I can find as many as possible to use as post titles.

Thursday. 8.20 a.m. Yet another hot day. My digital thermometer currently reads 28ºC. The  BBC Breakfast weather forecast came from a lavender field somewhere in the Cotswolds. Today may very well become the hottest day so far this year.

The results of the bowel cancer screening test came back yesterday. Nothing to report, thankfully, and next time I have to do a test I will have to ask my doctor if I can have one, for some weird reason. Probably because, by then, I will have been over the age of 75. Why does that make a difference?

Friday. 9.25 a.m. Yet another hot day. My digital thermometer currently reads 27ºc. 

Since this current heatwave began, I have had some really unpleasant skin irritation. I think it's just because of the heat and my skin sweating so much. It has got to the point that I needed some sort of relief from it. Having a shower tends to help, but it still comes back. I was trying to think of something to help relieve this irritation and Piraton came to mind. I have some in my cupboard, but I think these tablets are well past their 'best before' date. So, thinking further, I decided I needed to find a pharmacy to purchase some new Piraton. The pharmacy in Sainsbury's would have been ideal, but that has since closed down, unfortunately. I also had to bear in mind my heart medication, as it was important there were no reactions to these with this new mediation. I decided to drive over to Bradwell Common and go to Boots, which is next door to the Milton Keynes Medical Centre. So, I drove there and went into Boots branch. A queue at the counter and the issue the person had seemed to go on endlessly. Also, I had to contend with someone behind me playing horrible music on their mobile. NöelCoward was right when he said, 'strange how potent cheap music is!' Too right. From his play 'Private Lives.' Ironic, because it was said, with the song 'Someday I'll Find You' playing in the background, and which he composed.

Saturday. 6.25 p.m. It's hot. Apparently it's the hottest day of the year. I can well believe it. My digital thermometer currently reads 30ºc.

Sunday. 2.55 p.m. Milton Keynes has been hosting the Bludfest at the National Bowl in Milton Keynes. No, don't ask, because I have no idea what it's about, but yesterday I could hear 'music', that is, if you can call it that, for most of the day and right up until around 11.30 p.m. At first I thought then music was coming from far closer, but then I realized that it must have been from The Bowl. (As I write, I have a feeling its continuing. Usually the drumming which I can hear, and it can depend on if there's a wind. It's around three miles from here in Dexter House, so you can imagine that, at that sort of distance, what the volume of the music must be.

Driving along Chaffron Way on Thursday morning at around 9.30, I noticed a crowd of people walking along the Redway which runs alongside the road. I have a feeling they must be going to something connected with this festival, probably going for some sort of training, to be stewards, parking attendants and so on, but, of course, I might have been wrong.

On the way to church this morning, again driving along Chaffron Way, the road was blocked off, just after the roundabout where Chaffron Way crosses Grafton Street, which meant I had to take a detour back towards the city centre and then along Childs Way and back into Chaffron Way before I could drive into the OTC car park.

Bright and Sunny

 Wednesday. 10.15 a.m. A bright and sunny morning. The digital thermometer reads 26ºc.

I've driven to Sainsbury's. Driving away from Dexter House around Truman Place and then into Oldbrook Boulevard. Before I got there, I noticed a crowd of people on the pavement where the path alongside Strudwick Drive crosses Oldbrook Boulevard. As I got further, I couldn't help noticing one older man sitting on the ground, with a bloody nose. I don't know exactly what happened, but I can imagine this man must have fallen over and most likely he fell on his face, hence the bloody nose. I presume the crowd of people were helping him. It looked to me as if he probably needed first aid and possibly a visit to the A and E department at the hospital to get himself checked over just to make sure there were no serious injuries and some sort of dressing on his nose, to prevent infection.

I went on to Sainsbury's, did my shopping and around 40 minutes I drove past the other way and the man was still sitting on the ground and the crowd of people was still with him. I'm not sure how this incident occurred or how it played out, whether someone called an ambulance if he went to the hospital, or if someone dressed the injury.

Friday. 8.35a.m. I think the best way to describe the weather at the moment is sultry, hot, and sticky, which makes it difficult to sleep at night. I have an electric fan on in the lounge and another in the bedroom, as well as a hand-held chargeable fan, but even then it doesn't seem to cool things down. The digital thermometer currently reads 27ºc.

Saturday. 9.45 a.m. There is talk of rain on BBC Breakfast this morning. When it's likely to strike is a bit vague, but we do need a downpour. Everything looks parched and dry. The grass is shriveling up. The trees along Strudwick Drive are shedding their leaves, most likely because they need rain.

Sunday. 5.50 p.m. Today is Father's Day. In church, every father got a small gift, of 2 Ferrero Rocher chocolates and a card. The sermon was on 'The Fruit of the Holy Spirit' and people who were gifted by the various gifts were nominated and given small gifts. Also, anyone who is a volunteer got a small gift, which was a pen. I got one.

I spoke to a lady who was a visitor at church, who knew Carol. She is a teacher. I think she might have worked with her at Stantonbury or Milton Keynes Academy. She said she visited Carol when she was in Willen Hospice.

It's hotter than ever today and the weather forecasters suggest that it will get hotter as the week progresses.

Heatwave Forecast

 Sunday. 7.40 a.m. As I write this, the sun is shining. According to the weather forecast on BBC Breakfast, we are about to have a heatwave. Whether this is correct or not, we will soon find out. I just hope so.

I have been watching the first episode of the documentary series 'A House Through Time.' This series is different to the previous series, which took one house and then traced all the inhabitants for several years. This series takes two blocks of flats, one in London and the other in Berlin, and traces the inhabitants through the period shortly before World War 2. I was really shocked to discover that the block in London, Montagu Mansions, was where a great aunt of mine lived during the 1930s-40s. Quite a surprise to discover this. That bit of information was discovered when I was doing family research.

Monday. 12.15 p.m. It's a bright and sunny day. As a result, I went to Stony Stratford to have another go at doing some video as I walked along the main street. I have viewed some of the footage, and it looks good.

Wednesday. 1.30 p.m. It's bright and sunny as I write this. I have my electric fan on.

Monday. May Bank Holiday. 6.00 a.m. It's now a good deal cooler. It would appear that the heatwave is over. I hope not.

9.15 a.m.I had intended to go to Lidl to get one or two items. I drove there and then discovered that they didn't open until 11 a.m. I suppose I should have realized, this might happen because it was a Bank Holiday, but never mind, I can go back later.

On top of everything else, its the first day of the VE Day 80th Anniversary celebrations. I think there's to be an RAF fly-past at around 11. Also, many of the roads around Milton Keynes are closed off, or will be, because of the Milton Keynes marathon. I don't need to go anywhere, apart from Lidl, and the marathon doesn't come through Oldbrook.

Tuesday. 7.50 a.m. It's hardly a heatwave today. It's not sunny, but pleasantly mild.

I have an appointment at 2 o'clock to get my eyes tested. I had a letter from Boots Opticians telling me my eyes were overdue for testing. I was told the last time I had my eyes tested that they needed testing every year, so I booked an appointment online. The appointment went well. I had all the work and extra tests, one of which was photographs of the back of your eyes. The optician told me she could see something which isn't sinister, but I should keep an eye on it (sorry!) I don't need new glasses, as my sight hasn't changed much since last year, but I ordered a new pair of reading glasses, which I will collect once they are ready, on 14th May.

Trapped!

 Sunday. 8.20 a.m. I've been cleaning up my kitchen. I have got rid of a lot of bottles and glass items. They went to the bin store for removal by the dustman, which will probably be next Tuesday, which is bin day in Oldbrook. Then I attacked my fridge (not literally, you understand. I'm not that crazy.) Some food was well past it's 'sell-by' date, so it went in a black bin bag. I decided to put it out this morning, so it was tied up, and I carried it to the bin store. You have to go through an inner door which opens into the corridor and through an outer room and then unlock an outer door which is bolted shut most of the time. I went through this door and put the bag in the rubbish container, but then there was a gust of wind and the outer door slammed shut, leaving me outside in the yard and no way to get back in. I did try the door several times, but no luck. I did attempt to climb out over the padlocked gate and into the road, but it was impossible, even if I tried to climb on a wheely bin. Eventually, I saw one of the Dexter House residents passing by the gate, and he came round through Dexter House and let me in. Not a nice experience. I really don't want to repeat it. I don't like being shut in. I'm not good in small spaces, and this was such a situation. I really don't intend to repeat it if I can help it.

Monday. 2.30 a.m. We had a violent rainstorm earlier this morning, but it went over quickly and as I write this, it's bright and sunny.

Wednesday. 7.25 a.m. It's relatively mild this morning. A red sky when I took a very sleepy Alfie out at around 6.45. Do you know what they say about a red sky? Or, at least you should: 'red sky at night, shepherd's delight. Red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning!' It must be more or less right, because Carol Kirkwood, the weather presenter on BBC Breakfast this morning, was saying there was a possibility of rain sometime today. Let's wait and see.

10.25 a.m. I have just been to Lidl. One or two things were needed, which included dog food. Alfie would not have thanked me if he didn't get his dinner/ It was raining heavily, so the above would prove to be true.

Friday. 7.00 a.m. It's foggy this morning, which was something of a surprise. It should disperse as the day progresses.

Saturday. 7.55 a.m. It's sunny and bright as I write this, but earlier, when I took Alfie out, it was chilly with a light frost on the grass.

Donald Trump's Second Inauguration

 Monday. 7.40 a.m. I have just been reading what I wrote here eight years ago regarding Donald Trump's first inauguration as American President.  Well, they had four years of Biden and he became very unsteady as a President. Frankly, he was too old and frail to have the responsibility of running the largest economy in the world. Half the time he didn't know where he was or what he was talking about. I think he must have early onset Alzheimer's and was not really fit to be President. Kamala Harris, who took over mid-way through the election campaign, wasn't really fit to be president either, so, of the two candidates, love him or loathe him, Trump was the better choice.

7.10 p.m. I have been having problems getting my Panasonic Freeview Play set-top box to connect to my wi-fi router since I moved my broadband to Vodafone fibre around a month and a half ago. On two occasions I have attempted to put the password into the box, but for some reason, it just will not work. It is a very nerve-wracking experience because the password is long and uses upper and lower case numbers and letters and you have to use the remote control. So, I gave up on the last attempt. I then looked on the internet for some answers and one response was to use a cable connection, so I found the relevant cable and then plugged it into the router, and, fortunately, it worked.

I have been reading about Trump's inauguration and the executive orders he is going to sign. He is going to do away with a lot of the 'woke' rubbish that has been in place under Biden, such as gender and similar ideology. No government employee will be allowed to work from home, which seemed to be 'normal' since the pandemic.

Wednesday. 7.20. According to the weather forecast on BBC Breakfast a few minutes ago, Storm Éowyn is about to hit the British Isles. I'm not sure if that means wind, snow or rain, but I'm sure we will know when it eventually happens.

Friday. 7.10 a.m. Storm Éowyn has struck! It's extremely windy out and I didn't stay out long when I took Alfie out a few minutes ago. 

There is a Red warding in place in Northern Ireland and Scotland due to the high winds caused by Storm Éowyn. This means that it is dangerous and could be a threat to life. In Northern Ireland, they have recorded a wind speed of 114 m.p.h.  There is therefore traffic disruption and the message going out that, unless your journey is important, not to travel. On BBC Breakfast this morning, the weather map of the British Isles has a large area of the north of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland covered in yellow which looks like some sort of balloon or rubber device, dare I say, condom. Sorry, but it does have that sort of appearance.

9.35 a.m. It's bright and sunny, but the wind is still blowing a gale.

The workmen doing the work in the community garden have got several layers of what looks to me like gravel or stone on some of the paths. There is a yellow JCB roadroller standing on the path, no doubt to be used to flatten the paths before the final layer goes down, probably tarmac. I suppose it has to be smooth if people are to drive their scooters along the paths.

Saturday. 8.10 a.m. Thank goodness it's a good deal calmer this morning. Having watched BBC Breakfast this morning, there has been a great deal of damage done to buildings across the country, most in Northern Ireland and Scotland, both of which seem to have been hit the hardest by Storm Éowyn. In Northern Ireland the speed of the storm was recorded at 104 m.p.h. in some places.

Boxing Day and Beyond. . .

 Thursday. 8 a.m. I went to the Christmas Day service at SCF yesterday morning. It was an hour and there wasn't any tea or coffee as we usually have after our services, so I came straight home afterwards. 

I had my Christmas Dinner at around 5.15. I had purchased all the bits that made it up from Sainsbury's which included a chicken breast (which turned out to have stuffing inside when I began to carve it.) Brussels sprouts, roast potatoes, pigs in blankets, stuffing and bacon. I had bought a ready-made Christmas Pudding, but I decided to have it another day (probably this evening.

Later, I watched the new Wallace and Gromit film, 'Vengeance Most Fowl.' I'm a fan of the work of Aardman Animation, so this was something of a treat. I know it takes years to make an animation film, and probably more work goes into this type of stop-frame animation. It was so inventive and imaginative and hilarious. According to the over-night ratings, it got over 9 million viewers.

Friday. 1.40 p.m. It's been foggy and overcast for the past couple of days. Just typical December weather, I suppose.

Another trip to Sainsbury's this morning. The travelator was not working on the trip up to the store. They seem to have endless problems with this technology, but I can walk up the travelator, which is odd when it doesn't move, but the down one was working.

There seems to be a lot of Christmas stuff left over. Perhaps they should sell off mince pies and Christmas puds at half price, or even less.

All the tenants at Dexter House, including myself, have had letters from the maintenance contractors, Mears, today. Reading down the list of things they are going to do, caught my attention. It reads 'Slip and trip hazard free pathways from external doors to the scooter stores, from the fire exits of the scheme to external gates, and from the scooter stores to the external gates.' Which means, if I am right, but don't hold your breath, they are actually going to do the work, which has been held up for at least 3–4 years! SOMEONE in the hierarchy within Milton Keynes Council, has decided to act on this work, or at least, signed the piece of paper which means that, at last, the work can be done and the electric scooters, which are stored at the moment, in common spaces, for example, the corridors, and were deemed a fire hazard by a fire officer years ago. I have been watching the brilliant sitcom 'Yes, Minister' on BBC iPlayer. This business of the scooter stores seems very much like a storyline straight out of this series. 

Well the work begins on 6th January, so I will report on here how things progress, but don't hold your breath.

Saturday. 9.45 a.m. It's yet another gloomy and overcast day here in Milton Keynes. I see from BBC Breakfast, that vast swaithes of Britain is covered in thick fog, but this area seems to have escaped. There are problems with visability as airports and flights have either been delayed or cancelled. Drivers have been told to be careful on the roads, and, in particular, because visability if poor.

I went to the prayer meeting at SCF this afternoon. A lot of the people who are in the Thursday morning group were there.

Sunday. 7.35 a.m. I've been out with Alfie. There's a bit of fog hanging around although it's thin and is likely to disperse as the day progresses.

Monday. 9.35 a.m. A bit of a misty, rather than a foggy day. Overcast and murky is the best way to describe it.

I found that I was running low with some of my medication, so I decided it would be advisable to put in a repeat prescription. I went on the on-line pharmacy I use, Pharmacy2U or whatever it's called. When you can order, then those medications which you have signed up to a 'clear', but those they say you can't have yet are screened out, being 'greyed out.' As most of my repeat medications were 'clear', I clicked to order. I thought to myself, 'ok, that's done!' and they will arrived in a few days time through the post. But a few days ago, over the Christmas period, I got a text message from my surgery to tell me I had ordered too early. Which bothered me, because, by this time I had finished the Bisoprolol tablets I take, which I think are to control my heart rate and, hopefully, prevent me having a further heart attack. This morning, rather than ringing the surgery, because I knew it would likely take me about 45 minutes for them to respond, hence causing stress, it was far simpler to drive to Central Milton Keynes Medical Centre and get the medication ordered, which I did. I was concerned that they might not be open, due to the Christmas and New Year holidays. But I needn't have worried, as they were open, and I spoke to a receptionist, who did the order on her computer and I will hopefully receive the medication in a couple of days, maybe a bit longer than usual due to New Year getting in the way.

Deep and Crisp and . . . It's gone!

 Tuesday. 7.35 a.m. I was somewhat shocked, when I opened the curtains this morning, to discover snow, not just fluffy bits falling from the sky, but covering the road and the garden outside. My car, which I can see from the window, was covered in a fairly thick blanket. I thought it only fair to find Alfie's Regatta jacket and put it on him before we went out, and I put on my hooded jacket. I don't think he appreciated the cold when we eventually left the building. As I write this, it continues to snow, and it doesn't appear to be stopping. I don't ever remember snow this early in the winter.

Thursday. 8.15 a.m. As I said in the above post, the snow came and went just as quickly. This morning we again have snow, but it's left a rather thin layer of the white stuff on the grass in the garden.

Yesterday morning I was about to drive to the Oaktree Centre, but had to spend around 10 minutes scraping ice off the car's windows. I have antifreeze spray, which I had the foresight to buy in Sainsbury's a few weeks ago, so I shall use that in future.

Saturday. 7.10 a.m. This morning there's rain and it's a good deal colder. I have just been watching BBC Breakfast, and there's a weather warning in place. Storm Bert is on the way. There's snow falling in the north of England, and it looks as if Scotland will be covered in the white stuff.

Sunday. 6.30 a.m. I awoke, due to needing the loo. I could hear the wind howling around the building. There was no way I could get back to sleep, so I decided to go online. I have a new family research site membership, My Heritage. It has more details of people as well as pictures, so I can at least see what some of my ancestors looked like. The new fibre broadband is working well.

Wednesday. 1.05 p.m. I have now got a second online genealogy subscription with something called MyHeritage. I have got back 40 generations, which is amazing. I have uploaded the Gedcom file from Ancestry which makes things easier and quicker and I have many new people on my family tree. I have one of Henry VII Is wives in my tree, Catherine Parr. 

A really typical November day. I went to Sainsbury's earlier and couldn't believe how dark it seemed. It has turned really cold and wet, and we have yet another storm coming in and Milton Keynes is on flood alert. This one is called 'Storm Connal'. Apparently, the name was given by the Dutch Met service.

Thursday. 8.00 a.m. Cold and frosty this morning when I took Alfie out. I reckon the car will need defrosting when I go out later. I have a new bottle of antifreeze spray ready, which I got in Sainsbury's a few weeks ago.

Hap, Hap, Happy Day!

 Saturday. 7.35 a.m. A rather gloomy and overcast day. Quite chilly when I took Alfie out. I don't think he couldn't care less, because he's having a sleep on the blanket in the bedroom.

Today I have to get my flu shot done at Central Milton Keynes Medical Centre. I knew it was today, but I wasn't sure of the time. I searched for the details in my emails and text messages, but nothing. I thought I could easily drive to the surgery to get the information, but then I thought I might just as well telephone the surgery, which I did. I was number 4 in the queue. It gradually shrunk down and I was number one and I got the information from the receptionist. The appointment is at 9.55 this morning, so that was a relief. I think I might have deleted the text or the email.

12.20 p.m. I've been to have my 'flu shot. I was at the surgery well before the allotted time and signed in with the computerised screen. I was called into the room and the nurse soon gave me the vaccine and out in less than three minutes.

Yesterday, late afternoon, I just happened to have a look at my mobile and the text messages, and one jumped out at me. It said that a suspicious amount of cash had been taken from my Nationwide account, and I should ring the number, which was included in the text message. I was somewhat surprised and rang the number. It was the Nationwide fraud line. It turned out that this was a scam and, with the help of the gentleman on the other end of the phone, checked things out and nothing was taken from my account, thank goodness. The scam works if you panic and then receive another call or text, and they take money from your account. A really horrible feeling of panic, which is what the scammers want.

Friday. 10.15 a.m. It's another typical November day, dull and overcast.

I am moving to a new broadband provider. I have been with Sky for around 10 years. I am moving to Vodafone Fibre. An engineer is coming on 20th November to install it, and it requires a hole to be drilled through the wall from the street to bring in the line. I will receive the router in a couple of days. 

The router arrived in the morning. I came via courier. I opened the large box and not only the router inside, as expected, but also a smaller box containing an Apple TV device. Having done some research on the internet, it would appear to be similar to a Fire Stick. As part of my Vodafone fibre broadband contract, I forgot I got Apple TV free as well as Amazon points, which I don't expect to receive until well into the New Year. So, I will have more to stream when the system is up and running. I have also subscribed to a relatively new streaming service called Marquee, which streams theatre, dance, ballet and other artistic performances. This seems to be the way forward for television and particularly theatre when plays and musicals can be videoed 'live' and then either shown in cinemas or through online streaming platforms.

Sunday. 8.15 a.m. I am waking up later and later each day. It's probably because the clocks went back recently. 

Another rather dull day, but the weather people on BBC Breakfast tell us that it will get colder as the week progresses. There has been snow in part of the north of England and parts of Scotland. It seems quite early to be having snow.

Monday. 8.10 p.m. I had a haircut today. As I wrote in an earlier post, ROK, the barbers I usually go to, has recently moved from their shop in the Central Shopping Centre to Unity Place. I had driven there to find out exactly where they had moved, a couple of weeks ago. It's easy enough to park outside and had only a few minutes to wait before it was my turn to have my hair trimmed.

I left ROK and walked along the road and wanted to explore what else there was at Unity Place. There is a restaurant and at the end of the building an aptly named shop called 'The Corner Shop.' As I entered, I was confronted by a barrier, similar to what you get on the London Underground, where you swipe your ticket. But here you had to swipe your bank card. There were no tills in the traditional sense. A lady was there, who at first I thought was a customer, but it transpired she was there to assist customers. I chose several items in the sweet section and she said, to pay, I just had to leave through the barrier and the value of the items would automatically be taken from my bank account. So, this is a taste of the way retail is heading. But my question is, what happens when the system fails, or there is a power cut?

Sunny Saturday

 Saturday. 8.25 a.m. I haven't quite got the hang of using and operating the DJI Pocket. I didn't actually record any footage when I walked around Oldbrook Green, but I have since discovered that you have to give the record button a couple of presses to make it work. I know it sounds simple, but you only discover this sort of detail when you find YouTube videos which teach you how to operate the camera. You get an extremely basic instruction leaflet with the gadget (I think this is the case with most devices today.) Also, merely playing with the various buttons on the device to find out which one does what. I am now discovering how the wireless microphone connects to the camera. It uses Bluetooth and WiFi to connect. Another YouTube video explains the procedure.

As the title of this post suggests, it's a sunny day. What more can I say on the subject?

4.00 p.m. I have been out once more with the DJI Pocket and been around Oldbrook Green. I have now viewed the footage, and I'm more than pleased with the result. I didn't have the wireless microphone attached, although I have discovered how to connect it, having viewed a YouTube video on the subject. The secret of using a camera with a gimbal is that, don't play around with the settings. Once you have it how you want it, leave it alone. I had the camera facing away from myself, and the gimbal managed to keep the horizon level. Perhaps I should hold the device a little bit higher, but that's a minor point. I think if the manufacturers were going to make any adjustments to the DJI Pocket, or any of their next generation, to make the handle more rounded, so it's comfortable to hold.

Sunday. 8.25 a.m. I have now managed to extract the microcard from the DJI Pocket 2 put it into the adaptor and into the reader, and then plug that into my MacBook. I have to say that removing the card is very fiddly and because it's so tiny, no bigger than the nail of my little finger, and, if you're not careful, it could easily spring out and then shoot across the room and get lost. But I have managed to watch the footage I took when I walked around Oldbrook Green yesterday, and I'm more than pleased with the result. For a first attempt, it's better than expected, and I have high hopes for using it for future work.

4.05 p.m. We had Café Church this morning. I was doing the usual refreshment thing. There is a new coffee machine installed in the café area. It produces a range of coffee, latte, Americano etc. It's easy enough to use. It has coffee syrup in cartons inside and a touch screen to select what a customer wants, so it's easy to use and more or less foolproof.

Monday. 3.00 p.m. I need to have video editing software so that I can manipulate the footage I film on the DJI Pocket. I did a Google search and I discovered that my MacBook has it's own software for that purpose, called iMovie. 

Tuesday. 7.45 a.m. I am definitely sleeping a good deal better than I have been. I think the sertraline tablets are partly responsible. 

Yesterday I started to transfer some handwritten material into word processing. I was looking through all that I had written, which is in various notebooks, and I discovered some which hadn't been transferred. I'm editing as I go through it.

The day has begun and the conditions on the weather-front looks as if it's overcast and, according to BBC Breakfast weather, it looks as if we can expect rain later in the day.

Warmer Weather

Tuesday. 6.15 a.m. I have been writing this blog for quite some time now. In fact, this will be the 1887th post. You may have come to the post through Facebook because I have always used a link at the bottom of each post so that more people have the opportunity to read what I post. But this morning, having decided to publish the last post, I got a message from Facebook telling me my post had been removed. It was extremely rapid, only seconds after I posted the link. I am intrigued to know why this happened because there is nothing contentious in any of my posts, nothing obscene, racist, or controversial in any way. I will attempt to connect this post to Facebook when it is completed, and see if it happens again. I realize this wasn't done by a human and was most likely done by some sort of algorithm.  

Good. I have got that out of the way!

The weather seems to be warming up. I do hope so because we've had some awful weather, far too much rain and wind.

8.40 a.m. Strange, but true. I mentioned linking this blog to my Facebook profile, and it was rejected for whatever reason. Well, I've had another go, just to see what happens, and it was posted without any problems. 

Wednesday. 6.15 a.m. Apparently, according to the weather forecast on BBC Breakfast this morning, we are likely to get thunder and lightning at some point in the day, not necessarily in Milton Keynes. It's definitely warming up, but heavy, thundery rainstorms, according to Carol Kirkwood as I write this! 21ºC in some parts of the country.

I was more than a bit upset when I heard about the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree on Hadrian's Wall last September. I don't think I was the only person to be shocked when this was announced on various media outlets. I am now more than a little pleased to learn that the two young men who were responsible for this vandalism have been charged with causing criminal damage, and will have to now face court and, hopefully, some sort of penalty, no doubt some sort of fine or even prison. It upset me because Carol and I went to Northumberland for our honeymoon in 2007 and the cottage we rented was a short drive away from Hadrian's Wall, which we visited and saw the Sycamore Gap tree. It was featured in the film 'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.' We also visited several other locations which were used in that film. On a later holiday we had in North Yorkshire, we went to Aysgarth Falls, which is where the famous fight between Robin Hood and Little John was filmed.

All Over The Place!

Tuesday. 6.15 a.m. I'm not entirely sure what the weather is doing at the moment. As I write this, Carol Kirkwood is doing the forecast on BBC Breakfast. It looks as if the weather is going to get warmer.

I mentioned in the previous post how I have been doing online paid surveys and getting paid in cash and vouchers. I also mentioned buying some books with some Amazon points. Several of these books turned up yesterday. Three came in the morning, barely 24 hours after they were ordered. But then I had a second delivery, mid-afternoon. The book I ordered was called 'Churchill's Most Secret Airfield: RAF Tempsford,' by Bernard O'Connor. I bought this, because I had only recently found out about this airfield, which is in Bedford, and very close to Everton, where I worked in the early 2000s, as a Support Worker at a residential home for people with learning disabilities. I was using Google Maps, and searching for something (I forget what now.), but I saw RAF Tempsford marked (it had been closed down sometime after the war.) but there was a building marked which mentioned 'S.O.E.' (Special Operations Executive. the organisation which sent agents into France, during World War 2, to assist the French resistance.)

So, you may be asking, where is all this going? Digression, to say the least, but I have to explain the following. The book which I mentioned seemed to be something I should read. I am interested in history and Bedfordshire had many connections with activities connected with the Second World War, most particularly the band leader Glenn Miller and, closer to Milton Keynes, Bletchley Park and the Enigma Machine, codebreaking and lots more. In fact, there appear to be many more places around the area which were connected to all this, and only recently have these activities been revealed, because so many of them were top secret. So, having found this book whilst browsing Amazon, I decided to buy it. Unfortunately, for some reason I can't quite work out, somehow or other, instead of ordering one, three copies got ordered. Before I clicked on the 'buy now' button, to set the ordering process in motion, I attempted to remove the two excess copies. After several goes, I thought I had removed them. Then, yesterday afternoon, the package arrived from Amazon, but with THREE copies of the book inside! So I went on the Amazon website and set in motion the process to return the two copies of the book. I found that I could take the parcel, which I had packed up and taped up with parcel tape, in the packing which they had arrived, and found that if I printed the QR code, I just had to go to the post office within One Stop in Coffee Hall and the man behind the counter would scan the code and he would pack the parcel in a special Amazon bag, so my parcel could be returned. When I got home, I then went on the Amazon site and found that a refund had been made to my account, which can go to another purchase.

6.05 p.m. I had a doctor's appointment this afternoon. I was telephoned yesterday morning and was told I had an appointment. I arrived at the surgery around 4 o'clock, but the appointment was scheduled for 4.20. I was eventually called into the doctor's room at around 4.35. The doctor checked my blood pressure. It seemed to be fine. She told me that she had looked at the printout from the E.C.G. from the other day, and she said that something was showing up that suggested that I had a slightly abnormal heartbeat. I have experienced a rather odd heartbeat, a sort of strange missed beat if you like. The doctor then checked my oxygen level, with that thing which fits on my finger. Is it called an oximeter? It is. I have just looked on Google. There appeared to be nothing wrong in that area. Then she said that I ought to have a cardiology appointment at Milton Keynes Hospital, to get checked out and find out what can be done to prevent another blackout, which I did when I collapsed on the floor and ended up in hospital. So I just have to wait for a letter to arrive from the cardiology department.

The Flowers That Bloom In The Spring!

Friday. 6.20 a.m. It's another relatively mild morning on the weather front, but Storm Kathleen is on the way, with high winds expected. This, according to BBC Breakfast this morning.

7.30 a.m. I think I made a mistake. It might be mild, but there's been some rain in the night. I can see the pavements outside are wet, so that would indicate rain.

I have a load of washing in the machine. It takes an hour to do the wash, and then into the drier. Just as well we have a tumble drier, otherwise, it would be dripping clothes in the flat, on the drying rack, something I wouldn't want.

(Note: The title for this post is the title of a song from Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta, 'The Mikado.' I'm trying to find quotations from various sources, which are appropriate to the content of each post. Not always successful, but I do try. The flowers are blooming  all around Milton Keynes at the moment, so the choice of title is more than appropriate.)

8.45 a.m. On BBC Breakfast, they mentioned the fact that Abba won Eurovision 50 years ago this year. They had a reporter in Brighton, where the final of Eurovision was held in 1974. I was a D.S.M., working at Ipswich Theatre at the time and I had the radio on in my car and was driving home to my parent's house near Huntingdon and I heard the result of the competition on my car radio. It's just incredible to me that it was 50 years ago. I can't remember what show I was working on at the time. I do recall the first show I was involved in when I arrived, a production of 'Roots' by Arnold Wesker. I was put on sound operation. The sound deck was at the back of the auditorium, up several flights of stairs. I put together several sound effects tapes for several of the plays that were produced. At one point towards the end of the play, the central character, played by an actor called Jennie Quayle, puts on a record on a record player. I have a cue on my tape, which is supposed to come out of the record player. For some unfortunate reason, I had wound on the tape to the next cue (each cue separated by red tape, spliced into the recording tape.) The music that was supposed to come out of the record player was Bizet's L'Arlesienne Suite, but, because I had wound on to the next cue, which was the sound of rain, that was what was played through the speakers on stage! I immediately ran down to the stage and apologized to Jennie Quayle, saying I had made a bit of a mistake. I think she was quite happy with my apology, but from then on, I was careful to make sure I had the correct cue lined up each time

10.40 a.m. I've been to Sainsbury's. The place seems to be falling apart. The travelator wasn't working, so I had to use the lift. It seems as if these travelators are always breaking down. There has been work going on with them for months, so it makes you wonder why they are always malfunctioning. I then went to buy some frozen veg at the far end of the store, and a whole row of freezers were empty and none of the frozen veg I had wanted anywhere to be seen. 

When I came to pay, I pushed my trolley into the self-service area and then found that most of the tills weren't operating. There were a few ar the far end, and several people waiting to use them. When I eventually got to start scanning my shopping, the machine wouldn't work and the lady who is there to assist when there is a problem had to get the machine working several times. There should be far more staff to help with this problem. I think problems such as this are caused by Sainsbury's getting rid of too many staff and expecting customers to scan their own shopping instead of having manned tills. I think it is so they can cut prices and compete with other supermarkets for cheaper items. But, as a result, customer service suffers and the shelves aren't filled up when items run out.

Stranger Than Fiction . . .

 Monday. 6.15 a.m. I know, it's early, but I'm awake, and I have nothing better to do. I have BBC Breakfast on my television. 

Yesterday morning, I was on duty at church because I am on the refreshment rota. It's once a month and at the beginning of the month. I arrived well on time and then found that I couldn't get into the kitchen, which is locked with one of those devices that requires a combination to open it. I did eventually get the correct combination and managed to get into the kitchen, so I could get to the coffee-making machine (not actually a coffee machine!).

The lady who was on duty with me on refreshments came in later and we managed to finish setting up, with the coffee urn (at last! I found the correct word to describe the coffee 'thing'!) It had to be turned on well before the service began, so that it was hot and ready for people when they came out after the service.

Tuesday. 9.05 a.m. I am attempting to get a doctor's appointment. Nothing wrong. It's just since I had that blackout a few weeks ago I get a bit shaky and I think the sertraline is making my eyesight go a bit blurry and I get headaches and double vision. It doesn't last long, so I wanted to have a word with a doctor.  To get an appointment, Central Milton Keynes Medical Centre has a new system. You can't telephone for an appointment, you have to go online and, having registered, go through a triage system, explaining what your problem is and wait for the receptionists to respond. They prioritize your ailment and then phone you to arrange an appointment, either face-to-face or over the telephone. The system isn't open until 8 a.m., and I attempted to get an appointment yesterday, but I had to reset my password, a fiddly job at the best of times, and then, by the time that was done, all the appointments were taken, all gone within barely 15 minutes. I managed to get this done this morning, but I will have to wait until I get a call, probably in a few days.

10.20 a.m. I got a text message from the surgery, informing me that I could expect a doctor to telephone me and at around 9.30 a doctor did phone me. She suggested I got my eyes tested because of the blurry vision I am experiencing.

1.15 a.m. Alfie loves to lay on the sofa. Who can blame him? It's a good deal more comfortable than laying on the floor. Even though I went to the trouble of buying him a new bed, he still seems to prefer the sofa. I can't think of many dogs who get an entire sofa to lay on. While, at the same time, I get the armchair! He keeps looking at me and I have to pick him up to put him on the sofa. 

I went to bed and left him on the sofa. I was settling down to sleep, and then I heard this rather sad little noise, a sort of 'help me!' sort of doggy sound. At first, I thought, perhaps Alfie has got stuck under the bed. I looked, but no Alfie. Then, perhaps he's got stuck in the bathroom, as the door was closed. He has a habit of wandering in, and then it's easy to forget he's there and then close the door. But he wasn't there. So, I got out of bed and went into the lounge, and he was still on the sofa! I think he's scared of hurting himself if he attempts to jump down. So, I picked him up and put him on the floor.

The title of this post has absolutely no bearing on the content. I just couldn't think of anything better.

Approaching Christmas

Monday. 10.25 a.m. It's a rather overcast and gloomy day. Certainly not as bad as it was a couple of days ago, but not what you would call inviting, by any stretch of the imagination. I have been to Sainsbury's, basically to top things up which were running low.

Tuesday. 2.55 p.m. I went to the Bridge Builder offices to complete my D.B.S. application. It appeared to go without a hitch, and I will have to wait until the certificate comes through before I can go further with my volunteering with Bridge Builder.

It is a wet and cold day. It has been raining more or less continuously since this morning.

Wednesday. 12.40 p.m. It was quite icy and slippery along the path towards Oldbrook Green when I went out with Alfie at around 7.25 this morning. It was quite deceptive and the leaves need to be more helpful. It really is about time that the Council workmen sweep them up. If they don't, they will begin to decompose and then become a hazard, becoming slippery, and then they will have to answer to those who fall over as a result.

I am learning the monologue I have been given as part of the Bridge Builder 'Christmas Cracked' presentation which we are taking into local Primary Schools. I have to wait until my D.B.S. certificate comes through before I can go to school. It's one of the formalities you now have to go through because of the possibility of someone abusing children. It's a sad world we live in, but without this piece of paper, you aren't allowed in and schools would want to see this.

Sunday. 8.45 a.m. I haven't written anything on here for a while. I did say in an earlier post that I wouldn't be writing much from now on.

Tuesday. 8.40 a.m. Yesterday was the fifth anniversary of Carol's passing. I was invited to a Christmas meal at The Barn by Ross. He had texted me about this, which was for the Monday Club people. It was a really pleasant meal. I'm not used to eating a full meal at midday because I always have my meal in the evening so in that respect it was great to not have to make a meal in the evening.

Apparently today it was four years ago since the General Election. I had forgotten this fact (not that I'm that bothered one way or the other.) But Sir Kier Starmer, the Labour Party leader, was on BBC Breakfast, when I put the television on at around 7.15. He was speaking from Milton Keynes, but I wasn't sure where he was. From what I could see in the background, it looked like a warehouse.

Wednesday. 2.15 p.m. At 9 o'clock, my car was booked to have an oil change. The traffic driving there was a good deal quieter than I was expecting, especially at the roundabout crossing Standing Way. I sat in the waiting area as the work was done, and it was ready to drive away at around 9.50. Paid and went home.

As I write this, it's really windy and wet outside. 

4.30 p.m. We have had a group from M.K.C.C. ( Milton Keynes Christian Centre) come to give the tenants here at Dexter House, me included, a really great Christmas teaparty. My friends Margaret and John, who go to Shenley Christian Centre (and it would appear, M.K.C.C. I knew John from when I was a helper on Alpha, which was run at M.K.C.C.) Part of the proceedings was a quiz and I won quite a haul of prizes!

Saturday. 12.30 p.m. I went with group from Shenley Christian Fellowship to the Nut and Squirrel in Westcroft for a Christmas meal. The group was made of of mostly those who are in some way or other involved with the Acorns playgroup. We were scheduled to meet at 7.30, but some people were ill, I think probably with covid.

Two ladies were already sitting at the table when I arrived, and the rest of the party arrived over the next half-hour or so. But, due to some of the staff at the Nut and Squirrel ringing in sick, only one waiter was available to do the waiting duties. Not just for our party, but, it would appear, for the rest of the restaurant, and, for what I would tell, serving behind the bar. He was literally rushed off his feet for the entire evening.

Hot And Humid

 Friday. 10.25 a.m. The summer is back in full force. It's almost as if it never went away, even though, officially, we are now into autumn. I have both fans running at full force, one in the bedroom and the other in the lounge. The digital thermometer currently reads 27ºC, although, on BBC Breakfast earlier, there was mentioned the possibility that the temperature would reach at least 30ºC. 

Alfie went to have a haircut yesterday. He was booked in at the Groom Room in Bletchley several weeks ago, in fact, I went directly there to enquire about a booking after I had taken my car to Anglo Motors. The appointment was at 4.30. So I left in good time, hoping to arrive at around 4.15. The problem was, when I got to the roundabout which intersects with Saxon Street and Standing Way, I discovered that the road ahead was closed, and without any warning further back I could find an alternative route to Bletchley. I turned right onto Standing Way and discovered a more or less solid traffic jam towards Watling Street. I got to the car park outside Pets At Home, where the Groom Room is based and managed to calm down, because of the stress caused by the detour to get there.

Having dropped off Alfie for his haircut, I then went along the parade of shops to Costa to have a cool drink. I had at least an hour to fill until I had to go back to collect Alfie. When I eventually left Costa and walked out through the door I was hit by the heat, a bit like opening an oven door. I don't get on well in heat, and it's particularly dangerous for me, having a heart condition and having had two heart attacks.

5.15 p.m. As I write this, the digital thermometer currently reads 32ºC, which must be some sort of record. I know that is indoors, but I have an electric fan on and all the windows in the flat are wide open.

Sunday. 7.55 a.m. It wasn't quite as hot and humid as it has been overnight for the past couple of nights, but still, the digital thermometer reads 27ºC. Hopefully, we will get a rainstorm which will relieve the heat, but with storms will come flash floods.

Monday. 4.05 p.m. The temperature had dropped considerably, thank goodness. The temperature outside is a good deal lower than indoors. Even with the windows open and an electric fan running, the digital thermometer reads 28ºC. I imagine this is because the heat we have had over the past week or so has kept buildings hot and will take a few days to cool down to a reasonable temperature.

Tuesday. 7.00 a.m. Thankfully, it's a good deal cooler this morning. The digital thermometer currently reads 25ºC. I slept somewhat better than for the past week or so of this heatwave.

Wednesday. 8.40 a.m. A bright and sunny morning as I write this. The digital thermometer currently reads 22ºC, so a far cooler temperature compared to the last week or so. I can sleep better in this sort of temperature.

A really good day at Camphill in the P.A.W department (Performing Arts Workshop.) yesterday (Tuesday.) We are developing material for the World War 2 project, which will be a play, running around 30-45 minutes. Many of the group went to Milton Keynes Museum to see the WW2 event. I went, but I wasn't feeling too well. As it turned out, I eventually had several days of a flu bug (which I mentioned in an earlier blog post) and I didn't stay at the museum long, unfortunately. I did manage to take some photographs with my Canon digital camera, but I have still got to transfer them onto a memory stick.

We had a long check-in. It went on almost to tea break at 10.30. Once back in the theatre after the tea break, Terrie set up a flipchart and the group was asked to give any information they had gleaned from the Museum visit regarding the Second World War. All these ideas and bits of information, however gleaned, would be put together to create some sort of script for the play.

After lunch, we got to the bit I have been waiting for for months, the first preview of the silent movies. Other Camphilll residents and staff came to see the films, projected onto the cinema screen. The first two films were created by a different group who meet on a Monday. The first was 'How To Rob A Bank', very much in the style of an early silent comedy. The second one, I don't remember the name of, and then we got to see the first of the three silent movies which we've been working on since around February, the first was a Western. Very amusing and I was intrigued by how the green screen process was utilized to create backgrounds, mostly sourced from what you would call 'stock footage', such as Western town backgrounds and steam trains. The second film was The Pirate Saga, in which I had a very small cameo appearance, although, at first, I did not recognize myself! Then we saw the third film, the science fiction 'time travel' epic, which I had been involved in from it's development and some of my ideas actually appeared on-screen. It was a somewhat complicated storyline involving, would you believe, Goldilocks, of traditional pantomime and fairy-story fame, time-travelling porridge (yes, you read that correctly!) space pirates (for want of a better word!) and in the past, zombies dancing to a rather weird version of The Macarena! But it all ended with the villains being defeated and everyone living 'happily ever after!'

Wet And Miserable August!

 Thursday. 12.35 p.m. It might be bright and sunny as I write this, but the weather generally, according to the weather forecast on BBC Breakfast this morning, is that we can expect rain for the next month, which might not be what those who have holidays booked want to hear.

2.35 p.m. I had the car booked in at Anglo Motors to have some work done on one of the rear brakes. It was scheduled to be done at 9 o'clock. I was there in plenty of time. Thankfully, the traffic was relatively light at that time. There was a problem locating the wheel nuts. Up until only a few years ago, I had no idea what 'wheel nuts' were, but then I found a small plastic box in the car containing these items. They are required if you have to take off the wheels of your car. I had to go into the workshop to look, and they eventually were located under the front passenger seat, when meant the work could continue. The work went ahead, and it was completed within an hour and cost a good deal less than I was imagining. I then drove over to the retail park at Bletchley to visit Pets At Home and the Groom Room which is within the store in order to get a groom appointment for Alfie. They are booked sold for weeks ahead, and I couldn't get one until early September. 

Saturday. 5.45 a.m. Where did Friday go? There wasn't anything worth writing about, which is unusual for me, as you would know if you read this blog on a regular basis.

I still have a certain amount of  discomfort in my lower back. It is worse when I bed, especially when I am getting dressed. I have ordered a heat pad from Amazon, because I was told, when using Voltarol, that it would help the healing process if I used a hot water bottle. But I don't have one, so I looked on various websites, including Boots and Superdrug, but they don't appear to have anything even close to a hot water bottle, except heated pads. I then went on Amazon and have found an electric heated pad, which I have ordered. I think it should be better than a hot water bottle because it won't lose its heat and has Velcro fastening to keep it in place.

10.00 a.m. Well, the weather is certainly doing it's 'thing'! The title of this post is totally correct. I went out to my car at around 7.45, removing the cage which Alfie rides in when he goes out with me in the car, with the idea of getting the car valeted, but I didn't realize until I got outside that it was raining quite hard, so that idea has to be shelved for now! I just thought that the car could do with a clean, inside and out, and as it hasn't been done in ages, I would get it done. Never mind, for now at any rate.

I've been to do a fairly small shop in Sainsbury. A good time to go, as the place is more or less deserted. The moving walk-way, which links the car park on the lower floors to the upper store is currently being repaired, so you have to use the lifts, which are busy. You would think there would be alternative stairs, but there aren't.

5.10 p.m. The intercom for the front door of Dexter House sounded at about 4.30. I answered it and nobody appeared with my Amazon parcel, so I went down to see if the delivery driver had come into the unit. I saw two parcels left on the kitchen window, one for myself. I took it back to my flat and set it up and after about fifteen minutes I had to leave it as I had to put my meal in the oven. I think it may be working as the pain in my lower back appears to be reduced. I will have to have some more time with it before I decide that it is doing it's job, which as I really hope it will.

One Day More

Thursday. 5.00 a.m. Yet another calm and, what I would say, uninspiring day on the weather front. The digital thermometer currently reads 23ºC. 

The title is a song from the musical, 'Les Misérables.'

Friday. 5.00 a.m. An entire day without me reporting ANYTHING! How unusual is that!

I'm getting comments to some of my earlier posts, on my school days. But whoever it was has decided to remain anonymous, which is a bit of a cheek. Why? Never mind. That's the internet, you can make comments but still hide your identity.

The Acorn's playgroup wasn't meeting at the Oaktree Centre yesterday morning. They had gone off to Gulliver's theme park for the day, leaving it incredibly quiet, so my Bible study group met in the café area. 

3.50 p.m. The digital thermometer currently reads 27ºC. According to the weather forecast on BBC Breakfast this morning, it seems likely we're to have the heatwave back. I have both electric fans on at the moment.

Saturday. 5.20 a.m. Another warm but pleasant morning. Having taken Alfie out as far as Oldbrook Green, I was struck by the beautiful clouds, tinged with pink, and looking for all the world very much like a Maxfield Parrish painting. For those who have never heard of this American artist, he was known for his, what I suppose you would call, a hyperrealist style of painting.

Yesterday evening, all those involved with the Acorns' playgroup at the Oaktree Centre, met at the Nut and Squirrel pub in Westcroft, which is next door to the Morrisons supermarket, to have a meal together. I had lasagne followed by apple pie and custard. This is where the men's breakfast group met a few weeks ago (as reported in an earlier blog post.)

Currently, the digital thermometer reads 27ºC.

11.15 a.m. I went to men's breakfast a little before 9 this morning. We had our usual fried food, tea and coffee and then someone did a talk on 'Truth'. In the midst of all this, there were several claps of thunder and then the heavens opened (almost Biblical in its epic sort of way, as these things often are.) After several weeks of a heatwave, it did bring a certain sort of relief.

Good Morning Sunshine!

 Friday. 7.50 a.m. Already been out with Alfie, He was barking at me when he saw me getting ready. It's sunny and warm, but I am hoping we get rain soon, as it's too much. The digital thermometer reads 23ºC. On the weather forecast on BBC Breakfast, they were saying we might expect rain over the weekend. As much as I love it bright and sunny, I really can't cope with it being too hot. Alfie can't cope either.

I've done washing up, put rubbish out and washing in the washing machine. It should be done at around 8.40.

I saw a cat climbing a tree as Alfie and I walked towards Oldbrook Green. I don't think I have ever seen such a thing. It was clinging onto the trunk of the tree and then, when it saw me, it decided to come down and ran off into the tree-filled space between the rear of Dexter House and the next property, which is SIA (Spinal Injuries Association.)

6.35 p.m. I've mentioned in an earlier post my intention of selling my old iPad. It was bought during the pandemic lockdowns, but it didn't work with an Apple Pencil, which was originally why I wanted an iPad. I have to admit I didn't do my research and I now have a more powerful iPad Pro which works with my Apple Pencil. Having got all my data removed from the old iPad, I wanted to find a way to sell it. I went to the Apple Store in Midsummer Place this morning, to check that it was completely free of my data, and they did a diagnostic test to check for its technical specifications. It passed, and I was offered £120 for it, except this would only be paid as an Apple voucher.

 I wanted cash, so went to C.E.X. in the main shopping centre for a quote. The quote I got was £145, which I was more than pleased with. I had to wait 30 minutes, so they could do a security check on the iPad. I imagine they get quite a few stolen items, so they need to do a security check to make sure. My iPad is clean, so I got my payment in cash. I went to Nationwide and paid in most of the cash into my account and had some in change. We have another of the famous Shenley Christian Fellowship quiz night and I required £1 coins for that. It's this Friday evening. I went to Boots to buy Feroglobin and, as there are fewer manned tills, I had to use a self-service till. Just a pain, and as usual this one was particularly irksome. Do I need to say more? It was the same in Sainsbury's about 15 minutes later when I went in to buy one or two items. 

7.55 a.m. There's a possibility of rain sometime today or tomorrow. As it is, looking out of the window this morning, it's quite overcast.

Current temperature on my digital thermometer reads 22ºC. 

10.15 a.m. I've been to Waitrose. I use glycerin soap because other soap dries up my facial skin, and it appears that they are the only supermarket which sells it. Sainsbury used  to, but don't any longer. I think, in general, most people use liquid hand soap or shower gel. 

Having unpacked my shopping, I took Alfie out, and I saw two police horses come from the direction of The Cricketers pub and cross over Strudwick Drive and go towards Fishermead. I know these horses are kept in a field along Chaffron Way. Great to see them, and they are so well turned out.

When I came out of the door onto Strudwick Drive, there was a slight fall of rain. It was so slight that by the time we had walked halfway to Oldbrook Green, it had stopped. Not even enough to settle the dust.

4.15 p.m. It's a good deal cooler. As I write this, the digital thermometer reads 25ºC. The weather forecast suggests there will be thunderstorms soon.