Spring Has Sprung!

 Saturday. 8.10 a.m. It's bright and sunny. Mind you, it can be deceptive and might well be chilly out. I won't know until much later.

1.00 p.m. It has turned out to be quite warm. Not sunny, but mild nevertheless

I've been to Boots Opticians to collect my new glasses. I had two pairs made up, one for long vision, for driving and every day, and the second pair for reading. I was shocked to find when I put on the long vision pair, how sharp and crisp everything was. 

I then walked through the shopping centre and went into Midsummer Place. Just inside the doors, a man had set himself up, with an amplifier and microphone, and was singing. I say 'singing', but, let's be perfectly honest, it wasn't very good. One of the pieces he mangled (for want of a better word.) was a song which Carol and I had as our 'sort-of' song, 'Chasing Cars,' originally done by 'Snow Patrol.' Brought back some memories, and happy, but it upset me to some extent, not more so than having some idiot mangling it. 

I walked back to the car and, just as I was about to get in my car, t a really large car turned up, I think it was one of those huge 4-by-4 monsters. The driver was attempting to reverse into a space, just opposite where I had left my car. As the car began to manoeuvre, I saw that one side was heavily dented. It looked as though something or someone had run into the car, or else, the driver had smashed into another vehicle or run into a wall or something. The way the driver was making a complete hash of reversing into the parking space, it was no wonder the car got dented. 

Sunday. 8.00 a.m. I was woken in the night by a very heavy rainstorm. I'm not sure what time it was, but I think it must have been around 2 a.m. I went into the kitchen to look out of the window, and it was difficult to see across the garden (obviously not helped by the fact that it was dark, although there were very bright lights along the various paths. Bright enough to guide any passing aircraft into land, or even some alien space creatures.) The rain was so violent, there was a sort of fog. It was extremely noisy. Fortunately, it didn't go on for more than five minutes. I expect there will be a great deal of standing water on the roads around Milton Keynes, no doubt there will be vast puddles in and around the roundabouts, pooling where the water can't run away. The roads in Milton Keynes were built without cambers, and gutters which allow water to drain away. It seemed more like a cost-cutting exercise when the city was built, but it was a mistake. If the Romans could build their roads with cambers, why aren't modern roads built with them? I actually think most roads are. 

As I write this, the sun is shining.

1 p.m. I was on refreshment duty at The Oaktree Centre this morning. I've been involved with this for several months now. I used to be on The Genesis Team, which is responsible for setting up the Sunday services and setting out the chairs, but I was beginning to find it quite tiring, as it involved lifting and pushing, the chairs on trolleys and then lifting the chairs off the trolleys. 

Today we had what's termed 'Café Church', which means there was no service, but a chance to fellowship with church folk and, hopefully, allow those who don't generally go to church, to come along and enjoy coffee and tea, pastries and cookies, in a relaxed and totally informal setting, with some live music. I got to the Oaktree Centre at around 9.40 and had to start filling the coffee urn. This takes at least an hour to warm up sufficiently before a decent cup of coffee can be produced from it, but for some reason, it didn't seem to warm up properly. It would take at least the whole length of a normal Sunday service, to be ready for people when they came out at the end. I wasn't on my own doing the refreshments. A lovely lady who is in my Thursday morning Bible study, Hyacinth, was with me. But there was real, what I call 'frothy coffee' being made, a la Costa or Starbucks, produced by a proper coffee machine. Several people have been trained as baristas to make this coffee. The machine they use is in the cafe area and is a Gaggia machine. But most people would seem to prefer this coffee, rather than what we had to offer. Because the urn wasn't functioning properly and not heating up sufficiently, we could only offer Nescafé. Nothing wrong with that, but when you've got coffee which is as good, if not better, than what you could get in a high street coffee shop, such as Costa or Starbucks, who could blame them?

Whatever Next?

 Thursday. 6.15 a.m. I was in Sainsbury's yesterday and, having been round the store with my trolley and had finished my shopping. I was at the point where I wanted to pay, but couldn't find a till open. It's obvious that Sainsbury's are determined to get their customers to use self-service tills, because many of the traditional, manned, tills have been removed and there are two areas with self-service tills, one for customers with baskets, another for those who have shopped with a trolley, which included me, and another for the hand held scanners. I pushed my trolley into the area with the self-service tills, which are meant for those customers who used a trolley and therefore had a larger amount of items to scan. But there were very few working tills, so I had to leave the area and go to a till which was manned. (sorry, but most of them have women working on them, so is the term 'manned' acceptable these days? Is it politically correct to say 'manned'? Should it be 'personed'? Just me being a bit sarcastic.)

I thought the idea was that you used the self-service tills, and they had one or two manned tills for those who don't want to use them. So it seemed strange that so many of the self-service tills were either closed or were out of order. It is obvious that they have laid off many of their staff, those who operated the manned tills, so they could cut their prices. They keep advertising that their prices are checked against those at Aldi, but in the process, their customer service has deteriorated, which is a pity.

6.05 p.m. Alfie was due to go to The Groom Room at Pets At Home at 5 o'clock. I was going to leave at around 4.40, but then I got a call from the groomer to say that they were able to take him immediately, so I drove over to Bletchley and took him straight in to Pets At Home. I was told that Alfie would be finished at around 5.45, so I went into Costa to have a latte and I got more points on my Costa card, which now means that next time I go in any Costa I get a free drink. You collect 'Beans' and when you have 10 of these 'beans' then you get your free drink.

Having had my latte in Costa, and went into T.K. Maax, which is further along the parade of stores. I think, if you read my blog posts regularly, you will have discovered that I love T.K. Maax. I had a good browse and bought a couple of items, one was a door-stop in the shape of a man, which rather appealed to me as it looks so humorous. The other item was an LED torch which can be charged and has a cable to plug into a USB port, meaning it doesn't need batteries. I was looking for a new torch. so it was fortunate I found it.

From T.K. Maax, I walked to Home Bargains and had yet another browse. They have a good selection of well priced items, including dog food and I may go back next time I need dog food. It was whilst I was browsing that I got a phone call from the Groom Room, to inform me that Alfie was ready for collection, which pleased me as it meant we could get home and I could then have my evening meal.So, Alfie collected, payment made and Alfie put in the cage in the rear of the car and then driven home to Dexter House.

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!'

The Whirligig of Time

 Saturday. 6.50 a.m. Goodness, gracious! Today is the 1st of July. Nothing more to be said on this matter.

6.15 a.m. I've been to meet my friend Nick in the main shopping centre. I drove in at around 11.25, and we were scheduled to meet outside Costa,  opposite Marks and Spencer, at midday. Nick turned up, but, when I saw him, or thought I saw him, walking towards me, at first I didn't recognize him. We went into Costa and I ordered a strawberry and cream frappé, a ham and cheese toastie (my regular) and a rather nice slice of carrot cake. Once we'd eaten and drunk, we went into Marks and Spencer and browsed in the men's department. Actually, a real surprise this, quite a lot of items I liked and might even end up buying. They are throwing of their old-fashioned image, at last, appealing to those (me included) who prefer clothing to be a bit more adventurous and colourful. Who on earth would imagine M and S selling pink jackets? Or bright orange trousers?? The sort of thing that Michael Portillo might wear in one of his train journey television documentaries. Then, we wandered along the shopping mall, into Boots for a couple of items I needed. Virtually no humans at check-outs, it's nearly all self-service. Companies who insist on this sort of treatment of their once loyal customers will see them shopping elsewhere. We browsed in W.H. Smiths and several other stores, and then we walked to my car and that was where we parted company.

I had problems with the RingGo app. It causes more problems than it solves. I got it to go into the payment section and put in the security code of my card, but then the spinning ball thing wouldn't stop, so I wasn't sure whether the payment had been taken. I think it may have something to do with the internet connection, but I have deleted the app and reinstalled it, but even now I'm not sure if it works properly. It's more frustrating than anything. If it worked well, it would be better, but it's not. It does save having to take change with you when you park, but when it either doesn't open or connect, it's useless.

Sunday. 8.00 a.m. I've been out and done another video experiment using the gimbal. It seemed to work better, or, at least I'm getting to grips with using it and managing to get the horizon steady, but for some reason, I can't get the microphone which connects to the iPhone to work. You never know when it's connected. There's no light that comes on to indicate it's connected. I think it's just a case of trial and error.

I have looked at the instruction manual for the microphone, and it does have a light that should come on when it's connected, so it's my fault it didn't do what it should. Never mind. It's all a learning process, as they say.

The current temperature, as recorded on the digital thermometer, is 23ºC. A much more workable temperature

5.00 a.m. The current temperature in this flat is 24ºC.

Monday. 4.55 a.m. I've just got back in from taking Alfie out. It's another milder morning, but pleasant. A lady was out with her two dogs on Oldbrook Green. She had a larger dog, I think perhaps a sheltie or border collie, I couldn't tell, and a little spaniel, having fun with a stick, the little one running around behind her and having great fun. Alfie wasn't going to walk all the way around the Green, locking his legs and determined to go home to have a sleep. Who can blame him?

The title of this post is another from 'Twelfth Night.' It came to me, as these things seem to do, and I had an idea it came from 'King Lear', but when I did a Google search, it came up with 'Twelfth Night.' It refers to a spinning top, a toy which Tudor children would have played with. It comes in Feste's speech to Malvolio, at the end of the play, and refers to the circularity of the year and, indeed, time. After this, Malvolo storms off, saying, 'I'll be revenged on you'. 

Current temperature in the flat is 21ºC, so it has fallen around ten degrees in the past few days.

All In A Day's Work

Thursday. 12.40 p.m. I've been to the shopping centre to get my hair cut at Central Barbers. I booked online, so it was just a simple matter of going into the centre and waiting outside. I was actually booked for 11.30 but got there around 20 minutes too early.

From the barbers, I went to Costa on Middleton Hall and had an iced coffee drink with cream and marshmallows, a cheese and ham toastie, and a slice of rocky road cake. 

Then, a browsed in Lakeland and was really impressed by their new picnic sets. The glasses are made of plastic and look very convincing as cut glass.  Lots of equipment in this store which is useful to me if I am baking. A wander along the shopping centre and browsed in T.K. Maax, for nothing in particular, but with this store, you have to buy what they have immediately because there will only be one of any particular item, and you will lose it if you don't buy it straight away.

Friday. 10.50 a.m. I have made another batch of scones for Monday Club. I think I got the consistency of this batch more or less right by making the dough somewhat stickier. The only problem with the stickiness is that the dough becomes difficult to remove from the cutter when they are put onto the baking tray. I have baked them for 25 minutes, which means they come out a golden brown. They should now be far easier to cut in half and not crumble, which was the problem I had with the last batch I made.

Saturday. 8.25 a.m. It's quite chilly this morning, which means I put on a fleece when I had my breakfast. 

10.05 a.m. It seems a bit warmer now. The sun is making a vain attempt to shine. I've been to Sainsbury's as I wanted a decent size cake tin to put the scones in. The one I got is more than enough the right size and as it is airtight it should at least keep them fresh.

5.40 a.m. I've been to A Transformed Life afternoon at SCF. Praise and message. Very enlightening. There is a second session, starting at around 7 p.m., but unfortunately, my health issues make me tired and I wouldn't be able to keep awake, so I came home and made a salad which I will eat later.

It was bright and sunny when I got to the Oaktree Centre. It's summer, which, officially, it is.

Sunday. 5.05 a.m. I know, I'm up far too early. I was out, walking around Oldbrook Green at 4.35. I think it was a bit of a shock, even to Alfie. It's quite chilly, but still pleasant. A clear sky, no clouds to be seen, but I know it will be a bright and sunny day. Well, I do hope so.

6.25 p.m. Another café church at Shenley Christian Fellowship this morning. A lot of new faces and the place absolutely heaving. A bouncy castle was set up on the grass behind the building and lots of children using it. Plenty of coffee, cakes and biscuits.

I have mentioned the Hohem gimbal, which I bought on Amazon. I have got the thing working successfully and have discovered a video editing app from watching a video on YouTube and have it downloaded to my iPhone and now have it fully paid for which means I can edit and modify video footage from my phone without advertising and have all the additional assets for it. I went out around Oldbrook Green this afternoon and shot some test footage, which I have since managed to edit to a certain level. I have also purchased two Bluetooth Lavalier microphones from Amazon which connect to my iPhone, which means I can record better quality sound with each of them connected to my clothes and can be used if I want to record interviews on video. The experiment with editing has worked up to a certain extent and shows that it works, but I will need to do more work learning the software before I am totally satisfied with the results. Keep watching this space for further news.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Reading History

 Monday. 10.00 a.m. I've already been out with Alfie twice this morning. I thought because it was so mild and pleasant, that he deserved another outing.

I think I must have mentioned on here that I have been reading a set of books which cover the history of Britain, from approximately 1870 up until the first years of the 21st century. They aren't actually a set, in that they are all written by the same historian/author, although several are written by the same author. I am now on the final book in this sequence, called 'All In It Together', by Alwyn Turner. This covers 9/11 (the attack on the World Trade Centre.) The so-called 'Millennium Bug', and Tony Blair's first New Labour government, which came to power in the General Election of 1997. 

I have done a search on this blog (it's not difficult, as it has a search engine, no doubt for this very purpose.) to find out when I started reading the set of books. It would appear it was around July 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, when we were cooped up like battery chickens. It seems amazing that it has taken almost three years to get through some 15 books.

Tuesday. 4.50 p.m. I've been to Camphill, working as a volunteer in the theatre workshop. The, by now, customary check-in to start the day. Next week we won't be able to use the theatre, because there is another group coming in to rehearse. Terrie has arranged for the entire group to go to Stony Stratford and she will be doing a story walk, explaining not just the history of the town but also telling stories in general. We can go to local cafés and coffee shops, most notably the local branch of Costa (which seems the most popular place to 'hang out' with some residents). I will drive there myself, as there won't be space in the transport that will be going from Camphill. I will have to do some research regarding parking as I'm not too sure what's available.

We then did some movement exercises, linked to the development of characters for the silent movies we are working on. Terrie got us to mime musical instruments and then conducted the entire group as an orchestra. A very interesting exercise.

We were put into three groups, each one for the silent movies that were being devised. This was a brainstorming, throwing ideas out and coming up with developments for one of the stories, which was to be a spoof science fiction, time-travelling 'epic.'

Later in the afternoon, each group had to present their ideas to the rest of the group and it was interesting to discover what they had come up with. As I said, my group was doing the science fiction, time-travel story whilst the two other groups were doing a western and a swashbuckling/romance.

The roads were relatively peaceful, compared with other weeks. None of the aggressive driving. No doubt it's down to the fact that schools are on Easter holiday for two weeks.

Wednesday. 7.20 a.m. It's a good deal milder than it was yesterday.

There was an amazing red sky when I went out with Alfie just before 6 o'clock this morning. I only wish I had thought to take my camera or at least, my iPhone, as it was worth a couple of photographs. I had thought to return to the flat to collect one or the other, but by the time I'd got back, it would have changed.

I have been to Aldi to do a shop. I  am attempting to not go to Sainsbury's, basically because Aldi is so much cheaper and there is no drop in the quality of the things I buy.  

Gridlocked!

Tuesday. 9.30 a.m. Yet another typical autumn day, sunny but chilly.

Alfie and I have been out and walked around Oldbrook Green. I'm shocked to see so much litter related to fireworks, which I could hear last night being let off. It seemed to go on for several hours and, looking at the rubbish, someone had spent a small fortune on them. No thought though, to take their rubbish away with them. The sign for Oldbrook Green (which is under the umbrella of Campbell Park Parish Council.) clearly states 'no fireworks'. I think it was more to do with Diwali rather than Guy Fawkes Night, but it's still a lot of noise and upsets animals. Alfie doesn't seem to take any notice, and then we have Halloween to contend with next Monday. I'd love to know who the people that left the rubbish expect to clear it up. There are plenty of bins around the Green, so why not place some of it there, or, at least, take it home with you.

2.35 p.m. For the last year or so (I think it may be longer, but I'm not sure exactly.) I have been having a weekly telephone call from someone who is a volunteer at Age UK. His name is David, and we have an hour's chat for around an hour. I have never met him, until today. I had thought some while ago that he should have my mobile number and possibly my email address because he rings me on my landline number. The last time he phoned last week he said that someone had suggested to him that we meet up for a coffee so I came up with some possible places to meet, one being Costa at the retail park in Bletchley (along with Pets At Home, which is where Alfie goes to have his regular haircut (sorry, but the term 'groom' has another, negative connotation these days, although not the same as dog-grooming.) It was strange meeting someone who you'd spoken to but never actually met. He said he knew what I looked like because when I emailed him, my photo came up, which I wasn't aware of. David was waiting outside Costa as I drew up in the car and then we went inside Costa. It was something of a shock to discover it virtually empty. I say this, because if you go to one of the two Costa branches in the central Milton Keynes shopping centre, at the end of the shopping centre opposite Marks and Spencer and the other, which is on Middleton Hall and near John Lewis, you will no doubt find each one busy and will have to queue. I have often glanced into each one before deciding whether to queue up and then often leave to find another place to eat and have coffee, such as Cafe Nero or Pret A Manger which are also in Middleton Hall. As I say, it was virtually empty of other customers and it didn't take long to order my latte and ham and cheese toastie.

We spent around two hours chatting and by one o'clock I thought it was time to return home. I know that the car park is likely to have around a two-hour limit on how long you can remain parked and if you're not careful you can be fined. They have cameras which record your car's registration number and from that, they can find your address, and then you get a lovely letter asking you to pay a hefty fine, which I really don't want.

It was well I came out of Costa when I did because the whole car park was clogged up with cars attempting to leave, and it took me some time to get out of my space. Not many drivers were willing to let me into the queue and the queue moved at a snail's pace towards the exit. It then took a good deal of time to get into the traffic on Bletcham Way and eventually onto the large roundabout, which was more than ever clogged up. I could not discover what had caused this chaos. Possibly either there had been an accident nearby, possibly on the A5 or M1, or it was the result of roadworks, which are currently ongoing throughout the Milton Keynes grid road system, much of it for resurfacing works.

Everything's Coming Up Roses!

Thursday. 12.20 p.m.Whether you believe the words of the title of this post is up to you. The way things are at the moment, regarding the economy, for example, the cost of living 'crisis', the war in Ukraine and other things, it does seem somewhat bleak. So, more like coming up with rotten cabbage stalks, fish entrails or something even worse. Well, let's say probably not roses, how about stink wort, or some of those plants that smell like rotting flesh?  Unwashed socks? Need I go further? I think not, so I'll leave it to your imagination. 

This morning I have been to Camphill, as I have to re-do my disclosure certificate. I had this done when I originally started there back in 2019, but, as I've been away from Camphill for so long (I forget when that was exactly, but it must be around two years, although I did go there for one day a few months ago, but it was the fact that I needed to wear a face mask and have various tests done because of the pandemic that I haven't been since.) I need to have three pieces of ID for the disclosure, for example, a passport (which I don't have.), a bank statement showing three months-worth of activity, photo ID, such as a driving licence and a birth certificate. I had a copy of my birth certificate, but I can't find it, although I must have had it fairly recently because I had to upload a photocopy to a site I signed up to, so I have re-ordered a new copy, which will hopefully be delivered within a week or so. As regards the bank statement, I thought I could order one through the Nationwide website, but, after searching I could not find any link to do this, so I went into the branch in the Milton Keynes shopping centre and I had a copy printed out which serves just as well as a statement which would come in the post. 

After all that, I went into John Lewis to look at a Sony digital camera I would like, which can be used to make videos. I was somewhat surprised at the size of this model, tiny, compared with the Canon digital camera I already have, but this one has all the up-to-date features, with a screen on which you can view what you are filming and swivels around so you can see yourself when filming and so keep yourself in a frame. It is also WIFI and Bluetooth enabled, meaning you can upload your photos and videos without the need for cables.

From John Lewis I went to Costa which has a branch on Middleton Hall and had a latte and cheese and ham toastie. In the Middleton Hall space, a large stage was being set up for a fashion show, with the sort of arrangement of lights which you would see for a pop concert or somewhere like Glastonbury. A large metal frame arrangement, which is used to hang lighting and a large digital screen which seem to be a feature of many such events.

Keeping The NHS Busy- Part 1

Monday. 9.50 a.m. I have been out with Alfie, although he was somewhat reluctant to go much further than the piece of grass along Strudwick Drive, but I insisted on walking around Oldbrook Green. As we came to the point where we cross over Oldbrook Boulevard and back along the path towards Dexter House, we saw the lady with Toto. She was sitting in an electric shopping scooter with the dog on her lap. She said she was waiting for a hip replacement operation. Well, to be honest, if it's on the NHS, she's likely to have a long wait, as they are making excuses over any sort of operation or procedure in the wake of the so-called pandemic. 

There seemed to be an excessive amount of traffic along all the roads within Oldbrook. I then discover it's due to our dear old friend, Milton Keynes Marathon. It seems a lot of the roads are closed off to traffic, so that puts an end to my idea of going into the shopping centre to have a look around. More as an excuse to get out of Dexter House for a couple of hours. I think I might leave it until tomorrow. I still don't know why they can't run along the Redways instead of causing inconvenience to everybody, but, of course, that is far too easy.

Tuesday. 6.05 a.m. As it was light outside, I took Alfie out around 5.30 this morning. Yet another mild and pleasant morning.

2.15 p.m. After yesterday when I couldn't drive into the centre of Milton Keynes due to the marathon, I decided to go in this morning. I had a need to just escape from the flat as it can get incredibly claustrophobic. It was good to just wander about and in the shops. I have had really itchy skin and I needed something to relieve it. I found that E45, which is a lotion for such a skin condition, might be suitable. I had looked on the Boots website, but it was apparently out of stock in their Milton Keynes store, so I tried Superdrug, and, hey presto! they had it, so I went into their store and bought some. I now have Superdrug's loyalty card and set up an account when I got back to the flat. The only problem I have with these cards is that they soon fill up your wallet. How many do I have? Probably a dozen or so. The most used are Nectar, which is connected with Sainsbury's and Argos (which is now owned by Sainsburys) Tesco Clubcard, Waterstones, Costa coffee, Body Shop, IKEA, Lakeland, Boots, Morrisons, T.K. Maax, Pets At Home and no doubt many more. The trouble is they take up so much space in my wallet, so when I get to the till to pay at one of these retailers, I can spend a long time rifling through my wallet in an attempt to find the relevant card. Although you can have an app which is supposed to do the same job as a plastic card, I don't always have my iPhone on me.

I have been having what I can only describe as 'mini' angina 'pains', although they're not really pains. I suppose they could be best described as sort of pin-pricks of discomfort in my chest. I know exactly how an angina episode feels and more than sure of what a heart attack feels like, although the pain of a heart attack and heart burn, or indigestion, can feel very similar. I have tablets to check heartburn, Gaviscon, which are actually quite pleasant to suck, unlike a lot of medication and do work. I have them in my medication drawer for just this sort of moment. 

On Wednesday night I was woken up by Alfie poking me with a paw and needing my attention. I realised be probably needed to go outside, but it takes quite a while for me to come round from deep sleep, put on my clothes and stagger out to the grass outside alongside Strudwick Drive. This happened again a couple of hours later, but, unfortunately, he couldn't wait and I ended up clearing up after him. One of the reasons I have kitchen roll handy for such an incident. Then it happened again a few hours after that, by which time my patience was wearing a bit thin, unfortunately, but it was no good blaming Alfie. Well, at least he is capable of telling me, in his own original way that he needed my assistance. This was when the strange angina-like 'attacks' began, and I was thinking I ought to do something about it. Although not actually serious, or so I imagined, it might be advisable to contact my GP and discuss it with him/her.

Due to the weird angina-like symptoms, I thought it might be a good idea to get checked out by a GP. I wasn't expecting that I would get an appointment immediately, but nevertheless, I rang the surgery and found out that they now have a system which allows you to key in a number on your phone's keypad and they will ring you back when your number gets to the front of the queue. It certainly saves having to hang on for what can be hours until you hit the front spot. I spoke to a receptionist, and she listened to my symptoms and said that I would get a call-back from a doctor on Thursday afternoon. But then an hour or so later they rang and said that a doctor would see me face-to-face at 4.40 p.m. The doctor checked my heart rate and stuck that thing on my finger. What is it called? Oximeter or something. He decided I would need to have an E.C.G. and a blood test, just to see what was going on, and I arranged this for the next day with the receptionist.

Friday. 5.00 p.m. I went to the surgery to have my E.C.G. and blood test at 9.20 a.m., but I got there well in time and as a result, I was called into the room to have the tests. The lady doing the bloodletting, sorry, taking my blood, had a real problem finding a vein. So, what's new. In the end, she gave up and said she would need to have a second nurse available to help with this, and I would need to book another appointment. The E.C.G. caused no problems. Well, all I have to do is lie down on the bed and have those contact things stuck on me. No problems. All done and then I went home.

Almost (But Not Quite) Like Spring

Saturday. 10.25 a.m. It's another bright but windy day, although quite chilly. What more can I say at the moment?

Monday. 4.35 p.m. We had what's called 'Café Church' on Sunday morning. There was no worship, although live music was played in the main hall. The idea is that those who don't normally go to church could come along and find out that we're quite friendly and don't have two heads. Tea and coffee were served, and two young ladies operated the coffee machine, making lattes and other types of coffee usually found in places such as Starbucks and Costa. Danish pastries, biscuits and other eatables were also provided. It was a good place for fellowship and to meet up in the same way as we do after our usual Sunday morning services.

Tuesday. 7.55 a.m. It's bitterly cold and windy this morning. I went out with Alfie as usual, but we didn't hang around for too long. So, not quite like spring. It's that time of year when the weather can be somewhat unsettled. But at least it's getting lighter earlier in the morning.

The drains at Dexter House are in a sorry state. There is an unpleasant odour in my bathroom. No, not caused by THAT! I have an aerosol spray, Oust, which eliminates it, but it keeps coming back. It's sort of haunting the place. I had a shower yesterday evening and the water wouldn't run away quickly as it should. It's next to impossible to have a decent shower because the shower unit isn't high enough so that you can stand underneath it. As I'm over six feet tall, I have to bend to allow the shower to work efficiently. It's almost as if it's only designed for a midget, certainly not intended for someone over more than five foot four inches tall. The bath is the same. It's not a full-length bath, only around three-quarters the length of a decent bath. I think they were attempting to cut corners when they installed the bath and the shower. So I can't possibly have a decent soak, laying full-length in the bath, without bending my knees uncomfortably, and if I over-fill the bath, there is the possibility of the water overflowing onto the floor and causing a flood.

Thinking further to the bathroom. I'd really love to meet whoever laid the tiles on the floor in this room. If 'laid' is the correct term. It was obviously someone who had no real idea how this job was done, because it's the most awfully poor job I think I've ever seen. They must have merely flung a whole handful of them and stuck them down where they landed, because very few of them butt up to each other properly, some over-lapping and there are gaps, particularly in the area directly in front of the toilet bowl. The paintwork wasn't much better, which, in some places, looks as if it's been applied with a broom, or else whoever did it was doing it in the dark or was blindfolded. It's the same with the flooring, done with laminated blocks or whatever, There are gaps along the edges, which should have been finished with some sort of edging strip, no attention paid at all with the finish. Something of a disaster. I think rather a waste of materials and time taken to complete the job, if 'job' is the right word. 

They're supposed to be coming to paint the interior of Dexter House in the next couple of weeks. We got letters through our doors telling this momentous news. The stairs to each flat are to be included in this painting, so I will have to be careful not to touch the bannister when walking up and down to avoid getting covered in paint. I personally think this is a waste of time and money. Upgrade the place, for example, kitchens and bathrooms (incidentally, when will mine be done? I'm still waiting for someone to come and survey my bathroom so it can be refitted. As mentioned above, a full-sized bath would be an improvement or at least, having the shower unit so I can stand under it properly instead of having to bend.

It's Raining!, It's Pouring!

 Saturday. 7.45 a.m. I had a fairly good idea that it was raining this morning and I could see clearly that it was when I looked out of the kitchen window around 6.15. I made sure that I was well dressed for such weather conditions and so I put on my bright yellow raincoat. Alfie has his rain jacket on as we went out into Strudwick Drive. We weren't out more than a minute because no sooner had Alfie had done his wee on the grass than he took us back inside in the dry. You can't blame him really, but as I've said before, he doesn't like getting wet!

Later. 2.15 p.m. I was due to meet up with Nick in the Central Shopping centre at midday. I couldn't drive in as my car is inoperative at the moment, as you would know if you follow my posts regularly. Even though it was raining (and it still is as I write.) I decided to walk as it's no more than a 20-30 minute hike, crossing Oldbrook Green and then through to Avebury Boulevard and then a short walk into the central shopping centre. I noticed as I walked past,  Debenham's unit is to be taken over by Next (Debenhams went into administration a few months ago.) I was wondering what would happen to that unit when they moved out. Now I know. Also, the former House of Fraser unit is now something to do with Harrods, I think it looks like beauty products they sell, having seen as I walked past.

I had to find somewhere to sit. The management of the shopping centre has seen fit to remove virtually all of the seating within the centre to comply with government social distancing regulations because of the pandemic. What seating there is, is extremely limited. I managed to find a place to rest and sent Nick a text to let him know I was near Specsavers. Then a couple came to sit down, the husband was disabled so I let him have my place. I had to find another seat so moved along the centre. Nick appeared and we went to get take out food and coffee from Costa near Marks and Spencer's. We could have ordered using the Costa app which would have probably meant we needn't have to queue. As it was there was a queue outside so we had to wait to get in.

We managed to find a spot to have our coffee, me sitting on one of the vacant seats and nick on the wall nearby. Then we walked to John Lewis. It was surprising how few people there were inside and no queuing outside but I used the hand gel which was provided at the entrance.

By the time we walked back along the shopping centre, it was time for me to walk home. Nick remained a bit longer and then caught his bus back to Northampton. 

Sunday. As the car was inoperative, it meant I couldn't drive to church, so I watched the live feed via Facebook. For some technical reason, the video was somewhat jerky, but the audio was fine.

Monday. 6.55 a.m. A mild morning. Not a great deal happening at the moment and I don't really expect there to be. Slight rain and Alfie didn't intend to stay out any longer than necessary.

Later. I rang Bleakhall Motors after 8 o'clock but the mechanic who was back yesterday won't be back till later today. I'll ring again at 2 o'clock and hopefully, someone will come out and fix the problem. The batter needs testing to check that it isn't something else that is wrong with the electrics, but I still maintain that it's the battery that has failed, not charging so a new one will require installing.

I had a telephone call from one of the doctors at Central Milton Keynes Medical Centre. I was expecting it to be at around 10 a.m. but the call came at 9.30. I have to have a blood test, which is arranged for next Monday, this time to check my kidney function. One of my medications will be dropped as it is responsible for my dry throat and causing the horrible cough I get. No problem with that. I must say, telephone consultations with my doctor is easier via telephone because you don't have to worry about parking or even driving to the surgery.

3.10 p.m. I was expecting to have to telephone Bleak Hall Motors around 2 o'clock, but at 1.45 they actually rang me to say their mechanic was waiting outside, so I rushed downstairs and the mechanic was there with his van. We tried to start the car and he told me it was the battery that was the cause of why the car wasn't starting. He had two replacement batteries in the van. I chose the cheaper one but was surprised at the cost, but there's no point in having a car if you start worrying about running costs and repairs. It was soon fitted and the car run for a while. I later rang Bleak Hall Motors and paid using my bank card and that was that. Another problem solved.

Vaccine Vacillations

 So, we now have a vaccine against the coronavirus. Will it make any difference to lockdowns, restrictions on everyday living, social distancing etc etc? It seems very unlikely in my opinion. It's all very well having a vaccine against this wretched virus, but getting people to have it is another matter. In a democracy, you can't make people have such a vaccine. It really against you human rights and liberty. There will be those who will believe conspiracy theories regarding it's use, for example, the government is putting microchips into people's bodies to track their movements (false, but never the less, this theory would be spread via social media etc.)

(Monday) It's a good deal milder this morning. As I write this at 8.50a.m., it appears sunny, or at least it seems so as I haven't yet opened the curtains. Alfie is sitting on the sofa next to me and waiting in anticipation of me taking him out for a jaunt around Oldbrook Green. I usually wait until past 9 o'clock because otherwise we will be inundated with children going to school and have to wait for the traffic to go by crossing the road onto Oldbrook Green.

I've been for a drive out in the car. As it's been sitting on the parking space at Dexter House and not being driven anywhere in particular, I thought it advisable to give it a run out to keep the battery charged and avoid having to get it started as I had to a few months back. No problems. It starts fine. It should do, as it's recently been serviced. I just need to keep it in good running order.

I drove past Crownhill,  which is where we lived after we were married in 2007. I can't believe the changes. The road layout is different because there is  now a housing estate opposite Crownhill,. which used to be open agricultural land when we lived there. The wooded area which borders it was where we used to walk the dogs, which now has an entrance driven through it into the estate, with a roundabout. Just unrecognisable.

(Thursday) I went to Sainsbury's in Witan Gate after 8 o'clock yesterday morning as pension money went into my account earlier. I had things to get for Christmas. As I will be staying here over the festive period, I wanted to make sure I could get stuff which was likely to be in short supply, such as mince pies, Christmas pudding, brandy butter and turkey, although I didn't intend buying a whole turkey. Just be far too big, would never fit in my oven, so I had a look on the Sainsbury's website and saw you could buy a turkey roast, boneless (presumably) and made of turkey meat and stuffing. So, ideal for my purposes. There was one on the shelf when I went to look in the store and snapped it up immediately as if it was the last one, what was the chance of there being more the next time I visited? Probably too big for one, but I can make the most of it when it's cold, in sandwiches etc, after Christmas.

I drove into the centre of Milton Keynes to meet up with a lady I met on a Christian website. We have met up several times before. I wanted to go to Costa for coffee to try out their limited edition drinks based on Nestlé chocolate products and had an After Eight hot chocolate which came with a very generous dollop of cream on top and a single After Eight mint and at the very bottom of the drinking glass was some gooey and thick chocolate sauce which you can only eat with a long spoon. I can recommend this and want to try the rest of the range, which I think is only available over the Christmas period.

When I got home I found that a card from the Post Office had put through the door, informing me that a parcel was at the sorting office, because the postman had attempted to deliver it. Having walked so far over the past couple of hours, I wasn't ready to drive to collect it from the sorting office in Brinklow (I knew exactly where it was as I've had to collect parcels from there before now.) According to my FitBit I had walked approximately six miles! I can well believe it. 

My anticipation for whatever the parcel contained knew no bounds. So, on Friday morning I drove to the sorting office in Brinklow. There was a queue outside as only one person at a time was allowed into the waiting area. I eventually reached the window and handed over the card which had been put through the door. I had to provide identity so I showed my Driving Licence. And, lo and behold! The lady behind the counter handed over a parcel and it was clear that it was from Chloe and Steve. In her usual style, Chloe had written humorous messages all over the box and it reminded me to 'not open until 25th December. Alfie had a good sniff when I put it on the floor in the lounge, so I imagine it contains (amongst other items.) some sort of food item, possibly some doggy treats for his nibs.

The 'New Normal'

What on earth do they mean when they say 'The New Normal'? It's such a stupid expression. It is related to the current situation regarding the lockdown which was introduced to attempt to slow the spread of the corvid19 virus? So, what was the 'normal' before the pandemic? Going about your business without social distancing? I give up because nobody seems to know. I have come to the conclusion that it's a rather empty term anyway, so I'll forget it.

Wednesday. It's somewhat miserable, overcast with a 'sort of' drizzle. We didn't exactly get drenched when I took Alfie out around 6.45 this morning, but there again we didn't come back dry. I now realise that what I have written in that last sentence doesn't make a lot of sense, but who cares?

I intend walking into the main Milton Keynes shopping centre later as I have a haircut booked for 10a.m. I don't really want to drive as I'm not sure whether I have enough change to pay using the ticket machines in the usual carpark, although I do have an app called RinGo (who comes up with the names of these apps? What a silly name. Never mind.) but it doesn't always work so I can't trust it although it saves having to take change with me. I prefer to walk and I don't want to have to think about parking and, after all, walking is good exercise.

I'm really struggling to write anything vaguely interesting in these blog posts and had considered resting this blog until things change. It seems unlikely that this will happen any day soon, although I do miss my Tuesdays at Camphill. I can't believe my last text to Teo, the leader of the drama workshop, was in 30th March 4 months ago!

Later. I've been into the shopping centre to get my hair cut. I used the RinGo app to pay for parking, although I got there far too early. I had a chance to amble around the centre before walking along to Central Barbers where I waited about 10 minutes before my appointment, which was well on time and done to perfection and I'm so glad it's done. Over 4 months of hair being cut was wonderful and it makes me look about 10 years younger.

(Saturday) A mild day, but looking at the sky there are dark clouds so it's difficult to say whether it will remain dry or not. Quite a strong wind blowing.

I was planning to go to the creative writing group, which was meeting in the Milton Keynes Shopping Centre. At first I thought it was meeting in the Midsummer Place branch of Waterstones, but I got a message via Facebook which said they would meet outside Costa near Midsummer Place. It occurred to me that we would be able to sit in the seating area either outside or in the mall. As it was a pleasant and sunny afternoon I decided to walk and got to Costa but then saw that the seating had been removed in both places and even inside I could see that seating had been removed. I could have checked my mobile to get some idea where the meeting was going to be and would have sat and looked at my iPhone but all seating in the shopping centre had been restricted so that was out. So, I gave up on the idea and began to walk home. It was then that I needed a toilet but the main one in the shopping centre had a long queue outside and even the one in Midsummer Place was closed off to the public. Not a good idea. I suppose I could have tried the toilets in the upper floors below the carpark near Debenhams but I didn't bother so I began to walk home.

A Change In The Weather

It's sunny out, but it's chilly. Probably cold enough for there to be snow. I hope not, but I'm sure we will be able to manage. I took Alfie out at around 4.30, but it was so cold I don't think he appreciated it, but he needed to do his business and then we went home.

As I say, the weather is very changeable at present, from howling wind, to frost and fog, to sunny and so cold we could expect snow. But, let's be perfectly honest and just say, it's what you expect from the British climate and we're barely into February. I think in previous years we've had snow by now.

(Wednesday) I was determined to get my hair cut this morning. It's getting really untidy an I can't stand it when it gets long. I begin to look like a mad professor. Think the Christopher Lloyd character in 'Back To The Future.' I also wanted to go to Sainsbury's and had made a really detailed shopping list. My pension had gone into my account so I could afford to top up the freezer. I have joined something called CLASP (I think I may have mentioned this on here somewhere, as a result of visiting the history festival which was held in Campbell Park during the summer.) It stands for Community Landscape Archaeology survey Project.). On their Facebook page, I discovered that there was to be a conference near Peterborough on the technology used by archaeologists, which means they don't necessarily have to dig to discover what is beneath the ground, like the radar system called LIDAR and tomography (as seen on such television shows as Time Team.) So, I thought that it would be something that would interest me and as a result I have paid for a ticket which means I can now go at the end of March. I thought it was as well as get it booked before there was no more tickets and I would loose out.

So I drove in to the centre of Milton Keynes, and, having parked in my usual place, the carpark near The Point, I walked into the shopping centre and arrived at Essential Barbers. I was relieved to have my hair cut and walked back through the shopping centre. It was relatively early, around 9.50, so not many shops were open. That's the disadvantage of deciding to get there so early.

I bought a new notebook in W.H.Smith and the latest edition of the magazine Current Archaeology and then walked back to the car and home.

(Thursday) I was woken in the night by the sound of rain rattling on the bedroom window. It sounded ominously as if the weather was going to break in. I took Alfie out just after 7a.m., and discovered that the path along Strudwick Drive, which leads to Oldbrook Green, was flooded, making it virtually impassable.

Later. I've been back into the shopping centre. I had meant to go to the Nationwide branch because I intended to cancel a payment after I got my hair cut yesterday morning. I went to the branch yesterday as I walked through on my way to Essential Barbers, but it wasn't open. They are open at 9.30. I forgot to return, so this morning I went back in and then was told that the payment was made as a point-of-sale payment or something and I'd need to ring the company involved. It's so complicated. Anyway, it wasn't a Direct Debit.  I have since managed to ring the company concerned and the payment has been stopped.

I have a Costa loyalty card. It's the same idea as a Nectar or Tesco Clubcard, you get points every time you buy food or drink in one of their stores. They kept emailing me to say I could have a free coffee and gain extra points if I went into one of their stores. Which I did this morning, the branch which is near the Middleton Hall. I could do some observations and make notes in my newly-acquired notebook which I bought in W.H.Smith yesterday. Just noticed that many of the people I watched were in couples and, as a result, made notes. I had two fairly full notebooks, which I had kept when I lived in Golden Drive, but seem to have vanished into thin air since I moved to the flat, which annoys me because so much of what is in them could have been used to create written material, which was the main object of keeping them. Not stuff that will ever be restored to me, but I have a feeling that they might have been in one of the ten boxes which were taken by Willen Hospice, only days after I moved in October because I didn't have space for even half of what I had when I moved in. I didn't have an alternative and the CDs, DVDs and books they contained aren't missed and  the fact is, generally, once you've read a book, the chinches are you don't usually read again and most were paperbacks. The notebooks were valuable and I should have been a little more careful that they weren't mislaid, unfortunately, but considering everything I have been through over the last few years and in particular, the stress of attempting to find alternative accommodation, the notebooks were the last things on my mind.

Later. I'm still intrigued by the 'mystery building' which has appeared on the opposite side of Oldbrook Green to the Cricketers public house. I walked past earlier this afternoon and it now has a roof, fully tiled, and matching those on the existing building it's next to. I still have absolutely no idea what it's use will be. Probably just boring storage space for mowers and other equipment. Hey hoo!

Strange and Disconcerting Meeting

I have been out as usual with Alfie at around 7a.m. We walked along Strudwick Drive and crossed Oldbrook Boulevard, wandered along the path and then back. As I was crossing the road, which at this stage is in two parts, with a reservation in the centre (this is an attempt I imagine to slow the traffic.) I heard a female voice come out of nowhere, 'Can you lend me £1.50?.' I can't say that I'm easily scared, but to have such a voice come out of the dark is quite scary. It was the woman I have mentioned in an earlier post on here, whom I have encountered twice, asking for money from people she meets. It is quite concerning. I don't usually carry cash with me when I'm walking Alfie. I don't know whether she gets any money from the other people she meets. Is this a form of begging? What is her mental state? She appears well dressed, she doesn't look as if she's in any distress, no sign of blood or injury of any kind. I walked back home and immediately rang 999 but then was told to ring 101 and I gave details of this woman to the police as she needs reporting, more for her safety and perhaps more for the fact that she might come from a home somewhere and whoever looks after her needs to know where she is.

My friend Nick has been to visit from Northampton. H'e actually been staying with his mother in Bedford. He texted to say he was arriving on the bus at 11.45, so I drove into the centre of Milton Keynes. It was difficult to find a parking space in the usual car park, but with a bit of patience I found a place, paid for a ticket (the first machine I went to wouldn't take the two 50p coins I put in, for whatever reason. I went into the shopping centre and sat outside Starbucks, which was where we were meeting. The whole place gone crazy, shoppers taking over, it's as if the shops were going to be stripped entirely of their contents by a swarm of locusts. We didn't go into Starbucks as the queue at the counter virtually came out of the door, so we walked along to Costa opposite Marks and Spencer. We had special Christmas drinks, Irish coffee velvet cream latte. Very nice and I'd definitely have again, but I think they're only on the menu over the festive period. Also had cheese and ham toastie (I have these a lot, as you will have realised, if you read my blog posts on a regular basis.)and finally, a slice of rocky road cake. Then, we went into Marks and Spencer's. Nick said he wanted to buy a hat. We went up the escalator to the men's department and we found an array of different hats, ranging from Trilby-style to cloth and eventually wolley hats, one of which Nick chose and we went to pay. Quite a long queue at the till. People going crazy no doubt buying Christmas presents.

We walked along the shopping centre. We went into an opticians as Nick wanted to look at prescription sunglasses. My glasses have Transition lenses in them, which means they go black when I go into bright sunlight, but then return to clear when indoors or it's not sunny. Nick looked at a rather stylish pair of glasses which looked more like sky goggles, with wrap-around lenses which were reflective and with a yellow trim. He wanted to have prescription lenses in them and when he asked the assistant for the price, we were somewhat shocked by the more-than £400 price tag, so they went back in the unit.

We drove back to my flat, as Nick was interested to see where I was now living. He got to meet Alfie and then took him out for a walk around Oldbrook Green.

As regards the strange woman who was asking for money, I have not seen her since I reported her to the Police. I just hope that she is now back home, safe and being cared for.

Waitrose Café, Service Slipping

I should have had a pension payment in my bank account this weekend. I have a fairly good idea when it should be paid, working backwards from the last payment by going on-line to my Nationwide account and it should be paid every four weeks. But I had checked on Friday and nothing and then Saturday, so I had to have a final look this morning, fairly early, before I took Alfie out for his walk. But, again, nothing. This has caused some stress, as you can imagine, what with bills to pay and the added stress of clearing out this house so I can move to the flat. Fortunately I have managed to save sufficient money in a savings account with Metro, which was intended for he purpose of buying a Yorkshire Terrier puppy which would eventually replace Alfie, not that I see him popping his clogs for a couple of years, hopefully. Also, I needed to have sufficient funds in my other account which is with NatWest and I knew I would have to cover that with a transfer from the Metro bank, but the account is only operational by taking your cash into a branch and having them transfer money from one to another in branch. Annoying that I have to do this, but there is no alternative and thinking about it, the rent payment will be the last to the landlord of this house before I vacate the property.

After church I came home to pick up the bank details necessary to do the transfer as describe above and then to drive to Oakgrove, a relatively short drive down Chaffron Way where there was a branch of the Metro Bank, fortunately open on a Sunday (one of the advantage of being with this bank is they open when the customer needs them and not necessarily to fit round their staff, which is how any business should be run. It's surprising how busy it gets there, what with cars coming into the carpark, which is down quite a steep incline and you have to be careful as you get to the bottom of the slope as there are barriers in the way which I imagine are there for just this purpose. Also, the Metro Bank was ram-raided some months ago and they've put bollards in front of the unit which I imagine are to prevent, or at least deter, further ram-raiding. Whether they would stop this sort of criminal activity is doubtful, because if criminals are determined enough they will just smash the wall of a building and then use whatever it takes to remove the A.T.M. (hole in the wall machine.) with a fork-lift truck or whatever. Anyway, once parked I walked to the bank and the business was done. They recognise me apparently because as soon as you give your details, there is a digital photograph of me on their computer screen to prove my identity. All done and dusted and then a walk along the pavement to Waitrose and a snack in their café. I ordered a hot chocolate with marshmallows, cream and sprinkles for a change from the standard latte as well as a cheese and ham toastie and something rather tasty called a 'Yum-Yum. Is this confection named after a character in the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, 'The Mikado'? I have no idea, but it's worth a try speculating.

I seem to have stood in he queue for some time before a member of staff took my order. It wasn't that busy and when I eventually got my drink and Yum Yum I had handed over the cold ham and cheese toastie to the girl behind the counter for it to be heated, and then took my tray, together with the number 12 which was put on a stand, which would be placed on my table so when the toastie was ready the member of staff who bought it out would find me. I sat at the far end of the café and waited for the toastie to arrive. I drank what was a really lovely hot chocolate (with all the trimmings) and waited  . . . and waited . . . and waited, what seemed forever. It must have been 20 minutes later . . . that I went to the counter to tell the girl on the till that I hadn't yet received my toastie and said, under my breath, but someone must have heard me, that I would knock three stars off my Trip Advisor review when I wrote it (actually not done as I write this.) I returned to my table and waited . . . and waited. The toastie eventually arrived, by which time I had more or less lost interest in eating it, although I did eat it and then the rather delicious toastie. Then a member of staff arrived, and asked me if I would like a drink? I said, 'provided I didn't have to pay,' and I got a bottled apple juice, which I drank and it was tasty. I think this was offered as a sort of apology for the length of time I had waited. Waitrose, if they're going to have the café open on a Sunday, should sort the issue of staff, because there are obviously not enough to cover for the amount of customers they have on a Sunday. It can't be too difficult to recruit staff, or is it? Are some people just not going to lower themselves to do catering work, and on a Sunday? But that's not an excuse. They needed at least two more staff members behind the counter, one on the till, probably one making hot drinks and another, taking orders from customers further back in the queue if it's busy. That's how they seem to run the ship if you go to other similar eating establishments, such as Starbucks or Costa, so why not here at Waitrose? They have a good reputation and the food and drink is good, if a bit pricey, but that's what you expect in a John Lewis or Waitrose store. This business has quite a good reputation for service and quality, but this won't do it a lot of good. They will loose customers because as soon as such things a service slips people go elsewhere and it takes a long time to build that reputation back up again.

Sunny Wednesday

(Wednesday) Been to meet up with Ross, Pastor at Shenley Christian Fellowship, just to have a chat at Costa in Cotswold (the same building which used to be Borders Books.) Great to have his support and a good friend. I feel I have more support from church than I do from any of my family (Chloe and Steve excepted.) I have four brother, two older and two younger, and not a single phone call, email or letter to support me since Carol passed away, condolences or anything. I feel really upset that they've never been in touch. They probably didn't know my address, telephone number, email address or whatever, but I'm sure Chloe would have let them know so there's no excuse. It's not exactly difficult to get in touch, modern communication being what it is, what with mobile phones, email, text etc etc or even the use of telephone or old fashioned mail. Never mind. But I don't think it would have hurt to have some sort of communication from any of them.

Having left Cotswold, I drove to the carpark near the Xcape because I wanted to get the car valeted. I could have washed the car myself, but it's not that easy unless you have an outside tap with a hose attached, and I was more keen to have the inside of the car cleaned out, possibly with a vacuum of some sort, so, when I recently parked in that area I noticed the hand-cleaning business that was set up there. It cost the hefty sum of £28 to have the full works, the bodywork cleaned along with the interior and then a polish, even of the tyres and hubcaps, which now look as clean as you would get a vehicle if it came out of a showroom and even the interior looks sparkling. They put something, a spray, on the black plastic of the exterior, below the doors, and even the inside of the boot. I'm really pleased with the finish, and want to keep it that way. I sat on  chair to watch and wait, and saw what they were doing and then needed the toilet (sitting and waiting for too long has that effect, unfortunately, part of getting older.) so I left them to their work and went into the nearby Xcape building and found the toilets upstairs near the cinema. I don't go into that building much, as I don't have much call to go in there, but I saw a shop which I may return to at some time in the not-too distant further, called Outlet. I think it sells end-of-season stock, mostly sport-related stuff, like trainers, shorts, swimming trunks, etc. I can always sport a bargain and wouldn't buy something at full price if I knew I could get it cheaper elsewhere. I have several items of clothing with the Regatta brand on, particularly a couple of fleeces, and I've bought most from their website and at really good knock-down prices, around 60%-70%. I have a couple of jackets, I think they term them softshell or something, the idea being that you can wear these in cold weather, with layers underneath, such as fleeces, but both these jackets have zipped pockets which means I can put my wallet in them, as well as keys, when I'm out and about, but they cost something ridiculous, around £25-£30, reduced from well over £75. I recently bought a pair of cargo shorts, those which have pockets in them, which are ideal for carrying around my mobile in, during the warmer weather, and I got them for less than £10, full price, over £30. Certainly not a bad bargain.

I went back to see the car being finished off. It had by now moved to the final stage, with the interior being vacuumed and the black trim being given a buff with a cloth and then I paid and drove round to park the car opposite where they had the car-cleaning business. I had paid for around 2 hours and wasn't going to waste my cash, so I walked into the shopping centre. I wanted to get a loose-bottomed cake tin (I know, go on, make a joke about it then, if you must. Like something out of a really low-brow 1970's comedy like 'Are You Being Served?" 'Excuse me, have you got a loose bottom?" etc etc I will explain, because I want to make a banofee cheesecake, and Delia Smith recommends using a 20 c.m. loose-bottomed cake tin to make it in so I went into Lakeland, the shop that sells all manner of equipment for the kitchen and general home items, and there was one, on the shelf, more or less exactly inside the door. So, duly paid for I walked to W.H.Smith to see if the latest edition of Current Archaeology is in on the magazine racks. It is, and decide to pay using the self-service till. I'm reluctant to use these machines, because, from experience I always have a problem, such as the thing being unable to read the bar-code of whatever it is I'm attempting to purchase. This machine worked well enough, but the voice it is given sounds as if it/she has a bad cold, or at least, got a bunged up nose, which I voice to the world in general, and got a most odd look from the young boy using the adjacent machine. Well, come on, why does the thing have to have a voice in the first place, and then, why make it sound as if it's got bronchitis or 'flu? Get Judi Dench or Dame Maggie to do the voice. At least it would be clear and distinct. Can you imagine the character Maggie Smith played in Downton Abbey doing that sort of thing? I can't remember her name. Wasn't she supposed to be Robert thingy's mother? The Dowager Duchess of Grantham? It would certainly make people sit up and listen and make shopping a good deal more interesting than you get from the dull, lifeless voice that you get on these machines. 'Please don't place your unknown item in the bagging area!' Would be fun if she was to do it. Sort of, 'Lady Bracknell sort of thing, if you get my meaning.

I had intended having lasagne for my evening meal and wanted to have salad with it. I wasn't going to drive all the way to Sainsbury's for just that, so I thought I' go into Iceland, which was on my way when I walked to the Xcape to collect the car which was parked nearby. I went into Iceland and found a suitable prepared salad in a bowl and then browsed around the store to see if there was anything suitable as a sweet to follow my lasagne. But on approaching the checkout there was but one lone woman on the till, and a large queue forming, so instead of wasting my time queuing for just the one item, I left the salad bowl and the basket nearby and walked out of the store. Unfortunately I had entered the store with a red T.K. Maax carrier bag which contained the Current Archaeology magazine and the loose-bottomed cake tin in it. As I made to exit, this somewhat officious security man approached me and said, 'excuse me, sir, may I see inside your bag?' which I thought a little presumptuous of him, because I most certainly had nothing to hide and it was plain that I had left the salad bowl behind in the store, near the checkout. He looked inside the bag and could see there was nothing from the store in the bag, and I walked away, not exactly over-joyed by this intrusion on my perfectly innocent visit to Iceland and it has to be said, left a bit of a bitter taste (metaphorically speaking) in my mouth. It would be quite obvious that they don't trust a 'certain element' in their store and if they'd only had more staff on the checkouts (out of six or so, only one in operation, when there was quite a considerable queue waiting.) So, it has rather put me off every shopping in Iceland again. I seem to remember when I lived in Bedford and used the local branch of Iceland near the bus station and the somewhat curt treatment (to put it mildly) I got from one particular checkout woman, who could be quite rude, so it would seem Iceland has a penchant for employing officious staff. If you didn't place your items correctly on her conveyer, you got a sort of nasal sound, or intake of breath which suggested 'Not there, young man!' Enough to put you off shopping in Iceland with that sort of behaviour from a member of staff.

Visit to Civic Offices

On Friday morning  I was up out of bed early, around 4.30, because I had a form to fill in for the Discretionary payment.  It had been another overwhelmingly hot night and it was difficult enough to sleep, so I prefer to get everything sorted well in advance of having to deliver it to the office. I had to provide two bank statements, which I had already got from the NatWest and Nationwide when I'd visited the shopping centre the day before. I knew that I wouldn't be able to return until Phil and Robert had come back to finish off cutting the grass and generally tidying the garden. They got here around 9.30 and were gone by 10.45 and I have to say the garden is now looking absolutely amazing. The grass at the rear of the house (I refuse to term it 'lawn') looks stunning. They've managed to take away the cut grass, which was the big problem I had, because the rotary mower I have doesn't pick up the cut grass, so any mowing after a while just clogs up the machine. They were coming earlier in the week but because of over-night rain it was postponed so it's as well that it's done now because we had rain overnight and it would never have allowed the mower to work properly. Robert had problems with the Strimmer, not being able to get it started, for whatever reason, but he used the mower and it looks almost as good as it's possible to get because the ground is so uneven.

As soon as Robert and Phil had packed up their equipment in their car and driven off, and I'd had another look at their handwork (I don't think the garden has looked so tidy as it is currently. It will need rimming on a monthly basis to keep it in tip-top condition. I can expect to get a call from my landlord in the next couple of weeks, and, even when I've virtually sweated blood to clean the house for his visit, he won't notice the cleanliness of the place, but just say 'have you cut the grass?' It's usually an annual visit for no more than 10 minutes.)  I prepared to drive into the centre of town, park in my usual place and the walk through to the Civic Offices (conveniently next door to my bank, the NatWest.) On arrival you have to sign in using a touch screen. I'm no good at operating these machines, but a staff member helped and the machine disgorged a ticket with a number on it, 257. Then I sat down on one of the sofa benches (for want of a better description.) But, no sooner had my bottom made contact with the sofa than I had to over-hear a conversation right behind me, someone venting forth on some issue or other to a younger man. It was more than I could take, more like an episode from EastEnders. I decided to move away and sit on another of the benches. I was struck by how few people there were in the place, because generally, if I have to go in there, you can sit and wait for a couple of hours. I was wandering, when the computer generated voice was speaking, directing customers to various numbered desks, which are arranged in a couple of rows, each with a bright red, digital display above each, and separated from one another by coloured screens in a range of pastel shades, it made me wonder, do Alexa or Siri, the Artificial Intelligence 'assistants' on my iPhone and Kindle, ever get to know this invisible and formless  person? Just the sort of rubbish that goes through my head whilst sitting and waiting. It wasn't long before my number was called by the computerised system and I was walking across the floor to the desk with my number flashing above it. Quite a surprise to be called so rapidly. I had taken a carrier bag containing my iPhone, a notebook and pencil to possibly make notes and other reading material.

I handed over the form and the two bank statements which were required and the lady at the desk photocopied them and handed back the originals and that was all. She said it would be around two weeks before I heard anything and I could ring their welfare department who would be dealing with my discretionary payment. So I bade my farewells and walked out of the office and went into Costa on the way back into the shopping centre and had a ham and cheese toastie and a mango and  passion fruit cooler, just perfect for such a warm day and, from the number of people in the store, I think everyone else had the same idea as me.

Saturday. It has become a good deal cooler, thank goodness. Tuesday was scorching, as I think I mentioned in the earlier post, when I was at Camphill. Plenty to drink is the order of the day when the temperature rises. It rained overnight, but only a light shower. Nothing to get you drenched. This morning I was hoping to get a bit more of a lie in, much to Alfie's displeasure. I lay in bed, just chilling out and then I heard little doggy feet on the stairs. Alfie is quite capable of jumping on the bed if he sets his mind to it, but I have to pick him up and put him on the bed. He settles down and I hope he will sleep, but not Alfie. I soon feel him prodding me with his paw and then licking my arm. It's clear he's attempting to gain my attention so that I get dressed and take him out. I resist as long as possible but then I just cave in and go to the bathroom to have a shave and then dressed to go downstairs, take my medication and get ready to take Alfie out. As soon as I sit in the lounge and put on my shoes, he starts his barking and excited noises. I have to check the back patio door is closed and locked, pick up several doggy bags from the kitchen unit and then attach the lead to Alfie's harness, by which time he's transmogrified into the Tasmanian Devil, barking and yanking at the lead with his teeth. It is then, as I step out of the front door, that I discover that is's raining, even if only a light drizzle. This doesn't faze Alfie as we cross the road and into the alleyway which leads down into Eaglestone Park. I decided not to attempt the entire circuit of the park and cross over between the play area and the climbing wall. A few weeks ago it was discovered that it hd been covered in graffiti, which I noticed a few days ago. Some of it including obscene words. I would have used my iPhone to take a photo of it and put it on Facebook, but, because the language was so foul I decided against it, but looking at this wall this morning it looks as if Council workmen have managed to obliterate the graffiti with paint, or what appears to be paint.

There was another musical evening at the Oaktree Centre, home of Shenley Christian Fellowship. Plenty to eat as well and it's great to enjoy people singing and otherwise showing their talents in this way.