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.

Another Week Of Lockdown

(Tuesday) They're saying that the first peak of the coronavirus pandemic has probably been reached. It's still not possible to ease the lockdown restrictions, which means that shops selling 'non-essential' items are going to still be closed. It seems odd that D.I.Y. centres, such as B and;Q and Homebase can reopen, as long as they have social distancing measures in place, but garden centres cannot. This doesn't make any sort of sense and if things are relaxed it looks as if a lot of plants will be destroyed once they reach the point where they can't be sold. In that case a lot of growers are going to go out of business, as will many retail outlets, particularly those that sell clothing. Debenhams have already gone into administration, and a lot of overseas suppliers have been told they won't be paid for orders which had already been taken. Things look in a precarious stage at the moment.

Boris Johnson is back in Downing Street, having been in hospital recovering from coronavirus infection. I think it will inform how things now develop, having experienced firsthand how the NHS is coping. We should now get some idea how the lockdown will be lifted, probably gradually, allowing for more businesses to re-open, provided they use social distancing.

The weather has done a u turn. From being bright and sunny, it’s become wet and cold, which I noticed when I peered out of the window in the kitchen this morning. Alfie was as keen as ever to get out, but as soon as we got outside and were walking along Dexter Avenue, he wasn’t so keen as he got a bit wet. We got to the grass along Strudwick Drive, spent some time sniffing the grass, did a wee, and immediately headed home as fast as his little feet could carry him! No time to hang about and  consider ‘other matters.’ He couldn’t wait to get back into the flat, and I can hardly blame him.

I'm not watching much television news at present because it seems all they can discuss is the pandemic and to be honest it's becoming somewhat tiring having it thrust down your throat every time you turn on the television. I watch perhaps a few minutes at the beginning, to get the headlines, but there's no other sort of news, so I have either switched to another channel, such as BBC2 in the evening, where they have moved Pointless at this time, or I watch something on BBC iPlayer and on Tuesday I watched the first episode of a new series presented by Mary Beard about Rome, called 'Meet The Romans,' in which she discovers the 'real' Romans, the ordinary people who lived at street level. It's a revelation, and she doesn't mince her words, some of it down and dirty. What annoys me is that I didn't know that this series was on until I was trawling through the E.P.G. (Electronic Programme Guide) on my Freeview box. It hasn't been trailed on the other channels and I would have missed it otherwise. Thank goodness for the BBC iPlayer.

I've been to Sainsbury's again this morning, arriving at the carpark at around 8.15, to discover the queue further round the carpark than the last time I was there. Even so it didn't seem to take as long to get into the store. I had made a detailed list on Monday, which made the job easier and quicker as I had worked out well in advance what I needed. No point dithering around trying to think and being stuck in the store longer than usual. I was in and out of the store within around 40 minutes and used a self-service till to pay. I'm actually getting quite good at operating these self-service tills and it's probably best to use them and use my debit card with either contactless or 'chip and pin' to pay.

Another series I have only just discovered, about the Renaissance, and presented by Waldemar Januszak and called 'The Renaissance Unchained' in which he challenges the traditional views of art's most important epoch. Another brilliant documentary series which the BBC seems to insist on burying and not bothering to trail and I only discovered it when I accidentally came across it on the E.P.G. There are three more episodes and thank goodness for the ability to either record or view on iPlayer through my Freeview box. All the junk television such as Holby and EastEnders as well as reality shows get all the attention but the better stuff, the intelligent stuff, gets forgotten. They are not adhering to John Reith's three founding principles of the BBC, to inform, to entertain and to educate, probably in some form, but not entirely. I think it's because everything is ghettoised on different channels, because at one time, when there were fewer channels, BBC1, BBC 2 and ITV, you had a more mixed schedule and you were more likely to come across something such as a programme on the arts or history, by accident. Now it's just become very boring, and every day is identical, the same programmes on at the same time every day. I remember a time. probably when I was at school in the 1960s, when you would, for example, have a classic play on Sunday evening, when the BBC did 'Play of The Month,' and you could see a play by, for example, Shaw, Ibsen, Chekov or Shakespeare, or when they did 'Play For Today,' written by playwrights such as Alan Bleasedale or John Mortimer and directors of the calibre of Stephen Frears, Mike Leigh or John Slesinger. I don't think the BBC or ITV ever do what they term the 'single play' in a similar vein, except the BBC afternoon drama 'strand' called 'Moving On.' Everything has to be part of a series, probably because they don't imagine an audience being able to cope with material that ties up within the running-time and only managing to deal with on-going plots in a run of episodes.

(Wednesday) It's rather wet and dull today. But, saying that, it is mild. Alfie isn't keen to be out as he really doesn't appreciate getting wet, even if slightly. I only have to say to him 'Alfie, home,' and he immediately changes course and heads back to the flat. I got a belt for my shorts when I was in Sainsbury's yesterday, with the idea that I could start wearing those shorts, but as the weather has now changed, there is no likelihood of me wearing them for the foreseeable future. In some ways it's good that the weather has gone like this as it means people aren't tempted to go out and start gathering but remain in isolation and keep the social distancing going.

The news is that Boris Johnson's fiancee, Carrie Symonds, has given birth to a baby boy. In the midst of all the awful news regarding the pandemic, it's good to have something positive, but it must be a rather traumatic experience, when you think of the possibility of contracting the coronavirus.

We have had a church meeting using Zoom. It's a strange experience. We have had a sort of coffee morning and a communion service using Zoom and Pastor Ross does a devotional each morning at 10 o'clock on Facebook. I can watching through an app called Facebook Video on my Fire Stick on television which means at least that it's on a bigger screen and not just peering at the MacBook screen or iPad, or, if it comes to that, my iPhone, but in that case it would be far too small.

Bright and Sunny

I've done a great deal of writing in the last couple of weeks. Some of it rewriting and editing material which I have handwritten in a couple of notebooks. I'm transcribing it onto my MacBook and using the newly-acquired iPad. Dictation is speeding things up, but I have to keep checking as it has a tendency to come up with some hilarious alternatives to some words.

The idiot building the shed in the garden along the street is banging and sawing like crazy. I think it's a substitute for something, working off his frustration with the hammer and saw, but it's annoying me. I think some people don't realise that their D.I.Y. activities can be so irritating and annoying, they are so focussed, sort of O.C.D., that they don't realise it has an effect on those who are close by. Probably due to having to endure lockdown.

I've taken Alfie out but I am beginning to get somewhat bored with Oldbrook Green. Alfie loves to stop and sniff virtually every tree and lamppost, as most dogs  do, but I'm concerned when he picks things up in his mouth, and on several occasions he's picked up what I suspect are chicken bones, thrown aside by people who buy fried chicken. But they can be lethal to a dog as the sharp bits can get stuck in their throats or further inside their system and could kill them. I have had to extricate several bits from his mouth when he's picked them up and it upsets me that they could have devastating effects on my best pal.  I don't think people realise the danger of their actions in this regard and I have to be vigilant in removing these bones when Alfie picks them up.

Yesterday morning it was misty as I stood and washed up at the kitchen sink. I can see quite a distance from that standpoint. It's not so clear now because the trees are in more or less full leaf. You can see the Milton Keynes shopping centre and Debenham's building, but the mist was obscuring most of the distant buildings, which includes Sainsbury's. I know that it's that because it has an orange block of colour which stands out quite clearly.

This morning (Saturday) as I write this, it's again quite over-cast, but it's mild. Not exactly as the title of this post states, but at least it's mild.

I've been watching the BBC sitcom 'My Family.' First two episodes of the first series, which are on BBC iPlayer. I had seen later episodes, but not from the beginning. I can't believe there was so many series and episodes. It's not actually a brilliant series, but Zoe Wanamaker and Robert Lindsey are great actors. Any other actors in those parts wouldn't have made it as good, as Ben and Susan Harpur. It's actually being rerun, on Fridays, on BBC1. I image the BBC is running short of new material to show, because so many shows are furloughed due to the pandemic lockdown. It seems amazing to think that this series began 20 years ago and ran for an amazing 11 series. Some really hilarious lines and good storylines which other sitcoms can't compete with. There is one thing that bothers me, and that the actors who play the children seem far too old, or at least seem too old, for the ages they're supposed to be playing, and why is Nick still living at home with his parents? How old is he supposed to be? Surely in his twenties. The daughter seems far older than 16. Just not realistic, but does it really matter.

I have also watched the first episode on 'The A Word,' which, again, is on iPlayer with entire seasons available, so it's possible to binge watch. A drama series which I haven't seen before and interested me because it features a child who has autism and that was the specialism I dealt with when I worked in care with people with learning disabilities, so I have a fair amount of experience of the subject. It's great to have a drama series which isn't about cops and robbers, car-chases and men in lycra and is believable and the characters interact well and is well written and acted.

(Sunday) The iPad has decided to go into dull mode. What I mean is, I want to use it early this morning and I can barely read the screen. I can't reset it so it's bright enough to read. I think it's supposed to do this to allow you to read it at night without eyestrain, but actually it's making it worse so I can't read it and it's creating more eye strain. I'm going through the various settings to allow me to re-set it to counteract this, but, as I write this, that is not possible.

(Later) I managed to sort out the iPad. It was obvious really. I just restarted it and it came back on in the bright mode. I can't think why it wouldn't work with the brightness setting because I hadn't set it to be in dark mode. The problem was that I couldn't see what was going on and it was more or less impossible to read anything on it. Never mind, it's now fixed.

I've carried on with more transcribing of hand-written material, but I have now found quite a lot of my stuff on Google Drive, which I had forgotten about. I think it's like iCloud, meaning it will work across different computers and saves having to store on discs or other media.

The lovely D.I.Y. I have mentioned earlier has continued, but at 3.45 this afternoon, there is no sound, fortunately.

I took out Alfie and I saw people playing some sort of ball game. Oh dear, they're not supposed to be doing that. Either they are ignoring the legal requirement to not be gathering in such places as Oldbrook Green, or else they have not seen the sign (a permanent one, no doubt erected by the Council, either Milton Keynes or the  Campbell Park Parish Council cil, which clearly states that 'no ball games, barbecues etc.' in a very curt and rather puritan sort of fashion, as most of them do.) The notices which are put up around the park, on the outdoor gym equipment, are written in the typical officialese sort of language, but it wouldn't hurt to put 'Please' and 'Thank you on them,' but I don't expect the bureaucrats who write these sorts of notices to do such a thing.

Sunny But Chilly

Thursday.It has been sunny but somewhat chilly this morning. We took Alfie out for his morning trot around Eaglestone Park and came across children being walked to school by their mums and dads, on their way to the primary school. Alfie was overwhelmed by all the people passing by and kept running up to them, running around in circles and enjoying the attention he was getting. I think he forgot that he was with us as we walked along the part of the Redway which crosses the park. Also, the children and parents seemed amused by his antics. He just wants to be friends with everyone he meets. I wore a long-sleeved shirt for the first time this morning. It was a necessity as it was, as I said earlier, fairly chilly, but as the morning progressed and the sun remained out, it got quite warm.

Carol had an appointment with the stoma nurse at Milton Keynes hospital at 10.00 a.m. in the Out-Patients' department. We got there far too early, as we almost always seem to do and parked easily in the multi-storey carpark. Just fortunate that someone was coming out of a space as we drove in, which made it easier. Any later and we wouldn't have been so lucky.

Friday morning. My Casio G-Shock digital watch has been showing signs of running out of power. The light which comes on when you press one of the buttons, for example, in the middle of the night when it's dark, doesn't work and the display had faded completely, so I thought it must be the battery needed replacing. The only place I know which will do a new battery as well as put it in is a small shop within the Central Shopping Centre, as they've done this before. I don't have the right screwdriver to open the back of the watch to install a new battery. I'm not going to H.Samuel or whatever the jewellers name is,  which I've used before because a few years ago I purchased a digital watch from them, I think another Casio, very nice, with a good, sturdy strap (which is the part that seems to wear out quickest.) and I bought the watch with an extended warranty. The watch malfunctioned, it just stopped working, for whatever reason (I don't think it was the battery.) so I returned it with the idea that it would be covered by this 'extended warranty.' Samuels refused to repair or replace the watch, making some sort of excuse as to why this was the case, so I was not pleased, as you might imagine. Surely that would be the whole point of paying extra for an 'extended warranty.' So, I refuse to buy anything from them. Paying a bit more for your watch, as a sort of guarantee that if it goes wrong it will be either replaced or repaired, free of charge, was sort of putting my mind at rest that the watch would be reliable and therefore repairable. But no.

So we decided to drive into the Milton Keynes centre and park where we always do, near Debenhams, in the multi-storey carpark which is currently being renovated. We walked along the mall to Boots as Carol needed some painrelief tablets and then we went to The Watch and Clock Shop to get them to replace the battery for me. It was going to take at least 30 minutes, they gave me a numbered ticket to identify my watch when I returned to collect it and we then went to Patisserie Valerie for lattes and really nice almond and chocolate croissants. They recently moved from their old unit further down the shopping centre to their new location. I was really surprised that they had a waiter service, which I don't think many other similar restaurants offer in this day and age.

I needed the loo. As one does. So I left Carol in the restaurant and went out into the main shopping centre and into the newly-opened toilet block. Very smart. They recently moved the main toilet block from one side of the shopping centre to the opposite side. I needed to wash my hands and they've craftily hidden the soap and water under the mirrors over the row of sinks. You just put your hand under where they're marked on the bottom of the mirror and water comes out as well as soap. I reckon some people would find this difficult to find or get to operate. Then I wanted to dry my hands. I hunted around for the hand-drying machine, but in vain I couldn't find one. Then I returned to the sinks and they'd hidden them under the mirror-edge, next to the soap and water. It was marked but not clear enough and not somewhere you'd think to find a hand-drier. Also, operated when you put your hand underneath the sensor.

I returned to Carol in Patisserie Valerie, we paid the bill and as we walked out we saw that there were toilets with the store, so I needn't have left to go to the toilets in the shopping centre.

We walked towards John Lewis and ended up in Middleton Hall, where there was a jobs fair on and had a browse around the stalls and then walked back along the centre and went into Marks and Spencer. I was looking for a long-sleeved Rugby shirt, of which I have a couple already, the idea being they are ideal for when it's cold in the winter. Particularly ideal wear for when we're out and about and probably when we go to Whipsnade Zoo, because it can get really cold up on Dunstable Downs. We searched high and low in the men's department, but couldn't find one long-sleeved shirt I liked. You would think that they would have them in stock by now as the days get colder, but it seemed they only had summer stock in. When I got home I went on the MacBook and found on the Marks and Spencer website that they had plenty, which begs the question, why not in their bricks-and-mortar stores? We left Marks and Spencer's and made our way towards Midsummer Place and Debenhams and went up the escalator to the multi-storey carpark to our car and drove home.

Eighth Chemotherapy Cycle Postponed

We got news late yesterday afternoon that it was fine for Carol's next chemotherapy cycle to be postponed for another week, the week after the Easter holiday. As mentioned in an earlier blog post, her recent blood test didn't show enough of a certain element which, if the chemotherapy was to take place as scheduled,  would mean she would be open to infection. It now means that her mum and dad can come and visit. We've yet to decide where we're visiting. As long as the weather is fine, we have several National Trust properties lined up, or even an English Heritage one. But I won't mention where on here, for obvious reasons.

Not a lot for me to write about over the past weekend. I think my posts have become a bit repetitive, since we haven't been anywhere interesting since the diagnosis back in late August/September.

As I write this (at 6.35 a.m.) I can hear rain on the lounge window. It's considerably colder of late. We turned the central heating down, so no doubt we'll turn it up again.

We've been looking for a new vacuum cleaner. Carol has suggested getting a cordless one, which is lighter and easier for her to use. It does make sense. The old one we have is alright up to a point, but it clogs up quickly and the hose is a nuisance. Also, with a plug-in model you are somewhat restricted by the cable. A cordless one would make cleaning the stairs, for example, much easier. We keep seeing advertising on television for a G-Tech vacuum cleaner. I've been looking on-line at retail outlets who stock the various machines made by the competition, Argos, John Lewis and Curry's have different models. You can buy a G-Tech on-line, according to the advertising. We went to Curry's early, but they don't stock this particular brand. We tried two Dyson models. Very much more expensive than the G-Tech.

We then went to park in the multi-storey carpark near Debenham's and walked down through the store. There was a sale on in the store and then left to walk through the shopping centre. We went into Marks and Spencer and I bought a new polo shirt and then we continued to walk towards John Lewis.  The electronics department is now on the ground floor (the store was given a make-over a couple of years ago) and we found the vacuum cleaners and a G-Tech on display. From having a demonstration by one of the sales assistants we found it to be good at it's job and decided to buy one. We didn't want to carry the parcel back through the shopping centre, so we managed to have it ready to pick up from the pick-up point, so we walked back to the Debenham's carpark. We stopped off at McDonald's to have burgers for lunch, using a very efficient computer screen to order and pay. We sat outside the store to eat and then walked on to collect the car from the carpark and drove round the shopping centre. It wasn't possible to drive around where we expected to be able to drive, due to building works near John Lewis. A new carpark, but managed to find a space nearer the collection point and I walked in to collect the G-Tech, very well packed up by the staff. There seems to be quite a considerable amount of building going on in and around Milton Keynes at the moment.

On arrival home we set up the G-Tech and got it charging. As I write it's fully charged and ready to try out on the lounge carpet.

MK Shopping Centre Visit

Carol's mum and dad have been here for a visit today (Wednesday). They came up from Bournemouth and were given a lift from someone from their church, arriving here at about 9.45. We didn't take long to decide where to go for the day, rather than sitting in the house as they have done for the past couple of visits as Carol is feeling far better and thought she needed to get away from the house. It was a choice of going to Stoke Bruerne or the central Milton Keynes Shopping Centre. It was as well we chose the shopping centre because the weather turned out unsettled and cold, although it would have been nice to have visited the canal and museum at Stoke Bruerne and have something to eat in the pub we know there from previous trips.

We drove towards the centre and parked in the multi-storey carpark next to Debenhams and then walked in and down the escalator and stated off in the restaurant which we noticed immediately had been refitted. We had coffee and then made for the ladies department where Carol browsed the clothing and her mum and I bought her some things which will be birthday presents. One problem solved as I wasn't certain what she wanted.

We walked through Midsummer Place and Carol found it quite cold. This is one of the side-effects of the chemotherapy she's currently going through. Then we walked into the main shopping centre which is, thankfully, a good deal warmer.

It seems that Carol has come a really long way since her diagnosis. She has been through a great deal (haven't we both) and at an early stage she wouldn't have been able to walk as far as she did this morning, so it seems things are getting better.

We got as far as W.H. Smith and went in to look at books. They recently moved into a far smaller unit. No doubt because they seem to have cut the amount of stock they have and no longer sell, such as  CDs and DVDs which used to be on the floor upstairs. At one time they used to have a travel agent (well, at least in the Bedford branch) as well as knitting wool and a host of other items which they've stopped selling. We spent some time browsing and Carol found a couple of adult colouring books, which seem to be popular at the moment. Really perfect to keep her occupied whilst having chemotherapy and at home. One is based on 'Vogue' magazine illustrations and another you can barely see the outlines of the illustrations and wouldn't see what the picture was until all the colours are filled in.

We continued on walking on leaving Smith's.

We reached Middleton Hall, the vast open space in front of John Lewis. We were in need of something to eat, as the time was nearing lunch time. So we decided on going to John Lewis's restaurant. We have been in there before, but, unless you knew where it was, you'd be hard-pressed to discover it's whereabouts. It's on the top floor and up several flights of elevators. There don't seem to be any signs from the ground floor as far as I could  see. I suppose you'd have to ask a member of staff or look on one of the department location boards dotted around the store. On arriving in the restaurant we ordered our food. Carol had soup and a roll, I had a sandwich, although I must say they had a rather poor selection and it would appear that they were somewhat short staffed and it seemed to take ages for a member of staff to serve me. All he had to do was put the sandwich I wanted on a plate and hand it too me. Carol's mum and dad had scones and jam. I went back to get a pot of tea although Carol's dad didn't want tea. I was somewhat disappointed that the milk was only available in those horrible little plastic pots with those nasty foil lids which are virtually impossible to peel off in order to get at the milk inside. Also, they made the tea with just one teabag on a piece of string which I dislike intensely. I'm surprised at John Lewis, who have fairly high standards, to use such a method of tea-making.

The restaurant was fairly busy, including a couple a few tables along from us, who had young children, one of which was causing some problems for them, making a lot of noise. I'm also surprised how under-staffed it was for the time of day considering how busy it was. It got busier as we were about to leave.

We went down on the elevator and on the ground floor walked through the kitchen department. We had a brief browse and Carol had a look at the food mixers. She's seen a Kenwood hand mixer on the John Lewis website so knew that this was the one she wanted. At £20 it seemed good value, compared with other models and a reasonable price when comparing such companies as Argos, surprisingly, since John Lewis is generally somewhat more expensive than other stores although you always know you will get good customer service. The Milton Keynes store was refitted a few years ago and as a result they moved departments around. For example, the kitchenware department was on a different floor, as was the restaurant which used to be at the front and overlooking Middleton Hall. The departments had been in their old locations probably since the store opened back in the late 1970s and the store probably hadn't been remodelled since then. Anyway, we decided on purchasing the mixer and then left the store.

We slowly walked back through the shopping centre along the other mall and walked back through Midsummer Place to return to Debenhams and then up the escalator to the carpark and home. We spent some time talking before Carol's parents left for home when their friend from church came back almost precisely at 3 p.m. to drive them home to Bournemouth.

Getting Much Colder

It's certainly beginning to feel a good deal colder. There's a keen wind which is quite chilly on the skin. I'm putting the central heating on, but it's not exactly the most efficient system. Our beloved landlord put in a new boiler last year, which is good at heating the water for what ever purpose, such as washing-up, having a bath or even to have a shave, but as regards heating the house, it seems to not be up to much. I think perhaps the radiators need bleeding or something as there might be an air pocket somewhere in the system. It just doesn't seem  very warm. Outside there's a definite nip in the air. Oh well, we are into November now and the nights close in around 4-4.30p.m. so it's not surprising. 

The shops are beginning to stock up with Christmas stuff. I expect we'll have the John Lewis Christmas television commercial out any day now. It will be given stiff competition from the likes of Debenhams, Next, Sainsbury's, and all the rest, but theirs will no doubt top them all. It apparently has a budget of £7 million, amazing when you think about it. Although that isn't just for the commercial. It will be all the associated material that they put with it, such as window dressing and general store design and merchandising and no doubt there will be toys as there was last year with the 'Buster' commercial. We got Alfie one of the noisy ball toys, which he loves. It has a 'Buster' face and when you either bounce it or hit it, the thing makes a doggy sort of noise. Carol did some desperate surgery on one of the 'Comic Relief' laughing toys which he loves. She undid one of them and did a sort of heart transplant on another one so it still works, but as you can't replace them, as they're no longer sold, it was the only alternative. The original one must be 4-5 years old now, and they haven't bought out new ones, apart from the 'Dinosaur' toy which growls or roars, supposedly like a dinosaur, but that was several years ago. We bought two of the 'Buster' toys and keep one in reserve so Alfie has always got one to play with, but when we let him have any of these toys he isn't allowed to have it to play with for too long, basically because of the howling noise he makes, and also, because it's got small parts inside, we don't want him chewing it to the point where it comes apart and the electrical components become exposed and are a risk to him swallowing them.

To Five Guys for Burgers 'n Chips

We had a meal out last night. It was a sort of outing for some of Carol's colleagues from the science department where she works at Milton Keynes Academy. I know there's a new burger place called Five Guys in Midsummer Place, next to Debenham's department store. It had recently opened and we had a look at the menu when we were walking past a week or two ago. But it wasn't this one we were going to. It's in the Xcape building, underneath the ski slope, just behind the theatre. Carol finished work at just after 3.30 and came home and we changed ready to go out. I think Alfie picked up the idea that we were going out. He's as sharp as a knife, that little dog. It's amazing that he gets some sort of message in his head that we intend going out. He couldn't come with us. He'd have to stay in the house. A lot of yapping and getting excited. It was far too early to arrive at the restaurant, but we drove into the centre of Milton Keynes and found a parking space at the side of what's called the food centre, where Sainsbury's used to be, before they moved to their new store in Witan Gate. The weather had become very unsettled. It was a good deal colder and there was a strong wind blowing. There were quite a few parking spaces available, but not really close enough for us to avoid a long walk to the Xcape building. A lot of people about. It seemed especially busy for the time of day. We went into the central shopping centre as Carol wanted something from Superdrug. We were really just wasting time until 5 o'clock which is when we were due to meet up at Five Guys. We walked across towards the restaurant and found it was open but nobody from the party was there. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it wasn't what I'd call a 'restaurant' in the accepted sense. Very stripped back. More like a glorified take-away, but with an American feel. It was bright red and white tiles and paintwork. You order at the counter, at bit like at K.F.C., done on a sort of touch-screen computer terminal. You can see the staff flipping burgers and putting together the orders behind the counter. Very efficient. Then your order is put together in brown paper bags and they call your number out when it's ready for you to collect. No plates or cutlery. You get tomato ketchup and all your sides within your package. We sat at long red plastic-topped counter and sat on sort of bar stools. Drinks, or at least soft drinks, are dispensed from a sort of self-service machine. Carol was delighted that she could have a drink that was sugar-free, which was ideal, considering she is diabetic and isn't supposed to have anything with sugar in it. A wide selection of different flavours and it took some while to work out how to use this machine! You can return as many times as you like for more, if you're that way inclined. My only reservation is that the music that was playing was excessively loud which made conversation quite difficult, but I can live with it. The burger I had was very good (I'm not actually a burger sort of person, not used to eating food with my hands. Sorry, I know it's boring, but there you are.) The chips, and we got loads and loads, were perhaps the best I've ever tasted and you got a little tray of peanuts, in their shells. I don't know how they got the flavour on, because they were in their shells, a sort of mild salty taste. The rest of the gang turned up a good deal later but they seemed to enjoy the experience and it seems a good idea for them to meet up outside work like this and perhaps do this again at a later date and on a regular basis.

A Visit to the In-Laws

Carol's parents live in Bournemouth. We see them infrequently. It's a good three-hour drive there and then back and usually, it's on the same day. We have been to Bournemouth and stayed in a hotel, but that was a few years ago. We last saw them in Southampton during the Easter holidays. We had planned to visit them when we had our holiday down near Petworth which was then abandoned when the weather became really bad. (see earlier post.) So, this time, we organised things so we met up with them in Salisbury, which is about a two-hour car journey from Milton Keynes. They would come up by bus from Bournemouth and arrive in Salisbury at 11.30. We left home at around 8.45 and decided we'd stop on the journey down and choose to visit Avebury, as we were interested in seeing the stone circle. I set the SatNav and we set off, getting to Avebury a little after 10.15. We had coffee and cake in the National Trust café on the site. We weren't expecting the place to be so extensive. We visited the Rollrights stone circle in the Cotswolds a few years ago (see earlier post.) and had seen an item about Avebury on television a week or two ago and then realised that they were close to Salisbury and would make a good place to stop on our journey down. The landscape around that area of Wiltshire is really amazing. We have visited Stonehenge a few years ago and when we went down to Chloe and Steve's wedding in Devon three years ago we stopped at Woodhenge, which is a few miles up the road from Stonehenge and was a good place to break that journey. We weren't at Avebury very long as we needed to be at Salisbury by 11.30.  As our visit to Avebury was brief and also the fact that my Canon camera died whilst I was attempting to take photographs, basically because I hadn't charged the battery fully, we quite intend revisiting at a later date to explore the area fully. We had intended texting Carol's mum to let them know we were on our way, but when I attempted to text, using my mobile, I couldn't find a signal. On several more occasions I attempted to text, as we drove on, having left Avebury, there was no mobile signal. I'm surprised by this situation, considering how mobile technology has advanced, but perhaps it's because it's a relatively sparse area of the country, population-wise. Then we got held up by traffic and especially farm traffic, spending some considerable time stuck behind a tractor and trailer drawing a load of straw which got caught under trees and brought down leaves and twigs and bits of branch as it brushed below overhanging trees.

We arrived at the Salisbury Park-and-Ride carpark. We got there just as a bus was leaving but the next one wasn't much later so we boarded it. I don't have to pay as I have a card which means I get free journeys. I was never sure whether this could be used outside Milton Keynes, but I soon discovered that it can which saves quite a lot in travel costs. We were to meet Carol's parents outside Debenhams, but we got off too early and then had to find where Debenhams was. It seemed that every time we asked someone we met they had no idea, but it was in the Market Square. We saw both Carol's mum and dad, but on the other side of the road and crossed over. We then made for a Wetherspoons pub, the King's Head, to have coffee.

I wanted to visit the cathedral. For one thing, it's so full of history. There is a copy of Magna Carta in there. And possibly the oldest clock in either this country or the world. Or something. And what's wrong with just being awed by the sheer magnificence of such a building? How can you not be, when you think how old it is and how incredible to imagine how they built something that size without the aid of modern technology such as cranes. Also, getting great slabs of stone up to the top of the tower without our modern lifting machinery, safety standards etc.

If you want further information about Magna Carta, here's a link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magna_Carta. There are apparently four surviving copies of this document in this country, one being Salisbury Cathedral, the other Lincoln and another in the British Library.

We sat on a bench in a park near the cathedral. Carol had made up a really nice mixture of rolls and fruit which we ate. The water meadows could be seen across the river and then I realised that the painter, John Constable, had executed several paintings of this very view, but seen from the opposite side. I have found the painting on the Tate gallery website.

Salisbury Cathedral, John Constable, 1820

We wandered the town, looking in stores and then made our way back, as if by some magnetic force, to the Wetherspoons we'd been to earlier and had tea. Unfortunately, it wasn't very nice. I make tea at home, but I can control the various elements such as boiling the water, the brand of teabag used, sugar etc etc but what we had here, or at least, what I drank, was unpleasant. 

Time was ticking on. Carol's mum and dad had come from Bournemouth on a bus and the next one was due to leave to return there shortly. We ambled back towards the bus stop outside Debenham's. We went into Marks and Spencers on the way as Carol wanted to see if they had a knitted top she had seen in their Milton Keynes store. There was a sale on, and, after hunting through the racks of clothes on sale, actually found the same item and bought it. 

The bus was standing at the bus stop on the Market Square near Debenhams, so Carol's parents boarded and the bus left. Soon our bus came in, and we returned to the park-and-ride car park to begin our journey home, directed by the SatNav. It had certainly been a strange day, long and tiring. We arrived back in Milton Keynes at around 6.30.

I am currently reading a book by Bill Bryson. It's called "The Road To Little Dribbling: More Notes from A Small Island." The subtitle refers to his earlier book, which was published 20 years ago. I read it then and enjoyed it enormously. He wanders around Great Britain and mentions many places and makes comments about them. An American who has an obvious affection for the quirks and idiosyncracies of this country. By sheer coincidence I have read his piece in chapter 11 where he mentions Avebury and discusses how it is managed by the National Trust.

Better Summer Weather and Bad Tempered People

The weather has taken a turn for the better. In fact, it's positively heatwave-time! We managed to sit outside and have our evening meal at our new table yesterday evening. It certainly makes a change from the rotten weather we've had to endure for about the past week. It seemed unfair when you consider it was Half Term, as well as the fact that our holiday we'd hoped to have at the booked cottage over Easter was aborted due to the awful weather.

On Friday, we drove to Worcester to see my daughter Chloe and my new grandson George. The journey there was less stressful than it might have been, due to the fact we went via Buckingham and then the Motorway. It took less than two hours. When we drove there for Chloe's graduation ceremony (well over 7 years ago, or maybe more, I'm not sure now.) the journey seemed to take a good deal longer, travelling via the M1 and around Birmingham. Admittedly it was mid-week and during the heavy volume  travelling time and it was a really awful journey. This time, it seemed a much better route and we will be going that way on 10th July as we're going to George's Christening on that day.

On Sunday, we visited Whipsnade Zoo again. Carol's Fellowship subscription runs out next week and she'd got a letter from Z.S.L. (Zoological Society of London) reminding her of the fact and so we went with the letter and paid the annual fee so we're able again to visit both London and Whipsnade Zoos without paying any entrance fees. We drove the car in again. As it costs around £25 per person together with £20 for the car, that's a saving of £70 each time we visit. We arrived at 9.45 a.m. (the zoo opens at 10 a.m.) and there was a queue of cars waiting. We were on the end of the queue and you just had to sit patiently in the car and wait for the gates to open and drive in. Quite easy you would imagine. But this rather unpleasant individual drove up and seemed to think it was his right to barge straight in. He wound down his car window and hurled abuse at us, for no other reason that he imagined we should get out of the way for him. Not a nice situation and Carol was understandably upset by the incident. He presumably drove to the car park and walked in with his family, but all the time we were in the zoo Carol was concerned that this unpleasant individual was going to find us and hurl a further load of abuse at us just because we'd got there first. There are really some crazy self-obsessed people out there. Sad really.

I actually got to wear my shorts on Saturday. I bought them last year in Debenhams and because the weather was so awful I hardly got to wear them at all last summer. Lets hope the weather is better this year so I get more wear out of them. I've been to Tesco at Kingston and bought a new sun hat because I need to keep my head covered when it's really sunny. The hat I have is a few sizes too small and if a hat is too tight on my head I get a headache. 

Boiler Problem . . . Almost Sorted

We spent a particularly cold night. No heating doesn't help. We considered our options. We had mentioned the situation with Mark Sherratt, pastor of our church, Milton Keynes Christian Centre, on Sunday morning, which was before we'd attempted to contact our landlord. This morning we decided to go and see Mark at church and ask for advice as to how we could resolve the problem of the dysfunctional boiler. He said that we had several options, pay for the work which had been booked with British Gas this Friday, go to Smart Move, the rental agency which we'd used originally to rent the house or go to Milton Keynes Council as they were very likely to have our landlord's details on record for Council Tax and other purposes. So, once we'd finished at church we drove into the city centre and parked where we usually park in the multi-storey carpark near Debenham's and walked through the shopping centre towards the Council offices. The receptionist was very helpful and told us we'd need to phone from the council office, as she gave us two numbers to ring. There was a considerable wait as several other people were waiting to use the telephone ahead of us. When we eventually got through, we were informed that they would be able to find our landlord's address in their database and that an officer would need to come to the house to inspect the boiler. More, I think, to prove that what we were telling them about the boiler was accurate before contacting our landlord. Having finished at the Council offices, we walked back into the shopping centre and went to Marks and Spencer's to do a bit of shopping and then returned to the carpark to get to the car and drove home. It was barely minutes after we got in the house when the telephone and the officer from the Council said that he'd be visiting at around 2 o'clock. He didn't actually arrive until 2.30, and had a letter to put through the landlord's door detailing the boiler situation. At around 4.30 the landlord telephoned, having got in from work to discover the letter on his doormat and saying he would attempt to find a boiler repair man to deal with the boiler misfunction. He later rang to say that he would come after 7 o'clock with sufficient cash for us to pay for an engineer who  will come out in the morning and didn't want us to pay ourselves. So, hopefully, by mid-morning we will have some resolution to this whole situation. We now have the landlord's address and telephone number in case of any further problems we may have with the house.

Just Another Weekend?

On Friday, after Carol finished work, we went into the Milton Keynes Central Shopping Centre. We had a need to break our rather ordinary routine and get out of the house. We parked in Debenham's multi-storey car park and we had a good idea that it would be easy to park there. We met a queue of cars going into the town centre, most likely because it was Black Friday, which would mean a lot of shops would have pre-Christmas bargains. It seems that everyone has to go totally mad whenever there is any chance of a bargain but we were just keen to get out. We walked through Debenhams and the place was seething with shoppers. We went out into Midsummer Place and ended up in Waterston's and it was in the middle of being revamped which seemed amazing considering it was so close to Christmas. I don't think the shop has been modernised in all the time I have been coming to Milton Keynes. It will be a good deal brighter and modern once the work is completed. There used to be a Costa coffee shop upstairs as well as a Paperchase concession on the ground floor, both gone, so no doubt these were taken out due to the store being under new ownership. We did spend some time browsing and I have some ideas for book I would like to buy. Both Carol and I have done our Christmas present lists which makes it easier for us to buy each other presents. I am going to buy myself a new digital camera in the New Year, a Canon, which I have seen in Jessop's, the camera shop in the shopping centre, but may wait until then because it is bound to be a good deal cheaper in the January sales. I don't mind buying the camera in Jessops as the staff are very helpful and it was one of the businesses which very nearly collapsed when the economy was in a nose-dive and was rescued by one of the 'Dragon's', Peter Jones. If you've never seen the BBC2 show "Dragon's Den" no doubt you won't know who I mean, but anyone who rescues a good business from financial collapse and manages to turn it round to become a profitable business earns not only my total respect but my loyal custom. I can't wait to get the new camera and it will be a sort of joint retirement/birthday and Christmas present to myself!

The main shopping centre was seething with shoppers. I don't think I have seen it so busy, even in the build-up to Christmas. We went into W.H. Smith as Carol wanted a folder for work. We then decided we needed a break, with a coffee and something to eat. We had intended going into Costa near John Lewis but then went to Pret A Manger. There is a lot of choice regarding places to get a drink and something to eat and we've been to Cafe Nero which is the opposite side of Middleton Hall, where the Christmas display is currently on. We were surprised when we went to get our drinks in Pret A Manger when the young man on the till said it was free. We had hot chocolate and mince pies which were very good. A shock to get something without having to pay, but apparently, according to Carol, they are expected to give away some food and drink free to customers. No doubt a sort of 'good will' gesture or something. I can't imagine many businesses doing that sort of thing.

We did have a cursory glance at the Christmas display, but to be totally honest it is a real disappointment. I don't know what it is, but it's certainly not the best effort. The usual little train they have every year is there, but the whole thing lacks any sort of imagination. A load of snow, a few mechanical penguins and Father Christmas doesn't make for a particularly entertaining experience, but I suppose as it's aimed at very little chidren, that's all that matters, but in past years they've had a theme, such as 'Peter Pan', 'Pirates ' or 'Pantomime.' Don't ask me what the theme of this year's extravaganza is as it doesn't appear to have one and it's a shame you have to pay to see most of it. So, as a result, we didn't bother, unfortunately.

Our outing ended with us going home towards Eaglestone and going to the fish and chip shop as we usually do on a Friday evening. You really can't beat the fish and chips from the Brothers Fish Bar in Eaglestone.

Working In Theatre- Stage Management Duties- Part 13

Once the play has been rehearsed for the given period, the show will then move into the theatre, particularly if it has been rehearsed elsewhere, although some shows are rehearsed using the stage, and the set mark-out will fit into the standing set of the show which is running currently. It is at this stage that a technical rehearsal will be done, which enables all the technical elements to be tried and tested. Stage management will have worked over the previous weekend, having 'struck' the previous play's set, and constructed the incoming show's set on the stage. All the rigging, flying, lighting etc will have been put in place before the set in built. This used to be done on a Sunday, and we would have worked until around 2 a.m. on Sunday morning removing the set of the outgoing show, sorting out props which have to be returned and doing general housekeeping to allow the new show to be set up.

The technical rehearsal is so that  every cue, for lighting, sound, scene change, costume change can be tried out. At this point neither the actors or stage management will have been able to work with the set. The actors will also have all the props they need, rather than the 'stand in' ones that they would have had in the rehearsal room. A technical can last all day, into the early hours of the next day, and in some cases they can drag on into the next day with a break in between, but this is rare. It depends on the complexity of the play. Obviously the more cues, of whatever type, the more stopping and starting there will be. At the end the director will give notes to all concerned, in particular stage management will have to deal with such things as doors sticking, wobbly flats, and a whole host of things, before the first dress rehearsal. Sometimes the first dress rehearsal can follow on almost immediately after the technical, and then one final dress rehearsal the afternoon the play opens. This can be incredibly trying and when stage management have been working since the final performance of the previous play on, say, a Saturday (which was how we worked when I was in rep.) and the next show opens on the following Tuesday evening, that's a good four days solid work with very little sleep.

As with any show, the prompt corner is the operation centre who the whole show. Whoever has been 'on the book' during rehearsals will now be in control here. The 'Book' will, by now,  be made up with  all the cues market in. If a line spoken by an actor is the cue for, say, a lighting or sound effect, then the 'book' with have it market in clearly. In most theatres there is a cueing system using lights, rather like traffic lights in the street, but obviously a good deal smaller. You give a warning that a cue is coming up for the operator, usually a red lights, and when the cue comes, you give a green light. At Ipswich theatre there was a three-light system, which had an additional blue light. The idea being that the operator of sound, lighting or whatever, would flash the blue light to indicated to the prompt corner that they were standing by. It was quite a good idea as it allowed you to be sure the operator was ready. On one occasion at Ipswich I was doing the book for one show, I forget which now, and I hadn't got the blue light from he lighting operator. I had given him the standby, but he hadn't indicated that he was actually standing by. It got closer and closer to the actual lighting change, fade or whatever and I began to panic. It just happened that the lighting board was above the prompt corner, and was accessible by a metal ladder. I had to climb up and see where the operator was, and found him asleep! I had to operate the lighting board as he wasn't awake in time to give the cue! A bit of a seat-of-the-pants situation!

If you were put on props for a show you would be expected to go out and find the relevant items listed for the play in rehearsal. I can recall trudging the streets of Cheltenham as a very green student A.S.M. I became a good deal more savvy at going into shops and asking if we could borrow such-and-such item or items, the owner of a particular shop would be very trusting that we weren't going to damage whatever the item was or even sell it. They would be given free tickets for the play, or the next one in the season, and have a credit in the play's programme. At Ipswich Theatre I remember borrowing a white linen tablecloth for a play. Unfortunately it got badly stained with something which would not wash out. We had kept the wrapping in which it would have been carefully folded for display in the store, but when it was returned it was re-folded, so that the stain wouldn't show! Goodness knows what Debenhams would have done when they discovered that the tablecloth was stained when it was opened up. I just imagine that it would have been sold in a sale or probably not put out for sale at all.

Odd Jobs

I even worked in a shop at one time. Really odd when I come to think about it looking back nearly 40 years or so. Who really, honestly would employ me in a shop, with my total lack of maths skills?  I was hopeless at maths at school, so the very thought of me on a till doesn't bear thinking about.  How on earth I got the job I will never know. Well, the truth is I did get a job in a shop, and it was called University Audio and Photography. With a name like that it had to have a base in Cambridge.  I know they had a branch in Cambridge, but whether it's still there I don't know. I doubt it somehow. The Bedford Branch was in Silver Street, opposite Debenham's and in a unit which is now (or was, when I used to live there) occupied by a branch of Dolland and Aitcheston opticians. They sold cameras upstairs and audio equipment downstairs (University Audio, not the opticians. Well, of course. That's being just plain stupid to think an optician's would stock such things.) I was supposed to work in the audio department, but for some reason I cannot ever fathom, this was closed when I went to work there and was put in the photography department upstairs.  I imagine I got the job because I did actually have some interest in audio equipment and stereo in particular, but I don't think I made a very good salesman. I think it was closed because it was only open in the winter. And It was during the summer that my brief employment seemed to occur. Strange, but that was how it was and I can't think of any logical explanation as to why. Was it that the company thought that people they wanted as customers didn't buy audio equipment at any time other than during the winter?  Re-arrange the stock. Dust the shelves, make idle banter. Try and look busy and then pounce on the first person through the door who looks as if they might actually part with their cash. Not very likely. So I was stuck in that department. We weren't allowed to sit down during opening hours. Which can be a bit of a strain, standing for a good 7-8 hours without sitting down. It sounds like something out of the sitcom 'Are You Being Served' but certainly not as funny. The manager, one Mr DeWitt (I cannot remember his first name, more like Mr Witless when you read further.) was a real snob in regard to photographic equipment. He really turned up his nose when selling Kodak Instamatics or any of the more popular variety of cameras, mostly those that used the cassette-loading systems that cameras were utilising then (you have to remember that this was a good three decades before the introduction of digital cameras.) For some reason or other the shop never opened on a Saturday, another strange mystical decision that wouldn't happen today. But, on one particular Mr DeWitt DID open the store on a Saturday, when he had a customer for a very expensive camera, which was going to cost well over £600. I'm not sure what sort of camera, but presumably not one using Instamatic technology. Most likely a Nikon or other very top-of-the-range camera. I don't actually recall whether he made a sale. Probably he expected to get commission on the sale, but I'm not sure. The reason being I never found out because I didn't last the week. Boredom and not being able to sit down all day was too much and I left after a week. The store closed down and I put this down very much to the company's strange opening arrangements and not having half the shop available for customers. As regards money and tills, with today's technology you don't even have to work out the change as they can do this for you, and just scan the bar-code on the item for the price to go through the till, so I don't expect it's that difficult. But I'm never likely to have to work in a shop again. I'm not really suited to that sort of work and can get easily bored and it was boring, waiting for customers to come in. I sympathise with anyone who works in a shop, basically for that reason.

Easter Holiday

Carol is now on Easter holiday, the Academy breaking up last Friday.

Yesterday we went into the Milton Keynes Central Shopping Centre. We parked in Debenham's carpark, arriving a little after 9 a.m. and finding the place virtually deserted. We went down the escalator into Midsummer Place shopping centre, with the sun streaming in through the windows, although we found it was chilly. The weather is somewhat deceptive at the moment. We were somewhat shocked to discover how many shops have closed down, presumably as a result of the recession. Game was on the verge of closing, but apparently has found a buyer. They have, or had, two shops in the shopping centre, one was closed up. It makes you wonder why companys have two branches in the same town. Barrets shoes has gone, including the cafe Let's Eat, down opposite W.H.Smith. That has been there ever since the shopping centre opened in the late '70's and was a good place for a snack. Pity it has gone. There are several other vacant units, including Pumpkin Patch, which sold children's clothing.  Virgin Megastore, which sold CDs, DVDs and so on went ages ago and became Zavvi, but even that has now gone. I begin to wonder where all this is going to end and how many shops we are going to end up with. We eventually got to Waterstone's, which used to be part of H.M.V. but has now been sold to another company, Russian I believe, but I'm not sure. They also  have two branches in the shopping centre. We had a browse and then had coffee in the in-store Costa's. A clever idea to have a coffee shop inside a book shop as you can browse the books over a latte as you decide which books to buy. Carol bought a book on teaching learning disabilities, and I have seen several books I'd like, but may eventually buy them on Amazon, as they are cheaper (with Amazon you pay one lot of postage and packing to cover however many books are in one order. They have their U.K. warehouse just up the road from here at Ridgmont, on the intersection with the Milton Keynes/Bedford road and junction 13 of the M1 Motorway, and we see it regularly whenever we go past.) Carol had a look at the in-store branch of Paperchase, as she love their products and bought a couple of pens. Having finished in the shopping centre we went to Sainsbury's and bought some items for lunch and then came home.