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!

I'm Moved and Back On-Line!

I am now back online, having had my internet and telephone line reinstated at Dexter House. It has been an extremely busy and somewhat stressful couple of weeks, not only moving out of Golden
Drive but having to clear a couple of the rooms which were full of stuff which was difficult to dispose of. The smaller of the three bedrooms was the worst to deal with because of the amount of stuff in there. I had to pay £160 to get someone to come in and clear it and he had a licence to dispose of household waste. A couple of Mondays ago three church friends came and helped deal with the middle bedroom. I took a lot of stuff to the Barnado's charity shop in Oldbrook Boulevard. They have had several loads of stuff. Just hope it gets sold and makes some money for them.

The actual move was on Wednesday 9th October, done by a company I found on-line and called Cos Freight. I had gone on a website which allowed you to set up an account and then put in your details, where you lived and where you were moving to etc etc and then companies could send you quotes. One company sent a representative to visit and gave me a quote of over £700 and the lowest, the one I went with, was £450. I then had to give them dates which I wanted to move on, so I said I wanted either a Monday or Wednesday (in an attempt to avoid a Tuesday, when I go to Camphill. As it turned out, I didn't go on the Tuesday of the week I moved as there was so much that had to be done that I wouldn't have had time to do all that was necessary if I had gone to Camphill.) I had to pay a deposit of £50, paid via a telephone conversation, and using my Debit card.

On the Tuesday before the move, Shelley and Garry, neighbours at Golden Drive, helped me sort and dispose of a great deal of what was left in the house. The previous Monday I had three friends from SCF come in and sort and dispose of a lot of stuff in the middle bedroom. Still left with a great deal which was then removed by taking to Barndardo's  centre in Oldbrook Boulevard. About two loads and I'm totally finished because of my heart condition.

On October 9th, the removals men arrived outside 30 Golden Drive in a mid-sized van at around 7.45. They were incredibly efficient and had the stuff in the IKEA unit in the lounge packed in boxes and shifted quickly and as the morning progressed they had that unit as well as the bed (another IKEA piece) dismantled and taken and packed in the van. Later taken to Dexter House and reassembled successfully. These two pieces of furniture were the main things causing me stress as I wasn't sure they would be able to reassemble them successfully. But I needn't have worried because they managed to reassemble these items without any problems, meaning I could unpack the contents of the shelf unit (I think you'd call it a pigeon-hole unit rather than an actual bookshelf, but it's being somewhat pedantic to describe it any other way.) Also, the men were able to disconnect the electric oven and remove it to the flat, but weren't able tor reconnect it, probably because of  not actually being qualified to do so, but Garry did this for me, so at least I have been able to cook meals on it. Also, the sofa went and everything else, but there were boxes of DVDs, CDs and books which took up space (10 boxes in all.) which took up a vast amount of space. I had the problem of where to store all this stuff. I then had a lightbulb moment and decided that a charity should have it, that is, if they could come in a van a take it for me (as Willen Hospice store had done a few weeks ago by taking the two bicycle, dining table and chairs and several other items.) So, I rang Willen Hospice store and a van came last Monday and removed those 10 boxes, as well as a small bookshelf and folding-leaf table which I had bought to the flat, but were taking up very valuable space. I'll be honest and say that this was a great relief to have this stuff removed because those books won't be read again, nor will the DVDs and CDs be played again and haven't been played in a long time, so won't be missed. I have kept the larger, reference books, but I now have what I want and need and even the empty packing boxes have now gone, to someone in SCF who was also moving, so that is another problem solved. Breaking up boxes and taking to the tidy-tip takes up time and energy which, by the end of last week, was more or less used up.

Road Works

A couple of days ago I noticed a couple of men walking along Golden Drive, spraying marks on the road surface. It has been in a fairly poor condition for some while, great chasms along the centre. I think the roads around here, particularly those within each grid square, were really cheaply constructed, looking like they were laid in sections, with a sort of seam where the two sections of tarmac meet and they have gradually shrunk apart, leaving a sort of crack, so when it rains, these rifts or cracks fill up with water and then, in the winter, when there's frost and snow, when it then freezes, the expansion of the ice breaks the road up further. This has been the case quite clearly at the entrance from Saxon Street, which has since been patched up in a rather cheap method which was also used along the road near my house. Now the Council is coming back to do a far better job, using the more traditional method of using a pneumatic drill to dig out the old tarmac and then the workmen shovel in tarmac in the hole and then use a road roller or one of those machines that 'bounces' (for want of a better word.) to press down the tarmac. I'm not so sure they don't put down a layer or rubble or grit before they put in the tarmac. But a notice was put up a couple of days ago to warn motorists that the work was about to commence. Today being the day when the work would be done. I went out to Sainsbury's just after 9 o'clock this morning and had forgotten about this work and the possibility that I wouldn't be able to get back in to my parking space in front of the house. I saw the 'Road Closed' sign but ignored it, because I wanted to get back home with my shopping fairly sharpish as there were some items which needed to go in the freezer before they thawed. There was no work being carried out and this didn't start in ernest until well past the time I got back home. As I write, I can see out of the window where they workmen have filled in some of th holes with tarmac, but it now looks a bit patchy. I know this is a cheap job and we should be grateful for any repairs, but it would shortly have been better to completely remove the surface of the road and replace it completely, but perhaps that's expecting far too much. Be thankful for small mercies, as someone or other said.

I wanted to get a doctor's appointment. I just need to chat to my doctor about the medication I've been on and whether they are actually working. Just having 10 because diazepam is a controlled medication and you can only be prescribed that many may be in my best interests, but it's annoying to have to keep ringing to get a repeat. It didn't take long to get through this time and when I did get to speak to a receptionist I was told that, Doctor Haye, wouldn't be available to speak to until Wednesday.

I then rang Willen Hospice. I eventually spoke to a lady and said that I thought I needed further cerement counselling and she said that it might be a couple of days before they could set something up. I told her I had been going to the coffee mornings in John Lewis restaurant and then she said that it was herself who had set up the extra coffee morning in the John Lewis Express Bar, because there are so many people who need care and support who have a connection to Willen. Now I just have to wait until they ring me to set up this counselling session.

(Friday) I woke this morning to what I thought was the sound of rain, and it wasn't until I stuck my head out of the bedroom window that I realised that it was indeed raining. So Alfie was somewhat disappointed that he didn't get his routine walk around Eaglestone Park. But I don't fancy having him soaked to the skin and myself soaked, so it will have to wait until the rain either eases off or the stops completely. It was quite muggy yesterday evening, so the rain has eased the temperature considerably.

(Friday) I had a telephone call this morning from a lady who works for the N.H.S. It would appear that someone at  Ashfield Medical Centre has passed on my details to a new service which hopes to be able to support people in my situation, not only with bereavement counselling, but who has health issues such as mine. This sounds the sort of service that I could benefit from. She said that they could come out and visit me at home, two of them, one being a nurse, and could give me contacts of organisations which might possibly give me support. So they are visiting me on Wednesday next week to have a chat and see how they can help. So, this is making me feel a good deal more relaxed about things in general. All this since I met Doctor Ben when I went to see Danny on Ward 22 last week. He has a remarkable way with patients and Carol always got on with him very well. Some doctors might have the head knowledge and be good at their job, but then there are those who don't know how to deal with patients, particularly when it's something like cancer. He certainly had a knack of being able to understand the emotional side of what was, in effect, a terminal illness. It's thanks to him last Friday that I will now get the help and support I need.

Later I went to the Oaktree Centre to have something for lunch in the recently reopened cafe, nothing spectacular, just a cheese and salad sandwich and a latte, which was really excellent. I sat and spoke to John and Margaret, the couple who so kindly drove me to Worcester the other week to enable me to see my newest grandson. My N.H.S. manual handling training came in handy when I had to help with a wheelchair-bound lady who was stuck in the disabled toilet. No lifting of your service-user or client (depending on where you are working, to use the correct terminology.) but we were able to extricate the lady and all very successfully achieved.

Sunshine Is Good For The Soul

It's another of those beautifully bright and sunny July days which really lifts your spirits. Having taken the Diazepam tablet last night, I had yet another really good sleep and didn't wake until gone 6 o'clock. I think Alfie is gradually adjusting to my new routine of getting up later and later and we didn't get out until a little before 7 a.m. I am a little bit concerned that there are far more cars parked along Golden Drive and even a few traffic cones. I have an idea that these cars may belong to employees of the hospital which is just behind this house. I do hope it doesn't mean we're going to get more employees parking here as it's getting a bit crowded. I have no complaint about this issue, but if it means that Eaglestone residents don't have space to park then it is a serious issue. What does annoys me is when people insist on parking across the footpath. It's difficult to actually differentiate which is road and which is path for pedestrians and it's a bit unfair that you have to walk into the road when a car is in the way. Some cars even park on the grass, which is eventually going to destroy this feature along the roadside because this area isn't designed to take the weight of a car. It would be alright in the summer, when it it is dry, but when it rains or there's snow and ice it is going to cause more problems and merely churn up the grass and create mud.

I had decided to go into the Council offices and discover whether they had heard anything from the DWP (Department of Work and Pensions) with regards my Pension Credit. I wanted to get there as soon as I could after they opened at 9 o'clock. I was daring when I wore my shorts! It has been hot enough to wear them. I parked the car in the usual carpark near The Point, using the RingGo app to pay. It actually worked, but I had a pocket-full of £1 coins just in case.

I walked into the shopping centre and then out the opposite side near Costa and near Marks and Spencer and on arrival in the Civic Centre I had to first sign in using one of the touch-screen terminals. I couldn't get the one I used to work so I had to ask a member of staff and then got a ticket from the machine with number 204 on it and went to sit down and wait. I was surprised how few people there were in there. I imagine most people would arrive later or simply couldn't get out of bed. I had bought my World Wildlife Fund reusable bag with me, containing reading as well as writing material. But my number wasn't long in appearing on the digital screen and the automated voice spoke out the number. No doubt this is for those whose vision isn't very good and I walked across to the desk. I explained to the lady behind the desk why I was there, to find out if they'd had any notification from the D.W.P. about my Pension Credit claim. They hadn't. Then I asked her about having my Housing Benefit paid directly into my landlord's bank account. She tried to persuade me against this, saying it was only done in exceptional circumstances and I was adamant that I wanted this. She said that it would require a signature from my landlord and she went away to find the relevant form for me to fill in. As it is about the time when I get a visit from the landlord and his wife, once a year for a mere ten minutes, it would be then that I would get him to agree to the Housing Benefit going directly into his bank account. I also learnt that the next payment of Housing Benefit (which should be to cover the entirety of the rent.) is on 22nd July. By which time I should have heard via the D.W.P. regarding the newly-discovered pension that Carol had when she was living and working in Bournemouth (which is going to effect the amount I receive from the Council.)

Sorting Things and Settled Weather

(Wednesday) Gareth has disappeared. Where he went I have no idea. Probably met up with Freya and having a lovely time in the Bahamas or on a tropical island. Having a blow-out somewhere.

I had a call from Camphill this morning. They seem really keen for me to work as a volunteer and will be going to a taster session on Tuesday morning, to work with their video production students. Sounds perfect for me. I can't believe they've got back to me so quickly. I'm really looking forward to starting there. I'm sure that Carol would be pleased for me.

I've managed to sort out a lot of Carol's clothes. Most gone to the Barnardo's shop in Oldbrook. I have been thinking of sorting the things out, but it's been difficult for me. I had asked Shelley next doo to help me, but in the end i just wanted to get it done on my own. I now have more space in the wardrobe and I've discovered stuff in there I haven't seen before or other things that I just haven't seen in years.

Amongst the things I found was a small cube speaker. I think we bought it in Sainsbury's. It's about a couple of inches square, coloured white and mauve. I don't think it cost much more than £10. It was bought to use on one of the laptops to improve the sound, or it may have been to connect to something else, but I have no idea what. Anyway, it had several leads sticking out of it, one for connecting to a U.S.B. port on a computer and the other has a jack plug to connect to a sound output. But I didn't realise that it was Bluetooth. I have two other larger speakers which are Bluetooth, along with a  Godmans soundbar which is connected to the television. It improves the sound a great deal, giving more bass tones. It will also connect to my iPhone and the Kindle, which has Alexa in it. Just connect and speak and Alexa will play music from my Amazon playlist, through the Goodmans soundbar or the other speakers. If I want radio on in the bathroom, I can use an app on he iPhone and it connects so I can have music on when I have a bath. It's taken a while to figure out how to get this to work, as only one device can be connected via the iPhone at one time, otherwise the things get confused. Amazing technology.

Sunday. I just realised, when I took out Alfie earlier, that we have to endure the Milton Keynes marathon going past the house this morning. They've already been round and stuck letters through our letter box informing us that the marathon will close off Golden Drive for several hours, so I can't get out in the car to get to church. I'll just have to stay at home until it's finished. Now, don't get me wrong. I find the marathon a good thing, people enjoying themselves, good to raise money for various 'good causes,' but when it inconveniences people, the fact you can't get out of your home in your car for a few hours and particularly in a Sunday, which is perhaps the only day of the week when people, particularly families, get together and go out for the day, it does seem really unfair and annoying and if you even suggest making a slight tweak to the route, you get some person or other complaining, as I did a couple of years ago when I even breathed a word against this fairly obvious suggestion (that they reroute it along the Redway, which is only a few yards away.) Oh, it's so easy to wind up some people! Just . . . . oh, I can't be bothered. Not going to listen or even agree to disagree! I'm staying put this morning and will miss church, but never mind for one Sunday. I may go out to Sainsbury's or Waitrose later as there's some items I need as I want to bake a cake.

It's bright and sunny, but still chilly. So it should actually be quite a good day for the marathon.

Later. I've managed to do some washing-up. Sorting out one of the cupboards. I thought we had a digital set of scales. If we have, I can't find them. Just a thought, but is scales in the singular or plural? Why a set of scales? Is it when you had an old-fashioned 'set' with the mechanical device onto which you put individual metal weights, in various amounts of weight? I digress, but it did make me wonder and 'scales' in the plural is still used when your device becomes more sophisticated, such as digital or more like a machine with a dial. I've been thinking about this a bit further. What about other items which are only plural, such as trousers? You never have 'a trouser,' much as with scissors, you never get 'a scissor.' Neither would be much use on their own. You wouldn't get far with a scissor, because it needs the other half to make it into scissors and wouldn't function properly, much the same as you couldn't really have a trouser. You could hardly go out with only one leg covered. It wouldn't work and wouldn't make sense and I doubt somehow it would work, apart from looking odd and you'd probably get some odd looks and might end up getting arrested!

I've now done a load of washing. It takes 45 minutes on eco setting, and the washing is now out on two lines in the garden, because it's sunny and there's a good breeze, so it shouldn't take long to dry. That is, unless it rains, which i trust it won't. This will be the first washing I've put outside this year.
I looked out of the bathroom window a minute or two ago (10a.m.) and, lo and behold! There are runners going past on the road! I just hope this marathon, or at least the part going along Golden Drive, is over soon rather than later, so I can get out in the car and go to Sainsbury's.

Oh dear! I knew if I mentioned on Facebook that the so-called Milton Keynes Festival of Running was going past my home this morning and that I was going to be inconvenienced by it (which I am, up to a point) that someone would respond in a 'oh my goodness, someone doesn't like it! Oh, I don't like it when someone doesn't agree with me' sort of attitude, hey presto! The response has been just as I expected. They took the bait! I've got the sort of response I would expect. The fact is, I couldn't actually care less what people do if they want to. It's just that some people (look at what's happening over Brexit.) don't like it when someone dares to have an alternative opinion. Sad really. Just love winding some people up. Naughty, I know, but really loved to see what happened, and it did.

Alfie Attacked by Stray Dog

As I've mentioned in an earlier blog post, now that it's getting warmer and the days brighter earlier, we walk to Milton Keynes Academy with Alfie on his lead. But this morning it was a good deal colder and there was a slight fog. No sooner had we left the house and were walking along Golden Drive than this small terrier came out of nowhere and started to attack Alfie. It was a Jack Russel terrier, small (about the same size as Alfie) with a lot of white and patches of tan along it back. It was quite intent on getting hold of Alfie, so I immediately picked him up while Carol chased it back into the estate (somewhere within Griffon Close.) It came back a second time, but after that Carol managed to get rid of it somehow and it didn't follow us onto the Redway as we continued on our walk towards the Academy. I was somewhat shaken up by this, as we don't normally get dogs coming at us like that. I'm wondering where it might have come from, did it escape from one of the houses somewhere within Eaglestone? Had the owners let it out and not been aware of where the dog had gone? I like to think not, but you never know what other people do with their dogs. There is a dog which I can hear most days, barking constantly, somewhere in the direction of Griffon Close. if it has escaped, then the owners should take better care of their pet. If it's a danger to other dogs and this little bitch (sorry, but it was such) then it needs to be kept under control. It was certainly going to hurt Alfie which is why I picked him up. Carol was concerned that I was in danger of being bitten, which I wasn't aware of. I was just concerned for Alfie's safety. We'll have to keep a good look-out for that nasty little dog again when we are out with Alfie again. Well, I don't know what Alfie's thoughts on the matter was. He kept yapping as we continued our journey. Probably telling us that he didn't appreciate being attacked. Usually, when we're out and about with Alfie and we meet other dogs they are under control and are friendly and never have we met another dog that wanted to harm either of our dogs. This is particularly unpleasant since we lost Poppy a month or so ago. I must just say that Alfie hasn't received any sort of injury. He wasn't bitten by the attacking dog, thank goodness. I don't know whether he might have if I hadn't managed to scoop him up. I'm just so pleased he hasn't been hurt. As I write this he's currently curled up of the sofa near me fast asleep.

Murder Investigation Continues

The police are still very much in evidence around Eaglestone at the moment, following the shooting of someone in Osprey Close a few days ago. According to the Milton Keynes Citizen newspaper, a man of 33 has been charged with murder and is to appear today at the Magistrates Court. There are police in dark clothes and wearing blue rubber gloves working along the grass verges searching for evidence, although I can't see why if they have someone in custody and charged with murder.  Yesterday was refuse collection day, as it is usually, but none of the rubbish that was put out, by myself and every other household in Golden Drive, has been collected. I presume it must be something to do with the  on-going investigation, with the possibility that there might be evidence in any of the rubbish. Unfortunately, the Council is going to have to remove it soon as it is going to cause all sorts of health and hygiene problems, what with cats, rats, and birds splitting the bags of rubbish open. I just hope it's going to be cleared in the next couple of days.We have a lot of crows and magpies in this area which have a tendency to pick at any sort of rubbish and as a result tear open rubbish bags.

Murder Investigation

It's not often I get mention some 'big' news story in my blog posts. If I do, and there's some sort of local connection, it's usually miles from our home, but this current incident happened merely 200 yards from our front door. Osprey  Close is one of the roads leading off Golden Drive and one of the routes we might take if we go for a walk with our dogs on our way into Eaglestone Park. The police are currently going from house to house interviewing residents in the area of the incident. It turns out that someone was shot in the early hours of yesterday morning. Someone living in Osprey Close reported a disturbance at number 12 and later the 'suspect' ran off. As I write this, and as reported on the B.B.C. Breakfast local news, someone was in custody as a 'suspect.'  The 'incident' is being covered quite comprehensively by the local media. As we went out early this morning, we could see the Police vehicles were still parked along Golden Drive and the blue tent was still in place on the grass near Osprey Close.

With all this excitement going on so close to home, it's difficult to concentrate on other matters. The weather has been exceptionally warm for the time of year over the past couple of days, making sleep difficult at night. As we walked over to the Academy this morning, there was a mist laying over much of the Milton Keynes landscape. But as I write this (at 8.30 a.m.) much of this mist has burnt off and the sun is shining. It's likely to be yet another scorchingly hot day.

Police in Eaglestone

There's been something or other going on in Eaglestone, but we're not absolutely sure what. Apparently, Carol could hear something going on further down our road. When we drove out this morning on our way to the Academy (which is crazy, I know, as it's so close and most mornings we walk. It's barely a ten-minute walk there along the Redway.) So as we drew out of our parking space (heaven forbid I call it a driveway, which sounds so pretentious.) we could see, as we looked along the road, a police vehicle parked near one of the side roads or closes which run off Golden Drive. Being ever so inquisitive, Carol insisted on driving round to see if we could spot what was going on. The side road was cordoned off with tape, as they always seem to use in any police investigation, and lots of police, some in those overalls they use when they're doing forensic searches. It looked like the set of some sort of television cop dramas, such as 'Morse' or 'Dalziel and Pascoe.' A bit of a cliche, I suppose. But it made us wonder what it was all about. Considering we live within barely 100 yards of the scene, it would be as well to know what criminal activity has been going on so close to home. No doubt we will learn when we see the local news on television in the next couple of days.

A bit later. Just around lunchtime, I saw a couple of policemen in what looked like padded body armour walking past our house in the direction of the cordoned-off area. I did have a furtive glance to see if things were moving forward and it appeared that the cordon is still there as well as the police vehicles.

Today has been exceptionally warm. I have had the windows open all day. Both dogs have been attempting to keep themselves warm. Alfie has been stretched out on the sofa for most of the morning. They are saying that it's been the hottest September day for 50 years. I can well believe it.


Later still.
I have seen a mention of the police activity in our neighbourhood. Apparently, there was a shooting in Osprey Close, just along Golden Drive from our house. As soon as I saw the piece there was a knock at the front door and a man stood there with a clipboard in his hand and a sheaf of forms and asking me if I'd heard anything. Just a complete coincidence that I had only that minute seen about this incident on the internet. He asked me a few questions because they are interviewing everyone in the immediate area, just to find out if anyone saw anything suspicious or heard anything. Carol did say she'd heard something which was why she wanted to drive past Osprey Close early this morning. The detective (or whatever he was.) said he'd come back later to speak to Carol at around 6 o'clock this evening.

So, this blog is becoming quite interesting, keeping my readers fully informed of what is going on and this is quite useful as part of my on-going creative writing.

Even later still. There has been quite a bit more activity regarding the police, in regards to what now turns out to be a murder, and right on our doorstep, it would seem. During the afternoon there was a large vehicle parked directly outside our house, which had a satellite dish, folded down on its room. I recognized it has the up-loader for television broadcasting. As I walked over to meet Carol, as I usually do at 4. 45, I glanced back towards Osprey Close and saw a television camera set up and facing the scene of the incident.

Carol came in from the Academy and I told her that the police were interviewing residents regarding the 'incident' and that I had done this earlier in the afternoon. Just to find out if anyone had seen or heard anything 'suspicious.' We sat down to have our evening meal just as 'Pointless' was coming to an end on BBC1 at 6 o'clock. The police interviewer came to the door and came in to speak to Carol.  He was here for around 15 minutes. We had the BBC local news on, 'Look East' and during this programme, there was an extremely brief piece about the murder in Osprey Close. All of around 25 seconds.

Immigration Enforcement Officers In Eaglestone

I just went into the kitchen to do some washing-up at the sink at around 9.15 this morning, when I looked out of the window and saw three vehicles parked in the road immediately in front of our house. One is a police car and two of them are mini-busses with 'Home Office' and 'Immigration Enforcement' emblazoned along their sides. As I looked I couldn't but notice around eight or ten police officers walking into one of the side closes off Golden Drive. So one puts two-and-two together and thinks 'what on earth is going on?' Is someone going to be arrested for being an illegal immigrant or something? Or a gang of people going to be bundled into the mini-busses and be driven off to be interrogated?  Are they going to end up in Yarlswoood  Immigration Detention Centre? Which is just outside Bedford and only a few miles away from Milton Keynes? I am keeping a keen eye on developments and will post on here as things unfold.

A little later. . .

I didn't see exactly what happened later on during the morning. I saw two police officers come out of the close and drive away in the police car. The two Immigration Enforcement vehicles had gone when I next looked out of the window, so I can't saw what happened as regards anyone being detained, carted off in hand-cuffs, or whatever. Maybe there'll be something in the local press, the Milton Keynes Citizen, the B.B.C.'s local television news programme "Look East" or I.T.V. Anglia's "About Anglia."