Working Technology!!

Monday. 8.40 a.m. Yet another mild and sunny, although not particularly warm, day. Dare I say 'springlike'? Probably tempting providence if I say that. Alfie and I were out well before 7 o'clock. He had to be woken up, as he was fast asleep in his bed.

I have printed off the first twenty pages of my writing project. I'm not sure whether to call it a novel. It was never really intended to be a 'novel' in the strictest sense. I think it should be issued in 'episodes' or 'instalments' which is how many novels were published in the 19th century, most notably Dickens'. I will now edit and modify what I have written and, having begun some research, be able to continue what I have been working on gradually over the last couple of years.

The Canon printer is working well! After all the issues I had with the HP printer, it's great to have a printer which does what it's supposed to do. The Wi-Fi connection works exceptionally well, meaning I can be in the lounge with the MacBook and the printer, which is in my bedroom, basically, because there's no space in the lounge for the printer, which is set up on the unit I got from Amazon. Definitely a good buy, having wheels and space underneath to store paper and other supplies. The printer will print on both sides of the paper, which is good, as it saves on paper. It's fascinating watching it work. When a page is printing, and it gets to the end of one side, the printer stops for a second or two, presumably to give the ink a chance to dry, and then the sheet is drawn back inside the printer so that the second side can be printed. The HP printer wouldn't do this. Considering all the problems I have had with the various printers I've owned, it's great to have at last got one who actually WORKS!

10.30 a.m. I've been to Sainsbury's, and at last done the shopping (or I should say, the rest of my list. I could only manage to carry one bag of shopping back home after my trip on Saturday, due to having to walk when I'd had problems with the power steering. See the last blog post for more details. I bought daffodils. It's approaching Carol's birthday. It's 7th March, and she would have been 59. So, in memory of my lovely lady, I have cut daffodils, which are replaced in the vase I have. The current bunch is at a very early stage, so they will gradually open as the days pass.

Tuesday. 7.15 a.m. I've only just got back from going out with Alfie. It's another fine morning. I've done all the washing-up and the kitchen is tidy. I've also done my pack-up to take with me to Camphill. This is why I went to Sainsbury's yesterday. I have pork pie because I have got tired of boring sandwiches. 

5.40 p.m. I had almost forgotten that today was Shrove Tuesday, better known as Pancake Day. Arriving at Camphill, I soon discovered that things weren't going to be the normal sort of format for the day. As it was Pancake Day, the theatre workshop team were going to have an outing to Campbell Park, as there was scheduled to be a pancake race event, with one of the leaders of the group running to represent Camphill. Some people were going to walk, whilst some were to be ferried to the site via minibus, some were going in Terrie's vehicle and I was going on my own and wouldn't be able to take anyone, because my car isn't insured for such work, only having private insurance. All this wasn't going to kick into action until after tea break.

Terrie had a meeting with me. She told me that, because the theatre group was growing, with quite a few people coming from outside the Camphill Community in Milton Keynes, the ratio of clients to staff was being eroded. She told me that she and Julia had been discussing the need for there to be another member of staff in the theatre and that she would like me to have more of a role in the group, which would probably mean me leading some of the sessions, because, with so many in the theatre group, it might eventually be possible to run separate teams within the workshop. I am now going to consider how I could see my role, but still remain a volunteer. This really makes me so pleased as I want to be able to give as much as I can to the theatre workshop.

Around 11.20, I drove off to Campbell Park, not knowing exactly where I was going to park. I remember going to a history festival there in 2019 (which is how I made contact with various groups, such as the Bucks Archaeology Society and Milton Keynes Heritage Association.) I couldn't remember whether I had parked nearer the park (where the pancake race was to be held.) and then realised, during my drive, that I had parked nearer the shopping centre, probably near the Xcape. At which point I decided that I would need cash to pay to park and then drove back to Dexter House to collect my wallet.

Having done the journey back to Dexter House and then return to park near Xcape, I walked over to Campbell Park and, as I crossed the road, I could see in the distance the encampment which had been set u for the pancake race. As I got closer, I saw the Camphill stand, with staff selling food and some of them cooking pancakes. There were several heats of pancake races, run as relays, one of which was a Camphill team of staff and one member was Mitchell, who works in the theatre workshop. There was also a special race for those with disabilities, in particular, Camphill and something called Snap (Special Needs Advancement Project) which is a day-services organization. Some of the Camphill residents go there. It was one of the organizations I had considered volunteering at before I discovered Camphill and the theatre workshop. This race was run with the circuit broken into quarters and each team only running each quarter. I'm not sure, but I think Snap won. 

The group who had walked from Camphill arrived long before Terrie arrived, no doubt because she had to park her vehicle and then walk over from near the shopping centre as I had done.

There was plenty to eat, as well as drink. I got a free pancake from the Camphill stall as well as a latte which I paid for at a nearby coffee stall. I think I recognize this mobile coffee van, possibly from the Bucks agricultural show from several years ago.

After all the races were won and prizes distributed, the event was over, so I walked back to my car and drove back to Milton Keynes. On arrival, I discovered that the car park was full, so I had to park in an area outside the Camphill campus I sat in the car and ate my pack-up, which I had put in the car well before leaving Camphill earlier in the morning.

After lunch, we watched a couple of silent films on YouTube, although it was projected onto the cinema screen in the Chrysalis Theatre. There was a bit of a problem getting the laptop to connect to the internet, but it eventually worked. One was a very early French film, made in around 1903 called 'From The Earth To The Moon.' Probably the first science fiction film. The second one was from around 1922, based loosely on Lewis Carroll's 'Alice in Wonderland', and utilized all sorts of visual effects, both films were restored (as far as it was possible.) by the British Film Institute.

After a short tea break, everyone went outside into the forecourt area of Camphill, because there were to be some further pancake races. I think my last visit to Camphill, before the pandemic lockdowns in 2020, was coincidental with pancake day, and I  have seen video footage of it on Vimeo.

Another Fun-Packed Week?

Friday. 7.05 a.m. I have come to the conclusion, after a great deal of stress caused by the HP printer which I have been battling to get working (not actually too much for something which isn't doing what it is supposed to do, that's print.) that I replace it with another machine. I have quite a lot of Nectar points, which means I can use them to buy a new device from Argos.

6.20 p.m. I eventually got a new Canon Pixma printer from Argos. I used virtually all my Nectar points, ordering it through the Argos website, I then drove to the Argos store to pick it up. I have set it up and even printed off a couple of pages. It was relatively easy to get set up, and I have downloaded apps onto my iPad and iPhone, which means I can print directly from them. 

Saturday. 8.00 a.m. A mild and rather boring sort of day on the weather front. There's nothing more I can say at the moment.

3.30 p.m. I took Alfie out mid-morning. We did a circuit of Oldbrook Green, and on the opposite side to The Cricketers public house, I saw some snowdrops, just beginning to show. So, the first signs of spring! It is definitely getting milder. Well, compared to what the weather was like around a week ago. I think the temperature is around 10 degrees warmer. 

Sunday. 8.15 a.m. It appears to be another relatively mild morning. 

Monday. 7.15 a.m. Alfie insisted on being taken out earlier than usual. I had only just woken up, and he was still poking me with his paw. I just wanted to roll over and go back to sleep, but when you have a small Yorkshire Terrier poking you on the shoulder and then standing in the open doorway barking at you, I really didn't have much choice. So, very reluctantly, I got dressed and picked him up, and we went out of the side door of Dexter House. I had my small electric torch in my pocket, which was absolutely essential, as otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to see to pick up after Alfie.

10.15 a.m. We went out again at around 9.15. It is currently sunny and bright, but once you get outside, it turns out that it's quite chilly, so we didn't hang around.

Tuesday. 7.50 a.m. Yet another mild day. What more can I say?

A Foggy Day In Milton Keynes

 Sunday. 8.10 a.m. I awoke around 4.30 and then went back to sleep. I felt the wrath of a small Yorkshire Terrier who came in and poked me, which got me viewing my watch. I thought it was 6 o'clock but found it was 7.20. As it was getting light outside, I quickly got dressed, but not quick enough for Alfie, who was barking vigorously when we went out onto the path alongside Strudwick Drive, I discovered it was foggy as well as crisp under my feet, meaning frost.

Monday. 8.00 a.m. A bit of light relief this morning on BBC Breakfast, about a duck who lives in Chorley, Lancs, and with a name, Ham. He lives in a run, or, at least, he should, but he has a habit of escaping and wandering around the neighbourhood. He has quite a following, on TikTok and Facebook. It seems he's quite a character and wears a scarf. 

It's quite clear and fog-free this morning, but frosty nonetheless.

11.05 a.m. My HP printer is causing problems. I last used it quite some time ago, but it just refuses to cooperate. I really need to print out some material. It seems to be fine taking to my MacBook Pro and connects wirelessly, but then it will not go on and print. It appears to have plenty of paper and ink, but when I hit 'print' it refuses to do just that.

1.30 p.m. The workmen are back today, repairing the roof along the corridor. A great deal of noise, currently what sounds like drilling or something. They have brought in a load of wood and tiles and a machine which I can't identify.

Tuesday. 8.05 a.m. It doesn't seem as cold as it has been over the past few days. Looking out of my window at my car, which is parked below the window, it didn't seem to be as frozen up as it might have been earlier in the week. I have just been down to spray the windows with de-icer and scrape off the ice, the idea being that I can drive off to Camphill in about 40 minutes without having to clear the windows.

Wednesday. 1.50 p.m. A great day at Camphill. Most of the play was rehearsed and some of the actors knew their lines, but not entirely. There was some sort of incident with one of the residents. I'm not entirely sure what it was. I think someone got hit on the nose or something. I don't think it was intentional, more likely an accident. Staff had to deal with it (away from the theatre, in one of the houses.) I have a feeling Terrie, the lady who leads the theatre workshop, had to fill in accident forms, so was out of the theatre during the early part of the afternoon, but soon joined us after we had done some fun warm-up exercises. 

I have been attempting to get the HP printer to work, to actually print. I managed to find the helpline number, after a lot of searching online. But as a result, I didn't get the confounded thing working, but I did discover that this particular printer has to print on far thinner paper. I went to Asda to buy a packet of far thinner paper than I had in stock and, as I write, I have tried it and still no results. Also, following advice sent via email from HP, to check the paper intake slot and underneath the machine to check if there was any debris. I found a piece of sticky tape which is used to secure the machine in transit and which should have been removed before installation. Still no success printing.

Thursday. 8.00 a.m. It's a good deal milder this morning. No fog, no icy-frost. Hopefully, no need to scrape ice off the car! According to Carol Kirkwood, the BBC Breakfast weather lady this morning, it is going to get milder as we approach the weekend.

4.40 p.m. I am still struggling to get the HP printer to work. I have no idea what to do with it next.

Printer Problems Resolved!

Thursday. 10.30 a.m. Another much cooler day, thank goodness. My digital thermometer currently reads 76ºF.

I have been absolutely determined to get my HP printer up and running. I have been going through the set-up process with a helpline engineer at HP. It turns out that my MacBook didn't have the small bit of software called drivers installed, which was partly responsible for the thing not working. Then one of the ink cartridges was found to be damaged or not allowing the printer to function, so I am being sent a replacement. I bought the printer back in around April, so that's at least five months without it performing. It now means I can AT LAST print out some of my writing material and begin to edit it.

4.00 p.m. The printer works! I have run off several pages, including a part of the longer bit of writing. It is working using Wi-Fi, so there's no need to use the cable, meaning I can keep the printer in my bedroom on the newly-acquired unit I got from Amazon, and connect from my MacBook in the lounge.

Friday. 9.05 a.m. It's a bright and sunny morning. In this flat, this time with the window closed and the electric fan on, my digital thermometer reads 80ºF.

We are hearing, on BBC Breakfast this morning (although I expect other media are carrying the story.) about the 87-year-old man who collapsed in his garden and his family constructed a shelter for him as he has fractured his pelvis, and had to wait a staggering 15 HOURS for the ambulance to arrive. I know it's terrible, but why doesn't someone do something to remedy such a situation? I know it might be due to what is called 'bed blocking', where there is nowhere for patients to go, once they have been discharged from A and E, for example, into a care home, or have nobody at home to look after them when they leave the hospital. In the case of ambulances not being able to reach a patient who collapses at home, such as the gentleman mentioned above, why don't they use 'rapid response' paramedics, who have cars and not ambulances, to deal with such cases? Surely this is one solution, even if a patient needs hospital treatment, the paramedics can give that person some practical help until they can be moved to a hospital. Then, why not have a sort of reservoir, a ward where people can go, to wait until they are moved to a care home or other place? This was done when I had my first heart attack. I went onto a ward after I had been through A and E and was then released to the C.C.U. (Coronary Care Unit.) sometime later.

Saturday. 6.30 a.m. Another fine and sunny morning. My digital thermometer is currently reading 69ºF. The window is open, so at least the air that is being brought in is cooling the room.

Printer Frustrations

Sunday. 6.20 a.m. A good deal cooler this morning, thankfully. My digital thermometer reads 81ºF as I write this post.

I received two books on Saturday morning,  which I had ordered via Amazon, but they were both identical and hardback versions.  I don't want them in hardback form, and why would I order two? They will have to be returned, which isn't difficult because you only need to print off a return label and there's no charge. But my HP printer will not play ball. I can't fathom the confounded thing out and after around half a dozen attempts, I gave up. I still can't see why I had two books sent. Something must have gone wrong during the ordering process. At this rate, if the printer doesn't behave and function as it is supposed to, I may be forced to defenestrate it. It's possible, but not entirely, the only solution to the problem. Why do computer printers behave in this way? 

3.45 p.m. I have had several printers over the years, and they have all caused similar problems. I thought I'd try a different tack this afternoon and try replacing the ink cartridges, but that has made no difference. I have moved the whole printer on its new trolley, into the lounge so that I can sit and fiddle with the thing, which I hoped might make things easier, but nothing has happened. I am gradually running out of options.

The current temperature of the flat is 89ºF. I can't wait for the weather to break, which is what they are forecasting for the next couple of days. It's not often we are only too pleased to get rain, but the heat is becoming intolerable.

Monday. 4.05 a.m. It's not often I'm awake and out of bed at this hour, but, what with the heat and not being able to sleep,  I had my obligatory shave, which was enough to wake me up, and then I thought I'd get on here. The digital thermometer currently reads 84ºF. Crazy sort of temperature for this time of the day. I just hope that today sees the temperature fall considerably and even the chance of some rain.

8.45 a.m. I have packed up the two books I mentioned earlier in this post. You have to print off a label, which has the company address the books came from on it, along with a bar code. Because I can't get my HP printer to function, I emailed it to Barbara, SHO of Dexter House, and she printed it off for me. The label was stuck onto the parcel, which was securely taped up with Sellotape, and then I drove to Tesco Express in Oldbrook Boulevard. Oh, dear! The woman I handed it to must have got out of her bed on the wrong side (as my mum would have said. Why does getting out of bed on the wrong side make people miserable?) Well, the face of this particular woman, behind the till in Tesco, was enough to turn your milk sour.  She scanned the barcode with a sort of mobile phone device, although I doubt it was a mobile phone, and then I had to put my name into the device, not easy when the thing is so small. Then, sign, equally difficult, as you can't write with your finger. Do companies really expect you to sign a legible signature on these things? I think not. I got handed a receipt, and that was it. The delivery company is or was called Hermes, but now it's called Evri, which makes it even more confusing. The grumpy old woman could then get on with whatever she was doing before I entered the store. But she wasn't a good advertisement for Tesco or exactly inspiring any sort of sense of being professional or able to deal with a crisis. I rather got the impression that she would have preferred to be anywhere but working in the local Tesco.