Bright and Sunny!

Wednesday. 8.55 a.m. It's a bright and sunny morning, although it's not as warm as expected. I have taken the cage which Alfie sits in when he goes anywhere in the car. I've had it when I took him to the lady who looked after him when I went to Worcester, and it was in the car all the way there and back and because I'm about to go to Sainsbury's, it makes more space to put shopping in.

10.40 a.m. What a performance! I've just got back from Sainsbury's. The traveller is closed, the 'down' one, and when you've finished your shopping trip, you have to go down to the car park in the lift. Then the self-service till I used was playing up. I'm scanning everything correctly, but the confounded thing stops working and keeps on telling me 'item in the wrong place' or something else. Frustrating, to say the least. It means a member of staff has to come and sort out the blasted machine, so I can continue to scan and get finished and then go home with my shopping.

Friday. 1.05 p.m. You may have noticed that I haven't been posting such regular posts on here lately. I just think I want to spend less time writing this. So, please don't expect such regular posts from now on.

I haven't mentioned that I went for the interview at Bridge Builder last Tuesday afternoon. It seemed to go well. A lovely team. I am in the process of filling in an application form and asking people at church to give me references. The business relating to the 'incident' at Camphill regarding Halloween is still to be resolved. I have a meeting on 27th November. I will not be returning to work in the theatre workshop.

I have completed reading the sixth and final book in the Peter Ackroyd series 'History of England.' The first one in the series is called 'Foundation', the second is called Tudors', the third is called Civil War', the fourth is called 'Revolution', the fifth is called 'Dominion' and the sixth, and final volume is called 'Innovation.' 

Saturday. 12.30 p.m. Anything but 'bright and sunny', which is what I used as this post's title. It is windy and there is intermittent rain. Taking Alfie out, we have to negotiate the leaves which cover the grass alongside Strudwick Drive and I had to step aside as an electric scooter shoots by and barely gives me space on the path. Two people are riding it, which I'm sure isn't such a good idea as they're probably intended to have only one rider on board.

Monday. 1.25 p.m. A reasonably mild and sunny day.

I attempted to ring Central Milton Keynes Medical Centre to get the result for the blood test I did over a week ago, but I spent over 45 minutes hanging on, with that horrible music repeating over and over that I gave up and didn't get through. Maddening.

Then we had the fire alarm going off at around 12.15. It was eventually turned off when the fire engine arrived. Why can't they merely throw a switch somewhere to turn it off? Crazy. The thing is so loud that it gives me a headache.

I have cleaned my fridge out. The shelves were getting dirty, bits of bread, crumbs and so on. Each shelf was taken out and rinsed in the sink and then replaced. Great to have it clean again and somewhat therapeutic to have that done.

Sunday Sunshine

We woke this morning to more news of a terrorist attack in London. Only a few weeks ago another similar attack happened at a concert in Manchester. It makes the heart sink. Our immediate response was to text our children to see whether they were alright. None of them were anywhere near London at the time of the incidents. Just needed reassurance that they were fine. It's getting to the point that you don't really want to switch on the television news as the BBC and other television companies seem to insist on blanket coverage of such incidents.

The day began bright and sunny. Then we had the merry sound of hammering next door. I can't imagine what on earth they're doing. Laying a patio or something and there's a large pile of tiles or bricks for the purpose of patio-laying. On Friday we came back from shopping in town and found a large flat-bed H.G.V. parked opposite the house next door with rolls of turf on the back. I'm not sure if it was intended for 'next door' or not. It's not just the hammering and banging we have to contend with, it's the added music which we have to endure. People can't seem to work without pop music blasting. Well, it's not exactly blasting. As Nöel Coward so succinctly put it 'strange how potent cheap music is.' From his brilliant play, "Private Lives," and actually about his own composition 'Some Day I'll Find You" which was supposed to be playing in the distance, so it was a sort of side-swipe at himself in a way. Irony. Never mind. I digress.

As the morning progressed, we had another load of banging and hammering. Not immediately from next door. Carol said that someone was dismantling a shed a few doors further down. Things can't get any worse, we thought to ourselves. Carol suggested packing things up, a few rugs, cushions, food, books and so on, and de-camping to a secluded spot, possibly in a field, away from the hustle and bustle of the town, in the country somewhere. In other words, somewhere as far from all this noise and annoyance. I suggested Campbell Park. Carol, not too keen. Then we decided to go to Nuffield Health. 

It was a great idea to just swim up and down the pool at Nuffield. Not too many people there, fortunately. I have to say it's a far more friendly environment than D.W. Fitness, which we used to be members of. No children are allowed to this branch at Kent's Hill. You get a towel as you enter. There's no loud booming pop music. The jacuzzi and other facilities are always in good order. Unfortunately, at D.W., the two jacuzzis (spa pools) were invariably out of order or at least one was closed off for some reason. The place was beginning to look tatty, even though it was a fairly new building. At Nuffield there's a spa pool, a steam room and a sauna (D.W. didn't have one).  Anyway, the outing to Nuffield was a good idea. At least we got away from the noise for a while. The shed-dismantling was complete but unfortunately the other sounds continue.

I attempted to read my book. I'm currently reading the fourth book in Peter Ackroyd's series "The History of England." It's called "Revolution" and covers what is called the 'Glorious Revolution' and covers such things as the foundation of the Bank Of England, the beginning os coffee houses, invention of the novel as a form of literature and many other things. But I found it quite difficult concentrating with the constant noise from next door.