Mild and Sunny Weather

Sunday. 8.15 a.m. Well, here I am again, once more writing this blog. I haven't real;y wanted to write it, but after such a long break, I did decide to continue.

I now have my bed reconstructed. It came with me when I moved from the house in Eaglestone and had come with us when we moved from the house in Crownhill. It is a rather nice IKEA king sized bed and because of it's construction, it didn't really appreciate being dismantled and then reconstructed. I think there were parts that got mislaid, and I had broken it up and put the mattress on the floor and attempted to sleep on it. I asked someone at church if there was the possibility of him being able to reassemble it, so he came to have a look one Saturday and then got some brackets which were used in the reconstruction. It is now in one piece and my sleep-pattern is getting more or less back to normal, thankfully.

Around three weeks ago, a Wednesday, at around 6 a.m., I had a sharp pain in my chest. Having had two heart attacks, I have a fairly good idea what a heart attack feels like, although in some ways if I have heart burn, it can feel very similar. I used my G.T.N. spray, but it didn't make a lot of difference and then I took a  Gaviscon, a tablet  which usually relieves heart burn fairly rapidly, but this time it didn't.

By about 9.30 the discomfort hadn't gone away, so I thought it necessary to get assistance from Vashti, the Dexter House S.H.O. She wasn't in the front office, so another tenant went to find her in a flat with another tenant, and she eventually came to talk to me. It ended with me using my mobile to dial 999 and the paramedics came within about 20 minutes.

The paramedics ran a few tests on me, one hooking me up to their portable E.C.G. machine and from the printout they could see I had an irregular heartbeat. From this they decided that I should go to Accident and Emergency at Milton Keynes Hospital, but then they decided that I should avoid A and E and go into the Maple Centre.

I was left in the reception area by the paramedics, who handed me over and I was eventually taken into a triage room and a nurse took my blood, which was somewhat difficult as I might have mentioned in earlier posts, I don't like giving blood, or needles and at one point in the past, I passed out. Anyway, she did eventually manage to take some blood and I was then taken through to wait in a corridor, which seemed to be for a long time.

I texted someone from church, just so they knee where I was. I was eventually texted back to say where I was and part-way through the afternoon I was joined by Margaret, who sat with e in that corridor.

I was eventually seen by a doctor, who had seen the various blood tests and E.C.G. readings and informed me that I had had a abnormal heart beat which would have caused the pain I had felt earlier. He informed me that I hadn't had a heart attack, which was a relief.

So, having had this piece of news I was free to go home, and Margaret, bless her, drove me there.

The following Wednesday night I woke up to use the toilet, but on the way back to bed I collapsed on the floor. I had no idea why, but it was somewhat unexpected. I told Vashti when she came to my door around 9 o'clock. The next thing I know is I'm laying on the floor, but having absolutely no idea why. I think I must have blacked out and, as a result, collapsed on the floor in the space between the bathroom and bedroom. It was the oddest sensation, and Vashti was standing over me, calling my name. She got me to sit up and said that, because I'd collapsed twice within 24 hours, it would be advisable for me to go to Accident and Emergency.

I had intended ringing 111, but I could not get through, so, instead, I rang 999 for an ambulance. It was around 30 minutes later that paramedics were knocking on my door. I was soon given a check and then an E.C.G. was connected to me. From this, it was possible to read the print-out and see that I had a somewhat irregular heart beat.

I was whisked off to A and E (although I noticed it isn't called 'A and E.' It's referred to as the 'E.D' department, which is short for 'Emergency Department.' But it could be mistaken for something else which has those initials. 

A great deal of being left waiting, which is the usual thing in any A and E department. I had bloods taken, several E.C.Gs and at one point, because I had fallen heavily when I'd blacked out, I had a C.T. scan and an X-ray, which didn't show any breaks, fractures or anything else. But they had to take a fresh blood sample because the first one wouldn't take, for some reason or other.

After a doctor had seen me, it was decided that I should be fitted with a heart monitor. This consisted of similar contacts  that are used when you're connected to an E.C.G. machine. This had contacts stuck on my chest and then to a machine, so I had to lay on a bed in the A and E department, which made moving around quite difficult, particularly if I had need of the toilet, because I had to get a nurse to disconnect me from machine. If I pulled any of the cables off accidentally, the machine made a noise. All this made life very difficult.

Quite late in the evening, it was decided that I would need to stay in over-night. At around 2-3 a.m. I was eventually taken upstairs to Ward 1,  a new ward and part of the Maple Centre. It was dark when I was eventually taken in, being pushed in a bed by a nurse. The unit had only 4 beds and t was very spacious.

A doctor came to see me on the ward during the morning. He said that my blackout was a rare occurrence, but, since  had had two heart attacks, it was likely to happen. He also said that I was on far too much medication and took me off caesarean and isosorbide mononitrate

I had breakfast and lunch and I was eventually discharged at around 3.30 that afternoon and was collected by Margaret Jobling. She managed to find a place to park at the front of the hospital. I had intended walking there, but I wasn't allowed to and had to wait for a porter to take me by wheelchair. I don't actually think I would have managed to walk as it was quite a distance, but I was glad to be out of the hospital environment and soon back in my flat.

Back Home

Tuesday. 1.35 p.m. I mentioned the fact that my washing got stuck inside the tumble drier on Friday before I was due to drive to Worcester. Well, the good news is that it has all been removed from the machine, although the drier isn't repaired. 

It's bright and sunny out. Thankfully, no wind or pouring rain. Let's just hope it stays that way, at least for a couple of weeks or so.

Thursday. 8.15 a.m. A wind and rain-free morning. I just hope it remains that way for at least the weekend.

I wasn't going to mention this, but I think I ought to. Two Tuesdays ago, which was Hallowe'en, I wasn't going to go to Camphill. But then I decided that I would go and drive there after 9 o'clock. As I walked into the Chrysalis Theatre, people were unloading pumpkins from a car parked outside. It was obvious that Halloween was going to be the centre of things and no work on drama was going to take place. So, I said to Terrie, the lady who leads the performing arts workshop, that, as a Christian, I 'didn't do Halloween.' She replied that it would be all Halloween stuff and that, if that was the case, I had better go home, which is what I did.

I didn't think any more about this situation until I got to Worcester on Friday evening and was looking at emails on my phone when I came across an email from the lady in charge of volunteers. It said that being a 'diverse' community, all 'religions' were included, and that my reaction was 'inappropriate.' The email was something of a shock and made me really upset. I don't remember that Halloween was a religion, but that doesn't seem to make a difference. I have given five years of my time (excluding lockdowns) for nothing, as a volunteer. I have no end of experience which the theatre group has benefitted from, and many relationships made and built on since I started there. The email said that maybe 'Camphill isn't the place for you.' Not true. I have set up an interview with Julia, the lady in charge of volunteers on 27th November, and I will apologize, even though I can't see that I've done anything wrong by stating my feelings towards Halloween. I can't be a true Christian and be dabbling in Halloween and all it stands for.

I have since contacted Bridge Builders, which is based in Milton Keynes and have an interview this Tuesday, to discuss being a volunteer for them. I will wait and see what this interview produces, which will mean I won't be going back to Camphill.

1.45 p.m. We prayed about the above situation at Camphill. The prayer group knows the situation. I have to walk away from Camphill without any sort of ill feeling, which is necessary if I am to expect a reference from them.

I have been to find Bridge Builder's office in Bletchley, just opposite IKEA. Very easy to find, and it makes it easier to know exactly where it is when I go for my interview there on Tuesday afternoon.

Friday. 1.00 p.m. I have been to Central Milton Keynes Medical Centre to have blood taken, so it can be tested for cholesterol. As I may have mentioned in an earlier post here, I have a problem with this procedure, because the nurse usually has a problem finding a vein. It went well, and I should get the result in about a week.

Floored!

3.45 p.m. The first layer of the kitchen floor has gone down and is dry; as I write, the top layer is being laid. It looks good and has a vast improvement on the awful tiles there before. A delivery of kitchen units came around 2 o'clock and are stacked up in the space outside near the laundry room and have tarpaulins over them, just in case it rains. I can't see why they couldn't put them in a space at the entrance to Dexter House, but who's complaining? I hope it doesn't rain or these units could get stolen at night. I'm surprised that the units are ready assembled. I assumed they were flat-packed, like IKEA units. This should mean they should be quicker and easier to install, which should happen tomorrow. Then, once they are in place, the wall tiling should be done and that should be the job complete! 

6.05 p.m. The kitchen units have been carried into my flat and are now piled up in the kitchen. So, hopefully, the work of completing the work in the kitchen will be done tomorrow.

Friday. 5.45 a.m. Another really fantastic, sunny and bright morning. My digital thermometer currently reads 69ºF, which must be the lowest it's been in quite a while. Maybe it's because the window is open, but it's certainly a temperature which makes it easier to live here. 

8.10 a.m. I was more than a little surprised when a workman turned up at 7.45 to install the kitchen units. I was on my way to put my washing on, and then he bought in a load of boxes, screws, tools etc on a trolley and as I compose this, I can hear him moving things around. So, crossed fingers and so on, the work will be completed enough today for me to be able to start transferring things which are currently in boxes and bags in the lounge and bedroom into some newly installed cupboards. I do hope so, as having everything piled up around me is beginning to get on my nerves. Making a cup of tea is a real effort because the kettle is on the floor next to my armchair, the milk is in the fridge, out in the entrance, and sugar is on the unit, so pouring out the boiling water is an accident waiting to happen and then spilling sugar all over the place is a real possibility. 

2.45 p.m. The workman has finished installing the kitchen units. He has taken out all the rubbish, his toolboxes and other equipment. The sink has hot and cold running water, but the electric sockets aren't working, so I can't put the cooker and fridge/freezer back until Monday when the whole kitchen will be painted and tiled. I am going to order a takeaway from Just Eat as I can't cope with another microwave meal this evening. I will do a shop in Sainsbury's after we have our Men's Breakfast tomorrow morning. I must say I'm very pleased with the result of all the work. Much better than the old, out-of-date kitchen I've had since I moved in back in  October 2019. I don't think it's been upgraded since Dexter House was built, probably in the late 1970's.

Keeping The NHS Busy- Part 1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Things Can Only Get Better!

Monday. 7.30 a.m. It's still and calms on the weather front. It's not particularly warm, but there's no wind blowing, as is it was this time last week. I am going back to IKEA to get a second recycling bin to match the one I purchased yesterday and will be to separate glass for recycling. At least I can get rid of the horrible old cardboard box which served as my recycling bin. Not exactly the best thing for the job and now gone.

Yes, things can only great better, especially now we don't have to endure endless days of lockdown, but now we have to contend with Vladimir Putin's sabre-rattling in Ukraine. Let's just hope and pray that it doesn't escalate into something worse.

12.45 p.m. I've been back to IKEA and bought a second recycling bin, which is for glass. I have seen some LED strip lighting, which I think I'll buy at some point in the future. It can be stuck on surfaces, and I'm sure it would add a certain bit of style to an otherwise rather boring room. Also, some really brilliant hanging lights remind me of the Death Star in Star Wars (Darth Vader's hideout.). They have pull cords that you pull (now, there's a surprise!) and the sections open out. I'm not sure if I got one, it would work in this flat as you really need high ceilings. Whatever the height of the ceilings, I just love them and are so imaginative. 

I'm watching a documentary on Channel Five about the winter of 1962-63 which I remember well. I would have been about 12 in 1963, the year I had my appendix out and spent a lot of time in what was the children's ward of Bedford Hospital. I was supposed to have been operated on around Christmas that year but somehow or other it was bought forward, so I could be home for the festive season, thankfully. The surgeon who did the operation was Peter Lacey, who was a shooting friend of my father, so perhaps that was how the date was changed. Quite handy when you have the surgeon as a family friend. I know he used to come for tea and other meals, and I think one of his sons went to my school. The actual scar in my abdomen is very small (no, I have absolutely no intention of showing it off, thank you very much.) only a couple of inches, and it's very neat, compared with those of other people I've seen with them. It just shows what a good surgeon he was. I don't remember much about it, other than I was in that hospital ward for a few days and then was sent home.

As for the 'Big Freeze', it caused a lot of problems on the farm, and we had to feed the cattle out in the fields which were covered in snow, taking bales of hay out to them and, because my father grew Brussell sprouts on the farm, having to keep pigeons off them in the fields. I feel sorry for the pickers who had to work in really awful conditions to have bags of them ready to take to Smithfield market to be sold, going on a lorry which came each evening from a company called Bennett and Hawes.

At school, the playground was covered with snow which froze and thawed as the winter progressed. We had to clear this snow, as it was difficult to walk across easily. The shovelled snow and ice was heaped at one end of the playground against a wall, which made the wall lean dangerously as the freeze continued.  I cannot imagine today's schoolchildren even being ALLOWED to help with such jobs as shovelling snow. They would moan about being made to work or claim it was against their 'human rights.' Also, there would be something mentioned about our dear old friend 'health and safety.'

Spring Is Sprung!

Saturday. 12.15 p.m. It's bright and sunny, but windy. Not as windy as last week, when the gales were strong enough to almost blast your head off.

Sunday. 9.35 a.m. I'm just about to go to church. I have come back from taking Alfie out and we met up with a lot of other dog-walkers. There's quite a community now, and it's good that Alfie has other doggy friends. He's amazingly well-behaved, which, to be honest, is more than I can say for some other dogs.

4.40 p.m. I went to church and as soon as I got home I had a snack for lunch as I normally do. I actually watched Bargain Hunt, which I haven't watched in ages. They had on an ancient episode because there weren't any social distancing in evidence. This show gets shunted around in the schedules at the weekend. usually displaced by football. It's always at 12.15 during the week but can end up a good deal later at weekends. Football seems to get priority. I bet if it was anything like classical music or theatre (some hope!) it would be on one of the minor channels, BBC Four, or shunted too late at night or early in the morning. 

I am sorting out things in my flat, as I have already mentioned in an earlier post. I wanted to get a recycling bin, so looked at the IKEA website and found what I wanted, so I could get rid of the cardboard box which sits on the unit next to my microwave. The box was used to pack up things from the house in Eaglestone when I moved to Dexter House. I drove to IKEA after lunch, having taken out Alfie for a further trot around Oldbrook Green. Well, it has been sunny and pleasant, so it was an excuse for him to have a walk. The road leading into the IKEA car park was gridlocked, and I could see that the ground level car park was packed, so I drove further to the car park underneath the IKEA building and then walked in. The place was heaving. I imagine it's because people have been cooped up indoors because of lockdowns for two years, and they were like me, they just needed to get out. Unless you've not visited an IKEA store, you will not realize that you have to walk through each department until you find the one you want to buy stuff from. It's a crafty sales device, which means you're going to pick up things you probably hadn't intended purchasing as you walk around. There are a lot of new things I hadn't seen in IKEA before, such as a new range of eco lightbulbs and those which can be operated via your mobile or tablet (ie; termed 'smart') and Bluetooth speakers. I have my eye on one or two things which would make my flat a little bit more homely, such as a rug for the lounge, but I must check the size of the space in the room before I go ahead and buy. Something colourful with a modern pattern. I saw a couple for £40 which seems reasonable. Then I arrived in the home organization department, which has all manner of files, boxes, crates and so on and found the sort of bin I wanted for recycling, which comes with a lid. Having got it home I now realise I need a second one for glass items as I don't want to mix paper and cardboard with bottles and other glass items. I think I will go back and buy a second one next week. I picked up some coat hangers as I walked around and then, nearing the tills, I had to join a really long queue to pay, snaking around between carefully-placed items to entice you further. As I say, the layout of the store is so designed that you can't avoid things which you buy and add to your trolley. It's the old trick of having things at a level that means you can't avoid touching them and then, putting them into your trolley.

New MacBook

Wednesday. 1.35 p.m. I now have a brand new MacBook Pro. Completely paid for and up and running successfully. In fact, this blog post is being written on that laptop. I had an email from Milton Keynes Council last Tuesday, telling me to ring and speak to a lady in what is called the Income Department. On Wednesday I did just that, and it appeared I was owed a credit, I'm not quite sure what for, but I hadn't been paid whatever it was. I gave my bank details (and thinking about it later I began to wonder if I had been wise to do such a thing, considering how spams work and how easy it would be for a criminal to extract money from your bank account.) It was a sizeable amount, so my first thought was 'good gracious! It means I can buy a brand-new laptop!' This, as I've mentioned before in these blog posts, is because my MacBook Air has come to the end of its working life. I can't upgrade the operating system, and it's become very slow and difficult. I still wasn't sure whether it was real or not, so I kept looking at the balance on my Nationwide account. Yesterday (Tuesday) I went online, and the money was in the account. So, I did some research online regarding MacBooks and eventually went on the John Lewis website and ordered a new model, more powerful than the old model, and this morning I got an email telling me it was ready to collect. So, I went in and collected it, via the John Lewis customer collection department. I had to migrate data from the old MacBook to the new one, which took a couple of hours, which means virtually all my files are on this new one. It was a really simple and easy process, and I'm surprised how well it went. There are one or two websites that I visit regularly which need their passwords put in, but apart from that, everything went well, fortunately.

I am currently watching my box set of the sitcom 'Allo, 'Allo.  I have had it sitting on my bookshelf for the past couple of years. I watched the first episode, but I haven't watched any of the other episodes. I have watched the occasional episode,  when they were shown on various channels over the years, but never from the beginning and in chronological order. I have never seen any of the first series. I have a connection to it, as I did walk-on work on the second season, spending around a week in 1985, when exterior scenes were filmed around Norfolk and on the outdoor set which was constructed in a courtyard at  Lynford Hall, which is now a hotel. The BBC created the courtyard to become the village square and the exterior of Rene's cafe.

Thursday. 12.10 p.m. It's surprisingly warm and sunny. You could almost say 'spring-like' if you were so inclined. I suppose so, but we're in early January.

I have ordered what is called an 'over-bed' table from Amazon. Not that it will be used 'over-bed.' It should allow me to sit in my armchair and write on my MacBook Pro as well as use it to eat my meals. I don't have a dining table, so it should make life somewhat easier. It's due to be delivered sometime today, well, at least before 10 p.m.

The best bit of news is that more of the covid pandemic restrictions are to be lifted after 26th January. Including not having to wear muzzles, oh er! I mean face coverings. We're supposed to wear the wretched things when shopping, but for me, it's made more difficult because my glasses keep steaming up. You can't communicate properly with them on, almost impossible to have a decent conversation with someone and virtually impossible to 'read' a person's face. So, it's excellent news. Let's just hope that this is the end of the confounded pandemic, or at least, near enough. I might well mean we have to live with the virus and not keep being locked down. 

4.35 p.m. The over the bed table has arrived. Usually, when I get a delivery, the van driver will call me on the intercom from the front door of Dexter House, but this time someone in the front office telephoned me to tell me I had a delivery. Which meant I had to go down and pick up the package. It doesn't really matter, but you would think a delivery driver would have some sort of idea how to contact the recipient of a parcel. Now to construct the table. I'll let you know how I get on, but surely it can't be too difficult to put together. I trust it has instructions within the package and they're easy to read and there are no pieces missing.

6.20 p.m. The table is built! It wasn't as difficult as I was expecting. The worst part is screwing the various pieces together with an Allan key (I think that is the correct name.) You can never always manage to turn the screw through a complete turn, but do it in small increments. Lots of packaging, polystyrene and plastic bags which contain the various screws and tiny bits. The secret I find when working on these self-build bits of furniture (or 'flat pack if it's IKEA or the old MFI furniture. By the way, whatever happened to MFI?) is to put these pieces in a box or plastic container so they don't get lost. As I say, the thing is built and ideal for taking the MacBook so I can work.

Life's Little Mysteries

This blog post is the 1550th. I can't believe that I have managed to reach this landmark. I know a lot of what I write on his is just mundane, but I bet Samuel Pepys, who kept a diary, had days when he had to write mundane things to keep his famous journal alive, and just think how valuable that has become to historians, giving a vivid insight into life in London between 1660 and 1669, which included mention of the Great Plague, which in some ways reflects with the current covid-19 pandemic and lockdown. He also mentioned the Great Fire of London. What a time to live through! Can the same be said of this current time? Maybe not, but someone in, say, 200 years will be intrigued by all this.

Why is it, when you do washing, you almost always find one sock that doesn't get washed and is left alone in the basket when you've started the machine? By which time it's too late for it to go into the machine because you can't open the door to put it in? Again, why is it when you do washing up (incidentally, I don't have a washing-up machine, so it has to be done by hand.) there's invariably one or two items of cutlery, usually teaspoons, which get left at the bottom of the washing up bowl once the job is over? Is it some freak of nature that these things happen? 

How many of you out there have trouble with child-proof bottles? They are usually how many medicines are packaged. I bought Robitussin cough syrup a few weeks ago. I think I told you I bought some in Boots (no, not that sort of Boots! I mean the high street chemists. Doh!) I really needed to open the bottle, but you really have to press down on the cap and twist to get it open. If I can't open the thing, what about someone who has arthritic hands or other problems with their hands. No chance of a child would be able to open the bottle. The same on the plastic box in which my washing gel tabs come in. I know you don't want your child to eat these things, but that box is difficult to open.

It's not just child-proof bottles. I had bought some raspberry jam a few days ago and when I came to open it, or at least I attempted to open it, I had real problems. I assume these bottles are put on and tightened by a machine. The only way I could open it was to stab the thing with a sharp knife, which released the pressure inside and the lid was then easy to open.

Why do those wretched television commercials for carpets and furniture have to have voice-overs that shout at you? Is it the only way they can communicate their lowbrow products to people who can't comprehend basic English? Brash, loud and totally horrible. It seems that some of the lesser digital channels have this sort of advertising because they can't get space on any of the other, mainstream channels. Then these companies have obvious names such as Carpets 4 Us or Oakwoodfurniture.co.uk Can't they come up with more original names. Oakland, I think it's the name of a furniture company, presumably sells furniture made of oak. Am I right? Why not call it MDF World or chipboard world. Would that put people off investing in such pieces of furniture. Well, IKEA furniture is made, generally, out of MCF and chipboard, but they don't make a big issue out of the fact. How about Put-it-together-yourself.com, or Flatpackworld.com.  Trymaypatience.com, when you find the instructions which come with the flatpack furniture extremely difficult to understand and when some of the bits go missing, like the screws or bolts which keep the whole thing together.

Just thinking of when they audition for the voice-overs for those furniture adverts where they shout. How does it work, do you think? Do they expect the voice-over actors to stand the opposite side of a field and shout? They wouldn't have to have amplification. Why not get someone like Brian Blessed to do it instead? He has a voice that's so loud he wouldn't need a microphone and if he did, his voice would probably break the recording equipment.

Lockdown Easing?

 (Wednesday) Another mild day but not particularly sunny. I can't think of a great deal to write on here at the moment, but I'm sure I will have something as the day progresses. Oh, I have something! I had one of those irritating telephone calls on my mobile. I'm more than certain that it was a scam. A woman who couldn't make up her mind to speak as soon as I picked up the call. She said I could buy a tablet or phone at a discount. I don't want either, as I already have an iPhone and iPad, so that's the end of that. What I want to know is, where do these people get my telephone number from? How do they know my name? Makes me wonder.

(Thursday) Yesterday I had a surprise. The cabinet I had ordered from Amazon actually arrived! Having contacted the company who sold the item via Amazon, I think they made an effort to get me the item quickly, which they did and I began constructing it yesterday evening and I finished it off this morning. I now have to remove the red IKEA coffee table which I have beside my armchair and put the new cabinet in it's place. It is taller and considerably higher than the table and has a drawer and shelf which means I can store things inside it. As I write this the cabinet awaits it's new position in the room.

(Friday) It's a bit difficult to either write or record at the moment as there are workmen in the adjacent flat making a noise, doing goodness knows what, but with power drills and something else which is making a din. It's not entirely conducive to writing and certainly not for recording, so I will hold off on both until it's quiet. A lot of heavy footsteps up and down the stairs which also doesn't help. I hope all this will finish soon so I can return to writing and recording (which I haven't done in a while, so I have packed up the microphone.)

The coronavirus restrictions are to be relaxed over he next few months, but it doesn't look like it will all be removed any day soon, even with infection rates and deaths declining from what they were a few months ago. I think the issue is that we've been stuck in this 'limbo,' (for want of a term to describe it, but in a sense that's exactly what it is.) for so long, will people prefer the 'safety' of being in isolation in favour of being able to lead a 'normal' life (ie: as lead pre covid pandemic lockdown.)

11.15p.m. Just come back from taking Alfie out. Very insistent that he gets his walk. Staring at me again as I attempt to read. We go out through the door directly into Strudwick Drive. I have put some WD-40 on the lock and other moving pars of the door. (For those who don't know what WD-40 is, it is a light oily substance which comes in a spray can and can be used to ease metal objects such as seized-up locks and protects from damp in your car. I used it on the electric cables on my old cars, from the spark plugs etc, especially when it's cold or damp weather. I believe it's made in Milton Keynes, so if so it's a very local product.) Noticeably considerably colder, but still clear and dry. As we walked along the path towards Oldbrook Green, I saw a pair of horses, the riders in bright day-glow green jackets, also, the horses had similarly coloured coats on. As I got closer I realised they were police horses. They crossed over from the Green and went along Strudwick Drive. I think they must have been going back to their paddock which is along Chaffron Way and can be seen as you drive past.

Intrigued by a red sign on a tree as we came back round to re-cross Oldbrook Boulevard. I went to read it and saw it said 'Keep away: Rodent poison.' I could see within the bushes one of the rodent boxes which are set up to poison rats. I have seen one or two as they scuttle past us on our walk around the Green. They always say that you're always no more than six feet from a rat, which I can well believe.

(Saturday) Just another weekend. Going to have to just let it flow free and watch the world go by . . .it's another mild and relatively sunny day. Not more I can say on the weather at the moment.

More . . . Of What? 2: The Sequel

(Friday) So, more of the same? I can't think what's likely to change. Not a lot. If anything.

We're being told that there's yet another variant of the coronavirus Covid19 virus. This time it's in South America, I think Brazil. Boris Johnson has closed the borders and nobody from those countries is allowed in. When I think of him closing the borders, it makes me think of him literally standing there, arms akimbo, one foot on British soil, the other in the sea, like one of those Gillray cartoons you see from the 19th century (or was it earlier?) with a defiant look on his face, tousled hair blowing in the wind and the virus held firm in a sort of fishing net. Or Winston Churchill, in similarly defiant mood, standing on the White Cliffs of Dover, with Vera Lynn's plaintive voice on the soundtrack of a scratchy black-and-white piece of British Pathe newsreel, with his words from his famous speech comes out of the loudspeaker of an ancient radio 'We will fight them on the beaches and on the landing stages. . . if England and  her Empire should last for a thousand years, men will say . . . this was their Finest Hour.' Not that in any way am I suggesting that it's Boris's 'Finest Hour.' Far from it. 

I can also imagine Boris as Gandalf, in the first of the "Lord of The Rings" books and films, "The Fellowship of The Rings." The party of dwarves, lead by Gandalf, enter the Mines of Moria and they get to The Bridge of Khzad Dum. It is guarded by the great monster, the Balrog, a fire-breathing creature which confronts Gandalf. He shouts at it 'You shall not pass!" In this case the Balrog is the coronavirus covid 19 virus, huge, round and covered in spikes things and bright green/blue. It is Boris Johnson who bellows at the thing "You shall not pass!" meaning it can't come into the United Kingdom. But in the Lord of The Rings, Gandalf fights the Balrog to the death and then he too falls to his death. But I won't give the story away as to what then happens. Poor old Boris. I don't envy him being PM during this pandemic. He's never going to be right, whatever he does. A very difficult job. Damned if he's right or damned if he's wrong, or words to that effect.

Strange thumping noises somewhere within Dexter House. I suspect it's the workmen who have been taking out asbestos from the ceilings along the corridor in which my flat is. That section is complete and now they are working on the other section. They had to keep tenants away and we weren't supposed to go out when it was on (I have mentioned this in earlier posts.) Another company came in to plaster the ceiling and then another company has rewired, ready to put in new emergency lighting.

I discover the thumping noises are from workmen digging a trench in the garden. Along the edge of a lawn area, with some trench leading towards the building. It might be something to do with the wiring for the emergency lighting, but I'm not entirely sure. Emergency lighting outside in the communal garden. I think they are replacing the old ones. Probably more cost-effective and lower carbon emissions or something. Anyway, at least I know what's going on, or I THINK I know.

(Saturday)I had ordered a new coffee table from Amazon and it turned up during the afternoon. I wasn't expecting it to arrive so quickly. Then the reading light arrived. I began working to construct the table. Not difficult, but it takes time and with so many pieces, in particular the screws and other bits and pieces, I assembled most of it and then left it, and as I write this these sections are leant against the bookcase. I will finish it off later tomorrow morning. The Tomshine floor reading lamp was easy enough to assemble. It works with a power pack which plugs into the mains. The metal sections screw together easily and it stands on a weighted base which is round. I soon had it working, a range of light intensities. It helps to make reading easier and the head is adjustable on a sort of flexible section so the light can be set to exactly how you like it. I am pleased with it. It had controls on it's upright, on/off and another to adjust the setting of the light, but it also has a remote control with is magnetic and will adhere to the metal stand. It needs AAA batteries which didn't come with it, so I will need to go out and buy some later today. I am more than pleased with it and I wouldn't have found this without Amazon.

(Later) I went out with Alfie at around 7.30 this morning. I knew it was likely to be raining, but it looked as if there had been snow in the night as some of the cars parked along Dexter Avenue had a sprinkling of the white stuff. It was really cold and wet and Alfie was more determined to return straight home, but I encourage him to make sure he did everything he had to. We crossed over Oldbrook Boulevard to put the pooh bag in the bin and he soon trotted back to the flat. I think we're likely to get heavier snow later in the day. There's quite a wind blowing as I write this (9.10a.m.)

I went to Waitrose and bought a pack of AAA batteries and when I returned to the flat I put a couple in the remote for the reading light. Bingo! It works! You can even dim the light using the remote! The only problem is I have so many remotes now: one for the Hitachi television, another for the Panasonic Freeview box, another for the Firestick and another for the Goodman's sound bar. The one for the reading light can easily be confused for the TV remote. Oh, does it matter? Just got to get used to all this technology.

I have now managed to finish off the coffee table. A good deal wider than the red IKEA table which I've had since moving to the flat. It's quite fiddly and time-consuming doing up the screws, which are in rather awkward places. I have still got the drawer to construct, but it's done. I am wondering if it needs the top covering in varnish or something, to protect it from the odd spill it's likely to get, as such accidents can be wiped off. I always think that it's best to build these flat pack bits of furniture to do it in stages, as it can become somewhat frustrating, what with all the pieces and reading the instructions. Also made somewhat difficult with Alfie getting in the way, so he was put in the bedroom with the door closed. Just makes it even more difficult with a small dog who wants to get under your feet. He just doesn't like being left out.

The 'New Normal'

(Saturday)What exactly are they talking about when people talk about 'The New Normal'? It's in connection with the coronavirus pandemic and how our lives have been altered since the lockdown was bought in as an attempt to stem the infection rate of the virus. Is it referring to the changes that we have to make for such things as social distancing? Not being able to meet in groups? Not being able to meet our families who don't live with us? Those things aren't what you'd call 'normal' particularly. So if they are the 'new' normal, what was the old 'normal' and what exactly IS normal in the first place? Life pre-pandemic? Before lockdown? Quite a lot to ponder on there.

Whatever measures the government brings in it's all very new territory. It's the bleating and moaning from a certain section of the country which annoys me, lead by the media and in particular the BBC. They seem to love negative news and seem to side step anything that might be positive.

(Sunday) It's 9.55 and it's still strange not going to church and meeting up with everyone. Having some sort of worship on-line, via either YouTube or Facebook is becoming the 'Norm.' But it still seems odd without others around to sing worship songs with, but I suppose you might say it's ;better than nothing.'

I watched the film 'Darkest Hour'  this morning which was originally shown on BBC1 last weekend during the VE Day 75th Anniversary celebrations. I watched it on BBC iPlayer. It was a film I had wanted to see for some time so it was an opportunity to watch it without paying as it would be through the Television Licence. It's about Winston Churchill and his rise to becoming Prime Minister after the removal of Neville Chamberlain as PM after the 'Piece of Paper' incident and the appeasement of Adolf Hitler. Gary Oldman convinces completely as Churchill, not just the voice of the great man, but with the aid of incredible makeup, which must have taken hours to create each day before filming took place. Today I watched the first part of a three-part documentary series on 'History Hit,' which I subscribe to and presented by David Starkey and originally shown on Channel 4, covering the story of Marlborough, Churchill's great ancestor who built Blenheim Palace, and comparing the background to the Battle of Blenheim and the build-up to the Second World War and the rise of Hitler and the Nazis.

Things were going really well at the moment (apart, of course, from the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown) but this afternoon my bed decided to cave in beneath me as I lay on it. It's an IKEA bed. a king-size, and we bought it when we lived in Crownhill and was dismantled and moved with us when we moved to the house in Eaglestone. Like a lot of IKEA furniture, it's one you construct yourself and, unfortunately, they don't like being dismantled and then reassembled. This happened again when I moved to Dexter House, although it did survive being reassembled, which was done by the removal company. But there is a problem in that it has slats which support the mattesss and it's supposed to have metal cross pieces which keep the bed in shape, otherwise it can get out of the correct, square angles and in that case it can collapse. The wooden slats come connected with webbing and you lay these slats across the frame and they sit on the wooden frame, right inside the outer edge. But unfortunately on the side I used to lie on the metal cross-members got broken and as a result the slats keep falling out and you have to lift the mattress to replace the slats in the sides of the bed. Whenever I moved to get out of bed, usually when I sit up and then swing my legs over the side of he bed, the slats move and some fall out. So I started sleeping on the other side of the bed, which has been fine for the past few months, until this afternoon, when even the slats on that side of the bed collapsed. There seems absolutely no way I can continue to sleep in the bed in it's current condition. The slats will not stay where they are supposed to go, so it now looks as if I will need to replace the bed completely. This isn't exactly made easy with the pandemic continuing and not being able to visit IKEA or any other furniture shop, so I may have to simply dismantle the bed and take the mattress off and put it on the floor of the bedroom and make it up with sheets and duvet and sleep on it on the floor until such time as I can entirely replace the bed, which isn't likely for some while with the lockdown continuing. Watch this space for further developments in the saga of the IKEA bed.

(Monday) I managed to sleep really well with the mattress on the floor of the bedroom. I think Alfie was a bit mystified by the fact that I was lying more or less on the floor. He came to have a look during the night, lay down with me but didn't stay long and went back to sleep on the sofa in the lounge. I'm quite happy with the new sleeping arrangements and I will need to take out the bits of the bed whenever it's possible to get the Council to come and collect it all. I'm not bothered about replacing the bed and may just leave things as they are until I can get a new replacement.

It's 6.25a.m. and it seems it's going to be another pleasant morning on the weather front. Washed, shaved and ready to take his nibs out at around 7.15.

Later. I've taken Alfie out again and it's odd seeing Oldbrook Green so free of people. Yesterday evening when we went out it was crowded and had the atmosphere of a Bank Holiday, with children with their parents, some sitting in groups on the grass, some playing football, others walking their dogs, like me, whilst others just strolling around. I'm still not completely certain how much of the social distancing is going on, but a definite more relaxed atmosphere generally.

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.

Getting Warmer!

(Tuesday) I'm still intent on going out with Alfie a good deal later. 6.20 is really far too early, but don't ask Afie for his opinion. It started out bright and sunny, but as I write this at 12.40p.m. it's become somewhat overcast. We are promised a bit of a heatwave later in the week. I do hope so, because my shorts and short-sleeved shirt still resides in the wardrobe.

Phil and his son Robert turned up at around 9.40 to attempt to finish off the garden. Robert used the new Strimmer they bought but it shed a piece that prevented it from working, apparently a spring which goes in the spindle on which the fishing line is coiled and which cuts the grass. He managed to cut down the grass at the back of the house and Phil has dug over the flower bed at the front of the house. I bought four plant pots with minature daffodils, which were a speciality of Carol's, and now they have finished he has dead-headed them and planted the bulbs in the newly-dug flower bed. A large amount of broken glass has been found in the flower bed. I can't think where it's come from. Possibly from a window, but I can't be sure. You'd think if someone broke it, from whatever cause, they could at least pick it up and put it somewhere safe. It's the same with the two garden sheds that go with this property. In each there is stuff which must have belonged to former tenants. I wish they could have disposed of it before they left. Part of a computer and oddments in the meter cupboard which is at the front of the house and ancient mattress and oddments in both sheds. Taking up vital space which could be my things and there's nowhere else to store it.

Garry is coming back to help put up the replacement clothing rail in the cupboard in my bedroom. He had to deal with a flood at the school where he works and next week one of his daughters is getting married so he's busy but be spoke to me earlier when Phil and Robert were here and informs me that he will go to get the parts for the clothing rail tomorrow morning. As I will be going to Camphill tomorrow I won't be home until at least 4.30 so he should be able to come and fit the rail tomorrow evening. I hope so, because currently I have the clothing which fell down when the rail collapsed last week. I haven't got enough space in the IKEA wardrobe to put this excess clothing.

The artful squirrel has been back. I saw it hanging upside down on the bird feeding station. How on earth it manages to hold on I can't imagine. I would love to get a photo of it, but  by the time I've set up the camera it would be too late, unfortunately. I suppose I could always set it up on the tripod with the telephoto lens fitted, but there again just a slight noise, probably of the shutter going off would scare it away. It sat on the fence staring at the house for quite some time. It's as if it expects me to be watching. Crafty thing!

Rain, rain, go away!

(Wednesday) It's been a mixed weather day. No rain when I took out Alfie his morning. I didn't intend going out as early as I usually do, hoping to have a bit of a lie-in, much to Alfie's concern. We eventually got out at around 6.45.

Odd goings-on in the garden later in the day. The bird feeding station has become quite popular since I replenished it. It's taken some time to get a regular lot of birds visiting because it has been neglected since Carol was diagnosed. But there are other visitors who seem to enjoy the food which is in the various feeders. A rather fat and incompetent pigeon attempts to get food out of the round peanut feeder. This is probably easy enough for the smaller birds to negotiate, but a large pigeon cannot balance on the thing in order to feed off the peanuts it contains. Then it was visited by a squirrel, which manages to climb up the central pole that supports the bird feeding station. It has a rival, which came into the garden and sat on the grass nearby, looking cute, flicking it's tail and obviously intending raiding the feeding station.

Thursday. A bit of a disaster this morning. In my bedroom there is a built in wardrobe. Probably it's better to describe it as a hanging space for clothes. There is a shelf. I don't know who put that in, but it has always been in there all the time we've lived in the house. Also, a hanging rail. Also probably not part of the original cupboard fitting. Actually not intended as a hanging rail. I think it's just a cheap length of dowel rod and a former tenant put in. I have been hanging my clothes on it for I don't know how long. Carol used to hang her clothes on it. Whenever I iron a shirt it goes on it because the actual wardrobe, one of those flat-pack IKEA jobs, doesn't have sufficient space. But this morning I was about to take out a shirt to wear before taking Alfie out for his morning walk, the entire rail collapsed. I imagine the weight of the clothes was too much, but I had to pick up everything and attempt to put it in the IKEA wardrobe. As a result I was not feeling exactly on top form when I was walking around Eaglestone Park. I will now have to get something sturdier and more suited as a hanging rail to replace the one which has collapsed.

The collapsing hanging rail isn't the only broken thing in this house. One of the doors on the kitchen cupboards fell off the other morning. The side of the bath needs refining. The cistern in the upstairs bathroom toilet needs the mechanism which makes the water fill and then stop needs replacing because it doesn't stop filling. This was replaced around two years ago. The cold tap on the bathroom sink is loose. It needs tightening underneath. The seat of the downstairs toilet is loose but needs tightening. The entire seat needs replacing. The floor outside the bathroom has been in a parlous state in all the time we've lived in the house. I had someone look at this and to put new floor in would cost in the region of £300. We had to replace a large section of the garden fence several years ago and our beloved landlord has never repaid the cost, somewhere in the region of £250. I could describe more, but I think that is enough at the moment.

Phil and his son Robert have come back to sort out the garden. They've done a good job on the front of the house, getting rid of the weeds and grass which have sprung up between the paving slabs. I have the cordless grass trimmer for them to use. Not actually a'strummer,' but actually better. The only problem is that the thing only runs for around 20-30 minutes and then needs recharging, but it's easier than a corded machine because you don't have to manage it getting tangled and getting in the way and the danger of actually cutting the cable.

Wild and Windy

After the warm and sunny weather of a week ago, the last couple of days there's been strong winds and rain. They've named it Storm Hannah. It's been so cold I even had to put the central heating on. This morning (Saturday) I went back to bed and at around 6.15 Alfie came upstairs to find out where I was, because he was expecting to go out for his early-morning walk. When we did eventually get outside and walk around Eagletone Park, there were definite signs of the storm, with bits of twig all over the path at one point, some of it quite large. Just as well we didn't go out during the strong winds because it would have been quite dangerous. Yesterday afternoon I was in the lounge during the storm, the bird-feeding station which is directly outside the window, was being blown all over the place. The wrap-around bamboo screening which we had put around the garden shed had been dislodged from one side and was in danger of being torn off completely. I will have to go out and tack it back on. I don't want Alfie anywhere near it as it's too tempting for him to get behind and then get stuck inside the shed. The shed is a wreck. It has previous tenant's furniture in it, for example, a rotting mattress and the door has been nailed up so that there's no chance of Alfie getting inside and requiring rescue from myself, which has happened in the past.

I've been attempting to get back to my writing. I haven't made an issue of it in these blog posts. I was working on a project, maybe it would turn into a novel, I'm not sure. It was intended as a sort of reaction to television soap, which I always think are so dreary, have miserable characters and repetative plots. My idea was to create something similar, set in a familiar location, so I decided to set my project in a relatable place, in this case, somewhere I know well, that is, Bedford. I began working on this several years ago, created some of the characters and wrote some of the story-lines as well as began the actual writing, creating a central plotline and characters. The idea being that there are several households which have their own characters and stories and they overlap with each other. I built up back stories for some of the characters. I still have all this material in several files. But when Carol was diagnosed with cancer, unfortunately my time was taken up with such things as going with her to appointments and then 12 cycles of chemotherapy and visiting her in Milton Keynes hospital and then Willen Hospice.

The first section of writing was done sitting in my armchair in the lounge, with a notepad on my lap, but I now find I need a desk to sit at and to be more comfortable and with space to spread out my notes so it's easier to work. I had hoped to find some sort of desk which I could set up in front of my armchair but it suddenly occurred to me that there was a perfectly adequate desk in the bedroom which hasn't really been used properly. I had had a television set on it which we used to watch in bed when there was a Sky minibus connected to it, but which has now been disconnected and returned to Sky.

So this afternoon I've spent some time clearing this desk. It's not actually a desk. It was bought in IKEA. It is just a length of Formica-topped timber (I don't think it's actually Formica, but a similar plastic substance that's usually used to make kitchen work surfaces because it's so easily cleaned with a cloth.) and four legs which were screwed onto the under-side of the timber. Cheap and easy to put together and worked more than adequately. Only problem was that the whole thing wobbled, so I had to put bits of card under two of the legs. I can't possibly work at a wobbly desk. Plenty of space to work at and have extra room to lay out files and notes. I also have a swivel office chair which I had at my flat in Beauchamp Court when I lived in Bedford. Now to get down to some serious writing. I don't have an excuse not to.

Saturday Musical Evening (and other things)

(Saturday)I was going to get ready to go to the musical evening at around 6.30 on Saturday evening. I went into my bedroom and for some unaccountable reason, I thought the wardrobe was going to collapse. There has been a problem with one of the doors on the front of this IKEA unit. One of the hinges has broken and it hangs on just one. It wouldn't take much to repair this, but, on going to our local IKEA to get a replacement hinge, I was informed that they don't use that type of hinge any more. Just typical that they don't stock such things as hinges or other items that don't get used on more modern pieces of furniture they sell. Anyway, it doesn't make a lot of sense probably now, but it occurred to me that the wardrobe was leaning forward. I don't know why I got that impression, but it looked like that and there was no way I was going to allow it to collapse. I think it gave this impression because of the door which doesn't close properly. Well, it didn't collapse, fortunately, and I was able to get dressed and then drive to Shenley to go to the Oaktree Centre for the musical evening, remembering to take the two Victoria sponges with me. I put them on the floor, in the footwell on the passenger-side in the front because I wasn't going to have the cakes ruined if I put them on the back seat and then shooting forward if I had to brake suddenly.

My two Victoria sponges were given pride of place on the counter at church and had clear plastic covers put over them. I did actually manage to eat a slice, and, although I say it myself, they turned out really well, light and fluffy. What would Paul Hollywood, Mary Berry or Prue Leith, judges on 'Great Britsh Bake-Off' have to say? I'll have to try other cake recipes. The very last slice was eaten on Sunday morning during the break between the two services. Made me very pleased to think that both cakes were consumed and not a piece left, so it must have been enjoyed, which is the best reason of all to make cakes!

As regards the musical evening. I'm just amazed at the talent on show, playing a wide range of different styles of music. Very enjoyable. There is going to be another of these evenings in a few month's time.

(Monday)I've been into the Milton Keynes Council offices this morning, because I had an appointment with the Homeless Prevention officer. It turns out I'm not actually homeless because I have a house to live in, but I'm not going to be able to remain in this house because of the cost of rent. They won't pay me the full amount of rent as housing benefit and I've now learnt that I'm not going to have the Death In Service payment because Carol came out of the system, no doubt at the time we lost the house in Crownhill and had to pay the debt off because of what Sam did to our bank account (I'm not going into any more detail than that, but I have described it all in an earlier blog post.) I rang Teachers' Pensions this morning to be told this. So I now know what my financial situation is and as a result will have to look for accommodation myself, having been given a list of agencies who might be able to help. I need a one-bedroom house or bungalow, with a bit of enclosed garden for Alfie. I really no longer need a three-bedroom property, so it makes a lot of sense.

I got back from the city centre and had something to eat. I had been into Greggs and bought a ploughman's lunch roll, some egg custard tarts and a small bottle of fresh orange juice. Very crafty, Greggs, because you queue up right next to all the enticing food items, so you can't avoid jam doughnuts or sausage rolls. Or other very fattening food which you shouldn't really eat if you're diabetic or have a health problem. They never put how much fat or sugar they contain or the number of calories, but generally Greggs are good, fairly cheap and good value and they've managed to put their stores in places where they know the public will go to buy their lunch or whatever.

Having eaten my lunch, sitting down in front of the television and watching the BBC lunchtime news, but wishing I hadn't bothered, because it was more about Brexit, which is about as enticing as having your eyes piked with a sharp stick. Boring and negative. I think I'll attempt to avoid any more television news until this thing has been resolved or MP's can get their act together and vote so the ting can move on and we can at least leave the EU, for good or ill.

It was such a warm and sunny afternoon I couldn't possibly spend the rest of the day indoors, so I decided to take Alfie out for a second walk. I think it was something of a surprise, as I very rarely take him out a second time. It causes such a stir and I see the other side of Alfie as soon as I make moves to take him out. Trying to clip his lead to the harness he wears causes him to turn into a sort of Tasmanian Devil, barking and jumping around. Anyhow, we did get outside and walked down the medway towards the Grand Union Canal, going under  the bridge at Marlborough Street, then walking along the tow path that runs besides the canal and back over the canal at the next bridge. 

Annoying Technology

I have mentioned in earlier posts the problems we've had with the gas boiler in this house. Several years ago the landlord had to put in a new one. Reluctantly, I would say, because he doesn't like spending money! In all the time we've lived in this house, he hasn't done a single bit of maintenance. We had to sort out the garden fence, if you recall. The old fence just fell apart. There was absolutely nothing which could be done with what was left. The side fence, to the right, blew over in a strong wind. Fortunately it wasn't our responsibility and the council (who own the house next door.) had it replaced with a very substantial piece of fence. The fence on the left, which is our legal responsibility (no, that's not true. As tenants it's actually the landlord's responsibility.) But we shared the cost with our neighbours, Garry and Shelly, and they managed to get a fence panel to replace old crumbling piece of fence.

Last night (Sunday) I wanted to have a hot bath. My one luxury! I began to run the water, but it was cold! I was certain there was sufficient on the pre-payment meter. But it was obvious that it wasn't. There was no way I could get top-up for the gas meter. It's a bit of an effort to check the meter. It's in the bin cupboard at the front of the house, which means you need to have something to stand on (we have a step stool which we got from IKEA for this job.) and it's not that easy to get to the meter which is at the back of the cupboard and you put your life in peril by having to lean precariously on the stool, put the yellow gas card into the slot in the meter and press the appropriate button on the confounded meter and wait to see what money is left on the thing on the digital display.  This is a fairly easy job to do if it's daylight, but almost impossible if it's nighttime and dark. I attempted to use my iPhone as a source of light, but it didn't really work. If the credit has run out, you can have £5 emergency top-up until you can go to a convenient shop which will allow you to pay for top-up to be put on the card. Then, if you've used any of the £5 emergency credit, the meter deducts however much of the emergency credit you've used from the amount you've put on the card when you bought it at whichever shop you've been to to top-up the card. (Sorry that this is so convoluted but that's how it is unfortunately.) I went to the Eaglestone shop just after 7a.m. to put on £20 of credit on the gas card. I came back home and went out to the bin cupboard to put the credit on the meter but wasn't sure whether it had worked. It was still relatively dark so it was difficult to see the digital display on the meter. You have to turn off the boiler before putting credit on the meter, which I had before going to the shop. The thing worked! Thank goodness. Which meant I could have a shave and then take Alfie out for his walk. He had waited patiently for me to take him. I can't begin my day without having a shave. I've always been like that. I don't know why, but there it is. A good wash with hot water and soap and a wet shave and I'm fine. I can't be bothered with an electric shaver. They never shave properly and I'd probably have to have a second shave later in the day.

Well, mid-morning a van drew up outside the house. It was the gas engineer coming to check the boiler. As it turned out, the thing was fine. He told me that there was no possibility of dangerous fumes coming into the house. Modern gas boilers vent their fumes out through the flue which sticks out through a hole in the wall, and if there was a problem the boiler would shut down automatically, which was a good thing to know. It now has it's safety certificate for another year so I don't need to worry about it, thank goodness.

1200th Blog post

I can't believe I've reached the 1200th blog post. I wasn't sure I could even keep this blog going for half a dozen posts, let alone more than one thousand. So, here we are, and what on earth am I going to talk about in this post?

It's 8.30 on a Monday morning, and already the sun is shining and it's hot. Really difficult to sleep, so our bedroom windows have been open as well as an electric fan on. But I'm not sure it really cools the room, just stirring up the air a bit. On Ward 22 Carol has been given a couple of fans, a large floor-standing modern and a smaller one which sits on the bedside cabinet. Along the corridor on Ward 22 they have installed air conditioning machines, with a sort of coiled pipe stuck out of the windows. They are more effective than fans as they cool the air rather than just pushing it around. But at least the fans provide some sort of relief from the heat.  The weather forecast is for even warmer weather, reaching as much as 33c in some parts of the country. Which translates to 91F. I was brought up on Fahrenheit, so anything in Celsius is rather foreign to me. Sorry to say, metric weighs and measures leave me a bit stumped, unfortunately. I can never see why we have to have both systems in operation. Surely, as members of the E.U., we should have gone fully over to metric. Why are we still stuck in a sort of vacuum? Which politicians allowed this mess? I think I prefer imperial measures, after all, who has a vague idea what a pint or a gallon is? You can visualise these measurements. Do we have to buy fuel, either diesel or petrol, in metric measures? Gallons or litres? It's rather confusing.

Alfie was following me around the house. Wherever I went, even to the toilet, he was like a shadow. He was waiting for his early-morning walk around Eaglestone Park. We've seen a man walking his dog, a whippet. He was out with his dog the other morning.Unfortunately Alfie has to rush up to every dog he comes across and runs around in circles, wagging his tail frantically. He is just trying to be friendly, but I think some dogs, the more nervous and scared, are not too keen for this sort of excitement. I don't think the man was over-keen as he said his son was in hospital and the dog had been attacked by another dog. Carol told me that, before she knew me, she'd taken Poppy, our westie/shitsu cross, had been attacked by a large dog which rushed up to Poppy when she had been taken for a walk, and this dog had got hold of Poppy and began to shake her. It must have been frightening and it's a wonder that Poppy didn't get hurt. I think it really scared both of them. On another occasion, when we'd taken both dogs out for a walk, we'd only just left the house, when a small dog rushed up to us, I think a Jack Russell Terrier, and tried to bight Alfie. I managed to grab Alfie and picked him up, and we were able to get the dog away from our dogs. Goodness knows where it came from, possibly from one of the houses across the road from us in one of the closes.

I'm currently continuing to clean the house as best I can. I came back from seeing Carol in hospital and immediately took a load of cardboard boxes to the tidy-tip in Bleak Hall. These were the packaging for stuff which should have gone months ago, the packaging for the IKEA unit in the lounge, the box the television came in and goodness knows what else. I was determined it would all go in the car and make just one trip. Not as difficult as it could have been, but it made room in the small bedroom which has become something of a dumping ground for various items.

This and That

Well, I can't go a day without SOMETHING to write about, but I have been reading 'The Times', and came across a piece which links in with my blog post regarding manners. It is a report about Lord Robert Winston, the fertility expert and exponent on I.V.F. treatment, who was on a train to Manchester when he had to endure a woman having a mobile phone conversation and how he used social media (Facebook in particular) about how this woman's conversation was annoying not only himself but fellow passengers. It turned out that someone on Twitter said he was 'bullying' her and being rude. How stupid can you get? Why do people think it's acceptable to just blather on endlessly and expect others to have to endure this sort of thing? No manners. Can people just not speak so loud on their mobiles? Why does everyone else have to endure such one-sided conversations? Why, just because you can have a telephone conversation, because the technology is available, does it mean you actually have to, and say such things as 'I'm on my way home.' If it's an emergency, or if the train is going to be late, for whatever reason, then there is no problem, but just blathering on about trivial things, then there is no point. I think it goes with the current thing about selfishness. A lot of people seem to think it's fine to 'do their own thing' without thinking about the consequences of their actions. Talking loudly on your mobile in a public space, for example, a railway carriage, being one such instance, regardless of how the people around you are effected.

Having said I read 'The Times' newspaper, it wasn't the print version. I took up and offer to have the paper for three months in  digital format, so I took it up. At just £3 it was too good to miss. I have it on Kindle and also on this laptop. It anything else, it saves having lots of papers cluttering up the place.  I have downloaded the app for my iPhone, but as yet I haven't managed to get it to work. It's taking a while to fathom out the navigation, but in some ways it's easier to read than a print version of the newspaper. Should also be doing my bit for the environment by having it in digital format. I'll have to wait and see whether I continue with a full-price subscription after the offer ends, but you get a lot of benefits such as 2-for-the-price-of-one for cinema tickets as well as other freebies and offers.

If you recall, I mentioned the 'little incident' I had in the carpark at Frost's in Woburn Sands a couple of Saturdays ago, when I was supposed to have run into this man's car when I was reversing out of my parking space and was alleged to have damaged  his car. He was very quick to be taking photos of the 'damage' with his iPhone and his wife was standing with a notebook and pencil and making notes of our registration number and he was keen to get me to 'pay up' to have the aforementioned 'damage' repaired. Well, nothing further has transpired since this incident. I contacted my insurance company and gave them details of the incident, but, as I say, nothing further has happened. No doubt this person went to have the 'damage' scrutinised by a garage to get a quote for repairs, but was no doubt laughed at by the garage as they wouldn't have seen any alleged damage. As for our car, Carol managed to wipe off any signs of damage, a slight knock, or scratch (hardly even that.) So I think we can forget all about it.

I've finally got to the end of 'Goodbye Christopher Robin.' For such a short book, it seemed to go on interminably. I don't like to start books and then not finish them, but this was definitely one which I was tempted to not finish. So it's a definite question of 'Goodbye' to Christopher Robin, and good riddance. Now on to other reading.

We went to IKEA yesterday morning. We have completed the shelving units, as discussed in earlier blog posts. This unit is designed with a series of square sections, which can be used as space to store books, but, by purchasing boxes sold by IKEA which fit exactly into these square spaces, it allows for more flexible storage of other items. We bought three, two with are full sized boxes and the third is divided into two drawers. So now we can store a lot of the clutter we seem to accumulate, which used to sit on the old bookshelves, and in the space in front of the books. Things like the cables which are used with our digital cameras (as well as the cameras, in one of the larger boxes) and things such as staplers, scissors, loose change and so on and so forth.

We were surprised by how busy it was in IKEA. A lot of young children, so we assumed that some schools were on half-term. Possibly it was a teacher-training day or something, from the Primary schools in the area. The café area was exceptionally busy. We had lattes and cakes. Carol had exceptionally nice gateau with cream and I had cinnamon bun. I can see why it's so popular, because the food is incredibly cheap. For example, you can get a very good cooked breakfast for no more than  £1.50. Which is one explanation why it gets so busy, even on a Friday.

Mixed Weather and Other Matters

It's been a good deal milder the past couple of days. Which means we haven't had the central heating on, which can only be a good thing. We have crocuses coming up in the garden, the one's Carol's mum gave us and which were planted in the large round ceramic bowl we bought when we went to Norfolk Lavender several years ago when we went to visit my brother Andrew. The Christmas tree, which has been put outside in the garden once the festive season was over and still in it's plant-pot (and in definite need of a replant in a larger one at some point in the not-too distant future.) appears to be growing quite considerably. But yesterday the weather turned a good deal colder, so we had to put the heating back on. Well, considering we're almost into February (well, it will be tomorrow.) we seem to have escaped the worst of the winter weather. I just hope we don't get another dose of snow and ice. As I write this (at 8.55 a.m.) it is raining and there quite a river running down the road in front of the house.

We are slowly filling up our new bookshelf unit. The boxes of books and other things are being emptied from when we dismantled the old shelves. As I write this, the bits of the old shelves are still piled up on the grass at the front of the house, ready for the Council workmen to take them away.  I'm surprised that nobody has attempted to shift them in the night. There are spaces for baskets or boxes which we will eventually buy from IKEA and these will hopefully hide a lot of the items which previously lived on the shelves, the bits and pieces you can't avoid having somewhere or other in the room, such as the cables which connect our cameras to the computer, glasses cases, spare change, pencil sharpeners and a host of other things you can never do without, however hard you try.

Alfie has become even more clever We gave him a large tin of Baker's dog treats for Christmas. He knows exactly where it is (standing on one of the red IKEA coffee tables near the window.) and what it contains. He goes and stares at it, even poking it with his nose. Or his other trick, taking you to the sliding patio doors in the kitchen which lead out into the garden. Goes out for a wee in the garden and comes in and waits, expecting to automatically get a treat for going outside, but now he just takes you to the sliding door and stares out, and seems to think that alone warrants a treat. Crafty little dog. Also, if he sits in front of either of us, when we're watching television (cleverly in our eye-line) and stares at us, he will get something such as a treat from the tin.

I'm continuing to read 'Goodbye Christopher Robin,' by Ann Thwaite. It was a free book one Saturday when you bought the Sunday Telegraph. I think I might have read it, having borrowed it from Bedford Central Library many years ago. It is the basis for a film of the same name. It's about how A.A.Milne came to write the 'Winnie-the-Pooh' books. I'm enjoying it up to a  point, but then Milne isn't a particularly interesting person. Pooh is a far more interesting, which says a lot about his creator. Milne was a relatively successful playwright before the 'Pooh' books were published, but nowadays the plays are relatively unknown. Milne is not as interesting a person, or so it would appear from reading this book, as, for example, Oscar Wilde, or Noël Coward, who wrote plays which are still being produced and never seem to date. Both came out with witticisms and many quotes come from their plays and other writings. I have to say it's a bit of an effort to read and I'll be glad when I have finished it. I'm interested in the creative process, how Milne came up with the idea for the stories and characters, but that is about all. I do like 'Pooh,' but I think the whimsy does get a bit cloying and mawkish. I prefer children's writing to be more acerbic. Writers such as Roald Dahl, who gave a far more realistic sense to their characters, not in the last sentimental and whimsical in the least.

This last section is being written at 7.35 p.m. The pieces of old bookshelf, which were piled up on the grass at the front of the house have now been removed by the Council workmen of the refuse collection department. It makes me laugh when I knew from hearing them collect the stuff, but then when I went online and opened my emails I saw the Council had sent me an email informing of the fact that the wood had been taken. Good of them to let me know.