November Cold and Other Matters

 Friday. 4.40 p.m. I have developed a rather unpleasant cold. I don't think I've had a cold since the 1990s, but certainly not in the time Carol I were together. I have kept to myself and didn't go to the 5th session of The Prayer Course at the Oaktree Centre yesterday evening. It's just a matter of letting it run its course, but as I write this it seems to be clearing up. I'm almost certain that I picked it up after being locked down due to the pandemic for the past eighteen months or more.

Sunday. 9.25 a.m. The cold is still hanging on. I'll just have to let it run its course. I'm not going to church this morning, more concerned that I would spread it to others than how I feel. Actually, it's just a runny nose and a cough, but that's all. I had far worse. I may get some honey and lemon to drink. A classic actor's remedy for a cold or laryngitis.

I've been out with Alfie twice. We discovered that it was chilly, but there is a somewhat watery sun. Alfie loves the leaves that are strewn along the path as we approach the crossing onto Oldbrook Green. A lot of noise from fireworks last night. Alfie's not reacted one bit. He doesn't seem in the least bit bothered by them, although the largest explosions made me jump. Almost sounded like bombs going off.

Monday. 7.25 a.m. It's cold out. I'm glad I've got extra layers to put on. Red-rosy sky. What does the old proverb say? 'Red sky at night, shepherd's delight. Red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning.' I think it's quite accurate, so we'll wait and see what sort of turn the weather makes. I just hope it's not too cold, windy, foggy, or icy.

Tuesday. 8.15 a.m. It's actually quite sunny and mild as I write this. Goodness! Can it be real? Is it connected to climate change? Probably. Possibly. Just another balmy day.

The wretched cold has run its course. I think the fact that I kept to myself for the past few days has paid off. I still have a bit of a cough, but that's nothing compared to a runny nose. I did have a bit of a temperature at one point, but that's settled back to normal.

7.35 p.m. I have finally finished the book 'The Thirties,' By Juliet Gardiner. It's a hefty tome of some 750 pages, and I can't believe I've been reading it since July! Only a few pages a day, so it's no wonder it has taken so long. I've just started 'Hamnet' by Maggie O'Farrell. I'm only one page in and I'm really enjoying it.

Saturday. 6.30 p.m. I didn't know whether to post this, but after seconds of thought, here I go. A few weeks ago I had a phone call from the undertakers who did Carol's funeral. Had I considered what I wanted to do with her ashes? I have been racking my brain for almost the last three years since she passed away. I didn't know where to scatter them. I had considered Whipsnade Zoo because it was one of our favourite places to visit. But I had to consider whether ZSL, who operates the zoo, would allow this. I had considered Dunstable Downs, just below the zoo. I hadn't done anything about this matter, until after the telephone call, when I was out walking Alfie around Oldbrook Green. In a sort of light-bulb moment, I thought of Salcey Forest, which was somewhere we visited regularly to walk our dogs. Then I thought, I had better contact whoever manages the place to ask if they would allow this. I thought it was important to ask permission as some places didn't allow the scattering of ashes. I found their email address and sent an email off and waited for a reply. I eventually got a response and was told it was okay but I mustn't dig the ashes in. I texted Daniel to tell him what my intentions were and to let his brother, Sam, know. I didn't get a response, so I found his email address and emailed him, repeating what I had put in the text message. I got an answer after several days in which he said if I let him know when I was going to scatter his mother's ashes he might be able to come down to be there.  On Tuesday I went on my own to Newport Pagnell to collect the ashes from the undertakers, Masons. Not something I was actually looking forward to, be it went well enough. I arranged the 10th November (last Wednesday), which gave him more than enough time for Daniel to sort out having the time off work and also plenty of time to get down here in Milton Keynes (I wanted the scattering to be around 2 p.m.) But I heard no more so went ahead, having asked my friends from Church, Mike, and Margaret, to go with me. So, that is exactly what we did last Wednesday, driving all the way to Salcey forest and I found just the perfect place to scatter the ashes. It was very peaceful with very few people around which probably wouldn't have been the case if we'd gone on a Saturday or Sunday. Margaret read a Bible passage and Mike said a prayer before I scattered the ashes and later I took a photograph of the site which I later sent to Carol's parents in Bournemouth. We then went to the cafe for hot chocolate and then drove back to Milton Keynes. The weather was perfect, with no rain, which might have made the proceedings somewhat difficult. Having been there quite a few times in the past, we had found it to be very muddy, but now most of the paths have a decent surface to walk on and the roads and car parking areas are similarly surfaced, making life far easier for all concerned.

Time Travelling

No, the title doesn't mean I have discovered a means of moving through time and space. I haven't got a time machine or created a Tardis, The Doctor's means of moving throughout time and space, as used in the  BBC science fiction show 'Doctor Who.' I'm referring to my interest in history. I am currently reading books that take me through the 20th Century right up to the present day, or, at least, as near as possible. I have actually started my in the 1840s with 'High Minds' by Simon Heffer, followed by 'The Age of Decadence', covering the period up until just before the First World War, then 'Staring At God', which covers Britain in the 1914-18 War, 'The Great War' as it was referred to. Then a book on the 1920s written by Fiona McDonald. I found it incredibly hard to discover a book that covered the 1920s so this was the only one I could find. Not very comprehensive, not covering the political or social history of the age and not particularly enlightening, but nevertheless worth reading because of the covering of such topics as the arts and entertainment, the birth of broadcasting, and the development of the film industry. I am currently reading 'The Thirties', written by Juliet Gardiner. Like the Simon Heffer books, she manages to weave some sort of narrative into her book which gives it a far more intimate feeling which draws you in. I remember when I was at school and then college in the late 1960s, history was just a collection of dates and numbers, You were just crammed with information, and usually about what I would call 'Establishment Figures', kings, queens, emperors, presidents and Prime Ministers, Nothing about the 'lower orders,' the 'ordinary man' or even woman. They seemed to be totally written out of the narrative. I have to say, by the time I got to Mander College in Bedford to do A-Level History, I found the teaching so boring it was enough to send you to sleep. I didn't even get as far as doing the exam, but I have to say, some fifty-plus years later, I don't really remember any of it. Just reams and reams of relentless notes on American history, European history and, I think, British history. A teacher just droning on and on and quite obviously just going through the paces and definitely not interested in the subject, doesn't make things any better for his students.

I'm still reading 'The Thirties: An Intimate History", by Juliet Gardiner. Part of my history journey through the 20th Century. It's very detailed and gives a real feel of what it must have been like to live in Britain in the 1930s. It covers the Depression, and it's clear how difficult it was for those who were unemployed. 

I've been doing my family history. I've been researching both my parent's trees. My mother is easier and I have got back around 15 generations. I am subscribed to My Heritage, and I've been with it for around 10 years, When the subscription ran out over a year ago I didn't continue, but all my work was still 'live' even though I couldn't access it. I kept getting emails from My Heritage attempting to get me to re-subscribe, but it was too expensive, around £160 for an annual pass. They continued with the emails, reducing the price. If it was possible to have a 'pay as you go' subscription it might have been easier to pay, or at least, on a monthly scheme, but that wasn't an option. Then an email offering a year for around £45, so I decided to go with it, hence the re-subscribing, which meant I could continue with my research. I have the app on my iPad and iPhone, and they seem to work better than the website. Far easier to move around my family tree and to connect with other people doing similar research and add their research to mine. I think I've already mentioned my discovery of some ancestors who lived in and around the village of Ascott in Oxfordshire, who was involved in a strike of agricultural workers in the 1870s, known as the Ascott Martyrs. Very interesting to have uncovered this bit of history, and the fact that it involved ancestors of mine makes it even more interesting.