Approaching Christmas

Monday. 10.25 a.m. It's a rather overcast and gloomy day. Certainly not as bad as it was a couple of days ago, but not what you would call inviting, by any stretch of the imagination. I have been to Sainsbury's, basically to top things up which were running low.

Tuesday. 2.55 p.m. I went to the Bridge Builder offices to complete my D.B.S. application. It appeared to go without a hitch, and I will have to wait until the certificate comes through before I can go further with my volunteering with Bridge Builder.

It is a wet and cold day. It has been raining more or less continuously since this morning.

Wednesday. 12.40 p.m. It was quite icy and slippery along the path towards Oldbrook Green when I went out with Alfie at around 7.25 this morning. It was quite deceptive and the leaves need to be more helpful. It really is about time that the Council workmen sweep them up. If they don't, they will begin to decompose and then become a hazard, becoming slippery, and then they will have to answer to those who fall over as a result.

I am learning the monologue I have been given as part of the Bridge Builder 'Christmas Cracked' presentation which we are taking into local Primary Schools. I have to wait until my D.B.S. certificate comes through before I can go to school. It's one of the formalities you now have to go through because of the possibility of someone abusing children. It's a sad world we live in, but without this piece of paper, you aren't allowed in and schools would want to see this.

Sunday. 8.45 a.m. I haven't written anything on here for a while. I did say in an earlier post that I wouldn't be writing much from now on.

Tuesday. 8.40 a.m. Yesterday was the fifth anniversary of Carol's passing. I was invited to a Christmas meal at The Barn by Ross. He had texted me about this, which was for the Monday Club people. It was a really pleasant meal. I'm not used to eating a full meal at midday because I always have my meal in the evening so in that respect it was great to not have to make a meal in the evening.

Apparently today it was four years ago since the General Election. I had forgotten this fact (not that I'm that bothered one way or the other.) But Sir Kier Starmer, the Labour Party leader, was on BBC Breakfast, when I put the television on at around 7.15. He was speaking from Milton Keynes, but I wasn't sure where he was. From what I could see in the background, it looked like a warehouse.

Wednesday. 2.15 p.m. At 9 o'clock, my car was booked to have an oil change. The traffic driving there was a good deal quieter than I was expecting, especially at the roundabout crossing Standing Way. I sat in the waiting area as the work was done, and it was ready to drive away at around 9.50. Paid and went home.

As I write this, it's really windy and wet outside. 

4.30 p.m. We have had a group from M.K.C.C. ( Milton Keynes Christian Centre) come to give the tenants here at Dexter House, me included, a really great Christmas teaparty. My friends Margaret and John, who go to Shenley Christian Centre (and it would appear, M.K.C.C. I knew John from when I was a helper on Alpha, which was run at M.K.C.C.) Part of the proceedings was a quiz and I won quite a haul of prizes!

Saturday. 12.30 p.m. I went with group from Shenley Christian Fellowship to the Nut and Squirrel in Westcroft for a Christmas meal. The group was made of of mostly those who are in some way or other involved with the Acorns playgroup. We were scheduled to meet at 7.30, but some people were ill, I think probably with covid.

Two ladies were already sitting at the table when I arrived, and the rest of the party arrived over the next half-hour or so. But, due to some of the staff at the Nut and Squirrel ringing in sick, only one waiter was available to do the waiting duties. Not just for our party, but, it would appear, for the rest of the restaurant, and, for what I would tell, serving behind the bar. He was literally rushed off his feet for the entire evening.

Another Day Older!

Friday. 7.15 a.m. I've been out with Alfie. He was fast asleep when I went to pick him up off my bed. It had been raining overnight, and there was a slight rain falling.

2.50 p.m. Today is the last day Barbara, the SHO (Sheltered Housing Officer) at Dexter House. I knew she was leaving, but I wasn't entirely sure it would be today. I went to Sainsbury's just after 9 o'clock this morning, intending to buy one or two items and a leaving card. I knew that other tenants had got her cards, so I didn't want to not give her a card.

I have now written the last piece of the jigsaw in my writing project, which links two sections together and therefore allows me to bring in a new character. I have his backstory, which will also be assimilated into the text. It has taken quite a while to find a way of completing this section, a sort of bridge from one part to the next. It is now transferred into word processing.

Saturday. 7.15 a.m. It's dry and mild as I write this.

Today is April Fools' Day. So, where are the foolish newspaper articles? The crazy pranks? They should read as if they are real, but then it turns out they are nothing of the sort.  Have we lost our sense of humour? Think how the BBC, in an infamous edition of 'Panorama', did a spoof filmed report about how spaghetti was grown with a voice-over by Richard Dembleby. This was in 1957, when spaghetti wasn't as popular as it is today, so people wouldn't have been aware that it was only made of flour and water. Watching BBC Breakfast this morning, just too po-faced to do anything that might raise a smile. Probably too scared of the 'woke' brigade, which might object. Get over yourself. Where on earth is your sense of humour?

Sunday. 6.55 a.m. Mild, a bit chilly this morning.

12.50 p.m.We had another Café Church at The Oaktree Centre this morning, (home of Shenley Christian Fellowship). As usual, there is no worship, no service, but plenty of coffee, tea and pastries. Live music is played, and it's a time for fellowship and to invite those who don't normally go to church. The only problem is noise. The sound of the music was great, but the amplification system had to be turned down considerably. Also, because the café area is relatively small, with a fairly low ceiling, when it's filled with people, all talking at once and fairly loud, it gets so noisy you can hardly hear yourself think. It gives me a headache. 

I spoke to two friends, Margaret and John. They had been to an early service at M.K.C.C. (Milton Keynes Christian Centre.) It would appear that they have returned to having three services on a Sunday morning. I asked them if they were involved in the afternoon tea which is advertised at Dexter House on Friday 28th April. They are. It will be like the Christmas tea party they host (with other members of M.K.C.C.) with tea, sandwiches and cake and a quiz. I asked them if they knew that Barbara was leaving (our S.H.O. at Dexter House. They said that they had. Apparently, Barbara had said that she would stay on, but only if she could work here part-time, which sounded reasonable to me, and to Margaret and John. But the Council told her, no. They weren't interested. It was a full-time job, and that was that. A pity they are so inflexible, because Barbara was good at her job, and certainly far better than the previous woman who was here when I first moved in. It would have meant that another person could have had a part-time job and she/he could have learnt the ropes from Barbara. A real pity, as she fitted in so well here.

4.00 p.m. I walked Alfie around Oldbrook Green as soon as I got in from church. Stuffing my face with cookies and pastries, which were on offer at church, I felt I was in no need of lunch, which I usually have when I get in from church. There are no end of bluebells flowering around the Green and, something that made me smile, in the puddle which gathers on the grass on the opposite side to The Cricketers, which always seems to happen after a shower of rain, a pair of ducks sitting on the puddle! A duck and a drake. Sad to think that this is the only bit of water they can swim on, when there are plenty of lakes around Milton Keynes, along with the Grand Union Canal only a mile or so away. I think they are Mallard ducks. The male has a grey/brown body with a green head, and the female is brown. There are many to be seen on the canal, so I can't think why they decide to sit on this miserable puddle in the middle of a bit of grass.

Baptisms and Sunshine

It's a perfectly beautiful sunny September day. It's just amazing that it's so warm and sunny. We went to church at Milton Keynes Christian Centre, going to the first of the three Sunday services, at 9 a.m. Thee were to be around 40 people being baptised during the service. It's always busy so it is advisable to arrive early in order to get a seat and we always like to get as close to the front as possible to be able to watch.

During the sermon, George Ridley said that £600 was needed to replace the roof of a church somewhere in India. As a result we went to the cashpoint at Tesco's in Oldbrook Boulevarde and returned to give it to George. When we returned, having had to park in the road opposite the entrance to M.K.C.C. which was actually coned off with yellow 'no parking cones' (because people aren't supposed to park in the neighbouring roads as part of the agreement which was made with the local council when planning permission was given to build the church.) we walked back towards the church building and as we got to the front door Carol saw one of her former pupils who was going to be baptised during the second service. We handed over the £10 to George Ridley who was with his wife Pam sitting in the coffee shop at the entrance of M.K.C.C. Carol said she wanted to stay and watch the baptisms during the next service (which was due to start in a little under 15 minutes.) I had to go back to the car and drive to the carpark at Milton Keynes College (where we had parked originally earlier in the morning before the first service at 9 o'clock.) I then drove over to the college car park through the busy traffic which was heading into the church carpark as well as out onto Chaffron Way. When I got to the carpark I had to walk back along the Redway and back to M.K.C.C. By the time I got there the service had started but I managed to walk in and found Carol. She had found us two seats near to the baptistry so we could watch the baptisms and I took some photographs with my mobile phone. It actually turned out that two of Carol's students from Milton Keynes Academy were baptised during the service.

We returned home, having left immediately after the baptisms. We then drove to Woburn Sands to visit the Wyevale Garden Centre there to have a break and something to eat in their restaurant for a lunch break. We were somewhat surprised to see Christmas stock being set up in the garden centre.It seemed far, far too early to be thinking about Christmas this early in September. Especially as it was so sunny this afternoon. It seems some people will buy the general tat that is considered acceptable Christmas fare, and usually very over-priced. It gives us a good laugh, looking at this sort of stuff. Now that B.H.S. has gone, affording us some considerable pleasure in the run-up to Christmas, when we had to visit the B.H.S. Christmas department to look at the offerings they sold, but, alas, this year, now they have closed down, our entertainment of this sort will have to be elsewhere. Singing Christmas trees and tacky tinsel, over-coloured tree ornaments and One Direction knick-necks will have to now be diverted elsewhere.

Visit to Milton Keynes Centre

We were again without our car so we went by bus into the Milton Keynes Central Shopping Centre. It's surprising how quickly you can get there. We were at the bus stop around 9.15 on Saturday morning. We walked through the entrance near John Lewis and then towards Cafe Nero as we needed some sort of refreshment. I am currently in the process of looking for a new mobile phone and want a 'smart' model, touch-screen and capable to being able to use apps on it, so we went into the 3 store near W.H. Smith's. We looked at a wide variety of models, particularly Samsung Galaxy mobiles, but to be honest it's a difficult decision to make as you not only have to decide which model to go for but then to choose the tariff, pay-as-you-go or pay monthly. I think it would make a change to have a contract as it means not having to buy credit and putting it on the mobile each month. I think that in the end a pay-monthly mobile package would be better, but it depends on whether we get through the credit check, because our credit rating has been virtually non-existent due to what Sam did to our bank account more than 5 years ago. As we have now managed to pay off all that debt there is a far better chance of us being accepted. We'll just have to wait and see. We have left the choice until the New Year as we have other things to sort out before we get involved in anything financial such as a mobile contract. The motor mechanic is coming on Monday evening to start work on the car, although he won't be able to finish the work until well into October as he is going away on holiday so won't be able to complete the work until he gets back.

We walked slowly towards Marks and Spencer at the far end of the shopping centre. We did look at the £10 meal offer in their foodhall, but won't that impressed, so we decided to continue our way to Sainsbury's near the Hub. Not too far from the main shopping centre. I had to pick up a repeat prescription from the pharmacy and we completed our shopping which filled three re-usable bags and then I rang for a taxi which came within around 10 minutes and were whisked home and we unpacked our groceries and then collapsed on the sofa and bed as it was quite a tiring outing involving a fair amount of walking.

Today (Sunday) neither of us felt up to walking to church, unfortunately. But there is an alternative, meaning we can still catch the services even though we won't be able to visit. It's now possible to watch a 'live' feed directly from Milton Keynes Christian Centre, using your computer. I'm surprised how clear and un-fuzzy the picture is, as well as the sound, although this morning it did freeze for a few seconds a couple of times.

Walk To Church On Sunday Morning

We awoke a good deal later than we usually do yesterday morning. No doubt due to all the cleaning we have done over the past couple of days, due to our landlord's visit to inspect the house. As a result we had our breakfast too late to get to the 9 a.m. service at M.K.C.C.  (Milton Keynes Christian Centre.) so we went to the 10.45 one instead. We walked along the Redway because the car has been out of action for the past week due to breaking down on the M1. Actually a very pleasant walk along the with the sun out and noticing along the way the blackberries ripening rapidly in the hedgerows. It will soon be time for me to pick them. A very lively service, as usual. Two speakers this morning, as part of the series "Have You Heard The One About . . ." on the Parables of Jesus. The first on "The Pharisee and The Tax Collector" and the second on "The Great Banquet." It was interesting to compare the earlier service we usually go to with this middle one. It was a good deal fuller. Infact, I think it was a 'full house.' I don't think I could see any empty seats. 'Discovery Kids,' the children's church which is usually on at the same time as the service in the main auditorium, was not on as it's closed during August, so all the children who normally would go there were in, but it was surprisingly undisturbed, no babies or children making too much noise, or not that I noticed. Infant it was fuller than I would have expected as I would imagine most people would have been on holiday. A further walk back home. It takes no more than 25 minutes to do the walk. We are actually deciding that not having the car at the moment does have benefits because we are getting some very good exercise. It's surprising how lazy having a car can make you because it's so easy to just get the car out to drive even the shortest of distances, for example, to the local shops, either at Eaglestone or Coffee Hall and it's not just ourselves who get the exercise because if we take the two dogs they also get some exercise.

Out For Lunch

We were invited to lunch by Carol's work colleague Lois. It has been another really hot day. We went shopping in Sainsbury's really early as we wanted to avoid the crowds you tend to get on a Saturday. It would appear that most people tend to do their shopping later in the day, generally the afternoon in most supermarkets. We managed to get in and out within an hour and got home and unpacked. We managed to have a better night as it wasn't anywhere near as warm as it' been for the past couple of nights. Then we drove over to Lois's home in Bradville as she had invited us to a barbecue in her garden. She goes to our church, Milton Keynes Christian Centre, but we go to the 9 a.m. service so we never seem to meet her. She is a teacher in the science department at Milton Keynes Academy where Carol also works as a science teacher. Lois wasn't in when we arrived. She had gone to the shops to buy meat for the barbecue we were having in the garden. Her daughter let us into the house. She then arrived and spent some time attempting to find the various parts of the barbecue which were necessary to get it going, some grill or something. It was excessively hot outside so we sat in the house drinking fruit juice. She eventually managed to find the bits that made up the barbecue and spent what seemed like a long time lighting the thing with paper and wood as well as charcoal. When it was at the right temperature they began to put the meat on and cook it. We soon at and ate the food and drank the drink whilst watching Wimbledon on the large flat-screen television (a good deal bigger than our set which we got over a year ago. We eventually left as Carol wanted to go to Staple's, the stationary superstore on the way home.

Sunny But Cold

It's a bright and sunny day, but it is actually bitterly cold outside. We have been warned of some really bad weather coming in from the Atlantic, high winds and rain. They have called it a 'Weather Bomb.' Not entirely sure what this expression means, but I think they are just warning people that we can expect a really bad storm to hit the British Isles over the next day or two. So, if we get high winds, that will mean that the remaining part of our garden fence will not survive. What does remain is in such a poor state it can hardly be described as 'fence.' 

I have been a volunteer at the Milton Keynes Christian Centre for the past three months or so as we've been running an Alpha course. The course finished last week, as every Monday it was running. Last night we were all treated to a meal at Nandos. All paid for by M.K.C.C. which was very enjoyable. About 15 of us were there. This restaurant is one of a group in a sort of parade of units recently built near the stadium. There is another similar 'parade' near Kingston Tesco's. Carol and I went there for my birthday in October and we had a meal at Frankie and Benny's.