New Skills , Editing and Rewriting

 Thursday. 7.15 p.m. This must be the latest in the day I've ever started a blog post, but it's good to change these things occasionally.

I've recently upgraded my iPad to a far more powerful model which can be used with an Apple Pencil. This means it's possible to do graphic work, although the pencil can be used to great effect when using a wide range of apps, not necessarily for graphic work. I have downloaded Procreate, which allows some quite sophisticated work, and the results don't look like they've been done on a computer. There is no pixelation, which you might expect. I have now discovered an animation package which is called Squid Toon (don't ask me why they gave it that name. It has nothing whatever to do with squid or any other sort of sea creature.) Both these packages are £10 each, which is an incredible bargain and under different circumstances, would probably cost in the region of £200-£300. I am slowly learning how to use them, and I'm viewing YouTube videos to find out how to make the most of them. Both these packages are exclusive to iPad and don't work on Android tablets.

Saturday. 7.40 a.m. Goodness, gracious! Where did Friday go? As you would have realized, I didn't write anything for yesterday, Friday. I suppose it was because nothing really happened. Well, let's be honest, not a lot happens at Dexter House. 

I want to put in a new character in my writing project. It isn't just a question of 'adding' this character. I have to go back and edit a point where this character can enter the plot line. I think it's a bit like unpicking a knitted jumper and then reknitting the jumper. My mother was a great knitter and made us all beautiful jumpers. She made me a really fantastic jumper, very thick and warm. It had a cable stitch pattern on the front. It had to be remodelled, to give it a different neckline. She had to unpick a certain amount of the neckline and then reuse the wool to reknit the neckline. I think previously it had a roll neck and this was changed to a lower neckline. This is exactly the same as what I am doing with my creative writing.

I have printed off several pages of what I have already written, so I can edit it and insert this new character.

I was thinking, about how many words we use which have a connection with print and writing and sewing and weaving. Just think of weaving a story, text, texture, loose ends, dénouement, losing the thread etc.

10.55 a.m. I've been to the monthly men's breakfast at the Fountain at Loughton. We seem to have more men coming than ever before. The only problem is, it's quite difficult to hear what anyone says at the furthest from where I was sitting. It's not easy for anyone to speak and be heard clearly. We propose meeting on the 18th March at the Oaktree Centre next month and ordering McDonald's, which should make the food part easier.

It might be bright and sunny this morning, but there is a definite chill in the air, which meant I wore my jumper under my Regatta jacket. It's that time of year, almost spring, with the sun shining and a hint of wintery weather. It's difficult to know whether to wear a jacket or jumper or not, and not always choose correctly.

Sunday. 8.05 a.m. Another cold but sunny morning. 

1.20 pm. Extremely busy at church this morning. I'm not sure how many were actually in the hall, but I don't think there were any vacant seats.

Monday. 8.35 a.m. It's a great deal more overcast this morning. Actually quite cold out, when I took out Alfie around 6.45. On BBC Breakfast, Carol Kirkwood, the weather lady, said there was snow in parts of the country. 

1.30 p.m. I had transcribed around four pages of handwritten text into word processing. I'm editing and making changes as I go. Furthermore, I have to say, I'm rather pleased with how it's going. This is something I wrote some while ago and had forgotten all about, but it seems perfect as the backstory for the new character I want to introduce. 

Eighth Chemotherapy Cycle Postponed

We got news late yesterday afternoon that it was fine for Carol's next chemotherapy cycle to be postponed for another week, the week after the Easter holiday. As mentioned in an earlier blog post, her recent blood test didn't show enough of a certain element which, if the chemotherapy was to take place as scheduled,  would mean she would be open to infection. It now means that her mum and dad can come and visit. We've yet to decide where we're visiting. As long as the weather is fine, we have several National Trust properties lined up, or even an English Heritage one. But I won't mention where on here, for obvious reasons.

Not a lot for me to write about over the past weekend. I think my posts have become a bit repetitive, since we haven't been anywhere interesting since the diagnosis back in late August/September.

As I write this (at 6.35 a.m.) I can hear rain on the lounge window. It's considerably colder of late. We turned the central heating down, so no doubt we'll turn it up again.

We've been looking for a new vacuum cleaner. Carol has suggested getting a cordless one, which is lighter and easier for her to use. It does make sense. The old one we have is alright up to a point, but it clogs up quickly and the hose is a nuisance. Also, with a plug-in model you are somewhat restricted by the cable. A cordless one would make cleaning the stairs, for example, much easier. We keep seeing advertising on television for a G-Tech vacuum cleaner. I've been looking on-line at retail outlets who stock the various machines made by the competition, Argos, John Lewis and Curry's have different models. You can buy a G-Tech on-line, according to the advertising. We went to Curry's early, but they don't stock this particular brand. We tried two Dyson models. Very much more expensive than the G-Tech.

We then went to park in the multi-storey carpark near Debenham's and walked down through the store. There was a sale on in the store and then left to walk through the shopping centre. We went into Marks and Spencer and I bought a new polo shirt and then we continued to walk towards John Lewis.  The electronics department is now on the ground floor (the store was given a make-over a couple of years ago) and we found the vacuum cleaners and a G-Tech on display. From having a demonstration by one of the sales assistants we found it to be good at it's job and decided to buy one. We didn't want to carry the parcel back through the shopping centre, so we managed to have it ready to pick up from the pick-up point, so we walked back to the Debenham's carpark. We stopped off at McDonald's to have burgers for lunch, using a very efficient computer screen to order and pay. We sat outside the store to eat and then walked on to collect the car from the carpark and drove round the shopping centre. It wasn't possible to drive around where we expected to be able to drive, due to building works near John Lewis. A new carpark, but managed to find a space nearer the collection point and I walked in to collect the G-Tech, very well packed up by the staff. There seems to be quite a considerable amount of building going on in and around Milton Keynes at the moment.

On arrival home we set up the G-Tech and got it charging. As I write it's fully charged and ready to try out on the lounge carpet.

Saturday Whipsnade Zoo Outing

Having had to remain indoors for such a long time it was a necessity to get out and with the sun shining it was a really good excuse to visit Whipsnade Zoo. We went to the hairdresser's in  Shenley Brook End, Arcarna, as Carol wanted to book an appointment. She got one for Wednesday morning at 9 o'clock. From there we went to Morrison's to put fuel in the car, and remembering that the new car is a diesel and to not put the wrong fuel in the tank. Having done that we drove towards the A5 as we went to Whipsnade south towards Fenny Stratford when Carol said she needed a toilet. We could have gone into Dobbie's garden centre but ended up at the McDonald's on the roundabout on the A5. The traffic lights weren't operating so it was somewhat dangerous as this is a large roundabout with many roads leading in and out and it depended on other cars being sensible and allowing other vehicles to enter and leave without trying to take advantage. Having negotiated the roundabout and got into the side-road which is how you enter the McDonald's carpark, we noticed that it wasn't lit up and the found that the site, which also includes a Shell petrol station, was not operating so assumed that the fact that the traffic lights were not working the whole area was dark due to a power cut. We went into the McDonald's building and the staff were sitting at a table, no doubt unable to do any work with the fact that there was no electricity. Carol managed to use the toilet and we then returned to the car and drove back towards the A5, having to negotiate the heavy traffic that was backing up along the road towards Aylesbury and managed to squeeze in and then back onto the A5 and south towards Dunstable and Whipsnade.

The zoo opens at 10.00 am. but we were there at around 10.20, and managed to drive in without too much trouble. There weren't a lot of people so finding a place to park at the various stops around the zoo was easy and the fact that it was sunny and warm made it virtually perfect conditions to see many of the animals. We drove through the Passage Through Asia 'drive-through' which has a wide variety of animals within it such as deer, camels and other animals. Many of the deer were lying down which we have never seen before. We decided to not take too many photographs as we already have plenty. Having driven through this enclosed area we came out and went towards the elephants paddock. A couple of months ago we were at Whipsnade we visited the day after H.M. Queen visited to open the new Elephant Care Centre, an enormous building perfectly equipped to house elephants and with a viewing platform. Many of the animals houses at Whipsnade have been up-graded to include areas where you can see the animals at close quarters. This has been done at the giraffe house where there is a platform which means you see them up close and personal, virtually at giraffe-eye level. A couple of the female elephants were close to the fence at their paddock, two with their calves, one is called Elizabeth after the Queen and born close to either the Queen's wedding anniversary or her jubilee or when she visited. We met a lady-Z.S.L. volunteer who spoke to use about the elephants and had an elephant tooth to show us. Quite heavy and she explained how elephant's teeth grow from the back of the mouth and are replaced over several years. The tooth was like a mill stone with a rough surface which would be perfect for chewing grass and other vegetation. Apparently another female elephant, called Donna, is pregnant but we weren't told when the new baby will be born. Probably quite some time as elephants are pregnant for near-enough two years.

We went into the Wild Bite Café which is just opposite the tiger enclosure and very near the pelicans and flamingos. We had hot chocolate and a slice of very nice lemon drizzle cake which we shared, along with sandwiches. We didn't eat all of the cake so wrapped it in paper serviette to take home with us to eat later. No doubt we'll be back for another visit quite soon.

A bit of a wander around the zoo until we decided to leave and drive back to Milton Keynes. Fortunately the power had returned when we got to the roundabout on the A5 near Fenny Stratford and the McDonalds looked as it was up and running as normal although we drove past.

Crazy Advertising

You're watching television, probably your favourite drama series. It's on a channel which has advertising. The action gets exciting and then suddenly- bang!- there's a commercial break. The whole storyline is interrupted by stupid advertising for sofas, car insurance or shampoo. So why do these advertisements have to be so facile? I'm not saying that every advert on television is poor, because there are one or two which are actually very clever and creative. But around 95% are just downright insulting and embarrassing. I realise that companies like ITV rely on advertising for their funding, but why do so many adverts have to be so awful? There are a few that have become classics, such as the Guinness one which has horses representing waves in the sea and perhaps the one for Hovis shot on a hill and spoofed by The Two Ronnies and made by Ridley Scott the director. But those are few and far between.  It can be said that making a television commercial is a very good way for a director to learn his craft. You have to be able to tell a story in a very short space of time, probably no more than 30 seconds. And make sure the viewer knows what brand your advert is for. Otherwise it's not going to be much use in selling that product.

Why do companies like Compare The Market and Confused.com have to use stupid characters to draw you in? The Alexander The Meerkat maybe a funny cuddly character and the animation may be clever and witty but it really has very little to do with car insurance or any other insurance. The annoying operatic singer who heads up the Confused.com advertising is little more than an annoyance and, frankly, would put me off using their products. Do they really think people will flock to them if they use this sort of tactic? If you buy Compere The Market and take whatever product it is they sell you're supposed to get a free meerkat toy or free cinema tickets. Do you necessarily get a good deal on these comparison websites? I can't work out how these companies make their money, but it must be something to do with getting some commission from the actual insurance companies if you buy insurance from them. They don't actually provide the insurance themselves. I think the fact that there's a funny furry character and that you can get a toy if you sign up is just to appeal to children who are supposed to have quite a lot of influence on what product people buy. Look along the breakfast cereal aisle in any supermarket and it seems that most breakfast cereals are aimed at children. Full of sugar, many of them, but if you look at the packaging they have free gifts quite obviously aimed at children. The same with companies such as McDonald's who seem to aim a lot of their fast food at children with lots of free gifts if you buy such-and-such a meal. No wonder there's a real problem with child obesity.

Sofa adverts are another bugbear we have in this household. How is it these companies are always having sales? Do they ever sell their sofas at full price and why are they always advertising just before Christmas or Easter and then say 'order now in time for Christmas?' Does it mean that their customers buy a new sofa (what happens to the old one? Is there a huge pile of ancient sofas in a warehouse somewhere? Redundant, unwanted, unloved? All because their former owners don't want them any more and need a new one 'just in time for Christmas?') Are their owners so fickle and pathetic that they have to show off with a new sofa at Christmas? And why, from seeing these adverts, are the sofas they show, so awful and ugly? Why do they always have a stupid woman advertising who has a high-pitched voice that drives you nuts and probably attracts all the dogs in the neighbourhood? Is she a former R.A.D.A. student-actress who can't find a better acting job? Although I imagine doing a television ad like that pays quite well, but it wouldn't look good on her C.V. when she applies for work at the National Theatre or R.S.C.

Trip to London for recording of "Palladium" TV show

As I've already mentioned in an earlier post, we'd got free tickets for a recording of "Sunday Night At The Palladium." We weren't due to pick up the tickets from the theatre until 4.30 so we really didn't need to be in London too early, but knowing our propensity to get to places far too early, we caught a train at around 10.00 a.m. We decided to drive to the station and park. Being a Sunday, it seemed the easier option. When we last went into London, around a month ago (see earlier blog post.) we went in by  bus, and then found, on returning to Milton Keynes, that the busses back towards Eaglestone were somewhat erratic and we'd have to wait far too long, so we got a taxi. When we got to the carpark near the station we were shocked at how much it was going to park all day, around £8, and looked around and managed to park further into the city centre. You pay up until 6 p.m, which is during the week, but it seems Sunday parking is no longer free. We then had to walk a fair distance to the station. We'd  booked tickets on-line, which means we had to go to the machine at Milton Keynes Central station to get them printed out. Not too difficult. You get a password which you get when you register on-line and use the Debit or Credit card you made the payment with and the machine produces the tickets, printed out and they appear out of the machine. No real problem.

The train we eventual caught was virtually empty, which means we were able to sit down for the entire journey. Unlike the previous trip into London, when we had to stand for the entire journey. On arrival in London we went straight down to Oxford Circus Underground station which is only a two-minute walk from the Palladium. We just needed to know where we had to go later, even tough we had hours to fill before we could actually collect the tickets. As with any of these free tickets for television shows, you don't actually have the tickets until you turn up, as I think so many people order them and don't show up, so they have to over-extimate how many will be needed and you have to get to the studio in good time in order to get in for the recording. We decided to go off and find something to fill in the time. We went into Liberty's, which is within a stone's throw of the Palladium. Carol has never been in this iconic store before and we were really amazed by how amazing most of their products on sale are, particularly the Christmas store at the top of the building. Seemed to be far too early for Christmas, as it's only the beginning of September, but the range of items to decorate your home was incredible. If you've never visited this store, I can recommend it highly.

We went to a McDonald's and had a burger each. Not being a complete fan of Mcdonald's, I have to say it was passable, and it did mean we could use the toilets. The place was absolutely heaving, as their restaurants are generally in the centre of London. Just great to be able to sit down for a brief time before going off somewhere else.

As I say, we didn't have much idea where to go to fill in the time, but eventually decided to go to Regent's Park and laze in the sun there for a couple of hours. Totally amazed how beautiful it was, with long walks lined with flowers and the paths dotted with fountains. For an early-September afternoon it was amazingly warm and pleasant. Only a single stop on the Underground. Also amazed how busy the traffic was for a Sunday.  By now it was past 3 o'clock and we got back on the Underground and went back to Oxford Circus. We walked down towards Langham Place,  where Broadcasting House is located. We went into a Starbucks and had a couple of their cold frappe drinks and then went towards the iconic B.B.C. headquarters. I was interested in seeing how they'd redeveloped Broadcasting House and we looked into the windows of the studio where the television programme "The One Show" is made. If you ever see this early evening show you will know that you can see members of the public passing by the windows, which is exactly what we did and were surprised at how small it was. I think the cameras and lenses seem to make things look wider and a good deal bigger which was the case here. We then looked in another window and saw a mock-up of a news studio and some people being taken on a tour of the place and two you men were doing their own news bulletin complete with weather forecast, using auto cues and all the additional equipment.

By now time was moving on. It was near enough time to head back to The Palladium and queue up to get inside and, hopefully, take our seats in the Stalls. Just as well we did queue when we did and get our tickets, because when we walked past the queue stretched round the block and into the next street! We decided walk on as we didn't actually need to be back until gone 6 o'clock when we were supposed to be allowed in. The doors were opened at 6 and there was a huge crush to get in. As we were in the Stalls we had to go in through another door from the rest of the audience. But when we got inside the theatre we couldn't get into the auditorium and had to wait in the rooms leading into the main body of the theatre. For whatever reason we were never told. It was extremely crowded, a great crush of people, moving forward very slowly. It was getting very hot and sticky so we found somewhere to sit and wait until the Stalls doors were opened up. We fortunately didn't have to wait long. By now we were both feeling very exhausted, which was a pity as we had been looking forward to this for quite some time.

On arriving in the Stalls and finding our seats in row '0' we then found that there were already people sitting there. We carefully checked that we had the numbers and rows correct. Yes, clearly printed on our tickets. But the people were adamant that was where they were sitting. We had to go and check with a member of the theatre staff and he came down to the seats and looked at the people who were sitting in our seats and discovered that their tickets were for row 'Q'. I suppose it was quite easy to see that a 'Q' was very like an 'O' on the tickets. So the problem was resolved and they went to sit in the correct row and seats.

We had to sit and wait for a considerable length of time before the recording started. You  have to remember when you go to a television recording as a member of the audience that it's not like live theatre where it's all run straight through, apart from intervals, scene changes and so on.  They do tend to stop and stet the recording, due to technical issues or someone forgetting lines etc etc. There was a warm-up comedian (I don't know his name. He wasn't familiar from television or elsewhere. A warm-up man is there to get the audience in the mood, to make sure everyone is enjoying themselves. The the host for the evening came on, Stephen Mangan. The opening of the show was done, then they did a second version, which had a slight variation. Then the recording stopped. When it began again the first act came on. Bryan Adams, who is one of Carol's favourite musicians. A surprise. And the evening went on like that, stopping and starting. When edited it will appear to be 'live.' The other acts were a music act called Little Mix, which I've never heard of, Alan Davies, Alfie Boe and two novelty acts, a 'towel' act, called Les Beaux Freres which I won't describe on here, but I'm surprised as it was quite 'adult.' I have a feeling that this won't make the edit, as there are too many people 'out there' who are only too willing to complain at the least provocation. Then a somewhat naff 'magic' or illusion act. The 'game' element is called 'Top Of The Bill.' I do recall the original gameshow element which was in the original 'Palladium' shows when it was hosted by Bruce Forsyte, but to be quite honest this part of the show was a bit lame, but never mind. Bryan Adams came on for the final number and there was another disappointment when they didn't have the famous finale with all the cast members going round on the famous Palladium revolve. A really iconic part of the original show. Never mind. It's just great that there's going to be proper variety back on television as opposed to talent and reality shows.

The recording ended at around 9.30. We managed to get out of the theatre in the crush and walk the short way to Oxford Circus Underground station. It was only two stops on the train to Euston and we managed to get a train from platform 8 fairly rapidly without having to wait. By now we were both flagging and almost fell asleep on the journey home. The train was very slow and stopped at virtually every station on the line and we got into Milton Keynes Central at around 11.45. We're now looking forward to next Sunday and watching the complete show all over again on I.T.V.