Hey Ho, The Wind and the rain!

Saturday. 7.55 p.m.  We had Men's Breakfast at the Oaktree Centre this morning. We haven't had one of these gatherings since the one at The  Fountain in Loughton. 

There was a break in the rain. The sun came out, surprisingly. As I write this, it seems still outside.

Sunday. 6.30 a.m. It sounds suspicious as if it's gusting outside as I write this.

9.15 a.m. I've just been out with Alfie. It is as windy as ever, but probably not as powerful as it was in the midst of Storm Eunice on Friday, but still advisable to be wary of falling branches and roof tiles falling off buildings. I saw a large branch had fallen off one of the trees along the path around Oldbrook Green yesterday mid-afternoon, the Shackleton Place side.

1.30 p.m. Now we have Storm Franklin on his/her way. The highest wind speed ever recorded has been measured on the Isle of Wight, at 122 miles per hour. I wonder if all those wind turbines we see all over the area are busily converting these winds into electricity.

I didn't go to church this morning, because of the wind. I have seen pictures of the damage caused by the high winds on Friday, and they had really put me off going out. Cars being smashed by falling bricks, lorries blown over on a motorway, damage done to the O2 dome and the top of a spire in Wells, Somerset didn't exactly help matters. But I managed to catch today's service from the OTC via Facebook.

Monday. 5.44 a.m. The wind is still raging outside.

Since the pandemic struck in late March 2020, I have built up quite a pile of boxes and packaging, some of it left from when I moved into Dexter House, but a great deal from buying items online, mostly from Amazon. I am now in the process of breaking up the boxes ready to take to the tidy-tip but will wait until the wind has dropped. All of these packets and boxes are in the pantry (for want of a better word to describe the small storage room next to my kitchen.) It's not so much the actual boxes that are the problem, which I am breaking down so that some will fit inside other larger boxes so that it will fit into the back of my car, but also the material which is used within the boxes, plastic material, card as well as polystyrene. Much of this has been broken up and put into recycling bags which are taken out to the bin yard at the rear of Dexter House, but the rest will go in my car. As you have to prebook your visit to the tidy tip at Bleak Hall, which is done online via the Milton Keynes website, I want to make sure all this work is done before I book my place so that all this rubbish can be taken away.

10.45 a.m. It's as windy as ever. But, regardless of the weather, more bulbs are popping up out of the ground. The daffodils are beginning to show some signs of appearing along the bit of grass opposite The Cricketers in Strudwick Drive and there are catkins on the bushes the furthest side from The Cricketers on Oldbrook Green. As the saying goes, 'the first green shoots are appearing.

7.45 p.m. I am fairly certain that the wind has subsided. Well, I really hope so. Let's just say it would be nice for things to calm down.

Almost (But Not Quite) Like Spring

Saturday. 10.25 a.m. It's another bright but windy day, although quite chilly. What more can I say at the moment?

Monday. 4.35 p.m. We had what's called 'Café Church' on Sunday morning. There was no worship, although live music was played in the main hall. The idea is that those who don't normally go to church could come along and find out that we're quite friendly and don't have two heads. Tea and coffee were served, and two young ladies operated the coffee machine, making lattes and other types of coffee usually found in places such as Starbucks and Costa. Danish pastries, biscuits and other eatables were also provided. It was a good place for fellowship and to meet up in the same way as we do after our usual Sunday morning services.

Tuesday. 7.55 a.m. It's bitterly cold and windy this morning. I went out with Alfie as usual, but we didn't hang around for too long. So, not quite like spring. It's that time of year when the weather can be somewhat unsettled. But at least it's getting lighter earlier in the morning.

The drains at Dexter House are in a sorry state. There is an unpleasant odour in my bathroom. No, not caused by THAT! I have an aerosol spray, Oust, which eliminates it, but it keeps coming back. It's sort of haunting the place. I had a shower yesterday evening and the water wouldn't run away quickly as it should. It's next to impossible to have a decent shower because the shower unit isn't high enough so that you can stand underneath it. As I'm over six feet tall, I have to bend to allow the shower to work efficiently. It's almost as if it's only designed for a midget, certainly not intended for someone over more than five foot four inches tall. The bath is the same. It's not a full-length bath, only around three-quarters the length of a decent bath. I think they were attempting to cut corners when they installed the bath and the shower. So I can't possibly have a decent soak, laying full-length in the bath, without bending my knees uncomfortably, and if I over-fill the bath, there is the possibility of the water overflowing onto the floor and causing a flood.

Thinking further to the bathroom. I'd really love to meet whoever laid the tiles on the floor in this room. If 'laid' is the correct term. It was obviously someone who had no real idea how this job was done, because it's the most awfully poor job I think I've ever seen. They must have merely flung a whole handful of them and stuck them down where they landed, because very few of them butt up to each other properly, some over-lapping and there are gaps, particularly in the area directly in front of the toilet bowl. The paintwork wasn't much better, which, in some places, looks as if it's been applied with a broom, or else whoever did it was doing it in the dark or was blindfolded. It's the same with the flooring, done with laminated blocks or whatever, There are gaps along the edges, which should have been finished with some sort of edging strip, no attention paid at all with the finish. Something of a disaster. I think rather a waste of materials and time taken to complete the job, if 'job' is the right word. 

They're supposed to be coming to paint the interior of Dexter House in the next couple of weeks. We got letters through our doors telling this momentous news. The stairs to each flat are to be included in this painting, so I will have to be careful not to touch the bannister when walking up and down to avoid getting covered in paint. I personally think this is a waste of time and money. Upgrade the place, for example, kitchens and bathrooms (incidentally, when will mine be done? I'm still waiting for someone to come and survey my bathroom so it can be refitted. As mentioned above, a full-sized bath would be an improvement or at least, having the shower unit so I can stand under it properly instead of having to bend.