Funny Sunny

 Monday. 7.40 a.m. It's sunny but a good deal cooler this morning. My digital thermometer currently reads 22ºc.

I woke up a good deal later than usual. I can't think why, but I do feel refreshed.

Wednesday. 11.10 a.m. I've been to Sainsbury's. I have mentioned this before, but they've been moving stuff around yet again. You get used to where things are, then somebody thinks it's a great idea to move everything around. So, the result is, you get frustrated and spend most of your time going up and down the aisles hunting like crazy.

5.05 p.m. Oldbrook Boulevard is currently being resurfaced. I was aware of a 'Road Closed' sign up at the junction with Chaffron Way the other day, on my way to church on Sunday morning, but I wasn't sure what it was referring to. Then, this morning, on my way to Sainsbury's, there was a sign saying 'road closed' but it was somewhat ambiguous, as it was for the right-hand turn into Oldbrook Boulevard. The left-hand direction had already been resurfaced. The surface is far better now and a vast improvement on the rather poor surface, full of potholes and uneven.

Saturday. 10.30 a.m. I went to Lidl this morning because I didn't have anything for this evening's meal. It's only a short journey along Oldbrook Boulevard, and I can get in and out quickly. I am getting used to their self-service tills and used the Lidl app on my phone, although I almost left it behind, on the machine, except a vigilant member of staff waved it at me before I went out the door. 

There is light rain this morning. It is needed because everything is so dry. The digital thermometer currently reads 25ºc.

Sunday. 7.45 a.m. The digital thermometer currently reads 23ºc, meaning it's much cooler and sleeping is better.

Tuesday. 10.30 a.m. I had a bit of a meltdown yesterday, both metaphorically and physically, at lunchtime. I always have a snack around 11-11.30, usually toast, with cheese, peanut butter, jam or something else, with yoghurt, an apple and crisps. I made the toast in the toaster and chopped up the cheese on my chopping board, on the top of the oven, which has a ceramic hob, so, when switched off, makes an extra surface to work on, which is somewhat limited in my tiny kitchen. I went into the lounge to watch television and ate my snack. For whatever reason, I went back into the kitchen, having finished watching television. I was aware of smoke and a smell which I didn't recognise, and then saw that the chopping board and knife were melting on the ring, which was on. They both have elements of plastic in them; the chopping board is completely made of plastic, and the handle of the knife is plastic. Somehow or other, the ring had come on, probably by my accidentally touching the control knob on the front of the oven. There was a considerable amount of molten plastic on the surface of the ceramic hob. I thought immediately to switch off the oven. It was at this point that the fire alarm went off. The kitchen was by now full of smoke, which would have been what set off the fire alarm. Around five minutes or so a fire engine arrived outside in the street, and several minutes later, three firemen came into my flat. I showed them what had happened, and they opened all the windows. They could see that there was no fire and told me I could evacuate the flat, and so I took Alfie with me. 

I sat in the entrance area of Dexter House. There was no SHO on duty, so there was nobody to support me at this time. One of the other residents offered me a cup of tea, so we went to her flat, which is along the other corridor to my flat. It allowed me to reflect on what had happened. I could not remain in the flat while it was full of possibly toxic fumes. I had Alfie with me, and he must have wondered what on earth was going on. After drinking my tea, I thanked the lady and decided to return to my flat. The fumes had dispersed, and I looked at the damage to the knife, which was melted and totally unusable, as well as the cutting board, which had a large hole melted right through, and was also unusable.

Thursday. 8.20 a.m. Yesterday, late, our SHO at Dexter House phoned me, because she had seen an email regarding the situation in my kitchen. She said, perhaps the best solution to preventing a similar incident from happening with the oven would be to turn it off at the wall socket, which makes sense, and, as a result, I have switched it off at the wall socket.

Bright and Sunny

 Wednesday. 10.15 a.m. A bright and sunny morning. The digital thermometer reads 26ºc.

I've driven to Sainsbury's. Driving away from Dexter House around Truman Place and then into Oldbrook Boulevard. Before I got there, I noticed a crowd of people on the pavement where the path alongside Strudwick Drive crosses Oldbrook Boulevard. As I got further, I couldn't help noticing one older man sitting on the ground, with a bloody nose. I don't know exactly what happened, but I can imagine this man must have fallen over and most likely he fell on his face, hence the bloody nose. I presume the crowd of people were helping him. It looked to me as if he probably needed first aid and possibly a visit to the A and E department at the hospital to get himself checked over just to make sure there were no serious injuries and some sort of dressing on his nose, to prevent infection.

I went on to Sainsbury's, did my shopping and around 40 minutes I drove past the other way and the man was still sitting on the ground and the crowd of people was still with him. I'm not sure how this incident occurred or how it played out, whether someone called an ambulance if he went to the hospital, or if someone dressed the injury.

Friday. 8.35a.m. I think the best way to describe the weather at the moment is sultry, hot, and sticky, which makes it difficult to sleep at night. I have an electric fan on in the lounge and another in the bedroom, as well as a hand-held chargeable fan, but even then it doesn't seem to cool things down. The digital thermometer currently reads 27ºc.

Saturday. 9.45 a.m. There is talk of rain on BBC Breakfast this morning. When it's likely to strike is a bit vague, but we do need a downpour. Everything looks parched and dry. The grass is shriveling up. The trees along Strudwick Drive are shedding their leaves, most likely because they need rain.

Sunday. 5.50 p.m. Today is Father's Day. In church, every father got a small gift, of 2 Ferrero Rocher chocolates and a card. The sermon was on 'The Fruit of the Holy Spirit' and people who were gifted by the various gifts were nominated and given small gifts. Also, anyone who is a volunteer got a small gift, which was a pen. I got one.

I spoke to a lady who was a visitor at church, who knew Carol. She is a teacher. I think she might have worked with her at Stantonbury or Milton Keynes Academy. She said she visited Carol when she was in Willen Hospice.

It's hotter than ever today and the weather forecasters suggest that it will get hotter as the week progresses.

Everything's Coming Up Roses! (Or Is It? Probably not . . . )

 Friday. 2.00 p.m. It's been sunny and pleasant so far today. When I took Alfie out at around 6.15 there was a rosy-red sky.

I wanted to go to Lidl after 9 o'clock this morning. I usually drive around the block and onto Oldbrook Boulevard along Truman Place, which runs alongside Dexter House, but, on arrival at the roundabout on Oldbrook Boulevard, I discovered that the road was closed and an army of workmen in bright orange overalls. This meant I had to return to Dexter Avenue and then onto Strudwick Drive, turn right onto Chaffron Way, go right around the grid, and enter Oldbrook from Grafton Street. No real problem in all this, but a bit annoying as I wasn't aware of the road closure until I got to it. This seems to happen regularly all around Milton Keynes, mainly when they have been resurfacing parts of the grid road network.

I took Alfie out again a few minutes ago and I could see the workmen with a large lorry with 'Tarmac' written on it and another machine which I believe lays the new surface. I have to say I quite like the smell of tar. Is that odd? I seem to remember a play I did in Liverpool in the 1970's, which I think was called 'June Evening' (I covered the book for this production.) and one of the characters talked about tar being used to clear the chest of a baby, who was held over a barrel of hot tar. Strange how such things come back as a memory.

When I had completed my shopping in Lidl, I had to use a self-service till (they had only one manned till open, even though the store was busy.) I had problems getting items to scan, but a young lady who is there for such an incident managed to scan my shopping. I don't know why this happens. It's odd, though, that you are supposed to scan from right to left, which isn't the standard way of doing things. Or is it just me? Most things are operated from left to right, which seems more logical.

Saturday. 7.50 a.m. Another bright and sunny but cold, which I discovered earlier when Alfie and I went outside.

Sunday. 7.25 a.m. I had no idea that the clocks went forward today. I think it happened at 1 a.m., so I suppose that means it's today. There was nothing about it on the news yesterday, and no sort of reminder. Also, it's Mothering Sunday. Please, not Mother's Day, which is an American institution. Whatever it is, it's yet another way for businesses to make money, similar to Valentine's Day or, dare I say it, Hallow'een. 

I have a subscription to The Daily Telegraph. It's for digital, meaning I don't have the print paper and can read via the app and also the website. My current subscription ends in April and I had an email to inform me the next year's subscription would be around £200. I was keen that this amount didn't come out of my bank account and was prepared at that point to cancel the subscription. So, yesterday morning I rang the callcentre to discuss cancellation. The friendly man the other end was understanding but then wanted to offer me a cheaper deal. He first said '£150', but I refused that. The £99.' Again, I refused. Gradually it went down until it was £39, which I accepted. It just goes to show, you don't need to go with the first offer on something like this and it makes you wonder how many people take the first offer, not knowing that you can beat them down. I presume he didn't want me to disappear and not have a subscription, but it was worth it in the end.

June Is Bustin' Out All Over!

 Saturday. 5.40 a.m. I thought that today was Sunday! Don't ask me why, but it felt like it was. How does it FEEL like a day? I have no idea, but I soon realised that it wasn't.  I am on the refreshment rota and it's also a café church. I could easily have gone there and found the place deserted! Oh, well.

11.15 a.m. As mentioned above, it's café church tomorrow. There will be live music as well as food, including a barbecue. I am hoping to be relieved of my duties behind the tea and coffee urn to be able to eat some of the barbecued food, so, as a result, I had to withdraw some cash from an A.T.M. machine as well as fuel the car at the ESSO filling station in Childs Way. So, I drove there, filled the car and paid and then went to the A.T.M. I put my card in the slot and then found I would have to pay £1.99 for the privilege of using the machine, but then the machine wouldn't present me with any cash! I drove away and as I did so, I had to think hard for an alternative A.T.M. and decided on Morrison's and drove there but then found there was a one-way system at the parking area and went round several times, and eventually came in from the road opposite the entrance into the railway station. Hence, having parked, I was able to withdraw the cash from the machine. So, about half an hour was spent driving around to find an A.T.M. On the way back home I then did another detour, so I could go to Lidl on Oldbrook Boulevard. There is a large poster up on the boarding which surrounds the building work for the new store, informing all and sundry that the store will close on the 2nd June, which is tomorrow, and the new store will open in January 2025. Tesco's Express store which used to be on that site used to have an A.T.M. and was incredibly convenient for me when I needed to have cash, so all the driving around to get to a working A.T.M. is the result of the A.T.M. at Tesco's no longer being there.

Monday. 7.55 a.m. I mentioned that yesterday (Sunday) we had another café church session at The Oaktree Centre. I was on refreshment duty, and as a result, I got there in very good time to set things up. It was a really fine and sunny day and a great many people turned up,  and many were new faces. Compared with last year, when the weather was really awful, with rain and wind and the entire gazebo which the musicians used, was moved onto the paved area and the sliding doors were opened to allow people to sit inside the café area to watch and listen.

Tuesday. 7.05 a.m. It's another mild day, but the sun is yet to shine. The current temperature in the flat, according to my digital thermometer, is 26ºc. I have my electric fan on.

Thursday. 5.40 a.m. Mild and pleasant on the weather front. The temperature reading on the digital thermometer is currently 23ºc.

My family tree currently has over 2000 people on it, and it is still growing!

Friday. 4.45 p.m. I had to go shopping in Sainsbury's. I went as usual after I'd done my washing. I picked up everything I needed for at least a week, including a pack of slow-cooked beef. I've had these sorts of joints on many occasions, particularly lamb shanks, which come in a double pack, so I put one in the freezer and have the other for my Sunday meal. They come complete with gravy and are really tasty. So I was not exactly over the moon when I got home, having unpacked my shopping, to discover that this pack of slow-cooked beef had a 'best before' date of March stamped on the front of the package. That meant it was around three months out of date! I was certainly not risking eating it, for fear of food poisoning or something worse. So I reluctantly decided to take it back, hoping to get a replacement. I wasn't sure where the customer service counter was, but, when I eventually found it, about a dozen people were queueing. There was only one woman behind the desk, and she was spending a great deal of time with a customer who had bought back a dress, presumably for a refund. A second staff member then got involved and time was ticking by. A young man behind me lost patience and put down a can of drink he was presumably going to buy and then stormed off. I really couldn't blame him, because there was only one woman on the desk. There should be far more staff. I think it's Sainsbury's getting rid of staff so that they can cut prices. The customer service generally has deteriorated, particularly when they have replaced manned checkouts with self-service tills. 

I eventually got to the lady on the desk and explained about the product being around three months out of date. A member of staff should have spotted it and taken it off the shelf, but, again, I think with so few staff available, that might explain how it came to be left where it was, for me to pick up and put in my trolley. Another member of staff was sent to get me a replacement, but when she came back, she said there were none left, at which point I left and went home.

Another Bank Holiday

Friday. 11.05 a.m. It's yet another warm and rather pleasant day. The digital thermometer currently reads 23ºc. 

I've just come back from Lidl's, which is on Oldbrook Boulevard. I needed to get milk and ice cream. Just need something nice for my Saturday meal. The area where the parade of shops used to be, which included the Tesco Express store, is boarded up. The demolition has obviously finished, and I suspect they have done the basics which have to take place before they start building the new Lidl store, such as drainage, and footings (is that the right word? Foundations?) There used to be an A.T.M. on the outside of the Tesco's, which is gone, (obviously, if the building is no longer there.) and it is missed, as it was so handy having it and easy enough to park outside. I do hope the new Lidl has an A.T.M.

Saturday. 10.00 a.m. Yet another pleasant day on the weather front.

My family tree has now grown to well over 1000 people! It's really amazing how quickly it has grown. I still keep working on it.

3.40 p.m. A really fun-filled Bank Holiday Saturday afternoon! I was going to take Alfie out, but before we'd got to the door which leads out onto Strudwick Drive, I realised I didn't have my keys on me. I usually go through a route when we go out, with my glasses, Alfie and his lead and a handful of doggy bags for the inevitable pick-up. This could have caused a panic, but I went into the community lounge, where one of the lady tenants was about to have a birthday party with members of her family. She suggested pulling the emergency cord, which links to a response team that could possibly get the door open with a master key. When the gentleman arrived, he looked in the places where such a key would be kept, in drawers and the key safe which is outside the office, but no luck. It would appear that our S.H.O. must have gone home with the key on her key ring, and when he tried to ring her, there was no response. I can't blame her for having her mobile on mute, as she was on leave. So, the central office where the man worked suggested ringing Mears, and there was the possibility of me being charged for the lock being broken and replaced. But when the Mears man arrived, after some effort, he got the door open, by unscrewing the door handle on the outside which released the lock and allowed me access. I was more than grateful that there was a positive outcome to the situation, because otherwise I wouldn't have been able to have my meal, which was ready to prepare, and the possibility of spending the night sleeping on the chairs in the entrance to Dexter House! I shall be far more careful that I don't forget my keys from now on.

War Is In The Air

 Monday 6.20 a.m. I've been out with Alfie. It's warm for the time of year. 

I woke up to the news of Iran attacking Israel in retaliation for an attack on Iran's consulate in Syria and killing diplomats who lived there.  The world waits, with bated breath, to see what moves Israel is likely to make, and whether this situation escalates into a dangerous war situation. I personally don't understand the situation, and I'm generally fairly good at understanding such situations, with my interest in both politics and history. Whatever is going on in the Middle East at the moment, things are getting tense. There has always been some sort of tension in that area and it doesn't take much to set off a war.

8.55 a.m. I should have kept quiet about the weather. It has changed dramatically. As I write this, it's pouring rain. Quite a violent storm. I intend to go to Sainsbury's, but I think I'll wait until the rain passes, or, hopefully, stops.

10.15 a.m. The rain stopped! It is bright and sunny, but there's also a strong wind.

On my way along Oldbrook Boulevard, as I drove to Sainsbury's, I saw what at first I thought was pink paint across the road, near the primary school. As I drove over it, I realised it wasn't paint, but pink blossom, blown there by the wind. I'm not exactly sure what sort of tree it's from, but either a flowering cherry or almond.

2.15 p.m. The wind is currently blowing a gale. Things are being blown around, such as wheely bins.

Tuesday. 6.25 a.m.Yet another mild morning on the weather front. It's still, no wind, so let's hope it stays that way.

10.25 a.m. I mentioned a few posts back, that I was going to have to wear a blood pressure unit for 24 hours. This morning I went to Central Milton Keynes Medical Centre and a nurse fitted me up with this device. It has a cuff, similar to any other blood pressure unit, but it also has a small 'box' which I wear, as it has a strap which goes around my neck and hangs down my right side, with the cuff on my upper right arm. I have to leave it on and let it pump up every hour or so over the 24 hours. (As I write this, it has done exactly that.) The 'box' device will record each time the machine measures my blood pressure, so when I take it back to the surgery tomorrow, they can upload the data and the doctor can then decide if I need to be put on new medication.

The nurse then did an E.C.G., and I still have some of the connections for the E.C.G. stuck on my chest!

I have just heard a strange noise, a sort of whirring, electrical noise. I thought it was coming from another flat, or outside, but then I thought it might be in the bathroom. I have had a look, and it turns out to be my electric toothbrush! Somehow or other, it had managed to turn itself on! Don't ask me how, but very odd, to say the least!

12.55 p.m. The blood pressure monitor has been going off roughly every 45 minutes or so. At one point it went off and then, almost immediately, it went off again. It's not uncomfortable, but a bit surprising when you'd do something else, such as reading or writing this.

3.15 p.m. There has been another violent rainstorm. I'm not sure if there are puddles all around Oldbrook, but I wouldn't be surprised.

To Be, Or Not To Be?

 Friday. 7.55 a.m. If it's Friday . . . it must be, washing day (not Crackerjack, if you remember the BBC children's show which ran from 1956s until 1984 and amongst compères were Eamonn Andrews, Leslie Crowther and Stu Francis.  They used to start off the show with 'It's Friday, and five to five, and it's Crackerjack!' It was the mainstay of children's television and was 'live' and in front of an audience of mainly children. Not much of modern television is done live, so it must have been quite nerve-wracking for the performers, and no doubt the technical crew.)

Saturday. 7.25 a.m. It's a bright and sunny morning. It's not a typical spring day. (Not entirely sure whether we are officially spring or not, but never mind.) It's certainly milder than it's usually at this time of year. We would usually have had snow and ice and very low temperatures by now in other years. There are daffodils out along the roads around Milton Keynes, which always cheer things up.

10.40 a.m. I've been to Asda. I haven't shopped in there for quite some time. It is some distance from Dexter House and I usually shop in Sainsbury's, which is very close. I think you get used to one store and when the layout is changed, which it has in Sainsbury's, it can be somewhat frustrating. The Bletchley Asda is huge, and you can walk miles if you're not careful. Bought an apple pie, peanut butter and chocolate spread. 

Sunday. 7.10 a.m. It appears to be raining, as I look out of my window. I don't think it is particularly thick, but foggy nevertheless.

My FitBit has been displaying the time incorrectly. I think it was about 30 minutes slow, and I have managed to reset it by going into the app on my phone. The app had to be downloaded again, and the time is now correct. I don't like having any watch or gadget with the wrong time set. There's nothing worse than not having the correct time and then being late for appointments.

Monday. 6.15 a.m. I was washing up at the kitchen sink and as I looked out of the window, I could see that it was quite foggy over Oldbrook. Not particularly thick, but still foggy.

10.15 a.m. I've just been to Lidl in Oldbrook Boulevard. This is where the Tesco Express used to be, but the entire block, which also had Barnardo's charity shop and Domino's Pizza within it, has totally gone, demolished and the space where the block used to be has been boarded up. I believe that a brand-new Lidl store is going to be built somewhere in that area, but I'm not sure if it will be in the boarded-up area or elsewhere. I presume, when it's built, the old store will either be demolished or become another business.

Why did I use Hamlet's famous speech as the title of this blog post? I had no real reason.

September Song

 Wednesday. 7.25 a.m. So, this will be the first blog post I write in the new month of September, although this is being written in August. That doesn't make much sense, but I know what I mean. I have two posts that I wrote as the month of August progressed, as quite a lot happened, and it's not easy to just ignore those incidents.

The title is a song from the Brecht/Weill musical show 'The Threepenny Opera.' Originally sung by Lotte Lenya the recording I found on Spotify has her singing in the original German. This show must have inspired such shows as 'Cabaret' and 'Chicago', which were both written by Kander and Ebb.

I went to Camphill yesterday, as usual. Several of the regular members of the theatre workshop were on holiday, and it wasn't exactly clear when they would be coming home to Camphill.

A new, permanent, member of staff, Craig, came for the first time, although he was involved with the 'Play In A Week' which took place a few weeks ago. Terrie, the workshop leader, took Craig off to do his induction, which appeared to be mostly showing him where the various departments within Camphill were how to open various doors and fill out forms for this and that, most likely, how to fill out reports and first aid forms, which is what I remember spending time doing when I was a shift leader within various NHS units I was a support worker in. 

The rest of the team spent the morning playing drama games. Terrie had compiled a list and Paul, another of the permanent staff, led the sessions. Some I didn't get involved in, as it is quite tiring. I will endeavour to describe when I can remember some of them!

The 'silent movies' are as yet incomplete, although the actual filming is complete. A wrap, as the correct term, is at the end of a day's filming or the entire production is finished. The editing is the most complex and time-consuming part of any production and then music has to be put on to the completed film and hopefully, we will be able to see the completed films in the next few weeks. It has been a long and complicated process, from coming up with the idea for the project, creating the stories and characters and then actually filming, so it will be quite exciting to see the results. Terrie wants to premiere the films in a sort of film festival and have all the Camphill residents come to the Chrysalis Theatre to watch, which should be amazing and to see the sort of reaction the films have, especially as most of the residents won't have any idea what the films are about. 

After lunch, we were split into two groups and I led one group on the stage. We were going to create a piece of improvised theatre, meaning, no script and made up as we went along. My suggestion was a hospital and someone suggested that it was haunted (not exactly my idea, but never mind, I could facilitate so much, and they had to fill in the details.

So, it went ahead. I was to be patient and arriving on the ward. The rest of the guys were supposed to be vampires and ghosts. The doctor wasn't a doctor at all. I was taken away by this doctor who attempted to make me into a vampire, but I resisted, in time-honoured Hammer horror film style!

The other group, meanwhile, were working on their improvised 'piece.' It was set in a nightclub. After the tea break we each had to show the other group our 'piece' and at the end of the afternoon, we had to say which part of the day was our favourite. Mine was working on the improvised piece of theatre.

Thursday. 1.05 p.m. The last day of August. Hardly seems credible that tomorrow will be September.

The Thursday Bible Study group went to Mursley Farm Shop, which isn't far out of Milton Keynes, going out of the road towards Buckingham, but I went with Jennie, who leads the Bible study group and she went a different way which I would never have managed if I'd driven on my own. It's great to drive out of Milton Keynes and into the countryside and see green fields and horses, cows and other animals grazing in the fields. Mursley Farm Shop has a nice cafe which serves delicious bacon rolls and lattes, which I had, and as we drove in we could see fields of chickens roaming around in the fields beyond as well as alpacas, sheep, goats and other animals. It did make me wonder, seeing all those chickens, how did they manage to get them to go in their chicken houses at night, before they started nesting in the trees so that they were safe from predators, such as foxes?

We left and drove back to the Oaktree Centre, where my car was parked, and then I drove off to Lidl in Oldbrook Boulevard to do some shopping and then back to Dexter House.

Another Fun-Packed Week?

Sunday. 3.10 p.m. I have done a Google search, because I wanted to know if there was any connection between Covid and the lower back pain I have been experiencing for the past couple of weeks, especially considering I tested positive for covid. It turns out, but I know that it's inconclusive, that there might be a link, because it came up on several websites. This might explain why this pain started at about the same time as the covid.

Monday. 6.00 a.m. I've had another session with the heat pad on my lower back. It certainly relieved the pain, but I will have to continue with it to hopefully end the pain.

10.15 a.m. I cleared all the rubbish out of the car, removed Alfie's cage from the back and went to get cash out of the A.T.M.at Tesco's at Oldbrook Boulevard and then drove into the centre near The Xcape to have the car valeted. I've been planning to do this for a week or two, but because of the weather and then the covid infection and finally the back pain, I was reluctant to go ahead with it, but because it was bright and sunny I thought I'd do it. I am more than pleased with the result, and it looks and smells so much better.

Tuesday. 7.10 a.m. The pain in my back is still causing me problems, but it's not as severe as it was earlier. I have been using the heat pad, and it certainly relieves the pain, but it still wears off. I am determined to let it keep me trapped within this flat, and I am going to Camphill in around an hour's time. My pack-up is done and ready to take with me.

4.50 p.m. I've only been back in the flat forty minutes, having been at Camphill all day. I very nearly didn't go, because of the pain in my lower back, but I was determined I would go.

I didn't join in with some of the more energetic activities, such as the drama warm-ups. There was filming of some of the few remaining bits of the silent movies and then time was spent developing ideas for next week's 'Play In A Week' sessions (I think the title tells you exactly what it it. It runs from Monday, through until Friday, when a piece of theatre will be performed, without an initial script. In fact, it won't have a script. There will be children between the ages of about 8-18 working with the performing arts workshop regulars. There's not a lot more I call to say on this.

Ideas were written up on a whiteboard and will be used as the basis for next week's sessions. Then some fascinating improvisation, which I did get involved in. Someone comes up with a character, just a 'job title, in this case it was a hotel owner. Terrie was a bank teller. The hotel owner queued up, as if waiting in a bank, at one of the teller windows. Another of the regular drama group then came up behind the hotel owner and played a bank robber, although at this point she wasn't obviously such a character. The hotel owner asked the teller for £150 out of his bank account, so the teller asked him to put his bank card into the reader and key in his key number. The teller looked at her computer and said there was only£5 in the account, but the hotel owner got irate. Meanwhile, the bank robber was behind the teller, attempting to steal cash. The idea was, that anyone could take over the 'plot' by taking over from any of the characters and in the attempt, change the storyline. It seems a good way to develop storyline for improvised plays.

Wednesday. 7.15 a.m. I am still in quite a bit of pain. It seems to be getting worse than ever, but I am determined to not let it interfere with my life.

I have to re-apply for my driving licence now that I am over the age of 70. You have to do it every three years. I got a letter informing me of this in the post the other morning. I knew I'd have to do it if I want to keep on driving, which I absolutely do. The thought of being tied to Dexter House and losing my independence would be devastating. I could do this reapplication online, so I started it off. It is generally so much easier to do these things online. It saves having to post everything off, and it's quicker and easier. I had my National Insurance number handy, because you have to put it into the system. The trouble is, I don't have a passport. I don't need or want one, as I'm unlikely to go anywhere outside the United Kingdom. The problem is, you need one in order to prove your identity, so the online system wouldn't allow me to complete the application. So, I will now need to go out and get a photograph done in one of those photo booths you see around the town. I believe there is one in Sainsbury's, so I will have to go in there this morning and use the one in there.

12.25 a.m. I have been to Sainsbury's and got the photo done for the driving licence reapplication. I have now filled out the application form and attached the photo to the form and put it in the envelope, together with my expiring driving licence. I was hoping to take the completed form, within its envelope, out to post, but then discovered it wasn't 'Freepost' or at least, ready to post, so I had to take it to the Post Office within the One Stop shop in Coffee Hall and was shocked that a First Class stamp now costs £1.10!

Heat Breaking Stormy Weather

 Sunday. 7.25 a.m. I have just been to the Tesco Express store in Oldbrook Boulevard to buy a copy of The Sunday Times. I went to pay at one of the self-service check-outs, only to discover there was a technical issue. I scanned the barcode on the paper, but an 'error code' came up on the digital screen. Not only that, but I had to get a member of staff to come over to rectify the machine, but it still didn't work. I then tried the second machine, but exactly the same problem occurred. I had to pay at a manned checkout, using a contactless payment method. It seems that stores want you to use these self-service machines, but there is a constant number of technical problems.

Monday. 5.05 a.m. It was another case of me being wide awake, bright and mild morning, so I took my Alfie out. He was somewhat reluctant, although who can blame him? Who would much rather remain in bed, instead of getting up and going out? It's probably easier in the summer months when it's warm, but far more difficult in the winter months, when it's cold, frosty and generally miserable and dark.

Yesterday, after church, I went to Milton Keynes Museum, as they had a Victorian Weekend. I have to say it was a bit thin on the ground activity-wise. People dressed up in period costume, making it seem as if I had, at one point, walked into a Charles Dickens adaptation. I started off in the tearoom, with a ham and cheese toastie, a slice of very nice walnut sponge and a cup of tea. Some of these 'enactors' (for want of a better word.) came in, some looking like Fagin's gang, a chimney sweep and a very wealthy couple, the woman in a smart dress and hat and the gent with a moustache which had been waxed. They sat at one table, but I very much doubt that, in reality, they would have mixed in the same way during the Victorian period. Queen Victoria herself did actually appear, with her entourage, and spoke to some of 'The people.' She did a tour of the museum site, which added a sort of frisson to the whole afternoon.

Tuesday. 5.20 a.m. Up and out early with Alfie again. A really beautiful sunrise. There's so much litter. I don't see what's so difficult about putting it in a bin or taking it home. The bin, at the point where we cross over from Strudwick Drive onto Oldbrook Green, is not only spilling its contents, but it rusted and off it's base. Likewise, the bin, on the opposite side of the green, has a badly rusted lid. The Campbell Park Parish Council (I presume they are responsible, or The Parks Trust.) really need to replace them or at lest, get them repaired.

We are in desperate need of rain. The grass is beginning to look very parched and brown. There are large cracks in the ground around the area. You could almost put your hand in some of them. Hopefully we should get a shower in the next day or two.

7.05 a.m. No sooner had I mentioned the possibility of rain, than it starts! Only very light, but definitely rain. Thank goodness, it is now a good deal cooler. My digital thermometer currently reads 23ºC. 

Fun and Frolics at Dexter House (But Probably Not)

 Thursday. 3.00 p.m. I can't believe I have got this far into the day, but written nothing on this blog. I must be slipping. Never mind.

I've been to the Oaktree Centre and got there just before 9 o'clock. Another delightful motorist insisted on tailgating me as I turned left out of Strudwick Drive and onto Chaffron Way. You just can't move out of the way quickly enough for some people. The Acorns playgroup now has two sessions on a Thursday and everything was already set up when I arrived. The gridlocked traffic early on most days of the week is really heavy and it would be virtually impossible to get there any quicker.

I took out Alfie after I'd had some lunch and I was surprised to find that Strudwick Drive, from the Dexter Avenue Roundabout, had been coned off and on Oldbrook Boulevard there was a large truck with its rear section tipped up, and I could see workmen in day-glow uniforms shovelling what looked like tarmac onto the road surface, so I assumed they were repairing potholes. It really is about time such work was done around Milton Keynes. Much of the grid work network has resurfaced (I believe it is continuing as I write this.) but many of the roads within the various grids that make up the city need attention.

Friday. 6.25 a.m. Alfie was asleep when I wanted to take him out at around 5.45. I picked him up as usual and carried him out through the door onto Strudwick Drive. We walked around Oldbrook Green and were back in the flat just as it turned 6 o'clock.

10.25 a.m. I have just heard, from a lady who is covering Dexter House since our S.H.0. (Sheltered Housing Officer), Barbara left, and someone has been appointed for the position. She is currently working for the N.H.S., but it will take around six weeks before she can start, because of having to have D.B.S. checks done and work out her notice.

Sunday. 6.35 a.m. Where did Saturday go? I can't believe I didn't report any of my activities. As I write this, I've been out with Alfie. We did our, by now, an obligatory circuit of Oldbrook Green. It is relatively mild and quite pleasant.

It's St George's Day, and it's supposed to be William Shakespeare's birthday. Happy birthday, William. He would have been 459 years old. Quite a few candles on his birthday cake.

Yesterday I went to Homesense at Kingston. I was looking for a mirror for the bathroom, as the one I have isn't very big. It's okay for shaving, well, more or less. They didn't have what I was looking for, although they had a selection of larger mirrors. I also searched for another duvet cover. King-size. A really great selection, and it took some time to decide on the one I eventually bought. I got two others from Homesense and which I alternate whenever I was my bedding, which is why I thought a third would be a good idea. I needed to get a bottom sheet, flat and also for a king-size bed, but they didn't have any. I don't like fitted sheets, as they never stay fitted, so I will probably go back and have another search.

From Homesense I went to Tesco and bought something for my evening meal and then drove home.

Later, when I was out with Alfie, walking around Oldbrook Green, I saw what I thought at first was a hot air balloon, but then I heard an engine and it was what I think is what is called a microlite. It had a sort of parachute above it and I presume someone sitting in a sort of sling underneath. At first, I thought it was going to land in Oldbrook Green, but it veered off towards the centre of Milton Keynes. I don't know whether it landed within the city. I just wonder how far something like that would travel on a full tank of fuel.

We have just got back from a further stroll around Oldbrook Green and Alfie made friends with two very lively labradoodles (if that is the correct spelling.) The lady who had them on leads then let them off. Alfie, as usual, always wants to be friends and at one point got wound up in their leads!

4.15 p.m.  When I got back from church, I had lunch and then I took Alfie out again. I am determined to do the 10,000 steps and then went out again and did around three circuits, which meant I exceeded the 10,000 steps. Oldbrook Green was heaving, with children playing in the skate park and the playground and older children kicking footballs and throwing some at the netball net. Lots of people walking dogs. One particular dog, which I think might be a shitsu, like Poppy (our old dog). When we approached, it started barking at Alfie. I think the dog is called Mable. Alfie didn't take a blind bit of notice and I'm proud of him. That dog has not been trained the same way as Alfie. Obviously not socialized.

Things Can Only Get Better?

 Friday. 10.50 a.m. It's another bright and sunny morning, but there is still quite a gusty wind.

Saturday. 12.20 p.m. It's quite windy today. I can hear it whistling around outside Dexter House as I write this. The sun is out, and it's reasonably mild, but little else.

Not a lot to report on here. Just another regular sort of day. I went to Aldi to do a shop. I was there around 9.15, and I was in and out of the store within about thirty minutes. A good deal quicker than if I'd gone to Sainsbury's. I think it's because it's a smaller store, with fewer choices, so you don't stand in the aisle attempting to decide which product to buy. The tills are faster, because they've designed their packaging so the bar codes are easier to find and scan, and you pack straight into your trolley and then pack your bags on a shelf. But I can manage to pack straight into my bags. In the process, I think I save around a third, compared to the price of a full shop in, say, Tesco, Morrisons or Sainsbury's. Certainly no loss of quality.

I have now managed to write around 24 pages of new material, which is now transferred from handwritten to word processing. That is somewhere in the region of 6,400 words. It's nowhere near complete, and I am still working on it so that it can be assimilated into what I have already written.

Sunday. 6.15 a.m. The clocks have moved forward one hour. This is the time I usually take Alfie out. I have a feeling that it has rained in the night because I think I can hear the rain outside (just as well it's not inside.) I have checked my bank account by going online. The balance is fine, which means I can go and put fuel in the car before I go to church.

7.15 a.m. Having now been out with Alfie, we discovered a light rain as we came out onto Strudwick Drive and the path awash. It was like walking in a river. Alfie would rather go back indoors, but after I'd picked up after him and went to the bin across Oldbrook Boulevard, we walked home.

1.15 p.m. I have been to church, but on the way, I went to the Esso filling station in Child's Way to fill the car with diesel. I went via Marlborough Street, and no sooner had I turned into Childs Way on the roundabout, that the alarm went off in the car, to warn me that the fuel level was low. I have had the car for around five years and never, in all that time, has that alarm gone off. I knew the fuel level was low because I have been keeping an eye on the fuel gauge.

Having left the Oaktree Centre after church, I had just got on Chaffron Way to return home, when a car came right up behind me, insisting that I get out of the way. I was going around 45-50, which seems a reasonable speed to be doing. The driver would not reduce his speed and remain tailgating me until I got to the roundabout on Fulmer Street, so I decided to peel off to the left. These incidents seem to be getting worse. It seems totally out of order. People don't seem to have any respect for other drivers and just want you to get out of their way, or else. I find it totally unnerving to have a car behind me, almost touching the bumper of my car.

5.45 p.m. Watching the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race on BBC1 (which has just finished, with Cambridge winning both  the men's and women's races.) I'm intrigued by the commentators. Why do they all have such oversized microphones (this is the same with all sports commentators, especially motorsports.)? Is it some sort of 'we're big and important, so we have to stand out by holding such oversized microphones? Technically, they surely don't need to hold a microphone, and not each has one. They could easily have small mics that clip onto their clothing. I think it might be so they have something to hold. They're props. If they didn't have them to hold, they wouldn't know what to do with their hands. Then, why do each of the commentators have them? With four people, it must be difficult for the sound operators to keep the sound balance.

Unblocking Writing (and Other Matters)

Thursday. 2.15 p.m. I have just received an email from Camphill, informing me that I can return to working in the theatre workshop. Until my DBS goes through thoroughly, I can't work one-to-one with any group, but I can work 'under supervision.' I understand why this is, because they belong to a 'vulnerable group', under safeguarding. If I was to work there without them checking my DBS (Disclosure and Barring) and the CQC (Care Quality Commission) were to do an inspection and found I didn't have a disclosure certificate, Camphill would be in trouble, I can see why all this has taken so long.

Friday. 8.10 a.m. A bit of a rush to get Alfie out and then put my washing into the machine at around 7.45 a.m. I'm actually scheduled to load my laundry at 8 a.m., but I don't see why I have to wait ten minutes to do so. It's dark outside until at least 7.30, and it's quite difficult to see what you're doing, picking up after Alfie and then walking to the bin which is across Oldbrook Boulevard and on The Green. I don't know why they can't put a bin a bit closer but never mind.

Saturday. 8.05 a.m. I was under the impression that it was raining earlier. So, I was relieved to find, on taking Alfie out, that it wasn't raining. I think there was a distinct possibility that it had been raining overnight, as the leaves which are on the grass alongside Strudwick Drive were wet.

1.30 p.m. It's now bright sunshine outside (well, it's not inside) because if it was, there's probably be no roof over my flat. Oh, what an absurd thing to say! Never mind, it's the effect of being incarcerated in this place. 

Sunday. 7.15 a.m. The clocks have changed. I haven't had the fabled extra 'hour in bed' which is what we always get told everywhere, on television news, in papers and generally. Because it was relatively light (does that make sense? I don't know. What does it matter? I mean 'reasonably' light, enough to be able to see what I was doing.) I took Alfie out.

9.00 a.m. I suddenly got the urge to do some more writing. This often happens, I get a bout of creativity and manage to write several pages and then I get stuck (writer's block?) and then leave it for a while, and then I pick it up again and continue. This current sequence has been through several drafts, and this time I think I've got it how I want it. I have discovered if I write from a different angle, things are easier to write. Or else I have what they have 'reported speech', whereby some important event happens 'off-stage' and a character describes whatever it is. Shakespeare does this a lot, particularly when it's something like a battle, which is difficult to put on stage. It also means you can have 'off-stage' characters who don't actually appear 'centre stage' which rounds out the story without the need for extra characters. Alan Ayckbourn does this and quite often has characters 'off-stage.' This, in particular in one of his best plays 'Absurd Person Singular' is set in three kitchens over three successive Christmases, with parties going on 'off-stage' and never actually seen.

2.05 p.m. After church this afternoon, we had a church member's meeting. The budget for the year was approved and one or two other matters were raised. Just as the meeting was coming to a close, the heavens opened and it rained, quite a torrential downpour, which made driving back to Dexter House along Chaffron Way quite challenging, to say the least. Some drivers didn't have their lights on, which was somewhat foolhardy. I had Classic FM on the car radio as usual and Beethoven's 7th Symphony blaring out as I was driving and, with the torrential rain, the whole was made even more dramatic with such powerful orchestral music playing. I love Classic FM, but it has too many advertisements on it, probably because it has grown it's an audience and once that happens, then it's bound to attract more advertising.

6.05 p.m. Another creative spurt, although the sequence I'm writing isn't finished. I will transcribe it all into word processing. I'm more than happy with what I've written. That's not always the case. I write something and then leave it for a couple of weeks and then return to it and, on re-reading it, I find it's not working how I want it to go and end up completely rewriting it. In the end, it's the best way to write for me, because the various drafts can be altered as I go along.

Printer Frustrations

Sunday. 6.20 a.m. A good deal cooler this morning, thankfully. My digital thermometer reads 81ºF as I write this post.

I received two books on Saturday morning,  which I had ordered via Amazon, but they were both identical and hardback versions.  I don't want them in hardback form, and why would I order two? They will have to be returned, which isn't difficult because you only need to print off a return label and there's no charge. But my HP printer will not play ball. I can't fathom the confounded thing out and after around half a dozen attempts, I gave up. I still can't see why I had two books sent. Something must have gone wrong during the ordering process. At this rate, if the printer doesn't behave and function as it is supposed to, I may be forced to defenestrate it. It's possible, but not entirely, the only solution to the problem. Why do computer printers behave in this way? 

3.45 p.m. I have had several printers over the years, and they have all caused similar problems. I thought I'd try a different tack this afternoon and try replacing the ink cartridges, but that has made no difference. I have moved the whole printer on its new trolley, into the lounge so that I can sit and fiddle with the thing, which I hoped might make things easier, but nothing has happened. I am gradually running out of options.

The current temperature of the flat is 89ºF. I can't wait for the weather to break, which is what they are forecasting for the next couple of days. It's not often we are only too pleased to get rain, but the heat is becoming intolerable.

Monday. 4.05 a.m. It's not often I'm awake and out of bed at this hour, but, what with the heat and not being able to sleep,  I had my obligatory shave, which was enough to wake me up, and then I thought I'd get on here. The digital thermometer currently reads 84ºF. Crazy sort of temperature for this time of the day. I just hope that today sees the temperature fall considerably and even the chance of some rain.

8.45 a.m. I have packed up the two books I mentioned earlier in this post. You have to print off a label, which has the company address the books came from on it, along with a bar code. Because I can't get my HP printer to function, I emailed it to Barbara, SHO of Dexter House, and she printed it off for me. The label was stuck onto the parcel, which was securely taped up with Sellotape, and then I drove to Tesco Express in Oldbrook Boulevard. Oh, dear! The woman I handed it to must have got out of her bed on the wrong side (as my mum would have said. Why does getting out of bed on the wrong side make people miserable?) Well, the face of this particular woman, behind the till in Tesco, was enough to turn your milk sour.  She scanned the barcode with a sort of mobile phone device, although I doubt it was a mobile phone, and then I had to put my name into the device, not easy when the thing is so small. Then, sign, equally difficult, as you can't write with your finger. Do companies really expect you to sign a legible signature on these things? I think not. I got handed a receipt, and that was it. The delivery company is or was called Hermes, but now it's called Evri, which makes it even more confusing. The grumpy old woman could then get on with whatever she was doing before I entered the store. But she wasn't a good advertisement for Tesco or exactly inspiring any sort of sense of being professional or able to deal with a crisis. I rather got the impression that she would have preferred to be anywhere but working in the local Tesco.

August Bank Holiday

 I  often wonder, do banks really DESERVE to have a holiday? Considering the mess many of them got into in 2008 (I may have got the year wrong.) when the government bailed them out with taxpayer's money, THEY should be paying US!

Sunday. 11.35 a.m. We haven't had a proper church service for a few weeks now, because it's August, and the thinking is that, as most people will be away on holiday, there's really no sense in full service. Last week we had a community picnic and this week we have the famous church barbecue. I have made up a salad and done a few baked potatoes, which I put in the oven at around 6.30 this morning. I had gone to Sainsbury's yesterday after another of our prayer triplet sessions at a friend's home in Conniburrow. I then realized, when I got home, that I should have got something to drink to take with me. I drove to the Tesco Express store in Oldbrook Boulevard. Because of social distancing, you are supposed to follow a one-way system around the store. I picked up what I wanted and then made my way to the check-out, going to a manned till because there was someone using the self-service tills. I arrived at the back of a reasonably long queue and for some reason wasn't sure who was queuing. Then a young man let rip at me, accusing me of pushing in. Untrue, but he was adamant that I had. He continued to rant at me, using bad language which I won't repeat here. I thought he was going to end up hitting me, so I stood back. Then he hurled a packet of sweets or chocolates at me and then stormed off out of the store, continuing to rant and rave. It left me feeling somewhat shocked, and I think the same could be said of the rest of the customers who were queuing ahead of me. I have a feeling he was probably from a residential home nearby, probably with a severe type of learning disability or another mental health issue. Which made me wonder why he was allowed out on his own.

Monday. 11.00 a.m. So, Bank Holiday Monday! It's not exactly a baking hot day. Drizzling when I took out Alfie earlier. I'm not doing a lot, just pottering around. His Nibs is asleep on the sofa as I write this.

I had another odd dream last night. I know, most dreams are odd. I have mentioned before in these blog posts my time working in stage management and on one particular play I was A.S.M. on at Greenwich Theatre some fifty years ago, 'A Voyage Round My Father', written by John Mortimer. In the dream, I had a visit from his wife (not sure of her name.) She wanted to give me a copy of a book John Mortimer had written (I have no idea of its title.) and I told her about working on the play. She signed the book, and that was all. Strange, particularly as I haven't been thinking of that play or anything to do with it recently. Mortimer also wrote the Rumpole stories and television series, which I love.

Tuesday. 4.10 p.m. I am currently working on a sort of subplot for my writing project. I wouldn't call it a fantasy as such, but as my main character is a writer it's a sort of spoof of a genre of writing very much inspired by 'The 39 Steps' by John Buchan. I have always loved the Hitchcock version, which veers off course from the original story to a large extent. I watched the BBC television version which seems to stick to the original to some extent then uses some of Hitchcock's ideas and then changes the ending, what exactly are the titular 39 Steps? It seems as if each version has different suggestions, but it's one of those films and stories which is the blueprint of many later espionage thrillers.

The World's Your Oyster

Saturday. 6.40 a.m.Why, you may well ask, did I choose THAT as the title for this blog post? The simple fact is, I don't know. It just came to me, so I decided to use it. Crazy, but true.

It's a sunny and bright morning, and Alfie and I went out as usual. As we got to the crossing onto Oldbrook Green, I saw a group of men playing what I thought was football on the grass. Well, not much of a game, but more of an old-fashioned kick-about. I think from their voices, which were quite loud, that they were probably Russian or at least what you'd call East European. Well, they appeared to be enjoying themselves, but from the raised voices, I don't think the neighbors would have been too pleased, especially not on a Saturday morning, to be woken by a noise like that. But at least it was good-natured.

I have now got my FitBit working properly at long last, as I think I mentioned in my last post. As a result, I can use it to count steps when I am out walking with Alfie. So I was determined to do a circuit of Oldbrook Green. But unfortunately, Alfie has other ideas. He kept attempting to pull me back home to the flat. He can be very strong-willed when he wants to. An extremely determined little person at the best of times and considering his size, quite strong in the sense that it takes quite a lot of effort to prevent him from taking us both home. I had to really struggle to get him to walk all around the circuit, but we did eventually. I'm really determined to do my 10,000 steps (or, hopefully, far more.) each day.

We got back to the crossing point over Oldbrook Boulevard and it was as we were walking along the path I saw this large, very fluffy cat slinking along and making for the main path into Fishermead. When it saw Alfie, it decided to turn round and make for the other side of Strudwick Drive, near The Cricketers pub. Fortunately, Alfie didn't see it, otherwise, things might have been very different.

I've been watching a documentary which was on the television channel 'Talking Pictures', but which I had recorded on my Freeview box. I had forgotten all about it until I was short of something to watch and I had a look and it came up. It was about the film and theatre director, Lindsay Anderson. I am always interested in discovering more about the creative process someone goes through to produce a film a novel or any sort of artistic creation. There are a great many similar documentaries on YouTube which I have seen and as a result learned things I wouldn't have done otherwise. Anderson directed a film in the late 1960s called 'If . . . .' which was about a revolution in a public school. I remember seeing it when I was a student A.S.M. in Cheltenham. It was filmed in large part at Cheltenham College. It's strange how some things become a sort of intersection of several areas of my life. That one, obviously, Cheltenham. One of the actors was David Wood, who went on to play the part of The Son in the play 'A Voyage Round My Father' by John Mortimer when I went on to be an A.S.M. at Greenwich Theatre in 1970. David Wood mentioned that he had been an actor in rep at the Swan Theatre in Worcester at the time he was cast in 'If . . . .' which is where my daughter Chloe went to university there and now lives. The film had a very powerful effect on me. It was not only interesting at the time I first saw it to see Cheltenham portrayed when I was living there, but the fact that it was about rebellion and radical. My other favourite film is by Terry Gilliam, one of the 'Monty Python' team who created the brilliant animations which were used in the television series and then went on to direct several groundbreaking films. The film that really interested me was 'Brazil' which stars Jonathan Pryce. Set in a dystopian Britain and very similar to Orwell's '1984.' A comedy with a very black sense of humour and draws very heavily on Gilliam's illustration and design style. Not a comedy that's for the faint-hearted but with a clear message, similar to the Lindsay Anderson film. A great many Hollywood films are just like chewing gum for the eyes. Just fodder for the masses.  Chew on it and the flavour is gone, so you either spit it out or put it in a bin (or you should do.) Mindless pap. Just made to make money and that's about all. You come out and it's forgotten ten minutes later. But these two films make you think. I think it's that which makes them so brilliant. Blockbusters are not really my sort of thing. 

Busy Doing Nothing!

Friday. 8.a.m. Bright and sunny. Virtually no clouds in the sky, and, according to the BBC weather forecast this morning, we can expect more similar days. 

Actually, the title for this post isn't accurate, as I have plenty to keep me going. My family history research is going well. The My Heritage site works best on the app on the iPad. Got back around 9-10 generations. Baking at a standstill at the moment, but I intend to do more soon. Writing going well, although I'm doing the research before I continue. Reading, still on the Juliet Gardiner book. It's around 600-700 pages, so I don't expect to get through it much before the autumn.

Witty is saying 'we're not out of the woods' in regards to the pandemic. But the data says otherwise. The stupid NHS app is flawed and people are being 'pinged' because the idiot thing is sending messages saying people should isolate when there is no need to. It's just scare-mongering once more. Crazy. 

I got the quote from my current car insurance provider, Swinton. Am I glad I did some research before going with them again? The quote is an eye-watering £759.95! The new quote, which is already set up and the deposit paid, is £329. Just shows how important it is to shop around to get a better quote and with a breakdown cover from the RAC. This is from Dial Direct, which I found through Go Compare.

Saturday. 6.45 a.m. It's bright and sunny this morning. The BBC weather forecast is telling me that it's likely to be the hottest day of the year. I just need to keep out of the heat if that's the case, as it can be dangerous with a heart problem.

Later. 2.40 p.m. I am part of what is called a 'Prayer Triplet' which is part of SCF. We met for the first time this morning. The idea being that we are mentored and supported, probably quite necessary considering the current situation regarding the pandemic as well as the effects of Carol's death. Good to be able to talk about things that are going on in your life and then pray it through. I had to drive to Conniburrow, which isn't much more than a ten-minute drive from home. I had been there before, to a barbecue, but still, I needed to refresh my memory and then decided to use Google Maps on my iPhone, which acted as a satnav. Amazingly very good and a clear voice, as I had the mobile sitting on the passenger seat beside me. Just crazy how this technology works and I soon got there.

It's really hot today. I've been out with Alfie who didn't get his mid-morning outing because of me being out for the morning. I just can't cope with the heat and neither can Alfie.

Sunday. 8.55 a.m. I've been out twice with Alfie. I didn't wake up until 5.45, which isn't my usual time to wake up. It's usually a good deal earlier. So I had to really struggle to get out of bed and then get dressed and take Alfie out. I can't think what was different. 

It's really hot and it's only barely 9 o'clock, so I'm glad we went out when we did. I would rather stay indoors out of the heat as it's not safe if it's too hot when you have a heart problem. Alfie doesn't like it either and I think he prefers it cooler.

I had a shower, which isn't my usual time to have one, but I am a good deal cooler than when I came indoors. I have a drink of cranberry cordial with ice in it. I have plenty of ice in the fridge.

Been to get milk from Tesco Express on Oldbrook Boulevard. I don't want to have none for my early-morning cup of tea and bowl of breakfast cereal.  I noticed that the Dominos Pizza and Bernados charity shop have closed. I have a sneaking suspicion that the whole block is to be demolished to make way for a new, larger Lidl branch to be built, with this being the opposite end to where it is currently. Presumably, Lidl has bought the entire site, which might explain all this. I have since discovered that Dominos has moved across the road into Duckworth Court, where there is already a Pizza Hut. I'm not sure when all this is due to be started, but I just wonder what will become of the mini Tesco branch which is so handy for buying milk and last-minute things. Also, it has an A.T.M. outside when you need cash or to at least check your bank balance. I hope that Lidl will have one when all this is completed.

T'was On A Monday Morning . . .

 'Title, from one of my all-time favourite comic duos, Flanders and Swann.

Saturday. 11.35 a.m. I had a strange dream last night. Seemed almost real. I was in a house, which appeared to be old, probably the 1930s or earlier. Not modernized, murky, dark, old-fashioned wallpaper. Dark paintwork and not well lit. I was with a lady, not sure who it was. Was she moving in? Might have been as the house was unfurnished. Almost as if someone had left it in a hurry, having taken out all the furniture. There were vases of what seemed to be dead or at least dried flowers in them. Some looked old and withered and others looked wispy and fragile. The lady went out and left me alone in the house and I had to put the dead flowers in bin bags. She came back later and helped me clear out bags and boxes of rubbish. A pile of magazines which I picked up and read. It was at that point the dream ended and I woke up. I think the house was very like the house my parents had in Cople, it was about the same sort of age. Not very well maintained and definitely in need of modernization. The curtains in this house were closed, making the place even darker. That is all I can remember.

Sunday. 6.15 a.m. Alfie appeared to want to go out at around 2 a.m. He kept coming to look at me and there was a slight pong, so I assumed he needed to go out. I had to get dressed quickly and we went out as normal, not forgetting to take the little torch I have for such an occasion because it was too dark to see clearly when we got out onto the grass along Strudwick Drive.  But it turned out he just needed to have a wee and we soon came back inside. But it actually turned out he wanted a drink of water and I had meant to fill his water bowl yesterday evening, but I forgot. So, I filled it for him and he had a long drink. As the bowl is hidden behind the end of the sofa, you can't see it except when I go to put his food out. It's there so I don't trip over it or at least spill it. So that was sorted out. 

I wasn't able to have my usual cup of tea (mug actually) and a bowl of cereal because when I came to pour milk on it, all I got was yogurt! It had gone off! Annoying as according to the 'best before' date it wasn't out of date until tomorrow. So, I'll just have to go out later and get some from Tesco at Oldbrook Boulevard.

10.20 a.m. It's hot and humid. The whole country seems overwhelmed by the fact that the England football team has actually reached the final of the 2021 Euros. It seems that is all they are talking about on BBC Breakfast this morning. Well, that's great, even though I have really no interest in football, but at least it's a positive thing and taking people's minds off the confounded pandemic.

'They Think It's All Over'?

Thursday. 6.50 a.m. I wasn't aware of the euphoria of England getting through to the final of the Euro 2021 football championship last night. I have no interest in football, as you will realize, but even so, it has to be quite an historic achievement, comparable to the 1966 World Cup win (although England hasn't won- yet.) So, the infamous quote by Kenneth Wolstenholme, 'They think it's all over . . . ' seems appropriate, although not . . . quite. Watch this space. I heard no crowds cheering, as I did the other evening, coming from the pub on the corner of Strudwick Drive and Oldbrook Boulevard, 'The Cricketers.' But, it isn't over until the final on Sunday evening . . .

I had to laugh the other day. I was walking back towards the flat with Alfie along Strudwick Drive when a youth shot past on one of those electric scooters, but he was looking at his mobile as he did so. He went to cross the road and as he did so he stopped on the island in the centre of the road and then dropped his mobile. I just thought it was just as well it didn't fall in the path of the next car or lorry which passes by as it would have been flattened. 

I sent the iPhone 7 back to Sky, having removed the apps. But I then got an email saying they couldn't credit my account until iCloud was disconnected. I really had no idea how to do this, but went on the Sky website and managed to click on what I thought was where I was supposed to, but it turned out not to be correct. Having rung Sky, after a lot of searching on the website (why bury this number? It should be in a far more prominent position.), and was told I would need to ring Apple. The same thing happened with this as I had problems finding the phone number, but eventually, I found it and got through.

I spoke to an Apple engineer how managed to talk me through the process of deactivating iCloud from the iPhone 7. Quite amazed that he could 'see' my iPad screen and direct me using the cursor, which made it considerably easier. So, problem solved and I trust that is the end of the matter. Why on earth they can't give you instructions regarding this type of thing that would make life so much easier. You always used to get an instruction manual with most things, but not with mobile phones and computers. I think they expect you to find anything from manuals to resolving issues via the internet.

Friday.7.15 a.m. It's really humid at the moment. I just hope it rains and clears the air. Not the best for me, but never mind.

My car insurance runs out at the beginning of August. I wanted to see if I could get a lower quote, so I went on several comparison websites, Compare The Market, Go Compare, and one other. I've been with Swinton for years. I pay in monthly installments and it was around £52 a month. I didn't get any extras for that, no breakdown cover or the use of a courtesy car. I did a search, putting in all my details, years of no-claims, etc and I have got what I think is a far better deal, at around £32 per month, with breakdown cover and courtesy car. I have paid a deposit and the next payment will be in August. Just seems crazy to pay more for less. Just a question of having a look for a better deal. As I'm not driving much more than a few thousand miles a year, which was taken into consideration when coming up with a quote. But it seems I get more for less, which doesn't make sense, but it's true. 

I have something called Grammarly installed on my MacBook. It isn't the full version, and it's useful to check not just my grammar but also my spelling. But I do object to it insisting I spell words the American way, for example, 'centre' for 'center.' When you've written a passage, it underlines the offending word and a window pops up and you get an alternate spelling. It's doing it now, as I save this section and it's insisting I spell centre as center. I know you don't have to agree with the alternative spelling, but it's still useful. A grammatical error it attempts to change is 'an historic' which is to change to 'a historic.' Which is correct? I wonder what my English teacher would say when I was at school.

Welcome Sun!

Monday. 10.00a.m.The confounded pigeons are making the same ridiculous noise outside my window, which is wide open to cool the place down. Can't pigeons learn a different song? Just so boring. The simple fact of the matter is that they have to be the most boring birds around. Not exactly the most intelligent of birds, granted, just wandering around with that stupid head movement. If I was to go around like that I'd get a really bad headache. It made me laugh as I stood at my kitchen sink doing washing-up (yes, unbelievably, I do that occasionally.) watching a group of pigeons perched in the trees which are in the community garden at Dexter House. It was quite breezy, and the branches of the trees were swaying too and fro, but the silly birds wouldn't move. No sense at all.  I would laugh if they fell out of the trees! They don't have the sense to perch somewhere more secure. No wonder they get eaten by predatory birds such as hawks. Just make a lovely meal for some bird and it would rid us of the stupid noise. There are red kites that circle around this area, so perhaps they are likely to sup on a dense pigeon or two.

Wednesday. It's a bit colder this morning. Not frosty, but considerably cooler than the past few days. I have decided to give my knees an airing and put on my shorts. I didn't realize how cold it was until we got outside. 

Thursday. 8.10 a.m. I was surprised again by how cold it was this morning. The sun is out and that stupid pigeon is again making its stupid noise.

I did a Sainsbury's online shop on Monday and the delivery was yesterday at around 12.30. Unfortunately, I ordered skimmed milk instead of semi-skimmed. I don't know why I ordered it as, quite frankly, it's not nice. Just thin and watery. Never mind. I had to drive to the Tesco Express in Oldbrook Boulevard to get some semi-skimmed. I found that there was ice on the car's windscreen which had to be thawed off before I could drive away. A few sprays of de-icer and a few flicks of the wipers and it was gone.

Later. I have taken Alfie to have his face trimmed at The Groom Room. I can just say he can now see where he's going and I'm sure he's a good deal happier. The proper groom has now, fortunately, been scheduled to 28th April thank goodness, which means he can now be trimmed fully, have his claws trimmed, and generally have a full grooming session. It really was too long to wait until July which was when he was originally booked.

Friday. 7a.m. It's bright and sunny as I write this, but even so, it is chilly out, as I discovered just now when I took Alfie out for his usual walk. Not a great deal more I can say at the moment. What's changed? Not a lot. Lockdown is a bit like being in that film, 'Groundhog Day,' where you get trapped in the same day, which just repeats endlessly. You seem not to be able to get out of it. I think we're in some mad experiment, to see how long we can put up with isolation. We are being observed by an alien species, who sit inside their mothership, several thousand miles into deep space. They view us in the same fashion we watch ants in a colony.  Those aliens are preparing to invade, and we won't notice, because we're so obsessed with our mobile phones, we just don't seem to notice what's going on. I think there's a sci-fi novel in there somewhere  . . .