Freedom Day . . . At Long Last!

This is the day we've been waiting for. All the ludicrous restrictions we've had to live under for the past two years are being abandoned. Let's say it; the pandemic is over, although Boris Johnson has said that the coronavirus hasn't gone away. Let's just say, it's hiding. We have to learn to live with it. 

It may be 'Freedom Day' if that's what you want to call it, but we now have all this overshadowed by the Ukraine Crisis with Russia threatening to invade that small country. Vladimir Putin making out it's their fault, and they're the aggressor. All this is done to deflect things from problems within Russia, mostly financial.

Thursday. 9.45 a.m. I have just got back from taking Alfie out for one of his walks and, as we walked along the path that runs beside Strudwick Drive, I notice a bright yellow pencil that looked as if it has been thrown away. Nothing wrong with it, an ordinary Staedtler wooden pencil, HB grade. I'm thinking, 'I'll have that!" So I picked it up and put it in my jacket pocket. But further along, I picked up more and in total there were 10 of them. I just hope they were thrown there by a pupil from Milton Keynes Academy or even the Primary school which is just over the road. Are children so stupid as to throw away stuff they are given to use in their lessons? I know some children don't have such items given to them by their parents as they don't have the income to afford such items as pens, pencils and other things, so why waste these by throwing them on the grass. There are children in Africa who would be pleased to have even a scrap of paper to write on or a pencil to write with. I don't think the children around here realize how lucky they are to have even the basic things free of charge for use in their education.

Perfectly good pencils, rescued from the grass along Strudwick Drive this morning. Just a waste to throw them away.

7.30 a.m. As I've mentioned in earlier blogs, I have upgraded my MacBook and now have a MacBook Pro. I'm more than pleased with it. I'm really surprised how thin and light it is, compared with my MacBook Air. I had been searching online to find some way of recycling it and, hopefully, get a fair price for it. This morning it has been collected by a courier from DPD, packed it up in a sealed box and is now gone. It was in excellent condition, mostly because it has had a plastic cover. I had managed to remove the bottom cover, but not the top one. Which shows how effective it has been in protecting this laptop.  I always attempt to look after all my gadgetry, because it is expensive and if I want to use it there's no point in it getting damaged if it's cared for properly. I had wiped the surface with a wet wipe but got the driver to remove the top cover. Also wiped clean and hopefully, this will affect the price I eventually receive. 

I'm somewhat annoyed that the laundry room is locked until 8 a.m. Just crazy that I have to wait until 8 o'clock to do my washing. I haven't been told about this stupid new rule. More rules and regulations. Just annoying.

It seems that Freedom Day was somewhat overshadowed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Just tell me, when did Kiev become Kyiv? It seems that the names of quite a few places have more or less overnight been changed in their spelling. Most western nations have taken their eyes off the ball (you might say.) Biden, US President' is as much use as a wet fish. Probably has early-onset dementia. Meanwhile, our politicians have been more concerned about parties in Downing Street than watching what's happening centre stage.  No wonder Rome burns whilst Nero fiddles. Sorry, I'm mixing my metaphors. No wonder Putin has managed to do what he's done. Puts me in mind of the Munich Crisis in 1938 before the beginning of World War 2. Strange how history repeats itself.

10.30 a.m. It is quite sunny and warm. A pleasant enough day to wander slowly around Oldbrook Green.

I have been back baking. I got the Sainsbury's Magazine last time I was shopping and inside is a recipe for chocolate cookies, so I have bought the ingredients (not actually from Sainsbury's. I decided to go to Waitrose instead. It is quite an effort to make anything complicated in my tiny kitchen because there isn't much in the way of surfaces. It's a bit of a juggling act. Measuring out the flour, butter, sugar and so on and attempted to roll out the dough and then put it on baking trays, but my efforts have been worthwhile. The results have exceeded expectations. Now I have had all the boxes removed from the pantry/cupboard, I have more space to store the equipment, such as the food processor and the trays and pans. I need to get a good deal more organized next time I do a bake.

I have hit the 10,000 steps target today! That's approximately 5 miles. I took Alfie out  at around 4 p.m. as it was bright and sunny and it seemed a pity to not take advantage of the sun. I don't think Alfie was going to miss the opportunity to have a good walk and sniff around in the grass. Just glad to get the steps total in and finding the Fitbit is motivating me to get out of the flat.

Scorchio!

Good old tabloid newspaper headline for my post title. Well, why not?

Last night it was again excessively hot. This morning I decided it would be a good idea to get an electric fan for the bedroom, so I've been to Sainsbury's and bought one. It is now set up and Alfie is making full advantage of it. It should make sleeping better, but we will have to wait and see.

Tuesday. 7.20 p.m. I can hear thunder as I write this. I have been looking out of the kitchen window and it looks as if it's raining. Goodness, quite a lot more thunder rolling around Milton Keynes. It seems to be approaching and will most likely relive the heat. 

I watched the launch of the Blue Origin rocket which has been funded by Amazon boss Geoff Bezos. One of the astronauts/passengers was 82-year-old Wally Funk who had trained as a cosmonaut but never made it into space because they said women couldn't go, for whatever reason. Just sexist. The journey to the edge of space and back to earth lasted for no more than 12 minutes. 

Wednesday. 8.00 a.m. I woke as normal at around 5.15. Alfie and I did our usual outing and it seemed as if it had been raining because of definite signs of the ground being given a real wetting. I had my usual bowl of cereal and tea and then went back to bed. I went back to sleep, which is unlike me. I've now done all the washing up in the kitchen and currently sitting here writing this. It seems my blog post reports are getting shorter and shorter. Oh well, such is life! I am so glad I got the fan yesterday as it's making sleeping better and Alfie seems to enjoy the breeze it produces.

Thursday. 6.15 a.m. Another bright and sunny morning, but it's likely to be warmer than ever.

I've been doing some more baking I went to get additional ingredients and have made a batch of brownies which have come out better than expected. Crunchy on the outside and soft and chocolatey on the inside. Not really baking weather. The heat isn't exactly conducive for this sort of work. I may do more once it's cooler.

Friday. 6.40 a.m. Well, the week is slipping by quickly. I can't believe it's Friday again. The excitement is too much. Do you sense a sort of irony in my words, a sense of sarcasm? Well, you might be right. Just running out of anything original to put in these posts.

Later. 4.25 p.m. I've taken Alfie out, as per usual. We walked down Strudwick Drive towards the crossing point onto Oldbrook Green. There was a somewhat large, rather undisciplined dog with its owner, who was sitting on the bench in the area you arrive in when you first get onto Oldbrook Green. I was reluctant to walk past as the dog looked likely to be unwelcoming of Alfie. Its owner shouted to me, asking if I had a light, but I replied that I didn't, as I don't smoke. I really had to struggle to get Alfie to walk around the Green, but he just would not. It was so unlike him, as he usually is more than happy to do the usual circular walk. I can't think what it was, but he was determined to take me home. For a little dog, he can be very determined and, in some ways, stubborn, and pulled me to cross the road and back to the flat.

June Is Bustin' Out All Over!

Okay, okay! Another blog post title quiz question. . . Where is this title from? Another musical . . . written by Rogers and Hammerstein. . . It's from their musical 'Carousel.' I actually thought it was from 'Oklahoma!', but after a Goole search, I found out my guess was wrong.

Saturday.7.10 a.m.  Yet another bright and sunny morning. It does seem that June is definitely 'Bustin'' out all over Oldbrook and further afield. Trees in full leaf. Flowers popping up all over the place. Birdies building their nests and fledglings taking their first flight. Goodness knows what else, but things are definitely bustin' out all over!

10.25 a.m. I decided I needed a hand mixer for use with my baking. Something simple, a hand mixer, which would make whisking up cake mix, batter, and other items far quicker and easier. I had a look on the internet, Amazon as a start-off, but so many brands that I haven't heard of, some cheaper than others and some definitely more than I was willing to pay. Then I thought of Argos and the fact I had quite a few Nectar points which I've collected through shopping in Sainsbury's and which I get with having a home contents insurance policy with Sainsbury's Bank. I had a look and then read the reviews of some of those hand mixers, the cheapest not having very good or at least, mixed (sorry about the pun! Just couldn't help it I'm afraid.) one saying it was liable to over-heat, so no good. I expected to pay a bit more, so I found a Kenwood model, a good brand, and supposedly reliable, so I decided on that one and at £22.99 seemingly good value. Multi-speed and you can store it with the whisks disconnected and stand on its flat base. So, it seemed ideal for my kitchen which has limited storage space.

I wanted to pay online and use the Nectar points and buy it through 'Click and Collect,' which I have done with some other items I have bought recently, such as my electric kettle, toaster, and more recently my food processor. It took several attempts to get the website to function and I had to pay 49p with my Debit card as the price of the food mixer was that much more than the number of nectar points would allow. Only possible to use £2.50 worth of points at a time if that makes sense. I eventually got the site to work for me, paid, and then an email to say that I could collect the item after 9 a.m because that was when Argos opened on a Saturday morning.

I needed to go to Lloyd's pharmacy in Sansbury's to collect a ready prescription, Beconase, which my doctor had prescribed when I mentioned the coughing I am experiencing at the moment and discussed during the telephone I had with her on Friday afternoon (I will mention this in the next blog post.) I also needed some shaving gel, because I had reached the end of the current pack and I cannot shave without gel, together with one or two other items. In and out relatively quickly and from there I had intended to drive to Argos, a short trip down Avebury Boulevard, or should have been until I discovered that the road was closed off due to work being done to construct a roundabout and traffic lights on the intersection with Avebury Boulevard and Grafton Street. It took me quite a while to work out a route to Argos, eventually driving further up Child's Way and going 180 degrees round the roundabout on Watling Street and then back towards the city centre and into the turning for Morrisons and through the car parks and park outside Argos. A good 20 minutes wasted in the process and several extra miles are driven somewhat unnecessarily, but I managed to collect the Kenwood hand mixer and return home, having completed the mission. 

later. I had been searching for cardboard bowls. For what purpose? Well, having made those scones I have mentioned in earlier posts, I found what I wanted in Sainsbury's this morning. I am giving them to my neighbours in Dexter House. I am putting the two halves of one scone in each bowl, buttered (actually it's Sainsbury's Olivia spread, but it's about as close to real butter and made of olive oil.) along with a teaspoonful of raspberry jam in an improvised kitchen foil container. I am attempting to be sustainable and environmentally friendly, having my containers fully recyclable wherever possible. My first delivery was to two tenants in the flat below me. I shall continue with further flats as the week progresses.

Now I have the mixer I want to experiment with other recipes. I have done scones before as well as brownies, which I may attempt once again and probably try something slightly more complicated, such as a fruit cake. I've made Victoria sponges, but I will need to buy some new baking tins and I think it's worth buying better quality, made of higher-grade materials because cheap, thin tins rust quickly and don't last as well as better, higher grade tins. It will be worth visiting T.K.Maax or Homesense, which is a subsidiary of T.K.Maax. You can buy some really good quality homeware items in both stores and at great discounts, up to around 60%. Never pay full price on anything if you can get something for a reduced price. 

Things Are Getting Better! . . .Or Are They?

Thursday. 11.20 a.m. It's quite bright and sunny, but not particularly warm.

I've been doing a bit more writing. I have a good idea where it will finish, but not how it will begin, which is often the case with writing. It's a bit like a journey, you know where you want to end up, but not where to start. In fact, a story is fairly well as a journey of some sort. During the journey, you have a sequence of highs and lows, good and bad. You keep on the straight and narrow but then get diverted, get lost in an unknown place but end up at your destination and you have learned something along the way. By the end of the journey, you should have changed.

I decided to download the National Lottery app recently. I haven't played the Lottery for years, but I thought I would have a go. If you have the app you can play without having to go to a shop to buy a ticket. You pick your numbers on the app and pay using your debit card. I have played twice now. But this morning I got a call claiming to be from the National Lottery. I'm pretty sure it was genuine, but with the number of spam calls I get, I was somewhat wary. I was going to be given several free lines in the Lottery but for £12 a week I could have a syndicate and have perhaps a thousand lines, each for about 5p each. It sounded too good to be true and it could have been a scam. I was assured that it wasn't and I was virtually talked into setting this up with my debit card. I decided at the last minute that I didn't go ahead with it. It would have been around £50 a month, which is a lot on my pension, and for that, I could buy food for a week or more in Aldi or Lidl. I didn't like the somewhat aggressive approach to selling this. I managed to avoid it but someone else, perhaps with Alzheimer's or with a learning disability might have gone ahead with it and caused them financial hardship. I'm sure it was genuine, but, as I say, it was a hard sell.

Boris Johnson says that there's nothing in the data to suggest that further lockdown restrictions won't be lifted on 21st June, but scientists are saying that we have to be cautious. The infamous Indian variant is playing centre stage and making a bit of an act out of it and wants full parity with Equity members and full pay and overtime. We will have to wait and see what happens. If it doesn't get what it wants it will go on the rampage and have a hissy fit and might take to the bottle and spent the night in a drunken stupor and fall into the gutter outside a nightclub and get caught on camera by the press and land up plastered all over the tabloid press, ending up being interviewed on breakfast television and selling its story to the Sunday papers.

Friday. 5 a.m. Not much to report. I can't hear wind or rain, so I presume it's still and calm outside. Alfie has crept into my bed. Making himself very comfortable, which I don't blame him!

Later. You may recall I mentioned I had trouble buying pooh bags so I could clean up after Alfie. I always do, regardless I just think if you have a dog you are responsible for it, even down to cleaning up the mess when this happens in a public space. There are obviously quite a few people who just couldn't care less and don't do the right thing. It's not the dog's fault. It's a pity these people don't get caught and fined. There used to be bags above the bins which are dotted around, not unfortunately not anymore. I expect the Council needed to cut down on such items, but in all honesty, dog owners should buy their own and carry them when they take their dogs out. I always keep a bundle in my packet and they don't cost a great deal. I did mention that I couldn't find them in Sainsbury's over the past few weeks, which is why I went to Morrisons to buy some a few Sundays ago. I noticed they had them in Sainsbury's this morning when I was in there, but not the type I usually buy. They have been replaced by thinner, biodegradable ones. I think I've worked out why. No doubt it's Sainsbury's attempting to get rid of plastic. I don't think the original type was biodegradable, which makes sense. They more or less got rid of plastic carrier bags, and if you need them you have to pay 5p-10p, which goes to charity. I always take my own 'bags for life,' but I have discovered that actually, some of these reusable bags have more plastic in them than the traditional plastic bags. Which is somewhat crazy. But regardless of that, I have plenty, bought over the years, which are still going strong and have done goodness knows how many shopping trips. I bought a bag in Aldi the other week, which can be folded into a tiny little bag which means it takes up very little space and can be put in a pocket for when you go shopping and is therefore readily available to put things in when you are out and about.

Later. 9.30. I have been out this evening! I can't remember when I last went out in the evening. Carol and I used to go out for a drive, usually to Woburn and go through the deer park, but then we weren't out for long and it was a way for her to destress if she had had a difficult day at work at Milton Keynes Academy, which was quite often. Probably something to do with a member of staff, sorting out someone else's mess. This evening a group from church met at my friend Margaret and Mike's home in Downhead Park. They have been really good friends and support to me since Carol's death. We walked along the canal, down one side and back on the other. Observing the wildlife, in particular a family of geese and another of swans and ducks.

I drive home and walk back inside the flat, to be greeted by a very happy Alfie who goes slightly bonkers, playing with his toys and throwing them around, shaking vigorously and wagging his tail excitedly. It's such a lovely welcome home! It makes having a little dog so worthwhile. It certainly lifts my spirits. Such a loving little dog.

Come Rain Or Shine

(Wednesday)It's been a hot and stuffy day.  When I looked out of the kitchen window early this morning it was a foggy view which greeted my gaze. Not what I was expecting. Not a great deal happening. I took Alfie out at around 1 o'clock and we were the opposite side of Oldbrook Green when it went overcast. Dark clouds hurtling across the sky and then there was a clap of thunder. Trying to hurry Alfie wasn't going to work as he has to sniff every blade of grass but I thought it vital that we get back to the flat quickly. It began to rain but we got indoors in time and as I write this there is an almighty thunder storm going on and Alfie has given me a look. I'm not sure  if he's bothered by it. I know Poppy, our old dog, was really upset when it thundered and would hide in a convenient place until a storm passed over. It's raining heavily and sounds like a sound effect recording. It's as well we got in before this started, but it should clear the stuffy air somewhat.

(Thursday) The rain continued into the night. I woke up at around 3.30 and could hear rain rattling on the windows and it appeared to be quite torrential. I took Alfie out at about 7.10 and wasn't aware until we steep out of the door into Strudwick Drive that it was still raining hard, so we didn't stay out for long and will have to go back out as Alfie only did a wee.

I am watching the BBC documentary series which is on iPlayer, 'The Story of England,' which is presented by Michael Wood and focusses on a village in Leicestershire called Kibworth. Good solid presentation and the sort of programme which the BBC does best and which they should produce more of. There's more than enough stuff to watch on catch-up if you can't find anything else to watch elsewhere on broadcast television. I think I seem to watch most in this way instead of when it's being broadcast 'live.' The other series is 'A House Through Time,' presented by David Olusoga, focussing on a house in Bristol.

Later.  5.50 p.m.After all the rain we had earlier in the day, it is now sunny and bright.

Friday. So, the week ends, but it's not a lot different to the beginning. A rather overcast sort of morning as I look out of the kitchen window at 6 o'clock. What does the day bring? Probably not a great deal.

I was right. Not a great deal happened. So there.

Saturday. It's bright and sunny. Not much more I can tell you.

I made out a shopping list and went to Sainsbury's, after I had taken Alfie out for his early morning walk down to Oldbrook Green. I'm getting good at organising myself so the wait in the queue is cut to the minimum and arrived in the underground carpark at around 8.15. I suppose there was about a 15-minute wait in the queue and I was in the store and through the self-service check out really quickly. I'm getting quite good at using these check outs, the trick is to be organised and to be able to find the bar codes on each item so that you can scan and pack each item. If anything, they really should make the bar codes larger and put them where they are easy to find. Some are almost hidden and not very obvious and some small and difficult to scan. I got home, did some washing up and then took Alfie out for yet another trot around Oldbrook Green.

Social Isolation

(Sunday)A weird sort of world we're currently living in. Government advise is that we should all go into a sort of hibernation whilst the coronavirus is rampant around the world. We didn't have church this morning, but instead Ross and his wife Joy did worship inline via Facebook. After some considerable effort I managed to watch using my Fire Stick plugged into my HD television, and I must say it was an interesting experiment and the quality of the picture and sound was excellent, as was the teaching. Alfie got and extra walk, because of me not going to church as I usually do at around 8.40.

It looks as if those who are vulnerable, and as I have already said, I will have to remain in isolation for 12 WEEKS! I know it's serious, having had two heart attacks, but being stuck indoors for that length of time is going to be really difficult. I'm not sure about doing grocery shopping, because I can do that on-line. What happens when the delivery arrives? Do they leave the groceries on the doorstep? Will I need to have gloves to handle the bags of groceries? Then, what about other on-line deliveries, such as from Amazon? Also, what about mail? The postman is going to be as much at risk of infection as any other person who delivers parcels, whether it be books, clothing, food or whatever.
Then there's my repeat prescriptions. I can make the order on-line, as I have done for the past couple of months and I usually get a text message from Lloyd's in Sainsbury's, which means I can then go to Sainsbury's in Witan Gate to collect the order. Will Lloyd's deliver to me, direct. (It's not far. Within walking distance, which takes no more than 10-15 minutes.

(Monday) I have been looking at the government's official website where a lot of information is explained and it would appear that I'm not vulnerable, which I was expecting to be, having had a heart condition. Regardless of this, I still intend to be socially isolated, however difficult  it is likely to be (actually not that difficult, because since Carol died my life has become quite considerably more isolated as I don't do anything which we used to do on a regular basis, visiting National Trust properties for example. So it shouldn't be too difficult. It is, nevertheless, rather confusing. I have enough food for at least two weeks. All I really need is stuff like fruit, which I eat a lot of, easy-peel tangerines or satsumas, apples, bananas and probably those tubs of prepared pineapple which I love. Probably eating all this fruit has partially been responsible for my low cholesterol. Also, milk and potatoes.

There are many people who have simply not taken the government advice about social distancing and isolation. Yesterday apparently many outdoor places, such as parks, gardens and beauty spots were very crowded and it's clear that nobody adhered to the 2 meter distance from people. Why is this? Don't they realise that all this is serious, or are they merely selfish? It's the same with those people who panic buy and stock up on things like toilet rolls and then most likely just hoard them. I have been attempting to buy liquid hand soap, the sort that comes in handy pump bottles. Not a single one can I find anywhere, having looked in Sainsbury's and then at supermarket websites as well as Boots, Superdrug as well as Lloyds. Another case of selfishness. As long as I'm right, I don't care about anybody else.

(Tuesday) So, the government has now bought in tougher controls. The police can now arrest those who don't comply with guidelines. It's tough, but unless it's done, then this pandemic will never be bought under control. Whatever your political views, it must be difficult for Boris Johnson. Whatever he does will be criticised. He can't do right whatever is decided. He needs support and not get a lot of criticism.

I'm at home again today and not going to Camphill as I normally would on a Tuesday. I don't want to do this, but I know it's absolutely necessary. I really miss the guys in the drama workshop. I trust I'm able to return soon rather than later, but it obviously depends on how quickly this pandemic is bought under control.

A Lot Cooler

Sunday morning. It's a good deal cooler this morning. It's rather indecisive, not sure whether it's going to rain or not. It's over-cast and there's a wind got up. 

Took Alfie across the park as usual. He's almost insisting I take him and doesn't let go until I have him on his lead and we're out of the house. He doesn't obviously like having his routine changed.

Church is down to one service at S.C.F. during August. From two morning services to one at 10.30 a.m. It's because so many people are away on holiday and it would't be sense to have two services when there aren't enough people to fill two services.

So, Carol had the last of the nurse's visits to give her the antibiotics. She has to go to the Maple Centre on Friday to have the P.I.C.C. line removed. A real relief when that is removed. Now she has six weeks of taking the antibiotics in tablet form.

Monday. Still overcast and actually quite chilly. No sign of the sun today, but not sure what the weather forecast says about the rest of the week. We went shopping in Lidl's at Oldbrook Boulevard. Why do we insist on shopping at the likes of Sainsbury's when the price of the stuff in Lidl's is far more competitive? You get a good basket-full of groceries for around £35 which would probably cost around £50 elsewhere. It's laid out far more logically, not such a wide range of products. Why on earth do you need umpteen versions of, say, tomato ketchup? Who really needs organic tomato ketchup? You don't have to make choices over this sort of product in Lidl, as well as Aldi. Their meat, fruit and vegetables are excellent quality and price. At their till they scan it through quickly because someone had the clever idea of making the barcodes larger and easier to scan. Your groceries go straight into your trolley and then you pack it on a special shelf which speeds up this process so the queues are shorter, or, logic says they should be. Their staff seem to work harder, they have to be far more flexible, working on  the tills one minute and then stacking shelves.

More of Life's Little Niggles

I have written something on this subject in one of my earlier posts, but there is quite a bit more mileage to be had on the subject. You know what I mean by 'niggle' I presume? My electronic dictionary has this definition 'cause slight but persistent annoyance, discomfort, or anxiety.' Further down it says, 'criticise in a petty way.' In this house, which is rented, there are a couple of definite niggles. For a start, the light switches at the bottom of the stairs are the wrong way round. Logic would tell me that the one which operates the downstairs, hallway, light, was at the bottom or right-hand side of the double switch, and the one which operates the upstairs, landing, light, was on the left. But no, for some unfathomable reason they are the wrong way round. Why didn't whoever wired them make sure they were wired the correct way round? The same goes for the taps in the kitchen sink and upstairs in the bathroom. The ho (red)t taps should be left and the cold right (blue.) I didn't realise this until we had to have a plumber come in to sort out the leak which came from the pipes behind the kitchen sink. It's supposed to be the same in all houses; it's just always supposed to be that way round. So why not in this house? Because our dear landlord is a cheapskate and doesn't get a decent plumber in to do the work. I know you're asking, why bother over such trivial matters? Well, why not? Why not do a job properly in the first place? I was bought up on the saying'If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well.' The kitchen sink taps also turn on the wrong way, it seems odd, but they are just awkward for some reason, which is because they are the wrong way round! 

Then, what about packaging? It's not necessarily the amount of packaging that products come in. These days, with talk of waste, recycling and so on, I think companies have managed to cut down on over-packaging to some extent. There are some products which still come in too much packaging. But why do some products come with cellophane wrapping over them? Particularly, teabags? Why do P.G. Tips teabags come in a lovely box, without having cellophane over the box? What on earth is the point? You're supposed to strip off the cellophane by pulling a clever little tag which is fixed to a magic strip which is meant to mean, when you pull on it, the cellophane comes away and you gain entrance to the package. Not always, and virtually never, in my experience. So you spend ages attempting to get this cellophane wrapping off and using your teeth and if that doesn't work, resorting to using a kitchen knife or scissors. By which time you are simply gasping for the cup of tea you've been desperate for for the past half-hour or so. AND THEN, you have to break in to the box which is even more difficult. You're expected to use a perforated section which you're meant to press with a finger but this never works so, again, scissors or knife are required to make the final assault on the package.

Toilet rolls are another case in point. You go to the toilet and then discover that you've run out of loo roll. You eventually find the newly-purchased stock of loo rolls which come in a nine-roll package. It takes what seems like a month of Sundays to get the outer packaging open and remove one roll and then spend a further ten minutes trying to get the end of the roll of paper to seperate from the roll without it disintegrating completely. The roll is conveniently perforated so you can remove one or two pieces of loo roll but it's next to impossible to get a completely clean tear. The end of the roll of loo paper becomes no more than an untidy, jagged mess.

One of the worst things to open are those bottles that hand soap come in.  Y0u know, Palmolive do them. Carex if probably the brand leader. They seem to have replaced what I'd call 'traditional' cake soap. In Sainsbury's at least they have a wide selection of brands, including their own.They are locked to prevent them accidentally selling their contents when in transit. I presume. It can't be for any other reason. You have to turn the spouty sort of pouring tap-arrangement and this is supposed to open the bottle. But it never seems to work. Well, at least, not for me. Then, once it works, you just press downwards on this tap thing and the liquid soap inside the bottle is squeezed out onto your hand. Then, biggest niggle of all, towards the end of the life of the product, you get a little bit at the bottom of the bottle which you can never get out. It seems such a waste.Why can't the manufacturer make the clear tube within the bottle just that bit longer so it sucks up the little bit at the bottom of the bottle? It almost refuses to be removed when you squeeze down on the pump-thing.

Shower gel bottles can also be difficult to open. There you are, standing stark naked under the shower. It's taken you a while to set the temperature (yet another niggle this. I could write a few pages on this on it's own.) You decide to use the new bottle of shower gel. You reach for it, trying not to scald yourself in the process, or, if the temperature isn't right, freeze yourself in the cold water. They put a neat little hook on one end of the bottle, which is there so you can hang the bottle over a tap or other fitting on your shower. The other end is where the opening is, and it's so arranged that you have to get a bit of plastic to pull up with your finger or thumb. It's made to be so tight, so the liquid within the bottle doesn't leak out, but it's so difficult you just can't get it to open. Then, when you manage to get it open, you squeeze the contained fluid onto your sponge or flannel, and too much comes out and when you lather the gel over your body, you get left with so much foam it looks like a scene from one of those 1950's science fiction movies such as 'Quatermass.'

Biscuit packets are another bugbear. ('A cause of obsessive fear, anxiety or irritation.') Or niggle. They come in a packet with another innovation, which is supposed to make it easier to open said packet. A little tab which you pull and tears open the paper with a strip of material like string or plastic. Great if it works, but 99 out of 100 attempts and it fails miserably. Why not just go back to the old fashioned method of opening the packet? Then there's the innovation that has been bought in on such packets as for rice and other cooking ingredients. You open the packet and then there's a sticky sort of label which you use to reseal the packet. But it doesn't always stick to the surface of the packet once you've opened the packet. So, like the biscuit packet, somewhat redundant. And attempting to peel the sticky label off the packet in the first place is also very difficult because (as with Sellotape when you can't find the end.) it's next to impossible to find the edge to peel.

Going back to the subject of cellophane as I mentioned earlier on, how about such things as DVDs and CDs which come, fresh from the factory, but covered in cellophane and then you have the ordeal of opening the thing, finding the corner to get your finger nail under to start the peeling process or even finding the little tab that is meant to make the process easier. 

Christmas Countdown

The term has finished at Milton Keynes Academy and Carol is now on holiday. The Christmas countdown has begun. We do have advent calendars. Carol has one with little doors, which, when opened, reveal erasers which have a Christmas theme. Those that have been released from the confines of the calendar are now arrayed in a line on one of our bookcases in our lounge. One, a Father Christmas, has an excessively red face, and makes you think of David Dickinson, the former presenter of Bargain Hunt. Another has a similarity to Donald Trump (unfortunately). It has far too much hair (much as the Trumper has. Is it real or is it a wig or hair piece? Infact, is he real? Having watched the television series on Channel 4, called 'Humans' about very realistic robots that are synthetic humans ('synths') it makes me wonder if Trump is one. He looks and sounds very unrealistic with that stupid wig and the way he speaks. Hard to believe that anyone intelligent would vote for such a person.

Anyway, returning to the subject of Christmas, we have completed our Christmas shopping and went to Aldi at Westcroft to do some food shopping this morning, bright and early. It's not only a good deal cheaper than your average supermarket (Sansbury, Waitrose, Asda or Tesco.), it's a much smaller store and you don't have the range of products, but, being smaller, the whole process is so much quicker. They even have checkouts which allow the person on the checkout to scan your shopping faster. It goes straight into your trolley and you then pack it into your own bags on a special shelf. A very simple but efficient method which other supermarkets should adopt. Last week we bought our turkey, but there was one problem. We found that there was insufficient space in our fridge/freezer, so we took out one of the plastic drawers and the frozen bird sits on the shelf inside. It's a tight squeeze, but it's either that or it defrosts, which would be a disaster, well before Christmas Day.

Side-Effects of Flu Jab and Strictly Saturdays

As I have mentioned in an earlier post, Carol had her 'flu jab in Sainsbury's on Thursday evening. Mine was yesterday morning at Ashfield Medical Centre. I was beginning to think that I was getting a slight reaction to the jab with some muscle and joint pain as we sat down to eat our evening meal whilst watching Strictly Come Dancing. (I'll mention that a little later in this blog.) Carol, though, has had quite a bad reaction this morning (Sunday) and as a result we didn't go to church. I went to Lidl on Oldbrook Boulevard. I was really surprised by how busy it was in there. The first Christmas products are beginning to appear on the shelves and as a result you can't always find exactly what you want. In this case, stuffing to go with this evening's roast chicken. I then went into the Tesco just over the road, one of those 'mini' or 'convenience' branches. I was surprised how few people were in there. I'm not surprised as Lidl is so much cheaper and I could not find any Paxo (stuffing) for the chicken. I looked up and down the aisles but not a single packet could I see. I purchased a Sunday Times, using a self-service till and then walked out. I drove to the shop in Eaglestone, and sure enough, I found a packet of Paxo immediately. This must say quite a lot about the current retail situation in Britain, with Tesco once upon a time being the strongest supermarket chain, and since the financial crash of 2008 such 'discounters' as Aldi and Lidl have changed the way most people shop for groceries, being around 15% cheaper than the four major supermarkets, Asda, Morrison, Sainsbury and Tesco.

As for Strictly Come Dancing . . .  as far as I'm concerned the novelty of seeing celebrities making fools of themselves on the dance floor is beginning to wear a bit thin. The show is over-hyped and it's all over the tabloids and Facebook. You can't seem to get away from it from early September until Christmas. There's nothing at all wrong with the dancing, it's the over-heated audience that gets me. They cheer and clap at the slightest thing, cheering and making stupid noises. And why do they insist on putting people in the front row of the audience who you can see clearly behind the presenters when they are talking, a woman was on there last night who was dreadfully over made-up and kept staring at the camera. A real distraction.  Can they not just fade them into the background? Do we really need to see these non-entities so clearly? Bruce Forsyte, who didn't actually do a great deal when he was on, is sorely missed. I don't know what it is but he did add a certain élan to the proceedings, even though his jokes were somewhat tired.  Those two women, Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly really don't add a great deal. Never have, since this show began. How did the B.B.C. think that Tess Daly was a replacement for good old Sir Bruce Forsythe I can't think. She has all the talent of a shopping trolley. Though, in all honesty, there wasnt a lot for Brucie to get his teeth into in the first place, nothing to be 'hands on' as he would have been in the 'Generation Game' or 'Play Your Cards Right.' Lets be honest, an hour and a half of this is really far too much and Craig Revel-Horwood's miserable face is enough to put you off your rice pudding. Can he never say anything nice to anyone? I know he's been cast as the pantomime villain but it is wearing a bit thin by now.

The lighting and set design are really brilliant. When you compare it to the travesty of the revived Sunday Night At The Palladium, which has been done on the cheap and has all the atmosphere of a Sunday night at the local village hall, no expense has been spared. The way they can transform the set for each couple who dance is amazing. All done with lighting and digital effects. The moving digital  lighting which is used around the staircases is spectacular.

Greg Wallace got booted off the show. He deserved it. His dancing was like a flat-footed Teletubby. Judy Murray was not much better.  It must be very difficult when you are, in effect, in the shadow of a far more famous son or daughter, as she is. You can forgive her nerves, as most of the rest of the celebs should be used to the cameras, the audience and so on. But she wasn't much better. At least Tim Wonnacott made a brave stab at it, even though he wasn't a particularly brilliant. I don't expect he'll last much longer. Just have to wait and see.

Blood Test

I had my blood test this morning. I had to be at the surgery at 10.50. The automated check-in system wasn't working. If you know what I'm talking about, you may have one in your doctor's surgery. It is a computer screen with a touch-screen and you have to input your age, sex, date of birth etc and it will then end by telling you the doctor's name you are booked in with. As it wasn't functioning it meant queuing to sign in with the receptionist. If you don't do any of this then you don't exist on the computer system and then you won't be seen and will be wasting your time. I also had to collect a repeat prescription. I now do this 'on-line' and this time I managed to do it using the Samsung Galaxy tablet. It does save having to fill in a form and then physically go to the surgery. Mind you, it isn't always fool-proof, because last time I put in my repeat prescription and I went to the surgery two days to collect the prescription, it was obvious that the system had failed and the doctor had to do the prescription the next day, but it wasn't too much trouble.

As for the taking-of-the blood. There was no problem and it went very well. I think it helps if I have had plenty to drink as I was told that being dehydrated doesn't help the taking of blood. The result should be ready on Friday. Also, the nurse did my blood pressure and that was found to be normal, thankfully.

I wanted to get Carol a present, as tomorrow is her birthday, and I had intended going to Sainsbury's so that I could get the prescription made up at the in-store pharmacy whilst I looked for a present. I got to the store and took the prescription form to the pharmacy and handed it over and was told by the pharmacist that they didn't have one of the meds on the list, isoborbide mononitrate. I was told that there was apparently a problem with supplies, due to the manufacture or something, and they rang to try and get this med from another supplier, but without success. I was then told that I would need to go back to the doctor's surgery and get them to substitute a similar medication on the prescription. So I drove back to Beanhill, where the surgery is, to then be told that the next-door pharmacy, Cox and Robinson, had a supply. Which is what I did and got the whole prescription made up. Problem solved. I THEN drove to Asda in Bletchley to get the present for Carol. Entire mission completed!