A Foggy Day in Milton Keynes

 Sunday. 2.10 p.m. It was foggy across Milton Keynes this morning as I attempted to drive to church. I say attempted, because there was an accident on Chaffron Way, at the junction with Strudwick Drive. I knew that something was up because there were people in hivis jackets on the roundabout near Venture Church, formerly known as M.K.C.C. (Milton Keynes Christian Centre). You may ask, why on earth change the name? It's because Milton Keynes City Council also has the same initials, since MK was made a city. Crazy name, but there it is. Then I had to wait at the junction, and I could see police in the road and further out, the mangled remains of a car at the side of the road. I could not turn right, as I wanted to, to get to church, so I had to make a left turn and eventually go around the roads near MK college and out onto Grafton Street, along Standing Way and back onto Grafton Street and onto Chaffron Way and on to church. A long and laborious route.

Monday. 8.40 a.m. Another gloomy and foggy morning. Not much you can do about it. I expect it will clear at some point during the day.

Tuesday. 2.55 p.m. It's relatively sunny today, but a strong wind is blowing.

Wednesday. 5.30 a.m. I have been rudely woken by the horrible sound of the fire alarm. It is so loud that it hurts my ears, and I went to the loo and then here, in the lounge. I have heard a vehicle turn up outside in the road, and hopefully it's the fire service. With some luck (although 'luck' doesn't come into it.) the firemen will turn the wretched thing off. Really not a good way to start the day. Horray! The horrid thing has been turned off!

Friday. 8.00 p.m. I have been continuing with the writing project. I have it more or less planned, but just needed to get down to the actual writing process.

I am hoping that, if the weather improves, I can go out with my new digital camera and do some filming. Currently, the weather has been unsettled, with a mixture of rain and blustery wind.

I am currently watching a drama series on Apple+TV, called 'Hijack.' The title alone should tell you what it's about. Starring Idris Elba. It's extremely tense and keeps you on the edge of your seat. It tells the story of an aeroplane being hijacked by a group of supposed terrorists and is in ''real time.'

Hot And Humid

 Friday. 10.25 a.m. The summer is back in full force. It's almost as if it never went away, even though, officially, we are now into autumn. I have both fans running at full force, one in the bedroom and the other in the lounge. The digital thermometer currently reads 27ºC, although, on BBC Breakfast earlier, there was mentioned the possibility that the temperature would reach at least 30ºC. 

Alfie went to have a haircut yesterday. He was booked in at the Groom Room in Bletchley several weeks ago, in fact, I went directly there to enquire about a booking after I had taken my car to Anglo Motors. The appointment was at 4.30. So I left in good time, hoping to arrive at around 4.15. The problem was, when I got to the roundabout which intersects with Saxon Street and Standing Way, I discovered that the road ahead was closed, and without any warning further back I could find an alternative route to Bletchley. I turned right onto Standing Way and discovered a more or less solid traffic jam towards Watling Street. I got to the car park outside Pets At Home, where the Groom Room is based and managed to calm down, because of the stress caused by the detour to get there.

Having dropped off Alfie for his haircut, I then went along the parade of shops to Costa to have a cool drink. I had at least an hour to fill until I had to go back to collect Alfie. When I eventually left Costa and walked out through the door I was hit by the heat, a bit like opening an oven door. I don't get on well in heat, and it's particularly dangerous for me, having a heart condition and having had two heart attacks.

5.15 p.m. As I write this, the digital thermometer currently reads 32ºC, which must be some sort of record. I know that is indoors, but I have an electric fan on and all the windows in the flat are wide open.

Sunday. 7.55 a.m. It wasn't quite as hot and humid as it has been overnight for the past couple of nights, but still, the digital thermometer reads 27ºC. Hopefully, we will get a rainstorm which will relieve the heat, but with storms will come flash floods.

Monday. 4.05 p.m. The temperature had dropped considerably, thank goodness. The temperature outside is a good deal lower than indoors. Even with the windows open and an electric fan running, the digital thermometer reads 28ºC. I imagine this is because the heat we have had over the past week or so has kept buildings hot and will take a few days to cool down to a reasonable temperature.

Tuesday. 7.00 a.m. Thankfully, it's a good deal cooler this morning. The digital thermometer currently reads 25ºC. I slept somewhat better than for the past week or so of this heatwave.

Wednesday. 8.40 a.m. A bright and sunny morning as I write this. The digital thermometer currently reads 22ºC, so a far cooler temperature compared to the last week or so. I can sleep better in this sort of temperature.

A really good day at Camphill in the P.A.W department (Performing Arts Workshop.) yesterday (Tuesday.) We are developing material for the World War 2 project, which will be a play, running around 30-45 minutes. Many of the group went to Milton Keynes Museum to see the WW2 event. I went, but I wasn't feeling too well. As it turned out, I eventually had several days of a flu bug (which I mentioned in an earlier blog post) and I didn't stay at the museum long, unfortunately. I did manage to take some photographs with my Canon digital camera, but I have still got to transfer them onto a memory stick.

We had a long check-in. It went on almost to tea break at 10.30. Once back in the theatre after the tea break, Terrie set up a flipchart and the group was asked to give any information they had gleaned from the Museum visit regarding the Second World War. All these ideas and bits of information, however gleaned, would be put together to create some sort of script for the play.

After lunch, we got to the bit I have been waiting for for months, the first preview of the silent movies. Other Camphilll residents and staff came to see the films, projected onto the cinema screen. The first two films were created by a different group who meet on a Monday. The first was 'How To Rob A Bank', very much in the style of an early silent comedy. The second one, I don't remember the name of, and then we got to see the first of the three silent movies which we've been working on since around February, the first was a Western. Very amusing and I was intrigued by how the green screen process was utilized to create backgrounds, mostly sourced from what you would call 'stock footage', such as Western town backgrounds and steam trains. The second film was The Pirate Saga, in which I had a very small cameo appearance, although, at first, I did not recognize myself! Then we saw the third film, the science fiction 'time travel' epic, which I had been involved in from it's development and some of my ideas actually appeared on-screen. It was a somewhat complicated storyline involving, would you believe, Goldilocks, of traditional pantomime and fairy-story fame, time-travelling porridge (yes, you read that correctly!) space pirates (for want of a better word!) and in the past, zombies dancing to a rather weird version of The Macarena! But it all ended with the villains being defeated and everyone living 'happily ever after!'

Worcester, Here We Come!

Thursday. 6.30 a.m. I took Alfie to the couple in Loughton, to find out how he would get on without me. It would appear that he got on well. They have just bought him back, and I will take him to their home before I leave for Worcester mid-morning, tomorrow (Friday). So, after a frustrating summer, the situation is sorted in my attempt to find someone to care for him when I visit Chloe and her family. Hopefully, on a further occasion, I can call on them to look after him for me, probably in a few months, probably around the time of my birthday in October, which usually falls over the school half-term holiday.

Friday. 5.50 a.m. A bit of a shock when I went out with Alfie a few minutes ago, to discover fog all along Strudwick Drive as we went out. You couldn't see across Oldbrook Green. It's not particularly thick and as things warm up as the day progresses, it should disperse. I do hope so, as I don't fancy driving in fog when I drive on the motorway to Worcester.

9.15 a.m. I was more than a little bit surprised to find my pension was paid into my bank account this morning. I went onto the Nationwide website and logged in. This meant I could pay for the various things I have to pay and then I went to Sainsbury's so I had food for when I get back from Worcester.

The fog has gone, thankfully. I trust there will be no fog when I get to the motorway later. I also hope there's no rain because on one occasion when I drove towards Worcester there was a rainstorm and the traffic was throwing up quite an unpleasant mist which made driving somewhat hazardous.

Everything is packed up and in the car. I will drop off Alfie in Loughton and drive on to Worcester afterwards.

Sunday. 8.10 p.m. I have returned from my trip to Worcester. I didn't take my MacBook, which is what I write this blog on. I had decided to take as little as possible, no laptop or iPad, just my iPhone. The intention was to simplify things, which certainly makes life easier. Less to pack and then less to take and bring back, and also more space in the car.

Just before 10 o'clock on Friday morning, I drove with Alfie to Loughton to the couple who would look after him while I was away. I set off for Worcester, driving out on Standing Way. All went well until I met a queue of cars standing still around half a mile out of Buckingham. I wasn't sure what would have caused such a long tailback of traffic. I didn't think it could be anything to do with Silverstone, the motor racing circuit just beyond Stowe Landscape Gardens, which is near Buckingham, then I saw signs for something called the Towersey Festival at the Claydon Estate, so I assumed it was that which was causing the jam.

The jam eventually cleared, once I got through Buckingham and on the road towards the M40. I went into the Cherwell Service area immediately at the intersection with the motorway, as I needed what the Americans euphemistically call a restroom break. (Why do they call a toilet a bathroom when it's so obviously not a bathroom, unless they have baths in what we call toilets in the United Kingdom? ) I was soon on my way again and motoring along the M40. There was very light traffic, fortunately, and the weather was kind to me. No fog or rain, which can make driving hazardous.

I have been to Worcester several times and, I have relied on my satnav to direct me, but for some reason, it wouldn't cooperate. As I approached the exit for Worcester I seemed to leave the M5 at the wrong exit and found myself in unfamiliar surroundings, but I kept on, following signs for Worcester and eventually found the turning to Claines, where Chloe and family life and within barely ten minutes I was at their house.

I went with Chloe and the children into Worcester to visit the library, appropriately called 'The Hive. A busy place, with no end of activities for the children to get involved in. We had tea in the café whilst the children choose books to take out, exchanging the books they took in. There is a system which scans the barcode on each book in a kind of box and then prints a receipt. Ingenious, but I imagine, like a lot of this technology, it puts quite a few people out of work.

That evening, Steve drove to somewhere in Lincolnshire (I think it was near Sleaford.) it collect a tent and didn't get back to Worcester until gone midnight. A long journey there and back. I wasn't aware of him coming back to the house as I was fast asleep.

A Mixed Bag

(Saturday) This year is the 50th Wedding Anniversary (Golden) of Mike and Margaret Jobling, two of the loveliest people I know, and members of Shenley Christian Fellowship, both of whom have supported me throughout the ordeal of watching Carol suffer and eventually die from bowel cancer. On Saturday there was a tea party at the Oaktree Centre and I was invited. I have to say it was quite difficult for me in respect that Carol and myself only had 11 years together, ended so tragically as I have mentioned. Someone had gone to a great deal of time and effort to set up tables in the main hall, all with food set out beautifully on each, sandwiches, scones, jam and clotted cream, cakes of all descriptions and the whole decorated with golden decorations. A really lovely afternoon.

(Monday)I needed to get the car to Bleak Hall Motors for 8.30. I got there earlier and they were open. Thinking about it now, I wasn't sure they said they were open at 8.00 or 8.30. It didn't matter because it was soon signed in and they seemed to get it in the workshop and up on a lift and they had to order spare parts. It cost far more than I anticipated, but the work was needed as it was for one of the brakes. I was told last year when it was MoT'd that the brakes on one of the wheels (don't ask me which one, because I have no idea.) so, if it's gone a whole year without any problems, then it hasn't really cost much when I work it out. It has, unfortunately, got to go back before November to have a timing belt done. (No, I don't know what it does. But according to the poster in the garage waiting area it can be damaged because of the Captur being diesel and the test can damage it. Again, don't ask me how or why, because my knowledge of the engine in cars in very limited. I only drive a car, and I'm certainly not a motor mechanic. Fortunately the drive to Bleak Hall at that time in the morning was fairly straightforward. It can be extremely busy long Standing Way at that early hour although the traffic going in the opposite direction was heavy and was building up from the Watling Street direction.

The car was having brakes fixed, so I just had to sit and wait in the waiting area. Around 2 hours. I'm not the best person when it comes to waiting, I'll be perfectly honest. A television on, as you often get in waiting areas, wherever you are, but they were bleating on about Brexit, and if I hear any more about it I'm likely to scream. I'm glad they've closed down parliament for 5 weeks so at least it's not going to be on television every time I turn on the news. I had my iPhone with me and listened to a podcast about the Anglo Saxons, which was really interesting, some Cambridge University academic. The podcast which goes with BBC History Magazine which I subscribe to, so the time wasn't entirely wasted. And somewhat related to the book I'm currently reading about the Norman Conquest which is excellent.

Tuesday. Camphill as usual. Teo was interviewed by a man who turned up minutes after I arrived. I thought it was for radio, but it was soon revealed that it was a podcast. I don't know where it's going to be available, but as I listen to the occasional podcast, I would be interested to hear, but don't know when it will be available. While he was engaged on that, the rest of the guys did a run of 'Stranger Danger' and then Teo appeared. He's going to be away on holiday for several weeks and has left instructions for us. After tea break three of us were working away from the rehearsal, sitting at a table in the foyer area. We are working on ideas for a new theatre piece, not sure what form it's going to be, but Teo gave us a folder with pieces of poetry and scripts to read to see if any sparked any ideas. At this point I'm not sure of this at all and don't really have any concepts for anything. We'll have to wait and see, but it's better than just watching the rehearsal and not being involved.

Because there was training for the residents at Camphill, followed by a community assembly, there was no further drama workshop, but Teo took us down to the costume store, because when he is on holiday we will be sorting out and cleaning this room. Then I went home because there was nothing for me to stay for after lunch. I drove home and had lunch and, because it was so warm and sunny, I decided to take Alfie for a walk, but made a determined effort I wanted to go a different route, walking along the Redway past the Academy and then towards the Four Bridges roundabout and crossed over Chaffron Way and then Saxon Street and kept walking down towards the Grand Union Canal and walked along the towpath and back to Peartree Bridge and then back onto the Redway towards Eaglestone and home. All told, yesterday, we walked around 5 miles, which was with all the walking, first thing, during the day and after yesterday's afternoon walk.

It's becoming quite autumnal. It's a good deal chillier early when I take Alfie out for his walk and there are signs of fallen leaves, although, looking out of the lounge window at the moment (8.35 a.m.) there are still leaves on the trees at the end of the garden and seen over the fence.

A Day At The Show

A day that started out a good deal colder than of late, but as the day went on, became quite sunny and pleasant. As mentioned in an earlier post, I booked a ticket on-line for the Buckingham County Show. I didn't see much point getting to the show too early (it opened at 8a.m.) so I left just after 9 a.m., driving out of Milton Keynes on Standing Way towards Buckingham, a road I know well enough and then turned off just beyond the Thrift Farm and used the Google Maps app on my iPhone to direct me more or less exactly to the show ground. No, I didn't use the mobile as I drove along. I had to stop in one of the villages and checked my phone to make sure I was heading in the right direction. The Google Maps app is probably more use than the built in SatNav which I have in the car.  I saw a couple of yellow signs which directed me towards the show ground. I had suspected that there must be some sort of sign somewhere for those who didn't know the way, such as myself.I continued on until I came to a  set of traffic lights, not for roadworks (fortunately) but to allow vehicles to enter the carpark. When I drove in I was confronted by his vast grass meadow, so I was very wary of having to drive across a not-too even surface and was directed by several stewards to the place to park. Then, having parked, I had to follow the crowd walking towards the entrance to the show. I'm so glad I bought my entry ticket on-line and had it printed out because all I had to do was show it to a member of staff who scanned the barcode on the ticket to then be let through the gate and into the show ground. This bought back memories of such visits as a child, usually the East of England Agricultural show at Alwalton, Peterborough, or before that, when the Bedfordshire Agricultural show was held on the riverside meadows along Cardington Road, on the way into Bedford, usually over a weekend in summer.

On arrival inside the show ground, I was confronted by a range of stalls and tents to explore. A lot of pennants and flags and one in particular, saying 'Ferrets' on it, so I made my way towards the stand. A lot of coloured tubes, and a board giving what I assume is the name of a different ferret, which I imagine is set up for ferret racing. As I've owned and kept ferrets I have a certain amount of knowledge about these fantastic, feisty little creatures. But there was absolutely no sign of a ferret, which was a pity as I'd have liked to see them racing. Then on to an area, a largish area of grass with a roped off pence and people standing and watching something going on in the ring. A man demonstrating dog-training, working dogs such as cocker spaniels, sheep dogs and labradors. He has a microphone attached to his face, similar to what are used in church, and what I presume is a radio link allowing his voice to be heard over the Tannoy system. What I watch is quite amazing, a sheep dog (I assume it to be a sheep dog) heading ducks or geese. Around six or eight, being cajoled by the dog, rather like a sheep door herding sheep. I've never seen anything like it, and it ends with the ducks being herded into an enclosure. It was amusing, to say the least and the crowd were loving it. I had my Canon digital camera with me, so I took a few shots, but unfortunately I didn't think to charge the camera's battery, so the thing, unfortunately, died so I ended up taking photographs with my iPhone, which isn't as easy as using the Canon because you can never see clearly through the little LED screen and it was a bit of pot luck whether any shots would be successful. You can see a few on the post, below.

Model T Ford on display at the show

Cattle in the process of being judged

 Well turned out horses in the equine area of the show

No agricultural show is complete without a display of the latest mechanical equipment, including
tractors

I had a good wander around the show, looking at a lot of the stands. I found a stand which was for a company called Dog Only Knows, selling a range of natural dog food and treats, so I had a browse and bought Alfie a bag of treats. Who says I never love hime? He deserves treats and hopefully he would take to these. Later I found a stall selling a wide range of brushes, and as Alfie needs brushing because he has a long coat, I managed to buy one which was more than suitable for the job. Quite expensive, but never mind, just this once I didn't mind paying for a brush that wasn't going to fall apart.

I saw several displays of dogs, beagles, seleham terriers (around the same size as Alfie, who is a Yorkshire Terrier.) and bloodhounds. I was surprised how big they are and I imagine how much food they would eat! Probably quite a lot.

I was feeling a little peckish and was contemplating where to stop to have a bite to eat and a drink when I came across a tent which was run by local churches, offering free tea and cake. Too good to miss. I couldn't believe that it was free. So, in I went, chose a rather  nice slice of what looked like walnut sponge and a large cup of tea and then sat at a table, by now really ready to sit down. People were really friendly and ready to chat. Having had my cuppa and cake, I left the tent and had another wander, having a look at tractors and other farm machinery. Well, let's be honest, an agricultural show isn't complete with tractors. Then, something of a surprise. Tortoises! No, it's not every day that you come across large tortoises. I think we saw some when we visited Twycross zoo, but nowhere else. They were quit4e large and you could pay £2 to get closer, but there were signs up telling you to beware that they could bite! Probably be a bit like being bitten by a set of pliers! They're mouths do look quite lethal and their teeth probably quite sharp and certainly give you quite a nip if given half a chance.

Then, viewing a selection of vintage cars, vans and farm machinery. I have taken a photograph of a Model T Ford, which is above.

Having seen all I wanted to see I decided it was time to leave the showground and make for the exit. A real crush of people coming in. I was then concerned that I wouldn't remember where I had parked the car in that vast field. Since I had arrived the carpark had filled up considerably but after a bit of a walk I soon found the car and then had to find the way out of the carpark as there was no real indication but it wasn't as difficult as it could have been. There were plenty of stewards to direct me out. Turning left onto the road I drove towards Aylesbury and eventually got on the road back to Milton Keynes, but I didn't realise how close it was to Aylesbury and even Waddesdon Manor wasn't that far away. A familiar road and not long before I was home and really pleased to have been out and had such a good day out.

Alfie Has A Haircut

I've had Alfie booked in to have a grooming session at Pets At Home in Bletchley today for about two weeks. I don't know how he knew we were going out, because I had put the cage in the back of the car earlier in the day. I had to do this without him seeing me lifting this thing out of the house, otherwise he would have started making a lot of noise, as he does before we go out in the morning.

We arrived in good time at the retail park where Pets At Home has a branch. As soon as I parked the car, Alfie was off, barking madly. When the car is moving, he's quiet, except for a couple of yaps. With the parcel shelf in place, it must be safe and cozy. Not pitch black, but safe. He was like that when I took him to Worcester at Christmas. Wed didn't stop on the way, although we should have done. I managed to park right outside Pets At Home, and in such a position that the car faced forward so driving out wouldn't be a problem. Then I got out of the car and opened the hatch at the back. Alfie rattled the cage to be let out. Now I know where the expression 'who rattled your cage?' comes from. I think, if he could, he would have opened the gate on the cage and would have been out. I had to make sure I was holding tightly to the lead, which I always manage to have outside so I can grab hold of it before I open the gate and he bounds out.

Alfie barked all the way through the store and into the Groom Room, which is at the rear of the store. He got quite a reception from other customers and store staff. Well, a small, barking and very lively little Yorkshire terrier, who was very eager was likely to get such a reaction.

I left Alfie in the capable hands of the staff in the Groom Room and drove home. I was told that he would be ready for collection by 3.45. There was no point in me waiting around the retail park where Pets At Home is situated. It's no more than a 10-minute drive home, although it was really busy on the traffic front. Probably because it's the Easter holiday. The roundabout on Standing Way can be really difficult to cross because of the volume of traffic. Certainly not my favourite place to cross.

About 15 minutes after I arrived home I got a telephone call from The Groom Room. I was told that, unfortunately, Alfie had an infestation of the little persons, in other words, fleas. I was horrified. I was totally unaware of them. He has been scratching a lot recently, but it never occurred to me that it might be cause by fleas! I was told that they would have to use a anti-flea shampoo and that Alfie would need a flea treatment. I had already used a treatment but it obviously not effective enough. I would need to buy an over-the-counter treatment which I could buy at Pets At Home and also use a strong, spray, treatment in the house, because there was a likelihood that the house was infected with fleas, although I have seen none. It would take some while to spray around each room, from top to bottom, and have to use a facemark, as the treatment is quite toxic. Alfie wouldn't be able to stay in the house. So, on going back later I was given the two treatments and I went home to wash Alfie's two blankets which he often sleeps on which are on the sofa. I began the first course of the anti-flea treatment which I put on Alfie's back. There are two more to give him which I should use every month.

 This morning I put Alfie in the cage in the back of the car and ,putting on the face mask I was given at The Groom Room, I began spraying round all the rooms in the house. Then, we went out of the house in the car. We went to Campbell Park and walked along the tow path along the side of the Grand Union Canal. So, in the midst of all this, Alfie had a treat, a second long walk which he wasn't expecting. We had to stay out of the house for at least an hour, which, hopefully, went to work killing off any fleas that might be lurking in the house.

Unsettled Weather

(Tuesday)It's really warm and sunny today. I was out a good deal earlier with Alfie this morning, probably arrow 6.45. It seemed a waste to not get out because it's getting light earlier and earlier each day and he has this habit, which I've mentioned on here before, of sitting and staring at me. He simply can't wait to get out. He loves to be let off his lead and to have a run. Fo a little dog he's got lots of energy. Runs like a little rabbit.

Alfie wears a harness. It's to protect his neck, because if you connect his lead to his collar, which he wears permanently, when he pulls, it can damage his throat. So a collar is far better because you connect the lead to a D ring which is on his back, at the centre of the harness. I went to Pets At Home at the Bletchley retail park yesterday morning because I wanted to get peanut kernels to put in the empty feeder on the bird feeding station. When I was in there I decided to look for a replacement for Alfie's rather tatty harness, which I wanted to replace. I picked up one which seemed to be the right size for him, but when I got home and tried it on Alfie it was far too big. So this morning I went back to Pets At Home and it was an easy matter of taking the harness to the pay desk and the lady let me pick up a smaller, and actually, a much nicer harness than the one I was replacing. 

I had to go and look in T.K. Maax while I was in the retail park. It's one of those stores which you have to keep going to look in because their stock changes on almost a daily basis and the prices are so good, you almost always manage to pick up a bargain. Not just clothes, but homeware items. They have another store called Homesense, and there's a branch at Kingston. I wandered around the kitchen department and picked up a really nice mixing bowl and a silicone spatula, which I wanted because I have also bought some non-stick saucepans and I don't want to scratch the surface in them using metal utensils. 

I walked to Tesco, which is a short walk across the main Fenny Stratford road. I wanted to get some daffodils, because I'm keeping them going in two vases, because Carol always loved them and I would buy them for her when she came home from work. I got some long-stemmed daffs as well as two bunches of the short-stemmed variety.

I drove back home along Saxon Street. There has been some roadworks the last couple of days along Standing Way, and when I drove through the roundabout that crosses Standing Way yesterday you were prevented from turning left which would cause chaos is you wanted to go to the hospital, which is several hundred yards further along Standing Way. Fortunately not a problem this morning. This roundabout can be difficult when it's busy, and I'm of the opinion that there ought to be traffic lights here when it's busy. Some drivers are not content to just wait patiently and seem to think they can cross without bothering to stop, which is dangerous and could cause a nasty accident.

I got home and managed to get Alfie into the new harness. It fits him perfectly. The old one has now been consigned to the rubbish bin. It has done it's job, but it was well past it's best.

I am somewhat disappointed that there have been no birds come to visit the bird feeding station. I can't think why they haven't been to visit it. I would have thought that they would have flocked to it since it had been restocked and new feeders put up. It's been filled up since the weekend. I know it can take a day or two for birds to get used to having food put out for them and there can be issues regarding cats or other predators, but it's been out long enough for them to get used to it. A bit disappointing, to say the least.

(Wednesday) As I write this, at 4.50 a.m. on Wednesday, I can hear rain rattling on the lounge window. I expect Alfie will want to go for his routine walk across the park, but I don't fancy going out to get wet, so he is going to have to be patient (not the easiest thing for him.) and wait for it to stop.

Another Hot Day?

Tuesday morning.It's only 7 a.m and the sun is shining brightly. It looks as if it's going to be another hot day. I hope not too hot as it's quite difficult to cool down in the hospital ward.

I took Alfie for a walk at 6.20. I've managed to put his harness on, which he had on more or less permanently a while ago, but Carol took it off when the warm weather started. It was parked on the bedside cabinet in our bedroom. Alfie kept looking at it. He'd stand on my side of the bed, the side the cabinet is, and touch it with his nose. I'd connect his lead on to his collar to take him for a walk, but there is a slight problem which Yorkshire terriers have, as you have to watch their windpipes don't collapse which could be fatal. If he pulls when he's on his lead, he coughs, and this isn't something I want to let him do and have horrible consequences, so I managed to get him into his harness yesterday evening. He almost got himself into the thing on his own. He knows where his head goes. So this morning we went out as I say. We went out through the front door and crossed the road and down the patch towards the park and round the circuit we usually go, Alfie being let off immediately we hit the park. The grass has been cut and it looks brown and almost like a field of newly-mown hay, which I suppose it is. It's almost a pity it's not baled and sold off for pet bedding, for rabbits or hamsters or other small rodents. Part-way round I saw a cat in the distance, so I had to take evasive action to prevent Alfie seeing it. Carol said that he wouldn't bother, because the cats who cause him bother when they enter our garden are merely trespassing on his territory, so if he sees on outside in the park, they aren't on his territory, so he wouldn't bark or chase after it. I don't know whether this is correct, but I'm not going to give him the chance, because if he chases a cat he might end up on the road and get run over which isn't something I'm prepared to risk. We walked up towards the road and over onto the Redway and then back towards home. I'm attempting to increase the number of steps, as I have a step counter, rather like a Fitbit, which measures my steps. I'll possibly take Alfie for a further walk when I get back from the hospital later this afternoon.

Later. I had to go and collect the medical certificate from Ashfield Medical Centre early thus morning. I was going to leave it til gone 9 o'clock. Generally, once the early-morning rush is out of he way, there is less traffic and as I had to negotiate the roundabout which is where Saxon Street meets Standing Way, which can be difficult to cross when it's busy. But then I decided to risk it and left the house at 8.40 and got through without incident. I even managed to get the aforesaid certificate without any bother. The doctor has dated it up until January 2019, which should mean we don't need another unless Carol isn't capable of returning work well into the New Year.

I returned home and posted the medical certificate and then immediately went out again. I went to get my hair cut at Central Barbers in the Food Centre. I parked near Xscape and walked through to the barbers. As they opened at 9.30 I had to wait around 10 minutes until they opened. I used to get my hair cut here for several years but then I discovered the barbers in Monkston Park until they closed down. They were probably more convenient, easier to get to and it was easy to park immediately outside. But it's not to difficult to park near the Food Centre. I always attempt to arrive as they open. As it happened there were no other customers, so I was in the chair and having my hair trimmed within minutes of arriving. Once I'd finished at the barbers I went back to the car because I had to collect a folder as I was going to the Civic Centre as I'm in the process of claiming Housing Benefit which we have to claim since Carol has been ill and her salary has been stopped being paid. I had to take identify for us both, so I had our driving licences for that purpose. I had to go to the Nationwide and NatWest to get print-outs of statements for earnings and some of Carol's wage slips for proof of earnings (or not.) You walk in through the front entrance at the Civic centre and you're immediately confronted by a small table. No reception desk. This seems the norm nowadays. It was the same in the Jobcentre the other week and it would appear that it's how NatWest operates. There's no reception desk as there used to be. In there you greeted by a young lady with an iPad and she books you in for your appointment. Not a problem. But in the Civic Centre I was taken by the lady in the reception area to a computer where they signed me in and I was given a ticket with a number on and and told I'd have to wait until my number came up.

The place has a lot of vacant space in it. It's almost as if they've got rid of a lot of furniture. You could hold a ball in the space. Or rent it out for some sort of function. It really is rather a waste. I know they have to allow for people moving about, but it is rather ridiculous.

My number soon came up. I am somewhat intrigued how these systems work. It not only shows up on a video screen, but a very polite woman's voice tells you where to go, in the nicest possible way, of course. Just a thought, would a male voice have the same effect? Then I had to find 'Desk 9.' The red video numbers were rather confusing, and it didn't seem as if they were in a logical numerical order.

I had to hand over the documentation required to the lady who was dealing with our Housing Benefit claim. It was all in order. All we need now is either our Tenancy Agreement or a letter from our landlord. All this dealt with fairly quickly and painlessly. I was able to leave the Civic Centre and walked across towards the main shopping centre and went into Marks and Spencer, which is immediately inside the centre. I was struck by how much cooler it was. Thankfully not as scorchingly hot as on previous days. I selected a sandwich, a drink and crisps, went to the checkout to pay and then walked back through the shopping centre and across to the car which was parked near Xcape.
As it turned out, it hasn't been as bright and sunny as it has been for however many weeks we've had to endure the heatwave. It's been warm, but still somewhat overcast. Not the scorching heat, thankfully.

I returned home to offload a lot of the stuff I'd taken with me in the folder as I didn't want to take it to the hospital ward. I decided to walk to the hospital because it occurred to me that if I went in the car it might be virtually impossible to find a parking space.  It is, after all, only about a 10-minute walk and when it's sunny it's actually quite pleasant.

At around 6 o'clock on Tuesday evening I rang our landlord to ask for either a letter or a copy of our tenancy agreement and he says he wants to do an inspection of the house. I told him why we needed to apply for Housing Benefit and I trust he is understanding of the situation. He may be coming over the weekend so I have begun to clean the house. If I work steadily over the next few days, cleaning each room from top to bottom there should be no problems. As I write this, at 6.30 on Wednesday morning, I have done a load of washing and it's out on the line. As it's so sunny it should be dried within a few hours.

With all the walking on Tuesday I managed to clock up over 9000 steps. Just goes to show how many steps you can achieve when you walk so far in one day.

A Day Out To Waterperry

Another warm, sunny and pleasant day yesterday (Wednesday). We thought it a good enough excuse to get out. We thought of places to go to, and decided we wanted somewhere green and pleasant, possibly a garden. We have a choice of several places, but not too far to drive. We hit on Waterperry Gardens, somewhere we've visited on a couple of occasions. We set up the satnav, but for some reason the thing insisted on taking us through Bletchley and not immediately along Standing Way and out towards Buckingham. It would have been more normal to take that route, but the thing insisted on the other route out of Milton Keynes.

We got to Waterperry at about 10.45. The place was busy, with the carpark nearer the entrance virtually full to overflowing and we had to park in a newer section near the farm shop, which I don't remember being there the last time we visited. I don't think they had a farm shop when we were last there, so I presume it had been built and opened since our last visit to Waterperry. We had to wait when a coach arrived. There were several more parked. It was from Milton Keynes. Ironic that we'd driven all that way when we could have gone on a coach and saved on all the stress of driving to get there. Perhaps the next time we could go on a coach, so it will be worth investigating for the future.

The was place absolutely heaving with people. Mostly 'of a certain age.' It was as well we arrived when we did. We paid to go in the garden. I don't remember us paying when we visited the first time, but I know we didn't the last time. It was worth it. People dawdling about the place. It was really nice to sit and just enjoy the quiet, just the sound of birds singing and the breeze in the tree-tops. Something soothing and relaxing about a garden, and in particular one that is so well cared for. It was certainly at it's best. Also, the smells and sights were really soothing. Necessary since we've spent so many hours in N.H.S. units over the last year or so.

We were in need of refreshment so we went into the café. The place was gradually filling up with those people who'd arrived earlier on the coaches, along with a gang of middle aged men dressed in garish biking gear. I had a tomato and cheese sandwich and Carol had a baked potato with baked beans. I bought a bottle of apple juice which we drank with our food and it has to be one of the best apple juice I've tasted. It was from Waterperry apples and very sharp and not tampered with in any way as some apple juice is when you buy it from a supermarket, pure juice, no additives or watered down or from concentrate. We took the bottle with the remainder of the juice home with us when we left.

From the café we went into the plant sales area as Carol was keen to purchase a plant for our garden, or what passes of a garden. She chose a dahlia in a pot.

So we wended our way back to our car and drove home. A pleasant morning spent.

Alfie's Problem and Carol's Medication Review

I've been giving Alfie the two lots of medication I was given by the vet on Monday. He has antibiotics, which come in the form of a tablet which has to be halved and then crushed and then mixed in with his food. Also, a small phial of what is a pain killer and has to be drawn up in to a sort of needless hypodermic gadget and also mixed in with his food. But we have to keep his face clean. Attempting to wipe the built-up gunge from underneath both of his eyes is difficult because he resists at every attempt to wipe it off with a wet bath flannel. He's already scratched my hand with his claws and growls really loudly. For a small dog he's very strong but I don't know if he'd actually bite me. The two places under each eye are very red and raw, but I think it is beginning to clear up. At least the antibiotics should prevent any real infection.

Carol has to have a review of her medication. The doctor at Ashfield Medical Centre has to do this, otherwise she can't have any more repeated prescribed medication. We attempted to ring the surgery this morning but couldn't get through. So we had no choice but to drive there. At 8.40 the roundabout at Standing Way was clogged up with traffic. Drivers shouldn't have gone into the roundabout if their exit wasn't clear. I don't exactly enjoy driving through this roundabout at the best of times and I wasn't going to risk entering the roundabout when large H.G.V. vehicles were thundering through. When we got over the roundabout the entrance into the road where Ashfield M.C. is wasn't clear but a nice driver had no choice but to let us in.

We went inside the surgery and then got to the reception desk. There were very few other people in the waiting area so there was no waiting. Even now Carol has to go home and wait for a call from the doctor to then be allowed to have a face-to-face appointment to discuss her medication review. So we had to drive home and battle our way through the traffic through the horrible roundabout at Standing Way.

The doctor rang back an hour or two later. There's no need to make an actual appointment, but the particular medication that had to be reviewed is a sleeping tablet and they will only do a prescription for no more than seven days at a time, but this time he'll do it for 14 days and suggests she might take them every alternate night. We're not exactly over-joyed about the fact he said he thought it was for a different patient. Rather worrying. Doesn't exactly give you much confidence. I realise they have a great many patients on their books, but he could have at least looked at Carol's medical notes which would have been on the computerised system. Not even sure that our doctor was totally aware that Carol is on chemotherapy or what sort of treatment she's on.

As it's been such a sunny and warm day (so far) we decided to take a picnic and go down to the Grand Union Canal. We went to Tesco in Oldbrook to get sandwiches, crisps and drink and then drove to the Peartree Bridge pub to park and then walked along the canal towpath. We took our cameras with us and when we got to the picnic table where we've been before with the dogs (we didn't take Alfie on this occasion) we sat and ate our sandwiches. Along the canal were a couple of young men, fishing. We stopped to see what they'd caught. What they had caught they'd apparently put back in the canal. Lots of ducks and a couple of geese swimming gracefully along and we wanted to take a series of photographs to record our walk. Which we both did. Several canal boats drifting past. The trees coming out in leaf. Spring has been late in coming this year, after such a cold and quite horrible winter.

Snow . . .Gone!

The snow we've had around here for the past few days is gradually disappearing. Thank goodness, as it has made walking around quite difficult, particularly at the hospital. I was really concerned that either of us could have slipped over and ended up injured in some way. Just walking across the carpark was treacherous and none of the paths leading into the hospital building were free of ice or snow. As it is, this morning, it looks quite sunny and mild outside, although as I write this I haven't ventured outside.

I'm telescoping the last couple of days into this single blog post as there's not really enough to mention in several posts, one for each day, so here goes.

Yesterday (Wednesday) we had to be at the oncology department because the doctors found that Carol was slightly anaemic so she needed to have a blood transfusion.

As we arrived in the hospital campus it was busy as cars were queued going in from Standing Way and then along the inner ring-road near the ground-level carparks. Fortunately the snow and ice had begun to melt meaning it was a good deal easier to walk about, particularly across the carpark and into the hospital building.

 We arrived at the oncology department really early, which meant Carol could be set up in good time and we were in for a four-hour session as each bag of blood took two hours to be transfused and she then had to have a saline solution to flush out her system. Crazy how hot it has been in the oncology suite. On arrival the windows were open to cool things down. It seems really ridiculous that it's winter and they need to have the place warm, then they have windows open to cool things down. Just a waste of resources and money.

On Thursday we went back to the oncology because the pump Carol had was to be removed. We got to the hospital at around 2.20 and it was quite difficult to find a parking space, but fortunately someone was leaving so I managed to use it. The pump hadn't finished and there was still some liquid within it so the nurses couldn't disconnect it as hoped and we said we'd come back the next day and it could be removed then. So we had spent a couple of hours without anything happening and so went home at around 5.30.

Today (Friday) we returned to the oncology department. Only a couple of people there and so it didn't take long before one of the nurses disconnected the pump and we were back home within an hour or so. Good to have a couple of weeks of no hospital appointments. The next is on 27th December.

The weather has turned out quite bright and sunny, which makes a pleasant change from the cold and snow that we had around a week ago.

Snowy Conditions

I had to clear snow off the car this morning (Monday). I'm glad I went out early, as we had to go to the hospital as Carol had a blood test booked for 8.15 in the oncology department. The snow was a good eight inches deep all over the roof and bonnet. It was easily cleared with the ice scraper. Then I shovelled a path out as I didn't want Carol slipping over on the way out to the car. Fortunately the road out of Eaglestone was relatively clear, but some baffoon thought it absolutely necessary to park immediately opposite our driveway which was somewhat difficult to manoeuvre around and there was the possibility of sliding into it as we reversed out. There are several cars parked in the road and they're simply asking to be run into because of the snow and ice. Do they not have driveways to live on? Do their owners care? It would appear not.

Fortunately Saxon Street was relatively clear of snow as we drove towards the hospital, although you had to be careful as there were patches of ice and snow in the road. Deceptive, as there was the possibility of sliding if you were to brake suddenly and I wasn't prepared to risk such a thing. A queue of cars entering the hospital campus from Standing Way, but we were able to negotiate the inner ring road and got to the carpark behind the oncology department. The carpark barrier was raised so we could drive straight in and park. Very few other cars at the time, but the walk across the carpark to the hospital building was somewhat precarious as the ice and snow made walking difficult. We walked in to the building through the cardiology department. I remember visiting there some while ago when I had to have various tests done after my heart attack, one being a stress test (described in more detail in an earlier blog post.)

On entering the oncology department we found the place totally deserted. Strange to find an N.H.S. department without patients waiting. Carol confirmed her appointment with one of the nurses and I went to the Macmillan unit to get our car parking ticket stamped so we would have free parking. Several people wandered into the department as we waited. Carol was in having her blood taken when I returned from the Macmillan unit. It would seem that Monday morning is blood-testing time in this department. It was all over very rapidly and we left, waking gingerly back over the snow-covered road and into the carpark and home.

The carpark barrier was in the 'up' position as we left, which makes me laugh when there is so much fuss over parking at N.H.S. hospitals. It's quite obvious that the mechanism of these things can't cope when the temperature drops below a certain level. Oh well, not our loss as we don't have to pay once the ticket is stamped. Fortunately not a lot of traffic as we drove onto Marlborough Street and back into Eaglestone.

The snow would appear to be melting. I do hope so, as we have quite a few trips out and snow only makes life more difficult. Just hope it doesn't freeze as this would make things far more treacherous. 

Obstructive Bureaucracy

Trying to get through to our doctors' surgery at Ashfield Medical Centre is at times more than frustrating and annoying, as I've mentioned on various posts on here. Carol needed a fresh prescription for Co-codimol as she's experiencing real pain at night and none of the pain relief she is on is helping. There's a triage system in place which means you have to ring up, generally around 8.30 a.m.- onwards, which means you don't always get through immediately and have to go through a menu, choose which selection you need and then wait for some considerable time before getting through, probably having to wait in a queue.

It didn't take too long to get through, even though I had to endure the endless rigmarole of the menu. Once I'd got through I had to hand the phone to Carol. She was greeted by a most officious receptionist who said she'd come through to the wrong line and that they would only let those who were house-bound or over a 'certain age' to be allowed to have a prescription done the same day. I can't see what the problem is about this. She doesn't have Co-codomol on repeat and she could have had a ring-back from one of the doctors in the surgery to find out why the prescription was so important. She was then told that she would need to visit the surgery and bring a letter explaining why she needed the prescription. She she wrote and signed a letter to that effect and I drove towards Beanhill, where the Ashfield Medical Centre is situated. On arriving at the Standing Way roundabout that you have to circle in order to get to Saxon Street and then into Wastel, where Ashfield Medical Centre is, I found it closed to all traffic. So I had to make a right turn on the roundabout and journey along Standing Way and then round past the stadium, only to find that Saxon Street was closed off the opposite end to Standing Way. Which meant I had to find an alternative place to park and then walk to Beanhill and the surgery. I eventually decided the only place I could think of was Netherfield and to park in a space near the shops and then walk along the Redway towards Beanhill. This I did, and it was a considerable distance, crossing under several roads on the way. I managed to hand over the letter that Carol had written, but was given no guarantee that the prescription would be ready later in the day. I walked back to the car and did a bit of shopping in the Co-op in Netherfield and then drove home, a little bit annoyed by the way the situation had been created by the over officious receptionist at the surgery. All adding to the stress of the situation, not helped by the fact we had to ring in the first place and secondly, by the road-closure into the road near Beanhill and lastly, by the obstructive nature of the receptionist at the surgery.

I'm still not sure why the road was closed in the first place. Was it to re-surface the road, or to have the road dug up for some reason such as putting in pipes for gas or something? No warning given as I drove towards the roundabout on Standing Way, or example. It just made life very annoying.

I think this bureaucracy is partly the reason why the N.H.S. is in crisis. It seems over-burdened by administration. I know they need a certain amount of paperwork to operate, but to put managers and administrators in the way is just a waste of resources and money. Endless targets and statistics doesn't lead to efficiency. Just find a better way to do something would surely make more sense. How much money do they waste on business consultants and similar people? I'd love to know. Putting someone such as a receptionist in the way so as to prevent a patient getting medication is a disgrace. It should be a doctor who decides what should happen as they have the training and experience. Give someone a position of so-called authority and it can sometimes go to their head. 

Visit To Brackley

A fine sunny Saturday morning, which meant we didn't want to be stuck indoors. After some consideration as to where we could visit, we decided to visit Brackley, which is where we were heading last weekend when we ended up at Buckingham Garden Centre just as the weather became stormy and we got no further. Brackley is one of those places that we shoot past on the dual-carriageway and seem to ignore. You see it signposted but never seem to visit. I think it would have been one of the places you would have driven through in days past. We are surprised at how much petrol costs at the moment: around 99p a litre, so we filled up at Morrison's service station on the way past. I think everyone else was doing the same when we got there as there was quite a queue of vehicles when we turned in.

A rather attractive door which caught my eye and photographed for no other particular reason in Brackley.

So we drove away from Milton Keynes along Standing Way and eventually to Buckingham and out on the road to Brackley. This is a town we haven't visited before, but I had an idea it would suit us as it is one of the locations used in many of the television antiques shows we watch on television, such as Bargain Hunt and Antiques Road Trip. We managed to park the car just off the main street and walked towards the centre of this attractive town, first visiting a very well-stocked book shop. Try and keep either of us out of such places is quite difficult as we always seem to gravitate towards books and bookshops. We could have spent quite a bit in there, but we resisted the temptation. At least, we know another independent bookshop when we want one. As much as we like Amazon and being able to buy books online, and the ease of finding what you want, nothing really beats being able to browse books in a bricks-and-mortar bookshop. We then went into a branch of Costa, which was virtually opposite the bookshop and then found a rather convenient map of the town in a square outside Costa. We had an idea that there was a large antique centre somewhere in the town (used in Bargain Hunt.) and found it on the map, so we followed the directions on the map and found it wasn't far. It turned out to be a particularly large and very well stocked place and Carol saw and then purchase a rather nice glass rabbit ornament, similar in style to Lalique glass, and for a very reasonable price. On our way back to the car we found a really nice shop which sold all manner of original artwork and had a chat with the young lady who owned it. She told us about Brackley Artisan Market which was coming up on the 3rd April from 10 a.m to 3 p.m. in the market Square and something we might very well come back to visit as it sounded the sort of thing we'd enjoy.

Cold Weather

We're experiencing a very much colder dose of weather at the moment. I think December must have been one of the mildest on record. We've hardly had the central heating on, except briefly in the evenings, but over the past couple of days, we've had to have it on for far longer. I had to defrost the windscreen this morning, something I haven't had to do this winter. As I write this post, the sun is out and it's relatively warm, but, generally speaking, it's still chilly.

Because of the mild weather, it seems the plants and other wildlife around us are somewhat confused. There are bulbs popping up all around Milton Keynes, particularly on the roundabout at Standing Way. They are daffodils. In other corners of the town, we have seen blossom coming out, several months earlier than usual. Trees are adding and it appears that the grass is still growing. Please, no I don't want to get the mower out. It can wait. I'm just not doing it in early January. It must be some sort of record. Even the squirrels which live in and around our garden are rushing about the place. Don't they hibernate? It must be too early for them to be stirring. No doubt if there is a really sharp frost of even snow, all these bulbs will stop blooming. But from past years, they get a good covering of snow which seems to protect them and then shoot up even faster once it melts.

I'm back up and running with my writing. I managed to make notes for this 'piece' over the Christmas and New Year period which has really made the writing so much easier. I think I mentioned in an earlier post that I had at last found a way to link the various elements of my 'multi-strand' project together. I am currently working on a schedule and hopefully, will manage to construct the necessary framework for this project. Most of it needs a great deal of re-writing and editing and then transferring to Word so it can be printed out, but I do attempt to avoid too much printing as the ink cartridges are  so expensive and it can be a waste of not just ink but also paper.

Carol's New Bike

We were up good and early this morning. The car needed petrol and was virtually empty when we went to the Shell petrol station along Grafton Street. Put in around £30-worth of petrol and we decided to go shopping at Morrison's so we went via Standing Way. We got to their supermarket at Westcroft but they weren't open as it was 7.15 and didn't actually open until 8 a.m. so we went to Sainsbury's in Witan Gate. They're open 24 hours so we did our shop there. Good to get there so early as it was virtually empty of other shoppers but it got busier as we went round the store. We also had breakfast in their cafe. We got home and unloaded the shopping. Carol had emptied the freezer so we had an empty freezer with no ice in it so what went in there was easier than normal. 

I told you I'd bought a bicycle from Argos recently. Carol has been looking for one for herself and we've been to a few places to have a look, including Bike King in Stoney Stratford and another shop at Shenley near the new branch of Sainsbury's. Bug nothing she liked or was suitable. We went to Toys R Us and bought one there, having tried out several different models until she selected one she really liked. We got it home and put it together. Having assembled mine a few weeks ago it wasn't that difficult including the front brake assembly. We then decided to cycle down the Redway towards Woughton-On-The-Green and across the Grand Union Canal at Peartree Bridge and round the green and through the orchard, having a rest on some benches and then back towards the canal and going to the Peartree Bridge pub for ice cold Cokes and then back home along the Redway. 

From Bad To Worse

We went to Asda early this morning to do a bit of shopping and then Carol went to work. I had an appointment booked at the doctors' surgery in Beanhill at 8 and got there with plenty of time to spare; a good 15 minutes in fact. One lady ahead of me had even bought a shooting stick thing to sit on. Seemed a good idea to me. Then the doors opened and we went inside the surgery. The computerised check-in system is still not working. It's been inoperative for a good week or two now. Rather defeats the point of having this elaborate system if it doesn't work, but I managed to check in with one of the two receptionists. I sat down to wait as my appointment was at 8 and by now it was around 10 minutes past so I had expected to go in (having my ears syringed as I have been having real problems hearing. See earlier posts as this has developed into something of a long-running soap opera or saga.) Then I got called over to the desk by the receptionist to be told that she had made a mistake when she made the appointment. The nurse I was supposed to have seen couldn't do the precedure so another appointment was made for 11.15. A bit of an inconvenience, but no problem. Just as well I wasn't planning to do anything else of any consequence this morning. So I went home. By now the traffic was backed up from the Standing Way roundabout well past the entrance into the road in which the surgery is, but some kind van driver let me in. I drove to Eaglestone shops as I needed to top up our gas and electricity cards. Went into the shop and did exactly that, but when I got back to the car it wouldn't start. A repetition of the old problem. On a further attempt it still would not spark into life so I decided to walk home through the estate. There was some shopping in the car from the Asda shopping trip so I took a couple of bags with me except for a large pack of toilet rolls and tins of dog food. I decided to come back a later after my doctor's surgery appointment and take the trolley I used to deliver the IKEA catalogues last summer.
I got to the surgery for the second time this morning at around 11.00, having walked. It's not such a bad walk as the weather has been pleasant for the past couple of days and it generally takes no more than 20 minutes. I checked in and waited. And waited. And waited. You know the sort of thing. You get to your appointment well on time and then you see people being called in before you. It got to around 11.40 and I was still not seen. I suppose I went into the nurses room about 11.45, a good 30  minutes after the time I was booked for. I now have my hearing back but I just hope it doesn't get all woolly again. Walked home and watched Bargain Hunt (one of my favourite shows and the only daytime television show I watch, by  the way.) I decided to walk to the Eaglestone shops to see whether the car would start and took the trolley with me just in case, to bring the remaining shopping. The car wouldn't start the first time I tried. I loaded some of the things into the trolley from the boot, but fortunately I tried it again and on the third attempt it started so I loaded the trolley back into the car and went home. The car is becoming something of a nuisance as it works when it wants to and then doesn't start. So unreliable.

Deep and Crisp and Even

The snow started falling slowly around 9 yesterday morning and didn't stop until early evening, so we are now well and truly snowed in. We had to take Sam to work and went to Tesco's at Oldbrook to get a few essentials. Fortunately I had heeded the warning in the forecasts for the week ahead and had already stocked up with groceries from Lidl's, such items as milk, bread and a chicken which we had roasted yesterday evening. Carol got the message around 7 this morning that the Academy would be closed, so she has a day off. It seemed totally unlikely that any of the local schools would open, due mainly to health and safety issues. The gridroads around Milton Keynes have been fairly clear of snow, although Grafton Street was like a cart track as there was a lot of snow which had not been melted by passing traffic. We had to go to the Shell petrol station along there to put some fuel in the car, and it was really quite treacherous, somewhat slippery where the road out of the petrol station joined the gridroad. The roads have been gritted but it takes moving traffic on it to work the grit into the ice and snow so that it is kept clear. Standing Way was generally snow-free, basically because it is a busy road with enough traffic moving on it to work the grit into any snow that falls on it and so thaw it. As I write this (9.50 a.m.) the snow has stopped falling, but I imagine the temperature is well below freezing outside. This is when it becomes dangerous, when the road surface becomes icy and then really slippery. The inner road around Eaglestone is very snowed up, essentially due to the fact that these roads don't get gritted by the Council. Our front drive is around 6 inches under snow and the car has a thick layer of snow on top of it.

Car Accident

Yesterday afternoon I went to collect Carol in the car. She's been having problems with her leg, due I'm certain, as a result of the incident at the Academy when a lot of the students were fighting and they had to be separated. It seems to have been quite nasty from what she was telling me. I got a tube bandage for her leg and ankle and it has been strapped up, and walking has been quite painful. So, instead of walking to the Academy I have driven her there and collected her in the evening. 

I left the house slightly earlier than usual to drive the short distance to the Academy but we never come out  of this estate opposite the Academy and onto the grid road (Saxon Street)  as it can be really difficult to get out, due to traffic (this will be relevant as this post continues, as you will discover.) although early morning you can manage to cross over as there is generally very little traffic about. A reason for this may be that there is a 40 m.p.h. speed limit along that stretch of road from the roundabout on Chaffron Way to the next one on Standing Way, due to the hospital and the Academy are along that road. Anyway, because I'd left early I decided to go to the local shop in Eaglestone to get some milk and a tin of pineapple for use in our evening meal. From there I drove out of the estate onto Chaffron Way and then round into Saxon Street with the intention of driving into the Academy and parking as I usually do before going into the Academy reception to wait for Carol to come out. As I drove towards the turning into the Academy there was quite a queue of traffic ahead of me. A car was attempting to turn out of Eaglestone onto Saxon Street and another car was come in the opposite direction. The car turning out of the estate collided with the other car, forcing the other car to spin round in the road and hit the opposite curb. There were bits of plastic bumper flying everywhere from both cars, and a large section of the car which turned out of Eaglestone lying in the centre of the carriageway. As I am a trained First Aider and has seen all that had happened, I thought that I must go to see if the lady in the car which had ended up on the kerb directly outside the Academy was alright and might need some First Aid or at least I could say that I would be a witness if the need arose. 

I drove into the road leading up to the Academy entrance and parked up, making sure that I wasn't obstructing any traffic going in or out of the Academy, and walked down to the road where the car was, having ended up on the kerbside. I approached the driver and she looked really shaken up, tears running down her face and in a really bad state. There was no blood and she didn't appear to be seriously injured. I just said that if she needed assistance I was there to help her. There was a long tail-back of traffic on either side of the road, but no other driver made the slightest attempt to stop and assist. The lady who had driven out of Eaglestone and who had collided with the other car was on the opposite side of the road. She eventually crossed over to contact the other driver. I wondered if the lady who had been in the car which had been hit would need to go to Accident and Emergency at the hospital, but she didn't appear to have suffered any serious injury which needed any sort of hospital treatment, except for some pain in her shoulder, which, I presume, had been caused by the seat belt tightening when the car had braked suddenly during the collision. 

I rang Carol on my mobile to let her know what had happened and she eventually came out of the Academy and walked down to the scene of the accident. The lady who's car was outside the Academy and on the curb phoned her father, as she was on the way to collect her two children from school, and the Police who turned up extremely quickly to take down details of what happened. As the lady got out of her car there was a slow hissing sound and I at first thought it might have been the radiator which had burst in the accident, but it turned out to be one of the front tyres which had been damaged in the accident and had a slow puncture. The Policeman who appeared drove the car up and onto the verge and left it there. Then the lady's father arrived and she went off with him. I gave my details so that I could give a witness statement at a later date. 

Even throughout all this there were people driving past, and some getting really annoyed that they had to slow down, some driving on the slip road that went into the drive up to the Academy entrance, and, again, nobody made any attempt to stop to help.