The Holly and The Ivy

 Wednesday. 12.30 p.m. There was a gorgeous red rosy sky earlier this morning. The sun was out, but it was low, and from my kitchen window, as I stood and did the washing up at the sink, I could see the shopping centre, which is on higher ground than Oldbrook, it seemed to glow a golden colour, which was really the sun reflected in the glass. It was really beautiful. Strange how the most mundane things can have beauty.

Thursday. 1.20 p.m. We had a Christmas party at the Oaktree Centre this morning. It was with all those who are part of the Thursday Morning Life Group (Bible study group, as I've often referred to it in earlier posts). We had some silly games, and there was food, mostly what you'd call buffet food. A good time of fellowship and silliness.

It has been raining all morning, quite heavily, and I had to run to my car after the party, in an effort not get wet, which was impossible. I got slightly damp, but it didn't really matter as, once I got back inside the flat, I very soon got dry.

Friday. 8.30 a.m. I woke up a good deal later than normal. As I write, my washing is in the machine and should be done in around 30 minutes.

Currently, the digital thermometer reads 20ºc.

3.25 p.m. Some of the daffodil bulbs which I planted in September are starting to come up in the community garden. I know they will eventually blossom in the spring, but it's great to know that they are growing. I trust that the rest of the batch come up eventually. All planted in memory of Carol, as she loved daffodils.

The sun has been out, although only weakly.

Saturday. 10.00 a.m. I had an appointment with the doctor at Central Milton Keynes Medical Centre for 9.15 this morning. I was surprised to find it was foggy as I drove across Milton Keynes to get there. On arrival, I had to stand and wait outside before the doors were opened. I checked in on the computer screen, and before I knew it, my name came up on the digital screen, and I was walking to Room 7. The doctor took my blood pressure. Quite normal, as well as my weight, around 15 stone (don't ask me what that is in Kilograms. Sorry, I'm stuck with imperial measurements.) Everything seemed fine and I was soon back in my car, driving home.

It soon struck me that I would need some cash, and the A.T.M. that used to be outside Tesco's convenience store in Oldbrook has gone, and the row of shops it was in was demolished when the upgraded Lidl store was built. It seemed that the only one I could use that was close was at Sainsbury's, so I headed for the store and parked in the underground carpark and, walked up the travelator and got the money from the cashpoint (A.T.M.) and then decided to buy a few items in the store as I was there. 

Fun and Frolics at Dexter House (But Probably Not)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Printer Frustrations

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

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

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

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

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

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

Oh, What A Beautiful Morning!

Sunday. 5.25 p.m. Did you notice that many of the titles for my posts are taken from those of songs in musicals? This one comes from the opening number of the Rodgers and Hammerstein show, 'Oklahoma!' 

I bought The Sunday Times this morning. I went to Tesco Metro in Oldbrook Boulevard. I haven't had any Sunday papers for I don't know how long, well, at least in the traditional, print form. I have a digital subscription to The Daily Telegraph, so I can read it on their website and on the app on my iPad. I was shocked that The Sunday Times now costs £3.50, which shows how long ago I had it when it was probably less than £1, but maybe £2. 

There's an article which interested me, about the boom in television and filmmaking in the United Kingdom, and how there is a desperate need for more studio space because most of what's available, at, say Pinewood or Shepperton, is already booked solid by the likes of Disney and Netflix. The Hollywood studios seem to prefer to make their blockbusters, such as 'Star Wars' and 'Mission Impossible' in this country because we have some of the best facilities as well as the personnel to make them and also companies based here who create the special effects, provide the costumes, set-building, makeup and a whole host of associated creative material.

The Edinburgh Festival has just started. I am totally amazed that theatre companies, who appear there, now have to give a warning about anything that might offend audiences. How crazy is that? Are people so pathetic that they have to be warned if there's any mention of anything sexual, outrageous political matters, anything about gender, Britain's past, such as our empire, slavery, nationality or whatever? It seems people can become 'outrage about more or less anything. Also, there's an article in the 'Culture' section of The Sunday Times about Terry Gilliam, who happens to be one of my favourite film directors. He was the animator, as part of the 'Monty Python' comedy group.  I love the films he has directed, such as 'The Time Bandits', 'Brazil' and 'Baron Munchausen.' He was scheduled to direct a production of Stephen Sondheim's musical 'Into The Woods' at the Old Vic, but, due to his views on transgender and the     #met oo campaign, staff didn't want to work with him, so he has been 'cancelled.' It seems you can't have an opinion about anything unless it's someone else's opinion. He has taken the entire production to a theatre in Bath, where it is about to open. I am so hoping that this production might go on tour and come close to Milton Keynes, probably not to Milton Keynes Theatre, but possibly to the Royal Theatre in Northampton or the Oxford Playhouse.

Monday. 2.10 p.m. I have been experimenting with the animation app I bought from the Apple app store. I have spent around an hour this morning playing around with the set-up, using the piece of card I got in Hobbycraft the other morning and using the Rode device to clamp my iPhone to because you need to have your camera or phone steady before you can even think of any form of animation. I have now done a very short piece which runs for a mere 19 seconds, of a group of bits of Plasticine, and I'm rather pleased with the result. Now I will have to devise something a bit more imaginative and give that a go.

Any Old Day Of The WeeK!

Thursday. 8.25 a.m. I have used my Vax steamer on the new kitchen floor. So, it looks clean (well, that's  the general idea, so I hope so!)

3.40 p.m. I've been into the Milton Keynes central shopping centre to get my hair cut at Central Barbers. I had booked and paid via their website on Tuesday and my appointment was at 10.20, but I got there in good time so I didn't have to wait. Its a good idea to book like this because it means you are guaranteed to be seen immediately without waiting. I then went to Lakeland, the shop which is in Middleton Hall and bought a plate rack for my sink drainer. The old one is too big for the drainer and because the new taps make it difficult to push the drainer back sufficiently I thought it would be an idea to replace it and the new one is ideal

Friday. 9.35 a.m. Alfie was more or less asleep when I was about to take him out. 

My washing is almost done. I'm about to go down and check if it's dry in the drier.

I have booked the car in for its MOT on Monday at 11.45 a.m. I rang Bleakhall Motors just after 8 o'clock to book it in.

Saturday. 12.50 p.m. I drove to Kingston because I was attempting to find shampoo. Now, I know that sounds totally crazy, but I have used Elvive dandruff shampoo for men, and it works, and I actually like it. I think I first bought it in Sainsbury's but for some reason, I can't find it again. There are so many versions of Elvive, virtually every permutation on the same product, for women mostly, I presume, but this particular variation seems unavailable. I went into Boots, but no sign of it there, but a whole section in the shampoo shelving, of all the Elvive variations, but not the particular one I would like. I know, you're saying, but just buy any shampoo, they're all the same. But I was determined to get that one. I eventually ended up buying a Tesco dandruff shampoo. Not a particularly good substitute for what I really wanted, but it will do I suppose.

Sunday. 5.55 p.m. I have signed up for Digital Theatre. I've been watching David Tennant and Catherine Tate as Beatrice and Benedick in Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing.' A really lively and inventive production, setting the play in Gibraltar in the 1980s. I always wonder about the 'Hero' plot line, which somehow doesn't seem to work. If you know the play, you might know what I mean. It's as if Shakespeare had finished the play, and then found it didn't run long enough, and the subplot with Hero being accused by Don John of not being a maiden (a virgin), seems incredibly contrived and put in to get the play to run longer. For all that, the interplay between David Tennant and Catherine Tate is what makes the whole show work. They are so good. I can see why they would be cast, because of their television work, particularly Tennant as a former 'Doctor Who' and Tate, because of her sketch show.  Just shows that clearly they are capable of a wide range of acting, not just television or film, and can flip from classical to contemporary. The clever set design, which utilizes a revolve, means that the scene changes are smooth and effortless.

Monday. 6.20 a.m. A relatively mild morning. Alfie was fast asleep when I was about to take him out.

10.25 a.m. The temperature, according to my digital thermometer, is 78ºF. That is probably because I have one of the electric fans on full blast.

1.25 p.m. I took the Renault to Bleak Hall Motors for its MoT which had been booked for 11.45. They are incredibly busy there, and you could tell this by the number of cars waiting in the yard when I turned up. The car was soon being taken into the workshop, barely minutes after I arrived. Then, around 12.35 I got the result. It had passed! One of the tyres might need replacing, but it was a real relief that it had passed, and I wasn't going to have to pay out for work to get it through the MoT. I will book it in for a full service in November, which should keep it in good running order.

Snow and Ice and Coronavirus Vaccine

(Friday) It was bright but frosty first thing this morning. I had to get milk because, unfortunately I had run out and I couldn't have my cereal and mug of tea without, so I had to drove to Tesco along Oldbrook Boulevard. I had to first defrost the car before driving out. I put the heaters on, melting ice from the rear window and the windscreen. Fortunately I had bought a bottle of spray for this very purpose in Sainsbury's the other day, so the job was made easier, along with the use of a spray. 

Walking around Oldbrook Green with Alfie, I saw some snowdrops. So, a good sign that spring is on the way. I'm not entirely sure, but it seems incredibly early for snowdrops. We're only two weeks into January. I don't think they are usually seen this early. As it is, it seems very mild.

(Later) I've been to have my coronavirus vaccine. The appointment was for 3.20. I got there far too early and had to sit in my car for 15 minutes. I was told I must not go into the surgery no later than 5 minutes before my appointment. I walked round to the front of the building, expecting to just walk in, which is what happened when I had my flu jab, and was surprised to find a crowd of people, a queue going down the path leading to the front door. They were only letting 10 people in at any one time and as we got closer someone asked if I was feeling okay, and I got a temperature, and, I said I was fine and had no raised temperature. Then, as we walked inside we had our temperatures taken with a sort of gun-type gadget and then we went inside. I had to give my details to the receptionist and was then handed a leaflet and a details about the Astra-Zeneca vaccine. I sat briefly in the waiting area and then my name came up on the digital display. When I went through to the room where I was to have the injection, the man who was to do it asked me some questions:did I take blood-thinning medication? Was I likely to be allergic to the vaccine? I answered no to both questions. Then the injection was put into my upper right arm. Over within seconds and then I returned to my car and, as I was told I ought to wait around 15 minutes before driving off (I think to make sure there was any severe reaction to the vaccine, which there wasn't.) I have to wait around three weeks to have the second injection before the vaccine can be fully effective.

(Saturday morning) I woke up at around 1.30. The usual. I had to use the loo. I felt shivery. A side-effect of the vaccine. I had a look in the kitchen drawers for Paracetamol, because in the leaflet I was given at the surgery, it says to take Paracetamol. I couldn't find any. As I write this, at 3.15a.m., the shivering has subsided. I reckon it's going away. I do hope so.

6.40a.m. The flu-like side effects of the vaccine have more or less worn off. I think by this evening it will have gone completely. Well, at least I hope so.

I took Alfie out as usual and it was quite foggy, but as I write this at 9.30a.m. it's quite sunny, but would expect the fog to have lifted. Only a slight flu symptoms left. I'm definitely a good deal better, but will leave it a bit longer before we go out again.

2.35P.M. I've been out once again with Alfie. It's sunny but chilly. The side effects of the vaccine seem to have more or less gone, although I'm feeling more than unusually tired.

I've just learnt that Kenneth Branagh is to play Boris Johnson in a television drama series about the coronavirus pandemic. Who on earth do they think will want to watch such a series? Presumably it won't be shown on television (I believe it will be a Sky Original production, so not on free-to-view channels.) once the pandemic is over, but even then, who wants to be reminded of the pandemic and lockdowns?

Saturday Shopping and Afternoon Thunderstorm

(Saturday)This is becoming a habit. I go shopping once a week since the lockdown began and I go on a Saturday. I think most people don't get out of bed early on a weekend, (and who can blame them?) but I find that usually if I go shopping in Sainsbury's early it is easier to get in and out. I have learnt to go early enough, just before 8 o'clock, when the queue to get in is only a few people long, a lesson I learnt a few weeks ago when I got there at 7 and didn't realise that key workers and N.H.S. staff got preferential treatment so as not to have to queue. Anyway, I was in and out of Sainsbury's in a little over an hour, which was fairly good as far as I'm concerned. Having a shopping list makes all the difference but I do wish some of the shoppers would at least smile as they all look as if they're 'doomed' as Frazer used to say in 'Dad's Army' with monotonous regularity.

(Later) I've been watching a documentary series about the River Thames, presented by Peter Ackroyd on the History Hit platform (of which I'm a subscriber.) I have reached the third episode and then it goes dark outside. It was attempting to rain when I last went out with Alfie around 1.30, but I didn't let a bit of drizzle put me off, or Alfie for that matter. Then there was an almighty clap of thunder, very much like a bomb going off, and then it rained as if the whole world was going to end. It made me jump and I don't think Alfie liked it very much. It is still dark (relatively for being daylight at 3.20 approximately) and the thunder is still rolling around Milton Keynes. I don't think we will be going out for a while or at least not until the rain has stopped.

(Sunday) It's a rather dull outlook this morning. Probably just as well because the past week or two it's been unbearably hot.

I got the Apple Pencil delivered yesterday morning and I'm attempting to get it working, charging by putting it on the iPad. It's difficult to know how to get this going because it didn't come with a manual, which seems how most computer equipment comes delivered. I have to go on line and also watch YouTube videos to find instructions. I also got a parcel from Bibliophile, the discount book company, because I had ordered a rather beautiful book on Art Nouveau which I had seen when their catalogue arrived in the post and ordered on line. It has taken almost two weeks to arrive, probably held up due to the coronavirus pandemic. Likewise with the Apple Pencil.

Later. I've just been to the Tesco Metro store in Oldbrook Boulevard. It's almost comical, attempting to avoid other customers as I walk around the store. I think there's a game in there somewhere, a bit like Monopoly. It could just be called 'Lockdown.' I might even be an afternoon gameshow on television. How it would work I don't know. Probably start off with a load of points and as you go around the board you loose points if you meet other people and have to answer questions to move on round. Anyway, I wanted to get a Sunday Times and get some chocolate. Only in there five minutes and then home to then take Alfie out for another walk. 

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.

Modern Technology

On one of my  recent shopping trips to Sainsbury's in Witan Gate I notice some work going on. A lot of new equipment going in, but covered in polythene. I'm not too sure what it's about. Then I see a sort of unit near the entrance of the store with 'Smart Shop' in bold lettering on it. I have an idea what it means. They're bringing in the system that Waitrose has had for years. Instead of using one of the traditional checkouts or self-service tills, you use a hand-held scanner as you shop and then pay at a dedicated till. I have this morning had an email from Sainbury's which tells me that the system is up and running. I have downloaded the app onto my iPhone and by putting in my Nectar card number I can scan each item as I shop and pay at the dedicated check-out. Not sure how you pay. Presumably with your debit or credit card. You can use your mobile to scan using the camera or use the hand-held device. I'll have to give it a go. But I'll miss the interaction with the people on the tills if I use this technology. Surely it shouldn't all be about the speed of shopping. No doubt it will mean they'll layoff more staff in the pursuit of profits. I suppose I've embraced the new technologies of self-service tills as well as on-line shopping, so this is just another form of technology to add to the list. I imagine the thinking is, that if you, as a retail outlet, don't follow the trends, take on board similar technologies that other retailers embrace, you will be left behind, because it's what your customers expect. Tesco was the first supermarket to have a loyalty card, named really imaginatively Clubcard. Sainsbury had it's reward card but then it merged with several other loyalty cards to become Nectar. Very useful for the supermarket because it meant they could keep track of what individual customers purchased and could use the data to analyse this data to send personalised offers. They could work out your age, whether you had children, your preferences especially what you liked to eat, even your buying habits on such things as crisps, fruit, whether you had a dietary restriction such as low fat, diabetic, gluten-free and so on. If you bought clothes in store, even your shoe size, waist etc etc. Further, what till you used, how often you shopped in store, if you used on-line ordering and the time of day it was delivered.

Bonkers Retail

I have been taking something to eat at lunch-time in the ward where Carol is at the moment. I have usually bought a sandwich or roll from the Friends shop in the hospital, but, unfortunately, they haven't always come up to a standard which means I have enjoyed what I have eaten. Usually they are reasonable edible, but generally they are tasteless, the bread dry and not particularly pleasant. A lot of this is down to the fact that everything we have offered us has to be low in salt and sugar, low-fat etc etc. The health fanatics have had a field day, making food really dull and uninteresting. Any effort to make the food we eat, or at least, buy from supermarkets and other retail outlets, has had all the flavour sucked out of it. I know that it's best to eat healthily, but when you can barely taste what you eat, the enjoyment of food is removed. With this in mind, I have endeavoured to find somewhere to buy a snack for my lunch which is at least tasty. There are several choices for me as regards outlets for lunch snacks. First, Sainsbury's, but even there I have managed to drain the well dry, as you might say. You can have a 'Meal Deal' in most supermarkets, where you buy a roll or sandwich and have an additional bag of crisps and probably a drink for a reasonable price, of, say, £2.50-£3.50 or so. Then there's Waitrose, probably a bit more expensive, but with a more imaginative selection, or going further away, Boot's, but they only have a store in the city centre, or at Westcroft or Kingston. Lastly, Marks and Spencer, with outlets at MK Stadium, Kingston or the city centre, but it means quite an effort to get to them, first  drive there and then to park and walk into the MK centre.

With all this in mind, I went to the Kingston Centre in the hope of finding something decent to take with me to the hospital as a snack to eat for lunch. I wasn't intending getting to the hospital too early, just for once. I was going to slow things down as much as possible, particularly because of having my heart attack four weeks previously. No good getting stressed if it means getting myself into a position where I just become ill. No good at all.  I arrived in the carpark and got as close to Marks and Spencer's and Boot's and went into Boot's to have a look at what they had to offer as regards sandwiches. Nothing struck me as in the least interesting, so I left and went into M and S. Could I find their lunch-snack display? Not at all, Usually supermarkets set these sections apart from the rest of their displays so it's easy to spot when you enter the store. But I had to be shown by a member of staff. Actually, quite an inviting display, so I selected a baguette filled with egg and ham, and then selected a bag of crisps and found their cold drinks display, selecting a Belgian Chocolate milk shake and also a Coffee Latte milk shake which I knew Carol would appreciate. But when it came to pay I had fun finding the till. A crazy layout had to be negotiated, because of a sort of maze-like approach. I could see the lady at the till, but how did I get there? Round this idiotic layout. Enough to put off any customer. What on earth is the point of making the place where you have to pay so difficult to find? What is the matter with Marks and Spencers? They're having enough trouble keeping customers or at least getting people to shop in their stores (as many other companies are at the moment, not just M and S.) But this is crazy. Make it easier, not more difficult, for goodness sakes.

I wanted to get something to help relieve the wretched cough I have since I've been taking Ramapril. Well, at least I'm no longer taking it since I was put back on Candesartan. It seems I'm left with the cough which I trust will disappear eventually, but how long I have no idea. I thought Boots would be able to help and went to the counter which stocks cough remedies. There was no assistant to help, although there appeared to be several on the pharmacy counter. I stood and waited a few minutes, but still no one appeared. They could surely see me waiting patiently, but after about three minutes I decided it was no use and left and then thought I'd walk to Tesco's and try their pharmacy. A bit of a walk, but I wanted this thing sorted. I got what I wanted and began to walk out of the store. Carol had asked me to buy her some Maltesers and it just happened, as I neared the exit of the store, I walked past a display which just so happened to have bags of Maltesers in it. I grabbed two packets and decided to use a self-service checkout. I walked towards what I thought were self-service machines and attempted to pay for the two bags. I waved the bags in front of what I imagined was a bar-code scanner, but nothing happened. No sign of the machine springing into life. Nothing seemed to be working. I pressed a key on the screen and suddenly an assistant appeared. It would then become apparent that it wasn't a self-service machine, but a machine to use if you'd been using a scanner to scan your shopping as you walked around the store. I was totally unaware of this, I saw no indication that the machine was for that purpose, and, anyway, thinking about it now, why don't ordinary self-service machines have the added facility for you to use a hand-held scanner. I decided I didn't want to bother to buy the Maltesers and handed the bags to the assistant and left, no doubt somewhat shocked by my rather abrupt exit. But it was more than I needed at that particular time, with enough to think about without having to bother with using one of those machines. It was a further example of company making it very clear what they expected their customers to do and to provide clearer signage.

M.R.I. Scan and Pizza

Carol had an M.R.I. scan booked for around 5.10 yesterday afternoon. Which meant our evening meal would be delayed. Not actually a problem. It has been an exceptionally warm day and we'd been out this morning (see previous post.) We got to the hospital carpark, Carol driving. Some people have no idea how to park a car, as we saw one car left at an angle in one bay, actually taking up more than one slot. No doubt they were in a hurry so they left it at this peculiar angle, meaning the next space couldn't be taken by another car.

We walked down the road towards the M.R.I. unit. As usual, we were far too early. Nothing wrong with being early. Better than being late, as a patient who came in after us. What is so difficult about being punctual? I think she had to re-book her scan. No doubt wasting her time and effort and it must have meant that the unit lost a scan which could have been taken by someone else. It's crazy how many appointments are lost when people don't bother to turn up. Particularly at the doctor's surgery. No doubt wasting the N.H.S. millions.

It was nice that I was offered tea when I was sitting in the waiting area at the scan unit run by In Health. I think this is the first time I've been offered tea. As it was so hot it was really a necessity, as tea is such a thirst-quencher. Is that the difference between private and N.H.S. treatment? I'm not sure how a private company fits into the hospital.

Anyway, after the scan we paid at the machine and then we found that the carpark barrier was raised. Annoying as we'd just payed £4.50 or thereabouts. It's crazy that they don't think it necessary to put a notice on the payment machine advising people that the barrier is raised. How much are they making out of the broken carpark barrier? Or get it fixed so you at least get released by putting the ticket in the machine. Or just get of hospital parking fees. Simple.

On leaving the carpark, Carol went the wrong way out, ignoring the 'No Entry' sign. Who on earth designed the system for drivers to follow in order to exit the carpark? You have follow a crazy set of arrows which are illogical. No doubt some bureaucrat in an office somewhere, most likely in Whitehall. Probably having a really bad day. Just doesn't make sense. Although we got out a good deal quicker than if we'd followed the route as shown. Why are so many carparks set out in a similar fashion, usually supermarkets have them?

After we left the hospital we drove to Oldbrook as Carol said she fancied pizza and so we went to Domino's, next door to Tesco. Interesting to watch them make the pizzas, rolling out the dough and seeing how they were cooked. To be honest I wasn't overly impressed by the result, having eaten my half of the pizza. It seemed undercooked and mushy to me. Well, it did at least mean we didn't have to cook our meal. I think the pizza we sometimes buy at Sainsbury's is far better.

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.

Alfie Has His Hair Cut

I'd had Alfie booked to go to the groomer's at Pets At Home for about a month. Luckily it had been a really mild and warm day. Infact, it must have been the warmest day so far this year. Being able to get his cage loaded into the back of the car was my main aim early in the morning. I had to make sure he was safely installed in the kitchen first, with the door closed. Any hint of a noise and he'd start yapping. But fortunately he wasn't aware of what I had planned. By about 11.30 I was almost ready to drive over to Bletchley and had to get him on his lead without him having an idea I was about to take him out. A few minutes later and I'd got him ready to go. He had got an idea what I was about to do and began the usual noise. He's just too sharp for me.

I got parked in a convenient spot near Pets At Home and got him out of the car. As usual, all and sundry would have heard that Alfie had arrived. We went in through the Pets At Home store as the Grooming Room is at the back of the building. The lady on reception filled in a form because you have to give your details as to how you want your dog to be groomed. Alfie had quite a lot of knots in his coat as well as some nasty bits under his eyes which needed removing. It seems most dogs get these bits on their faces. We had tried to remove them ourselves but he doesn't like you even attempting. The same with any knots in his coat. He isn't too keen if you try to comb or brush his coat. I think it's probably because it can hurt if you get the comb caught in a knot and it pulls.

I had to spend the next two hours kicking my heels. It didn't seem much point going home, even though it's not that far. I had a refreshment break at Gregg's, as there is a handy branch only a few doors away from Pets At Home. I bought a baguette a drink and some crisps and sat outside at a conveniently placed table. Other people had the idea, no doubt people having their lunch break from work. A couple of starlings came and pinched bits of food that got dropped, and in particular very brave and friendly starling. I managed to get some photos of this little bird on my iPhone.

The friendly starling I had pleasure of seeing at Gregg's

These are such colourful little birds that always congregate where they know there'll be scraps of food. I don't think the other customers of Gregg's were quite as tolerant of them as I was. This one was jumping on spare tables and chairs but eventually flew away when he realised he wasn't going to get anything more to eat.

I had to buy some things for Carol. She likes Nestlé's coffees in sachets that you make up with hot water. Specifically vanilla lattes. There is a Tesco's only a short walk away from where I had parked the car, so I went over and bought these packets. I went back to sit in the car for a while and then browsed in T.K. Maax. It was surprising how quickly the two hours passed. I wasn't going back to Pets At Home too early because I wanted to keep away from the grooming parlour because I knew that if Alfie saw me he would only start making loud barking and yapping noises and it would be difficult for the groomer to do her job properly. 

When I eventually walked through the door in the grooming parlour, I didn't immediately see Alfie. I had a word with the lady who had been grooming him. There was absolutely no sound from Alfie either. He had been a good boy, although he hadn't appreciated being bathed. No surprise, as he doesn't enjoy being bathed, or getting wet! Unlike Poppy, who would dive into the nearest stretch of water whenever she was given the opportunity, and not always at the most convenient. Usually it was freezing cold, muddy and most usually smelly!

Then Alfie was brought in to the reception area. He began barking wildly when he saw me and ran about as he has a tendency to do. He looked so different, clipped really short! Almost a new and completely different dog, having had a long wavy coat for so long. It makes him looks so much better when he's clipped. At least he'll be ready to face the summer months. No more tangles, his face is looking particularly fresh. He can see better without those clumps of hair in the way of his eyes and those nasty black lumps under his eyes are gone. He would never let us deal with those unpleasant bits and where they were are rather red and raw but they should clear up. I paid what was owed and then we went home. I was surprised how quiet Alfie was when he was in the cage in the back of the car as he usually makes little yapping sounds when we're driving anywhere and he's in the car with us.

Alfie, taken on my iPhone. He was rushing around barking and it was difficult to get a decent shot but this was the best shot out of around half a dozen I managed to take of him showing how much was trimmed off by the groomer. I think, if you compare this with earlier photos of him before he was trimmed, I think you'll agree he looks much better.

Swimming, Shopping and Eating

I haven't posted anything for the past few days, as you will have noticed if you are a regular reader of my blog. Well, there isn't a great deal for me to write about. I know I can write about the most trivial of things, which actually makes a blog interesting, because life is made up of the most mundane of things. It's not actually the big things that are so interesting, it's the minor incidents, those things that we all recognise, that makes a blog interesting. It's what they say about drama, 'life with the boring bits taken out.' Unlike a soap opera on television, 'life with the boring bits put back.' In the future people will be looking at such things as blogs, diary entries, journals and so on, when they are researching material to attempt to understand how we lived in the early 21st Century. Attempting to understand why we spend so much of our time looking at social media, texting endlessly on mobile devices, working out how we managed our lives, so a blog like this is likely to be used in that research. One wonders how it will be preserved, how will digital material, most of it archived on computers, hard drives and serves. Will it actually survive? Unlike all those documents which were written on such material as vellum, parchment and paper, stored in the archives of countries, great estates etc etc. which have survived for hundreds of years.

Well, we are continuing to go swimming at Nuffield at Kent's Hill. It's a nice place as there's little noise, no loud music and no noisy children (no under 16's allowed.) Also, there is a sauna, spa (Jacuzzi) and steam room as well as a far deeper swimming pool which is better for me to swim in. You get a towel when you arrive, which means you always get one which is dry, although we take our own towels. We have also now bought our own pad locks, which have combination locks, so no having to have a key on a wristband, you just have to remember the combination lock, and, because mine is red it's far easier to find when you return to the changing room as you can see it clearly. I had to remember the number of my locker when I swam at the other gym, D.W. which could be a problem as you couldn't get your clothes out if you couldn't open your locker.

We went shopping at Morrison's on Saturday morning. We like to chop and change where we shop for our groceries. Usually we go to Sainsbury's in Witan Gate in Milton Keynes. It's not too big as supermarkets go. If you compare it to Asda near the stadium, it's about the right size, or there again the big Tesco at Kingston. Those two supermarkets sell a wide range of non-food items, which include clothing, which takes up a fair amount of space at Asda and Tesco, as well as stationary, newspapers and magazines, homewares, besides the general groceries that you'd expect to find in a supermarket. It means when they are so big, that you can spend forever walking up and down the aisles. You can become totally distracted by all the non-food items. When we go to Sainsbury's we do tend to spend a lot of time browsing, particularly the clothing. Also, we have our repeat prescriptions made up in the pharmacy in Sainsbury's. The staff in there know us well. You just have to ring up and they take the repeat prescription order which is sent through to the doctor's surgery at Ashfield Medical Centre and the doctor signs the prescription (which is electronic, which saves on paperwork) and they send it back to the pharmacy and they make up the prescription. This takes around a week and we just have to go into Sainsbury's to pick up the medication. The pharmacy in Sainsbury's was recently taken over by Lloyd's. I'm not sure why, because it was always, up until then, a Sainsbury's pharmacy. Something to do with being taken over as part of being a monopoly or something, and giving it to Lloyd's makes it less of a monopoly of ownership or something. No, it doesn't make sense to me either, as there are a few other Lloyd's chemists around Milton Keynes already.

As I have mentioned already, we decided to go to Morrison's to do our weekly shop last Saturday. We like their meat and cheese, infact, most of their range of such things as meat, cheese, pies and particularly fruit and veg. In Milton Keynes we're spoilt for choice when it comes to grocery shopping. There's not only Morrison's and Sainsbury's, who both have two supermarkets in the Milton Keynes area, but Tesco at Kingston (as well as at Bletchley and Wolverton, as well as the smaller convenience stores dotted around the city at such places as Oldbrook. Then we have Waitrose at Oakgrove, as well as the cheaper end of the market with Lidl (having a store near Tesco in Oldbrook, as well as Aldi, with stores at Bradwell Common and a newer store at Westcroft, we we occasionally use.

When we arrived at Morrison's Carol suggested we go into the café and have something to eat. As she's diabetic, sometimes she needs to eat something to prevent her blood sugar level dropping too far.  Having got a trolley for our shopping, we needed to put it in one of the lockable cupboards they have so that nobody can run off with your shopping without paying. It took some while to work out how the locks worked on the doors. It needs a £1 coin in the slot inside which releases the key which you then use to lock the door with the trolley inside. On arriving at the café we then found that there was a long queue at the counter. It wasn't moving, or if it was, it was incredibly slow. I suggested we just wait a while as it would soon move. It didn't, after five minutes. The staff in the café were either incredibly  disorganised or the café was understaffed. As it was a Saturday, would you not think the management of the café would have put on more staff to deal with the amount of customers? Or else the girl on the till had no idea how to cope with the pressure of numbers. Or something else. Whatever it was, we didn't find out, as we left to get on with our shopping. At that rate Morrison's will have lost a great deal of custom.

On Sunday morning we went to Nuffield at Kent's Hill. It was reasonably empty, but there's always someone or other who insists on hogging most of the pool for themselves, forgetting that they take up some much of the space as they swim up and down. The last time we went the steam room wasn't working properly. For some reason it wasn't making a great deal of steam which meant it wasn't as efficient as it might have been. But on Sunday it was back up to temperature. Certainly good for my back and shoulder injury. Still manage to swim around 15-20 lengths of the pool. But I must remember to take and use my G.T.N. spray before I get in the pool to prevent having an angina attack.

From Nuffield, we decided we needed something to eat, so we went to Frost's Garden Centre at Woburn Sands. We haven't been for a while, and were struck by the improvements that have been going on there. The restaurant has had a complete revamp. They've always had a good restaurant with a great selection of food, not just snacks, but the lunch menu looked good. I had a toasted sandwich with bacon and cheese and Carol had a baked potato and tuna and we both had lattes. Good and hot and a treat after our time at Nuffield.

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.

Shops and Shopping

Before internet shopping, 'click-and-collect' and out-of-town retail parks and supermarkets where you can buy everything in one weekly shop and they sell virtually everything from baked beans to toasters, tablet computers to baguettes, buy a pair of trousers, a shirt and pair of boxer shorts and you can get your eyes tested, order a repeat prescription at the pharmacy and when you leave, get your car filled up with petrol, you had to go to a variety of different shops around town to do your shopping. Where we lived, in Cardington, there was a small village shop in one of a row of houses on the village green, run by an elderly couple called the Misses Stonebridge. I would be sent by my mother for the odd packet of butter or bag of plain flour or some such item if she happened to be baking a cake and had run out. As a reward, I would be given 2d (old pre-decimal coinage.) and be allowed to spend it on sweets. There was a row of glass bottles on the shop shelf, well out of my reach, and you could make your choice from a huge variety of fruit chews, lollipops, chocolate bars or other delectables. It was amazing how much you could get for your 2d. Those old-fashioned favorites such as sherbert fountains, which came in a yellow tube with a licorice tube sticking out of the top and you sucked on the licorice to draw out the sherbert. Or gobstoppers. I don't think my mother approved of them. As you chewed them or avoided chewing, they would change colour and make your mouth turn bright green or red. You couldn't speak because they were so large, no doubt the reason they were called gobstoppers.

As I've already said, this was before the days when you drive to an out-of-town branch of Tesco or Sainsbury's and park in their own carpark and then push a trolley around the store, selecting each item as you walk round, probably taking a list of items you've made before you left. My mother used to shop at a variety of shops (I may have mentioned this in an earlier post on here.) some being at what was called The Boundary, on the road going into Bedford from Cardington. This was (and is. I'm sure the shops are still there, a good 50 years later, but whether they are the same selection of shops when we lived around there, I very much doubt.) As I probably said in that post there was a greengrocer, a chemist (Peter Meiklejohn) a baker's and I think a butcher, although we shopped at another butcher's, a little further along Harrowden Road, run by a friend of my father, Dick Wood. He was a large gentleman who often came to tea with us and was something of a hypochondriac, to say the least. If there was any sort of illness going around, he had it, but not just a little sniffle or bout of flu, he had it worse than anyone else. He ran an old-fashioned butcher's, none of this pre-packaged meat you get in supermarkets, all wrapped up in cling filmed polystyrene trays. You'd go in and ask for a couple of pounds of, say, stewing beef to make a hotpot or a couple of pounds of pork chops and he'd go into the back of the shop and return with a great big bit of beef or pork and chop it up in front of you with a huge cleaver on a wooden chopping block and it would be good quality meat. I think my mother would ring and order a week's worth of meat over the telephone and then it would be delivered by a van during the week.

Going back good many years and my mother shopped at grocers in St Cuthbert's Street called Fred West. A really old-fashioned business where they had real shop-keepers standing behind counters and they got everything for you rather than YOU having to get it all in a wire basket or trolley. She must have rung in a weekly shopping order or went in with a list and they made the order up. We must have gone to collect it in the car and park behind the shop and it was all packed in boxes. Those were the days when a customer was treated with respect. Companies go on endlessly about 'customer care' and so on, but those were the days when you'd be called 'Sir' and 'Madam' and there was a chair for you to sit on while they put your order together.

I think a good deal later my mother shopped for groceries at a company called P and A or something.  It was in Lovell Road, just off Cardington Road, or at least somewhere in the estate around that area. Considering this was before Tesco's opened their two stores in Bedford, one in Cardington Road on land which was used for the Bedfordforshire Agricultural Show and the other going out of Bedford towards Great Barford, at Goldington Road, this was quite a step forward as it was self-service, but all the produce was kept in it's original boxes of the shelves. Quite cheap for the time. I think she occasionally ventured into the centre of Bedford and shopped at the International Stores in the High Street. In those days you could park in the High Street, which seems amazing today. I think you could park virtually anywhere on the streets in those days (probably late 1950's early 1960's.)

Dudeney and Johnson had a grocers store in the High Street. It would be about where Lloyd's Bank is today. In fact, I think perhaps the bank took over their old building. You could buy virtually any sort of food in there. I think it had a sort of snobbish feel to it, rather like Waitrose today. Upstairs there was a large function room which was used for dances, wedding receptions, and parties. Affectionately know as The Dujon.' I remember going to birthday parties in there as a child. Further down the High Street was the Cadena Cafe which is now a Costa coffee or Starbucks. I haven't been to Bedford for  a good many years so I can't say for certain which now has that unit. You could get really nice cakes and bread there and there was always the smell of roasting coffee as you walked past. I think there was a restaurant upstairs.

Yet another shop which my mother used was Saxby's which I'm fairly certain was in Silver Street. I think the unit it was in is now a branch of Next. I'm not sure what became of Saxby's, whether the brand is still in existence of whether it just went out of business (probably taken over by a company such as Unilever.) This was where she bought such things as sausages and sausage meat for sausage rolls as well as buying pork pies. 

Better Summer Weather and Bad Tempered People

The weather has taken a turn for the better. In fact, it's positively heatwave-time! We managed to sit outside and have our evening meal at our new table yesterday evening. It certainly makes a change from the rotten weather we've had to endure for about the past week. It seemed unfair when you consider it was Half Term, as well as the fact that our holiday we'd hoped to have at the booked cottage over Easter was aborted due to the awful weather.

On Friday, we drove to Worcester to see my daughter Chloe and my new grandson George. The journey there was less stressful than it might have been, due to the fact we went via Buckingham and then the Motorway. It took less than two hours. When we drove there for Chloe's graduation ceremony (well over 7 years ago, or maybe more, I'm not sure now.) the journey seemed to take a good deal longer, travelling via the M1 and around Birmingham. Admittedly it was mid-week and during the heavy volume  travelling time and it was a really awful journey. This time, it seemed a much better route and we will be going that way on 10th July as we're going to George's Christening on that day.

On Sunday, we visited Whipsnade Zoo again. Carol's Fellowship subscription runs out next week and she'd got a letter from Z.S.L. (Zoological Society of London) reminding her of the fact and so we went with the letter and paid the annual fee so we're able again to visit both London and Whipsnade Zoos without paying any entrance fees. We drove the car in again. As it costs around £25 per person together with £20 for the car, that's a saving of £70 each time we visit. We arrived at 9.45 a.m. (the zoo opens at 10 a.m.) and there was a queue of cars waiting. We were on the end of the queue and you just had to sit patiently in the car and wait for the gates to open and drive in. Quite easy you would imagine. But this rather unpleasant individual drove up and seemed to think it was his right to barge straight in. He wound down his car window and hurled abuse at us, for no other reason that he imagined we should get out of the way for him. Not a nice situation and Carol was understandably upset by the incident. He presumably drove to the car park and walked in with his family, but all the time we were in the zoo Carol was concerned that this unpleasant individual was going to find us and hurl a further load of abuse at us just because we'd got there first. There are really some crazy self-obsessed people out there. Sad really.

I actually got to wear my shorts on Saturday. I bought them last year in Debenhams and because the weather was so awful I hardly got to wear them at all last summer. Lets hope the weather is better this year so I get more wear out of them. I've been to Tesco at Kingston and bought a new sun hat because I need to keep my head covered when it's really sunny. The hat I have is a few sizes too small and if a hat is too tight on my head I get a headache. 

Rain, Rain! Go Away!

Storm Desmond has been raging across the north of England and into Scotland. We've been seeing some awful footage on the television news of homes being flooded, the misery caused by water damage, cars up to their roofs in water, people being rescued by boat from their front windows, boats being rowed down mains streets. It's quite awful. Luckily for us in Milton Keynes and most of the south of England we seemed to have escaped from this flooding. But overnight we've had heavy rain. We drove to Tesco at Oldbrook Boulevarde early this morning because Carol needed to get cash out of the A.T.M. as we're going to a restaurant with other  staff members of her department at Milton Keynes Academy for a Christmas meal and we have to pay a deposit. It should be a good evening out. It was raining heavily as we drove there. Whenever it rains we get a torrent or water running down the road in front of our house. The dogs are a little reluctant to go out in the garden when it rains. Alfie comes back in looking like a bedraggled rat. As his coat is long and naturally curly, whenever it gets wet it starts to get even curlier, making it look as if he's had a perm! He is in need of another grooming session so I will have to book another early in the New Year.

Attempting to Get Doctor's Appointment

I have been attempting to get a doctor's appointment for Carol this morning. Our surgery has a new system which means you don't need to queue up outside before 8 a.m. before the surgery opens. You have to telephone and they use a triage system whereby you have to tell the receptionist what your symptoms are and they decide what sort of priority it requires and then the doctor will telephone you during the day and after a discussion will decide whether you need to have a face-to-face appointment. All very well and good, as it will weed out the time wasters, those with minor ailments, sore throats, cut fingers and so on (which are so minor the patients with these sort of ailments should go to a chemists and speak to the pharmacist and stop wasting the doctor's time so that more serious ailments can be dealt with or at least be seen by a nurse at the surgery. There us a walk-in centre at Milton Keynes Hospital which is only a short distance from Ashfield Medical Centre or else if your needs are more serious you should go to Accident and Emergency.) 

I started ringing the surgery just after 8 a.m. and all I got was a sort of engaged tone, similar to what you get if you were to keep the phone 'off the hook.' It took half a dozen more attempts and by 9.30, by which time I had almost given up all hope of getting through, I managed to get through to a recorded message which lead to a menu with several options and from that I got to a further selection of options and a horrible repeating message and music (not as bad as some orgnisations, but bad enough when it keeps on playing over and over.) I eventually got to speak to a human and after some explination as to why Carol needed an appointment or at least a doctor to speak to via telephone, the woman told me that she would need to phone when he got home from work. So, all a waste of time and effort to be told that and I hope Carol can get through when she done ring. Who dreams up this sort of sytem in the first place? Do they have any idea how stressful it is when you can't get through? It's not easy if you're working and you need an appointment and particularly if you're too busy, as Carol is, to ring the surgery. Also, it seems the Academy doesn't like it if you go for an appointment during the day which means you have to arrange to go for an appointment outside work hours, which isn't easy. 

I've been reading back some of the material I wrote months ago. I haven't looked at it for a while and I'm really surprised by how good it is. Or at least, that's what I think of it. I'm attempting to find a way to develop this particular storyline further and have written a couple more pages. It needs editing, infact, quite heavily. But at least it's no worse than it could have been which is great. 

I'm not getting involved in Black Friday, or whatever it's called. I went to Tesco at Kingston yesterday morning and they had signs up all over the store telling you that the store would be open from midnight tonight for customers. It's just an attempt to get as many customers as possible buying madly before 25th December. When you see how totally mad some people can get when these sales are on it's something that I'm keen to avoid at all costs. It does annoy me that companys put their prices up so people buy stuff just for one day's worth of presents and then a few days later those same companys have to start their January sales and the self-same items are reduced considerbly. You might just as well wait and buy your presents then and get th discounts.

Car Newly Repaired and Roadworthy Again

Mick and his son came at around 10.15 this morning and spent most of the morning finishing off the work on the car and giving it a service. By 1.50 they told me that it was finished. One of them drove the car round the estate just to check that all was in order. It was great to have the car back on the road after over eight weeks. Once they had left Carol said she needed to drive the car but when she give the ignition key a turn the car refused to start. I had been washing up at the kitchen sink and could see that the car hadn't started and so went outside. I could smell a strong smell of petrol. One of our neighbours had been out working on his car and said it most probably be the petrol line had not been connected properly, It turns out he's a motor mechanic but on large lorries and engines. He had a look under the bonnet and managed to re-connect the petrol line and wiped some petrol which must have come out. It was that which gave the strong petrol smell which I smelt when I came out of the house. He said we should leave the car for an hour or so otherwise the petrol might cause a fire. After an hour Carol was determined to go out for a drive just to try the car out so we drove up the A5 towards Towcester so we could shop in the branch of Tesco there for items for her lunches she takes to work each day. The car seemed to run perfectly. I think we were pleased to be able to get out and about again and we're planning outings for half-term which is in two weeks. One to Whipsnade and one no doubt to a National Trust property such as Waddesdon Manor or Stowe Landscape Garden which are within a half-hour's drive from Milton Keynes, or maybe a return visit to Woburn Abbey, which is always worth a visit.