Fiddlesticks!

 Wednesday. 9.40 a.m. Well, another soggy day in fun city, Milton Keynes. The days are beginning to draw in as autumn catches hold.

The digital thermometer currently reads 24ºC.

I wanted to use my Canon printer, but the ink cartridge was more or less finished. When I attempted to print something the other day, it came out very faint, so I suspected that a replacement was necessary. I have this morning ordered one on the Argos website and gone to collect it after 9. I am now back in the flat, and the cartridge is installed in the printer.

Alfie is asleep in this bed. I am taking him to The Groom Room for an appointment at 11 a.m. I have already put the cage in the back of the car, ready to take him.

7.30 p.m. I came back from taking Alfie to The Groom Room, and hoped to have a cup of tea. I went to the fridge and found it was thawing out. How this happened, I have no idea, but all the contents of the freezer part have thawed and, as a consequence, can't be used. After the incident which happened a few weeks ago, when my chopping board and the handle of my best sharp knife melted because one of the rings on the ceramic surface of my oven was accidentally turned on, this was something which I hoped would never happen. As a result of the oven incident, I now turn the oven off at the wall point, but this doesn't explain how the fridge/freezer was turned off. It means I will have to throw away more or less the entire contents.

Thursday. 2.40 p.m. It's another very autumnal day. It's mild but bright. The digital thermometer currently reads 26ºC.

I have been to Sainsbury's and have bought my shopping home; it has been checked off, and two of the freezer drawers have been cleared out. It's not good to eat food that has been frozen, re-frozen and then thawed, as it would make me ill if I ate it, so I have accepted that it is wasted and put what I bought in Sainsbury's in the freezer.

Friday. 1.45 a.m. I couldn't sleep. Alfie was snoring like crazy and was sleeping on the floor, right in the middle of the threshold of my bedroom. The usual thing that wakes me is a need to visit the bathroom. (A thought: why do Americans always refer to the toilet as the bathroom? It just sounds so pathetic, a euphemism.  A bit like the Victorians covering the legs of furniture. Why don't they just say toilet and be done with it? The other one, said by women, is 'I'm going to powder my nose', when in actual fact, they're going to the loo.) Anyway, I couldn't get back to sleep, so I decided to make myself a coffee and watch something on television. With such things as BBC iPlayer, Netflix and other streaming platforms, you are really spoilt for choice. I went on iPlayer and decided to watch one of my favourite sitcoms, 'My Family', which stars Zoe Wanamaker and Robert Lindsay. The actual sitcom is rather mediocre, but it is the acting of these two which makes it worth watching.

The Whole Darn Thing

 Wednesday, 5:00 a.m. Well, I'm wide awake and thought I might as well do some more blogging.

I have mentioned in previous posts about the infamous electric scooter sheds (the scooters are electric, not the sheds. Well, I don't think they are. Oh, just being somewhat sarcastic.) The reason for them, so that these devices aren't in the way inside Dexter House and a hazard if there's a fire. We now have beautifully resurfaced paths, all with lighting and access to these lovely sheds (irony here.) has been completed at huge expense.  Workmen have been working on the external gates which open onto Strudwick Drive (or, at least, the path, which runs alongside the Dexter House garden, and where the scooters will get into the garden and, hence, the store sheds. But STILL, the work isn't completed! This whole situation has become farcical, to say the least. I don't think you can make any of this us, but if you did, nobody would believe it. 

I've been watching episodes of the BBC sitcom 'Yes, Minister', and the above situation could come straight out of one of the episodes. It may be over 40 years since this show was first shown, but I think it's probably more relevant now than it was then.

7.25 a.m. It's bright and sunny as I write this. The digital thermometer currently reads 21˚c. 

Yesterday morning, I went out again with my DJI Pocket video camera. I went back to Campbell Wharf, which is on the Grand Union Canal where there is a marina, pub and flats. It looks as if it's being developed, with more buildings going on, a cycle shop and a One-Stop convenience store, a coffee shop and a barber's, which appears to have only just opened recently. There were workmen outside, putting up the sign.

I took some good footage, but I still haven't got the settings absolutely right with the gimbal. Having my iPhone connected to the camera on the new rig makes it easier to view what you are filming, by using the Mimo app. When I got home I managed to view the footage through the app and discovered you can even edit what you have filmed and also watch through my Apple Watch with the app.

5.50 p.m. It's been warm and sunny all day.

Alfie was due for a haircut at The Groom Room at midday, so I drove across Milton Keynes to the Pets At Home store in Bletchley. I took him into the store and got him registered. A trim around his face and body and then I went to Greggs, further along the parade of stores, for a drink and filled roll and then returned to my car to eat it. I went to T.K.Maax to have a browse. It seems the upstairs departments have been moved around and, as usual, there were no end of items I liked, but didn't buy. I went back to the car and a minute or two later the Groom Room phoned to say Alfie was done and I could collect him.

Cold and Frosty!

 Wednesday. 2.20 p.m. There was a slight frost when I took Alfie out at around 7 this morning. I had to clear off a thin layer of ice from the car's windows because I had to take Alfie to The Groom Room to have a trim. We were due there at 11.30 a.m. It was fortunate that I had bought spray for exactly that job.

Saturday. 7.20 a.m. It was a bit of a surprise to discover fog when I went out with Alfie about 20 minutes ago. Also, a crisp frost. Walking on the grass there was a real crackle. Alfie was keen to get back inside to the warmth, but who can blame him?

12.00 p.m. It's sunny but still chilly. I've been to Sainsbury's this morning and it took about 15 minutes to clear the ice off the windscreen and windows. I just cannot drive if I can't see clearly.

In Sainsbury's, the travelator was running, but what was formerly the up one was the down one and the down one was the up one. Goodness knows why. There always seems to be a problem with this technology, as you would have read if you had been following my blog over the years.

Wednesday. 7.55 a.m. It's still mild. That's good. We definitely don't need high winds, rain or snow.

The workmen are still here, digging trenches, making holes and generally getting on with the work in the community garden. It sounds to me as I write this that they are using some sort of drill or machine that makes a loud noise.

Thursday. 7.35 a.m. It's foggy out this morning. It's not thick, but foggy nevertheless.

I have bought an air fryer. I had points to spend, which included Argos, so I looked at their website and had first intended to buy a Ninja one, but after some thought, I decided to go with one where you could see the food cooking inside, so I decided on a Tower one, which utilises halogen as it's heating source. I am gradually getting the hang of how it works, but I keep thinking that it's like a microwave and that you can't put anything metallic in it, but my thinking is wrong, and you can. It will take me a while to get used to it and, as usual, the instruction manual that comes with it is of very little use and it's written in very small and faint print so that makes life difficult. I shall watch YouTube videos and now bought a recipe book on Amazon, so that will help matters, or, at least, I hope so.

Rain!

 Tuesday. 8.15 a.m. As I write this, I can hear rain, and see it through my window.

Thursday. 8.10 a.m. It is getting a good deal colder. Well, I suppose it's to be expected, now that we are into October. 

I am taking Alfie to The Groom Room in Pets At Home in Bletchley to have a haircut. I have already put the cage in the back of the car. First, I need to go to the petrol station in Childs Way to diesel in the car, as it is running low. The appointment at The Groom Room isn't until 11 o'clock, but I like to be organised and have things ready beforehand.

4.05 p.m. I went to get fuel at the Mobil station in Childs Way, as mentioned above. It was just after 9 a.m. But done and then came back to Dexter House.

At around 10.35 I left to drive to Pets At Home, and coming out of Strudwick Drive and onto Chaffron Way, I was expecting to get to the Eaglestone roundabout and turn right into Saxon Street as I normally do when driving to Pets At Home. But, coming out of Oldbrook, I immediately discovered that the road was closed off, and I had to make a detour through the estate near Milton Keynes Academy and come out on Grafton Street and make a circuitous journey to get onto Saxon Street and get straight to Bletchley, driving past the football stadium. So, you can imagine the frustration of all this, particularly as I'd left earlier than I needed to, but, considering the extra journey time due to the diversion, it was probably just as well.

When I eventually got to the car park outside Pets At Home, it had begun to rain. I got Alfie out of the back of the car. As usual, he wanted to jump down, and he was barking loudly. I carried him into Pets At Home and walked through to The Groom Room, which is at the back of the store. I went in and the ladies who do the grooming were still working on another dog, but I went through how I wanted Alfie clipped and explained that Alfie had a lump on his side, which they checked out. It doesn't appear to be sinister, but it was a good idea to let them know before they began clipping him. Because he is getting old, his eyesight is poor, and he has problems with his joints, it was decided to reduce any stress to him and just give him a short trim, clear off the mess around his face and, if there was a problem, they would ring me on my mobile, because, when I left, I went into Gregg's, a few doors along from Pets At Home, to have a coffee and salad baguette. Sure enough, barely 15 minutes after I had left The Groom Room, I got a call to say that Alfie was getting stressed and that they would cut short what would normally be around an hour for a grooming session. I returned to discuss things, and they said that they could clear the mess around his face and give him a bit of a bath, which I agreed to, and waited in the vets' area until he was finished. So, I paid for the groom and got another session booked for the first week in January.

Sunday. 2.20 p.m. Yesterday afternoon I went out with the DJI Pocket to experiemnt with taking video footage. I went to Campbell Wharf Marina. It seemed the ideal place to go with the camera. I'd been there on Tuesday, with Pastor Ross. We had coffee in a new coffee shop I've never been to before. Infact, I'd never been to this area of Milton Keynes before. I had been to the canal further on with Alfie, and I think I'd been there with Carol and our dogs. As it turned out, it wasn't an entirely successful mission because it was quite cloudy and overcast and I couldn't find a way to get down to the wharf where the narrow boats were moored. I did get some footage, which I have since viewed, but, as it was just an experimental operation, not entirely a waste of time, becuse I merely wanted to find out how the various features of the camera worked.

Unseasonable Weather

 Monday. 6.10 a.m. It's a somewhat wild and windy day. It's not cold, but the wind is quite strong. Yesterday there was a light frost and on Friday morning, when I drove to Sainsbury. there was a thin layer of ice on the windows which had to be scraped off before I drove off.

Alfie is beginning to look a bit untidy. Because I wasn't sure of the weather, I hadn't arranged a grooming session for him, because he suffers from the cold, and we haven't had snow or exceptionally low temperatures recently. So, because of this, I thought it was probably a good idea to go over to Pets At Home and visit the Groom Room, which is inside the store. 

I drove over to Bletchley just after 9, the idea being that there was likely to be less traffic than going later. I was right, and it was easy to cross over Standing Way and that horrible roundabout near Pets At Home. I got Alfie an appointment in The Groom Room. It's at 5 o'clock on 14th March. 

I wanted to get Alfie a new bed. I had a browse at dog beds in Pets At Home, but I wasn't that impressed with what they had on offer, so I walked along the parade of shops to T.K.Maax. It took me a while to choose the right bed, because I had to consider Alfie's size. It was no good being too small or too big. I eventually chose a bed and took it home. When I got back to the flat, I took out the old bedding, which is in a space between the unit on which the television sits and my desk, and then put the new bed in it's place. It was amusing to see how Alfie reacted to it. He didn't immediately get into it. I think it's because he likes his routine. Changing his bed would be quite an upheaval. When he did eventually explore the bed, he climbed in and then got stuck! It was so funny, but he managed to get in, and it was clear that he liked it.

The following morning, when I went to take him out, I found Alfie sleeping in the bed, but on one end of the tipped-up bed! It looked so funny. I think he likes it, because it's his own little world, and it's draught-free and comfortable. I think it's a real success and I'm so glad I got it for him.

Wednesday. 10.20 a.m. I've just got back from Sainsbury's. The revelator is not working on the downside, so you have to use the lift. These bits of technology are constantly being repaired. I think it must be about the third time the thing has been out of action in the last six months or so. I have bought a couple of pillows. Yesterday I went over to Kingston and visited Homesense and bought another King sized duvet cover. I wanted a flat sheet (I don't like fitted sheets, because they never seem to stay fitted and they're difficult to fold.) I didn't find one, so I went on Amazon, and you're spoilt for choice and it should arrive sometime tomorrow.

The weather is still unseasonable and it was foggy when I took out Alfie earlier.

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!'

Wet And Miserable August!

 Thursday. 12.35 p.m. It might be bright and sunny as I write this, but the weather generally, according to the weather forecast on BBC Breakfast this morning, is that we can expect rain for the next month, which might not be what those who have holidays booked want to hear.

2.35 p.m. I had the car booked in at Anglo Motors to have some work done on one of the rear brakes. It was scheduled to be done at 9 o'clock. I was there in plenty of time. Thankfully, the traffic was relatively light at that time. There was a problem locating the wheel nuts. Up until only a few years ago, I had no idea what 'wheel nuts' were, but then I found a small plastic box in the car containing these items. They are required if you have to take off the wheels of your car. I had to go into the workshop to look, and they eventually were located under the front passenger seat, when meant the work could continue. The work went ahead, and it was completed within an hour and cost a good deal less than I was imagining. I then drove over to the retail park at Bletchley to visit Pets At Home and the Groom Room which is within the store in order to get a groom appointment for Alfie. They are booked sold for weeks ahead, and I couldn't get one until early September. 

Saturday. 5.45 a.m. Where did Friday go? There wasn't anything worth writing about, which is unusual for me, as you would know if you read this blog on a regular basis.

I still have a certain amount of  discomfort in my lower back. It is worse when I bed, especially when I am getting dressed. I have ordered a heat pad from Amazon, because I was told, when using Voltarol, that it would help the healing process if I used a hot water bottle. But I don't have one, so I looked on various websites, including Boots and Superdrug, but they don't appear to have anything even close to a hot water bottle, except heated pads. I then went on Amazon and have found an electric heated pad, which I have ordered. I think it should be better than a hot water bottle because it won't lose its heat and has Velcro fastening to keep it in place.

10.00 a.m. Well, the weather is certainly doing it's 'thing'! The title of this post is totally correct. I went out to my car at around 7.45, removing the cage which Alfie rides in when he goes out with me in the car, with the idea of getting the car valeted, but I didn't realize until I got outside that it was raining quite hard, so that idea has to be shelved for now! I just thought that the car could do with a clean, inside and out, and as it hasn't been done in ages, I would get it done. Never mind, for now at any rate.

I've been to do a fairly small shop in Sainsbury. A good time to go, as the place is more or less deserted. The moving walk-way, which links the car park on the lower floors to the upper store is currently being repaired, so you have to use the lifts, which are busy. You would think there would be alternative stairs, but there aren't.

5.10 p.m. The intercom for the front door of Dexter House sounded at about 4.30. I answered it and nobody appeared with my Amazon parcel, so I went down to see if the delivery driver had come into the unit. I saw two parcels left on the kitchen window, one for myself. I took it back to my flat and set it up and after about fifteen minutes I had to leave it as I had to put my meal in the oven. I think it may be working as the pain in my lower back appears to be reduced. I will have to have some more time with it before I decide that it is doing it's job, which as I really hope it will.

Spring Is In The Air!

Thursday. 7.45 a.m. Alfie and I were out at around 7.10 this morning. It's getting lighter each morning. 

Spring is definitely in the air! Not only is it now a good deal milder, but bulbs are coming up, which I noticed when I was at Camphill on Tuesday. Also, blossoms come out, and many trees have the first signs of leaves.

2.40 p.m. I have been to The Oaktree Centre to assist with setting up and clearing up the playgroup this morning and then to take part in a Bible study. I have wanted to get Alfie an appointment at The Groom Room in Bletchley in order to get him trimmed, as he is beginning to look scruffy. I think a groom every six months or so is usually enough, not just a trim, but to have his nails trimmed and the build-up of mess under his eyes to be removed. I thought I could drive over to Bletchley from Shenley and then come home for some lunch, but then I decided the lunch should come first and then drive to Bletchley. Unfortunately, when I got there, I went into Pets At Home, which houses The Groom Room and discovered they were closed until 2 o'clock, so I had to fill in the time browsing in T.K.Maax, Sports Direct and Home Bargains, all of which are in the same parade as Pets At Home. I also went into Boots to buy vitamin D tablets and cod liver oil capsules, which I take every day and  I found if I bought an extra packet I could have one free, so it was a good offer.  I then needed the loo and walked over to Tesco to avail myself of their facilities. 

Once all this had been done, it was approaching 2 o'clock and I managed to get Alfie booked for his appointment on 23rd March at 2p.m., which was the earliest slot I could get.

5.05 p.m. I notice that the workmen working on the roof have packed up the scaffolding and it is gone. I thought I could hear a lot of banging and clanking but didn't realize it was them dismantling the scaffolding. There is still quite a bit of their equipment left on the grass below my kitchen window. No doubt it will be removed in the next day or so.

Friday. 8.30 a.m. It's a rather mixed sort of day on the weather front. Alfie insisted on going out at around 6.45. I got dressed hurriedly, and we went out on the grass alongside Strudwick Drive I found it was frosty, although it wasn't particularly hard. I have to take my small electric torch with me as it's difficult to see otherwise to pick up after Alfie.

I have my washing in the machine and on at around 7.45. I'm now waiting for it to finish, so it can go in the tumble drier.

1.40 p.m. Washing done, some hanging in the wardrobe, dried, and some on the airer.

We had the second poetry session this morning. Five of us in attendance. I was expecting more Dexter House residents to appear, but no one else came. Pity. This is, as I think I mentioned in an earlier post, a part of the U3A of which I am a member. We have to spring at least two poems to read and discuss. The theme this month was 'love' and no doubt is connected to it being Valentine's Day on 14th February. The theme for the next one is 'birds'. I am currently looking on Google for any poems on that subject, hopefully at least one will be amusing.

Saturday. 6.25 a.m. I have had the windows in my flat open, to attempt to remove the cigarette smoke. It does seem to work, but I need to have the window in the lounge open to create a through draught. I have mentioned the matter regarding this smoke, which comes from the flat below me, but I have been told that the flat door should be closed to prevent the smoke seeing out. It certainly shouldn't come into my flat, or anyone else's if it comes to that.

New Prime Minister

Monday. 6.45 a.m. I awoke in the night to the distant sound of thunder. At first I wasn't entirely sure whether it was thunder, but then it broke and there was a torrential rainfall storm. It seemed to go on for a while, but then it came to an end. When I went out with Alfie around 6 a.m. there was virtually no sign of any rain. The ground looked dry, although the air was heavy with moisture.

Tuesday. 6.35 a.m. It's a good deal cooler this morning. I am waking later and later each day.

So, Liz Truss had been selected as Britain's new Prime Minister, replacing Boris Johnson. She will be going to Balmoral to see The Queen and officially transfer power between the two leaders. As I write this, I have BBC Breakfast on television, and they are reporting from Downing Street as Boris Johnson will come out and give his final speech as Prime Minister. 

9.30 a.m. Boris Johnson's speech was short and sweet, and as usual, there was a certain amount of levity in it. I know he made many mistakes and told a few lies (well, to be honest, more than a few, but don't all politicians bend the truth?) All his MPs stood on the pavement to listen to him, and then he and his wife, Carrie, drove off in a Range Rover. I can't think where, but if he and Liz Truss have to go to Balmoral, which is somewhere to the north. in the depths of Scotland and close to Aberdeen, they would need to leave soon as I imagine it would take seven or eight hours by car and probably less if they went by train. Possibly a private plane? Well, the Queen is head of state and she can choose where they meet, for Boris to resign and Liz Trust to get the keys to Number 10. Usually, this takes place at Buckingham Palace, but her majesty didn't intend to return to London, to break her holiday. Well, she isn't in the best of health and, considering her great age, late 90s, who can blame her?

Cincinnatus was mentioned in Boris's speech. I had to do a Google search, to discover he was a Roman statesman. It passed me by so quickly, but unless you have a grounding in the classics (which Boris obviously does, but I don't.) it would take the likes of Mary Beard to explain more about this Roman figure.

1.30 p.m. I took Alfie to The Groom Room within Pets At Home in Bletchley for his 11.30 appointment. He is now home and looks a good deal neater than he was when he went in. His nails are trimmed, his teeth brushed, his face is tidy, and you can see his eyes properly.

I had to fill in 90 minutes whilst Alfie was being groomed. I had a salad roll, Danish pastry and tea in Greggs, which is a few doors along from Pets At Home. Then, a browse in T.K. Maax. There's always lots to see there, but I didn't buy anything, but I was tempted. I looked in Sports Direct and have seen a couple of pairs of trainers which I am determined to buy, which have leather uppers and look quite smart compared with other styles of trainers and at a reasonable price.

Liz Truss came back from Balmoral where she had met the Queen to be officially installed as Prime Minister. It made me think, surely she would have had to travel all the way to the north of Scotland. How would she get there? It couldn't possibly be by car or train, because she was expected back in Downing Street to give a speech to the nation. It transpired that she had gone by private jet. The plane came back and landed at RAF Northolt and then she had a drive into central London as part of a convoy of what would have been security people. Then the weather changed, it began to rain, and I was somewhat amused to see the podium which was put out in front of Number 10 by staff and, as the rain fell, the microphones on it were covered with a black bin bag. The rain became heavier and the podium was moved indoors and it wasn't clear where Liz Truss's speech would be given. Indoors? In the room where all those press conferences were given by Boris Johnson during the pandemic? Then the rain came to an end and the podium came back out! 

We saw the convoy of vehicles driving through the streets as it approached Downing Street and it eventually arrived outside Number 10 Liz Trust got out of the Range Rover she had travelled in and immediately went to the podium to give her address. To me, it seemed amazing that she arrived in Downing Street and was delivering that address within minutes of arriving.

Things Can Only Get Better?

With such things as rising inflation, gas and electricity prices going through the roof and possibly going even higher, and the war in Ukraine continuing, are things going to get better? One would hope so. What difference will having a new Prime Minister make (the announcement of which of the two candidates it will be, announced this Monday.) what else is going to happen, to possibly improve things? 

Friday. 6.40 a.m. I mentioned that I'd had problems with my FitBit and that I had to contact the company and had been sent a replacement. I set the thing up, connecting it to my iPhone, and it seemed to work well enough, until it started behaving as it had done originally, with the screen going into lines like an old television set. Then, on Wednesday, it occurred to me that I might have set up the wrong device. Well, with two identical devices, it was difficult to work out which was the new one. The new one had been put away in its envelope in a drawer. So I bought it out and got it set up using my iPhone, and it worked! It was, by now, obvious that I had set up the wrong device. Because of this, I decided it needed a new strap, so I found one on Amazon and this new strap, made of leather and with a buckle, arrived yesterday. This is now fitted to the device and the FitBit is working well.

On Tuesday, I was determined to get Alfie booked to have a haircut. I went on the Groom Room website to book an appointment through the booking page, but it said you could only book via telephone. As a result, I decided instead to drive to their branch at the Bletchley retail park. As a result, he has an appointment on Tuesday morning.

Saturday. 3.00 p.m. I've been to the 1940s event at Milton Keynes Museum this morning. I had intended to go some while ago when I learnt it was on from an email I had from the Milton Keynes Heritage Association because I am on their mailing list. It opened at 10.00 a.m. but I didn't see the point of getting to the Museum too early because most of these events don't really get underway until around an hour later. I drove across Milton Keynes via Grafton Street and then encountered roadworks on the roundabout at Monk's Way, meaning I had to do a detour and then double back to get to the Museum. This was somewhat annoying as I wasn't aware of this further back on my journey across Milton Keynes. 

As I had been to another weekend event some months ago, which covered a variety of historic periods, including Roman and Anglo-Saxon, I paid my entrance fee and the ticket I bought meant I could come back for a year without having to pay again. I spent some time wandering around the various displays on the grounds of the museum and went into the café and had tea, a sandwich and a rather tasty coffee sponge. I bought a book I had seen in the shop on the way out on the history of Milton Keynes, which builds on my knowledge of the history of Milton Keynes.

I got back to Dexter House and as I parked my car I saw an ambulance parked outside. When I eventually took Alfie out for a walk, I saw one of the residents being wheeled out on a trolley and loaded into the ambulance. 

A Mad World, My Masters!

 Tuesday. 10.45 a.m. I had a visit from the gentleman from Mears about my bathroom. I would appear that I can't have a bath, unfortunately, as it would mean some structural alterations to the flat (ie: removing the airing cupboard. What use does it really have? Somewhere to store towels and bedding and not much else. )I can have a shower unit. I don't mind, so long as it's arranged, so I can actually stand under it. But I would love to be able to have a soak in a bath, but no hope. I may hear in either two weeks or as long as SIX MONTHS whether the work is going ahead. Someone in the Council has to make the decision whether the work has to go ahead. Why? Everyone else in this unit is having new bathrooms and kitchens, more because the old ones are well past their best. Some bureaucrat who sits in an office, pushing paper over a desk. Just there to make themself look important and just slowing down the decisions, a bit like Sir Humphrey Appleby in the sitcom 'Yes, Minister' but more likely some underling who would do the job. 

I was really unwell overnight. Really hot, painful joints and so on. I was wondering, as you would if it was covid, so I reluctantly did a test. I hate doing it, as poking swabs in my throat and nose is really unpleasant. I waited the obligatory 30 minutes for the result and only one red line showed up, so a negative result. But I was still feeling awful, so I did a second one yesterday evening. Another negative test. Then, when I was eating my evening meal, I had to be sick. Not nice. 

Wednesday. 8.40 a.m. I'm still feeling queasy. Still have aching joints, but it seems to be clearing up. I'm not going anywhere today. I will just stay in the flat, I think.

The stairs up to my flat are painted. I should actually be far more precise and say the bannisters and not the actual treads. They've been sanded and have the first white undercoat. 

Thursday. 7.00a.m. I'm not feeling as bad as I did yesterday morning, but I still have aching joints. I'll just have to let this thing run it's course.

I took Alfie to The Groom Room in Bletchley for his haircut. It's was going to take a good deal longer than it usually does, around an hour. As usual, when I went to collect him at around 4.45, he was just looking amazing. It's great to see his face properly as his eyes were lost behind a rather untidy fringe if you could call it that. And he smells better! And they managed to clean his teeth, which is a job I could never even attempt.

I had to wait for around 20 minutes before I could take Alfie into The Groom Room. It was surprisingly busy, which must say quite a bit about the quality of their work. People won't use a business, such as dog grooming, if the service is poor. The staff really seem to enjoy their work and the dogs they groom are well looked after. Alfie seems to love going there, and I think treats his grooming sessions as if he's being pampered and cared for, which I suppose in some ways he is.

Sunday. 2.20 a.m. Well, here I am, sitting and writing this. Just not getting back to sleep.

I have taken the confounded Canon printer back to Argos and got a refund and put it towards another printer, this time an HP model, paying around an extra £15. I have spent most of yesterday setting it up and I had most of it done within around an hour of unboxing it. It now prints from my iPad and iPhone and I have yet to sort out the MacBook, but I think I have that sorted. It's so much easier to set up than the Canon and I honestly think it's a better machine. A few differences, for example, the paper goes into the machine at the rear, but it really makes no difference.

I didn't go to church this morning as the fluey 'thing' is still hanging about. My leg muscles still ache, and my throat is dry, which is making my voice sound very odd. Actually be quite good for doing villain type voices, which I might try on the microphone if I can get it set up. 

I have managed to print some pages using the new HP printer. Success at last! I'm so glad that, after more than a week, I have got to 'mission accomplished.' All that annoyance with the Canon printer wasn't actually for nothing and it looks as if I have a far better printer as a result.

Wild and Windy

 Monday. 8.05 a.m. Thank goodness the high wind has gone. It's relatively mild as I write this.

Tuesday. 3.45 a.m. Here I am again, early hours of the morning, wide awake. I might just as well be on the MacBook writing this than not being able to sleep.

I have been doing family research for the past few years. I don't think I've ever mentioned it on here. I have had a subscription to a website called Myheritage and had done a considerable amount of work on there and got back to around the time of William Shakespeare. There are quite a few holes in the research, and I've built a family tree to which other people who are doing their own family research can contribute.  I have now set up a subscription to Ancestry.co.uk and managing to continue with the research. I am now building up an index file of people in my family tree, which seems a better way of collecting information rather than merely putting it in a notebook. I can add information (i.e. birth, death, where they lived and anything else relevant.) on these cards when I discover it and in this way make sure that individuals are easily identified. With so many of my ancestors having the same Christian names, it's quite difficult at times to identify individuals, so to have as much information as possible makes things a good deal easier. As a result of my research, I can get back 12 generations on my mother's side. Quite an achievement, but I hope to get back even further, with continued research.

I got the inspiration for doing my family history from the BBC television series 'Who Do You Think You Are?' where celebrities follow their family history back in time and make interesting discoveries. I think I had intentions of doing this before this show, but it was the spark that set things going. Probably quite a few other people have followed this path. It has obviously been made easier because of the internet, with such sites as Ancestry and others. Once you've signed up it's merely a question of putting basic information in about your ancestors, dates, places they lived and so on, and off you go.

Weds. 2.20 p.m. There are two washing machines for the use of the tenants in Dexter House. They have been on what you might say their last legs for months, and one has been showing more than usual signs that it isn't working properly for the last couple of weeks. It has now been removed from the laundry room and has now been condemned, which means that it can be replaced. Or so it would appear. But there are so many layers of management that things have to go through before a new washing machine can be installed. The old machine is standing in the entrance hall, so we only have one fully operational machine. But now this working machine is showing signs of not working properly. They (meaning the company who installs and presumably, supplies the machines) have said that it would be the faulty bearings, that's the mechanism that controls the spinning and revolving of the drum within the machine. The mechanic has said that it could get hot and start a fire. This isn't surprising when you consider the speed these machines revolve at when in operation. Presumably, if the brake within the machine doesn't work properly, it could cause it to get hot and then cause a fire. It's crazy that there are so many levels of management it has to go through to get anything done here. Nobody wants to take responsibility. Which means we, the tenants, are the ones who have to suffer when the machines don't function properly.

6.00 p.m. So, we could see the end of pandemic restrictions. That is, if the statistics look good, and seem to be doing just that at the moment.

Alfie needs a haircut. This is why I wanted to book him an appointment with The Groom Room at Pets At Home in Bletchley. I had the phone number from their website. You ring up, and then you have to go through a menu and once you press the relevant number button you get another menu and when you ring that number just rings off . . . Then I found a card I was given by the staff in The Groom Room some while ago, and it had another telephone number on it and when I rang it took some while for the young lady to find me an appointment and the only one was on 7th April. Hopefully, it will be a good deal warmer by then. It does seem rather cruel to have him trimmed when it's quite cold because he does suffer if it's chilly. Likewise, he doesn't like it too hot either. It's just that his face is hidden under a mass of rather scruffy hair.

Bouncing Mail and other inconsequential Matters

Wednesday. 12.15 p.m. I keep getting the wrong post delivered to my flat. I have a feeling that the Post Office, or at least the so-called organization who are responsible for the delivery of our post, is not up to much. At one time we used to get a post at least twice a day, the first delivery at around 7 a.m and a second delivery at around 11 a.m.  They were so precise with their deliveries you could almost set your watch by them. Now it seems to arrive whenever the postman feels like delivering, sometimes before midday, sometimes around 2-3 o'clock. What is going on? And then I get misdirected mail. I have a letter here for the gentleman who possibly lives along Dexter Avenue or who MIGHT possibly have been a former tenant of this flat (I won't give the address for security reasons.) I gave it to the postman who happened to be passing along the corridor, but it has come back rather like some sort of boomerang. I should have written 'not known at this address.' If I had it in at the S.H.O's office within Dexter House, do you suppose it will then bounce back like something on a piece of elastic?

The workmen are back, building the scooter sheds. I suppose they are going to be called scooter sheds, but I can't think of a better way to describe them. We've had a couple of days without any work going on in the community garden, but it seems all is activity. There are several vehicles parked either on the road or the grassed area along the side of Strudwick Drive, one being a very large concrete mixer. I presume this is for the foundations of the aforementioned sheds. As I walked past they seemed to be releasing water from this enormous vehicle and using one to the two tipper trucks to ferry the concrete into the garden and then transferred to what will, I assume, be the floor for both sheds. 

Thursday. 6.30 a.m. I woke up, then went back to sleep. But did it really matter? Alfie got his usual outing and it was slightly chilly, but the sun is out as I write this. Alfie booked in at The Groom Room at 1 p.m. for a haircut. 

Later. I took Alfie to The Groom Room, getting there well before the appointment time of 1 p.m. Alfie was yapping when I released him from the cage in the back of the car and excited to be out and going in to be pampered by the young lady who took him from me to begin his haircut. I had just over an hour to fill before going back to collect him, so I went into T.K. Maax, which is along the parade of units from Pets At Home. A good place to pick up a bargain. I got a really nice Moleskine notebook, which I had wanted for some time. Ideal hardback notebook and just the right size to slip in a pocket when I'm out and about and I want to make a note of things. 

Alfie was really pleased to see me when I went back to collect him from The Groom Room! He's now looking trimmed and tidy. He even had his teeth cleaned! His breath was getting somewhat smelly and I would never be able to do this as he would bite me. I know he's little, but he has exceptionally sharp teeth and I wouldn't want to upset him or hurt him. He went back into the cage in the back of the car and I heard not a single peep from him on the way home. How does he know when we get home because as soon as I turn off the car's engine he starts up barking.

Friday. 6.15 a.m. A bit of a shock for both of us when we went out at around 5.45. A thin and weak rain, but nevertheless, still got a slight wetting. Alfie was not impressed, and soon made straight for the door after having a wee on the grass.

I've been told that the woman who comes in to clean the communal areas in Dexter House has been told by her supervision that she hasn't been doing her job properly. She had an audit and didn't come off very well. She is leaving some areas uncleaned. I can clearly see the dust on the banisters and rails of the stairs leading up to my flat and underneath has never been dusted, nor any of the top of the bricked areas around the place. Will it now improve? Will she need to do a better job? Who knows. I could use my new Vax steam mop to clean around the area of my flat but may wait until I know whether there will be an improvement. Let's wait and see.

As I write this, at 4.05 p.m., it is quite sunny, although a little windy.

Welcome Sun!

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Spring Has Sprung!

Tuesday. It's relatively warm and sunny this morning. Let's hope it stays that way.

Wednesday. Well, not a lot happened yesterday as you can see from the above.

Although I have watched 'Kinky Boots', the musical, on Broadway HD, a Netflix-style streaming service which has recordings of Broadway and West End musicals and plays on its service. It's a real spirit-lifting show, based on a real story and set in Northampton, which is no more than a twenty-minute drive from Milton Keynes. I have also watched the 1982 RSC production of 'Nicholas Nickleby,' as mentioned in an earlier post on here, as well as 'Private Lives,' and a one-woman show by Elaine Strich. Plenty more I want to watch and should keep me endlessly happy when there's not much else to watch, which is the case with traditional television at the moment.

It's surprisingly mild and dry this morning.

I had a telephone call from The Groom Room, in response to the message I left yesterday regarding a haircut for Alfie. The only appointment I could get was for July 9th, although I'm taking him to have his face trimmed next Thursday week as he can't really see where he's going. Then there's the build-up of mess under his eyes which he won't let me deal with.

Later. I have been into the MK Centre to get my hair cut at Central Barbers, and I have to say I feel a good deal better about it. Around six months since my last trip to the barbers. Enough hair cut off to stuff a cushion or more likely two cushions!

Thursday. Another bright and sunny morning. Also, not a great deal to report on here. Now there's a surprise.

I have to do a bowel cancer test every two years. It was time for it again, which I did (no need to explain the details.) I have had a response and it's a negative, so I'm all clear in that area. I only wish that Carol could have had a similar test. I have to have one done as I'm over 60, but because of her age, she didn't fall into the age group to be tested. I think it's about time age shouldn't come into it and everyone a good deal younger has to be tested, perhaps for all types of cancer.

I had my eyes tested this afternoon. There seems not to be anything wrong with my eyes and I get a new pair of glasses on the NHS, and the new glasses will be ready and bought for me at Dexter House in around two weeks.

Friday. 5.45a.m. It's still dark and I'm here sitting in my armchair writing this blog post and waiting to take Alfie out.

I had a plotline written some while ago, probably well before Carol's cancer diagnosis. I haven't worked on the writing project in some time and have only fairly recently picked it up again. Some points didn't make any sort of logical sense but now I have managed to find a way to tie things together, which I will not disclose here. All of which means that I can now continue with writing. All will be revealed, hopefully, in the fullness of time!

Alfie- Trimmed, And Other Less Important Matters

(Wednesday) Alfie was booked to have a haircut at The Groom Room within Pets At Home at the Beacon Retail Park in Bletchley at 2p.m. I had a telephone call from the Groom Room to ask me if I would like to move the appointment to 12 o'clock which I immediately agreed to. I had to contain Alfie within his cage in the back of the car as it just won't sit inside the car. Safer for the both of us. within his cage. What amuses me is that he makes a tremendous noise when he's put into the cage and the door is closed. But once I'm driving along he is extremely quiet. It's when I stop the car that he then starts up barking and getting excited. A bit like when I move to go out and pick up his lead he starts barking loudly.

I got a phone call from the Groom Room at around 1.15 to say that Alfie was ready for collection so I drove back to get him and it's always a shock to see him when he's well and truly shorn. Quite short, and it's great to be able to see his face properly.

(Friday) I am continuing to write. I had a storyline which was on Pages writing processing software and saved on my MacBook.

(Tuesday) Boy oh boy, this is getting so boring. Which is why I haven't written anything on here for a while. Not like me to be unable to write SOMETHING, even if it is just a load of repetitious rubbish. It's a week since Alfie went to the Groom Room to have his trim. The weather has become decidedly unsettled. We had a Facebook Rooms meeting of the creative writing group on Saturday at lunchtime. Not sure it was entirely successful but it was just great to have some sort of conversation with other humans.

The door leading out of Dexter House into Strudwick Drive, which I use to take out for his walks has decided not to function successfully. You have to more or less break your hand to get the catch to release the door, so this means I have to carry His Nibs out through the front door which is a bit of a hike and even though he is small, he is a weight and is a bit of an effort. Carrying Alfie stops him barking. It may sound crazy, but it would appear he can't, or won't, bark.

Oh dear, am I that desperate for something to write, having to describe the above problem with a door? It would appear so. Then, a couple of days ago, I decided to have a bath and, having run the water and put my bath gel in, I found that the water was barely warm, and certainly not hot enough to have a decent wallow. What is going on? And to cap it all, Barbara, the SHO (sheltered housing officer) told me that there was a leak into her office as the flat about had a leaking toilet (or sink or bath, one or the other) and it came through the ceiling and ruined some paperwork which needed to be reprinted. The company who is supposed to do the repairs (I shan't mention it here) was called to repair someone's light fitting and it two FOUR WEEKS before they came and sorted it out. The door which I mentioned above is not to be used and has been reported, and no doubt it will take weeks before it is fixed and it must be done because it's a fire exit.

Haircuts For Alfie and Me

(Monday) I have managed to book a grooming session for Alfie at the Groom Room at Pets At Home in Bletchley for 21st of July. He has been there before and he knows the staff and they make a fuss of him and he loves being pampered. Who can blame him? I set up and on-line account this morning and then did an on-line booking but then I had to pay a deposit. The Groom Room staff then phoned me and I payed over the phone with my card. It is rather crazy because we already had an account at the Groom Room but it doesn't link to what I had set up on line, but by using the reward card I was able to update my details. So, at last the poor little chap can have a wash and shampoo and a good trim because he is becoming really scruffy, his claws need a trim and the hair round his face needs tidying up so he can see where he is going. I'm usually very hot on looking after him as he usually has a good trim several times a year and it's because of the pandemic that he has got into this state.

(Tuesday) Another indecisive day on the weather front. It is overcast and I'm not sure whether it's going to rain or not. Probably rain, thinking about it since I've peered out of the window. Alfie is expecting to be taken out and at 8.35a.m. I may just do that to keep him happy.

We went out but got a wetting. Alfie just doesn't appreciate getting wet, under any circumstances. I don't blame him. I don't either. We didn't stay out long.

(Wednesday) I've been to Sainsbury's this morning and for the first time in months I didn't need to queue up to get in, which was a complete surprise. I managed to buy everything which I had on my list and therefore I was in and out of the store in barely an hour. There were very few people in the store, which made it so easy and I used a self-service checkout which by now I am fairly proficient at using. I think it's a question of finding the bar codes on each item so that it's faster to scan as you go and make sure that each item goes onto the packing area or else the machine will tell you off, but there was none of the 'unknot item in bagging area,' which, frankly puts me off.

(Thursday) I knew that barbers and hairdressers were soon to reopen after some of the loocdown restrictions were being lifted. I have said on here how I am in a real need of a haircut, so I have been on the Central Barbers website and have booked and paid for such a haircut on 8th July at 10a.m. It means that I just go into the central shopping centre and walk to Central Barbers premises and I won't even have to wait if it's prebooked, thank goodness.

(Friday) Last evening I was going to feed Alfie as I usually do. He has a small amount of mixer at the bottom of his bowl and then I put the meat on top, usually Sainsbury's own brand of dog food in a pouch, which is just squeezed out of the pouch on top of the mixer. But last evening I found that I had run out and he had to have what was left of my meal, mostly meat pie and veg, which he scoffed without any arguing. He has a good appetite for a small dog and I have now been to Lidl to buy him enough of at least a week, the Pedigree branded dog food which he has if he doesn't have the Sainsbury's own brand. Sorry Alfie that I forgot. I don't think he was that bothered one way or the other!

On the weather front, it's mild but windy. Not sure if we don't get further rain. We could do with it as everything looks very parched and dry.

Alfie Has A Trim (Amongst Other Things)

(Monday)I went to the Willen Hospice coffee morning at John Lewis this morning. I haven't been for
quite a while, basically because I've been so busy moving to the flat. I was the second person there and some of the tables we usually sit at were missing. When more of the regulars arrived, they decided to move the tables back so that everyone could sit at them. Logical, really.

I sat next to a man who told me he worked as a supporting artiste/extra, so we had things in common to talk about. I am envious of him because he worked on the film version of 'Les Miserables,' and got to sing in he finale of the film, which was shot in Greenwich.

Alfie has been booked in for an appointment at The Groom Room at the Bletchley branch of Pets Are Home for the past few weeks. His coat was beginning to look really untidy. He could barely see where he was going because of the hair over his eyes and he has a build-up of the horrible mess under his eyes. I do try to remove it, but he doesn't like it. I had to discreetly take the cage, which folds up and is stored under my bed (definitely no room elsewhere in the flat.) and took it out to the car on Sunday afternoon. So, at around 12.40 on Monday I got him ready to go, with the usual barking and yapping which goes with putting on his lead. I got him out to the car, hatch open and the caged door open and he goes in without any problems, with the end of his lead outside the cage (I have learnt all these 'tricks' over the years.) The cage door has to be arranged inside the car facing right, the small end of the cage, which makes it easier for Alfie to enter. Then, cage door shut and firmly closed so he can't push it open from inside, I drive off to Bletchley. With the luggage shelf in place, it makes the cage darker and this seems to suit Alfie and he likes to have calming music playing on the car radio.

On the way home I went to Lidl in Oldbrook Boulevard and then returned home to unpack what I'd bought. I had to be at The Groom Room to collect Alfie so I had plenty of time. You can see the results of the grooming session if you look at the photograph I've attached to this blog at the top of this post. It's great that his eyes are now clear of that nasty gunge which builds up under his eyes and the hair on his face is cut so he can see where he's going. They didn't give him a very short all-over body trim and left it a good deal longer than last time. I bought him a rather smart jacket because I didn't think it was fair to have him clipped when we're about to go into colder weather. Rather nice, with a zip along the back which makes it a good deal easier to put on him.

Rainy Day Walk

(Friday)It's been a rather over-cast sort of day today.  The sort of day when it's very low light, almost light early evening, just as the sun is about to set. I can't describe it any other way, but dreadfully dull, to say the least. You just want to go back to bed and pull the duvet over your head. I'm attempting to encourage Alfie to not want to be taken for a walk at 6a.m. For starters, it's dark and you can't see what you're doing, even though there are some street lamps which give some light. And saying that, there were workmen at the junction with Oldbrook Boulevard digging a trench and it looked at if they were replacing a street lamp. I think they're replacing conventional sreetlamps with low-emission LED lamps, if I'm not mistaken. I don't think I am. I went to get fuel for the car from the Shell station on Grafton Street early this morning and then went to Lidl to do a top-up shop. I had my fridge/freezer delivered on Wednesday afternoon, having been told it would come in the morning, but then I had a telephone call to say that they wouldn't be able to come before lunch because they'd had the van's windscreen broken or something. I'm not sure how this happened, I just hope they weren't involved in an accident or worse. I thought perhaps it had been vandalised, but I still don't know what really happened. The fridge/freezer is described as 'under-counter,' which means it's small. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, but so small there is very little space. I can at least keep the milk from going off, which is has been on occasion. Part of the reason being is that the kitchen can get hot and if I don't refrigerate the milk, I can go to make a cup of tea and find the milk has turned to yoghurt, or what appears to be something similar and certainly not suitable to put in tea or breakfast cereal.

(Saturday) It's very windy. As a result I'm experiencing real back pain. I don't normally mention this sort of thing, but I do get this when the weather is severe, cold, wet or when it's windy. I am waking later and later and taking out Alfie a good deal later. The clocks change tonight so things are going to be even more different tomorrow morning. Just try to explain that to a small, very alert Yorkshire terrier.

Having been to Sainsbury's and walked Alfie around Oldbrook Green in the wind and the rain, I got back to the flat and then suddenly realised that I was supposed to go to Ashfield Medical Centre this morning to have my 'flu jab. They are usually open from 8a.m. until 12 noon, so I rushed out and drove there and was surprised by how busy it was. I registered my arrival with the receptionist and sat down to wait and was more than surprised by how quickly my name came up on the digital display and I walked in to the room where I took off my jacket and had the jab in my arm and then had a cup of tea and a couple of biscuits which I don't normally have but this time, due to rushing to the surgery, it seemed a necessity. From Ashfield I drove over to Bletchley and managed to get Alfie booked in for a grooming session at the Groom Room within Pets At Home and the appointment is at 1 p.m. on 11th November. He is in definite need of a trim and hasn't been there for quite a while.

(Sunday) I did remember that clocks went back last night. I did this well before I went to bed. But I have had a reaction to the flu jab and don't feel that good this morning. But I did manage to take out Alfie before 7 o'clock and it was fairly light so we could see what we were doing. I haven't gone to church, but let people know why on Facebook. I think if I hadn't done this they might wonder where I was and why.

(Monday) My turn to use the washing machine and tumble drier. I need to reorder some of my meds and went on line to the Ashfield Medical Centre website and have now found that I can't because I need a review of virtually all my meds. I did attempt to ring the surgery but I spent around an hour to find they weren't going to open up the phone lines and gave up around the time I was scheduled to start my washing. Just annoys me that when you need something such as medication they decide to not open up the lines. I'll have to have another go tomorrow morning. Frustrating!

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.