Hotter Than Ever!

 Friday 10th July. 3.35 a.m. It's so hot, I just can't sleep. Even now, the digital thermometer reads 31ºc.If it's that hot now, with my little air conditioner on and the window open, which  itis has been all night, what temperature is it likely to be as the day progresses?

I went to the Milton Keynes Theatre yesterday afternoon, to see "The Carman," the ballet by New Adventures. This company is directed by Sir Matthew Bourne's company. This production is set in 1960s America and uses a specially arranged score based on Bizet's "Carmen" and is quite violent in places (there are a couple of murders in it.) I didn't drive, thinking it would not only be good exercise, and I wore my new earbuds for something to listen to as I walked, but it seemed a bit unnecessary to go in the car and have to pay for the privilege of parking. It was extremely hot, but I didn't experience any ill-effects, apart from my mouth becoming extremely dry, as a result of the extreme heat. Fortunately, the theatre was cool, no doubt due to having air conditioning, which you would expect in a modern theatre in the early years of the 21st century.

Saturday 11th July. 4.00 p.m. This morning we had our monthly men's breakfast at The Oaktree Centre. We had our usual cooked breakfast (well, it could hardly be called a men's breakfast if it didn't have that element. I had written a piece, because the whole idea is to have some element of Bible teaching or a talk with a Christian element to it. It was called "The Power of Parables and The Creative Gift of Words.' I thought it quite appropriate to do something related to story-telling, which obviously Parables are and my interest in writing and using words in my writing. I think it went well, and then there was a question-and-answer session afterwards. So, that's another thing ticked off my list!

I have written another two plays, so my current total of plays to date is around 6. Not bad, considering I have never written a play before last September, so it will be one year since I began playwrighting next month. So, I think I can now safely put the term 'playwright' on my CV!

Sunday 12th July. 2.20 a.m. Here I am, sitting here at this ungodly hour, couldn't sleep, the same old business of having to get up from bed to use the loo and doing a bit of work on one of my plays on my Macbook. Then, for no apparent reason, the fire alarm goes off. Why? Who has left their oven off, let the bread burn in the toaster? So, I suppose I will have to wait until the fire service arrives, to turn the wretched thing off. The door from the lounge into the central hallway is currently closed, which reduces the sound of the alarm to some extent, but it's still annoying. 

8.40 p.m. You will not believe this (although you might just believe it.) but the horrible fire alarm is going off as I write this. It is becoming something of a joke. Just the fact that someone has no ability to set the awful thing off, by forgetting that they have something cooking in their oven, or let their toast burn, or even let something burn on the top of the oven, the hob. Please, oh please, don'ts let this go on for another two hours, which is what happened at 2.20 this morning.

Comfort and Joy?

 Friday. 8.20 a.m. It's yet another somewhat overcast and uninspiring sort of day, here in Milton Keynes.

The digital thermometer currently reads 21ºc.

3.55 p.m. I have been searching for a suitable present for my grandchildren. It has to be something they can share. I got them a game called Pirates, which was a great success. Chloe WhatsApped me this morning, saying she had found something called Chicken and Hotdog (I know, crazy!) I searched various toy websites, and eventually found it on Smyth's Toys website and ordered it via click and collect and then went to collect it earlier this afternoon. It is far easier to buy anything via click and collect, because it means you pay on the website and, as soon as it's ready to collect, you merely go to the store and collect the item.

I was staggered by the number of people in Smyth's store. For a Friday, in the middle of the day, it was a bit of a surprise. The carpark outside was packed, and it was difficult to find a space. I realise that Smyth's isn't the only retail outlet in that particular retail park, but the store I went into was heaving. Then, people went crazy, coming out laden with toys, almost as if there was some sort of shortage of toys (there wasn't.) It's only for ONE DAY, and they're likely to have paid on credit cards, which will have to be paid off over the course of 2026. Yes, they want their children to have a great Christmas, but to go to this extent is totally mad. The REAL meaning of Christmas is totally lost.

Saturday. 7.55 a.m. It's another rather dull morning. I haven't been outside yet, but I will very soon, as we have our monthly Men's Breakfast at the Oaktree Centre.

The digital thermometer currently reads 20ºc.

I have been reviewing the footage I recorded using the Osmo Pocket 3 when I was at the Central Shopping Centre the other day. I'm really pleased with it. I still need to do further tests before I use it for something more serious (or not!) The quality is amazing, considering its size. 

11.05 a.m. I went out to my car around 8.40, intending to drive off to The Oaktree Centre, but I found ice on the windows, so I had to spend around 10 minutes scraping it off. I then found that there was mist on the inside of the windscreen, when obscured my view. I can't drive if I can't see clearly, but by the time I had come out of Oldbrook, and onto Chaffron Way, it was clear enough to see clearly.

Sunday. 5.30 a.m. Far too early to be awake and writing this blog post, but does it matter? I think not.

The digital thermometer currently reads 21ºc.

I must have mentioned how I get my medication. I would prefer if I could merely go into a pharmacy and pick the repeat prescription up, but things don't work like that anymore. We used to have its own pharmacy in its Witan Gate store, which was taken over by Lloyds, and even that has now closed. Sainsbury's used to have its own pharmacy in its Witan Gate store, which was taken over by Lloyds, and even that has now closed. I now order online through Pharmacy2U. To make sure I have never run out of medication, I need to get the order made at least a week before my stock runs out. I go online, tick all the relevant areas on the page and hit 'send.' This is sent to the doctor to approve, and then the online pharmacy makes up the repeat order, and then, eventually, the order is sent to me via Royal Mail.

I have had no problem with the delivery, and the meds are well packaged and normally come through my letterbox. Except yesterday. I knew the order was about to arrive, due to being sent an email. Then I got a notification that the order had arrived. It had not, so I went onto the Royal Mail website, and it showed the package had been sent to 6 Dexter Avenue. There was a photograph showing the house, so I went over to the house to ask the resident if the package had been delivered there. There was no answer, so I presumed they were out and I would need to go back when they came home.

I thought no more about it, until the evening, when I got a buzz from the door intercom. You press one button to speak and another to release the door so it will open. I waited in expectation for the delivery person to arrive, but nothing.

A while later, the parcel arrived, when the gentleman from 6 Dexter Avenue came and knocked on the window of one of my neighbours, and she came to my door with the parcel.

The conclusion of all this: the delivery person should read the address label and make sure the parcel/letter comes to my flat and not the wrong address. Crazy. Simples.

Happy Bunny!

 Friday. 8.35 a.m. I mentioned that I was having problems getting Blogger to work, so I could write more posts. The problem is now solved. I used to use Safari to work on my posts, but I realised that Google owns Blogger, so I used their browser, Chrome, and it works perfectly. It makes sense, as you would want all your products to work together.

Saturday. 9.20 a.m. It's the 1st of November. The sun is shining, but I'm not sure how warm it is out. I will go out later. I have a regular prayer triplet on WhatsApp at 10. 

The digital thermometer currently reads 23ºc.

2.45 p.m. For some reason, probably technical, Mike was not able to join the prayer triplet at 10 o'clock this morning, but my friend Richard was able to make it, and we had a long chat. Technology is great when it works, but it's not so good when it goes wrong and causes a certain amount of frustration and stress.

Tuesday. 1.50 p.m. It's quite mild and sunny at the moment. How long it's likely to last is anyone's guess.

The digital thermometer currently reads 24ºc.

I am currently transferring my writing into word processing, as I mentioned earlier in recent blog posts. I am editing as I go and adding new stuff. It's going well, and the fact that I leave it for a few days helps me to come up with new ideas. I'm cutting out a significant portion of what I originally wrote and rearranging the order in some cases.

Saturday. 11.15 a.m. It's unseasonably mild at the moment. The digital thermometer currently reads 23ºc.

We had our monthly men's breakfast this morning at the Oaktree Centre. As usual, plenty of eggs, bacon and all the trimmings and then a discussion around the table.

The trees are rapidly turning colour, a wide range of browns and yellows. The leaves are falling fast.

Cameras, Cars and Ultrascans

Sunday. 3.35 p.m. Earlier this morning I was ready for church and about to leave, but when I went down to get in my car, I found a car blocking the exit, so I was not pleased. It seemed a bit selfish of the driver to park in such a way, that I could not get out. I returned to my flat and thought, if that's the case, I'll have to accept I would be able to go to church, so I made myself a cup of coffee and thought, I would be able to watch via Facebook. By the time I'd sat down with my coffee, I could see, by looking out of the window, that the car had gone, so I was able to drive to The Oaktree Centre. Thinking about the situation, I did think it might have been a carer, doing the sort of job that I used to do, and finding it difficult to find a space to park their car when visiting the person they were a carer for. It might have been, but that crossed my mind. 

Wednesday. 12.20 p.m. I have bought a new Sony digital camera. It not only takes still photographs. but is designed for vlogging, that is, videos that can be uploaded to various media platforms, such as YouTube, X (formerly known as Twitter,) Instagram, TickTock, and Facebook. It has a touch screen that can be swiveled around so you can take selfies and it has a built-in microphone, complete with a furry cover that eliminates wind noise when recording outdoors. I have been attempting to connect it to an app on my iPhone and it has taken a long time to get it to work. I took the app of the phone and reinstalled it and it seemed to work. I have ordered a hand grip for the camera, from Amazon, which allows you to hold it safely and control the camera. This should arrive sometime next week, by which time I can have it up and running and explore the various features.

Friday. 7.00 a.m. I had an appointment at the imaging department of Milton Keynes Hospital in Lloyds Court. I had been there before, so I had a good idea of where to go. I parked near The Point and walked through the shopping centre. It is further than I remembered. I checked in to reception went upstairs and sat in area B. You can't miss these area numbers. They are huge. I think it's for those who have poor eyesight. You definitely can't miss them. I was soon shown into the room and I had to lay on a couch. I had lubricant smeared on my stomach. KY Jelly I believe. The doctor (was he a doctor? I'm not sure.) used a device that was part of the ultrascan machine and put it on my stomach. The lubricant helped as he moved the thing about. I started off laying on my back, but then I had to lay on both sides. The procedure didn't take long and I was soon out of the office. But I couldn't find my way out. It was a bit of a maze, but soon I was walking back to my car and driving back to Dexter House.

The Sun Has Got His Hat On!

 Monday. 7.35 a.m. Yesterday was a busy day. We had a somewhat shortened service at church, followed by a members' meeting. Halfway through the service, a baby boy was dedicated. I must explain. We don't have christenings in our church. You are baptised when you accept Jesus, and it is a voluntary action. Anyway, the parents, friends and those who were to be Godparents went to the front of the church. Baby Leo, who is around three months old, was fast asleep during the dedication. At the end, his dad held him up for all to see, and it reminded me of a similar scene in the Disney film, 'The Lion King' and appropriate since he is called Leo.

Lots of stuff to be discussed and considered during the members' meeting, including voting for new members of the leadership team. Once that was over, we set up for what is called Messy Church and that went on until 5 o'clock, which was cleared up, and I eventually left for home at around 5.30. 

As I write this, the sun is out and the digital thermometer reads 22ºC. Yesterday was cloudy and dark clouds threatened rain, but if it did rain, there wasn't much.

Tuesday. 10.05 a.m. The weather has changed. What do you expect in this country? Fickle? Possibly. The sun no longer shines. Is summer over? Probably not. My digital thermometer currently reads 22ºC.

Wednesday. 7.50 a.m. Having just read the very short piece above, regarding the weather, I now have to write that the weather has now done yet another about-turn. When I went out earlier, as I do every morning, with Alfie, it was windy and dark clouds were crossing the sky. As I write now, it is sunny and a powerful wind blows. It's almost autumnal. My digital thermometer reads 21ºC.

Good Friday. 6.40 a.m. It's fully light as I write this. I have to say, I love this time of year. I took Alfie out and I noticed how quickly the trees are coming into leaf. I think the past few days of sunshine have helped them put on a spurt. The hedge, alongside the garden of Dexter House, is completely leafed (is that even a term, or a word? Well I know what it means.) 

The electric scooters are STILL taking up space along the corridor on the way out. When will these confounded things be able to be removed and stored in the sheds outside? The story continues. And continues . . . .  and continues.

Yesterday was Maunday Thursday, the day when Jesus and his disciples ate the Last Supper. I was on duty to supply the bread and wine in the evening for a time of reflection at SCF in the evening. I had to go to Sainsbury's to buy a white sliced loaf of bread, which I then cut up into small pieces. I did it early, because I was focussed on the task and wanted to have it done so I could concentrate on other matters. I drove to the Oaktree Centre at around 6.15, but found the place locked, so I had to wait until the place was locked up and once inside, the same old problem of having to open the kitchen, which has one of those doors with a lock which you open with a code. I don't have it, but it was eventually opened and I set up the trays into which the small plastic cups are placed and then made up some fruit squash (I think it's blackcurrant.) to then put into a squeezy bottle so that I could put a small amount into each plastic cup. This is a job you cannot rush. You need a steady hand. We weren't sure how many people were going to turn up, so I made up one tray and began to fill a second one, leaving the second one on the counter in the cafe area. In the hall, the table was set up in the centre, with chairs in a circle around it. It was a very moving evening, with readings and music.

I have taken a case out of the cupboard in my bedroom, which has been in there, unused, since I moved in around 6 years ago. I have never looked inside, but I needed to empty it, because I want to use it when I go to Worcester later this afternoon. I found various bits of rubbish, which is often what you find when you've been on holiday, tickets, empty packets and so on. But I was surprised to find Carol's swimming costume. It was unexpected and caused me a certain bit of emotion. I just did not think that I would find that in the bag.

11.00 a.m. I've been to the Shell fillingl station in Grafton Street. I needed to check the car's tyres. It's not a job I enjoy. I had a £10 note, because I didn't know whether I would need to change it for coins. I had a couple of 50p with me, just it case. I got to the machine and drew up. I then discovered you could pay using your debit card, which I had with me. Unfortunately, the confounded machine wouldn't accept it. Goodness knows why. But the machine did accept my 2 50p coins. You have five minutes to go round and check your tyres, but the hose it uses is difficult to hold as it keeps wanting to rewind into the machine. Crazy! I had to unscrew each cap on each tyre, and keep a foot on the hose to prevent it being drawn back into the machine, at the same time attempting to read the pressure on the machine. Carol always used to help with this job. She would stay with the machine and stop the hose rewinding into the machine, but without her, I have to do this operation on my own.

Christmas Madness

 Wednesday. 10.40 a.m. It's bright and sunny, but there's also a gusty wind. I went out to my car to drive to Sainsbury's a little before 9 and the wind was enough to blow your head off.

Thursday. 9.25 a.m. It is bright and sunny and no howling wind.

Saturday. 6.00 p.m. Well, not a great deal to report. We had a Christmas party on Thursday morning at The Oaktree Centre. The usual Thursday Morning Life Group were there, and we had games and lots to eat. One game took me back to around the age of probably 8 or so, pass-the-parcel. If you don't know, the person in charge wraps a present in lots of layers of paper and everyone sits in a circle. Then the parcel gets passed from one person to the other as music plays. When it stops, whoever has the parcel has to remove one layer of paper. This continues until the final layer is removed, and whoever has the parcel and removes the paper wins the prize.

We had a 'Secret Santa.' If you don't know how this works, everyone had to buy a present, costing no more than £5 and wrapped, put into a pile, and you pick a present, but you don't know who bought it. I got a cuddly Christmas pudding! I know, a bit crazy, but that was the idea.

A good time was had by all.

Monday. 1.20 p.m. Yesterday morning at church, we had a 'Carols By Candlelight' service. There are no real candles, but electronic ones. Just as well, because real candles can cause smoke and fumes which make me cough.

My friend Margaret at church asked me if I could sit with her husband, Mike, who has Parkinson's. She was going to the hospital visiting and when she came back we shared dinner together. A really pleasant evening.

Tuesday. 5.00 p.m. I had one or two items to get in Sainsbury's this morning. It means I'm ready for Christmas Day. The place was heaving. I thought, if I went early enough, it would be far easier. How wrong could I be? People had trolleys full to the brim, and more. It's like they had the idea that things were going to run out, so grab it and put it in the trolley.

Someone wasn't doing their job when I went to get a trolley. There is usually a young man who collects the trolleys and brings them up to the store on the travelator. Two rather ratty trolleys, a couple with wonky wheels which makes pushing them difficult.

One of the items I had on my shopping list was a Christmas cake. Probably a small one, or at least a wedge of Christmas cake. I looked in the bread and cake area of the store but could not find a small cake. But eventually if went for a whole cake, which came in a box with a clear window so you could see the cake inside. On unpacking this when I got home, I was somewhat surprised to find that the cake was a good deal smaller than the packaging suggested. Looking through the window on the packaging, it was clear that they were deceiving customers because the cake was on a sort of plastic base and there was a lot of space around it. It was certainly not as large as I was expecting.

I'm waiting for my dinner to finish cooking. Pork chops are in the oven, green beans are done and roast potatoes are done.

New Month. Almost Christmas

 Monday. 2.30 p.m. Yesterday was Café Church at SCF at the Oaktree Centre. I was on refreshment duty. We had a few problems with the new coffee machine. The thing has two cartons inside, one with mild and the other with coffee in syrup form. It is operated with a touch screen, similar to an iPad. I was given the secret code which will open the thing, so the cartons can be replaced when they run out, which they did during the morning.

Tuesday. 9.05 a.m. I saw the weather forecast on BBC Breakfast yesterday morning, and they mentioned that it was going to be a good deal colder with a chance of frost. I have been thinking that I ought to check the antifreeze in my car because I don't want the water in it to freeze and then damage the car. I was constantly being told by my late father to 'check your tyres, oil, antifreeze', whenever I was going out in my car and his voice always seemed to be at the back of my mind. Bearing this in mind, I went to get fuel for the car at the ESSO station in Child's Way and picked up a bottle of antifreeze. I then had to wait for the car to cool down before attempting to open up the bonnet to put in the antifreeze. When I eventually got outside to check under the bonnet, I wasn't sure where to put the antifreeze. After some thought, I thought it would be a good idea to drive to the Renault dealership near Morrison's in Westcroft, a short distance from The Oaktree Centre. When I got there, I found it almost impossible to park. I drove around behind Brayleys, the Renault dealership, but I couldn't find anywhere and then thought it best to park in the car park which is for people shopping in the shopping centre which includes Morrisons. It was extremely busy, considering it was a Monday morning. I assume it was people doing their Christmas shopping, but the amount of traffic coming into the car park and leaving, made things difficult. I eventually found a space, parked the car and then walked to Brayleys. 

I wasn't sure which door to enter, but went in the first one I came to but eventually found the spares department, quite a walk across the yard which was full of cars, closely parked and making me think that it would be difficult to move any of them, particularly those at the back of the site. It made me think it would be rather like a game of Tetris, move one to move another which moved into the first car's space and so on.

I got to the service and parts department and was confronted by two people, sitting behind computer screens. I spoke to one and asked about the fact that I wasn't sure where I should put the antifreeze. I was told that he would come and show me, but I would need to bring the car from where it was parked near Morrisons. So I walked back to the car, and it took me some considerable time to get out of the car park, due to the amount of traffic coming in and leaving the car park. I eventually drove towards Brayleys and, after some time, eventually found a parking space, behind Morrisons, and near their loading bay. I then walked back to the service department and the gentleman came with me to the car I lifted the bonnet, and he showed me where antifreeze should be poured in, but then he said, as the plastic bottle showed, there seemed to be plenty of antifreeze already in it and I needn't put any more in. I also asked about turning on the digital message which keeps appearing on the car's dashboard, telling me that the car needs servicing in 10 days. He said that it would need to be brought into the garage so that they can use a device which is used to adjust the digital screen. I would need to bring it in at a later date to have this adjusted.

So, I thanked him for his help and I felt better knowing that there was no need for antifreeze in the car.

Isn't It A Lovely Day Today?

Sunday. 6.45 a.m. The clocks have changed, and gone back an hour, so it's a good deal lighter at this time. I've been out with Alfie, although he must have been a bit shocked, as I had to wake him up. It was really beautiful out, with the leaves on the grass and a thin fingernail of a moon more or less directly overhead. 

Thursday.  7.15 a.m. It's a rather overcast sort of day as I write this. 

Alfie was again asleep when I took him out about forty minutes ago. He didn't seem to object, in fact, I think he was more or less asleep as I carried him along the corridor.

Friday. 8.50 a.m. It's a somewhat overcast sort of morning. Never mind, it's what you would expect for a November day.

I was busy yesterday. I went to the Thursday Morning Life Group (which I've always called 'Bible Study' which it is, but it's a lot more than that. A lovely group of people.) I came home and had something to eat. I watched something on History Hit, which is a streaming service which has a very wide range of history documentaries to watch. This was about how would a modern man deal with wearing s suit of Medieval armour? Very informative, and also quite amusing.

Then, at 1.40 I had an appointment to have an echocardiogram. I'm not sure whether I've had one of these before. The location of the appointment was in Lloyds Court, opposite MK Centre shopping centre. I wasn't entirely sure where it was, but I looked on Google Maps, and even then I wasn't sure. I drove to the usual car park and then walked through the shopping centre and out about halfway down and across to Lloyds Court. I had the number, 30, but I walked along one side which seemed to be almost all restaurants and take-away establishments. I eventually found the place and walked in. 

By now I was exhausted. All that walking had paid it's toll. I reported to the receptionist and was sent upstairs. I had to sit and wait in the 'F' area. You couldn't miss the sign, painted on the wall in the biggest lettering you've ever seen. I think it was meant to be easily seen by those with poor eyesight. I had the feeling of the place, rather like the set for some science fiction film, set on a spaceship in the far distant galaxy, a bit like in Doctor Who, when they dematerialise in the Tardis and it's a space station, and the huge lettering on the walls are to inform you of the level you are on, but probably not numbered, probably in some sort of script used by some alien race. Also, clinical and empty, lifeless and probably uninhabited. One other couple was waiting. They didn't speak. There was no one else around, except a cleaning lady, sweeping the floor with one of those weird mop things which has a sort of hinge in the middle. Someone came out and called the name of the lady who was with her husband (although I assume he was. Never mind.) The person who appeared was dressed in a sort of green/blue oversuit, making him look like a surgeon or similar. The couple walked away and I was left on my own, with the cleaning lady pushing her mop around. The place had a sort of clinical feel to it. Well, as it was an N.H.S. establishment, it's not surprising, but no pictures on the walls, no television to watch on the walls, not even a pile of ancient magazines to read. Sterile, I think you'd call it. Plain white walls and the sort of seating which tend to become very uncomfortable the longer you sit on them. 

Then I was called into one of the rooms. The gentleman who called me said he was sorry for the delay. Well, my appointment was scheduled for 1.40 and it was well past 2 o'clock when I eventually stepped into his room. I had to take my shirt off along with my shoes. I was weighed and my height measured and then I had to lay on a bed and in such a position that I faced the wall and as far up the sloping head end as possible. the doctor (I presume he was a doctor.) proceeded to scan my heart, and it was fairly difficult to hold the same position with one arm held over my head. I could hear strange noises, but couldn't see a thing because I was lying facing away from whatever device he was using. Then I had to move to another position. It was then that I heard a sound like a pump, but splashing water and I then realised it was the sound of my heart! Not something I ever expected to hear. Rather like the sound of an ancient, rather inefficient washing machine! 

Saturday. 10.20 a.m. I haven't finished my Thursday adventures if that's the way to describe things.

To continue. I left the diagnostics centre, being told that the information found with the procedure would be forwarded to the cardiology department and no doubt I would be contacted regarding where my care would go from there.

I left the building and walked towards the shopping centre. As I did so, I saw a group of teenagers in front of me, one very blatantly smoking a spliff. I knew that was what it was, by the smell, and it was far bigger than a normal cigarette. He wasn't likely to be stopped by a police officer as there are never any about on foot as would be the case years ago, which might explain his smoking the spliff so openly.

I went home and had something to eat, as I usually do at midday.

At around 3.40 I drove to The Oaktree Centre because I had volunteered to help with the Light Party which was being held that evening. It's to be an answer to Halloween, which was on Thursday. As a church, we don't do Halloween and the idea of the Light Party is to show children that it's Jesus who is the light and Halloween is darkness. 

The hall was laid out with tables for a wide range of crafts, and I was in charge of one with black sheets of card which you scratched off to reveal colours underneath and the children could use stencils to make art or draw freehand. Other tables had drawings, lamp making and other crafts. After around half an hour there were games, one very similar to a game I think I must have played a bit like musical chairs, except there weren't chairs, the children had to simply sit on the floor when the music stopped. Then there was a short piece of drama and the evening ended with the children going through to the café area to have a tea of sandwiches and cakes. Oh, I should say that they then went back into the hall, which, by that time had been cleared on the tables, to have a dance around.

We cleared up, and that was the end of the evening.

I must say it was a really successful event and I was surprised by how many children and parents turned up. I think it must have been around 30-40.

Hot And Humid

Friday. 7.30 a.m. I am waking up a good deal later than usual, which is a good thing. It may be because it's so warm at the moment. I am working on Ancestry until quite late. I have fans running in my bedroom and the lounge, and the window is open. The digital thermometer is currently reading 26ºc. 

Saturday. 10.10 a.m. Incidentally, it's not the Saturday following on from the Friday of the above post. It's about two weeks later. 

The digital thermometer currently reads 24ºc, a good deal cooler than of late, thank goodness.

I had my hair cut on Wednesday. It was getting to the point where it needed trimming, so I booked an appointment online on Tuesday. 

Thursday morning, the Bible Study group met up at Mursley Farm Shop. I drove to the Oaktree Centre and was taken by Jennie, who leads the group. Virtually the entire length of Chaffron Way was lined with yellow traffic cones. I suspect that it was because of some sort of concert at the Bowl, which is en route to the Oaktree Centre. I imagined that any concert at the Bowl would be either in the evening, say, after 5 p.m., or at the weekend. But I am totally wrong on that count, so we have been bludgeoned over the head (or so it seems.) by loud drumming sounds coming from the direction of the bowl. This morning (Saturday) it started early, around 9 o'clock. At first, I thought it was from a car radio outside in the street, but, having stuck my head out of the window to have a look, I couldn't see a car and then realised it was coming from The Bowl. Considering that The Bowl is around two miles away from Oldbrook, it showed how loud it was. I can't imagine I would be the only person to be annoyed by such noise.

Sunday. 1.55 p.m. It was my turn on the rota to set up for Communion. I had to provide bread, which I had bought in Sainsbury's and then set up the trays which hold the little plastic cups which take the wine (actually not wine but blackcurrant squash.) It's then quite fiddly to put just the right amount into these cups with a bottle which has a tube in its cap which allows you to squeeze just the right amount into each cup.

I was expecting a clear run-up Chaffron Way to church this morning, but I soon discovered that many roads were closed off because of the 'event' at the Bowl, and, as a result, I had to make a detour to get to the Oaktree Centre.

Tuesday. 6.35 a.m. It's a sunny morning. The digital thermometer currently reads 26ºc, so a much better temperature to live with.

June Is Bustin' Out All Over!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Still Sunny!

Thursday. 7.55 a.m. Today, 9th May would have been my mother's 98th birthday. So sadly missed. It would have been wonderful if she'd been alive to see me and my grandchildren. I'm sure she would have loved to see them. She was only 56 in 1981 when she died. 

It's still bright and sunny. I just hope it stays that way.

I have always managed to put a link on my Facebook profile, which links to this blog. But several times recently, when I have attempted to do this, it has been refused by Facebook. It is only there as a means to an end, as I say, to provide a link for those who want to read my posts. I will give it another go and see if it is refused again. It doesn't always happen when I attempt to make the link available. A few seconds ago I tried to set up the link to Facebook, and it has worked. I don't understand why one moment it works, but another time it is refused.

I was going to drive off to The Oaktree Centre this morning, for our Thursday morning Bible Study, at around 9.20. When I got to the car, in its usual parking space, I found an Asda online delivery van parked across the exit, meaning I couldn't get out. The driver was busily sorting out his trolley with trays of produce balanced on it and ready to be taken into one of the flats within Dexter House. He said he would move the van down the street so that I could get out. But I saw that he was busy, so I said that I didn't mind waiting. I wasn't in a rush, so it didn't matter to me that a few minutes wait wouldn't make much difference. Then he pushed the trolley off along the street, and he disappeared into Dexter House. But it seemed to take longer than I anticipated, and when he eventually reappeared, he spent a good ten minutes stacking empty delivery boxes and sorting out his van. Fair enough, because he would want his van neat and tidy and nothing loose which would fall over and possibly get damaged. But this all took a good deal longer than I had hoped, but he eventually finished and drove away, which allowed me to drive out and go to the Oaktree Centre.

2.45 p.m. I must have mentioned somewhere within these posts, about how I used to order my repeat medication prescriptions, then have it made up by Lloyd's Pharmacy within Sainsbury's, and, further, how Lloyd's in Sainsbury's closed down and how I set up an account via the Lloyd's app (called Lloyd's Direct. Well, it took some time to get it to work, what with one thing and another, such as setting up a password. It had been working well enough for several months, but a few weeks ago I was informed that Lloyd's would be merging with another pharmacy company called Pharmacy2U. They would take over processing my prescriptions, but I would need to set up an account with them. It has taken me several days, attempting to set up an account with them and the frustration of setting up a password so that I could sign in and order my repeated medication. It has caused no end of annoyance, but eventually, it was done and it works. Or, I should say, it seems to work.

Unsettled Weather?

Thursday. 7.20 a.m. It's not quite so bright and sunny this morning. As I write this, I can hear the wind howling outside. Does it want to be let in? No, but the idea of wind howling does suggest that. 

Friday. 5.40 a.m. It's raining at the moment. I took Alfie out, and we didn't stay out long. I didn't want to get wet, and neither did Alfie.

11.00 a.m. I have been to Sainsbury's. The rain held off, not that it made any difference. 

I did my shop in Sainsbury's (now there's a surprise!) and at the end, when everything I had on my list was in the trolley, I went towards the tills. By this time there was quite a crowd of customers, queuing up, like me, ready to pay. I had accepted that I was going to have to use a self-service till, even though I dislike them, basically because they always go wrong, won't accept some items, hence you get 'item in bagging area' and suchlike messages. When I arrived in the fenced-off area, where the self-service tills are situated, many of these benighted machines had  'out of service' notices on their digital screens. Crazy, to have so many customers in the store, yet not have these devices ready for your customers. A few customers were using those machines which were operating. So, I pushed my trolley out of the self-service area and attempted to find a manned till. One, (and I state ONE) was in operation, but many other manned tills weren't open. There was quite a queue forming,  people ready to put their shopping through the till. But I wasn't over-keen to wait, and then I noticed that there were now self-service tills opening, so I rushed back to the fenced-off area and managed to check off my shopping. All went well, except for one item that wouldn't scan. I just hate them. If you must insist on having these machines, which replace human-operated tills, just make sure they aren't faulty.

Saturday. 11.00 a.m. The weather is fine. Let's just hope it stays that way.

Sunday. 7.25 a.m. Not a great deal happened yesterday, as you probably can see from the one line I wrote above. I did watch the first episode of the third season of 'Clarkson's Farm' on Amazon Prime. I know he's something of a Marmite individual, you either like him or hate him (I suppose I hover mid-way.) and I must say it's very entertaining and watchable. Compared with what the BBC has to offer, a lot of which is wokefied (if that's the correct spelling. Indeed, is that even a word?) it does make a change and it's entertaining.. He certainly isn't 'politically correct' in a lot of what he does and says. 

I woke in the night and I could hear strange noises going on outside. Someone racing a car engine, making sounds which must have been annoying if you lived nearby and were trying to sleep. I think there are goings-on which the police ought to deal with, like racing along the grid roads around Milton Keynes, which is more than a little bit dangerous. I think those that do that sort of thing think, because it's late at night, that they can get away with that sort of danger, and that there won't be any police around to stop them.

1.35 p.m. It was my turn on the refreshment rota at church this morning. I don't do it alone, the lady who I work with on this is in the Thursday morning Bible study. I got to The Oaktree Centre at around 9.40 and began by filling up the coffee urn. This needs to be on, filled with ground coffee because it takes the entire length of the service to be ready to serve. The service usually lasts an hour and a half, finishing at around 12.15, but today it was a family service and finished earlier than usual, at around 11.30, so I had to leave several minutes before the end, to just make sure things were ready for when everyone came out and expecting either tea or coffee.

Spring Has Sprung!

 Saturday. 8.10 a.m. It's bright and sunny. Mind you, it can be deceptive and might well be chilly out. I won't know until much later.

1.00 p.m. It has turned out to be quite warm. Not sunny, but mild nevertheless

I've been to Boots Opticians to collect my new glasses. I had two pairs made up, one for long vision, for driving and every day, and the second pair for reading. I was shocked to find when I put on the long vision pair, how sharp and crisp everything was. 

I then walked through the shopping centre and went into Midsummer Place. Just inside the doors, a man had set himself up, with an amplifier and microphone, and was singing. I say 'singing', but, let's be perfectly honest, it wasn't very good. One of the pieces he mangled (for want of a better word.) was a song which Carol and I had as our 'sort-of' song, 'Chasing Cars,' originally done by 'Snow Patrol.' Brought back some memories, and happy, but it upset me to some extent, not more so than having some idiot mangling it. 

I walked back to the car and, just as I was about to get in my car, t a really large car turned up, I think it was one of those huge 4-by-4 monsters. The driver was attempting to reverse into a space, just opposite where I had left my car. As the car began to manoeuvre, I saw that one side was heavily dented. It looked as though something or someone had run into the car, or else, the driver had smashed into another vehicle or run into a wall or something. The way the driver was making a complete hash of reversing into the parking space, it was no wonder the car got dented. 

Sunday. 8.00 a.m. I was woken in the night by a very heavy rainstorm. I'm not sure what time it was, but I think it must have been around 2 a.m. I went into the kitchen to look out of the window, and it was difficult to see across the garden (obviously not helped by the fact that it was dark, although there were very bright lights along the various paths. Bright enough to guide any passing aircraft into land, or even some alien space creatures.) The rain was so violent, there was a sort of fog. It was extremely noisy. Fortunately, it didn't go on for more than five minutes. I expect there will be a great deal of standing water on the roads around Milton Keynes, no doubt there will be vast puddles in and around the roundabouts, pooling where the water can't run away. The roads in Milton Keynes were built without cambers, and gutters which allow water to drain away. It seemed more like a cost-cutting exercise when the city was built, but it was a mistake. If the Romans could build their roads with cambers, why aren't modern roads built with them? I actually think most roads are. 

As I write this, the sun is shining.

1 p.m. I was on refreshment duty at The Oaktree Centre this morning. I've been involved with this for several months now. I used to be on The Genesis Team, which is responsible for setting up the Sunday services and setting out the chairs, but I was beginning to find it quite tiring, as it involved lifting and pushing, the chairs on trolleys and then lifting the chairs off the trolleys. 

Today we had what's termed 'Café Church', which means there was no service, but a chance to fellowship with church folk and, hopefully, allow those who don't generally go to church, to come along and enjoy coffee and tea, pastries and cookies, in a relaxed and totally informal setting, with some live music. I got to the Oaktree Centre at around 9.40 and had to start filling the coffee urn. This takes at least an hour to warm up sufficiently before a decent cup of coffee can be produced from it, but for some reason, it didn't seem to warm up properly. It would take at least the whole length of a normal Sunday service, to be ready for people when they came out at the end. I wasn't on my own doing the refreshments. A lovely lady who is in my Thursday morning Bible study, Hyacinth, was with me. But there was real, what I call 'frothy coffee' being made, a la Costa or Starbucks, produced by a proper coffee machine. Several people have been trained as baristas to make this coffee. The machine they use is in the cafe area and is a Gaggia machine. But most people would seem to prefer this coffee, rather than what we had to offer. Because the urn wasn't functioning properly and not heating up sufficiently, we could only offer Nescafé. Nothing wrong with that, but when you've got coffee which is as good, if not better, than what you could get in a high street coffee shop, such as Costa or Starbucks, who could blame them?

Bright And Early

Thursday. 5.40 a.m. You know what they say 'It's the early bird that catches the worm', or something of that sort. Well, it's early (probably far too early!) but I'm here and writing this. 

2.15 p.m. It's turned out to be wet and windy. I have just been to Lidl. I wanted some raspberry jam for my hot cross buns and the Lidl jam is such good value. You get a much larger quantity than you would in Sainsbury's or any other supermarket, for that matter. It also has a higher fruit content. Also, I wanted cream for my pudding. Chocolate fudge something-or-other.

As I was waiting in the queue to pay at the till, the man in front of me had a vast quantity of tomatoes, peppers, of various types and colours and lettuce. I thought to myself, 'he's either going to make a very big salad or else he has lots of rabbits that need feeding' Crazy, I know, but that's the way my mind works.

7.15 p.m. At around 6 o'clock this evening, I was in the bathroom (I won't give too much detail . . .) when there was a flash of lightning and then the most enormous thunderclap. Then, for around 5 minutes or so, there was a very heavy downpour. As I write this, the wind is howling outside.

Good Friday. 5.25 a.m. It's really peaceful on the weather front.

6.40 a.m. The sun is shining as I write this.

I went to the Oaktree Centre for the Good Friday service. It was about an hour long and afterwards, there was tea and coffee, as usual, and hot cross buns, although they weren't hot. I have bought hot cross buns in Sainsbury's and have put them in my toaster and eaten them with raspberry jam.

Saturday. 7.25 a.m. I have mentioned that I lived in Cardington Village, near Bedford, as a child. (there is plenty more about this period in an earlier blog post.) The huge airship hangers are in the distance and dominate the landscape for miles around. The area is known as Shortstown, after the name of the company which was responsible for the building of the airships, Shorts Brothers. It was from these hangers that, in the 1920-1930's that several airships were constructed, notably the R100 and R101. As a result of this, I have been fascinated by the R101, and its later demise, when it crashed near Beauvais, France, on 5th October 1930.  I have found several fascinating videos on YouTube, one showing the inner workings of the earlier airship, the R101 and video footage of the R101 being built. It seems amazing that men who constructed the airship clambered up the sheds and worked on the girders and metalwork without any sort of safety measures in place, something which would never be allowed under 21st-century health and safety legislation. 

I also discovered something else, which has amazed and somewhat shocked me. The internal gas bag of the R101 and, I presume, the R101 and other airships at that date, were made of cow intestines, but, more precisely, the caecum.  In fact, around 50,000 cows' intestines were used to make these gasbags. I imagine that there were no materials, as we have today, such as man-made plastics, which might  have been used. I can imagine today if something was built of cow intestines, there would be outrage from vegetarians and no doubt animal rights campaigners. Not surprising, when you think about it.

12.20 p.m. I've been out with Alfie. We went as far as the rubbish bin on Oldbrook Green. It really is time the Council replaced this bin. It's rusty and falling to pieces. The bin on the opposite side of the Green is also in a dilapidated state. Both have great gaping holes in them, rusty and unsafe. Alfie insisted on cocking his leg against it, probably not helping the rust. I notice some delightful soul has left a bag of, presumably, doggy pooh, in a black bag, tightly tied up neatly, right next to the bin. Could they not have possibly made the effort to put the bag actually IN the bin, or is that asking too much? It has been bright and sunny for most of the morning.

Water, Water

 Saturday. 12.30 a.m. It rained really heavily yesterday evening. So much so that I couldn't take Alfie out, as he really does not like getting wet. Come to think of it, neither do I.

We reached the fifth session of the Alpha Course this week, and I was due to go to the Oaktree Centre at around 6:40. I was in my lounge, watching television, and then I heard a tapping sound. At first, I couldn't work out where it was, or, indeed, what it was. Going into the flat's entrance hall, I noticed a dripping coming from the ceiling. 

Vashti, the S.H.0. (Sheltered Housing Officer) of Dexter House, had gone home. It was around 5.30. I decided to ring the Mears helpline and was told that someone would come and inspect the leak, but it might be 4 hours before they arrived. It was around an hour later that a man knocked on my door, looked at the place where the drip had come through the ceiling near the smoke alarm, and told me that it wasn't his responsibility and rang the contractor who was responsible. He did a check of the light fitting, which isn't far from the smoke detector, and did a safety check and found no sign of water or anything dangerous and then left.

I mopped up the water from the floor and that was the end of it, although I think there must be a blockage and possibly an overflow somewhere in the roof space due to the heavy rain.

Sunday. 9.25 a.m. It's bright and sunny, but chilly. At least it's cool enough to sleep. The digital thermometer currently reads 19ºC. 

Tuesday. 7.40 a.m. I went to Camphill yesterday evening. The silent movies we have been creating since February were premiered. Actually, not just the three the Tuesday group made, but several others which were produced by the Monday group. There was a red carpet in the foyer of the Chrysalis Theatre, and as people arrived, they were photographed by Craig, so it was a version of the traditional Hollywood 'Red Carpet' treatment as celebrities arrive at a premier.

Thursday. 7.40 a.m. The Zolpidem tablets which I have been waiting for arrived in the post yesterday morning. I took two at around 10.30 last night and slept well, waking around 5 a.m. I have to say, as a result, I feel a good deal better.

Friday. 7.25 a.m. A wild and wet night. It probably was nowhere near as bad in other parts of Britain, especially in Scotland.

I have mentioned the problems I've had receiving the Zolpidem which II have done a repeat prescription for. I got one delivery, then yesterday morning the larger order I made a few days ago arrived, including the sleeping tablets, (ie, Zolpidem.)

October Fun?!

 Saturday. 8.30 a.m. I awoke at around 6:45, which must be the latest I've woken in goodness knows how long. We had the third Alpha Course session last evening at the Oaktree Centre, good conversations as we sat and ate our meal, which was chilli con carne. I went home and had a drink of hot Ovaltine and then took two of the Zolpidem tablets just before I settled down in bed. The next thing I knew, I was awake with light coming through the window and I realized it was morning. At least I didn't wake in the night and then lie awake with 'stuff' going around in my head. I only have a week's worth of these tablets, so I will have to wait and see what happens when the course has finished. I will contact the doctor to see what she recommends.

Friday. 7.15 a.m. If you are a regular who reads my blog on here, you will realize that I haven't posted anything for some time. I don't intend to close this blog down, but I won't post quite as regularly as I have done in the past, so please don't expect anything to be reported quite so often.

The weather is doing its 'thing', which is what you come to expect at this time of year. Having just returned from taking Alfie out, there is a chilly wind, which means I put on my red fleece.

5.00 p.m. I have two bank accounts, one with Nationwide, which is my main account, and the other is an online-only account with Starling Bank. I had saved some cash 'for a rainy day' with the Starling Bank but hadn't taken any cash out of it since setting it up earlier this year, but I decided that my Nationwide could do with topping up, particularly as we're approaching the end of the month and I need to make sure that there's enough cash to pay some direct debits which are due to come out soon.

I duly drove into the shopping centre, to use the Starling card in the A.T.M. outside the Nationwide branch. I had a P.I.N. which I used to get into the Starling app, but when I tried it in the A.T.M. it would not allow me to access my account. I attempted it again, and, as I eventually walked back to the car, I found another A.T.M., but still the card wouldn't work.

When I got home, I had a look at the card I had for Starling in my file box which has details of such things as passwords and I found that the A.T.M. P.I.N. was there, a different one to the app password. I went online on the Starling app and got the agent (via 'chat') to unlock the card. This meant I could then go back to the A.T.M. outside Nationwide and withdraw the cash which I had intended to do originally and transfer this cash to my Nationwide account. All this was done and the mission was accomplished.

Wednesday. 

Happy Talk!

 Tuesday. 7.50 a.m. I haven't been well for the past few days. I'd recovered from the covid I had around six weeks ago and as a result of that I had fairly severe back pain, although there's no genuine proof that it was linked, but it seems something of a coincidence that the back pain started up at the same time.

On Thursday, the Bible Study group, which has been meeting in different places in and around Milton Keynes during August, met up at Mursley Farm Shop. I wasn't exactly sure where it was, although I had a rough idea, but looking on Google Maps. I drove to the Oaktree Centre and was taken there by Jennie, who is the leader of the Bible Study group.

I've never been to Mursley Farm Shop. Like many of these places, it's not merely a farm shop, selling eggs, meat and other items, but there's a good cafe, which was where we met up with the rest of the gang and I had a very nice latte, although, having ordered it, it seemed to take an eternity to arrive at our table. The weather was miserable. A sort of thin rain fell as we arrived. In the field beyond the car park I could see a field with various animals in, including alpacas, which I love.

On Friday, we had a meeting at the Oaktree Centre about the proposed Alpha Course. As part of this, we did a fast (which is something I have never done before, but it was worth it, and it went well.) We watched a training video, which came on a memory stick which plugged into the television screen on the wall in the café area. It turned out I had seen it already on YouTube. We need at least 6–8 people to sign up to the course, otherwise it isn't really viable. It runs over 10–11 weeks and there is food which has to be provided for each weekly session, so it's quite a logistical issue to provide that, along with merely having support people to run the course, so, if we don't get sufficient people attending, it isn't going ahead. We will have to wait and see if the numbers increase in the next week or so, because it is scheduled to begin on 15th September.

Having finished the meeting, I drove to Domino's Pizza in Duckworth Court, which is over the road from Lidl and Tesco Express in Oldbrook Boulevard and ordered a take-away pizza, which I took home and enjoyed, actually breaking my fast!

On Saturday morning, I went to the 1940s weekend at Milton Keynes Museum. If you read my blog posts on a regular basis, you will be aware that I have been to quite a few of these events. This seemed to not be quite as good as the others. I went because of the proposed World War 2 project which is being developed in the theatre workshop at Camphill, so I took my camera and managed to take a handful of photographs, which I intend putting onto a memory stick and taking the next time I go to Camphill.

It was around this time that the flu-like symptoms began. I won't go into much detail (in fact, none at all.) I didn't eat anything until at least Tuesday and didn't go to Camphill. Well, it didn't seem such a good idea, as I didn't want to be responsible for spreading whatever it was around.

Anything Goes!

 Thursday. 4.00 p.m. The Acorns playgroup, which meets at The Oaktree Centre, and the which I help set up and clear away on a Thursday morning, met for the last time until September. Around eight of the children were leaving, probably going on to reception classes in local primary schools.

6.25 p.m. As I write this, it's pouring rain. It's reasonably heavy, and I have a feeling that we will now have to endure flooding. As the grid roads in Milton Keynes don't have cambers, that is, the traditional method which is used elsewhere, and even used by the Romans when they built roads, there is more likely to be flooding, especially on roundabouts.

Friday. 5.00 a.m. I've only just come back indoors, having taken Alfie out. It's dry and reasonably pleasant, weather-wise.

We had a Church Family Meeting yesterday evening at the Oaktree Centre. It was mostly about finance. Not particularly well attended.

As I came in from driving back from the meeting, I noticed a large pantechnicon parked further along Strudwick Drive. I couldn't see exactly what it was doing where it was, because I had turned into Dexter Avenue before I got a chance, but this morning I could see it was a removal vehicle, with the words 'Bussy's Removals, painted on its side. I imagine it was full of furniture for a family moving into the area. 

Saturday.  5.05 a.m. It rained yesterday, but not heavy. Just thin and a bit pathetic, so it put paid to any more videoing by me. Today is the Grand Car Boot Sale at the Oaktree Centre, so any rain will not only put off customers but would make things extremely difficult. Then, on Sunday, we have the annual church picnic, so that would also be affected by the inclement weather. I just hope the weather holds off for the entire weekend, but having been out a few moments ago with Alfie, it was dry, although looking decidedly unsettled, looking at a somewhat dark and cloudy sky.

2.15 p.m. I got a message via Facebook to say that the Car boot sale had been cancelled due to the weather. But no sooner had I seen this message, than the rain stopped, and the sun came out. Typical British weather! Supposedly it will be run at a later date.

3.55. p.m. I've been out with Alfie. I have now hit the 10,000 steps target, wearing my FitBit. We walked around Oldbrook Green and met several dogs. Today is Alfie's 16th birthday!

It's windy out, so, what with cancelling today's car boot sale at the Oaktree Centre, I doubt that the church picnic will go ahead because the wind is strong and might be dangerous. We will have to wait and see what the weather does tomorrow.

One Day More

Thursday. 5.00 a.m. Yet another calm and, what I would say, uninspiring day on the weather front. The digital thermometer currently reads 23ºC. 

The title is a song from the musical, 'Les Misérables.'

Friday. 5.00 a.m. An entire day without me reporting ANYTHING! How unusual is that!

I'm getting comments to some of my earlier posts, on my school days. But whoever it was has decided to remain anonymous, which is a bit of a cheek. Why? Never mind. That's the internet, you can make comments but still hide your identity.

The Acorn's playgroup wasn't meeting at the Oaktree Centre yesterday morning. They had gone off to Gulliver's theme park for the day, leaving it incredibly quiet, so my Bible study group met in the café area. 

3.50 p.m. The digital thermometer currently reads 27ºC. According to the weather forecast on BBC Breakfast this morning, it seems likely we're to have the heatwave back. I have both electric fans on at the moment.

Saturday. 5.20 a.m. Another warm but pleasant morning. Having taken Alfie out as far as Oldbrook Green, I was struck by the beautiful clouds, tinged with pink, and looking for all the world very much like a Maxfield Parrish painting. For those who have never heard of this American artist, he was known for his, what I suppose you would call, a hyperrealist style of painting.

Yesterday evening, all those involved with the Acorns' playgroup at the Oaktree Centre, met at the Nut and Squirrel pub in Westcroft, which is next door to the Morrisons supermarket, to have a meal together. I had lasagne followed by apple pie and custard. This is where the men's breakfast group met a few weeks ago (as reported in an earlier blog post.)

Currently, the digital thermometer reads 27ºC.

11.15 a.m. I went to men's breakfast a little before 9 this morning. We had our usual fried food, tea and coffee and then someone did a talk on 'Truth'. In the midst of all this, there were several claps of thunder and then the heavens opened (almost Biblical in its epic sort of way, as these things often are.) After several weeks of a heatwave, it did bring a certain sort of relief.

All Is For The Best, (In The best of all possible worlds)

Monday. 4.55 a.m. Here we go! Yet another fun-packed week at Dexter House. I'm being very sarcastic, but life goes on. What else to do? I have a hospital appointment this morning at Milton Keynes University Hospital at 11.50 a.m. It's not so much the actual appointment which is the problem, it's managing to find a parking space which causes stress which is more of a problem. I'll just have to get there in plenty of time to make sure I can park the car and then walk through to the department where I have to have a kidney scan. The letter I got, which rescheduled the appointment for 16th June, tells me I have to drink at least a litre of water. Well, as I'm keeping hydrated because of the hot weather, that's not going to cause much of a problem.

12.25 p.m. I have been to the hospital for my appointment. It was scheduled for 11.50, but, because of finding a space in the multistory car park, I went earlier. Fortunately, I found a space, which relieved the stress. When it came to walking to the ultrasound department, I at first went in the wrong direction and had to be directed by a helpful man who sent me back to the reception area and I soon found the department.

I was met by a lady who asked me my name when I walked through the door. It turned out that she was going to do the scan, so I was checked in and then the usual wait. Not long after I was called into the room and had to lay on a narrow couch/bed thing and the scan began, laying on my left side, then my right. The reason for this scan was that when I first moved to my current surgery, my doctor got me to have a blood test, which showed up something related to my kidneys and possibly caused by a side effect of taking some of my heart medication, which I have been on since my first heart attack in 2006. The technician doing the scan said this 'thing' was like a birthmark or tag, and was about 5 cm across, but when she did the scan it wasn't viable. In fact, she had to have a second look and still, nothing! So hopefully that's the end of that. No more to be said on that matter, but I should get a letter from my GP surgery with details, which will have been sent from the hospital.

I took Alfie to the dog-sitting lady at about 1.50 and left him to find out how he would behave, rather, if he would settle. I then went to Monday Club at the Oaktree Centre, which is on the opposite side of Shenley Brook End, and returned when that ended at 3.30. I was pleased to find that Alfie had done well, although he did bark a small amount. So it looks as if I can leave him there, so I can go to Worcester.

Tuesday. 5.15 a.m. Thankfully, it's a good deal cooler this morning and, as a result, far easier to sleep. The digital thermometer currently reads 22ºC.

4.25 p.m. A relatively straightforward drive to Camphill this morning. I know that it will be somewhat easier when the schools are on holiday, but it couldn't be that, as schools haven't broken up yet for the summer holidays.

Most of the theatre workshop gang was in the theatre today. We got to hear some of them talk about their holidays when we did check in. It seems to take longer and longer each time, probably because there are far more members of the group, and certainly more than when I first went to Camphill in 2019. It took a good hour today. 

I was moved to another of the silent movie projects. I was with the time-travel movie, and last week, when there were so few people in the workshop because they were on holiday, we didn't rehearse that project so I had to take over the pirate project. I have to say I'm disappointed because I had been working on developing the story with the gang and would have loved to see it completed. 

Terrie had managed to construct sets for the time travel movie on the Chrysalis Theatre stage so that some of the movies could be filmed using an iPad. I can say that it's so easy with modern technology such as iPads and iPhones, and editing is relatively easy. 

Because the time travel set had a prison set, the Western video group used it to film footage for their project. It seemed to go well, and they got all the materials they needed. While all this was going on, the pirates' team rehearsed in the hall part of the theatre. Terrie had gone off to have supervision with the manager of Camphill and came back a good deal later than expected. Her supervision was supposed to last an hour but overran by about thirty minutes, so by the time she returned we had more or less finished and there wasn't time to start anything else. So, it was a day of bits and pieces, but in some respects, successful, considering some filming was done.

Wednesday. 5.30 a.m. Yet another mild morning. I slept a good deal better than I have for the past couple of weeks. The digital thermometer currently reads 24ºC. Alfie and I did a circuit of Oldbrook Green, although he was somewhat reluctant.

12.55 p.m. I knew I was due to have a glazier come and replace the glass in the window of the kitchen this morning so that an extractor fan could be fitted. The man was due between 9 and 1. He turned up at about 10.30. It was done really quickly, the old glass taken out and the new one, including the cut hole to replace it. He then went off, mumbling something, which I didn't catch. So, I am now with a beautifully cut round hole ready to receive the extractor fan. But when is it to be fitted? Presumably to be done by a different contractor. So I rang Mears, yet again about this situation (I have now lost count), to be put through to a lay, who said she'd raise an order for the fan. But my question is, when can I expect this? It seems to go around in circles, a bit like a dog chasing its tale.  I JUST WANT MY EXTRACTOR FAN. But, whilst they're at it, what about my bathroom? It's no good asking. When this confounded fan (more of a FAN-tasy than an actual fan- get it? A pun!) I can actually use my George Foreman grill, which is waiting to be used, without setting off the fire alarm.