A New Day, A New Dawn!

 Sunday 19th April. 9.05 a.m. Horrah! It's bright and sunny. The digital thermometer currently reads 25ºc, so there is a considerable amount. Just thinking that lifts my mood.

We had a social evening at church yesterday, and I did a reading of 'Growtiger's Last Stand,' one of the poems from T.S.Eliot's 'Book of Practical Cats' which was the basis for the Lloyd Webber musical 'Cats.' Other people did songs, some sung and some instrumental, and one young lad played the piano, and a girl did BSL (British Sign Language) to a Christian song. A good crowd of people and a lot of new faces, and certainly a success and there should be more in the coming months.

As a result of this and the positive feedback from people at church, I am looking into doing something I've wanted to do for years: working as a voice-over artist. Many years ago I saw an advertisement in the Guardian for a business called Gravy For The Brain, which helps people break into this line of work. They are not an agency, but provide training and mentoring for voice-overs. The person I spoke to on the telephone had a familiar voice, but I couldn't pin the name down. Having since done a search online, I now know his name, Peter Dickson. No wonder I wasn't sure of his name, but his voice is familiar, because he does the by now iconic voice for such television shows as The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent, and he's the voice of Channel Four. 

Wednesday 22nd April. 5.10 p.m. It's yet another bright and sunny day, except for a keen wind. The digital thermometer currently reads 25ºc, so quite an increase in temperature over the last week or so.

On Monday, I had to have blood taken for a test, as ordered by the doctor, the last time I had an appointment. As you may know, if you read my posts regularly, you will know the problems I  have giving blood and the fact that I don't like needles. The last time I had to have blood taken, it took two attempts at the doctors, and then I went to the hospital, where it was a success, so this time I was somewhat dubious of any success, but it went fine enough, without any problems, and now I just wait for the results.

The Sun Has Got His Hat On!

Sunday. 8.05 a.m. Another bright and sunny morning here in Milton Keynes. The digital thermometer currently reads 24ºC. 

I know, the titles I give these blog posts don't often have anything to do with the actual content of what I write in the posts. I just come up with a title, off the top of my head, sort of plucked from the air. I'm not entirely sure that I haven't used this one before, but what does it matter?

I'm reading the novel of 'Les Misérables.' It's the second time I've read it. I have had something of an obsession with the story and the musical, which I have seen twice, the original London production which was at the Palace Theatre, and then again, the touring production, which came to the Milton Keynes Theatre in 2019. It was a completely fresh production, which then replaced the original production in the West End, then playing at the Queen's Theatre. I think I preferred this new production, which utilized digital projection to great advantage, speeding up the scene changes and helping with the flow of the show.

With the original production, the amazing John Napier-designed set stands out, possibly even being a character in itself. Those huge mechanical sections made of wood and a vast array of bits and pieces of furniture which turned and swung down during the various scene changes were a wonder to behold. He also did this set for the Andrew Lloyd-Webber musical, based on 'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats' by T.S. Eliot at the (then) New London Theatre (now the Gillian Lynne Theatre, given that new name after the choreographer of 'Cats', which I saw only a few weeks into its original production in 1981. John Napier did the set design for Cats. It was a rubbish dump, but done to represent one from the perspective of a cat, made up of oddments, such as car parts, dustbins and so on. The audience had to be in place well before the show started, because the seating moved round when the overture played. Goodness knows how that structure worked, considering the weight of the audience. I had no idea where the orchestra was, certainly not in an orchestra pit in front of the stage as in a conventional, proscenium theatre. It must have been elsewhere in the building, probably under the stage.

Napier also did the sets for the Royal Shakespeare Company's 9-hour version of Nicholas Nickleby. This amazing production was more than mould-breaking, and I'm more than certain it's why Cameron Macintosh, producer of 'Les Misérables' went to R.S.C. initially because of their experience and challenges of staging such a mammoth production.

I saw a matinée of 'Cats.' Wayne Sleep was in the original cast, which also included Elaine Paige as Grisabella. During the curtain calls, who should walk on stage but the one and only Eamonn Andrews, famous Red Book in hand, to say to Wayne Sleep, 'This Is Your Life'! Which was something of a surprise and made the show even more than memorable.

3.20 p.m. I have taken Alfie to meet the lady who hopefully will be able to look after him when I get to visit my daughter and her husband and the grandchildren in Worcester. I forgot that there was going to be a concert at The Bowl, which is on the route along Chaffron Way, so that was closed off from the roundabout which intersects with Grafton Street, so I had to make a somewhat circuitous detour around Milton Keynes and up onto Tattenhoe Street and round onto Childs Way to get to Shenley Church End. The lady lives on the opposite side of this grid to The Oaktree Centre. Alfie tapped a certain amount, probably because he wasn't getting all my attention, but he did seem to be settled. We have decided that it would be a good idea to leave him with Irene, (the lady dog-sitter) tomorrow, when I go to the Monday Club at the Oaktree Centre, to see how he copes with being left.

The digital thermometer currently reads 29ºC. 

Another Sunny Day

(Thursday) So, we're allowed to meet up with family and friends outside, since some of the pandemic lockdown restrictions have been lifted. Thank goodness. It's like being locked up in solitary confinement. Well, let's be perfectly honest, it is solitary confinement in some ways. I took Alfie out for his last walk around Oldbrook Green and there were far more people around than there have been in ages. Youths playing football and others in what appears to be family groups but some not adhering to the 2 metre social distancing regulations. Several of the notices which had been attached to various  bits of exercise equipment were laying on the ground and people sitting in the covered shelter  but it would appear that things are gradually going to return to some sort of normal.

(Friday) It's 7.10a.m. I'm waiting to take Alfie out, but I'm trying to avoid him making a noise because a certain person who lives in Dexter House again complained about his barking (Alfie, not this idiot. Although, thinking about it, Alfie behaves better.) It's sunny and warm and I don't want to have BBC Breakfast on when all they go on about is the pandemic, which seems to have totally engulfed their news broadcasts. There must surely be more to report on in the news. This 'person' (for want of a better description.) leaning out of his flat window when I came back with Alfie yesterday afternoon, and hurling abuse at me. Just not acceptable and almost like something out of a Shakespeare play or even Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.

I have had a delivery from Staples of a paper rack and a couple of pads of paper which came yesterday lunchtime. Ordered on Wednesday and surprised that the parcel was delivered barely 24 hours after the order was made, on line. I'm still waiting for the Apple pencil, which was ordered via Very almost a week ago. No notification from Very to let me know where the item is in the system, not even that it's not in stock. The iPad came within two days of ordering, so I don't see what the problem is. I realise that these businesses are working within social distancing guidelines, so some deliveries are likely to be a lot longer in arriving, but not being kept informed is not very good customer care in my opinion, The order from Weird Fish, of the shorts I ordered through their website was supposed to have arrived yesterday before 6 o'clock, but still nothing, so I assume that is on it's way.

The paper rack is now put together, but causing problems because the screws that hold it together won't tighten sufficiently so I have had to improvise making cardboard washers and putting them on the screws and tightening the screws with a Phillips screwdriver and it seems to have done the trick. It now means I can organise the handwritten pages of my writing which need putting into order so I can transcribe it all onto my MacBook and in the process make some amendments.

Later. I have 'Good Morning Britain' on, ITV's answer to the BBC's breakfast programme. I'm not sure which is better, but I think their set is a bit more imaginative. It make me laugh that it comes to the former BBC's Television Centre, which they rent from the new owners and then re-rent to ITV. It seems bonkers.

Walking with Alfie around Oldbrook Green, there was a ride-on mower cutting the grass. It seems they cut the grass several times in succession. The only problem is that they leave the cut grass and it has a tendency to get on your shoes and then walk it into the flat and there's piles of cuttings all over the floor. Nothing much you can do about it except sweep it up or pick up with the vacuum cleaner.

I have begun to sort out the handwritten pages of my written material. It's got really muddled and I will need to get some plastic wallets to put these collated pages in otherwise they will get muddled up again. Some were numbered but other are not which makes it far more difficult to sort out. I have begun to transcribe more of these hand-written pages into word processing.

(Saturday) 6.15a.m. It's another reasonably bright and sunny morning. The flat window is open and I can hear the birdies singing merrily. Alfie is expecting to be taken out, but I must wait because it will only upset someone who shall remain nameless. Just doesn't need winding up, but it's so easy. I have managed to get Alfie out by carrying him until we get round the corner into Strudwick Drive. It's preventing him making a noise and if you carry him (which he doesn't like) he can't, or simply won't, bark. It's restricting his natural tendency because that's what makes his character and I don't like stopping him. I have written a shopping list which sits on the coffee table and I intend going to Sainsbury's after 8 o'clock as there's no point going earlier because of the queuing system and I know that NHS frontline staff get preference between 7a.m and 8a.m.

Later. I was at Sainsbury's at around 8.15 this morning. The queue didn't stretch as far as when I first went when the lockdown restrictions were first put in place, when the queue was right back to the lower level of the carpark. This morning things moved reasonably quickly and I was inside the store and finished within about 30 minutes. I think it may actually have been less. I'm getting far better at using the self-service checkouts and I have a feeling that since the pandemic they are keeping them in better order so you don't get so many glitches, none of that 'unknown item in bagging area.' I'm definitely more confident and can scan each item faster. The trick I find is being able to discover where the bar code is on each item so it's easier to scan.  I have  now got the wallets so that I can sort out the different stories I have written which are in handwritten form, some of which need collating into their correct order, which, hopefully, these wallets should help with.

I got back to the flat and put all groceries away, most importantly the frozen things which needed putting in the freezer section of the fridge/freezer. I took Alfie out for a walk around Oldbrook Green and then started watching the video of 'Cats' which is being shown for 24 hours via YouTube as part of the 'Show Must Go On' project. I didn't watch the entire show but paused it and completed watching an hour or so later when I was eating my lunch. I saw the original London production at the New Theatre probably only weeks after it opened in 1981. I saw the touring production which came to the Derngate in Northampton a couple of years ago.

Greedy Pigeons and Disappearing Cats

I have mentioned the trouble we have with the cats that come into our garden. Well, actually, to be perfectly honest I don't have a problem with them. I'm not a particularly cat-type person, preferring dogs. I don't dislike them, but to me you can't have a relationship with a cat the same way you can with a dog. Most cats are self-sufficient and only really need humans to feed them (occasionally) as well as providing a home. Most, if not, all cats wander around away from the home and find food around their neighbourhood (actually decimating the small animals that live in the wild, such a mice, voles etc. as well as birds.) and returning to their home base to rest and sleep. The two cats which come from our neighbours come into our garden and sit on the roof of the shed and wander along the top of the fence, and when they do and either of our dogs see them, it sets them off barking and all hell seems to be set loose. Which is what dogs do. I'm not sure whether it's just because they think of the garden as their territory, or that, instinctively, all dogs simply don't like cats. Who knows?

Anyway, I went to Homebase last week and purchased a spray which is supposed to deter cats (and dogs, apparently.)I have absolutely no idea what it has got in it that cats don't like.  I have sprayed it on the roof of the shed and also on certain points along the fence. It does seem to have worked, although you have to re-apply it every two days or so. I imagine it will get washed away by rain and natural evaporation. One of the cats came in and went on the shed roof and appeared to be oblivious of the spray. I re-applied the spray yesterday and we have since had no cat invasion. Alfie keeps going out into the garden and seems disappointed that there are no cats to keep and eye on. You just can't win, or so it seems. Anyway, I think we really prefer the quiet life, rather than either dog barking when the cats appear. 

The other thing I've been doing is setting up a bird-feeding station which Carol bought from Amazon.

A metal construction which you set up with the central pole stuck in the ground with sections which screw together with arms or branches that fit on the central pole and to which you attach feeders. Some are clear plastic whilst others are made of metal mesh. We have had a good range of birds come to enjoy a feast, such as blue tits, sparrows and starlings. But over the past week we've had pigeons come and hog the whole feeding station and sitting on the water bowl and making a meal of the food on offer and, so it seems to me, putting off the smaller birds and emptying the feeders. I have now managed to rearrange the feeding station so the pigeons can't sit on the thing and take over. Also, there is a group of starlings which come and seem to always go around in a gang, rather like naughty schoolboys, making a lot of noise and eating virtually everything in the feeders. I think that starlings are the sort of birds which do make a lot of noise and are always in groups like this. In general I can say that this addition to our garden has been a success.