Volunteering at Camphill

I've been volunteering at Camphill, as I think I've mentioned in an earlier blog post. I'm working with the drama workshop group, and at the moment I'm doing a few hours on a Tuesday morning. I'm aware that, due to my heart-health issues, I get very tired and by 2 o'clock I am beginning to feel wiped out. I hope to discuss this with my cardiologist when I go for my follow-up appointment on 2nd May, which will be four months after the stent procedure which was done at the John Radcliffe in Oxford. I have got someone from church who will take me. I had considered driving there myself, but  I think it's going to be quite stressful having to drive all the way to Oxford and find a parking space at the hospital. As the appointment is at 11 o'clock there are likely to be no spaces in the carpark, and I had thought perhaps I could park in one of the park-and-ride carparks which ring Oxford and then take the bus to the hospital, but even then it's going to be quite stressful getting to the JR on time for the appointment. So, after this appointment I hope they might either reduce the dosage of some of my medication, such as the atarvostatin which I take at night. I have a feeling it's this particular medication which makes me feel so tired and it causes some side effects, such a stomach and muscle cramps. There again, they might change some of my other medications. Just have to wait and see. It's somewhat annoying that I have to go all the way to Oxford, because the Milton Keynes Hospital Cardiology department is a mere 10-minute walk from this house.

Camphill are going going to do a disclosure because I am working with a vulnerable group of adults with learning disabilities. I have taken all the identification material with me so that the disclosure paperwork can be sent in.

We were discussing various things before we did several hour's of rehearsal for the 'Stranger Danger' play and planning for the next production which is going to be loosely based on Robert Louis Stephenson's 'Treasure Island,' which is one of my all-time favourite books and has to probably be one of the best children's adventure stories ever written. I can't wait to see how this develops, as we were discussing having songs in it, so it's likely to be more like a mini musical than a straight play.

Later. Goodness! The weather has changed. For the worse it would appear. As I write this,  at 5.20 p.m.it's raining. I couldn't believe how hard it's raining.  It's running down the road outside in a torrent, almost like a mountain stream. It has been clear and bright most of the day, although it was quite mild earlier. No frost on the car windscreen first thing when I went out with Alfie at around 6.20. But it clouded over during the afternoon and I thought it was going to rain and it got colder so I put the central heating back on. I have 'Pointless' on television as I write this. It has to be one of the more intelligent of the current crop of television gameshows. Gets you thinking.

I'm amazed. Twice in one blog post. Is this a record? Probably not. But the Christmas tree, which we bought a good three years ago from Dobbies and was potted in a rather splendid pot we got in Homebase (I think it was called something else at the time, but has since returned to being Homebase. How odd is that?) Anyway, it's started showing signs of growth, lots of little green shoots. It appeared as if it had died, probably due to the heatwave we had last summer. It has what look like scorch marks on some of the branches, but it has obviously decided to perk up and continue to grow. It was intended that it could be moved indoors for the Christmas period, but didn't last year due to the passing of my lovely Carol. I wasn't here for the festive period. I spent nearly two weeks with my daughter, Chloe, and her ever-growing family, in Worcester. But to have this Christmas tree growing again is somewhat good news. I kept it fed with plant food and it obviously paid off.

A Visit to the In-Laws

Carol's parents live in Bournemouth. We see them infrequently. It's a good three-hour drive there and then back and usually, it's on the same day. We have been to Bournemouth and stayed in a hotel, but that was a few years ago. We last saw them in Southampton during the Easter holidays. We had planned to visit them when we had our holiday down near Petworth which was then abandoned when the weather became really bad. (see earlier post.) So, this time, we organised things so we met up with them in Salisbury, which is about a two-hour car journey from Milton Keynes. They would come up by bus from Bournemouth and arrive in Salisbury at 11.30. We left home at around 8.45 and decided we'd stop on the journey down and choose to visit Avebury, as we were interested in seeing the stone circle. I set the SatNav and we set off, getting to Avebury a little after 10.15. We had coffee and cake in the National Trust café on the site. We weren't expecting the place to be so extensive. We visited the Rollrights stone circle in the Cotswolds a few years ago (see earlier post.) and had seen an item about Avebury on television a week or two ago and then realised that they were close to Salisbury and would make a good place to stop on our journey down. The landscape around that area of Wiltshire is really amazing. We have visited Stonehenge a few years ago and when we went down to Chloe and Steve's wedding in Devon three years ago we stopped at Woodhenge, which is a few miles up the road from Stonehenge and was a good place to break that journey. We weren't at Avebury very long as we needed to be at Salisbury by 11.30.  As our visit to Avebury was brief and also the fact that my Canon camera died whilst I was attempting to take photographs, basically because I hadn't charged the battery fully, we quite intend revisiting at a later date to explore the area fully. We had intended texting Carol's mum to let them know we were on our way, but when I attempted to text, using my mobile, I couldn't find a signal. On several more occasions I attempted to text, as we drove on, having left Avebury, there was no mobile signal. I'm surprised by this situation, considering how mobile technology has advanced, but perhaps it's because it's a relatively sparse area of the country, population-wise. Then we got held up by traffic and especially farm traffic, spending some considerable time stuck behind a tractor and trailer drawing a load of straw which got caught under trees and brought down leaves and twigs and bits of branch as it brushed below overhanging trees.

We arrived at the Salisbury Park-and-Ride carpark. We got there just as a bus was leaving but the next one wasn't much later so we boarded it. I don't have to pay as I have a card which means I get free journeys. I was never sure whether this could be used outside Milton Keynes, but I soon discovered that it can which saves quite a lot in travel costs. We were to meet Carol's parents outside Debenhams, but we got off too early and then had to find where Debenhams was. It seemed that every time we asked someone we met they had no idea, but it was in the Market Square. We saw both Carol's mum and dad, but on the other side of the road and crossed over. We then made for a Wetherspoons pub, the King's Head, to have coffee.

I wanted to visit the cathedral. For one thing, it's so full of history. There is a copy of Magna Carta in there. And possibly the oldest clock in either this country or the world. Or something. And what's wrong with just being awed by the sheer magnificence of such a building? How can you not be, when you think how old it is and how incredible to imagine how they built something that size without the aid of modern technology such as cranes. Also, getting great slabs of stone up to the top of the tower without our modern lifting machinery, safety standards etc.

If you want further information about Magna Carta, here's a link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magna_Carta. There are apparently four surviving copies of this document in this country, one being Salisbury Cathedral, the other Lincoln and another in the British Library.

We sat on a bench in a park near the cathedral. Carol had made up a really nice mixture of rolls and fruit which we ate. The water meadows could be seen across the river and then I realised that the painter, John Constable, had executed several paintings of this very view, but seen from the opposite side. I have found the painting on the Tate gallery website.

Salisbury Cathedral, John Constable, 1820

We wandered the town, looking in stores and then made our way back, as if by some magnetic force, to the Wetherspoons we'd been to earlier and had tea. Unfortunately, it wasn't very nice. I make tea at home, but I can control the various elements such as boiling the water, the brand of teabag used, sugar etc etc but what we had here, or at least, what I drank, was unpleasant. 

Time was ticking on. Carol's mum and dad had come from Bournemouth on a bus and the next one was due to leave to return there shortly. We ambled back towards the bus stop outside Debenham's. We went into Marks and Spencers on the way as Carol wanted to see if they had a knitted top she had seen in their Milton Keynes store. There was a sale on, and, after hunting through the racks of clothes on sale, actually found the same item and bought it. 

The bus was standing at the bus stop on the Market Square near Debenhams, so Carol's parents boarded and the bus left. Soon our bus came in, and we returned to the park-and-ride car park to begin our journey home, directed by the SatNav. It had certainly been a strange day, long and tiring. We arrived back in Milton Keynes at around 6.30.

I am currently reading a book by Bill Bryson. It's called "The Road To Little Dribbling: More Notes from A Small Island." The subtitle refers to his earlier book, which was published 20 years ago. I read it then and enjoyed it enormously. He wanders around Great Britain and mentions many places and makes comments about them. An American who has an obvious affection for the quirks and idiosyncracies of this country. By sheer coincidence I have read his piece in chapter 11 where he mentions Avebury and discusses how it is managed by the National Trust.

Outing To Cambridge

Our holiday continues. We are making the most of the warm weather again and this time, we had a trip out to Cambridge. We have been there on a few occasions, but not for a couple of years. We had to put petrol in the car at the Shell station in Grafton Street and then drove away from Milton Keynes, going towards Bedford past the Amazon distribution centre near the M1 junction at Ridgemont. The recently opened stretch of dual carriageway between the M1 and going towards Bedford and eventually the A1 at the Blackcat Roundabout means you no longer go into Bedford at all as it joins up with the Bedford bypass and it takes no more than 20-30 minutes to reach Bedford and then a further 20 minutes or so to reach the A1 and off near St Neots and on towards Cambridge. We soon reached the park-and-ride carpark at Madingley and boarded the bus which took us into the centre of Cambridge. Another relatively short journey and it's so much easier to use the park-and-ride rather than negotiating the centre of Cambridge, looking for a parking space, the frustration that causes, getting stuck in traffic (which, incidentally was quite heavy.) and in the end saving time and money (the cost of a return ticket was £6, not too expensive considering the speed of the journey and the time we spent in the centre of Cambridge.) We got off on Bridge Street, near the Round Church and the walked towards the Market Square and King's Parade. We found a Marks and Spencer's and bought crisps , drink and sandwiches and Carol wanted a coffee so we found a Cafe Nero and bought a take-out latte and then we went off to find somewhere to devour our food and in the end sat on a step in a side-street. I'm surprised there are no more benches that we could have sat on, but never mind. Adequately refreshed we walked to the Fitzwilliam Museum in Trumpington Street and browsed in one of the galleries and looked at some very familiar Pre-Raphaelite paintings which I have only ever seen in books. Also, another favourite painter of mine, Sir Stanley Spencer.
We stood looking at one painting and then a lady, who was viewing the same painting asked us about it. We had a long conversation and it turned out that she was also a teacher, like Carol. She was from Canada, and we then discovered she'd come to England to work with her husband and was working in a school in Milton Keynes and lived only a short distance from where we lived. It seemed quite a coincidence that we should go all the way to Cambridge and then bump into someone who lived only a short distance from us but who worked in another school and was also a teacher! Carol has also worked with several teachers over the past year who came originally from Canada (for example, Kendra, who stayed with us briefly before she moved into her own accommodation.) Just shows what a small world it is.)

We wandered through so more of the galleries before leaving the museum and walking back along Trumpington Street and the centre of Cambridge. Carol suggested we buy some ice cream, which we got from a street vendor and we sat and ate it on the low wall near one of the collages on King's Parade. The place was absolutely teeming with tourists. Cambridge is quite obviously one of the many and various stops that tourists come to when they visit this country.

The Chronophage at Corpus Christi

Carol had said she wanted to see the special clock which is at one of the colleges along King's Parade. We saw it a couple of years ago when we visited Cambridge when we'd been to the botanic garden. It had only recently been installed and we saw it on the local BBC television news programme 'Look East.'It is on the corner of Benet Street, on the outside of Corpus Christi college. It's a large golden clock which has a strange but quite hideous grasshopper-like insect balanced on the top which is made of metal and acts as the escape mechanism and seems to be clawing away time as it moves along. It had crowds of tourists in front of it, making it difficult to see clearly. Mostly Japanese tourists who seemed eager to photograph the thing with either their mobile phones or cameras. It took me some considerable time and effort to get a decent shot as a lot of children would insist on sitting on the sill of the window it was behind. But I eventually managed to get the photograph I wanted.

As much as we love Cambridge, and we've visited quite a few times over the past couple of years, there is one thing that annoys us above all other things. It's those people who throng the main tourist streets, particularly along King's Parade, touting punting trips. We were approached by several as we walked along, minding our own business. These 'trips' aren't cheap, around £20-£30 a time. I'm not sure how exactly they work, but presumably you are taken for a trip, in a punt, controlled (if that's the right word.) by a student or other person, along the Granta or Camb (I'm not sure which name the same river has in the centre of Cambridge. Presumably the Cam. I think it becomes the Granta outside the City.) But to say 'no' to one such tout and then be constantly assaulted (pardon the expression. But it does seem a bit like an assault.) by several more is just too much. Something should be done about it. I think if I, for one, wish to take a punting trip along the river I have a right to choose when I do this, and not be bombarded by these people. The local authority should do something about it, as it's extremely annoying.
We continued on and walked back to Bridge Street to await the arrival of the next bus which would take his back to the park-and-ride car park and our car. 

Early morning Swimming and National Trust Visiting

We went to D.W. Fitness for a swim early yesterday morning. The first time in quite a while due to Carol being unwell due to the confounded cough. We went into Asda and had some breakfast, although having fried breakfast did somehow undo any good the swim was likely to do us, but never mind. I was by then quite hungry so it was deserved. What is it about Asda that I dislike? The Tannoy system is very loud, almost deafening, and it seems totally pointless them calling their staff when you can barely understand what is being said. The vast, echoing cave of a building hardly helps but it does put you off shopping in there. We decided to drive to Waddesdon Manor for a visit. Another National Trust property, and it's not too far. We haven't been there for quite a while. So we drove home having purchased some rolls and bits to eat as a picnic when we got to Waddesdon and collect our cameras, we left Milton Keynes and headed off along the A5 and out towards Aylesbury.

On arrival in the grounds of Waddesdon Manor we were somewhat surprised to find that we didn't drive up through the park to the mansion as we expected and were directed by the staff along what seemed a new road and into a brand new carpark. We then had to get on a bus and be ferried up to the mansion.  A very similar system to 'park-and-ride' which have been introduced at many towns and cities in the United Kingdom, such as Oxford and Cambridge. I imagine it prevents any more erosion of the environment by the over-use of cars. The parking arrangements had always been somewhat poor at Waddesdon so this new arrangement was a good idea, although there seemed to be a very large queue at the bus stop. They are also currently building a new pavilion which presumably is where you will eventually pay or show your National Trust card when you visit. Several of the National Trust properties we have visited over the last couple of years have had new visitor centres and restaurant blocks constructed and opened, which include Castle Drogo in Devon and Stowe Landscape Gardens near Buckingham.

On arrival at the fountains near the mansion we discovered why there was such a crush of visitors. Something called Colourscape, a vast tented structure on the lawn in front of the mansion, rather like a sort of multi-coloured set of balloons is the best way to describe it. On the website for Waddesdon this is described as 'a magical labyrinth of colour, light and sound.' But we had no intention of discovering more as there was an extremely long queue of parents of children waiting to get into this tent-thing. We walked along the gravel drive and spent our time photographing various details of the mansion and the garden, statues and other bits and pieces and went round to the aviary which we have seen before as well as the magnificent fountain behind the mansion.

We found a vacant bench to sit on to eat our little picnic and then continued our wander around the gardens and enjoyed the sunshine, this being Carol's final day of her Easter holiday so it was good to be able to enjoy our time together. 

Telephone to Complain About Oxford Park and Ride

Further to the last post about yesterday's wasted trip to Oxford and the our experiences with the park-and-ride, I have since rung the number printed on the ticket we purchased to park the car, and been told we can't have a refund and that Oxford County Council, which controls and runs the park and ride system, don't operate the busses into and out of the city. I was given the number of the bus company and gave them my address and will pass on the complaint to the driver and presumably I will get a report of the incident. I will post here what happens, if and when I get a response from them.