Reaching Out

At the vigil

 My competitive, masculine, sporty side really likes statistics. They stick in my mind, motivate me and provide a barometer of sorts. So it was when I attended the Orange and White Ribbon Vigil last Tuesday at The Rose in Milton Keynes. The engaging speeches made me realise how close we all are to less than acceptable behaviour in what I consider to be a civilised country. The event celebrated and raised awareness of how we can prevent men's violence towards women before it happens. The message is represented by the White Ribbon. The Orange Ribbon represents a brighter future for all people. Leading up to the event, Ruth, from The Orchard designed The Tree of Life. She made an intricate framework decorated with crocheted animals, leaves and flowers that could fit over a pillar at The Rose. Hours of effort went into this piece and I feel rightly proud that it represented Wolverton Community Orchard. Super work, Ruth!

We gathered outside John Lewis in the city centre where a photo exhibition of the city's craftivism made by volunteer groups across Milton Keynes was exhibiting, and walked en masse to The Rose. It was rather nippy and obviously very dark even for late afternoon. Despite this, there was lots of support for the cause. It has left me wondering how we at the orchard can be ambassadors for the cause, advertising that it is a space were we call out bad behaviour. Events like this make me realise what a good place MK is. 

Leicester Square

Carnaby Street

Oxford Street

And so to London. I popped up to town to take in a show with Diane and Jeremy. We walked from St Pancras; taking in the Christmas lights along the way. Oxford Street disappointed - I expected nothing less. Every year they miss the mark. However, there is something magical about London that you can't find in any other city. Telling you that London has two thousand years of history, architecture from the Middle Ages rubbing up against the  post-war Brutalist blend amiably with colonial edifices doesn't really do it justice. In the little squares there are public gardens which are quite unexpected in such a large metropolis. I love London but I wouldn't want to live there. It is far too busy.

Our plan was to eat at a Syrian restaurant in Kingly Court in Carnaby Street - as if I never have Syrian delights! The restaurant - Imad's had wonderful food and my only disappointment was no knafeh! Kingly Court, an up-market hawker, was amazing. You could eat the whole world in this small part of London and the whole world was there to enjoy the experience too. Truly Global and totally amazing. 

Even more amazing is that my book has been read on four continents and it has only been published two months. Almost daily I check where it is in Amazon Kindle rankings. It has been as high as number 2 in Middle East literature and at the time of writing it is still fairly high. I know that there are over 1.7 million books on the site because it started off at the bottom of the rankings. More than the rankings, I really love it when people want to discuss the book with me. I am not after a pat on the back, more that the contents - Naser's story - is something they connect with and want to talk about. 

So with people from all over the world rubbing shoulders in London, and my book being read in places across the world, I see a brighter future - perhaps one represented by an orange ribbon. 

Insurance

 Advertising tells us that insurance buys peace of mind. We pay a company a premium that covers accidents and disasters should they befall us. I pay premiums for my house, my car and my holidays in the hope that I will not have to claim anything. However, My car insurance company, Hastings Direct, has given me nothing but headaches - is this the price for paying for the cheapest on offer? 

When I signed up with them, I had to fit a gadget in my car that records my driving. This made my premium cheaper. I was pretty proud of my high score and let out an occasional boast to friends. In terms of essay writing, I was consistently getting a B+ and this hasn't altered over the time I have been driving. I noticed on the feedback that it recorded I used my phone while driving - this was not not me. It was my passenger. errr. Nonetheless, I wear my score as a badge of pride. 

Here comes the rub. Hastings customer services are less than acceptable. I first had problems when my car became a sitting duck in  the Wolverton Tesco carpark. It was a low speed collision but the car stayed in the repair shop for seven weeks. The other driver's insurance covered the repairs and my car hire. The trouble was, I wasn't driving so I wasn't recording my driving. Hastings threatened to cancel my policy. I explained the issue. No problem. They seemed happy so I carried on until I got another threat. This time the assistant on the end of the line promised to put this on my record. Yay!

I got my car back and thought no more of it. Then... I got SMSs and emails requesting proof of my "no claims discount". In the old days, I'd whip out a sheet of paper from my file. Not any more. I needed to get hold of my previous insurer, Marshmallow and they don't deal with human contact. I finally realised that I had to get the app and key in my old policy number to access my records. Meanwhile, I had repeated threats from Hastings. Just before the deadline, I managed to send proof to Hastings. Not good enough. They sent an email saying they were putting my premiums up by £350. I rang them up again. Apparently, I sent the evidence in reply email which is not acceptable. After a bit of argy bargy all was sorted. What a palava? And, certainly no peace of mind. 

To top it all I got a parking ticket. Driving has hidden costs and lots of stresses. I am sure AI has a lot to answer for with auto generated emails and not enough smart people checking the systems.  The promised simplicity of a future with AI is a long way off. I am convinced old-fashioned cycling is the way ahead. As long as I use my sound alarm and heavy duty lock to ensure I deter old-fashioned thieves, I should be OK. I just need to be wary of idiots who moor their boats to park benches! That is another story. 

As a final insurance, I set off to help clean up the graveyard at my local church last Saturday. You never know when you might need a place as a future residence. Despite the inclement conditions, there was a keen group - even keener to sup tea and coffee in the church to dry out.

Flashbacks

 I didn't imagine I could feel as tense as I did when I saw a big van reversing towards the car I was a passenger in. I was a sitting duck in the Tesco carpark in Wolverton when a car reversed into my car last August and once again I was in another Tesco carpark  - this time in Manchester. The overwhelming feeling is of having no control. You see something moving towards you and there is literally nowhere to go. Panic over. This time there was not one scratch from the encounter. The only scars remain in my mind and they run deeper than I imagined. I had flashbacks. 

Storm Claudia ravaged Britain this week and I had the unfortunate experience of driving down the M1 in the dark in the rain. The large lorries send out a grubby mist that reduces vision to almost nothing and there is no way you can avoid this once you are on the motorway. It is quite scary at times. I popped up to visit Anita in her beautiful new home. It overlooks the hills in Sheffield and despite the awful weather I appreciated the view through a heavy downpour. It wasn't really a good time to get out and about so we only managed a trip to the pub and a game of chess or two. Fun nevertheless.

Medicinal tipples

Recalling my travels makes it feel like my week was packed. Most of it was spent at home where I felt sorry for myself. My first winter cold hit home on Monday good and proper. My week went by in a haze. I my heavy winter cold developed rapidly which knocked me sideways. For most of the time, all I wanted to do was lie on my sofa. I just couldn't get going. On the upside, my long running intermittent earache disappeared overnight just as the cold evolved. I haven't functioned well all week. I went to make a broccoli pasta for my grand daughters - I got spinach out of the freezer so it wasn't what it was meant to be. Silly me. Life doesn't stop even when you have grand children who need to be fed. Again, I had flashbacks to when I was a Mum. Life doesn't stop when you are sick when children are around. 

This week I emptied a bottle of paper cow, had evening hot toddies as well as Lemsips. I treated my myself to anything and everything that could zap the cold. Finally it has loosened up and I am now in the end stage where my nose is a constant dripping tap. Even my evening with large G&Ts and red wine didn't completely kill off the germs. 

So from visiting my cousins in Watford, to a short visit in Sheffield, I went on to a weekend's tennis in Nottingham. Fortunately it was indoors. Amazingly it's Sunday and I'm still standing. I'm almost ready to face the next week with full energy and zest. 

Mrs Armitage on Wheels

 

Maiden voyage

Ever since Danielle got the cycling bug she has been spending money on bike "improvements" just like Mrs Armitage. The latest addition is a child seat on the crossbar. This is a complex little number that needed considerable patience to attach to the bike as the instructions bore no relationship to what needed to be done. When Sammi was little, I had little more than a wooden plank strapped to the crossbar and another for his feet. He held onto the handlebars and I pedalled. Danielle's choice has wrap-around foam-clad bars to hold her in. 

When Danielle was little, I had a seat on the back of my bike for her. That seat was little more than a glorified metal basket which she sat in. The worst of it was that she would fall asleep and slump to one side while I cycled. At least that was an improvement on what my father said he had. Apparently his big brother, my Uncle Maurice, roped him onto the back of his bike to cycle him to the farm. This was in the 1920s. Today, this would be seen as cruelty - I am sure he would be reported for maltreatment in this day and age.  

Teamwork - cleaning and fixing

Danielle's new attachment is a step up from the second-hand trailer which she bought to get Ezra-Mae to the village school. Now that four-year-old Ezra-Mae makes her way two miles up the tow path to school on her own bike, Danielle feels she can shed the trailer for all but the wettest days and plonk Mattaya on the crossbar. Danielle has bought suitable waterproofs too. Like Mrs Armitage on Wheels, there will probably be other additions to the bike!

I am proud of Danielle for embracing this new, energetic lifestyle. She says she feels much better for it too. I can imagine her cycling along and thinking aloud, "What this bike needs is..." I am also proud of my son, Sam. He found out this week that he has won an award for his dissertation. I was impressed when I read it but then I should be as I am his mother. He won an award on his graduation from St. Andrews but I can't remember what that was for - just to say - he must really embrace the academic life. Well done!

On Monday morning, my week turned upside down, I had an sms from the hospital to say I had an appointment to have my heel done. This procedure was not to be as dramatic as the right heel op that I had last February. All I needed was a little steroid injection. So, having read the message, I spent a good deal of time cancelling things in anticipation. All went well and now I can move so much easier - just a few tweaks of pain since the anaesthetic wore off. It is tempting to go full pelt but I have to take it easy because there is a small chance of my tendon rupturing. This procedure only took thirty minutes but organising it must have taken more than that time. I had four different appointment times arranged and cancelled. I made loads of phone calls, needed extra painkillers on prescription - wasted time and money! 

And so to the greater world beyond in a week when we wear poppies and remember those who gave their lives to make our world a better place. It has been reported that Israel has been burning ancient olive trees that are the livelihood of Palestinians. Why? Do they think this will bring about peace - not likely. Meanwhile, the IDF are bombing southern Lebanon - Again, why? It is not so much that Israel commits these atrocities, it is that this aggression and abuse to their neighbours seems acceptable behaviour to the rest of the world. This country, Israel, is making the pariah Taliban look like pussycats. Our world is skewed - we have lost sight of who the good guys are. And so, we have prayed for peace but we expect nothing more than accept that Israel will carry on killing with impunity. 

Milestones

Naser holding his book

The BIG news this week was that the books got delivered. There is nothing quite like holding a book that you have written. I spent quite a while stroking them while feeling very smug. That feeling has now warn off - I now have that Boxing Day feeling that it is all downhill from here. At least I got to have that moment. I am seriously thinking of writing another book. I enjoyed the process and the way it takes over your waking moments. I have now come to the feeling that I understand publishing so much better now so I can be much more proactive in my choices. Ironically, at the same time as getting a hard copy in my hand, I was getting reviews from friends who had already read the book on Kindle. That too has been rewarding - I think it is knowing that my efforts were worthwhile and others found joy reading what I had written. 

Woohoo. Books

There have been other big moments for me this week. My four-year-old grand daughter, Ezra-Mae cycled the two miles along the canal to my place. This is all the more remarkable for her pedalling a bike that is too small for her so her knees nudged her elbows. For future rides. I need to instil into her that the upper toe part of shoes are not brakes! Nonetheless, her first trip went without incident and inspired Danielle to buy her a bigger bike so she can cycle to school while Mattaya sits in the trailer. Pedal power is in our genes. I am so proud of her. 

Ezra-Mae on her new bike

On another front, I heard that this week fifty years ago Bohemian Rhapsody was released. It is a song that has endured generations. I remember thinking how little things had changed when I saw Sammi and his friends at their university graduation party singing along to the song just like I did when I was at uni. Meanwhile Ezra-Mae asks Alexa to play Irish Rover so we have to do a jig and sing along. We also dance to "I am a Robot" - all rather sophisticated stuff! She has already started singing Christmas Carols while cycling so Christmas is upon us! Who would have thought it? With time, I'll get her to learn to like Queen - Mama!!

Halloween almost passed me by. Diane and Jeremy came over for dinner and I planned to pop round to the party at my local pub. Unfortunately I knowingly ate something with soya in because I thought a tiny bit wouldn't hurt but it did. Oh boy, I was going nowhere. At least I got to see a luminous pumpkin wearing a witch's hat leading the aqua fit while I was doing my lengths at the local pool - my Halloween experience 2025! That was a sight to behold. 

Liz and Ollie

Autumn is truly upon us. The tree in my back garden is nearly bare and the leaves that are left on the tree are yellowy-orange. Even so, it is remarkably mild for this time of year so yesterday's walk with Liz, and Ollie the dog, was unusually mud free when you'd expect the towpath to be a bit slippy. So with mixed blessings I know we are sliding towards wintertime in anticipation of bare branches and muddy boots. It is bound to be just round the corner. 

"Next-day" Delivery!

We have got so used to having stuff delivered to our door within twenty-four hours of clicking the "Buy" button that my evolving trauma with Amazon publishers seems nothing less than a catastrophe. I have been promised the delivery of books for almost a month now. I was finally given a delivery window between the 22nd and 24th October. I became hopeful - excited even. I expressed my joy of awaiting the delivery on Linkedin. That joy is yet to materialise. 

All the promises have come to nought. I attended the Milton Keynes Indie Book Fair on Saturday 25th with nothing to show off but a few bookmarks. Argh!!! I presented my book on stage reading from my laptop. I explained that "next-day" delivery and Amazon's failures have left me with no books to sell. For once, none of this has been my doing. Yet, there I was sitting next to a palm, a coffee pot and not a lot else for a whole day watching people wander through Milton Keynes Shopping Centre. Exciting!

At the book fair

Naser started off the day with me but left. Friends popped by to say hello. I popped off to the loo. One lady asked if I had Agatha Christie. I told her she's dead and the fair had live authors as of now. A few people came to tell me about their lives. One told me he went to a university with a tribal chief. As I said, Exciting!

I would like to say that other parts of my week have really been exciting in comparison. Bits haven't. I found out that my left heel must now wait until December 16th for an injection. I had the initial MRI on April 4th. The results were given to me on July 22nd. Since then I have had three cancelled appointments for a steroid injection. Thank God I don't have the same issue with my left heel that I had with my right one. It is an overuse injury. I can't help overusing it despite the pain. Ouch. 

I was told in the initial flurry of information that I needed three weeks to rest from the procedure. Each time it has been postponed, I have had to fill up my calendar. At least with an automatic car, I will still be able to drive and I'll probably be able to cycle in a low gear too. I wrote a letter to MKUH, asking them if I should book myself in for a future hip replacement, knee replacement and open heart surgery in anticipation of future needs. As of yet, I have had no reply. Perhaps that reply will arrive eight months down the road. 

Ann turns another year older

On the bright side, Ann had yet another birthday celebration and what a lovely day it was too. Time slips by so we miss each other's news and at times like this we talk non-stop to catch up. At one point I decided it would be better if I spent the night in Harpenden as I had been on the bubbly. Adrian's offer was almost too good to turn down... discretion being the better part of Valerie - or something similar - means you will never know exactly what that offer was... Needless to say, I got home safely and in time to write this. 

Strikingly Normal

Sometimes I look back on a week that is ordinary and uneventful. The week slipped through my mind like sand slips through fingers. sitting here typing, nothing stands out as being special. I cycled, I swam, I played tennis... tidied up the house, swept the leaves from my courtyard, read emails. In fact there was so much of the mundane I wonder how I got through it. 

Obviously there were some things that that happened that were out of the ordinary: there always are. It is just that I have looked back and they haven't registered -  like spending two days at the orchard this week. On Tuesday, the regular Orchard day, we had a visit from two police officers. They looked around and offered advice - most of which involved us spending money. On July 3rd this year after one act of theft and vandalism, we were offered a dedicated officer to support us. This officer was so dedicated, they didn't turn up or even contact me and then eventually another officer was assigned to our case. He and his sidekick finally arrived on October 14th. Now that is service! It took just four months and further acts of vandalism and theft before we saw a police officer in the flesh. At least I now have a contact card and a direct line now. Small progress.

On Friday, we hosted a corporate group at the orchard. I was expecting at least ten volunteers but only four turned up. They worked their socks off for six hours and promised to return to do more. Previous groups have come from all over England. Last week another corporate group had someone over from Canada mucking in and doing jobs around the orchard. In contrast, Friday's group were entirely local. Because there were only four of them, I managed to do some stuff around the orchard myself. I hardly noticed the time slip by. 

Just like school plus a beer or two

On Sunday, I met up with old school friends in Leighton Buzzard. The last time we met, I was fifty. Time really has slipped by. By the time I arrived at the venue, I was worried that I wouldn't recognise anyone. I was sure, however, that I hadn't changed at all in the intervening years. Actually, there really wasn't anything to worry about. We slipped into conversation about the old days when life was rosy and the sun always shone etc... It was lovely to see everyone and we plan to make it an annual event. Perhaps!

Back to normality, Nicholas and Naser met at my place on Saturday. We talked about all sorts, but mostly how to solve big world problems. Among ourselves, I think we have a few good solutions and they are all strikingly normal. 

Our hardworking, corporate group at the orchard