With no help from Copilot

Bins

I tried putting the contents of this week’s blog into “copilot” – the AI helper on “word”. It came up with six different versions of how I should write this – all of them trite but grammatically accurate. I just didn’t like the styles or the way it handled the contents; flowery, incorrect interpretation of the key ideas, off topic. You name it, I didn’t like it.

As I write this in my own way, there is a gale blowing outside. I have just spent a couple of hours in the garden trimming the dead stuff while the wind has been blowing the twigs all over the place. I have cleaned it up to the best of my ability but I need to get back out in the garden when the wind calms down to have a real tidy.

The storm Éowyn has been gusting at 114mph in Northern Ireland since Friday. In Milton Keynes it has been a stiff breeze. Nonetheless, it tipped over the rubbish bins and scattered them across the road around Danielle’s place. I walked Ezra-Mae to school in the wind. She kept asking why the few bins still standing hadn’t been knocked over! Good Question. After the fourth or fifth time of asking I was ready to knock them over myself just to change the subject.

The Lantern Festival in Wolverton was cancelled due to a severe storm before Christmas and has been rescheduled for this weekend. Danielle has needed all this time to get her lantern together. It looks lovely - far too good for one small outing. Wolverton is a great place for community - everyone pulls together and there is always something happening. The Lantern Festival is testament to these efforts. Two wonderful Caribbean bands played the whole route. It reminded us of The Bahamas.

Frosty

Getting ready for the procession

Ezra-Mae with Frosty. Frosty is smoking a cigar

One of the lanterns

Juggling - a family tradition

Ezra-Mae with a diablo 

Reading and listening to the news gets the blood heating up - it's cheaper than central heating. I have now heard it all - Trump and genius in the same sentence! Who would have imagined that collocation six months ago? That has to go down as an oxymoron of 2025. George Orwell must be laughing in his grave. A piece of news on a much smaller scale is the future viability of the British Council. Apparently it is failing. Another surprise! Scott MacDonald is quoted in the Guardian as saying the British Council : ".... have gotten away with....! No wonder we are on the way down! 

This is the month that everything needs to be paid for – car insurance, TV licence, annual subscriptions, tax… the bills turn up in shed loads. By the end of this month I will have been in the UK for five years and where has that time gone? I look back to when I arrived in the UK on Eurostar and wonder what happened to the intervening years. They have slipped by in a blur. I mark the passing of time as the bills land in my inbox. A cheery way to celebrate!

I am also marking the passing of time to my op with “last time” activities. The last tennis game, the last swim, the last drive, the last cycle ride. I am not looking forward to being a crock but I feel assured that I will be better when I come through the other side some months down the road. Meanwhile, I’ll certainly have more time for blogging! Watch this space!

 

On Tour

If I retell my story from Christmas to now it will sound like I am on a mission to get round popular beach holiday destinations in Southern Britain. As you know, I started off with a few days in Cornwall. Then this week I set off for Brighton to stay with Sammi in his typical “student” house. I promised to go to Brighton to drop off all the things he had left at my place over Christmas. My boot was full.

Mr Google sent me round the centre of Brighton twice and I still couldn’t get close to where his apartment was. The traffic flow has been changed in that area so now his place is only accessible by taxi or public bus – Mr Google is unaware of this change! By this time, after far too much coffee and being stuck in slow-moving traffic, I was desperate to go to the loo. I called Sammi to say where I had parked and how it was impossible to get any nearer. He trotted along to me with Lucky and drove me to Anne’s place which is not far from his. She gave me some parking tokens and all was sorted. My car sat outside her house for the few days I was there. Perfect!

Outside Anne's

It is a double blessing going to Brighton. I get to see a really good friend and catch up with Sammi. It is also lovely that Sammi and Anne have similar interests. My first night there, Sammi cooked a curry for friends and me. One of his friends had been on Gogglebox – a programme I have only just been introduced to. As the flat is so “cosy”, having lots of bodies there made it warm. It certainly doesn’t retain heat though. The following day, I did a bit of work before meeting up with Anne. I had to drink lots of coffee just to keep warm.

Lucky on Brighton Beach

I took Lucky out for his walk in the morning after Sammi had left for work. This walk made me so stressed, I am not sure I’ll ever be able to walk Lucky alone again. He walked out of the first floor flat, fell down the half flight of stairs, regained his balance, staggered half way down the longer flight and then fell down the rest. He had already had two falls and we weren’t even on the street.

I got him down to the beach via the underpass which had only just been washed down and was soaking. Lucky couldn’t stay on his paws. He slipped and slouched. I tried to lift him to his feet by heaving him up under his tummy. He slipped and fell so many times on the five-meter slope covered with water, I began to wonder if I’d ever get him home. We did, thank God, but it took an age. Once back in the building, he couldn’t get up the stairs easily. Poor old thing!

The evening was the best ever. Anne and I went for an open-air swim at Sea Lanes. This is a heated pool by the beach. I just loved it but I only managed 2km as my shoulders got a bit cold. Anne turned blue. We met Sammi after his yoga and did a sauna on the beach. There were tin baths on the beach outside the sauna with water at 10c to be shared with a rubber duck. We did the whole experience  rubber duck and all– amazing! All this and then a curry! Wow!

So from Brighton I went to Margate. I used to have my summer holidays at neighbouring Westbrook when I was young. It was to be a trip down memory lane. Over the years things have changed somewhat. I know it is winter but the whole place looked a bit seedy. The old town in Margate had a certain vibrancy, but I think the batteries needed replacing to bring it alive. The Turner Gallery was interesting and the beaches were amazing. After the pebbles of Brighton, the golden sands were most inviting. No “Kiss me Quick” hats anywhere.

Margate

I met up with Susan King for a day. As she lives locally, she knew the nicest place to sit and have a drink. What a lovely day it was! As for my accommodation, the Premier Inn – misnamed – was being renovated and had no internet. Argh!

Last stop, Tenterden. I am going to have my achilles tendon sorted out at a nearby hospital. What a lovely place Benenden hospital is. The place is quiet, clean and the staff managed to sort me out in one visit. What is there not to like? I have now been tested for all the things they need to know before they cut a chunk of my heel off. The nurse who dealt with me is newly qualified and so didn’t want to take blood samples. I told her she needed to start somewhere so she used me as a guinea pig – squeak! She got her blood and I have now got two bruises on the back of my hands!

Back at Jane’s place, I watched my first ever episode of Gogglebox! The following morning I set off for home. Mr Google told me it would take four and a half hours to do 129 miles. Even with Friday traffic that seemed excessive. By the time I had gone through the Dartford Tunnel the journey time dropped to two and a half hours. Poor show, Google!

At the end of a busy, fun-filled trip I got to celebrate Erza-Mae’s fourth birthday on Saturday. Where has that time gone? Obviously a question for Google!

 

As Time Slips By

My garden table. -3c

My flowers!

We are already into the second week of the New Year. I wish I had something Earth-shattering to report but I don’t. Shadow is still hanging on. She no longer barks at visitors but she is having little walks now. I know this sounds strange but I think she has visibly aged after her funny turn. When she came to my place this week, she managed the stairs so that was an achievement.

I am still hanging in there too. I want to make plans but I don’t know when I will be having the operation on my heel. If I had a firm date, that would be a good start. I feel a bit like the condemned man, I know that I will not be able to get around for a while when my leg is in plaster. Swimming will not be possible and cycling is out too. I am doing press ups to build my upper body strength ready for the crutches. Other than that, I’m not sure what I can do. Added to my concerns is my other heel is getting worse and it hurts. I don’t want my “good” leg to fail me. The longer I wait, the more likely this will be a problem. I have just got a message from the NHS that they the waiting list to have an initial consultation is 24 weeks! It won’t be an option to have both legs done at once like I did with my knees!

New Year and new resolutions… I am writing a book… watch this space. After Assad fell from power, Naser wanted to tell his story. This tale has car chases, shooting and conspiracy. I am thinking more James Bond than Mills and Boon. It is a work in progress, as am I.

I rather think that multiple I got the VIP treatment when I was filling up my car. Outside temperature was -3c. I pulled up at the pump, presented my loyalty card but the machine wouldn’t read it. A man came over from his car and helped me. I put my credit card through the machine, went round to put the nozzle in the fuel tank, then I found I couldn’t open the cover. It was frozen over.

While holding onto the nozzle with one hand I tried so hard to prize it open. No way would it move. A lady from the kiosk came to my aid with some antifreeze. She realised the floor was like a skating rink and then went off to get a bucket of sand too. This has to be because she recognised me as an old, incompetent dear. Clearly I am a work in progress!

So here I am in Brighton at Sam’s house with a pile of his friends. What a busy day it has been. I left home when the temperature was -2c and over the day and the trip via Guildford the temperature rose to 8c at one point. For a long time I thought I was driving through Narnia where it is always winter!

Sam and Anne

Mun and son!

At Anne's place

The pub watching football

Today - Sunday - has been a day of lovely connections, Claire in Guildford, Anne in Brighton, and I now have new friends too – Sam’s friends. He made a wonderful veggie curry and we had Chateau Dop (created in Cosgrove) as the accompanying wine. Thank you Peter! This was the day of a liquid diet  - four coffees, two beers and a wine! Time for bed, me thinks.

 

Happy New Year

New Year's Eve and Santa was there too. What are the chances?

We are over that strange period that falls between Christmas and New Year and now it is all down hill now towards Spring. I popped down to Cornwall to visit Mark on the train in that lull while Sammi stayed at my place and got on with his essay writing. As ever, he has left bits he should have taken with him – par for the course. He did a grand job finishing off the Christmas leftovers and emptying my fridge. Due to a small misunderstanding with Amira, we had a massive kofta along with the Turkey for Christmas dinner. We had more leftovers than you could imagine!

I didn’t think my kitchen could cope with a super large turkey, and the myriad extras we serve besides, so I asked if Amira could make a small meat loaf so there would be enough meat to feed the hordes. I think Amira doesn’t cope with the word, “small” when it comes to food! Anyway, we had some of the leftovers of that as well. Sammi who is “vegetarian” loves the kofta. There are few dishes with more meat in than a kofta but as long as we describe Amira’s kofta as “vegan”, he is happy! He can’t resist it.

Kofta!

Sammi has a good theory about Amira and her cooking. There is always takeaways for us in plastic containers when we visit Naser’s place but the family politely refuse to take anything cooked by me from my place. This can only mean that my cooking isn’t up to scratch. Here is a New Year’s Resolution number one – up my game with cooking!

On Boxing Day I boiled the turkey bones down for broth for Shadow and Lucky. They like my cooking. Sadly, while I was away, Shadow became quite ill. She has difficulty walking. She is still very wobbly on her feet. Danielle has been feeding her the broth through a syringe and hand feeding her food. This poor old dog seems happy enough. She doesn’t bark any more but she can make it into the garden for a wee now and again. Ezra-Mae told me to be kind to her as she is poorly. Good advice!

Ezra-Mae with Shadow 

One of the highlights of my trip to Cornwall was a free game of crazy golf. Mark had two putters and normal golf balls. The course had seen better days and had added unintentional hazards. When we got there small children were using it as a cycle course. My competitiveness kicked in. I am left-handed but I was playing with a right-handed putter. Clearly I had an excuse for losing. Final score – I lost by two holes – not too shabby. I take my hat off to Mark who managed a hole in one. He hit the ball, it left bounced over the edge of the course, rolled on the grass, bounced back over the kerb, rolled around the hole at least three times and dropped in – pure skill! I couldn’t match that – I was outplayed.

I can recommend the train down to Cornwall. This journey was a good experience. The transfers were seamless and the trains were all on time. On the way home I had to get from Paddington to Euston. I walked off the platform at Paddington, walked round the corner and got straight on the Circle Line to Euston Square.

I picked up a train 30 minutes before my connection and was in the Barley Mow well before closing time to see the New Year in. Danielle picked me up at MK Central so I even got to wish her a Happy New Year.

Along with everyone else I have made my resolutions. If I had stuck to half of those I have made over my life, I would be as fit as an Olympian. However, I don’t have a good track record on sticking to my plans. Optimism keeps me trying though and I never give up. I might be able to cook something worthy before next Christmas if I work on it! Who knows!

So now we have got to the first weekend of the year and it is extremely cold and snowy. We had the warmest Christmas since records began and now it has slipped well below freezing. I feel sorry for my plants. My bulbs were sprouting before Christmas and now they will suffer. One of my shrubs hasn’t lost its leaves this year. They don’t know where they are. Sometimes I’m a bit like that – I don’t know what day of the week it is even when it isn’t the Christmas season.