London, Manchester and York

York Minster, August 2023

Lola II's Belated Birthday events continue, and I invited myself to a long and fancy lunch in London with her and Mr M and also Mr MXF and his daughter. The timing was good because I was due for another orthodontics appointment beforehand, but the aligners they ordered had not arrived. So I enjoyed the lunch before getting fitted with new aligners along with what they call 'buttons' but I call 'cheek gougers'. 

Small, sharp metal nubbins have been welded on to my lower back teeth in order to attach little elastic bands during the night so that vertical pressure can be applied. Immediately after the orthodontics appointment I was due to catch a train, so I arrived in Manchester knowing that I was going to need an immediate remedy (dental wax) to avoid the 'buttons' slicing their way through to the outside of my cheek. Now, a week later, things are settling down.

I enjoyed my brief time in Manchester, during which I happened to revisit some of the haunts of 30 years ago. Much has changed - there are more student flats that I could ever have imagined, the tram system is excellent, and people are just as likely to talk to a stranger as they were back then. I spent a morning at the Manchester Buddhist Centre. watched a very short part of the Pride parade, visited the Museum of Science and Industry (which was much smaller than I remember) and went to see a film as well as a comedy show.

Manchester was a stopover on the way to the main event, which was a couple of days with one of my Buddhist friends who moved from Birmingham to York earlier this year. Coincidentally I had met someone from the York Buddhist community at a recent retreat, and she was able to open the Centre so I could have a look. My friend was keen to show me the wonders of York, and we spent some quality time putting the world to rights.

I came home via Manchester again, enabling me to pay a visit to H+B and the cats. The whole journey was carried out by train, with hardly a hitch despite the train strike on the Saturday (when I wasn't travelling). I found this quite surprising - when I used to be a regular train commuter my recollection is that the majority of trains were cancelled or late on my daily journeys, probably because the ones that were on time didn't make any sort of impression.

UJ was away at the same time as me. She had flown to Spain to visit friends, but had a pretty miserable time - they weren't feeling well when she arrived, so she not only spent her whole holiday with people who weren't up for doing much but she also caught Covid and brought it home with her. We had three days together in the house before I went away again, and during that time her challenge was not to pass it on to me, and mine was not to catch it.

I found a spare kettle and toaster for her room, and made two meals a day for her, and she didn't mind her incarceration too much because she was feeling rough and sleeping a lot of the time. But we made it; my Covid test was negative before I left for my latest adventure - a month of volunteering at Adhisthana, a Buddhist retreat centre, of which no doubt I will write more later.

Drive-through vaccination

Drive-through vaccination, October 2022

I had my Covid-19 booster, the fourth injection, at the same time as my flu vaccination. My invitation came from the GP, and now that I'm not in NHS employment I had to book an appointment at the vaccination centre whose address was given as the nearby National Agricultural Centre. I imagined that one of the buildings had been repurposed as a clinic, but no, after following the signs and driving for what seemed like miles around huge fields I reached a large awning where the cars were directed through in two lanes for drive-through vaccination. Leaflets were given and information taken through the car window, and although the picture shows a car in front of me with the door open, my vaccinator said she'd just jab me through the open window.

UJ and I were visited by a representative of the County Council Homes for Ukraine scheme to make sure everything was going well and we had the information and support that we need. We were seen together and then separately, and passed with flying colours, which means that my 'thank you' payments should start arriving soon. UJ is feeling sad at the moment because her Biometric Residence Permit has not yet arrived, which means she can't leave the country to go to Kyiv for her mother's 60th birthday. But on the whole she's doing OK, I think.

Then I went on retreat again - just a long weekend this time for the 'Groups & Pioneers' retreat, aimed at teams supporting small groups like ours. There weren't many of us at all - only four groups were represented, but as usual I came home with a load of ideas that I've got to try and run past the rest of the team, except that it's half term so they aren't looking at messages much and I've only had one response out of six. It's never easy when people are busy and volunteering in their spare time.

Covid-free at last

Friston, April 2022

Now that I am quite the experienced dogsitter I have been looking after Friston, who is a delightful and well-trained miniature Labradoodle. Not training to be a guide dog, just belonging to a friend who went away for a long weekend.

I still had Covid when Friston arrived, but I felt fine and he was not at all demanding other than wanting to be in the same room as me all the time. He came with food, treats and his own bed but he very much took to my yellow blanket, so wherever that went he lay down on it. We went for nice walks, watched TV together, and he was generally very good company. It's delightful to be greeted so enthusiastically first thing in the morning.

I have many charming photos of Friston, not least because I felt it would be nice to send a picture to his owners every day (and not just to prove that he was still alive). A couple more will appear in future posts...

Apart from Friston, the great saga was the seemingly endless succession of positive Covid tests. I was so relieved about the negative tests on Days 13 and 14 because I hadn't had to cancel anything that couldn't be rescheduled up to that point, but would have been disappointed to miss a few things this week. 

The first commitment (rescheduled once) was my Role Specific Training for the Commonwealth Games. While I was Covid-positive I'd dutifully watched the recording of an online Orientation session which featured many famous athletes, all of whom were strangers to me because I'm only interested in badminton. The huge excitement that was whipped up in the audience was all about... The Uniform!!! How thrilling, a uniform! Will it be as good as the uniform for the last Games, or the one for London 2012? And the colour has been given a Birmingham-specific name - Balti Orange! How cool is that!! People seem to love a uniform, and I'm sure it is necessary, but really it's not worth getting quite so excited about it. Luckily because it was online I could speed up the delivery and not spend 90 minutes working myself into a lather about the uniform colours.

Anyway, Role Specific Training, in person, in a college in central Birmingham. All I had been told up to now is that I would be a Sport Specific Team Member supporting the Results, Timing and Scoring Team in the venue where the badminton is taking place. "As the data will be captured and recorded in real time, a high level of IT literacy will be essential. For this exclusive role, we have selected organised problem solvers who can stay focused under pressure and have strong knowledge of sport competitions and their rules of play." Yup, that's me.

There were about 25 other people on the course led by two trainers - one a Canadian woman and the other an Australian man. The first thing they told us was that RTS doesn't stand for Results, Timing and Scoring but Results Technology Services, the group responsible for timing and scoring and distribution of results. After we'd reviewed some of the Games corporate material (Bold, Respect, Unity, Movement) and had the obligatory conversation about The Uniform (we will each get a bag but not shoes) we saw a snapshot of the types of technologies we're talking about - the gadgets that capture and record timings, false starts, photo finishes, scoreboards, underwater lap counters, transponders, and some of the human backup systems just in case something doesn't work. Lastly we were told about the social media restrictions and how we shouldn't be using our phones or taking photos during competition. Fair enough.

There is certainly much more to Results Technology than I'd considered before, and I think it will be really interesting to see behind the scenes. There are two more in-person training sessions to go - Venue Specific Training where I think I meet the team I'll be working with, and then another session hands-on with Longines who actually bring the technology and show us how to use it just a couple of days before competition starts.

The next commitment of the week was to welcome a Buddhist Order Member from London who has written a book about his experience with cancer, and is visiting groups around the country to promote it. It was the first time since the great reorganisation that I'd shared the house with a stranger, and good practice for when I welcome my Guest From Ukraine (I've been trying to think of a name for her, but GFU isn't pretty. Nor is My Ukranian Guest). As was entirely predictable, she is experiencing a delay getting here because of wanting to bring the cat, but fingers crossed for the end of May.

Then there was my Thursday badminton club AGM, where the Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and Team Captain retired. All these posts are held by a married couple who have been running the club for 44 years. He stopped playing at least 10 years ago but still turns up every week to chat and socialise; she still plays but would rather not. Their roles have been taken over by three people, but the club has shrunk from about 30 people before Covid to just 14 now. I hope it carries on, because I'm still going to my Buddhist class on Mondays so I'm relying on the Thursday club for all my badminton.

The visit from the gas engineer had to be postponed twice but 'twas on a Thursday morning that the Gas Man came to call. The call arose from the man doing the Gas Safety Certificate who noticed that the gas tap was so stiff that it needed attention from Cadent, who are responsible for the infrastructure. The Cadent man agreed that it was a safety issue and needed to be fixed, but unfortunately the small cupboard housing the meter didn't provide sufficient access, and the wall around it would need to be knocked down. We talked around this issue for a while, and he suggested that he would refer the matter to 'his team', and I haven't heard from him since. Knowing what I now know, I hope that's how it will stay.

From the plague pit

Archie, April 2022

I still have Covid. I don't know how long this will take.

The food delivery was fine although the delivery guy took a big step back when I told him I had Covid. He took my bags, shut the front door and transferred the stuff, then rang the bell again and I just carried it in.

Archie the bundle of Labrador energy arrived on Saturday and departed on Sunday. He is very young and hasn't got very far in his training because his foot injury halted progress - the foot is now better - and he didn't like me being out of sight at any point. He had to respect a closed door, but sat outside it until I emerged. We spent some time playing with a toy until I got tired, and then he just ran around with it on his own. We went for a short walk towards the ice cream shop, but I discovered they have reverted to selling indoors so didn't feel I ought to go in. Archie didn't think I ought to meditate either, in fact I had to give up after the third time he sat on me. Despite the lack of ice cream and meditation, Archie and I had a good time together.

Archie has not been the only visitor to Lola Towers. A friend who likes to go for motorcycle rides when the weather is good chose to come in my direction on the sunniest day of the Easter weekend. As we sat in the garden I told him about the ice cream disappointment, and he offered to do the honours so I got my ice cream after all. Another friend came with the lawnmower part that I requested so I could mow the lawn. I nearly asked for another ice cream, but it was a bit early in the day and seemed presumptuous when he'd already bought me the lawnmower part.

In refugee news, I have put up the smoke alarms (I chose to use sticky pads in the end) and sent pictures of the alarms and also the Gas Safety Certificate to the District Council Housing Officer. The Disclosure and Barring Service have sent me the Enhanced Certificate which I have filed away as I'm not sure what else I'm supposed to do with it. And my guest has sent word that her Permission to Travel has been granted, so now it's just a question of getting her here with or without her cat, which may have to go into quarantine.

Dead, Alive, Not Very Well?

The Burial Mound at Adhisthana, April 2022

I have Covid.

I'm certain I caught it from the four Buddhists I took to the station at the end of my weekend retreat on Monday - they were at the same venue on a different retreat. Ah, Buddhism, reaching out into the world to end suffering and spread compassion and disease for the benefit of all beings - oh, wait...

After I got back home from the retreat on Monday I had an evening online meeting which was fine, then woke up on Tuesday feeling exhausted and with no appetite at all. I thought the fatigue may be a result of the retreat, which had been wonderful but very intense and emotionally stirring. I did a Lateral Flow Test, which was negative, took the car to the garage, came home and waited for the gas engineer to do my gas safety check and give me the certificate I need for the Homes for Ukraine scheme, collected the car from the garage, drove to Rugby where they were doing the Disclosure and Barring Service checks of documentation for the Homes for Ukraine hosts, and continued to feel incredibly tired. I decided to skip the local Buddhist meeting in the evening, just in case. It was the lack of appetite which really indicated something was wrong!

By yesterday I was definitely worse, with a pounding headache, temperature of 101.5 degrees F and still no appetite. I cancelled the trip I was due to make to London to meet sisters and stay with parents, and lay about the house in a fog of tiredness. I watched a very easy movie (Disney's 'Soul') but had to pause it in the middle to have a rest, and spent the rest of the day lying on the sofa doing little but listening to music and some light reading. My appetite started to pick up later in the day as I started to sneeze. 

I still managed to attend an online meeting last night, hosted by Warwickshire County Council all about being a local host in the Homes for Ukraine scheme. They have some experience with refugees from Afghanistan and Syria so seem quite organised. I am regularly in touch with my guest via WhatsApp, and her application for a visa seems to be progressing as they now want to see my passport.

So today I did another LFT which is most definitely positive for Covid. Thankfully my appetite is back and the headache and fatigue are gone  (making this blog post possible), but sneezing and congestion have taken their place. I have now had to order my very first online supermarket delivery - I must be the last person in the world to enter the 21st century of food delivery. I like walking around a supermarket.

I've had to cancel a number of Easter weekend visits though - the gas engineer highlighted a small problem at the gas meter so we contacted the infrastructure people to fix it and they were going to come on Friday, and I'd arranged to meet friends on Sunday and Monday. I am also due to look after a dog from Saturday to Sunday, but when I contacted Guide Dogs we decided that as I wouldn't be going inside the kennel building or meeting anyone at all, that could go ahead. The dog has got a problem with his foot so won't need a lot of walking and we can be invalids together.

Filling my weeks

In the loft, June 2021

More LTRP activity this week. Olf's Mate and Olf's Mate's Mate turned up after several phone calls to chase them, to remedy the overflow situation for the two tanks in the loft - one for the water and the other for the central heating. I had acquired stains on two patches of ceiling which weren't growing, and our best guess is that these happened due to overflows rather than leaks. The evidence for this is that both overflow pipes had sections of uphill gradient, and contained sections with very dodgy joints. They took a morning to put in new pipes, and while they were at it they replaced the insulation around the water tank and gave me a new lid for the heating tank.

Ilf embarked on another phase of the LTRP, decorating the main bedroom and finishing a few bits in the shower room. He manages to cause problems whenever he comes - in past visits he has broken a toilet seat and a lampshade, but this time he managed to lose my visitor parking permit, which we think was stolen from his car. On the plus side, he does work hard and usually does a good job (except for wallpapering). I cancelled the parking permit and ordered a replacement, and the kind person on the end of the phone waived the £5 admin fee because the permit was only valid for six more weeks before I'd have to buy another.

I was planning to take advantage of having a second person in the house to order a self-assembly wardrobe, as I thought it might be helpful when it comes to any large or heavy parts. It was delivered in time but in the end I didn't get the opportunity to build it while Ilf was there. It took the whole weekend to build on my own, looks pretty good and fits the space I'd set aside for it. I only screwed one part on the wrong way round and luckily didn't need help with anything heavy. Now I have a full car-load of polystyrene and cardboard packaging to take to the tip, along with empty paint pots, a load of cassette tapes, a broken keyboard and all the usual stuff from the garden.

Since stopping my two days at the Diabetes Centre my weeks are still full because I've tried to ramp up the time I spend on Mr MXF's work, and I've done some more volunteering for Lola II. Mr MXF's work is intensely frustrating, and despite setting aside full days I can only manage about four hours before I want to throw the computer out of the window. I'm not sure I've made any progress in the last month, but Mr MXF assures me that a time will come when it all makes sense, so I'm hoping he's right.

We had a small Covid scare before Lola II was due to deliver her course, as she had a sniffle and a runny nose. That very day the BBC had reported that new Delta variant produced symptoms resembling a cold, so although she came up negative on a lateral flow test she went off to a proper test centre, just in case. That was negative too, but I still had to think hard about whether I even wanted to risk the possibility of a cold. I did go there in person in the end (and escaped without infection). Supporting the IT on the course was quite straightforward, although the microwave in the house had to be put out of action because turning it on it knocks out the internet. The internet went down anyway at exactly 4 p.m. and threw us out of the Zoom meeting - just after Lola II had thanked everyone and they were filling in their evaluation forms.

I stayed an extra day with Lola II and Mr M because we had planned a Day Out In London. You will be learning much, much more about this next time...