Second and third weeks in the office

Adhisthana, March 2024

There's a completely different atmosphere in the Adhisthana office compared with the office work I used to do long ago. For a start, I have colleagues who care about my welfare and happiness more than they care about getting the job done. I'm also aware that I'm a stand-in doing a job that I'm not altogether suited to, so it won't always be done well. But that's OK, whatever I do will probably be better than nothing being done at all. Unless I completely destroy their website. When I half-jokingly mentioned this to one of the IT guys, he said they'd seriously considered the possibility, but don't worry because there's a backup.

One of my first tasks was to start contacting people using an email distribution package that was new to me. Most (but not all) of the fairly complicated emails that need sending are ready and waiting, with only slight tweaks and checking to do - inserting links to a video, for example. With hindsight I think I was more nervous about this than I needed to be, but clicking the button to send emails automatically to 145 people felt quite significant. The next one I sent this way had over a thousand recipients...

Another similar job is to use mail merge to contact people who might be interested in attending particular retreats. I haven't used mail merge for decades, so I was deliberately slow and careful while I was working out how to do it with a version of Microsoft Office that is probably four or five upgrades on from when I last tried. Identifying people, extracting their details, constructing the mail merge, excluding various categories (e.g. those who had not ticket the box saying they were happy to be contacted in this way) and clicking 'Send' took about two days.

Back at home I was asked to look after a trainee guide dog, and for the first time in nearly a year I was able to say yes - I'd kept the weekend deliberately clear and even cancelled a trip because of trying to keep my commitments within an achievable range. This particular dog needed supervising whenever she did a poo, and my instructions were not to take her out until she had performed, so I spent most of Saturday periodically letting her out into the garden (it was freezing) and watching her resolutely fail to oblige. When it started to get dark I decided to take a chance because I needed to post my vote, and got away with it. Next day I had the offer of a walk with a friend, so took a chance again and got away with it once more - it was either that or stay indoors all day. At least it was a little warmer. Apart from the poo thing she was good company.

After I took her back to the Guide Dog Centre on Monday I headed down to London to take part in another demonstration outside Parliament along with Lola II. Assisted Dying made it into the news again thanks to Esther Rantzen going on TV to tell her story of having terminal lung cancer and joining Dignitas, which prompted another online petition calling for a parliamentary debate (but no vote). The petition had gathered enough signatures to make that happen, and significantly more signatures than the last time two years ago. Speakers who addressed the small crowd included Jonathan Dimbleby, some MPs including Caroline Lucas (who's about to stand down from her role as head of the Green Party), human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell and Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain. There was a counter-demonstration which was considerably smaller than ours, and a separate crowd from Humanists UK.

The next day was a celebration of Dad's 91st birthday, when Lola II and Sister D and I all descended on the family seat and had lunch and cake, and in my case, a haircut from the Random Cuts salon. And then I had the journey from hell back home because the M40 had a blockage and I unwisely decided to follow Google's directions around it along with all the other cars following similar directions through tiny villages and I definitely should have just stayed on the motorway because it couldn't possibly have held me up the extra hour and half that it took on my misguided route.

Spring in the air

Adhisthana, May 2023

Back from my retreat now, which was the usual mix of bliss and hard reality. I learned quite a bit about the subjects under discussion, but learned more about myself and my creative potential. Intrigued? Just give me a call. And back home I led my local group in our regular evening meeting, which went well but confirmed my preference for running social events rather than 'teaching'.

Meanwhile there have been fun and games at the parents' house with a mysterious glitch that keeps tripping the electricity fuse for the kitchen/garage circuit. Various options are under investigation, so far without a conclusion.

Badminton news - our AGM went without a hitch and I managed to escape without accepting any responsibilities. Our post-pandemic change of management has been excellent, with a new website and much improved communication at no extra cost.

It is time to admit that with the help of a counsellor/therapist, I have for some time been addressing some of my deep-seated insecurities. This has resulted in immense progress towards restoring my confidence in human relationships, to the extent that I managed to create an online dating profile, then actually communicated with others via the dating app, and even went as far as to meet someone in person. I was very apprehensive about this, with all sorts of fearful scenarios presenting themselves, but in the end none of my concerns were justified because he turned out to be such an inappropriate date that it was quite easy to go on a lovely walk and then call it a day. I'm not actually all that interested in starting a relationship (I don't have enough time!) but this has been a big step forward for me.

Before the retreat I managed to visit Former Landrover Man and Former Bee Lady at their country residence, made all the more beautiful by their presence, their hard work on the garden, and the glorious weather. Sunshine persisted through the retreat and into this week, and I have welcomed back Irvin (who made a brief appearance back in February). He's much more well-behaved now, and a delightful character.

Irvin, May 2023

It's starting to feel like spring

Mac, April 2023

Mac the dog came to stay, just for one night. I found out afterwards that this was his first time away from his regular hosts, which may explain some of his behaviour, and I was warned in advance of a couple of things - his dislike of getting into cars, and his chewing on blankets. Sure enough it took four of us twenty minutes to tempt him into my car to get him home. When it was time to go back to the Centre I didn't bother trying to get him into the car but walked him back instead - luckily it isn't very far. He seemed very stressed and anxious most of the time, and wouldn't even come in the front door of the house without a good deal of persuasion. I was thankful for his sake as well as mine that the stay was only one night.

I am pleased to say that mum is much better now and we have started a new project to try and get a wheelchair ramp installed so dad stands a chance of getting in and out of the house. Not that he wants to... I have been on two retreats, my study group and our weekly meetings continue, as does badminton and the fortnightly pub quiz. 

UJ and I had our second welfare visit to check that everything is still OK - it's been six months since she arrived, although she's been back home in Kyiv for a significant part of that. Now that she has a job (and it took two of us to construct the office chair that her employer provided) she will probably be in the UK more of the time, since there are in-person meetings she has to attend in London. During my first retreat over the Easter Bank Holiday UJ went to see a friend in Amsterdam, and when I came back from the second weekend retreat she reported that she had met up with other Ukrainians locally, celebrated Easter with traditional cake and other foods, and been to a gig. So I'm happy that she doesn't rely on me for all her social activity, which previously was a slight concern.

And I fixed my printer (sort of)! It was reporting a paper jam when there wasn't one, and the Internet showed me what the problem was likely to be, and now it is (intermittently) fixed. I don't print very much, but it is very annoying not to be able to. I don't know how long my fix will last, but the three pages that I wanted are done.

I'm nearly 60

Irvin, February 2023

During the ski trip there was a theme running through the week, which started on the overnight Eurostar going out. I found myself in the small hours, still awake and trying to get comfortable enough to sleep by lying on the floor rather than sitting up in a chair. "I'm nearly 60," I thought. "I don't think my younger self would have anticipated that I'd be lying on the floor of a train trying to sleep when I'm nearly 60." Subsequently, when on previous trips I'd have been working out when the last ski lift would enable me to get home at the end of the day, on this trip at about 2.30 p.m. we started to consider getting back for a bath and supper. "After all, we're nearly 60..."

Then last week I played in two badminton matches. Towards the end of the second one I completely ran out of steam. Luckily I was paired with a much younger partner who did all the running about that I would previously have considered to be my role. I'm really am nearly 60, in so many aspects of life.

Coming back from the ski trip I was expecting UJ to reappear within a couple of days. She had gone home to fetch her cat and I thought she had made all the arrangements and booked transport, but arrangements can be altered and cancelled, and she gave me a new date when she was planning to come without the cat. That date also came and went, and now it may be March. I'm not holding my breath.

Before she went, she drew my attention to the draughty state of the windows in her room, and she has a point. So I called upon Doors and Windows Ulf, who diagnosed old hinges and has gone away to order some new ones. So that needs to happen at some point.

The Film Festival run by Mr M and Lola II went swimmingly as usual, with a new introductory trailer and a fantastic advertisement for Random Cuts, the hairdressing service offered by Lola II ("Only 15 minutes bus ride from the nearest A&E!") My music group restarted, there's the usual Buddhist activity, and I was able to take in another dog, called Irvin. Only for 24 hours, which was quite enough - he's not done much training, and it shows! I've been spoiled by the dogs that are later in their training like Caddie and Pat.

The dental work is going fairly well, I've been allowed to move on to my sixth set of aligners (out of 37), and yesterday I had one of my back molars extracted by my very lovely dentist. It's a shame that I see him mainly for painful treatments. In fact, despite the difficulty of the extraction and the state of the resulting extraction site, it hurts very little today. The dentist's commentary as we went along was also interesting - I had to have extra anaesthetic because of my 'interesting jaw anatomy' and apparently I'm very good at clotting. I told him that this information will all be very useful when I create my online dating profile.

Another year ended

Buda palace, December 2022

Happy New Year to all my 30 or so readers. If you've been waiting for an invitation to let me know who you are, please do write me a comment! I'm intrigued.

Anyway, the old year ended with a few lovely events and a couple that weren't so much fun. I managed to achieve a blood donation, the 49th that is recorded with the service (although I'm pretty sure that a few in the early days have been missed). Then there was my initiation into the Invisalign system which is going to straighten my teeth with the aim of preventing them falling out and helping to reduce the chronic refractory periodontitis. However, one tooth is already scheduled for extraction in January, and both the orthodontist and periodontist are pessimistic about another one, and I'm starting to think they might be right. I have many, many appointments to come so if you are a fan of teeth you will find much to enjoy in the next 18 months.

Among the happier events, Pat the dog has come to stay again, this time for a whole week without respite because the training centre is closed. This is the longest time that I've been the primary carer for any living being. She is a sweet dog and getting on well with her training too, and she would very much like me to play with her now but I am writing this instead, so she has just settled herself on the floor and emitted a sigh of resignation.

I joined Lola II and Mr M for Christmas for a change, and went to see 'It's a Wonderful Life' with them on Christmas Eve, For several years they have gone for a lunchtime walk and picnic with a group of friends on Christmas Day, so that's what we did. The day included a Secret Santa event (with gifts costing no more than £3), the playing and singing of carols, supper, and pass the parcel. I'm not sure what my perfect Christmas would be, but despite this involving much more interaction with other people than I would wish it was actually pretty good. Thank you Lola II and Mr M.

Between Christmas and New Year, apart from the blood donation and Pat the dog, I had a visit from a chap to fix the induction hob after it was previously fixed. Poor UJ had dropped a heavy cast iron pot lid on it and cracked the glass - as I returned home she met me at the front door to tell me that something dreadful had happened, and I thought it was some awful calamity involving Russian missiles and family in Kyiv, so when it was just cracked glass it felt quite trivial in comparison. Anyway, the repair man came and replaced it with very little fuss, and if I had paid more attention the first time then a second visit wouldn't have been necessary. The problem was a mismatch between the markings on the glass and the touch activation, so that I had to touch the controls about 1 cm to the right of the marking. Fixing this took the second repair man about 5 minutes.

I had the option to go to the Buddhist Centre for New Year's Eve, but I couldn't quite face the uncertainty of taking Pat with me not knowing how she would behave, so I just watched a film and read a book and had a quiet time. I took advantage of Pat's presence by arranging walks with five different friends - one of them after Pat had gone because we were both too busy beforehand.

And Ilf came for another day of helping out with things that need drilling, painting and/or two people, including hanging pictures, fixing the downstairs toilet door and the verandah outside, and a bit of painting. I did all the necessary cleaning following Pat's visit, although all her bedding is still in the boot of the car ready to go to the launderette. All is shipshape again and looking good for 2023.

Pat the dog

Through foreign eyes

Pat the dog, October 2022

UJ has been settling in nicely, and I find we have quite a lot in common. It was a little disturbing, however, to discover that I am only two years younger than her mother. She came with me to the Mitra ceremony at the Birmingham Buddhist Centre, and she would be interested in coming to our local meetings except that she has a group meeting on Zoom at the same time each week. She has started the dialogue with JobCentre Plus about employment and benefits, and has been exploring the delights of Leamington, including the sports centre, the library and the many charity shops. We went for a long walk with Pat the trainee Guide Dog at the weekend, and happened to meet a couple of Ukrainians from Kyiv with their dog. UJ told me that Leamington seems to have all the benefits of a city but with countryside just 20 minutes walk away. I completely agree.

Her family and many friends are still in Kyiv, and the last couple of weeks have been difficult after Putin decided to send his missiles further into Ukraine. All are well, thankfully. UJ started to inform me more about the political situation there at the same time as the Conservative conference in Birmingham was taking place with the omnishambles that is our Government, and I think Ukraine is winning every sanity point at the moment. But interesting to find that UJ is quite favourably disposed to Boris - I had forgotten that he had led the way in supporting Zelenskyy at the start of the war, although cynically I suspect that was in order to get away from what he was facing at home. The recent bombing of the land bridge linking Russia and the Crimea went down very well with UJ, with jokes and memes appearing almost instantly (e.g. that the bridge could be repaired with that weird long table that Putin used to see foreign diplomatic visitors).

I returned to the periodontist, who pronounced me "healed" at which point I waved my hands and shouted "Hallelujah", an instant later thinking "I hope he isn't a religious man..." My concern disappeared when he replied "Praise the Lord!" in similar vein. Unless he was serious? He wasn't serious. He is quite a funny man. Anyway, I was due to see my usual hygienist the next day, which would have given me a more objective view on how things are, but she was ill and I was brutalised by the main dentist instead. His assessment was not quite as brilliant as the periodontist, but still good, and the consultations about teeth-straightening will start soon.

Meanwhile UJ and I ventured to the town recycling centre with its incredibly cheap charity shop - UJ is every bit as keen on second-hand goods as I am, but our choices are somewhat different. Not surprisingly she is delighted by knick-knacks costing 25p that will be ideal for Christmas present for the folks back home. She pointed out a fancy phone cover for 50p, which would have cost many tens of pounds when new, that was actually made for my phone so I could replace my broken one. We have managed to coordinate a couple of evening meals, with me adding vegetables to her mainly protein/carb combinations. This seems to be my role in a number of settings...

Then I journeyed to London, where I was house sitting for a week while Mr M and Lola II are away on their huge adventure. (They have been reporting in daily, and some of the photos are stunning.) One day I had a lovely time in Kew Gardens with Sister D. Another day I visited the British Library, the Wellcome Collection and the Grant Museum of Zoology at UCL. I'd never been to this museum before, and it is essentially one large room with cabinets around the sides and in the middle containing thousands of specimens, mostly skeletal or preserved in jars but some stuffed examples and a few dissected. The lighting is poor and the cabinets go up to the ceiling so it isn't actually possible to see everything that's there.

Grant Museum of Zoology, October 2022

UJ also went to London for the first time ever, which she told me is her dream destination. On the first day she went to the National Gallery, and reported excitedly that she hadn't realised that all the good museums in London had no entry charge. The next day she was planning to see the Changing of the Guard, join a free walking tour based on Harry Potter, and go to the British Museum. She sent me a message to say that she was coming back on a two-storey bus. It is delightful.

Meanwhile I was present for the installation of the parents' new motorised garage door, which will make the storage of the mobility scooter easier. It went well and looks good, except the workmen didn't bring one of the agreed parts and will have to come back all the way from Luton to install a rubber threshold. Now mum has the bit between her teeth and is coordinating the sale of the car, as well as the choice of scooter, finding a new cleaner, helping the new neighbours to settle in and advising the woman over the road about options for her garage door. And she seems surprised that she is sometimes tired.

Kew Gardens, October 2022

More volunteering

Pat, August 2022

Straight after the Games ended, I went north to celebrate Sister D's birthday. It was a lovely break, and we visited some National Trust gardens while I was there, as well as lots of other enjoyable activities with the family. Immediately after that I took charge for a few days of another trainee Guide Dog named Pat, who was quite early in her training but much more well behaved than many of the other dogs I've looked after. The weather was too hot to go out much during the day, but we spent some  quality time in the garden. I also arranged to visit a friend's cat while she was away in Edinburgh, and there was a walk and a meal out with the Buddhists, and the boiler got serviced, and the car needed a bit of work done, and I tidied up the garden, and altogether there was lots to do.

I also spent some time with Radio Man - remember him, from Warwick Folk Festival? We had lunch in a cafe, we went for a walk, we watched some badminton at the Games, we played with Pat in the garden, and we visited Bletchley Park. Then I put a stop to it, as kindly as I could. I found that it was very difficult spending exclusive time with someone else, which means that welcoming UJ is going to be a challenge. Yes, she's supposed to be coming over again, but without the cat which is staying with her parents. She keeps postponing her arrival date - at the moment it looks like it will be early October.

Then it was time for my next stint at volunteering, at Shrewsbury Folk Festival. This event is similar to Warwick's festival but much bigger, and I was assigned to something called the Task Force with no further information other than how to report for duty. It turns out that the Task Force's job is to do whatever is asked for by other teams - for example, to move a piano, to take up the striped plastic tape that delineates camping, parking and other designated areas, or to patrol the site making sure everyone is happy and trying to fix it when they are not.

Fourteen hours on duty divided into seven two-hour shifts is requested in exchange for the price of a weekend camping ticket, with the option to arrive before the masses so as to have the pick of the camping locations. I had a look at the programme and tentatively circled a couple of acts each day that I'd like to see, and when I got my shifts nearly all of them coincided with something I would have liked to see. I got one changed, and for one shift I patrolled the stage where the performance was happening, but I missed a few acts that I would have liked to see. And nearly all the shifts seemed to coincide with mealtimes so I ended up eating at strange times of day.

It was hard work - much harder than for Warwick, and more tiring than for volunteer stewards in other teams whose job might be sitting at the side of a marquee watching a performance for four hours. But at least it was more interesting than sitting at the top of a tower watching out for fires and more pleasant than picking up litter. After patrolling the site for four hours, or spending an hour hammering in pegs to secure metal barriers, I wasn't fit for as much dancing as in previous years. On one shift I had to deal with unhappy campers who had been directed to places where there didn't seem to be any space and so had been driving round for quite a long time. They all appreciated that I was trying to help them but it didn't make the job any easier.

I met quite a few of the volunteers who had been at Warwick, and some new volunteers who were unexpectedly connected to my family - two musicians who live round the corner from H+B, and a shop manager who knows Cousin Y as they work for the same organisation. But missing acts that I wanted to see because of shifts or fatigue probably outweighs the benefit of the free ticket, so I may not volunteer for this one next year. And the event itself isn't as good as it used to be pre-Covid, so there's even a chance I'll try a different festival next year - I've got my eye on a couple of them.

A lot of stuff going on

Bobby (and toy), May 2022

As usual there's been plenty of Buddhist action, including a day retreat in which, among other activities, we started creating a decorated cloth using different types of printing. There were only eight of us there and I'm keen for as many people as possible to make their mark, so we're going to finish it at another session in August. Then on Tuesday the key to our hall wasn't in its usual place and we were unable to contact the key-keeper, so we decamped to a nearby pub for a drink instead. Not so unfortunate, except that next week we have a planned social in a pub, so two in a row. Fortunately we didn't have a visiting speaker, or it would really have been difficult.

I played badminton on Monday for the first time in ages (the Buddhism teacher was away). I haven't been able to go to Thursday badminton for ages either, what with retreats, meetings and other events, but I thought I'd be able to go on the coming Thursday. Then I contacted my refugee guest, who (following a suggestion by Mr M) is likely to be known as Ukraine Jane (although her name isn't Jane). She is still trying to work out how to bring the cat with her, because the bus company she originally found has now changed its mind. I consulted the group I'm part of as a sponsor/host, and got the feedback that a) it's really difficult and b) one family went over to France to pick up their guests and their dog in order to get them into the UK.

When I heard this my initial reaction was that my generosity wouldn't extend this far, but with a bit of time to think, I thought, why not? I spent a bit of time researching and worked out how it could be done, with Jane trying to chase the licence that the cat needs through some bureaucratic British office, and the only day that would work for me was Thursday, so no badminton again. Except that a day is a long time in the Homes for Ukraine scheme, and Jane's parents are going to have to return to Kyiv or lose their jobs and income, and she was starting to think about leaving the cat with them and fetching it later when the licence is certain. Until she found details of someone who is travelling from the UK with supplies in a minibus and offering the return trip to people with pets. So I'm happy with whatever she decides and ready to wait and see if I get to go to badminton on Thursday after all. Then the badminton booker realised it's a Bank Holiday and cancelled the session.

So no badminton on Thursday, and I found out about a different group specifically focussing on this thorny issue of bringing pets from Ukraine. When I joined that one it became very clear that unless Jane gets onto this minibus she's found there's pretty much no other way except going in person to France and bringing the animal back in the car. And even then others have reported administrative nightmares at the port.

A few other things of note: I took up an offer of a free hearing test because everyone in my family who is older than me has hearing loss and I thought it would be interesting. It was carried out in a room off the main waiting area and was almost too noisy to hear any of the test tones, so I don't think I'll be taking them up on any future offers. For what it's worth, my hearing was deemed to be good, so that's nice.

I've been doing more for Mr MXF. I got a lot done on one particular task that involved data collection and organisation, but I stopped doing that and asked Mr MXF to check what I'd done so that if it wasn't quite right I could fix it before going on rather than having to go back and correct everything. While he is thinking about this he has switched me to a new task which involves creating online forms. I went through the phase of not knowing what on earth I was doing, which I find very uncomfortable, and now have grasped the essentials and am quite enjoying it. I like a well-designed form.

Then there was a lot of noise from Pub Next Door's 'garden' - a concrete area with decking which had a marquee when drinking indoors wasn't allowed. I've pieced together what's going on after various conversations with workmen and bar staff - the area has been taken back to bare concrete and the plan is for a new resin floor to be laid, and no more decking. The noise escalated dramatically while they cut tracks in the concrete where cables will be laid for outside lighting, and subsided again for cement mixing. I've become quite friendly with the main builder and we have daily discussions about how the plans have changed. Because the base concrete layer is not level it looks as though some might be paved and the resin area limited to a rectangle in the middle. The marquee is probably going back, and the covered area at the end smartened up.

They also ripped out the drainage that I'd put in at the base of my wall, which showed how counter-productive that had been - rainwater had penetrated behind it and the bricks at the base of the wall were wet. One of the lessons I have learned through the LTRP, which I would do well to remember more often, is that the tradesmen who so confidently diagnose the problem and propose the solution actually know very little more about it than I do.

And pictured is Bobby, my newest boarder from the Guide Dog kennels, who has a naturally sad-looking face. He is a youngster early in his training, but better behaved than most of the other dogs I've looked after. He likes his soft toys but tends to bring me household things that aren't out of reach, and we've had a lovely time so far.

Caddie once more

Caddie, May 2022

I recently had the pleasure of the company of Caddie, whom you may remember as the first dog I was asked to look after for Guide Dogs. Since that time she has completed her basic training and gone forward to advanced training, at which point she hurt her leg and had to come back to Leamington to recover. So she is older and wiser than when she pulled me all over the park, and so am I, having looked after four other dogs in the meantime.

I checked that Caddie would be able to travel and took her on a trip to celebrate dad's birthday with Lola II and Sister D. I say 'celebrate' but it would be difficult to discern any element of celebration in dad's demeanour, although he did like the chocolate ginger. I think we all had a nice time, and Caddie behaved beautifully, although I felt a little guilty about the quantity of black dog hair left on the floor for mum to clean up.

There's been Buddhism and no badminton this week. Monday study has started again with a fairly practical module about meditation, Tuesday Buddhist group was led by someone else so I was free to enjoy rather than fret about arrangements, and on Thursday I went to the Birmingham centre to welcome back someone who went away to become an Order Member with a long name. Then on Friday I left for a 10-day retreat where participants are asked not to bring any leisure reading with them. I don't think I've spent ten days without leisure reading since I was five years old.

Anyway, that's where I am now, and this short post is mostly to showcase the gorgeous pictures of Caddie. And, as with Friston, there are more for future posts!

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.

Refuge

Angus, March 2022

As ever, there's been a lot going on. I went to visit a friend yesterday who was diagnosed with cancer two years ago and has been receiving constant chemotherapy ever since. We sat outdoors to minimise any risk of infection, and it was freezing, and he asked what I've been doing, and it took a very long time to tell him. 

The most interesting bits include: 

• finding a new care provider for dad, and arranging for assessment of needs for both parents
• looking after trainee guide dog Angus again
• spending a day at the international badminton in Birmingham
• welcoming my cousin from Seattle and giving her a tour of Lola Towers and Leamington along with Lola II and Mr M
• a very interesting visit to the periodontist
• lots of Buddhist stuff as usual
• a new project, as if I didn't have enough going on...

The care provider and Assessment of Needs

The old care provider told us that they were stopping at the end of March, and mum asked me to help find a new company. We rejected the most enthusiastic and responsive and helpful company because they were charging twice as much as others (they are still calling me to find out how we're getting on), and another couple of companies that I contacted failed to respond at all. I hope we have ended up with a satisfactory replacement, but time will tell. 

The Occupational Therapist carried out the Assessment of Needs a month ago, wrote a report with the wrong names in it, submitted it to the Borough and was told that two separate reports were needed, one for each person, so she wrote new reports and submitted them a week ago, with the corrected names (we are told).

Angus the trainee guide dog

I have looked after Angus before for a weekend, but this time I had him for nearly a week. For three of those days he was at school being trained, so I dropped him off in the morning and picked him up again in the evening - on these days he was pretty tired in the evening. On three other days I was looking after him all day, and on those days I was pretty tired in the evening. He is really affectionate though, and I was prepared for his mischief so everything that could be picked up was already put out of his reach. I loved having him, but the hair! So much hair!

The periodontist

I have been having teeth and gum problems all my life. As a child transitioning from baby teeth one of the new teeth erupted from the centre of my palate and had to be removed under general anaesthetic. Four teeth were removed in my teens and I wore full metal braces for a couple of years to straighten those that were left. I've been seeing my current dentist ever since moving to Leamington 20 years ago, and we haven't yet found a way to reduce the infection and inflammation affecting my gums, which has led to one molar being lost about three years ago. The current orientation of my teeth mean that the upper and lower jaws meet only on the back molars, and even there the contact is not flat. What this means is that chewing is difficult, I don't have any sort of bite, and I have pretty much constant discomfort when eating anything tougher than soup.

"A dentist treats the teeth, gums, and other areas of the mouth while a periodontist only treats the gums and the bone supporting the teeth. Orthodontics is a specialism within dentistry that focuses on straightening your teeth and making sure your bite is correct."

The periodontist I saw was a very nice man who reassured me that I am by no means the worst case he's seen and is confident that things can be improved. Unfortunately the treatment (that I've now agreed to) involves two lots of surgery under local anaesthetic and will take about six months altogether. This should then lower the risk of my teeth falling out as they are moved about by the orthodontist to improve the bite.

Offering refuge

So what is this new project, as if I didn't have enough going on? Well, Ukraine. It is horrific to see what has been going on there, and along with many others I have donated money and wondered what more I could do - could I accommodate a refugee? Looking at the process laid out by the UK government where you volunteer your services and are somehow matched with a stranger, I was uncertain whether I could trust the scheme. But on a local message board I saw that a Leamington resident who is from Ukraine was offering to put potential hosts in touch with people she knows, so I got in touch, and she sent me details of a friend - a young woman who would also like to bring her cat. So I said yes.

My main concern was that she might be traumatised and not speak English and need more support than I could easily manage. In fact she has been studying for a Masters degree in psychology, works as a software developer and speaks English very well indeed. She and her parents had to move from where they lived in the Crimea in 2014 and ended up in Kyiv, from where they have now fled to Poland. She filled in the online form, and although I expected a long wait I have already been contacted by my local authority to carry out the checks that are required to make sure I'm the right sort of person and have suitable accommodation. So we're moving forward quicker than I expected.

Everything else

What with all of this I've done almost nothing for Mr MXF this month, but I've been in touch to offer some time next week when I haven't got a dog and the care provider should be in place and nobody's visiting - except there's the visit from the council officer and two local meetings about the Commonwealth Games and the usual Buddhist stuff...

Weekend not in Manchester

Me and Reggie, March 2022

I'm going to assume that all the details are going to be needed for this post, seeing as I spent the weekend with Lola II and Mr M and they are sticklers for this sort of thing. And they took all the photos, and even gave me some notes to remind me. But I shall not yield to their pressure; some details are still too uninteresting to mention. Like the Cambozola cheese that Lola II bought in my honour. Cambozola is certainly my favourite cheese and I was very glad for it to have been bought, but this fact really has no inherent interest for any reader. 

The weekend was planned to be one of our classic weekends to mark Lola II's birthday, and we had decided to go to Manchester before we decided not to after all, and stayed in London. The first thing to admit is that I was late. There were several reasons, including badminton the night before making it more difficult to get out of bed early, the time it took to load up the car, the fact that someone had again obstructed my garage so I nearly couldn't get the car out, the local roadworks adding 10 minutes to every journey south, and the need to fill up with fuel. Considering all of this, an hour late wasn't too bad.

What it did mean was that I spent less time with Reggie in the park. Reggie is the dog that Lola II borrows, and is a bundle of energy who scavenges anything that he can get in his mouth - old Doritos, plum stones, face masks... He had a run around the park before I arrived but never sat still for a moment when he came back with us. Nevertheless, he's very cute.

After taking Reggie home we set off to our first assignment of the weekend, which was Pillars restaurant. This is a teaching location where the public can book for table service by college students studying catering, so there can be interesting situations, like the one Lola II and Mr M described where all the cutlery on the table was taken away after the starter, only to be brought back in time for the main course. The only unusual feature of our meals was when we were offered bread between the main course and the dessert, and Mr M even took some.

The starters were really outstanding (mine was watercress and mint soup) and I was optimistic for the rest of the meal, which unfortunately fell well below that standard. The vegetarian main course was spiced Quorn on herbed bulghar wheat with something else sauce (I forget what) and, although tasty, it had the appearance and consistency of school dinner slop. My pudding of rhubarb trifle was surprisingly flavourless. But thanks to Lola II and her allium intolerance we had a good time educating the students - teacher came over to help for that one. And the wine was very cheap.

We relaxed for the rest of that day before work began in earnest the next day. Two of the scheduled duties for the weekend were to tidy up Lola II's home office, and to sell or give away more accumulated possessions. The office was first, and I stood guard as Lola II sweated over paperwork and filing and deciding what to take back to the office at work. At one point I allowed her out into the exercise yard, but she made a break for it and tried to get Mr M to hide her. She claimed it was a conjugal visit but I hauled her back to the isolation wing pretty quickly.

Sister D came for lunch and stayed for the afternoon, when she helped enormously with the listing of my old possessions on Facebook marketplace while Lola II grappled with eBay. Unlike last time, I haven't had much interest in my goods, but Lola II has fared a great deal better with her childhood collection of erasers. Who knew a load of old rubbers would fetch more than £25?

Lola II cooked a delicious lunch in the kitchen wing of the prison, but we treated ourselves to a Thai delivery in the evening where I overdid the ordering of fried goods, given that I don't allow myself any at home. Next day started by me being put to work on replacing light bulbs, as Lola II isn't great with ladders and Mr M has struggled with the fittings in the past. I performed my God-like powers (Let There Be Light) despite one of the fittings showering me with small shards of black plastic.

Lola II managed to finish the tidy up of her office revealing the carpet below, which may be replaced some time soon. There were carpet samples to consider, and she and Mr M managed to reach agreement but may need more support and encouragement from the prison guards to see this through to completion.

We went out to the local pub at the end of the weekend, and were served by the most clueless barmaid I've met for a long time. Coming home, we somehow managed to be talking about different types of Irish cream, and Mr M revealed that he had three types in the cupboard - original Baileys as well as supermarket versions from Sainsburys and Aldi. So, of course, we had to perform a taste test. I guessed all three correctly, and preferred the Baileys, then Sainsburys, then Aldi. Which brought the weekend to a lovely fuzzy alcoholic end.

Angus and Bruce

After the disappointment of the cancelled weekend with a trainee Guide Dog, I was offered two more weekends, first with Angus, then with Bruce.

Angus

Angus is a yellow Labrador, and he's usually looked after by the daughter of a badminton friend who had just the previous week been showing me pictures of him. He's quite young and hasn't done much of his training yet, and I was warned that he sometimes brings shoes or clothes as presents. I had told the trainer that I had my music group on the Saturday and asked whether it was going to be OK to take him along, and the trainer thought that would be all right, but suggested a distraction in case he got bored.

Well, it was like having an energetic toddler the size of a 10-year-old child romping about the house. I had to move EVERYTHING out of reach, not just shoes and clothes, but towels, plants, books and anything else that was movable. Then I had to shut all the doors (he likes toilet paper) and block the stairs, and still any time we weren't in the same room I was on edge wondering what mischief was going down. The only time he stopped moving was when I was watching TV, and even then he tried to sit on top of me rather than next to me. The worst moment was when he almost managed to jump over the garden wall - he would only have ended up trapped in next-door's garden, but still, it would have been inconvenient.

I imagined it would help if we did some long walks to tire him out, but he's not much more than a puppy and I'm nearly 60, so what actually happened was that I tired myself out, especially after playing saxophone and clarinet for three hours. Angus was completely at ease with honking sax and squawking clarinets, and didn't really need the distraction of a frozen soaked kibble filled bone, although he was very happy to be given it.

But he didn't like getting in the car. Picking him up from the Guide Dogs centre he was fine, but it was a bit of a performance to get him in the back so I could drive to the music group, and I was pretty sure that we were going to have trouble getting him home. Sure enough, at the end of the session he absolutely wasn't interested in getting in the car. Luckily the director of the group was last to pack up and came over to offer assistance, which I gladly accepted. So he picked Angus up and shoved him bodily in the back. I realised that I'd have to plan for getting him back to the centre, although if all else failed we could walk, so I withheld breakfast until we were ready to go, and put the bowl in the car, which worked beautifully.

The strangest thing was that while Angus was with me on Sunday I was contemplating whether I could actually manage looking after a dog full time and very grateful that I was taking him back the next day. But on Monday afternoon I was already missing him.

Bruce

Bruce is also a yellow Labrador, and he came to stay for just one night. One of the interesting things about this whole scheme is that I'm seeing the differences and similarities not just in the dogs, but also in the trainers. Bruce's trainer seemed to be less organised than the others - she wasn't there at the time she'd told me to meet her, she hadn't arranged the sheet of information that accompanies a dog to let you know the relevant information, and he didn't come with any toys or special treats. They hadn't even arranged to provide the right amount of food - supper was handed over, but not breakfast until I asked. 

He reminded me of Angus but was much less naughty: he didn't go upstairs, and didn't mess with my belongings except for a gift of one solitary glove when I really had been ignoring him (I was cooking). We didn't have much time for walking, but even though he was the least reticent about getting in the back of the car I decided to walk him back to the centre, and made the rookie error of forgetting to bring poo bags. Despite having done his business already that morning he managed another on the way there, which I had to leave where it was and pick it up on the way back.

When I arrived at the kennels there was nobody about at all. I rang the bell a few times, then put Bruce in one of the runs and texted the trainer to check whether it was OK to leave him like that. Then some staff turned up and took charge even though they weren't expecting him, and the trainer still hasn't replied to my text message (although it's possible the kennel staff reassured her that all was well).

They have already offered me another dog, but for dates when I'm away so I've had to turn it down. But one of my Buddhist friends was telling me how he'd had to cancel his attendance at a retreat because his brother and parents couldn't look after his dog, so I offered my services as dogsitter and we'll be meeting up soon.

Bruce again

Two Lolas in Oxford

Riverhill Himalayan Gardens, June 2021

It's been a while since the two Lolas descended upon a town, but we managed to find a time when both of us were free - not so easy nowadays - and off we went to Oxford.

Lola II had done the required research about where we would eat, because now that I have gone properly vegetarian it is no longer a foregone conclusion that it will be Japanese food. We settled on an Arabic bakery (Za'atar Bake) that was some way from the station, so we started to catch up on the way.

Lola II's big news is that seven years after joining the 'Borrow My Doggy' website, she has finally gone ahead and contacted some dog owners. She is now in regular contact with Reggie, taking him for walks and bringing him home as well. Meanwhile, I was contacted by Guide Dogs ahead of planned weekends with Angus and Bruce, which have actually gone ahead this time. Dog news is on its way in future posts.

Throughout lunch (me: flatbread with cheese, spinach and pomegrate seeds, Lola II: chicken tagine with lemon, olives and rice), we talked a great deal, and then walked back into town to the Weston Library which has exhibitions that have always proved interesting in the past. This time was no exception, with an exhibition about melancholy based on a huge book published in 1621 called 'The Anatomy of Melancholy' by an Oxford Scholar called Robert Burton. For a 400-year-old book it had a lot of relevant insight into depression, its causes and its treatment.

There was also a huge tapestry on display, showing what remains of a map of Oxfordshire and beyond, made in the 16th century. It actually stretches as far as London to the east and Cheltenham to the west, and despite large portions being missing it's in remarkable condition after restoration - especially knowing that, like the book we saw, it's also more than 400 years old. In looking up the information to include here I found out that it's one of four maps commissioned by a man who lived in Warwickshire, and that the only one that is still complete is of Warwickshire, and can be found in the museum in Warwick. I think a visit is in order.

After all that culture we needed cake, so after some difficult research we ended up in the covered market. Oxford really needs to up its game when it comes to advertising cake shops, and the selection was not impressive. More talking ensued, and then we decided to extend the trip with a visit to the cinema where we saw the film Belfast (tipped for Oscar nominations). It turned out to be a showing with subtitles, which I was very sorry about because I find them incredibly distracting. Lola II didn't mind.

As far as I know, we didn't take a single photo the whole day, not even of lunch or the cake, so I've had to include a picture from a trip last year at the top of this post. And apart from wearing masks when going into shops and the library, it felt very normal and pre-pandemic. More trips are planned.