The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

On Thursday Barry had given me a lift to sign-on, where thing’s had not gone as I’d expected at all. Initially I waited longer than usual, then been approached by the woman acting as floor manager, to attend to my signing-on. As we spoke, I’d asked her about the appointment I’d expected with the Disability Employment Advisor, as I’d been told to expect, by the last advisor to fill-in paperwork on me. During our chat it transpired no record existed of the advisor I saw, who had not filled in my paperwork correctly, which might explain why she had said to me, “I can’t help you” before directing me to an appointment with the Disability Employment Advisor. Before I left, I’d had yet another appointment to see an advisor.



Then come Friday Barry, Mike and I went to Hawkstone Park in Shropshire, a vast, sprawling park that had been lost to the public until the seventies. The weather had been good, the park expansive with enough curio’s built there to evidence the parks status as a ‘Folley’.



On the Sunday Barry and I went a runaround, to the shops in Birkenhead, finishing at ‘the seaside’, New Brighton… looking for a meat pie Barry wanted.



Come the Bank Holiday Monday we went to Ramsbottom and ‘the pipe’, the place where I faced fear and, fear had won. Well, as Mike and Barry had revelled in the ease in which they could negotiate the pipe, I had looked on and wondered. Well, finally I was up there myself, not thinking too much of the moving water, which bothered me so much last time. This time, we’d been posing for a video, so you’d be able to say I had distracted myself. Either way, it had been good to be in the green, being silly at times and, generally more energetic than I usually am. Needless to say, the exercise was not good for the bad chest and, later my wrists and ankles ached. That said, it had been worth the pain, to enjoy a really good day…

I’ve not activated my B.T. Account, just use the connection, as I appreciate the connection that is provided. Therefore it’s interesting to note that on Saturday night the site where I place my stories was not accessible, only to find that the site was blocked by BT’s Parental control, an App. which neither my Father or I had requested to be set up. I got particularly annoyed, when I realised that the only way I could change it myself was to use account details I’ve never used and, which had got disposed of the week earlier. So at 12:00 I had phoned to complain about having a ‘service’ I had not requested. Then when I got through to someone, {Haresh, I think} he could, would only, help if the account by my Father, who was in bed. Well, with his say-so, there had been a second call, with my Father at my side, to verify his name, mother’s maiden name and date of birth. That verified, I had asked several times, “Who made the decision to put parental controls on my, dash our account?” And, surely enough, there was no record of my Father or I requesting the app., yet there it was, applied with our permission. “I’ll pass it down to the relevant section and it’ll be solved within twenty four hours.” That had left me with a chapter of my latest story to be put on Vampirerave, whilst I sat to write, wired to Hell, that once again, someone had made a decision regarding me, without my authorization.



That aside, the sheer inconvenience of getting my Dad up at just after twelve to verify that he was the account holder and that I was accounting on his behalf was annoying to the extreme…



On Sunday Barry called round and we went to pick up his nephew Mike, then went to Liverpool to watch Liverpool FC vs. Borussia Dortmund in a pre-season ‘Friendly’ before the new season starts. The whole day had gone well, but I’d been darn tired toward the end of the afternoon… But, the crowds and the colour and just all of it… overwhelmed me… One thing really ticked me had been when I’d guessed the final score correctly at half-time… I had spent most of the event smiling.



Although I managed to get the housework done with Dad, I spent much of Monday with my left knee and right hip feeling sore and my chest probably required a doctor.

{Humour.} Anyway, come Tuesday I went to the village to get my pennies, on a blue-sky lightly windy day, with sun and light showers. In the way I had called at the dentists, as I’d had a loose tooth so called in to make an appointment, to reassure me about the it. Then as I’d travelled homeward, it had struck me how fortunate I was to live where I can, where I can do such a thing, at no direct cost to my pocket.



Wednesday I ended up walking to and from the village a couple of times, first to the doctor, then to the dentist in the afternoon, who saw to the tooth within minutes. It’s no wonder I’ve lost half a stone, with all the walking I do. That’s my excuse anyway.

Although, with the weather as it was, darn pleasant, the walking had been good, yet rather tiring to say the least.



Come the evening I visited Barry. He gave me a lift home. Before I got out he said, “I didn’t know whether to tell you this, but… Well, you know I know Barry? Well, I saw him and his son in the village…” he carried on… “Well, I asked how Debbie was and was told he didn’t know as she had left him. Now this was a surprise to me. I’d have expected it from the second missus, but not the first. But, there it had been, she’d dumped him for a newer model, like Tina had dumped me for a younger model; or like Debbie had dumped me, for Barry. I hadn’t know whether to be pleased, or not and had said so. After all, she had been my first real betrayal; yet it had been so damn long ago…

This weather we’ve been enjoying round here is downright strange, yet makes me recall the holidays of past. It’s been either sunny or sunny and showery, or even sunny with a light, pleasant breeze. Yet, there’s not been enough rainfall for Dad and the lawns, which has led to me doing a lot of watering and exercise for my knees. That said, there have been consolations for this weather of ours, a strawberry waiting for me, pretty well whenever I go in the back garden; that and the fact that the second crop of potatoes of the year are already poking their heads through, after I’ve had about fifteen to twenty pound of the last crop. I’m still looking for work and, making an effort to stay off ‘the sick’, but my old job seems to be done by volunteers now, even though ‘they’ seem to be screaming out for people who can do as I did, which seems a tad unfair to me, sometimes.

On Wednesday I had gone to pick up a prescription from the doctor’s, only to find that the decision had been made by someone, to opt me into a scheme wherein the pharmacist is sent your prescription electronically. Well for a start, I’m hot on data protection and secondly, I do not like choice being taken from me. So, after a polite but insistent ruckus at the doctor’s, I learned that the action was instigated at the chemist I use, near me. Needless to say, the pharmacist had been my next call. None of the assistants there had been able to answer my question, “Who made the decision to put me on this list?” Well, I had not been at all pleased to hear that, whatsoever. I’d reminded them of ‘data-infringement’ and, been assured that I’ll be taken off the list. Then, having left the shop I had returned a moment later to ask, “Did I say all that with a smile? Janet at the doctor’s aid I had to.” I’d got the grin I’d wanted and been told, “Yes, you did.”



And, I do recall the fellow in the paper, who took on Npower recently and, when they did not respond, after he’d won two court cases accusing them of harassment, he had ‘sent in the bailiff’s.’ A damn good story, methinks.



On Thursday after housework, I had decided to do a chore set by my Dad awhile back, rake out and seen where the verge in front of ours is baldy, after the workmen did not put it back as it was. As it had not rained properly for weeks, the ground was hard to work, so I’d watered it before working. Well, as I was watering a second time, having nearly finished, I had looked up to the end of the road, where two workers had arrived, one toted a blower, the other sat upon a large mower. The fellow on the mower had looked down the road, to me and what I was doing, then started turned away and began to work another road. A kind action, I had thought.



I had found that writing and watching new episodes of ‘True Blood’ and ‘Utopia’ just does not work, at all… in fact, watching them while writing was just plain distracting and, I’d had to pause them way too many times… as I had continues to type, prior to going to Liverpool and voluntary work.