Thursday 12th November 2020

 Blinking antibotic capsels are interfearing with my acid reflux, be glad when I have finsihed the course.  Mums birthday was yesterday so I got a trifal for dessert and gave her a Monocarch of the Glen cross stitch pattern. I also brought up a DVD called 'Batteries not included' this is a classic film that our church would love.  I saw a magpie on the roof while coming back from the Spar, something always goes wrong when that happens.

It's a brillient movie and mum loves it. Only thing I have to bring another disc up on Sunday, as the one I ordered on Ebay stopped working after 30 minutes which I was rather upset about.  Mum didn't seem fussed but I was rather put out about it.  I've contacted the seller who was very appologetic, it wasn't his fault the disc was faulty. Me, uncle Mike, aunt Joan and both my cousins saw this movie at Bournemouth Odeon years ago.  This was on the last day they came to stay with us, they used to stay from Saturday to Tuesday because uncle Mike had to get back to work.  He was an engineer at the GEC (General Electric Company) factory in Rugby.  

My aunt and uncle used to live at a bungalow in Seymour Road just over from the factory, they had a black cat with white belly called Skippy (sounds like a kangaroo) and a piebald rabbit called Noddy. We came up to stay once and I remember looking behind the armchair to see Noddy staring up at me, he used to lick my feet which is something I wouldn't have let him do now today.  There was also Brandy who used to have fights with other dogs, uncle Mike used to shout at him a lot; today I would say he needed a dog pychologist.  That's Brandy, not uncle Mike.  

I was only young at the time (about 7) and I was out in the front garden sitting on an orage space hopper, when the horn of the GEC went off, bloody loud it was I covered my ears; I soon learnt not to be outside when that went off!

The company is long gone now (to France) and a housing estate now lays all over the site where the GEC once stood, my aunt used to be the tea lady for all the board meetings that went on in the offices.

Many of the houses date from the Victorian period, when the houses were being built in Brownsover estate, uncle Mike and aunt Joan used to go and have a look at the building going on.  The houses went up in the 1970's, I will describe these houses later.

Today the Odeon in Bournemouth has moved down the road to a much bigger building, and uncle Mike died from Lukemia.  He was diagnosed in August and was gone by November, he had a rash and a caugh that wouldn't get better; so mum said he should get it checked out.  I was with a friend of mine called Mary in Endless street waiting room when dad rang me to tell me he had gone.  Mary herself is gone now, she had ovarian cancer which is always dianosed too late.

I met Mary through Lifestyles salisbury Lifestyles which was (before the plague) our social group.  Lifestyles used to do outings and other events for people with mental health and learning difficulties.  A lot of people left because of one member of staff who was more in it for the money, then the welfare of the group.

Mary was in a wheelchair and was quite a character, she used to invite people to her house and then get onto them to do her housework; she got quite irate if they said no.  She also kept putting dents in her mobility car, she lost the car in the end as she failed her test.  I seen her have an argument with a white van who almost knocked her wing mirror off, basically she was just dangerouse behind the wheel.   

We've lost a few members of Lifestyles over the years including Hazel, Matthew, Calvin plus others I can't remember the name off.  May they all rest in peace until we meet again. 

Apparently we now have the higest death toll in Europe.