To Marshalls in Bedford with the Range Rover on a cold and frosty morning and then researching the life of John B Papworth who died in Little Paxton in 1847 and then I tried ordering a Hotpoint Freezer for Christmas without success. Home via St Neots library to hire some CD’s and then anavening of filing and writing chapters about Roman, Saxon and Danish conquests as South Africa attempt to justify their repression, 60 people die as a Russian plane from Minsk crashes in East Berlin coming in to Schonefeld airport
A better night after a friendly start with Diana. Still tired in the morning, but soon bucked up and got showered, shaved and down to breakfast. More trouble getting the children to clear up their rooms, yet again, and then I could settle to my paper after they had gone off to school. The post is coming later just recently and it is not enough to blame Christmas, as cards have hardly started to arrive yet – more a question of Post Office staff getting out of bed on these cold mornings. We had a decent frost this morning for just about the first time this winter and perhaps now the grass will stop growing. Not much time at my desk this morning, as soon Di and Della were ready to go to Bedford. We dropped off the Range Rover at Marshalls to have the disc-brake warning light fixed and then walked into town for a coffee. Di did some shopping as I mused around the library. I was not too keen on researching too much information, as I already have far more than I can absorb and record at the moment, but I did look out the biography and portrait of John B Papworth, who must justify more coverage when I get the time as he died in Little Paxton on the 18th June 1847, aged 72.
Met Di back at Debenhams and, after an unproductive time trying to get delivery of a Hotpoint freezer for Di’s Christmas present, we had lunch of Christmas dinner upstairs as a treat. Then across the road to Curry’s, where we order a huge Matsui 10 ½ cu ft freezer and I go back to the car via Peacocks (nothing of interest), whilst Di does some more Christmas shopping. The Range Rover is fixed and ready and, as it had started to rain, I drove back to meet Di half way and then we went home via St Neots Library. Got some more books and the first hire/loan of a compact disc music recording, which is now joining cassette tapes and records as a media for the public library. Home to tend the ducks and doves and then tea of grilled trout, which I shared with the girls. This evening, I did more file updating, finishing off the prehistoric era and entering in all else, except Samuel Jones Paper Mill and the chapters on Roman, Saxon and Danish conquests, which will take time. Late up, as Di took Daniel to his school disco and collected him afterwards. Under their new veil of censorship, the South African government has claimed evidence of an ‘uprising’ planned for December 16th. They say widespread acts of sabotage were expected and a lot more people from the ANC had been detained over the last 24 hours. Two Swiss nationals have been abducted from Swaziland and Switzerland are demanding an explanation. In an East Berlin air crash, 60 people have died in a Russian plane from Minsk, when it crashed coming in to Schonefeld airport. An Essex doctor has been found not guilty of raping an eight year old girl, or indecently assaulting her. The DPP had not wanted to prosecute the case and then the Sun newspaper financed the matter in a private prosecution, but to no avail.