Argentinian Lieutenant Colonel Aldo Rico
Argentinian Lieutenant Colonel Aldo Rico

Waking up to doubts about the viability of competing with the Tories in the local election and then hearing shots from wildfowlers in the foggy meadows opposite before I cleaned and polished the Range Rover. Later to hear of progress in the SDP/Liberal negotiations. In Argentina, a rebel former Lieutenant Colonel, Aldo Rico, is holed up in a base 500 miles north of Buenos Aires and is facing government troops pledged to put down the revolt

A good night, though I started it with my mind full of plans for fighting the District Council Election. I had realised that the Tory Candidate would have the benefit of canvassers, knockers up, transport, clipboard staff etc., which would be quite daunting to compete with. This morning at 8.00am I was awoken by gunfire. The meadows opposite are used in recent times for shooting wildfowl at this time of the year and this morning’s poor visibility and fog meant that they sounded a bit close for comfort. Soon Diana arrived with my morning tea, but forgot the paper for some time. Sat there a while before coming down in my dressing gown for a fried breakfast. Quickly showered after, but the house was so chilly – this fog seems to drift and chill everything. I then made the decision to go out and clean the Range Rover ahead of its service next Friday. I gave it the full treatment, spending most of the morning on the inside alone, hoovering it out, washing marks off of the vinyl and cleaning the carpets thoroughly.

I then shampooed the outside with a new sponge, fitted up the soft brush to the hose to clean off the outside suds and just about leathered the bodywork before lunch. A nice meal of roast pork, but we had it in the kitchen as I was too busy to lay the dining room table. This afternoon, I finished leathering, touched up paint chips with paint etc, then polished the whole body beautifully. This only leaves the rear bumper to correct, as the steel has rusted and lifted the paint, unless there are any problems underneath. Later this afternoon I tended the ducks and doves and spent a good half hour cleaning up after my efforts. Rested until teatime, which was served in the lounge. Di had made some nice salad sandwiches and these were both slimming and easy to eat. Enjoyed an episode of The Antiques Road Show on TV. It is always nice to see the objects and their enthusiastic owners and reviewers. Printed out the rest of my interview files and then felt too tired to do much, except write my journal and catch up on the latest news and weather. The news tonight is of unanimous agreement by the 6-man SDP/Liberal negotiating team on a new policy document, but its details are being kept secret until consultations have taken place with the two party’s activists tomorrow. Whether it can be universally acclaimed, yet also restore confidence in the Alliance supporters at large. Already the knives are out, as merger opponents get organised. In Cairo, a 50 year old English woman, Maureen Paleschi, has been sentenced to 25 years hard labour for trying to smuggle heroin into Egypt. In Argentina, a rebel former Lieutenant Colonel, Aldo Rico, is holed up in a base 500 miles north of Buenos Aires and is facing government troops pledged to put down the revolt. Matthew Collier is still in intensive care, but improving.