Working on my Little Paxton History book as the weather gets colder and hearing that I am now on the St Neots Museum Steering Committee as my ducks start laying again and flood water gushes out of my outfall. Debbie is doing well as horse-riding again, and so I signed her up for a day’s outing at Easter. The government is defeated in The Lords over child benefit levels, the end of the Brussels NATO Summit with a fudged compromise concerning nuclear weapons, and the launch took place of The Social and Liberal Democrats. Pit deputies awarded a big pay rise but a train drivers strike hits over unsafe braking systems
Very late to bed after my meeting with Percy Meyer last night and felt quite tired today. I read this morning’s paper, then the mail, and then settled to my local history. Today I tackled the end of The Birches section, then West and South Lodge, Cosy Corner and the start of North Lodge. The objective is to try to finish these sections off and get draft copies out to the people who contributed the information and others who own or have been associated with the buildings in question. I heard from Mr Wills of the History Group today and I have been confirmed as a member of the Museum Steering Committee. When out feeding the birds today I was pleased to find three duck eggs. The doves are also starting to breed a bit prematurely. The weather was milder today, with some strong sharp showers. The outfall by the river from the Little Paxton surface water drains was strong, but very muddy and dirty after the dry weather we have had of late. Off to horse riding later. Debbie rode Flint today and did quite well as the youngest member of the ride.
I signed her up for a whole day’s outing the Wednesday after Easter. Did not achieve a great deal more this evening. The news today is of the end of the Brussels NATO Summit, with a carefully worded compromise as a show of unity. But ‘modernising nuclear weapons’ in the communiqué became, ‘kept at an appropriate level’ in translation to appease the Germans, and ‘kept up to date where necessary’ in the British version. The launch took place of The Social and Liberal Democrats today, against a cloud of the separatist Dr David Owen in the background. The government have been defeated in The Lords over their refusal to increase child benefit in line with inflation. A pay tribunal has awarded pit deputies a 40% rise in weekend rates, but not improved on the annual pay offer of 4 ¼ %. Now an unofficial 24 hour strike by Eastern Region train drivers over a train braking system that the 400 drivers say is unsafe. There is a row in the South Atlantic over the British military exercises in the Falklands. All of the South American countries have condemned them and Argentinean forces are being put on alert. The weather is due to get colder again this evening and the week ahead looks to be cold with snow showers.