Flaming June brought its hottest day here since 1976 and the wettest ever month in Australia. My family had problems with allergies and hay fever, but my most serious family health issue was the spread of my father’s skin cancer to his inner ear with the next biggest worry, being Della’s acute reaction to a Sundance horse blanket which had been unwisely hung in the hall! This month, we trailed Daniel’s boat to the Norfolk Broads as we stayed in a riverside chalet and then commissioned The Lady for another trip.
At home we then had the pond and garden chores to catch up with afterwards, with gardener Pete away for some of the time, and we had the Smith’s barbecue at Hail Weston House and a Lodge Farm Diddington barn dance in between our customary family meals out. I sold the first 420 copies so far of my huge work ‘The History of Little Paxton’ and filed the press cuttings and photos afterwards.
During the month I pursued alternative investments in a Wroxham riversdie property and meadows in Godmanchester but decided against both; between sessions working hard on my financial summaries and accounts, creating a St James’s Church historical leaflet for a very appreciative Reverend Peter Lewis and attending countless District and Parish meetings where I managed to get some things agreed. The Democrats fared badly in the Euro elections but we got our man elected locally for the Parish Council.
The country’s politics nationally were dominated by Thatchers problems as labour and union disputes handicap the country and the Tories lost 13 seats to Labour such that an anti-Thatcher coalition will be in charge of the new European Parliament. Thatcher is not only under siege from external industrial disputes but also from internal dissent over EEC economic cooperation and the EMS as she is alone in resisting EU reforms.
Despite appalling news from China, Thatcher is refusing sanctuary to fleeing refugees from Hong Kong after the latest crisis is roundly condemned. Estimates of the deaths are as high as 7,000 with Chinese police then arresting 600 leading dissidents to brutally crushed political opposition. Three protesting students are then tried and executed and the ‘tank martyr’ was then shot dead for his bravery.
It was a bad month for Russia as a gas pipeline explosion killing hundreds, a Soviet MIG 15 crashed at the Parish Air Show, a new Soviet nuclear submarine, the K-278 Komsomolets, is stricken by fire off of Norway and Russian cruise liner, the ‘Maxim Gorkiy’, hits an iceberg in the Arctic Ocean such that a thousand passengers have to be rescued!
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June, for many, was a fantastic month of warm, dry and sunny weather but it also brought uncomfortably warm and humid days with the warmest June day since 1976. Hot sunshine of burning intensity was accompanied by very hot and sticky nights, which eventually ended as refreshing rains came at last with sufficient water to save the gardens and avoid a drought. The world’s weather has been quite strange: In Australia, they had the wettest month in living memory. The ‘warming’ of the climate due to the ‘greenhouse’ effect of carbon dioxide, equatorial rainforest clearance and pollution may or may not have been the cause.
My family had problems with hay fever and allergies which were quite worrying but seem to have settled down now. Deborah was doing well at school and won her first school prize. Debbie’s summer horse-riding commitments with Sundance at Offord were a trial and special arrangements had to be made for our holiday and I always had to take her and was even called to the riding school to help Debbie with Sundance and to buy a spray for him. Debbie has a long doctor’s examination of her hay fever symptoms, but she managed.
Della was also doing well at school but there was a worrying day for poor Daniella after she developed terribly swollen eyes as an allergic reaction to Debbie’s horse blanket being hung in the hall overnight and so we spent much of the following day away from the house to give her respite and chance of recovery. Once the offending item had been removed, she was recovering from her acute allergic attack but staying at home convalescing. She was good company for me if a bit of a distraction to my work.
Daniel was learning to drive and I was giving him driving lessons and he cleaned my car for me in return, but he occasionally missing his school bus, which caused a problem. We had a meeting with Daniel’s chemistry teacher, Mr Watson, about his future choice of subjects as he fought against his advice and that of his housemaster, Mr Brophy, and myself to keep studying the subject. Daniel joined me for a game of croquet at times and his friends also came to play the game, swim in our pool and use the outboard motor dinghies rather too enthusiastically. The children come home with good school reports even though Daniel is struggling a little.
By far the most worrying family health problem is my Dad, who was suffering from the spreading of his skin cancer. His ear was closing up with an infection and a new growth close by and he could hardly hear out of it and it is painful too. He was awaiting a scanner appointment early next month at Addenbrookes after which the surgical and radiological consultants would decide whether results mean radiotherapy or operational remedies. However, it then took a turn for the worse and I was thinking of him and so we stopped and saw him at my Mum and Dad’s place in Stanton on our way to Norfolk.
Once we had got to Norfolk, Daniel was enjoying his boat, ‘The Little Lady’. He took us for a trip, stopping at the Hoveton Nature Trail and then cruising on to Horning and back after which we took a walk from our base and dropped in on the Bloom Family, who were staying close by in the Wroxham Marina, to invite them for dinner at The Bridge Restaurant. We took the family on a day excursion by car to Great Yarmouth and set ourselves up on the sandy beach alongside Joyland for the girls to use the rides before taking a ride in a horse-drawn Landau and driving back.
Once our stay was over, we took a hasty departure from our chalet and viewed the nearby Bure Cottages. We also reviewed one of Moore’s luxury craft as a possible alternative to The Lady but decided against due to its cost and so we decided to take The Lady. In preparation, Daniel helped me pull her onto the mooring after which I commissioned its toilets, water system, engine and heating and then Diana and I worked together to clean her; myself cleaning the hull as Di cleaned the cabin roofs and front and back cabins. We then bought some fender cleaner before getting The Lady right ready for our trip to Norfolk.
After the holiday, we then had a torrid journey by car in the heat and traffic before finally arriving home to the riverside peace of Paxton, compared with the bustle of Wroxham. I was then happy to spend working on sealing cracks in The Lady’s woodwork. When back home, there were lots of things needing doing at The Hayling View between our normal range of family meals and activities at home, enjoyable breakfasts of croissants with the girls, Little Chef lunches and teas. There was Linda and Nigel Smith’s barbecue at Hail Weston House, where the children swam in the pool and we had an evening at Lodge Farm Diddington for a barn dance after Diana and I were given a lift by Helen and Eric Young.
The Koi carp were doing much better and putting on size and weight. They were not without blemishes and I noticed my new Koi carp being a victim to fish lice as the water warmed but seem they healthy enough overall. The new blinds and the arrival of my huge conservatory de-humidifier were helpful in controlling their environment as was an automatic hose timer for the pond. I spent time replanting the pond water lilies after they were uprooted by the hungry Koi during our absence and then running the sprinkler all day to water a parched garden, mowing the games lawn closely. The longest day of the year was a busy one for me as my gardener Pete is absent, leaving me to do all the watering feeding and mowing and I spent a few days completing the garden chores in hisabsence.
In my own personal project, I sold the first 420 copies so far of ‘The History’ after a tour of local newsagents placing copies for sale and there were book signings at The Little Paxton School Fête, where I sold 19 books and raised money for the good cause. I also had an order for 18 more books for local libraries. By this time, I had dealt with most of the work arising in its wake. All of the photographs that did not have to be returned to their owners. were now back in the books in the fireproof safe. A monumental backlog of press cuttings had been now dealt with and my office was much clearer as a result. An outing to see colleagues in Cambridge set up my new Apple computer.
My financial affairs were beginning to take shape, but I was reluctant to make too many investment decisions whilst the world’s markets were still too risky and highly valued for my taste. Whilst in Norfolk, I had called in at The Broadland Estate Agency in Wroxham for details of some riverside investment properties and started to negotiate the purchase of one of them, Admiral’s Cottage, subject to some boundary changes. Once back I spent a whole morning talking to agents and professional contacts in Norfolk about my idea of acquiring it for rental and then resumed negotiations but, after talking through its survey and being put off by its valuation, Moore’s would still not negotiate the price. Once I had discussed the surveyors report with our solicitors, revealed unfavourable moorings leases as well as the over valuation the matter was dropped. I also drove to Godmanchester Meadows after taking an interest, but this revealed them in full use when I should be have been able to buy with vacant possession and, after driving to my solicitors in Cambridge to discuss this Cow Lane, Godmanchester acquisition, I decided against this too.
The work was constant on my financial affairs, reconciling bank accounts and completing transactions for the previous tax year. I resumed work on my finances after six months of inactivity, concentrating on getting my financial summaries for the end of the tax year completed and writing up my journal as well as attending to my mail and correspondence. I also created a St James’s Church historical leaflet for a very appreciative Reverend Peter Lewis. Other work on my local affairs and politics did not pause either; there were poor meetings of the HDC Economic Development Committee stymied due to lack of willing investment but at least I had a successful HDC Environmental Services Committee meeting, where many of my proposals were accepted as I was always crafting motions and questions for forthcoming District Council agendae.
I had to chair the Little Paxton Village Hall committee meeting where we organised the forthcoming Village Hall fête and fundraising dance, delivering more Village Hall fete programs, and then chaired a meeting with the Redland directors over their desired developments. The subsequent meeting of Priory Doom, was an informal and relaxed one, now that the threat of development has been lifted and I was back at my former Comart Head Office at Grove House for the official opening of its extension with local MP. Sir Anthony Grant, with whom I am in a single mind opposing Nicholas Ridley’s ‘A45 village’ development. A meeting with Superintendent David Porter at Huntingdon Police Station seeking better village policing and attending the opening of the Paxton Pits Nature Reserve with an actress from Howard’s Way, which was change!
There were other meetings of the Leisure and Amenities Committee of the District Council, a Planning Seminar for Members, a meeting of the Southern Area District Councillors and the Saint Neots Museum committee and I managed visit to Saint Neots town Council with Sally Guinee one evening to support the beleaguered colleague, Michael Pope and I had a good and positive Democrat Committee meeting my house. Keeping the publicity going for our activities was important and, after one very late night, I was tired getting up the following morning but still wrote to the local Euro election candidate and Paddy Ashdown before my press interview with Tracey Reddit of The St Neots Weekly News.
I had helped deliver ‘vote today’ leaflets throughout Paxton for the Euro elections but we had a poor European election which was a disaster with the outcome forcing yet more party soul-searching results for the Democrats nationally, even though we did somewhat better locally. After I had spent time on John Grosvenor’s election address, we had a successful Little Paxton polling day which and ended with John being elected as our party representative against strong opposition from a local lady which made for an interesting Little Paxton Parish Council meeting subsequently but Priory DOOM activist Fiona Lockett now seems unlikely to stand for us as a Democrat candidate. There were always local constituency issues to help with; such as the Moughton’s of Lakefield Avenue about playing field disturbances.
The country’s politics nationally were dominated by Thatchers problems as labour and union disputes handicap the country. There was double legal union trouble for the government, as Liverpool dockers continue strike action and the Law Lords allow a National Dock Strike from early July and a legal battle in the appeal courts allows British Rail union members to be able to strike. With the first day of a national train strike at home, Thatcher now faced railway, tube and dock strikes with acute transport congestion in London. Following as a result of the second one-day rail and tube strike, organised by Jimmy Knapp, that left Thatcher powerless and furious when, that evening, came news that the rail strikes were going to be intensified. GPs were also discontent and threatening action.
The government is now very unpopular as the effect of inflation takes its toll as opinion put the Labour Party 7% up on the Tories before the forthcoming Euro elections and the Tories lost 13 seats to Labour such that an anti-Thatcher coalition will be in charge of the new European Parliament. The Tories are critical of their party conduct of the European elections and there are rumours of my former IT contact, Kenneth Baker taking over the party chairmanship and when I contact him in congratulation he replies that he will be ‘In the Eye of a Storm’, which is about right! Chancellor Lawson and Margaret Thatcher disagree on the causes of inflation whilst the Bank of England spends reserves to try to maintain the value of sterling with the pound week giving rise to interest rate fears which was unsettling for the housing market.
Thatcher is not only under siege from external industrial disputes but also from internal dissent over EEC economic cooperation and the EMS as she is alone in resisting EU reforms, such that her Welsh colleagues urge to keep Peter Walker as Welsh Secretary after he issued a challenge to the Prime Minister over early connection to the EMS. Then news of a possible European compromise on monetary union with Thatcher prepared to accept the first stage of the EMS as Tory support plummets in opinion polls as the government now plans to replace student grants with an educational loan system and the House of Lords defeats the government on its Child Benefit policy.
In other British Isles news, Salman Rushdie’s book is back in the headlines and the Directors of P&O ferries face prosecution over the sinking of the Herald of Free Enterprise, rival Asian and National Front rallies clash in Dewsbury and Irish Prime Minister, Charles Houghey, is forced to resign and the new coalition must be formed
Despite appalling news from China, Thatcher is refusing sanctuary to fleeing refugees from Hong Kong after the latest crisis and is roundly condemned. Hong Kong’s Governor, Sir David Wilson, said that people in the colony with UK passports should be allowed into Britain and ended up getting ‘strong assurances’ from Prime Minister Thatcher after Hong Kong politicians were upset over Thatcher’s immigration and refugee policy. The Chinese authorities have been violently suppressing student demonstrations. TV film shows repressive Chinese troops killing thousands of peacefully protesting students in Tiananmen Square and elsewhere by shooting indiscriminately. Some estimates of the casualties of the Chinese unrest are as high as 7,000 people dead, 1,000 of which are troops and the train was hijacked and set on fire. There followed the depressing news of the dismissal of the Chinese party leader Xhao Ziyang, who had been conciliatory to the student protests and has now paid the price with his job and house arrest for life. The Chinese police then arrested 600 leading dissidents as Chinese authorities brutally crushed political opposition and fugitives from China tell more of the massacres that took place. Three protesting students are tried and executed and the ‘tank martyr’ who halted tanks headed for the demonstrations by standing stoically in front of the column, has now been shot dead in cold blood for his bravery.
It was a bad month for Russia as a gas pipeline explosion killing hundreds, a Soviet MIG 15 crashed at the Parish Air Show, a new Soviet nuclear submarine, the K-278 Komsomolets, is stricken by fire off of Norway and Russian cruise liner, the ‘Maxim Gorkiy’, hits an iceberg in the Arctic Ocean and a thousand passengers have to be rescued. Solidarity takes all before it in the Polish elections as there is more ethnic unrest in Uzbekistan and another rail -crash kills a further 31.