Waking up on a much drier, sunnier less-windy day to enjoy a croissant with the family and joined Di for her normal Tuesday visit to see her parents for morning coffee in Cambridge, dropping off my FOCUS artwork to our printers on the way. Some shopping and lunch at the Copper Kettle before coming home for a rest and recovery afternoon.
Attending to my fish and journal before attending a meeting of the Kimbolton School Society in the Spinney rather than the usual Castle Green Room. Home and ready for bed as I was very tired from my late nights and rather ill with this bronchitis of mine. In the city, a possible share rally turned into a slide again and a sample 6 of the 21 charge-capped Labour councils have successfully obtained leave in the High Court for a judicial review of the Secretary of State’s selective view of council expenditure.
The UK government again dragging its feet yet again and actively opposing plans for faster European union on the eve of Franco-German talks and the weekend European meeting. In Romania, 4,000 demonstrators broke through a police cordon and demonstrated in a square in the centre of Bucharest.
Today was much drier and sunnier with the cool breeze moderating so that the weather felt very much warmer. I woke up about 7.45am in the end and came down to breakfast of a croissant with the family. I then showered and washed quickly to get ready to join Diana for a trip to Cambridge. I phoned Percy to tell him what was happening and then set off with Diana, dropping off a letter from Carole to the press in St Neots on the way. Once at Cambridge, I went to deposit the FOCUS artwork with our printers and then we parked in the Round Church car park at 9.45am. This was in time to avoid a queue and we were able to stock up with cash before meeting Di's Mum and Dad for coffee.
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We browsed around the shops in the sunshine taking our time and then had a nice lunch at the Copper Kettle before coming home. I then rested for the rest of the afternoon and read the papers, quite shattered after my late night activities. After tea, I fed the fish and then wrote up these last three days' journal before setting off for a meeting of the Kimbolton School Society. I had to have a wash and shave to wake up and I was regretting that the meeting did not start until 8.00pm. I drove across to get there on time and the meeting was in the Spinney rather than the Castle Green Room as usual. It was significant that neither of the two Tory Councillors were there as they were presumably away canvassing in the elections. It was a better meeting than usual with an offer on my part to provide a prize for the Grove Opera raffle as we are not able to attend the function. I will be better placed to attend the school sports day and barbeque and will help then. Home rather late but Diana was still up and watching the television.
After a little time with her, I got ready for bed as I was very tired from my late nights and rather ill with this bronchitis of mine. I fear that I will not be able to make my normal contribution to the Full Council meeting tomorrow if I keep on coughing and wheezing so. The news today was of the UK government dragging its feet yet again and actively opposing plans for faster European union. Thatcher made some negative comments in the Commons as Douglas Hurd, the Foreign Secretary, adopted a more positive tone in Paris on the eve of Franco-German talks and the weekend European meeting. In Romania, 4,000 demonstrators broke through a police cordon and demonstrated in a square in the centre of Bucharest. Now final talks are being directed at the release of a Belgian family kidnapped in Lebanon three years ago according to Palestinian sources which is making the British position of refusing talks look even more isolated.
In the city, a possible share rally turned into a slide again as former Bank of England governor, Kit McMahon, gave a warning of deteriorating bank profits in his new role as Chairman of Midland Bank. He was critical of UK economic policy and identified the use of high interest rates as the cause of the trouble. A sample 6 of the 21 charge-capped councils have successfully obtained leave in the High Court for a judicial review of the Secretary of State’s selective view of council expenditure which will delay the process of charge-capping and thereby increase the problems of enforcing it.