A full day gardening at The Hayling View
A full day gardening at The Hayling View

A full day gardening after a dry and sunny weather forecast; mowing lawns, trimming shrubs, weeding beds and clearing the games lawn boundary ditch getting very tired and then relaxing watching football on TV.

Havel gets another overwhelming victory in the Czech election , Gorbachev remains unhappy with a united Germany in NATO and a row develops over the insufficient funding for state schools.

The weather forecast was dry and sunny this morning and rain later and so I hurried to get out to get the rest of the lawns mowed. The dew on the lawns had to dry off first and so I lit a bonfire down by the river and got rid of the plastic plant pots which had gathered in such numbers. Trouble was that the wind changed direction so that the acrid black smoke was going over the Russel's boat next door and so I put that fire out and started another one on the slip-way. I then used the edging shears to trim all manner of shrubs that have been growing over the lawn and, had just about gathered up all of the trimmings, when it was time for morning coffee. The grass was dry enough by now and I started mowing the lawns, finishing the ones in the riverside garden by the time lunch was ready. Then it was back to it afterwards to do the edging which is always a steady job.

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I broke off later in the afternoon and went to see the rest of another televised football match before eating my tea. Out yet again to the garden and this time I took to the hoe and weeded all of the beds and then gathered up the grass and weeds that was clogging up the ditch around the games lawn. Lastly, I cleaned off and oiled the hand and edging shears before coming in quite shattered. Then a more restful time sitting in my office and catching up on these last two days' journal whilst watching more football on TV. The news is of an overwhelming victory for Vaclav Havel and his Civic Forum party in the Czechoslovakian election.  Gorbachev has warned Thatcher that no amount of assurances would satisfy the USSR over a united Germany remaining in NATO. Meanwhile back home, Kinnock was attacking Thatcher over the "wasted '80's" and expenditure of North Sea Oil. The row over the funding of state schools was stepped up today with an Essex comprehensive school headmaster asking for a donation of £50 per child from parents to prevent teachers having to be made redundant. The rain was slower to arrive here and then only in the form of light showers. To bed quite tired but at least I am up to date on the gardening at last and can do some paperwork tomorrow.