A long call with Freda about her Redgrave Stores business and the need for proper accounts
A long call with Freda about her Redgrave Stores business and the need for proper accounts

No rest for me as, despite my exertions from recent days, I had just a short time to review my mail and council papers before undertaking three press and radio interviews and hosting Percy and Sally to prepare for our afternoon Full Council meeting of the HDC which went well considering.

Once back, off again to make up the quorum for a re-scheduled parish planning meeting and then once home, a long call with Freda about her Redgrave Stores business and the need for proper accounts. Still no reply from Iraq and the bloody ground war seems less than a day or two way now.

There was again no rest for me as today I had to quickly plan and implement our party's contribution to the Full Council meeting of the HDC. Tired and late up from all of my exertions, I had the added problem of a body full of the muscular aches and pains to cope with. Furthermore, I have hands sore with scratches and scrapes that also need to recover. At least I am fitter and a little slimmer from the experience. A short time to review the most urgent of my mail; to undertake three press and radio interviews and the shortest of periods to review the council papers before Percy and Sally had arrived to join me for a group meeting to plan our afternoon. We worked out a good plan of campaign and then drove off together and had a pre-meeting lunch at Pathfinder House before the meeting began.

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It was quite a good contribution from us despite the lack of our usual depth of preparation, but the Tories were rather tetchy and keen to get their points across about setting a low Poll Tax and saving a burden on the charge-payers. The meeting went on quite late and I had to wait around a while for a lift home as I had come with the others. Once back in Paxton, I found Diana on her way out to take the girls swimming and so I tried the village hall where I had an idea that a re-scheduled parish planning meeting was to take place. I was glad that I did as I just made up the quorum of five to allow the meeting to take place without another postponement. Home to an omelette and long telephone call with Freda about her business and the cost of my loan to her. I tried to be reassuring but also insisted on seeing some accounts so that they would have proper controls on the use of finance. The thought of an indefinite interest-free loan of £120,000 is not acceptable to us. At least her leg has healed up a bit and she has lost a stone in weight and is trying to lose more. Still no reply from Iraq and the bloody ground war seems less than a day or two way now.