Chairing a meeting about bus services from Little Paxton to Longsands School
Chairing a meeting about bus services from Little Paxton to Longsands School

Working at home, putting the finishing touches to our family tax planning for the end of the financial year and solving the issue of lining our new Paxton Princess fridge and then, after an extended family lunch at The Little Chef, chairing a meeting about bus services from Little Paxton to Longsands School. There were the Mums, the bus company and the principal of Longsands School and we had a very good session at which, not only did we pledge to tackle the problems involved, but also improved communication between the parties concerned. I then telephoned Sally, Derek and Percy to review the problems of the local election campaign, which had been struggling without me.

I was tired after yesterday but still was keen to get on today. The first priority was to get my new fridge liner for the boat ordered and Steven was on to this before I was even up and dressed. He had contacted a company in Eaton Socon who were willing to do the job quickly and, after I had found that a plastic alternative was to take longer and cost more from a plastics firm, I decided to get them to do it. I was worried about the thermal characteristics of stainless steel, but I called fridge distributors Penguin and they assured me that it is very often used. This settled, I put the finishing touches to our family tax planning for the end of the financial year with Daniel's situation the foremost that had to be solved. I had calls from both of my advisers endorsing the action that I set out to them in recent faxes and, with Daniel happy as well, I could put things into effect.

** "Read More" BELOW for the complete story **

Debbie had her friend Jo round for the day and, with the rest of the family here, Diana took us all out to lunch at the Little Chef. I had barely got back when Helen Young arrived in advance of our school bus meeting. There had been concern about the lack of capacity and poor service on the United Counties school mini bus from Paxton to Longsands School and I had been asked to chair a meeting of the mums, the bus company and the principal of Longsands School to address the problem. Helen briefed me about the issues involved and then, after I had changed, I joined them at the school and we had a very good session at which, not only did we pledge to tackle the problems involved, but also improved communication between the parties concerned.

Home and then telephoned Sally, Derek and Percy to review the problems of the local election campaign. There is no doubt that they are suffering without me, and the biggest problem seems to be the EARS computer database which does not seem to be working. Percy tells me that the Tories have got wind of my retirement and so I acted to write to our election helpers and deliverers telling them about John Brown and also separately to the flag board site residents asking for their permission to erect boards for the local and general elections. The Stock Exchange and Tories share a mood of gloom as the latest opinion polls give the Labour Party enough support to form their own government.