Preparing letters for the election and then delivering them by hand, together with the cardboard box model to the Little Paxton contact of the engineering firm so that I could get my fridge liner made. Attending the Little Paxton Parish Council meeting in the evening with Paxton candidate, John Brown, and Percy as I successfully raised the subject of Parish help for the school bus and this was well received and should be supported when the formal request comes later this year. The opinion polls are now putting the parties close again, Labour with a small lead.
Back to work this morning, finishing off the letters that I had produced for the elections. The weather had improved a little with the sun and clouds competing for sky room and so, when I had the delivery ready, I got out my bicycle and rode around the village, dropping them off. This is actually a very efficient way of doing it as many of the houses are away from the roads in grassed precincts. First I had to drop off the cardboard box model to the Little Paxton contact of the engineering firm so that I could get my fridge liner made.
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It was quite funny as this house, in Park Crescent, was getting its old oak trees lopped and, realising that I was the district councillor, my arrival was greeted with some guilt! Home by lunchtime and very tired by this time, using muscles that have not come into play for some time. I wrote a note to my political colleagues telling them what I had arranged and then went out again by car to do some financial chores in St Neots and then deliver my notes. I found Paxton candidate, John Brown, with Percy and this proved very useful as I was able to brief them both and compare notes. I was beginning to get the calls by now cancelling many of the flagboard sites as I expected. In general elections, voters tend to revert to type after supporting us in the local campaigns. This evening, the Little Paxton Parish Council Meeting which actually went very well.
Some problems on the playground were attended to, we received an offer of a new sports-field for a games pitch and agreed in principal that the Scouts could have a larger building brought to the playing field for their new headquarters. At the end of the meeting, I raised the subject of Parish help for the school bus and this was well received and should be supported when the formal request comes later this year. John Brown and Michael Pope were both there which was good but they both disappeared quickly at the end of the meeting. Home to find Diana still awake in bed reading and then an early night, leaving other matters until the morning. The opinion polls are now putting the parties close again, Labour with a small lead and, by happy coincidence, Neil Kinnock starts talking about the wisdom of electoral reform. This is not enough for Paddy Ashdown, however, who challenges him to come down off the fence on the subject of proportional representation.