I had not announced my presence at home as I had a host of work to do in catching up on a whole range of correspondence and administration. I discussed the Heronshaw planning agreement with solicitor John Koch of Taylor-Vinters who will now be negotiating the terms with the Broads Authority, faxed the structural surveyor with my latest , ordered the refrigeration equipment that will upgrade the boat fridge and authorised the new navigational interface to be installed.
After tea, I tried to get Parish Chairman, John Knight, to try to get him to stand for the District Council as my successor without success and then arrived quite late on to the adoption meeting for Sue Sutton at the Priory Centre. John Major, rattled by Kinnock's progress in this first week of the campaign, has changed his stance to that of a strident partisan politician rather than that of the nice prime minister and I think that is a mistake for the Tory strategists to make
I was soon down to it and discussing the Heronshaw planning agreement with solicitor John Koch of Taylor-Vinters who will now be negotiating the terms with the Broads Authority representatives. I faxed the structural surveyor with my latest thoughts and tried to get some timescales out of him and then wrote a de-briefing letter to the architects essentially standing them down with the criticism that they seemed unable to grasp the needs of economic reality. Letters to builders and then, turning to the boat, an order for refrigeration equipment that will upgrade the boat fridge to become much more efficient. Also to authorise the go-ahead for a new navigational interface to be installed.
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I had some council work to attend to and correspondence to answer from district council officers before informing them of the local resident who would sit on the Paxton Pits Nature Reserve users committee. The day had worn on and I had to rush down to the town to post the letters. I tried to get a haircut but the barbers were full of schoolboys with their supervising mothers! After tea, I went to see Parish Chairman, John Knight, to try to get him to stand for the District Council as my successor but he was too busy with his work for the next couple of years, though he would have considered it after that. Then quite late on to the adoption meeting for Sue Sutton at the Priory Centre.
It was a difficult occasion for me and Sue and, in fact, we did not talk together but concentrated on meeting others. She had already made her speech and Percy was manfully going through the money-raising routine with a dutch auction of contributions from those present. I arrived as they got down to £20 and made that contribution. The occasion seemed a bit flat with scarcely adequate attendance and I am the one principally to blame for, now that the general election has come round and despite my offer to organise Sue's campaign, I am otherwise engaged in Norfolk.
People like Michael Pope, Derek Giles and Ross McKay were also missed. I did not stay afterwards but returned home and slumped with Diana in front of the television where she was watching a "Holy Grail" film which was quite appalling. A little time listening to the news. John Major, rattled by Kinnock's progress in this first week of the campaign, has changed his stance to that of a strident partisan politician rather than that of the nice prime minister and I think that is a mistake for the Tory strategists to make. To bed with Diana who was still awake.