David A Broad
A personal story
More than 40 years, told day by day
Our overnight worry about Della’s drama debut was avoided by a delay to the event and I had time to walk Sam twice and get him to do land and water retrieves even in the rain.
As Di visited her parents in Cambridge today, I worked on overdue paperwork and sorted out my navigational software.
The assumptions behind the Home Secretary’s ‘Law and Order’ plans crack down on benefits for single mothers have been discredited.
Rather a fuss as we came to bed last night. Della had volunteered to take part in some dramatic art at school today and Diana had improvised a "Town Crier's" costume for her and she was nervously anticipating the event and being reluctant to go to bed last night. In the event, her schoolmaster was ill today, and the event was called off! One dry and one wet walk with Sam today as the rain moved across the country from the west and a south-westerly airstream returned again.
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Time today working with gardener Bill, spreading the mature compost on the beds and gathering and shredding the latest batch of leaves.
Also taking in hand the repair of the electric strimmer, visiting Ibbett's of Paxton and getting the bits and some of each of the spark plugs that we use on about nine motorised garden machines.
Also some time with Sam, with closer obedience and retrieving practice. The Mirror Group of newspapers widely condemned for publishing covert photographs of The Princess of Wales
It would be nice to leave certain jobs to others and to get on with those things that were most important; but in, reality, unless a householder takes an interest, then delegated tasks just do not seem to be done right. I find this with Bill and the garden. He is good at the immediate tasks but leaves other things to build up and does no planning for important annual events. Today, I got out with him and completed the process of spreading the mature compost on the beds and gathered and shredded the latest batch of leaves.
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Starting dull and dry but becoming drizzly, I used the best of it for Sam’s walk after which I worked in the garden leaf clearing with Della.
Then off dog training with Sam to Harlow who firstly disgraced himself and then did well.
Home to my office to do some administration before watching the summary of todays' Grand Prix.
The day started dull and dry again, and quite mild, but it ended up a bit drizzly as we got the first real rain since the floods. A lay in and late out with Sam for his morning walk, taking some car to keep him under good control ahead of his training session this afternoon. Back for a latish breakfast with Diana and the girls (as Daniel is always later still at the weekend) and then persuaded Della to join me in the garden to help gather and shred the leaves. She was very good and worked with me for two hours, separated by a refreshment break, as she raked the leaves up and I loaded them into the shredder.
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A more restful day after yesterday as I dropped round to give Nigel a bottle of whisky on his birthday.
It was markedly colder today but still fine and dry as I encountered house heating issues for the Eastern Gas service engineer to fix as I took the family out to lunch at A.J.'s.
Watching England win at Rugby League on the TV and then taking Diana out to watch the film, ‘Dave’ at Bedford cinema.
be expected that I was going to be very tired today. Even the warm bath last night was not enough to stop my limbs aching and, after taking Sam for his morning walk, I opted against rushing to clear the garden and build a bonfire for the evening. I bought Nigel a bottle of Scotch and a card whilst out with Della and Sam this morning and then dropped it round to Hail Weston House today, his birthday.
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A mild day after a misty start ideal for leaf clearance/gardening and I also spent some time training Sam on his walks but there was no bonfire on Guy Fawkes night.
I did progress highway access issues for our Cambridge Street properties and expect no issues to hold us up.
Not such a good night than of late as I first felt very warm and so discarded much bedding but was then very cold and woke up again! I was reluctant to rise but then got down to breakfast in time and out with Sam. He had a good run this morning; quartering well and even starting to point and found two hen pheasants. I saw a woodcock today in the pits complex for the first time. Sam did not get so much attention this evening and just had an ordinary run, but I let him out and kept him by me all morning whilst I worked in the garden.
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Working with gardener Pete to continue muck spreading on the games lawn and plant beds and then meeting with Andy Carmichael of the HDC Planning Department who was amenable to our plans for converting Nos 50-52 Cambridge Street. into four flats.
Then to my gardening as I needed the physical exercise as my weight has gone up to over fourteen and a half stone. Daniel saw Dawn last night and had a letter from Angela and then rushed out to post a letter tonight to keep his correspondence going.
The milder and dry weather of late continued today and the gardener was able to finish off the spreading of the lawn top-dressing after I had given him his instructions. I kept clear and let him get on with it but, after he had finished work at lunchtime, I went out and spread most of the remaining mature compost heap onto the plant beds in the front garden. My aim is to create the space that I need for shredding the remainder of our garden rubbish and the leaves that are now falling fast and also to possibly build a bonfire for Guy Fawkes night
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