David A Broad
A personal story
More than 40 years, told day by day
The start of my 47th Birthday opening my cards and presents so that the family were not late for work/school. There was a little rain overnight and a few light showers today but the mostly dry weather was accompanied by much milder temperatures which came as a relief. A walk with Sam, concentrating mainly on obedience and quartering
and got him to do several launcher-dummy, throwing dummy and water retrieves. Home to change and wash before tea and then the drive to Biggleswade to collect the latest revision of the drawings for Cambridge Street.
The main news today was of an Anglo-Irish government meeting on the future of Ulster and the problems of the government trying to get its rail Privatisation Bill past a reluctant House of Lords.
It was a rough start to the day as Sam was awake before 6.00am, whining for no apparent reason and we wondered if the milkman had come early today. He soon settled down again and I therefore managed an hours rest before my shower and birthday breakfast. Some consternation from the family over getting my cards and presents ready in time for me to open but I was able to do it and they were not late for work/school. A walk with Sam, concentrating mainly on obedience and quartering and was surprised to see another dog, once very obedient, now runs scared of Sam leaving his handler very concerned.
**"Read More" BELOW for the complete story**
Commemorating my old Dad's birthday by refreshing flowers on his grave, sorting out the gardener over the compost heap chipping and dealing with a reluctant Nigel before catching up with my journal.
Prime Minister is getting involved in the Ulster crisis and will be presenting his own proposals for new talks but immediately the Unionists laid down preconditions as broadcasters dub actors voices onto video recordings of interviews with Gerry Adams.
More complaints from absent fathers pursued by The Child Support Agency
It has now been nearly four years since Dad died after just passing his 75th birthday and, in honour and remembrance of this, we replaced the flowers on his grave. The weather has continued dull and cold and there was little breeze when we were up at the cemetery. It was also a reminder for us to organise Mum's gravestone soon, using another monumental mason if necessary. The day started with a row over the storage of my clothes as I accused Diana of losing a pair of my jeans and then just stuffing all of my clothes onto the wardrobe shelves.
**"Read More" BELOW for the complete story**
Sorting out my shredder on a dull, cold and dreary day with Arthur Ibbett's of Great Paxton, and finally completing the drawings and planning application for our Cambridge Street redevelopment with a distracted Nigel.
#An evening cinema trip with Diana to see "The Piano" at Peterborough but we were disappointed with the experience.
The morning scramble for me to get out with the dog and for Diana to get the girls ready for school. They all went out quite happily in the end and we had bolstered up Della's morale, in particular, by praising her holiday short story highly. Some time with the gardener upon my return who continued to have problems with the shredder. He had evidently taken it into Ibbett's of Great Paxton for repair where they had repaired a valve and replaced a cylinder head gasket but still had problems upon its return on getting it to run under load and without vibration.
**"Read More" BELOW for the complete story**
At a time dominated by international conflict and floods closer to home, I started the month finishing one of two October trips to Caithness and ended it coming back from yet another vacation in Norfolk.
There were floods swelling the stream near Harlow during Sam's victorious training session at the start of the month which was a warning of what was to follow. The worse floods since 1912 back home in Horning following a rain deluge.
This, whilst conflict took place internationally with two serious IRA bombings as dissident tanks and heavy artillery were shelling the Russian Parliament building, setting it on fire. All this, as the full pollution effect of the Gulf War starts to evolve revealing the chemical contamination.
The UK loses out to Germany over the siting of the E.E.C. central bank as Margaret Thatcher plagues John Major by leaking of her memoirs on the eve of the Conservative Party Conference.
I enjoy another great sporting holiday with Nigel and Jim at my Caithness plantation where I shot a prize 13-point Imperial Stag as a victorious Sam wins his trial and begins to be useful. A great month of family fun featuring a weekend away at the London Hilton with Diana for her 45th Birthday, whilst still enjoying many other cinema and meal outings besides.
More effort spent on administration and investment management this month, but I still found time to buy a nice pair of 8x56 Zeiss stalking binoculars and managed to put my Theoben Rapide-7 pneumatic air rifle to rights. I also expended effort upgrading my navigational charts for The Paxton Princess.
My friend Steven Bloom gets his promotion and his wife Mary also got work to give them much-needed security after their long spells of unemployment. Sporting success also Norwich City win a famous victory against Bayern Munich in Germany.
**"Read More" BELOW for the complete story**
Training Sam with Jim and his dog Ben and visiting his family homes and relatives and driving home to find Halloween ruined in Ulster where the latest atrocity involved two masked gun-men bursting into a pub and shouting "Trick-or-Treat" before killing seven people and seriously injuring nine others with machine guns.
I had today set the radio alarm so that, not only did it switch on at the right time, but that the volume was set so that I could actually hear it! This was just as well as I was tired and needed the call. I ran Sam across the stubble fields again for his morning walk but, the wood pigeons getting up in droves earlier and disturbing the game, he quartered well but there was nothing to find. The task of packing up and loading up then became something of a rush as I also had to see to the boat, the house next door and all else.
**"Read More" BELOW for the complete story**
After attending the Colin Facey boating auction, I took the family for a snack at The Horning Tea Shoppe, watching international Rugby Union and League matches with Great Britain beating the All Blacks.
Steve and Mary Bloom both getting jobs and Jim Bird agrees to do some dog training together
I had set the alarm radio to wake me up this morning but had inadvertently turned the sound down so that it was Sam and the seagulls that woke me in the end! A shorter walk than usual and then out with Sam in the back of the Land Rover to Horning Ferry. There Colin Facey had arranged the first of what was planned as a monthly series of boat auctions. It was a fine but chilly and dull day and attendance was reasonable but there was not a great deal of money around and few of the boats were sold. I had successfully bid for a sailing dinghy, but they would not sell it to me as it had failed to reach its reserve. This came as a disappointment in view of the auctioneer saying it was close and would ask the owner if my bid was acceptable. Just bought a few buckets and a lugsail and spars.
**"Read More" BELOW for the complete story**