Very productive day at the office arranging meetings and things as a huge Gypsy funeral takes place in the cemetery next door and we have a demonstration of our new CAD system
Up on time and soon to get ready because of my previous night’s bath and hair wash. My usual breakfast of toast, marmalade and fruit juice and then a little early to the office and to start the day. My having spent little time this weekend on office work, first to spend time ordering my existing papers and reviewing outstanding actions – a process added to and reinforced by the arrival of the normally large Monday morning mail. Unfortunately June’s assistant Helen still has the annoying habit of reading the mail slowly and with obvious interest rather than quickly processing it for efficiency which always delays things. Soon David Fear has arrived, bringing our guest client from the airport, Granite Chips, and asking particularly for my involvement.
To welcoming coffee together, then, and the start of a successful mornings meeting which John Lamb continued on new products and David completed. To work for the rest of the day processing many work matters, reviewing outstanding action items with my executives and also changing the order backlog reports to ensure a good level of information is to hand on the future order levels. The seasonal computer selling trends are now downwards until the autumn revival and this is a time for careful control of costs and level of inventory. Next to process with June the arrangements for the forthcoming BMMG annual general meeting where I am due to retire in accordance with its foundation rules. I am concerned to ensure that the body will continue by good participation of the members and a strong council. Late at the office completing my work, setting out the work for others against tomorrow’s absence from the office and finally completing my own company expense claim for March and approving the others. Eventually and late home to find Diana continuing with her cough and daily more uncomfortable with our new child. A little late to bed and prepared for an early start tomorrow – Diana being so taken with coughing that she had to move to Daniel’s vacant bed for the rest of the night. A mild day today with mixed cloud and sun and finally an overcast and showery dusk. Today an impressive gypsy funeral took place in Eaton Socon. Several hundred mourners turned up to pay their respects at a lunchtime funeral service at the church and then a procession filed past the factory in Little End Road to end up at the cemetery. A gypsy youth had evidently been shot in a nationally reported incident. I had seen the crowd during a late lunchtime with June (after working her through lunch to sort the sales exec job applications) but their presence by the factory was quite a distraction to the workforce later. Today and in late evening I took the Directors to our design office to see a working demonstration of the £70K CAD circuit draughting system (very impressive) and after talked to David Fear about his problems. His marriage is really on the rocks with both parties under maximum stress but at least he is getting medication to help him to sleep soundly – a former problem. God help him.