Family day walking around Little Paxton as Daniel visits Gaz in Eaton Ford and the CND campaign against Trident
Another bright and sunny morning with the light filtering in as I sip my morning tea. A few days of Pepys November 1665 journal before The Sunday Times arrives and I read the Business News. Down to a nice breakfast of fried egg, bacon, mushrooms and toast before another hour in bed finishing off the paper. Then up, shaved and dressed in some old clothes so as to go out and tend the doves. They always buck up on the mornings with sunshine and were prancing about as usual. The older Blue Indigo cock is still defending the tray as territory for his Grizzle hen and creating havoc for the feeding arrangements. Over to the ducks to feed them as I could not get them in or feed them last night. The river has receded quite a lot and from the tide marks I notice that it did not quite get into the duck house or the sheds. Even so I emptied the former of straw and opened all doors of both so as to give the maximum chance of today’s sun and fresh breeze could dry and air them out.
Then to shampoo and rinse the Jaguar for the first time in weeks and very dirty it was too. A refreshing mug of coffee and then back out with Debbie to rinse and leather it dry. She insisted on taking over the job in the end and cleaning out the holes in the alloy road wheels. Eventually in to a fine lunch and after to take Daniel to Eaton Ford for the afternoon with Gaz. Then back and out for a walk with Diana, Debbie and the baby to the other end of Little Paxton to visit the new aviary. An enthusiastic cockatiel breeder has stocked the place up and welcoming visitors on Saturdays and Sundays. I find pigeon feeders and drinkers there and buy both. We then set off walking home, Diana persuading me to detour via Grove House where we see Cavendish have moved out of Paxton Hall and note that Comart are tending the Grove House property well. We walk on home and drop off the girls so that I can drive on to pick up Daniel for tea. When I get back I put away the ducks after feeding them and assemble the new pigeon feeder and try out the drinkers, which are fine. Inside all for a tea of toasted current buns and honey sandwiches served off a trolley in the lounge and after several programmes of television, one featuring the old ways of a Suffolk farm, which brought back childhood memories. Out for half and hours air and to think on the state of life these days with so many of the old values lost and present unhappiness. Back to write my journal and see the rest of the evenings TV including the news. The miners’ strike catching the headlines again, with postures being adopted ahead of tomorrow’s head counting. The CND conference ends with a vote unanimously against Trident and Heseltine announces a wide ranging ‘non-review’ because of the government cutbacks and the high dollar costs of US hardware, but Trident will sadly not be touched.