A Day attending to domestic and industry matters before attending St Neots Shaw’s auction without productive outcome and then a meeting with my architect to plan The Haling View and then spend some time on The Lady and my steamer chairs whilst Diana’s parents visit and look after Daniella this afternoon. An artificial fall in unemployment might fool some but the House of Lords insistence on ending corporal punishment is a sound defeat for the government
Awake early and to my morning tea, but no sign of my daily paper by breakfast. Instead, I read more of my book on period gardens and leant a few things about planning their layout, which was interesting. Breakfast of cereal and milk and then showered, washed and dressed, after finding my paper had been delivered after all. Out to the doves and ducks. The doves are still incubating two eggs and the ducks lay 8, which is not too good. Then to the office, where I start making calls to BMMG members to try to get a speaker on Export Licensing for Tuesday, to book a hotel in Donnington for Monday night, to arrange to meet David Stokes later today. Then to type two letters, prepare my mail and then go into St Neots. There to buy a maximum holding of 3rd Issue Index Linked National Savings Certificates, to transfer more money to my cheque save account and get some more postage stamps. Also to look around Shaw’s auction room, where I saw a couple of items of interest and put in a written bid for a canteen case. Also to put Daniel’s bicycle in for repair, as it had a puncture this morning and Daniel could not use it. Home to lunch of bread rolls and strawberries to follow. In this second day of the heatwave, the fruit are coming in to season well. Diana’s parents were over for lunch and to look after Daniella during the afternoon.
I then received the architect and we agreed the list of final changes so that the job can go out to tender next week. A quick drive back to Shaw’s, but found myself outbid on the canteen and nothing else of interest. Then a couple of hours working on The Lady, stripping some varnish and filling open cracks. In to tea and then out again, sanding down the filling and applying a first coat of varnish to protect the wood from the dew expected overnight. Time also to fill the wormholes in my folding steamer chairs. In at dark, after tending the ducks and managed to lose one. In to catch up on my journal, after the long process of securing both houses. News tonight of a 62,000 fall in unemployment, but over 100,000 are excluded from the figures by new treatment of school leavers. The government are defeated in the House of Lords over the Corporal Punishment Bill, when their Lordships vote to abolish corporal punishment entirely. The Polls close in the Brecon by-election, but the count will not finish until tomorrow lunchtime. Labour are confident of a victory, but we shall see.