Working on the access to my new workshop; raised above flood level, and then with Debbie to buy her riding hat and back for Daniel’s prep supervision. The Chernobyl reactor is still burning, with a belated evacuation underway and cordon sanitaire of 600 miles for EU food regulations
After an early night’s retirement yesterday, I was first awake this morning and waited for Di to wake up too. Then I read the local papers whilst Di got the morning tea. Washed, shaved and down to breakfast via the children’s bedrooms. I had to get the children to leave the breakfast table to tidy their rooms before they were allowed to eat. Then to unlock the house and go out to start work. This morning I dug out the side of Bill’s shed, drove in some oak stakes and boarded a support for the intervening path.
Pete then helped me bring round some larger paving stone from the back garden and lay them to form a much better access to the workshops. Then we set the two stepping stones from the lower garden and re-contoured the lawn around them, before it was time for lunch with Di’s mother. This afternoon I tidied up the workshop and then nipped into St Neots for some shelving units and plumbing and other electrical fittings. It was then time to take Debbie to Alconbury Weston for a new riding hat from the master saddler, before Daniel joined me to take Debbie for her riding lesson. Home hungrily to tea and then to my workshop to put up the shelves and finish tidying up. Then Daniel’s prep and the TV news. News tonight was of a mass evacuation of Kiev and statements from the authorities say that the reactor fire is still burning. It seems that the close area of the reactor was only evacuated this weekend last – more than a week after the original incident. Common Market countries will not now accept food from within 600 miles of the site. Emanuel ‘Manny’ Shinwell has died, aged 101, at his home. Former Minister of Fuel and Power after the Second World War and responsible for nationalising the coal mines and electricity industry, he was a vigorous back bench activist and more recently, a noble Lord. SOGAT has regained control of its funds by ending its High Court Contempt. The royal couple arrive in Japan, but Princess Di seems to be very thin and wan. After today’s sun and showers, we are forecast to have a chilly night and then a fairly bright day for most of tomorrow.