Making concessions to the wet, wild and windy weather today by first working in Bills’ shed on my antique folding chairs, reviewing gardener Pete’s role for me this winter an d then going inside for paperwork and to start researching family and local history. Met up with Nigel, who is still considering selling up Tensor to some Canadians, and spoke to the Local History Society secretary who works for him, and discussed manorial history of Little Paxton. EEC ministers are deadlocked on Britain’s call for united action on Syria as French are on verge of big arms deal and the impact of the City’s Big Bang change to eligibility rules was dampened by computer systems overload.
A long night, still getting used to the end of British Summer Time, and rather groggily awake to my morning tea. Of course my programmes on the World Service have changed! They always adhere to GMT and I turned on the radio to find an English language programme for foreigners! Washed, shaved and showered as usual and first to breakfast for wheat flakes and fruit juice at 7.30am. Out at 8.00am on a wild, windy and wet morning and worked in Bill’s shed, clearing up my tools and then putting more woodworm killer on some old folding chairs. Pete arrived at 9.00am and I spoke to him for some time about his projects and chores for the winter. Then the same with Joan, before she brought me my morning coffee in the office. Time to do some paperwork and type a few letters. I have resumed my winter work on family and local history and so am pursuing the Brewers to find details of John Broad at the Red Lion in Watford (1820-28) and also trying to find the fate of the Little Paxton Manorial rights, via the Manorial Society.
Di home to get lunch of yesterday’s beef remains and salad vegetables and we had the meal with Debbie in the dining room, which was nice. More paperwork this afternoon and then went into St Neots to get a copy of the Antiquarian Itinerary on loan and post some letters. Chose to drop in on Nigel Smith later at Hail Weston House and gave him the Lordships auction catalogue. He told me all about his plans to sell Tensor Computers to some Canadians and then we fell to talking about local history and he undertook to make some calls about the Hail Weston Manor. Home in time for a tea of crumpets and scones and then out to feed the ducks and lock up the sheds. On my way to Nigel’s, I also bought 50 metres of 20mm blue alkathene piping for our garden water supply. This evening, I called Nigel again and found that he had traced the secretary of St Neots Local History Society to his own employ! And she is also writing a history of the Reynolds family of Little Paxton. I called her and we exchanged information on Lordships and the separate stewardship of Paxton Hall and Paxton Place. I am now planning to go to Huntingdon record office and library tomorrow. The news today is of deadlock amongst the EEC Foreign Ministers over Britain’s call for concerted diplomatic action against Syria. It seems the French are on the verge of a large arms deal with the country, but the real problem was that only 6 out of the 12 Ministers were attending for a meeting that was not expecting to consider such major matters. The City’s ‘Big Bang’ changes in the stock market rules of eligibility and systems went off with a whimper, as the computer systems were overloaded and broke down. Senior Tories met today to consider the consequences of the Archer resignation and took place whilst they were together for a cabinet meeting. No replacement will be appointed. The Pope led a day of prayers for peace today, aimed at a cease fire for guerrilla groups and wars the world over. The effect was partial.