Most of the day in my office working on Little Paxton History and looking after Della a few times to avoid Diana having to take her out in the freezing cold weather as I tended a huge log fire and then took Debbie horse-riding and received the papers from Kimbolton for Debbie’s entrance test and interview. John Major was taking all of the flack in the House of Commons concerning the North/South divide and the shameful level of homelessness at the same time as the news is full of financial corruption in the biggest scandal since the war
Slept well (having remembered to turn the electric blanket off) and was quite warm enough when I awoke to my morning tea. Lay in a while, relaxing and listening to the radio, before it was time to shower and shave. Dressed in time to join the children at breakfast for a change. It was Daniel’s first day back at school today and so Di was even more pre-occupied than normal. Got him away on time, but I insisted that he wore a school scarf and hood to protect him from the bitter cold. Looked out apprehensively to see if Pete was going to come, as I needed him to fill the log baskets. He did, and we piled them right up with small stuff and I also got him to bring in two huge logs that barely fitted into the fire place. I lit the fire in my office for the day and managed to burn down both of these monsters during the day.
I had to go out this morning to the inner garage when Pete thought that a pool pump was not circulating, but he was mistaken. Worked the day long on my Little Paxton history, interrupted by the need to look after Della on 2 or 3 occasions. Di did not want to take her out when taking Debbie to school, for fear that her cold would get worse, and also went shopping for groceries this morning without her. A cooked warm meal for lunch and then salad sandwiches for tea. Had to take Debbie horse riding tonight. Her best effort yet, cantering with confidence, only holding on with one hand, and managing to control Barbie much better. A bitterly cold day and we felt it in the riding school barn. Home to my fire and Debbie to her bath. Had to resume my tutoring of Daniel this evening, but there was not much work done on his first day back. Received the papers from Kimbolton for Debbie’s entrance test and interview – I have no doubt she shall pass it with flying colours. The news today is all of the cold weather again. The Social Services Minister, John Major, local Tory MP, who is known to be a Thatcherite, (and his daughter Elizabeth is in Daniel’s class at school – they were discussing the North/South divide today in geography and I wondered what her views were on that!) was taking all the flack in the House of Commons. As well as the £5 for this week, the government is also paying charities to open churches, halls etc to the homeless. What a shame that so many of our citizens are resigned to live without shelter in this day and age. After several days rise, the London Stock Exchange eased today, but the emergency meeting of Guinness Directors sacked the Chairman, Earnest Saunders, for good and invited two fellow Directors to go for their links with Boreski. This has been the biggest City scandal since the war and The Independent newspaper is full of new allegations about misdeeds of Guinness. Caught up on my journal at the end of the evening in front of the fire, as the icy wind howled outside. The snow has been drifting today to add to the misery and many roads throughout the country are blocked, but not locally. We have had the lowest temperatures, but not the snow. More cold weather in prospect, but only flurries of snow.