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Diana takes Daniel to join his school boating holiday as I renew my Victoria County History book and collect the clip frame for my Little Paxton map and watch an exciting Pakistan vs England cricket match before resuming work on the Norris Library picture descriptions. More disasters again today, as a Brazilian airliner crashes on the Ivory Coast, killing 49 people, after engine problems and the worst storms for seven years batter the US west coast. Up to 15 people are feared dead, there are floods 9 ft deep in Massachusetts. In the UK, the Tories and Labour are dead equal in the opinion polls to dampen election plans
Had worked on a bit last night, waiting for the log fire to burn down and finishing off the inputting of amendments to ‘Little Paxton Hall’. Di sat up and read the notes as well and we turned in about 11.00pm. A little trouble getting to sleep again, as I seem to do when I have been working late, and it was also very cold and I had trouble getting warm. The cows (or rather, bullocks) have gone from the field opposite these last two days – the grass had just about stopped growing and was getting churned up. Also, with the river rising, I am sure it was a good decision to vacate the meadow. The doves are perking up as the days get slightly longer. It is more like 4.00pm rather than 3.15pm that it gets dark and, of course, the dawn comes earlier. One hen has a chick hatched out, which must be in danger from the frost and another pair are nest building. It was an early call this morning, as Daniel was due to leave on his school boating holiday.
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Trip to Bedford for shopping and history research and then home to complete chapters on Little Paxton Paper Mill and Paxton Hall as Reagan has the gall to ask Congress for $100M to aid the Contras in Nicaragua after the recent scandal. Chinese students riot for democracy, Ulster Loyalists are campaigning against the Anglo-Irish pact and 2,000 men in Leicestershire are having their DNA sampled and recorded for crime investigation
A difficult time getting to sleep last night – thinking of the problems involved in recording Little Paxton history effectively. Eventually dropped off, but did not feel very rested when Di woke me up early this morning. An early start was needed, she said, for the trip to Bedford and so we were all dressed and ready for breakfast by 8.15am. The river had been up in the night, but was now receding, leaving a layer of leaves from the adjacent plots for the gardener to clear up. Was tempted to go to Cambridge to buy a RCHM book I had seen in David’s Book Shop window over the holidays, but Di arranged for her mother to pick it up for me instead and so the field was open for Bedford. Settled Pete and Joan’s wages for the week and then I sat in the Range Rover passenger seat and read the paper, as Diana drove and parked us in the Lurke Street car park. Shock and horror when we found our normal coffee shop closed and the fittings stripped out and so we had to have our refreshments at Debenhams, although Della was complaining that the half-doughnut she had from Debbie still left her hungry!
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Dark and drizzly start to the New Year with the river up again but within its banks as Marilyn put me in touch with Mrs Davies, Mrs Bunnage and Jack Ramply for old Little Paxton photos and press cuttings. A gas explosion in Dublin demolishes the front of a block of flats and only kills 2 but a Puerto Rico hotel fire has 80 people killed and 93 hurt. 1,000 students ignore bans on demonstrations and march in Peking and 60 are arrested out of 50,000 celebrating in Trafalgar Square
A lay in after the very late night and was dead to the world when given my morning tea. Up in time for breakfast with the others and I switched the balcony lights on for the day, as the weather was dark and drizzly again. A happy meal, with the children behaving themselves for once, and then I read the Investors Chronicle that had arrived today in the absence of any newspapers. Then I followed progress in the one-day cricket international in Australia. England raced to a towering 272 for 6 in 49 overs, with a steady start by Broad and Athey, before Botham lashed out to increase the run rate. The Aussies tried hard, but the score was too much for them and they could only score 235 all out. Out to the ducks and doves, finding that the river was up again on yesterday’s levels, but not yet out of its banks. I took a walk up to the Paper Mill and weir and noticed that the levels upstream are quite low and so perhaps the worst will not happen. After lunch, I phoned Marilyn and she came round to show me Mrs Davis’s photographs again and returned my manuscript. She also arranged for me to visit Mrs Bunnage of 6 High Street and I went round for an interesting chat and took many notes. She had not got any books – only some trade directories, which are available elsewhere – but her stories of the Old Post Office (where she was born), the Anchor public house (owned by her father & grandfather) and the wartime fires, added to my history of the recent times.