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Working on landscaping my moorings until a sewage overflow at the pumping station flows out of my outfall which means I must call the District Council to fix it and then watering plants later as the ground is rock hard. More Reagan revelations about illegal support for the Contras, Sikhs massacre more Hindus in the Punjab and a petrol tanker crashes in Germany killing many people.
An early night and then slept soundly until 7.00am morning tea, then quickly shaved and dressed so as to get out and working by the river before breakfast. I was setting in and levelling the paving stones at the lower moorings, and also smoothing the earth as a seeded lawn. In at 7.45am for a family breakfast, then out again to continue the task. The sun was hot, but the air a little fresher than of late and so I managed to work on until lunchtime. An incident this morning as the sewage pumping station overflow began to run. I knocked up Eddy and Stella, we phoned the District Council and a van and two men arrived an hour later to fix the pumps.
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Moving earth and landscaping today after a late start as the farmer in the meadow opposite made his hay and then had to stop work as it got far too warm and so swimming with the children was a better option. Debbie’s parents evening went well at the school as Jason and Daniel looked after the girls. The Cleveland spoof child abuse row continues, the miners and teachers are holding out for better conditions and the Sizewell AGC reactor will go ahead
Did not get to bed until after midnight yesterday, and the tiredness showed today as I also had to cope with temperatures in the mid 80’sdegF. Awoke to my morning tea and sat for a while, having to hurry in the end to get ready in time for breakfast. A simple fare of wheat flakes again, preceded by a rather unripe melon, that Debbie declined to eat for that reason. Dressed in working clothes and out to feed the doves on a hazy sunny morning. The gardener was already working and so was the farmer opposite, making the hay that he was cutting yesterday. It was being turned over periodically and later he bailed the first of it into the cylindrical bales they seem so keen on these days. I moved earth again this morning, setting certain of the paving stones in deeper on the downstream moorings and using the earth to build up sunken sections (created as the infill settles over the drain pipes).
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Morning working outside attending a sick duck, removing the shuttering from my concrete sump extension and supervising Daniel anti-fouling his boat before we launch it in St Neots and bring it back. The Bloom family then arrive by boat and stay for a BBQ and swim in the pool until late. Nigel Mansell wins the French Grand Prix, Teesside social workers try to film families and there are unconfirmed reports of Terry Waite’s demise.
Awake to my morning tea and another sunny morning. Sat in bed thinking and dreaming for a while, then up to get showered and shaved, before dressing for breakfast. This morning, Daniel was being difficult and Di sent him up to his room so as to miss the meal. Poor Gary sat with us to eat and must have felt awkward as a result. Out then to try and tend one of my ducks that I noticed trailing some fishing line from its beak. I got Daniel and Gary to hold it and then tried to remove the hook, but found it way down its throat and so had to cut it instead. Its chances of survival are not good, as nylon and brass never really melt away. Then showed Daniel how to protect the trolley and paint the remainder of the underside of his boat with anti-foul, without getting the stuff everywhere. The day very hot by mid-morning and it was hard going to work outside.
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Della’s Birthday – Present opening time for Della on her official 3rd birthday and our grandchild dove will soon be joining the feeding flock. The whole afternoon on a hot and sunny day finishing the shuttering and then to mix and lay six inches of steel re-enforced concrete before the river water rose to end up as exhausted as I had ever known to be.
Very early to wake once again, but drank my morning tea before getting showered and shaved. Noticed that our grandchild dove (the first of our doves to be born from parents also born here) has left the nest and is flying comfortably. The parents are still feeding it at the moment, but it will soon join the feeding flock. The two babies in the polecote are now satisfactorily ringed and also doing well in the recent warm weather. Went out for an hour’s work prior to breakfast, getting all the tools in position and erecting the inner side panels. Pete arrived at 7.30am and I got him down in the sump, digging out the last debris, whilst I went in for breakfast. It was Della’s birthday today and we all watched her open her presents at the breakfast table.