Mr Larkin struggling in the rain with the digger, back-filling the quay-heading whilst we worry about how to deal with the spring and soil water that passes through and I replace the summer house window and try to encourage the house martins to move house with my artificial nest boxes. The government loses the High Court case to gaga the Independent over MI5 book secrets and tactical voting could yet unseat the Tories in key marginals
Awoke at 7.00am and listened to the morning news on the radio whilst drinking my tea. Showered, shaved and was dressing when the engine noise of a transporter in Willow Close told me that the digger had been delivered early. With the driver at the front door, I hurried out and got him to take the JCB round the houses to the riverside garden. Down to eat a rather late breakfast after the rest of the family had finished, then out to see the gardener and Mr Larkin later to discuss the day’s work. It had started to rain by then – spitting at first, then harder later, until the digger’s movements on the clay churned up the mud something terrible. I spent a lot of the morning in boots and heavy gloves manhandling metal strips, timbers, rocks and other items down behind the quay-heading, so that the earth could be shoved on top. By late morning, Larkin was well into a repetitive series of manoeuvres and so I drove into town for some new glass for the summerhouse. I also got some electrical items for putting power and electricity in the summerhouse and dropped by the building society to update my books.
It seems that Abbey National, as part of the building society revolution, will soon be offering standing orders and so my Barclays Bank account will soon be redundant. Di had gone to Cambridge with Della and so I picked up a large piece of fried plaice and a couple of pickled onions from the fish and chip shop and took this quick meal home to eat. This afternoon, I went back out to help the work, in the pouring rain this time, and sorted Mr Larkin out. By this time, he was thrashing around in the mud and I helped him plan things a bit better, so that the digger could be collected after today. We are still a bit worried as to what to do with the spring and soil water and I feel a bit sorry for Mr Larkin who is doing his best. Later this evening I glazed the broken summerhouse window, before tending the birds and staggering in at dusk, shattered. The house martins are trying to nest above our ironing room window and I keep discouraging them and trying to get them into my artificial nesting boxes further along – we shall see whether this works. The news outside the election is still of the rhetoric between Iran and the UK over threatened charges to diplomats. In the High Court, the government has lost the case to gag the Independent and other newspapers on revealing the MI5 book secrets, but is to appeal. In Sri Lanka the government has ordered its forces to ‘defend its territorial waters’ against Indian attempts to send relief aid to the Tamil rebel population in Jaffna. On the political front, the polls are showing Labour continuing to creep up on the Conservatives and the latter do seem to be getting a bit testy when questioned on it. ‘Newsnight’ TV polls in the Tory marginals show that tactical voting could well allow the opposition parties to maximise the chance of defeating the Tories in key seats. After today’s rain, tomorrow might be more showery with brighter spells. I hope we get some drier weather, as our riverside gardens are looking like a morass.