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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.
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A morning of dredging and digger choreography on the moorings and investments arrangement in my office after which I re-roofed the re-positioned summer house. The stunning news today was of the assassination of the Lebanese Prime Minister, Rashid Karami, when a bomb was detonated aboard his helicopter whilst a predictable election campaign continues at home
After a late-night working on my journal, I slept soundly and was awoken to a sunny and bright morning by Diana with my morning tea. Next, dressed, showered and shaved and down to a family breakfast of cereal etc. Once Daniel was off to school and I had used the bathroom, my gardener (Pete) and Mr Larkin had both arrived and I went out to chat to them and see what they are going to be doing. Pete was quite depressed by the state the garden had got into after a week, but set about the lawns as a priority. Peter Larkin had not heard from Robin Felbrig with the digger and was a bit lost as to how to proceed. I helped him by phoning a few companies and in the end, as the requirement was urgent, he opted to have a JCB and drive it himself tomorrow, which will be quite an event. As the dredger opposite was starting along our lower moorings, he then dropped his own work boat down to Eddie & Stella’s plot and started doing some piling there.