A full day working with the mini-digger I had hired, laying all of my land drains in the Games Lawn site after which I collapsed into a bath and was worried about the non-arrival of the vehicle that was supposed to collect it and the possibility of them trying to charge me for another day! Debbie had her friend Clare to play in the pool and on The Lady today. The Tory government are planning to reduce Social Security benefits, which is criticised as a disgrace, The Iranian Mining Ship crew is handed back after detention and Europe go 8 ½ to 3 ½ against the USA in The Ryder Cup
A better night’s sleep and woke early, before dawn and with Diana still in bed, anticipating my day’s work on the mini digger. Up, dressed and time only for a quick bowl of cereal, before starting up the digger at 6.30am and getting underway. By 7.45, I had finished off another trench, inserted a land drain pipe and was filling it in. I phoned St Neots Tool Hire at Cosy Corner, Little Paxton and arranged to keep the digger beyond 11.00, until 4.00pm this afternoon, when they would charge me 1½ days as a concession. I worked all day, with Diana bringing me several drinks in the morning, but not stopping for lunch. I put in the 6th land drain, the length of the lawn and also dug a trench along one end.
One of the pipes was inexplicably longer than the others and so I ran it along one edge and right along the end as well. Strange the sub-soil; certain patches are compacted loam, others gravel and sand, and then regions of tough sticky clay. At least now the drainage should equalise and I have mixed quite a lot together anyway. 4.00pm came and no sign of the driver to collect the digger and so I carried on working, levelling the lawn by criss-crossing between the pegs, six foot apart. By 5.00pm I had finished and was very tired. The delay had become a concern, rather than a bonus, and I worried that I should be charged for another day (at £60-odd). I went in and tried phoning, but there was no reply and so I settled down to have a meal – a cross between lunch and tea! Still no driver after and so I drove to the hire yard and left a note about it. Home to survey my work, which is good. I had not the heart, nor energy, to use the digger again tonight, but may do so tomorrow. This will be a dilemma, as I cannot in all conscience use it and then not want to pay for the other day! Inside to collapse on the kitchen stool. Debbie had her bus friend, Clare, round to play this afternoon and will go to her house in Bydand Lane next Friday. They swam in the pool and then went on The Lady for an adventure. She went with Della to play at the Laws this morning and they were evidently very good playing with Amy and Catherine, but Della cried when it was time to go home. This evening, Debbie ran me a bath and helped me in, as I was very tired and achy. I just wrote my diary and then checked up on the news before going to bed. Read today’s papers a little as well. News is of the Tory Government Health Minister announcing plans to reduce Social Security benefits, which is heralded as a disgrace by political opposition spokesmen. The Iranian mine ship crew are handed back to their country today, via the medium of the Red Crescent. The Zeebrugge victims meeting took place today and resolved to press Townsend Thoresen for much higher compensation. In the Europe vs USA Ryder Cup golf tournament in America, the Europeans turned round early reverses to go well ahead (8 ½ to 3 ½ ) in the match overall.