April Fool’s Day – I trip in the Reliant to Paxton Wood Open Day in dry, but chilly weather but with a fair bit of sunshine, then back in time for the St James Church family service and then on to Cambridge in the Rolls Royce to collect my second election leaflets and then home for hot cross buns before back again to church for a sacred cantata about Jesus’ journey to the cross at Calvary by the St Ives singers. The Dover ferry peace talks break down and Israeli troops have killed two more Palestinians and injured 13 others in fresh unrest in the West Bank
An early start to the day, after getting my morning tea at dawn. I quickly showered, shaved and dressed and got Diana to help me set up the Range Rover at Paxton Woods for the day. I took it up and parked on the corner of the access road, was collected in the Rolls Royce and came home for breakfast. I then tended the birds, got Percy the Reliant ready and took the family over in that. We stomped round the woods for a while and found it very muddy. Not a great deal of primroses this year either. I chatted to a few people and then found Mike Pope and his relatives inside the wood. Then I gave a lift to some people from Booth Way, who had come to the woods without their boots. I took them home and back in Percy to collect them and it was then time to take my family back the same way. A hurried walk so as not to be late for the St James Church family service at 10.30am and we just about arrived in time. Peter Lewis did his best to make the service interesting, with the theme of removing walls that separate communities.
The mothers with young crying babies did their best to drown him out! Home then for some lunch. This afternoon we left the children at the house and took a drive (Diana and I) to Cambridge to collect the second leaflet and some sample posters. A pleasant and relaxing drive, though the Corniche convertible does make some wind noise at medium to high speed. I look forward to trying a drive with the top down some time. I dropped Di off at the woods to get the Range Rover, which had been a perfect poster site all day! Then home to a tea of hot cross buns, which were nice and spicy. I relaxed in front of the TV for a little while after, but was disturbed by an almighty row and wailing from the bathroom, where the girls were being naughty and Daniel inattentive. This evening, after feeding the ducks and doves, I took upon myself the task of speaking to my neighbours about the horrendous problems that are arising over car parking in the Willow Close cul-de-sac. I had to see my next door neighbour, Mr Eaton, who has 6 cars to park and takes up most of the space and also a plot owner who has taken to parking his car here when visiting for the day. They were hostile at first, but then glad, I think, that we had cleared the air. Tonight I took Di to St James Church again. This time for a sacred cantata about Jesus’ journey to the cross at Calvary by the St Ives singers. It was a moving and stirring experience and it was a pity that more people had not come to enjoy it. Those that did had a very worthwhile experience. Home a little late and I sat in my office with a pot of tea chatting to Daniel about my election campaign. Tomorrow, I must discuss with Michael Pope whether we put our second leaflet round now, or wait to see what the Tories are doing in this Ward. The main event today was the breakdown of the Dover ferry peace talks and consequent build up of Bank Holiday lorries, coaches and cars. So many people have lost the first day of their holiday. A machinist from Dartford has now been charged with the recent murder by stabbing of Amanda Hopkinson, aged 17, from Bexley. The Israeli troops have killed two more Palestinians and injured 13 others in fresh unrest in the West Bank, as the recent draconian restrictions are lifted. The weather was dry, but chilly, today, with a fair bit of sunshine, but it clouded over later.