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Inside on this cold and frosty morning compiling my third and final leaflet for my election campaign before Michael Pope came by to help canvass this afternoon. The swimming pool was gaining heat gradually and steaming in the cold air but this did not stop Debbie and Della swimming! The plane hijack goes on, but some progress as a Kuwaiti Royal hostage is released and some Tories rebel in the House of Commons to force some Poll Tax concessions as as Wall Street plummets 100 points and reverses earlier gains in London to losses of equal value as the US trade gap widens by over $13 million
Was earlier to bed last night and I appreciated it this morning. Up, showered and dressed, but still last to the breakfast table on a very cold and frosty morning. The swimming pool was steaming because of the temperature difference. This morning, I stayed in the office typing up and composing my third and last leaflet. It is a block-busting A3 newsletter, playing on all of the issues and comments I have heard on the doorsteps, which will be very difficult for Jeanette Green to combat. After lunch I typed it out and pasted it out ready for Bill Walton to typeset this weekend. Michael Pope came over to help me canvass this afternoon and we found the first Tory poster up on the back of a caravan in the High Street. It looked quite lonely! After tea, I took Debbie horse riding to Offord. She was in the outside school on Rumpold and held her end up quite well amongst older riders. It was cold outside as the sun went down, with the sky clear. She and Della had gone swimming in our pool today, even though the pool was only 65degF and the air 55degF.
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Some administration to start a sunny but cold day and then to lower the blades and mow the games lawn before going to Diddington to canvass for support and finding some there too. Then more canvassing in Little Paxton this evening. The callous leader of the Irish gang Dessie O’Hare who kidnapped Mr O’Grady and amputated his two little fingers, was given a total of 40 years imprisonment in the Republic
Rather late to bed again and a bit reluctant to wake up. Still got ready in time for breakfast and enjoyed my wheat flakes, milk and apple juice as normal. After, I made my way to my office and spent most of the morning tidying up my office and attending to paperwork, much to Diana’s annoyance, as she had rushed back for 10am. Used the final hour before lunch to lower the multi-blades of the cylinder mower and then cut the games lawn and rolled it too. Was tired and ready for lunch of ham salad and then rested afterwards and heard the news on the TV. By 2.00pm, I was ready to go out and resume my canvassing and I headed first to do a couple of errands in Little Paxton and then onward to Diddington to meet the people there. They are very friendly and, despite it being an estate village and most conservative of the three, I at least managed to get half of the locals to express support for me.
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More canvassing on a pleasant sunny day but with the cold breeze a hazard as we make good progress in Southoe as well as Paxton and local efforts will now be put into Eaton Socon and Priory wards as our victory seems assured here. My swimming pool clearing slowly after my work on it. An emergency debate in the House of Commons over changes to the state benefits system and new more-enforceable driving offences are being created
Slept better, but am tired through a succession of late nights and needing more sleep. Let Diana have the Range Rover to go to Cambridge today and I stayed behind to do some more canvassing. Francis Williams didn’t turn up, but Joe Wilcox did and we did some good work up St James Road & Elm Close. Home very tired to make my own salad lunch and then I lay on the sofa in the lounge and napped a while, I was so tired. Later on I went out to the summer house with today’s paper and read it. Then I called Nigel and went over to see him for an hour before tea. He is recovering from his accident, but seems very preoccupied with his work and may be moving towards another problem, if he does not ease up.
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Time off election campaigning watching Sandy Lyle win the US Masters golf tournament, then washing and polishing my cars before this warm and pleasant afternoon canvassing Lees Lane in Southoe where I heard about, but did not support, the Harradine Farm bid to build 700 houses! Some return visits to electors and poster sites secured. A second Kuwaiti Hijack hostage is murdered, Sterling falls 2 points but the stock exchange rallies and the introduction of the new Social Security benefit system causes widespread confusion and hostility
I eventually stayed up very late last night, watching Sandy Lyle, the Scottish golfer, winning the US Masters golf tournament, after a nail-biting finish. Was thus quite tired and reluctant to get up this morning as a result. Still, shampooed my hair, shaved and showered before breakfast and then opted against canvassing this morning. I dressed in jeans and a jumper after ascertaining that I would get no help today, and then got Daniel to help me take the cover off the swimming pool. I vacuumed out the bottom and ignited the pool boiler, so that it began the process of getting up to temperature. Then got the Corniche out of the garage and used the rest of a tiring morning to polish it from front to back. I have now used this extra hard polish on all three of my vehicles and the effect is very good. In for lunch and then I drove over to Southoe and spent the afternoon canvassing in Lees Lane and Agh Street. By now, the sun was quite warm and the weather very pleasant. I had a good reception from the older residents, but went to see Mr & Mrs Harradine, the farmer who is pushing for the development plan on his land that would bring over 700 houses. They received me courteously and gave me a cup of tea, but we could not agree on a great deal.