Day at home relaxing and writing up my notes on the Redland Aggregates meeting and then tending a bonfire later as the wind was unusually favourable. The battle against the IRA leads the news after internment is ruled out and , in one-minute, a catastrophic earthquake between Nepal and India, kills more than 650 and injures thousands, and renders homeless many thousands more.
A long lay in this morning and Diana grumpily dismissed Debbie, who came in after 8.00am to complain that nobody had got up. I stayed in bed and read yesterday’s Financial Times, until Di announced that our Sunday fried breakfast was ready. I then returned to bed to finish the weekend section as well, before getting up finally and washed and dressed. Tended the ducks and then checked The Lady, which I found to be still being completely watertight. To my office, before and after lunch, to write up my notes on the Redland meeting, which was quite an exercise. Had some nice chicken for lunch and the children ate it for once and earned their pudding properly. The weather was all dull, with showers today, which was conducive to getting on with my work. Worked until a late tea, which I ate whilst my notes and letters to Redland were printing out – five pages long. This evening, I tended the ducks and doves and then lit a bonfire to dispose of a deal of conifer and shrub trimmings and other rubbish that had accumulated in the garden. For once, unusually in the summer, the wind was from the north-west and so there was not any smoke towards the neighbours, who inevitably complain otherwise.
I took the chance, as Monday would be washing day and Pete cannot be trusted to light a bonfire at the right time and inevitably upsets the neighbours. Stayed out well after dark and then came in and locked up and went back to my office. I was horrified to realise tonight that I had missed the Little Paxton Parish Council Leisure & Amenities committee meeting last Thursday – the one that was to discuss dog fouling etc! I phoned Ian Gunn and arranged to talk to him tomorrow evening and I still cannot see how I managed to forget it! Stayed up late watching a good play and then a documentary on Men & Violence on TV, before completing my journal and retiring at 11.45pm. The news tonight is of the government’s decision not to introduce internment in the wake of the IRA offensive. It has emerged that the bus that had been blown up, had been regularly used on that route transporting off-duty soldiers. There has been a security review that hopes to lead to improved IRA intelligence and a clampdown on the protection racketeers that net the IRA so much cash. There will be improved protection for off-duty soldiers. There have been more arms finds each side of the boarder. In a catastrophic earthquake between Nepal and India, more than 650 died and thousands more injured. It only lasted one minute, but thousands are made homeless by the earthquake that measured 6.7 on the Richter Scale and was centred 110 miles south-east of the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu. There is a major demonstration in Moscow on the anniversary of the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia. The British Envoy in Iran, Mr David Reddaway, has successfully visited one of the jailed British subjects held without trial there. Diana wrote to my Mum, Sister and friend Celia tonight, which were good jobs well done. The hedgehogs are still nesting happily in our back garden and the lawns are appreciating the latest rain showers.