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A busy day working on our FOCUS newsletters, completing the text and then cycling across the common to get copies for distribution. A break from this to mow the rather uneven games lawn and then a more relaxed evening writing my journal and getting an early night before the rains came. The government’s battle against the IRA continues with efforts to try to prevent supplies of Semtex. Following the revolution in Burma, 1000 prisoners are shot dead. NASA suffers sabotage and Chancellor Lawson works hard trying to bolster confidence in the economy.
Was tired, after my appallingly late nights of the last day or two, when Di brought my morning tea at 7.00am. This meant that I only had six hours sleep last night! (when I normally need 8 hours). Showered and dressed, but was only down at 8.00am, but I still managed to read the paper before and during my breakfast of French toast. Got down to work on my FOCUS newsletters this morning, typing out the Priory Ward version to go with that for Little Paxton and pasting the resulting print out onto more A3 sheets to show the intended layout. Then a dash across the Common on my bike to get the A3 sheets copied and reduced onto A4, so that I can copy more of them on my own machine thereafter. The cycle back home was much easier, as this time the wind was with me. Today started bright, but continued dull, with some spots of rain later on. Home on my bike, then, and a lunch of salad that I had to prepare myself. I spent a little while watching test cricket on TV whilst eating my lunch. For once, England have ended up 300 odd for 3 against the Sri Lanka score of less than 200. Worked away this afternoon, typing letters, correspondence and memos and then followed a mammoth exercise of photocopying, writing envelopes and preparing the copies for delivery. There were press releases for each of the local papers and then the FOCUS newsletters were sent to Cambridge party workers and copies to the members responsible for other local wards.
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A good selection of GCSE exam results for Daniel as he passes English and is all set for taking science subjects at A-level. I bought him a new stereo hi-fi as a reward. Some progress in my parish council dog fouling campaign as we are promised more support and an opportunity to raise the matter at the next meeting. Working very late this evening typing up and printing out our September FOCUS copy as I heard news of the UK suffering record trade deficit which triggered a large fall on the stock exchange with the housing market under threat.
I was sound asleep when Di brought up tea this morning. Up to my breakfast of croissants, marmalade and butter and I opened a variety of mail of little consequence. Had a couple of hours at my desk before it was time to take Daniel to Kimbolton School to pick up his GCSE results. He had an ‘A’ in physics, ‘B’ in chemistry and the rest ‘Cs’ and ‘Ds’ each side of the benchmark ‘O’ level pass. In all, he had six ‘O’ level equivalents, including his mathematics previously taken and a seventh additional maths A/O. Best news of all was the fact he got an English ‘C’, which made up for getting one or two less passes in other subjects. The strength in chemistry and weakness in history etc, meant that he should now take maths, physics, chemistry to be logical and he does not feel too keen on the idea, but it will be for the best. All off to the Little Chef for lunch, then I took Daniel into town and bought him a new stereo HiFi for passing English and being resigned to chemistry.
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Some lobbying of Parish Councillors over the forthcoming anti-dog-fouling byelaw vote after hosting two school-girls keen on researching our village history and then more time with Michael Pope on our FOCUS newsletter copy. The government is taking new measures over IRA bomb attacks, Post Office unions are threatening industrial action over unfair bonus rules and extra safety valves are being considered for oil platforms after the Piper Alpha tragedy
Did not sleep too badly after my concerns about the Parish Council. Showered, dressed and to a breakfast of French toast. Unfortunately, I have put on a few pounds and our new batteries in the bathroom scales are showing me up. After this meal, I cleared up my office desk and started to work on my accounts, but I had a visit at 10am from two GCSE geography schoolgirls, wanting Little Paxton information for their projects. Then I worked on my bank and building society accounts, resisting the temptation to return to my dog fouling crusade. This came after lunch, when I cycled round the village. Met the Vicar and secured most of his support, then Martin Mawer again and, via him, another Councillor he had introduced. This evening, I went to see Paul and got his support too and so the numbers are close for the vote next week. Was out quite late tonight and it was nearly midnight before I had written up my diary and retired to bed. Helen Young had written a good letter, which I copied for circulation. The Clerk had got her agenda out quick this morning, thus preventing my item being included, but there are other means of raising the matter.
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Some pre-occupation today with maintain progress towards getting byelaws on the agenda to control dog fouling on Little Paxton playing fields between efforts to mow the games lawn and cycle round the village looking at road and footpath problems. Together with Michael Pope, writing our stories later for our next FOCUS leaflet highlighting these problems and what we are doing to solve them. Another IRA bomb in Belfast city centre but good warnings avoided injury and now the forces black and white number plates are being withdrawn in West Germany
A bit late to bed last night and a bit tense with all of the upset over the dog fouling bylaws, but I slept well nevertheless. Decided to wash my hair this morning, which made me the last to the breakfast table. Poor Di had cooked me a perfect egg and then dropped it and I had to eat pieces of it whilst avoiding the shell! Decided to stay at home today and let Di and the girls go to Cambridge. Daniel was also at home with other priorities on his mind. I made some phone calls and arranged to see the people in Little Paxton Lane about the swimming pool cover again. I also dropped in to see Helen Young to get some action from Little Paxton Playgroup on the subject of the dog fouling. I called on and phoned others today and the word is spreading about the need to create pressure before the meeting on September 1st. I tried to phone our Blackpool hotel to extend our stay next week, but found the rooms full at the end of our scheduled stay. Home to get my lunch of salad, with pork and ham pie, and then I chose to mow the games lawn, which had been too wet to do at the weekend. Even after the recent rain, it has all now dried out and the lawns are roasting again in the sunshine’s heat, when it comes through. Mr Baxendale of Grasmere came round today to give me the brick-kiln rock that he had found in Riversdale’s garden, which proved the bricks were made on site once. I put it in the rockery with other interesting historical rocks. Went for a bike ride around Paxton then, to check up on the repairs needed to roads and footpaths! At 3.00pm, Mike Pope came round and we worked on our FOCUS newsletter until tea, keying in quite a lot of text into the word processor.