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Some time collecting plants and materials from Bickerdike’s and my friend Nigel, where I saw my god-children Ashley and Kate. Some small Koi bought from Avenue Fisheries and then home to more DIY and my history book. Further tragedy in Armenia as rescue aircraft collide in the congested airspace and a concert being organised back home for Armenian Support.
I was awake at 7:15am to my morning tea and against a background of the decorative lights on our balcony which cast a warm glow on a dark morning. I had arranged to go and see Nigel Smith to collect several conservatory plants and I chatted to my godchildren Ashley and Kate while I was there. Nigel was jumping about as usual - I hope he does not have another stroke. I dropped the plants back home and then took off to Sandy where I went first to Bickerdike’s to buy a job lot of plant pots and compost. I had to have two assistants with a large trolley helping me to load the Range Rover which I was glad to own yet again. Then on to Avenue Fisheries for a long chat to the young Mr Field. We sorted through the Koi carp and then chose three small ones for £50 each of good quality and as ‘water testers’ before adding larger and more expensive fish later. They were all with mirror scales (‘Doitsu’) and of red, white and black colour.
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Diana was struggling to book a swimming course for Della and then came home to organise a Brownie bring and buy sale as the tiler resumed work on the conservatory and I worked outside clearing out the gutters, erecting our Christmas lights and then commissioning our pond lights. With Diana to the Kimbolton School Christmas Concert to see Debbie playing and then home to my journal. The first estimate is of 40 to 45,000 dead in the Armenian earthquake tragedy as all the multi-story buildings collapsed.
I awoke quite tired and with a sore throat today but managed to get going in spite of this. Diana had to go to earn off to queue for the girls swimming lessons again and, though there at 7:30am, she could still not get the right days swimming course for Della. The swimming facilities in St Neots are woefully inadequate for the people wanting to use them. I stayed at home, looking after Della as Debbie went to school to practice with the school orchestra. I took Della out to feed the doves and then she was ‘helping me’ until she hurt her chin and went inside. The tiler was back and finished the conservatory this morning, grouting between the tiles as well. There was no sign of the plumber who seems to have disappeared but I’m not too worried as it defers the building fee as we cannot yet use the underfloor heating.
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Some more distractions from the conservatory contractors on a mild but dampish day and sad news that Mr Fields snr from The Avenue Koi carp place has had a stroke. This evening cutting a lively dash in our Rolls Royce when visiting Baldock Farm, Graveley, for dinner with Marion and David Woodbridge
A mild and slightly dampish day. The tiler came and started his project on the conservatory. He was quite a cantankerous chap but reasonably good at his work. These days, all the building tradesmen seem to be self-employed and contracted to do their jobs. I tried to work on my Prehistoric History section in my book but found the tiler’s presence quite distracting. The more so when he declared the number of tiles to be short, but he was laying them much closer together than Diana wanted. I made my own lunch as Diana went off shopping to Bedford. This afternoon, I drove down to Stevenage to get the third lot of tiles and then dropped in at Sandy on the way back. The Koi carp place at The Avenue is closed for the winter and only open at weekends and Mr Field, senior, has had a stroke which is rather a pity he is paralysed down one side. On to Bickerdike’s Nurseries where I saw the owner and bought two sets (each of two) pond lights; a set of outside lights and another strip of the house decorations. After a light tea, Diana and I went to our engagement; Marion and David Woodbridge of Baldock Farm, Graveley, had invite us to dinner with four other guests.
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A satisfying experience reading the long HDC Full Council meeting minutes after my orchestrated interventions and then supporting my local residents with their plans. Then some work on the conservatory before and after taking Debbie riding. NATO consider their response to Gorbachev’s arms reductions and flights in Germany are cancelled after six died in a military plane crash
Awoken early again this morning but hardly had any time to work in my office before it was time for breakfast. I received the minutes from the last Huntingdonshire District Council Full Council meeting this morning. There were over 17 pages of them as a result of my plan last month instead of the customary two or three! I also had a consultation note about an application to convert a Little Paxton bungalow for disabled use. I phoned the owners to get some details and then wrote a letter to the District Council in support of the application. Then 2 to 3 hours studying the Riverside Paper Mill plan and typing out a long document for the planning department with copies for local residents and other bodies. This took me up to and beyond lunch, but I then had a couple of hours fitting the security bolts and alarm contacts to the conservatory outside doors. Then tea and after horse-riding where Debbie Road was Gussy very well. This evening, I laid the lounge carpets back down and connected the alarm contacts there. The main news today was of the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, breaking off his world tour and cancelling his trip to Britain and Cuba. His reason was extensive and serious earthquake which is claimed the lives of between 25,000 and 50,000 people and injuring up 130,000.
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