Working further on my Samuel Jones Little Paxton history and then mowing the games lawn on a warm and sunny day before preparing for my talk to the Little Paxton Ladies Club about village history this evening. It was reported as the best turnout ever of their club with more than 40 ladies present and, by collecting many subscriptions, they seem to be restoring their fortunes. Big news tonight was of the bank interest rates up again to 8 ½ %,, there was a riot after inmates had to take down pictures of pinups. Lester Piggott loses his OBE after conviction for tax evasion.
A good night’s sleep, but it was Diana’s turn to wake me early today with my morning tea. Some time coming round and getting up and shaved. Opted to leave my shower etc for later and dressed in time for breakfast. Some toast and wheat flakes, then out to feed the doves and check the mole traps. Nothing to report and so spent the morning in my office, copying more information from the Samuel Jones files on land acquisition etc. Lunch and then carried on, after writing a few notes for my talk on Little Paxton History to the Little Paxton Ladies Club tonight. I was much distracted by the cricket on TV today, with England struggling to avoid defeat at the hands of a talented West Indies team. Eventually tea time and I had gone out to get some A3 pocket plastic wallets so that I could hand round photo copies tonight to make the talk more interesting. After tea, I showered, washed my hair and went off to the village hall. Their best ever turnout of 40+ ladies to hear me speak and they enjoyed it and hung around afterwards to ask questions and chatted. They collected a lot of money in subscriptions and I hope that it has got their club back on the rails.
Home about 10.00pm, but a couple of hours before I was fully settled in bed. Wrote up my journal and listened to the news during that time. Main story was of the bank interest rates up again to 8 ½ %, which helped the pound and the stock market, but not by much. There was a riot at a Cumbria jail last night, with cell blocks on fire and the security fence breached. A score of prisoners escaped, but all except three are now back in custody. The inmates objected to the ban on pin ups on the call walls and the prison officers say that jails are now undermanned for the government’s ‘fresh start’ and tighter disciplinary procedures. South Africa has their biggest ever strike by black workers – 2 ½ million out – in protest at legislation planned to curb trade unions and anti-apartheid groups. Four black bus passengers were killed in a hand grenade attack in KwaZulu at the start of the protest. Former champion jockey, Lester Piggott, now serving a three year jail sentence for tax evasion, has been stripped of his OBE, won in the 1975 honours list. A cruel blow, but he did fraudulently evade paying £3 million+. It has been a fine, warm day today and sunny later as well. I also mowed the games lawn with the cylinder mower this afternoon and it tidied it up after the raking yesterday.