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A trip on a fine sunny and dry day to St Ives this morning for a switch panel for Daniel’s boat and some correct sized paper for writing this journal and then, after an appalling meal at the Little Paxton Little Chef I set off for a walk around the village to speak to some local constituents about grass cutting and potholes in particular. Home to receive a posse of young girls wanting somewhere to gather away from people’s houses and then this evening preparing notes for my Environmental Services Committee. Today, an assassination attempt on the Turkish Prime Minister and, in southern Spain, terrorists tried to plant a bomb at the naval base but both plots were foiled
We slept well enough and had a good lay in. After breakfast, we fed the birds and secured the house and then set off for St Ives. Daniel wanted a switch panel for his boat and I was hoping to find the right paper for my journal – instead, all I could find was some ring-bound quarto pad! We drove back to the Little Paxton Little Chef after, but the service was appalling there, due to few staff and them being inexperienced anyway. It upset us quite a lot. After, I was dropped off home and I had a couple of calls on my answering system and so set off for a walk around the village to see people. I saw a Mr Smith of Park Close, over an abandoned Cambs County Council verge outside his home and advised him to adopt it and plant shrubs like a neighbour of his! I walked on towards Mrs Bunnage and met Mr & Mrs Martin Mawer, who were also out looking at grass patches! It seems everyone is discontent over the situation and I upset the Parish Clerk with my demands the other evening.
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Some time meeting residents in Southoe and Diddington and then time preparing for my HDC committee and then meeting with Mike Pope discussing transport issues. This evening having dinner with Nigel and Lynne Smith and home worrying about Nigel after his skiing accident. A big bomb explosion that killed 6 soldiers in Lisburn, Belfast, after they had taken part in a charity fun run
A rather misty and dull day today, but quite warm. This morning, after breakfast, I drove over to Southoe & Diddington with my Focus 3 leaflets, to get them delivered. I had to deliver those in Diddington myself, as I could not find John Berrington in, but it was worthwhile, as I chatted to a couple of arch-Tories and tried to impress them with my local presence and concern. One was Mrs Peggy Somerset of South Lodge (whose son, Gary Somerset, is a Hunts Post journalist) and the other was Gerald Carpenter, the Estate Manager, who runs the business for the estate owner, Peter Thornhill. Back at Southoe I found Shirley Wright, who agreed to deliver my leaflets for me in that village and I chatted to her for quite a while and the old gentleman opposite, who was rather upset by a council house neighbour ‘pinching’ part of his garden. Home again and, this afternoon, Diana and sister-in-law, Chrisula, delivered one of the Little Paxton rounds as well.
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Spending most of the day on my Council duties, planning footpath and road improvements with Mike Pope and then taking a break to watch test cricket before attending a poor meeting of the Parish Council where there was lack of ambition on getting new amenities
A small journal entry today, as I am running out of paper! Spent most of the day on my District Council duties, telephoning all and sundry and sorting out my papers. I arranged to see Mike Pope tomorrow night to talk transport (road and footpath) problems. Watched some TV today and saw England get off to a good start against the West Indies – dismissing them for 200 in less than a day. This evening, I went to the Amenities meeting of the Parish Council and was rather disappointed to experience the rather defeatist and dead approach of the members.
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Today the morning mist dispersed to make a warm and sunny day and, after a morning dealing with the mail and reading the newspapers and the salad lunch I tried without success to find reasons to stop further infill development in Little Paxton. Then to reset the mole traps near the games lawn before mowing it and then this evening off to the St Neots Museum committee as the official Council representative.
A day that started a bit damp and misty, but ended up dry, warm and sunny. I read the papers this morning and then dealt with the mail and a few other matters. Lunch of prawn salad and then this afternoon I went over to Pathfinder House to talk to the Principal Planning Officer for this area, Neil Coleman, about infilling developments in Little Paxton. It seems that the government’s circular presumption, in favour of infilling, leaves little grounds for opposition if the development does not impact the street scene or overlook any neighbouring property. As Riversdale is not presently listed, or in a conservation area, all I could get him to do was to ask for detailed plan drawings to identify that the building could actually go within the boundaries and ensure whether the front holly and side leylandii would be retained.