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This morning clearing my desk, copying documents and making telephone calls and this afternoon visited my new constituents in Southoe and this evening to Diddington for a village meeting. Kim Philby, the Russian spy, the ‘third man’ in the Burgess and Maclean’ case dies today, the High Court piles more fines on the NUS over the ferry dispute which continues until the P&O management negotiate and Chancellor Lawson’s US comments triggered sharp falls in the world’s stock exchanges
Slept better last night with my rib troubles dulled by my taking a painkiller again. Was soon ready for breakfast and I put the wheat flakes aside for once and toasted myself what I call ‘French toast’. Two buttered slices of white bread, put butter in together and then toasted both sides. This morning I worked away at clearing my desk, copying documents and making telephone calls. I only tended my doves and ducks as an outside job. This afternoon, I continued sorting out the aftermath of the election and then went over to Southoe after tea to meet the local people there. I learnt more of the problems of the council house maintenance at the bottom of Lees Lane. The walls need repainting, the timbers are infested with woodworm and there remain other problems that need to be dealt with. I then chatted to my local flag board display team and helpers and collected the boards. I had taken photographs of the house problems and can progress them. Later this evening, I went to Diddington and attended the first of the twice-yearly village meetings.
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After a family breakfast, I got Pete work on the games lawn whilst I cleaned out the swimming pool and then took the family to lunch before printing out over 20 letters of thanks to those who helped in my campaign. Mikhail Gorbachev, points out the turmoil that his new more liberal policies are causing at all levels of Soviet society, The Ferry Dispute continues and Ms Michel Rocard, the socialist, is duly announced by re-elected Francis Mitterrand as the new Prime Minister of France
A reasonable night’s sleep, but I still do not get really refreshed due to my ribs raising me from my deepest sleep. Awake quite early and managed to have my shower, shave and dress before my breakfast of boiled duck egg with the others. This morning I cleared out the swimming pool and back-flushed the sand filter and then got Pete to join me to work on the games lawn. We hand weeded it of coarse grasses and then I mowed it up and across. It subsides even more in the region of the land drainage pipes that I put in and I think it will be a good number of years before I have the lawn flat and uniform. A small rest, watching the TV teletext, before it was time at midday to take Di and Della out to lunch. I drove them down to ‘Kelly’s Kitchen’ by the Black Cat roundabout, which was a change from the Happy Eater and Little Chef. Not bad, but my salad was tired and Di's chicken dish undercooked. This afternoon, I started work on the ‘thank you’ letters for my leaflet deliverers and got Di to deliver both these and the flag board displayers as well.
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All day struggling with my resumption of financial transactions and administration after my time away from it but pleased to hear my Radio Cambridgeshire interviews on the hour at breakfast time. An afternoon of visits to banks and my accountant and then more account reconciliation this evening after Moira Biggins had visited to print out ‘thank you’ letters to our supporters. The lorry drivers are now blockading Dover and Calais and Sealink offers to take back half of the sacked P&O strikers and the House of Lords is attacking Thatcher’s Poll Tax plans
Had a mixed night’s sleep with my side still hurting when I turned over. Was awake when Diana brought my morning tea in at 7.00am and I heard on both the 7.00am and 8.00am Radio Cambridgeshire news broadcasts the replay of my interview, which was quite good. First thing, I drove round and checked the flag boards that were left and then settled into my office to try sorting a range of outstanding paperwork out. There were bills to pay, received cheques to pay in, counterfoils to reference and tally and other matters. I made some progress, but my mind was lazy and out of tune with the task after a month and a half away from it.
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Long lay in recovering after the election and Debbie’s birthday party and to slowly collect half a dozen flag boards around the village and chatting to the house owners. A visit from Labour councillor Mark Slater to coordinate our opposition tactics. French President, Francois Mitterrand, is re-elected, three potholers die in a rock fall, the ferries dispute continues and leader Sam McCluskie is defiant. Russell Harty emerges from a coma but is ill with liver disease
Had rather a long lay in and was tired and lethargic as a consequence of two factors. First, the past week has involved the council election and the children’s party, and second, the weather today was dull and humid and rather suffocating. This morning I belatedly started to clean the Range Rover, after a morning drizzle had stopped. I finished it by lunchtime, but was quite shattered. After lunch, I drove round the village and collected another half dozen boards, chatting to the house owners as I went. Later, it started to rain heavily, with thunder and lightning, to herald the return of summer! I sat and watched TV for a while, made a few phone calls on local politics and ended up tired and ready for bed at 10.00pm.