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I was up a bit late on a foggy morning after sitting in bed checking yesterday’s FOCUS copy. Having secured Daniel’s help to clean the Range Rover, I finished that task and was able to take the family to Fiona Lockett’s house in the St Neots Priory estate to socialise with DOOM supporters. Back to work on the computer to eventually master PageMaker to produce more copy by working until midnight. Chancellor Lawson is rumoured to be cutting down on benefits for older people and free eye and dental checks for all else. The CBI want protection from foreign takeover bids and the US presidential election is coming to a climax.
Today started very foggy but not so cold as the last few days. I was up a bit late and had sat in bed checking yesterday’s FOCUS copy prior to attempting to create the artwork today. Down to a nice fried breakfast (but I have put on a few pounds this last few days). Had to go and feed the doves quite smartly this morning as the late-season squabs were chirping for their food. I got Daniel to clean the Range Rover so that I could spend this morning working on the corrections to the FOCUS manuscripts. Just had time to print out the updated copy before it was time to take the family to Fiona Lockett’s house in the St Neots Priory estate.
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Bonfire Night on a fine sunny but cold day - We did not celebrate Bonfire Night for once but I was working on editing and typesetting local FOCUS newsletters before taking the family out to a meal at the Bridge Hotel in St Neots for lunch and then watching England beat Australia in a very exciting Rugby Union battle. Quite late on my Journal this evening as Di and Dan watched ‘Top Gun’ and enjoyed it. Mercenaries are fighting for control of the Maldives, Lech Walesa has set tough conditions for the Polish government and Spanish police are struggling to control loutish British tourists whilst in Belfast a large arms cache is found and removed.
Quite rested after the earlier bedtime last night and fresher this morning as a result. I still woke up at 4am as the frost was hard and the cold getting in through my bedroom French Door which was ajar. Stayed in bed with the electric blanket on for a while and had to eat breakfast in my dressing gown and shower and shave afterwards. This morning, Di took the girls for their swimming lessons and Daniel was still at school and so I worked on at my computer and started editing the text Michael and I had prepared for FOCUS. At 12.30pm, I took the family off to the Bridge Hotel in St Neots for lunch and it was very enjoyable too. Once back home, I decided to take a break from the computer and watched an International Rugby Union match on TV. It was the first match of the season, England versus Australia and a very exciting one it was too. The lead went to and fro in open and entertaining style and England were worthy victors after a close-run thing. Before and after tea tonight, I ploughed on with completing the editing and typesetting both versions of FOCUS for Priory and Paxton and then printed them out the proof-reading before running a copy over to Michael for him to check as well.
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Tired, after a late night, I was struggling to write press releases and motions for my forthcoming meetings but I finished them later in the afternoon, taking the Rolls-Royce to deliver the motions to Pathfinder House and the press releases by hand to the local papers. This evening Di and I saw Debbie’s school teachers and were happy with her progress, as she was excellent at Maths though struggling in Science. News today is of Thatcher finishing her Polish trip with a meeting with Lech Walesa and then rousing trouble outside the Gdansk shipyard gates. The Soviets have suspended their withdrawal of Afghanistan because of rebel breaches of ceasefire and Lord Mackay has fallen out with his Protestant colleagues by attending a Catholic colleagues funeral.
Again, far too late to bed last night and half-dead this morning as a result. Up in time for breakfast and, after the morning papers and mail, I settled down at my desk to try and phrase and produce multiply-addressed and printed copies of a press release on the Southoe News. I was also struggling to produce a question and motion for the forthcoming full meeting of Council, the week after next. Percy Meyer dropped round and tried to interest me in a Mepal Hospital ward issue, but I was too distracted to give much thought to the idea. By 1pm, I was struggling and Joan got me lunch as I made out her money etc. and then I had the release and letters nicely done a couple more hours later. I took out the Rolls-Royce (Di had gone to Bedford for the day in the Range Rover) and did a circular tour, dropping the District Council motions off at Pathfinder House and then delivering each of the press releases by hand to the local papers.
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My 42nd birthday - A bit of an anti-climax for my 42nd birthday, having celebrated it last Sunday with Fred, my father, with his on the second.. Early this morning, collecting our FOCUS newsletter texts with Mike Pope for a couple of hours and then off to Thriplow farm office to collect the discs that Bill Walston had prepared. After lunch, sorting disk files onto my computer and then taking Debbie horse riding in Offord. On to the little Paxton Parish meeting at the village hall which was constructive but frustrating, but my ideas were agreed and three new sympathetic Parish Councillors appointed in a good meeting overall. Thatcher has spoken on human rights when visiting Poland, completely ignoring her own curtailment’s of such rights at home. I completed the Games Lawn top dressing today and heard that my conservatory and insurance claims should progress.
I was quite late to bed last night, in the end, watching the boxing match in which the South African champion overcome the spirited challenge of a British boxer. A bit tired when Di woke me with my tea on this, my birthday morning. In fact, we had celebrated my birthday on Sunday with my dad and his, received our cards and opened our presents, and today was just like any other day. At 9am, Mike Pope arrived, and we went through the necessary corrections to the text of our next FOCUS newsletter, which took a couple of hours. We also agreed which items would be best placed in which sections. At 11am, I shot off to the Thriplow Farm Office to collect the discs that Bill Walston had been kindly preparing for me. Back in time for lunch and then all afternoon sorting the new disk files onto my computer and then numbering and preparing the constituent articles that are to make up our new FOCUS newsletters online. Soon, it was teatime and then time to take Debbie for her horse riding in Offord. I had to leave her there for Di to pick up later and I went on to the Little Paxton Parish meeting at the Village Hall.