To Stevenage first thing with Diana to choose and order floor tiles for our new conservatory and then back to meet up with John Lamb for a drink and lunch at The Rocket pub before dropping in at our old offices and meeting up with Ian James. Time at home tonight, catching up with ward issues and writing and then hearing of the transport union’s bid to influence Labour Party policy on nuclear disarmament. Moves mooted against the petrol pricing monopoly, drunkenness in public places as the Manchester Bae factory is closed because of serious illness due to Legionnaires’ Disease in the water and air conditioning systems.
Slept well enough but my night was too short to give me much rested. To breakfast before getting washed and dressed and then a bit of a rush afterwards to get ready for our trip out. Di and I went to the tile stockist in Stevenage and chose the tiles for our conservatory floor and shelves. Diana wanted the first she was shown which were laid in a square and finger pattern which evidently was very popular at the Chelsea Flower Show. I approved of the fact that the tiles were held in stock in quantity which will be very convenient. Home quickly, as I was expecting my old friend and business colleague John Lamb and he was there waiting when I got back. He is still in partnership with David Slinn in marketing consultancy in Swindon. I showed him the gardens and collectors’ cars and then we went off to The Rocket pub for lunch, dropping in on Little End Road and Grove House for old time sake. We met Ian James at Grove house and invited me to open their new extension next May as a prestige event.
This afternoon, I returned to correspondence and phone calls, talking to Eric Heads of HDC in commiseration over the grass cutting decision; and then Roy Reeves about the conduct of meetings and interpretation of standing orders. This evening I decided against attending the HDC Personnel Committee meeting although I read the papers and noted the staff problems that they have. The rest of the night writing up these last two days’ journal and receiving another neighbour to talk about the intrusion of the Carisbrooke development. The news tonight is of the Labour Party Conference where the Transport Workers Union leader, Ron Todd, is outspoken about the new aims and policies initiative. It seems he is sounding an advance warning over tomorrow’s debate on changing the parties stand from one of unilateral disarmament. All this will not go down well with the wider electorate. After the price of petrol has failed to fall in line with oil prices, the Monopolies Commission will be investigating the oil companies pricing problems. The Home Secretary has announced plans to implement bans on public drinking to counter the violence of drunken hooligans. USSR invokes the defence treaty to make a surprise inspection of British armed forces military exercises in Salisbury plain today. A British Aerospace factory in Manchester is closed because of serious illness due to Legionnaires’ Disease in the water and air conditioning systems.