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Some work this morning with Percy Meyer on his Buckdon County Ward election plans after a very poor night’s sleep. Out later to work in the riverside garden, top dressing the games lawn with Pete and then time inside later gathering press cuttings and preparing for my talk at the St Neots Local History Club this evening. This talk, on the History of Little Paxton, went down well. Two Royal Ordnance factories are to close after government sell-offs to save money, Sara Keays succeeds with her injunction and Neil Kinnock scolds his critics in his closing Labour Party conference speech. Huge quantities of cannabis and heroin are seized in Scotland Yard drug raids and England’s cricket tour of India is called off due to differences over England players’ South African connections.
An exceedingly poor night as I had to try to go straight to bed last night after my stressful Parish Council meeting and my active mind kept me awake. We also had a gnat buzzing around our faces all night as well which kept both Di and I awake. Worked at my desk for a while today, updating some finances and then Percy Meyer came over and ice started him going in the process of drawing up delivery instructions and cards for his Buckden County Ward. Then out to the Riverside garden to carry on top-dressing and at least a dozen more wheel barrows spread on the lawns. The weather was windy today, but the forecast showers stayed away. I worked at the lawns before and after lunch with Pete mixing and sieving the earth to make the top dressing. Still a long way to go before the lot is done. Later on, I gathered the press cuttings from this week’s local papers for the Little Paxton scrapbook before tea. Tended the birds and then washed and changed for my talk on Little Paxton History at the St Neots Local History Club.
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Working on my plans for this evening’s Little Paxton Parish Council Meeting and then getting approval this evening for my new suggested Byelaws for The Playing Field to combat dog fouling. In between times, taking Debbie horse-riding again.
A much more blustery and showery day. Pete was only here for two hours, mixing some more top dressing, but then a very heavy rain shower put paid to that. I worked on my plans for the Parish Council meeting tonight, copying enough of my papers to circulate there. First, I had to cut-and-paste up extracts from the sample bylaws to form a suitable model for the Little Paxton Playing Field rules. Also, a letter or two of reply to constituents’ queries which took me up to lunchtime. Then an amount of financial work, reconciling accounts and updating my summaries etc that occupied the afternoon. Had to take Debbie to horse riding after tea and a riding companions’ mother kindly offered to bring her home afterwards as I had to get along to the Parish Council meeting.
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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.
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Top dressing the games lawn with gardener Pete’s help on a fine day and then preparing for this evening’s Leisure and Amenities Committee meeting to present my grass-cutting proposals which I then attended until very late even though the Tories moved a counter-proposal and declined to increase cuts from 10 to 15 per year
A sound night’s sleep and timely start to the day. The fine weather continued and I was determined to get out and continue top dressing the riverside games lawns. Pete was not arriving until mid-morning and so I worked on my financial affairs first – preparing to building society accounts and the three children’s trust saving accounts for in-payments. The sun was out again by the time I joined Pete after lunch and he had mixed a large heap of top dressing, using sand and loan from our past excavations and compacted Irish moss peat. The builders did not come today, but I had a rather worrying ‘disclaimer’ letter from HDC building control office disclaiming responsibility as we had started work prior to the plans being passed for building regulations purposes. I spread around ten barrow-fulls of top dressing on the riverside lawns by the summerhouse this afternoon and this only represented some half of the area! Still it was a good job well done and it took me until 4pm. After the hard, mechanical raking and top dressing, I am looking forward to the lawn being rejuvenated, better conditioned and with a much softer turf.