Building work on my conservatory foundations continued today with a visit from the building inspector expected and he agreed the necessary depth and approved the works. I was working today in preparation for my HDC environmental services committee meeting, but I was disappointed with this poorly attended affair this evening and even more annoyed by the Tory council’s lack of proper procedure when they replaced my motion with one of their own. News today is of the UK balance of trade deficit falling to ‘only’ £1.31 billion and the aftermath of Ben Jonson’s disqualification for drugs taking is the shaking of the international sports community to the foundations.
Awake early this morning and found Diana in bed beside me for a change and so I then took full advantage! To shower and dress early and the chance to watch the TV Olympic hockey semi-final between England Ladies and Korea where we were narrowly defeated 0-1 in a thrilling game. Trouble was that the television programme editors kept insisting on breaks to fit their normal schedules, which was a bit frustrating. This morning, the builders resumed their excavations and prepared for the Building Inspector to come later. The spoil covered most of the target filling area on the riverside gardens today and, with much more to come, it seems that we will have to deposit at least one more layer on top. I worked on today on my speeches and notes for this evening’s environmental services committee meeting and only just managed to complete them by the end of the afternoon.
The Building Inspector agreed the depth of the conservatory war foundations but is still hedging about the specifications for ‘the retaining wall’ by which we assume he means the pond wall which is the same thing. I hope it all works out in the end. The rain came this afternoon made everything sticky and they intend to pour the concrete foundations tomorrow afternoon. This evening, I attended my environmental services meeting but was rather disappointed by the result I made a good speech (I thought) in proposing the measure to avoid the overlap of counsel grass cutting and in making the case for more regular cutting of amenity grass. Unhappily, the Tory leader came out with recommendations of his own and then a confusing sequence followed when my motion agreed to be amended some length and, despite appears to the chairman, there would not read out the composite wording before it was put to the vote there was confusion after the meeting when asked just what the amended item was to read and the secretariat did seem not seem to know either and had to go around and get the Tory leader’s notes. The Labour leader, Jim Lomax (a spectator at this meeting as is not on the committee) waded in after the meeting and said that they had acted against standing orders. What a mess! I came away disgusted – not so much that the majority group turned down my proposals – but more in discussed that they were so disorganised in opposing me so that the minutes of the meeting are going to be muddled. It seems that the Tories want the parish council to do the grass cutting, but the question of payments to do it is unclear, and it also seems under the new competitive tendering procedure jobs have to be put out in 20% lumps. Home tired to watch the TV news and retired to bed late after I’d write up my journal and wound down a little. News today is of the UK balance of trade deficit falling to ‘only’ £1.31 billion. The aftermath of Ben Jonson’s disqualification for drugs taking is the shaking of the international sports community to the foundations. It is seen as good news because at least the issue has come out into the open and the drug testing is being seen as effective.