I made a slow start on a rainy day that became clear and foggy later as Debbie started recovering and was coughing nicely, but the Koi carp were not recovering as well. I took Debbie to the riding stables with our new tack chest, until she was relieved by Lisa, and to hear of residential development plans for the stables from Roland Smith. Di and I reluctantly attended the SLD wine and cheese event this evening, which was okay. An IRA grenade attack kills an RUC officer in South Tyrone, Kenneth Clarke refutes a government NHS privatisation rumour and opposition leaders criticised the Prime Minister at a Cheltenham GCHQ rally over the removal of their trade union rights
I had a bit of a lay in this morning and Debbie and I slept very well. It seemed to do her good she was much better, playing Hide-and-Seek with Della and getting some exercise as this activity made her cough and clear her chest quite a bit. I tended the fish this morning and still found them rather unwell. The younger ones are not ‘shoaling’ too well in their eyes seem swollen now. I went to Sandy and got some antibiotics and made a 50-gallon isolation tank later today and then caught the fish and put them in there. I also caught the Ohgon and Mercurochromed his back which had still not healed up yet. First thing this morning, we had a leak in the boiler pump and had to get the Gas Board to turn out and fix it under their four-star service contract. They came back later today with a replacement pump, which was very good service. The seal had broken and spilt water and I hope that our new system for forcing water through it for the underfloor heating was not to blame! I typed a couple of letters to the builders and conservatory makers this morning: they have made the struts far too low and I only noticed by measuring them. I also made out the insurance form for Sundance and went to Lifesure to get cover for the pony. I renewed my Reliant insurance at the same time. After lunch, I took Debbie down to the riding stables with our new tack chest and left her there for a couple of hours. I met Roland Smith, the owner and local Offord councillor, who gave me some rather worrying news that his landlord is applying for residential use planning permission for the place which would leave us without a livery and base.
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I do not trust this character and feel that he might have close the riding school and encouraged this process. I did nothing on my book today for once. Debbie and Lisa Drake wrap the riding stables this afternoon and each had 15 minutes ride before grooming and cleaning Sundance. When Drake reported that they spent one hour 40 minutes grooming it and, even then, struggled to clean its hooves! This evening, Diana and I went rather reluctantly to the SLD wine and cheese do at Rob and Frances Williams house in Eaton Socon. It was not too poorly-attended or pathetic but was rather boring for Diana who was suffering from a cold and complained bitterly after she had ‘wasted three hours painting’. The news today was of a grenade attack killing an RUC officer in South Tyrone. Gerry Adams, of the provisional IRA, declares that ‘armed struggle is a fact of life and death’. The row on the future of the National Health Service boils over with Minister, Kenneth Clarke, refuting the claims of Labour to have a copy of next week’s White Paper that says the NHS is being sized up for privatisation. The Labour and Democrat leaders have both attacked the Prime Minister at Cheltenham GCHQ rally protesting at the deprivation of the workers trade union rights at the establishment. It was raining today for most of the time but clear this evening when it became very clear and then foggy