Meeting Gerald Carpenter, the retiring farm manager in the redundant Diddington Barn
Meeting Gerald Carpenter, the retiring farm manager in the redundant Diddington Barn

Worrying about my Museum fundraising launch, I visited St Neots with Diana for coffee and shopping this morning and spent the rest of the morning delivering leaflets to Diddington and hearing of the very sad plans concerning the ending of traditional farm management the gravel industry takes over. Some time in Southoe and its outliers before seeing dad at Addenbrookes where he seems tired stoically awaiting developments.

England qualify for the World Cup in a televised football match against Poland after which I attended another village hall meeting to organise the November Fayre. The Tories plan changes to their controversial and unworkable poll tax and await the Chancellor’s speech at Blackpool the next day.

I had a poor night, frustrated over the situation with the Museum fundraising launch. These people have been dithering so long that they are ill-equipped to make early and active plans. I went into St Neots with Diana this morning, had coffee at the harvest bakery and then did some shopping. We had lunch at home after spending the rest of the morning delivering my Focus leaflets in Diddington.

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I met up with Gerald Carpenter, the retiring farm manager of Mr Thornhill and discussed his farm and future. It will now be ‘managed’ by agents William Harris (Strutt and Parker) and a manager from Oxford will visit every couple of weeks and ‘tell the men what to do’. Just two farm workers will be needed and seasonal help will come from Australia for the harvest. On to Boughton Lodge, where I met the man and woman there and discussed gravel extraction and bridleways. They are adversaries of the Thornhill’s and are against the gravel plan. After lunch, I delivered more focuses to the outliers of Southoe, visited my Southoe delivery helper and then drove on to see Dad in Addenbrookes. There have been no further developments, but he seems so tired and I hope it is only the drugs. As he always says, ‘Another day, Another dollar’ as the time to Tuesday goes by.

I got home in time to see England draw 0-0 with Poland at football on TV and thus get the point they needed to qualify for the World Cup. I ate tea in front of the set and was then late for a Village Hall Maintenance Committee meeting afterwards. I stayed on there for the meeting of stallholders for November Fayre. We should have a good event and raise a lot of money. Home early for once and watch the news with Diana. The Tories have announced changes to the Poll Tax at their conference but it will still be expensive and unpopular. Sterling slipped against the dollar today but rose against the German Mark and the stock exchange marked time before the Chancellor’s speech at Blackpool the next day.