The weather being fine and sunny but cool at night, I did some maintenance work outside on my Rolls Royce and the pool sand filter connections after preparing Di to complete some financial transactions in Bedford and before driving over to Cambridge and visiting my Dad. Some hope for him as another surgeon, Mr Lambertini, in Mr Campbell’s absence on holiday was willing to consider an operation and plans a brain scan on Monday and I discussed this development in long calls with Freda and Mum. I used the visit to collect a batch of Focus newsletters and printed off some recycling posters for distribution afterwards before another late night.
The stock market is stabilising after heavy intervention on the foreign exchanges, the electricity privatisation is postponed for up to 6 months and 400 police have raided Broadwater Farm, Tottenham, looking for drugs in what was virtually a paramilitary operation. The ambulance officers have joined their men in implementing an overtime ban and calling for binding arbitration.
Another full day, fine and sunny day but cool at night, which started with me trying to get some financial transactions organised for Di to complete in Bedford. Then I went outside and did some maintenance work; I secured the stand my bicycle, now that I found the right size allen key, then took the masking tape and paper off of my spare Rolls-Royce wheel and, once the new paint hardens, I can put it on the car and get the slow puncture fixed that allows another tyre to slowly deflate.
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I then tackled the task of securing pipework for my ‘sand filter back-flushing’ processes. The swimming pool piping only needed to be cemented to make the connection, but the carp pond pipe had to be let through a thick steel plate drain cover. I drilled a number of small holes in a 2 inch circle and then filed the spikes as to form quite a smooth hole. After this, lunch intervened and then, this afternoon, I drove over to Cambridge and visited my Dad. He was chirpy this afternoon and had some better news to make him so. Another surgeon, Mr Lambertini, examined him this time, as Mr Campbell was on holiday, and said that he would like to operate. As the only alternative would be for dad dying slowly and in pain, he feels that it is worth the risk and an extensive operation is being considered to remove cancerous tissue at the side of his face and neck and (in part) the skull. By grafting a flap of skin from an arm or leg, skin and flesh could then allow further radiotherapy if that was needed. The pain would be a fraction of that that he has now. It now hinges on a brain scan that has been booked for 9am on Monday and the consultation later between the surgeon and the consultant neurologist who would advise on whether the brain damage will be containable.
Whilst in Cambridge, I collected a batch of Focus newsletters that had just been printed at Glisson Road and then dropped them off to Percy and Michael for distribution afterwards. Once home, and after tea, I spent an hour on the phone talking to Freda and Mum and then as long again marshalling delivery volunteers for my Focus newsletters tomorrow for Little Paxton and Southoe. Lastly, I weighed out the numbers needed for each round and printed off some recycling posters for Sally Guinee and Hilary Knightley. I was then up late again writing my journal.
The news is of the stock market stabilising as the government intervenes heavily on the foreign exchanges and staves off an interest rate rise for the moment. The government has had to postpone the electricity privatisation for up to 6 months due to its complication. 400 police have raided Broadwater Farm, Tottenham, looking for drugs in what was virtually a paramilitary operation. The ambulance officers have joined their men in implementing an overtime ban and calling for binding arbitration.