To the doctor’s today to have my foot dressed and to seek advice about Della’s urinary infection and little progress made in respect of both matter before "elevenses" at Tooks and lunch at the Little Chef. It was another wild and windy night for Daniel's last parent's evening where we all learnt that he must put in more than the bare minimum of work to get his grades for University.
After ambulancemen in Merseyside voting for an all-out strike, both sides have now agreed to go to ACAS, and a Tory M.P. is found guilty by a Commons committee of failing to declare his interests when accepting a £40,000 Saudi payment and then speaking in the House in their cause
A slightly restless night, but then slept in until quite late with the rest of the family doing the same. Di telephoned Joan and asked for her not to come over as she needed the day to unpack and clear the house. It would also be a rest for Joan's back which was still sore and a problem. Di also telephoned the Doctor's surgery and got a nurse's appointment for my foot to be dressed and a Doctor's appointment for Della to be seen about her urinary infection. I then washed my hair and went through the bath routine after the several days in the boat. Daniel had got his friend Gary Skinner to come around and we then all left for St Neots. The others went shopping as I went to have my wound dressed. The problem is that they seem to insist on removing the scabs and opening up the wound each time they dress it which keeps it open and sore from my point of view. My foot was therefore a bit worse after this experience.
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Then I did some shopping and gathered the girls to have some "elevenses" at Tooks. The trouble was that, being half-term, the racks were devoid of buns and cakes as they had all been taken! We had lunch at the Little Chef and then went back to get Della seen by the doctor. He wants her to come back again tomorrow with a urine sample and to be seen by the nurse for a swab to be taken for analysis. In early evening, I started to write up these last few days journal and get my other things straight but then it was time to go to Kimbolton for Daniel's last parent's evening. It was another wild and windy night, with Kimbolton castle being very dark and isolated and the wind whistling through the Salon door as it was opened for entry. We went from desk to desk to see his teachers for mathematics, physics and chemistry (two teachers per subject). The news was quite worrying in overall terms but there were a few highlights. For one, Daniel is no longer in conflict with one of his Chemistry teachers and they are working well together. For another, his grasp of Pure maths is good, and he is doing quite well at Physics; and particularly well at his practicals.
The problems remain in Chemistry and now in Applied Mathematics and overall there is doubt as to whether he will be able to get the grades that he wants for his university course. His contention that he can confine his work to the free periods at school and not work very much at home was disputed. He must put in a couple of hours an evening as a bare minimum and contribute more in class and tell the teachers whether or not he is understanding the work or needing help. He was still up when he came back and we chatted a while over some milky drinks. He listened to what we had to report, and I think that the lessons are beginning to come home for him. We then went to bed quite shattered to get some rest.
Today's news is that, after ambulancemen in Merseyside voting for an all-out strike, both sides have now agreed to go to ACAS, the arbitration and conciliation service. In a House of Commons debate, the government came in for much more acrimony over their stance, but the Tory loyalists carried the vote. Financial impropriety and ethics is the main story line as the Guinness trial reveals the dirty deals behind the scenes and a Tory M.P. is found guilty by a Commons committee of failing to declare his interests when accepting a £40,000 Saudi payment and then speaking in the House in their cause.