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After a better night with my injured foot, taking aspirin to control the pain, I had controlled the fever and was able to accompany Daniel who drove me to the London Navy Club for our all-day course on ship VHF radio operation. He drove us home after dark after which I had a restful evening ahead of my all-day council meeting the next day. I got the chance to write up the two days' journal that I was in Norfolk by getting my computer brought into the lounge.
I had a better night with my injured foot, but still had to take regular aspirin to control the pain. I had taken some time to settle down and come out of my fever and for my body to get the temperature right. This morning, I was awoken early by arrangement and then started to try to wash and get ready to go out to London. Daniel was driving me, and we were going to an all-day course on ship VHF radio operation. I decided that I was OK, and we left Paxton. As we drove off, we saw that the river was in full flood with the valley and our riverside gardens under water. It is the worst we have experienced since 1979.
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A poor start to a cold, wet and windy day as I had not set up the boat heating to start properly and then I struggled out with my scalded foot to shop for insulation in Wroxham and engine service parts in Sprowston after which I abandoned plans to work on the boat due to failing health and spirits.
I drove home via Hinchingbrooke Hospital casualty department to get my foot looked at as the bandage was quite soaked and leaking and they attended to my foot after which I arrived home to go straight to bed weak and feeling feverish and in pain.
I laid in a while waiting for the heating to come on but, the prior day ending in distress, I had not set it properly and I had to wait in vain. I dressed and went shopping in Wroxham to get the rest of the things I needed for further work on the boat. I bought insulation material to lag the boat's hot water tank and feed pipes and then drove to Sprowston, near Norwich, to the Perkins diesel engine dealer where I got the oil and fuel filters and engine oil etc needed to service the boat's engines. Coming back through Wroxham, I stopped to get some take-away lunch and I was waiting there when I started to come over quite queer. It was a cold, wet and windy day which could make anybody feel under the weather, but I felt that I had something coming on.
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A day that continued sunny and started still but then became quite breezy later. After attending the opening of the first Little Paxton Bottle Bank at The Anchor, I set off for Norfolk, had a snack lunch at McDonalds on the Norwich ring-road and arrived at Barnes Brinkcraft to see Mr Thwaites.
Unfortunately, I had to insist on some repairs to their work before setting off for Horning as the wind rose. The rest of the day fixing the bilge pump pipework and modifying the sewage system outlet until I scalded my foot and suffered overnight.
Tory Councils are keeping the Poll Tax levels artificially low by depleting their reserves and spending less in the coming year than even the central government assessment of perceived needs.
A nice sunny and still start to the weather which was just as well for what I had planned for it. A little slow to get up and had to have breakfast in my pyjamas. Then phone calls to Hilary Knightley about this morning's arrangements for the opening of the first Little Paxton Bottle Bank and others to political colleagues on the Poll Tax situation in view of me being away until Monday. The local Tory Councils are keeping the Poll Tax levels artificially low by depleting their reserves and spending less in the coming year than even the central government assessment of perceived needs. I then loaded up all my things for Norfolk and drove over to The Anchor for the bottle-bank opening. It was cold and breezy but bright and sunny and it was an ideal morning for the photographs. The paper's photographer did not turn up, but we took some photos of our own and there was a journalist there at least.
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The range of outstanding responsibilities and the very wet and windy weather put paid to any idea of travelling early to Norfolk and Di and I collected the girls and took them both horse-riding in Offord and Della is becoming more confident. At the Parish Council meeting this evening, our bid to oppose development on the Samuel Jones site was lost but they did agree to partner more re-cycling. The local newspapers are full of my attacks on local councils over the Poll Tax as the lead story.
Pay review bodies have recommended teachers, doctors, armed forces personnel and civil servants pay increases of 9 to 11%. This makes the treatment of the ambulancemen even more unfair. In the Commons, Thatcher and Defence Secretary King face awkward questions on the under-cover role of the security services in undermining former Prime Ministers, but Thatcher resisted great pressure for a fuller enquiry
The weather started fine today, and this gave me some ideas about starting off to Norfolk a day earlier than intended but then I remembered the variety of things I had to do and so I went back to my desk. Later the weather became very wet and windy again and I was glad. I was up at a reasonable time and, after breakfast, then had to read another huge wad of papers from the District Council about the Local Plan meeting on Monday. I had just about got through my mail, when it was time to go with Di in the Range Rover up to Sawtry to have a new "cubby-box" fitted. The pity was that the unit was of the wrong type and so it could not be done. To St Neots afterwards, where we put my office curtains in for dry-cleaning (it had evidently been some 8 years since they were hung!) and then we had lunch there.
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