Up and dressed early for a change and, having sent a press release, I was able to accompany Di to Bedford this morning and Daniel was at home and came too. Today was dry with the wind dropping but it then turned very cold. The storm death toll has now been put at 46 with 7 children killed.
I decided to buy my first transportable cellular telephone which was connected to the Cellnet network so that it can used in the boat, car or elsewhere. Once back, I sorted out my plumbing problems on my own and prepared for my trip to the boat tomorrow and then on the Derek Giles house to have a training meeting with him and Michael Pope on the Town Council standing orders and on to Michael’s to study council finances.
Half a million people are still without electricity and three million trees are down, with 100 of these at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. The trade gap is down to an "acceptable” £1.16 Billion and the stock exchange recovers 30 points after recent falls. Edinburgh ambulancemen are now striking in frustration. In South Africa thousands go on a rampage over the rebel cricket tour.
I was promptly up and dressed today and had completed a press release by the time that Di took Della to school. I therefore decided to go with her to Bedford this morning and Daniel was also home and keen to go. We asked him to drive for practice and this was the first time he had driven outside his formal lessons for a long time. In Bedford, Daniel and I went to Harry Kitchener’s but could not find many interesting boat parts and so we joined Diana for coffee in Debenhams soon after. Had a nice break together which cheered Daniel up as he has been suffering with a nasty cold.
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Whilst in Bedford, I decided to buy a transportable cellular telephone which we can used in the boat, car or elsewhere. It re-charges from mains electricity or 12 volts and means I can always be contacted if I want to be. If I don't, then it can route the calls to my office answering machine. Spent the afternoon working at home in preparation for my trip tomorrow back to the boat. I sorted out my plumbing problems on my own in the end and received the parts for the toilet. The heating parts are supposed to be waiting for me at Heronshaw.
Later in the afternoon, I had to go back to Bedford to collect my new phone. They had cleared my credit status and connected it up to the cell-net system. Then on the Derek Giles house to have a training meeting with him and Michael Pope on the Town Council standing orders which went well, even though an hour was not long enough. Then on to Michael's house where we compared notes on the County and District finances to ensure that we could answer questions and lead the attacks on the Tories. Already, the press had been responding to my release and I was interviewed by Chiltern Radio about it. We contacted the Liberal Democrat leader of the Tories at County to compare notes on the Tory's use of balances to hide the full effects of the Poll Tax.
Home then to play (sorry, "commission") my new telephone which worked fine. Later I got my equipment and supplies ready for the morning trip, leaving only food and clothes for the morning. Today was dry with the wind dropping but it then turned very cold. The storm death toll has now been put at 46 with 7 children killed, two girls in separate school incidents when the roofs were torn away. Half a million people are still without electricity and three million trees are down, with 100 of these at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. The trade gap is down to an "acceptable” £1.16 Billion and the stock exchange recovers 30 points after recent falls. Edinburgh ambulancemen are now striking in frustration. In South Africa thousands go on a rampage after being denied the right to demonstrate at the Gatting Test Match.