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Preparing the Paxton Princess on the eve of our epic voyage on a another hot and humid day with temperatures well into the 80'sF - and the thrips had come back in there billions. Diana and I prepared for the inventory for the boat and then, once the sun had gone down a little, we loaded it up ready for the next day. Working on my video tape recordings from past holidays archiving two year's worth of film and making sure that the video camera was working properly for this one.
Daniel’s car broke down in Gordon Road and they had to push it back into our garage! To bed as it got dark as it was still in the 70'sF and lay with the bed covers off and double doors and curtains flung wide open. The news was about the resignation of that idiot, Nicholas Ridley, as DTI minister.
It was another hot and humid day today - in fact the hottest day again this year with temperatures well into the 80'sF - and the thrips had come back in there billions. The hall lino was covered in them and the air must have been thick with them as well. It was therefore a most uncomfortable day and Diana, being rather overweight, was really suffering as a consequence and I pledged to make her slimmer during her holiday. Nevertheless, both she and I worked to prepare the inventory for the boat and then, once the sun had gone down a little, we loaded it up ready for tomorrow.
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Participating in and officiating at the Village Hall Fete as Vice-Chairman which was successful for our family stalls despite the hot weather and insects. In the absence of the Chairman I was in charge and thanked everybody and ensured we cleared up. I received another telephone call from the Liberal Democrats today, trying to get me to stand for parliament and I put them off again
I slept okay and was up quite early this morning. I got Daniel to help me load up his car with my books and display boards and then, after spending some time at the boat looking at compass positions, we set off for the Parish Playing Field. We helped set up the Brownie's stall and then the electric "nerve test" game that Daniel had helped to make. It was another very hot and sunny day, but the insects were dying away and there was a strong easterly breeze that kept us cool but also pulled at all of the displays. I find these insects quite interesting. There are the small storm flies of "thrips" that are narrow and irritate the skin and then the rounder more beetle-like flies as well. They always come in swarms and this year is about the worst that I have known, but they only last for a few days. They are deathly for any painting projects etc.
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Another hot and sultry day but with less insects as we made preparations for our time away. Charles and Chris visited and stayed until late after which I caught up with my journal prepared for tomorrow’s Village Hall Fete. The calls for Nicholas Ridley to resign as Trade and Industry Secretary are mounting tonight as he has few friends in the Cabinet.
Gorbachev is now looking at forming a "broad coalition" of politicians from both within and without the Communist Party, 4,500 Albanians are evacuated by four western ships to the Italian port of Brindisi and 50,000 Romanians are on the streets again protesting about their government
A little tired this morning from the last couple of late nights but at least I was pleased to be able to get cool with the double doors open in my bedroom. Another hot and sultry day but a least the insects are lessening, and the glass is falling a little. I was up reasonably early and spent the entire day at home. I got Daniel to run through the swimming pool maintenance with Mark and then produced over a dozen more letters etc working before and after lunch in the sweltering heat as others used our swimming pool. We had a visit from Charles and Chris and their children, and they came at about 4.00pm and did not leave until after 8.00pm, leaving the children fretful and us exhausted. They seem to have no inclination to leave and would stay forever given the chance.
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A day of office work and Council Finance Seminar in a heat wave whilst also briefing Mark and Joan for our time away and ordering the Fred Broad Ambulanceman's memorial trophy. Nicholas Ridley, the Trade Secretary, has made a right fool of himself by sounding off in a magazine interview with a stream of ignorant and offensive comments to our European colleagues and Boris Yeltzin, President of the Russian Parliament, has quit the Russian Communist Party and it seems that multi-party politics is on the way there
It was another very hot day with sunshine, warm air and the continuance of the insect plague that is driving us all mad. The electricians finished off today and I hoovered out the office and tried to dust it off a bit so that I could get at my filing cabinets. I finished off my discussions with Mark and Joan and then settled down to a large postbag of arrangements and correspondence which ended up with a dozen or more letters to post. In particular, I made the necessary arrangements for the Ambulanceman's memorial trophy to be ordered and a host of other pressing things that had been piling up. In the afternoon I had to break off and get ready for the HDC finance seminar and was just about there on time at 4.00pm and had to stay until the end at after 9.00pm.
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