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I was trying to get some work done on another very hot and sticky day with my office was in rubble in a plague of thunder flies whilst being continually being called to the electrician as he wired up the remainder of my office and then the photo-sensed light by my riverside moorings. The further distraction of Chrisula coming at short notice to bring her girls swimming and then, this evening, out with my batch of Village Hall Fete programmes to sell.
Then servicing the Paxton Princess this evening after briefing the gardener and housekeeper for looking after things in our absence, which is now imminent. The western nations have agreed a formula for future progress on reducing agricultural subsidies which pleases the USA and the EEC and the House of Commons is set to make permanent its TV coverage
It was another very hot and sticky day today and my office was in rubble, yet I was trying to get some work done. The worst problem is an epidemic of thunder flies that so irritate the skin and annoy you. I was continually being called to the electrician as he wired up the remainder of my office and then the photo-sensed light by my riverside moorings. I also tried to get some paperwork done without much success as there was so much of it and I cannot access my files. This afternoon there was the further distraction of Chrisula coming at short notice to bring her girls swimming and then, this evening, I went out with my batch of Village Hall Fete programmes to sell and covered the designated part of Gordon Road quite successfully but I had been provided with far too many.
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After supervising my workmen again, I joined the rest of the family on a trip to Cambridge to see Di's Mum and Dad driving Daniel's Montego much to his chagrin. Then with Daniel to see the HiFi and car accessory shops to try to find an alarm system for the boat without success lunch at Wimpy's. Then to this evening's Policy Committee meeting of the District Council at Huntingdon, a poor-tempered affair.
Despite the threats, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev has been re-elected as leader of the Soviet Communist Party by the huge margin of 3411 votes to 501, UEFA has lifted its ban on British clubs taking part in European competitions from next season and Kenya is now "unsafe" according to Britain and the US and citizens have been warned against travelling there. The Prudential has been severely burned by its acquisition of estate agents during the worst housing market for 36 years.
I was up at a reasonable time today on a breezy but quite warm day with showers and I carried on with my computer journal before and after breakfast. The electricians and gardener both came promptly and got going on their jobs and then, after we were ready, I joined the rest of the family on a trip to Cambridge to see Di's Mum and Dad. We went in Daniel's Montego which was quite commodious, and I did the driving and also drove Daniel mad in the process. We all had a nice coffee together and then split up to go shopping. I went with Daniel to see the HiFi and car accessory shops to try to find an alarm system for the boat without success. We had lunch at Wimpy's and then drove home and I erected a post in the garden to take an Infra-Red alarm light by the moorings and the electrician is going to install one in the morning. Later, I updated my journal and started to sort my papers, but it was soon time to go to this evening's Policy Committee meeting of the District Council at Huntingdon. This was a bad-tempered affair with the Council Leader, Derek Holley, clashing with Labour Leader Jim Lomax on just about every issue whilst I was trying to make some valid points that were lost in the melee. They seem to take everything so personally.
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The weather was mainly dry today but with a few showers but very windy with forecasts of NW winds up to severe gale 9 and so I am pleased to be out of the sea at the moment! Recovering at home after our sea trip by organising my workmen, taking the family our for lunch and then getting Daniel to help me was the salt off of Paxton Princess.
An Israeli air raid on the southern Lebanon bases of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah will delay hostage releases but Israeli Premier, Yitzhak Shamir, is only interested in surviving domestic challenges before the pending election. Violence is now spreading across Kenya in the third day of unrest and the government looks to be in trouble with the threat of anarchy. Sterling has risen to above the three Deutschmark barrier but Chancellor Major is still ruling out reductions in the interest rate.
I was expecting the electricians to come and start work in my office this morning and so, as I woke up early, put my dressing gown on and went straight down to update my computer journal for this last week or so. Then breakfast in my dressing gown again, before going up to have the first hair wash and shower since going on the boat last week which I found very refreshing. After breakfast, I had to spend most of the morning talking to the electrician, gardener, and decorator who each needed their instructions in order to undertake further work. Then I went into St Neots with Daniel and Diana to do some shopping. I went to the car accessory shop with Daniel and looked at car alarm systems but felt that they were not particularly suitable for boats.
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Making the trip up the tidal New Bedford River on a gloriously fine and warm (if still very windy) day approaching Denver a bit early on the tide, touching the bottom and seeking out deeper water, and then locking through Erith and St Ives with friendly lock-keepers and under Offord bridge with inches to spate on a hot and sunny day. Arriving in Paxton for a Diana sandwich and tea arrival and then unloading and settling in.
Armed police are clashing with rioters in Nairobi who are demanding the end of one-party rule, Albanian police have sealed off the diplomatic quarter to avoid more defections, the NUM are facing further allegations over their strike funds and The economic summit in Houston is being threatened by expected discord over agricultural trade.
I had called Denver Lock-keeper and decided that we could make the direct trip up the tidal New Bedford River if we left early enough and it was indeed an early start with Steve and I up at 4.30am to get the boat ready and cast off from the mooring buoy. We then set off upstream with Steve cooking us another excellent breakfast en-route as we took it in turns to take the helm. The day turned out to be gloriously fine and warm (if still very windy) and we made very good time with me insisting on taking bridge heights and log distances so that we would have the information available for future trips. We went up to Denver and were a bit early on the tide, touching the bottom and having to seek out the deeper water as we went; then up the New Bedford and out at Earith. The lock-keepers at Earith and St Ives remembered me and the Lady and the one at Earith thought I was mad to part with her. They both knew my new boat from its previous use on the Great Ouse as well.
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