A slow start to the day, feeling quite stiff after my practical work at Heronshaw so I got Daniel to do some gardening work to earn money as I hosted the morning’s political visits of Percy Meyer and Sally Guinea and received a decorator who I contracted to decorate the outside of The Hayling View for £2,200. I also interviewed two gardeners and chose Mt Tee.
After Di collected Debbie from her horse riding, I took them both over to Kimbolton Castle to join a St Neots Local History Society historical tour of the place conducted by our children’s English master and local historian, Mr Stratford.
More of the British women and children from occupied Kuwait came home in convoy today but were very sad and reluctantly left their husbands and fathers behind. It was cool and very windy today and it then rained after dusk which has been a rare occurrence lately
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I had a slow start to the day but was still down and ready in time for breakfast. I was feeling quite stiff after my practical work at Heronshaw but felt a little better after a shower and hair-wash before breakfast this morning. Some little time on my morning routine, but I still did everything including watering the hanging baskets, even though the weather had changed. Daniel did some gardening work to earn money as he needed it to be able to go out with his friends in the evening. His work on the lawns was less than perfect, but at least they were cut.
My first visitors were Percy Meyer and Sally Guinea who came for a meeting at 9:30am to discuss local political and council work and ended up staying most of the morning. This was punctuated by a visit of the decorator who took me round and showed me how he would approach the task of totally decorating the outside of The Hayling View for £2200. I decided to let him do the job as it would soon be winter otherwise and the work needed doing. Diana had gone to Bedford to the hairdresser this morning and so I had to make my own lunch and Daniel’s friends Stephen and Gary waited here with him for her return.
This afternoon, I had two applicants for the gardening position come for interview and, after seeing them, I decided to take on the older and more experienced Mr Tee. He had been in charge of the landscape gardening project to lay out how riverside garden some years ago and will now visit a couple of days of week, starting next Thursday. A little time at my computer in late afternoon and then, after Di collected Debbie from her horse riding, I took them both over to Kimbolton Castle to join a historical tour of the place.
It was a visit by St Neots Local History Society (of which I am probably a lapsed member) and our guide was the Kimbolton School English master and local historian, Mr Stratford. He was lately one of Daniel’s Masters and will one day teach Debbie as well. It was a fascinating tour in its explanation of the several stages of the building of the castle and its subsequent conversion to a school. Even Debbie (slightly) enjoyed it and investigated two secret passageways out of the saloon. Della sat in the car and listen to her story tapes and was as good as gold. We were home after 9pm and, after the girls went to bed, I updated these last two days’ diary before retiring.
There was live TV coverage of the House of Commons debate on the Iraqi/Kuwait crisis this afternoon and I felt that the Opposition came off best with their correct blend of moderation and resolution. More of the British women and children from occupied Kuwait came home in convoy today but were very sad and reluctantly left their husbands behind and the more so when they talked about it. It was cool and very windy today and it then rained after dusk which has been a rare occurrence lately. Today, I persuaded Diana to agree to come away to Norfolk with me for a couple of days next week, but she was worried about leaving the children and had an unsettled night as a result.