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Tending my plants and things first thing before the decorators arrive and soon left on a showery day but the gas board also came and got on with my installation after a briefing so that I could spend the day on administration.
The US sacked their five star general Michael Dougan, a decorated war hero, for intemperate remarks as Britain and other European Community countries expelled not only the Iraqi military attaches based in Europe and their staffs but also student activists.
Another UK army recruitment sergeant is shot and seriously wounded outside his office in the Prime Minister’s Finchley constituency and the Liberal Democrats have opened their conference with a radical package of measures to improve the environment and reform the political system
I slept well enough and then made sure I was up in time as we were expecting workmen first thing in the morning. I did my morning round, although it had already started showering slightly and I did not really need to water the hanging baskets. I used fertiliser for the conservatory plants as they had only been fed but not watered this summer. It was strange to see the showers this morning after so many weeks and months without rain. I had put the sprinkler on a lawn earlier and had to turn it off; although it was questionable just how much good the light rain was doing. It was just our luck that this was the first day that the decorators come to paint the outside of the house and all they could do was to bring their equipment and had to go away again. Still, they have had a good summer for their trade. The gas board came again, and I had a long discussion with the supervisor and engineer about the finer aspects of how the heating installation would be done, before leaving them to get on with it.
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After some gardening chores, we set off to attend the seventh national rally of the British Ambulance Preservation Society, collecting Mum from Stanton and Freda from Redgrave so that Mum could present the Fred Broad Memorial Trophy to its first awardee, an owner from Northern Ireland.
At this Kilverstone Wildlife Park venue the girls were particularly taken with the miniature Falabella horses bred from South American stock. Back home via Redgrave where we saw the latest renovation work after which I relaxed for the evening, tired from my exertions.
We had not got to bed until after 1:30am this morning and had a bit of a lay in, myself not waking up until 8am, which was just as well for me to recover. Diana still made a nice fried breakfast this morning, which we all enjoyed, but it did mean that I had been eating far too much lately. I went out to do my chores and was struck by how much the garden had sprung back to life with our watering and care. The roses, in particular, were flowering nicely and smelling quite sweetly as well. Della helped me by watering the conservatory and feeding the fish, and then I updated my journal until it was time to get ready for the journey. We were committed to go to the seventh national rally of the British Ambulance Preservation Society, collecting Mum from Stanton and Frida from Redgrave on the way.
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After deploying a sprinkler on my lawns, the day ended with a clear, starry night leaving a damp slippery ground as we left this late evening’s autumn supper and dance of the Great Ouse Boating Association in Ely. The day updating my investments, rushing before midday to get into St Neots to do building society transactions and then on to Great Paxton and to buy a new petrol 2-stroke strimmer which worked well later on my slipway and riverside frontage.
More escalation of the Western military presence in the Gulf was announced today but there were also more indications that the blockade was working. Food and medicines are now being allowed in for humanitarian reasons.
A better night and then a more normal routine. We still had to get Debbie out to school on Saturdays, but she seems to catch the bus quite happily. I did my morning chores, put the sprinkler on the lawn in the riverside garden, and then settled down quite happily to my office paperwork. I was updating the investments – particularly National Savings Certificates and building society accounts – and then filling in reams of new forms for new issues etc. I carried on until coffee break and then had a bit of a rush before midday to get into St Neots to do building society transactions and then on to Great Paxton and to buy a strimmer. Having suffered in the past with a variety of electric strimmer’s, all of which either wore out just failed to do the job, I decided on a petrol 2-stroke machine which had the necessary power and durability to do the job in good time from one week to the next.
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On a still, mild and dry day, gardener Brian Tee starts early, housekeeper Joan advises us of her plans to leave the following week, and the regional service manager of British Gas (Eastern) visits to promise rectification after poor service. A long day for me working on a range of administrative matters.
The British government is sending 6,000 troops and 120 tanks to the Gulf by diverting an armoured brigade from West Germany to Saudi Arabia to divert attention from the latest increase in domestic inflation which is 10.6%, the highest figure since the early 1980s, and we now have a record balance of payments deficit, high inflation, and rising unemployment as well as a shrinking economy in real terms!
I had a little trouble getting to sleep last night because of the heating trials making the house too warm and was then very reluctant to wake up. When I came down to breakfast in my night things, I found that Daniel had not come down at all! Brian Tee, the new gardener, arrived earlier today at 8am but fortunately I had just asked Diana to open the shed for him as I have not heard anything from Mark Bowles and am therefore lacking the spare key. I was dressed soon after and tending to the plants, fish and doves in turn and was then well at work in my office when Joan came. I chatted with her as she had told Diana she was leaving as our housekeeper next week. Diana was quite pleased as he wants to try to have a go at keeping the place clean herself and now wants the additional privacy. Joan will be working on a full-time basis at an underwear manufacturer in St Neots as a ‘presser’ as she needs the extra money. It is sad to see her go after nine years with us.
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