A year of weather extremes, hot and cold, and of travel, friendship, with political, relationship and family developments as Daniel went off to UEA and the girls were doing well at school and me progressing property plans but against a background of a nation under stress and in the face of personal disaster as Della had her accident, being run over by a car as she left the school bus in Gordon Road! Her nursing and recovery was a tough process.
It was a tough year for colds and ‘flu as well and we all suffered with that. We had enjoyed a good time in California in the spring, when our holiday in San Francisco brought back the memories of all our past Californian pleasures and we also had a long cruise along the UK East coast and up to York on The Paxton Princess. I still found time to have a grand shooting trip to my Broubster estate in Scotland with Nigel.
Di’s parents had their health issues and my sister Freda was a cause of concern in her new retail role due to inexperience and failing health and because her and Alf were slow to accommodate Mum at Redgrave. As well as completing improvements to The Hayling View, I was planning the renovation and development at Heronshaw as well. Much work was done on my Range Rover, Rolls Royce and Reliant with all three then in working order.
In terms of local politics, and despite the problems, my Liberal Democrats carried all before them during the year with me organising them, getting our Mayor elected in St Neots after we took over the administration and I was leading the enlarged opposition to my local Tory Council’s plans for the Poll Tax. I was busy organising other local institutions such as Little Paxton Parish and local committees gaining grant funding and still opening fetes and jumble sales for good local causes including the Village Hall. I contributed to the formation of a LibDem printing company, Glisson Printers Ltd, as their Company Secretary upon incorporation.
Back home, the age-old problems of Ireland are still brought to prominence due to the violence of the extremists and half of Europe is in economic chaos and the major economies elsewhere running out of steam. Add the homeless to the jobless and there is misery in even better measure for this society is as divisive and class-ridden as ever it was. The IRA made life difficult for city commuters by first attacking shopping centres with incendiary bombs and then shutting down the London train and underground stations with bomb warnings.
The gigantic significance of the latest 'Russian Revolution' at the end of the year that left all in confusion, and there was the Gulf War at the start of it as the war-makers won over the peacemakers leaving oil wells ablaze and a huge oil spill started growing and spreading southwards along the western coast of the Gulf from an off-shore oil terminal and scuttled tankers with this oil slick then threatening the regions drinking water by clogging the Gulf sea-water intakes of its de-salination plants.
The inevitability of war in Yugoslavia between the Croats and the Serbs. In India, Rajiv Ghandi, leader of the Congress party was assassinated just like his mother, Indhira, had been. The EEC negotiations at Maastrict, with the Major government being dragged into closer European unity with great reluctance on economic and foreign policy.
Still 1991 brought more of the modern "opium of the people" - Television - with satellite and cable versions adding to this popular form of escape whilst social life declines in tandem with it and the rise of the motor car. Against this background, it will be my aim to keep all things in perspective, to read and relax with fine pastimes and to guide my family, friends (and all to whom I am council) through this increasingly complex maze of life for these are surely difficult and confusing times in which we live.
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The year started and finished with very cold -8degC to -15degC cold spells between which we had very high winds and rainstorms in milder weather, washing out fetes and outdoor events and delayed our boating until July. It then became mostly sunny and fine if a little windy and then saw tropical conditions and drought set in for the long hot summer before October brought cold, wet, and windy weather as winter returned there followed some bitterly cold and icy frosts.
As far as my family fortunes were concerned, my own health was a worry with my cholesterol level was up from 6.6 to 7.8 mmol/l and I had put on far too much weight at 14st 7lbs, some 10/11lbs heavier than before. I managed a some family time but Di was unhappy with me spending much of my time elsewhere, opening up with a litany of relationship complaints. The children were doing well in their studies. Daniel was proceeding to his second year at the University of East Anglia and enjoying it, receiving passionate letters from Angela, and visiting me in Horning to help and do his washing but he was grounded for a while after his second damaging car accident! Debbie was being praised in her school reports and began by enjoying her much more satisfactory livery at Staughton was doing well at horse riding but then moved on gave up Sundance as the year ended. Little Daniella passed her Kimbolton entrance exams and started at the Kimbolton Preparatory School at the tender age of 7 and had just settled into her new school with bouts of crying and had just about coping with the experience when she had her accident, being run over by a car as she left the school bus in Gordon Road.
In many ways it was the most shocking and dreadful thing ever to have happened to any of us and, on the other hand, we could count ourselves the luckiest people in the world for her to have escaped so lightly. The head injury was the worry but fortunately tests revealed no concussion or even pelvic damage but her thigh was shattered. Della ended up in an uncomfortable traction in Holly Ward, Hinchingbrooke, and continued with the problems of getting that leg straight for healing which was followed with the plaster and problems of comfort that this brought. This plaster encased her chest, hips and all her broken leg down to the tips of her toes.
This was uncomfortable and she became quite inconsolable after a while, thrashing around and scratching until two nurses managed to console her and I too ended up staying with every night to eventually get her off to sleep. With our employed nurse, we eventually managed to get back to some sort of normality. once Della was finally home and happy and I was able to take a break. Kimbolton Prep were attentive and learnt from the experience and deployed additional bus safety measures. During her worst times, Della’s moods change from complete happiness and serenity at best to black depression at times, but she ended up improving.
Looking back on the year, Della’s accident was just about the most shocking thing to happen; but we blessed our luck that it was not worse. Also, the health of Diana and I had been the worse for a few minor ailments which we hoped to clear up in the coming year. Bronchial infections had been widespread as the year started and I struggled to get over a bad cough and poor Diana had her ear and throat infection and continued quite deaf. However, we enjoyed successful holidays and travel both at home and abroad. Our first priority was always to get Della fit and settled at her school again and the passing of Hugh Hunter that was saddest event for me. Della's fine headmaster had been exceptionally kind to her whilst she was ill in hospital and would be hard to replace. Earlier in the year, we had successful and memorable birthday parties for Debbie and Della in early summer as they were growing up fast. This followed a good time in California in the spring, when our holiday in San Francisco brought back the memories of all our past Californian pleasures. Daniel continued to have car crashes, but he came with us on holiday too, bringing his girlfriend Angela for a once-in-a-lifetime experience; but sadly they ended up falling out after his lack of consideration before he returned to the UEA.
After lots of work, and a setback over the hydraulics, Paxton Princess was fully prepared and, apart from cosmetics, was all ready to go cruising but, despite using used Wayplan to calculate passage plans round from Norfolk to Kings Lynn, I made the decision not to try to get the boat round to the Great Ouse immediately, as the weather was too unsettled. We subsequently commenced our boating holiday adventures, first taking The Paxton Princess on a good confidence-boosting trip down the Great Ouse from The Wash around to The Humber and on up that tidal estuary which added greatly to my experience of the East Coast waters and proved the boat's capabilities once more. We had an epic summer voyage around the East Coast of England when the weather was brilliant and the places very interesting. This after winds had delayed our sea trips until we travelled to York and back via Wells. I was planning a quieter year at sea next year although I still had a plan to cross the Channel and cruise the French Canals to the Mediterranean before too long. Later, I did manage to make flying visits to Norfolk to lay up my boat, adjusting the moorings and exchanging the boat cover and leaving the bungalow in good shape and we had our last boating holiday later cruising all over the Broads.
I had generally kept and widened my group of friends and had other good cruising sessions with Stephen and a grand shooting trip to Scotland with Nigel. We had other social opportunities with friends, trips to the cinema and we celebrated Di’s birthday and caught up with her parents regularly during Tuesday morning Cambridge family visits. They then became a cause for concern with Charles’s eye troubles and Norma’s illness with a chill that refused to go away
I had my mother, sister, and her family to worry about and Freda was a cause of concern in her new retail role due to inexperience and failing health. She was increasing sales at Redgrave but also costs and took some reminding to get on with the work to accommodate Mum, who was getting depressed. Mum seemed to be managing for a while and we remembered her on her birthday and commemorated my late Dad on Father’s Day. However, we heard from Mum’s neighbours, Fred and Marie, that something would soon have to take place for Mum to be accommodated at Redgrave as she might not be able to manage alone in her Stanton mobile home much longer. Despite the difficult period during Daniella's Convalescence, I still managed trips to Scotland visiting my Scottish estate at Broubster with Nigel, found that all was well with the trees, though sustaining a nose injury in the process!
During the year, we finished the hall improvements for The Hayling View and had the house decorated and a new gardener Bill working in the new year; he helped me keep up The Hayling View garden and concrete the slipway winch foundation. I was planning to get this process of renovation and development underway at Heronshaw as well. I had several trips to Heronshaw, working on the outbuildings, Steve Bloom joining me for work there. I had meetings with my architect and quantity surveyor agreeing plans for Heronshaw’s replacement, with the addition of a new boathouse and wet dock adjacent. I attended the council planning meeting where they turned down my plans for redeveloping Heronshaw against officer advice, which was a setback, but, after a campaign, my plans for Heronshaw were being approved by the planning officers.
Much work was done on my Range Rover, Rolls Royce and Reliant with all three then in working order, the Reliant getting its MOT and being re-taxed and put back on the road and got a new trailer and cover for the it which will allow me to take it on rallies further afield which I shall enjoy. the Rolls Royce into P & A Wood for its annual service where it would be made fully serviceable again. My Rolls Royce was back in good shape and the Reliant reunited with its CJW 986 original number plate and given a new trailer. Throughout the garden and conservatory demanded attention as did my ongoing financial planning, writing, and publication. I set up the croquet lawn and the family and friends enjoyed many fine matches.
I enjoyed the year's sporting events; the World Athletic Championships (where we scraped a half-decent tally of medals in the end) and both the West Indies Cricket Test (where we earned a good draw) and the Rugby Union World Cup (where we came a good second) but there were no victories for our nation - just honourable second places and ties. Nigel Mansell's World Motor Racing Championship fortunes have been ebbing and flowing but he beat Ayrton Senna into second place in an exciting Italian Grand Prix and the US just beat Europe in The Ryder Cup on the last put of the series but the most dominant sporting news was the tragic injury to boxer Michael Watson who remained unconscious and on a life-support machine.
In terms of local politics, and despite the problems, my Liberal Democrats carried all before them during the year, which is the pity that our Mayor, Michael Pope, then decided to retire once we had got him elected. I was also leading the opposition to my local Tory Council over their Poll Tax plans, with radio and press interviews, attending all manner of Parish, District and Constituency meetings whilst still finding time for the local Little Paxton Cubs history project. I was always working on Little Paxton Parish and local LibDem priorities, with a busy month of preparations for the decisive local elections. They proved to be a great success after I had been fighting the most demanding and problematic election campaign I had fought, taking over St Neots Town Council and rising to share the task of leading the opposition to the Tories on Huntingdonshire District Council.
There then followed even more responsibility as Local Organiser for the LibDems organising contributions to three councils and the parliamentary constituency whilst backing up publicity and electoral success with councillor briefings and editing printing and circulating our Focus newsletter. I also organised an unstoppable anti-smoking campaign backed up with TV, radio and newspaper interviews and still found time to chair a joint meeting of the Parish Council, Village Hall Committee, and local residents on the subject of the proposed extensions to the village hall as a combined Parish Meeting, which was a tricky and risky task but ended up as a great success when I secured £7.500 towards the cost.
My work was not over after one of our councillors was then found to be unqualified to have been elected and so there followed the need to put the Liberal Democrat's fortunes to rights in preparing the ground for the Eaton Socon by-election, where I persuaded Ross McKay to join us and won the seat again, and with it control of the Town Council. I enjoyed the national party conference but stood down from organising the constituency after differences with candidate Sue Sutton company and helped Derek Giles get over his Gypsy persecution aftermath. I was busy organising the local LibDems and other local institutions such as Little Paxton Parish and St Neots Town Councils, Hunts District Council and still opening fetes and jumble sales for good local causes including the Village Hall. I contributed to the formation of a LibDem printing company, Glisson Printers Lts, an achievement as their Company Secretary upon incorporation.
Finally, I was sorting out the problems amongst my St Neots Liberal Democrat Town Council colleagues with the fall-out between Michael Pope and Ross McKay the big issue. My leadership of the Hunts DC LibDem group was no problem and went well by contrast I was keen to have another change of lifestyle as my political colleagues are generating even more problems than I can solve but, with Michael Pope's going, I fear that I had to work on a little while longer. My influence over the Little Paxton Parish Council was a highlight as we discussed the improvements for Paxton this year and next. For the Liberal Democrats, we had enjoyed a successful run publishing influential Focus newsletters to get such electoral success.
Back home, the age-old problems of Ireland are still brought to prominence due to the violence of the extremists and half of Europe is in economic chaos and the major economies elsewhere running out of steam. I was never one of those who felt that 1991 was going to be a year of recovery and still think that there is worse to come in 1992 as our industry is run down, our trade in shreds and the fashionable "services sector" depressed in their wake. The number of unemployed is ever higher and even higher than the creative accountancy of the statistics admits.
Many people unemployed from my own experience and as many again "retired early" and not making an economic contribution. Add the homeless to the jobless and there is misery in even better measure for this society is as divisive and class-ridden as ever it was. Then there is the dislocation and disruption caused by the revolutions being sponsored in the education and health services and harsh economic changes and development elsewhere such that those who are still in work are quite beside themselves to keep up with it all and full of stress and worry. They would all be less depressed if it were clear where it was all leading.
From the start, John Major’s UK Government under was siege over the Poll Tax, as he fought anti-European sentiments to keep Britain at the heart of the EU. The Poll Tax died a formal death with the re-introduction of a property tax based on capital values with a discount of 25% for one-person occupation. The UK economy was dead in the water, with many losing their jobs as their companies fold and so many tales of hardship. By June The national news was of the Tories falling still further behind in the opinion polls and the stock market was falling again. The national Tories ended up in all sorts of bother again with ex-Prime Ministers, Thatcher and Heath, falling out over Europe in a pretty big way.
The national news at home was of worsening industrial and employment statistics and of the economy where the ramifications of the consequent bank failure were still sinking in. The Newcastle Riots were continuing and, with them, an on-going political row over the root causes but most probably due to the unemployment and deprivation of the area. The Government's Autumn Statement on the economy also went down like a lead balloon. More newsworthy was the mysterious death of Robert Maxwell, the Mirror Group Chairman, lost overboard at sea from his yacht allegedly when trying to pee!
The IRA made life difficult for city commuters by first attacking shopping centres with incendiary bombs and then shutting down the London train and underground stations with bomb warnings. The UK banking system was under pressure and there was not much Christmas Spirit for the retailers who have had their takings down and the depression goes on to the discomfort of the Tory Government who are again behind in the opinion polls. There was a fatal rail accident at Cannon Street with a growing death toll.
On the whole, I knew that our year has been somewhat better than that of so many. Leaving aside the gigantic significance of the latest Russian Revolution at the end of it that left all in confusion, there was the Gulf War at the start of it as the war-makers won over the peacemakers. The year started with forebodings on my part, and I took no satisfaction (again) from being right. The years losses include Gorbachev and Maxwell amongst others The Middle East remains in turmoil though at least most of the hostages that spent the year in confinement are free. Elsewhere, there was the inevitability of war in Yugoslavia between the Croats and the Serbs, the dramatic splitting up of the USSR with more former Soviet Republics declared their independence and Gorbachev eventually deposed and the risk of a Yeltzin Russian dictatorship but, together with the US, combined efforts to negotiate arms reductions with the Soviets and contain or depose Saddam Hussein were struggling but the Iraq War was dominating the headlines.
The Gulf War began with a US warship off-shore firing a Cruise Tomahawk missile fusillade and hundreds of Allied warplanes attacking strategic Iraqi targets opposed by just surface to air missiles and gunnery. Iraq retaliated by attacking Israel with Scud missiles and the true aircraft casualties were kept secret on both sides. Iraqis were then able to launch a total of 10 Scuds at Saudi Arabia, three at the eastern military bases of Dharhan and the rest at the capital, Riyadh which wrong-footed the Allies who were defending Israel, but they could not prevent Scud attacks killing 100 Israelis due to the collapse of a two-storey apartment building as the air war continued. Soon, following the mass exodus of 100 Iraqi war planes to Iran, Iraq was suffering land and sea attacks without their air cover. Then a huge oil spill started growing and spreading southwards along the western coast of the Gulf from an off-shore oil terminal and scuttled tankers.
The resultant oil slick then threatening the regions drinking water by clogging the Gulf sea-water intakes of its de-salination plants. At Al Khafgi, some 5,000 Iraqis and around 50 tanks took the Allies by surprise and occupied it Elsewhere, the situation in Yugoslavia defied all optimism with the separatist Croatians being rapidly beaten into submission by the (Serbian) army with peace talks getting no chance. Details were emerging of an American plan to drastically reduce the number of nuclear arms in their arsenal which they hope and expect will be matched by Soviet reductions. The new democracy of Tahiti did not last long but the Soviets were still agreeing arms cuts with the USA and hostage exchanges were being achieved between Arabs and Israelis. The outside world was still full of news about negotiations for European unity and for Yugoslavian peace the struggle between Serbs and Croats in Yugoslavia continued unabated.
Oil well fires raged in Iraq where Saddam Hussein and his men had gained the upper hand after the Kurds had been deserted by their US allies. US President Bush survived a heart attack and, in India, Rajiv Ghandi, leader of the Congress party was assassinated just like his mother, Indhira, had been. The Ethiopian civil war is a cause of international concern with the population facing starvation. The news is of virtual civil war in Yugoslavia as the government tanks are surrounded by rebel forces and had to fight their way out. The last rites for the Soviet Union with Gorbechev going but all is left quite unstable by it. The news was all about the EEC negotiations at Maastrict, with the Major government being dragged into closer European unity with great reluctance on economic and foreign policy
Still 1991 has brought more of the modern "opium of the people" - Television - with satellite and cable versions adding to this popular form of escape whilst social life declines in tandem with it and the rise of the motor car. Against this background, it will be my aim to keep all things in perspective, to read and relax with fine pastimes and to guide my family, friends (and all to whom I am council) through this increasingly complex maze of life for these are surely difficult and confusing times in which we live.