After liaising with the gardener, and monitoring the Koi carp, I set off with Diana and could spend time with her in Cambridge, seeing her parents with time for a change.
I found a book for Freda on running a shop and then, once back, Derek and I dealt with the outcome of the court case and our press statement. A Village Hall meeting this evening with the new Chairman taking the reins well.
I awoke very tired after yesterday's driving and exertions and then went out after breakfast to talk to the gardener about priorities for the future. The conservatory plants are still suffering from greenfly and blackfly, but I dare not put any more systemic insecticide on the plants as the fish are already moping on the bottom and not feeding. It is probably the cooler weather and the shorter days dropping the water temperature to put them off feeding but I dare not take the risk. Soon, I set off with Diana for our planned trip to Cambridge. Di was driving to give me a rest after my journeys of yesterday and I used the opportunity to make several telephone calls.
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I had no meeting arranged with my colleagues in Cambridge and so could spend the entire time with Di on the eve of her birthday. We had coffee in a new place for a change "The Old Tea Room" but we caught them on a bad day and the service was very poor which was a shame. At least the coffee was good! The some time around the shops looking at clothes and things for Di. We had most luck in Heffers looking at books and buying them but could not find exactly the sort of coat that Di wanted. We had seen it in Norwich and will now try to find it there again when we go back next week. After all this, we met Di's parents in The Copper Kettle for lunch and were pleased to linger with them a while and chat about their recent holiday and all else. It was good to see them in such good shape after recent illnesses and quite recovered again.
A little more shopping on the way back to the car and then home with Diana driving and me reading a book that I had found on "Running a Shop". I had been convinced that there would be a simple book available to describe the basics of this and was pleased to find a publication that fitted the bill. I planned to give this to Freda and, provided that she puts it into practice, I am sure that she will soon be in control of her business. Once home, and for the rest of the afternoon, I was tussling with the latest local political development. Colleague Cllr Derek Giles had been in Peterborough Magistrates Court this morning to face the music and reported to me on the outcome.
Firstly, the police had dropped the two firearms charges and also the possibility of another dealing with threatening behaviour. Instead, they had pressed a more minor charge of "harassment" under Section 5 of the Public Order Act which only led to a fine of £100 plus £25 costs. This was as good an outcome as we could expect and so I agreed a statement with him and then issued it to the press. Already, the Tory Leader was calling for Derek's resignation, but I had the ammunition to overcome this with one of his own Tory colleagues representing Derek in court and praising his community work in glowing terms.
A scramble to get all this and an agenda printed and circulated to my District colleagues prior to my meeting but I did it with the help of Sandie Giles. The rush continued to the Village Hall where I was pleased to see the new Chairman running the meeting with me just in support and commenting on various points. I hope that he lasts longer than his predecessor, but we now need volunteers to help with the fund-raising if we are to make progress now that Jenny Jones has had to retire with health problems. Back home after 9.30pm again and then a series of late night telephone calls resolving the latest problem with the printing of our FOCUS's which are now being put out to another printer for completion by Friday.
I also telephoned some of my colleagues about this District Group Meeting tomorrow night, as most of them had forgotten all about the sample group standing orders we had supposed to be reviewing for the last month and the minutes of the last meeting that had been circulated. To bed a little late but with Diana. However I had trouble getting to sleep being first troubled with cold feet after today's cooler weather and then by Della who came in complaining of things in the dark.