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After a slow start and session organising the gardener and commissioning our swimming pool, I worked at my desk, to work at my desk, entering Paxton canvas data and printing out the reports which showed that we were doing well enough to win. Then some more work on election literature and a meeting to placate Ross McKay and to hear of Di struggling today with our girls being difficult.
News of a widespread riot in California on racial issues after an all-white jury cleared police of assault on a black people despite clear video evidence to the contrary.
Another slowish start and a lay in before getting up to meet the gardener to go over all of the work that he is doing. We went through the conservatory plants and examined them and moved some. He helped me pack up the swimming pool cover and put it away and then I vacuumed the pool out and applied more chlorine to get rid of the milkiness. The pool was also clear enough to let me increase the pool temperature. Then to work at my desk, entering Paxton canvas data and printing out the reports which showed that we were doing well enough to retain Paxton with John Brown as the candidate.
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After clearing up and delivering a letter to David Townend, the structural engineer. In Norwich, I got back in time for this afternoon's full meeting of Huntingdonshire District Council for a good meeting but one where I was to find my Tory political opponents genuinely shocked and sad to hear that I was not seeking re-election.
Afterwards, to Southoe for more canvassing with Percy, Derek and our candidate John to a playing field meeting that I had instigated in the village hall. After some misunderstanding, I chaired an impromptu public meeting first after which we could have our private meeting. After all this activity today, I stayed up late watching TV and relaxing from the tension of it all
I was up and ready to leave Heronshaw by around 10.00am after working my round the bungalow clearing up, wiping surfaces and then packing all of the things that I was to take. It took around an hour and three-quarters to get home, allowing for the extra time needed to call in at Norwich and deliver a letter to David Townend, the structural engineer. This meant that I could unload the car again, have some lunch and get washed and shaved before getting along to this afternoon's full meeting of council. It was a quiet meeting with no notice questions or motions having been put down, but I led my group and Jim Lomax led his Labour group to ask a lot of verbal questions on the committee reports as we went through.
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This day was dominated by me trying to resolve the issues of building control permissions for my new boat shed and it started with a meeting with Mr Cooper at the North Walsham office before 11.00am. He raised several problems on the structural and fire-protection side which I was left to resolve. After reviewing these with Steven and Nigel, I then accepted an invitation for drinks to Mr and Mrs James and Bernice Dunham at Timmerslot.
As well as discussing these issues with James as an architect, we also chatted about boating, Holland and Broom boats. Back to Heronshaw to update todays' journal and then more time on the boat-shed specs and plans to consult an engineer. Today had started very wet but the weather cleared up later on.
I had stayed up later last night than I intended but at least that meant that I achieved a few things. The trouble was that I did not sleep very well; as often happens my mind was too active with my thoughts of the evening! I had a slow start but then cleared the table tops and prepared for my meeting this morning with the building control inspector. This took some time, but I drove off and arrived at the North Walsham office before 11.00am and met Mr Cooper there. I had trouble getting him to spend time going through the points and he was quite negative so that I had to be quite diplomatic and insistent to get through them all.
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An early meeting with Steven Bloom reviewing the Heronshaw building regulations queries and some time for Nigel at home talking about his trip to Kenya and also about his Hail Weston House break in and then off to Heronshaw later where Sony Amis called with plans to return with timber.
Betty Boothroyd, the former Labour Deputy Speaker, was elected new Speaker of the House of Commons today and so became the first-ever woman to occupy that position.
I was still in the shower when Steven Bloom telephoned and said he was back from helping Derek. He agreed to come over and discuss my building control problems with the new boat-shed and that left me just a little time to clear the other office desk and get ready for his arrival. Calls also to my colleagues about the election plans and then Nigel called as the morning became ever-more busy. I went through the calculations and then the forty-odd building regulations queries with Steven and compared notes so that the majority of the matters were resolved ready for tomorrow's meeting. There were a few left and it was a pity that the structural engineer was not going to be available to help with them.
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