Progress this month in building the new boat mooring dyke and with plans for the new Harnser building
Progress this month in building the new boat mooring dyke and with plans for the new Harnser building

A busy month but successful month of elections, property visits to Norfolk and Scotland whilst finding time for family priorities, as Debbie became a teenager, Daniel had his car stolen and Della was healing well and progressing well at school.

More improvement works to The Paxton Princess and some time aboard and progress in building the new boat mooring dyke and with plans for the new Harnser building. The news full of unrepeatable, being so full of international conflict and terrorism which does not bear repeating but England beat Pakistan in the second one day test running

It might be possible to pack more into a single month, but I doubt it as this month saw visits to all of my UK properties, an active and successful local election, resolution of several outstanding problems and this still left time for lots of time with my family. Debbie had her 13th birthday party with a celebration to match and was now recognised as a teenager but our time with her teachers later in the month revealed that the boys are catching her up in maths and the sciences so that her continuance in the 1st Maths Set depends on the examinations. At least she revised during our Norfolk break and I found out that she needed the help. I also found time to regularly practice her tennis with her on the Games Lawn.

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Della was coming on great guns and had scored straight "A"'s in her assessments and must be in line for a school prize given her concurrent recovery from her broken leg at the same time. I also taught her how to row at Heronshaw and soon I shall teach her how to cycle as well. Della's friend Katherine had what appeared to be another epileptic fit and was taken to Holly Ward, Hinchingbrooke one morning There were also a couple of nice activities with the family as we enjoy a Horning-based break in Norfolk and a day trip to Wickstead Park when at home. During the former, we had a nice day at the seaside in Winterton, plenty of shopping in Wroxham and Norwich, fun in Yarmouth and a memorable walk around Horsey, kindling childhood memories for me.

We had evenings swimming at James and Bernice Dunham’s Smallborough Hall. After a warm night aboard Paxton Princess, we enjoyed a visit to Wroxham Barns and on to Great Yarmouth for rides on a landau and the Pleasurebeach. A more restful evening trip on The Jolly to Hoveton Little Broad. The month saw Di's Mum have her health screen that I had arranged for her, and we now hope that she is on the mend. Daniel had the biggest set-back this month as his car was stolen and not returned quickly but at least I arranged for him to borrow Nanny's car in the meantime and this served him well. It also gave her the chance to see the family a couple of times as we collected and returned it, but we found her a bit depressed over the delays in preparing her room at Redgrave.

My month was very productive. I returned between other activities to mastermind the local election campaign into being our most successful yet - seats held and others won - and this process also provided for my succession on the District Council with John Brown as my replacement. We had just retained Paxton and Priory, but also won the Eaton’s to give us four seats tonight and a total of seven on the District in all. My visit to Scotland was equally successful; this time I was able to sort out the sporting and forestry management and to combine this with some great recreation by catching my first Brown Trout from my own White Loch and to add to my secret collection with Nigel's help.

Then I got the Range Rover back onto the mend by solving the running faults, replacing worn exhaust and tyres and preparing the way for a suspension overhaul at modest cost by using cheaper garages. My efforts with the Rolls Royce looked successful at first but I will have to consider selling it as its cost/use ratio is far too high. The Paxton Princess, having had its new effective refrigeration fitted, also had some heroic attention to its varnish-work and the chart table is now full of updated charts.

However, my best achievement was the successful negotiation of the Building Control Consent for the new boat-shed at Heronshaw which we will call Harnser and the way in which the foundations, bank protection and dredging have been accomplished. This project now looks on course for completion this summer if the remaining planning issues can be finally resolved. I looked into the viability of restoring an old wherry with the advice of Nigel Royall but found all of the options unviable. I heard the reed warblers back opposite in the river and, what with the swallows now being back at Heronshaw, we can now say that the summer visitors have arrived, and the new season has just about begun. We had some nice and hot and sunny days, after an early heavy shower,

The news is unrepeatable, being so full of international conflict and terrorism as I prefer to take my new post-council leisure getting away from it all and will certainly not write of it here. watching England beat Pakistan in the second one day test running. After weeks of violent demonstrations and civil anger at the rule of a military leader that had taken over in a coup; the "God-King" of Thailand called in the parties and read the riot act to get them to co-operate.