A great holiday in San Francisco, enjoying our normal sights, and time also spent in Norfolk and also with some success in local Paxton affairs and the purchase of my own rifles, but back home a depressing month of administrative priorities and chilly and wet weather that marked the end of the line for Mum.
An Easter trip to Norfolk ad Wroxham Barns then girls enjoying their time back home hosting friends enjoying swimming and tennis and Daniel his party and new young girlfriend Dawn. I bought my new rifles for stalking and continued training Sam whilst still attended some meetings, A huge IRA bomb in a dumper truck rocked the City of London and the murder of a Scottish tourist in New Orleans so that all the world now sees the dangers of visiting America.
A month of depression and sadness as the second of my parents died and I had to start the process of emptying and breaking up their home in Stanton. Of course, Mum's end was expected for some time but, as often happens, I was still caught by surprise and had not seen her after coming back from abroad; even though I had been up to Norfolk two or three times. I know that it was a blessing to remember her from her good times of our last visit with Daniel and the whole family, and I had seen her quite regularly over the last few years on my trips back and forth, but I could help thinking that she may have bucked up if I was around rather than Freda and Alf, with whom she always argued. Mum was a very difficult person but was very human; with sun and rain the natural cycle of her personality, but she was always fun and good company for the children.
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The aftermath was all a bit much; the arrangements with Freda and the guests, the registration, the meetings with vicar and funeral directors, the announcements, the invitation lists etc. At least the funeral that I arranged was another good one that gave everybody some comfort and the chance to grieve and live on together. Dad's car is now back with me with some keepsakes to remember them by and their graves are a picture. After all this, I spent a depressing day alone mourning my parents as I went through their belongings and this then led to a release of my passions during Parish Business at the Little Paxton Annual Parish Meeting, where I cruelly demolished arguments against traffic calming for Gordon Road by referring to my daughter’s near fatal accident there.
Weather-wise, we had a chilly month that had falsely started with so much promise. It was quite chilly for two weeks and then became wet again and my only compensation was not to have missed much boating weather this spring. One day, after the rain stopped and the sun came out, we did have a nice trip to the sea and beach at Winterton, but this was rare with most days being chilly and breezy.
We had the first week of the month in San Francisco experiencing all the things that we used to love; Cable Car rides, a Bay Cruise, visits to the Maritime Museum and marina/waterfront walk. Next, a special trip to Golden Gate Park on a fine and sunny day, where we hired bicycles to ride along the cycleway. I had my customary walk along Fisherman's Wharf where I bought a clam chowder soup in a sourdough bread bowl and a seafood cocktail, and then, as always, we viewed the sea-lions and attractions of Pier 39. The San Francisco Experience, the Zoo, and riding in cable car and Muni bus cars. I visit to the Cannery for a lunch of some Mexican-flavoured barbecued beef, ascending Coit Tower, taking the ferry to Alcatraz etc. which we had always loved doing.
We also found a few new passions such as The Haight, Oh La La! and Johnny Rockets and there was always the street entertainers and sand sculptor. Unfortunately, even seeing a nesting pair of turtle doves could not prevent the edge being taken off this fair city by the noise and worsening plight of the tramps, beggars and pan-handlers against the ever-present threat of earthquakes, which have happened frequently lately. On the final day, the girls visited The Waxworks Museum, Ripley's "Believe it or Not" and The Haunted Dungeon whilst Di and I browsed in the shops and sat and drank coffee in the sunshine. We experienced a sunny but cool day to leave San Francisco but I prefer the weather like that. Predictably, it took us nearly a complete week for our ageing bodies to get over the jetlag which was most unpleasant.
We came back to the inevitable phone calls to and from my accountants, solicitors, and friends progressing many of the matters outstanding. Steven and Mary came over for a cup of tea, chat and review of my house purchases but I detected that Steven was depressed again; presumably having had no success with his search for job interviews. For us, the problems of Diana's car damage, the challenge of getting the girls socialising with their friends to be ready for school where Della had to make her first speech. Also, making the arrangements for Debbie to have her first contact lenses; not to dwell on my problems of catching up on my own paperwork. My Norfolk visits saw us relaxing over Easter at a few of our old haunts such as Wroxham Barns for the Easter travelling faire, the Jarrold’s coffee shop, the beach at Winterton, shoppi.ng at Latham’s and Roy’s and we even got on the Broads in our dinghy even if The Paxton Princess had to wait her time.
Back at home, Daniel had kept the shop for us and commissioned the swimming pool for his own birthday party. He is more outgoing these days, does not seem to be missing Angela and has his new, young, blonde girlfriend in Dawn, his roller-skating companion. Diana suffered terribly from a cough and cold during the month, but the rest of us were quite healthy. Our poor gardener, Bill, had his car stolen and immobilised in Bedford as car crime had become an almost everyday occurrence. Debbie and Della had friends round and so the place was full of girls that never stopped wrestling, swimming, screaming and shouting. Debbie had four school friends to stay all day and all night for a "sleep-over" and I helped them set up the tennis net on the games lawn. Debbie also had her Paxton friends round and Lisa Gunn joined them to make it five swimming and playing tennis. Diana and the girls took advantage of the odd warm and sunny day and went off with them for a day's enjoyment at Wicksteed Park.
Despite all these problems to deal with, I bought my rifles for stalking, saw some videos and films with the family and took Diana out for a few meals and coffees but I was having problems with her throughout; first being frustrated with her coughing and then fed up with her once better! Problems with Sam also as, in my absence, he gets in the habit of chasing around with other dogs, and after footballs etc and not wanting to come back when called but I have put measures in hand which I hope will work.
Despite no longer being a councillor, I even had some achievements at Paxton, attending inaugural Neighbourhood Watch and Annual Parish Meetings, influencing the village and helping to rid the footpaths of errant motorcycles but I completely forgot the Village Hall AGM. \in all, however, it was a depressing month and not just for me; as the weather was slow to warm and the City of London was on the receiving end of a massively destructive IRA car bomb. In truth, I was glad that April was behind me.
A rare piece of good news was of British drivers doing well in Formula 1 motor racing but a huge IRA bomb in a dumper truck in the City of London, injured 30 people and killed at least one. Elsewhere, the latest talking point is the murder of a Scottish tourist in New Orleans so that all the world now sees the dangers of visiting America.