The last day of our summer's stay in Norfolk with much fine weather servicing the Paxton Princess before having a family Wroxham Barns lunch. Di stayed in Horning as I called in to see Freda & Alf at Redgrave for a tense and difficult meeting to convince them that a price of nearer £155,000 was more realistic than the £175,000. I drove on to Sutton where I received my customary warm welcome from Jim & Julie Bird with a fine dinner and we then ran our dogs with Jum carried on shooting rabbits before driving to Eynesbury for an active night with Wiggly
This was the last day of our summer's stay in Norfolk and Diana was sad at it coming to an end. Indeed, this summer has been a good one with much fine weather and a good supply of ladybirds to keep the aphids at bay even if the wasps took over as the worst pests late in the season!
**"Read More" BELOW for the complete story**
I was slow to get up and welcomed Della into bed with me as we kept one another warm on this morning which was cooler than normal. After Di had used the bathroom, it was Della that got my slippers on and brought my dressing gown and then she joined me taking Sam for his morning walk.
It was a long one down the footpaths and across the fields as we went on to do some shopping in Horning for breakfast items. The Albion was moored in the village again for visitors to have a look around and it had been raising and lowering its mast last night in a demonstration for visitors.
We were very hungry when we got back and enjoyed our first meal of the day. Then I started the chore of getting the Paxton Princess toilet holding tanks pumped out by hand using our own device. This is a difficult, messy but satisfying task well done as nobody else would take the care and flush out the tanks as well as us.
Next, I loaded up the car with the shooting and dog training equipment and also the range of tools that I had to take home to Paxton. It was then time to take Diana and Della off to Wroxham Barns for our arranged lunch out. We arrived just in time and were very pleased that we booked as there was a long and disgruntled queue, particularly unhappy that we were allowed to bypass them and go to the front!
Whilst sitting there, it occurred to me that I could make better use of this afternoon and evening if I arranged to see Freda & Alf at Redgrave today rather than dragging Diana along with me tomorrow and so I left early in my car and made a few calls to organise this once the telephone signal was strong enough.
I had to drop back to Harnser to collect Sam anyway and so it was easy to get an overnight bag at the same time. The roads around Wroxham and to and from Norfolk were very congested this afternoon - just about as bad as I had seen them, but I made sufficient progress to be with my sister at Redgrave Post Office Stores soon after 3.00pm, having also dropped by Diss town centre to look into some estate agent’s windows to see what was moving in the property market.
It was a tense and difficult meeting with my sister, bereft of any family feeling and concentrating upon the sole issue of how to sell the property and repay me my loan. I had to concede that I could only expect my £120,000 loan money back without interest and even then, Freda and Alf would be in difficulty without enough money left to buy a house to live in.
I had to point out several options they could adopt in selling the property and to convince them that a price of nearer £155,000 was more realistic than the £175,000 that had led to not a single enquiry being received. This family are so do-lally and incapable of managing even the simplest of financial affairs that I despair of them as being almost a dead loss.
Even in this last week they had unwittingly signed up an exclusive contract with a new agency to market the house for six months despite our having planned to meet to discuss things. The worse thing was that they had not even realised the effect of the contract until I read it and pointed it out!
This unhappy business behind me, I drove on to Sutton where I received my customary warm welcome from Jim & Julie Bird. Another nice meal from Julie who was very pleased to receive my gift of a lantern candle and holder which I insisted she have for all of the meals that she prepares for me.
The bad news from them is that Ben has been suffering from "Kennel Cough", and could not come training but at least he had improved and was not coughing too badly when I was there. First we went over to the sugar beet fields near Wymondham but the air was completely still without even a slight drift so that Sam could only run about and not quarter in any pattern or useful matter.
We cut our losses and went to a local pub for a drink and chat whilst Sam had his evening meal and then slept in the car. Once it had become dark enough, we drove off to the Suton area and there first met the farmer and discussed our campaign before starting.
We found less rabbits tonight and but gave a better account of ourselves; missing far less in the shorter session that we allowed ourselves and so killed about the same number as last time. Jimmy would have carried on shooting them for another couple of hours but, by 11.00pm, I became worried about getting back for the night.
Thus ended a very active and exhausting day. After dropping him off, I rushed along the A11 and then A45 (now renamed the A14) to get to Wiggly. Certainly, the pigeon-type homing instinct works very well when a love-nest awaits the partner at the other end of a long journey!
I called ahead as the time was after midnight by the time I got into striking range and then dropped Sam off at home had a quick shave and then collected some milk so as get to her before 12.30pm Wiggly was now in her new house at 3 Montagu Street and it was nice to celebrate the event as her first overnight visitor.
I had brought her some flowers and a present of a wax "love-couple candle" and she was pleased to see me despite the hour. Some tea and a chat and then straight to bed where I was satisfied after some pretty strenuous lovemaking and then managed some sleep.
****** Sections have been censored for reasons of privacy for five further years from this date ******