A hot, thundery and oppressive month of weather, marked the start of climate change but also the notable personal election success for my Liberal Democrat colleagues.
It re-enforced our party’s control of St Neots Town Council and also heralded the start of a passionate personal affair with ‘Wiggly’ which was to change my life.
It was a big family month with our Norfolk Broads boating holiday and for my youngest daughter Della's 10th Birthday, and thus also the 10th anniversary of my sale of the company that I had funded, Comart.
We had very many theatre and cinema outings, sight-seeing trips and amusement arcade rides. I found time also to spend with Nigel, solving the remaining problems with Cambridge Street and hearing of his personal revelations as he was separating from Lynne.
I completed the sale of the Rolls Royce that I had helped friends get married in it and buried both parents using it in the entourage. Sam had to struggle for attention and also suffered in the sweltering heat which these active dogs do not like but had his longest period afloat and was also a good 4th position amongst 24 Novices at the Hungarian Vizsla Working Test.
Horrific genocide continues in Rwanda, sending the world community into a huddle deciding what to do. There were several bomb attacks on an Ulster Police Station by Irish paramilitary and on the Israeli Embassy by Hezbollah or some other Arab Terrorists. I
t was a busy sporting month as world cricket was resumed, and Robert Chase of Norwich City makes the good decision to accept £5m for Chris Sutton and will buy several players to strengthen the defence and have money left to develop the South Stand.
The most poignant sporting achievement of the month was the victory by Daimon Hill in the British Grand Prix Formula 1. His father, who had died in a plane crash, had never managed to do this in his career.
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As this hot month ended with some of the most traumatic thunderstorms that people could remember, the statistics show that this was the second hottest month this century with only one in 1983 being hotter. The 12th was the hottest day with temperatures over 90degF (32degC), the warmest day since the record 99degF (37degC) recorded on August 3rd 1990.
The hot weather was relentless for our Eynesbury election and hot and humid on polling day but welcome for Della's 10th Birthday, coincidentally also the 10th anniversary of my sale of Comart. It turned into more customary sun and cool breeze for a while but then reverted to intense heat and ended up precipitating huge electrical storms when we were under way on our boat in the Norfolk Broads. The children were getting on well at school and enjoying the company of their friends.
My month was split between time in Norfolk with the family and organising the latest victory for the Liberal Democrats - this time in the Eynesbury By-Election. That campaign started with us neck-and-neck with Labour after a third of the ward was canvassed and then pulling ahead the more work we did. The Tory campaign was non-existent and the Labour Party candidate un-impressive.
In contrast, our Liberal Democrat candidate was keen and refreshing and won friends and supporters wherever she went. Her colleagues helped her quite well, given the appalling heat and timing of the election and I used this opportunity to get them to work together. In the event, we won by a 400 to 200 votes and she took her place on the St Neots Town Council.
There had been trouble between Cllr Ross McKay before and this had spread to others in the group but, by getting the Town Councillors back organising their group meetings, electing Sheila Shorten as their leader and again deciding policies by a democratic means, this got things back on a level. John Roscoe helped with the election literature and, working with our successful Eynesbury candidate, looked better placed to carry on producing the key newsletter, FOCUS, and Percy is in better control of the District Group.
There were problems whilst I was away with the computer data and also with our candidate herself going down with an impacted wisdom tooth and again when I came back to organise for the poll. John Scott was a great help during this period as a mainstay in my absence but Ross McKay let her down badly with leaflet deliveries.
I had to call together our helpers and spent the entire eve-of-poll putting together the manning schedule so that the computer problem was left to solve on Polling Day itself. This almost proved fatal but I overcame it and the result was an historic achievement; the first time we had won any election in our worst area of Eynesbury. The normal post-election publicity was a little muted but the night's celebration far from so!
For reasons of anonymity at this stage of journal publication, our new Eynesbury Liberal Democrat councillor will, for the time being, be referred to by her nickname ‘Wiggly’. I gave her this affectional name when first experiencing her unique physical attribute of shaking remarkably during orgasms, which certainly heightened my own pleasure!
My own experiences with her started with the pub celebration and then a late-night session posting up results of her election, which were a hoot with me trying to curtail the drunken enthusiasms of Wiggly and her sister Joanne in the early hours. All this excitement, stress and emotion during a hot and humid month took its toll on my traditional reserve.
Despite my past experiences with former mistress Irena, pain and concerns over the cohesiveness of my family and security of my children, I was to become bewitched by a young 23-year-old lady who, despite our difference in years, had an intellect, personality and sexuality that were so closely matched to my own that it was frightening.
The hot campaign and her tight tops, miniskirts and long legs were just too much for me. Very tall at 6ft 01/2in and with black hair and hazel eyes set wide apart above a large and sensuous mouth, there would be many men too small or too frightened by her larger-than-life image and sensual body-language and so I suppose I was going to be a target.
Sexy young women and powerful, rich men make natural couples and so I was aware of the dangers. However, being paired for 25 years via an all-too-early marriage with a diametrically-opposite simple, cool and uncommunicative wife who had settled in the way of so many of our country-women in their mid 40's; I suppose was bound to fall victim and cannot accept all of the blame.
It started with mutual attraction, then mutual respect and then my concern for her plans for her new house and living companion. Refreshments by the riverside as we talked; her problems of past male living partners and then my helping her with money for a new dress & shoes before finally I provide the finance to release her from a dead-end part-time job and the need to have her platonic friend, Michael, as her male lodger.
I helped care for her as she suffered from the pain of a toothache, I was her mentor in getting her elected to office as a councillor, and then our relationship is consummated in the relaxed atmosphere the morning after her election before the pain of separation for the rest of my summer with my family in Norfolk.
Between all this, I did well to hold down my end of a long Norfolk holiday with the family. The first half was a welcome break from the campaign, doing my best to forget it all. However, we ran into such hot weather that it was almost unbearable to be in the sun as we cancelled a trip to Winterton. We were reduced to cruising the Horning river front under the canopy of The Paxton Princess for shade with the sides open for ventilation.
For some of the time, I went over to Jim's for dog training and shooting whilst, on occasion, Diana took the girls out to Pleasurewood Hills, the sort of outing that would be too hot and open for Sam; but most of the time we spent together at our favourite haunts in Norwich and elsewhere whilst Sam lay up in the shade.
A host of good films for us to see as a family in Cromer such as "Police Academy 7 - A Mission to Moscow", "Beverley Hill Billies", "Maverick", "My Girl II", "Flintstones" and then customary trips to Jarrold’s, Oliver's, Pizza Hut, Horning Tea Shoppe, Latham's, Winterton, Wroxham Barns and others.
A new experience as we found Ranworth Church Tower and Ranworth Church Tea Rooms first by taking The Jolley across the river past Woodbastwick and walking there; and then returning on the boat from nearer moorings in Ranworth Staithe. New experiences also for the girls strawberry-picking, sailing and fishing.
This pattern continued for our second period on The Broads, where we settled more onto The Paxton Princess and had our longest trip for a long while despite Diana getting overheated at first and wanting to call the trip off! My old helmsmanship skills were still there as we slipped into a small inaccessible space at Ranworth Staithe and Womack Water. With davits folded and dinghies in tow we could manage this stern-on mooring quite easily.
Time cruising upstream on the River Thurne and under the bridge and on to moor with Della to do some fishing at Martham. We moored at Great Yarmouth Marina and found a way of walking Sam along North Beach dunes to the seafront central attractions at Joyland. Time at Stokesby where the seafood teas from the fish shop were my passion as we ended the month on board with a thunderstorm raging outside. Still managed to some proper maintenance on Paxton Princess by changing all of the oils and filters and fixing new registration details etc.
I organised a large purchase of Marks & Spencer’s "Harvest"-pattern China to match that bought before allowed us to transfer the non-breakable Melamine for use on the boat. Work also on Harnser as I fitted hooks on walls and doors and then creosoted the rest of the garage left from the Spring. The Discovery got its half-yearly service and the rear air-conditioning until repaired that was essential to cope with the heat. During my time at home, I paid the staff their overdue wages earned during our absence and tended to my mail and bills etc.
I found time also to spend with Nigel, solving the remaining problems with Cambridge Street and hearing of his personal revelations. He is now separating from Lynne and helping her buy a house in Grafham, which is particularly sad for his children and my godchildren, Ashley and Kate.
I spent time writing a long letter to Freda to bring the matter of the outstanding loan to a head but am persuaded by Diana that I should wait until the end of the summer before sending it. At last, I completed the sale of the Rolls Royce that I had owned and enjoyed. I had helped friends get married in it and buried both parents using it in the entourage.
It was a difficult month for Diana with my attention elsewhere for much of it and the heat got her down a lot due to her physique, but she enjoyed the time away and all of the outings and meals etc. Once she had decided to wear shorts and a "T"-shirt, she was more comfortable, but we had more rows than normal with the issue of the girls giving up piano lessons a major difference.
She was more-than-usually worried over the arrangements for Della's 10th birthday but need not have been as it was universally declared as the best party the eighteen guests had ever attended; even by those that were not part of the pre-party outing to Wickstead Park. A formal party with games, a bouncy castle and swimming was the winning formula.
Our present was more track for her Scalextric. This birthday is always poignant after her accident survival, all those years ago, and it also marked the 10th anniversary of me selling Comart. Della was enjoying a lot of high places in her class term work and examinations and is happy at school but she was undistinguished at Swimming Sports Day, and unrecognised at Speech Day and Prize-giving even though her personal achievement in getting the most work stars of any pupil helped her house to win the "Work Shield".
Sadly, the month saw the last of her attendances at Brownies. Debbie also had good marks at school in Maths and Sciences and, though not as good as before, she was managing the large range of GCSE subjects quite well. In discussions with our Norwich Ophthalmic Optician, we find out that her subjects would be good for that career, and she would get a chance to spend time at his surgery next year if she were interested.
I researched the universities offering the course and the "A"-Levels required on the strength of this. She continues to develop her adolescent personality, enjoyed the school "own clothes" day and an overnight stay at her friend Zoe Bee's house and was in demand at a dance party during the month. Daniel also had a night away at Jason's house but did not much else apart from having his friends round with drinks whilst we were away. He still seems to be taking it easy with the ladies and is more concerned about his car which failed its MOT during the month.
Amongst all this, Sam had to struggle for attention and also suffered in the sweltering heat which these active dogs do not like. His achievements included learning to complete blind "send-away" retrieves (even in the presence of game and other distractions) and a fourth position and certificate amongst 24 Novices at the Hungarian Vizsla Working Test.
He had his longest period on board the boat yet and was getting quite socialised and would sit under an outside table quietly as we eat and drink. His experience was widened by being in a hide as I shot pigeon with Jim and by joining Jim and Martin's dogs for a joint training day up in Norfolk.
His main faults at the moment surround his behaviour with other male dogs where he is unsure, nervous and grumbling which many of them interpret as aggression with dire results. He also had an aberration and chased a hare in the set-aside before I corrected him again. His other problem was his claws growing in the absence of a concrete run!
Elsewhere, apart from the hot weather, the external news was of the kidnapping of 4-year-old and the distress of the parents. Horrific genocide continues in Rwanda, sending the world community into a huddle deciding what to do.
There were several bomb attacks on an Ulster Police Station by Irish paramilitary and on the Israeli Embassy by Hisbola or some other Arab Terrorists. Neil Kinnock was surprisingly accepted by this Tory Government and their EEC colleagues as a new European Commissioner.
John Smith's former constituency, "Monklands" was just held by Labour in the face of local council controversy and a strong by-election challenge from the SNP. The Tories still in trouble as several of their MP's are trapped by a newspaper into accepting bribes for putting down questions in the House of Commons.
Apart from this, it was Sport that captured the headlines. There were historic first Cricket Test Matches between South African and English teams now that the former have re-joined the Commonwealth and international community and they won the match to boot!
This amongst embarrassing revelations that England cricket captain Roy Atherton was tampering with the ball by rubbing it in a pocket full of dust. Probably the biggest world sporting event was the World Cup. Brazil eventually beat Italy on penalty kicks in the final after Ireland under Jack Charleton put up a spirited performance in the extreme heat before wilting and being beaten by Holland 2-0 earlier.
Maradona, who cheated England out of the World Cup some years ago, is this time sent home having been detected with a cocktail of five drugs in his body and it will end his career. Back at home, Robert Chase of Norwich City makes the good decision to accept £5m for Chris Sutton and will buy several players to strengthen the defence and have money left to develop the South Stand.
The Wimbledon Tennis tournament took place amongst sweltering conditions and, in her last year for entry, nine-times Women's Champion Martina Navratilova was just beaten by the heat and the youth of her young Spanish opponent, Contina Martinez in her quest to make it a record ten times, the first time ever that a Spaniard has won this title.
By contrast, the men's final was a boring fusillade of ace serves between two non-descript physical athletes. The most poignant sporting achievement of the month was the victory by Daimon Hill in the British Grand Prix Formula 1. His father, who had died in a plane crash, had never managed to do this in his career, despite winning many others.
Daimon, who wears the same London Rowing Club colours on his helmet, dedicated his victory to the memory of his dad. Nigel Mansell made a trial return to Grand Prix in the race before from Indy Car racing as his partner, but engine failure eliminated him when in third place. July proved to have been a very significant month for news indeed.