On a fine day after all of the rain the day before, and walking Sam, I rush down to the GSP Club training ground at Eastwick for dog training to which Jim could not come but Sam acquitted himself quite well.
On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Normandy "D-Day" landings, the news is full of the wartime stories.
After all of the rain yesterday, it had cleared up to leave the night cold but dry and the sun was shining this morning for my regular monthly dog training session. Diana was still prone in bed until I got her to take some tablets and I was also suffering from tiredness and the effects of alcohol, so I had something of a lay in.
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Whilst walking Sam to St Neots Common, I saw two buses full of Brownies and was convinced that Diana had forgotten Della's planned outing, but I was relieved to find out on my return that she had cancelled yesterday. I tussled with my portable computer for some time re-installing the external monitor and keyboard before getting it working and then started the slow process of catching up on telephone calls and messages.
All too soon, it was time for a nice lunch of roast chicken, but Daniel did not join us as he and his friend Simon were taking two girls to Alton Towers for the day which was nice. Then the rush down to the GSP Club training ground at Eastwick. Jim Bird had telephoned me earlier and could not come as he had moved into his new house yesterday and still had everything in packing cases. I was tutored by Brian Botterman with two others and, after a long talk on how to keep in touch with our dogs, we did some exercises on obedience, retrieving and water work.
Sam acquitted himself quite well and we were the pick of the small group and it was good for his social skills. He started out by continuing with his growling and grumbling at the other dogs but was much better by the end of the day. The drive home for tea and then a short visit over to the Guinees, now back from their holidays, to drop off a leaflet print master and discuss some of the divisive instances that have been happening within our local party.
Home to get up to date with my journal and check again on the by-election campaign. Today, they got more flag boards up and the third leaflet delivered which, together with some target letters that we composed today also, will be our last written shots in the campaign before polling day. On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Normandy "D-Day" landings, the news is full of the wartime stories of the veterans. Unlike the propaganda reported in the immediate aftermath of this glorious occasion, the full story is of the confusion of war as well as the glory.
Something like 1000 men were lost in a practice exercise in Devon as first so-called "friendly fire" was directed on the training troops in error and then two assault barges were found by a German patrol boat off Devon's shore and sunk. The assault was originally scheduled for the 5th June 1944 but was delayed a day by poor weather but this news had not reached one skipper towing barges of ammunition up and down the Normandy coast all day.
He was very lucky not to have been spotted and challenged or the most important secret assault of the war would have been blown. Up a little late watching a Clint Eastwood film with Diana and then some film of the war before retiring after Daniel came home from his weekend's exploits. He had been with Simon and two girls from Milton Keynes on a trip to Alton Towers which he found good fun.