A tired start to the day of John Smith's funeral, as parliamentary back-benchers of both sides made another attempt to revive the Disabled Persons Bill, the filibustering of which had so crazed him.
I continued training Sam for the weekend’s events and also made holiday preparations and updated paperwork
It was a milder day with rain threatening later as most people's thoughts were in the Scottish parish church of the late John Smith where his funeral was taking place this morning.
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I had an early night and a good sleep but I was still tired all day and had to try really hard to get some work done in addition to walking the dog. For him, the main routine was just exercise and dummy handling with progress on the latter being painstakingly slow. I just hope that I would have regained my stamina by the weekend where I have lots of driving in mind. I had started the day with a headache but the tablets eased this early on but I was struggling to get through all of the mail and tending to the matters arising.
A few telephone conversations as well as we sorted out the finance and printing bills for the by-election so that we could deliver three leaflets if needed. With Diana being busy in Bedford, I made my own lunch and then made the trip into St Neots. I got the Discovery checked over, levels adjusted and tyres examined and then went and got my hair cut which was very overdue. Cheques to pay into the post office, my car road fund license to renew and some cash to stock up my wallet before coming back to walk Sam again.
A quieter evening updating my journal and then doing some archiving. The family news is of Chas and Chris having a baby boy, their first after three girls! All of the Jackson family are very excited about it. Whilst the senior politicians were in Scotland for the late John Smith's funeral, the back-benchers of both sides made another attempt to revive the Disabled Persons Bill by suspending two others.
This had been "talked out" by a Tory back-bencher under government instructions and had been one of the controversies that so stressed John Smith on that fatal day when the relevant minister failed to resign.