An early morning foggy session trying to go pigeon shooting at Molesworth
An early morning foggy session trying to go pigeon shooting at Molesworth

An early morning foggy session trying to go pigeon shooting at Molesworth and then nurse-maiding the girls.

News today of the Dublin Government having to quickly reconsider a major policy announcement concerning the early release for Republican IRA prisoners after a violent raid by three republicans on a postal depot where a man was shot and killed.

I had stayed up until after midnight but it was me alone out of the family that woke up first and called the others.

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A scramble to get the girls out and off to school and then, as I had not taken Sam out by this time, I dumped my shooting gear into the Land Rover and drove him up to Molesworth to try some pigeon shooting.

The ground was soggy and sticky and the fog persisted so that the pigeons were staying in the trees and almost impossible to decoy in these conditions.

I set up and tried it for a while and then walked round with Sam but did not get a chance other than dropping a solitary pigeon from a tree when we first arrived.

This was just pricked and Sam had to go and get it down by a stream. He did this and brought it back but somewhat de-feathered and scarred though this did not prevent me preparing and grilling it later for Debbie and I to enjoy for tea.

When I had given up the shooting around midday, I had telephoned Nigel and planned to go and see him until I remembered that I was supposed to be picking up Debbie and another girl ("Puja") from Kimbolton School.

This I did and then went to see him for a coffee and got him to countersign my form and photo for the renewal of my shotgun certificate.

A little rest until Debbie got back from Paxton School and then out with Sam again; this time practising some retrieves on feathered dummies to try to stop him mouthing these birds so badly.

Once back, I got a telephone call from Wiggly who proved to be rather disappointed that I had not been planning to see her soon upon her arrival back tomorrow night.

Of course, I had to review my arrangements. Della was all right today after looking a bit under the weather this morning following her inoculation yesterday.

It seems that quite a few of the parents did not give their permission for the jabs which undermines the whole idea of eradicating measles etc. Della's play rehearsal did not go ahead today due to the absences of three of the cast but her Geography test did and she did "fine" in it.

News today of the Dublin Government having to quickly reconsider a major policy announcement and reverse it within one day. It was the matter of early release for Republican IRA prisoners but the event that changed the decision was a violent raid by three republicans on a postal depot where a man was shot and killed.

A third Premier League manager lost his job in as many days as Ron Atkinson of Aston Villa got the chop for poor performance. Yesterday it was ex-Norwich manager, Mike Walker, getting the boot from Everton who today appointed Joe Royal in his stead. The other manager was Ossie Ardilles dismissed by Tottenham as the senior managers are forced to play musical chairs.