This month mild and misty November was the mildest in Norfolk, since record began and elsewhere on record since 1665 but the extremes of weather also led to horrific floods and storms in Italy.
I celebrated my 48th year and have seldom been happier with my shooting, dog training and football pastimes and close relationships.
I was pigeon shooting both at Molesworth and closer at hand on Mill Meadow, winning a famous "Cause Celebre" with Cambs. Firearms Department over a licensing issue.
My dog Sam had to compete with many more powerful distractions again this month as I did little more than build up his obedience and social skills and some good retrieves of duck and moorhen.
I exposed him to his first exposure to a driven shoot and the Bury obedience class was improving him in that respect when I can get to it.
My love affair with Wiggly was off the scale as we met often for meals out, theatre and cinema visits and recovered from seasonal colds. I showered her with clothes, household items, gifts and care as she recovered from her condition.
Diana was attending her own classes and events with a short stay at the Henlow Grange Health Farm at my expense and the girls were hosting friends with Debbie taking on more cooking and chores.
I take both girls and their friends to the Kimbolton fireworks display and spend another fortune on them. I was still accompanying them to the bus stop and supervising their homework and chores whilst Daniel was now working and buying his own things.
Though mostly in the background, I advised as Ross McKay was expelled from the Liberal Democrat Town Council Group locally.
Nationally, the month's news starts with the end of the damaging Prince of Wales newspaper book feature and David Mellor is pilloried for his amorous affairs
The government stumbles on as the second year's School League-Tables are published amidst widespread criticism.
The Tory Vice-Chairman resigns after a series of xenophobic Europe remarks and Chancellor Kenneth Clarke admits to Euro-Budget underestimates.
The government climbed down over the Post Office sell-off on the eve of the Queen's Speech and the first draw for the National Lottery takes place with the resultant publicity.
There were many misgivings but will one day be proved to support national sport and other things.
NATO-sanctioned Allied air strikes take place on a Serbian airfield as a political gesture that soon backfired as the Serbs then advanced on the Moslem "Safe Haven" of Bisach and 160 British and Dutch soldiers were detained.
The US Republicans give Democrats a drubbing in the mid-term elections and win majorities in both Houses of Congress.
On the sporting scene, Daimon Hill takes hope from winning the Japanese Grand Prix but loses the championship after a controversial collision with Michael Schumacker.
Ron Atkinson is the latest of three Premier League football managers to lose their jobs after Mike Walker of Everton and Ossie Ardilles of Spurs.
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A misty and mild month with fog to end it, giving the mildest November on record since 1665 and the mildest ever in Norfolk. Our Jasmine flowers and the neighbour's tree carried blossoms for the first time but I still get two bad head colds that end up as coughs as well!
Evidently the anticyclone being centred over the North Sea has meant icy weather for Eastern Europe but milder climes for us basking in the southern airstream.
The extremes of weather also led to horrific floods and storms in Italy with 43 dead and 50 missing and also to a trawler and its crew of twelve going missing in the North Sea as more faults are found in ferry bow doors.
For me it was the successful completion of my 48th year at a time when I have seldom been happier with my shooting, dog training and football pastimes and close relationships, even if I may have had more productive times in the past.
A poignant month also with the anniversary of my late Father's birthday and death and we remembered some flowers for his grave. I started my pigeon shooting both at Molesworth and closer at hand on Mill Meadow without notable success but I still shot occasional duck and pheasant.
Nigel, never noted for his moderation, splashes out on a new 10-bore goose gun but I stick with my less successful side-by-side AYA. I did join him on his shoot for the first time and enjoyed the experience but did not hit anything.
I had more success rabbit shooting with Jim and at least Norwich City were playing reasonably and staying in the cup competitions. My main shooting achievement was off the field where I won a famous "Cause Celebre" with Cambs. Firearms Department over a licensing issue with the help of the BASC. I cooked three of the pheasants and enjoyed them immensely and also developed a passion for oysters.
Property issues dominated my productive efforts this month as I conducted a complete Building's Insurance rationalisation to save money and contracted Wroxham Builders to demolish Heronshaw so that they had removed the cladding and taken away the old thatch by the end of the month. I had seen them take down the Dunham's bungalow and decided to act quickly whilst they were on site.
Whilst in Norfolk, I commissioned a long-overdue Discovery service and had a new retracting aerial fitted as the vehicle approached 40,000 miles. Having to empty Heronshaw, I saved a variety of items, beached Daniel's speedboat and The Jolley and brought it home, full of trophies.
I am getting more fashion-conscious and, after reorganising my wardrobe, I bought a new pair of black shoes and considered getting a leather jacket from High & Mighty. My old friend Sam Weller was interested in some old stuff for his museum and I met him and enjoyed his company.
His namesake and my best furry friend had to compete with many more powerful distractions again this month as I did little more than build up his obedience and social skills by taking the girls to the bus stop and giving him plenty of roadwork and traffic exposure.
He has developed a habit of running in to retrieves and started whining in his kennel in the wee hours. He had some good retrieves of duck and moorhen and then appallingly mishandled a pigeon downed on the other side of the river.
I tried to combat this by making the most realistic pheasant and pigeon dummies yet and spent some time with dead game to try and get him used to carrying it nicely and then with canvas dummies to make him hold them properly and gently.
On the positive side, he had his first exposure to a driven shoot but took time to get used to all of the excitement and was nervous of the other dogs and noisy until settled. The Bury obedience class is improving him in that respect when I can get to it.
It was my biggest pet that took up most of my waking thoughts and spare time and I curtailed or missed dog training more than once for another session with her.
Wiggly bought me a pair of silk boxer shorts and two CD's for birthday and I treated her to a few things as well. Two jumpers from "Beautiful People" and the most lovely and warm coat for best, both bought during our Norwich visits.
I entertained her for dinner as I first prepared and then cooked her a fine meal of roast pheasant and wood pigeon and we ate out at the Floating Restaurant, Wroxham Bridge Hotel & Brummell's Seafood Restaurant as well as places such as Oliver's.
Stays also at her place and The Hotel Nelson as well as Harnser for a change. Visits to the cinema to see "Frankenstein" in Bedford and novel evening at "The Norfolk Dumpling" but still shopping at Norwich, Cambridge, Latham's & Wroxham Barns.
We enjoyed the occasional pub lunch, our theatre trips to see "The Provoked Wife" & "Me and my Girl" and a morning walk along beach at Winterton. The month was not all roses as Wiggly first had a minor recurrence of her infection and her cycle became unsettled and irregular, but she coped well with our nice evening and late night visits regardless.
She then caught a bad cold and collapsed into bed during her week's residential management course in Sheffield when she was ill and depressed whilst we were apart which was heartbreaking, but I cheered her up on the telephone and saw her soon at her request upon her return.
She had been grumpy with me in the lead up to it over the access she had to me which led to the odd heart-to-heart chat. At least I helped arrange for her car alarm and immobiliser to be fitted in Wymondham so that her vehicle problems became a thing of the past.
I did my best to spend enough time with the family, taking Diana to Cambridge twice and meeting her parents on both occasions when we enjoyed a King's Pantry lunch. Some trips to Bedford cinema and Peterborough on Monday afternoons to see "Corrina, Corrina" & "Frankenstein" again!.
This month saw the arrival of "super-bed" which she appreciated as now we can sleep together and apart at the same time. She was upset and unhappy with the dish-washing machine breaking down but pleased when we immediately go and order its replacement after a Harvest Bakery coffee break.
Di now regularly attends Pat Stanley's Keep Fit and Yoga classes and restarted her coffee afternoons with her friends following my encouragement. A short stay also for her at Henlow Grange Health Farm at my expense which was another fall out from my overcompensating for my indiscretions.
For Della we had the order and delivery of her new bunk bed and Michelle stayed overnight to Christen it. Della made a nice Pasta dish at her school cookery lessons which we all ate for tea but the poor thing had a slight reaction after her school inoculation for measles etc. and was unwell for rehearsals.
Then we heard that her Master-in-Charge had a stroke and had to cancel the pantomime until February anyway. Debbie helps to make the tea regularly now when Diana is out and skins her own trout. She attended a wild party that earned Daniel's disapproval for the amount of alcohol that was present.
I find time to help her with trigonometry a couple of times and get satisfaction from doing so. By taking the girls to the bus stop when I am there, I even manage to hold the bus for her on occasion and get closer to her in the process.
I take both girls and their friends to the Kimbolton fireworks display and spend another fortune on them. On the other hand, I cannot court popularity all the time and have to get on at her about tidying her room. Daniel has a quiet month but at least receives his second increased wage, reviews mobile telephones and prepares to get himself a new one.
Locally, Ross McKay was expelled from the Liberal Democrat Town Council Group and we endure the start of the appalling Mill Lane and St Neots By-Pass roadworks.
At my Norfolk refuge, a series of shocks hit the local economy as plans are announced for the chocolate factory to be closed and another wave of Norwich Union redundancies takes place.
The month's news starts with the end of the damaging Prince of Wales newspaper book feature but David Mellor is now pilloried for his amorous affairs and declines to take over compering a radio programme of searching personal interviews.
The government stumbles from one problem to another as the second year's School League-Tables are published amidst widespread criticism.
The Tory Vice-Chairman resigns after a series of xenophobic Europe remarks and Chancellor Kenneth Clarke admits to Euro-Budget underestimates which annoy his sceptical back-bench colleagues and the non-budget helps matters little.
A Commons Tory revolt is only held off by making the Euro-Budget vote a matter of confidence but they can only play that card once. The government are also forced to climb down over the Post Office sell-off on the eve of the Queen's Speech.
The first draw for the National Lottery takes place with the resultant publicity and many misgivings from those who feel that it will drain resources from charitable collections.
NATO-sanctioned Allied air strikes take place on a Serbian airfield as a political gesture that soon backfired as the Serbs then advanced on the Moslem "Safe Haven" of Bisach and 160 British and Dutch soldiers were detained.
The US Republicans give Democrats a drubbing in the mid-term elections and win majorities in both Houses of Congress.
On the sporting scene, Daimon Hill takes hope from winning the Japanese Grand Prix but loses the championship after a controversial collision with Michael Schumacker.
Ron Atkinson is the latest of three Premier League football managers to lose their jobs after Mike Walker of Everton and Ossie Ardilles of Spurs.