David A Broad
A personal story
More than 40 years, told day by day
Arranging a by-election meeting in the Hemingford Abbotts pub and persuading Mark Rainer to agree better arrangements for canvassing to involve more colleagues.
Earlier in the day my efforts had been to get out with Sam twice for some exercise and training and then with the family for lunch.
With Derek this evening to share his grief and family agonies over a close relative dying slowly of cancer.
I soon established in the course of a few telephone calls this morning that Mark Rainer was struggling with his election campaign. The first canvas of the remainder of the ward was unfavourable but then we usually leave the worst bits to last, and they may well have felt deserted until now.
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The long drive back from Thurso to Paxton, collecting the Stags head and stopping off at Dumbar to run Sam and have a break.
Stan Bertin (husband of our late Mum's youngest sister) had died suddenly, and the funeral might be that very day and so I could not go.
News from the by-election was not too good either as we were losing ground to the Conservatives
We had planned an early start, but it was only 3.30am when Diana called me. After too much alcohol last night and too little sleep all week, I was even more reluctant than usual to heed the call. Some grumpiness, therefore, from me initially until we had got everything loaded up and were ready to set off.
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A walk with Diana and Sam before breakfast along the River Forss to the sea. Then in the car for the trip to Wick and beyond where the first port of call was the Caithness Glass Factory to buy two vases.
Also to the ruined Sinclair Castle at Noss which was impressively situated. Some conversation about fishing permits for my White Loch trout as I catch a few more
Having tried fishing and stalking this week, I was happy for the sporting activities to take a back seat and join Diana for some touring today. A lay in this morning was also welcome after the 4.00am starts of the first few days!
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Back to Broubster for an enjoyable day fishing and stalking but without much success.
The National Executive of The Labour Party has opted for an early summer election for a leader to replace the late John Smith and Deputy Leader Margaret Beckett is also resigning to make it a dual election.
We had retired to bed at 9.00pm so that, by the time I got up early again at 4.00am, I had managed to get seven hours sleep. The weather was dry and sunny again to start with as I drove over to Broubster and started spying for deer.
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Up for an early-morning stalk at Broubster, failing to shoot a deer but dropping a hare at 80yds. Back with Diana later who was duly impressed with the scale and features of the landscape. Further trips to "The Fairy Glen" and then "The White Loch".
Once back, I went to bed to rest for an hour or two whilst Diana went shopping in Thurso. I also caught up on three days of journal before bathing and changing for dinner.
News of an alarming killer disease that attacks the fleshy area under the skin but the authorities are playing down the effect of this virus, "Streptococcus A".
I had dropped off to sleep easily last night and slept through my radio alarm until Diana awoke me from a deep sleep at 4.30am and I got ready. I was still on station at Broubster by 5.00am which gave plenty of time before breakfast. It was a sunny, mild and very still start to the day so that I had trouble sensing the drift of air at first.
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My long 13hour journey from Paxton to The Forss House Hotel in Caithness stopping for a nice breakfast at my normal Washington watering hole.
After being welcomed by Ian McGregor, taking Di and Sam on the walk along the River Forss which she enjoyed before returning to enjoy a typically-fine meal. T
he daylight hours being very much longer here at this time of year with dawn before 4.00am and dusk after 11.00pm!
The long journey to the North of Scotland for which we arranged to get up very early and start out at 4.00am. The first 200 miles was undergone in three hours before we stopped for a nice breakfast at my normal Washington watering hole.
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