David A Broad
A personal story
More than 40 years, told day by day
Having failed to get Diana to accommodate my visit, off alone to my Bedford stockbroker to talk about Personal Equity Plans. On to Elstow to prospect a shoot for pigeons with John Osborne’s permission at the end of a mild but windy day.
A day that started badly but then improved as it wore on. Up a little late and a struggle to get to breakfast before the family had left for work and school. Diana was determined to spend the morning at Tescos and Bedford town centre and, despite me also needing to see my stockbrokers there, she refused to change her plans to involve me.
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The gardener got wet in a downpour whist concreting, Di attended her slimming club and School Production and concreting and I gave Sam a more basic couple of runs today, concentrating on the simple tasks.
I took the whole family to Kimbolton School this evening for the first night of "We have ways of making you laugh", a series of musical and humorous sketches put together and performed by the school staff.
The gardener had settled down to concrete another section of the path this morning and managed to get caught in a downpour for his trouble and he was not amused. He was introduced to our new house cleaner who still seems very nervous but is quite proficient. Diana attended her slimming club and actually lost two pounds this week which made up for the last two or three sessions.
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Another good training day with Sam at manor Farm. Depressing England cricket performance as Diana had her hospital appointment with the gynaecologist this morning and awaits test results and I cheered her up by taking her for lunch afterwards at the Brampton Garden Centre. A very poor England Test side lose hopelessly to the West Indies
The weather was quite Spring-like after overnight rain, but I still had to persuade Bill to do some gardening this morning by spending time showing him all the things that needed doing when he just wanted to go home. Some more water-work with Sam, which was still ragged, but I was now developing a technique of standing off of him which seems to stop him hunting around before entering. Up to Manor Farm in the afternoon and some fair hunting from him.
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Off to Cambridge shopping, joining training sessions for Sam before at Molesworth and after at his obedience class as the new cleaner starts nervously with Di.
Nigel popped round this afternoon and we arranged an afternoon's shooting for next week and discussed progress at Cambridge Street where three workmen were steaming ahead.
I decided to join Diana for a shopping trip to Cambridge and we also met her parents for morning coffee as well. But first, Diana had her new cleaner, Susanne, starting and she arrived keen, nervous and early to get her instructions. In fact, Diana was equally nervous and it was painful to see them both trying so hard to avoid offending each other!
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The weather was wet, windy and very cold with hard frosts and substantial snow as winter drew to a close. This was a big training month for Sam as he overcome his aggression towards other dogs and, gained enormously from being petted by all and humanisation during these communal events, improved and did some good retrieves upon both dummies and cold birds.
Sam also benefitted from being amongst over forty dogs in his Harlow sessions and other specialist training. His need for more running space was answered by my making the acquaintance of a Molesworth political colleague giving us access to 250 acres of set-aside.
My help was rewarded as the LibDems won the Eaton Ford by-election. There was still time for making boating arrangements for the cold weather and for finally updating of my financial and administrative affairs so that I could compile my investment and income summary and thus resolve the year's tax planning with my advisers.
Nigel was struggling through changes of staff and suffering the courts over his alleged insurance fraud where he now faced a retrial. He eventually got our Cambridge Street property investment underway. I took lessons at the Mid-Norfolk Shooting School and bought ten "squashable" pigeon decoys.
Apart from tossing pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, I helped Debbie and Della to make a formidable snowman, as Diana was struggling with the house and children and our relationship seemed to be getting steadily worse. I did my best to cheer her up during the month in other ways and took her out often to the cinema and for many meals out.
A good month for Daniel as he got his automatic gearbox repaired and his transmission completely overhauled at a cost of only £190. Debbie and Della were both causing problems in their own way but were both great with the dog.
Elsewhere, John Major was still struggling to control his Chief Treasury Secretary Lilley, who made another xenophobic speech criticising overseas educational standards. The House of Commons rejected the death penalty once more by an even greater majority than last time but agreed a new age of consent for homosexuality, reducing it from 21 to 18.
The world was still grieving and wringing its hands after the mortar attack on Sarajevo marketplace where over sixty people were killed. NATO planes were enforcing the no-fly zone over Bosnia by shooting down four Serb planes as they attacked a munitions factory in the protected area.
A mad attack by an ex-American Israeli settler extremist jeopardised the PLO peace talks. He killed over fifty religious worshippers at a mosque. Norwich City could only draw their Premier League matches this month after selling Ruel Fox, their fast striker, for over £2million and there were some ground protests planned as a result.
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Another couple of good training sessions with Sam across the Molesworth fields on a mild and dry day, managing to stop and sit him as a hare got up and ran away!
Over to see Sally and Brian Guinee this even to copy across computer files of electoral roles ready for updating to assist in the May elections.
News is of NATO planes enforcing the no-fly zone over Bosnia by shooting down four Serb planes as they attacked a munitions factory in the protected area.
The weather continued milder and kept dry and so I was able to have another couple of good training sessions with Sam. Some good water-work and obedience this morning at the gravel pits and then some even better quartering across the Molesworth fields, during which I actually managed to stop and sit him as a hare got up and ran away!
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