David A Broad
A personal story
More than 40 years, told day by day
The publicity aftermath of our Liberal Democrat Eaton Ford election and then some dog training in dull and drizzly weather after recovering from the excitement.
A call from Martin Sullivan who invited me to spend Sunday 27th February with him in Epping teaching Sam how to track under harness and I will look forward to that.
Though awake until after midnight and wakeful even then with mind full of the day's activity, I was still up early to check on the early-morning radio news coverage of our famous victory. Both Radio Cambridgeshire and Chiltern Radio were carrying verbatim reports from our overnight press release but, when I called Percy, he had not then been interviewed by the media.
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The comfortable Eaton Ford election success. our candidate John Scott winning by 699 votes to 384 against a very large Tory majority last time.
This after me chivvying, organising and encouraging helpers all day. Telling, running, logging and knocking up to near perfection.
We wrote the victory release on the theme of "LibDems win over "safe" Tory seat" and then faxed it for overnight consumption by the radio stations.
I knew that today was going to be hectic and therefore got out early with Sam and gave him as long a walk as I could. Then the car loaded and off to check first the Eaton Ford polling station and it was just as well as our first teller, Cllr Chris Colbert, was a little late from delivering her batch of early morning leaflets. I had to arrange for some chairs for the tellers but could not get them inside in the warm and light which created some problems for later.
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I was concentrating on the Eaton Ford election set-up and the candidates 25-year-old daughter, a dress maker and designer who was quite fetching in her hot-pants over tights.
Then dog training as Diana joined Daniel for a trip to Norwich this morning so as to be able to put his car in for automatic gearbox repairs and collect my old dad's Escort on loan.
The election arrangements seem fine and the statistics still look good. Over to Nigel for the evening for drinks, a chat and game of snooker.
A little milder this morning but the colder weather resumed later. Diana joined Daniel for a trip to Norwich this morning so as to be able to put his car in for automatic gearbox repairs and collect my old dad's Escort on loan and the arrangement worked well. She got a coffee and scone in Jarrold’s and a little chance to do some shopping for her trouble.
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On a fine but frosty day, the drive Cambridge and plenty of chances for dog training ending up with taking him to Bury, near Ramsey, to Cromwell Farm boarding kennels for an obedience class.
Earlier the drive over to pick up Della from school where she had just returned from her trip to the London Science Museum.
I got Sally's help in dropping off the revised Cambridge Street plans to Pathfinder House whilst she was there this evening and hope that they will now be approved.
Another fine but frosty morning as I again got out with Sam in time to walk the girls to the bus stop. I let Della walk him on the lead and he is quite obedient enough for her. Then his walk proper during which I avoided the water as it was so cold but did get him to do some retrieving and jumping as well as more obedience work. Then in the car with him and off to Cambridge with Diana for the morning coffee with her parents in Eadon Lilley.
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A fine day for working after a milder night but then another row with Diana our relationship seemed to be getting steadily worse and a cause of concern.
A busy day of archiving my journal and then completing the financial analysis to send out to my investment advisers.
The western nations are agonising over the possibility of an air-strike in retaliation against the Sarejevo market place massacre but they will probably decide to do nothing.
A little slow to get to sleep on a milder night than of late and then up for breakfast with the family. I took Sam to the bus stop to see the girls off and then for a longish walk of water retrieving and quartering around the gravel pit area. he did quite well throughout but was still mouthing the dummies as his main fault. Back for a chat with the gardener about the fencing problems on the riverside garden and then in to get on with my journal archiving.
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A fine, sunny but very cold day for dog training in Harlow where Sam had the chance to meet plenty of other dogs and handlers and behaved particularly well and then his launcher-dummy retrieve was the best of the lot.
I made more arrangements for dog training with Bob Steele of Alconbury during the week and also in a couple of weeks time with Martin Sullivan to do some tracking with Sam.
The world is still grieving and wringing its hands after the mortar attack on Markale Sarejevo marketplace where over sixty people were killed
I slept soundly after getting comfortable and was then woken by Diana getting up and laid there until she brought me a drink. Up in time to get ready for breakfast at 8.00am and then out for a short and simple walk with Sam in the sunny but cold day's weather. I groomed Sam in the sun under the balcony until Sally arrived on her bicycle with the last of the canvas sheets and we went in for a coffee and to enter them whilst she waited. A good job well done but I was upset to hear her tales of potential division amongst the group over local government reorganisation and the outspoken behaviour of John Roscoe and Ross McKay.
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