David A Broad
A personal story
More than 40 years, told day by day
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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A full day travelling and competing with Sam in the Rotherwick Working Test, where the rain had cleared and he came 6th out of 29 dogs which was really quite good. He came third in the scurry and got "Very Good" for his conformation.
The journey home to arrive at 8.30pm but this still gave me a chance to do the rest of the packing and loading before dark
An early start in order to get away for 7.00am for the journey across London to Hampshire for Sam's working test. The journey started with heavy rain and I thought that this would spoil the day but it got better the further I went until I arrived in fine weather.
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Into St Neots for some chores on a rainy day and to bring back Katie Morris from there for Della to play with. With Daniel having his friend Jason round today; when Debbie got home from school and it was time to go out to lunch, I had a party of seven to pay for at The Happy Eater!
Our second by-election leaflet copy ready is ready and I took Diana over to the LibDem Social at 2 Woodlands where Linda Favargue was our hostess for a fund-raising event.
Sam had a decent run this morning and some exposure to blanks being fired. Somebody is keen to keep us out of the riverside copse as now broken glass is put down to add to the barbed wire,
I let Diana go into St Neots this morning and do some chores for me and some shopping for her. She got a pair of my sporting corduroys cleaned, some more cash from the building society and tried to get another lens for my watch but they did not have one. She also took Della into the library and found Katie Morris there and was so pleased that she brought her back to play at The Hayling View for the day.
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A tired start to the day of John Smith's funeral, as parliamentary back-benchers of both sides made another attempt to revive the Disabled Persons Bill, the filibustering of which had so crazed him.
I continued training Sam for the weekend’s events and also made holiday preparations and updated paperwork
It was a milder day with rain threatening later as most people's thoughts were in the Scottish parish church of the late John Smith where his funeral was taking place this morning.
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