Daniel in front of the gardens he was helping me with (with his first girlfriend Christine)
Daniel in front of the gardens he was helping me with (with his first girlfriend Christine)

Trip to Cambridge to return my old video camera for repair before time with Daniel working in the garden and tending the ducks and doves on a pleasant if cool day as Tory support in the Polls drops to the lowest level for over three years

Awake after a better night and to my morning paper for some time. Out to the doves, who feed hungrily, and the ducks, who lay five eggs, which is a slight improvement on yesterday. I speak to Pete the gardener and update him on my plans for the gardens. Off then by car with the family to Cambridge, where we take my Canon video camera back to Dixons to get it repaired and then, after lunch, off with Daniel to buy a Furguson Videostar recorder. Home via Biggleswade, where I buy more vine eyes and coated wire and then home so that Daniel and I could commission it. An evening spent between the time conflicts of copying our early 1984 video tapes and putting up the wires for our second climbing wisteria plant. Eventually, darkness ends the scope for the latter and I have a good evening session preserving our tapes for generations to come. No friends for Daniel to play with today and so he is happy to help me for once.

I put the hose on tonight and water the dry bed under our balcony to give the wisteria and hypericum a chance. The ducks rather late to bed, but managed to round up all 13 of them and feed them well. The day stayed pleasant, but still the prevailing wind continues to unsettle everybody and everything. The experts tell us that the hours count of rain and sunshine is not too bad this summer; but for uncomfortable wind and drizzle, it is truly exasperating. Not much time for the news today, but I heard of continued doubts on the French Greenpeace findings and of Tory support sliding in the polls to its lowest level for 3 ½ years. The fine weather today confounded yesterday’s forecast (again)