Visiting my Mum and Dad Grace and Fred today
Visiting my Mum and Dad Grace and Fred today

A Little Paxton walk on a dry and sunny but cold morning before taking the family for a St James’s Church Family Service for a short Sunday School play on the theme, ‘Education Sunday’ and then a slightly disorganised choral session but a better congregation under the Rev Peter Lewis. A meal at the Croxton Little Chef and the drive on to Stanton to visit my Mum and Dad and a massive family row on the journey but fun and games on arrival and much talk of Reliant Vans. Home with gales and a storm expected overnight as we hear that the SDP vote by 80% for merger with the Liberals

Not too late last night, but an early call this morning, as Diana ‘wanted to do a day’s work by 10.30am’. Had staggered into the bathroom, but put my dressing gown back on when I was called down for an early fried breakfast. Nice, but a bit fattening. Earlier I had played host to an upset Debbie, who had come in crying after Di had played a rotten trick on her. Debs had played asleep when called with her morning tea and Di had just left the drink on the side and walked out. Out after to feed the doves on a bright and sunny morning – if cold. I decided to walk and get my Sunday Times from the paper shop for a change. It is a short distance in actual fact and an interesting little walk, as I spotted the old landmarks of Paxton Park inner garden and saw the former mansion site from a different angle.

I went to the Parade Paper Shop and there was old John Lloyd in there, but I didn’t hail him. He is very forgetful and difficult to hold a conversation with. The pity was that he was trying to engage a sullen counter attendant, who patently was uninterested in the job and its customers. Walked back passing an ex-Comart girl and her husband, for a second time, walking her dog. Once back, I quickly scanned the car columns of the Sunday Times and then the registration numbers, but there was nothing to suit us. The difficult job of getting the family ready and out to the car, then alarmed the house and drove the short distance to the church for the 11.00am family service. A full-ish church and the theme was ‘Education Sunday’ with a short play from Mrs Rocket’s Sunday School on the subject. The pity was the small baby (s) raising a noise and strange how a parent often takes them outside after the time for quiet has passed. The choir was effective today under its leader and with its enlarged membership, but it is difficult for the congregation to get used to the practice of joining in after one verse. It didn’t help that the choir mistress had lost her voice and couldn’t tell the vicar what to do! Still, nice to see them and now the church is collecting to get them robed and supplied with books. We left afterwards for Croxton and the Little Chef and had a nice meal and then drove on to Bury St Edmunds (Stanton) to visit my Mum and Dad. The journey was going reasonably, but Daniel was annoying me by asking questions and then arguing with the answers! Then the A45 carriageway was blocked and we had to take a long detour and then the trouble really began. Debbie was insisting on holding the map book upside down, Di could not see it, and reckoned that Deb would not let her. Then we missed a turning, I lost my temper as well as my way and Di and I had a shouting match, which left all three of them in tears. Took some time for the girls to cheer up and Di’s eyes were still raw when we arrived in Stanton and so I filled up with petrol and let them recover a bit longer. It was still obvious when we arrived – Di seemed determined to let my parents see her upset and made no attempt to put on make-up etc. We still had a pleasant enough visit and I talked to Mum and Dad about Reliants and the kids played a word game with Nanny. Di sat to one side, as she always does, until it was time for tea of sandwiches, cakes and things. Funny that my parents had no photos of the old Reliant at all! We set off home after 5pm and arrived by 7.00pm. I spent the evening writing my day and month’s diary and things. I made it up with Di by apologising for shouting at her and we cuddled, but she did not apologise for hitting me on the back of the head with the map book. The news today was of the SDP Party Conference. The Council for Social Democracy voted by 80% for merger, but the Owenites either abstained or left the conference. Dr David Owen did not even address the assembly, but restricted his involvement to a fringe anti meeting the night before. The truth is that he knew he would lose any vote as a shrewd politician. The trouble is that the two parts of the SDP (273-28 was the vote) have both lost credibility and the only victors are the Tory and Labour Party. The missing paper boy’s body was found and a Wolverhampton man has been charged with murder. He was arrested in Herefordshire by police acting on information received. The convict ‘spring’ by helicopter from high security jail recently was arrested today, which saves the police from some of their embarrassment. Gail and storm warnings tonight, but thankfully we missed it on our journeys today and my beautifully clean car was driving in the dry. One problem I have – the cooling system seems to be leaking.