Some time on my FOCUS with newsletter with Mike Pope today
Some time on my FOCUS with newsletter with Mike Pope today

A sound night’s sleep for the first time in a while and time on my History project for the first time in ages as I review the St Neots Paper Mill archive about the building of Riversfield House. Some efforts on the new invasion of moles and some time on my FOCUS newsletter as well. The East/West summit seems about to stall and England’s football hooliganism is still preventing European games for our teams

Slept soundly after retiring to sleep the same time as Diana – the first for a long time since I cracked my ribs and became so busy. Breakfast with the family and then this morning finishing off my FOCUS newsletter and mapping out the layout on an A3 piece of cartridge paper. Soon time for lunch and I sat and looked through some photographs with Daniella, whilst Diana unloaded the car, packed away the things, and prepared a lunch of sausage, peas and potatoes. Debbie came back this morning from her stay with Linda Nagle and was full of it. Daniel worked for a couple of hours on his chemistry revision this morning and this afternoon, but I felt that he should have done more. This afternoon, I drove off to Eaton Socon and bought some more Mole Smokes and a spring-loaded mole trap, which I proceeded to set when I got back.

I don’t suppose that I will catch them, but I will try anyway. They are all along the bank in this showery and warm weather. It was strange to leave Little Paxton in the pouring rain and arrive in Eaton Socon in the sunshine with dry roads. Same in St Neots when I dropped off the newsletter for Mike Pope to see. The low cloud and heavy showers are so localised. Good growing weather and I was glad to have cut the lawns. After tea tonight, I settled down to do some history writing for the first time since the election campaign. I am being pressed by the Paper Mill for their information and files back and so must get back to it. Worked on until late reading the Riversfield Clerk of Works records on the building of the house, which could be a book of research in itself. The news today is of the summit of course, but, despite all of the goodwill, it seems that there are too many obstacles to agreeing a further arms treaty within what is left of President Reagan’s term of office. With all of the football hooliganism of the last few days, the hopes for England’s club teams getting back into European soccer are fading.