My Hayling View Games Lawn, many years later
My Hayling View Games Lawn, many years later

Another session with Pete this morning, top dressing the games lawn and then a visit by the Cambridgeshire County Council forestry officer to discuss woodland schemes. After lunch, and a power cut, counting out my leaflets into delivery rounds and then contacting my helpers, dropping off batches for them to deliver. Hayling Avenue residents are up in arms about plans for 24 flats behind them in School Lane, the UK Retail Price Index up by 5.7%, Hurricane Gilbert still threatening the Texan coast with rising tides and house owners in storm shelters whilst half a million people in Jamaica remain in temporary shelters after their homes are destroyed.

Slept very soundly last night but I desperately needed an early bedtime one day soon. Down rather late to breakfast but still saw the children off to school. I wish that Daniel’s nasal catarrh would clear up soon, as his continual sniffs are a great handicap! After reading the morning papers and mail, I went out and helped Pete get started with the top dressing of the games lawn, filling the trench hollows in the process. We are using four parts of loam, two parts of peat and one of sharp sand and, once mixed, it looks a good mixture and works well into the lawn. I helped by spreading the top dressing with the back of a large wooden rake whilst Pete mixed it.

The weather was still settled and mild this morning without strong sun which is just about ideal for the job. I wrote up yesterday’s journal after coffee and was ready for a visit by Mr Megginson, the Forestry Officer for Cambridgeshire County Council. He stayed an hour and a half, and we spoke about all of the aspects of finding suitable land locally for woodlands and farm forestry and also the grant structure and discretionary grant schemes. There is not a lot of financial incentive, but I’m still interested. I made my own lunch (as Diana was out in Bedford for the day) whilst there was a power cut of at least an hour from 1pm to 2pm for some strange reason. After lunch, I counted out my Paxton Ward leaflets into delivery rounds and then started phoning my deliverers and taking round batches. This always involves a chat and review of the local problems, which is necessary and part of the job. This both in little Paxton and Southoe on quite a fine day. Back home for tea with only Diddington leaflets to do, which I will have to deliver myself and Round 2, Little Paxton, where I’m waiting for Kim Holman, who may be on holiday. Several phone calls today from upset residents in Hayling Avenue who are now aware of plans for 24 flats behind them in School Lane. Calls also to Michael Pope and Percy Meyer about getting our FOCUS’s around and a chat with Ian Thompson about The Commons footpath. Main news today is of the UK retail price index up by 5.7% as inflation rises strongly and will rise still further. The government are still set on putting up interest rates as the only preference for reducing the economic overheating and this is the effect. The Chancellor is forgoing the traditional measure of introducing credit controls due to ideology. Hurricane Gilbert is still threatening the Texan coast and the people are terrified and running scared. Rising tides are flooding coastal roads and, with houses boarded up, the owners in the storm shelters. Back at the island of Jamaica, there are half a million people in temporary shelters as their homes have been destroyed, along with schools, and hospitals etc.