Pilot survives as a Soviet MIG 15 crashes at the Parish Air Show
Pilot survives as a Soviet MIG 15 crashes at the Parish Air Show

A meeting with Superintendent David Porter at Huntingdon Police Station and then a tour of local newsagents placing batches of my book for sale before collecting Debbie from school for horse riding lesson at Offord. Off to a Little Paxton Parish Council meeting and home to find Diana fed up but Della much improved. The ongoing Chinese crisis develops with the Governor of Hong Kong getting ‘strong assurances’ from Prime Minister Thatcher and a Soviet MIG 15 crashes at the Parish Air Show as opinion polls put the Labour Party 7% up on the Tories for the forthcoming Euro elections

I had a very sound night’s sleep with the extra ventilation from the open window helping. Awoken to a start as Diana, bringing in the morning tea, set off an alarm by trying to close the window with its faulty switch. I got showered and dressed quickly to join the others in time for breakfast. It was another busy day for me. A meeting this morning with Superintendent David Porter at Huntingdon Police Station. Michael Pope was due to join me and the Parish Chairman, John Knight, but had to cry off with another of his migraine attacks. A fairly good meeting with many assurances and much recognition of our concerns, but no agreement to put a community policeman into Little Paxton. After the meeting, I went around Huntingdon on my book errands. I checked with WH Smith who had enough copies and then persuaded other bookshops to take six.

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I also collected my review copy from the Hunts Post and was pleased to see a nice write-up in this week’s edition. On to Saint Ives, where I dropped off and ordered copy to the Norris Museum and a review copy to the Cambridgeshire County Life Magazine. I had lunch there before doing a round trip of Godmanchester, Saint Neots and Little Paxton. I got another outlet in Martin’s of Saint Neots, who took 12 and paid, like the new Huntingdon bookshop, in cash. Once home, and changed, I had a rush over to Kimbolton to collect Debbie from school and take her horse riding at Offord. This time, Fiona gave her a lesson, but we had a heck of a job catching the ponies first. Home and tea and then off to the Parish Council Leisure and Amenities Meeting that went on until quite late. I headed off a potential problem over the Little Paxton football team. Several members wanted to stop football on the field altogether, but it was agreed they could play providing a contract was drawn up covering the conditions and it be a team of predominantly Little Paxton youths. Linda did not turn up. Home again to find Diana a bit fed up but at least Della is now much improved. The news today is still full of the Chinese crisis with the Governor of Hong Kong getting ‘strong assurances’ from the Prime Minister Thatcher. Dockers are ineffectually striking over the Dock Labour Reforms and five points are already paralysed. A Soviet MIG 15 crashes at the Parish Airshow nobody is hurt due to new and stricter regulations on safety. Opinion polls put the Labour Party 7% up on the Tories for the forthcoming Euro elections.