Exceptional warm weather brought violent storms, torrents of rain, killed 14 in this country and 35 across Europe as flooding inundated some areas of Wales. I badly scalded my foot when working on my new boat in Norfolk and foot injury then dominated my month as it need constant hospital and doctor’s examination and re-dressing. Daniel helped drive me around for appointments and I still made some engagements on my own and used rest periods between times to catch up with writing and administration.
All the children went back at school this month after Daniel's and Della's illnesses and Daniel was told he needed to buckle down to gain his grades for university entrance and Dan was preparing for his driving test and Debbie as her Kimbolton Entrance Exam. There were worries this month over Debbie’s treatment at the Offord riding stables, which did not seem to welcome them anymore. We sought advice again about Della’s urinary infection. Freda now had an idea of buying a P.O./General Stores in this area to be able to look after Mum.
Later this month, after my foot had mostly recovered, we saw our first family holiday aboard the newly named ‘Paxton Princess’ for which I had also used my lay-up time organising her equipment manuals and administration. We cruised locally and then down the Bure, via Acle, to stay in Great Yarmouth for our normal family seaside fun and then drove home via Mum’s in Stanton to discuss future plans.
My political campaigning forged ahead with our new plans for a wider circulation of even better Liberal Democrat Focus newsletters, now half financed, outside election times, by advertising revenue. I was chairing campaigning meetings, helping colleagues from neighbouring areas, but still resisting offers to stand for parliament! There was still the unending round of Parish and District Council meetings , with Little Paxton now getting well-organised and, together with Labour opposition, the District Tories were being subjected to a very effective opposition with development and the costs and complications of Thatcher’s Poll Tax being easy prey.
The world's exchanges looked very shaky again, which was the background to Abbey National put their mortgage interest rates up by nearly 1% to 15.5%, with most public professionals getting 9 to 11% increases but no decent money yet for the ambulancemen. There is controversy about the under-cover role of the security services in undermining former Prime Ministers, but Thatcher resisted pressure for a fuller enquiry. She was circumventing sanctions against South Africa against international wishes but the month's news event was of the release of Nelson Mandela in South Africa, with a possible end to the State of Emergency which I saw live on the T.V.
Gorbachev is trying to reform Russia by removing article 6 in the constitution that gives Communism supremacy and agreeing troop reductions in Vienna to make the Warsaw Pact becomes less of a threat to the West. A tanker chartered by British Petroleum has shed 320,000 gallons of oil off of a sensitive part of the Californian coastline. All 14 A320 Airbus aircraft in India have been grounded following safety fears when one crashed, killing 90 passengers
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A second month of severe gales, damage and injury to persons and property; even worse than January. The milder weather up to 15degC and stormy wind seems to be a dangerous combination and West Coast fishing vessels had been harbour-bound since Christmas. We had the warmest February day in London for 30 years and in Rome for some centuries, and the poor people of Towyn, on the Welsh coast, fell victim to a lake of sea water after their defences were breached with up to 3000 needing to be accommodated. At least our tree was made safe by lopping in a lull before the winds returned but everybody was now hoping for a more conventional Spring season to follow.
I had badly scalded my foot when working on my new boat in Norfolk and foot injury then dominated my month and had barely healed by the end of it which was a bind. Daniel drove me to my appointments and Di did a few chores for me and took the girls places as I had to visit Hinchingbrooke Hospital regularly and then my doctor’s surgery for constant re-dressing, but I still enjoyed the conservatory, fish and plants. Diana is suffering very badly with an infected throat, Della with her recurring urethral troubles and me with my foot, but we all have nothing serious. We are more alarmed to hear of acquaintances dying of cancer and worry about food and atmospheric pollution with so many dangerous substances about. Mum seems to be managing all right and the news from Freda of her intentions to come up and live in East Anglia are welcome.
The month started with my time on the boat which was when I sustained what since proved to be quite a serious injury as I badly scalded my foot. I really suffered overnight for several days afterwards. My foot injury then dominated my month and had barely healed by the end of it which was a bind (in both senses of the word). After my injury, I had a poor start to the following cold, wet and windy day for I had yet to set up the boat heating to start properly and I struggled out with my scalded foot to shop for insulation in Wroxham and engine service parts in Sprowston after which I abandoned plans to work on the boat due to failing health and spirits. I drove home via Hinchingbrooke Hospital casualty department to get my foot looked at as the bandage was quite soaked and leaking and they attended to my foot after which I arrived home to go straight to bed feeling weak, feverish and in pain.
After a better night with my injured foot, taking aspirin to control the pain, I had controlled the fever and was able to accompany Daniel who drove me to the London Navy Club for our all-day course on ship VHF radio operation. He drove us home again after dark and I had a restful evening ahead of my all-day council meeting the next day. I got the chance to write up the previous two days' journal by getting my computer brought into the lounge. I needed a follow up examination at Hinchingbrooke Hospital to get my foot examined and they were worried that my scalding wound was virtually the full layer of my skin, but we decided against surgery as some nerve feeling was present. I therefore struggled on with my foot injury, Di and Della helped me bathe and helped me water the plants and feed my fish and then propped me up so that I could work
After breakfast in bed, I worked all day on my financial affairs as I rested my healing foot and Diana did a few chores for me. I was concentrating on my building society deposits which were yielding around 9%, which is higher than the rate of inflation without risk. My main worry was the slowness of healing and pain in my foot. Now that I aired it occasionally without bandaging, the pain seemed to be more than the dressing sticking and is internal to the foot, where the scalding must have done some more damage. I was looking forward anxiously to my next hospital visit, but I tried to use the time usefully and made some progress with filing my press cuttings with lots more still to do. After a fitful night of pain and discomfort, I returned to Hinchingbrooke Hospital and was seen quite soon by a much more competent doctor and nurse who noted the reddening of the foot around the wound and decided to start me on a course of antibiotics such that I was able to work for long periods of rest with my foot up.
As my foot finally started to heal after I had managed my best night for a long while, I was able to spend time in the comfort of the conservatory again reading the day's mail and paper whilst feeding the fish. My foot had then healed enough that I could get around with only discomfort rather than pain. I finally visited a very full Hinchingbrooke casualty department to have it re-dressed and managed to walk to the car and then drive home after which intervention, I could get my foot dressed at St Neots doctor’s surgery.
All the children went back at school this month after Daniel's and Della's illnesses, Debbie doing well in her cross-country run. It was for Daniel's last parent's evening where we all learnt that he must put in more than the bare minimum of work to get his grades for University. At the end of the month, Dan was preparing for his driving test the following Wednesday and Debbie as her Kimbolton Entrance Exam on the Saturday, so we sensed a big week ahead. There were worries this month over Debbie’s treatment at the Offord riding stables, which did not seem to welcome them anymore. Mr Smith had taken down all the Offord Riding Stables signs casting doubt over Debbie’s riding activity continuing there and Diana again tussled with Fiona over Debbie’s accommodation of Sundance. This as Della was becoming more confident. We sought advice again about Della’s urinary infection as Di took Della back to the doctor’s surgery and she was soon better. Freda now had an idea of buying a P.O./General Stores in this area to be able to look after Mum and I have offered help and she then discussed the idea with Mum and still plans to come to live in East Anglia.
Lighting a log fire in my office at this time of year brought cheer, where Di accompanied me on occasion as I caught up on my journal and other work. Whilst visiting my Dad’s grave and documenting my Linton manors, I had time to prepare for my evening talk to The Potton History Society which, though a modest affair, still resulted in seven more books being sold. I surveyed the garden with Pete for work to be done and bought some bedding plant and seeds from Willington garden centre. There were some significant developments on the boating front and Steve Bloom approached me with some boating plans. I had passed my radio exam, and had a trip with the family on the newly-named "Paxton Princess", before it was put in for some repairs and improvements.
After a range of outstanding responsibilities put paid to any idea of travelling early to Norfolk after I had bought it, I eventually set off for Norfolk on my own, had a snack lunch at McDonalds on the Norwich ring-road and arrived at Barnes Brinkcraft to see Mr Thwaites. Unfortunately, it was not quite ready, and I had to insist on some repairs to their work before setting off for Horning as the wind rose. I spent time fixing the bilge pump pipework and modifying the sewage system outlet and it was then that a kettle full of boiling water (used to soften the pipes) fell on my foot. Still suffering once home, I spent the day rather ineffectively working on documentation for my new boat. Working at my computer, I drew a deck layout of our new boat which we have then decided to call "Paxton Princess" and I produced artwork and copy for the covers of my Paxton Princess manuals producing specifications and equipment lists too.
After I had mostly recovered, we managed to start our Broads holiday aboard Paxton Princess where the family loaded the car and we set off to drive to Norfolk, arriving at Heronshaw about mid-afternoon. We decided to stay at the moorings overnight and, after some tea, we used our mobile telephone to check the cinema programmes in Norwich and then chose the late film "Honey, I've shrunk the kids" to watch together as a family. The 'fridge was working very well and we had the shore-power to provide our mains heaters left switched on low all night to keep the chill off the air for comfort at this cold and damp time of year. The family went shopping and I stayed behind at the boat servicing the engines and waiting for the sign-writers to visit so that we could change "Rolyat Princess" into "Paxton Princess". We set off and went downstream to the Helska Leisure Centre where we moored, and the family went swimming (but I could not because of my foot) and then back to the moorings again to arrive by dark.
After a fairly early start, Daniela and I shared the helm as we cruised via Acle Bridge to Great Yarmouth, mooring up at the Yacht Station close to low tide. We had lunch at McDonalds and then went by taxi to the sea front where the girls enjoyed Wally's Windmill full of children’s' play equipment for wet-weather entertainment. That evening, Daniel and Diana went to the cinema to see another film whilst I stayed in the Paxton Princess to give my foot a rest and look after the girls as I also studied my equipment manuals. After spending the night at Great Yarmouth and watching the fishing boats make their way out to sea the next morning, we made our way back to Horning, stopping off at Stokesby on the way. We then left the boat, made our way home, calling in at Mum’s caravan in Stanton for a chat about the future plans for her and eventually arrived back in Paxton and were all pleased to be home at last and my foot could get a rest.
The end part of the month was dominated by my work on the local FOCUS leaflets, which might well help us to win more seats on the District Council in May. The new format of this mainly political news sheet had the addition of an advertising supplement which paid for half of the costs of our four non-election issues a year and that this idea had been taken up very well for the first time. This followed me hosting meetings with Michael, Percy, Sally and our new colleague Derek Giles talking about tactics for the FOCUS advertising campaign and then chasing up my colleagues on the project of securing advertisements. I extended help to neighbouring Huntingdon colleague Nick Wells late one evening where I helped him lay out the Bury FOCUS newsletter and also welcomed Derek Giles’s mother and family to see my conservatory carp pond! Despite my poor foot,
I also chaired a Liberal Democrat activist meeting one evening and I also drew a very clever cartoon with the computer that really hammered the Tories’ Poll Tax strategy. All this led to interruptions by neighbouring LibDem organisers about coordinating campaigns and again raising with me the subject of standing for parliament, which I consistently declined. There was still the unending round of meetings. At a Parish Council meeting, our bid to oppose development on the Samuel Jones site was lost but they did agree to partner more re-cycling and I attended the opening of the first Little Paxton Bottle Bank at The Anchor. The local newspapers were full of my attacks on local councils over the Poll Tax as the lead story. I also managed to get to a planning meeting in Huntingdon, speaking to the plans for Southoe and then tried unsuccessfully to oppose the major development in Little Paxton, but the Priory Hill and Mill Lane sites were now without threat and so the merging with St Neots had been averted.
A whole morning preparing for an afternoon HDC Council meeting, where Labour’s Jim Lomax and I working together effectively opposed the Tory majority as they set levels for the Poll Tax but they opposed my support of the Ambulancemen. Often, I would take a cycle ride around the village to make some visits and review the Anchor Pub bottle bank, which had proved very successful. Despite being offered, I declined to chair the Scouts Executive, a suggestion of the nurse tending my foot, and then an evening meeting of the Liberal Democrats. There was a problematical meeting of Buckden School Governors one evening followed by a much more enjoyable Little Paxton Village Hall meeting the following evening to show just how organised our village was becoming.
The world's exchanges looked very shaky again. The government's measures reducing relief for the poor have been ruled illegal by the courts for being arbitrary and fears were growing over the new Government Student Loans scheme. Pay review bodies have recommended teachers, doctors, armed forces personnel and civil servants pay increases of 9 to 11% which made the treatment of the ambulancemen even more unfair. Abbey National put their mortgage interest rates up by nearly 1% to 15.5% after which the government revealed the likely 24% pay rise for top civil servants which was further bad publicity for the government's fight with the ambulance drivers. After ambulancemen in Merseyside voted for an all-out strike, both sides agreed to go to ACAS and there seemed to be agreement between the negotiators for a settlement in the ambulance dispute but without pay linkage to other emergency services.
Tory Councils were discovered keeping the Poll Tax levels artificially low by depleting their reserves and spending less in the coming year than even the central government assessment of perceived needs and the news spotlight was also on the quality of schools, as the inspectorate identifies 40% of schools as being poor. The unsatisfactory nature of hospital staffing by junior doctors working hours was also a key issu and a Tory M.P. is found guilty by a Commons committee of failing to declare his interests when accepting a £40,000 Saudi payment and then speaking in the House in their cause. Scientific information linked the incidence of childhood leukaemia to their fathers' exposure to nuclear radiation at the Sellafield re-processing plant.
In the Commons, Thatcher and Defence Secretary King faced awkward questions on the under-cover role of the security services in undermining former Prime Ministers, but Thatcher resisted pressure for a fuller enquiry. The Channel Tunnel project was beset with cost escalation and the banks were planning to freeze payments unless the management problems were sorted out but this dispute seemed to have been resolved eventually. Thatcher was in a minority of one amongst international leaders with her views on reducing South African sanctions and there was European anger over Britain deciding to end South African voluntary investment sanctions unitarily. An IRA bomb destroyed an army recruitment van and damaged a shopping centre in Leicester.
The month's news event was of the historical release after 27 years in prison, of Nelson Mandela in South Africa, the jailed African National Congress leader, which I saw live on the T.V. Nelson Mandela holds a press conference and there is an amazing spectacle of a live TV broadcast from South Africa with political factions - black and white - talking about the likely future for the country. There is talk about a possible end to the State of Emergency, but two British journalists were expelled from South Africa because of their reporting of the rebel cricket tour. Then 10,000 fascist whites march in protest over his release.
The continued reforms and troubles of the Soviet Union follow on a close second in this world of change. Gorbachev has made speeches to the effect of removing article 6 in the constitution that gives Communism supremacy and it takes three days of extended meetings to get his reforms through. Mutual arms and troop reductions agreed in Vienna make the Warsaw Pact becomes less of a threat to the West Soviet Union and now Soviet troops are leaving Czechoslovakia, another historic landmark. The Sąjūdis independence movement of Lithuania has won the first multi-party elections ever as the new Eastern European region takes shape.
HM The Queen was booed during a demonstration by Maori in New Zealand, militants over their claim for land rights. In East Anglia, American Air Force planes were grounded completely after two planes crash within 48 hours and all 14 A320 Airbus aircraft in India have been grounded following safety fears when one crashed, killing 90 passengers. A tanker chartered by British Petroleum has shed 320,000 gallons of oil off of a sensitive part of the Californian coastline. A 10% fall in Japanese Share values at one time completed a difficult day.