After sleeping lightly last night, due to the mildness of the weather, I was marvelling today at the richness of the local wildlife and nature whilst packing up to go and leaving things safely for my absence. En route, I stopped for the 11am Cenotaph commemorative silence remembering my father who died at this time of year from skin cancer probably provoked by his war-time African posting. Once home, I collected Debbie from her horse-riding in Staughton and then relaxed watching TV and reading to recover from my efforts.
The top story is of the leadership struggle in the Conservative Party with their strange culture precluding an open contest as they line up proxy choices. Chancellor Major giving "steady as she goes" interviews as the economic storm waves break around him and his daughter Elizabeth starts her “animal husbandry training" (mucking out horses) at Newmarket, having been denied a pony in earlier life.
I was early awake again on - this time at 6.45am - and used the last of the milk and meagre food supplies that I had brought for a modest breakfast. As I sat and watched Ropes Hill Dyke awake, I was conscious of just how many different types of birds and animals live there. Swimming up the dyke; the grebes, ducks, geese, moorhens and coots and then the swans with a rarer black swan joining in the welcome for once. Overhead the terns, gulls and occasional heron and then, once I was out and working, the amazingly friendly robin and wren that flit about and follow man here as if our movements are generating morsels of food. These birds are much tamer than back in Cambridgeshire. I wish I had more time to row, watch and fish on such a morning as this which is very mild and still for the time of year. I slept lightly last night as I was too warm with the sharp change in the weather.
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Today was to be a day of rest and recuperation as I gently went about my business packing and loading the car. I inspected yesterday's handiwork now revealed in the full daylight and it was not bad though clearly not the work of a professional bricklayer. I went onto The Paxton Princess and set up the thermostatically controlled fan heater to come on at approx. 45degF as well as returning one or two items that belonged there. I opened several of the hopper windows to just a crack for ventilation as well. I left the storage heater of Heronshaw on low and tidied everything else away so as to leave the old place fit to find next time and safe against any cold weather before making my way slowly home to Paxton. It was Remembrance Sunday today and the 70th anniversary to the day of the first such service at the Cenotaph in 1920. Such noble and sentiment in memory of the Unknown Warriors still marked today by the occasional flag at half-mast and the traffic seeming to proceed more sedately. I drove at 50mph and listened on the radio and, for the beginning of the service and the silence, I was sitting quietly in a roadside cafe reading thoughtfully. Just a week and a half away from the anniversary of my own father's death from skin cancer probably provoked by his war-time African posting; the day has even more significance for me now. He will not again see the sights that I have been touched by this weekend.
That wild-life and then, on driving back, the many beautiful tints of autumn gold in the deciduous woods. It was late morning by the time that I arrived in Paxton and I went straight to Staughton to collect Debbie from her horse-riding. The stables owner, Sue Usher, also loves this time of year. I took Debbie home to a nice roast of lamb that Diana had prepared. It was the first proper meal that I had eaten for a couple of days. The rest of the day relaxing with my feet up after my efforts; first a TV football match, then some reading of the papers and a drama programme that the girls wanted to see and I joined them in watching it. Della lovingly brought my slippers which was bliss. Just an hour of so gentle administration at the end of the evening - my journal and updating my action list that has lengthened formidably since I last listed the things I had to do. I had been several days away from the news and it is interesting to see what has happened in the meantime.
The top story is of the leadership struggle in the Conservative Party. They hate the democratic event of a leadership election; even though it is the season, and the nomination of Thatcher is already in. Real contenders do not want to stand for fear of rocking the boat and so the idea is of another "stalking horse" contesting the first round and of Hazeltine then entering in round two. Even the name of my own MP, Sir Anthony Grant, has been mentioned amongst others which confirms for me that he will soon be retiring from Westminster. In truth, they should stand now as Thatcher would not have hesitated if she was a contender. Apart from this, economic problems also dominate the headlines with Chancellor Major giving "steady as she goes" interviews as the storm waves break around him.
A half-decent skipper would have turned back to port long before now but then this one follows his ship-owners instructions blindly and always finds a comforting interpretation from his reading of the instruments of the economic sea, changing some of the laws of nature (and gravity) as he goes along. Just beware of stalking white seahorses, John! Meanwhile his daughter Elizabeth (a former classmate of Daniel) only passed one "A"-level and is "training in animal husbandry" (mucking out horses) at Newmarket. He should have let her have that pony she wanted and perhaps she might have studied in return instead of rebelling. On more serious matters, the smart money is now on war in the Gulf before the end of November when the Yemen takes over the chairmanship of the United Nations Security Council. In this respect, the Cenotaph ceremony today was poignant for other reasons as well.