With just a little time for my financial planning, then combining the household arrangements of gardening and conservatory furnishing with political meetings that spanned three councils with which I could really have done with more help.
Up and ready at the normal time today, after deciding to wash my hair as well. After breakfast, I spent some time at my desk trying to sort out some financial transactions which had been outstanding for a few days and then, around 10.00am, I went out to unload the bag of compost from my car and chat to the gardener. He had not seen me for a few days and so there was quite a lot of instructions to give him and questions to answer. I was expecting Frosts this morning but it was some time before Lindsay Frost arrived with my new conservatory blinds and, even then, she had mislaid one of them and sent it to Oxford! I helped arrange some walking planks for her to work over the pond and then retired to my office to get on with my paperwork.
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After lunch, I embarked on a series of trips by car to deliver correspondence and get some items from the shops. I also tried to collect a cement mixer from a friend's company in Biggleswade without success and some pond accessories from Tempsford with similar results. Back in time for a meeting with Michael Pope and Sally Guinee to discuss the party's reaction to the government plans for re-organising local government structure and finance. Though Michael's portfolio, he had not prepared anything and so we had to quickly produce an instant stance on both as it was an opportunity to push for our own District Council for the St Neots area, a top election policy of ours. A hurry to finish off all this and get something typed before we all raced off to our respective meetings. I presented our views to the District Policy Committee and then came back to St Neots Priory Centre to hear our town council members do the same there. I was a bit concerned to hear the start of their discussion which had been dominated by Labour’s Daisy Seager, but, eventually, the prepared LibDem policy that we had produced prevailed and St Neots Town Council will press for more powers. I could then release the views as a press statement in the morning. Home rather late rather vexed at the way in which I am having to manage the activities of the Town as well as the District Councils and a bit upset with Michael and Derek for not spending more time on co-ordinating Town with District affairs. I was also worried that tomorrow is polling day in Stapleford on the eve of my departure for Norfolk and I have too much to do.