This was a wet and windy month turning cold later and more floods as the snow melted. A relatively healthy month but a telling bi-annual visit to my dentist, trips to Horning commissioning the security alarm at Harnser and struggling to overcome parking problems to get the planning consent for my property develop Cambridge Street.
A busy and significant month training Sam, taking him for a dog-training break in Brancaster with GSP club colleagues. I helped Daniel change his car for a fast and expensive Rover 825i saloon, helped Debbie nurse her perceived complexion and skin problems and saw Della make progress in re-growing her eyelashes and taking an interest in lighting and tending my fires.
Poor Diana had been suffering health problems as well. My visit to the Boat Show this month had been an interesting show for me as I took the opportunity to review computer navigation systems in a month where I had upgraded my own and Daniel's computers considerably to allow more of my MAC applications to be transferred.
It had been another month of political problems for John Major's government with his ‘back to basics’ campaign thwarted by a Minister’s sex scandal and with the Tory flagship Westminster Council being condemned by the District Auditor of gerrymandering with tax-payers money.
The Queen broke her wrist in a riding fall and her son, The Prince of Wales, was attacked with a blank-shooting pistol at the start of an incident-packed tour to Australia. Two sad deaths with the passing of Manchester United legend, Sir Matt Busby, and radio presenter, Brian Redhead.
Mike Walker leaves from Norwich City for Everton and Dixie Deehan takes. A big earthquake in the San Fernando area of Los Angeles measuring Richter 6.6 and lead to much loss of life and material damage
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The month started and ended for me in Norfolk where the ground, road and dykes were still full of water as the wet winter continued. The wind was also a feature during the month with some strong gales and then this wetness gave way to a blizzard followed by more floods as the snow melted. On one occasion, the impassability of the A1 due to lorries falling to get up hills in Hertfordshire meant that I was delayed for four hours there on my way back from London.
I braved the dreaded bi-annual visit to the dentist, who was not very impressed with my teeth and gum cleaning and then was annoyingly insistent that I should be using an electric toothbrush! I have had a relatively healthy month even if I have slept lightly and then picked up my cold at the end of it. Better news from Freda who has had a cash offer of £16,000 for the mobile home in Stanton.
During my trips to Horning, I eventually got the Discovery electrical faults corrected and we had a nice meal with Sam and Francis Weller. The girls, as always, took out and returned library books when we went together but, when I was in Horning on my own, I got a number of chores done. My best progress was in commissioning the security alarm at Harnser but I also creosoted the garage, commissioned the new boat toilet pump-out unit but had less success with the moles that had headed for the higher ground of my garden!
At home in Paxton, I started work on repairing the downstairs shower tiling but did not get very far. I renewed my Cambridge University Library ticket and got my mother's gravestone on order at last but then had an abortive project with my aerial tuner. I also struggled on several occasions to try and overcome parking problems to get the planning consent for Cambridge Street. My other property transaction (to buy 52 Monarch Road) went well and so that I could begin to get the family investment summaries back in order. The gardener tackled the slipway, raising the paving stones and smoothing the area.
It was a busy and significant month for the training of Sam as I followed an Eastwick session with another day with Jim afterwards on The Acle Straight and then set off at the end of the month for a real dog-training break in Brancaster. I started the month with him doing well in many areas but also still baulking at water retrieves, running out of control at distance, mouthing dummies and being aggressive towards other dogs. I dealt with many of these faults by expending plenty of time, effort and patience, but still have to get him to hold things gently.
I got him swimming across the flooded ditches at Paxton and re-enforced this progress, controlled him a lot better and took care to stop him threatening and growling at other dogs after it led to an actual fight with Bob's rescue dog Jeeves in Brancaster. I also got him leaping and retrieving over stiles well but suffered the consequences as he then escaped the garden by getting onto the wood pile and over the garden wall! I joined the British Deer Society and set upon a course of continuing the hobby of stalking and training Sam to track shot deer.
Some time with Derek Giles setting up the canvassing cards and database for the forthcoming Eaton Ford by-election and good to see him again.
I also made a point of helping Daniel change his car for a fast and expensive Rover 825i saloon even though I did not really approve of his choice and was not surprised that he immediately ran into mechanical problems with it. Debbie was still nursing her perceived complexion and skin problems and, even though they were getting better, she was still very self-conscious about it and would hardly go out unless she had to. A school trip for her to The Imperial War Museum proved fun. Della put a few more setbacks behind her and then made progress in re-growing her eyelashes which was a relief to all of us.
She had also taken an interest in lighting and tending my fires in the office and gets such interest in such a simple pleasure. Her new piano tutor seemed to be acceptable and it was very convenient that he comes to the house. Poor Diana had been suffering with her premenstrual bleeding and had to have an internal examination with a doctor and nurse. They ascertained that she was not suffering from fibroids, but she must now go to see a hospital consultant for further tests.
She has also been fretting over the spring holiday arrangements where we intend to go to EuroDisney but their bookings are way down and there is talk of the park being closed soon. She ended up almost having a black-out when I was away. I took her to see a couple of good films ("Remains of the Day" and "Tombstone") to try to get her out of it.
My visit to the Boat Show this month had been an interesting show for me as I took the opportunity to review computer navigation systems in a month where I had upgraded my own and Daniel's computers considerably to allow more of my MAC applications to be transferred. The extra processing speed of my portable and new tape back-up unit would be useful but there was less luck with my new 4/86 as the new video card failed to correct the fault so that the whole unit would have to go back.
Another month of political problems for John Major's government even though he was hoping to set a different agenda in the new year. The problem of his "Back to Basics" campaign is its association with a type of old-fashioned morality that his colleagues cannot aspire to. Senior minister in the Lords, Lord Caithness has to resign after his wife shot herself over his marital infidelity and another minister had to resign having given a single woman councillor a child and thus created one of the "one-parent families" that his party was supposed to disapprove of!
The Tory flagship Westminster Council was condemned by the District Auditor of gerrymandering with tax-payers money and the government itself was in conflict with the Law Lords over changes to the legal system. The Queen broke her wrist in a riding fall and her son, The Prince of Wales, was attacked with a blank-shooting pistol at the start of an incident-packed tour to Australia. Two sad deaths with the passing of Manchester United legend, Sir Matt Busby, and radio presenter, Brian Redhead. Mike Walker leaves from Norwich City for Everton and Dixie Deehan takes over as City beat Wycombe Wanderers in the FA Cup but just go out in a hard-fought game to Manchester United who were presently carrying all before them.
A big earthquake in the San Fernando area of Los Angeles measuring Richter 6.6 and lead to much loss of life and material damage. The problems of the former Yugoslavia grind on as Euro M.P.s call for the resignation of Lord David Owen.