Friday 15 April
Phones have mysteriously appeared overnight; mine is green - looks like a frog and sings like a bird. It's still raining heavily - in fact as I drove here this morning, over the watershed where the great rivers of the north begin, it was snowing quite seriously and settling white on the road.
Busy day organising for next week (details to be announced) Reg has gone to pick up his son Richard from his barracks.
Chris has taken over managing projects, and is running backwards and forwards to the printers, amongst many other things. But why is this campaign so male? Only two women at the HQ, and Sylvia at the Fishburn office...
And the postal vote scandal has taken on a new dimension. After the Birmingham judgement everyone is at least alert to the problem. If you know the Labour Party like I do...(that's enough - Ed. No references to the recent election in Zimbabwe, please)
Talk to Uta about the mechanics of canvassing and the reactions the footsloggers are getting (link)
Leave the office early - 6.15 - and drive Gareth back to Weardale. A Swiss journo rings as I'm just approaching Killhope summit; I've forgotten, till I see the steep white fells ahead, about the snow. At least, being Swiss, he believes me when I say there's snow on the pass - those who live at ground level don't seem to. The only reason I'm nervous is that I've taken the winter tyres off...it seemed reasonable at the time.
More working on the website in the evening. Angie, the webmaster, has got family staying and is obviously not at her desk tonight. I'm trying to get as much stuff up there as possible, and catch up on the time we lost at the beginning, but having been without internet connection in the office it's all a bit behind. I don't feel at the moment that the site is a proper reflection of the depth of Reg's personal campaign - but I need words from people, preferably in email format not Word documents.
Nice email from Martin Bell saying he likes this blog, adding: 'I crave permission to deputise for you on it one day next week'. Of course Martin - I look forward to it. He is very supportive and describes himself as 'deputy press officer'.
- ©Reg Keys, 2005 -
