Due to a slight mix-up in terms of train bookings, I had been scheduled to head back to Suffolk last night whilst Ros went to Winchester. However, the equivalent of impulse buying kicked in and, as a result, I found myself on a South West Trains service to the capital of Wessex.
Luckily, our hosts were able to accommodate me, and we sat down to dinner at the Royal Hotel at 7.30. Or not, as the case may be. Whilst the schedule had been agreed in advance, the message hadn't necessarily got through to the kitchen so, for a change, the after dinner speeches took place... before dinner. Luckily, it seemed to go rather well, and the dinner that followed was a pretty good one. It would be fair to say that the steak and ale pie went down particularly well...
I'm particularly pleased to see how well Martin Tod is getting on. It wasn't going to be easy taking up such a challenge after the 'Oaten Affair', and morale was pretty low after 1997. However, two good years at local government level have made the picture much brighter, and I suspect the Tories have their eyes set on next door Meon Valley - certainly their previous candidate thought it was the better option...
Presumably 2006 morale was low, not 1997.
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