Moving on

Total exhaustion had set in and it took a few days to get back the energy spent on the elections. I am now however well stuck in to a round of debriefing meetings and capturing the feedback from each branch. There are always valuable lessons to learn which need to be identified and acted on.

My Campaign Group met for the second time to look at the election results and lessons across the whole constituency and to put in place the steps needed as we begin to prepare for the County Council elections in May 2009. Key tasks for the immediate future are a major fund raising campaign and a new calender of Constituency events which we will be publishing on our Newton Abbot Conservatives website which is now under development.

Lots of local events this week. The highlights were the Street Market in Kingsteignton on Bank Holiday Monday and Beating the Bounds of the Borough of Newton Abbot on Saturday. The weather was reasonable for both - not too hot but not pouring with rain either although both were threatened by black cloudy skies and a bit of drizzle. I found a great pair of silver earrings made by a local artist and bought some yummy home made plum and gooseberry jam -but missed the cakes! I must get to the market earlier next year!

Beating the Bounds was absolutely fascinating and took me to parts of Newton Abbot I had not yet discovered. Eveline, our Town Crier did a fabulous job and her lace and velvet costume was wonderful - her three cornered hat was a bit of a challenge in the wind - but she kept it well down on her head! The other civic court members were equally well dressed and I was absolutely delighted to be so much a part of a tradition dating back to the 8th Century. Newton Abbot is muddier than you might think - next time I will wear my walking boots!

While I have been living in Coffinswell, I have been looking for a house to buy in Newton Abbot. After a number of false starts I have now found the perfect house in Sandford Orleigh - I am absolutely delighted and hope to have moved in by the end of June. Indeed while chatting to fellow beaters on Saturday I discovered that there is a plaque which used to be in my future dinning room which is currently sitting in a builders yard. It would be wonderful to reinstate it and we talked about how we might do that.

Next week - the County Show to look forward to!